Author's Notes: This chapter is kinda jumpy because it's mostly Parker's first night at Brennan's and stuff, it's cute, sweet, and at times sad as well I guess.

I also know that the book she reads to him may not be exactly the kind of thing you'd expect a boy to want read to him but it's storyline fits with the things around it.

Chapter 3: Sleeping Beauty

"Zack I need you to clean these bones for me," Temperance instructed, taking off her gloves and giving the skeleton of the thirty-two year old man a once over with her eyes as Zack came to do as he was bid.

When a new body was brought in she always felt a pang of sympathy in her stomach that's why she worked herself so hard to find out who was responsible. Finding the missing pieces to the puzzle and fitting them back together could at times be exhilarating as there was nothing else they could do for the victim except bring their murderer to justice and by doing so bring them back to life by recreating the way they went down. Allowing them to rest in peace.

"Heya!" Angela bounced over, grinning broadly and her eyes sparkling "guess what I did last night?"

"What?" Temperance humoured her friend biting her tongue to answer correctly with the words 'I met a guy' as the answer nearly always was.

"I met a guy,"

Temperance smiled to herself although pretended it to be in congratulations to her friend rather than in amusement at her friend's expense.

"He's great, we met at this club I went to and he offered to by me a drink we talked and he's picking me up tonight at seven for dinner. He has a friend too who seemed very interested in hearing about you. You should meet him"

Temperance shook her head "thanks Ange, but no thanks, I'm busy tonight,"

"Another time then?" she asked hopefully.

Knowing that if she gave an outright no then she would be begged and pleaded at for days she settled with an "I'll think about it," instead.

"Great," Angela said, hurrying off.

She glanced to one side and frowned in confusion, why was that man wearing a balaclava? Inside? And what was that he was pointing at her… a "gun!" she cried out in panic.

"What?" Jack looked up from examining something that Zack had given to him.

Temperance looked back to where the man had been standing but he was gone, she shook her head, she probably needed a drink or something. Just as she was leaving to get a bottle of water Zack called her back.

"Doctor Brennan, look at this,"

She turned and went back to him, pulling a new pair of gloves on as she looked at what he was pointing. The man's ribs had several cracks in the bone, precise as if someone had done it by holding the bone with their bare hands and applying pressure with their fingers until they snapped.

"Bones," Booth said, walking into the lab.

She ignored him and ran her finger over the cracks and checking the other ribs for any other injuries. Intrigued to find that every rib had been broken, but like brickwork it was done in a pattern, every other rib had been broken in exactly the same places and so was the pattern.

"Bones," he said again "Bones,"

Still she ignored him "finishing cleaning these, we'll examine him more when you're done,"

"Bones… Bones… Bones…" someone was calling her only their voice was higher than Booth's, like a small child's…

"… Bones!" Parker shook her shoulder harder.

"Parker?" She mumbled, blinking sleepily.

She'd given Parker her bed and taken the couch. She sat up slowly, the comforter pooling in her lap "what's the matter?"

"I'm thirsty," he said "can I have a drink?"

"Oh… um… sure, what d'ya want?" she brushed her sleep mussed hair back out of her face and yawned slightly.

"Warm milk please," he smiled at her then followed her to the kitchen, dragging a toy bear behind him.

Temperance had taken Booth's keys to his place and taken a few of Parker's things back to her place with them although there wasn't much so she would have to go back to Rebecca's and get anything else he needed. He wouldn't be staying for long though, Booth would be awake soon.

He hopped up onto a chair as she poured some milk from the carton into a mug and put it in the microwave.

"Are you okay?" he asked after the microwave had beeped signifying that the milk was warmed.

"I'm fine, is there anything in particular you want when I go back to your place tomorrow?" she said, placing the mug in front of him.

He shook his head "no," he said, gulping half the drink down in one.

She nodded and tried to mentally go over the list she'd made up earlier of anything she would have to get, clothes, shoes, toys, nothing much though because of course Booth would be awake soon wouldn't he?

"You look sad," he said, putting the now empty mug down "why are you sad?"

She gave him a fake smile and passed him a cloth to wipe away the milk 'moustache' he'd obtained. "I'm not sad, just tired,"

"We'll see daddy tomorrow and I'll tell him to wake up then you can hug him like you hug me and kiss him and mommy's in a happy place-"

"Kiss him?" she said, surprised at the boy's directness "why would I kiss him?"

'Because you like him and you're sad because he's asleep," the boy replied matter–of–factly.

"I don't want to kiss him though,"

"He wants you too," Parker said firmly.

"How do you know?" she challenged, her voice getting a little higher.

"He told me. We was watching a DVD and I asked him if he wanted to smush his lips with yours like the prince and the sad girl did when they kept smushin' their lips together and he said yes,"

"He said that?" she was incredulous, what on earth had Booth been telling this child?"

"He nodded his head and then said not to tell you or anyone ever'

"Then why are you telling me,"

"Because you looked sad and now you look happier now I told you," he said, she was nice and she was pretty daddy was right about that but he wasn't so sure about what kind of smart she was if he had to tell her this many times.

"I think it's time we got back to bed," she said, desperate to change the subject "you're okay now right?"

He nodded his head "'night Bones!" he called, scampering back into her bedroom across the bed and diving beneath the duvet.

She sighed and went back to the couch.

"Bones," came a voice "Bones!" it sing-songed.

Temperance's eyes flickered open and she jumped when she saw Parker leaning over her "what's the matter?" she said, not yet sitting up, she reached over to the coffee table for her watch 3:45AM barely half an hour since she'd last been awoken.

"I can't get to sleep," he said softly "will you read me a story? Mommy does and so does Daddy,"

"Uh… yeah I suppose," she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and forced herself to get off the bed, pulling her dressing gown on as she followed him to her bedroom. "What do you want me to read?" she sat on the edge of the bed, one leg underneath her the other on the floor.

He pulled one of the set of fairytale books they'd manage to find on Booth's bookshelf that was suitable for him and handed it too her.

Temperance swallowed as he crawled back into bed, the book was Sleeping Beauty, had Parker not been so young she would have thought he'd picked the book on purpose but all the same she opened it and began. "Once upon a time there was a King and a Queen who were as happy as they could possibly be, one day the Queen had a baby girl which they called…"

"… The King and the Queen were dreadfully upset about what the evil witch had done and so they…"

"… The fairies changed the spell that the evil witch had cast so that instead of dying the princess would fall asleep and wake up to true loves first kiss…"

"… The witch tricked the princess into following her up into the highest tower in the castle where there was a spinning wheel…"

"… The princess pricked her finger on the very end and immediately fell into a deep sleep…"

"… Many handsome princes tried to wake up the princess but it didn't work but on the first day of the hundred and first year one special prince came…"

"… And they all lived happily ever after,"

Temperance closed the book and looked at Parker who whispered sleepily "you should try kissing daddy," before his eyes flickered closed and slumber took him.

She watched the steady rise and fall of his chest. He just didn't understand and she didn't know how to make him. Kisses and hugs, pleading, begging, shouting, asking, none of it would work, only time. And time is exactly what they didn't have.

Without Booth the fight for custody of Parker would be on, and anyway did she really want custody of a little boy? In a way she did but just not in the practical way. With her he was ensured that he would be as happy as it was in her power to make him, he would go to a good school, get a good education, he would be spoiled rotten by Angela and Zack… wait why was she planning like this? Booth would be awake very soon, it would be his responsibility not hers, they could go back to living their normal lives.

Blinking back the tears that were rushing to her eyes that she was immediately disregarding as anything but tears she silently got off the bed and went back to the couch, hoping to get at least three more hours sleep.

Temperance groaned and rolled onto her back, careful to ensure that she didn't roll off the couch and put her pillow over her face trying to block the noise out.

It didn't work.

She threw the pillow to her feet and opened her eyes, glowering at the ceiling, what on earth was that noise, it sounded like –

"Parker," she called, trying to keep her anger and being woken up yet again from her voice.

The noise just got louder.

Sighing she pushed the blanket away and got to her feet, tentatively following the noise into the… bathroom.

She froze, everything flooding back with such force she had to hold onto the doorjamb for support. It was coming back like buckets of icy water were being hurled at her.

She was stood by the couch, Parker asleep in her arms.

The door to the boy's room was flung open.

Gunshot.

Booth vaulting the couch.

A thud as Booth hit the floor and the bullet entered.

Rebecca. Parker. Booth. Bullet.

Waves of nausea washed over as she remembered it all with a rush, causing her to go violently dizzy which didn't exactly smother the need to vomit if anything it doubled it.

Parker was curled up in the corner exactly like before. "Mommy, want m-mommy… mommy doesn't come, the… man c-came an' she screamed and there was red now… now she's gone and it hurts and she hurt an' … need mommy… need mommy… need mommy!" The child was hysterical the sobs tearing at his chest to the point he could barely breath and stammering out words made it worse but he couldn't stop because… because he needed her and it hurt and she could make it better.

Temperance made to approach him but that simple movement made the searing pain of dizziness worse and her stomach convulsed, staggering to the toilet she threw up.

Why was it affecting her so? She'd seen bodies with their flesh hanging from their bones, peeled the remains of it away in cases, worn the flesh of someone's hand like a glove in order to get finger prints and her stomach was yet to protest. But now… it had to be… what could it be? She had no idea but the room was slowly coming back into focus and was now longer swaying as badly as before. Parker was the priority.

Unable to actually bring herself to stand just yet she crawled over to him. "Parker," she whispered "Parker come on,"

"Daddy's sleeping… won't w-wake up… needs… needs a kiss… makes it b-better…"

She had no idea what to do, children were one thing but hysterical ones? They were a different matter. Her mind protesting but her instincts screaming at her she picked him up and using her free arm and the sink pulled herself to her feet and stood still for a second before going through to her room.

"I want my m-mommy," he wailed, clutching at her shirt desperately as she sat on the bed.

"What happened Parker?" she asked gently, trying to ignore the churning in her gut and comfort the boy.

He sobbed into her chest for a few minutes before he managed to articulate an answer "went to bathroom, 'membered,"

"Oh," she breathed, what was she supposed to answer that with?

"Will you kiss daddy tomorrow and wake him up?" he asked suddenly, the tears drying almost instantly.

"I don't think-"

"It worked in the book why not now?"

"Because your dad isn't asleep because of magic,"

"Try," he said firmly.

"Parker, it wouldn't work, I'm sorry,"

He buried his face back into her chest and the crying began again "jus' want daddy awake and mommy back. Please make her come back. Please,"

Temperance was silent. She wasn't going to answer and shatter him any more than he already was because it would be so very wrong to lie to him, lead him on and say she would try. Besides, chances were he didn't even want an answer so she remained silent and let him cry himself to sleep before she too joined him in fitful slumber.

Sorry that chapter's shorter than the last two but that was the hardest chapter to write so far and hopefully the hardest in the whole fik. The scene in the bathroom might be a little strange but I had to do that, they were gonna go into shock eventually and I figured then would be the best time to do it.

Oh and also, should Parker be in school? Do you want Parker's fifth birthday at some point whilst Booth's in the coma?