Chapter 15

Booth knew that Sweets wanted to talk to Brennan, now was definitely not the time though. As they got into the vehicle, Booth hooked Sweets' arm.

"Don't push her, got it?"

"Yeah, dude, I totally got it." Sweets couldn't tell what was going on but as soon as they wrapped this case up, he was going to find out. Booth's phone rang as he started the SUV.

"Booth. Hey bub...that's great! Really, he said that? Sure, she's right here." Booth took the phone from his ear and handed it to Brennan. "Parker wants to tell you something."

"Hi Parker. No, what did Max say? Well you are very smart. All summer? She did? Sure we can have lunch sometimes. Here's your dad." Brennan smiled at Booth as she handed him back his phone. He grinned at her and she dropped her gaze.

"Okay...I'll see you in a couple of days. I love you too, buddy. Bye." Booth put the phone in his pocket. "Did you do that?"

"You said Rebecca wouldn't let him go to camp and I know you haven't had a chance to talk to Cam so, I called my dad."

"Parker is really excited to spend the summer in science camp with your dad, thank you."

"Its no problem. He asked me if we could all have lunch sometimes when we aren't on a case. You'll get to see him more, at least for the summer."

"Thank you Bones." The tension in the vehicle eased a bit.

"So you signed Parker up for a science camp at the Jeffersonian? Wouldn't his parents have to do that?" Sweets asked.

"I just called my dad and told him Parker would like to do it. My dad called Rebecca after school today."

"Oh. How do you think..."

"Sweets." Booth warned. Sweets sat back quietly. Brennan did not look at Booth but nodded her thanks to him.

They pulled up to the Benjamin's house, as before Brennan, was struck by its charm. As they walked down the front walk, Sweets was rambling about the house.

"...its charming really. Do you think they desire the stereotypical American home because of or despite a hyperrational worldview?" Neither Brennan or Booth answered him. He shrugged and kept on, "I wonder what kind of houses these people grew up in?" Booth glared at him, silencing him. Booth reached up and pushed the door bell.

"Hello? Oh hello Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan! Come in, come in!" Judy Benjamin ushered them in cheerfully and gestured to the couches as before. "Lemonade?" Booth nodded knowing it would be pointless to refuse. Sweets rushed to take the armchair Brennan had occupied last time, leaving Booth and Brennan to share the couch. Judy returned with her tray and set it on the coffee table, Booth and Brennan reaching up to take a glass.

"What can I do for you today?" Judy asked.

"This is Dr. Lance Sweets, he's working with us. We have a few more questions." Booth said.

"Its nice to meet you Dr. Sweets. Of course, anything I can do to help."

"Mrs. Benjamin," Sweets started.

"Please, call me Judy."

"Judy, you were married to Robert Newton for seventeen years. You divorced two years ago and you married Dr. Benjamin three months ago? Is that right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Agent Booth told me that you divorced Dr. Newton in order to have a relationship with Dr. Benjamin, why wait so long to marry Dr. Benjamin?"

"Well, not exactly, I had romantic feelings for Doug but I didn't want to be unfaithful to my husband. I talked with Robert and he said that while I was the best friend he'd ever have, he agreed that romance had not been part of our relationship in a decade. He said that we should be divorced so that I can be free to fully participate in life."

"You don't think he felt any loss and the end of your marriage?" Sweets asked, finally taking the remaining glass of lemonade.

"I know that, for many, its hard to understand, we didn't view marriage like that. Even if we had, our romantic relationship was brief and long since over. We were friends. Our friendship was deeper than any relationship I have ever had. I knew his every thought but we still enjoyed talking. We both felt a sense of loss when we divorced. I had slept next to my best friend for seventeen years. We both had trouble sleeping at first. Our relationship didn't change, it didn't end, it shifted a little. At first, it was strange, but I started seeing Doug and Robert started seeing Jackie, and we realized that the change only made our lives better. Not only did we have our best friend, but we now had romance. Robert's relationship with Jackie was fleeting and he didn't date anyone seriously after that. It was just like Robert said it would be. He told me that the promise we made was forever and even divorced, he would always be my partner and friend. He was." Sweets looked pointedly as Booth and Brennan. They were looking sympathetically at Judy. If he can avoid getting shot, he would like to talk to Booth and Brennan about some of what Judy was saying.

"How did Dr. Benjamin feel about Robert's continuing relationship with you?" Sweets asked gently.

"Um, I don't understand what you are asking. Are you asking if he was jealous?"

"Was he?" Sweets asked.

"No, why would he be? Jealousy is an instinctual response designed to protect a procreative relationship when there is a limited number of potential mates. Robert and I did not have a romantic relationship, thus there weren't the hormones that accompany a sexual relationship. There is no cause, social or biological for jealousy." Sweets stifled a smile as he glanced at Booth and they both glanced at Brennan. "Have you positively identified the remains found as Robert?"

"We can't be sure. Is there anything you can tell us about Robert that may help us? A genetic condition, cancer, significant breaks, surgeries?" Brennan asked.

"He was in good health. He broke his clavicle once in grade-school but no other breaks or serious injuries." Brennan nodded thoughtfully. Booth knew that she was examining each of the bone fragments in her head. Her gaze was fixed and focused, her hands were moving slightly, turning imaginary bones. God, she's beautiful. Booth...hey Booth, you are supposed to be working the case! Booth said to himself. Judy watched Booth's face as he admired his partner, a sad smile spread across her face.

"Judy," Sweets' voice breaking everyone's reverie, "thank you for taking the time to talk to us today."

"Its no problem." Judy said, her voice muted and sad. "Please let me know if you find anything."

"We will let you know as soon as we can." Sweets said and Booth and Brennan shook Judy's hand. They thanked her for the lemonade and walked to the door.

"Dr. Brennan, could I have a word?" Judy stopped her.

"Sure." Brennan said nodding to the men that they should continue to the SUV.

"Dr. Brennan, the relationship between Robert and I was no longer sexual and romantic, but it was at first. I always wondered what would have happened if we had been friends first. Its always wise to let a relationship develop as it will. Even if it ends, the time you had with that person will one day mean everything. Don't let opportunities pass for fear of losing what you already have, you don't know how long you have and you'll never know what could have been."

"Thank you, Mrs. Benjamin. I will think about that." Brennan smiled and shook Judy's hand again and went to join Booth and Sweets. Brennan hadn't even buckled her seatbelt when they started.

"What did she say?" Booth asked.

"Did she tell you anything?" Sweets asked.

"She just told me that relationships develop and that I shouldn't let opportunities pass out of fear of losing the status quo."

"That's good advice." Sweets said. Booth glared at him and Sweets decided that Wendell was a smart guy and spent the rest of the ride back to Dr. Sullivan's lab staring at his knees. Brennan's phone rang as Booth was parking the vehicle.

"Brennan...we're outside now, we'll be right in. Let's go, they found something." Brennan ran into the building, Booth following closely. Sweets shrugged and jogged after them.

"Wendell." Brennan called as she entered the lab.

"Right here Dr. Brennan, in this small room off of the storage room. We found a jar that has traces of an acid in it. I capped it and bagged it to get back to Hodgins. I didn't want anything to evaporate."

"Good job Wendell." Brennan glanced at the litmus paper.

"It was concentrated, higher than usual lab concentrations. There's more. We found what looks like an acid burn."

"Let's not jump to conclusions."

"I've seen this before, I, uh, did this to a lab table in my Analytical Chem lab in undergrad." Wendell said sheepishly.

"I did it in my second semester of Inorganic Chemistry." Brennan smiled as she walked into the small room. Booth walked over to where they held Dr. Sullivan and leveled a gaze at him.

"That storage room is used by all of the staff here, why would I use acid? I've never even been in that back room." Dr. Sullivan said.

"Hey Booth!" Brennan called. Booth joined her in the little room. "Look at this, the acid damaged the floor too. The damage isn't as great in two spots, here...and here." She pointed out. "They look like"

"Shoe prints." Booth and Brennan walked back to Dr. Sullivan. "Shoes." Booth commanded. Dr. Sullivan looked smug as he kicked his shoes off. Booth picked them up and looked at the sole.

"Right size, wrong shoe." Booth said.

"How about these?" Wendell called triumphantly as he walked out of Dr. Sullivan's office with a pair of badly damaged running shoes.

"Call a car and have him picked up." Booth told the agent next to him. He followed Brennan into Dr. Sullivan's office. Wendell and Brennan were looking through a gym bag.

"Clothes and a few personal effects. Lets bag the whole thing so we don't lose any particulates. Its not enough, Booth."

"They're going to take him in, let's head back. We can eat and then we'll question him and see if we can get more. You know, since I met you, my cases have had conclusive evidence. It isn't always like that. Sometimes, its all circumstantial." Brennan's brow was furrowed as she thought over what Booth had said. She finally nodded and they walked into the lab.

Booth gave instructions to the remaining techs as a cop from the nearby town took Dr. Sullivan into custody. Brennan and Wendell loaded the gym bag, the empty jar and a box of files into the back of Booth's SUV while Booth was talking on the phone and gesturing wildly. Brennan guessed that he was talking to Caroline about what they needed to get a warrant for Dr. Sullivan's house. No warrant yet. She thought as she saw the tension in his face and his gesturing became more dramatic. She watched the muscles in his jaw as he spoke. She felt bad that she couldn't give him more to go on with this case. She watched as his eyes softened. She knew that look too. Caroline had relented and was going to see about the warrant. Her heart leapt as she watched him smile and clap an agent on the back. She immediately became angry with herself and stormed around the SUV and got in. She was on the phone with Cam when Booth, Sweets and Wendell got in.