A/N: Sorry I took such a long time to update but here it is. Thank you for the reviews, I really enjoyed reading them. And for those who are also waiting for the update for "The Date", it's coming soon. I'm going through a small writer's block and can't seem to be able to write the Movie chapter (I actually have the rest of the story figured out, there will be two more chapters after the movie one... if only I could write the movie one lol). I promise that the story will be updated this week. Enough talking for now. Enjoy Chapter 12!

He had stayed much longer than he should have had. Almost an hour had gone by before Ryan stepped out of the examination room. His cellphone rang as soon as the door had shut behind him. Stopping in his tracks, he snatched the phone from his pocket and answered it. His brain took two seconds to register what the caller told him before he snapped his phone shut. Rubbing his chin, he looked over at his partner, who had resumed her examination of the body. She must have felt his gaze for she looked up. Ryan walked back in.

"How much time do you have before you need to hand in your results?" he asked, pointing at the skeleton.

"I don't know. Why?" Temperance simply replied.

"We're needed at St. Sebastian's."

Police tape surrounded the school and curious bystanders had gathered around it for the second time in two weeks. Temperance and Ryan made their way through the thick crowd, Ryan listening intently at what the police officer was telling him.

"The victim was found in the girl's bathroom around 9:30 by another schoolgirl. Apparently, the child had asked permission to use the bathroom around nine o'clock but failed to come back. Worried, the teacher sent someone to check up on her. That's when they found her. We called you immediately after we found out who it was."

"Where is the child?"

The officer pointed to an ambulance at the back of the parking lot. A little girl sat at the back, legs hanging out, an oxygen mask on her face. Temperance shivered. Poor child. Scarred for life. They continued on their way.

The officer led them down the now well-known corridor leading to the girl's bathroom, at the opposite end of the school. As they got closer, the crowd of teachers and police officers became thicker. More yellow tape was glued to the walls, preventing entry to anybody other than the police. Ryan flashed his badge at the officer standing on the other side of the tape. The man pointed to Temperance.

"She's my partner." Ryan replied before lifting the tape.

Temperance ducked under, quickly followed by Ryan himself. Peeking over her partner's shoulder, she immediately saw the puddle of blood on the floor. Temperance felt her stomach contract. She was already feeling nauseous.

The feeling only grew stronger at the sight of the body. Allison still hadn't been moved and laid in the same position she had landed. She seemed to be floating in her own blood. An office was taking pictures of her in different angles. Temperance looked up at the wall. There was some blood, but not much.

She closed her eyes and tried breathing through her nose in hopes of steadying her stomach. She felt the nausea climb up her throat but she swallowed it down, the acid burning her. This was exactly why she had become a forensic anthropologist. Skeletons didn't have real faces. Corpses did. This one did. The skeletons, she had never known them. This corpse she had known. It had belonged to a very beautiful, intellingent and sweet girl. Tears pricked at her eyes. She turned to Ryan. He had a grave expression on his face. She saw that his jaw was clenched tight. He obviously wasn't untouched by what they were staring at.

"She was discovered like this?" Ryan asked in a voice that he had wanted steady.

"Yes." The officer replied. "Just like that."

"Wounds?"

"Stabbed three times in the stomach and the poor thing hit her head on the sink as she fell to the ground."

A small spot of blood decorated the edge of the sink. Temperance felt the nausea climb back up. Excusing herself, she rushed out of the bathroom. In the bathroom, Ryan continued his questioning.

"Nobody heard anything?"

"A teacher thought he had heard someone scream out in pain but he figured that it might have only been a child in the park across the street. He didn't pay too much attention to it."

A weird feeling having nothing to do with nausea crept up in the agent.

"Which teacher?" he asked, curious.

The officer checked his notes.

"A certain Mr. James Collins."

Ryan nodded. That was exactly what he had thought.

"Where is Mr. Collins at the moment?"

"Outside, with two of my colleagues."

Without another word, Ryan walked out of the bathroom.

He saw him way before Collins did. The man was sitting on the floor, head in his hands. Two officers stood at his feet, looking down at him. Ryan crept up to them.

"May I speak to this man alone please?"

The two officers jumped, startled. One of them nodded and they both walked away together, murmuring opinions on the man sitting on the floor. Ryan ignored them.

"So we meet again." Ryan told the man.

Collins looked up, a defiant look in his eyes.

"What are you implying?" Collins asked, suspiciously.

"Again I'm not implying anything Mr. Collins. Have you ever heard of paranoia because I think you suffer from it?"

Collins shook his head.

"What do you want?"

His tone was sharp. Ryan was surprised.

"I just need to ask you a few routine questions."

"Again? Wasn't raiding my house and questioning me in the teachers' lounge enough for you?"

Ryan ignored his comment.

"Where were you when the killing occured?"

Collins rolled his eyes.

"So what? Now I'm a murderer?"

"That's for me to judge. Now, answer my question."

It was Ryan's turn to be harsh but the agent couldn't care less. Two children were now dead. He didn't have time to be polite.

"I was in my office, working on tomorrow's lesson plan."

"You weren't with your students?"

"They were in art class. I was alone in my office. So yes, I have no alibi."

"And did you know Allison Martin?"

"She was Melina's best friend. Of course I knew her."

The strange sensation reappeared at the back of Ryan's mind. He knew that the search had come to nothing, that nothing had been found to link Collins to the Bradford children case but a nagging thought picked at his mind. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was but something told him that Collins had something to do with it. Ryan pointed a finger at him.

"You better not leave this city." He told Collins. "Not until this case is solved anyway."

On that, he walked back to the bathroom.

Collins, on his side, looked down at his sleeve. Ryan hadn't seen the red stain.

The elevator doors opened and Temperance quickly stepped out. She wasn't sure what she was doing there or what exactly she was going to do, but it felt like the right place to be at.

Her entire body felt numb. Images of Allison's body on the bathroom floor flashed before her eyes every now and then, startling her and sending shivers up and down her spine. She forced back her tears as she made her way between the desks, not wanting people to see what the chilling discover had done to her. However, she did attract attention but she ignored the stares. She couldn't wait until she reached her destination.

She knocked so softly on the door that she was almost certain that he hadn't heard her. She had been about to knock a second time when he looked up.

"Temperance?" he asked, surprised to see her standing in the doorway.

The tears that she had been holding back suddenly came pouring down. She wiped them away.

"Temperance, what's wrong?"

Surprise turned to worry. She heard the concern in his voice. If only he knew. She tried to talk, to explain to him to what had happened but the words stuck in her throat.

Booth stared at his wife for a second, completely shocked, before realizing the gravity of the situation. Temperance was standing in his office, bawling her eyes out. In two strides he was up to her and pulling her in his arms. Temperance collapsed against him. With his left hand, he closed the door to give them more privacy.

He rubbed her back gently, not quite sure what to say. He had no idea why she was here, in his arms, crying. He hugged her closer. It felt like ages since he had been able to hold her like this. As much as he hated seeing her hurting like that, he had missed it. He had missed holding her like he was doing, comforting her and being the pillar of strength in their relationship. For the first time since their marriage had taken a toll for the worst, he felt needed.

Temperance eventually calmed down enough for her to explain to her husband what had happened. Booth simply listened to her, knowing that's what she needed. He listened as she described the horrific scene. He listened as she told him that seeing Allison on the floor made her think of Riley and how it could have been her. The tears immediately starting falling once again and Booth pulled her once again in his arms. Her whole body shook as she sobbed. His heart ached and a lump formed in his throat. He hugged her closer.

"I'm sorry." He heard her whisper in between sobs.

"Don't worry about it."

He rubbed her back softly.

"When's our appointment?"

Booth frowned. Appointment?

"What appointment?" he asked.

Temperance pulled away, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck.

"With the lawyer. When's our appointment?"

Booth glanced quickly sideways.

"I didn't call."

"What?"

Temperance could feel her heart racing in her chest. Tears of joy mixed with the ones of pain. He hadn't called?

"I didn't call and I'm not planning to either."

He watched as a small smile appeared on her face. She laughed through her tears. Booth wiped them awaywith his thumb.

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