The Agent in the Red

Oh my word!! Poor Booth. I knew that Agent Kelso was a little fishy. Update soon! I can't wait to see the reunion with Booth and Brennan

I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! Knew that Kelso was in it up to his neck, even if coerced! Hah!
Sorry. I love it when I guess right.

Very touching between B&B on the phone; she finally knows the right thing to say to him, and talking about Parker and the panda's a nice touch. Now I wonder what Commander Zhang will do...

Thanks for the feedback!

Chapter 12

September 2, 2010
Beijing, China
Qincheng Prison

The late afternoon sun beat down on him, as he was ankle-deep in the water of the rice fields, bent over and picking the rice. Booth felt weak. He figured it was a combination of the incredible humidity he had been working in since about 6 that morning and the lack for food he had consumed over the last couple of weeks. The “food” he was served here only came twice a day and the amount Booth had managed to keep down was not nearly enough to support him throughout working intensive labor for 16-hours a day. He learned the hard way not to eat too much of it too fast when it came up almost as fast as it went down the first night he was here. That along with the bamboo sticks made him want to pass out.

As he tried to increase the amount of rice he picked so he wouldn’t get hit, he couldn’t help thinking about Bones and Parker. It had been two days since she came to see him. He was so happy to hear that they had spent time together in his absence. When they first started their relationship, he was nervous about how Parker would react to the change. He knew that Parker loved Bones (she seemed to have that effect on Booth men) and he knew that Bones liked Parker, but he never really introduced women into Parker’s life. Tessa had never met him and even though Parker knew Cam, Booth never introduced Cam to Parker as his girlfriend. At first, Parker was a little resentful of Bones being around all the time. They did a trip to the park and then dinner at the diner for the first time they all hung out together, which went off without a hitch. But then when Bones came back with them to Booth’s apartment to watch a movie with them, Parker became snippy and rude, leaving the living room and slamming his bedroom door. Bones was really hurt and wanted to leave but Booth insisted she stay while he talked to his son. Booth scolded Parker for being rude and Parker asked if Bones was now his daddy’s girlfriend. When Booth said yes, Parker expressed concern that Bones would take time away from just them, but Booth assured him that their time together would only be enhanced by Bones being with them. That night, Parker joined them on the couch for the movie and after a few more weeks, all the tension that was present faded away. It was memories of Parker and Bones that was getting him through this right now.

He turned around and stood up when he heard some shouting behind him. He saw two of the guards talk to the overseer and they pointed to him. Booth looked ruefully at his basket and saw hat he wasn’t even close to meeting the quota. Groaning, he thought, oh, no, not again. The guards were approaching him and he considered fighting them but knew with the leg irons he would most likely be unsuccessful. The guards walked right up to him along the raised edge of his portion of the rice field and motioned for him to get out. He walked up to the raised edge and waited for the guards to grab his arms. With his ankles secured by the leg irons, it made it difficult to get out of the field. They pulled him up and gave him the black “loafers” to cover his bare feet as they walked back to the prison, with one of the guards holding onto one of his arms as Booth awkwardly shuffled back. Once they got outside the door of the prison, the guard holding onto him turned him around and placed handcuffs on his wrists. This is really, really getting old, Booth thought as the guards turned him back around again and took him inside the prison.

They steered him toward the office where he learned his sentence, the pace slower because Booth still had the leg irons on. They brought him to the office and when they went inside, Captain Huang Qishan was sitting behind the desk, waiting for him. Booth could tell with one look that the guy was pissed about something. Something tells me that I’m the one putting the look on his face Booth thought. There were three chairs in front of the desk but instead of sitting in one of those, the guards took him to a chair that was in the far left corner of the room, behind where Huang’s desk was situated. The guards sat him down and began to undo Booth’s handcuffs. He was relieved for a moment until they only opened one of the cuffs. Then, faster than Booth had anticipated, they twisted his arms around the back of the chair and fastened his hands behind the chair. Booth winced as he felt his shoulder stretch in an awkward position, the same shoulder that ended his basketball career in college.

“Agent Booth,” Huang started, still not looking at him. “You are here because the U.S. Ambassador requested this meeting and because the Chinese government is fair and equitable, it was granted. But make no mistake, your situation will not change.”

Fair and equitable? This guy has lost his marbles. Booth heard the door open, hoping that it was Bones, but saw Commander Zhang instead. Booth believed that Zhang might be the only decent human being in here and could see that he was wavering in his belief about what happened to his brother. Time to push the envelope. “So what then? Why am I here? Not that I want to go back to picking your damn rice, mind you.”

Huang turned around and gave him an evil smile. “You are here, Agent Booth, because we have yet to crush your spirit. You still fight with the guards, you still struggle with everyone, and you still have hope. That will change today Agent Booth. That will change when you see their desperate pleas for your release denied and when you see your heartbroken whore walking out the door, never to see you again.” During the conversation, Huang got up and walked over so he was towering over Booth. When he called Bones a “whore,” Booth saw red. He looked up and spit in Huang’s face, making sure to get as much snot in it as possible. Score he thought as he saw it hit Huang in his right eye. Huang looked infuriated and Booth knew that this good deed would definitely not go unpunished. Huang drew his fist back and hit Booth in the right eye as well. Booth felt his head snap to the side as he tried to absorb the punch. Booth already felt his right eye swelling up and knew that it would be black and blue in a couple of hours. He picked his head back up again and gave Huang a hard stare, albeit with one eye. Huang wiped at his eye and sat back down at the desk. Booth turned his gaze at Zhang, who had made his way further into the room in the far right hand corner and was standing in the shadows.

“Oh, and Agent Booth? What just happened to your eye will just be the beginning if you speak during this meeting. Do you understand?” Huang said.

Booth, wanting to piss him off just a little bit more, replied, “Yeah, I get it Qi. Can I call you Qi?”

Huang just chuckled under his breath and said, “You will regret that, Agent Booth.”

Before Booth could respond, the door opened and this time, Bones did walk through the door, followed by Cullen and Donovan. Bones had a large manila envelope in her hand and Booth hoped that whatever was in there contained his ticket to freedom. Bones made eye contact with him, even though she could only make contact with one of his eyes and didn’t break it until Cullen directed her to sit down at one of the chairs in front of the desk. Bones made eye contact with him again and said, “Booth, are you okay? What happened to your eye?” Right as Booth opened his mouth to reply, Huang beat him to the punch, no pun intended.

“Agent Booth has been instructed not to speak during this meeting Dr. Brennan and has been warned about the consequences if he does,” Huang said, making it very clear what happened to his eye. “My name is Captain Huang Qishan and you can direct any questions towards me. Please know though that if you came here with the intention of leaving with Agent Booth, you will be disappointed. Agent Booth will serve the entirety of his 20 year sentence for the murder of Second Lieutenant Zhang.”

Booth looked at Bones the entire time Huang was talking and he saw her eyes widen slightly when she found out who he was. He was drinking in her appearance, hoping that this wasn’t the last time he was going to lay his eyes on her, but if it was, he wasn’t going to waste a single second of this opportunity. He came back to the conversation when Donovan started to speak.

“Captain Huang, my name is Ambassador Patrick Donovan. I know that you believe that justice was done in this case and we are sorry for the loss of your officer. But there are some…inconsistencies that we need to address regarding the case.”

Huang opened his mouth to speak but Bones went first. “We know, Captain Huang, that you were poisoning Alex Santa Ana with dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, or DDT and when you thought you had been caught, you promised medical treatment to FBI Agent Brian Kelso’s sister-in-law in exchange for his help in poisoning Alex. We believe that you injected Alex with the yellow fever vaccine in order to make him sick to try and delay the deal between Sabrina Telecommunications and your government.”

Booth’s jaw dropped to the ground. Kelso, that son-of-a-bitch! I knew something was wrong with him the minute I met him, Booth thought, his mind racing with all the details of his stay with him. Dimly, he heard Bones continue.

“Agent Kelso also told us that you killed Lieutenant Zhang.”

“My jacket!” Booth suddenly blurted out, remembering how it was in a different location when he woke up from his nap. “Kelso must have taken my jacket and gun when I was on the phone with Bones and gave it to you to kill Zhang!”

Huang looked at Booth with his eyes blazing and shouted something to the guards that were standing behind him. Next thing Booth knew, he felt one of the guards grabbing his head and the other one stuffing a cloth between his teeth. Booth tried to tear his head away but the guard had a firm grip and they were successful in gagging him as they tied the cloth behind his head.

“Is that really necessary?” Cullen said as Bones stood up and looked like she was going to walk right up to him. He shock his head “no” at her, not wanting her to get any of the treatment he had received so far. He hung his head, completely humiliated, realizing that this is what Huang meant when he said that he would break.

“Deputy Director Cullen, Agent Booth is in my custody, and as such, I decide what is necessary and what is not. Now, in regards to your allegations, you have no proof to any of that.”

Bones smiled and Booth knew that Huang was in deep trouble. “Actually, Captain Huang, we do.” Booth saw her reach for the envelope she walked in with and pull out a CD in a jewel case. “You see, after Alex Santa Ana died, Agent Kelso became afraid. So much so that he installed a closed circuit camera in his living room. This is the tape of the time between 9:14 and 9:43 pm on August 13, 2010, when your coroner states that Lieutenant Zhang was murdered. This video shows Agent Booth fast asleep on Agent Kelso’s couch during that time and it also shows Agent Kelso taking Agent’s Booth gun and jacket from the apartment at around 8:20 pm and bringing them back at 9:56 pm.”

Booth felt a little seed of hope begin to blossom in his chest. Maybe he really could get out of here. Of course, Huang had other plans.

“That means nothing,” Huang said with a satisfied smirk. “That video could have been doctored by Agent Kelso, trying to protect his fellow FBI Agent.”

Now it was Cullen’s turn to speak and Booth watched as he saw a fire light in Cullen’s eyes. “Captain Huang, this video merely corroborates the real evidence. When you handed down Agent Booth’s sentence, your government returned the gun that Agent Booth was issued for his time here in China to the U.S. Embassy, as is policy. Yesterday morning, when Agent Kelso told us what really happened to Lieutenant Zhang and Alex Santa Ana, we examined the gun on our own for any evidence. We found a partial thumbprint on the butt of the gun that was not Agent Booth’s or Agent Kelso’s print. It was yours.”

How’d they prove that? Booth thought. He didn’t have to wait long for the answer as his Bones put the nail in the coffin, pulling some more papers from the envelope and spreading them out on the desk in front of Huang.

“In 1998, you applied for a visa to work in the United States after you graduated from college and when you did, you were required to submit a full set of fingerprints for your application to be considered. Although your application was denied, the State Department still had your prints on file and faxed them to us last night. We also matched your prints to those we found on a bottle with DDT in it that Agent Kelso provided us.”

Well that explains the hatred of the United States. If Booth could, he would jump up and down, doing a happy dance. He truly felt like he was going home, that he really might be escaping this hellhole. He and Bones made eye contact again and she gave him a soft smile. He was so relieved not to see pity in her eyes. It gave him strength.

Huang looked at the evidence for a while, grinding his teeth the entire time. Booth saw his jaw moving back and forth. “Even if this was true, it does not matter. Non-Chinese nationals cannot participate in our legal system. You and your evidence could not participate in any trial that would be held.”

The room was silent for a couple of moments and Booth felt his heart sink. For a couple of brief minutes, he almost tasted his freedom. He heard a rustling in the corner and saw Commander Zhang stand up. Booth forgot he was in the room for a minute. Zhang looked directly at Booth as he said, “Captain Huang, if you do not release Agent Booth from his sentence right now, I will testify against you in the murder of my brother.”

Huang turned in his chair and looked from Booth to Zhang. “Jin, this is not the time-”

Zhang turned toward Huang with menace in his eyes. “Qishan, you dishonor me, my family, and my brother by concealing his murderer. But not only that, you have dishonored yourself by lying! If you do not release Agent Booth from his unjust sentence, then I will take all this evidence and claim I had the matter looked in to, so it could be used in our courts. Once our government finds out about your betrayal to our people, what happened to Agent Booth will look like children’s play. Then I would advise Dr. Brennan to take this information to the American press. If this information gets released to the world, not only will you have dishonored yourself, but your entire country,” Zhang said. “It is your choice.” Zhang went back and stood his corner of the room.

Booth felt his eyes tear as he sent a grateful nod to the man across the room, the only thing he could do in his situation, though he knew it was grossly inadequate. Booth looked to Huang, who looked shell-shocked. Then he looked to his Bones and she tried to convey all the hope she felt in her gaze. He could feel it comforting him as his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest. Please G-d, let me go home, to the love of my life and my son, Booth thought.

Honor's a wonderful thing, isn't it? Or it can be. Go, Zhang!

Chapter 13

September 3, 2010
Beijing, China
United States Embassy

Brennan couldn’t stop pacing her room in the Embassy. She looked outside her window and saw all the lights of downtown Beijing, shining brightly and completely unaware as to the turmoil surrounding Brennan’s life. It was about 1 o’clock in the morning: about 10 hours since she had been forced to leave Booth in that prison, still handcuffed to the chair and gagged. He looked horrible, with one eye almost swollen shut, a bruise around a cut on his left temple, a three-day-old beard, and that awful black prison uniform. Since they left, she hadn’t heard any information about what Huang had decided about Booth’s sentence. She knew the evidence that they presented was compelling, made even stronger by Commander Zhang’s threat, but she also knew with zealots like Huang, sometimes you could have the strongest case in the world and it wouldn’t matter. She just really hoped this time, it would.

She stopped her pacing to take a closer look out her window. Even though bars covered the outside of the window, she could still see a lot of downtown Beijing. From an anthropological standpoint, she was fascinated by combination of older, traditional values and customs that remained unknown and untouched for centuries, clashing with new technologies and outside influences. But right now, the city was covered by a dirty hue, knowing that this culture could take the closet thing that she had to a family away from her. It was like she could feel the weight of Booth’s sentence on her shoulders. If she believed in G-d, she would pray that it would be lifted and Booth released.

Brennan heard a knock on her door and hoped that it was someone who had news about Booth. She didn’t expect whom she did open the door to.

“Hey Bones.”

Brennan stood rooted to the door, her eyes started to well up as she stared at him. He was dressed in gray sweats and a plain white T-shirt. Must be the clothes he was arrested in Brennan thought. He had a white cast on his left arm that extended to cover his entire hand, including all his fingers, and a butterfly bandage on the cut on his left temple. His right black eye had swollen completely to the point where he couldn’t open it and he still had all the stubble. He never looked so good. Brennan couldn’t stop staring at him and she felt a tear escape her eye and slowly make its journey down her face. It was stopped by Booth’s hand as he raised his hand to her face to wipe it away and then cupped her cheek in his hand. Brennan leaned her face into his hand and then the floodgates broke open. She reached out and grabbed him and dragged him into her room, not wanting to share their private moment with everyone in the hallway.

As she clutched him to her, she heard someone sobbing and was horrified to discover that she was sobbing into the side of his neck as her hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt. As she put her arms around him, she could tell that he had lost a lot of weight during his time in the prison. She could feel every one of his ribs as she ran her hands across back. She felt his beard scratching her temple where Booth was resting his cheek, his hands clutching at her back just as hard, and she felt the wetness of his tears soaking into her hair. Even though they had only been apart three weeks, the emotional trauma that week inflicted on both of them made it seem much, much longer and Brennan was so happy to be holding him. She pulled back and put both of her hands on his cheeks, framing his face and bringing him in for a kiss that was passionate, sweet, hungry, loving, and tender all at the same time. She didn’t want it to stop and only when she felt light-headed did she pull back. Not willing to be far away from him, she put her forehead against his and still kept her hands on his cheeks, wiping away the tracks of his tears.

“What happened? How did you get here?” Brennan asked, finally finding her voice.

“After you left, I was sent back out to the rice fields to work again. I thought that he wasn’t going to let me go. But at the end of the day, Zhang came out and told me that Huang had suspended my sentence. They gave me my clothes to put on and then Zhang gave me a ride to the Embassy. When I got here, all I wanted to do was see you but Donovan and Cullen insisted I see a doctor and then I had to go through the mother of all de-briefings. They thought it would be better if we got all the business done before I saw you. I think they knew all my attention would be elsewhere once I saw you again,” Booth said with a small smile.

Brennan chuckled, feeling balanced for the first time in three weeks. “How are you feeling? What did the doctor say?”

“I’m exhausted Bones. All I want to do is shower and sleep. The doctor said my hand could require surgery to set the bones and referred me to an orthopedist back in Washington. He also said that I should be drinking a lot of water and take the vitamins he gave me because I’m dehydrated and malnourished. But other than that he said some TLC is all I need.”

Brennan pulled back a little bit and gave Booth a confused look. “Is that some kind of new medication I don’t know about?”

Booth chuckled and put his hands on her hips. “Bones, it means ‘tender loving care.’ He just means that I need someone looking after me for a while. Got anyone in mind?”

Brennan laughed at the hopeful look on his face and saw some of the light return to his eye. She leaned in and gave him a soft, lingering kiss. “I think I can take care of that. Let’s get you in that shower that you want.” Brennan grabbed his hand and steered him toward the bathroom.

Brennan felt Booth hesitate. “Bones, I don’t know if I can…you know, I’m really tired and feeling kind of weak…”

Brennan shook her head at him and pulled him in for another soft kiss. She couldn’t get enough of touching him. “I’m not expecting anything Booth. I know that when the human male is malnourished and dehydrated, his ability to produce an-”

“Okay, Bones,” Booth interrupted and Brennan could see him blushing. “Just so we’re clear.”

“Come on, Booth.” Brennan pulled him to the bathroom and shut the door behind them. She turned on the water, periodically checking the temperature while Booth got himself undressed. Brennan went out into the room and found the bag that Booth had with him. Inside, she found a plastic bag and some tape, meant to put over his cast before he got in the shower. She also found the vitamins and some pain pills. She gathered the items she would need and went back into the bathroom. He had his back turned to her, trying to get his shirt off but struggling because of the cast.

“Here, let me help,” Brennan said. As she helped him with his shirt, she saw the damage on his back. All along his back, welts covered the entire surface. The welts were all long, thin lines and Brennan saw over 100 welts littered across his back, some looked old and faded while others still were bright red. She felt her breath catch in her throat and she raised her hand to lightly trace one of the more prominent ones she saw. She felt Booth flinch at her touch and he turned around. He looked at her and she saw what he had been through in the last couple of weeks reflected in his eyes. Neither of them said a word as Brennan picked up his left hand and secured the bag around it. Confident that it was waterproof, she gave him a gentle push into the shower and quickly shed her clothes and followed him inside.

He was standing under the spray, just letting the water wash over him. Brennan picked up her shampoo and squeezed some in her hands. Booth heard the sound and turned around.

“Aw, Bones, now I’m gonna smell all girly,” Booth said with a pout.

Brennan just smiled at his antics. “There is no way you are sleeping in my bed unless you wash your hair. Unless you want to sleep in another room…”

“No!” Booth interrupted. “I guess it’s ok…” Brennan motioned him to put his head down and he did, stepping right up to her so there wasn’t any space between them. Brennan started massaging the shampoo into his hair. She heard him groan as he dropped his head to her shoulder, wordlessly letting her know that he was enjoying the action. She continued at massage his scalp and felt him place his hands on her hips to steady him, the plastic on his left hand surprising her a little. She continued for a few more moments until she kissed his temple and directed him to stand under the spray. While he was washing the shampoo out, she out some soap on a washcloth and lathered it up until she had a lot of soapsuds on the washcloth. Booth stepped towards her again; seeming to have the same desire she had to stay as close to each other as possible. She began to wash off his skin, rubbing out some of the kinks in his muscles as she did. She saw some yellow bruising on his ribcage, indicating that it was almost healed. She quickly washed the rest of him, trying to keep her emotions under control. After she was done, he stepped under the spray once more and then she motioned him to step out. She quickly washed her own hair and heard him drying himself off. She took a moment to gather herself before shutting off the water and stepping outside the shower stall. When she got out, she saw Booth with a towel around his waist, trying with one hand to open the shaving cream he found with little success. She almost laughed at the look of concentration on his face.

“Here, Booth. Let me help you. Turn around and sit on the lid of the toilet,” she said as she took the shaving cream out of his hand. She wrapped her own towel around her and satisfied that it was in place, squeezed some shaving cream into her hand and then turned to Booth, who had done what she said and sat down. He had his eyes closed and for a moment, Brennan thought he might be asleep but he roused when she stepped closer to him. He looks so tired, Brennan thought.

“You sure you want to do this now Booth?” she asked. He raised his hand to his face and rubbed his stubble, nodding his head in the affirmative.

“Yeah, it’s really itchy. I just want it gone, you know?” he asked. Brennan nodded, understanding that he was referring to more than just his beard. She cupped his face between her hands and gently applied the shaving cream. After grabbing the razor from the bathroom counter, she began to shave away the stubble from his cheeks, concentrating on her task, determined not to cause him any more pain. She could feel his eyes watching her every move, but neither of them said a word and she continued until the last little bit was gone. As she finished the last stroke and placed the razor back on he counter, Booth grabbed her hips and she felt him bury his face in her towel-clad abdomen. She looked down at the top of his head and ran her fingers through his hair, gently spiking up the still wet strands. She felt him murmur his contentment and then tilted his head back slightly and looked her right in the eyes. Brennan saw something she hadn’t seen before in them, something she felt but was too scared to identify.

“I love you, Bones.”

She thought when he said those words for the first time that she would freak and want to run, to get away from her emotions. But she wasn’t. She just felt right. She gave him a watery smile and leaned down to give him a lingering, tender kiss that let him know she felt the same way. When she pulled back, they shared a look and then she pulled him up from his where he sat and guided him into the room.

“Go get dressed for bed Booth. I’ll be out in a minute,” Brennan told him. He nodded and went into the room. She quickly brushed her hair and changed into the clothes she had brought in the bathroom with her. She took a quick look in the mirror. She thought that she looked tired but there was also a peacefulness in her features that she felt were put there by Booth’s words; the peacefulness of knowing that there was someone in the world who loved you and was not afraid to say it. Suddenly she wanted to give Booth that same feeling. Taking one more steadying breath, she walked out into the room and saw Booth sprawled out on the bed, snoring softly in a pair of white boxers. She smiled softly and got into the bed with him. Right as she started to drift off, she felt Booth spoon up behind her and drape his right arm around her waist. She felt him melt into her until there wasn’t any space left between them. She turned her head slightly so she could see his face and whispered, “I love you too, Booth.” She saw him smile without opening his eyes and snuggled into her even closer, his arm tightening around her waist. Right before she fell asleep, she felt a soft kiss to the back of her neck as they both fell into a dreamless, restoring sleep, surrounded by their love for each other.

Epilogue

August 12, 2011
Orange County, California
Pacific View Memorial Park Cemetery

Alexander Justin Santa Ana
March 14, 1994-July 28, 2010
Beloved son and friend
Now he rests amongst angels

Booth stared down at the headstone in front of him, his hands deep in the pockets of his khaki shorts, grateful for the breeze from the nearby Pacific Ocean. He could hear his son and Bones talking softly behind him, giving him a minute to collect his thoughts. It had been a year since Booth had been sent to China to investigate the death of the young man whose ashes lay below him. It had been a year since Booth was arrested by the Chinese government for the murder of Lieutenant Zhang. It had been a year since Booth told Bones he loved her and she had said it back. A lot has happened in a year Booth thought.

A couple of months ago, Bones was invited to speak at a forensics conference at the University of California, Irvine. They decided to take Parker along and make a trip of it. They went to Disneyland, the beach, and Parker and Booth went to an Angels’ baseball game when Bones was at the conference. After a great week in sunny Southern California, they were headed back to D.C. tomorrow and Booth knew that this was a stop he wanted to make, feeling like it would provide some closure.

After Booth was released from Qincheng Prison, Ambassador Donovan negotiated a compromise with the Chinese government: if they weren’t going to release Alex’s body because of what they claimed was a fear of flu spreading, then at least cremate the body and return the ashes to the grieving family. The Chinese government agreed and Alex’s ashes were placed in this spot in late September last year. The Santa Anas were so grateful for the squint’s help in getting their son back to give him a proper resting place, they made a very generous donation to the Jeffersonian and a new wing was being built and was to be named after Alex. But while the Santa Ana’s knew what really happened to Alex, the rest of the world remained oblivious. Both governments decided that it was best that the mistakes of a few not affect the welfare of millions and that the backlash from Alex’s death might be too much for both countries to recover from. Tim Johnson and Charlie Wu were both released when Alex’s body was and were able to return home, both to a heroes welcome. Sabrina Telecommunications never did restart negotiations and several smaller companies are now vying to get the contract with the Chinese government.

Agent Brian Kelso is currently serving 15 years in a federal prison in Colorado for his part in both Alex’s and Lieutenant Zhang’s deaths. He was given a more lenient sentence for cooperating. His wife had sought a divorce and had no idea that he was the reason why her sister was currently cancer-free. What was more satisfying for Booth though was that Captain Huang Qishan was now First Lieutenant Huang Qishan, his role in the whole fiasco causing a demotion in rank and from what Booth had heard, a miserable assignment on the border of China and Siberia.

Booth had also returned to Washington to a heroes welcome, much to his chagrin. He was tired a lot in the beginning of his recovery and had lost about 20 pounds during his stay with the Chinese government. Once he got back, the orthopedist had recommended surgery for Booth’s left hand to properly reset all the bones and make sure that there wasn’t any permanent nerve damage. Thankfully, they didn’t find any nerve damage and after six months of physical therapy, Booth was as close to 100% as possible. He was told he would still have pain in his hand and he would be more likely to develop arthritis in the joints of his left hand but that otherwise, he would be fine.

Booth turned around, startled out of this thoughts and memories when he heard his son laughing. He smiled when he saw Parker trying to teach Bones how to play with a hacky sack and laughing when Bones accidently kicked it under the rental car. Bones looked over to him and when she noticed he was looking at them, he saw her say something to Parker and walk over to join him. Parker, absorbed in keeping the ball in the air, nodded to her while not taking his eyes off the ball.

Bones looked nice and relaxed in her blue tank top and white Bermuda shorts, gaining a nice tan when they were at the beach the other day. She walked right past him and stood in front of the headstone, mirroring his previous position. He stepped right behind her and slid his arms around her waist. He placed his head on her shoulder and felt her cover his hands with her own, entwining their fingers.

Another thing that had changed in the last year was their relationship. Where they had been close before Booth’s trip to China, since then, they had been inseparable. Booth wasn’t sure if he would have recovered as well as he did if Bones hadn’t been there with him every step of the way. Booth felt the coolness of metal touch his left hand and looked down to see where her engagement ring rested against his hand. He smiled at the sight. Yep, things have definitely changed in the last year.

They stood silently for a couple of minutes, silently reflecting on what had happened and their lives today.

“Hey Dad,” Parker said. Booth looked down to see the rambunctious 10-year-old at his side.

“Hey, bub. What’s up?” Booth said, removing his right hand from Bones’ grasp to pat his son’s shoulder.

“Can we go now? I want to build another sand castle before we leave tomorrow,” Parker told him as he looked up to his eyes.

Booth smiled down at his son. “Okay, bub. Go wait in the car. Bones and I will be there in a minute.” Parker nodded excitedly and ran back to the car.

Booth gave Bones a kiss on her right temple. “You ready, babe?”

“Yeah,” she sighed and turned in his arms. “Was it worth it Booth?”

He looked her in the eyes and knew what she was asking. Was the justice worth the pain they had been through? Was the sacrifice worth getting to where they were today? Booth leaned down and gave her a kiss before he grabbed her left hand, loving the feeling of her engagement ring against his skin, and led her back to the car.

“It was all worth it, Bones. We are worth it.”

A/N: That's it! Done with my first fanfic. Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

This was a great story!! Thanks ever so much for taking the time to write it!!