This is a wordy one! Thanks to pdlbean for catching and correcting my error so fast in the last chapter. I need to learn to trust my own instincts! And I wrote a nice Rebecca, because I would like to think that for the best interest of their kid, she and Booth could get their act together and behave like adults.

And trust me, it only SEEMS like filler.

Unexpected Variables- Chapter 7

Brennan mused that Booth and Rebecca made a rather attractive looking firing squad, as they sat side by side facing Parker on the couch. The email from the principal had already been received when she and Parker had arrived home and Parker had been sent immediately to his room.

"Don't you want to hear his explanation?" Brennan had asked.

"No, I don't. It won't be good enough, whatever it is." Booth was angry, but there was something else there that Brennan couldn't quite figure out.

Booth had left several messages for Rebecca and when she had called back, she too had read the email. They spoke for a long time about the best way to handle it and what Parker's punishment should be. They decided that Rebecca would come over after work and they would dole out the decided upon punishment together.

This was a new frontier for all of them and Brennan felt very much that she wanted nothing to do with it. Booth and Rebecca, however, both felt that she should stay and listen. She, too, would have to enforce the punishment and the parents felt it would be important for all of Parker's "people" to be on the same page. So she stationed herself in a chair behind Booth and Rebecca and vowed to remain quiet and simply listen. None of this was up to her.

Booth began. "Parker, I cannot tell you how disappointed I am in you right now." He looked at Rebecca. "And so is your mother."

"You know better, Parker." Rebecca was no less stern, but seemed more upset than angry. "The school has suspended you tomorrow as well and you have been assigned to Saturday school. You will miss your baseball game."

"But it's the play offs!" protested Parker.

"Too bad. There are consequences for your behavior. Missing play-offs is one of them. You will also have to call Coach Morgan and tell him that you won't be there and why." Booth was not messing around. "Also, your mom and I have decided you need to be punished by us as well."

"You have lost your Xbox for a month." said Rebecca. "And you won't attend Kyle's pizza party on Friday."

"Also, no television for a week."

"No TV and no Xbox? I'll be bored!" Parker flung himself backwards into the couch melodramatically.

"You can read a book." countered Rebecca unsympathetically. Then she sighed. "For the life of me, Parker, I cannot imagine what got into you."

"Bec." said Booth. They had agreed the why didn't matter. Fighting is never the answer.

"Sorry. I'm a lawyer, Seeley. I want to let him state his case." She looked at her son. "But it won't change anything. You are still in a crazy amount of trouble."

Booth deferred to Rebecca's wish. "Well? Tell your mother what she wants to know. What were you thinking?"

"I don't know," mumbled Parker and now Brennan was really paying attention. Was Parker not going to tell his parents why he punched that boy?

"You don't know why you punched another student? Your principal said you started it!" Rebecca knew there was more to it.

"It was no big deal, I just got mad. Miles is a jerk."

"Miles Cambridge?" Booth knew the kid and knew he was a punk.

"Yeah. He was just being mean and you told me once that I should fight for other people, so I punched him."

Booth sighed. He'd forgotten that little conversation with Parker. "I didn't mean you should punch people, Parks. I just meant, you know, fight for the person who can't fight for themselves."

"I was!"

"Who were you defending?" Rebecca asked, wondering who could bring about such loyalty out of her son.

"Nobody." Eyes down and to the left. Brennan wasn't the only one who knew what that meant.

"Parker, I think you need to tell us what happened." Rebecca spoke softly now. She knew her son, knew there was more to this story than he was telling.

"Miles is just a jerk, that's all." Parker was on the verge of it all being too much. His eyes were watery and his voice shaky.

"Parker." Booth warned "Answer your mother's question. What happened?"

And it all came spilling out. "Miles said you were a killer in Afghanistan. He said you killed innocent people and that soldiers like you shouldn't even be there. I told him that you're a hero. That you save people all the time and he said that killers can't be heroes. So I punched him. Then he punched me back and I knocked him down and then Ms. Payne caught us and took us to the office and she wouldn't let me say why I punched him and Miles said he didn't do anything and he DID! He punched me, too and he tore my shirt. And then Ms. Payne let him go back to class but she said she was going to call you guys and I was going to be in trouble. She tried you first Mom, but you didn't answer, so then she wanted to call you, Dad, but I knew you couldn't come so I asked her to call Bones. And the whole time we were waiting for Bones she said that I couldn't go around picking fights because people don't like my dad's job and that I need to learn to let stuff go. And she didn't listen at all when I tried to tell her that Miles punched me too. She said it didn't matter who started it! She was being really mean. And then Bones came and she was mean to Bones too and I just really hate that school!"

Stunned silence filled the room. Booth blinked, trying to process the outburst and Rebecca looked like her mean mom resolve was crumbling quickly. Only Brennan, who already knew the story, was unsurprised.

"Oh, Parker…" Rebecca started.

"Rebecca, can I…" Booth motioned towards their boy.

She nodded for him to continue.

"Parker, you punched Miles Cambridge because he was saying…" he searched for the right words, "…bad stuff about me?"

Miserably, Parker nodded. He couldn't make eye contact with his dad.

"I don't need you to defend me. Miles has no idea what I do now or what I did in Afghanistan. Miles doesn't know anything about me. He was just looking to push your buttons and you let him. You can't do that. You have to learn to control your temper."

"You sound like Ms. Payne."

"Well she's right. You do need to learn to let stuff go."

"You're not a killer, Dad."

Booth had a white knuckle grip on the copy of the email he was holding and Brennan could see the conversation was metaphorically killing him.

Rebecca knew it too. "No, he's not Parker. But that's no reason to fight. I know you love your dad and I know you're proud of him, but you can't punch someone because they say mean things about him. That's not acceptable." She was gentle, but firm. "I'm sure your dad agrees with me; your punishments stand."

Booth nodded. "Yeah. Sorry, Buddy. No Xbox, no party, no TV and you'll miss the game because you'll be in Saturday school."

Parker hung his head dejectedly. "I'm sorry."

"We know you are." Rebecca said. "Get your backpack. It's time to go home."

As Parker passed next to Brennan, still in her chair, he said "I'm sorry you had to come get me, Bones. And I'm sorry Ms. Payne is a mean old witch."

"Parker!" barked Booth.

Brennan smiled at Parker. "It's okay, Parker. And I don't think that Ms. Payne is that old. Or a witch, but of course, I can't know for sure. You can't tell someone's religious affiliation just by looking at them." She knew what he meant and she was pretty certain he knew that she knew.

Parker grabbed his backpack from his room and hugged both Brennan and Booth goodbye.

"Thanks Seeley. I'm sorry. I know that wasn't easy." Rebecca, despite all the trouble they'd had between them, hated to see anyone poke at the one thing that hurt her ex the most.

"Yeah. Thanks. Tomorrow at lunch?"

"Yes. I'll drop him here at around twelve." Rebecca had taken a half day to stay home with Parker and would drop him a still convalescing Booth for the remainder of the day.

"Sounds good. See you both tomorrow."

"Bye!" Parker and his mom said in unison as Booth closed the door behind him.

Booth blew out a deep breath and slumped against the door. "Wow."

"Yes. Wow seems appropriate."

"You knew already, didn't you?"

"Yes. He confessed in the car. But I didn't think it was my place to tell you."

"What did you say to him?"

"I told him that he shouldn't fight, that you were going to be disappointed and…" She hesitated.

"And?"

"And that I hoped that Miles looked worse than he did."

Booth let out a hearty laugh. "God, I hope so too. That kid is such a little punk. I can't stand him or his parents. The whole family is a bunch of self righteous know it alls."

"I'm sorry you had to hear what that boy said to Parker. I know that was difficult for you."

"Yeah, but you know what's worse? Knowing my son inherited my temper. I didn't want that for him." He closed his eyes. "I wanted better for him. I wanted his life to be easier than having to fight against that all the time."

Brennan stood and went to Booth, taking his hand. She knew now what had been eating at him since he first got the email. "It seems to me that the trait Parker inherited is the desire to protect the people he loves. I don't think that's a bad thing at all. He's a good boy, just like you are a good man."

He pulled her into his chest and just held her for a minute. "Thanks, Bones."

"And that principal is quite rude."

"What did she say to you?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me." Booth countered.

"She insinuated that I'm not important person in Parker's life."

"She said what?"

"She wouldn't speak to me about what happened with Parker and I can understand that, but when I asked her not to speak rudely about me in front of Parker she…"

"She what, Bones?"

"She said that I wasn't the first of your girlfriends they'd seen at the school. As if I were…a temporary fixture in his life. I assume that you took Hannah with you once to pick up Parker and now here I am, so she took that to mean your girlfriends come and go." She was glad his arms were around her. Repeating the sentiments of the principal made her feel more vulnerable than she liked.

"Bones, you've been my girl in one way or the other for seven years. You know that, right?" He tipped her chin up to look at him.

She didn't bother objecting to his phrasing or arguing the point. Instead, she simply nodded and moved securely back into his chest.

"She asked me out." Booth confessed.

"The principal?"

"Yes."

"When was this?"

"A few years ago." He thought for a moment. "Right after we came back from China, I think. Around then. I ran into her at the grocery store. She took a chance. She said how it probably wasn't professional, but she couldn't help but notice I was single…it was kind of embarrassing for both of us, I think."

"What did you say?"

"I told her no. You know, that it wouldn't be a good idea with her being Parker's principal and all." He shrugged. "She's kind of been a cold fish to me ever since. And I guess to you, now, too."

"Well, you rejected her."

"It wasn't personal."

"Obviously it was to her."

"I'll talk to her."

"No, don't."

"But you are an important person in Parker's life. It's not okay for her to imply that you aren't."

"I'm just not his parent or his step parent or his legal guardian, therefore she cannot give me details about him. And that's okay. I'm sure it's a legal thing. But it was the way she said it that bothered me." She wasn't always so good with people, but there had been no missing the woman's nastiness.

"I never took Hannah to Parker's school. Not once. She was just leveling a low blow." He smiled into her hair. "I wouldn't have gone out with her even if she wasn't Parker's principal. She's not my type at all."

"And what is your type, Agent Booth?" She asked, deciding to go along with the game.

"Sexy scientists. I like blue eyed, sexy, squinty, scientists."

"I'm not sure Angela wants to share Hodgins with you, but I can ask her."

"Um, pass, Bones. That's a thought I didn't need."

"I can give you something else to think about." She kissed his neck, working her way toward the spot behind his ear that he seemed to melt him every time.

"Um, Bones, doctor's orders?" He didn't want to follow doctor's orders for "little to no physical activity." Not at all. It had been far too long already.

"You don't have to do a thing." She winked saucily and worked her way downwards from his earlobe.

And not for the first or last time he sent up a silent thank you for this incredible woman.

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