The Shoe

Chapter 2

Part 3

Disclaimer: The only bones I own are the 206 that belong to me. Other than that, I am just one sad fan girl who passes her time daydreaming about fictional characters; like Booth, for example.

Temperance Brennan picked up the fibula and closely examined the old break that had long since healed before this man had lost his life in the fields of World War Two. She noted the type of fracture (a compression fracture to the growth plate, resulting in a decrease in the space between the diaphysis and the epiphysis) and the age at which this young man had probably sustained the injury (he would have been between the ages of ten and fourteen). She also noted that this injury to his leg had caused an abnormal growth pattern, which should have caused him to be exempted from fighting. His limp would have caused too much trouble with his motor capabilities to allow him to engage in combat. He shouldn't have been there. He shouldn't have died, and yet he did. He risked everything with the full knowledge that he probably would never live to see the end of the war.

She could easily understand what happened to this man in a purely scientific manner. A bullet had entered his right lung from behind, just nicking his scapula on its way through the layers of dermis. He probably had turned, retreating from enemy fire when this bullet caught him unawares. That was the easy part. The part that Brennan could not fathom was the why. Why would he risk all that, especially when he could have been exempt from fighting at all? Why had he gone to all the trouble of getting custom made shoes and leg braces, simply to hide the fact that he should not have been there? Why, how, could anyone love something so much, to show it that much loyalty? She would probably never understand these questions and human emotions; they were so messy and unlike her clean, scientific processes.

"Dr. Brennan?"

The voice of Dr. Goodman cut into her thoughts as she looked up from the autopsy table to the older man, an expression of plain annoyance played across her features. He knew she didn't like to be disturbed when she was working; especially when she was working on these World War Two cases, they were, after all what she had been brought to the Jeffersonian for.

"Yes, sir?"

"There is a visitor at the check-in desk. He's looking for you Dr. Brennan."

"Why didn't you bring him through?"

"You know the new protocol has just come through, while the F.B.I is running through our security procedures we have to be extra careful about who is let into the forensics lab."

"All this trouble simply so that we can sign off on a few cases that they need our help with?" she asked disdainfully.

"I remind you again Dr. Brennan; the F.B.I would like to fully utilize our skilled forensic capabilities in their homicide unit."

"In other words, it impresses the benefactors and provides good press for the Jeffersonian."

"Yes Dr. Brennan that is precisely it and it has nothing to do with helping catch murderous criminals and find the identities of decomposed remains."

"But Dr. Goodman- that is precisely the point of this liaison with the F.B.I"

Dr. Goodman just gave an exasperated sigh and shifted his stance.

"Just go check your guest in Dr. Brennan."

"Alright," she said sighing, stripping the white gloves off her hands and throwing them into the trash can nearby.

"Who is visiting you Dr. Brennan? It wasn't anyone I recognized." He asked as she headed over to the stairs leading down from the platform.

"No I don't know. Did you get his name?"

"Hmm... Eric I think, Eric McGraw."

She choked and paused at the bottom of the stairs.

"You're sure it's McGraw?"

"Positive Dr. Brennan. Does that mean something to you?"

"Um... I- I'm not exactly sure. I don't know." She was at a loss for words as she stuttered, trying to express the confusion that her brain was having difficulty processing.

"Are you alright Dr. Brennan?"

"Yes..." she said absentmindedly, "yes, I'm fine"

"Well then, better not keep him waiting."

"Yes, yes" she agreed as she headed out, walking hesitantly towards the sliding doors. As they slid open she turned back to Dr. Goodman, "I think I'd better take my lunch break now."

Taken aback by her request (Temperance Brennan never took time off during work, she usually just ate a quick sandwich amidst reviewing case notes and anthropology reference texts) he nodded and watched as she turned, looking shell shocked towards the entrance to the Jeffersonian. Coming to his senses, Dr. Goodman called after her,

"Take as long as you need."

'Breathe Brennan, breathe' she said to herself as she walked the long corridor down to the reception guest. 'Don't jump to conclusions, this might not be the same Eric, it's not like he has a very uncommon name.' Her breathing quickened as she approached the desk and she saw a man's form leaning against the wall. He had a jacket over one arm and he held a piece of paper in his hands that he continued to fold and refold.

She approached him and nervously cleared her throat before proceeding,

"Mr. McGraw?"

He turned around at the sound of her voice and stood in front of her.

"Hello," she started holding her hand out, "I'm Dr. Brennan, I heard that you were here to see me. What can I help you with?"

"Temperance, it's me, Eric. Do you remember?"

She mouthed his name, 'Eric' silently. Of course she remembered him, how could she not? He was the start of a long line of disappointments and betrayals.

"Yes, yes I do." She stated simply.

"Well... you see, I came because...well..." he seemed to be struggling for the words, "mom died," he finished lamely.

"I see. Is there something you need me to do for you? Was there foul play involved, do you need a forensic analysis? I'm rather busy but-"

"No, no Temperance," he cut her off, "it's just, well it's a rather complicated story. Do you have time for lunch with me?"

"I suppose, where did you have in mind?"

"Do you still like Thai?"

"Yes ... just let me get my things."

Fifteen minutes later, the two were sitting opposite each other in a little booth, before the awkwardness could set in, Eric decided to make small talk with an apprehensive-looking Brennan.

"So... Doctor huh?"

She blushed, "Yes, I got my doctorate in Forensic Anthropology, and I now work for the Jeffersonian Institute where I work on the identification of remains from the Second World War. It's quite fulfilling, however I am also very interested in completing some work abroad, next year I'm planning a trip to Guatemala, and the F.B.I is interested in creating a new liaison posting with us for aid in homicide cases. Apparently they're getting tired of the length of time that it takes the F.B.I forensic team to get anything done, not that I can blame them. "

She knew she shouldn't be letting her mouth run like this. It just proved to herself that this was affecting her more then she would like. Still, talking about her work protected her from having to go into more dangerous territories although she assumed that they would end up there anyways.

"Well it sounds very... stimulating."

"It is and I love it. But what about yourself, from what I can remember you were quite smart." she asked, trying her best to keep her professional demeanour about her, pretending that he was just another colleague, pretending that he wasn't what she knew he was.

"Well, I wasn't quite as smart as you, but I did manage to get into Dartmouth, with the help of the head soccer coach. I played with the team, but I damaged my knee badly at the end of my second year, so I had to quit after that. I ended up getting a degree in English, and then went on to teacher's college. In fact that's why I'm here. I just recently got a job here in D.C. and I read an article about the Jeffersonian in the local paper. When I heard your name I knew it was a long shot, but I did some research, and here I am."

"I see. Well no offense but I still don't understand why you are here, or what you want."

"Temperance, when mother died, she told me that I should come speak to you, to apologize to you. I have no idea what she's talking about, and she wouldn't tell me. She said I was to find you and talk to you. I really didn't have any intention on doing so, to be perfectly honest, but when I saw your name, I took it as a sign that I really should respect my mother's wishes."

"So that's why you're here?" she asked, rather angrily, "out of guilt? Otherwise you would have what, just ignored what she said?"

"You don't understand Temperance... mother, near the end, she was not lucid very often."

Brennan took a deep breath, this was going to be harder then she thought, speaking to him like this without getting worked up.

"I see, what was the diagnosis?"

"She developed Alzheimer's, and with her crippling arthritis that only got worse, she got very sick before she passed away. I was glad that my father was not alive to see her go like that. It would have destroyed him."

"John's dead too?" she asked, pity and remorse now tingeing her thoughts.

"Yes, two years before mom, liver cancer. They caught it late and there really wasn't much to be done."

"I am sorry Eric for all you have had to deal with. But I don't understand why she wanted to apologize to me so many years after."

"Well...wait, you think there is something she needed to apologize for?"

"Well, she did rather unceremoniously kick me out of your house without much of an explanation, other than she was getting sicker and couldn't take care of me anymore. It was a rather obvious lie to detect, even for a fifteen-year-old girl."

"She told you what?" he asked, looking startled.

"She told me that her arthritis was getting worse and was hampering her ability to effectively look after me."

"Oh God..." all of a sudden, it seemed that everything Eric had known coming into the lunch was pulled from underneath him, and his head dropped into his hand.

"Oh God," he repeated, "I had no idea, oh Temperance, I had no idea."

"Had no idea what? That your mother thought that I was a defective child and just wanted to move on to another child?"

"This explains so much Temperance, you have no idea!"

"Then try to explain to me, try to make me understand. Because I have had a pretty clear idea for the past ten years or so exactly what happened. She didn't want me anymore, and you and your father could care less, so you let her do whatever she wanted so I was shipped off to a more convenient place, regardless of what I needed or wanted."

"Ok, I will try to piece this together for you. However, you have to know that this is pretty new to me too," he shook his head disbelievingly, "all those years ago, on that night; you remember the night don't you?"

"Of course, it was the first of many... rejections" she said dryly.

"Well I came into the house after soccer, you weren't home yet, and I heard my parents talking in the kitchen. I was curious because it sounded rather serious so I went to the door to listen. All I heard was them mentioning you, and I couldn't help myself, so I went in and demanded my parents tell me what was going on. They told me that they would tell me later, but I didn't let them brush me off, so my mother told me that you were leaving. I got angry and stormed out, after I said some very rude things to my mother mind you. I was upstairs when my mother came up and told me that it was you who had requested the change. According to my mother, you told her that you were not happy, and needed a change because being around- well, she said that you could not live with us anymore. So I agreed, and let it drop."

"Just like that you believed your mother? Why didn't you ask me?" she asked, her eyes visibly watering.

"Temperance, she told me that I was the problem. That I reminded you too much of your brother that ran out on you and that you found living with me too much to cope with. I was so sad Temperance. I really liked you, and all those months that you lived with us I tried, I tried so hard Temperance"

"I remember Eric, I remember. That's what made it so hard. I was just beginning to feel again, let alone trust. I thought that I could count on you and the next thing I know, I'm leaving and you barely say another two words to me. I thought, well, I thought that it was my fault. I thought that I had driven you away, made you upset and that was why your mother didn't want me."

"No Temperance, I wanted you. Trust me, I really missed you, but the thought that I had caused you so much pain that you wanted to leave killed me. That's why I didn't talk to you anymore; I thought I would only make it worse. I thought that if I let you alone for a few days or weeks that you would come to your senses and change your mind. I had no idea that another family was lined up to take you the next week. I thought that that process would take weeks, not days."

"I'm sorry Eric."

"What do you have to be sorry about?"

"For thinking badly of you all these years; you really were a great brother, and I was lucky to get the time that I did with you. And of course, for how I never got to tell you that then; it's just that year, those years, I just couldn't, and well I still can't-"

"Temperance, there really is no need to explain. My mother made a stupid choice, that's all. I really, really bad choice that screwed you over. It is not your fault."

She smiled at him, tears threatening to spill over.

"Thank you for coming, this means a lot."

"Trust me Temperance, thank you. I really am glad that I came, trust me when I said I had no idea, I'm not even sure that my father had any idea."

"Well, your mother displayed a rather fierce love of organization. I'm sure that she was crippled mentally by the desire to have her life pan out the way that she had planned. I'm sure becoming sterile and having to resort to having foster children was not part of her plan."

"I guess you're right. After you left she tried to get another child, but father and I wouldn't let her; by the time the paperwork and everything had gone through for your transfer, and they found another child, my mother's condition had already worsened. And now I know one thing for certain..."

"What's that?"

"I won't let you get away this time, not now that there isn't any meddling old women to get in the way" he joked.

"You really want to keep in contact?"

"Of course I do!"

"Well in that case, can I ask why you came here today if you thought you're mother wasn't mentally alert when giving those orders, and when you thought that I wouldn't want to see you?"

"Well as I said, I couldn't ignore my mother's last wishes, and I guess I just wanted some closure after all these years. I guess I wanted to hear that those words that my mother told me so long ago to be true; I wanted to know for sure. All these years later and I still had my doubts."

"That makes sense, but I guess that teaches you to not jump to conclusions in the future." She said jokingly.

He laughed, "Do they teach you that in Forensic Anthropology School?"

"Well, they don't exactly have a school designated to-"

"It was a joke Temperance... I know they don't have a Forensic Anthropology School."

"Oh, ok, well then I guess you could say that it's more of a personal motto."

Author's Note:

Hey guys! I am really sorry about the lateness of this chapter! I was pretty busy this week, but the next couple of weeks should be a little easier, or at least I'm acclimatising to my new work load a little better, so I should be able to get back on to schedule. I figure because the last couple of chapters I got out in well under a week, that this shouldn't happen again! So again, thanks for reading, and I would love some input. It really does help! For instance, I never planned to write this chapter, but a lot of people ended up commenting on Eric, and how they liked him that I decided to bring him back! And we might even see him again...who knows? Also, I really did plan on getting to the end of chapter one in three parts, but it got away from me, and last time I wrote a 3,500-4000 word chapter, people got annoyed with its length, so I guess I'll do another part, however it will be a short chapter I predict, as we will be going back to the present (Hurrah! Booth!), and it won't take much time to wrap up this chapter! Thanks for everyone who has stuck with me thus far, and I am looking forward to your reviews! I hope to have another chapter up this weekend, because it's a long weekend :)

And with that, I just wanted to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving... go enjoy your turkey, I know I will!

Also, with the impending 25 day wait for the next episode, if anyone has any good amazing stories they want to share, please do! And if you're bored or are feeling blue about the baseball break, then I would recommend CSI-4077's stories... I have been reading them lately and they have fulfilled my need for Booth/Brennan cuteness the past few days every time I needed a break from endomembrane systems and other various boring/necessary topics!

Just a quick shout-out to everyone who reviewed my last chapter; you guys rock!

CSI-4077, BonesnBooth, Miss Jasadin and HawkAngel XD

Remember guys, I love hearing from you:)

And so concludes the longest AN in the history of the world!

xoox

Hannah