Aiden continued to sit and stare into the fire as the morning wore on, the two suspects were quiet, though complained now and then as he tried to figure out exactly how to deal with them through the duration of the storm. He needed to make sure that the cabin was secure, and he was waiting for some daylight to assess things better. He watched Antonia for several moments, her head leaning against the wall of the cabin, her eyes closed in a peaceful slumber. He felt happy that she was comfortable enough to let him watch over her and allow her guard to drop enough to rest.
The day was beginning, but the dark clouds and snow blocked the sun, and though it allowed some light into the cabin, it was limited. He stood up, glancing to the two suspects as they sit slumped in their corners, their heads down as they sat silently either sleeping or brooding. He walked around to several of the windows, and pulled open the curtains, allowing what light he could into the depths of the dark cabin. It appeared that the cabin was a simple two-room hunting cabin, there was no electricity or running water, as the owner of the cabin probably only visited during hunting season, or perhaps the summer and had turned the amenities off. The furniture was minimal, and the cabin had no refrigerator or stove, just a fireplace, a small dining table, and a couple of beds. It also appeared that the owner of the cabin hadn't been here for quite some time.
The two men had found a prime hideout, and it looked like their supplies were running low, which would explain why they were going to attempt to take Aiden's car. He stepped quietly into the second room, a bedroom with a small dresser, and another cot, but little else. It didn't appear that there was a privy in the cabin, but perhaps there was an outhouse out in the back. It didn't appear however, that the two men cared, as the cabin smelled of urine, marijuana, and mildew. He walked to the far end of the cabin, opening the curtain on the window at the opposite wall, allowing light in. He looked out at the snow that was falling at a steady pace, the wind howling against the side of the building. He was about to turn around, when he felt two arms wrapping slowly around his waist, and a head resting on his back. "That was a very dangerous move." He whispered, feeling her bury her head in his back and groan a little. "Are you okay?"
"I think so." She whispered. "It helps to have some light."
"I agree." He whispered. "Sometimes a little light can help you think a little more clearly. I have no idea when this storm is supposed to stop."
"I have a radio in my bag. We can listen for a weather report." She replied into his back. Slowly, she let her arms fall, and took a step backward, moving beside him at the window, she looked out on the trees and swirling snow. "I have some food in my storm kit, nothing fancy, some energy bars and some water. There's just about anything you could need for a short emergency in that bag. First aid kit, pocket knife, multi-tools, anything you might need."
"Who's the boy scout now?" Aiden teased, giving her a nudge, she looked up at him with an amused smile.
Temperance stood quietly outside of the visitor's room at the jail with Jared. She had managed to get herself there fairly easily in the storm, though was slightly concerned about what conditions would await her when she was through with her task. Booth and Ace headed to the Hoover building together, with a promise of waiting until the storm had calmed before starting their 'rescue operation'. On the outside, Temperance was happy that they had decided to wait, but internally she was very nervous for Antonia's wellbeing. Their daughter had always been a headstrong child, and that had simply transformed into being a headstrong adult, which at times could be extremely dangerous in their line of work.
She glanced to the man she was traveling with, he had borrowed a shirt from Booth, but he looked completely worn. He had barely spoken as they rode to the jail, and she had no idea how this conversation between he and his son would go. The door buzzed and they were able to enter the room, Jared walked in first, his eyes falling on his son as he sat with his head down, staring at the table in front of him. He was wearing an orange jump suit, and looked to be in fairly good condition but for the bruising on his face.
Jared sat down across from him, and Temperance walked in slowly behind him, a slight gasp on her lips as she saw his bruised face. "Seeley? What happened to you?" Jared asked, obviously not having been informed of the altercation with Antonia, but the phrase was also a question of how he had gotten into this situation.
"Nothing." He said, looking up at Jared defiantly, his eyes flicked to Temperance. She didn't miss the way they widened just slightly, and then darted away from her as she sat down. "It doesn't matter. Why are you here?" He asked, glaring at Jared.
"I was worried about you." Jared said sincerely.
"Worried about me? Why don't you just worry about yourself. Did you even go to rehab? You look like shit." Seeley snapped, glaring at Jared.
"Seeley. Don't talk to me like that." Jared said, though the authority in his voice was missing. "I messed up, okay, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well… I messed up too, can I go home now?" He asked, still staring at Jared, refusing to look at Temperance.
"Why were you with those guys?" Jared asked.
"Boys will be boys." He said sarcastically as he gave his father a glare. "You can see I'm fine now, okay? You can go back to your life of crappy jobs and drinking." Seeley snorted.
"Seeley, I'm sorry." Jared said, exhausted. "I went to rehab to get help when I lost my last job and I couldn't get back up from it. I was trying to get better, and I come home and you're not there, and the house was trashed, and I didn't know where you were. I thought you were kidnapped or dead." He sighed. "I'm sorry that I messed up."
"Yeah, well… It's nice here. Three square meals a day, and no drunk asshole to deal with." He snapped, though his eyes caught Temperance's and she noticed the bravado drop off for a split second.
"Well, I'm glad you're happy with yourself." Jared said, starting to stand up, he felt Temperance's hand in his as she tugged on it, looking up at him. "What? He doesn't want me to be here."
"But you want to be here. He doesn't have a choice. Be here. Sit down." Temperance said softly.
"Yeah, just walk away." Seeley snapped. "Just like you always do."
Temperance's eyes snapped back to the young man, her sharp glare digging in deep on him, he tried to ignore it, but it was clear that she wasn't going to let up. She continued her angry glare. "Jared, sit down." Temperance said as her brother in law looked down at her and then back at his son. He gritted his teeth and sighed. "I didn't drive through a snowstorm so that you could spend two minutes sniping at one another. Would you prefer if I left the room?"
"No." Seeley said, answering the question that was asked of his father. "Please don't go." He whispered, his eyes were suddenly pleading as he reached his hand across the table. "Nobody will tell me how Grace is." He said sincerely.
Jared looked to Temperance, and back to his son, and slowly sat down in his seat. He watched as she reached across and touched his hand, turning it over on the table. She looked at the tattoo on his arm, seemingly reading it for a moment as she looked up into Seeley's eyes. "I tried to stop it from happening." He whispered. "I had just met them that day, and… I didn't know they had a gun. I was just looking to get high."
"And your friend?"
"We were hanging out together, he was a friend since high school." Seeley said as tears started rolling down his cheeks. "Please tell me that Grace is okay. Please tell me that she is okay. I tried. I didn't want her to get hurt." He begged, as she squeezed his hand.
"She's in a lot of pain, Seeley… but she will be okay." She said, watching as some of the worry disappeared, but most of it was extremely clear. "She was very worried about you as well. I think she knows that you were telling her to go, that you didn't want her to get hurt. I think she knows."
"I tried to knock her out of the way." He whispered, leaning on the table slightly. She could see the tears in his eyes. "Why did you make me leave?" He whispered suddenly, and lifted his other hand to the table. "I didn't want to go."
"Seeley." She whispered.
"It was my fault." Jared said, speaking up suddenly. Seeley looked to his father. "I needed you, Seeley. I was selfish, and I just… You're the only thing that I had left of your mother, and I thought that if you were there, then I would have her back too." He admitted. "I never should have pulled you away from Tempe and her family. I pressured them into letting you live with me. I threatened to take you across the country if they didn't give in willingly." Jared said quickly.
"Jared, stop." Temperance said, looking to him with a warning glare.
"No, Tempe. He needs to know the truth." Jared said, looking into his son's eyes. "They were ready to fight me, take full custody, Seeley. I couldn't let them do that to me. It was my fault." He said, watching as Seeley sat with a confused expression, looking between the two adults. "It was my fault, and I'm sorry."
Seeley sat, looking between the two of them with a confused look on his face, his tongue darting over his lips as he lifted his hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Aunt Bones?" he whispered.
"What your father is saying is… mostly correct, yes." She nodded. "You have always been a welcome presence in our home, Seeley. We love you very much."
"Not so much now, I'm sure." He muttered.
"Even now. We want you to get the help you need so that you can move forward in your life, Seeley. However, you do have a tendency of being like your father at times, and while I'm sure that makes him proud, it can be very frustrating for the rest of us." She said, a bit of humor in her eyes as she waited for Jared's reaction.
"Hey!" Jared said, glaring at Temperance.
"Thank you for helping us with the investigation, Seeley. I'm sorry that you're in this situation." She said sincerely.
"I wanted to talk to Antonia, but the FBI agents wouldn't let me." He said softly.
"I think for the safety of both of you, it was better that you waited to talk to Ace and Booth." She said, a kind smile on her face. "We have to go now, but we're still searching for the other suspects, so please don't be disheartened."
"Thank you for believing me." Seeley whispered.
"We will talk more soon." She said, giving his hands a squeeze, she glanced to Jared. "Was there anything more you wanted to say to him?" She asked.
"I do love you, Seeley." Jared said softly. "I really am sorry."
Seeley nodded, unsure of what to say, he sighed and looked between the two adults. Temperance stood up, and looked to Seeley. "Your father will be staying with us for a few more days, and we will keep you up on what is happening with your case." She said, watching him nod. "I'm sorry that we had to see one another this way, Seeley."
"I'm sorry too, Aunt Bones." He said softly.
With that, Jared stood up and shook his boy's hand, whispering a positive word or two as he turned with Temperance. They walked out of the room together, silence buzzing between them as they exited out of earshot of Seeley. "You didn't have to do that, Jared." Temperance said, glancing to him. "You knew that you were never going to take him across the country."
"Yeah, well… it made him feel better." Jared shrugged. "Sometimes it feels good to know that someone fought for you, that someone was on your side."
Temperance nodded and gave him a knowing look. "Thank you." She said, as they approached the doors to the outside, the snow squalls had picked up, and the wind was whipping violently. "We have one more stop, then I have to get to the lab. You can decide what you're going to do with your day from there."
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night keeps Tempe from the Jeffersonian lab." Jared joked.
"Keep it up, and I'll just let them give you a room here." She said, laughing as her brother in law stopped in his tracks, and she continued toward her car.
"Ha, ha, Tempe." He said, jogging to keep up with her fast pace.