Wow! Thanks guys! Your reviews mean so much to me, and I'm glad you enjoyed that look into the past. We're back in present day here, so hang on. It gets bumpy here.
Brennan looked up from the remains of ten year old Joshua Holton and stretched her muscles. Angela had provided ID's for both victims fairly soon after the tissue markers had been applied. Booth hadn't said goodbye, but Brennan assumed he was caught up in some part of the case and just forgot. She mentally smacked her forehead as she remembered she hadn't called Booth about the identifications. She pulled her cell out and rang his office number, but there was no answer. No wonder, she said, noting the time. It was nearly eight in the evening, and he'd gotten up early to go to the landfill. She wouldn't be surprised if Cullen had sent him home early to catch up on rest before hitting the case hard tomorrow. If she could tell something was wrong with him, a seasoned investigator like Cullen would surely notice.
Realizing that it was unlikely that he'd be asleep by now, she called his cell phone. Angela had gone home two hours ago, just after IDing both victims. Zach and Hodgins soon followed, telling her they were coming in early tomorrow to get a fresh start on the evidence. Hearing a noise in her office, she steadily walked down the steps and down the hallway, still holding the ringing cell phone to her ear. As she neared her office, she realized the sound she was hearing was a ringtone on a cell…Booth's cell.
Must have left it here, she mused as she hung up and walked in. There it was on her desk right next to his keys. Furrowing her brow she turned her head quickly, her features softening as she took in the sight before her.
He was there, sprawled out somewhat haphazardly on her couch, as if he'd fallen asleep sitting up and just fallen over in the course of his nap. One arm was thrown over his eyes to block out the bright lights of the lab outside and he was snoring softly. His suit was mussed up and wrinkled now, but Brennan just thought that made him look more adorable. Chuckling to herself, she moved closer.
"Booth," she whispered as she neared him, not wanting to catch a Ranger unawares in such close proximity. He took in a quick breath and swallowed a couple of times sleepily before rubbing his face. After taking a second to wake up, he opened his eyes and immediately took in his surroundings.
"Time?" he asked groggily, and she smiled sheepishly.
"Uh, it's just past eight now," she said softly and winced as he shot up off the couch.
"Eight!" he cried. "Why the hell didn't you wake me up?" She raised her hands in defense as he gestured wildly.
"Hey, whoa Booth," she remanded, "I didn't know you were in here, honestly. I thought you'd gone back to the Bureau. I got so wrapped up in work I didn't even know what time it was until I realized I hadn't called you about the IDs."
"Six hours?" he said, more to himself than her, and she took a step closer.
"Guess you didn't get a lot of sleep this morning?" she empathized. He ran a hand down his face in what she was beginning to recognize as a sign of frustration on his part.
"No, I didn't. You said you had IDs?" She nodded and led him back to the platform, where the files were laid carefully next to each victim.
"Joshua Holton, age ten, went missing from his apartment complex four weeks ago. And this is Vanessa Sanderson, age thirteen," she motioned to the other table. "Reported missing when she didn't show up for piano lessons about five weeks ago."
"Same guy?" he asked her.
"Yes, we didn't see it before because we were focused on the knife marks. But each victim was hit on the head with the same bat used to kill the other two."
"But these two weren't staged, why?"
"I don't know, but decomp and time of death indicates both were dead before Christopher Sikes was killed, by a few weeks; the boy first." She swallowed hard as she pictured the faces of the two children they had found already, and she dreaded having to tell two more families that their loved ones would not be coming home.
"Alright, let me call Nate," Booth said, fishing for his cell phone. She rolled her eyes and pointed toward her office, and he shot her a sheepish smile. "Thanks, Bones," he said, and she suddenly felt as if he meant something deeper. He was gone before she could think about it further and she turned back to the remains. Moments later he returned, letting out a deep sigh.
"Nate's on his way," he told her. "He got the preliminary reports and he may have something else about the doer." She nodded absently, already wrapped up in her work, and he took this opportunity to just watch her in her element. She moved with grace, he noted, and determination, but not without a gentleness that belied her usual brass approach to problems. Just like him, she always took the cases a little harder when they dealt with children.
"If all you're going to do is stand there and stare at me, you may as well make yourself useful," she said without looking up, but he grinned at her anyway. She gestured over to a workstation and he moved obediently. "There's a stack of notes Hodgins compiled with Zach; could you put them in some order? Normally I'd do it before turning it in to Dr. Goodman, but you can probably handle that." He caught her smirk and huffed indignantly, looking around his immediate area. Not finding anything suitable for throwing, he settled for sticking his tongue out at her back.
He sifted through the notes, his eyes completely glazing over the scientific jargon he so studiously ignored on a day to day basis. Instead, he just looked at the top of the reports where the victims' names were displayed. Once he had each victims' reports separated, he put them in order of death, starting with their newest cases. Once that was done, he stacked them neatly and put them in empty folders, labeling each one clearly with the name of the victim it belonged to. Satisfied, he turned around to ask what else he could do when his phone rang.
"Booth," he answered, though his caller ID had already told him it was Nate. "Sure, I'll be right down." He shut his phone and left Brennan on the platform as he went out to greet his friend. The security guard at the desk smiled at Booth politely before opening the door, allowing the agent out. Booth stopped in his tracks and watched amused as Nate tried to juggle folders, two bags from the local burger joint, and three sodas. It would have been comical in any situation, but the sight of the burly agent trying desperately not to drop anything made Booth burst out with laughter.
"You could help, you know, instead of standing there," Nate scowled, and Booth moved to take the drink holder from him. "Thank you." The guard held the door as they entered and Booth led the way to the Medico-Legal lab.
"Bones, Nate is here," he called as the doors opened, and Brennan finally looked up and offered the other man a friendly smile.
"Well, hello Nate," she greeted. "What is that?" she pointed to the bags.
"Well, if you've been here the whole time," he said this to Booth, "Then you haven't forced her out to eat something, which means you haven't eaten either. And since people gotta eat…" he trailed off and held up the bags, causing Brennan to roll her eyes and laugh.
"Men," she muttered, but snapped her latex gloves off and descended from the platform. Taking the bags from Nate, she led the two agents up the far stairs and over to the lounge. Once the food had been distributed, Nate opened a file and perused it.
"You have a murder weapon yet?" he asked and Brennan nodded around her burger.
"Yes, the same bat that was used on the other two victims, but these two had evidence of knife wounds on their ribs and sternum consistent with a military issue knife." Nate nodded thoughtfully, taking another bite.
"Military issue? That doesn't fit…our profile doesn't have the guy graduating high school. GED maybe?" He scribbled down some notes as if talking to himself and Booth shook his head.
"He gets like this sometimes. I once saw him get so wrapped up studying for a test he didn't even realize his mother had called. He was holding the phone to his ear and answering all her questions with textbook answers; she was completely confused."
"And as I recall, you took the phone and proceeded to tell her I was busy studying for an undercover assignment that would have me cross-dressing as a hooker." Booth laughed at Brennan's horrified expression.
"Booth, you didn't!" she whirled on her partner, and his grin morphed into a defensive smirk.
"Hey, I was young and immature, and I had just gotten out of the Army. Those guys are not exactly known for their tact in social situations. Anyway, it all ended well; I even got photos." His grin was back in full force as Nate sat up a little straighter.
"What photos, Seeley?" his voice dropped an octave, and Brennan suppressed a shudder.
"The ones I had the image techs doctor up," he replied smugly. "I think I still have those somewhere," he added thoughtfully. Brennan was enjoying watching the two old friends banter back and forth, but she was mildly surprised when Nate stood up and grabbed Booth's shirt collar. Booth was still grinning, though, so Brennan fought the urge to protect her partner and simply watched the two males interact.
Booth scrambled from his chair, his shirt still in Nate's hands, and he placed his feet firmly on the ground.
"I want those pictures," he threatened, but there was no malice behind it. Nate was grinning just as widely as Booth; but where Booth's grin was disarming Nate's was menacing.
"You know, come to think of it, I can't really remember where I put them," he shot back. He put his hands on his friend's forearms and pushed back, but it was really no use. Nate had several inches and about a hundred pounds on him. Booth found himself in the air, hanging on for dear life. He shot Brennan a wink and a smile before swinging his right leg and hooking it around Nate's right knee. Reaching over, he grasped Nate's shirt front and leaned forward, effectively placing his right foot on the ground directly behind the larger man. Using leverage and a little muscle, he managed to topple the giant. Unfortunately, the giant failed to let go and Booth found himself toppling as well. Brennan couldn't help but laugh at their antics, realizing for the first time they acted more like bickering brothers than befriended ex-classmates.
"Nice move, Booth," she said, "but generally you want to avoid hitting the ground with your attacker." She leaned over and snagged a few of his fries from his platter as he picked himself up and dusted off, earning her a bemused glare. Both agents sat back down to their meals as if nothing were wrong and Brennan found herself laughing again. This started the other two laughing and soon the three of them were holding their sides and wiping tears from their eyes. When the laughter had subsided, Brennan took a deep breath.
"That was cathartic," she sighed, leaning back against the couch. Nate was once again back into the files and even Brennan had to admire his work ethic.
"The first death was more violent," he said aloud, "Probably his first kill. This second one though, the girl…" he pulled out a photo, "The knife wounds are more precise. But there are no knife wounds on the other two, the staged ones…why?" He seemed to be asking this question rhetorically, so Brennan did not answer. Truthfully, she had no answer; Booth was always better at jumping to conclusions and piecing things together. She was all about facts and right now all she knew was that four kids were dead and they were no closer to finding the guy who'd done it. By the look on his face, though, Brennan could tell Booth's mind was already reeling with possibilities.
"Say we narrow our search of delivery boys to ex-military," Booth interjected. "Can't be too many, right?" He pulled his cell out and made a call, waiting on the line while the information was cross-referenced. "You're kidding…that's great…thanks." He snapped his phone shut. "One guy…Darryl Mather. Spent almost a year in the Marines before they kicked him out. Guess what for?" he looked at his companions and gave a knowing smile. "Failing to obtain a high school diploma or equivalent. There's about a year gap between the time he quit at Chang's to his enlistment date, and the address we have for him is current."
"I'd say he's at least worth checking out…" Nate admitted, shutting the file.
"They're getting his information now and sending it to my cell. We'll call on Mr. Mather first thing in the morning. I'm assuming you want to tag along?" he shot a look at Brennan.
"Full participation, Agent Booth," she shot back, and they shared a smile that made Nate a little uncomfortable. "Look, it's getting late and there's not much else I can do without Zach and Hodgins."
"You kickin' us out?" Nate teased, but he stood and stretched. "It is getting late," he said, glancing at his watch. "Call me tomorrow, Seeley. If this is our guy, I need to do a lot more research."
"Thanks, Nate. I'll walk you out. Bones, you need a ride home?" Booth tossed his trash and shouldered his jacket.
"No, Booth," she rolled her eyes. "I drove here this morning, just like I do every morning."
"Fine, but I want to get an early start," he replied. "I'll pick you up at eight. You sure you don't want to me to stick around…walk you to your car?" he tried again, already knowing the answer.
"Go!" she pointed at the door as she shoved the agent with her other hand. He chuckled and readjusted his jacket.
"Good night, Bones."
"Good night, Dr. Brennan."
"Good night, boys," she responded, seeing them out the door before moving to shut the lab down for the night.
Booth may have seemed a little OOC here, but sometimes people get goofy around old friends. Not to mention there's more there that has yet to be explained. HAHA! I am evil...or not...guess you'll just have to wait to find out. Please let me know what you thought? I love hearing from my readers!