Bones
"Paternal Instincts"
Summary: Bones' young new assistant has a secret…he is Booth's son.
Author's Note(s): Takes place after the whole "Widow's Son" storyline, so Zack is gone.
Warning: This story will contain spanking of a teenager.
Disclaimer: The only character I own is Seth. Booth, Bones, and the Squints I don't own.
Chapter 3: More to Life
Booth entered the Jeffersonian and headed for Bones' office.
He'd finally managed to shut Sweets up with a threat of being tossed out his window unless he went home.
Luckily for him, the kid had taken the hint.
Because of him, he hadn't gotten any work done—except for getting the address of Sarah Jane's closest friend.
He'd also managed to find out her parents were dead.
What he couldn't figure out was why they had never reported their daughter as missing?
"Hey, Bones," he greeted her, entering her office. "How are things here in Squint central?"
"About the same," Bones told him, sighing.
"Cam confirmed our original theory that it was a blunt object that killed her. Hodgins didn't find any abnormalities in the dirt samples we gave him. Seth and I were able to narrow down the possible objects used, but that's about it."
"So basically," Booth said, "somebody killed her and then buried her to cover it up."
"Looks like it," Bones agreed with him. "Find anything out on your end?"
"Just where an old friend of hers lives," Booth said, "and that her folks are dead. Sweets bugged the crap out of me all day today."
Bones grinned at that. "I'm guessing he didn't get you to talk about your feelings," she concluded.
Booth snorted. "Oh, I talked all right," he told her, grinning. "It just wasn't what the brat wanted to here."
Bones shook her head. "Must you call him that?" she asked, curiously.
"You have to admit he does act like one sometimes," Booth told her. "Especially when he doesn't take a hint."
She smiled at that.
The young shrink liked getting into people's head and sometimes he let that dominate everything else.
She could relate to that…or she used to.
She now knew there was more to life than just science and reason—though she still thoroughly believed those were the essentials of life.
"He meant well," she told him, "I think."
"Yeah, right," Booth said. "Where's the other kid?"
"Seth?' Bone asked, and then nodded towards the couch in the corner.
Booth followed her gaze to find the teenager sound asleep. He smirked.
"I guess its past his bed time," he commented, quietly.
"He really tried hard today," Bones told him, "and he suggested things I would never have thought of. I think he's going to be a great assistant—and an even greater scientist."
"Yeah, that's great," Booth said, hesitantly, "but will he be a great man while he's at it?"
"What do you mean?" she asked, curiously.
"A man or woman is more than just what he or she does for a living, Bones," he told her. "I wonder what kind a man that kid is going to be someday—especially with no foundation under him."
"He has a foundation," Bones said. "A good strong academic one."
"Again I can't help flashing back to Zack, Bones," Booth told her, sighing. "He has family and yet…"
"Yet you believe his strong intellect hindered his ability to function and therefore caused him to be easily manipulated by the Master," Bones stated, stoically.
"I wish I could say otherwise," Booth said, "but that's how I feel. He lived only in the world of bones…"
"Which made him incomplete," Bones finished the thought. "Maybe it did, I no longer know."
"There's more to life than science and reason, Temperance," Booth reminded her, bending down to lean on her desk.
He rarely called her by her first name that when he did it always caused her to blush slightly.
The way he said it, there was something so intimate about it…
"I know," she told him, glancing back at her computer.
He smiled. "So, he done for the day?" he asked, nodding at the slumbering youth.
"I suppose so," Bones said. "We won't find out anymore tonight that we didn't today. Why?"
"Well, I thought you wanted me to take him home with me," Booth reminded her, smirking.
"You never told me you would," she reminded him. "You just said you'd consider it."
"I considered it," Booth said. "The kid did do good out there today, and he isn't as quirky as the rest of you yet."
"Quirky?" Bones asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"
"Its a term of endearment," Booth told her, grinning charmingly. "I just love my quirky squints. See?"
"Uh huh," Bones said, smiling. "And thank you."
"Don't mention it," Booth told her. "Maybe I can talk him into losing the piercings and dog collar."
Bones smiled. "Did you ever have a rebellious stage?" she asked him, curiously.
"Of course," Booth told him, "but mine consisted of me staying out all night partying with my friends and mooning folks."
"You showed your rear end in public?" she asked him.
"That's generally what mooning means, Bones," he told her, smirking.
"I shouldn't be surprised, I guess," she told him. "After all, you didn't mind showing off your penis underneath the bleachers…"
"You're never going to let me live that story down, are you?" he asked her.
"Why should I?" she said. "You gave me Brainy smurf as a reminder of my humiliating moment…"
"No," Booth said, firmly, "I gave you Brainy smurf to remind you not to count yourself short."
"Either way, it is still a reminder," Bones said, smiling. "Why should I be the only one to suffer?"
Booth opened his mouth to protest this, but then started chuckling. "I guess you're right," he told her.
"Of course I am," she told him.
He shook his head and then walked over to kneel down by the sofa.
"Seth," he said, shaking the teenager gently.
The boy blinked opened his eyes, obviously disoriented from snoozing.
"Agent Booth?" he asked, sitting up. "Did I fall asleep?"
"Yeah, looks like it," he told him, smirking. "Must have really hit the grind stone today, huh?"
"Not really," Seth said. "Dr. Brennan did almost all the work—I just helped."
"You did more than that," Bones informed him. "You did good work today, Seth."
The boy blushed at her compliment. "Thank you, Dr. Brennan," he said. "I'm sorry I fell asleep."
"It's late," she reasoned, "and you're tired. It's only logically that you would feel the need to rest."
"She's trying to tell you it's okay," Booth told him, grinning. "I think."
"I am," Bones said, "and I'm also saying its time to call it a day."
"But what about the case?" the boy asked, blinking.
"These things usually take a few days," Booth assured him. "You can pick it back up tomorrow."
"Oh," the boy said. It was obvious he was slightly disappointed.
It was his first day and he really wanted to do a good job…to prove himself worthy of being Dr. Temperance Brennan's assistant.
Booth and Bones exchanged glances and she gave him a not so subtle nod in the boy's direction.
He smiled. "Listen, Seth," he said, "Bones and I were talking and neither one of us like the idea of you actually staying at the Jeffersonian…"
"I wouldn't bother anything, Agent Booth," Seth said. "I'm not some sticky fingered little kid."
"Well, it's not that," Booth told him. "It's more…this place is pretty much a tomb once everyone leaves."
"I don't scare easily either," the boy told him, grinning.
"Besides that, this couch can't be all that comfortable," Booth said, "and I happen to have a spare room nobody is using at the moment…"
"Are you asking me to stay with you, Agent Booth?" the boy asked him, curiously.
"Yep," Booth said. "I've got a full fridge, cable, and a multitude of DVDs that you can check out if you want to. What do you say?"
Seth glanced at Bones, who nodded at him in encouragement.
"All right," he said, "if you don't mind having a kid live with you?"
"He already has one," Bones told him.
"You do?" Seth asked, surprised.
"My son, Parker," Booth told him. "He's ten, but he lives with his mother—I get him every other weekend."
"Oh," Seth said, "all right then. I'll get my stuff."
He got up and retrieved a couple of duffle bags.
"That all you got?" Booth asked, a bit surprised.
"One has my clothes and stuff," Seth explained, "and the other my books."
"Of course," Booth said, smirking. Yep, the kid was definitely a squint.
"Well, let's hit the road."
"I'll see you in the morning, Seth," Bones told the boy.
"I'll be ready and willing, Dr. Brennan," he told her. "We'll figure out the murder weapon tomorrow."
"We can always hope," Bones said. "Have a good night."
"Be careful, Bones," Booth told her, "and go home."
"I will," Bones promised. "I just have a little bit left to do."
"I can always stay and help you," Seth offered.
"No, thanks," Bones told him, "this really has nothing to do with the case…"
Booth smirked. "Writing another book?" he asked, curiously.
Bones nodded. "Yes," she said, "and before you ask—no, you can't read it."
"Ah, c'mon, Bones," Booth whined.
"Bye, Booth," she told him, grinning.
He sighed. "Night, Bones," he said. "C'mon, Seth."
He patted the boy on the shoulder and headed out.
"Good night, Dr. Brennan," Seth told her, and then followed after the man.
Bones shook her head and then sat back down at her computer.
A knock on her door had her looking up again.
She was surprised to see Angela standing there.
"Hey," she greeted her friend, "I didn't know you were still here—I thought you and Hodgins left an hour ago."
"I sent him on ahead," Angela told her, but then bit her lip.
Bones knew that meant she had something she wanted to say.
"What is it?" she asked her, curious.
"I've got something I need you to see." Angela told her.
"Is it about the case?" Bones asked.
"Kinda," Angela said, "but it's mostly about Booth and Seth."
Bones frowned, wondering what it could be.
"All right."
TBC…