Disclaimer: I do not own Bones or any of it's affiliated characters or locations.

Summary: He took the shot meant for them and now she has to look after his son, keep social services off her back and make the hardest decision of her life. His life depends on a simple Flick of the Switch.

Genre: Tragedy/Angst

Pairing: Booth/Brennan

Rating: PG13 for language, character death and graphic descriptions.

Author's Notes: This is my first Bones fiction so please be nice! This came to me in a very weird dream. I knew I shouldn't have put sugar in my coffee.

/Hides/

Chapter 1: Cavity

She looked out of the window of the black SUV as they drove through the city, the lights reflecting on a pond in the park as they passed it. She blinked wearily trying to rid her mind of the image that had been pasted there for days now. The face of a young girl, her torn and blood soaked clothes hanging off her decomposing skeleton, her face crystal clear on the body as Angela's sketch had brought the girl's identity forth with almost scary accuracy. Shani Wolf.

She examined bodies every day, found out things about their lives, who was connected to them and recreating their last moments of life. This time was different. Shani had barely been three years old, strands of blonde curly hair tied in pigtails at the sides of her head were still there even after her body had begun to disintegrate. Angela had claimed the girl had blue eyes and from the photograph they had received from the grandparent's mere hours after her body had been brought in she'd been accurate in her claim.

It wasn't just the body that haunted her; it was Angela and Zack's idea of what had happened. The wound to Shani's abdomen and how far her body had been found from that of her parents showed that she'd been running, most likely on her late parent's instruction, when she'd collapsed from the pain, howling in agony and crying out persistently 'Mommy! Daddy!' Those two simple words combined with the image of a three-year-olds dead body had been enough to break even Dr Temperance Brennan's tough exterior.

"I'm supposed to be spending the weekend with Parker, and it's kinda late already so I'm gonna swing by and get him then I'll drop you off back at the lab okay?" Booth glanced at her a second before returning his eyes to the road.

Tonight had shaken her, not that it could deny that it had shaken him as well but she was usually able to deal with whatever she saw quickly and easily, shaking off her own discomfort in order to help put the guilty behind bars.

Over the passed three days as many families had been found dead, some of the bodies older than others, some with gunshot wounds, some having been stabbed. But there was one thing that all the families had in common. They had a child under ten in them. There had been Micheal Woodcroft who was nine the first day, Nicola and Kate Ashton who were twin six year olds the day after and today Shani's family.

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel, anger coursing through him. Murder was wrong on all accounts obviously, murdering an adult was one thing, killing a child, a child that had barely begun to live . . .

"That's fine," she said, shifting in her seat so she leant partly on the door and watched him.

This didn't unnerve him, he was used to it, she had a habit of watching him and anyone around her and although with most people it would have made him uncomfortable with her he didn't mind.

His grip on the wheel loosened as he pulled up outside Rebecca's apartment "you wanna wait here or…" he trailed off, as she was already out of the car, smiling slightly to himself he got out too and raised a quizzical eyebrow at her.

She shrugged it off "I like the kid," she said, keeping eye contact with him a moment before going over to the car parked behind them and tapping on the window.

"Why've we stopped here?" Zack asked, rolling the window down.

"Booth just wants to get Parker, you go on home, I'll see you tomorrow"

Zack rolled the window back up as she went back up the driveway to where Booth was staring at the door confused.

"It's called a door Booth," she teased "knock on it,"

"I have, she didn't answer," he frowned slightly. Rebecca had said she would be there when he'd called to say he was going to be late, so why wasn't she answering the door? Why were the lights off?

"You sure she said for you to get him? She wasn't gonna bring him to you?"

"I'm sure," he tried to open the door, expecting it to be locked he was surprised to find that it wasn't and the door simply swung open.

Temperance gasped as she saw the interior. Furniture was upturned; glass shards littered the floor, shimmering in the dim light let in by the street lamps outside like tiny droplets of water. The air was strong with the distinctive tang of danger and fear, and a cold breeze flitted through the open window and through the room.

"Rebecca!" Booth yelled, immediately flicking the light switch and letting himself in "Parker!"

Temperance simply stood there momentarily shocked at the site of the destroyed apartment. A flicker of fear twisted in her gut when Booth stopped calling out names and stood stock still in the kitchen doorway.

"Booth," she trod carefully over the debris, this was a crime scene, it would be easier to find out what had happened without their DNA everywhere and that everything was left as it was found "Booth," she repeated standing behind him.

When he didn't answer only continued to stare at the kitchen floor she tugged at his arm, pulling out of her way so that she could see what he was looking at.

Rebecca.

The woman was lying on her side in a pool of her own blood; her face stoic and emotionless as if finally she'd been in too much pain to register it. Her arms were bound behind her back with wire, digging deep into her wrists, judging by the state of her hands the wire had been on for a while before she'd died. Her clothes torn from her body, hanging in shreds over her, her hair was matted and bloodied at the back and the rest hung over her face.

Stepping carefully over and holding her breath over the metallic scent of human blood and whatever else was mixed in with it. Temperance crouched by her head, and gently pressed two fingers to Rebecca's neck withdrawing them a moment later when she felt no pulse and skimming her eyes across the body and coming to a pause on her abdomen. She brushed her hand across the women's stomach and swallowed when she realised that she'd not only been stabbed but the knife had been twisted viciously once it had penetrated, the skin was so torn surrounding the wound that it seemed the knife had been almost blunt.

A soft sob broke through her thoughts that were running through her head, she stood up and left the kitchen, pulling the door shut behind her, she glanced at Booth who was sat on the couch, his head in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees. Her first thought was that the sob was from him 'til she remembered why they were here in the first place, Parker.

There was another sob that confirmed that it definitely wasn't Booth, if the simple high pitched, terror filled noise hadn't been enough indication his shoulders weren't shaking therefore he couldn't be crying. And it was coming from a room to her left.

When he didn't move she opened the bathroom door and gasped both in relief and in empathy for the child curled up in the corner, crying into his hands as he shook in terror.

"Parker," she said softly, approaching him and crouching in front of him.

He looked up "Bones," he choked softly, staring at her through wide eyes.

Temperance's thoughts flickered to Booth, not only had he given himself the right to call her 'Bones' but he'd taught his son it as well. She didn't correct him though, it wasn't important right now. He was.

"Yeah," she replied, an encouraging smile graced her lips but didn't get anywhere near her eyes, they were filled with anger, fear, horror anything and everything but burning most brightly was determination.

He flung his tiny arms round her neck, pressing himself so close to her it was as if he were trying to share her skin.

Shocked she froze for a moment before reflexively wrapping her arms round him and picking him up, setting him on her hip as he buried his face into her shoulder, sobs still tearing through him as tears soaked her shirt, she didn't care though.

"Booth," she said as she re-entered the lounge 'I found him' she found herself gently swaying her body, rocking the boy and, as if automatically the tears began to taper off.

"Parker," he breathed as stood up. He would have frozen anyway at seeing his son was alive after this vicious and disgusting attack but to see him snuggling up to the anthropologist and said anthropologist rocking him as if it were the most natural thing in the world was even more surprising.

"Are you okay?" Temperance asked, after he didn't make a move to take his son from him.

He nodded mutely, faint tear tracks evident on his face. He may not have liked Rebecca but that… that he wouldn't have wished upon anyone, ever.

"He's asleep," she said, stopping swaying and stiffening when she realised what she was doing. She was holding the son of the women she'd just found dead on her own kitchen floor, rocking him and making shushing noises under her breath to calm him and now he was asleep, one of his arms round his neck his other thumb in his mouth.

Booth nodded again.


Zack restarted the car in silence and glanced behind him as he reversed up slightly so he could pull out from behind the SUV safely without risking scratching the glossy black paintwork.

"I plan to watch some long movie tonight," Jack reclined in his seat "something with death in it,"

"Don't you see enough of that every day?" Zack queried as he pulled out.

"It's different on a movie, there's pizza and popcorn and always some really hot chicks in there somewhere that the investigator nearly always gets with,"

Zack nodded absently. He intended upon going home and going to bed, the past few days had been long and hard and they still weren't any closer to finding out who was killing the families so sadistically, so cruelly. Every time they peeled back a layer another body would be found, he or she was always one step ahead of them.

"How come there's never any hot chicks in our line of work?" Jack said, glancing in the rear view mirror at Angela who was in the back seat rolling her eyes and drumming her fingers on her jeans clad thigh "'cept you of course Ange," he amended.

She rolled her eyes "dream on Hodgins," she sighed.

He shrugged and looked forwards again.

"Booth's more into lawyers anyway," Zack said as the turned continued down the road.

"Nuh-uh," Angela leant forwards in between their seats, her eyes sparkling again, now this was a subject she was inclined to participate in. So far the guys had discussed bug racing, a lot of technical talk that didn't even seem to touch anything that Brennan talked about.

The many things you could discover about a person from their excrement and a variety of other things that Angela didn't even want to think about "Bren isn't a lawyer," she grinned mischievously at Zack as he glanced down at her.

"Booth's into Tempe?" Jack said, straightening up.

"Duh! Why else would I be in here with you? Booth's car could easily have fitted me in the back seat,"

Zack opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as a loud bang vibrated through the street.


Booth hadn't spoken in several minutes and Temperance was on the verge of screaming at him, she wasn't comfortable holding Parker, not any more, it just didn't feel right. She didn't do the whole touchy-feely-hugging thing, not that much any way and certainly not with someone else's kid when it's father, its perfectly good father was stood five feet from her. She didn't yell though. He was in shock, finding Rebecca, fearing the worst for Parker, and what will have been a mixture between relief and sorrow at seeing Parker was physically unharmed seemed to have rendered him temporarily speechless as

She hoped with every second that passed that Parker would wake up again and ask for his daddy to take him, but it wasn't going to happen. The child was exhausted and she didn't want to wake him, concerned about how much he saw of Rebecca's murder if he awoke suddenly in a strangers arms he could and most likely would panic, because that's what she practically was. A stranger. This little boy had met her a grand total of three times and he either trusted her enough to make her his human pillow or was simply so scared, so exhausted that at the sight of a familiar face he'd instantly relaxed. She believed it were the latter.

Parker's bedroom door being smashed open interrupted the ghostly silence that smothered the room, it swung clean of its hinges. Splintering against the wall.

She barely had time to register that someone other than the three of them was alive and in the building before a pistol was cocked, aimed and fired in less than ten seconds.

Booth didn't even think all he saw was the black clad figure burst out of his son's bedroom and aim a gun at his son and co-worker. He was over the couch in less than a second, throwing himself in to the bullet's pathway, he fell the ground with a thud, hitting his head hard on the corner of an overturned armoire before he blacked out.

Temperance screamed as loud as she could as the figure disappeared as fast as he had appeared. Parker had woken at the sound of the shot and was staring wide eyed at the anthropologist; pleading for her to tell him what was going on.


Zack performed a perfect U-turn, his tires burning against the concrete as he put his foot down and they shot up the road and skidded to a halt outside Rebecca's apartment.

"Who's that?" Jack asked, pointing to a person dressed from head to toe in black leaving the house at a practically in human speed.

"Come on!" Angela exclaimed, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car.

Zack was way ahead of her, already running up the driveway to the open front door.

"Zack," Temperance whispered as he entered.

'Doctor Brennan - Agent Booth!' he exclaimed, staring in horror at the unconscious FBI Agent lying on the floor, the cream carpet beneath him rapidly turning red as his heart pumped more and more of the precious life fluid from his body.

That seemed to shake her out of the trance she'd entered "take him," she instructed, shoving Parker into the young man's arms. Zack took him without argument but held the child apprehensively, unsure of what exactly to do with him as Temperance fell to her knees beside Booth.

"Tempe!" Angela cried as he and Jack made it into the apartment. "Oh my god," she breathed, coming to stand next to Zack as he tried jogging the four-year-old up and down to calm him and get him to look away from his father but seeing as he could barely tear his eyes away he wasn't succeeding in keeping Parker's eyes un-scarred.

Jack knelt down next too Booth and automatically checked his pulse "it's weak but there," he reported.

Temperance gently rolled him onto his back, her own heart pounding in her ears as she saw that the bullet had penetrated the right side of his chest. She couldn't tell exactly where but judging by the staccato of his breathing it had indeed punctured a lung which meant that they needed to get him to a hospital and fast or he would end up drowning in his own blood.

"Angela call an ambulance," she said, throwing the other woman her cell phone as she tore of her jacket and pressed it against the wound, attempting to stem the blood flow.

Jack stood up and went into the bathroom, returning a moment later with a handful of towels.

Temperance practically snatched them off of him, folding one up and putting it underneath Booth's head, swallowing the lump in her throat as her hands came back covered in blood, she took another towel and pressed it to his temple, where he'd hit his head.

"They'll be here in five minutes," Angela reported, flipping the phone shut and clutching it tightly in her hands. She wanted to help, she really did but she couldn't get her feet to move, not forwards anyway

"Daddy," Parker said at first softly then a little louder before turning into an all out wail when he wasn't answered "Daddy!"

'Daddy's gonna be fine' Zack said, jiggling the boy a little bit more "okay?"

"Where's Rebecca?" Angela asked as Temperance changed her thin jacket to a thick blue towel as he jacket had fast been soaked through.

"Dead," Temperance replied matter-of-factly.

"D-dead?" Angela repeated.

"Yes," Temperance reiterated her first answer. "In the kitchen. Her clothes literally torn from her body, wire tying her wrists so tightly together the only reason you know it's there is because the ends are the only bit visible. Stabbed and hit over the head," she mentally cringed, she hadn't meant to snap at her friend, she really hadn't but…

The paramedics rushed in, a stretcher and medical kit carried between the two of them.

Jack immediately got to his feet and stepped back allowing the paramedics access to Booth.

"I'm Sydney Berwick and my partner Jonathon Fox." The paramedic with dark brown hair tied back in a low ponytail said, kneeling next to Booth and taking a stethoscope out of her bag "how did this happen?" she said, listening swiftly to the Booth's heartbeat before examining the bullet hole in his chest.

When no one answered she looked at Temperance a moment as Jonathon took a large piece of gauze from the bag also and gently peeling the towel on his head away, before applying it, holding it down temporarily with tape and deftly fitting an oxygen mask to the agent's face.

"We… we came to get Parker and… the apartment was trashed…" Temperance trailed off, for the first time in her life at a loss for words.

"We saw someone leave the house," Angela piped up as Sydney and Jonathon lifted Booth on to the stretcher beside him, the towel on his chest being held down firmly in the process.

"There's another body through there," Jack pointed to the kitchen before folding his arms across his chest.

"A body?" Sydney froze in the process of picking up the stretcher and hurried over to the room that had been indicated. She opened the door and disappeared for a moment behind it seeing as she'd closed it behind her; not sure of how bad a condition the body would be in and how many people had seen it she did not want to take any chances. She returned and reported. "Young female women, dead. Approximate time of passing, forty minutes ago,"

"She was dead when they got here," Angela said, eyeing her best friend some what warily as she seemed to be a pasty white and looked ready to either keel over or throw up, or both.

Jonathon let go of Booth's stretcher with one hand as he and Sydney carried it down the driveway and took hold off his radio, tilting it towards his mouth. "Hello, there's a body in the kitchen of the location we've been sent too, could you send the coroner over straight away?"

A crackling reply came through as Booth was pushed into the back of the ambulance.

"One of you can come with us," Jonathon said "that's all we have room for,"

Angela, Jack and Zack all looked at Temperance "you go sweetie," Angela said softly, giving her a gently push "we'll take Parker and meet you at the hospital,"

Temperance nodded slowly, as if she wasn't completely in control of her own body. She'd retreated back into her trance like state when Sydney had asked what had happened. The truth was she didn't know what had happened, one second she was standing in uncomfortable silence with Booth the next he's bleeding all over the floor. The bit in between had happened so fast that it all blurred together. She shot a look at Angela as she was pushed again and got into the back of the ambulance.

Sydney closed the doors and her and Jonathon got into the front and, sirens blaring, lights flashing, went as fast as they could down the road, disappearing into the night.

/Peeks out of hiding place nervously/ the usual, review if ya like it, don't flame if you don't.