-Chapter Fourteen-
A few days later Booth sat on his couch flipping through television channels. He had been temporarily suspended when the deputy director found out about his attack on Ortez. He sighed when nothing jumped right out at him and turned off the TV. He sat on the couch, staring up at the ceiling until his door opened. He jumped up, ready to attack the intruder, but groaned when he saw who it was.
"Oh! I didn't know that you'd be here."
"Max! What the hell are you doing here? I could have you arrested for breaking and entering."
Max just stared at Seeley. "What?" Booth asked.
"Well, I was just wondering what you were doing home from work." He admitted before closing the door and walking over to Booth.
Booth sighed and threw himself back onto his couch and spoke again. "What are you doing here Max?"
Max continued to stare before snapping himself out of his trance like state.
"I, uh, well I got this in the mail the other day." Max reached into his pocket and took out a disk. "It's from Tempe." He walked over and handed it to Booth. Seeley reached out a hesitant hand and slowly grasped the disk.
"I'll, uh, just be going now." Max said and put a hand on Booth's shoulder. "You take care of yourself Booth."
"Yeah. Thanks Max." Booth replied, his eyes not moving from the disk.
Booth continued to stare at the DVD more a long time after Max had left. He finally gathered the strength to put the DVD in the player and push play. His breath caught when he saw Brennan.
"Hey Booth." She began, and at this moment in time, nothing in the world could break the attention that Seeley Booth was currently giving his television set.
"I don't know exactly what to say. I guess the best thing to say is that we're all ok. I have Parker enrolled in school here. I can't tell you where 'here' is, but I hope you trust me enough to take care of Parker and Emma." She was silent for a moment before grinning. "I dyed my hair." She wrapped her now almost black hair around her finger. "I think it looks pretty good actually."
Booth grinned at this comment.
"I've gotten a job as a teacher at the local high school, and I bought a house. Parker was pretty excited when I let him decorate his room." She smiled. "I miss you Booth." She sighed and Booth swore he saw her eyes glisten slightly. "If I said that raising two kids alone was easy, I'd be lying." She pushed a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "Parker's been a huge help with Emma. I know leaving so soon after Rebecca's death was hard on him, but he's been really good about it. I'm trying to talk to him. Trying to get him to open up, but there's only so much I can do." She bit her lip and looked around the room, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall. She turned back to the camera. "Parker wanted to tell you something." She stood up and left the room. Moments later Parker entered and plopped down on the couch.
"Hey Dad!" He waved enthusiastically at the camera and grinned. Booth noticed that his front teeth were missing, and wondered if the tooth fairy had paid his son a visit.
"I miss you." Parker pouted. "Emma's gotten bigger than she was when you saw her last. She's crawling now. Oh! We have a dog! He's a police dog and Bones named him Ripley."
Booth smiled sadly at the memory of Ripley.
"I have a new name! Bones told me I can't tell you it though, not until we're home." Parker squinted as he thought about what to say next. "Oh dad! I have my own room! It's blue and green and I have all sorts of new toys! Bones took me and Emma shopping, we have all new stuff now. I'm going to a new school! I have new friends, but I miss my old ones." He frowned slightly, but then grinned. "There's this girl in my class and she's really nice and pretty and I think that I like her." He whispered the last part and Booth couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "I think I hear mother on the stairs. I miss you dad. I can't wait to come home."
A minute later Brennan walked in the room carrying a now very awake Emma. She sat down and whispered something in Emma's ear while pointing at the camera. Emma smiled and squealed. "Dada!"
"Very good sweetie!" Brennan said as she kissed the baby's chubby cheek and Parker ruffled the dark hair on her head. Emma's big blue eyes twinkled.
"I thought you might want to see your daughter." Brennan said towards the camera, her head resting on top of Emma's head. "She looks a lot like you."
"Let Dad see her crawl!" Parker said. Brennan smiled and set Emma on the floor. The little girl took off in one direction and Parker ran after. Brennan taped the siblings playing for a few minutes longer before turning the camera to film her one last time.
"I love you Booth. More than you know. More than you could ever know. I hope you catch the bad guys so that we can come home." She blew a kiss at the camera before the television screen went black.