Thank you for supporting my story. I really appreciate it. This is a reminder that this story is AU.

I definitely don't own Bones.

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Nervously knocking on the doorframe, the young man stood in the doorway and waited for the Agent to look up.

Spying the young man standing in front of his office, Booth stood up and asked, "Can I help you?"

Twisting his hands together, the boy swallowed, "Sir, I need to talk to you, if I may."

Pointing at the chair in his office, Booth tried to assure him, "Sure, come in."

Shaking his head, the nervous young man licked his lips, "Please Sir, I need to talk to you privately. Do you have someplace like that? It's about Max."

Concerned, Booth pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket, placed it on his desk and walked across the room, "Come on."

Following Booth down the hallway, he followed him into a small room containing a copier/fax machine and office supplies. Closing the door behind him, Booth asked the youngster, "Do you have a phone or anything electronic on you?"

Rubbing his hands together, the boy replied, "No sir. They're in my car." Clearing his throat, the young man asked, "Is this place safe?"

Walking over to the copier, Booth unplugged it and smiled, "It is now. This room is one of the few rooms in this building besides the bathrooms that don't have cameras in them." His smile fading, Booth crossed his arms and leaned against the copier, "What's going on?"

Clearing his throat again, the boy explained, "My name is Roy Snyder. I work for Max, well sort of. He hired me to search for Christopher Pelant. He said that you and he were the only ones who knew what I was doing. He said it was very hush hush."

Trying to reassure the young man, Booth unfolded his arms, rested his thumbs in his belt and tried to appear less intimidating, "Sure, he told me you're a real whiz when it comes to computers."

His eyes darting around the room, Roy finally looked at Booth, "Um . . . well, I found out where that Pelant fella is and I let Max know. He got really excited and he wanted me to come tell you. For obvious reasons, I can't use the phone or send you an email so. . . . um, here I am."

Excited, Booth demanded, "Tell me where he is."

Nodding his head, Roy replied, "I used traffic cameras and cameras on store fronts and . . ." Seeing Booth grow impatient as he explained, the young man stopped, "It's a process. Anyway, I think he's using the Keeler Power Plant as his base of operations. It's abandoned and it has a ready-made power source plus it's isolated."

His hope soaring, Booth felt a sense of relief, "Why'd Max send you? Why didn't he just come and tell me?"

Fearful, Roy twisted his hands together, "Um, Max is going after Pelant. I'm supposed to tell you so you can help him if you want to. He said not to bring any Feds because it will just tip off Pelant and he'll run."

His sense of relief destroyed, Booth shook his head, "That crazy son-of-a-bitch." Hurrying over to the door, Booth ordered the boy, "Look, go home. Don't tell anyone else about this and for God's sake don't do anything to tip Pelant off. How much of a lead does Max have on me?"

Rubbing the end of his nose, Roy replied, "About thirty minutes. He said he'll give you three hours to get to the plant and find him. He said you're a Ranger and it shouldn't be a problem. If you don't find him then he's going to enter the plant and he's going to take care of Pelant. He's afraid that Pelant will game the system again so he's going to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Opening the door, Booth swore, "Fuck me."

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Parking his SUV at a crossroads, Booth made sure the truck was completely off the road and close to the trees. Leaving his truck, he opened the hatch in the back of the truck and pulled out a black carryall and his rifle. Rummaging through a sports bag, he found an FBI t-shirt, a pair of running pants and a pair of running shoes. Stepping over to the side of the truck, he changed his clothes and shoes. Once that was done he threw his suit pants, shirt, shoes and tie in the back, closed the hatch and locked the truck. Leaving the SUV, he entered the woods and started to walk rapidly through the forest, careful to avoid fallen branches and protruding rocks. Making good time, he reached the Power plant and began his search for his partner's father. The sun on the verge of setting, he moved around the perimeter until he finally located Max.

Moving quietly, Booth knelt near the older man, "What the hell do you think you're doing? You're not a cop. Do you plan to just waltz in there and murder him?"

Calmly, Max replied, "You're damn right I am. What do you think will happen if you arrest him and take him back into custody? He's going to walk because that's what keeps happening. The next time, he'll probably be a citizen of Malta or some such shit and he's not going to be Christopher Pelant again. You can't arrest him, Booth. It won't solve anything. He'll keep killing people and . . . hell, get your head out of your ass, you know I'm right."

Grimly, Booth responded, "Alright. Say you kill him. What are you going to do with his body? You can't just murder him and expect to get a medal for it. The law will come after you and you know it."

Reaching out and patting Booth's arm, Max smiled, "Oh I have a plan for Pelant's body, don't worry about it. The reason criminals screw up is because they use complicated plans. I'll just . . ."

Holding up his hand, Booth advised him, "Don't tell me what it is. . . . I can't be involved in killing the guy unless he's a danger to me. Unless he draws a gun on me, I won't have a reason to put him down. He needs killing but . . . I don't know what to do. The Justice Department is never going to be able to hold him for the murders he's committed and that means he's just going to keep killing. If I arrest him, he'll be out of custody in a matter of hours. I don't know what to do, Max. I've always worked inside the system. I've always had a green light from above before I killed someone or I at least had justification for what I did. If I kill him or I let you kill him, it won't be sanctioned. I . . . I don't know if I can kill someone like that and I don't know if I can let you do it either."

Gripping Booth's arm, Max shook his head, "Look I know you need to work in the system. I know that. I don't expect you to help me do what I'm going to do. I just want you to have my back just in case he has people working with him inside the plant. If you can't do that then that's okay too. Just stay out here and let me do my job. He needs to be taken care of, Booth. Look what he did to Tempe. Look at all those poor people he killed. Look at the crazy doctor he murdered. He paralyzed the man so that wolves could eat him alive. Pelant is evil. He's so evil that he wouldn't think twice about murdering Tempe or you or my granddaughter. I have to do this Booth. I have to protect my family. This has to be done my way. If you can't kill him then I have to. You get that don't you?"

Placing his hand over Max's hand, Booth nodded his head, "Yeah, I do get it. I have nightmares about him killing my Bones or my children. It's my worse nightmare. The man is obsessed with Bones. He framed her for murder for God's sake. The next time he just might kill her or . . ."

"Booth, yeah, let me take care of this." Staring intently at Booth, Max realized that the sun had finally set. Releasing Booth's arm, Max smiled in the dark, "Look, please stay out of this. I don't really need your help. You stay out here and I'll take care of Pelant. When I'm done, I may need you to help me move the body but I'll take care of the disposal. If you can't do that, then I'll take care of it myself. Don't worry about this. I'm going to protect you and my daughter. I'm not going to let some psycho take my family from me. That's not going to happen."

Reaching out, Booth grabbed the older man's arm, "No, no, you're not doing this on your own. I gave the justice system every chance to take care of him and they didn't do it. You're right, the Justice Department is never going to make him pay for what he's done and they can't stop him. We can. I'm going to help you. The only thing I'm going to ask you to do is promise not to tell Bones. You can't tell anyone or it will be the end of me. Do you understand?"

Confident, Max agreed, "Yeah, I understand. Believe me, I can keep secrets. I'll protect you Booth. You're like a son to me and I protect my family."

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