A/N: This is my first shot at writing for Bones so I hope you guys like it.
Prologue
Parker Booth wondered through the Jeffersonian really unsure of what to do with himself. He was after all an eight-year-old boy with nothing else to do and nowhere to turn. But then he had a thought he knew someone who could help him. Sure it wasn't as good as going to his dad but they could still help him. He walked until he came to a place where a security guard stood. The little boy looked up at the man with his big brown eyes he was more than a little scared.
"What can I help you with son?" the security guard asked him.
"I need to see Dr. Saroyan." Parker told him professionally. He would have asked for his Uncle Jack or his Aunt Angela but he didn't know if they were back yet so his best bet was Aunt Cam. He knew for a fact that Dr. Bones wasn't back yet her and his dad weren't due back for another six weeks.
"I'm not sure that is possible little guy." The security guard said looking at him a little confused.
"Please I have to see her. Call her and tell her that Parker Booth is down here my father is Special Agent Seeley Booth." Parker begged.
The security guard looked at him and he could see something like fear in the little boy's eyes he had to make this call for him. He picked up the phone and said. "This is Walt I have a little boy down here by the name of Parker Booth and he says he needs to see Dr. Saroyan. He also said that Agent Booth is his father." Walt just nodded before he hung up the phone.
Less than two minutes later Dr. Jack Hodgins came walking over to Parker "Hey little G-Man, what are you doing here?" Hodgins asked bumping knuckles with the little boy.
"My mom dropped me off here she said she couldn't find a babysitter." Parker said shrugging.
Hodgins smiled down at the little boy determined not to let his face betray what his feelings were towards Rebecca Stinson at that moment. "Walt he's cool if he ever comes in here again pass him right up. Like he told you he's the G-Man's son."
"Uncle Jack when did you and Aunt Ange get back?" Parker asked had he known that his uncle was back he would have just asked for him to begin with.
Hodgins reached down and took Parker's hand. "We've only been back a few days we wanted to get back before your dad and Dr. Brennan so we could have things ready for them." He explained as he walked Parker up to the lab area. He walked Parker to Angela's office because he really had to talk to Cam before he said something in front of Parker that he would regret. "Ok little G-Man, I'm going to leave you with your Aunt Ange and when I come back be prepared for bugs and slime." He said tickling Parker's stomach.
A visibly pregnant Angela turned to face Parker and Hodgins when she heard Parker laugh. "Booth Jr. come here and let me get a good look at you," she said holding her arms open to Parker and he rushed over to hug her.
"Aunt Ange you're going to have a baby." Parker said happily.
"Yeah I sure am big guy." Angela replied hugging him tight.
"Ange I need you to keep an eye on him for a minute I have to go talk to Cam." Hodgins said making a face that said 'I'll tell you about it later.'
"Sure thing Jack. Park and I have plenty of things to occupy ourselves until you get back." Angela assured her husband she didn't like the strained look on his face. She would find out what was really going on sooner or later she just had to bide her time.
Cam was sitting at her desk working on some paper work she looked up when she heard the door slam and she saw Jack Hodgins standing there looking more angry than she had ever seen him before. "What's wrong Hodgins?" she asked concerned about the scientist.
"The nerve of that woman I swear I can't believe she just dropped him off like that to fend for himself." Hodgins raged Booth was his best friend now that Zack was locked up. And he would be damned if anybody messed with his little G-Man on his watch.
"Angela?" Cam asked thinking he was talking about his wife.
Hodgins turned to look at his boss like she was crazy. "No not Angela, Rebecca."
"Rebecca as in Parker's mother?" Cam asked just to be sure that they were on the same page.
"That would be the one. She just dropped the little G-Man off and left him to fend for himself. Walt called up and said that he was asking for you but I went down to get him. He is with Angela now. I had to get away from him before I said something about that woman that I would regret." Hodgins explained a little more calm than he had been when he walked into the room.
"I wonder why she did that she knows that Booth isn't even back yet." Cam said logically.
"Because the woman is an idiot Cam I think she just dropped him off in hopes that we would take pity on him." Hodgins said his anger returning.
"Jack calm down it's a wonder you managed to keep it together in front of Parker. I'll call Rebecca and see what is going on and then I'll tell you what I find out." Cam said.
"Ok, I promised the little G-Man that we would get into some serious bugs and slime anyway. I should get to it." Hodgins said taking a deep breath to get his center back.
"Go be calm and don't you and that little boy blow up the lab." Cam warned him she knew how Hodgins' experiments could get.
"Yeah, yeah you got it Cam." Hodgins grumbled as he walked out of her office.
A while later Cam found Hodgins and Parker both bent over a microscope studying something. Parker had a white lab coat on that was way too big on him but she couldn't help but note that he looked so cute. The curls on the top of his head bounced as he nodded in agreement with something that Hodgins said. "Hey Bub, I need to borrow your Uncle Jack for just minute." She said smiling at him.
"Ok Aunt Cam." Parker said agreeably.
"Alright little G-Man you just keep studying that bug so you can tell me what it is when I get back." Hodgins ruffled his hair before he walked out of earshot with Cam.
"So I talked to Rebecca." Cam informed him.
Hodgins set his jaw at the mention of Rebecca's name. "And what did that thing have to say?" he asked trying to keep the hostility out of his voice.
"She said that she didn't have a babysitter and we were her only hope. I told her in the future to call before she just dropped him off. We now have a standing arrangement Parker is to come here everyday so we can keep an eye on him." Cam explained hoping she could get Hodgins to keep his cool.
"Of course she would think of us as her built in babysitters." Hodgins grumbled.
"Jack I suggested that she bring him by here everyday and sure it didn't take much to get her to agree. But I would like to have Parker here where we know that he is safe we owe Booth that much. There is no telling where she would drop him if we couldn't watch him." Cam sighed.
"I would still like to give that woman a piece of my mind." Hodgins said.
"But you're not going to Dr. Hodgins and you aren't going to breathe a word of this to Dr. Brennan when she calls or Booth when he writes. I'll tell Parker the same thing, I told Rebecca I thought it would be better if Booth didn't know about this just now." Cam said staring Hodgins in the eyes so he knew that she meant business.
"Ok, fine Cam whatever you think would be best." Hodgins gave in grudgingly. He knew that there was a conspiracy in here somewhere.
So that is how things went Rebecca would drop Parker off every morning in the front of the museum and he would be met by Walt who would walk him up to the lab. He would spend all day with Hodgins, Angela and Cam until it was time for Rebecca to pick him up in the afternoon. That system worked well for three weeks until Rebecca didn't show up to get him one day.
"So little G-Man you must be getting pretty excited your dad is coming home in just a couple of weeks." Hodgins said trying to make conversation with Parker to keep his mind off the fact that his mom should have been there to pick him up two hours ago.
"Yeah I guess so." Parker said it was not lost on him that he should have left the lab by now.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Hodgins asked.
"My mommy was already supposed to be here to get me Uncle Jack I don't think she's coming tonight." Parker said for a little guy he sure had a pretty good read on things.
Hodgins silently cursed Rebecca for what must have been the millionth time in the last three weeks. He grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled down his name and number before folding it up. "Come on little G-Man you're staying with me and your Aunt Ange tonight. I'm going to take you both to the diner I know that you like it there." He said taking the little boy's hand. They went to Angela's office and grabbed her. Before they left he gave the piece of paper to the night watchman on the off chance that Rebecca came by later to get Parker though he doubted that she would.
XXXXXXXXXX
"I don't understand how she could just forget him like that Ange." Hodgins said later that night when they were looking in on a sleeping Parker in one of their guest rooms.
Angela took her husband's arm and put her finger to her lips before she led him to their living room. "I have to tell you some other things that you aren't going to like." She said sitting beside him on the couch.
"What Ange?" Hodgins asked knowing that he wasn't going to like it.
"So one afternoon I decided to be a little nosey and I asked Parker why his mom dropped him off at the museum that first day." Angela began she knew that Hodgins was going to be beyond pissed when she told him this. He looked tense as it was. "Well let me put this simply Drew didn't like shelling out extra money for a babysitter, Parker doesn't like Drew, and from what I understand he isn't too found of him either. Long story short he refused to watch Parker and that is how he ended up in the lab that day."
"Here is the theory on that Drew is an agent of the government who wants to bring down the team by messing with Parker." Hodgins said seriously.
"Hodgins how could you joke about something like this?" Angela asked him incredulously.
"Because if I didn't joke the only people who would be able to identify the bodies I left behind would be you and Brennan." Hodgins replied honestly.
"What are we going to do? Booth is gone for another couple of weeks. Now you're not going to like this either but Parker also said that Rebecca has the tendency to leave him home alone at night." Angela worried.
Hodgins wrapped his arm around his wife. "Don't worry Ange we'll think of something to make sure the little G-Man doesn't get hurt. Like Cam said after everything that Booth has been through in the last year we owe it to him to see that his son is safe."
"Jack I don't think I want to know what you're going to do and I don't think I want to know for that matter so I'm not going to ask." Angela replied kissing him.
Angela never did find out what Hodgins said to Rebecca all she knew was that three to four nights a week they ended up having Parker stay with them. That system worked really well and it carried them over until it was time for Booth to come home. None of them ever really found it pertinent to tell Booth about any of the things that had gone on in the six weeks before his return.
The return of Booth and Brennan brought with it a new era to the Jeffersonian. Apparently after spending a year apart they were finally able to admit their feelings for each other. Or rather Brennan was finally able to admit her feelings for Booth. Things were really looking up for them that was until one day the bottom fell out.
Booth and Brennan had just finished their first case since they had got back. They were in her office with Booth laying on the couch and her behind the desk finishing up their report.
"Booth all you have to do is sign this report and we're finished with this case." Brennan told him laying the report on his stomach and handing him a pen.
"There was nothing wrong with the report I wrote Bones." Booth whined but he was in the process of signing the papers anyway.
"True, but the one I wrote makes use of my extensive vocabulary and the sentence structure varies. Not to mention my penmanship is a masterpiece when compared to the atrocity also known as your handwriting." Brennan replied.
"My handwriting is not that bad Bones, besides that it's not my fault that I was born with less than stellar handwriting." Booth argued handing the report back to her.
Before Brennan could think up a counter argument Hodgins came through the door red-faced and angrier than either of them had ever seen him.
"What's wrong Bug Man?" Booth asked sitting up on the couch.
"It's not a what it's a who Booth." Hodgins said his voice tight with anger.
"Hodgins that is an illogical statement it is impossible for someone to be wrong with you." Brennan pointed out to him.
"So, who is it that has managed to piss you off Hodgins?" Booth asked ignoring his over rational girlfriend.
"One Rebecca Stinson and when you hear everything that I have to say Brennan is going to have to take your guns away from you." Hodgins said through gritted teeth.
"Hodgins is Parker ok?" Booth asked he knew that if anyone other than him would know it would be Hodgins his son seemed to spend a lot of his time at the lab.
"The little G-Man is fine now he's with Ange. I didn't trust myself to be alone with him without saying something that he shouldn't hear." Hodgins replied taking a deep breath to calm his anger.
"What did Rebecca do?" Booth asked not sure he wanted to know he didn't have the best relationship in the world with his ex anyway.
"Do you want me to start with today or the stuff that started eight weeks ago?" Hodgins asked.
"Today first if you please." Booth said he could already feel himself getting hot under the collar.
"It's Thursday, Parker has baseball practice on Thursdays Rebecca knows that. Well I got a call from my security guys and they told me that she hadn't bothered to pick him up. They swung by her house and she was gone the only thing she left was a note along with some paperwork but we'll get into that later." Hodgins explained.
"So she just up and left?" Booth asked an incredulous look on his face he gripped the butt of his gun so tight that his knuckles turned white.
"Booth give me the gun, Hodgins was right I can already see that this isn't going to end well." Brennan said holding out her hand. Booth took his gun out of the holster and handed it to her.
"And why are your security guys watching my son?" Booth asked.
"Because she just dropped him off at the lab one day because he doesn't get along with Drew and Drew refused to watch him. She also leaves him home alone quite often. So I put my security guys on him and when I get the call the he's alone I go get him. That is why he is at the lab so much. And the last few weeks before you came home he damn near lived with Ange and me. We didn't mind I would be sick if something happened to the little G-Man and I could have stopped it." Hodgins rattled on.
"Hodgins I don't know how I'll ever be able to thank you." Booth said speaking from his heart he wanted to kill Drew with his bare hands but he knew it wouldn't solve anything.
"There is no thanks required he's my little G-Man. Besides that we might be an unorthodox family but we're a family none the less." Hodgins said his chest puffed out.
"Any idea what was in the letter and papers that Rebecca left?" Booth asked his friend.
"No I figured that I'd leave it to you to look at them." Hodgins replied running a hand through his sandy blonde hair.
"You have just as much right to see this letter as I do. You took care of him for me I mean it Bug Man I'll never forget that." Booth said taking the letter and papers from him. Booth frowned when he read over the documents. "I can't believe her." he raged handing the papers back to Hodgins.
"What does it say Booth?" Brennan asked her boyfriend but he was too pissed off to answer.
"Essentially Rebecca gave all her parental rights to Booth and it says she isn't coming back. But that doesn't mean that I can't hire that best mercenary that money can buy to hunt her down." Hodgins growled.
"That won't be necessary but thanks for the offer. I'm going to have to go pry your little G-Man away from his Aunt Ange long enough so I can talk to him. Hell I don't even know what I'm going to do with him while I'm working." Booth sighed.
"I don't think my little G-Man is going to give you any problems G-Man. While you were gone he asked if he could live with Ange and Me until you came back. That should give you a hint of how he is going to react." Hodgins replied smiling.
"I don't think he'll be a problem either after hearing that." Booth agreed smiling right back.
And that was how the makeshift family of the Jeffersonian started down the path to becoming a real family.
Three weeks after Booth and Brennan returned Hodgins and Angela welcomed the first of their four children a girl who they named Temperance Bailey Hodgins.
Booth got Parker settled in with him and they quickly established a routine and it suited them well. That was until about a month after Booth and Brennan first got together and they discovered that they were expecting their first child. They quickly got married because they knew that they had wasted enough time beating around the bush and they were ready to be together forever. They had three more children after their first.
Parker thrived in the environment that his family created for him. Throughout school he played football, hockey, and baseball. He managed to maintain a 4.0 G.P.A. and he got accepted to college on a baseball scholarship. After he graduated from college he served four years in the marines. And that is just the beginning of the story.
A/N: I really hope you guys enjoyed this I know it's short but it is just to get some background stuff out of the way. This is the first episode of the series I promise it will get better from here. Until next time please review.