It's been two weeks since her father had received an unexpected visitor - or rather since she and Hank had. It was almost as if when Hannah realized they were his children, she didn't want to see him anymore. This connection prompted Christine's detective gene to go into overdrive which is why she now found herself sweet talking the secretary behind the front desk while she waited on her dad and uncle. When Miss Sadie turned to grab the pictures she didn't really want to see but needed her distracted, Christine flipped the log book back two weeks and snapped a quick photo. She was about halfway through cat photos when she heard Aubrey's voice.
"Alright, Baby Booth, your dad's ready to rock and roll. How about you?" Christine feigned a pout as she handed the stack of photos back and slipped off the desk. "Sorry, Miss Sadie, maybe next time I can finish them." The older woman smiled sadly and nodded, taking the stack from the girl just as Booth rounded the corner and put his arm around her shoulders, guiding her to the door. "Sorry, but I gotta get this one to the Jeffersonian before her mother has a chicken, cow, and the whole farm." He calls over his shoulder. With that, he pulls both Aubrey and Christine out to the car. "Booth! I told you three-thirty! You're almost twenty minutes late!" A sigh immediately leaves Booth while Aubrey and Chris wore matching apologetic looks. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. My meeting ran over." She was still slightly annoyed but brushed it off as she snapped her gloves off and instructed Daisy to have the bones cleaned by the time she and the two agents returned.
Coming down the platform steps; she worked on unbuttoning her lab coat, handing it to Booth who was already making his way to her office for her coat and field bag. Brennan paused in front of her teenager, giving the girl a kiss to her forehead as she pushed hair behind her ears. "Michael Vincent's been waiting for you upstairs in the lounge you know." She teased quietly. Christine gave her mother a look that made the scientist think she was looking in the mirror. "You do know I wasn't the one driving, right Mom? Daddy was." "Yes, I am aware." She rolled her eyes slightly. "Behave while we're gone and listen to Dr. Saroyan." She reminds as she slips her jacket on and is dragged towards the door by Booth. "And Hodgins and Angela!" She calls.
Once the parentals were gone; Christine made her way upstairs to meet her best friend, but the homework they were supposed to be working on wasn't what was on her mind. "Mikey, I need your help." She said without so much as a hello. While he didn't look up from his textbook, his interest was piqued. "Are we finally overthrowing a government society?" Christine rolled her eyes as she pulled her laptop out of her bag before letting the boy down as easily as possible. "Not exactly." She said with a gentle laugh, sitting beside him. "Remember that woman that came by to see my dad a couple weeks ago?" Now, his attention was really grabbed. "Chris.. what did you do?" "I found her." She hums proudly. "Her last name at least," She hands her phone to the other as she brings up her internet browser. "Hannah Burley." Michael said, watching over her shoulder. "What if she's not even in DC anymore?" "Well.. then I guess I'll be forced to be okay with no answers."
Between the geniuses and special agents the two were growing up around, it didn't take the teens long to find this Hannah Burley and learn that she was, in fact, still in DC and after a little poking and prodding, Christine convinced Michael to log into one of his dad's backup backup email accounts so they could send a little white lie of a message claiming to have information she might find useful and to their surprise, the journalist answered almost immediately. "Christine!" Michael couldn't believe what he was reading over her shoulder, "How are we going to meet with her?!" The girl simply shrugged. "Easy. Founding Fathers is ten minutes from here. We can walk." "And how do you plan on getting past Mom, Dad, and Aunt Cam, girl genius?" Christine sighs, reaching out to pat his shoulder gently. "Oh please, don't act like you don't understand. We ask to go to the museum."
He didn't have a good feeling about this, but when she flashed that stupid and admittedly very convincing Booth smile he couldn't say no and neither could his parents or Dr. Saroyan and before he knew it, Christine was dragging him down the sidewalk and towards the restaurant.
When Hannah had received the email promising information she immediately got up and headed to Founding Fathers - the unfamiliar address had reached out to her after all, the story had to be juicy. What she hadn't expected was for her sources to be five-feet in height and not old enough to drive a car. "Christine?" She asked, brows knitting in confusion. "And.. not your brother Hank. Unless you have another one I don't know about." "Oh no, I'm Michael Vincent Hodgins. Her best friend." The other corrects. "Nice to meet you, Miss Burley."
Against her better judgement, she motions for the two to sit across from her before clearing her throat and folding her hands atop the table. "Do your parents know you two are here?" The kids share a look before shaking their heads and uttering a no in unison. "And we don't have any information for you, so sorry for the email." Christine murmured quietly. "So, why exactly are you here then, huh?" Hannah had an idea, especially with the knowledge that the girl sitting across from her was Temperance Brennan's daughter. She decides to rip the band-aid off and cut right to the chase. "You know my dad and my brother, Parker and yet, he's never mentioned you. Why?"
She was so much like her mother but also she saw sides of Seeley in her too and Hannah couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact they'd made such a good combination of the two of them. "Well, your dad and I - we used to date." Christine's brows furrow and the journalist was quick to continue talking. "A long time ago. When your mom was pregnant with you, actually." She looks at Michael. "Did you love him?" "I -" Hannah laughed nervously. "I mean, yes, but Christine, you do realize if we had worked out you wouldn't be here, right?" She nods, her brain running a mile a minute. "Of course, I just.." "Can't wrap your head around your father being with anyone but your mother?" She raised a brow. Christine nodded again. "Well, her and Aunt Becca, because if he hadn't been with her I wouldn't have Parker." It was Hannah's turn to nod and she smiled gently. "Exactly. Look, I loved your father at a certain moment in time and he loved me and sometimes you love someone, but they're just not the person you're meant to be with. Sometimes they're just the person you need to push you towards who you really love." That bit confused the girl just a bit, but she nods nonetheless. "Why'd you come see him, then? Do you still love him? Because it was obvious you didn't know about me or my brother. You were surprised."
Oh yeah, she was definitely her mother's child and it made Hannah smile. She wasn't exactly sure how much she should share with her ex-lover's child so she kept it as vague as possible. "Look," she reached across the table and took her hands in hers. "I hurt your dad. He wanted to get married and I.. didn't. I left, and in that time he realized he didn't love me as much as he thought. He finally realized his person had been in front of him the whole time and that's how you and Hank ended up here. I did end up back in DC for work and thought I would just check in and yes, I was surprised by you two and no, I don't still love him. Completely platonic reasoning for checking in on him, okay?" Christine smiled and nodded. "Now, how about I feed you two at least?" That earned an excited reaction from the two kids and she flagged down a waitress with a smile.
When Brennan and Booth made it back to the lab, the absence of the kids was abundant. Kat and Hank were with the nanny at the Hodgins house while Michael Vincent and Christine were supposed to be upstairs working on homework and their science project. "Angela?" Brennan called as she and her husband made their way to the artist's office. "Where is my child?" "Oh, she and Mike finished their work so we let them go over to the museum." Before the couple could accept that answer, both Hodgins and Cam entered the office, "Yeah," she began, "about that.. the kids never made it to the museum.."
"How long have they been gone?" Booth nearly growled, already getting Aubrey on the phone to be on the look for them. "Uh.." Angela racked her brain a moment. "An hour and a half?" "Is that a question or a statement?" He deadpanned, apologizing almost instantly. "Oh! Wait! Wait! Angie and I can track Michael Vincent's phone!" Angela was quick to pull it up on her screen. "There." Brennan points, "They went to Founding Fathers." "Great, our fourteen-year-olds are at a bar." Booth scoffed. "Alright let's go." "Yeah, go, go. Daisy and I can hold down the fort. Bring the kiddos back in one piece." Cam ushered them out.
"Oh, thank god." Angela let out a sigh of relief as soon as they caught sight of them in the window. "They're okay!" She turned to look at the others as they caught up. "They're… having lunch." Brennan said with a confused look. "With Booth's ex-girlfriend." Hodgins laughed, motioning. "Isn't that Hannah?" Booth groaned. "You've got to be kidding me." "Hey, didn't you say she came by the FBI a couple weeks ago?" Angela asked. "Yes, she did, and she spoke with Christine and Hank." Brennan murmured as the four made their way in.
As soon as Hannah saw the four adults heading their way, she looked to the kids and leaned in to whisper, "I think we're busted." The teens whipped around, coming face-to-face with their very angry parents. The seven of them were now seated around a table while Hannah explained to the adults that she had no idea she was meeting the kids. "Christine, why on Earth would you pull a stunt like this?" "It wasn't all Chrissy's fault, Aunt Tempe!" Michael interrupted. "I helped!" "Oh, we're well aware." Angela scoffed. "Now, hush and let your aunt finish, Michael Vincent." "Well, Christine? We're waiting." Booth looked at her pointedly and Hannah felt a pang in her chest for the two children. Christine looked up at her parents and godparents, then over to the journalist. "I.." She fumbled for the right words and when she couldn't find them, Hannah stepped in. "She needed closure." She supplies, reaching for her hand again. "Like I did. She provided me with mine and it was only fair that I helped her with hers. You two have quite a smart little young woman here." She smiled at Booth and Brennan. "Right," Christine said softly, squeezing her hand. "I wanted - needed answers. I'm sorry I left the lab and I'm sorry I got Mikey V in trouble, too." She moved to hug her godparents and then her actual parents. With his arms around his daughter, he looked over her hand at his ex and mouthed a thank you to which she nods and stands. "Well, lunch is paid for, I had an absolutely wonderful time learning about you two." She says to the kids, surprised when they both pulled her in for a hug. "And before I go, I should say congratulations to all of you," She laughs gently, addressing the adults now. "Because not only were you barely showing last time I saw you and now I hear you've added a daughter as well." She smiles at Angela and Hodgins before turning to the other two. "Then you two had two kids and a wedding, so, like I said, congrats all around. Sorry, your kids gave you a scare." With that she headed for the door, only to be stopped by Brennan grabbing her hand. "Thank you, Hannah." She says softly, squeezing her hand. "I'm glad you're doing well." She smiles and nods, squeezing her hand in return. "Same to you."
"Alright." Booth said after she was gone, clapping his hands. "To the car and back to the lab, so we can sit and discuss punishment for you two." Both Michael and Christine groaned, throwing their heads back as they headed for the car. "Yeah? Well, don't do the crime if you can't do the time."