Temperance sat at the bar in the small diner as she munched on a sandwich and read a forensics journal. She was waiting for her father and brother to show up for lunch, but decided to take the waiting time to read. Brennan was distracted however by the feel of someone staring at her. At first she thought that Booth had somehow found her, but the feel of the stare was entirely different. When she could take the sensation no longer, she turned to see who would be so rude as to watch her like this.
"Can I help you?" She looked at the man that was watching her. He was handsome in a very rugged sort of way, much more so than Booth, and his eyes had a slightly hard edge to them as though he had a lot of hidden secrets. The man smiled slowly in a way that showed he was used to getting women's attention as he made his way over to her and sat in the unoccupied seat next to her.
"The name's Gavin Maguire."
"Thank you for that bit of information Mr. Maguire, but you've failed to answer my question." Temperance looked squarely at him, watching as amusement danced over his features.
"I couldn't help but notice you over here all by yourself. A beautiful woman like you should always have company."
"It's a good thing then that I'm waiting for my company to arrive." She turned back to her journal, and let out a sigh of frustration when he didn't leave. In fact, the man kept staring at her.
"Then I'm sure you wouldn't mind a little company until then."
"Actually I was doing perfectly well on my own."
"Come now, that's no way to speak to someone who's only trying to be courteous. As a matter of fact, you've got my interest peaked. I don't think I've seen you round these parts before."
"You're from around here then?"
"That I am. Matter of fact, I own the shooting range just outside town. You should stop by sometime, maybe I can show you a thing or two about guns."
"With all due respect Mr. Maguire…"
"Please call me Gavin." He smiled again at Brennan, an easy look meant to make her more comfortable. Temperance offered a tight smile in return.
"There's no need to teach me about guns. I'm quite proficient with them."
"Then come down for some target practice. We don't get many women in there." Gavin reached into a pocket and pulled out a business card. Brennan glanced at it briefly before setting it down onto the counter.
"I'll consider it."
"Would you also consider maybe joining me for some coffee?"
"It's a little presumptuous of you to assume I'm interested, don't you think?"
"Way I see it, there's no harm in asking. You'll either join me or not." The bell to the diner tinkled as the door swung open. Max and Russ entered the restaurant, looking around for Temperance. When she spotted them, she gathered up her belongings and stood up.
"You're right; there is no harm in asking." With that, she left Gavin sitting at the counter as she met her family and headed to a booth in the far corner of the little diner. Max glanced over at the bar as the three of them sat down.
"Who's that," he asked once they were comfortable.
"He owns the shooting range outside of town."
"Hmmmmm…" Max watched as the young man looked once at Temperance before he left the diner.
"Dad, don't start. Sometimes you're as bad as…" Brennan cut herself off before she mentioned Booth. In a small part of the back of her mind, she couldn't help but worry about him just a little. Her last conversation with Angela had her concern raised for the agent. Maybe she should call him. She shook the thought out of her mind. No, there would be no chance of getting over him that way.
"I got your aunt's information." Temperance looked up sharply at her father. Her heart beat a little faster at the news.
"Which one?"
"Well both, but since your aunt Lucy doesn't care much for me I'm planning to contact your aunt Gayle, unless of course you'd like to do it."
"No, it's okay. I don't know how she would take the news."
"Okay honey, I can do that." Max smiled at her and covered her hand with his own. She smiled at the gentle gesture before turning to Russ.
"So what do you think about all of this?"
"I think it's great. The more family, the better I say." Russ offered her a wink, and conversation ceased when the waitress approached to take their orders.
XxXxX
Max sat on the front porch of the house as he watched the sun set. He had his cell phone in one hand and the phone number to his former sister-in-law in the other. Max flipped open the phone and stared at it for quite a while, contemplating whether or not to make the call. His trial had national coverage due to the fact that he'd murdered the Deputy Director of the FBI, and he had no idea how Gayle would feel about a call. He was however doing this for Temperance, so there was no option in his mind. After a deep breath he dialed the number and waited for the line to pick up.
"Hello?"
"Gayle, this is Max Keenan."
"You've got some nerve calling here Max. Here we thought you, Ruth and the kids dead all these years."
"I understand your frustration Gayle, and if it were up to me, I'd still leave you alone. Temperance however wants to meet you."
"Temperance?"
"Yes. I mean Joy. We renamed her when we disappeared."
"So the kids are…"
"Alive and safe. They really would like to meet you and Lucy." There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Max felt uncomfortable in the silence, but said nothing, letting Gayle make up her mind about any meeting they could have.
"I'm having Thanksgiving at my home this year. Lucy and I alternate."
"Okay."
"Would you like to join us?"
"We'd love to. Will your kids be there? If I remember right your daughter Esther and Joy looked quite a bit alike."
"They'll be there. I can't say how anyone else will take this reunion."
"We can deal with it when it comes to that."
"Then I'll see you here Thanksgiving day."
"We look forward to it." Max finished the phone call, smiling. His daughter would have the family she'd longed for and he could try to make amends to the other people he'd hurt by their disappearance so long before.
XxXxX
"Are you sure about this dad?" Temperance was nervous as they drove into Elyria, Ohio. She fiddled with the chunky red necklace she wore and worried her bottom lip with her teeth. She sat in the front seat next to her father as Russ, his fiancée Amy and her two daughters sat in the back two rows of the rented minivan.
"I talked to Gayle on the phone and she's fine with this. She wants to meet you. Stop worrying honey."
"But how do you know that she's…I mean she thought we were dead, didn't she?"
"I'll admit, she was a little surprised to hear from me, but after the initial shock wore off, she was quite amenable with the whole thing."
" Tempe, don't worry. Look at the family you're getting." Russ offered her a smile as she looked back at him. His fiancée Amy grinned at her as well.
"Well won't there be some resentment at the fact that we've been hidden away all this time?"
"Water under the bridge. I promise, everything will be fine." Max stopped the car in front of a modest two story home. Snow fell gently on the ground, and Temperance pulled her coat a little tighter around her. At her apprehensive look, Max gave her a gentle squeeze on the shoulder as they made their way to the front door. He knocked, and turned to look at his family. "Here we are."
The door slowly opened and a middle aged woman with brown hair opened the door. She looked over the group for a moment, and then her gaze fell onto Brennan, who was fiddling with her mother's ring. The older woman gasped and held a hand up to her mouth.
"Joy? Joy Keenan?" She looked over the group again, this time settling onto Russ. "And you're Kyle?"
"Actually it's Temperance and Russ now."
"Well whoever, it's wonderful to see you!" With that, Gayle enveloped Temperance in a hug and started to cry. "Ruthie's children! We thought you were…and then Max called. We've missed you!" She let go of Temperance and hugged Russ before stepping back to look at the pair. "Goodness, Esther really does look like you. Please come in and get out of this cold." Gayle began to usher the group into the house and out of the cold. Before Max came in, he looked over his shoulder. He squinted as he scanned the opposite side of the street, absolutely sure he was being watched.
As he continued to look, he saw him standing there watching the family. This was not good. He'd been assured that he and his family would be left alone and yet they were being followed, of that he was sure.
"Max, are you coming," Gayle asked after the others were inside.
"In a minute. I just have to make a phone call first." He smiled at Gayle before pulling out his phone and hitting the speed dial for his handler. Gayle gave him a small nod and stepped inside to give him privacy. As the phone line picked up, Max heaved a sigh. "Charlie, we've got a problem."
XxXxX
Annie looked over the crowd of people at the house, looking for Seeley. He'd somehow managed to slip away from the family gathering, and his son was looking for him. She frowned as she scanned the crowd once more and jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Jared, don't do that. You scared me."
"Sorry about that. You look upset, something wrong?"
"Have you seen Seeley?"
"I think I saw him heading for the office. You want me to get him?"
"Could you? Parker's looking for him but won't leave Rebecca's side."
"Sure. Why don't you go have a seat? You probably need the rest." Annie smiled at Jared and gave a short nod as he walked off in the direction of the office set up for Annie and his brother. The door to the room was slightly ajar and Jared pushed it open, quietly walking up behind his brother. When he saw what he was doing he scowled. "Please tell me you haven't taken up gambling again?"
"Jesus Jared, you scared the hell out of me."
"Maybe it's just as well. What the hell are you doing on a poker website?"
"It's a free site, I'm not gambling anything." Jared approached the computer and shut it off, glaring at a protesting Seeley.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to mess up your life?"
"My life is already messed up, why does it matter if anything else goes wrong?" Booth ran fingers through his hair and sighed heavily. He shut his eyes and leaned back in his chair, frustrated. "Ever since the wedding things have been getting worse and worse."
"Is life with Annie that bad?"
"No, it isn't about Annie. We're in this whole thing together, but nothing feels right anymore."
"This isn't about Temperance is it? I've heard you've been moping around pretty badly."
"Anything to do with her is off limits. I don't discuss her; she's not a part of my life anymore. That has been made abundantly clear." Booth stood up and began pacing the small office space. Jared watched him silently for a minute before clapping him on a shoulder.
"Then I don't know what to tell you Bro. See someone… get some help. You're screwing up more than just your life, and I know you know that." Booth just looked at his brother, not responding. It was true; he was messing with more people than just his life. "And one other thing…"
"Yeah?"
"If I hear about you doing anymore gambling whether it's a free website or not, I'm personally coming to kick your ass, you got that?"
AN: So Booth's problems are increasing no? Stick around to find out how all of this will be resolved.