A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has read this little story so far! You mean so much to me and I'm so happy you've been liking it! Also, keep in mind that this is fiction so while I want it to be as 'real' as possible, I'm also using some creative freedom as I go to help the storyline develop. Okay, okay, let's keep going, shall we?
The rest of October passed by without mishap. Hayley was released from the hospital and was recovering well. She still had weekly check-ups but being home with her family helped her emotional recovery significantly. Brennan and Booth had video-called her after a few days of her being home which had played a huge role in helping Hayley refind some semblance of normalcy. The Brennan-Booth family settled into life with a puppy, one Brennan and Booth thought would have been a little more difficult, but Shepsky proved to be a little trouper. Booth had even started teaching him basic training tricks. Christine and Hank loved Shepsky and spent as much time as they could outside with him. With Booth's test coming back negative, he was free to run errands again, not that he didn't mind Brennan going out, he just didn't want her coming back home with any more fur babies. Especially since they were still trying for a baby, depending on when they conceived, Booth thought it'd be better if they didn't also have to be overly worried about another puppy.
November blew in and the temperature started dropping. Thanksgiving was coming up and it would be very different than previous years. There certainly wouldn't be the usual Thanksgiving dinner Brennan and Booth hosted at their home. Russ wouldn't be coming down the next weekend with the kids before their usual trip to Amy's family. Angela and Hodgins wouldn't be doing their holiday game night to kick off the start of December. Normal was not in the books this year and for Booth and Brennan, it seemed like their version of normal would be further re-defined this year.
Aubrey sighed as he walked into the Hoover, scrubbing a hand over his face. He made an immediate detour to the break room and poured himself some coffee. Balancing the coffee, stack of files, and a carton of take-out breakfast from The Diner, he made his way to his office. The sight of fewer agents mulling around the bullpen still unnerved him. He knew it was best for them to keep everyone on a rotating shift schedule as much as possible but he still longed to see it as busy as it used to be.
He sat at his desk and opened the case file he had and began reading through the notes. In the past two years, there had been a string of homicides directly related to an underground drug mob the FBI had been trying to track down. Aubrey had been given the chance to be the head of the investigation upon Booth's and Caroline's recommendation. An opportunity that had made him feel important but one that also was driving him insane. Aubrey and Agent Shaw had identified the mob leader as Randall Kennings and they'd sent agents undercover to try and retrieve details but to no avail. A week ago, a body had washed up on the Anacostia River, pretty decomposed which landed it in Aubrey's hands and called for consultation with the Jeffersonian.
Jessica had been on rotation when the body washed up and the two of them had worked closely together on the case. After close analysis, Jessica and the other squints had been able to match the MO to that of the drug mob and since then, the case had been intense, giving Aubrey an opening he had been hoping for. Kennings' right-hand man Duran Price had apparently gone missing a few months ago and Aubrey had a sneaking suspicion that the set of remains lying in the Bone Room belonged to him. He had Shaw track down dental records or anything that could move an identification along but the hard thing about victims/suspects living a life undercover was that it was almost always impossible to ID them.
The Deputy Director had assigned additional agents for surveillance, sending them tracking movements, vehicles in question, anything that could lead them to a potential hideout meanwhile, Aubrey was waiting for the go-ahead so he could go in and put everything to rest.
He was just about to text Jessica to see if she had an update, he knew she had gone into the lab early today just as ready as him to put the whole ordeal to bed. But Agent Shaw knocked on his door as he picked up his phone.
"Aubrey. The Deputy Director needs to see you. ASAP."
Without missing a beat, Aubrey got up and headed to the office, not bothering with the elevator, he took two stairs at a time. Granted, he turned back and grabbed half of his egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich before he went up the stairs. Twenty minutes later, he was leaving with a warranty to search the property they had been canvasing the past three months and with backup from a SWAT team. The surveillance team had reported hearing wails and bangs coming from the house and called for an immediate search of the property. Aubrey was advised to have the Jeffersonian techs on standby for evidence retrieval once they secured the premises. He geared up with his weapons and Kevlar vest and called Jessica as he left the Hoover.
"Hey Superman, what's up?"
"Hey, get ready and tell the squints to meet us at the address I'm gonna text you. We're going in and I'm on my way to pick you up."
"Oh okay, are you sure you don't need to get there first? I can ride in the van."
"No. No… I'd rather have you with me so I know you're safe Jess… we still don't know who we're dealing with. It could be Kennings causing trouble. All we know is that surveillance got something and called it in."
Jessica nodded on the other side of the line before she remembered he couldn't see her nod and said yes. Things between her and Aubrey had been slowly getting back to normal since Karen left DC for a promotion in New York. And then with Aubrey staying in DC and Jessica taking on a larger caseload to help supplement her Ph.D. program, the two had been seeing each other quite a bit. While Jessica knew it would take some time for them to return to where they were, especially because of how she hurt him by breaking up so suddenly, she also found comfort in the fact that he still cared for her and wasn't pushing her or her friendship away. She gathered her things and prepped the other squints on what to bring and what was probably going down in the next few hours. She went outside to meet Aubrey and found him already waiting in the SUV.
"Hey, you ready?" Aubrey asked as Jessica got in.
"Yup, the van is all loaded. Agent Burns came a little while ago and is going to drive the van over and everyone else is riding along."
Aubrey nodded and pulled out of his parking space, opting to not turn on the sirens and make a huge fuss. He didn't know what situation they'd be walking in on and the surveillance team that was stationed a few feet away from the residence alluded to it being better if they went in quietly before making any huge noise. The two made small talk as they drove but they were mostly trying to not let their minds wander to the worst-case scenario. Pulling up behind the surveillance vehicles, Aubrey killed the ignition and noticed the SWAT team and the Jeffersonian team pulling in a few feet behind them. They took note of the ambulance that had also been called in. Nodding to Jessica, he got out when she gave him a small smile in response to his quiet request, "Stay here for now. I'll come and grab you when it's safe."
He joined the other agents waiting to go and led them towards the driveway. The property was pretty secluded and surrounded by bushes and trees that were beginning to yellow and change colors due to the cold fall weather. The nearest hint of civilization was about five miles out which made it a pretty good hideaway. The house was a two-story concrete building with a giant wooden door in the front. It didn't look like there were any other balconies save for the front verandah on the first level and the backyard appeared to be one big open field. He approached the front door and peered into the glass cut out in it but saw nothing. Aubrey motioned for the other agents to check the rest of the property's perimeter. Receiving an all-clear, they picked the lock on the door and filed in.
Blood splatter littered the floor of the living room and Aubrey winced as he took in the dead body slumped over the coffee table. A few of the other agents found two more bodies in the kitchen along with a cocaine-filled table. Not to mention the bags of cash that were lined against the wall. Aubrey followed two of the agents upstairs clearing it. Whoever had been here have found a way to clear out long before they got there. How? He had no idea unless the ones they found had turned on each other resulting in the bloodshed. He radioed in for the forensic team and techs to come in and begin evidence retrieval. Aubrey then ducked out of the house and jogged to his SUV to get Jessica who was already opening the door and talking to one of the Jeffersonian forensic techs.
"How bad is it?" she asked as the tech walked away and she pulled on her gloves and mask.
"Ehh, looks like a freaking bloodbath in the kitchen and living room. One of 'em probably turned on the others or whatever mix of that but, it's all clear besides that."
Jessica nodded as she followed Aubrey up to the house. "Well, let's hope we can get Dr. Saroyan to do the autopsies and then find something to tie this all together."
"You and me both."
Upon entry, Jessica scrunched up her nose and turned away. Her mask did nothing to hide the smell of death and misery. Generally, she loved what she did, bringing justice to families who needed it, to tell the stories of those who needed a voice; her job gave her a chance to do something with purpose. But even with that, the depth and gravity of death still struck her and it was the one part of it she didn't like. To be faced with the reality of one's own mortality daily was stifling. But on the flip side, it provided her with a sense of reverence for life, something that seemed so rare nowadays. She walked down the hallway, passed the bottom of the stairs, and was just about to turn into the kitchen when she heard it. Faintly over the sound of people's voices and camera flashes and the techs working.
Aubrey walked up behind her, concerned at her still state. "Hey, Jess, you okay?"
She held a finger up and turned around, walking back towards the staircase. She heard it again and took the steps two at a time, Aubrey following behind her. He motioned for another agent to trail behind.
"Jessica?"
"Do you hear that?"
"Hear what? We cleared up here only a few minutes ago."
"Shh… just listen."
They stood at the top of the stairs, eyes down, ears straining, and then it came, soft whimpering and hiccuping. She and Aubrey looked at each other.
"Oh my god… is that?" Aubrey trailed off. Jessica spun on heels and headed down the left hallway pausing by each door until she stopped three doors down. She looked up at Aubrey who was by her side the second she stopped. He swallowed hard and then pushed open the door. The room was dark and musty, almost as if the curtains and window had never been opened at all. Aubrey ran his hand on the wall looking for a light switch but found none so he turned on the flashlight he had. Jessica did the same and the two stepped further into the room.
A small table and what looked like a rocking chair sat in one corner of the room. A closet stood against the back wall, one of the doors slightly open and just a few feet before it lay a well-used crumply, musty mattress. As Jessica walked forward she heard the whimpering again, louder this time since they were in the room. She rushed over to the closet and flung open the door.
"Oh my God. Aubrey!" She called, not realizing Aubrey was right behind her. Jessica dropped to her knees the same time Aubrey turned around and yelled at the agent still at the door to get the paramedics upstairs and in the room immediately. Jessica handed over her flashlight to Aubrey and reached into the rectangular plastic hamper that was on the closet floor.
"Hey, shhh… it's okay little one, you're safe now… shhhh." She cradled the baby that was swaddled in old ripped towels in her arms who immediately turned closed into Jessica trying to find warmth and comfort. Aubrey cursed under his breath, he had thought the second floor was all clear but now, he was wondering how he could have missed the sound.
Jessica turned and looked up at him, "Hey, it's not your fault. It'll be okay." He nodded and stepped back as the paramedics walked in and gently took the baby from Jessica's arms. She stood and worriedly looked at Aubrey who had decided in that minute that they would be a) following the ambulance to the hospital and b) calling Caroline to join them because things just got a little more complicated.
Riding to the hospital was a blur of 'what the hell just happened' thoughts for Jessica and Aubrey. Jessica was asked to ride with the baby in the back of the ambulance. The baby had been whimpering and the paramedics figured if they could be someone there to provide comfort, the process would be a lot easier and smoother. Aubrey was going to follow the ambulance in his SUV, sirens on this time and as soon as they left the property, he called Caroline.
"Cher, now you better have a good reason for calling me right now. I am about to walk into a meeting with your boss about this whole drug mobster pie. Agent Shaw called in and found dental records to match, those bones in the lab are from Duran Price."
"I figured as much but… Caroline, listen, we found a baby on the scene."
"A baby… you mean a whole crying tiny human."
"Yes, Jessica is riding with the paramedics in the ambulance, they're heading over to Georgetown Hospital."
"Oh my god, as if this couldn't get any sticker."
"My sentiments exactly."
Caroline continued to ask Aubrey what all had gone down when they got there. After he filled her in, she made the note of calling the social worker that had worked child-involved cases with them before, to meet them at the hospital. She also told him that once they were done there, they would all have to meet back at the Hoover to discuss the next steps.
Three hours later, the social worker, Caroline, Jessica and Aubrey were back at the Hoover heading into the conference room on the Major Crimes floor. Aubrey had to duck out to take a call but the other three filed in, exhausted, and wanting answers. The on-call pediatrician had examined the baby at the hospital. Other than emotional distress and slight dehydration, the baby had been okay. Weighing in at 14 lbs, at an estimated four months old, the baby girl Jessica and Aubrey found was proving to be a little trouper. They still weren't sure of her name so Aubrey had called Agent Burns while they were still at the hospital and asked for him to look for a birth certificate or anything that would help them identify the baby.
The social worker had been ready to prepare the paperwork and get the baby into the system but Caroline held her hand up.
"Hang on a minute there cher. We still need to try and contact next of kin to see if there is any family whose care the baby can go into and even with that, this poor thing is caught right in the middle of a mess and I'll be damned if I let this sweet angel fall through the cracks."
"Ms. Julian is right," Jessica spoke up. "Even if we do find next of kin, we're going to have to proceed slowly cause chances are they're involved in the exact same frakked-up situation." She pulled a face as she looked at the baby who was now sleeping in the car seat that the social worker provided. How could this sweet innocent baby be brought into this mess?
Caroline nodded. "We're going to want to keep her close until we can locate family. It just doesn't make sense to me to involve more people than necessary."
Aubrey walked back into the conference. "I just got off the phone with Agent Burns. They located her birth certificate, Lily Noelle Price, is her name. Her mother was found dead in the living room and you wouldn't believe who the father is." He shared a look with Jessica.
"Lemme guess. The body we found washed up a week ago." Jessica supplied.
"Yup. Duran Price, Randall Kennings' right-hand man."
"Drug mobster Randall Kennings? The one we've been trying to bust?" Caroline asked.
"The one and only."
"Oh good Lord." Caroline sighed and shook her head.
"I don't wanna call this sweet pea evidence but umm I think it'd be best if we keep her close. There's no telling where Randall is, he wasn't confirmed as one of the bodies we found and if anything, he knows we're getting close. Organized Crime is forming a team as we speak and we're gonna go track him down."
The four adults shared a moment of silence that was interrupted by the soft coos of Lily. She was still fast asleep and looked to be caught up in her little dream world. Aubrey then got an idea, he wasn't sure if it'd work but he figured why not.
"We're not gonna simply put her in the system right?"
"Unless you can locate next of kin in the next few hours or find someone you are comfortable leaving her with, then yes, she'll go into the system and into emergency care."
Caroline turned and looked at Aubrey. She recognized that look in his face.
"Alright cherie, spit it out. What's on your mind?"
"Well, it may be a long shot but if we're trying to keep her close and also trying to locate good people to put her with. There's always Booth and Brennan."
I know, I know. Just stay with me and we'll see everything come together. I'm really excited because I can see a clear storyline for this little world here and I can't wait to keep writing. All my love!