The trio finished their lunch and Booth put his phone away and sighed. "They're gonna take longer on the truck, should have known." he said disappointed. Erin smiled at her mom, "We can give you a ride back to Hoover!" Erin offered. Booth smiled, "If it's no trouble. Is that alright, Bones?" he said as he placed his hand on top of her own. Brennan smiled, "It's more than alright." she said. Erin chuckled at the intimate display and got up from the table and led the way out of the diner. Booth and Brennan stayed back discussing work and the latest gossip between Angela and Hodgins. Booth soon realized they were headed to a car he had never seen before. Erin stood proudly next to her car and unlocked it, "Booth, this is my car. It just came in from Chicago. Do you like it?!" Erin asked as she opened her door and the passenger seat. Booth's eyes shoot wide, just like Brennan's when she first saw the car. "Bone's this is huge! Can you reach the pedals?" he asked with concern, filling his voice. Erin cocked her head to the side. "Of course, I can!" she said. "Do you wanna drive it?" she asked Booth. Brennan immediately spoke up, "Hey! As your mother, I should be the first person to drive it." she said as she took the keys from Erin's hand. Erin scoffed, "Geez, sorry mom. Go ahead." she said with amusement. Erin continued to look at Booth playing with her audio system, "Are we sure this is safe? Bones?" he asked again. Erin rolled her eyes in the back seat hearing the conversation between her mom and her partner. "Yes. While Erin drove I was calculating the width and space between her and the airbags. I noticed the material the car was made out of. So far I can say it's safe. Brakes are good too." Brennan said while driving.
Booth looked towards the back and smiled at Erin, "I have to admit, it's a very nice car. But, I do have one thing, I'd like to add," he said as he looked towards his partner for permission to speak. Brennan laughed, "Go ahead, Booth. Voice your concern." she said. He returned his gaze to Erin in the back seat. "No boys in that back seat." he said and then turned to his partner for confirmation. Brennan also turned her gaze to Erin's from the rearview mirror, "I agree with that." she said matter of factly. Erin placed her hands up in surrender, "Yes, I got it." and rest her head on the back of her head. Booth and Brennan shared a loving look and quickly turned to face the road. They dropped off Booth at Hoover and Erin returned to the front passenger seat. Erin turned her head to her mom, "I'm just gonna have to accept the fact that Booth will be a part of a lot of decisions involving my safety, huh?" and Brennan quickly glanced at Erin, "How would you feel If I said yes to that…" Brennan asked Erin. The thought never dawned on Brennan on how Erin would feel about Booth's overprotectiveness. She didn't want him to think Booth was attempting to replace her father. Erin placed her hands on her thighs, which Brennan assumed was the product of anxiety. "I kinda assumed that would be the case when I found out I was going to live with you. You both have been through a lot. I truly appreciate how protective of you he is...because you guys are partners. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you. Since I'm now a part of your life, it makes sense the extensive protective measures would also apply to me. It's just logical." Erin said. Brennan smiled at Erin and pulled into Erin's new spot at the apartment complex. "Well, your assumption was correct. We're a package deal to Booth because we've been partners for so is going to happen to me, Erin." Brennan responded as she turned off the car and gave Erin a quick kiss on the forehead. Brennan handed Erin her keys and walked to her car to move it where it belongs. Erin sat in her car and looked through her glovebox to check if her belongings were still there from the move. Everything was in order, until she discovered a new item. A card from her father, a 'Sweet 16' birthday card. She wanted to open it but it wasn't her birthday. Why would her dad have written her a birthday card an entire year in advance? She took the card and placed it in her bag and got out of her car to meet her mom at the entrance.
Brennan held the door open for her daughter, "We have uniforms to order. Come on." she said as she placed her hand on top of Erin's head. Erin rolled her eyes and made a disgruntled voice. "I better look cute in it and not like the dollar store version of a Gossip Girl character." Erin said as she selected the button on the elevator. Brennan was confused by the statement, "I'm not going to ask what that means but I'm assuming that would not be good. Erin, you will look great in your uniform. I'm sure of it." she said as she pulled her daughter out of the elevator. Brennan had purchased Erin's uniform and they both sat side by side on Brennan's bed with the laptop still on. Brennan headed to the main menu of her screen where she saw detailed reports of the news, important emails from the Jeffersonian, and reminders for her daily tasks. That's when Erin saw the headline, "Esteemed Northwestern Professor's Autopsy leaked." and Erin immediately sat up, "Mom! Click on that! Please! It's about dad." she said, her voice shaking. Her body temperature rose and the tears already began to swell in her eyes as she read the first line of the article,
"Dr. Michael Stiers autopsy revealed. Simple car crash? No. Not at all."
"What the fuck." She whispered and turned to face her mother.