The Boy with the Answer)

I really don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

They'd been together for over seven months and even though they'd had their share of arguments and misunderstandings, Booth and Brennan had fewer arguments now that they were a couple. They tried to make sure to communicate with each other as clearly as possible. They were both head strong with firm opinions, but once they'd voiced their opinions that usually ended the argument. They were determined to make their personal relationship work and when arguments got out of hand they fell back on their friendship to calm things down.

Sometimes, Brennan worried that she wasn't emotional enough and that Booth was too emotional about certain topics, but they had known going into their relationship who their partner was and Brennan made sure her partner listened to her when it appeared that he might be avoiding certain topics just to keep the peace.

Sweets had stood by and observed what the partners were going through and much to his surprise, their relationship seemed to be strong and his doubts about Booth's love for Brennan started to fade.

oooooooooooooo

Booth noticed that his arguments with Brennan had escalated lately and he thought he knew why.

The Gravedigger trial was coming up and though everyone was confident that Taffet was going to be found guilty of murder and kidnapping, they knew she was a brilliant attorney and they worried about what defense she was planning on.

Worried that his team was becoming a little unraveled, Booth decided to have a little meeting at the Lab in the break room. He knew it was easier for him to come to the Lab and he wanted everyone as relaxed as they could be when he talked to them. After he placed a couple of boxes of doughnuts on the table, he sat down with his cup of coffee and waited for everyone to show up.

One by one, Angela, Hodgins, Cam and Brennan ascended the stairs and joined Booth sitting at the table. Once everyone was seated, Booth sighed and placed his cup down. "Okay, the Gravedigger trial starts next week and I need to check in with everyone . . . I've been in meetings with Caroline for two weeks now, with the Deputy Director and with the Director too . . . We're all aware that Taffet was a brilliant prosecutor . . . in fact, the only one better than her at the DOJ was Caroline . . . I need you to remember that. Caroline is the top prosecutor at the DOJ and she's been preparing for this trial for months . . . not weeks . . . months."

"I'm sure we're ready." Cam sipped from her cup of coffee. "We've had a few meetings ourselves and we've tried to tighten up the evidence. We're as prepared as we can be."

"Good . . . that's good." Booth sipped some coffee and held his cup in his hands. "This trial is important to all of us. Taffet put us all through a lot of hell, but we came through it fine. She tried to destroy our team when she kidnapped Bones and Hodgins, but she failed. She's a kidnapper and a murderer. She doesn't have any compassion for anyone but herself . . . We need to be prepared for anything. She's going to go after our evidence and she's going to go after us. Keep that in mind . . . We're going to be on trial too, not just Taffet."

Surprised, Hodgins shook his head. "What the hell does that mean? We were the victims. We were her victims. This trial is to get us justice . . . How can we be on trial too?"

Sighing, Booth shook his head. "You can't walk into the courtroom as a victim, Hodgins. That's what she wants . . . She needs you and Bones to think of yourselves as victims . . . You're not victims. I'm not a victim. We investigate murders and kidnappings and we get justice for people like Mathew and Ryan Kent. They were missing for over four years until their bodies were found in that beer vat. Their parents never gave up hope, but they never had a chance of seeing those boys alive again. Taffet killed those boys. She kidnapped them for money and when she didn't get it, she left them buried where they were and they died in the dark . . . away from their parents and friends. They died alone . . . It's up to us to get her convicted and make sure she never does this to anyone else."

"Booth we know what we need to do." Annoyed, Brennan leaned back against her chair. "We have all testified in many trials and our successes far outweigh our defeats. Hodgins has gone over the particulates and the vat numerous times. Cam and I have gone over the autopsies several times and we feel that our case is solid. Taffet will be convicted of killing the Kent boys and for kidnapping me, Hodgins and you."

He knew that Brennan didn't understand what he was worried about. "I just need us all to be prepared for whatever Taffet throws at us and she will find something. Caroline and I have tried to anticipate whatever Taffet has planned, but unfortunately we can't think of everything and it will also depend upon the judge assigned to this case. Judge Dufrey runs a tight ship. He doesn't like theatrics and stunts, but he knows that this trial is going to be covered by the national press and he will want to appear fair and even handed. This isn't a local trial. We're all going to be under the microscope, so when we're in court, we have to be calm. We can't show anger towards Taffet. Emotional outbursts could prejudice us against the jury . . . Hodgins . . . You're not a victim. You're our dirt and bug expert and we're counting on your expertise to help us to win this . . . You're not Taffet's victim. None of us are."

Hodgins heard what Booth was saying and he knew that he was going to have trouble being in the same room as Taffet let alone remain calm. "I get it, Booth. I do, but she kidnapped me and she kidnapped Dr B and she almost killed you. This trial isn't just about the Kent boys . . . I want that bitch to fry for what she did . . . I . . ." The look on Booth's face told him that the agent was having doubts about him. "Yes, I'm not a victim, but I do want justice. I need justice . . . I'm going to do my job. I'm not going to let her get to me."

"Good." Booth stared at Brennan. "She's going to play mind games with us . . . count on it. We need to be prepared."

Slowly nodding her head, Brennan knew that Booth was right. "Taffet tried her best to kill me, Hodgins and you. I won't forget that, but I will not let her control the narrative in court. She thinks she knows who we are. We will show her that she doesn't. We're good at our jobs and she will not persuade the jury that we're not."

Oooooooooooooo

Furious, Booth moved out of the courtroom and slapped the doorframe as he entered the hallway. Following her partner, Brennan knew that Taffet had won this round, but they had to prevent her from continuing to win. "I didn't think the judge would disallow the contents of Taffet's storage unit . . . I think he is being too cautious in his rulings. He considered it an illegal search when the storage locker was searched, but I think he's wrong and so does Caroline."

Calmer, Booth turned to face Brennan. "I agree with you, but the storage locker is out . . . Bones, we have other evidence. I've read over everything and I think it's enough. The storage locker would have been a slam dunk, but that's okay . . . We don't need it."

Slowly shaking her head, Brennan felt that Taffet had made their case weaker. "She told me about a number I missed before she was taken from the courtroom . . . I'm not sure what she thinks she's accomplishing by telling me that . . . Perhaps she thinks it will affect me . . . make me lose confidence in my testimony, but she is sadly mistaken . . . I need to talk to Angela. We don't have to return to court until tomorrow . . . I will use that time wisely. If the number she mentioned has meaning to her then it will have meaning to me and I will find out what it is."

"Bones . . . okay, you do what you have to do." Booth glanced at Hodgins who was arguing with Angela further down the hallway with Cam standing near them talking on the phone. "If you need my help, call me. I'm going to return to the Hoover and check Taffet's files . . . I've got faith in you, Bones. You're the best." He moved closer towards her, placed his hands on her upper arms and kissed her. "I love you."

Returning his kiss, Brennan turned and walked towards Hodgins and Angela. They had work to do and they were not going to let Taffet walk away from what she had done.

ooooooooooooo

Brennan knew that the number that Taffet teased her about was important. The former prosecutor had given her a clue to frustrate her and Brennan decided that they would have to solve that mystery.

"Taffet gave me that clue to sow doubt in me. She doesn't think I will be able to decipher her clue and use it against her . . . Because the storage locker contents is now inadmissible, she thinks that we're incompetent . . . She thinks she's smarter than I am." Brennan sat in the breakroom, eating the dinner that Booth had brought her. "She is brilliant . . . amoral, but brilliant."

Booth placed his chopsticks in his carton of fried rice and placed the carton on the table. "She's not as smart as you are and that's her mistake. She gave you a clue and she's counting on you not figuring it out, but you will."

"Maybe I've lost my advantage over her because of all the people I'm involved with now. My relationships are complicating my ability to think logically . . . If I could step back . . . If I could separate myself from everyone . . ." Brennan stopped speaking and stared at the notes on the table in front of her.

A chill running down his back, Booth stared at Brennan and worried about what her words meant for him, for them. "Bones . . . you don't mean that." At least he hoped she didn't. "I . . . You don't have to give up your humanity like Taffet did. She's inhuman. She doesn't feel anything for anyone else . . . I love you. Don't let her play mind games with you. She's counting on . . . "

She realized that Booth was upset, but so was she. "Booth . . . let me work on this clue. Let me concentrate and be logical about this. I cannot allow emotions to control what I am doing right now. I need to work this clue. I cannot let her win."

Afraid that Brennan was pushing him away, Booth felt sick. Moving his food container into a bag, he threw it in the trash and stood up. "I'm going to let you work on this, Bones. I know you have a process and I'm not going to interfere with it . . . but . . . I'm not going to allow you to walk away from me because of Taffet and her shit . . . I meant it when I said we're not victims. She wants to paralyze you and Hodgins with doubts. You're stronger than that . . . I'm going back to the office to let you work."

Once she was alone, Brennan leaned over and placed her hands over her eyes. "I do have a process. I must separate my emotions from this case . . . she will not win."

During the rest of the trial, Booth tried his best to support everyone, but his partner had shut him out and stayed in her apartment by herself. She had asked him to stay in his apartment during the rest of the trial and he'd done what she'd asked. Afraid that she was throwing their relationship away because she was having second thoughts about them, Booth decided that once the trial was over, he was going to have a long talk with his partner, if she'd allow it. He considered what he had with her to be the best thing that had ever happened to him besides the birth of his son and he was determined to fight to keep her in his life.

Oooooooooooo

The trial was over and Taffet had been found guilty. Booth had watched the reaction of everyone when Taffet had been pronounced guilty and it worried him that Brennan had barely reacted. He saw her smile for a moment, gather her purse and jacket and leave the courtroom. He had tried to walk with her, but she had ignored everything he had said and he was afraid he had lost her. Allowing her to walk away from him, he jammed his fists in his pants pockets and left the courthouse alone.

Sweets had stood in the hallway outside the courtroom and observed Booth and Brennan. He knew the trial had been a strain on everyone, but he had noticed that Brennan had shut down emotionally and he was afraid of what that meant now for both her and Booth. He had questioned Booth's love for Brennan when their relationship had started, but now he was starting to question her love for Booth.

His concern growing for the partners, he arrived at Brennan's office and knocked on the doorframe. "I know it's getting late, but may I come in?" He wasn't sure how she was going to react and if she insisted that she needed to be alone, he would leave and come back the next day.

Surprised to see the younger man staring at her, Brennan leaned back against her chair and sighed. "If you must."

It wasn't a welcoming response, but it wasn't a rejection either. Once he was in the office, Sweets sat down and cleared his throat. "You won. Taffet lost." It was an opening and he hoped she would add to it.

"Yes." Feeling detached, Brennan knew that she had allowed herself to become too disconnected from her emotions during the trial and she wasn't sure how to get them back. She had learned how to isolate herself when she was in foster care and she had honed that skill over the years until she had become self reliant and impervious to everyone around her. She hadn't allowed anyone's chaotic life to interfere with her life and at the time, that had been a blessing.

She'd had few friends after her parents had thrown her away and she could count on two hands the number of friends she had made over the years. Her imperviousness had protected her, but she knew she didn't need that protection anymore. She needed to reconnect to Booth and to Angela and Hodgins. She just wasn't sure how to do it.

Worried, Sweets sighed. "Taffet is manipulative . . . she uses everyone around her and feels justified doing it. She lacks compassion and human understanding . . . You're not like that Dr. Brennan. You're not like that all."

Standing, Brennan removed her purse from her desk and turned to stare at the young psychologist. "She thought she was more brilliant than I am. I have demonstrated that she is wrong . . . I must leave now. I have something that I must do."

After Brennan had left the room, Sweets stared at her empty desk for a few moments. "I'll give her some time . . . yeah, maybe a day or two to decompress and I'll try again."

Ooooooooooooooooo

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