Author Note: Hi everyone, so this isn't my first attempt at Fanfiction... however, it is my first story since 2007 so I may be a little rough around the edges. Please bare with me. This story is set somewhere in the earlier seasons of Bones. It is a very dark story, certainly not for the faint of heart. I hope you all enjoy it & please read & review!

Rating: M

Rated for abuse, sexual content, & rape.

The thunder rolled, rain poured down on Seeley Booth's roof. It was raining cats & dogs outside, all of the D.C. area had a severe weather alert. A powerful storm of this magnitude was very unusual for this time of year... generally a mid February storm would be considered a blizzard. Booth lay wide awake, he'd been tossing & turning all night. It wasn't the storm that was keeping him awake, though. Instead, it was the memory... the ghost rather, of his former partner Temperence Brennan. It had been 3 years, 2 months, 6 days since he got the call he thought he'd never get, the call he had always secretly feared more than death itself, since the day that life, as he knew it, changed forever. It was just a week & a half before Christmas. They were working together on a tough case, it had finally gone to trial & Bones was scheduled to testify the next day. Try as he may, Booth could not stop his mind from being consumed by memories of that fateful night...

Dr. Brennan was working late or at least that's what she called it. It was something very common for Bones, when something was bothering her. She'd always thrown herself into her work. Somehow, staying busy seemed to help ease her nerves. The case she & Booth had been working on, was an especially disturbing one. Conrad Dennis, a serial rapist & murderer, was finally being brought to trial after a very lengthy investigation & prosecution process. The man had kidnapped, held hostage, abused, raped, & eventually murdered 9 young children between the ages of 6 years & 12 years old. He had then gotten rid of the bodies by placing them in barrels or acid & dumping them into rivers in rural locations. It had taken the team over a year to identify the bodies of the children & finally connect the dots enough to trace the evidence back to Conrad Dennis, who sold ice cream in the park where all 9 of the children had been abducted. Bones was going over everything, one last time. She had to do her very best, to make sure the sick bastard would be put away once & for all. She had to see him punished for what he had done to all those young, innocent girls. Bones was so pre-occupied, that she didn't even notice Booth walk into her office.

"Hey Bones" Booth said, softly. Bones jumped about three feet. Booth silently cursed himself for not thinking. He knew this case was really getting to his partner, now he'd gone & startled her.

"Whoa, sorry Bones!" Booth said, sincerely. "I didn't mean to startle you!"

A small, uncomfortable smile spread across her lips. "It's okay" She said. Trying to brush it off. "What brings you here at this hour?" She questioned.

"Stopped over at your place to see if you wanted to have a drink" Booth replied. "I know this case has been tough on everyone"

Brennan nodded.

"You weren't there, so... I figured you must still be here" Booth finished.

"Yeah, I've been going over everything" Bones said. "I want to make SURE Conrad Dennis never gets near another child, ever again" Her voice cracked. She silently wished Booth hadn't noticed, but it had not gone un-noticed by her partner.

Booth stepped closer. "Hey... you okay, Bones?" He asked, softly.

"Yes, I'm fine" Bones answered, her tone a little more sharp than she had intended. Booth stood back a little.

"Oook" He said, defeated. "You want a ride home? It's late &... this case has gotten to me too. I could use the company"

Bones didn't say anything for a moment. The truth was, she didn't really want to be alone either. This case had left her shaken. Although, this wasn't a foster child case... any crime that involved children struck a chord with Bones & also brought back strong, painful memories of her childhood & teenage years spent in foster care. She tried not to think about it, it was illogical to let the past bother you, she knew this. The past is the past, dwelling on it only puts the pains of the past, into the present & future tense. But yet, during these cases it was very hard for not to remember, not to think about the past.

"Sure" Bones finally replied, after a very long pause. "I just have to finish up, it will only take me a few minutes"

After finishing her review of the case, Bones & joined Booth for the ride home. The ride was quiet. So quiet, you could cut the silence with a knife. For Brennan, it was the horrible images of the case they'd spent so much time putting together, as well as her painful memories... that filled her mind. She stared blankly out the window. Booth too, was deep in thought. These type of cases always got to the entire team. Children always hit a soft spot. But, these cases always hit his partner especially hard. He wondered, so many times over the years... if there was to it than just the case. Booth wanted so bad, to ask Bones if there was something else, if there was another reason, a deeper reason, why these cases affected her so badly. But, he knew better. Whenever he tried to "help" Bones, it seemed like she'd always push him away. Although, the two were very close... she had so many walls built up, so many walls that even her partner & best friend could not possibly get past them all. Still, he wished that she would open up & talk to him. Booth longed to "be there" for his partner, but sometimes he just didn't know how to do that without her pushing him away. So, he did all he could do... he made sure he was there for her, just in case she ever did need a shoulder to cry on or a good friend to talk to.

Finally, they reached Bones apartment. She wasted no time in grabbing for the door.

"Pick you up at 7:00AM?" Booth asked.

"Could you be here at 6:00AM?" Bones asked. "I want to have enough time to prepare before the testimony"

"I'll be here" Booth replied.

"Thanks for the ride" Bones said, as she got out of the passenger seat & proceeded to close the door behind her.
Booth grabbed her hand. "Bones?"

She stopped in her tracks. "What, Booth?"

"You sure you're alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine, Booth" Bones replied, firmly.

'No you are NOT!' Booth wanted so bad to say, but instead, he just sighed. "Alright, I'll see you in the morning. Night' Bones!"

"Good night, Booth" Bones said, then paused for a moment before continuing. "Thanks Booth" as she closed the door behind her.

Booth watched, as Bones run through the rain to her apartment. He watched until he seen that she had successfully unlocked the door & entered her apartment. Then, he slowly drove away... he had no idea, that would be the last time he would see his partner, his best friend, his Bones.

What did you think? Like it, love it, hate it? Good or bad, please review! Thanks so much!