(The Senator in the Street Sweeper)

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A/N: I hope everyone is well.

I don't own Bones

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Senator Rick O'Malley was dead, murdered and Caroline knew that this was going to be a very tough case. No matter how much she wished it wasn't so, politics was going to play a part in this case whether she liked it or not and true to form, she was called into her boss' office as soon as the senator's body was identified.

"You wanted to see me, Sir." Though Caroline liked Bill Weber, she knew he was the head of the Justice Department and he was there because he had been appointed to that position by the President.

Impatient, Bill waved Caroline over to the chairs near his desk and waited for her to make herself comfortable. "Ms. Julian . . . Caroline, the death of Senator O'Malley is already making waves. We need to handle this professionally and we need to find the killer as quickly as possible. This is front page news and it's not going to go away until the killer is caught."

"Yes Sir and that's why Director Darouse has assigned Agent Seeley Booth to the case. He and those squints from the Lab were called in when the body was found and the Director wants them to continue working the case." If there was anyone at the FBI capable of solving this case, it was Booth and his partner, Dr. Brennan.

Leaning forward on his desk, the Attorney General pursed his lips then nodded his head. "Good man. He saved our asses from a coup no one even knew was going on . . . yes, he'll do . . . but and this not negotiable, Dr. Brennan cannot interview the Senator's wife. Dr. Brennan is brilliant, but she lives in a black and white world . . . I've met her, I've talked to her and although I find her refreshing, I know some don't. She doesn't know how to play the game."

Caroline knew what Weber was talking about. "She can be blunt. I'll let Agent Booth know he needs to use someone else as backup."

"Good, I'm glad we're on the same page." The conversation over, Weber checked his watch. "I have a meeting I need to get to at the White House."

Once she was in the hallway, Caroline removed her phone from her purse.

Booth.

"Cher', I've just talked to my boss and he doesn't want Dr. Brennan to help you do your interviews with the Senator O'Malley case, at least not when you interview the widow, Lynette O'Malley. He's worried Dr. Brennan might be too blunt."

Shit . . . Okay, Caroline.

"Good, keep me apprised of your case and just remember you're under a microscope."

Oh, I know that. Believe me. I was just in a meeting with the Director.

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Brennan hadn't been pleased with her being banned from going with Booth to interview the Senator's wife, but she knew enough about politics to know that she would be of better use in the Lab since she didn't have time to play verbal games with a politician's spouse. Aubrey was more than capable of watching her husband's back and she would continue to pursue clues about the demise of the Senator. She hated politics and hated how people who knew nothing about murder investigations thought they could supervise one.

After talking to Lynette, Booth had a possible lead. She had been quite adamant about letting him know that it was possible that Senator O'Malley had been having an affair with the party's whip, Senator Haley Winters. Not surprised about anything that politicians did or do Booth called the senator for an interview. Much to his amazement, the Senator surprised him when she asked Booth to bring his wife with him. Leery about the situation and curious about her motives, he decided that the Senator would get her wish and if her feelings were hurt at any time during the interview, then that would be too bad. Booth was counting on his wife's bluntness and he would take advantage of it. He couldn't be held responsible if the Senator insisted that Brennan be there.

Once they were in the office, Brennan didn't waste any time and confronted the Senator about her possible affair.

Amused, Senator Winters sat behind her desk and smiled at Brennan. "I am a very busy woman, Dr. Brennan. I'm working long hours and I barely have time to do the important things, like sleep. I can assure you, I'm not going to waste my valuable down time having an affair."

Since Brennan herself put in long hours, she thought it was possible that the Senator was telling the truth. The fact that she gave them a lead also made Brennan think that Lynette O'Malley may have had a grievance against her husband, but she didn't know who to attack and chose to attack someone she didn't like.

They moved from one clue to another and with Brennan working in the Lab she and Angela were able to determine what the murder weapon was, well parts of the murder weapon. It was Booth who actually identified the murder weapon in Senator O'Malley's home.

After examining the hands of the people who were in the house he came to the conclusion that Senator O'Malley's Chief of Staff had murdered his boss. Morales had been having an affair with Lynette and when he found out that O'Malley had voted against his party about an important bill he had become outraged and beat the Senator to death to protect his party's interests and that of Lynette. With the Senator dead, he had hoped that Lynette would be appointed as her husband's replacement and she would protect their state's interests.

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Sitting in Brennan's office, Booth watched his wife typing on her PC, trying to finish up a report for Cam so they could leave. Pausing, Brennan looked at her husband. "I hate cases like this. The press wants us to solve cases like this in a few hours, which is ridiculous."

"Yeah." Booth agreed, but he also knew that was part of working for the FBI in Washington D.C. "But we are the best and we solved it . . . you do know if I get my promotion, I'm going to be more involved in politics? The higher up the chain the less I'll have to do with actual law enforcement and more with the politics of running an organization as big as the FBI."

Continuing to type, Brennan nodded her head with a slow solemnness. "Yes, I know . . . I am prepared for that day to come. That is why I didn't protest when Caroline told you that I couldn't help you interview the Senator's wife. She was making sure I didn't destroy your chances for the new promotion."

"What? No, Bones, don't say stuff like that." Booth felt he needed to defend his wife, even if it was from her. "You're a genius and you see things a little more clearly than the rest of us. It's okay, I don't want you to change. You be you and I'll be me. It's gotten us pretty far in life and that's a fact. Why do you think the Director wanted us on this last case? He knew we would solve the case and pretty quickly too. That was because of you not just me. We're a team."

Realistic, Brennan knew that she would have to consider her words more carefully in the future if Booth got the promotion. "Booth, I don't believe in altering facts to make someone else comfortable nor do I allow witnesses in our murder investigations to stonewall us. Their diversions are meant to protect themselves for various reasons and I don't have patience for that . . . but, I have dealt with the Jeffersonian Board of Trustees for many years and I can be politically correct when it is not a matter of life or death. I do know how to play the game when it is necessary. I have helped Cam present her budget to the Board when I needed special equipment and she needed my expertise. I knew that being direct would not get us what we wanted. They needed to be persuaded . . . When you receive your promotion, I will continue working at the Lab and I will attend functions with you when necessary. I can keep those things separated. Dr. Goodman used to say I have an exceptional learning curve. I still do."

"Yeah, you do." Booth smiled. "Just remember. I don't want you to be anyone else. Just be you."

"I will." Brennan finished typing the report, attached it to an email and sent it to Cam. "I am ready to go home. Max said he was going to cook dinner tonight. It will be interesting to see what he made for us."

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