Thank you all for being so patient and kind in this time of stress. I will say that good results were produced last week, so hopefully things get worked out soon.
Sweets stood there, covered in her blood and brain matter. He felt himself begin to tremble and shake. One moment she was there, torturing him, and the next, she was gone. Dead. Just like that. It was funny how fast life was just sucked out of you.
"Sweets!" Booth called. "Hey!" Sweets turned, vaguely making out what Booth was saying. Everything felt like it was underwater. Booth grabbed his arm, looking at him intensely.
"You all right?" he asked. Sweets merely nodded. Was he all right, though? He wasn't sure. Before long he was being groomed for evidence, not that anyone needed a genius to tell them that Heather Taffet had her head blown off by a sniper. Once he was allowed to change, Sweets disappeared. He couldn't face anyone. He didn't want to. What was the point? He only spouted off meaningless drabble to those who didn't give a shit to hear it.
Brennan
She was anxious to see Booth after hearing about the shooting. She knew he had been in the vicinity. They had only been reunited for a week, and she wasn't ready to lose him again.
"Booth!" she called once she saw him standing at the bottom of the platform. She rushed down and into his arms. She didn't care who saw. They weren't hiding anymore.
"I'm all right," Booth said, rocking her.
"I can't believe she's really dead," Brennan mumbled into his chest. The woman had terrorized them both equally, and it was a relief to know she could never do it again.
"Me either. Look, this was a professional hit," Booth went on. "I gotta look into it further. You with me?"
"Of course," she said.
Angela
She found Hodgins sitting alone up above the floor in the lounge. She knew this entire Gravedigger case had been very hard on him. She rubbed her pregnant belly slowly, something she had started doing lately. In the beginning she had done it as a way to touch and sooth their unborn child. Now she believed it was a way to sooth herself.
"Hey," she said, sitting down next to him.
"Hey," he replied, not looking at her.
"So, she's dead," Angela said.
"Looks like it," Hodgins agreed.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Overjoyed," he answered truthfully. "I want to congratulate the person who did it."
"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Angela said, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. She was surprised at his attitude.
"She deserved it," Hodgins spat. "After what she did to all those kids. To Booth and Brennan. To me."
"I know," Angela said.
"I'm so glad she's dead. I just wish I had been the one to do it," he told her.
"Hodgins!" she admonished.
"Sorry, babe. That's how I feel," he shrugged.
"Excuse me while I go throw up," she said, getting up. He let her go. He knew she wouldn't fully understand.
Booth & Brennan-Later
"You don't really think my father would have done it?" Brennan asked, worried. Her father was currently on vacation, or so she thought.
"I have to put him on the list because he took a shot at her when she went to prison," Booth explained.
"I don't think he did it," she said.
"I know," he replied. "It's just protocol."
"How is Sweets?" Brennan asked. She knew the young psychologist had been right here when Heather was murdered.
"I haven't seen him to be honest. He's shut himself up in his office I think," Booth replied.
"Go talk to him," Brennan urged.
"I will, I will," Booth promised. He gave her a kiss before heading on his way. Angela passed him on his way out.
"Did I see what I think I just saw?" she asked, breathless. Brennan smiled.
"Perhaps," she replied.
"Oh my God!" Angela screeched. "Tell me everything, and I mean everything." So Brennan did. Every last detail all the way from their trip to the UK, to getting together, to the events after Booth's surgery, to last week. Angela was speechless.
"So there you have it," Brennan finished. Angela's jaw was almost to her feet by now.
"You two had an eight month secret relationship from us?" she asked, dumbfounded. "How did I not see that?!"
"We were very good," Brennan told her, concealing her smirk.
"You two are...I don't even know what to say," Angela said. "I am hurt though. I'm your best friend!"
"I'm sorry, Ange," Brennan apologized. "I just had promised Booth it was our secret."
"All this time," Angela shook her head. Then it hit her. "Oh! When I was going on about Jared you already knew what being with a Booth was like!"
"Yes. I barely got through that conversation," Brennan admitted.
"I'm so dense," Angela muttered.
"What's all the excitement about?" Cam asked, poking her head in.
"Brennan is dating Booth," Angela blurted out. Cam raised her eyebrows.
"So it is true," Cam said.
"You knew?!" Angela exploded.
"Well...not exactly," Cam admitted. "Although there was this one time I thought I saw Booth kiss Brennan, but I chalked it up to the dark and how many glasses of wine I'd already had."
"Unbelievable!" Angela shouted. She stalked off. Cam and Brennan shared a look of amusement.
"Congratulations, Dr. Brennan," Cam said.
"Thank you," Brennan smiled.
The Next Day
"It's Broadsky," Booth told her. Brennan looked at him.
"Your friend?"
"He's not my friend," Booth clarified.
"He was your mentor though," Brennan pointed out.
"Yea, well, he's on the wrong team now," Booth said. It angered him that Broadsky would feel he could just take matters into his own hand, foregoing the justice system.
"So my Dad isn't a suspect anymore?" Brennan asked. Max had returned from his vacation determined to prove his innocence. He even went as far as admitting he'd gone after a woman who turned out to be married. Brennan didn't know how she felt about her dad dating, so she locked that away to ponder about another time.
"No, he's not," Booth confirmed.
"That'll make him happy," Brennan said, reaching for her phone. Booth stopped her, making her look at him.
"Things could get rough with Broadsky running around," he told her. "I need to know, are we good?"
"Yes," she nodded. "We're solid."
"Good," he said. He squeezed her hand before taking it off so she could call her father.
Sweets
He was sitting there after Caroline had left. He had spent the last 24 hours playing that stupid tape over and over again, letting it get into his head. He locked it in his cabinet once and for all. He was done with Taffet and her head games. He called Daisy and arranged to meet up with her. They had been doing the whole friends with benefits thing for a couple of weeks now, and he was beginning to feel like things should start getting serious again. Life was too short. That lesson had been taught a few times in his life, but this latest one was very sharp in his mind. He thought about Booth and Brennan. Booth had confessed the day before that they were finally dating. Sweets had been surprised, but in the end, he couldn't have been more prouder of them. It was about fricking time!
One Month Later
"This sucks," Booth said. They were sitting in the elevator shaft with the seats that Booth just had to have.
"I blame you," Brennan replied. She looked pointedly at the seats.
"That's nice," he made a face at her. "We're looking at history here, Bones. Seats from the Vet."
"Yes, you said that already," Brennan huffed.
"How you guys doing?" Sweets asked. He tossed a blanket through the grate at them. He'd already been yelled at once for putting his arm through it.
"Very frustrated," Brennan said. "There's a killer out there with a deadly virus in him, and we're stuck in here."
"Because of me," Booth added. "Just say it."
"I didn't think I had to," she told him. "It was implied."
"Zack is very good at his job, Dr. Brennan," Sweets reassured her. "He'll figure it out."
The Jeffersonian
"What are you doing?" Zack asked. Wendell looked up from the midst of his potatoes.
"Trying to get this phone going," Wendell said.
"Oh, I get it," Zack nodded. "You're increasing voltage to get power to the phone. That's clever."
"Yup," Wendell said proudly.
"Let me help," Zack said. Wendell handed him more wires, and Zack set to work.
"How are things with Naomi?" Wendell asked while they worked.
"Good thank you. She keeps hinting that she wants more from our relationship," Zack told him. "What do you suppose that means?"
"Dude. Marriage," Wendell laughed. Zack's head snapped up quickly.
"What?"
"Yea. I mean, most girls want marriage, and you've been dating almost a year and a half, not to mention the times you dated prior to that," Wendell went on. "She might be looking for an engagement."
"Marriage is irrational," Zack said.
"Tough crowd," Wendell muttered to himself. Zack was very rational, and sometimes it irked him to no end. He didn't realize that Zack was thinking about what he had said. He did love Naomi, and he knew the logical next step would be to commit forever, but he still pondered the whole marriage thing. He wasn't going to shut the door on it. Not yet anyway.
Angela & Hodgins
Hodgins found her crying in her office.
"Hey," he said, sitting beside her and taking her hand in is. "Ange, it will be all right."
"You keep saying that, but I still have this feeling..." she trailed off. She rubbed her baby bump slowly.
"Even if we're both carriers, it's a 25 percent chance, not 100, that our baby will be blind," Hodgins tried to reassure her. "They are pretty good odds."
"I know. I just...I keep thinking about all the things our child will miss by being blind. There are so many things to see in this world, and I think it just wouldn't be fair if our baby couldn't see them," she sniffled.
"We can do our best," Hodgins told her. "It's all we can do."
"I know. Just hold me," she instructed. He obliged. He was just as afraid as she was, but he didn't want to admit it to her just yet.
Booth & Brennan
"Are you thinking about Broadsky?" Brennan asked, noticing Booth's subdued mood. The man was wreaking havoc, and she knew Booth was anxious to take him down.
"No. I'm actually thinking about those seats," he replied.
"Are you rethinking having them in your apartment?" she prompted.
"I'm thinking about the best day of my life," he said. "Aside from you agreeing to date me, of course."
"When was that?"
"I was a kid. Dad had stopped drinking for two weeks, long enough to remember he had kids. He took me to a game at the Vet. It was the best day," he trailed off.
"I don't know if it's possible that those are the same seats," Brennan said, squinting at them.
"I know that. It's just nice to hope, that's all," he told her.
"Hey, kids," Max said, coming up the stairs. "Heard you were stuck here. Need anything?"
"Just a way out," Brennan answered.
"Did you try the escape hatch?" Max asked, gesturing.
"The seats are blocking it," Booth told him.
"And Booth hurt his back trying," Brennan added.
"Bones!" Booth interjected.
"Here are the bag of peas and some pain killers," Sweets said, coming down the stairs. He tossed them in.
"Any word on the killer? Have they got him yet?" Booth asked.
"Nothing yet. Service is bad right now, but I'm still trying to get through," Sweets offered.
"I just come from there. Zack and Wendell were using potatoes to get voltage to the victim's phone," Max told them.
"Wow," Sweets said, laughing.
"That's pretty smart," Booth nodded.
"I have the best team," Brennan smiled. "Any luck?"
"I think they got a list of incoming calls," Max mused. "They were checking up on it. Something about Hill and 27th."
"That's only a mile from here," Booth noted.
"Let me see if I can find the maintenance guy," Max said.
"I'd better say goodbye to your neighbor," Sweets said. He didn't want to say anything, but she had been really helpful in regards to advice on what to do with Daisy.
"I have an idea, but you're not going to like it," Brennan said after they left. He looked over at the seats.
"Has to be done," he said.
"Before we do it," Brennan said. "I have something to tell you."
"Yea? What's that?"
"I think I'm pregnant," Brennan blurted. She'd been trying to find a way to tell him all day, but they kept getting interrupted or she lost her nerve. Booth's eyes brightened.
"You do?" he asked. He reached for her hand.
"I have to confirm, but I'm late," she told him.
"Wow," he said. "Wow. I...wow. I don't know what else to say."
"It's pretty big," Brennan agreed.
"Okay. Well, let's get out of here, catch the bad guy, and pee on a stick," Booth said, getting in position to kick the seats.
"You know you don't have to pee on a stick, right?" Brennan asked. He gave her an "are you nuts?" look in return.
"I know how it works. I'm not completely stupid," he answered.
"I know. Just the way you said it sounded like 'we' not just me," she pointed out. He snorted.
"Baby brain already huh?" he asked.
"It's not baby brain! And there's no such thing," she scoffed.
"Let's just get out of here," he said. She joined him in his position. She explained how he could do it without further hurting his back. They were successful, and Booth helped Brennan out first so she could pull him up after. They hurried to the address that the calls had been coming from. They found a window with a hole in it, an Brennan confirmed that wound would match the one on the victim's arm.
"What are you doing?" a voice called. They spun. The man was coughing hard.
"Booth, I think he's the killer," Brennan said. Booth went closer. "Don't touch him!"
"Hey, buddy," Booth said. "I think you're very sick. We need to get you to the hospital." The man kept coughing and coming closer.
"Booth!" Brennan shouted. Booth backed away.
"Oh, hey, whoa, whoa!" Booth yelped as the man collapsed onto him.
"Don't touch him," Brennan ordered, panicked. Booth held his arms and hands out and stretched his head as far away from the man's head as he could.
"I'm trying," he grunted. Brennan looked around and found an abandoned shovel, so she grabbed it and went over to Booth.
"Hold still," she said.
"What are you doing?" he asked. She jabbed. "Ah! That was my leg."
"Sorry," she said. She stuck the shovel underneath the now unconscious man and slowly moved him off Booth enough so he could wriggle out.
"I'm officially burning these clothes," he muttered.
"There you are!" Max called. He reached them, huffing. "Is that the killer?"
"Yes," Brennan confirmed.
"I called the authorities. An ambulance is coming," Max said. "You all right?" he asked Booth.
"Yea, just feeling contaminated," Booth answered.
"Let's go home," Brennan said. The ambulance had shown up then, and after explaining to the officer who had shown up as well, the man was taken away.
Later
"How long does it take to pee on a stick?" Booth asked outside the door. He was very anxious to know the results.
"It's hard to do it when you're talking to me the whole time," Brennan replied. "Go away. I'll get you when I'm done." He sighed and went back to the living room. He could be a Dad again. The thought excited him. His mind went to the ring he still had, but he had learned from Rebecca that you don't propose right after you see a positive sign. He would take his time with that.
"Okay," Brennan said. He hurried back to her.
"What's it say?" he asked.
"Still a minute to go," she told him. She set it on the counter, and they both stared at it.
"You know how much I love you, right?" he asked. She turned to look at him.
"I do," she said softly. "And I love you." He gave her a sweet kiss.
"You nervous?" he asked, after.
"I don't know how I feel," Brennan replied. She checked her watch. "It's time." Booth rubbed his hands together vigorously as she picked it up. They looked at it together for a moment, letting the results sink in.
"Did Parker ever say he wanted a sibling?" Brennan asked.
"He'd be thrilled," Booth answered, grinning. The little plus sign beamed up at them, and Booth grabbed her into a huge hug as she laughed with joy.
Two Months Later
Brennan's news had thrilled everyone at the Jeffersonian. Max was ecstatic to say the least. Daisy had put together a celebratory dinner for them, and Angela had bombarded Brennan with a thousand questions about the baby. The biggest question was, who was going to move in with who. This was answered repeatedly with: "We're discussing it." It was definitely on their minds a lot, but there wasn't time to fully talk about it. Especially since Broadsky had been sighted. He was long gone by the time Booth got there, but he still called Booth. He gave his message. Booth then knew his entire team was in danger.
"Brennan."
"Hey, look you guys gotta be careful, all right? Broadsky has you all in league with me, so you're in just as much danger as I am," Booth told her.
"Are you coming back?" she asked.
"Yes. Just...stay low, all right?"
"I will."
Later
"I'm worried about Brennan," Angela said. She was sitting in her office with Vincent, Zack, Hodgins, and Cam. Max and Brennan were arguing out in the hall.
"Brennan can handle herself," Hodgins said, craning his neck to see them still arguing.
"Not with that. With Booth and this whole Broadsky thing. I'm worried something is gonna happen, and Brennan will never be the same again," Angela explained.
"Why are you all in here? Have you finished with Leishenger's body?" Brennan asked Zack, coming into the room.
"What did your dad want you to do?" Angela asked.
"He wanted to take me underground to keep me safe. I said no," she said dismissively. "Zack?"
"Vincent and I determined how he was killed," Zack explained.
Booth
He hurried into the Jeffersonian. He didn't like being apart from Brennan right now, especially with her carrying his baby. Max met him at the door.
"You need to talk sense into her," Max ordered. "She is refusing to leave with me."
"That's cos we're a team, Max," Booth said, moving past him. He found them all in Angela's office where Zack had Vincent in an awkward position.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Zack is showing us how Leishenger was killed," Brennan explained.
"So he was attacked and then stabbed," Booth noted. "How does that help me find him?"
"It doesn't, but we're still examining the body for more clues," Zack offered. He dropped Vincent to the ground, making him grunt.
"Okay, well, let's look for more clues shall we?" Booth suggested. Zack and Brennan went back over to the body. Vincent hovered.
"There's some faint bruising on the mastoid process," Brennan mused. Booth's phone rang just then.
"It's Broadsky," he said. He tossed the phone to Vincent.
"W-what do I do with it?" Vincent asked.
"Answer on the fifth ring," Booth instructed. Max watched from the side. He had a sinking feeling suddenly.
"Booth," he tried.
"Not now, Max," Booth cut him off. He turned to Vincent. "Okay, now." Max was already in motion. He dived at Vincent's legs just as he answered, taking him down just as the bullet whizzed by, smashing into the glass vials on the tray behind him.
"Oh my God!" Angela screamed. "Vincent!" The others rushed over to them.
"Ow," Vincent moaned. They had landed very hard, and his head had cracked on the floor.
"Slowly," Brennan instructed. "He might have a concussion." Max got up and helped Vincent to a sitting position. Booth was already in action on his phone, trying to get Broadsky from the trace he got.
"That shot was meant for you," Max said to Booth.
"Yea, I got it," Booth snarled. His heart was hammering hard. The kid had almost died because of him. How careless was he? He didn't even know how Max knew what was going to happen.
"I'm very glad you stuck around here," Cam said to Max, giving him a big hug.
"Thank you," Vincent said to Max. "You saved my life."
"Don't mention it," Max waved it off. Brennan went over to Booth, who was cursing.
"What happened?"
"He got away. He was on a construction crane not far from here," Booth told her.
"What now?"
"You guys keep finding clues. Nobody goes anywhere alone. Got it?" He spun on his heel and went to the bathroom. He didn't want anyone seeing him have a small breakdown. Brennan was on to him, however.
"Booth," she said, following him into the washroom. "What's wrong?"
"Don't you get it? My carelessness almost killed Vincent. I'm just trying to work through it," he said, gripping the sink.
"But he didn't die. We are going to get him, Booth. I promise you," she said. She kissed his cheek before going back out to examine those bruises further.
The Next Day
"So Vincent went home?" Hodgins asked. He was looking at the missing space in the wallet, trying to figure out what was in it last.
"Yea. His mom was pretty upset that he almost died. He's going to take some time off for a while," Angela answered. "I don't know if he'll come back to be honest."
"I don't blame him," Hodgins muttered.
"So what have you found?" Angela asked, changing the subject.
"Gold flecks. I'm trying to get an image of the indent," Hodgins explained. "See what the card was."
"I love you," Angela said suddenly. He stopped what he was doing and looked at her.
"I love you too," he replied, standing up to give her a kiss.
Zack
He sat there fiddling with his fingers. He pulled out his desk drawer again to look at it. He wanted to do it before he lost his nerve. The incident today made him realize that life and time were so short, and if you wanted something, you'd better get it before it was too late. He went down to paleontology where he knew he'd find her working studiously. She looked up when she saw him.
"Hi, sweetie," Naomi said, smiling. "What's up?"
"I'm not sure how to do this. It's a very foreign territory that I'm entering here, but I've learned through the years that staying in a safe bubble isn't always the best, so here I go," Zack said. He took a deep breath.
"Are you okay?" Naomi asked, concerned.
"Better than okay. Naomi, you've made me happy this past year and a half. We've gotten closer, and goodness knows you've tolerated my quirks better than anyone I've known. I love you, and I want you to be my wife and spend forever with me, if you'll have me," he said, getting down to one knee and opening the ring box. Naomi gasped, covering her face with her hands.
"Zack!" she cried. She joined him on the floor. "Yes! I will marry you." She kissed him soundly, and he wrapped his arms around her tightly. The joy he felt was indescribable. He knew then that he'd made the right decision.
Sweets
"Daisy," Sweets began. "We've been dancing around the subject for a while now, but I think we should talk about it."
"Okay," Daisy agreed. They sat down on her couch.
"I love you, okay? I don't think I ever stopped. I would really like it if we were a couple again," Sweets finished.
"Oh, Lance. Of course I want to be your girlfriend again. I thought you'd never ask," Daisy smiled. They hugged tightly before she started making out with him fiercely.
Max & Brennan
"We appreciate you staying with us," Brennan said. Booth had gone to bed already. Max was on the couch.
"I'd rather be here with you than wondering if you're all right," Max agreed.
"Thank you for saving Vincent," Brennan went on.
"Oh, that was nothing. I just had this image of him getting shot, and I just couldn't let that happen," Max said.
"Well, I don't know how you knew, but we're all very grateful," Brennan smiled.
"Will he come back?"
"I don't know. I left him an open invitation to return if he wished," Brennan told him. Max just nodded.
"How's the baby?" he asked.
"The baby is fine," Brennan reassured him.
"We'll get this guy," Max said.
"I know. Goodnight, Dad," she said, going into the bedroom to join Booth.
The Next Day
Hodgins had figured out what Broadsky had taken from the wallet, and Booth was on his way to stop him.
"I need to talk to him," Brennan said. "It's urgent." She and Zack had finally discovered what the bruising on Leishenger's body would mean for Broadsky.
"He's there, but he's not talking," Hodgins said.
"Booth, click once for yes and twice for no," Brennan told him. "There was bruising on the mastoid process that were inflicted by two knuckles on Broadsky's right fist. Do you know what that means?"
Two clicks in response.
"English, Dr. B. He's in a showdown with a killer," Hodgins urged.
"His right hand is broken," Brennan said into the mic.
"You have just saved my life," Booth said. Then it went silent. Brennan looked at Hodgins worriedly.
"He'll be all right," Hodgins reassured her. "It's Booth."
Later
Booth came into the Jeffersonian looking weary. Brennan raced to him and leaped into his arms.
"It's over," he said. The others came over and hugged him as well.
"Now we can rest easy again," Brennan nodded. They left together to go home. It had been a long day for both of them, and now it was time to leave it all behind.
I did not want Vincent to die, so I spared him. That episode is one of the hardest for me to watch. I hope you're not mad about that. Anyhow, I think I've got just the epilogue left if you want me to write it. I'm leaving it as is canon wise, so my epilogue would be after season 12 ended.