GRAVE MISTAKES

Temperance and Harding arrived at the lab in silence, she had very carefully tucked her feelings of weakness and fear beneath a cool blanket of quiet thoughtfulness, and as Harding pulled into the parking garage, Temperance thought it important to speak up at that point. "I'm not a weak person, Agent Harding." She said with a cool, even tone, her eyes focusing on the side of his face as he nodded and pulled into the parking spot labeled with Doctor Brennan's name.

"I understand." He replied, knowing that the best thing he could do in this situation was just accept her behavior. He was still new to the city, new to the process of the D.C. office's protocol and procedures, and he also knew that Doctor Brennan was vulnerable. He knew that she wasn't weak, but he also knew that if he acknowledged that fact out loud, she would see it as him speaking her words, and not his own. It was just best to state that her behavior was understood. He assumed that the answer was enough for her, because she said nothing else as she climbed from the vehicle.

Harding pulled the keys from the ignition and climbed out as well, walking around the car, he handed Temperance her car keys. She nodded and slipped them into her bag, increasing her pace slightly as they approached the elevators. They didn't speak as they took the elevators up to the lab, and as they walked through the doors, Temperance was about four steps in front of Harding, not looking back for a second, she headed directly for her office.

"Doctor Brennan…" Cam said, watching the forensic anthropologist breeze past her with a cold, determined look on her face, she disappeared into her office. "Agent Harding." Cam nodded as Harding gave her a polite smile, he slowed, glanced toward Temperance's office, and came to a stop beside Cam. "How is the investigation going?"

"It's going well… I mean, we talked to the parents of the two children and…"

"I actually meant Doctor Brennan. How is she holding up?" Cam asked, a friendly tone in her voice, though she appeared to be concerned for the doctor.

"She's doing well." He nodded, as Temperance stepped out of her office, now in a lab coat, she walked past the two of them without saying a word and climbed the platform with a swipe of her card. "She thought it best to get back to the lab before the afternoon." He said with a polite nod, as there was a sudden commotion on the platform.

"Doctor Saroyan?" Temperance said with a cold look about her face, almost angry, as soon as Cam looked up at her, she continued. "Who arranged the remains?" She asked, waiting for the answer.

"Your intern… Campbell…"

"Tyler Campbell?" Temperance asked, noting the nod from Cam, her jaw set and her eyes narrowed.

"Is there a problem, Doctor Brennan?" Cam asked curiously as she watched the doctor's eyes shift slightly in thought, before snapping back to hers.

"The humerus on the girl's remains… Celeste Adams… it's not hers."

"What do you mean it's not hers?"

"I mean, that bone, doesn't go with her body." Temperance said as she looked into Cam's eyes.

"You're sure?" Cam asked, knowing she didn't have to ask that question, but the surprise had truly gotten to her.

"I'm positive." Temperance replied.

"That means we have a third body." Harding whispered, if only to himself, Temperance's eyes met up with his.

"Agent Harding… you should have the FBI looking in…"

"Junkyards through the city." He nodded.

"Also, missing child reports… between two weeks and a month… between eight and ten years old." Brennan said as Harding nodded, walking quickly toward the door. Just as he reached the door he sighed in realization, he turned around and noted that Brennan was on the platform still, but she had focused back on the bodies.

"Agent Harding… you look a little lost." Angela said with a smile as she walked in right behind Harding as he stood staring at the platform.

"Uh…" he said softly. "Yeah… I kind of left my car at Doctor Brennan's house… she brought me here, and…"

"You need a ride to go get your car?" Angela asked, laughing slightly as she nodded in understanding at her friend's thoughtlessness when it came to the FBI agent's transportation.

"Would you mind?" he asked, glancing to the platform and to Angela again.

"No problem…" She laughed as she nodded toward the door and followed Harding out of the lab into the hallway. "You wouldn't be the first agent that Brennan has left stranded at the Jeffersonian." She laughed, walking out toward Angela's car, they laughed.

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Temperance stood over the bodies for several minutes, looking over the discrepancies in the humerus, pulling it from the skeletal of the child that it had been improperly placed within, she stepped to the side and set it on its own table alone.

She stared at the pristine bone lying by itself on the lighted table, the small arm bone belonging to yet another victim. She could feel her stomach clenching as she stared at it as she took a slow, deep breath, trying to calm herself as she thought of the fact that it once belonged to a child, a small, innocent child who had hopes, dreams, and a future and was suddenly, just another piece of a puzzle that she had to put together.

Temperance could feel the tightness in her throat, the way her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as she tried to remain calm, rational about the situation. The truth was, however… that there was nothing rational about killing anyone, least of all a child. She was conflicted with her feelings, her heart heavy as she tried to find some way to keep her feelings at bay. She took another slow, deep breath as she clenched her jaw.

"I… will… be right back." She whispered as she turned from the table and walked toward the steps.

"Where are you going, Doctor Brennan? Agent Harding just left to get the missing persons report, I thought you were going to analyze the…" Cam said as she watched the forensic anthropologist climb down the steps, turning around as she looked up at her.

"I have… to take a walk. I need some air. When Harding gets that information, call me on my cell. I just… I have to go talk to someone." She said as she turned toward her office, pulling her lab coat off as she disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

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Harding sat quietly in Angela's car, his thoughts were on the passing scenery, and he could feel Angela's eyes on him now and then as she drove. "Sweetie… you can't take it personally."

"What?" He asked, turning his head toward Angela, his eyebrows raised in question. "Take what personally?"

"Brennan, and the way she treats people."

"I'm not taking anything personally. Doctor Brennan has been professional and cordial, helpful in every way." He nodded.

"Except for the fact that she left you stranded at the Jeffersonian." Angela replied with a knowing smile.

"One, minor infraction." He replied. "But…" He said, pointing toward her as he nodded. "I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. She's under a lot of stress, she hasn't been in the field in a while… and since then… well, she has more responsibilities."

"How very sensitive of you." Angela said in a tone that was nearly dripping with sarcasm. She noted that the man was almost smiling as he stared out the window, and seemed genuinly happy for the most part. "What's your deal, anyway?" She asked, their eyes locking for a second before she focused her attention back on the road. "Usually Brennan makes a scathing comment that sends most agents running in the first hour of being near her."

He chuckled slightly at her reply, and shook his head. "So you're her best friend, huh?"

Angela laughed. "Yeah." She nodded. "You didn't answer my question. What's your deal? Where did you come from, and are there more like you?"

Harding let out a full laugh, and a smile that reached his eyes as he shook his head. "I'm from Philly… maybe I am like this just because I don't know what else I'm supposed to do, other than catch the murderer… and maybe it has to do with working with people who know a hell of a lot more about it than I do. Everything happens for a reason…"

"So you're saying that Brennan forcing you to leave your car at her place has some sort of purpose in the cosmic sense of the world… some kind of divine calling that will lead you to the killer of those children?" Angela said in a laughing, nearly sarcastic tone as she pulled up behind the SUV on the street in front of Brennan's apartment.

"You never know." He shrugged, a charming smile on his lips as he gripped the files in his hands and reached for the door handle. "What is one person's irrational thinking… is another person's holy grail." He said as he climbed from the car. "Thanks again for the ride."

"It is no problem, Agent Harding. I look forward to seeing you later." She said, smiling as he waved and closed the door, taking a step back, she pulled from the curb and drove off, leaving Harding in the street beside his car. He approached it and reached into his pocket for his keys, looking up, he immediately noticed the colorful object on his windshield, tucked neatly beneath the wiper.

"Deuce, I swear to God." He shook his head as he reached for the object and lifted it up. Crafted neatly of two playing cards was a shark shaped oragami. He held up the crafted piece of art, noting the numbers and suits of the cards. "Nine… five, of spades…" He whispered to himself, trying to figure out the clue as he held the paper animal in his hand. "Shark… nine… five…" He mumbled to himself. "Spades… dirt… grave… " He whispered. Finally, the message was clear to him. The first clue had been an origami dog… the poker chip in its mouth represented Booth. Dog… fetch. Someone wanted him to fetch Booth's file and find out what the shark was about… Shark… and it finally dawned on him. September fifth.

September 5, 2002- Just outside Philadelphia, PA

Booth sat at the table across from the other agent, both dressed in t-shirts and jeans, he could feel the damp coolness of the fall air seeping through the walls of the back room of the bar. There was the stench of stale beer and cigars hanging in the air. He had been the kid's partner for less than a month when they had been sent on this assignment, and he was incredibly green, naïve, and almost nervous. He had one thing going for him, though on this assignment, he was one hell of a poker player. In preparation for the assignment, he had nicknamed the kid 'Ace', he was young and cocky and had a lot of life experience, even if he didn't know his limits. Booth had taken him under his wing, showed him the ropes, and had even acquired his nickname from his younger friend. In the preparation of this case, he and Ace had become close, learning from one another and developing a rapport similar to that of brothers. Booth glared across at the kid one more time, wishing he could wipe the smarmy look off his face.

"I fold." Booth said as he tossed his cards onto the table, glaring at the kid as he grinned brightly at him. Booth had hit his lowest point years earlier, and was a recovering gambler, but as soon as this opportunity arose for him to pose as a poker player for the undercover sweep, an attempt to catch one of the biggest gangsters in Philadelphia, he took it.

Armando "Shark" Gomez.

The game continued for several minutes, and Booth found his mind wandering slightly, the conversation was becoming a bit shorter and angrier, the banter was not simply banter anymore, and before he could even react, Shark had his hand around Ace's neck and was pushing him off his chair, sending him flying backwards into the wall. Booth reacted as well as he could, pulling his gun and attacking his partner's assailant.

The melee was uncontrollable and angry, and there were fists flying and head butting. Chairs and cards, chips were everywhere, and when the fighting was through, one man lay dead of a gunshot.

Booth stood over the dead gangster, his gun trained on the other members who were threatening to attack. Ace lie nearly unconscious, though alive behind him. Suddenly, backup came slamming through the doors with guns blazing, rounding up and shipping out the remainder of the gangsters in the room, as Booth stumbled backwards, tired and wiped from the altercation, he landed beside his partner.

"Thanks, Deuce." Ace muttered to his partner as he held up his knuckles to the slightly older man, he laughed. "But I could have taken care of that myself…" He said as Booth rapped his knuckles.

"Yeah, right… he almost snapped you like a twig." Booth laughed, as they waited for the EMTs to arrive, relieved that they had survived the assignment.

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Harding held the delicate animal in his hand as he shook his head, swallowing hard, he prayed that the clues weren't a trick. Though in his mind, all he could hear was Antonia's voice, confirming that Deuce was indeed alive. With a quick move toward the driver's seat, and the intent of retrieving his former partner's file, along with the research that was required by Doctor Brennan, Harding hit the siren on his car and slammed his foot on the gas, making his way toward the cemetery. He hoped that the trip wouldn't be in vain, and that the visit to this murderer's grave would lead him in the right direction. And though Doctor Brennan's orders for the missing persons reports were still in his mind, he knew in his heart that capturing the murderer of the man she loved was probably also on her list of priorities.