The Beginning in the End

THE BEGINNING IN THE END

TEASER:

(Open: A young boy is jumping on his bed in his bedroom. White particles are falling from the ceiling, landing on his head and all over his bed. His mother is in another room of the house.)

DYLAN: Mom, it's snowing!

DYLAN'S MOM: Are you jumping on your bed again, Dylan?

DYLAN: Yeah, cause it's snowing! Come make a snowman with me!

(Dylan's mother opens the door to his bedroom.)

DYLAN'S MOM: Oh, what have you done in here? (She glances up at the ceiling to find that it is cracking and raining down plaster.) Sweetie, come here.

(Dylan jumps off the bed and runs to his mom. She peers at his hair.)

DYLAN'S MOM: Oh, my God!

DYLAN: What's wrong?

DYLAN'S MOM: It's not the good kind of snow, honey.

(The ceiling cracks and creaks and then breaks apart, raining down all kinds of junk onto the bed where the boy was jumping only moments before. The woman stares in horror as all the stuff from the apartment above hers falls into the bedroom. A decomposed body falls onto the bed and then a skull follows shortly after, bouncing off the bed and onto the floor, covered in maggots. The boy grins.)

DYLAN: Cool! Dibs on the skull!

(Cut to: The boy's room with all the junk on the bed. Booth is looking around and Brennan is examining the remains.)

BOOTH: Who keeps this much junk? Oh, whoa. Wow! Washington Capitals puck from the '80s. That's classic.

BRENNAN: Victim is male... in his 40s.

BOOTH: That's all you got? I mean, usually you have just a list of specifics I don't even understand.

BRENNAN: I'm very distracted.

BOOTH: Yeah, I bet you are with all the junk here.

BRENNAN: No, not that. You probably heard about the full set of interspecies hominid remains that were found in the Maluku Islands.

BOOTH: No, I missed that one. Where's Mypoopoo?

BRENNAN: Maluku. Indonesia. Anyway, this could be a crucial link in the evolutionary chain.

BOOTH: Could be huge, I bet. But what about the 40 year-old dead guy here?

BRENNAN: There are apparent perimortem injuries to the temporal and parietal bones, and the squamosal suture.

BOOTH: So, he got hit in the head, huh? Let's go see if what hit him is upstairs. And I'm keepin' the puck--that's vintage.

(Cut to: The floor upstairs. The landlord, Morgan Finley, pulls his keys out of a briefcase to unlock the dead man's door.)

FINLEY: I tried to get him to clean up his place. He wouldn't answer the door, he wouldn't pick up his phone.

BOOTH: Well, it's probably clean by now. Most of his stuff came crashing through the ceiling of the downstairs apartment.

FINLEY: Yeah, you know what'd be great? If it didn't get out that Murphy died in the apartment. Makes it tougher to rent.

BRENNAN: A big hole in the floor probably makes it less desirable, too.

(The door is unlocked and Booth pushes the door open. The squeaking of rodents can be heard and there is clearly a lot of junk in the apartment. There are shelves lined with stuff and it is very enclosed, with barely any room to walk.)

BOOTH: Oh, not one of those guys.

BRENNAN: What guys?

BOOTH: A hoarder.

BRENNAN: This is an anthropological microcosm of this man's life.

BOOTH: How are we gonna find any pertinent evidence in all this crap?

BRENNAN: All this "crap" is evidence, Booth.

(Cut to: Booth is sitting on a desk in the victim's apartment while beetles and other insects crawl on the floor. Jack Hodgins walks in with Camille Saroyan right behind him.)

HODGINS: Oooh, this is a little slice of heaven. Cockroaches, fleas, rat droppings, bat guano.

CAM: One of those guys.

BOOTH: Oh, yeah. (A rat squeaks and Booth shifts his feet.) Whoa. Oh.

CAM: I think I'll be happier downstairs with the dead stuff. (She makes her exit.)

BOOTH: Ugh, who could live in this stench? Put on the fan there, will ya?

HODGINS: Sense of smell--it's destroyed after a while. Must be a survival mechanism.

(Cut to: The apartment below. Brennan and Cam are examining the human remains.)

BRENNAN: In the Maluku Islands. It's a remarkable find.

CAM: Better than upstairs?

BRENNAN: Well, upstairs can't really shed light on the interspecies similarities of human evolution.

CAM: Well this guy must've been dead for a long time.

BRENNAN: Maybe not. Hodgins found so many insects and rodents, they could've cleaned the flesh quite rapidly. Anyway, remains were found on the islands which suggest Homo floresienses may have mated with early Homo sapiens. I've been in touch with the organizing committee.

CAM: Really?

BRENNAN: That shouldn't cause surprise. I'm an anthropologist.

CAM: Who's been focusing on murder lately.

BRENNAN: Lately.

BOOTH: (From the apartment above, speaking through the hole in the floor/ceiling.) Hey, down below. You might want to check this out.

(Cut to: The victim's apartment. Brennan is picking her way through the rubbish to where Booth and Hodgins are standing.)

BRENNAN: Did you find more remains?

BOOTH: Not exactly.

HODGINS: I did, however, find thirty-six waffle irons. No syrup, though, what's the point?

BOOTH: Hodgins.

HODGINS: Right. (Clears throat and turns on a flashlight revealing a lot of blood stains on the floor.) Behold.

CAM: I'm thinking cause of death might have something to do with blood loss.

ACT I

(Open: The Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab Platform. Intern Daisy Wick, Cam and Brennan are putting the body together to more fully examine it.)

DAISY: There. A place for everything. And everything in its place.

CAM: The place for this guy's flesh is on his bones, not in the buggy bellies of thousands of maggots.

BRENNAN: Dental records confirm that these are the remains of Timothy Daniel Murphy, age forty-eight.

DAISY: You'll excuse me if I'm a little bit excited.

CAM: Oh, you have a thing for hoarders, do you?

DAISY: Oh, Lord, no. They make me a little nauseous, actually, but I have excellent control of my gag reflex.

BRENNAN: There are two sets of parallel cleft wounds to the parietal and temporal bones, consistent with an attack with some kind of blade.

CAM: Hacked to death--that would explain all the blood.

DAISY: Weren't we talking about me?

CAM: It always seems that way.

DAISY: It's just... I've been accepted to go to the Maluku Islands. (She shrieks and Cam visibly flinches.)

CAM: Whoa! Hearing loss, Miss Wick!

BRENNAN: That is excellent news.

CAM: Wow, that did not sound sincere.

DAISY: If it weren't for that letter of recommendation you wrote, I would not have made the cut.

BRENNAN: Well, I had no idea that recommendation was for the Maluku project.

DAISY: But it was. This is amazing. I could be referenced in research materials. (She shrieks again.)

CAM: Whoa! Daisy, you have to stop making that noise. Hacking suggests a crime of passion. Any blade marks on the other bones? (She directs the question to Brennan who seems very distracted. She stares at her, then moves to try to get her attention.) Dr. Brennan?

BRENNAN: Yes, Ms. Wick is indeed very fortunate. The Maluku anthropological team could influence scientific thought for many years.

CAM: Perhaps we could return from the Maluku Islands and focus on the murder?

(Cut to: The Coffee Cart in the park, outside the FBI Building. Booth and Dr. Lance Sweets are discussing the hoarder investigation.)

SWEETS: Disposophobics.

BOOTH: What's that?

SWEETS: It's the psychiatric term for those who hoard. These photos indicate that the victim was a level five hoarder.

BOOTH: Five out of ten?

SWEETS: No, out of five.

BOOTH: Well, things are usually out of ten. They should be out of ten. (He glances up to see that Colonel Dan Pelant is staring at him. It clearly makes him uncomfortable.)

SWEETS: But level five is extremely severe. You'd be classified as a level one.

BOOTH: Me?

SWEETS: Yeah. I've seen your office, your apartment. You cling.

BOOTH: I don't cling, okay? I collect things. It's a big difference.

SWEETS: Okay. A level five disposophobic might also be an agoraphobic, which would limit his relationships in the outside world. You'd be dealing with a very small pool of suspects. (He notices the exchange between Pelant and Booth.) Why are you staring at that soldier?

BOOTH: That's not a soldier. That's a full bird Colonel in the U.S. Rangers. And you know what? He's staring at me. (He walks up to Pelant.)

BOOTH: I hope this is coincidental.

PELANT: Most definitely not, Master Sergeant.

BOOTH: No, I'm not a master sergeant. FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth. (He flashes his badge.) Why'd they send you?

PELANT: I told them you'd talk to me. So far, so good.

BOOTH: I'm not talking to you. This is me not talking to you. (He starts to walk away.)

PELANT: We're losing men every day, men who don't have to die and wouldn't if you trained them. Your country needs you.

BOOTH: Oh, no. Don't say that word. I served my country, Colonel. (He walks back to Sweets at the Coffee Cart, dumping his coffee in the trash on the way.)

SWEETS: Who's that guy?

BOOTH: Do me a favor, huh? Just head back to the murder victim's apartment, see if you can pick out any psychological clues from the garbage, okay? (He sighs and exits. Sweets turns to the Colonel who looks at him for a moment and then turns around and walks away.)

(Cut to: Sweets in a jumpsuit is entering the victim's apartment where Hodgins is still working.)

SWEETS: Hello?

HODGINS: Hey. (He laughs.) Look at you, all squinted up.

SWEETS: (Picks at the jumpsuit.) Yeah, they didn't really get me a pair that fits. To be honest, I'm feeling kind of pinched in my... Wow. Those photographs did not lie.

HODGINS: Nope.

SWEETS: So have you found anything that points to the killer?

HODGINS: No, not unless he was trying to hoard the hoarder's hoard.

SWEETS: Well, there might have been something of value in all this, right?

HODGINS: What, you think someone actually tried to take something from here? How would he even know where to look?

SWEETS: (Looking around, he spies a snake crossing one of the pathways through the junk.) Oh, oh! Did I just see a snake?

HODGINS: Thamnophis sirtalis. It's a common garter snake.

SWEETS: We're on the third floor! How does a snake get in here?

HODGINS: Probably followed the bats, rats, mice, squirrels, and fleas. There's also extensive termite damage, which explains why the entire floor fell into the apartment below.

SWEETS: Four, five, six fans, and there are air fresheners hanging all over the place, so obviously there were complaints by the neighbors.

HODGINS: Yep, suspects. I mean, heck, wouldn't you kill him if you lived next door to this?

SWEETS: (Finds a sword and holds it up.) Whoa! Daisy said that the victim was killed by a blade. Hacked to death, maybe. This could be the murder weapon.

HODGINS: Yeah, well, you can put it over there with all the others. (He points to a pile of potential murder weapons.)

SWEETS: Oh. Well, maybe all of these fell on him and it was just an accident.

HODGINS: Uh, no. No, that wouldn't explain the blood spatter.

SWEETS: (He sighs.) This is going to be very difficult because everywhere you look, there's a weapon. (He sees Hodgins at the window looking worried.) What's wrong?

HODGINS: (Glances out the window to see Angela's father standing on the sidewalk outside.) He's back.

SWEETS: Who's back?

HODGINS: Angela's father. (He glances over at Sweets who starts walking over to look out the window. When they look out again, Angela's dad is gone.) Okay, I saw him down there. I know you do not believe me, but I saw him.

SWEETS: No, I totally believe you. The man carries a black cat bone in his back pocket.

HODGINS: Oh, God help me.

(Cut to: FBI Interrogation room. Booth is questioning Mr. Finley about the victim and the state of his apartment.)

FINLEY: Yeah, of course I got complaints--and not just from his floor--from the whole building, from people passing by on the street.

BOOTH: Why didn't you just evict him?

FINLEY: Oh, I tried and tried and tried. Look, "eviction notice for cause, to wit: health, hygiene, damage to the building." Here's a summons and a complaint, both of which Mr. Murphy ignored, and multiple filings with the health department, including mold, mildew, dust mites, vermin... And there are snakes in the apartment, Agent Booth. Snakes.

BOOTH: Why couldn't you have just turned off the heat?

FINLEY: Yeah, because that would be illegal. He could sue me.

BOOTH: All this stuff must have made you pretty desperate.

FINLEY: Yeah, I know you think I killed Murphy to get him out of the apartment.

BOOTH: Well, you know, the building is rent-controlled. You know, you could have just kicked him out and charged your new tenant double.

FINLEY: More like quadruple, but I didn't kill him. I went through the proper channels, which you can see-- look. These are the court filings which Mr. Murphy ignored, the last one filed three days ago.

BOOTH: You sure came prepared.

FINLEY: Yeah, well, I got to pay for the ceiling that collapsed. I can't afford that and a lawyer.

(Cut to: Brennan walking toward the Royal Diner then stopping on the corner when she sees Booth and Pelant talking inside. Pelant gives Booth an envelope then gets up and leaves. Brennan continues into the Diner where Booth is reading the contents of the envelope.)

BRENNAN: Hi.

BOOTH: Hey, Bones. What are you doing here? (He quickly snatches up the paper and shoves it back into the envelope while she sits down across from him.)

BRENNAN: Well, you asked me here to compare notes on the murder.

BOOTH: Right, yeah.

BRENNAN: Who was that soldier?

BOOTH: Oh, just, uh, just an old army buddy of mine.

BRENNAN: You didn't look like buddies.

BOOTH: What, all of a sudden, you can tell stuff like that?

BRENNAN: Well, you've taught me to be more observant of human interaction. I can also tell that you're reluctant to be honest about your real relationship with him. (She opens the envelope and takes out the papers, reading them quickly before glancing back up at him.) Secretary of Defense? They want you to go back into the Army? As a Sergeant Major? Wait. I thought you were a Master Sergeant.

BOOTH: They're just trying to tempt me with a promotion, but, you know, I'm not going.

BRENNAN: This lists your commendations. You were really good at being a soldier. Why do they want you back?

BOOTH: Yeah, you know, they just think that my experience as an FBI agent and a sniper in the first Gulf War...

BRENNAN: You could train soldiers in techniques for tracking and apprehending insurgents.

BOOTH: Yeah, well, I'm real happy tracking and catching murderers right here.

BRENNAN: They say you could save lives.

BOOTH: Course they're gonna say that. It's the Army. They say that cause that's what they want.

BRENNAN: You don't think you'd save lives?

BOOTH: Well, yeah, but I mean, anyone would in that position.

BRENNAN: Not everybody is as good as you.

BOOTH: I served my country, and I have a kid here. I got responsibilities, all right? I'm not going to Afganistan, and you're not going to the Makapoopoo Islands.

BRENNAN: Maluku.

BOOTH: Right. Exactly. You know what? We have our jobs here, right? Yeah.

(Cut to: Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab; Brennan walking in buttoning up her lab coat when she is called by Daisy Wick.)

DAISY: Excuse me, Dr. Brennan. If I could just have a moment. And I'd like to preface my statement with a caveat. Your unquestionable brilliance--

BRENNAN: What is it, Ms. Wick?

DAISY: Okay, okay. In your preliminary report, you said the injuries to the temporal and parietal bones and squamosal suture were inflicted at time of death.

BRENNAN: That's correct.

DAISY: "That"-- meaning what I said, or "that" meaning what you said? I'll read what you wrote verbatim.

BRENNAN: That's not necessary.

DAISY: "There are apparent perimortem injuries to the temporal and parietal bones and the squamosal suture."

BRENNN: That sounds correct.

DAISY: How angry would you be if it were not correct?

BRENNAN: You mean if I were wrong?

DAISY: I would never state it in those kind of bald terms. Does inaccurate sound better? No. Um, erroneous?

BRENNAN: What have you found, Miss Wick?

DAISY: You'll know instantly when I point it out. (They both walk to the computer where Daisy pulls up some images.) Here... and here under 40 times magnification.

BRENNAN: Remodeling. The wounds started to heal before the victim died.

DAISY: Which means we have no clear cause of death. And even after your superlative recommendation, I am stumped.

BRENNAN: Please conduct a histological study of the bones.

DAISY: Yes, yes of course. And may I ask why you want to do that?

BRENNAN: There's something funny about the way these bones feel.

DAISY: Bones have a feel?

BRENNAN: Yes. Touch them. Compare them kinetically to the thousands of other bones you've examined.

DAISY: Lighter. My God, yes. I wish you were coming to Maluku. It seems odd that you'd be missing something so important.

BRENNAN: The histological study, Ms. Wick.

(Cut to: Angela's office; Brennan and Angela are looking at pictures of the hoarder's things.)

BRENNAN: The victim's apartment is like an archaeological dig. We should be able to put together a picture of his life from his effects.

ANGELA: Now, Hodgins is dating each pile of junk according to insect larvae, rat droppings, and the yellowing of the paper. Apparently he's been hoarding stuff for about four years. The oldest stuff is where he fell through the ceiling.

BRENNAN: Hoarders often organize their holdings by category and value, much like one would find in a museum.

ANGELA: Oh, so he was curating garbage?

BRENNAN: Well, the term garbage is relative. The only intrinsic value things have is what we give them. It seems odd now, but in Holland, tulip bulbs were once as valuable as houses. Maybe we all overvalue things that are... essentially worthless.

ANGELA: Well, that was more than a comment on this case. What's going on Brennan?

BRENNAN: What separates what I do here from what this man did?

ANGELA: So going to Malulu is worth more?

BRENNAN: Maluku. Yes. The murders will never stop, but this find has real, finite value. I'd be able to answer questions about our origin, evolutionary track. It has implications for history, science.

ANGELA: Listen, you're allowed to make life changes without picking a fight with your old life.

BRENNAN: But I need a break from my life. I'm worried all the time. Worried that Booth might get hurt on a case, and I couldn't prevent it, worried... about what our partnership means.

ANGELA: So you want to get away from Booth?

BRENNAN: No. It's just... I just need some perspective so that I can view my life with some objectivity.

ANGELA: Have you talked to him about it?

BRENNAN: The Army wants Booth to go to Afghanistan. To train soldiers in the apprehension of terrorists.

ANGELA: Is-is he going to go?

BRENNAN: Even though he said he wasn't, it felt like he wanted to. Perhaps it's all for the best.

ANGELA: You two at opposite ends of the world? (She scoffs.) No, I don't think so.

BRENNAN: We have work to do. Traditionally, hoarders have on section of possessions that has a greater value than the others. We should be looking for that.

(Cut to: Booth and Parker are driving home from Parker's baseball game.)

BOOTH: Where did you learn how to throw a fast ball like that, huh? You were amazing.

PARKER: You taught me.

BOOTH: No! No. Hey, I'm not that good. Right? Yeah.

PARKER: Dad?

BOOTH: Yeah?

PARKER: Are you going back to be a soldier?

BOOTH: Uh, why are you asking me that?

PARKER: Mom said the Army called our house, looking for you.

BOOTH: I'm not in the Army anymore, Bub. I'm out, okay? I made a decision to stay with the FBI to be with you all the time.

PARKER: So... it's my fault?

BOOTH: What's your fault?

PARKER: It's my fault people will die?

BOOTH: No. That's-that's not what I meant.

PARKER: I want you to save lives.

BOOTH: Yeah, well I do that here.

PARKER: No, here you catch people that kill other people. There you would make it so people won't die. Isn't that better?

BOOTH: It was just a phone call, buddy. That's all. It's over with, alright? I've got an even better idea. What do you say we go get one of those huge, giant, root beer floats that you love so much, huh?

PARKER: Sure.

BOOTH: Yeah, alright. That's my kid.

(Cut to: FBI Building; Sweet's office. Daisy is telling him that she's going to the Maluku Islands for a year.)

SWEETS: Where are the Maluku Islands?

DAISY: (Opens a book and shows him a map.) Formerly known as the Spice Islands, indicating they smell very good. There are earthquakes and volcanoes, and a number of venomous creatures.

SWEETS: What about our wedding?

DAISY: We could elope in the Maluku Islands.

SWEETS: Oh. Okay. What then? What would I do there?

DAISY: I know this isn't easy for you, Lancelot. But this is the biggest career opportunity I've ever had, and, like my mentor, Dr. Temperance Brennan, my career means everything to me.

SWEETS: Everything.

DAISY: For now. And I know you're not exactly Mr. Adventure, so this has to be difficult for you. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I have to go. For a year.

SWEETS: What?!

DAISY: If you do decide to follow me, here's some literature on the Maluku Islands. You were a swimmer in college. There seem to be some lucrative opportunities in the pearl-diving trade. (They look at each other and Sweets sighs in defeat.)

(Cut to: Hodgins going through the victim's belongings. He finds a plastic envelope of papers and takes out his phone to call Booth.)

BOOTH: Special Agent Seeley Booth.

HODGINS: Hey, Booth, I found something.

BOOTH: What kind of something?

HODGINS: It's accounting records dated four years ago. They seem to have been neatly put away. Hey, what is the traumatic event that turned him into a hoarder was work-related? I mean, remember Enron? Madoff? Those guys would've loved to have killed their accountant. I'm just saying, you never know what secret lives people have in their past. You know what I mean?

BOOTH: Yeah, I do.

HODGINS: Alright, well, I'm going to crate these up and I'll go ahead and send 'em over to you and... You hung up, didn't you? Booth? Yeah, okay. (He turns around and shrieks. Angela's dad is standing there.) That wasn't a scream. That was a yelp. It's perfectly understandable. This is a... crime scene, so, technically no one should be here.

ANGELA'S DAD: You're not afraid of me, are you?

HODGINS: You? No.

ANGELA'S DAD: Good. So now that you're family, I'm gonna have to go ahead here and uh, ask you for a favor.

HODGINS: Anything for family. Dad.

(Cut to: FBI Building; Interrogation Room. Booth is going through some papers with Elaine Akusta.)

ELAINE: I can't believe this. Tim and I worked together eight years. The exciting world of corporate accounting.

BOOTH: When was the last time you saw Mr. Murphy?

ELAINE: He left the firm a year ago. I haven't seen him since, but we've talked on the phone, though.

BOOTH: Do you know anything about these accounting records?

ELAINE: Well, there's nothing special about them. Its simple receivables, cash receipts. Its office supplies, mostly. It's the kind of thing we take to the recycling bin each quarter.

BOOTH: Which we found in Tim Murphy's apartment.

ELAINE: I'm sure. See, this is where it started. He'd take home stuff from the office. It was garbage, really, but he acted like it was gold or something.

BOOTH: hmmm. The, uh, signature on these documents...

ELAINE: It's mine, yes. Oh, wait, you're wondering if there's some kind of crooked accounting here? Like I might have a reason to hurl Tim?

BOOTH: (Scoffs.) Kind of crossed my mind.

ELAINE: You can have any forensic accountant look at these. They're worthless. Tim had problems, Agent Booth.

BOOTH: Yeah, the hoarding. We know.

ELAINE: Yes. He was agoraphobic, too. He wouldn't leave his apartment. That's why he lost his job. We tried an intervention, a year ago, a bunch of us from work, but he wouldn't even let us in the apartment. I told him he was going to smother in all that junk. But to him, it was treasure. About a month ago, he said a guy offered him $50,000 for something.

BOOTH: You know what it was for?

ELAINE: I didn't take him seriously, Agent Booth. Tim was a very sick man.

(Cut to: Medico-Legal Lab; Autopsy Room. Cam and Brennan are going over some findings.)

CAM: Starved to death?

BRENNAN: Yes. Notice the demineralization, particularly in the large bones.

CAM: But his place was full of food. Not good food, but basic sustenance.

BRENNAN: The histology report shows decreased bone mass, and a marked deficiency in calcium. He starved to death.

CAM: After being hacked?

BRENNAN: Yes. That could take anywhere from several days to a month.

CAM: So after he was attacked he was somehow immobilized?

BRENNAN: Based on insect activity, Hodgins says he was trapped under a collapsed pile of his hoardings.

CAM: Oh, that's horrible.

DAISY: (Bursts into the room.) Oh, my God! I'm so excited. I just heard the news. I could burst!

CAM: What news?

DAISY: Dr. Brennan has been asked to head up the Maluku Island project! Isn't that so exciting? I just knew they were gonna ask her!

(Cut to: Tim Murphy's Apartment. Hodgins, Sweets and Booth are looking for signs of a missing item.)

HODGINS: Someone offered him $50,000? For what?

BOOTH: She didn't say. Just said a guy offered him 50 grand for something.

SWEETS: A disposophobic has a delusional regard for the value of the things he hoards.

HODGINS: Yeah, that's what Dr. Brennan said. But she used anthropology speak so it sounded more sciency.

BOOTH: The marks on this door here. You're saying it's from termites?

HODGINS: Yeah, there's termite damage all through this area.

BOOTH: (Muttering.) I don't think so. See this wood here? That is splintered.

HODGINS: You're right.

BOOTH: So, uh, door was probably pried open. So, a robbery, motive for murder.

SWEETS: Hoarder has an actual treasure, somebody wants it, he won't sell, he's robbed, murdered. Yeah, it fits.

HODGINS: I don't think it's possible to tell if anything got stolen from this place.

SWEETS: So, Daisy's going to, uh, Indonesia. She doesn't really care if I go with her.

HODGINS: Oooh. Ouch.

BOOTH: Sweets, no offense, but you might be better off without her.

SWEETS: Dr. Brennan was asked to head up the expedition. Will you be better off without her?

BOOTH: Excuse me?

SWEETS: Daisy told me.

BOOTH: No, Bones is not going anywhere.

HODGINS: If it's any consolation, Angela's dad got cheated out of his car in a card game with some bikers and he wants me to steal it back.

SWEETS: How is that any consolation?

HODGINS: Travails d'amour, mes amis. The things we do for love.

BOOTH: Great. You guys stay here and see if this guy's got anything in here that's worth 50 grand. You understand? (He exits.)

SWEETS: So, uh, I'll help you get that car back.

HODGINS: Really?

SWEETS: Yeah. You know why? Cause I'm Mr. Adventure.

HODGINS: I'd rather you were Mr. Sneaky Ninja Killer Assassin, but hey, a guy can't be picky in the sidekick market, huh?

SWEETS: Nope.

(Cut to: Medico-Legal Lab; Platform. Brennan is examining evidence with Daisy.)

BRENNAN: The Raman spectroscope uses lasers and light diffusion to measure minute changes in chemical composition.

DAISY: This machine would be very useful on the Maluku Islands.

BRENNAN: I've already suggested it to the organizers.

DAISY: So you're coming?

BRENNAN: Agent Booth and I are partners. I have to discuss it with him first.

DAISY: He's probably going to go be a big hero in Afghanistan.

BRENNAN: He says he doesn't want to go.

DAISY: Lance said that Booth has the psyche of a true warrior. That it's a miracle he hasn't gone back long before this. Maybe you're holding him back the same way he's holding you back. (Off Brennan's look.) I shouldn't have said that. But sometimes my mouth just has a mouth of its own.

BRENNAN: We have to determine the precise day the victim was struck.

DAISY: The day of attack, not the day of death. Yeah. How?

BRENNAN: I want you to measure the amount of remodeling that occurred since the attack.

DAISY: Oh, my God, that's genius. You have to come to Maluku. You don't want me being honored by the National Society of Anthropologists without you, do you?

BRENNAN: Remodeling, Ms. Wick.

(Cut to: Angela's Office and Murphy's Apartment. Angela and Cam are on the webcam open on Hodgins' computer at the apartment where he's still going through evidence with Sweets.)

ANGELA: Okay, what I did was modify my mass-recognition program--patent pending--to scan the photographic reconstruction of the crime scene to find areas of comparatively less chaos.

HODGINS: Awesome.

CAM: You understand what she's saying?

HODGINS: Not in the least, but I'm so turned on by her brain. I'd like to see her brain totally naked.

SWEETS: That's a terrible image. It's just terrible.

ANGELA: Okay, Sweets, you'll understand this. We have a hoarder. We also have a possible intruder. The intruder comes in to look for something.

SWEETS: Okay. Stacks of...

HODGINS: Crap.

SWEETS: ...crap grow organically, in a way. But if someone came in and disturbed the hoarder's system, then put everything back, it would look different.

CAM: It doesn't look different.

ANGELA: Well, it does to my program. There. (She points to a spot on her screen.) Okay, now somebody, not the victim, rearranged that pile.

HODGINS: Okay, wait. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where? (He puts a camera on a strap around his head.)

ANGELA: So you're going to go towards the window.

HODGINS: Okay. Window. (He and sweets start walking with Sweets leading and transmitting on camera.)

ANGELA: Now turn right.

SWEETS: Right.

CAM: You're getting warmer. Warmer. To the left. Okay, there.

ANGELA: Does anything look strange? Anything missing?

HODGINS: Yes. There are silverfish eggs here. So something was on top of these eggs that prevented them from hatching. I'll take some samples and figure out exactly what it was.

(Cut to: A bench in the park, near the Coffee Cart. Booth and Brennan are sitting, sipping coffee and talking.)

BOOTH: So, Bones, here we are. What's all the mystery about?

BRENNAN: I've been offered the chance to head up the Maluku Island project.

BOOTH: Yeah, I heard. Daisy told Sweets and Sweets told me.

BRENNAN: Oh. I'd like to accept.

BOOTH: Hmmm. I thought you already had.

BRENNAN: We've been partners for five years, Booth. I wouldn't make a decision like this without talking to you.

BOOTH: Bones, look, you don't need my permission. Okay, it's-it's cool.

BRENNAN: You say that, but you won't look at me. You're the one who taught me the value of making eye contact. So, please...?

BOOTH: (He looks at her.) I'm sorry. I just... I don't do really good with change, I guess.

BRENNAN: Well, you're better than I am.

BOOTH: The pyramids are better at change than you are. (Off her look.) It was a joke. Hey, I was being affectionate.

BRENNAN: Oh. (Laughs) Will you go back to the Army?

BOOTH: It's what's best for me right now.

BRENNAN: I'll only be gone for a year.

BOOTH: Me, too. Right. So, hey, what's a year?

BRENNAN: It's the time it takes the Earth to make a full revolution around the sun.

BOOTH: In the scheme of things. You know, the grand scheme. Just saying, a year is just, you know... it's not too bad.

BRENNAN: Right.

BOOTH: Right?

BRENNAN: We can come back, pick up where we left off. Nothing really has to change.

BOOTH: No, things have to change. You know what? Hey, I taught you about eye contact, you taught me about evolution. So... here's to change.

BRENNAN: (They touch their coffee cups together.) To change.

(Cut to: FBI Building; Conference Room. Caroline Julian and Booth are going over Booth's report.)

CAROLINE: So, here's what you got so far: A crazy hoarder got knocked down, buried alive under his own hoardings, by a robber who stole something that maybe killed bugs, then the hoarder died a little while later, then fell through the ceiling of the apartment downstairs.

BOOTH: It sounds better in my report.

CAROLINE: Which raises the question: you usually ad a little spice to your reports when you know your case is weak.

BOOTH: There was no question in there.

CAROLINE: It was implied. Connect the dots. (Booth hands her the envelope from Pelant. She opens it and reads.) Aren't you a little old to go off fighting wars?

BOOTH: I'm not going to be fighting. I'm just going to be training soldiers to investigate, pursue and detain.

CAROLINE: I guess that answers my next question as to whether or not you intend to go. What about your partner?

BOOTH: Oh, Bones--She's going to Indonesia. You know what? Maybe it's time to find another, you know, FBI guy and a forensic anthropologist.

CAROLINE: Yes, on account of you're both so replaceable. You gotta act like a big boy on this one.

BOOTH: You don't want me to go?

CAROLINE: No, you go, you stay, that's up to you. But before you go, you clear this case, not just dress up nothing in a nice report. (She gives him a sad look and then exits.)

(Cut to: Medico-Legal Lab. Brennan, Cam and Hodgins are walking through the lab to Hodgins' office.)

HODGINS: I took the unhatched silverfish eggs, made a milkshake, and ran it through the mass-spec.

CAM: To find out what poisoned them?

HODGINS: Not poisoned, but rendered infertile.

BRENNAN: Oh, suggesting chemical agents or radiation.

HODGINS: Radiation. What I found were phyllosilicate minerals, along with some interesting metal oxides, very small traces of vitrified clay and Uranium 235.

CAM: So, an atomic bomb?

HODGINS: No, something much more interesting than that. (He walks to his computer and pulls up an image of a garden gnome.)

CAM: An atomic gnome?

HODGINS: Basically. Yeah. This is the Fiestaware Christmas Gnome, circa 194`. Now, the uranium was a common ingredient in the glaze on these gnomes until the Second World War, when all production of the red Fiestaware gnome was halted.

BRENNAN: The victim claimed he possessed something worth $50,000. How much is the gnome worth?

HODGINS: $50,000

CAM: We have our motive. Now we just have to find the person who collects radioactive Hobbits.

SWEETS: (Enters in all black with a ski cap on his head.) Mr. Adventure's here, ready to kick some biker ass.

CAM: Please don't explain. (Exits)

(Cut to: An unknown lot with a fence where Angela's Dad's car is being held. Hodgins and Sweets are being stealthy and trying to figure out how to get in and get the car back.)

SWEETS: Are you sure this is the address?

HODGINS: Yes, absolutely sure.

SWEETS: This is pretty extreme, man.

HODGINS: Of course, because I've got a father-in-law that plays poker with bikers.

SWEETS: Now, is that his... (Security lights flash on and dogs begin barking and run up to the fence. Sweets and Hodgins run away.)

(Cut to: FBI Building; Interrogation Room. Booth has a suspect, Rocky DeKnight, sitting down with a gnome on the table.)

ROCKY: You mind turning him around?

BOOTH: Why? Why, because the gnome knows what you did? And you don't like him staring at you with his soulful little eyes?

ROCKY: How do you even know that's my gnome?

BOOTH: We found it in your basement.

ROCKY: Someone planted it there.

BOOTH: Why?

ROCKY: Because I'm a well known aficionado and purveyor of Fiestaware.

BOOTH: So, the phone records indicate that you called Mr. Murphy several times during the days leading up to his death.

ROCKY: Someone on the Fiesta message board mentioned Murphy scored the motherlode at a flea market a few years back. He only bought it for 12 bucks. I was trying to see if he'd sell.

BOOTH: Mm-hmm. Last time you contacted him was on April 29th--the day he was assaulted--so, you have an alibi for that?

ROCKY: I went to talk to him. I was going to give him 50 grand. I mean, he didn't even appreciate the gnome. He was insane.

BOOTH: So what--what, did you attack him with a kitchen knife or a machete?

ROCKY: No. No, he saw. I pushed the guy, and took the gnome, that's all.

BOOTH: You expect him to answer, Rocky?

ROCKY: He already did. He said, "Shut up and get a lawyer."

BOOTH: Smart. Smart gnome.

(Cut to: FBI Building. Booth, Brennan and Caroline are walking through the halls.)

CAROLINE: I need more.

BOOTH: Come on, Caroline, we got this guy.

BRENNAN: Cause of death, means, motive, opportunity.

CAROLINE: What caused the hacks to the skull?

BRENNAN: We don't know.

BOOTH: Well, he died of starvation, anyway.

CAROLINE: The assault caused him to starve. Still manslaughter. Which will get tossed if all I have in court is this. If it's gonna be your last case together, then do it properly.

BRENNAN: It's not our last case.

BOOTH: We'll be back in a year.

CAROLINE: Tight as a drum, that's what I want. And trust me, the way you two are running from each other, you'd better be damn sure of these little trips you're taking. (She shoves the case file at Booth.)

BOOTH: Oh.

(Cut to: Hodgins and Sweets at the Biker lot, scaling the wall. A blanket gets thrown over the top and then Hodgins appears, followed by Sweets.)

HODGINS: If Angela was going to the Maluku Islands, I'd go.

SWEETS: Even if it meant you becoming a pearl diver?

HODGINS: Hey, even if it meant my having to listen to Daisy.

SWEETS: So, what? I should just go? I should just give up my career and my life and my friends and my practice, and go to Indonesia?

HODGINS: Hey, I'm about to risk dismemberment just to impress my scary father-in-law.

SWEETS: How are you going to get past the dogs?

HODGINS: I don't know.

SWEETS: How are you going to start the car?

HODGINS: I don't know.

SWEETS: How are you going to get the car through the gate?

HODGINS: I don't know.

SWEETS: How are you going to evade the angry bikers?

HODGINS: Oh, I haven't got a clue.

SWEETS: Okay, good plan. What do I do?

HODGINS: Survive and tell the story of my love.

SWEETS: This wall is high.

HODGINS: Nah. No problemo. (He falls to the ground on the other side of the wall and groans.)

SWEETS: Are you okay? What happened?

HODGINS: Just gravity.

SWEETS: Dogs at 3 o'clock.

(The dogs attack, grabbing hold of Hodgins' boot and pulling it off. Sweets, trying to remedy the situation, starts to meow like a cat. It gets the dogs' attention and Hodgins is able to run toward the car, sans a boot. Sweets continues to distract the dogs and Hodgins opens the garage, turns around and is startled by his father-in-law standing there holding the keys.)

HODGINS: Oh! A test? Really? You could have done this by yourself.

ANGELA'S DAD: Oh, sure I could, but family's about doing things together.

HODGINS: So you sicced dogs on me for nothing?

ANGELA'S DAD: Well, not exactly, but we should really get going.

HODGINS: Wow. For real? Okay, yeah. (Hodgins takes the keys and they get into the car, the ignition starts and he looks behind them to see some big biker guys walking toward them and shouting.) Uh... what do I do?

ANGELA'S DAD: It's been my experience, if you drive at 'em, people clear out the way.

HODGINS: (Tire squeal and the engine revs and he backs out of the garage. The men do indeed scatter, but they follow them toward the gate.) The gate! What about the gate?

ANGELA'S DAD: It was built to keep people out.

HODGINS: They are so gonna chase us.

MAN: You ain't goin' nowhere now! Lock the gate!

(Hodgins drives at the gate which opens. Sweets watches them pass, still yowling like a cat, then falls off the other side of the wall.)

(Cut to: Medico-Legal Lab; Bone Room. It's morning and Cam is walking toward the room carrying a cup of coffee. Brennan is in the room, still looking at the skull.)

CAM: You been here all night?

BRENNAN: Wha-- is it morning?

CAM: Yes.

BRENNAN: I've been here all night.

CAM: You find anything new?

BRENNAN: Yes. These marks weren't cause by a hatchet or a knife. The direction of force is opposite to the direction of impact.

CAM: What would do that?

BRENNAN: A propeller.

CAM: So he walked into a plane?

BRENNAN: No. A fan. The crime scene is full of fans. (She sighs and puts the skull down.)

CAM: Are you really leaving the Jeffersonian?

BRENNAN: Yes. For a year. I can provide you with a list of forensic anthropologists who can do this job.

CAM: No, Dr. Brennan. You can provide me with a list of forensic anthropologists.

BRENNAN: I don't know what that means.

(Cam looks sad and exits without another word.)

(Cut to: Murphy's Apartment. Fans are being carted out in evidence bags by techs. Hodgins and Sweets are observing.)

HODGINS: I think we got all the fans. I really am sorry about leaving you there.

SWEETS: No problem. Mr. Adventure can take care of himself. Plus, Daisy rewarded me handsomely for my bravery.

HODGINS: Oh, dude.

SWEETS: Yes, I am the dude.

HODGINS: Is she still going?

SWEETS: Yeah.

(They are standing in front of a bookshelf. A clock is blinking 4:47 and there are travel books on the shelves.)

HODGINS: Um, Angela's program recognized this as the one area of the apartment that was the most cared for.

SWEETS: These must have been an escape valve for him, images of a life outside of here where he wasn't tormented by his compulsion and agoraphobia.

HODGINS: (Pulls a book off the shelf and takes out some pictures of Murphy and Elaine.) Hey.

SWEETS: Hm? Oh. Hmmm.

(Cut to: FBI Building; Interrogation Room. Brennan sits across from Elaine while Booth leans against a wall near the two-way mirror behind which Caroline and Sweets are standing. Brennan hands the photographs across the table to Elaine who is teary eyed.)

BRENNAN: We found your fingerprints on the fan.

ELAINE: I was in love with Tim.

BOOTH: When was the last time you guys were together?

ELAINE: Over a year. I thought if I could just get him out of that apartment, maybe if the sun hit his face, he would change and we could have a real life, so... so I pulled him to the window, and... and I ripped down the curtain, and he lost it.

BOOTH: You two fought?

ELAINE: Well, he attacked me, so I pushed the fan at him, and I ran away. But I didn't think I killed him. (Sniffles.) I loved him, but... there was nothing I could do.

(In the other room, Caroline starts to walk out of the room.)

CAROLINE: Well, that's that then. They're free to go.

SWEETS: You don't think this success might make them change their minds?

CAROLINE: You're a nice kid, but today is a good day for you to grow the hell up. (She exits.)

(Cut to: Outside the Royal Diner. The car Hodgins helped retrieve is at the curb and Angela, Hodgins and Angela's Dad are standing there.)

ANGELA: You're giving him the car?

ANGELA'S DAD: Oh, no, honey. I'm giving him you. The car is just a little something to remember his new dad. Welcome to the family, son. (He shakes Hodgins' hand and kisses Angela on the cheek before walking away.)

HODGINS: (Watching him go.) That is one weird, scary dude.

ANGELA: Yeah. So, Brennan's going to Indonesia with Daisy.

HODGINS: Not talking about that. (He opens the car door for Angela.)

ANGELA: Well... (laughs) Sweets and Daisy--they're gonna break up.

HODGINS: Not talking about that, either.

ANGELA: Booth is going to Afghanistan.

HODGINS: Not gonna touch that one. (He walks around the car and gets in on the driver's side.)

ANGELA: You and I will be staying here.

HODGINS: No. We... are not.

ANGELA: Oh, really? And where are we going?

HODGINS: Nous allons a Paris.

ANGELA: Oh, for our honeymoon?

HODGINS: No. For a year. Because I have no desire to break in a new forensic anthropologist and an FBI agent, do you?

ANGELA: No. (Laughing.) I do not. Well, everything's changing, huh?

HODGINS: Yeah.

ANGELA: What do you think's gonna happen?

HODGINS: Not sure. But I do know that we'll be together. (He kisses her.) Ready?

ANGELA: Nnnhnn.

(Cut to: The Airport. Everyone has come to see Daisy and Brennan off.)

VOICEOVER: Flight 362 Jakarta will now depart from Gate E3.

DAISY: Lancelot, do you hate me?

SWEETS: No, Daisy. No. (He kisses her.)

DAISY: Do you think you'll wait for me? That would be really romantic.

SWEETS: I don't think so. I don't think you should wait for me, either. (Daisy nods.)

CAM: I've really enjoyed working for you, Dr. Brennan.

BRENNAN: In fact, Dr. Saroyan, I worked for you.

CAM: We both know better. (She hugs her and then Hodgins steps up.)

HODGINS: Okay, I made you this chart of all the poisonous reptiles and insects, what they look like, how to avoid them, and what to do if you get stung or bitten, so...

BRENNAN: Thank you, Dr. Hodgins. I love you, too.

HODGINS: Wow.

BRENNAN: Booth informed me that proffering of overly solicitous advice is indicative of love.

HODGINS: Wow. (He steps back and Angela steps forward.)

BRENNAN: Angela. (She hugs her.)

ANGELA: Hey, Sweetie. I hope you find something that just changes the entire notion of what it means to be human.

BRENNAN: I will.

VOICEOVER: Passengers on flight 362 to Jakarta needing assistance may now pre-board.

DAISY: Dr. Brennan, we really have to go.

BRENNAN: Yes. (Clears throat, then looks up as Booth enters. They look at each other, then Brennan walks toward Booth.)

DAISY: Dr. Brennan?

CAM: Oh, my God.

BOOTH: Sorry. Couldn't get a pass. I had to sneak off the base to come say good-bye. Listen, Bones, you got to be really careful in that Indonesian jungle, okay?

BRENNAN: Booth, in a week, you're going to a war zone. Please don't be a hero. Please just... don't be you.

BOOTH: (He steps closer, then reaches out and clasps her hand.) One year from today, we meet at the reflecting pool on the mall. Right by the...

BRENNAN: ...coffee cart. I know. One year from today.

(They stare at each other for a moment, then Booth takes a step back and lets go of her hand. He turns and walks away. Brennan watches him go for second before she turns and walks the opposite direction herself. Booth stops and turns around and she glances back one more time, with tears in her eyes. Then Booth turns again and walks away, Brennan does the same.)

END