I saw the gravedigger episode tonight because I live in Canada. Anyone else see it? I don't know whether to be sad or happy. That's all I will say.

Please review! It would make my day, cause I'm here and quite sick :(

"Jacqueline, please don't play with your food. Eat it."

"I don't like it. It tastes funny."

"That's ridiculous. There's nothing wrong with it."

"So you eat it..."

"Jacqueline," Brennan warned sternly.

"I want a hot dog," she pouted.

"Hot dogs are unhealthy and full of nitrates. I don't want you eating that junk," she explained.

"What? I have no idea what you just said."

"Nitrates are compounds added to hot dogs and cured meats to extend their shelf life and improve colour," Brennan explained. "A preservative. And some people think they may even be carcinogenic."

"Should I even ask what that means? Why can't you speak to me like other parents speak to their children?"

"You should not be talking back to me. And I am not other parents. I want you to be informed, and intelligent."

Jacqueline rolled her eyes. "Oh wait, I forgot. I'm not supposed to roll my eyes, they may get stuck like that, right?"

"What? There is no scientific evidence that says... Oh. That was sarcastic."

"Ugh."

"Enough. Please eat your supper."

"This tastes funny," she defied pushing her plate away from her. It clattered around a few times as it settled back on the table.

Brennan's eyes opened wide at her daughter's misbehaviour. "You better watch your mouth, and your actions."

"Or what?" she asked rhetorically. She almost didn't realize what she had said. Immediately she knew she had made a mistake, and her head snapped up to look into her mother's furious eyes.

"Stand up now, Jacqueline."

Jacqueline weighed her options carefully, but then decided to listen to her mother, and stood up quickly, knocking her chair back a little. She continued to look at her mother.

"Go to your room, and don't come back out until you're ready to apologize and eat your supper. Do you understand me?" she asked staring into her daughter's eyes.

Jacqueline nodded. She tried to fight back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

"I didn't hear you. Use your words."

"Ok!" she said. As she turned to stomp off she yelled back, "Daddy lets me eat what I want! You're so mean! I hate you!" and then Brennan heard her bedroom door slam.

It was the overreaction of a young girl to a small situation, but nonetheless, Brennan's heart sank. Her daughter said she hated her. This was one of her worst fears about becoming a parent. In her mind, all her worries about not being enough for her daughter were proving true.

Brennan tried many things to distract herself. None of them worked. Around 8 o'clock, as Brennan was cleaning the kitchen floor for the second time that night, in case she missed a spot, the phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Bones," Booth greeted cheerfully. "I'm on my way home. How's Jackie?"

"She hates me."

"What? Of course she doesn't. What happened?"

"We fought, she told me she hated me, and I sent her to her room," Brennan explained shortly. Her heart ached.

"That doesn't sound like her... what did you fight about?"

"What does it matter?" she questioned, losing her patience a little. "The cause is not the concern here. The point is that my daughter hates me."

Booth could hear her voice shaking. "Firstly, stop saying that, because it's not true. Look I'm almost home. I'll see you soon."

Booth flipped his phone shut and drove a little faster.

Booth walked into the kitchen to find his wife cleaning frantically.

"Bones, stop. Tell me what happened."

She gave him an exasperated look.

"Please? Help me put it in context."

"This is your fault," she accused him.

"What? What did I do?"

"You let her eat whatever she wants when she's with you. I try to feed her healthy food, and I'm the evil guy."

"Bad guy, Bones."

"Whatever!"

"Ok, ok, sorry. Look she doesn't hate you, she was probably mad because you didn't let her do what she wanted."

Brennan sighed. "I understand that that is why she is mad, but she wouldn't have said it in the heat of the moment unless it was something she was already feeling."

"No, that's not true. Kids tell their parents thing like that all the time. It doesn't mean anything. Do you want me to talk to her?"

"Do what you wish. I'm going to go out. I need to get my mind off things," she said turning to gather her things.

"Don't do that," he told her grabbing her arm gently.

"Don't do what?"

"Hide. Go to work, and exhaust yourself, rather than dealing with your emotions. She's still young. She needs guidance and needs understand what she did wrong, and why it is wrong."

Brennan looked at him, and he could read all the hurt in her eyes. "Please just let me go... I need to be by myself."

"Ok," he said, but not before he pulled her into a hug.

Booth sat on the couch watching television. He was waiting a while before going in to see Jacqueline, not wanting to impede on Brennan's punishment of sending her to her room.

"Hi daddy," he heard, and turned to see his daughter standing at the doorway.

"Hey, Jackie," he said giving her a sort of sad half smile.

"Where's mommy?" she asked looking around, a bit nervously.

"She went out for a while. She wanted some time to herself."

"You mean she went to work?"

"Probably."

Jacqueline didn't move or say anything for a long moment.

"I guess you heard what happened?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Are you mad at me too?" she asked frowning, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

"I'm not mad, but I am very disappointed in your behaviour," he told her honestly. "The way you treated your mother was completely uncalled for. We did not raise you to be disrespectful."

Jacqueline began to sob. "I know. I'm so sorry," she told him. "I didn't mean it. I don't know why I said it."

"Come here baby," he said holding out his arms. She walked over to him, and he lifted her onto his lap.

"I'm not who you need to apologize to. Look Jacqueline, I understand that you didn't mean what you said, but you're almost 8 now. It's old enough to know that you have to control your emotions. Telling someone you hate them are very strong words."

She nodded her head against his chest.

"I didn't mean it, I swear."

"I know you didn't, sweetheart."

"Mommy must be so mad at me."

"No, she's not mad at you," he told her honestly.

"Then why did she leave?" she asked pulling back to look at Booth's face.

"She's mad at herself."

"Why?" Jacqueline was truly surprised by this. "She didn't do anything wrong!"

"Well, you know that, and I know that... but your mom doesn't always think the same way we do. She's hurting. She thinks that she did something wrong. Something to make you hate her, so she's mad at herself."

"When is she coming home?"

"I don't know Jackie. Probably late." If at all, he thought.

"Can I call her?"

"If you would like, but I think you should wait until you see her to apologize."

"Ok. I'll go back to bed."

"Do you want something to eat first? You must be hungry."

"No thanks. I don't want anything." She was too upset to eat.

"Ok goodnight sweetheart. Everything will be ok," he hugged her again.

"You're home," Booth said, surprised that it wasn't even midnight.

Brennan shrugged. "I didn't want to sleep in me office."

"I'm glad. Jackie wanted to talk to you."

She looked at him, trying not to show her relief. "She did?"

"Of course she did. What did you think? That this was the end of your relationship?" he joked, and then regretted it immediately.

"Oh Bones. Come on... You couldn't have really thought... Really?"

"I didn't know what to think! We've never fought like that. She's never spoken to me like that..."

"Bones, it was a silly fight..."

"I know! But a lot kids have bad relationships with their parents. It has to start somewhere," she explained to him.

"Well not us. We worked too hard to get here. You and me, and Jacqueline. We won't let that happen, right?"

Brennan gave him a small smile.

"Right?" he repeated.

"Right".

"Mommy?" Jacqueline asked. She had heard her mother open her door.

"Yes."

"I'm so sorry!" Jacqueline exclaimed starting to cry again. "I didn't mean what I said. I don't hate you."

Brennan wasted no time in moving towards her daughter. Jacqueline stood up on her bed as her mother lifted her into her arms.

"It's ok, there's no need to cry, baby."

"You're the best mom, and I understand if you punish me for the rest of my life."

Brennan smirked. "I don't think that punishment would quite fit the crime. But you will be doing extra chores for the next week."

"That's ok. I deserve it."

"Oooh, you're getting too big for me to carry you like this," she said placing Jacqueline back down on the bed. "Now come on, it's past your bedtime."

Jacqueline laid down obediently. "I love you Mommy. I could never hate you."

"I love you too princess. I always have and I always will. No matter what, always remember that."

"Okay," Jacqueline said yawning.

Brennan kissed her head and left the room.

"Did you work everything out?"

"Yes, we did."

"Good. I knew you would."

"You did, huh?" she smiled.

"Of course! I know everything," he said smiling cockily.

"Oh yeah? What else do you know?" she teased climbing onto him so that she was straddling his lap.

"That I'm about to get lucky," he smiled leaning in for a kiss.

Brennan let out a seductive laugh, as she proved him right.

Hope you like it! Let me know!