Venus POV
It is late out as Temp, Booth, and I are at the bar as they have some drinks as I got water as Booth says, "So I have decided to take you up on your offer." Temp and I ask, "What offer?" "Uh, Bones invited me to your house for Christmas dinner. You forgot you invited me." I nod, "Oh, nice." Temp then says, "No. It's just- No. Our dad brought by our second cousin, and I really didn't like her." I then say, "I don't know how to feel about it... I just felt a bit awkward to be honest, despite underestimating me because of my age. But I get that a lot so it's fine." Booth nods, "Well, that makes sense." Temp and I looked at him as she asks, "Why do you say that?" "Because she's family. Ninety percent of the time, family just gets under your skin. That's the difference between family and friends." I think for a moment and nod understanding, "All right. I get it." Temp says, "Well, she- she's unapologetically dogmatic. She lives her entire life based on the quotations of Benjamin Franklin." I nod as Booth says, "Maybe she feels the same way about you and your mania for logic." "Mania?" I then say, "He means enthusiasm sis." Booth nods, "Yeah, enthusiasm. Look, if you ditch this opportunity because a family member annoys you. You just- It's just goes with the family territory."
I then say, "Wise words Ranger, wise words." I drink my water as Temp says, "Mmm. Well, that's true. You and Jared can barely be in the same room together." "Well, he's a whole other kettle of fish, I'll tell you that. He's not just annoying." I chuckle as he gets a call answering it, "Booth. Uh, okay. Um' somebody saw Angela's sketch on the Tv, says it looks like her son. Name of Holden Chevaleer. Great. Thanks." He hangs up, "Get this. Our bomber was an exterminator." I nod, "That makes sense. Exterminators use orange oil, and the bomb contained naphtha. Exterminators use naphtha to kill bed bugs." I nod, "Well we will get right to work in the morning." They nod as we pay and leave for the night. Next morning Hodgins and I are on the platform waiting on Daisy as we got the fragments from the hospital as she was checking them. Hodgins goes over to her looking over her shoulder as Daisy says, "It's very difficult to work when someone is looking over your shoulder." "It's even more difficult to work when you have nothing to work on. Snap it up."
I just shake my head smiling at the two, "Don't listen to much to him Daisy, he's sometimes like that. Just take your time and make sure you identify it correctly." Hodgins just sighs as Daisy smiles nodding as she checks the next fragment as she gets a closer look, "This is it. The missing manubrium. Three parallel burns, about two millimeters apart." I go over to her, "Let me see." She hands me the magnifying glass as I take a look as I then say, "We got our initiator. The bomb maker used the base of a small lightbulb. Battery on one end, explosive on the other. Hodgins run this through the EXIS database." Hodgins nods about to leave as Daisy says, "Oh, one more thing. I found this in Santa's 12th rib." She hands him the piece as Hodgins turns to her sighing, "I'm never gonna make my flight." She then says, "I recommend celebrating in March." "Thank you, Ebenezer." He leaves as I just chuckle, "Like I said don't worry about him. But I need to go and meet up with Temp and my cousin." She nods as I leave back home.
I arrived home just as the other two got there. We entered as the took a seat in the living room as I go to the kitchen grabbing us some drinks while Temp explains about her plans of staying. I go to the living room setting down the drinks as Margrate says, "You're not going to El Salvador for Christmas?" Temp nods, "Mm-hmm." "You don't strike me as someone who's flexible about their schedule." "Well, I took advice from someone who knows more about families than I do." "He that raises a large family... does stand a broader mark for sorrow; but then stands a broader mark-" We then hear knocking on the door as she finishes, "for pleasure as well." I stand up again to get the door as I say, "Well, that's sort of what he said, but without the pleasure part." I open the door seeing that it was Booth as I say, "Ranger." "Yeah." He enters as he explains, "So, the explosive unit... checked out Holden Chevaleer's garage- there was nothing. And this guy's name doesn't even pop up in the system." I nod, "That's interesting, but-" He cuts me off continuing, "Which just confirms that we have to find his accomplice." He then looks at the tree, "Nice tree." He finally turns around seeing Temp and our cousin as she waves at him as he says, "Oh, wow. Who is this, your sister?" Temp then says, "I am her sister, but she's our second cousin." "I'm Margaret." Temp adds, "There's no resemblance."
Booth looks at Temp, "What do you mean? You're all very beautiful." I turn pink, "Thanks..." Margaret then says, "Beauty and folly are old companions." Temp then says, "Told you." I could see Booths confusion as I tell him, "Benjamin Franklin." He nods understanding, "Right. Right. Hey, hey. Good old Ben. You know, he invented electricity and the hundred-dollar bill." Temp and I looked at him confused as Margaret says, "Neither one of those things is true." "You're right. There's no resemblance whatsoever. Nice meeting you, Maggie." I escort him out of the door as Temp says, "Bye, Booth." I add, "Bye, Ranger." "See ya." He leaves as I close the door as Temp says, "Uh, that's our partner. He's F.B.I." Margaret then says, "His eyes are too small to be really handsome." I try not to laugh as Temp says, "Well, I have to admit, I find him pleasing to look at." I then say, "Don't worry he's not my type either." They look at me as Temp asks, "What's your type?" I give her a silly smile, "Of course my type would be my boyfriend." Temp just nods as Margaret says nothing.
Temp and I are back in the lab in the bone examination room as Daisy explains, "I found this in the area of the right articular capsule. It's a puncture mark, like you would get from a deep needle jab." Temp then says, "Well, perhaps it's where the bomber injected himself with propranolol." I then say, "Sure, but it's unlikely someone would inject themselves deep enough to strike bone." Daisy nods, "Exactly. So, I reviewed the X-rays..." We look at the screen showing the x-rays, "of the right scapula and hand. Look at the extensor facet of the glenoid cavity... and the bilateral asymmetry of the second metacarpal." Temp says, "Indicative of pronounced right-handedness." I nod, "He couldn't have injected himself in the right arm." Hodgins then comes in, "Venus, Dr. B. I.D.'d the fragment of wire we got out of his rib. Booth's gonna wanna hear this." We follow him to Temps office as we had called Booth up as Hodgins explains it to him. Booth then says, "So someone else injected Santa with the propranolol." I nod as Temp says, "Evidently." Hodgins adds, "And the wire in his rib was triple heat-treated boron-manganese steel." "Is that what they used to wire the tubes of the explosive together?" I then say, "No. It's a patented form of steel used exclusively in high-end bike locks. It wasn't part of the bomb." Temp adds, "It was what locked Holden Chevaleer into the bomb. Someone locked him into the vest, dressed him like Santa, and then forced him to rob the bank." I then think, "Wait a second... Ranger, Patsy." It seems he realizes as well, "Right. That's why he said what he said. 'I just answered the call." I nod, "The guy's an exterminator. He meant 'the call' literally." Temp sighs, "He answered a service call."
I nod as Booth says, "Only his customers locked him into a bomb and made him rob a bank." I then say, "This is not good." Temp asks, "Why?" "Because whoever strapped Holden into the bomb didn't get what they wanted." Booth nods, "What if they try again?" Next thing I know I am at Hodgins workspace finishing the final touches of recreating the bomb after some convincing from Hodgins himself as he was the one strapped onto it. We then hear Cam coming in, "Hodgins?" We both stop turning to her as Angie was there as well as Cam looks shocked as Hodgins says, "Hey. Uh, you look irked." "Uh-" Angie then says, "She's mad about the soap." Cam then say to us, "You're analysis of the emulsion bomb included detergent." Angie then says, "You convinced Venus to re-create the bomb, did you?" "Oh, my God." I then say, "It looks nice huh?" Hodgins nods, "It looks fantastic, plus we needed to do this so Angela could re-create the explosion." Cam looks at Angie, "You told him that?" "Don't let him turn this around on me." Cam looks at us, "I do not want an explosive device in my lab." I nod, "Me either, but don't worry. I didn't connect the initiator." I then cut a yellow wire making Cam freak out as she says, "No!" I add not really aware of the mood Cam is letting off as I continue, "It's safe." Cam notice something about the device, "What's that?" I look at her pointing to my fingers that had some substance on it as I answer, "It's antimony sulfide. It's fine on it's own. Perfectly harmless even though I wished I could've used gloves making it. But either way the bomber used it in the detonating charge."
I go back to putting my whole focus on the bomb as Hodgin was smiling, "Isn't this so cool. Isn't she so cool. Man, I love doing these things." Angie then says, "Hodgins and Venus are very authentic when it comes to their reconstructions." Cam then says, "We have to pull the evidence trays." We look at her leaving hurriedly as I say, "Well, time to pause. This seems much more important. We all follow her to the platform looking through the trays as Angie asks, "Give me a clue here, guys. What are we looking for?" Cam answers, "It's H1-1209. Biological evidence from witness Georgia Hartmeyer." Hodgins found it as he says, "Oh, got it. It's her fingernail." He opens it as Cam says, "I thought it was just blast residue. But that stain's definitely on the inside." Hodgins takes a swab then tastes it as we just give him a disgusted look as Cam says, "Did you have to do that?" "It's metallic and sweet. That is definitely antimony sulfide." I then say, "It couldn't have Ranger know."
Temp is back from the interrogation as Angie finishes up the reconstruction of the scene as she explains, "So I re-created the scene outside the bank." Temp then says, "Oh, that's Booth, with the 'Cocky' belt." I then add, "And that's me with my workout outfit..." Angie nods, "Yeah, and this is the cab driver. And Georgia Hartmeyer. Now, I factored in everything we know about the bomb's velocity and direction, including the positions of Booth, Venus, Georgia and the cab driver prior to the blast. She puts the characters in the scene and begins to play it out, "Okay. Here we go." We see the victim walking out of the bank and then exploding seeing what went where. It was off as Angie sees our faces as she says, "See the problem?" I nod as Temp says, "The cab driver covered his face with his hands. We know that from his injuries." I add, "But given his proximity, he wouldn't have had the time." Angie nods, "Yeah. Now, I can adjust his reaction times, but... even when I go superhuman- and I'm talking like, Maverick and Iceman reaction times- look at where the bone sharpnel lands."
We see it would've injured his face as Temp says, "The only explanation is that he was reacting not to the explosion, but to the sound of the radio." Angie nods, "Yeah. Now check out the F.C.C.'s frequency allocation chart." She pulls it up as she explains, "Now Owen Thiel broadcasts his pirate radio signal at 27.4 megahertz, which is right next to 27.41 megahertz, which is the land mobile frequency this cab driver used." I then say, "So Georgia and the cab driver... must have locked Holden into the bomb vest. They waited outside of the bank. If Holden didn't do what they asked, the cab driver could detonate him with cab radio." Angie nods, "Yeah. Only Owen Thiel beat him to it." Temp then says, "I'll have Booth look for the cab driver's name... on Malaki's Web site subscriber list." I nod as Angie then says, "You know all those jokes that I made about Santa ruining Christmas? I suck." I then say, "No you don't." Temp adds, "Well, uh, the time you made those jokes, you weren't aware that Holden was a patsy." Angie then asks, "You don't think that sometimes we forget those bones out there are people?" I didn't know how to answer that as it seems that Temp didn't know as well.
The case was over as Temp and I were with Booth as he explains, "Georgia and the cab driver- they flipped on each other... the second I got 'em into interrogation. Apparently, they found each other at a debt-counseling seminar, of all things." I then ask, "How did they pick Holden?" "Ah, the phone book. They called. And soon as he showed up, they jumped him. Told him if he did what they wanted, they would set him free." Temp then says, "Sometimes people are terrible." I nod as Booth says, "Yeah, I know." Temp then says, "Cam says that the victim's mother is burying him on Christmas morning." "I heard that." "It's just him and his mom, right?" "Yeah. The guy worked alone. Never had time for any friends." I look at Temp seeing her emotional as Booth notices it as well as he asks, "What's wrong?" "Max told me that being alone at Christmas means that nobody loves you." I nod understanding that feeling and loneliness that I spent many of my years as Temp continues, "She's burying her son, alone, on Christmas. I think that's heartbreaking." I just hum as Booth then says, "You know, when I say heartbreaking, you say that the heart is a muscle, so it- it can't break. It can only get crushed." I then ask, "Isn't it heart crushing?" Booth looks at the both of us seeing both of our moods down as he then asks, "You two wanna go to his funeral?" We looked at each other and then at him nodding, "Yes." Temp adds, "We would. Then... she won't be alone." Booth smiles at us, "You know what, Bones, Blueberry? Sometimes I think your heart muscle is... bigger than people give you credit for.
It was finally Christmas morning as Temp, and I get ready to attend the funeral as we finish, we hear the knock on the door as I go to open it. To my surprise it was Wendell with Booth as I say, "Oh, good morning to you both. What are you doing here Wendell? Aren't you supposed to be spending time with your family?" He nods, "Yeah, but I got all night doing that. Right now, I want to spend this morning with you." I give him a soft smile as I then feel Temp behind me, "I'm ready to go. Oh, you're hear Mr. Bray as well." He nods, "Good morning, Dr. Brennan." "Yes, good morning. I hope you do know that we are going to attend a funeral." He nods as Booth says, "Yeah, I already updated him on everything. Let's go, before it gets too late." We nod as we all walk out buying some things to give as we arrive.
We are walking over to the victims mother who was standing there alone as she turns to us surprised and touched as she begins to cry. We then hear people behind us seeing it was the rest of the team. I smile as I feel my hand being grabbed as I look down seeing it was Wendell as I smile a bit more and squeeze a bit for comfort. As it was over we were making our ways back to the car as I tell him, "Thank you for coming today." "I'll always be there for you." I stop for a moment as he does so as well looking at me with curiosity as I then say, "You know... I've always been alone for so many years and Christmas was always the hardest every year. I thought it was my punishment for all thing I've been through because, I couldn't stop my parents leaving my siblings and us that night..." Wendell then faces me, "That wasn't your fault, you were just a kid, you didn't know what was going to happen." I nod, "Yeah... but after that Christmas and being separated from Temp and Russ. For many years I've always thought that they no longer cared about me or simply forgot about me and lived their lives and for many years I was okay with that idea, because no one want's someone who has trauma like me and sibling who killed so many that I can no longer count..." He then cuts me off, "Yet you are the most wonderful person I know. You're always putting others first before yourself, you'd risk everything to protect those that you love anytime of the day. And all of those people that you killed, wasn't by your own will. You were a kid, you had to adapt to your environment to survive. You're the strongest person I know, never giving up without a fight. As for the trauma we are all hear for you. We care for you, so you never have to endure that pain alone anymore, because you're not alone anymore."
I looked at him touched as I smile softly nodding. I then give him a hug as he hugs me back. We stay there for a few more moments as we then get called by Booth to get in the car as we do so. I start feeling better as we go back home. It is night as Wendell had to leave to spend time with his family as the rest of the other team came over to Temps and my house as Temp and I were finishing up with the food as Temp was putting salt on one of the dishes as Booth sees this and says, "Hey. That's too much salt there. that's too much salt." He then leaves as Margaret then says to us, "He that would fish must venture his bait." I just smile as Booth then says, "Bones, Blueberry, when are we gonna eat? I'm starving." I chuckle as Temp says, "Well, right now." She then says to our cousin, "If Booth wants to fish, he'll fish. What on earth are you trying to say?" Dad then says, "Honey, families always give unwanted advice." "Unwanted advice? Y-you have to stop quoting Benjamin Franklin at me." I quickly just take the food to the table as they talk.
We sit at the table as Dad then says, "Tempe, this is your gathering. Wouldn't you like to... say something?" "Oh. Um-" She stands up raising her glass as everyone does the same thing as she says, "Thank you, everyone, for coming. Let's eat." I smile as Dad coughs, "No, I- I mean, would you like to say something about Christmas?" "Okay." Temp tries again clearing her throat, "Um, Christmas has its roots... in the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which is traditionally celebrated by intoxication, naked singing and the consumption of human-shaped biscuits." Booth then stands up as he says, "I think what Bones is trying to say here... is that we're all just happy that we are all together." "Well, we're all together every day." Margaret then says, "Not me. I'm not here every day." I then say, "It's a different kind of 'together." Booth finishes, "To family, friends, lovers, family and food." Temp then says, "You said family twice. It's repetitious." "It's a good toast though. Cheers." We all follow along, "Cheers." Everyone drinks their wine as I drink some cranberry juice. Margaret then asks, "What do we do now?" Booth then says, "Ah, let's say a prayer." Temp then says, "No. No prayer. Not in my place." "Bones, I always pray." I then say, "How about a moment of silence." Temp nods as Booth then says, "Okay. Hold hands." We all do so close our eyes as I smile feeling content and happy spending Christmas with my family.
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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.