Universe 1 (September 2005)
Booth sat in his office finishing up the paperwork from the case he had just closed the previous day. He was still getting used to his new status in the FBI as the head of the Major Crimes Unit. His boss had called him into his office 3 months ago to give him the news of his promotion. It meant he now had his own private office with windows looking across the capital, as well as 8 agents under his direction sitting in the bullpen where he used to reside. It also meant he got some of the most difficult cases, and he was starting to wish he hadn't burned bridges with Dr Brennan and the Jeffersonian squints last year. He didn't really have a problem with her, in fact he was attracted to her despite the condescending attitude. But the last time he saw her, she had been very angry with him. It had been over a year, so maybe it was worth trying again. When the new case of the skeletal remains at the bottom of the pond in Arlington Cemetery landed on his desk, he decided this was the perfect case to attempt to get her crew back on board.
Booth was afraid that calling her might just have her turning him down flat and that would tank any future overtures. So he decided to go through her boss, Dr Goodman. He knew that the boss would see it as a good opportunity for the Jeffersonian to foster relations with other agencies and it seemed like it would be his best shot. And it turned out to be a wise decision. Dr Goodman thought it was an excellent suggestion for his team to partner with the FBI to solve some of their most stubborn cases. He told Booth that Dr Brennan was not currently in the lab, but was returning home that day from 2 months in Guatemala working to identify victims from mass graves. Booth got the go ahead from his boss to retain her services and then got into airline databases to ascertain which flight she was on. He made a quick call to a friend in Homeland Security asking to detain her once her flight landed and then prepared to head to the airport to "rescue" her from Homeland Security and Customs.
Of course, she was not pleased to see him. She immediately clocked that he had used his contacts with Homeland Security to get to her, so it was a battle of wills the entire way back from the airport. He finally agreed to give her full participation in the case, and not just in the lab, but also out in the field. So they struck a bargain and her crew started working on the remains. It didn't take long for him to remember how much further her lab could take his cases, and they eventually solved it, leading to an arrest and providing answers to the parents of the young victim. Well, there was a slight hiccup - Brennan actually shot the unarmed perpetrator in the leg just before his arrest. Brennan pushed him to his limits throughout the case, but by the time they wrapped it up, they had each earned the other's grudging respect. Booth had revived his nickname for her from a year ago - "Bones". She resisted the first few times he used it, but after awhile she just let it go. She agreed to continue working with him and they became a team - Booth & Bones.
Universe 2 (September 2005)
An intern walked through the bullpen and dropped a new case on Booth's desk. Landscapers working in Arlington Cemetery were doing work on a pond and had dropped the level of water only to find a decomposed body sitting on the bottom. Booth went out to the site with the FBI techs and watched them recover the intact skeleton. Since there was very little to examine at the site, he had the remains sent to the FBI lab and had to wait for their analysis. Booth hated getting these cases because there was so little to go on. Because the body had been in the water for so long, and no flesh remained, they could only estimate that it had been there 2-6 years. Identification of the victim was impossible, except for the fact that it was female and probably a young adult. Booth spent a week working the case, but ran into dead end after dead end. He finally had to close yet another cold case. It just killed him that her parents would never have closure. There were just too many young women from the east coast who were missing during that 5 year period to narrow it down.
Universe 2 (November 2005)
Rebecca Stinson made a call to Booth on his cell phone, but it transferred to voice mail. She really needed to talk to him about his visitation with their son the following weekend. Rebecca and Seeley had been in a year long relationship 5 years ago when she found out she was pregnant. Seeley immediately proposed to her, but she turned him down. Not only was she not willing to marry him just because of the pregnancy, but the relationship had been floundering in recent months, and that was no basis for a marriage. Parker was 4 years old now and he usually spent every other weekend with his father. That schedule was flexible however, because Rebecca would often get cross with Seeley and change the schedule with little warning. When he didn't answer his cell phone, she tried the phone on his desk at FBI Headquarters. One of Booth's coworkers picked up the line. When Rebecca identified herself, she was told that he hadn't been in the office all week and that he was presumed to be on vacation. Rebecca hung up the phone and tapped her nails on the desk. Something didn't add up - he hadn't said anything about a vacation. She looked at her watch. She had an hour before she had to leave to pick up Parker from preschool, so she decided to go to his apartment and see if he was there.
Booth answered the knock on his door and was surprised to see Rebecca standing there. She was equally surprised because he was dressed in a dirty t-shirt and sweats, and it looked like he hadn't even combed his hair. There were several empty beer bottles on the coffee table and a hockey game playing on the television. "What's going on Seeley? Why haven't you been at work all week?" He dropped his head in resignation and motioned her into the apartment. He quickly cleared newspapers from the seat of the chair for her and he sat down on the sofa. She looked around the room. "Seeley, what's wrong? I've never seen your place this trashed." He made a quick decision to come clean. "I've been suspended from work for two weeks. My boss was kind enough to tell my coworkers that I'm on vacation to spare me the humiliation."
Rebecca was stunned. The Seeley Booth she knew would never get himself in this situation. "What did you do?" He let out a deep sigh. "I've spent more and more time lately going out every night, drinking, playing pool, gambling. For awhile I was able to handle it and get to work on time and do my job without anyone noticing. But the last few weeks I feel like I fell into a deep hole. I was late getting in almost every day. I was not following up on leads, I wasn't solving my cases, I was skipping out on completing paperwork. My boss finally called me into his office and gave me a warning along with a two week suspension. He told me to get my shit together. My life is a mess Rebecca. I don't know what to do."
Rebecca looked at him in disbelief. "Well, I think it's clear what you need to do. Get your shit together Seeley! Look around you. Look at the dirty clothes you're wearing. This isn't you. This isn't the father that Parker looks up to and adores. He's supposed to be here with you over the weekend and I don't think he should see this." Booth nodded and looked to be on the verge of tears. Rebecca leaned forward and took his hands in hers. "Seeley, do you think you need to stop drinking all together? Perhaps join AA?" He shook his head. "No, I really don't think that's the problem." He followed her glance at the beer bottles on the table. "I know I have to cut way back and I'm confident I can do that. In fact, I promise you right now that I won't touch another drop until after my weekend with Parker. I think that will give me a good goal to work toward." Rebecca nodded her head. "Well, maybe you can spend that time cleaning up this place so it's ready for Parker on Friday evening?" He brightened up. "I'll do that. I think having Parker with me this weekend will help with my motivation. Rebecca, I'm going to be honest with you. While I don't think cutting back on my drinking will be a problem, I think I have a problem with gambling. I've been gambling for years and recently it's gotten out of control. Even though I haven't been going out this week, I've been calling in bets on sporting events. I just can't seem to stop myself."
Rebecca was a little shocked by this confession. "Are you having money issues? You know I count on your contributions to help pay for the things our son needs." He jumped in to reassure her. "No, I'm doing okay on that front. But I sometimes worry that it could go south if I get on a losing streak. I've always bragged that my gambling isn't a problem because I always win. But I'm smart enough to know that that could change on a dime." Rebecca nodded. "So you know what you need to do? For yourself? For our son?" Booth closed his eyes and let out a long breath. "For months I've been telling myself that I had to stop, but I just didn't want to. It's been almost like a drug - I felt a high every time I placed a bet…but now I'm at a breaking point. I can't lose my son, and I can't lose my job. I can't believe I've gotten myself into this situation Rebecca." He looked up at her with embarrassment. She reiterated. "You know what you have to do Seeley." He nodded. "I will find the nearest Gamblers Anonymous meeting tomorrow. I need to do this, and I know I will need help." Rebecca got up to leave and gave him a hug. She looked around the room. "Get your shit together Seeley. I know you can do this. I have faith in you."