A couple of hours later at the Jeffersonian.
"She's gone!" John Hodgins quickly walks into Angela's office in a panic.
"What?" Angela asks.
"CJ, she's gone. She was sitting with me and Zac watching us work and talking. Excused herself to the bathroom and she's gone." John says.
"Did you ever think to look in the bathroom if that is where she said she was going?" Angela asks.
"Been there, done that. She's been gone for over 30 minutes. The bathroom is right here in the lab, she couldn't have possibly got lost." John is still somewhat panicked.
"What's going on?" Bones comes in and asks, after hearing John's voice.
"Oh, nothing, just that if we don't find the girl that Booth is going to kill me." John says.
"Find her, what do you mean?" Bones asks.
"She went to the bathroom over 30 minutes ago. We checked she isn't there anymore." John says.
"Relax, she's seventeen not seven. She probably is wandering around the lab somewhere." Bones says.
"Hey, guys what's going on?" Booth walks in to Angela's office.
"Oh, nothing." John says nervously.
"What do you mean nothing, Hodgins. I know that look. Where is CJ?" Booth asks.
"CJ, umm." Hodgins stutters. "The bathroom?"
Booth then looks at Bones when he knows that Hodgins isn't telling the truth.
"We don't know, she went to the bathroom and hasn't been seen since." Bones answers honestly. "She's probably wandering around somewhere."
"Well then lets start looking for her then." Booth rolled his eyes.
Booth, Bones, Jon, Angela and Zac looked around in the rooms and so forth, nothing. It was almost time to look out of the lab when Angela found a door that led outside. It was an emergency exit and usually wasn't unlocked. It had been open.
She saw CJ sitting on the stairs smoking a cigarette. CJ looked up at her, surprisingly not bothered that she had been caught in the act.
"You know those things will kill you right?" Angela speaks.
"I know." CJ nods.
"And yet you do it anyways." Angela rolls her eyes at the arrogance of the young.
"I do it because I have a lot on my mind. I'm not stupid, I have seen the black lungs. But when half of your class mates are in Iraq, and some on their way, plus an absent father. It became a habit for me and my friends." CJ gave her a tense look.
"Anyways, we've been looking for you." Angela says.
"Well you found me." CJ shrugs.
"Ugh, never mind dealing with you. Will you come back inside so Booth knows where you are and doesn't kill Hodgins for losing you." Angela begins to walk in the door.
"I'm sorry." CJ says whole heartedly.
"For what? You didn't do anything but give us a small scare." Angela responds.
"No, well yes for that, and for the way I spoke to you. I didn't mean to be like that. It is just that.." she pauses and takes another draw from the cigarette. "It is just that no one is telling me exactly what is going on and I know they know, it bothers me."
"Honey," Angela starts realizing that maybe she should tell the girl that her dad is alive.
"What do you do around here? I know what Zac and Hodgins does. Well in long drawn out detail. I know what Temperance does. What do you do?" She changes the subject.
"I draw what a person could have looked like before they became bones. What happened to them by the evidence given to me. When Booth and Temperance have a case and have the bones, I give them a face. Sometimes it is what others give me." Angela says.
"It is no wander he put me with you all. I'm not stupid, I know how Booth works. He has a purpose for most things." CJ says.
"You are right, and you aren't stupid. In fact I can tell you are very intelligent. You could use that intelligence to help me figure out who hurt you." Angela tells her, hoping for some feedback, praying she had hit a button.
"I already told Booth. The men were masked, and if they weren't I was blindfolded."
"What did they want?" Angela digs deeper.
"They wanted to know where my father was and expected me to know. I don't. I never do." CJ drops her cigarette and puts it out. "I think their only mission was to scare me and see if I would give them what they wanted. Or a warning. I seized, I have epilepsy. One of them earlier had hit me in the back of the head and I believe it caused my seizure. I think that is why they let me go, I scared them."
"Warning, what kind?" Angela asked.
"I don't know. It kind of gives me hope that maybe my dad is alive. If they can't find him, that is a good thing. But how they knew who I was…" She shakes her head. "You won't tell Booth this will you?"
"What that you opened up to me? No. But hun, you are going to have to talk to him, which makes me wander somewhat why you are talking to me." Angela gives the girl a confused face.
"From experience, and military school I am taught to read people. Even though I still go with the "trust no one" theory you seem different. Sincere even. I haven't had much of that growing up, well Booth, but I just don't want to worry him even more then he is. Plus, it is like a game with him. He keeps things gets information from me and matches it with his information. He's a cop inside and out." CJ explains.
"You ready to go in? I'm freezing and you have to be too." Angela changes the subject. CJ just nods and walks in the door with her. They see Booth and Bones immediately walking toward them.
"There you are, where were you?" Booth asks.
"Outside for some fresh air. Chill, Booth I'm not five anymore." CJ goes right back into her tough act.
"True, but you still need to tell people where you are going." Booth says, then starts sniffing. "Is that tobacco I smell?" He shoots a look straight at CJ knowing Angela doesn't smoke.
"I don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about." CJ says and then heads for the balcony.
Booth looks directly at Angela. "Don't look at me, I don't smoke. But I did get some information out of her."
"And what did she say? Did she describe the men who hurt her?" Booth perked up.
"No, but what she and I were talking about is between me and her." Angela says.
"That wasn't the deal." Booth says.
"No, but maybe you should start talking to her like she is a scared kid instead of one of your perps, did you ever think of that?" Angela looked at him. "And maybe you all should share your information with one another so you can come up with a solution."
"That isn't how it works between us, never has. I have to drill her for her to talk about things." Booth responds.
"This isn't a sex talk, or a reprimand Booth, this is her life and her fathers life." Bones finally speaks.
"How is that you all know about raising kids and you think I don't." Booth looks at the two.
"We are women, and CJ is a young woman, what can I say we all connect. And if you treat her as such and tend to her needs as a scared little girl maybe you will find the piece of the puzzle you have been looking for." Angela says.
"So I guess this means me and CJ may be dining alone tonight." Booth says.
"I guess so," Bones smiles. Angela smiles and walks away.
In Booths SUV
"I thought Temperance was coming with us." CJ asks on the way to the diner.
"Temperance has a case to work on. Plus I thought it would be cool you know just you and me like old times." Booth says turning into the diner parking lot.
"Uh huh," CJ says in a "I'll bet" tone.
In the Diner
The waitress gives Booth and CJ their food and exits.
"So Angela said you actually had a decent conversation. One where you weren't a smart ass." Booth smiles.
"She's nice I like her." CJ nods and starts to eat.
"Is that all?" Booth asks.
"Well, I'm sure she filled you in on everything." CJ throws it out there just to see what Booth says, if she really did trust the wrong person to open up to.
"No, she said you all just talked. And that if I want to know anything I should just ask you. Though, I have noticed every time I have done so you are about as bad as Bones and don't give me a straight answer, or everything is fine, just fine." Booth says.
"What do you want to know Booth?" CJ sets her fork down and crosses her arms. Booth mocks her actions and doesn't say anything. "Well?"
Booth then puts his arms on the table and looks the girl straight in the eye. "Who were the men who did this to you."
"I don't know. I told you a hundred times I don't know." He could tell that was an honest answer so Booth continued with another question.
"What did they ask you?"
"Where my father was. They believe I know where he is." She still had her arms crossed, Booth could tell that was somewhat a lie.
"And you are positive you don't." He mocks her again with crossing his arms.
"I'm positive. I don't know if he is even alive or not. I told you I haven't heard anything in the last 3 months." They are both staring each other in the same way looking one another up and down to try to read thoughts.
Why did they leave her alive? He was thinking, unless their mission wasn't to kill her just yet. "A warning." Booth said outloud.
"What?" CJ asks, but Booth could tell that hit something.
"You were a warning to your father. They weren't suppose to kill you, you were just a warning, and they were hoping to get out information from you." Booth says.
"I thought so too." CJ bowed her head, and said it quietly.
Alright, now they were getting somewhere. "CJ, do you know what your father is up to? Okay scratch that, let me finish my other questions. You said you seized, when? Before or after they threw you out of the van?"
"Before, I think I scared them, but it doesn't make sense. If I was a warning, why didn't they use me as bait? Kidnapped me or something?" She asked.
"I don't know." Booth shook his head.
"He's alive isn't he?" CJ asked.
"What? How did you—" Booth started but CJ cut in.
"Well my first thought was that they let me go on the fact that they knew where he was or something. Or they just wanted to scare me, but then I thought if they had him they wouldn't need me. I seized and it scared them, or maybe they were told to get rid of me for now. I thought maybe someone told him he was dead or something. But, when I came back from outside today you had that worried look, the one I saw when I was young and went missing. I figured that something was wrong, somehow I was in danger, then I thought, someone had to have told you I was in danger and the only one who would know was my father himself, especially since he was the one they were after." CJ says and started eating again.
"You got all that from everything in the last two days?" He was shocked he had underestimated her.
"That and I looked at your phone this morning at the hospital. You had a strange number. One similar to those I had seen a couple times when my dad actually talked to me himself and not through others." She smiled.
"You sly little devil." Booth smiled half proud.
"So he is alive, and you want to know who is after him and where he is. I can't tell you what I don't know. But now that our stories have crossed maybe now you don't have to keep things from me and I don't from you." CJ smiled back.
"It isn't that simple. You really are in danger, which is another reason why I kept you at the lab all day, and why I was worried when you disappeared. Your dad called me yesterday, did you try to find him on your own?" Booth asks.
"No," She looked at him and he gave her an intense look back that pierced through her. She couldn't lie to him, after all he was the closest thing to a parent she had, and it did occur to her that her life was at stake along with her fathers. "Yes," She rolled her eyes and handed Booth a piece of paper from her coat pocket.
Booth looked at it. It was data on the mission her father was on, but it stated that there had been no contact for a while. "Where did you get this?" Booth looked at CJ who again bowed her head. "CJ?" He said her name.
"A guy, from the Cathedral. One that supposedly knew something about my dad. He was a friends father from school. He works with the FBI in New York. He contacted me to meet him at there at the church. That is why I was about to call you." CJ responded.
"He led them there to you. The man didn't work for the FBI, CJ. If he did he wouldn't have been stupid enough to meet you there. He wouldn't have done anything at all, unless-" Booth thought for a moment.
"Unless what?" CJ asked.
"Unless he was paid to do it." Booth says.
"We are talking about one of my dad's friends Booth, not some stranger. And my friend is a good friend not some acquaintance I was sent to." CJ said.
"Do you not get that the reason you were sent to that school was more for your protection then anything. Your dad's field is highly risky. That is why your last name was changed, we screened anyone who even had a part in giving you messages from your father. You are under strict surveillance, meaning that the only people who know who you are and where you are, are all tied with the FBI." Booth preached.
"Meaning?" CJ's wheels were starting to turn. "Oh, God. I made a mistake, I brought someone from the outside that wasn't even supposed to know who my father was. Do you think he really knew he was leading people to me?"
"Yes, unfortunately. He shouldn't have even been able to find those papers, unless they were fake." Booth says.
CJ's head is still bowed, she is so mad at herself she can't even look up Booth. Then his phone rings. "Booth," He answers. "Yeah…..what? Yes.. I know… Okay." Then he hangs up the phone his face is grim. "Come on, lets get you to Temperance's." He says leaving money on the table.
"What's going on?" she asks standing up.
"Nothing, CJ let's just get you to her place." He gently grabs her shoulder and leads her out of the diner.
"What is it Booth?" She jerks her arm away from his grip.
"CJ, don't—" he says in a manner that means something is definitely up.
"No, tell me." She looks at him who is quiet and looking away from her. "Tell me Booth!" she raises her voice.
"Your friends dad was killed last night." He says quietly.
"No," She shakes her head and starts to walk away from him.
"CJ," he runs and grabs her.
"No!" She flails her arms trying to fight him off of her. "I didn't do, I couldn't have!" she yelled.
"You didn't know," Booth continued to calm her down.
"I should have, I'm so stupid!" She keeps fighting.
"CJ," He finally grabs her wrists and gets her to look at him. "CJ," he raises his voice to get her attention so she stares him in the eyes. Tears were running down her cheeks. "CJ, you didn't know."
"I killed him Booth," She said through a crying voice.
"You didn't know. He knew what he was getting into." He tried to pull her towards him but she pushed back and away.
"It was my friend Michael, his dad is dead because of me. I can't, I don't…" She didn't know what to say. She kept seeing her friends face in her mind when he got the news that his father was dead. All she could do was blame herself.
"No, CJ." He pulled him toward her again this time she didn't fight. He holds her tightly rubbing her back trying to soothe her.
"I'm scared." She says still through tears.
"I'm here, I am not going anywhere. I am not going to let anything hurt you." Booth says but you can see in his face he is a little scared himself.
END SCENE