(The Bones on the Blue Line)

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He hated dealing with lawyers, but Booth knew that in this case he couldn't avoid it. Brennan had found a lawyer through her publisher. The publisher had recommended Kelsey Goodrum because she had a solid reputation and the publishing company had done business with her before. Brennan was confident that the lawyer would get Booth the help he needed in his case against Rebecca Stinson. He just worried that it might blow up in his face, but he knew he had to follow through. If he didn't then Rebecca would think he was all hot air and that he would bend to her will whenever she needed him to. He couldn't do that anymore. He'd had enough.

They sat in a conference room. On one side of the table, Rebecca and her lawyer sat facing Booth, Brennan and their lawyer on the other side of the table. "This is ridiculous, Seeley. You have no right to do this."

Attorney Kelsey Goodrum cleared her throat and clasped her hands together on top of the table before her. "That is where you are wrong, Ms. Stinson. Mr. Booth would like to formalize his parental rights. I am here to ensure that happens."

Furious, Rebecca folded her arms against her chest. "I will not give up custody of my son. I've been his legal guardian since he was born. Seeley will not take him from me."

Exasperated with his ex, Booth sighed. "No one said anything about taking Parker away from you Rebecca. You never listen to a thing I say. I just want my parental rights formalized. I'm not taking our son from you. That was never my intention and it still isn't."

Attorney Clark Abbott appeared to be puzzled. "I was led to believe that this was a custody case."

Goodrum shook her head. "It is not. My client merely wishes to formalize his rights in regard to his son. He has been paying child support since the child was born. He has taken care of the boy two weekends a month since the child was four months old. Mr. Booth would like to make sure he has formal visitation rights. Too many times in the past, he has been denied visitations with his son because Ms. Stinson didn't want the boy to see him. A case in point, they have had an agreement for years that Mr. Booth gets to visit with Parker Booth during Christmas. The last two Christmases he was denied that visit because Ms. Stinson wanted to take the boy skiing."

"For God's sake, taking Parker skiing wasn't punishing Seeley." She shook her head while glaring at her ex. "Last year it was to give Parker a treat and this year it was because my father is sick and he paid to have his entire family go to Switzerland for a reunion. This might be his last Christmas with the family and he wanted his grandson there."

Abbot placed his hand on Rebecca's arm and shook his head. "What exactly does Mr. Booth have in mind?"

Her attention now on the opposing lawyer, Goodrum passed a folder over to Abbot. "Like I said earlier, Mr. Booth would like to formalize his visiting rights. Three weekends a month and they can't be cancelled unless the agreement is mutual. He would like Parker to stay with him Christmas week and at least one month during the child's Summer break. Clearly, he isn't asking for much. He just wants to spend time with his son and he doesn't want his visits to be taken away from him on a whim or because Ms. Stinson is angry with my client over something."

Surprised, Rebecca leaned over and looked at the sheet inside the folder while her lawyer looked at it. "You don't want to take Parker from me?"

"Of course not." Booth glanced at Brennan and then back at Rebecca. "I never did. A boy needs his mother. He needs you Rebecca. I just want to see my son while he's still young. Someday he's going to be a man and he's going to be living his own life and he won't have time for me or you. I want to be his father while I still can and I can't worry about you deciding that I don't need to see my son because you want to go skiing or for some other reason. I want a schedule and I want that schedule to be formalized, so that you can't change it when you want to."

Rebecca stared at the sheet once more and thought about her options. "What if I say I don't want to give you what you want?"

"Then we will see you in court." Goodrum stared at Rebecca trying to determine if the woman was serious. "He is just asking that the you recognize his visitation rights. There is nothing drastic in his petition. The only thing he added was the one month during the summer and the extra weekend during the month. Mr. Booth is a decorated War Veteran and an FBI Agent. He and his partner own a house in a very good neighborhood. He is in a stable relationship with a world famous anthropologist and author. They are both pillars of their community. You don't really think a judge would refuse these terms do you? They are modest terms after all. You will just be wasting your time and the time of my clients, not to mention taking a risk of losing more once we are in front of a judge. You know how some judges are. We just may get one that thinks Mr. Booth isn't asking for enough. You're a lawyer Ms. Stinton. I'm sure you've seen that happen yourself. I know I have."

She had one more ace up her sleeve. "What about Seeley's brain tumor? You don't think a judge would grant him this wish list if we went into court and talked about the tumor would you?"

Brennan couldn't remain silent. "The brain tumor was removed successfully. The surgeon is confident it will not return . . . Booth is being checked once a year to make sure all is well. I don't think mentioning the tumor will help you with your case if you wish to contest this . . . I have a question for you, Rebecca. Booth is in fine health now, but if his tumor did return, would you take him to court to separate his son from him. Would you risk Booth dying and Parker never seeing his father again? Do you think Parker would forgive you for being so callous?"

He loved her coming to his defense, but Booth thought she had gone far enough. Placing his hand on Brennan's hand, he squeezed it gently and smiled at her. "It's alright, Bones. Rebecca is just bluffing."

She was bluffing and she knew it had been futile to mention it, but she was unhappy with Booth's sudden interest in legal documents and rights. She was certain it was all due to Brennan's influence and there was nothing she could do about it. Rebecca also knew that she couldn't really separate her son from his father. The boy adored Seeley Booth and he would never forgive her if she did anything to ruin his relationship with his father. She wasn't that foolish. She loved her son so much and his happiness was very important to her. "Fine, those terms are acceptable, but I will hold you to the letter of the terms. There will be no deviation from it . . . Two can play that game Seeley."

"This isn't a game, Rebecca." Booth thanked God that she had turned him down years ago when he had asked her to marry him. He was certain that the marriage would have ended in divorce. "My son's life is not a game and neither is mine."

The meeting was over as far as Rebecca was concerned. Turning to her lawyer she nodded her head. "The terms are acceptable. Make sure you dot every I and cross every T. I don't want any misunderstandings in the future."

Abbot smiled at Booth. "We'll sign these and have them notarized. They should be in your hand no later than tomorrow."

A little shocked that he had won, Booth watched as Abbot and Rebecca left the room. After he had a few words with his lawyer, he and Brennan left the room. "God, Bones. I can't believe this. I actually won. She's not taking me to court."

Pleased that it had gone so well, Brennan held her boyfriend's hand as they walked down the hallway. "I'm happy for you, Booth. We'll have to plan for a vacation in the summer with Parker. We should research fun activities and find a destination that he will enjoy."

Booth stopped causing Brennan to stop. "Bones, thank you. You've been on my side from day one and I really appreciate it. Parker loves you and I know you love him. I guess I'm the luckiest man alive." He kissed her and liked that she kissed back. "Let's go home. Maybe we can celebrate."

"I think a celebration is in order." Brennan had been very pleased with the lawyer she had hired and the outcome had been what she had hoped for. Her family was intact and that was important to her. She considered Parker to be her step-son and she wanted him to be a big part of her life. She was in love with the boy's father and she wanted him to be happy. She knew that at this moment, Booth was very happy and so was she.

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