(The Future in the Past)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I really appreciate it.

I really don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

Standing in the main room of their new summer home, Booth placed his arm around Brennan's shoulders while she explained why she had chosen the furniture for the house. She had chosen furniture that was spine friendly as far as Booth could tell and he appreciated that. His back was giving him trouble lately and he needed a bed that wouldn't cripple him. "You did a great job Bones. I love it."

Pleased that her selections were appreciated, Brennan turned and kissed Booth's cheek. "I actually came in under my intended budget which I found surprising, but most gratifying."

Christine started to fuss about being hungry, so Brennan carried her into the kitchen, retrieved some milk from the fridge while Booth made a peanut butter sandwich for their toddler. Once they were sitting at the table feeding Christine, Booth sipped some beer from the bottle he'd retrieved from the fridge before sitting down. "I can't believe how peaceful our lives have been for the last few months."

"Is that condemnation?" Brennan worried that Booth might be bored with his new life. His restlessness was starting to worry her.

His thumb wiping the sweat beads from the label on the bottle, Booth shook his head. "Nah, I've got that great job at Quantico, so it's not like I quit the FBI completely. We have a bunch of great kids training right now and I think the FBI is going to be better because of them. I'm physically active and I'm using my skills to help train them . . . it's all good. I thought I'd miss the cases and I did at first, but . . . I don't miss being shot at or targeted by psychos and you and the kids are safe now. It's better than I thought it would be."

Since she had seen signs of restlessness the last few weeks, Brennan wasn't sure that Booth was being completely truthful with her. "If you ever decide to return to Major Crimes I will not be against it." Tearing off a small piece of the sandwich, Brennan handed it to Christine who smiled and put it in her mouth. "Clark is doing an excellent job in the field. I have grown to trust his judgement about securing crime scenes. Cam is quite pleased with his progress too."

"Police Chief Morton contacted me a couple of days ago." Booth had thought about the conversation and decided that Brennan should know about it. "He wants to hire me."

"As what?" Brennan heard a little wistfulness in Booth's voice and knew he was interested in the offer.

Still mulling over the offer, Booth moved his gaze towards Christine. "Detective."

"Are you considering taking the position?" Brennan actually hoped he would. Booth was an active man and his job at Quantico didn't seem to be as fulfilling as he claimed. "I imagine it would be less dangerous than your work as a Federal Agent."

Once more, Booth sipped his beer and tried to stall giving her an answer. His problem was he couldn't make up his mind about whether or not to take it. "I don't know if I want it or not. I like what I'm doing now, but . . . sometimes I just feel like I'm not really . . ."

"Not really what?" Brennan knew her husband. No matter what he'd said about his position at Quantico earlier, she knew he was bored. "You're an excellent investigator Booth. You loved being a detective. Why not consider taking the position? If you don't like it you could always quit."

"Yeah." Booth move his gaze towards Brennan, trying to read her emotional state. "If I quit my position at Quantico and accept this job and then find out I don't like it, I won't be able to get my job at Quantico at back."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders. "That wouldn't matter. You can either retire or look for something else. I want you to be happy Booth and I don't think you're happy in your new job."

His expression solemn, Booth nodded his head. "It's a great job, it really is, but . . . but I'm just not cut out to teach. I feel so bored sometimes I think I'm going to explode. I keep telling myself that the job isn't that bad, but it is. It's not who am. I'm not being me . . . it's just that I want to do what's best for all of us not just me."

"I've already told you that I want you to be happy." Brennan was determined to make him see that he didn't have to keep a job he didn't want. "If you're happy then I'm happy. Just like you want me to be happy. It's not wrong to quit a job that is not really right for you. It is wrong to keep it because you're afraid."

"Hey, I'm not afraid." Irritated, Booth stood up, walked over to the recycle bin and threw his empty bottle in it. That done, he turned to face Brennan. "I'm not afraid. I just don't want to leave a job that's good for me because I'm bored."

Her own irritation growing, Brennan shifted on her chair so she could look at Booth. "That's exactly why you should leave your position. You're a strong alpha male and as such you require a challenge in your life. You've never taken the easy way out of anything so why start now? Take the job with Metro, at least you'll be investigating again. That is what you do so well and you know it."

What she had said sounded right, but still he had family obligations. He needed to think about it. "I'm going for a walk. I need some space."

As she watched him leave the house through the back door, Brennan worried about Booth. She thought he'd been happy since he'd quit the FBI. He seemed to be filled with peace, but she had misread the situation until even her poor nonverbal communication skills made her aware of what was going on. He was bored and he was trying to ignore it and she knew that was bad for him and her. He needed to make a difference and he obviously didn't think teaching was doing that for him.

As a teacher herself she felt that she did make a difference. She educated young minds and prepared them for a future in a field that required dedication and long hours of work. Booth was a man of action and though he loved the idea of teaching, in reality it wasn't enough for him, but it was Booth who needed to accept that fact. Brennan could only encourage him to consider his options and support whatever decision he made.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Sitting on the bank on the river, the water moved steadily by him and the sound was rather peaceful which Booth appreciated. He had a decision to make and it was a big one. He'd given up his career at the Hoover to protect his wife and children, not to mention himself, but the job he had now was not enough for him. I can't return to the Hoover. It's too dangerous. Too many psychos wanted to take me and Bones out and Pelant, my God he was going after my daughter . . . . no job is worth losing my family for.

A couple of dragon flies flew over the sun dappled water dipping towards the surface and occasionally zigzagging across the water looking for food. I like teaching, but it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life. I need to make a difference. Pops told me once that that was the strength of the Booth men. If we forget that and we only think of ourselves then we fail. That's why Dad was such a loser. He didn't have something to believe in. He only had his failures and that's all he could see. He could have become a cop like Pops, but he couldn't think about anyone but himself. Well I'm not him. I'm never going to be him.

A fish broke the surface of the water to grab an insect resting on the water and then slipped back below the surface. Being a detective for Metro might be pretty good. I might even be able to work with Bones once in a while since she had a contract with the city. It would probably be safer for me and my family, I mean safer than the FBI has been. Booth chuckled. No policeman is safe. Anything can happen, but at least I wouldn't be specializing in searching for psychos. I'd just be investigating plain old vanilla murders.

Booth stood up and stared a turtle sitting on a half-submerged log sitting near the opposite bank of the river. This sure is a nice place to think. I'm so damn lucky to be part of Bones' life. She's really made a difference in my life. I stopped gambling. We own a nice home and now we have a summer home. She's given me a life I never dreamed of. She loves me. She gave me a daughter and I have Parker and Pops. I'm a damn lucky bastard and I'm going to do what's best for them. They need me to be all that I can be. They don't need Edwin Booth. They need Seeley Booth.

Ooooooooooooooooo

He entered the house through the back door and found the kitchen empty. Moving into the living room, he spied Brennan standing at the front window, the curtain pulled back, looking at something. "Bones."

A tentative smile on her face, Brennan turned and looked at him. "Booth."

Booth moved swiftly across the room and engulfed his wife in his arms. "I love you, Bones. You make me want to push myself and not just accept the status quo. You make me want to do better and I think doing better would be to take the detective job."

His words were firm and his voice was filled with love for her. Brennan knew that he would reach the right decision if he was given time to think it through. "I think you should too." Her arms around his chest, Brennan looked into his soft brown eyes. "They need you and you will make a difference. I think you've made a wise chose."

Glad that Brennan was always in his corner, Booth kissed her once more. "You know I couldn't do this without you. It was fate that brought us together and I'll always be grateful for that."

Ooooooooooooooooooo

This is the end of Fate. I hope you enjoyed the twists and turns. Let me know what you thought of it. I appreciate it. I will be starting a new story next Thursday, "Because We're Friends". It's a light humorous story.