Visible to the Naked Eye

This is a multi-chap story that is still in progress. I hope you enjoy it as much as I'm loving working on it!

"Your father having dinner with a woman is not the end of the world. What I don’t understand is why you didn’t let him know you saw him right then and there? You’d have all your questions answered.” Booth felt odd having to point out the obvious to his partner but the world was a changing place.

“I was too surprised to speak. And I felt the need to get out of there as soon as possible.”

“He was eating with a woman - doesn’t mean he’s ready to run off and marry her. You and I have...It doesn't mean anything, ok?" Booth tried to hide a smile, he was happy to hear that Max had ventured back out into the romantic world.

Brennan considered her words as she pushed her salad away from her, "I recognize that but why wouldn't he tell me that he was dating?"

"Maybe its because you are so very understanding about these things."

"If I'm so understanding then-you were being sarcastic."

Booth nodded, "I was...Look, if this bothers you so much why don't you just ask him about it?"

"Because it's not really any of my business. He's an adult."

"So, instead of asking him you'd rather sit here and obsess about it with me? Makes sense. It's not rational or logical but..."

"I don't even know what I would say."

"How about 'Hey Dad, anything new?’ Maybe invite him out and hint around that he could bring a friend if he wanted.”

"I can't..." She violently shook her head and gathered her things from the table and stood. "I'll be at the lab when you're ready to talk - about the case."

"Bones..." He called after her but she was out the door of the restaurant before she could hear him. He waited a few beats and looked back up at the door.

Brennan returned in a huff, “You drove and it’s too far for me to walk back.”

“I didn’t forget. I was just waiting for you to remember.” He stood, tossing a few bills on the table and followed her out.

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They drove back to the lab in silence and even though Booth had no business there that afternoon he followed her in, thinking that she may want to talk about more than the case once she had time to stew on it. Brennan practically broke into a sprint toward her office once the automatic doors slid open and he just let her go.

Booth slowly strolled in the direction of Cam’s office when he was stopped by Angela, “What did you do now?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Brennan was fine this morning, she goes to lunch with you and Blammo!” Angela pounded her fist into her open palm, “She’s spazzing all over the place.”

“First of all, I didn’t do anything and secondly, she just walked in how can you already know that she’s ‘spazzing’?”

“I’m her best friend – I know these things.”

Booth sighed and took a hesitant look toward Brennan’s office, “I didn’t do anything. She’s working through some things that are totally not me related.”

Arching a brow, Angela turned on her heel and then called over her shoulder, “Things unrelated to you hardly ever make her spaz.”

He mumbled a few words under his breath and palmed the back of his neck. Whether Bones was spazzing or not, he wasn’t about to head into the lion’s den with gazelle reek all over him.

As he was trying to decide what his next move should be he felt a stinging finger poking his shoulder. He turned to yell at Hodgins, because in his mind there was no one else in the lab who would even think of doing that to him, but in the entomologist’s place was a con man.

“Hey Max. What’s going on?” Booth stammered.

“I just wrapped up my morning class and thought I’d stop in to see my daughter before the afternoon kiddies come in. You feeling ok?”

“Healthy as a horse, why?”

“You look pale. She giving you a tough time?”

“No, not me.” Why don’t you go in there and you’ll see a tough time, Booth thought to himself.

Max smiled, “Then why are you lurking out here?”

“I-I am not lurking. I’m thinking.”

“About what?”

Booth secured his hands on hips and clicked his tongue against his teeth, “Classified government stuff. I can’t really tell you but even if I could it would bore you to tears. I’m just…I’m gonna go.”

Max watched as the agent scurried into Cam’s office then quickly looked around the lab to see if there was any other reason he shouldn’t enter Brennan’s office. The actual gazelle shrugged as he marched right into the lion’s den.

Heh. I've been following this on FF, and I've loved it. Characterization is tight and the OC is well crafted. OCs often irritate me but Bruce is something else, also the intricacies of the subplots are very well done. All in all a great fic so far.

RM

My, I checked and you've already got 13 chapters on FF! I like the gazelle/lion stuff ... I feel as though tearing of flesh will commence any second now! Love how Booth is watching it unfold from the sidelines too.

What are you doing?” Cam asked the back of Booth’s head.

Turning quickly Booth responded, “I’m observing the lab…Part of my job as liaison to the Jeffersonian requires me to observe…I’m waiting for Max to leave Bones’ office.”

“I know that the last time you two tussled it was kind of a draw but that was a few years ago and I think you could take him this time.” Cam assured him in a mocking tone.

“I’m not hiding from Max. I’m hiding from the awkward conversation that is taking place between Bones and Max right now.”

“Ugh. Is she trying to fire him again?”

“No, although when she’s done he may quit.”

Cam shook her head, “What kind of Brennan-Keenan drama are we in the middle of now?”

Booth stepped away from the window and looked at Cam conspiratorially, “Bones was meeting this professor for dinner last night and-“

Cutting him off she asked, “Wait, who was she meeting?”

“That’s not relevant to the story.”

“You don’t know who he was, where he was born, his mother’s maiden name or his social security number? I have heard rumors that you were slipping but this…” Cam shook her head trying to maintain her steely reserve.

“I am not slipping. The professor she was meeting was a woman. They went to college together. Anyway, Bones gets to the restaurant and sees Max with a woman she’s never laid eyes on before.”

“Oh, man.”

Booth nodded slowly, “She was so upset she just left. Didn’t wait for her friend or anything.”

“Is this the first…?” Cam asked with wide eyes.

“This is the only other than her mom that Bones knows of.”

“Ouch.”

“So, you can see why I’m hanging back and assessing the situation.”

Cam stepped toward him and lowered her voice, “Why not just flee? I’m stuck here but you can escape whenever you want.”

“Because when he leaves she’s not going to know how she feels until…” Booth trailed off, feeling that finishing his sentence wasn’t needed.

Cam nodded once - she knew the score. “Fine, Seeley. You can observe from here all you want.”

“Thanks, Camille.”


Before Booth had the chance to return to his post at the window he heard the familiar, at times endearing but often frightful sound of his favorite U.S. attorney seeking him out.

“Seeley Booth! What are you doing hiding out in an autopsy room when we have a murderer to catch?” Caroline Julian called as she busted into the room.

“I am not hiding.” Booth shot a pleading look to the pathologist, “We were just discussing the Marker case…”

Cam snapped to attention, “Yes, we were just talking about whether or not…there was anything else we could determine from…”

Booth snapped his fingers, “From having the squints check the bones one more time.”

Uh, huh. Is there a bridge or some ocean front property you two would like to try and sell me while I’m here?” Caroline deadpanned.

“Why are you here, Caroline?” Booth asked as he ushered her out into the hallway.

“A witness has finally come forward on the case. But there’s a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“We won’t be able to record her statement or use it in court.”

Booth rubbed his hand across his eyes, “Witness protection?”

Caroline shook her head, “Worse.”

“Diplomat?”

“Worse.”

“It’s been a long day - just tell me.”

“Watch your tone, cher…Our witness is a CIA agent who was not supposed to be where she was at the time of the incident.”

Exhaling deeply, he grumbled, “Great. When can I talk to her?”

“She is patiently waiting at your office for the next hour. And when I say patiently, I mean she is practically climbing the walls to get out of there.”

“Were you able to get anything on her?”

Caroline fished through her bag and pulled out a thin folder, “This is what the agency gave me only after I asked nicely – and you know what it takes for me to ask for anything nicely.”

“Thank you. Let me grab Bones and we’ll head over there.”

“That’s the other thing. You are the only one that can talk to her unless she or her ‘handler’ says otherwise. No Dr. Brennan this time.” Caroline started to walk away.

“How can one federal agency steamroll another like this?” Booth called out and realized too late that the person he intended didn’t hear his question.

“Who’s steamrolling you this time, Booth?”

“Bones! Hey, how is everything?” He asked, putting the case out of his mind for a moment.

“Fine, my father just stopped by to see me but I didn’t feel that it was the right time to ask him about…you know, so I didn’t.”

He shook his head, “Keep stalling and it’s only going to get harder.”

“I’ll approach him when I’m certain of what I want to say, ok?”

“Ok. Play it your way.”

Brennan squared her shoulders, “I will.”

“Good.”

“Can we talk about the case?”

Booth cleared his throat, “We have a witness, the only problem is she’s CIA so we can’t record her interview, we can’t use anything she gives us in court and I’m the only one who can talk with her until she says otherwise.”

“Why you?”

“Because I’m the agent.” Booth looked down at the file in his hand and for the first time noticed the name of his witness. “Huh…Kessel.”

“What?” Brennan reached for the file and looked it over. “Do you know her?”

Booth plucked the folder from her hands and began to leaf through it, “Vaguely…”

“How?” Brenna asked with her brows scrunched.

He shifted his gaze from the folder to his partner’s eyes, “She killed me once."

Yes, the latest chapter posted is incredible. I love this story Brainy.

RM

“She killed me once."

Huh? Now I'm dying to know!

Why can such a manly man be tossed around like a rag doll by so many women?? lol.

i sb

DBCrazy wrote:

“She killed me once."

Huh? Now I'm dying to know!

Why can such a manly man be tossed around like a rag doll by so many women?? lol.

i sb

Heh, I won't ruin the surprise but I'll defend Booth on this one. It wasn't a physical ass kicking.

RM

Brennan raised a brow, “Then she didn’t do a very good job because I'm conversing with you and a dead man couldn’t carry on a conversation.”

“This just could not get worse…” Booth started to walk toward the exit when he turned and looked at Brennan, “If you want an explanation, you gotta walk with me.”

She quickly matched his strides, “I’m listening.”

“Remember a couple of years ago when I went out to Montana for that FBI vs. CIA IOTA thing?”

“The Bears vs. Dogs event?”

“It’s Teddy vs. Frank but yeah. Anyway, I was the last man standing on my side and-“

“And you were take down by some guy named Bruce, right?”

“I never said it was a guy. I believe I said some spook named Bruce.” He held up the file and smacked it with his free hand, “Beatrice Kessel, better known as Bruce Kessel. The me of the CIA – I gotta go.”

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Booth exhaled deeply as he readied himself to meet Agent Kessel in the conference room. He dreaded the hoops that he knew he was going to have to jump through for the CIA just to get the agent’s full cooperation. He closed his eyes and tried to remember something about her that would put them on common ground. But he didn’t have much to fall back on, if her picture wasn’t attached to her file he wasn’t sure that he’d have been able to even pick her out of a line-up.

Then he was able to recall two things from that shared experience a few years prior; the first being the sound of the sensor on his chest alerting everyone around that he had been hit. That was followed by another sound, the one of her alerting everyone to the fact that Team Frank had overcome Team Teddy – not one of Booth’s fonder memories.

Booth glanced into the conference room through the glass door - Caroline had been right, Agent Kessel looked like she was close to tearing the Hoover Building down brick by brick. He knocked twice and slid the door open. The moment Kessel saw Booth her frustration was masked by cool indifference.

“Agent Kessel, thank you for taking the time to meet with me.” Booth extended a hand, which she accepted. Once they parted ways, she backed to the far end of the room half sitting on the shelf. He stepped back to his nearest wall.

“Thank you, Agent Booth for not making me wait too long…Did you used to have blonde hair?”

“Never...Weren’t you taller?”

“I have never been taller than I am right now.”

“Aren't we a crack team of investigators, huh?”

Kessel smiled, “In all fairness, I was too concerned with killing you when we met to remember too much.”

“Hey, me too. No harm, no foul.”

“Are you still working with Dr. Brennan?”

“I am.”

“I hear good things about your work.”

“Such as?”

“You guys have or at least at the time of IOTA you had a 95% conviction rate - that's impressive.”

“And how do you know that, Agent Kessel?” Booth was starting to enjoy the simple cadence their conversation was settling into. It reminded him of his days in the army.

“Call me Bruce…I like to know the subjects I'm facing. They don’t call it Inter-agency Operational Tactical Assessment for nothing. I did my research before we squared off.” She slowly stood and took position across from Booth, mimicking his no-nonsense manner of lounging against the wall, “That's the thing about you bureau boys, everything you do is a matter of public record. You're an open book.”

Booth was no longer enjoying this chat, “Unlike you, Bruce?”

“You couldn't get your hands on my dossier if you tried.” Bruce crossed her arms in front of her.

“Really? Because I have your 'dossier' right here.”

“You have what the Company wants you to have - not the real deal.”

“And why is that?”

“Because most of what I have done never really happened, at least according to Uncle Sam.”

Booth threw his hands down in disgust and turned away from her, “All you spooks are the same.” He then quickly spun on his heel and held his hands up in fake terror, “Ooooh, I overthrew a small dictatorship last week...You think you're so damn special.”

“How do you know I'm not?”

Booth took one step toward her, “We're all equal in the eyes of the taxpayers.”

Bruce too took one step forward, unwilling to back down, “The taxpayers can only measure what they can see - I live mostly an invisible life.”

Booth was growing weary of her smugness but admired her ability to stick to her guns.

“And yet, you came forward as a witness in a murder investigation.

Why?” He casually took a seat at the table.

“Because it’s the right thing to do. I saw a man gunned down in cold blood, not only did I see the crime but I saw the perp clear as day – how do I not report that?”

Booth nodded once, “I get that.”

“But to be honest, I didn’t think it would go this far.” She joined him at the table.

“This far?”

Bruce leaned across the table, “I thought I’d tell my handler and he’d relay my report. I didn’t realize that whoever was investigating it had the clout to actually coerce me into showing up here.”

Booth suddenly knew that he wasn’t going to get the information he needed from her right away. “Are you here under your own volition or not?”

“I am. Of course I am.”

“Is it ok with you if Dr. Brennan and I interview you?”

“Absolutely.”

“And, if the need arises would you be available to consult with the team at the Jeffersonian?”

“Yes, but there are things you need to be aware of.”

“Ah, yes the invisible woman can’t be uncloaked.”

Bruce smiled, “It’s not that, exactly. When I’m not on assignment I lead a fairly normal life but if I’m called away and can’t explain why or don’t feel entirely comfortable revealing my chosen profession to anyone, I need you and the people you work with to understand why.”

“I understand and I’ll make sure everyone else does, too…Dr. Brennan’s team from the Jeffersonian is made up of a core group of forensic types, that don’t work without each other. It’s kind of an all or none deal. Who do I talk to about getting them clearance? ”

She leaned back in her chair and sighed, “I’m told I can trust you and your judgment. I don’t think excessive backgrounds are needed for something that isn’t even agency business. I’ll just need a list of their names to give to my higher ups and a promise that only your core group will know exactly who I am.”

Booth stood, smoothing his tie down, “If you can hang tight for a few minutes…” He paused, “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Let me call my handler and they’ll offer their thoughts on the process and then we can go from there.”

“Excellent, in the meantime…How should I get the list of the Jeffersonian employees to you?”

Bruce pulled out a business card and handed it to him. “You can use the email address on there. That’s also the cell that should be used while I’m here.”

Booth flipped the card through his fingers it said she was an investigator for the Department of Justice. It looked absolutely authentic.

Before Booth reached the door, Bruce asked, “Agent Booth? Why are you being so diplomatic? It’s no secret that there’s no love lost between our agencies.”

“I tend to hate people who hide behind their positions, whatever their positions may be and I really hate playing politics but you came forward, you offered to help. The least I can do is play ball at least until it inconveniences me too much.” He grinned as he pulled the door open.

Sorry it's taken me so long to update but life has a way of, well getting in the way...

"That day, at IOTA you had injured your right hand when your magazine jammed." Booth mentioned as he drove Bruce over to the Jeffersonian.

She nodded once but didn’t look at him, "I did, yes."

"And at the end, when it was time for us to shake hands you had to use your left hand and I remember that you had a wedding band on."

"Indeed I did."

He looked over at her hand and back to the road, "It's gone. Was that a prop ring? For an assignment?"

"No, it was very real." She turned to look out her window.

"You don't wear it anymore?" Booth was starting to feel the weight of her training - she wasn't giving anything away she didn't want to.

"No, I don't."

"Do you not want to talk about this?"

Bruce sighed and finally looked over at Booth, "My husband died shortly after IOTA."

This was not the answer Booth had expected, "I-I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thank you." Anticipating his next question, she continued, "He was a Marine. He was in Iraq and..."

"He died serving his country." Booth confirmed.

Bruce nodded slowly, "He did, not that the country would ever admit it."

"They won't confirm that he was there?"

"Officially he was discharged six months before he left for his last mission. Unofficially he was...you know, off the books."

"I've heard of a few of those cases."

"No hero's homecoming for him. They brought him home and took care of his final costs but..."

"That is…" Booth trailed off as he pulled into his parking spot at the museum.

"It wasn't a shock by any stretch of the imagination. I knew when he left that if he didn't make it, they would deny he was ever there."

"But there was a part of you that hoped it would be different."

Before getting out of the SUV she shrugged and said, "I hoped but I never believed."