-Venus POV-
Booth had called Temp and he picked us up. Temp was in the front seat with Booth as usual and I was in the back with Russ. It was quite until Booth chose to break the silence. "Hey, Blueberry. I just noticed that your eyes are more swollen than I last saw you." I nod, "Yeah, anymore crying might lead me to become blind for the next two days." Russ then asks, "Blueberry?" I then look at Russ, "Hmm? Oh yeah, Ranger here has nicknamed me Blueberry after I had tripped and spilled a blueberry paint all over myself and he had happened to witness the whole event and that is where I get my name from." Russ nods and asks, "What were you doing to have paint spill all over you?" I smiled and said, "I was repairing a 1967 Pontiac Lemans around that time. Here I will show you a photo."
"Wow. That is a real beauty you did. I used to be a mechanic and had an auto shop..." He was soon cut off by Temp, "Before you got arrested for smuggling illegal car parts..." Russ sighs and nods, "Yeah, but I am on parole and am doing fine." I nod and then thought of something, "Maybe you and I could repair a car together soon... If... if you would like..." I blushed a bit for saying that so abruptly. But Russ had a small smile as he had finally reconnected with both his sisters even though one of them was still mad at him for what he did in the past. But he was especially happy to be able to see his baby sister again after so many years of not knowing where she was, as he starts saying, "Yeah... I would love to repair a car with you." Venus gave him a warm smile as they had arrived where the FBI had obtained their parents car after so many years.
We walk in the building as one of the men ask Booth, "We on the lookout for anything in particular?" "Treat it like a brand-new crime scene- full workup. Let's go!" I was walking in the middle between Temp and Russ as Booth continues talking, "But tear through the whole car, treat it, and go through it with a fine-tooth comb." Russ then says, "That's our old car, all right." Temp adds, "The name of my school is scraped off- Woodside Elementary. They said they didn't find anything in the car." Booth says, "There was bloodstain, front seat, passenger side. Guy! Everybody! I need the space! Now!" A man then asks, "What? Now?!" "Yeah, now." "Take five, everybody." I then call out. "Thank you Kevin." "No problem, Dr. Venus." I waved him goodbye as Temp says, "Twice in two days." "I had the NCIC database check for a married couple who disappeared in 1978. Meet Max and Ruth Keenan."
Booth hands Temp the pictures as Russ and I look at it as well. Russ then says, "That's Mom and Dad, all right." Temp then asks, "The NCIC database- that's... That's criminals. My parents were on a list of federal offenders?" Russ then states, "How do you like that? Guess a criminal nature runs in the family." I add, "They would be so disappointed with me if they found what I did..." Russ looks at me about to ask what I meant as Temp cuts him off, "You were seven years old, Russ. Old enough to remember. What... What is your real name? What is my real name? Does Venus even have a name?" Booth then adds, "Bones, it's right here in the file." "No! No! I want him to tell me. What is my real name, Russ?" "My name was Kyle. Your name was Joy. Venus was born later so she never got a name..." "You are not my brother."
Temp slaps Russ as I gasp as Booth and I call out Temps name, "Bones..." "Temp..." "No! He lied about that. What else are you lying about?" "What else are you not telling us?" I stand right in front of Russ as I grab Temp, "Temp, calm down. He was only a child when that happened... Go take a walk and calm down before anything else escalates. Okay?" She looks at me and nods and leaves. I texted Kevin's number telling him if he could keep an eye on Temp and to stand from a distance as she is a bit upset right now. I then turn to Russ and remove his hand from his cheek and check how badly Temp had slapped him. It was a good thing as it wasn't that bad as I said, "I am sorry Russ, but this is the only way she could handle the pain from finding our mom... She will forgive you, just give it a bit more time." He looks at me and asks, "Aren't you mad at me as well for what I did?" I look at him and take a deep breath, "I was very young, I never thought it was your fault on what happened. I always thought it was my fault and that's why you had to give us away... but after all I have went through before finding Temp again, I just come to terms that all I wanted was just to be back with you both again even if it was just one last time." I shake my head and smile once again, "We should get going now. I think Temp has calmed down a bit by now... I hope... We should really go and make sure Kevin is still safe."
We are back in the lab as I had got ice back on my eyes for my puffy eyes. I was up on the second with Temp and Angie as Temp says, "At first, I thought the worst thing was that they were missing." Angie then adds, "Except dead means no more hope." I then say, "Our mother was alive for almost two years after they disappeared." Temp nods adding, "She abandoned us." I look at Temp shaking my head, "You don't know that Temp." Angie nods adding, "Look, you finally got to slap Russ. You've been wanting to do that for years." Temp quietly laughs as my puffy eyes widen and I ask, "Was that some type of goal you've been wanting to accomplish all of these years?" Temp the says, "I worshipped him, you know? God, he was so cool. Everyone knew Venus and I were Russ Brennan's little sister. I wasn't... cool or pretty, so, being his sister... You know that game, Marco Polo? I'd be sitting in class, and I'd hear out the window, "Marco!" It'd be Russ carrying Venus checking in on me, letting everyone know that I was his little sister."
Angie then asks, "Did you... 'Polo'?" "Yeah, sometimes it would be the only word I said all day. Polo. And then mom and dad disappeared, and ... Russ took off... Suddenly, no one cared where Ven and I were. I miss that. Someone caring where I am all the time." I start tearing up as I say, "Don't worry Temp I am here for ya... Plus, this is not fair, for you to make me tear up like this when I am trying to swell down my puffy eyes..." Angie and Temp chuckle as we hear Booth call us out, "Bones? Blueberry? You up there? Come on, let's go, huh? Chop-chop. I found the agent that was assigned to your parent's case." I yell out, "We are coming down there right now Ranger. Just got to make sure everyone could see my eyes." "Just wear some glasses." "Do you have any?" "We will get them on the way." "Okay."
We are at the FBI headquarters as I we stopped by a shop, and I found some glasses that looked like the ones the Terminator used and had them on during the interview.
The agent that we are interviewing is Agent Callie Warner as she says, "I was the FBI liaison on a bank robbery task force working out of Cincinnati in the mid- to late '70s. Secret Service, State Police, ATF, all of us after a pretty bad bunch of armed robbers working Ohio, Kentucky, Iowa. You know, excuse me. Am I to understand that I'm addressing the family of one of these robbers?" Booth answers, "Max and Ruth Keenan's children." Agent Warner looks at the three of us as I sat right next to Russ and Temp a bit in front of us on the table as she says, "Max and Ruth. Yeah. They never really belonged in that crew." I then ask, "Why?" "They worked smart. Specialized in safe deposit boxes. No guns. They'd either con their way in, or case out the place, break back in on the weekend. Took their time. We never got a handle on the size of their scores."
Russ then ask, "Why?" "Well, people keep jewelry and cash in safety deposit boxes." Booth then adds, "And a lot of stuff they don't want to report stolen." Agent Warner nods, "None of us understood why standup criminals like Max and Ruth would join this Midwest strong-arm crew. Links to white supremacists, real dedication to firearms and violence. Job in Dayton went really bad. Two innocent bystanders were killed. One state trooper, seven wounded." Booth asks "When was that?" "July 4 1978." Russ ask, "Never caught 'em?" "Not us, no. Few years later, one of them turned state's evidence for an FBI agent out of Louisville. Sent the rest to jail. My understanding is they're all dead." Russ then says, "Our parents were bank robbers who morphed into a high school science teacher and a... bookkeeper?" "Their particular brand of safety deposit break-ins stopped. At the time, I figured the strong-arm crew killed them for their cut." Kevin then comes in Booths office, "Agent Booth? We found blood in the car." "We expected that." "Yeah, but here's the wrinkle: we got blood from two separate individuals." We all looked at each other as we discovered this new information as I say, "Thank you Kevin." "No problem. I like the shades, reminds me of Terminator." "Thanks, that was what I was going for." He leaves as everyone else looks at me.
We are at the lab as Hodgins starts explaining, "These two DNA charts are from the blood in the car, and these three are from Dr. Brennan, Venus, and their brother." Hodgins pops up another image showing five different DNA tests as I say, "These four matches. And this one does not." Booth then says, "These four people are related?" I nod adding, "This is Mom, Temp, Russ, and me. But this chart- a male, but it's definitely not our father." Booth nods adding, "Okay, so we'll just run it through CODIS and the Convicted Offender Index and see what's pops up, all right?"
-No One POV-
Russ is in Angela's office as she says to him, "So you describe someone to me, and I draw them. That's the drill." "Who do I describe?" "I don't know yet? Booth put us together, so I could charm you into telling me the truth." Angela sits as Russ follows her sitting down as well saying, "Trust me, I got no more truth." "You know, your sisters are my best friends, so when one of them says you can't be trusted, I trust them." "This is you being charming?... Does Tempe really hate me that much?" "Russ... she loves you. They both love you. It'd be easier if she hates you. Hate is a lot easier to deal with than love, especially disappointed love." "Why doesn't Venus hate me just as much as Tempe?"
Angela sighs, "She has seen so much that she made it her mission to be nice to everyone she meets. She could never really truly hate someone more than she hates herself." "You know what's ironic? Tempe doesn't trust me because I kept a promise?" "What promise?" "Seven years old- Dad and me in the backyard. This was in Ohio. My dad tells me, 'You're not Kyle anymore. Forget about Kyle. You're Russ.' He says: 'If you ever tell anyone- the police, anyone- you will be killing your mother and your sister. Swear,' he says. 'You swear on your baby sister's life you won't tell.' He makes me say my name 100 times. Russ Brennan, Russ Brennan, Russ Brennan. He says it with me: Russ Brennan, Russ Brennan, Russ Brennan, Russ Brennan, Russ Brennan! And then when Venus was born, he come up to me again saying if I had remembered our promise and I say 'Yes. Yes, I do.' He tells me that no one can know she is related to our past names or she also would be killed." "Around the time, when Kyle became Russ, maybe you saw someone. Maybe you saw someone who scared you. Someone who scared you because you had instincts- the instincts of a frighten kid. Was there someone like that?" "Yeah. A man came to the house one day. My dad said if I ever saw this guy again, to grab my sister and hide." "Well, when you're ready, you'll describe that man to me." "All right."
-Venus POV-
It has already turned dark as Temp and I went back to our apartment as Booth came over and brought Chinese food. We are all eating as Temp says, "If you keep bringing Chinese food in the middle of the night, we all are gonna get fat." I then pipe in, "What? Every night? You both ate Chinese food without me yesterday?" Booth then says, "Yes, but the real question is why do you still have those sunglasses on?" "Hey... don't change the subject here just because I look cool with these glasses... I asked if you wanted some and you said you where fine." Booth chuckles as he looks at Temp, "I know what you've been thinking." "I doubt it." "You've been thinking that your family is made up of liars and criminals. And that makes you feel lonely. There's a story here we don't know yet." "Like what?" "Bones, 'don't know' means it's a mystery." "What were your parents like?" Booth laughs a bit, "My parents, uh... My dad, he, uh... he drove Thuds and Phantoms in Vietnam. Those are fighter jets. After that, he was a barber in Philadelphia. And my mom, she wrote jingles for a local advertising agency." "So they didn't go out at night after you were asleep and rob banks?" "Listen Bones... you to Venus, your parents, uh, they have secret lives. If they didn't, they would be parents. It is little late for Chinese, isn't it?" I bring down my sunglasses a bit saying, "It's never to late for Chinese food." They both looked at me as I take a bite on the food as they smile shaking their heads from my little act as Booth starts standing up, "Thanks for the meal. See you both tomorrow." I wave Booth goodbye as I walked over to Temp and we snugged up with each other on the couch."
We sit there for a bit I speak up, "We should go to the lab." "Why?" "I think the team has been working every night to help us." We both sigh as we get up, I then ask, "Do you want to take your car or mine?" "I don't mind. Either car is fine." I nod as I look through my three keys. I grab my blueberry 1967 car as I say, "Then we shall drive the berry car." "Alright."
We get to the lab and we enter Zacks workspace seeing him in there as he asks, "Dr. Brennan, Venus, is it morning?" I shake my head and walked over to him as I lay my chin on his head as Temp says, "No, we couldn't sleep. Why are you still here?" "We're all here. No one's leaving until we figure out what happened to your mother." I hug Zack as Temp says, "Thank you." "Don't thank me. I'm failing. I've gone over every millimeter of the skull and found no evidence of remolding, which makes no sense because any wound that results in a subdural hematoma that big should leave a mark on the living bone." I look at it over Zacks head as I come up with something and look at Temp, "What if the subdural hematoma started out much smaller?" Zack then asks, "And grew over time?" "Mm... Over the course of, say, a year. That might explain the gap between the time our mother sustained the injury and the time she was buried." "Then the blow itself might not have left a mark on the bone."
Temp then ask, "Show me the surface of the skull directly above the center of the hematoma." Zack then starts doing what Temp asked, "100x magnification." I add, "Go to 500. See here?" I point as Zack says, "Microscopic fractures on the osteons. And is that the result of bleeding into the interstitial spaces? I can map the fractured osteons. That might lead us to the weapon." Temp nods as I said, "I will help out with Zack on this, you could go rest Temp. You need it more than me." She nods and leaves. I turn to Zack and grab his face with both of my hands and look at him in the eyes, "Thank you Zack, this really means a lot to us." "You're welcome." I lean down and kiss him on the cheek, close to his lips and I stand up and start doing our work as he just stood there processing what had happened. I chuckled and called out his name, "Zack... Zack." "Huh?" "Should we get started?" "Yes."
We worked for a for about 6 more hours as Booth comes in and I turn as he says, "Hey. I am going to take Blueberry Zack." I nod as I pat Zack's head and say, "I am coming right now Ranger. Zack go take a break and sleep, you might want to wake up with a fresh pair of eyes." "What does that mean?" "It means that you have to get some sleep or if I still find you there I will make sure one of your bugs will be erased." "Okay!" I walk over to Booth and he hands me a coffee as we walk to Temps office. We see her asleep and as we walk in she wakes up, "I'm awake." I nod drinking my coffee as Booth says, "Yeah, we can see that. Caught a break on the DNA in the car." I then ask, "Do you know who it is?" "Not exactly. See, it's a closed file. Whoever it is, is in the Witness Protection. I'll make a request, but they're pretty tight over there." I then add, "You could also use my name when requesting. To make the process go faster."
Angie then comes in, "What if you had a face?" Temp then ask, "Who's that?" I look at the picture remembering a time when saw that man at the playground with my dad. "I know that man." Everybody looks at me as I continue, "Yeah... I saw him once at a playground when I was with dad. He was looking at us and I had pointed it out to our dad, and he told me if I ever saw him again, I should run to Russ and tell him that I saw that man and he would know what to do. But I never really understood why." Angie then says, "Well this man is also someone your father pointed out to Russ when he was seven. Somebody he's still afraid of." Booth then says, "Hey, you know what? I am gonna take that offer up Venus and I am also gonna play hardball with Witness Protection. If they don't cooperate, I'm gonna put his face in the paper." I add, "I could get that done for you in at least an hour Ranger. Just send me the thumbs up and I am on it." He nods as Temp says, "Wouldn't you get in trouble for that?" "We'll find out." Booth takes the paper and leaves as Angie says, "You know what? Sometimes, he is just... Whew." I then ask, "Whew?" Temp smiles at Angie and I as we ask, "What?"
We are on the platform with the team as Zack as he starts explaining our findings, "This is the pattern of fractured osteons." I then add, "It suggests a blow from the front that grazed the skull." Temp asks, "From the bullet, I shake my head, "There would've been particulates left behind by a bullet, especially fired from a short range." Zack continues, "I isolated the most fractured osteons, and this pattern emerges." Hodgins then says, "Looks like the business end of a tire iron." Angela adds, "No, the size is wrong. It's too small. The weapon was actually chasing the skull when it landed. I believe that the victim was pulled away at the last second, so that most of the forces was lost, leaving only the slightest impression." Booth then comes over to us, "Bones. Blueberry. I got what I need from Witness Protection. Let's go for a drive." I nod as we start walking Temp stops causing both of us to stop as she turns and says, "Everybody... Thank you. I... Thank you." I then add, "We really appreciate what you all are doing for us. It's something that we will never forget." We turn back around and start heading out.
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DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "BONES". IT IS OWNED BY JOSEPHSON ENTERTAINMENT, BY HART HANSON. I ONLY CLAIM MY CHARACTER VENUS BRENNAN. I ALSO DON'T OWN ANY OF THE IMAGES. THANK YOU.