Booth sat watching Ruth grab various toys and hold them up to him, while Brennan crossed her arms and tried to remain calm.

"So this man knew that you were Ruth's father before you knew and was trying to contract killers?" She asked and Booth shot her a look. "Booth, she cannot understand, she can pick up on more of our emotional state, so she will be nervous because we're nervous." She replied and he sighed.

"I don't understand it. You didn't tell anyone?" He asked and Brennan shook her head.

"I tried calling the bureau to get into contact with you about a personal matter, but you weren't named on the birth certificate, she doesn't have your last name, I never told them that we were having a child, I never even told Angela who the father was until I got back from Guatemala." Brennan started to ramble and Booth held up his hand in defense.

"Well then we need to figure out how this guy knew and what he wants because clearly prison isn't stopping whoever it is." Booth murmured.

"Booth, I can't go back to my apartment if he knows where I live and he clearly knows where you live too." She replied and Booth nodded.

"We will tell the bureau, they'll send us to a halfway house, highly confidential and secure."

"No, what about Parker? You can't be missing out on time with him." She shook her head and he furrowed his brow.

"What about you and Ruth?"

"We can figure it out, we've been on our own before." She replied, her eyes closed off. He couldn't read her like he could earlier, the dream of waking up next to her, of being a little family, it all seemed to be slipping away.

"Temperance, I understand that this is probably terrifying to you, that you probably feel like I'm the reason that you can't protect Ruth, hell I want to find whoever this is and beat them to death with my own hands." Booth's hands clenched and Brennan shook her head.

"I just don't want you to be taken from your son."

"So you'd rather I be separated from my daughter?" He scoffed. "Bones, I just got her. I finally feel like I am her father, like I can call her mine, now you want to take her from me."

"Wait a second, I don't want to take her from you, but I have to look out for her safety." Brennan started to get agitated, she felt her face get hot with anger and her own hands clenched into fists. She knew that if they continued down this road, the two of them would say things they would regret.

"Well I want to protect both of you!" He exclaimed.

"I can protect us, I was doing just fine before you came along." Brennan stepped forward. They were toe-to-toe at this point. Booth looked into the depths of Brennan's eyes, like blue flames, he was sure that his eyes were matched in their fiery anger. Their chests rose and fell with every breath they took, their faces mere inches apart and the hot air could be felt on each other's faces.

"You will not run from me." Booth growled. "I don't care how angry you get, I can see the wheels turning, you're trying to figure an escape plan, but Temperance, I will always be one step ahead. You may be smarter than me in this lab, but I'm a guerilla fighter. I will always be ten steps ahead out there." He pointed over her shoulder. "I will protect my family from everything. I will sacrifice myself before I let them get to her or you, so stop with this and stop treating me like the enemy." He squinted at her, sizing her up. They had never been this angry with one another.

The conversation started out civil, but it quickly disintegrated. He had to show her that he knew she would try to run and that he wouldn't allow it, that even if she ran, he would find her. That their family was far too important to him.

"I … Booth …" He saw the tears begin to well up in her eyes and before he could think, he pulled her into him. Her body melted into his, her sobs muffled into his chest. He rubbed circles into her back, while his other hand smoothed down her hair and he gently kissed her forehead.

"I know, babe. I know. I'm so sorry this is happening." He whispered into her hair as she continued to cry. It was cathartic for Brennan to cry, to release the emotions, the fear and distress. "I'm so sorry that I'm bringing this into our lives." He continued as he rubbed circles. Slowly, her breathing evened out and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Booth, I want her to be safe, that's all I want." She whispered. The partners stood and stared as Ruth sat silently on the floor, coloring without a care in the world.

-BB-

Booth walked into the Hoover building and informed them of what Monroe had told them. He requested a leave of absence and safety regiment for himself and his family. He called Rebecca to let her know what was happening and that he would be sent underground again and to let Parker know that he would be in contact with him for video calls. He then went with agents to Brennan's apartment to collect clothes and anything else they might need for going to the halfway house.

-BB-

Brennan set up a signal with the Jeffersonian so she could work remotely as best she could and got herself situated at the halfway house with Ruth. It was a small two-story house in rural Virginia. When she first walked in, she smelled the stale air, the kitchen was only slightly bigger than the one in her apartment and the living room was devoid of any decoration. The upstairs bedrooms were no better, they felt cold compared to the brightly painted nursery that Ruth called home.

Brennan sat down on the uncovered mattress and wondered how long she and Booth would be forced to remain underground. Ruth looked up at her mother, eyes shining with wonder.

"Hey, baby girl." She whispered to the almost two year old, who smiled in response. "This is going to be our new home for a little while." She continued, which only made the little girl look around the room.

"Baba?" She asked and Brennan smiled.

"He'll be here in a little while." She replied.

"Angie?" She asked next.

"She might come visit in a couple days."

"Smeets?" She continued, only making Brennan sigh.

"I don't know, we can always ask your dad."

"Ask dad what?" Booth's voice called from the hallway, making Brennan look up at his looming figure. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, a baseball cap was on backwards and his eyes seemed tired, but bright with wonder.

"Smeets?" The little girl repeated as she made her way to her father, her arms extended as he crouched to pick her up.

"She wants to know when he will come visit." Brennan explained and Booth raised his brows.

"You want to see the shrink?" He asked his daughter, whose eyes were dazzling. He knew he wouldn't be able to say no to her. She nodded with a sly smile. "How is it that our kid is in love with a psych?" He asked Brennan and she laughed.

"I believe that's because you allowed her to become indoctrinated in his soft sciences." She replied. "I'll stay in here tonight with Ruth, that way you can get a good night's sleep." She continued. "I was thinking we could switch off."

"Oh, okay." He murmured, his eyes telling a different story. He had hoped she would want to share a bed once more, but with everything that happened in the past day, he understood she was closing off. He had yelled at her, told her she couldn't run, now they were forced to live together in separation from their lives due to his past, running from a man that wouldn't reveal himself. Ruth rested her head against his shoulder and he laid a little kiss against her forehead. "The movers are going to bring in the stuff. Do you want to maybe go out into the backyard so that we can give them some space?" He asked and Brennan gave a small nod. The movers were told that Brennan, Booth, and Ruth were a young family, the Kilroys.

Their full story was that she was a science teacher, he was a private investigator, and they had a young daughter. They moved to the area to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city after the death of Brennan's mother. They didn't plan on using it too much because their nearest neighbor wasn't for miles, but in case it was ever an issue, they had their bases covered.

Brennan walked down the stairs in her tight jeans and a flowy top. Her hair was in a low knot and her face was free of makeup. She gave the movers a small smile as she made her way to the back of the house. A young mover, probably college aged, looked at Brennan as if she was prey as she passed him, but Booth's glare stopped him from making a move. Ruth watched in wonder as the movers took boxes from the truck and into the house.

"Baba, toys?" She asked as he continued to follow Brennan out to the back of the house.

"Yup, your toys are in those boxes, we will make sure your room is all nice and pretty." He smiled and she giggled. Following the movers with her big blue eyes. One mover watched the young family with a faint smile.

"She's cute as a button." He called out, making Booth stop and look over his shoulder. The man was moving a bit slower than the younger crew. He had light eyes, similar to Brennan's, his blondish hair and shorter build didn't make it easy for him to be a mover, and at his age, he probably shouldn't be lugging large boxes.

"Oh, well thank you, my wife and I are pretty proud of ourselves." Booth joked and the man laughed. Sticking his hand out, the mover smiled.

"The name's Max O'Malley, and you are?" He looked directly at Booth, who took his hand.

"Robert Kilroy and this is my daughter, Christine Kilroy." Ruth looked at him with a bit of confusion, but stayed quiet.

"Well, very nice to meet you, Mr. Kilroy. I hope you and your wife are very happy here." Max claimed and continued his moving.

Brennan watched the interaction from afar, she felt a strange feeling in her stomach. There was something about him, something about his voice that brought back so many memories of her childhood. She shook her head and waited for Booth to make his way into the backyard.

-BB-

It had been about a week and Booth laid awake in his room. It was Brennan's turn with Ruth and he just wanted to walk into her room and sit with them. He could hear her talking softly to their daughter and Ruth's light laughter through the wall, quickly followed by Brennan's shushing. He didn't want her to shush Ruth, he wanted to be there, laughing alongside them.

Throughout the week, he and Brennan shared some moments, brief snippets between the two of them, but for the most part, they were just co-parenting within the same house. It was almost harder and more distant than when they were in DC. He wanted to touch Brennan more than ever, but she kept turning away, putting up walls, shying away from his touch.

BANG! A clang came from their front porch and Booth sprang from his bed. He grabbed his gun from the safe and entered the hallway in a dash. He could hear Brennan creak open her door, but he signaled to shut it before slowly going down the staircase.

He could hear steps making their way around the house and felt his heart rate rise. Then he flung open the door and ran toward the assailant. Tackling the man to the ground, he was ready to cuff him, when he recognized the face.

"Max?" He questioned, the old mover from a week prior. "What the fuck? Are you trying to rob us?" He began pulling the old man up and continued to cuff the man behind his back.

"I want to see my daughter." Max replied and Booth stopped what he was doing and looked at the man.

"You want to see your what?" He asked and Max huffed.

"My daughter." He sounded exasperated. "The woman you call your wife? The receipt says Rosemary Kilroy, but her name is Temperance Brennan, well technically Joy Keenan." He started to ramble and Booth's brows furrowed before he dragged the man into the house by his cuffed hands.

"Uhm, what is going on?" Temperance's voice called from upstairs, she was holding Ruth in her blanket, and Max looked at her with reverence.

"Tempe." He breathed and Booth yanked his hands.

"Do. Not. Speak. To. Her." He growled before sitting him in a chair at the kitchen table and re-cuffing him to the chair so he couldn't move. Then he walked up to Brennan. "He says he's your dad. He introduced himself to me as Max O'Malley when we moved in, just now he said that your name is Temperance Brennan, but technically Joy Keenan." He rattled off and Brennan's eyes flashed, she knew from her mother's death that Ruth Keenan was technically her mother's name, which was a surprise to her. She had named Ruth after a loving foster mother, so to know that her mother's real name was Ruth was a shocking coincidence.

"Uhm, well it's not common knowledge that my name used to be Joy Keenan before my parents changed it." Brennan replied.

"But that's not your father." Booth whispered. Brennan craned her neck. It was true, the man sitting there had different hair, facial features, even his eyes. But as she watched him, her brain began to take away the cheek filler, the lip augmentation, the hair dye, and soon he looked like her father from her childhood.

"He altered his appearance." She stated matter-of-factly. "Cheeks, lips, hair. He might have been wearing different colored contacts when I was a kid." She rattled off. Booth looked over his shoulder with awe that someone would go through that extent.

"Bones, do you want to speak with him?" That question was met with trepidation. Her eyes darted to their daughter, who sleepily looked at her parents.

"I don't want him to speak with Ruth." She murmured. "So you go upstairs with her." She continued after a beat and Booth's eyes went large and he shook his head.

"I'm not leaving you alone with that psychopath!" He exclaimed, loud enough for the tresspassor to hear.

"I'm not a psychopath. If you must know, I've been following Tempe for many years." He followed and Booth threw his hands in the air.

"That doesn't help your case, PAL!" He yelled and Ruth giggled.

"Is that my granddaughter?" Max craned his neck and Booth felt his body fill with rage.

"Do not speak to my daughter." He retorted and Max held up a hand behind his back.

"So, Tempe, are you actually married to this schmuck?"

"Schmuck?" Booth replied with annoyance.

"Smuck?" Ruth tried to say and Booth tried to look annoyed at the little girl.

"Uhm, I'm a little confused." Brennan responded. "I'm going to put Ruth to bed, then we can discuss." She then turned on her heels before her father could reply and Booth looked at Max once more.

"I don't like you." Booth said and crossed his arms.

"From the way you tackled me, the feeling's mutual." Max retorted. Booth rolled his eyes. "So her name is Ruth." Max whispered.

"It was after a foster mother that Tempe would have never met if you didn't abandon her, you piece of shit, the fact that your wife happened to be named that is a coincidence. She didn't learn that until we found her body recently." He spouted off. Max's eyes turned down to the ground.

"You found Ruthie's body?" He asked.

"Yes, she had been a Jane Doe at Bones' work, we identified her and her killer. He fucked with her head and I won't even begin to go into it because I'll lose my cool."

"This is you with your cool?" Max chuckled. "Wait, Tempe's work is with remains? Oh don't tell me you're both law enforcement?" He rolled his eyes. "No wonder you got the tackle of a pansy."

"Hey, geezer, look who's handcuffed to a chair!" Booth replied and Max shook his head.

"My daughter went to the dark side." He tsked and then they heard footsteps. Brennan in her light gray robe and fluffy white slippers appeared with a baby monitor in her hand. Her hair was up in a loose top knot and she seemed weary of the conversation she was set to have with the intruder in her kitchen.

"I heard bickering." She mumbled as she walked by Booth.

"He was talking shit about my day job." He replied sheepishly, causing Brennan to sigh.

"Why do you have a problem with him being FBI?" Brennan asked Max, whose mouth unhinged.

"FBI?!" He exclaimed. "You procreated with the spawn of satan?" He continued and Booth squeaked.

"Spawn of satan?! I did not endure torture training at Quantico for this!" Booth exclaimed and Brennan stomped her foot.

"I have a toddler sleeping upstairs. Shush!" This effectively quieted the duo who were now glaring at one another.

"I'm sorry, baby girl, I just, the FBI is full of inbred scum." Max responded and Brennan groaned.

"If you truly are my father, than you are speaking ill of your granddaughter's father." She spoke confidently, making Booth's heart race.

"My apologies. Could we maybe uncuff me, I would like to have this conversation without being stuck to a chair." Max replied and Brennan looked at Booth, who sighed.

"Fine, but I'm keeping the gun on him at all times, and I'm checking him for any weapons." He responded.

-BB-

The trio sat at the kitchen table, Booth and Brennan on one side, while Max sat alone on the other side. It was established that Max had been keeping an eye on Temperance for a couple years, since her first book, which made it easy for Max to track her. At first it was just keeping tabs on what she was up to, but then it turned into trying to make sure she was safe.

When he noticed she had become pregnant, he had amped up his "protection," which Booth had dubbed "stalking." Brennan was quietly listening, asking a few questions here and there. Max had let Booth know that there had been a couple of men in the past 6 months that had attempted to make their way onto Brennan's balcony or into her complex. He had gotten it out of them, through his own means, that the Viking was the guy to beat.

"So you're a vigilante who wants me to trust him?" Booth asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't need you to trust me, but I do think you should seeing as I've protected your daughter from a handful of men who were sent by a guy who was pissed off by you." He replied, also crossing his arms.

"So how many men exactly have been sent by the Viking?" Brennan asked.

"My count, five. If we add Monroe, that's six, and the guy that tried to break in a few months ago that you thought was a crazed fan, seven." Max named off. Brennan felt her blood run cold and she looked at Booth.

"So he's sending a lot of men and he's probably not going to stop." She mumbled and Booth grabbed her hand.

"Bones, don't get worried. Max, what the hell?"

"She needs to be prepared. You're right, sweetie, he's probably not going to stop and although this safehouse is a smart idea, I think you guys need added protection." He then rubbed his hands together. "I think I should move in."

Booth chuckled. "Absolutely not." He then looked at Brennan, who was silent. "Bones, you can't seriously be considering …"

"How about we think about it?" She asked her father.

"That's fine, baby girl. I just want you to be safe." He replied. "I'll be back in two days." He spoke cryptically. "I need to get some things in order, but I'll make sure some of my people are keeping an eye on the house." Booth shook his head.

"Max, that won't be necessary."

"Which one of us is a fugitive?" Max asked a stunned Booth. "I know how criminals think, you know how the law thinks. Together, we can be unstoppable. I'll be back in two days." He then stood up and was out the door before either could say another word.

Brennan looked at Booth. "Well this ought to be interesting." He told her and she just shrugged before Ruth's whimpers could be heard from the monitor.

Author's Note: So Max made an appearance. Will he help them or will he just cause trouble? Also, how will Booth and Brennan like living together?