Hope you are all enjoying my little story!

I do not own bones, it belongs to Hart Hanson, if I owned bones we'd still have Zack and Vincent, sadly all we have are the memories.

Can you lie next to her, and give her your heart?

Vincent and Grace walked along the street in silence. Vincent wasn't entirely sure where his 'amazing' plan to cheer up Grace was going, they had spent the past ten minutes walking around the park without saying one word to each other. Despite the promise he had made, all Vincent could think of was the 'he' who had hurt Grace, who the hell was this guy and where did he get off hurting her. Vincent wasn't the violent kind, yet every time he imagined the bruising which covered her skin, he felt the rage burning up inside him.

"Did you know that elephants are the only mammals that cannot jump?" Without thinking, Vincent blurted out the first factoid which came to him, and he had to choose that one. Mentally cursing himself for being an idiot, he was stunned at Grace's response.

"Did you know that you are adorable?" Despite feeling dejected following her revelation, Grace couldn't resist flirting with Vincent, it was becoming second nature to her. "Aw Vinnie, you're blushing."

"Erm ha, well did you know that every person has a unique tongue print?"

"Yeah I did. Why do you do that?"

"Do what exactly?" Vincent knew exactly what she was referring to, but he hoped he was wrong.

"Why do you spout random facts all the time? What amazes me is how you remember it all, my intellect goes about as far as who Jennifer Aniston is dating that week. "

Vincent hated that question, he didn't just spout random knowledge, well at least it wasn't random to him, each fact told a different story, no one told Brennen that her 'bones' knowledge is random, so how come his knowledge was categorised as random?

"My facts aren't 'random'. I obtain this knowledge as i have a retentive memory, i find these facts comforting, they help me focus, and you might not understand it, but im not asking you to, I'm not asking for anyone to understand it, it just what i do, ok?"

"Im sorry if I offended you, I never intended to. Look Vincent, I like you and your facts, I just wanted to know more." Grace smiled up and Vincent, she'd hate to think she had hurt his feelings.

"No im sorry." Vincent felt so guilty for snapping like that, especially after finding out what she'd been through; he put his arm around the young girl pulling her in tightly. She genuinely did enjoy his facts, she would never tut or sigh, but instead she'd smile and laugh, or even return a fact. Maybe this was a sign of good things to come.

"So Vincent where are we going?"

"Why would I ruin the surprise?" The duo laughed as they remained interweaved; to the outside world they were just another couple. If you had passed them in the street you might smile at their presence, you may have envied them, but they wouldn't have noticed as in that exact moment they were the only two who existed. She wasn't a victim. He wasn't conflicted. They were them, and just for now they could play these roles until the truth unwantedly came back.

Back at the Jeffersonian

"Booth, are you ok? Do you need to talk to Sweets?" Brennen was left to deal with the aftermath of Grace's revelation; the rest of the gang had felt it best to give Booth some space. Cam, Angel, Hodgins and Sweets had attempted to find Grace, but having failed this headed to the local dinner, maybe getting some food would clear their heads.

"Look Bones, i appreciate you staying with me but there's no need, I'll be fine." He was lying clearly, he couldn't quite grasp what he had just seen and heard, further he hated himself for putting her through that in front of everyone, for underestimating her, mostly though for grabbing her. He couldn't shake the thought of someone hurting her, a hit here, a kick there, Booth was a chivalrous man who despised men hitting women, especially when that woman was his little girl.

He still saw her as the little girl who used to visit in the summers, the little girl who would cry for Booth when she had a nightmare, the little girl who wept every year without fail when it was time to say good bye.

"Well Booth we're partners, your pain is my pain, figuratively of course, but i don't like seeing you hurting."

"Im not the one hurting, Grace is."