Brennan sighed as she walked in her office. She hadn't slept well even though Booth had been there with her. She had told him about what had happened at dinner with her brother but he hadn't been much help. He had only told her that it was up to her to decide what she wanted to do but that no matter what her decision would be, he would be there for her. Knowing that he would support her no matter what had comforted her a little bit but she still didn't know what to do.

She turned on her computer to check her e-mails, as she did every morning. As she waited she mentally went over her to-do list for today. There were still some unknown soldiers from World War II to identify, she was bound to have to assist a few new anthropologists in their examinations and she would also have a bit of time to work on her book.

She logged on the Internet and checked her e-mails. She had none.

She got up and was about to leave her office when she bumped into Angela.

"Hey Sweetie, how are you? You look tired." Her friend said.

"I didn't sleep well last night."

"Oh! Did you and Booth...?"

"Ange! No!"

"Then what's wrong?"

Brennan turned around and went to sit on her couch. Angela followed her and Brennan told her everything her brother had said at dinner the night before. Angela listened quietly, never once interrupting her. She only nodded from time to time like to tell her friend that she was still listening.

"So basically I don't know what to do. What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

"I'd give it a try."

"I can't take care of four children!"

"Have you ever tried?"

Brennan said no.

"Then try it. You never know, it might work out. Besides it's only for two months and Booth is going to be there. He knows what to do."

"But my apartment is way too small. How on Earth am I supposed to find space for all of them?"

"Hmmm, this could be tricky but I'm sure you can work something out. You have a pull out couch. You and Booth can sleep there while the kids take your bedroom. Maybe some days you could over to Booth's place. There's more space, you too would have a room and the kids could sleep in Parker's empty one."

"You talk like Booth and I are a couple."

"That's because you are."

"No we're not."

"Really? Then tell me. Do you many coworkers who sleep over at one's apartment for two days in a row, in the same bed, if I might add?"

She had to agree with Angela. It wasn't that common but it had only been for two days. Booth probably wouldn't sleep over tonight. She felt her heart ache at that thought. No she couldn't feel this way just because Booth was not sleeping over. She had to pull herself together.

She changed the subject back to her brother.

"What should I do?"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Booth walked in his office looking rather tired. Bones hadn't slept well the night before and neither had he. He had tried to calm her down, to make her relax. He had given her a small massage but he had been so tired that it hadn't lasted long. She woke him up every time she had turned around in the bed and after a couple of hours of tossing and turning, he had finally grabbed her, had put his left arm around her and had held her captive in his arms for the rest of the night. She had finally fallen asleep for good around 3:00 am, three hours before they had to wake up.

He was just sitting down at his desk when his phone rang.

"Agent Booth."

"Hi Agent Booth. I'm glad I was finally able to reach you. Sorry to be calling so early in the morning. I'm William Johnson, from the Westminster Police. I heard that you were looking for the cop investigating James's and Paulina Brennan's disappearance."

"Yes, as a matter of fact I was." Booth replied.

"I was the one who investigated it. I'm retired now. Maybe I could come over to your office some time today?"

"Sure, that would be great. Shall we say around 10:00?"

William Johnson agreed.

After they hung up, Booth laughed. Bones had said that the cop had been named Howard or Hawthorne. She had been far from Johnson.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

William Johnson knocked on Booth's door at exactly 10:00. Booth invited him in and the two men shook hands. They both sat down in the respective chairs. Johnson placed a file on the desk and opened it. Booth looked up at it and saw the same two pictures that were in his own files but also pictures of other people he didn't know. Family members, probably.

"I interviewed a lot of people back then, neighbors, friends, coworkers, and they all said the same thing. James and Paulina Brennan were extraordinary people, always ready to help and so kind. They said that the Brennans liked to be spontaneous and would often leave for a couple of days. I told all of them that their car had been found in a remote area and that they were nowhere to be seen. They were all surprised by this piece of information.

Dr. James Brennan was a really well-known university professor. His students loved him and were really affected by his death. Paulina worked in a hospital, in the children's ward, as a nurse. The children absolutely adored her, there were no denying that."

"As you might know now, the remains of Mr. And Mrs Brennan had been discovered in a wood just outside of Westminster. Is it possible that a parent of one of her patients' could have murdered her out of jealousy?" Booth asked.

"I hardly doubt that."

"Which university did Dr. Brennan work for?"

"He was a law professor at the University of Maryland, in Baltimore."

"And how about Mrs Brennan? Which hospital did she work in?"

"She worked from the Carroll County General Hospital, in Westminster, but I don't see how this is relevant to the case. I already told you that none of the parents of her patients could have killed her."

"This is just for general information, that's all. What else did you find out?"

William Johnson went on telling him everything that he had learned and the more Booth listened to the man, the more he got frustrated. Everything that Johnson was telling him, except maybe for a few details here an there, he already knew. This was going nowhere.

There were only two people that Johnson had found suspicious.

"They acted really weird before and during their interview."

"Got any names?" Booth asked, taking a pen and his notepad.

"Yes. A woman named Brenda Prescott and a man named Don Edwards."

"I've heard of Brenda Prescott. She was the Brennan kids' nanny."

"Yes."

"Tell me about her first."

"If you ask me, she was the weirdest one of all. She seemed so calm, didn't break down when we told her that we had found the Brennans' car and that the Brennans had disappeared. We were able to reach her four days after their car had been found. She said that she had gone out of state for a while to visit her sister and that she had just come home. I told her that I needed to ask her some questions and she said that she would gladly answer them. I asked her if I could go over to her place later in the afternoon and she told me that it would be impossible. She was going out for some errands but if I wanted to she could stop by the police station and answer the questions there. I didn't think much at the time and I agreed. She came over, I asked her a few questions, she answered them honestly and then she left."

"What questions did you ask her?"

"Well you know the drill, Agent Booth. I asked her where she was the night the Brennans disappeared. She told me that she had been home. She also mentioned that the Brennans had stopped by her place, they had talked for a while but then they had left. When I asked her what time she said that it was around 1:00 am in the morning. I asked her what they talked about and she replied that they had mostly talked about the past, that the Brennans had finally explained to her why they had shut her completely out of their lives. They reminisced, drank a little bit then the Brennans decided that it was late and that they should get going."

"That's it?"

"That's all she said to me."

"What about the other guy?"

"Don Edwards worked with Paulina in the hospital. He was the pediatrician in the hospital. He admitted to being insanely in love with Paulina but that it was unrequited."

"What was so weird about him?"

"He had the same reaction as Ms. Prescott. He didn't cry, didn't get emotional, nothing. He answered the questions in a matter-of-fact tone and left."

This Don Edwards was reminding Booth of someone.

"Where was he the night of the disappearance?"

"He said he was working."

"Did the story check out?"

"Not really. He had worked, yes, but his shift ended around midnight. And if we take into consideration that the Brennans disappeared after they left Brenda Prescott's house, then he wasn't at work."

Booth rubbed the side of his head. This was getting so complicated.

"Brenda Prescott and Don Edwards, are they sill alive?"

"I'm pretty sure they are. Don Edwards and Brenda Prescott were the same age. They would only be 60 years old today. It's worth a shot but I doubt you'll learn something new if you interview them."

"Yeah well it's worth the shot."

Booth thanked the retired cop for all of his information. Johnson got up, the men shook hands once again, and the cop left the office.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Brennan walked in her apartment she was surprised to find Booth already in the kitchen, making supper.

"How did you get in?" she asked him.

"I made myself a key." He replied, uncomfortable.

He felt just like a kid who had been caught sneaking cookies into his room when he knew he wasn't aloud cookies after bedtime.

"Oh." Brennan replied, calmly.

"You don't mind?" he asked her, relieved and a bit surprised.

"Not really." She replied. "What are you making?"

"Well it's not much. It's only chicken, scalloped potatoes and peas."

"Thank you Booth, that's pretty sweet of you. How long before it's ready?"

"I'd say another twenty minutes maybe."

"Fine. I'm going to take a bath."

Brennan left for the bathroom. Booth heard the water running and smiled. He could get used to living with her. When she returned, twenty minutes later, Booth was putting down the plates on the table.

"Perfect timing, Bones." He told her as she sat down.

Booth sat down beside her and they both started eating. They were both starved so they ate silently for a couple of minutes.

"I called my brother today." Brennan finally said.

"And?"

"I told him I'd take his kids for the summer."

"Honey that's great!"

He sounded genuinely happy about it and it made her feel better. She had had second thoughts on the whole thing after calling her brother but now she knew for sure that Booth would keep his promise and be there for her. She didn't think she'd be able to do this alone.

"I have a new lead in my investigation." He told her.

"Really?"

Her heart was racing and she wasn't sure if she was still hungry. She would get the weird feeling in stomach whenever Booth would mention her parents' case. She pushed her plate away from her.

"Yes. The cop who investigated in your parents' disappearance back in Westminster stopped by today. He gave me all of the information that he had managed to gather. You wouldn't happen to know a man named Don Edwards, would you?"

"No, not that I can remember. Why? Who is he?"

"He was a pediatrician at your mom's hospital. Apparently he was madly in love with her."

"Never heard of him."

"Well I managed to track him down. Him and Brenda Prescott."

He watched out for her reaction. She had none.

"Why do you want to interview Brenda?"

"Her and Don Edwards are the only people alive today who might have a connection with your parents' murder. Brenda Prescott told investigators that your parents visited her the night they disappeared."

"Brenda is incapable of killing anyone."

"Maybe so but I still need to interview her."

"Let me come."

"No. Do I need to remember that you have been kicked out of the investigation?" he asked.

Brennan didn't fight it. She knew this was an argument she wasn't going to win. Booth smiled at her and pushed her plate back towards her.