"How could you just let someone walk off with a student? How in any way is that safe?" Brennan glared at Miss Taylor and the principal of the school as she practically shook with rage.
"Dr. Brennan, I assure you…"
"No! Don't you understand? Someone has abducted my step-son at your school while under supervision. There is absolutely no assurance you can give me or Parker's parents that will answer for what has happened." Brennan turned on her heel and walked away from the school staff as she pulled out her cell phone. She took a deep breath and dialed Booth's number.
"Booth."
"Seeley, Parker's gone."
"What do you mean he's gone?" Brennan could hear panic underlying the calm tone to his voice. She knew that whatever level of control he had at the moment was about to snap.
"I showed up at his school to pick him up, but he's not here. Someone's taken Parker."
"No, there has to be a mistake. He has to be there. Did you check classrooms, the bathroom, maybe the playground?"
"We've looked everywhere. The police are on their way now. His teacher, Miss Taylor thinks she knows who he's with, so an officer is on their way over to the house to see if she's correct."
"I'm on my way." Brennan looked at the phone and flipped it shut when it became obvious that Booth hung up his end. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath to fight off a wave of nausea. Parker was gone amidst all of the turmoil going on. She sat down in a chair as she took long, slow breaths. It wouldn't do for her to lose control of her emotions or her ability to think clearly.
The girl Cindy said that Mrs. Troyer left with Parker, but Parker had better sense than to just leave especially after the fiasco with Howard Epps. Brennan's stomach turned again. Though she and Booth were a long time away from their current relationship when Howard Epps escaped from prison, she'd never been more scared than she was when Booth realized that the crazed serial killer went after his son. In the end, it took weeks before Parker was over his fear of the park and carousel.
Now he was in the hands of someone who thought he was a dead boy. Brennan's stomach turned again and she rose quickly, running for a trashcan. As soon as Booth arrived then they could track down Mrs. Troyer and get Parker back, but until then, it would be a waiting game. Her stomach empty, she sat down on the floor of the auditorium and leaned her head against the wall. This was not the time for her health to get in the way.
XxXxX
"Charlie, get me all of the information you can on everyone with the last name Troyer in New Jersey."
"Booth, do you know how long that list could be?"
"I don't give a shit. Someone has my son and I don't trust the local PD to cover all the bases."
"You know you shouldn't be looking into this…"
"Say that to me again Charlie." Booth clenched his jaw as a vein throbbed in his forehead. His son was gone. Someone took his son and planned to do god knows what with him. "Come on, say it again."
"I'm just trying to look out for you man. You know you're already on thin ice with Cullen and the review board and I'd hate to see you lose it and lose everything."
"Just get me that list god damn it." Booth ended the conversation and threw his phone onto the passenger seat of his car. This couldn't be happening again, not with Parker. He clenched his teeth together tighter as his head began to pound. He didn't care about policy, didn't care what would happen to him. If anything happened to his son then Mrs. Troyer was a dead woman.
He brought his car to a screeching halt in the parking lot of the school, got out and rushed across the campus to the auditorium. Around the perimeter of the school, news vans were beginning to show up, no doubt reporting on the disappearance of his son. Well maybe in this respect the press could actually be of some help.
Booth passed by the playground, vaguely aware of the one swing blowing in the wind as he continued on his path. When he reached the auditorium, Booth shoved the doors open and stormed into the building. He immediately spotted Mr. Lockhart and Miss Taylor.
"What the hell do you think you were doing letting someone walk off with my son? Is Mrs. Troyer a contact on his emergency list? No. You'd better have a damn good explanation for this because I will have your job for this." Mr. Lockhart opened and closed his mouth for a moment, but had no response. Booth's hands clenched tightly as a muscle in his jaw jumped.
"Mr. Booth I didn't know that she left with him," Miss Taylor began, but was cut off by Booth.
"You were in here and in charge of the kids in this room. That means that they do not leave without a parent or other approved person. I don't fucking care if the Dalai Lama himself was in here, no child should be leaving with him unless he's on their emergency contact list." Booth felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Temperance. At her pale appearance, concern shot through him competing with the anger there.
"Booth, this isn't solving a thing. Let's take a minute to sort through the facts so we can get Parker back." He looked from her to the school staff before addressing the principal.
"This isn't over, you got that?" As Brennan's hand closed around his own, he walked away reluctantly. The school staff put a child in danger and he wasn't going to stand for it. Brennan got him outside of the building and guided him over to a bench that was near the playground. Once they were both seated, she took a breath and put a hand to his cheek to make sure that he kept his gaze on hers.
"I'm certain that you're feeling lost and helpless in this situation, but you need to stay detached if we're going to find Parker."
"Of course you'd say we need to stay detached, but this is my son Bones. There's no way to just turn off the emotion switch in this situation."
"You were a sniper Booth. I know you have the ability and had to use it when you killed a target, so get yourself together and turn off the emotions at least for a little while." Booth glared at her and ripped himself away from her and started to pace. After a moment he put his hands on his hips and loomed over her.
"I'm not like you, okay? I can't just turn my emotions on and off at will. You'd understand if you were a parent. Jesus, this is like when we returned Donovan Decker to his father. You don't get it. You kept telling me to stay detached, but that's a little hard to do. It's my son we're talking about." Brennan stood up to face him, her nostrils flaring in anger.
"Yes, he's your son, and my stepson. Don't you dare tell me that I don't know what it's like to be a parent just because I've been at it for a lesser time than you."
"It's not like you want to stay that way. You're the one who wants the damned divorce, and it's not just you and me that are affected. You divorce me, you divorce Parker as well."
"Do you honestly think that I don't love him, that I don't love you? We're having a child together, one that I didn't think I could ever carry, and here you are accusing me of being cold and insensitive." Booth glared at her and moved away as he began to pace again. "If that's what you think of me then once you have Parker back then I'll call Sarah back to tell her to disregard what I said and continue to process the divorce papers. I don't need to be with someone who thinks I'm incapable of feeling." Damn it all but tears were gathering in her eyes. Brennan swiped at her eyes, willing herself to not cry. She was not going to let him see how much she wasn't in control at that moment. Seeley kept his back to her for a moment longer before turning and pulling her into his arms. They clutched at each other desperately, clinging as though the other was a lifeline.
"I don't know what I would do if you left too," Booth mumbled into her hair. He took a deep breath and pulled away from her slightly to look her in the eye. "Okay so we need to handle this like any investigation. Cullen's most likely going to pull me from the investigation and we need to see what we can find out before then."
"You've spoken to Douglas Keller's mother already, but I think we should speak to her again. She'd have more information on her sister than anyone else. Then I think you should let me work with whoever will replace you on the case because you need to be there for Rebecca."
"No, we're in this together, all three of us. Anything we learn will be learned together, got it?" Brennan nodded and leaned into Booth's chest once more. She imagined that this was how Booth felt when Epps had Parker with him, this helplessness and anger. Her stomach twisted once more but she fought down the bile rising in her throat. They had work to do and getting sick would just get in the way.
XxXxX
"I don't know how you got out of the basement Dougie, but you're not going to get out this time." Ruth Troyer dragged Parker by the arm through the house.
"My name isn't Dougie, it's Parker. I want my daddy." Parker wailed and fought against the older woman with all his might. Ruth looked at him, her eyes wild and a smile on her face that was just this side of crazy.
"Then it's a good thing you'll be with him." Ruth wrenched open a door and pushed Parker inside before slamming it shut again. As Parker began to pound on the door, he heard the sound of several locks snapping into place.
"Let me out! I promise I won't say anything. Please, I just want my daddy." The little boy rattled the doorknob and hit the door for a few moments until it became obvious that Ruth wasn't going to let him out. A shuffling sound from below made him turn however. His heart pounded as the shuffling came closer accompanied by rattling breath.
"Who's there? Ruth, is that you?" From the darkness below, a man emerged. He was pale, almost white from lack of sun. His skin hung off of his frame, and his ribs showed just beneath the surface. With hollow eyes, the man looked up at Parker before fear flashed through them. "Dougie I didn't know she had you! Please, I didn't know. Don't hurt daddy. I didn't know, I swear I didn't know."
XxXxX
"Tragedy befell Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth today when their son, Parker Booth was abducted from his elementary school today. While police haven't released any names in the investigation, it's believed that they have a suspect in mind." Max Keenan stared at the television, eyes wide and mouth open in shock at the news report. Russ sat next to him, his face a match in disbelief. "The same person responsible for Parker's abduction is also believed to be behind the death of Douglas Keller whose remains were discovered yesterday in the basement of the Booth's residence."
"Russ, I'm going up there. Someone needs to help look for that little boy."
"I'm going with you."
XxXxX
"…this tragedy comes on the heels of good news for Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth. Just as their divorce was called off and the announcement of her pregnancy, their son is taken. Our thoughts go out to the Booths as police look into Parker's disappearance."
"Yeah mom, I'm watching the news now." Jared Booth turned off the television and leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees as he spoke to his mother via cell phone. "I don't give a shit if Seeley's still not talking to us; I'm not going to sit here on my keyster while my nephew is missing. Someone's got to help look for Parker… Yeah, I'll be over to pick up you and dad. I didn't figure you'd want to stay at home and worry." Jared concluded the call with his mother and hung up the phone. Regardless of the hard feelings that had developed in the family over the years, he was there for his brother. Besides, he thought, Seeley could probably use all the law enforcement help he could get right now.
