Disclaimer: I don't own anything—Bones, Fox, or Parker. Oh wait. I do own the plot.
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Parker was coloring in his room when he heard the front door open and he knew Daddy had come home. Instantly abandoning his crayons, Parker raced down the stairs, and then stopped short. Following Daddy into the house was the prettiest woman Parker had ever seen, even prettier than Mommy. Her chestnut hair swept over her shoulders, and her green eyes had intelligence sparkling in them. Parker wondered who she was.
"Parker!" Daddy called. "Come down and meet somebody!"
Parker carefully walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, where the woman was sitting at the table with Daddy. "Parker, meet Dr. Temperance Brennan," Daddy said. "She's my new work partner. She's a forensic anthropologist."
Parker widened his eyes at the big word. "What does anty—anthro—polyjust mean?"
The woman—Dr. Temperance Brennan—laughed. "It's anthropologist," she told him. "It means I work with bones."
Parker furrowed his brow, trying to comprehend that. "Oh," he finally said. "Like dinosaur bones?"
"Not exactly," Dr. Brennan said. "Human bones. I identify them for the FBI so they can arrest the bad guy that killed them."
Human bones! Wow! Parker immediately thought. "That's really cool, Dr. Brennan," he truthfully said to her.
She laughed again. "I know it is. That's why I love the work I do."
Daddy turned to Parker again. "Parker, why don't you go watch some cartoons while I talk with Dr. Brennan here, okay?"
"Okay!" Parker said enthusiastically. "And Dr. Brennan—you're a really nice person."
Parker blushed right after saying that, but to his surprise, she smiled. "Thank you, Parker. That means a lot to me."
Parker just scuffed his foot on the floor a bit before running away to watch cartoons.
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Over the next couple of months, Dr. Brennan was a constant visitor to the house to discuss work with Daddy, but she always had a smile for Parker when she came. Parker grew to like her, and she even gave him permission to call her Tempe—much more easier to say than Dr. Brennan for Parker!
And then Daddy brought home Tess.
Right from the moment Tess walked in through the door, Parker didn't like her. She scowled when she saw him, but seeing Daddy watching her, gave a humongous fake smile and gushed all over how cute Parker was. Parker started to scowl at this as well. He was seven years old! He didn't need to be gushed over like a baby.
Soon, Tempe stopped coming to the house, and Parker missed her horribly. He avoided Tess as much as possible, because she gave him looks that suggested he was nothing more than a big slimy bug, yet gushed over him like an adorable little puppy everytime Daddy was looking.
He hated that.
And then one night, Daddy came home, and he was really mad. After tucking Parker in, he heard Daddy yelling downstairs in the kitchen. Parker was curious, so he crept out of bed and sat next to the stairs, where he could hear what Daddy was saying.
"You cheated on me Tess! You cheated on me with some absolutely random guy that you met at a club! How many times have you cheated on me already?"
He was silent, and Parker imagined him to be listening to Tess' reply.
"No, Tess. I can't trust you again. This relationship is over." And he slammed down the phone.
Parker hurried to get himself back into bed before Daddy stomped up the stairs. As Daddy snuggled Wilson the bear closer to Parker, Parker looked up at Daddy.
"Is Tess coming back?" he asked bluntly.
Daddy sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair. "No Parker," he finally said softly. "Tess is not coming back."
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A/N: I do apologize for this chapter being rather short. I thought about expanding it, but decided that it should wait for chapter 2. I promise that the next chapter will be longer! And as always, reviews are love! ---peppermint-kiss234