Disclaimer: They're not mine, I just borrowed them for some super writing fun! I promise to return them when I'm finished. No infringement intended.

After I picked up Parker from Camille, I sat on her front porch with my son nestled in my arms. My heart ached with the pain my son was enduring. I may not have been very close to Rebecca, but she was his mother, and at one point we had been close. I gently ran my hand over his back comfortingly while he clung to me as if his life depended on it.

Parker had been waiting for his mother to pick him up from school, but she never showed. Apparently, he had sat there for two hours before a school official approached him and asked him where his mother was. It wasn't long after that when a police officer had shown up telling him that his mother was dead. While on her way to pick up Parker, some jerk had run a red light and slammed into the driver's side door, flipping her car and killing her instantly. That's what I was told anyway.

It was Cam who had called me while I was in India. When the police couldn't locate me at my apartment, they had called the FBI looking for me. The FBI didn't know where I was because I had yet to report back since getting home from Afghanistan. The Army didn't know where I was, and because Cam was one of my emergency contacts on my Army paperwork, she was called in to care for my son until I could be contacted. Cam had been the only one smart enough to try me on my cell phone. That's the city and government officials for you.

Parker's sobs had started to subside and he pulled away to look at me. "I'm glad you're here now, dad."

I wiped the tears from his face and crushed him back into my chest and held him tightly. "I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner, buddy."

"It's okay dad, I love you." He rested his head on my shoulder.

Since the moment we arrived at Cam's house, Bones had been pretty quiet and distant. I think the whole situation had her pretty shaken up. She insisted on coming with me to get Parker and I wasn't going to argue with her over it. It felt nice to have her around for support. She moved to sit down beside me and place a reassuring hand on my back. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened, Parker." She used her other hand to brush some hair back from his forehead.

Poor kid. I can't imagine what this has to be like for him. Bones knew though. She lost her parents at a young age, so if anybody could understand what my son was going through, it was her.

Parker pulled himself out of my embrace and stepped towards Bones with outstretched arms. She opened her arms to accommodate his small frame as he collapsed into her. My heart swelled at the sight of her holding my grieving son. For someone who said they didn't know what love was, she sure knew how to show it to my son.

I reached over and pulled Bones and Parker into my arms, turning it into a group hug. The two most important people in my life were right here, and with all of us here to support each other, everything would be fine. I hope.

I heard footsteps approach us from behind, and then heard Cam's voice. "You guys can come in and have a seat somewhere more comfortable?"

"Thanks." I responded. "But we should probably get going… I have so much I should be doing. I promised her mom I'd help with the funeral arrangements." I made a point not to use 'her' name. I didn't want to cause my son more anguish than was necessary. It's going to be hard enough for him over the next few days. First, I thought, I need to see if Bones can stay with Parker while I go get him some things from his mother's house. "Hey Parker, let's get you in the car, okay buddy?" He nodded and walked off towards my SUV. I reached down to help Bones up. "Hey can I ask you a favor?"

"What kind of favor, Booth?" She asked me wearily.

After Parker was out of earshot, "I need to go to Rebecca's and grab some things for Parker…" I didn't want to make the transition to my place too hard on him, and going into his mother's house was likely to cause him more distress. "Can I leave him with you for a while?"

I felt Bones squeeze my hand. "I think that can be arranged. How about you drop us off at the Royal Diner and I'll get him some lunch?" Her willingness to be there for my son warmed my heart.

I turned around when I heard Cam speak. "I'm sorry this happened." She flashed me a sympathetic smile.

I reached out to give her a hug. "Thanks for everything, Cam."

"You're welcome, he's a good kid." She looked over at Bones and gave her a soft smile. "Good to see you back home, Dr. Brennan. I take it Booth was able to knock some sense into you?"

Bones shot her a confused look, "I don't know what that means…"

I let out a low chuckle. "Just say yes, Bones. Just say yes." God, I loved how naïve she could be. During stressful points in my life, comments like those are what kept me going. I couldn't believe how much I had missed that while I was in Afghanistan. I tugged on Bones' hand and led her towards the car.

"Call me if there's anything I can do." Cam called out as we walked away.

A/N: Thanks to all you silent readers who have marked my story in their favorites or put alerts on it! It means a lot to me to know that people are enjoying my story! I LOVE feedback though! It's like a drug to me, I can't get enough! Haha! The more feedback I get, the more likely I'll be to get out another chapter tonight! *evil grin*