Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I guess I'll keep this up for as long as inspiration strikes me. Oh, and T-minus 6 hours and counting till the next episode!


Field Trip

April 2009…

"Class, remember to stay with your buddy at all times inside the museum." Mrs. Russell's second grade class filed off the school bus in front of the Jeffersonian museum. Parker Booth squinted his eyes against the late morning sunlight, eager to get inside. He barely registered Kyle Sanderson coming up next to him and shoving him lightly.

"Hey Parker! Come on or we'll get stuck in the back of the line," he said, grabbing his buddy's hand and pulling the boy along.

"Yeah, maybe Tempe will be here," Parker said matter-of-factly.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Kyle teased.

"No!" Parker argued immediately. "She works here and she knows everything!"

"Parker's got a girlfriend!" Kyle shouted, causing most of the other boys to turn around and grin. But before they could take up the chant, Mrs. Russell clapped her hands together.

"Alright class, two lines! Get next to your buddy quickly!" Parker scrambled to comply, choosing to ignore Kyle's jabs. The met their guide for the day, a young museum intern who was just as eager as the group of seven-year olds.

Mrs. Russell smiled as her students took in the sights of the Jeffersonian museum. They were looking around at all the exhibits and smiling, and she was happy to provide them with this educational experience. But one boy was looking around as if searching for something, and she moved over.

"Parker, what's wrong?" she asked him. "Why aren't you paying attention to the guide?"

"Tempe works here, I just can't remember where," he told her definitively, and she smiled.

"Well, let's continue with the tour and maybe we'll run into her," she told him. The smile he gave her softened her heart and she ran her hand through his hair affectionately before leading him back to the group. Seconds later, she had to move away to break up a scuffle, leaving Parker with Kyle and his group of friends.

"So where's your girlfriend?" Kyle said.

"Tempe's not my girlfriend! She's a scientist and she works here," Parker shot back.

"You know what, I think you're a liar," one of the boys said. "You don't know anyone here."

"Do too!" Parker shouted this time, clenching his fists.

"Parker's a liar!" one of the other kids chanted, and it was soon taken up by the group. Parker shoved one of them away, fighting off tears. Before the teacher could intervene Parker took off at a run, tears now streaming down his face. The calls after him were unheeded as he darted between crowds and through different exhibits. He found a small alcove next to the prehistoric room and crouched down, scrubbing the tears off of his face fiercely. After a few moments, his breathing evened out and he looked around. He stood up and fear settled over him as he realized he had no idea where he was. He felt the tears coming back but he took a deep breath and pushed them back.

"Are you lost?" a voice said from behind him and he turned quickly. His father had always told him if he ever got lost in a public place that he shouldn't talk to strangers. But this man was wearing a white policeman's uniform, so Parker knew he was okay to talk to.

"I got lost," he told the security guard as the man walked over to him. "I want Tempe!" His fists clenched again, and the man smiled.

"I'm not sure who Tempe is," the man said. Parker looked at the man like he was crazy.

"You don't know Dr. Brennan?" Parker said incredulously. Recognition lit the man's face and he actually laughed.

"Oh yes, I know Dr. Brennan," he said. "But let's go find your mom and dad."

"No! I want Tempe!"

"Your parents are probably very worried about – "

"They're at work," Parker said quickly. "I'm here on a field trip."

"Oh, you're with Briar Stone Elementary, then?" Parker nodded. "Let's go find your teacher," the guard moved forward as if to lead Parker away, but he screamed and darted back, tears spilling down his face once more.

"No!" The guard sighed heavily, rolling his eyes upward. I did not sign on for babysitting, he thought to himself.

"Fine we'll go see Dr. Brennan," he told the seven-year old. Then lab security can deal with him. He laid a hand on the boy's shoulder and began to lead him away from the main halls of the museum.

Temperance Brennan stretched in her seat as she looked up from her computer screen. A quick glance through her window showed her Zach was still hard at work identifying a limbo case. It had been a little over two years since he'd gotten his doctorate and she was really proud of the leaps he'd made in their field. There were requests from all over the country for his services, but he was very adamant about remaining at the Jeffersonian. Checking the clock she saw that she still had two hours to lunch; two hours until Booth came to pick her up. She couldn't stop the smile that lit up her face as she thought about her partner. Boyfriend, she amended mentally, though the word was still strange after almost a year.

"Dr. Brennan?" a voice came from just outside her office and she turned to see a security guard standing in her doorway.

"Yes," she answered standing.

"This young man got separated from his field trip group and demanded to see you." He ushered a blonde head from behind him and Brennan's professional façade melted into a soft smile.

"Parker?" she said, holding out a hand. His face was streaked with tears and his eyes were red, but when he saw her he smiled and wiped his face.

"Tempe," he said, moving into her arms. "I got lost and I couldn't find anyone and I was scared," he told her. She stroked his hair and held him against her as she looked up.

"Thank you, I'll take it from here. Could you locate his group and tell them where he is?"

"Yes Ma'am," the guard said, offering her a small salute as he left. Brennan led the boy over to her couch and sat down next to him.

"What happened, Parker? Why did you leave your group?" she questioned. He just shrugged a shoulder, his eyes glued to her coffee table. "There must have been some reason," she said simply, hoping he would talk to her. He wiped one cheek with the back of his hand and sniffed.

"Kyle called me a liar," he said meekly. Brennan fought the urge to laugh, having learned early on in her interactions with Parker that young children often took small things very seriously.

"And that upset you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Course," Parker returned. "Cause I'm not," he finished adamantly.

"Well, what did Kyle think you lied about?"

"I said that I knew you and he said I didn't. Then some of his friends called me a liar. I shoved Jason and ran. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have shoved him."

"No harm done, then," she forgave him quickly. "How about this: once that guard finds your group, I'll take you back myself. Then Kyle can't call you a liar anymore." The grin that light up Parker's face made Brennan's heart swell. She placed a hand on his head lovingly and smiled at him. "Anyone ever tell you that you have your daddy's smile?" she teased. It was often a topic around the household whenever Parker visited Booth. She could barely resist when Booth did it, but when he added Parker into the mix she found it very impossible to deny them anything.

"Yup!" he giggled, leaning into her loving touch. "I love you Tempe," he whispered.

"I love you too, Parker," she whispered back.

"Ma'am, I found them," the guard said, holding a walkie talkie. "They're in the Colonial exhibit now. You want me to take him?"

"No thanks," she said pulling Parker up to stand beside her. "I'll take him myself." The guard nodded and left to his rounds, leaving Brennan escorting a now bounding seven year old. As they passed Angela's office however, Parker stopped.

"Tempe, can we please say hi to Angela? Please?" She rolled her eyes in mock exasperation.

"Don't even bother with the smile, Parker. Of course you can." She gestured toward the doors as Parker let out a whoop. Angela whirled around at her desk, her face split in a grin.

"Well hey there buddy," she said, wrapping the boy in a hug. "What are you doing here?" She directed the question more at Brennan.

"He got separated from his field trip group," she explained. "I'm taking him back now. Come on, Parker."

"Well, thanks for saying hello," she said to Parker.

"Can't we stay just a few more minutes?" Parker begged, turning his big brown eyes on his father's girlfriend. Unfortunately, this particular woman had spent nearly five years building up an immunity and she merely shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said light-heartedly. "Come on, I bet your teacher is getting worried about you. You don't want her to do that do you?"

"No," Parker answered quickly before bidding the artist goodbye. He reached up and grabbed Brennan's hand as they exited the lab, earning a few curious stares from the guards.

On their way to the main museum, Parker chatted about anything and everything. Brennan usually found the ramblings of children to be caterwauling and annoying, but Parker had seemed to worm his way into her heart much like his father. She listened to his tales, laughing occasionally and faking indignant at the appropriate places. As they ascended the main staircase, Brennan took them through a closed exhibit as a shortcut, though a small part of her wanted to allow Parker the chance to see something his classmates could not. She heard the guide speaking in the next room, though his tone was clearly one of frustration. As they entered the room Mrs. Russell let out a satisfied sigh and rushed over.

"Thank goodness, Parker. When I saw you were gone I informed the guards immediately. They, however, proceeded to inform me that you went to see a friend. Is this her?" She looked at Brennan curiously, though there was no malice in her tone. From further inside the exhibit the guide gasped and ushered the children over.

"Kids, you're very, very lucky today. This is one of the world's best forensic anthropologists, Doctor Temperance Brennan. She works here at the Jeffersonian," he said. Brennan shifted on her feet a little awkwardly, but Parker squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Hello," she said to them, happy to see that a small group of boys in the back were eyeing Parker in shock. "I was just returning Parker here. He usually comes to visit when he's here with his dad."

"Parker you get to come here a lot?" one of the girls in the front asked. Parker shrugged and stepped away from Brennan.

"Sometimes. My dad and Dr. Brennan work together to solve crimes, and sometimes they let me help out." This sent up a chorus of astonished murmurs, and Parker was pulled into the crowd of kids. Brennan did not correct him (his "helping out" usually consisted of him sitting in her office drawing pictures) and she waved to them all as the guide started ushering them to the next exhibit. Parker broke from the pack one more time, running over to hug her quickly.

"Bye Tempe, I'll see you this weekend." She squeezed his shoulders in return and watched him trot off after his classmates. The boys in the back had pulled them into their small huddle, all with smiles on their faces. Parker was grinning proudly, unable to resist throwing her one more wave as they disappeared around the corner.


That kid just gets cuter and cuter. Who can't wait for tonight's episode? raises hand