Glad you guys didn't think I dispatched of Pelant too quickly or easily. LoveShipper, Bones2014, kareneb, JAG'ed Bones in the Casckett, topaz270, GalaxieGurl, mendenbar, jsboneslover, aadams00, Vmf447, RobinAngelena, 554Laura, FaithinBones. Apologies for keeping everyone waiting. One of you got it right on who helped Booth. A short chapter to wrap things up.

Epilogue

"Why are we here?" Brennan asked as Booth pulled up along an unfamiliar street.

"You keep askin' about who helped me." He replied as he climbed out of his truck.

"And you wouldn't tell me." Brennan exited the truck too, now walking alongside Booth.

"I'm just protecting someone. But you're very persistent. Couldn't just let it go."

"So you've brought me here to tell me who helped you? Because I was annoying you with my persistence?"

Booth grinned. "You're not annoying. I just figured it's about trust. And you know I trust you."

He held out a hand to her which she took, a smile on her face, "C'mon."

Hand in hand they walked. They stopped at the entrance to what appeared to her to be a questionable establishment. "Paradise Lost. You're taking me to a strip club?"

"Trust me okay?" Booth crooked her a grin.

The couple descended the stairs. The bar was empty save for two men at a table in the far corner, one slumped over from what would seem to be too much to drink.

"This place is surprisingly empty for this time of night." Brennan remarked.

The bartender looked up, surprised. "Didn't think I'd see you here. Well, not the two of you together here."

"Yeah she had questions she needed answers to." Booth replied.

At the bar, Booth turned to Brennan, making introductions. "Bones, I'd like you to meet Father Aldo Clemens."

"You're a priest? A priest and a bartender?"

"I'm not a priest anymore." Aldo shook his head. "I used to be Booth's confessor, when we were with the Rangers. But, we're both not in the Army anymore."

"I don't understand."

"About a month ago, Booth came to me." Aldo explained.

"Yeah I needed someone I knew I could trust, someone Pelant didn't know about. Aldo and I go way back. Figured Pelant wouldn't know about him."

"Booth told me he needed my help. Told me his plan. I left that life with the Army and all that violence years ago. You can see why I wasn't exactly keen to go back to that. Plus, I didn't think it was that great a plan, but he said I would get to shoot him, gives a guy some satisfaction for what he put me through in the Army."

"Hey! I saved your ass many times before."

"And every time we came back from a mission, I took your confession."

"Right."

Aldo turned to Brennan, continuing to explain. "All I had to do was shoot him with a rubber bullet, make sure the blood packet burst, then get the hell outta there."

"Aldo's a really good shot."

"Not as good as you." Aldo pointed out.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you Bones. It's not that I don't trust you."

"He's just tryin' to protect me."

"I had to make sure this whole Pelant thing went away for good before I could tell you. I didn't want Flynn to come lookin' up Aldo."

"I can keep a secret Booth, you should have trusted that I can do that. But I understand why you needed time before telling me." Brennan turned to Aldo. "Thank you for helping him. For helping us."

Aldo shrugged. "The Master Sergeant saved our lives more than once. A lot of men in our unit are alive today because of Booth."

"Yeah a lot of men are not alive too."

Brennan took Booth's hand in hers, squeezing. She was proud of him. "Circumstances beyond your control."

"But, we're here now and everything's okay I assume." Aldo nodded towards Booth.

"Yeah it is. Thanks."

"Then what say you two help me out and buy a couple of drinks huh? Business here isn't exactly booming." Aldo gestured to the almost empty bar.

"Sure." Booth said, reaching into his pocket and pulling our some money. "Drinks on me."

As the three toasted to the success of his plan and the end of their lives on the run, Booth felt as if the burden he had been carrying for the past months could finally be lifted off his shoulders. Pelant was gone and Brennan's name had been cleared. They could now work together towards giving their daughter that life they wanted her to have.

Hope this last chapter managed to answer your questions and ended this story to your satisfaction.