AN: HERE IT IS! FINALLY! Yes, Chapter Six is here. I HAVEN'T DIED! And I haven't given up on this story, I have just been reallllllly busy! I had classes and finals and dentists appointments and funerals (I'm not kidding). Anyway, this chapter is mostly Booth/Brennan fluff, I couldn't resist. And really, if your cat had been horribly murdered, wouldn't you want Booth there comforting you? I would!
CHAPTER SIX
Tempe was inconsolable. Booth wrapped his arms around her while she clutched Bones's lifeless body to her chest and sobbed.
"I'm sorry babe." Booth whispered into her hair. "God, I'm sorry. But we will get this bastard."
"Promise me." Tempe whispered. "Promise me that we'll get this son of a bitch."
"I promise." Booth told her. He pressed his lips against her temple and tightened his hold on her, trying desperately to comfort her. But this was one pain that he couldn't save her from, one wound that he couldn't help heal.
"I'll get you a towel to wrap him in." Booth said quietly, kissing the skin of her neck gently.
"Check on Parker." Tempe reminded him weakly.
"I know." He squeezed her shoulder, then headed for the bathroom, making a detour into Parker's room. He smiled when he saw that all the excitement of running around the lab with Tempe had exhausted his son. Parker was sprawled across his bed, fast asleep, clutching his teddy bear. Booth took off his son's shoes, pulled a blanket over him, checked his nightlight, then shut off the light and closed the door.
Booth went to his bathroom and pulled out an old but still intact bath towel. Then he made his way back to the living room. Tempe was as he left her, cradling Bone's lifeless body, with silent tears running down her face. Booth knelt in front of her and touched her knees.
"Hey." He whispered. When she lifted her head, he handed her the towel.
"Parker?" She asked, wrapping the towel around Bones's body as tenderly as she would wrap a blanket around a baby.
"He's asleep." Booth rubbed the top of her legs. "You wore him out babe."
He got to his feet, then gripped Tempe's upper arms and urged her to her feet.
"Come on." As soon as she was standing, her let her go, then stepped behind her and hugged her, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"Come on now Tempe, come on." He kept her moving towards his bedroom, careful not to call her 'Bones'. His thoughtlessly given nickname would only cause her pain right now. He led her to his bedroom and set her down on the bed. He pulled a box out of his closet. "Come on babe, give him to me."
"No, I'll do it." Tempe placed Bones in the box like she was laying a new born in a crib. Booth put the lid on the box and moved the box into the corner.
"Honey, you should get out of that shirt, it's got blood on it."
"Can I borrow a tee shirt?" Tempe asked. "I. . . I don't want to go back to the guest room."
"Sure." Booth rummaged around in his dresser and pulled out a gray tee shirt that said 'U.S. Army' on it in black. "Here."
"Thanks."
"I'll wait in the hallway." Booth offered, taking her hand and squeezing it briefly before leaving the room. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Damn it, he wished he could get his hands around that man's throat. He could kill him for hurting Tempe like this. Tempe had loved that cat like her child, and that bastard had ripped him away. Booth's thoughts were interrupted by Tempe opening the door.
She was wearing his shirt, which swamped her small frame and fell to about mid-thigh. Once she opened the door, she curled up on the bed. Booth closed the door behind him and joined her on the bed. He didn't say anything, just curled up behind her, draping his arm over her waist and dropped a kiss to the back of her neck, right at the nape. He smiled when she shivered, then laid back.
"You gonna be okay babe?"
"Yes." She put her hand over his and laced their fingers. "Just . . . lay with me, okay?"
"Sure babe. I'll stay right here."
"Thank you." Tempe whispered.
They lay there in silence for a while, Tempe snuggled back against his chest. She sighed, and Booth smiled.
"What's on your mind?"
"How did you . . .?"
"I know you. Now, what's eating you?"
"Sandri." Tempe whispered. "She adored Bones, I have to call and tell her he's dead."
"Oh, babe." Booth tightened his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "I don't envy you having to make that call." He rested his chin on top of her head. "Do you want to do that now?"
"I should." She sighed. "But I left my phone in my purse."
"Here." Booth grabbed his off the nightstand, where he had dropped it automatically. "Use mine."
"Thanks."
With a sigh, Tempe sat up, then folded her legs up under her. For some reason, she wanted Booth to hear this conversation, so she put the phone on speaker phone, Booth also sat up and rested his back against the headboard. Wanting his support, Tempe leaned back against his chest as they listened to the phone ring.
"Hello?" A bubbly, flighty, slightly bored woman's voice answered. Tempe rolled her eyes.
"Is Pete there?" She asked.
"Umm, well yes, but," there was a breathless giggle that made Tempe want to gag, "he's in the shower. Who's this?"
"Temperance."
"Who?"
Tempe resisted the urge to drop kick the phone out the window. "I'm his ex-wife."
"Oooh!" That gag-inducing giggle again. "The dirt lady!"
"What?"
"Yeah, Petey told me that you'd rather dig in the dirt then be married and raise his kid."
"Can I speak to Sandri?" Tempe asked, rubbing her forehead, trying to force back a frustration headache. Booth started massaging her shoulders gently.
"The little brat? No, she's grounded."
"I'm her mother!"
"So? She was insolent and rude and I sent her to her room."
Tempe wished she could reach through the phone and slap the owner of that voice. "Could you have Pete call me please?"
"Will do! Bye now!" There was a click, and Tempe shut the cell phone.
"That was one of the most infuriating conversations I have ever had." Tempe closed her eyes and sagged against Booth. "God, I wish I could talk to Sandri." Her voice turned sad. "I miss her."
"I know you do." As he kissed her temple, his eyes landed on the dresser, and he saw something that he had been to worried about Tempe to notice before. Tempe felt him stiffen.
"What?"
"Look, on the dresser." Booth disentangled himself from Tempe and crossed the room to pick up the envelope. "It's addressed to you."
"Bring it here." Tempe rearranged herself so that she was sitting Indian style in the middle of his bed. Booth joined her and handed it to her. Tempe held it in her hands for a moment before opening it. It was a thick white envelope, with her name sprawled across the front.
She opened it and drew out its contents. A piece of white paper and several instant Polaroid pictures. Tempe unfolded the paper first and gasped. Written in red in were the words 'This time it was you cat' and a picture of Bones, laying in a puddle of his own blood was taped beneath the words, along with a picture of her and Booth standing next to her car last night after they had dinner. 'Maybe next time it'll be your partner. I'll kill anyone who tries to stand between us' was written below the picture. Tempe swallowed and looked through the other pictures.
They were all of her.
Some were of her alone, but others were of her with Angela, leaving the Jeffersonian for lunch or entering together in the morning. But most were of her and Booth. Him holding the door open for her. The two of them bickering as they walked through the parking lot. Tempe's hand started to shake, scattering the photos. Booth enfolded hers in his, then raised them to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
"It's okay." He whispered. "Don't worry. I've got you watching my back, I'm watching yours. We'll be fine."
"Daddy?" A small voice asked from the doorway.
"Hey Parker." Booth said, scooping up the pictures and the paper back into the envelope. "Nice nap?"
"Yeah." Parker crawled into the bed and smiled at Tempe.
"What's up Buddy?" Booth asked, ruffling his dark hair.
"I'm hungry." Parker said.
"Well, then let's go get something to eat." Booth said with a smile for Tempe and Parker.
BONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONES
After a dinner of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, Parker curled up in an oversized beanbag chair with a Spider-Man blanket, while Tempe and Booth curled up on the couch. They were watching Pirates of the Caribbean, and Tempe was fascinated, having never seen it. They were in the middle of watching Johnny Depp and Keira Knightly drink rum, dance around a bonfire and sing The Pirates Life for Me when Tempe's cell phone, which she had placed on the table next to the couch, rang.
Parker was sound asleep, so Booth picked up the remote and paused the movie. Feeling lazy, Tempe flipped open her phone and pressed the speaker phone button without looking.
"Hello?" She asked, resting her head on Booth's chest, smiling when he ran his fingers through her hair.
"Hi Temperance. How's the bones?" A voice that was oily it made Booth's skin crawl oozed across the connection. Tempe made a face and rolled her eyes.
"Hello Pete." Tempe shifted her hips, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. Booth grabbed her hips and gave her a stern look. Tempe gave him a wicked grin, but stopped teasing him and settled back against his chest.
"Why'd you call?" Pete demanded. Tempe raised an eyebrow at the phone.
"I need a reason to call and talk to my daughter?"
"If you wanted to talk to Sandrianna, why did you want me to call you back?" Pete sounded so bored and annoyed that Tempe's temper snapped.
"Because that girl who answered your phone wouldn't let me talk to her! Bedding them kind of young now, aren't you?"
"Vicky is a . . . associate." Pete sounded vaguely uncomfortable. "From work."
"Right. An associate who hangs around your apartment while you shower, and has the power to ground my daughter."
"Quit being so high and mighty Temperance! Whose cell phone did you call from earlier? The number on the caller ID wasn't your cell, or your home phone."
"I used Booth's."
"Your boyfriend?"
"Special Agent Seeley Booth, FBI. He's my partner."
"You don't work for the FBI."
Tempe rolled her eyes. "I assist the FBI on cases where a forensic anthropologist is needed. If you read more than the sports scores, you'd know that. Booth and I have worked on some pretty high profiles cases."
"Oh." Was all that Pete could come up with.
"Now, can I please talk to Sandri?"
"Fine." There was a rustling sound, then they could hear Pete yelling in the background. "Sandrianna! Your mother's on the phone!" There was the sound of running feet and a young girl's voice.
"Pete, don't call me Sandrianna!"
"Don't call me 'Pete' young lady! I am you father!"
"Yeah, well fatherhood isn't exactly your forte." Sandri shot back before picking up the phone.
"Hi mommy!"
"Hi baby." Tempe's whole face had lit up when she heard Sandri's voice, and Booth thought it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. And he had to like Sandri. She was a brilliant, sarcastic spitfire, just like her mother. Telling her father that 'fatherhood isn't exactly your forte' at five? Good God, he loved that little girl already.
"I saw you in the paper." Sandri continued. "Who was that guy with you?"
"Seeley Booth. He's my partner and works for the FBI."
"Cool! My mom works for the FBI!"
"Sandri, darling, I have bad news." Tempe said gently.
"Something happened to Bones, didn't it?" Sandri's voice went very soft and quiet, and suddenly she sounded exactly her age.
"Oh baby, I'm so sorry, but Bones died."
"Oh no." Sandri started to cry. "How?"
"Sweetheart, Bones was old."
"Oh." Sandri whispered. There was silence, then Sandri spoke again. "Mom, when can I come visit? I miss you and Aunt Angela and Hodgins and Zack and the lab."
"I know Sandri. I miss you too, but it's your dad's call."
"Great, my social life is in the hands of Pete and his stripper girlfriend." Sand grounded dramatically, once again sounding much older than five. "I'm doomed!"
"Sandri!" Tempe laughed.
"What? I want to come home! 'Icky Vicky' doesn't like me; I heard her talking to Pete. She thinks I'm 'insolent' and rude and she doesn't want me around."
"I'm sorry Sandri, but your dad has custody."
"Giving Pete custody was like giving a wounded parakeet to a pit bull." Sandri mumbled.
"I'm sorry baby."
"It's not your fault mom." Sandri growled suddenly. "'Stripper Vicky' wants the phone. I love you mom."
"I love you too honey."
"Bye mom."
"Bye." Tempe flipped the phone closed, then fell against Booth's chest and buried her face in his neck. "God, I miss her."
"Maybe after all this is over, we can lean on Pete to let her come visit." Booth suggested. Tempe shrugged.
"I can't lean on Pete to do anything. He's not scared of me, he knows he can hold Sandri over my head and say 'jump' and I'll ask 'How high?'. He's addicted to power."
"Yeah, but he's never had to deal with a pissed off FBI agent before."
"Oh yeah?" Tempe lifted her head and gave him half of a grin. "And why would you be pissed off at Pete?"
"Because he hurt you. He's keeping you away from your daughter." Booth gave her the other half of the grin, but his eyes were serious and caring. "I can't accept that Tempe."
"Thank you." She whispered, leaning down to kiss him.Booth wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back. They pulled back to breathe and Booth gave her what Tempe thought of as his 'bad boy' grin.
"You want to put Parker to bed and take this into the bedroom?" Booth leered playfully.
"Hmm." Tempe pretended to think about it. "Tempting, very tempting Booth. But . . ." She snagged the remote control and turned the movie back on.
"Sorry Booth, I had to listen to Angela and Zack and even Hodgins talk about this movie nonstop for a week, and I am determined to finish it."
"You are a cruel, cruel woman." Booth mumbled good naturedly.
"Shut up Booth, I'm trying to watch this movie."
"Cruel, cruel woman."
"Seeley. . ."
"Shutting up Bones." He slipped a hand under her shift and resting it on her warm back. "Watch your movie."
She rolled her eyes, but relaxed into his embrace. But when his hand moved higher and to the side, she yelped and jumped, and slapped his shoulder.
"Booth! Watch your hands!" She was scolding him, but a smile tugged at her lips.
"Watch your movie." Booth urged, giving her an innocent, wide eyed smile.
"You watch yourself." Tempe warned him with a smile.
"Shh, Bones." He was amazed at how easily he slipped back into using her nickname, and it seemed to comfort her. She practically melted against his chest when she heard it and snuggled up under his chin. Booth kissed the top of her head and traced circle on her lower back as they watched the rest of the movie.
BONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONES
"Can . . . can I put Parker to bed?" Tempe asked as Booth ejected the DVD and put it away. He raised an eyebrow as he turned off the TV.
"Sure, you can help me if you want." He went to scoop the sleeping child into his arms, but Tempe stopped him.
"Let me get him."
"Sure babe." Booth stepped back and smiled as he watched Tempe pick up his son, who cuddled against her chest. Booth followed them down the hall to Parker's room.
Together, they changed Parker into his Batman pajama's and tucked him into bed. Tempe tenderly brushed back a lock of hair from Parker's forehead, staring at features that were so much like his father's it was uncanny.
"God Booth, he looks just like you." She whispered. Booth wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck.
"I know. Adorable, isn't he? I do good work." He teased. Tempe elbowed him gently.
"Full of ourselves today are we?" She teased. Booth laughed quietly. Tempe felt his chest rumble.
"I only speak the truth."
"Right." Tempe scoffed, slipping out of his arms and leaving Parker's room. Booth followed her into the hall and shut the door. "Think about it, Booth. How much time did you really contribute? Five minutes?"
"Hey!" Booth protested. Tempe laughed over her shoulder at him and Booth growled.
"Oh, that's it." Come here Bones." Booth jumped toward her and wrapped his arm around her waist. He lifted her off her feet and held her tight against his chest.
"Booth!" She hissed. "What do you think you're doing? Put me down!"
"Umm, no, I don't think so." Booth teased. In one fluid motion, he had Tempe over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Booth!"
"Shut up Bones!" Booth teased. He went into his bedroom, and tossed her onto his bed, where she landed with a squeak.
"Booth! I'm going to kick your ass!"
"I know." Booth sat next to her and kissed her deeply. Despite her best efforts, Tempe moaned and kissed him back, sliding a hand behind his neck. Booth pulled back when oxygen became an issue. "But the look on your face was worth it."
"Ohh!" Tempe pushed him so that he fell back. "You are so infuriating!"
"And you're a pain in the ass." Booth shot back, grabbing her arm and pulling her down to lay with him.
"Yeah, well, I work on that." Tempe said before Booth's laughter got to her and she had to kiss him.
BONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONESBONES
"You know, we should get your cat to the lab." Booth mumbled against her skin. They were curled up on the bed, Tempe wearing panties and his army tee shirt and Booth was wearing a pair of boxers. She was on her side with Booth spooned up behind her, his arm draped across her waist and holding her tight. He had been teasing her with little kisses on her neck.
"I know." She whispered.
"If you want, I can drop him off at the FBI lab when I go in in the morning." Booth offered.
"No." Tempe laid her hand over his and laced their fingers. "I want my lab to do it."
"Tempe . . ." Booth trailed off, then sighed and interested himself in the curve of her neck. "If you're sure."
"I'm sure." Tempe whispered. "I won't be able to do it, and neither will Angela, but I can trust Zack and Hodgins."
"Okay." Booth said soothingly. If Tempe wanted her squints to do the examination of her cat's body, then her squints would do it. "Shh. Let's get some sleep, okay?"
"Okay." Tempe agreed. She twisted around onto her other side and snuggled into Booth's chest. "Thank you, for everything." She whispered, her breath warm on his collarbone.
"You're welcome . . . for everything." Booth whispered back.
AN: Well, what did you think? I'm already working on Chapter Seven, and I'll get it up as soon as possible. I don't have to work this week, and I'm finished with school, so it will get up faster. I hope. Anyway, reviews make me work faster, so review!