Sorry for the delay in posting this. I've had a bunch of craziness going on in my life as of late. Thanks for all the wonderful comments. If anyone has any suggestions on other ideas or things you would like to see for this series, I would love to hear them. Anyways...without further interruption...

Day 3

The next morning, temperatures were cooler and the rain had stopped sometime during the night, so it was a perfect day to hit the rides at Magic Kingdom. Parker was disappointed to find that he was too short to ride some of the faster rides, but instantly perked up upon seeing the Bzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, which soon became one of his favorite rides. He also added to the list: Splash Mountain, Swiss Family Robinson's Tree House, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Stitch's Great Escape. Predictably, Brennan favored the Hall of Presidents and the Carousel of Progress; both of which earned her a great amount of teasing from Booth. At the Haunted Mansion, Parker stopped in his tracks. He really wanted to go in, but was terrified to step beyond the large wrought iron gates guarding the entrance. Noticing his distress, Brennan knelt down to his level and whispered something in his ear. He nodded solemnly and took her hand in his, leading them through the gates and down the path to the dilapidated mansion.

"Don't worry, Bones. I'll protect you." He said with more confidence than he felt.

"Do I need to protection too?" Booth asked.

"Nope." Parker simply stated, shaking his head.

"Then why does Bones need protecting? Should I help too?"

"It's a secret, Dad. I've got it covered." Booth gave the pair a funny look but said nothing as he followed them down the path.

After a moderate wait, it was finally their turn to board the amusement. During the ride, Parker sat close to Temperance, holding onto her tightly as they flew past floating furniture, ghastly holograms, and glowing skeletons. However, by the end, Parker was laughing and wanted to ride the amusement several more times. Booth nudged Brennan and spoke just softly enough that Parker wouldn't hear.

"What did you say to him?"

"I told him that I was scared to go on the ride, and needed someone brave and strong to protect me from anything frightening." Seeley smiled at this and he slung and arm around his partner, pulling her close as they walked.

"You never cease to amaze me, you know that right? How'd you figure out the whole reverse psychology thing. You hate psychology."

"I apparently have a deceptively high learning curve. Dr. Goodman told me that once."

"I'll watch out for that."

The trio stopped mid-day to enjoy a little ice cream treat. As they sat on a park bench, Brennan noticed Parker staring longingly at the gift shop across the way, and an idea popped into her head. "Hey Parker, how would you like to help me pick out some gifts for my friends back at the lab? I have no idea what to buy for them, and I could really use some advice," she said with a smile. Parker's eyes instantly lit up, shaking his head vigorously in agreement. Booth looked over at her, smiling fondly; he watched in amazement as she helped Parker clean his face of the ice cream and chocolate before taking him by the hand and heading into the store.

Parker and Temperance perused the packed shop, the little boy suggesting various gift ideas as they went along; within minutes they had a Nightmare Before Christmas mug for Cam and a Little Mermaid animation cel for Angela. "Do you have any more presents to buy, Parker?"

"I bought presents for my mommy, Captain Fa…I mean Brett, my best friend Jake, and my other best friend Roger, Tammy, Simon, and Nick" Parker replied, counting the people off on his fingers, "but I still need presents for my dad…and for you…but I don't have any money…" he finished, looking a little embarrassed.

"You don't have to get anything for me, Parker."

"I know, but I really really really want to."

"I can agree to that, but only if you let me select a present for you too. And don't worry about the money, you can borrow from me."

"But then you're buying your own present."

"You can pay me back sometime, okay?"

"Wow! Thanks Bones!" His enthusiasm renewed, he eagerly began searching the shelves for more gifts.

Together they decided on a flashy red tie for Booth; a small picture of Mushu from Mulan at the bottom and various Chinese symbols scrawled along its length. Brennan thought it would go nicely with her partner's tattoos. She decided to one day ask about the origins of those small inked images on the inside of his wrists.

Walking past a wall of Muppet plush dolls triggered a synapse for Temperance, bringing her back to the days of her childhood when she would stay up to watch "The Muppet Show" with her dad and brother. She had been too young to understand some of the adult humor, but had loved the show just the same. Her favorite character had always been Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, the bespectacled scientist who seemed only capable of causing laboratory explosions. She found the character plush on the wall and held it up, thinking about how much he reminded her of Hodgins. It wasn't a typical work day unless there was some kind of explosion or crazy experiment. Dr. Honeydew had always had a faithful assistant, Beaker, who usually wound up being a human guinea pig. She found the Beaker doll with its fuzzy orange hair and white lab coat; her mind flashing back to the image of the shaggy haired graduate student from Michigan. Her chest tightened as she thought of Zach, and how he too usually ended up playing the victim/scapegoat in Hodgins' crazy plans.

"Are you thinking about your friend?" Parker asked, and Brennan simply nodded, fingering the lab coat on the doll.

"Why did he have to go away?"

"He", she paused, trying to figure out the best way to word it so that Parker could understand, "did something very bad and now he has to go away for a long time."

"Will he ever come back?"

"I don't really know"

"Well, I think he will. Everyone makes mistakes. If he's friends with you, he can't be a really bad person." Brennan chuckled at the irony of the statement, considering that she came from a family of criminals.

Parker suddenly spotted something and disappeared into the depths of the store, much to Brennan's dismay. She tried in vain to catch sight of him through the think crowd of people, her heart rate shooting into the stratosphere. Just when she was trying to decide how to break the news to Booth that she had lost his only son; the six year old returned carrying a black and white head scarf. He was grinning as he ran back, holding out the scarf. "Look what I found for you!" he shouted gleefully. Temperance let out a sigh of relief, and tried desperately to calm her rattled nerves, kneeling down to get a better look at his find. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that was first looked like white polka dots were actually miniature skull and crossbones. "I thought it would make you happy. It's got bones on it, and your name is Bones…well, you're name isn't really Bon-"

"I love it, Parker. It's one of the best gift I've ever gotten. Thank you", a genuine smile lit up her features, "I'll put it on as soon as we pay for it. Now we just need to find something for you."

After Parker selected a 'Pirates of the Caribbean' hoodie and bandana for himself, and a matching t-shirt for his father, they made their way to the register and paid for their purchases. In keeping with her promise, Temperance immediately pulled her hair into a ponytail and tied the headscarf like a headband. She modeled it quickly before helping Parker put on his own skull and crossbones bandana. Satisfied, they walked hand in hand out of the store and back over to Booth, who was still relaxing on the park bench.

After a few more rides, a walk through Cinderella's Castle, and dinner at Casey's Corner, it was almost time to head home for the evening. At Parker's request, they decided to hit one last attraction, 'It's a Small World'. Booth grimaced, knowing that his partner's head would most likely explode from all of the inconsistencies she would be able to point out, but he put on his best charm smile anyway and gentle guided Temperance towards the entrance with a carefully placed hand on the small of her back.

After what seemed like ten thousands choruses of "It's a Small World", it was finally time to board the boat that would lead them through the different countries; the two adults sat at opposite ends, with Parker seated in between them. Brennan did her best to keep a lid on her objections, but it became increasingly more difficult as the journey progressed. She wanted to keep alive the magic for Parker, who seemed to be greatly enjoying the ride, but this was ridiculous. The music was annoying, the scenery was stereotypical at best, and to be frank, the doll-like children were creepy. When she could take it no more, she sighed heavily and opened her mouth to speak.

"This is wrong." Brennan stated, shaking her head. "I've never seen such a blatant disregard for-"

"Hey, Bones?" Booth cut in, knowing exactly where this conversation was headed.

"Yes?"

"Shut up." He grinned, leaning over Parker and kissing his partner on the cheek, effectively silencing her for the rest of the ride.