A/n: This is my first Fic, Reviews and even Flames appreciated.
I have edited this, and put it into chapters so it is easier to read. I'm sorry the first chapter is so short!
Thank you so much Laura Dugan for being my BETA!
Chapter 1:
Draining the last of her Diet Coke, she dropped the can into her paper filled bin and it hit the side with a clunk. Other than that and the ticking of her clock, the hum of her laptop, and the tapping of her foot on the floor, her office was silent.
She could feel her eyelids drooping, and her eyes stinging with exhaustion. Just one more piece… She promised herself, lifting a tiny fragment of a skull to piece it together. Like a puzzle, she thought. So far she was only half way through and it hardly looked like a skull at all.
The sound of footsteps startled her. She flung her head up and felt a little light headed but her eyes weren't drooping now, who would be in the office at… and she glanced at the clock on her computer, 1:23 am?
"Bones…?" It was Booth.
What was he doing in her office? Wait, what was he doing at the Jeffersonian on a Friday night? Why wasn't he out with Tessa?
Her fuzzy brain took a while to come up with a response, and her eyes must have deceived her because, did that man look wide awake or what?
"Yes Booth," she answered, with mock exasperation.
"Oh good, I thought you were asleep for a minute there. Look, Parker's friend has gone missing. I'm gathering up a search party, do you think you could help?" So that's why he was so wide awake - a missing child.
How long since someone had seen the child? How old was the child? Why weren't the police involved? Questions raced through her mind.
"Okay," she answered, now nearly as wide awake as he. She reached for her coat but Booth was already standing next to her. He was holding it for her to slip her arms into, she pulled it from his hands putting it on for herself. She wasn't an invalid.
"You aren't the type to ask questions, I suppose." Booth said, smiling gently at her. Can you smile gently? She wasn't sure.
"No, I expected you would tell me when you were ready." She answered, swiping her ID card. And out of the corner of her eye she saw the guard waving. Booth waved back but she didn't bother. It wasn't because she was rude; she just saw no point; she would be back.
"Parker's friend's name is Brandon, he's 6 years old and he lives on Madison Street. He hasn't been seen since he left school this afternoon to walk home. That was about 3:05 pm."
"Doesn't sound good," she said truthfully, and shivered slightly as they walked across the parking lot; she wished he would put his arm around her. After thinking that she mentally slapped herself. For one; they were work partners, two they weren't a couple, and three they were meant to be finding a missing child. How could she be so selfish?
She couldn't deny she was attracted to the man. Actually, she did. She denied it every day; but she could never love someone so arrogant. Oh god, when did the word love come into the equation?
"Earth to Bones; are you there?" she had been so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even remember getting into Booth's SUV, didn't remember leaving the parking lot.
"Sorry," she said softly, trying to keep her expression neutral.
"It's okay. I just asked where you thought we should start."
"Oh. What about the other people you said you were going to round up to help out?"
"I called them," he answered shortly.
"Why didn't you just call me?" She asked without thinking, and then she noticed a blush creep up his neck. Wrong thing to say Brennan, she scolded herself.
"I wanted you to come with me and look," Booth said. He had on a cocky smile; lucky she had gotten pretty good at reading his expressions. He was feeling self conscious.
She looked at him from the corner of her eye, and noticed he was doing the same to her, so she looked out the window.
"Oh, okay," she answered calmly. "I think we should start at Brandon's house."
She turned and watched his face. He was concentrating on finding the right house, his brow furrowed, and his eyes sparkled with, what was it…? Determination.
"He'll be okay," Booth told her, but his voice told me he was trying to convince himself, rather than her. "This, this could have been Parker," Booth said softly when she didn't reply. She almost thought she hadn't heard him; maybe her mind was playing tricks on her.
"But it isn't him," she said reassuringly.
"Yeah," Booth said his voice normal again, but she doubted he was very reassured.
She knew he always got upset when it came to children, and it made her stomach twist in knots. He was so great with them; he's such a great dad, he would make such a great husband, gorgeous to boot.
"Damn," she said aloud, and Booth gave her a funny look. "Angela," she muttered. And Booth just raised his eyebrows.
She couldn't believe it, that voice in her head that said "gorgeous to boot" sounded so like Angela. She nearly turned around to see if Angela was in the backseat. She squirmed nervously. Thank god Booth didn't know what she was thinking.