Chapter V

Angela and Hodgins knocked on the inside panel of the door to Brennan's office startling both her and Booth who were breaking from an exuberant kiss. "We think we found something."

Angela had been trolling the blogosphere and found a site where puzzlers go to chat and brag about puzzles they've solved. The site attracted everyone from armchair Sudoku solvers to genuine code breakers. The site comprised mostly of user generated puzzles that utilized elaborate code technology that gave even the world's smartest mathematicians and computer programmers a run. Angela spread out a copy of a comment string that originated from a user called "Gotcha."

Hodgins explained, "This is from a section of the puzzler site that is only accessible after you correctly solve a riddle. The riddle also changes once 100 people have accessed the site and answered correctly. This hidden part of the website is dedicated to users who try to solve government sponsored puzzles...you know the puzzles that the NSA and CIA put in the back of supermarket tabloids." Brennan and Booth looked incredulously at Hodgins.

"What? It's true." "They do it so they can catch the next code breaker genius..." Booth laughed. "Does the next code breaker genius wear a housecoat and snoop on her neighbors?" Hodgins looked at Booth sideways and retorted, "You laugh but the zodiac killer's code was solved by a retired school teacher over a hot cup of coffee."

Brennan flipped through the pages. It looks like these two users, Gotcha, and this other person (represented by an avatar only) went back and forth about a puzzle that appeared in last months Star magazine. Something about an "obvious" NSA puzzle that was the last marker of an important CIA code. The two of them appeared to be working on it together but then the conversation ends with this guy represented by this picture here (Brennan points to the avatar of two wooden boat docks on a shoreline) saying that this code was going to get them both killed. Brennan started laughing hysterically. Angela, Hodgins, and Booth looked at her with confusion. Angela put a hand on her shoulder, "Not a good time for humor sweetie."

Brennan picked up the pages and pointed to the avatar. "Get it, she pointed." It's a pair of docks, a par a dox, a paradox! That's clever. She laughed and looked at the rest of the group who were all staring at her. "What! Can't I enjoy the intellectual humor of a fellow nerd?"

Booth took the pages from Brennan shaking his head. "And you didn't get my Batman reference?" "I'll check out the NSA angle and see if anything pans out of this conspiracy theory. Booth put his hands on Hodgin's and Angela's shoulders. Good job guys. So far this is our only lead. He walked out and Brennan followed apologetically proclaiming, "I do watch Wonder woman Booth, I'm not averse to super heroes I just never watched Batman."

When they got in the car Booth started to turn the ignition but paused. "You DO watch Wonder woman Bones?" "Don't you mean you WATCHED Wonder woman, as in past tense because that show hasn't been on television in decades, unless..." He waited and looked over at Bones with a sheepish grin... "You have the DVD box set!" Bones grinned back. "Yes. Yes. Occasionally I like to curl up with a warm cup of cocoa and watch Wonder woman similar to some people who like to take bubble baths with beer hats and comic books. Booth started the car. "Touché."

"Besides," Bones continued, I have a softer spot for super heroes who choose not to wear masks to hide their identity. Booth retorted. "Look, I like Wonder woman and Superman just as much as any other superhero but you're telling me that no one could tell who Wonder woman really was just because she spun around and suddenly had on a magic leotard and headband? Or Superman could take off his glasses and suit and become unrecognizable, c'mon!"

Bones corrected Booth, "Actually Booth Superman "put on his glasses" to disguise himself not the other way around. That red cape, that blue leotard with the "s" on his chest...that was his family's crest and those were his clothes. That's how they dressed on Krypton. No, his disguise was the suit and glasses, Clark Kent was the disguise. Superman is who he really was."

Booth rolled his eyes but smiled at the insightful observation. She was right.

Booth and Brennan got back to the FBI headquarters where they searched the FBI databases for leads related to puzzle solvers. They came up empty handed.

Bones offered that they should contact the NSA. She meant that they should contact Sully specifically but she was reluctant to say his name. She knew that Booth didn't like the fact that Sully left so abruptly and she wasn't sure even of how she felt about him leaving. She wasn't sure if she had a right to be hurt by him leaving since they were not really back together and he'd been away for so long already but she did think they would get back together and pick up where they left off. She did have feelings for Sully. They were not as strong as his feelings for her. She was sure of that point but didn't want to belabor it. Now here she was with Booth and she had to wonder to herself if the same were true of him. Did he love her more than she loved him? Could she ever really love anyone whole hearted? The fact that she didn't know the answer to these questions scared her so she beat it back in her mind. She buried it underneath the other baggage that lingered from her childhood.

Booth stood contemplating in the corner of his office with both hands on his hips. He turned to Bones and with piercing eyes. "You mean call Sully don't you?" He could see straight through Bones. She felt exposed and went on the defensive. "Sully can help us with this case Booth. That's all this is about. There's a rational reason to call him and it has nothing to do with me or us." Booth's expression turned serious and his eyes went from her to the door. "Speak of the devil..." Bones turned to the door and saw that Sully was there. She released a smile.

Booth was visibly upset and Bones noticed immediately that he was angry and hurt. The smile she gave Sully turned his stomach and his heart churned at the thought of her being happy to see him. He walked out leaving the two of them alone.

Sully smiled at Bones and reached towards her to touch her cheek. Bones moved away from his grasp. He sat down in the chair opposite Booth's desk. "I guess I should explain myself." Bones demeanor turned cold and she crossed her arms tightly. A clear sign she didn't want an explanation. "I don't want to talk about us Sully. We need answers on this case. I'm guessing that's why you're here, why you came back? You have something?"

Sully didn't want to push her. He knew she would just fold and close off completely so he continued with the case and tried to squeeze in an apology along the way. He stood and walked towards her.

"We ran through the NSA database and one name kept popping up. His name is Edward Cove." Brennan asked Sully to clarify the search criteria. He was reluctant but told her about the puzzles the NSA planted in the back of magazines. Brennan joked, "Don't tell Hodgins, now he'll think all of his conspiracies are true."

Sully saw his chance. "Tempe, I'm really sorry about how I left things with us." She didn't want to hear an explanation. Truthfully, she was hurt by him abruptly taking off. It made her feel abandoned and unloved. Booth had stepped in and filled that hole so perfectly and she wanted the hole to stay filled. "It doesn't matter Sully. It doesn't matter why you left. It was what it was...a great week between two old friends."

He grabbed her hands. "It was more than that and you know it." Blood rushed to her head and her face turned red. Her eyes watered. "You should have come and talked to me then when it would have mattered Sully. I would have understood but now..." He pulled her close and cut her off with a deep kiss. She remembered how easy it was to love Sully. She didn't have to expose who she really was with him. She could hide behind the person she'd created for him. The person he fell in love with. She didn't stop the kiss. She was tired and emotionally weakened. She let the kiss happen on her lips. She didn't engage Sully or disengage him. She was just mentally without will. When they broke from the embrace Booth was standing in the doorway having witnessed everything. He felt instantly betrayed, hurt, and angry.

Booth angrily threw the folders and paper work he had in his hands down on the table near his desk. "What the hell is going on here? I leave the room for ten minutes and you two are practically making out...and in my office no less."

Bones tried to explain. "It's not what it looks like...I mean..." Booth stopped her. "Yes tell me what you mean because from my perspective it's exactly what it looks like. Tell me something else, how do you kiss your ex less than 3 hours after having kissed me?" "I mean...How do you do that to someone. What kind of person does that to somebody?"

Sully looked genuinely surprised and confused. "Wait, I didn't think that you two were..." He stopped himself. "But you two aren't..." He stopped himself again and looked at Bones. Bones looked down at the floor. Sully gathered his files and looked at Tempe. She was still looking at the floor. "I think you need to sort this out Tempe." He looked at Booth. They made brief eye contact and then he left.

Booth was visibly upset. He needed answers but his anger would not let him be rational about the situation. "What the hell are you doing Bones?" She didn't know how to respond. She choked out the words, "I'm sorry." It wasn't enough. He walked over to her and exhaled deeply. His eyes were red and glistening with moisture. He grabbed her by the hand and finger that held his ring. His voice softened. "I meant every word of this." "If you need time to figure things out that's fine. If you're not sure about us, that's fine too but tell me." "This is not ok. I can't be with you like this."

Brennan felt mentally exhausted. Tears were running down the sides of her face. "I don't know who I'm supposed to be anymore." "Why...How can you love me?" She grabbed her bag and walked out of Booths office.