(A Boy in a Bush)

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I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

Shawn Cook was afraid. Mr. Nelson had told him that he would make sure that Margaret knew that Charlies' death was his fault and he'd never see her or his brother David again. He wanted to believe Dr. Brennan, but what if she was wrong?

"I can make sure that you'd go back to Margaret." Brennan knew that Shawn knew the name of the man who had killed Charlie Sanders and she needed the boy to trust her.

"How?" The child didn't believe her. He wanted to, but he didn't trust her. "You work at a museum."

He had a good point, but Brennan knew she could do what she had promised. "I have a friend at the FBI. If I ask him to, he'll make sure that you and your brother David get to live with Margaret again."

Worried, the child advocate sitting next to Shawn interrupted her. "Dr. Brennan, you can't make promises like that."

"Yes, I can." Booth had faith in her partner. "He will do it. My friend will make it happen."

Standing in the observation room watching his partner, Booth felt a weight descend upon him. "Oh, man." She was making a promise and counting on him to come through. He didn't have a choice. He would have to make good on her promise. Turning to look at the prosecutor standing next to him, he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm going to need your help to keep that promise she made to that boy. Mrs. Charlto, my people and your people are going to have to make this happen."

Not sure if she if it was possible Mrs. Charlto knew she'd try.

Oooooooooooooooooooooo

Judge Hank Lutrell had a busy schedule, but he could always make time for his friend Seeley Booth. Rolling across the floor, Hank grinned at Booth as the man met him just inside the doorway. "Hey, Booth. Court is in recess right now while the prosecutor tries to find a witness that didn't show up. I've given him an hour. What can I do for you?"

Grateful that his friend had squeezed him into his busy schedule, Booth shook the man's hand and sat down on a chair near the door so he wasn't looking down on his friend. "I'll be quick. A foster child was removed from his foster mother's home during a murder investigation. The foster mother's son was murdered and the boy Shawn Cook knew who did it. He was threatened by the murderer and Shawn was promised that if he told the truth and pointed out who the murderer was he would be returned to Margaret Sanders' home along with his brother David. Shawn Cook and David Cook had nothing to do with the murders. The boy Shawn is just ten years old. The only family he has is brother David and his foster mother, Margaret. I need him placed back in Margaret Sanders' home and I want your help."

"Wow, you aren't asking for much are you?" Hank bit his lower lip and thought about it for a moment. "What about the prosecutor of the case?"

Prepared, Booth slipped an envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to the Judge. "Mrs. Charlto agrees that Shawn Cook should be returned to Margaret Sanders along with his brother David. Shawn is going to testify during Edward Nelson's trial. He's our key witness. It would be great if the boy wasn't separated from his brother and the woman he calls 'Mom'."

"And Margaret Sanders wants the boys back?" He needed to make sure that Booth was certain of the outcome once the boy was returned to the Sanders home.

"Yeah, she does." Worried, Booth watched his friend read the letter and waited to see how Hank would respond.

The letter was short and to the point. Mrs. Charlto wanted the boy returned to the Sanders home as a good faith gesture. If the boy knew that he was safe and with his brother in a home he wanted to be in, she thought he'd be a willing witness. The child was under a lot of pressure and it was up to everyone involved to make sure that Shawn didn't crumble under that pressure. "Well, it seems pretty clear . . . Let me make some phone calls and I'll see if I can get Shawn and David back at the Sander's home by tomorrow."

Relieved that Hank was willing to help, Booth stood up and shook the judge's hand. "Thanks. I think this will be good for Ms. Sanders too. She lost her son and all she has left is her foster sons."

Happy to have helped out in a sticky situation, Hank shook Booth's hand, turned his wheelchair and rolled over to a table near his desk. "Happy to help. Now let me finish my snack and coffee before the hour is up and I have to go back into the courtroom and listen to the prosecutor whine about how he couldn't find the witness."

Glad he wasn't part of whatever case Hank was overseeing, Booth left.

Oooooooooooooooo

Dressed for the Donor's banquet, Brennan had been surprised to see Booth appear at the Lab. He wasn't required to go to the banquet, so she hadn't expected him.

After he handed Hodgins a bag and asked that he analyze the contents for him, he made it clear that he needed it done right away. Booth assured Goodman that it was important that Hodgins miss the banquet and do the work requested. Hodgins and Goodman knew that Booth was making the request to help Hodgins get out of going to the party because the scientist didn't want to go, but it was a legitimate request from the FBI and Goodman decided it wasn't worth arguing with Booth over. He knew when to give in with grace.

Once Dr. Goodman, Zach and Angela had left, Booth stopped his partner from leaving for the moment. Standing at the base of the steps, he asked his partner something that had been bothering him for a couple of days. "How did you know I was going to keep your promise?"

"What promise?" Brennan wanted her partner to be clearer.

"To get Shawn and David back with Margaret Sanders." It wasn't like Brennan had made a lot of promises lately, but he knew that she was precise and orderly in her thinking.

Slightly embarrassed, Brennan decided to evade the truth. "I was lying to catch the bad guy. I learned that trick from you." She hated to lie, but she wasn't sure she wanted Booth to know just how much faith she had in him. She was still learning to trust him and she didn't want him to think she was malleable.

He knew she was lying. It wasn't something she did very often, but she obviously didn't want to tell him and he would let it pass. Turning, he meant to walk to the exit when Brennan stopped him.

"Booth, I knew you'd back me up. I knew you wouldn't make me a liar." This was about trust. She had trusted him and he needed to know that.

"How'd you know?" He liked that she knew that she could count on him, but he was curious why.

Her cheeks slightly pink, Brennan knew that she had made an assumption about her partner when she had been talking to Shawn Cook, but she had been right. "Because you want to go to heaven."

Startled, Booth snorted. "But you don't believe in heaven."

"But you do." She found it hard to understand the motives of people around her, but over the weeks since she had started working with Booth, she had found that Booth's motives were straight forward most of the time. He believed in God, he believed in honor and he believed that right should triumph over evil. She knew that he had other more complex motives when it came to how he operated, but the driving force behind him was his faith and his honesty.

Amused that his partner had hit the nail on the head, Booth watched her leave the Lab. Once she was gone, he sat down on the platform steps and stared at the closed door while Hodgins worked on the dirt he had given him. The soil wasn't that critical at the moment, but it was something that he'd need for a trial that Caroline Julian was working on and it was something to do. He didn't have to be anywhere, so he decided to wait for the squint to finish his analysis.

After a while, Hodgins made a few notes on a tablet, picked up the bag, resealed it and walked over to the steps with the notes he had made. Spying the agent leaning backwards on the steps with his eyes closed, Hodgins smiled. "Hey man, this soil contains decomposed growth from evergreen and conifers. I would say it's probably from central or the eastern part of Virginia . . . If that's what you're looking for. No signs of blood or body parts, no signs of petrol or chemicals. I did find an arrowhead."

Standing, Booth faced Hodgins. "That's what I needed to know."

Curious, Hodgins moved down the steps, handed the bag to the agent as well as the paper that contained his findings. "I can send you a report if you need it . . . about the arrowhead . . ."

Taking the bag, Booth shook his head. "It's Caroline Julian's case. I can't talk about it." Satisfied, Booth turned to leave.

"Hey man." Hodgins stopped him. "Thanks for helping me out. I really didn't want to go to that party."

"Yeah, I know." Moving towards the entrance, Booth didn't look back. "Forget about it."

After the agent was gone Hodgins saw down on the steps. "I won't, Booth. I don't know why you helped me, but I won't forget it."

Oooooooooooooooooo

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