We were so glad to see so much interest in this story! We hope you continue to enjoy it. Even though the story is AU, we are going to follow some of the events/cases from canon to help it along. Happy reading!

Seeley Booth was impatiently tapping his fingers on the countertop at the local diner when Brennan finally showed up.

"There you are," he said as she sat. "What took you so long?"

"I got a foster child last night. I was getting him settled at his new school."

"Since when do you foster kids?" Booth asked, frowning.

"Since six months ago," Brennan answered.

"I didn't know that was your thing."

"You never asked," Brennan retorted. She ordered a coffee while Booth stared at her. His phone rang, and he looked away while answering it.

"Booth."

Brennan thought about Parker. He had been reluctant to go to school that morning, but she tried to assure him that he'd be safe there. It was a private school after all. She wanted the best for him even though he wasn't her child. With her credentials and fame, it had been a piece of cake getting him enrolled.

"Okay. We'll be right there," Booth said, hanging up. "We got a body."

"All right. Lead the way," Brennan responded, gesturing.

...

"Body is female," Brennan said, examining it. "Early thirties by the look of it. Trauma to the skull." Booth stood taking notes while Brennan searched for more obvious markers. They were standing by a riverbank. A fisherman had found the body floating in a net. It had appeared the body had been sunk in the river for quiet some time. The rocks had finally let go, forcing the body to surface.

"Take it to the lab?" Booth asked.

"Yes," Brennan nodded. He put his notebook away. He averted his gaze from the body. Sometimes he just couldn't stomach a corpse.

...

"Ugh," Angela moaned, standing off to the side while Brennan examined the remains with Zack. Hodgins was digging and rooting around for particulates. Angela was going to do a sketch of the victim, but she was having a hard time stomaching the remains before her.

"You can always go to Paris," Cam said, smirking. Angela didn't comment and started to work.

"Lots of defensive wounds here," Brennan noted.

"Looks like she was restrained," Zack added, looking up from the ankles. Brennan saw the same restraint marks on the wrists too. She felt bad for this woman, who probably experienced a lot of terror before dying.

"Ohh hello," Hodgins said, holding up a slimy looking bug.

"Ew," Angela winced.

"Don't say 'ew.' This little guy is gonna help us determine how long the body was under the water," Hodgins said defensively.

"Still...ew," Angela said, moving away. Brennan hid her smile. She knew her friend was never going to get used to this job. She was surprised Angela hadn't left yet to be honest.

"What have we got?" Booth asked, coming up the platform. No one caught the look exchanged between him and Cam. It was still a secret that they were seeing each other.

"No cause of death yet," Brennan said, not looking up. "Angela is going to reconstruct the face soon."

"I'd say the wound to the skull is a big indicator of cause of death," Booth observed.

"We don't assume until we get all the facts," Brennan said sharply. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm working on the timeline the body was trapped under water," Hodgins said helpfully. Booth ignored him.

"So still really nothing then?" Booth asked.

"It takes time, Booth," Brennan huffed, finally looking at him. "Don't rush us."

"Well it's just, you know, I like to find out who it is so I can tell their loved ones," Booth retorted.

"Soon," she repeated, going back to work. Booth made a face at her. Even though they had been working together for almost a year, Booth still struggled to understand her sometimes.

...

Brennan was rubbing the water off her face when her phone rang. She answered, seeing that it was the school.

"Brennan."

"Hi, Dr. Brennan. It's Cindy calling. Parker's teacher."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Parker is just having some issues settling into the routine. He's quite upset. We were wondering if you could come and check in."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Brennan answered. She hurried out of the bathroom and went for her car keys.

"I have the face," Angela said as she passed by.

"I'll be back in half an hour. Parker needs me," Brennan said.

"Your new foster child?" Angela asked, following her to her office.

"Yes."

"Oh no. I hope he's okay."

"I think he's just having difficulty adjusting," Brennan replied, throwing her coat on. "Be back soon."

"I'll be here," Angela replied.

...

"Where is he?" Brennan asked as soon as she got into the school. Cindy waved her over.

"He's sitting in the corner," she explained. "He said something about he 'did wrong' and has to punish himself."

"I'll talk to him," Brennan nodded, going over to where Parker was sitting. She squatted down beside him.

"Hey," she said.

"You came," he replied, looking at her.

"I did. What's wrong?"

"I messed up on my spelling."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"It was bad enough."

"Is that why you're in the corner?"

"Yes."

"Did your teacher tell you to sit here?"

"No."

"Then why did you decide to?"

"Because. At my last home, if I made a mistake on schoolwork, I had to sit and face the corner and think about what I did wrong."

"Parker, you're in school. You're learning. It's okay to make mistakes," Brennan encouraged. He shook his head.

"I will get spanked if I don't."

"Parker, you are not with that family anymore. You're with me. I will never lay a hand on you," she promised. She coaxed him off the chair and into her arms for a hug.

"You promise?" he asked, muffled by her shirt.

"I promise."

He looked up at her then.

"I can go back to my seat now?"

"Of course. Parker, I will tell you right now that you do not need to punish yourself for something you made a mistake on."

"I agree with this," Cindy said, overhearing. Parker looked at her, and she nodded.

"The only time you get punishment is if you did something really wrong, okay? Like hitting another student or cheating or something," Brennan explained. "And even then, it will never be physical punishment."

"Okay," Parker nodded. He went back to his desk, and Brennan felt her heart break watching him. How much abuse and trauma had he experienced in his other homes? It worried her.

...

"Where were you?" Booth demanded when she finally got back to the lab. He was next to Cam and Angela in her office.

"At Parker's school."

"Oh."

"Are we finally ready for the face?" Angela asked, exasperated.

"Sure, Ange. Show us," Brennan nodded. Angela pulled out her sketch and propped it on the easel. Booth stared at it, shocked.

"That's wrong," he said instantly. Angela snorted.

"Sweetie, have you not learned by now that I am never wrong with my drawings?" she asked.

"No, you're definitely wrong," Booth said firmly. Cam gave him a concerned look, but he ignored it.

"Is it someone you know?" Cam asked.

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned and left the room.

"I'll take that as a yes," Angela commented. "I wonder who she is."

"I'll find out," Brennan said, going to follow him. He was gone from the building, though, when she tried to find him. She knew he'd come to her when the time was right. She'd give him his space.

...

Booth's hands were shaking as he drove. He felt sick. The eyes of that drawing were trapped in his mind. The last time he'd seen them, it had been over six years ago. How had she ended up like that? She didn't deserve to die like that. He pounded the palm of his hand on the wheel, shouting in anger. He was going to make this right. He would find whoever did this to her. He would avenge his ex-girlfriend, Rebecca Stinson, if it was the last thing he'd do.

Stay tuned for when Booth learns about Rebecca having his baby in our next chapter. If you have time to leave a review, we would greatly appreciate it :)