We know some of you aren't too thrilled with Cam and Booth dating, but we are kind of following canon a little bit and will be using some cases from season 2, so we wanted to put that relationship in. We are die hard Booth & Brennan, so don't worry ;)

Brennan tidied up after dinner, but her mind wasn't really there. Parker was amusing himself with some Lego, and she watched absently. Parker was familiar to her, but she didn't know how that would be possible. She smiled when he started talking to himself as he played. Then her mind went to Booth. He had gone AWOL after seeing Angela's drawing, and he wasn't answering his phone. The woman must have been someone important to him. Brennan wondered in what capacity.

"Can I help?" Parker asked, startling her out of thoughts. Brennan saw he was pointing to the towel in her hands.

"Oh, it's okay. The dishwasher does the work," she explained.

"I don't mind," Parker said.

"You're sweet," Brennan smiled, "but it's okay. I'll let you know if you can help with something."

"Okay," he said. He still looked unsure. Brennan had a feeling it had something to do with his last placement. When she didn't do or say anything else, he turned and went back to his toys. Her phone rang then.

"Brennan."

"Hey, have you heard from Booth at all?" Angela asked. "I'm kind of worried."

"I'm sure he's off processing," she answered. "I can relate." She could. Not that long ago, she had accused Angela of being wrong about her mother's drawing too. It was a shock to see a loved one on display under the definition of "deceased."

"I hope he doesn't do anything crazy," Angela sighed.

"He won't."

"People do things when their emotions are scattered."

"I'll let you know if I hear from him," Brennan finished, hanging up. She didn't want to get into emotions with Angela. She preferred to stay out of the emotion range. She looked over at Parker again. However, things did change.

...

Booth had to call his sponsor twice that night. The urge to go gamble was huge, and his emotions were running rampant. He kept thinking about Rebecca and how this happened. She hadn't been involved in a sketchy crowd that he knew of. She wasn't involved in anything illegal. She was going to be a lawyer. How had this happened? More importantly, who had done it to her? He wanted to kill them. Rebecca didn't deserve to die like that. He ignored his ringing phone again. This time it was Cam calling. He couldn't talk to her. He couldn't tell her who Rebecca was. Not yet. Their relationship was still semi new, and he didn't want to make it weird. He didn't even know how long they'd stay a couple anyway. He wandered the streets, not knowing where to go or what to do. He knew he had to face reality eventually.

...

Brennan heard the knocking while brushing her teeth. Parker was already down for the night. She spit and wiped her face before going to answer. She pulled open the door to see Booth standing there looking beaten down.

"Hey," he said. "I know it's late..."

"Are you okay?" she asked, cutting him off. "We've all been worried."

"Really?" he asked. "Even you?"

"I'm not as hardened as you might think," Brennan replied, moving aside to let him in. Booth walked over to the couch and sat down. He rested his head in his hands.

"Who was she?" Brennan asked softly. He breathed in a few times before answering.

"Rebecca Stinson. I...I dated her."

"Oh."

"She broke up with me out of the blue six years ago. It was one of the hardest things I experienced."

"You feel that if you had been together, this wouldn't have happened," Brennan noted.

"Thank you for putting that in my head," Booth growled.

"Sorry."

"Can we talk about something else for a bit? I'm tired of thinking about this."

"Okay."

"How's the foster kid?" Booth asked.

"Parker is good. I think he's experienced trauma, though."

"Really?" Booth asked, wincing. "What makes you think that?"

"The way he reacts to some things, and the way he looks at me sometimes. I feel like he is surveying me to see if I'll hurt him or if I'm lying to him to trick him."

"That's too bad."

"I hope that with enough time, he'll see that I'm a safe person."

"I'm sure he will, Bones."

Brennan smiled at him then.

"You want something to drink?"

"No, I'm good. I have to stay sober for this one."

"I'll confirm cause of death tomorrow and the time frame."

"I have to tell her parents," Booth lamented. "They are going to be so devastated."

Brennan didn't know how to respond to this. She wasn't good in that department. Not really anyway. Parker's sudden scream made them both jump. Brennan bolted up and raced down to his room. Booth hurried behind her, one hand on his gun. He hung back when he saw there was no intruder, and Brennan went over to Parker, who was thrashing and yelling under the sheets.

"HELP ME!" he shrieked. "HELP ME!"

"Parker," Brennan said, shaking him. "Parker!" His eyes flew open, but it was as though he couldn't see her or recognize her. Brennan could feel him soaked in sweat, and he was now staring into space.

"Is he okay?" Booth asked, concerned.

"It's a night terror," Brennan answered.

"That sounds...scary," Booth finished.

"They're different from nightmares. They mostly affect children."

"Will he be okay?"

"Yes. He is non-responsive right now, but he'll be okay."

Booth watched as Brennan cuddled Parker into him and starting singing to him. He didn't recognize the song. He was surprised at how intimate the situation felt, and he backed away. Seeing Brennan like that showed that she was a different person than he originally pegged her to be. Seeing this side of her meant she was indeed not as hardened as he thought.

The Next Day

Brennan snapped her gloves on and stood beside Zack. Booth had left before she finished taking care of Parker, and she felt nervous to see him again. She wasn't sure why.

"Cause of death is strangulation," Zack told her, gesturing.

"How long ago?"

"Roughly five years ago," Hodgins answered, coming up the stairs after swiping his card. He had overheard her question. A small thought went through Brennan's head that Parker was five years old going on six. She let it go. There was no way he was involved in this.

"There's one more thing," Zack went on. "Evidence shows that she gave birth."

Brennan swallowed at this. How had she missed that? It made her think of Parker again, and she shook it out. She looked down at the pelvis area and indeed saw there was evidence there confirm it.

"Booth's gonna freak," Hodgins commented.

"Why?" Brennan asked.

"Because. If she means that much to him, knowing that she had a baby too will really hurt him."

Brennan chewed on her lip for a moment.

"I'll tell him," she said, taking off her gloves. He was at his office. She'd talk to him there.

...

"You're sure you're okay?" Cam asked. She was standing in front of Booth's desk.

"I will be," he answered. "Once I get who did this to her."

"I'm sorry," she said. He waved his hand.

"Don't be."

"Was she...special?"

And there it was. Booth knew he couldn't avoid it as much as he wanted to, so he caved. She'd find out eventually. He had told Brennan after all, which had surprised him. Why tell her before Cam, the person he's dating? He felt confused.

"We dated," he said.

"Ah."

"It was six years ago, Cam."

"Okay."

Brennan knocked on the door then, and Cam swiveled to face her.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked, seeing their faces.

"No," Cam shook her head. "I was just leaving."

"See you at the lab," Brennan said as she passed. Booth was squeezing his stress ball hard now. He knew Cam wasn't thrilled he hadn't told her right away, and if Brennan was here, then that meant something else was coming.

"Sorry I left like that last night," he apologized, hoping that was all it was about, that she was simply checking in on him.

"It's okay," she replied. She didn't leave, so he knew there was more.

"What's up?"

"Um, there's been a development."

"Tell me," he ordered. He leaned forward. He was dreading it, but he also needed to know.

"Rebecca died about five years ago," Brennan started. Booth clenched the ball so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Uh huh," he said.

"She...evidence shows she gave birth," Brennan finished slowly. Booth stopped squeezing the ball and looked up at her. Brennan saw the mixed emotions in his eyes.

"What?" he asked. "How long ago?"

"I can't tell that."

Booth breathed in deep then.

"So there could be a missing child then?"

"I suppose so, yes," Brennan nodded.

"Well, when I knew her, she had never given birth," Booth said. "She broke up with me six years ago, and then she died about a year after that, so that child would have been born after we..." He stopped. Brennan watched his face contort.

"No," he said.

"No what?" she asked.

"She wouldn't have," he said, getting upset.

"Booth, tell me."

Instead, he got up and went out the door.

"Not again," Brennan groaned. "Booth!" She chased after him.

...

Rebecca had been pregnant. She broke up with him because she was pregnant. Booth's mind was a million miles an hour now. Her stint in the bathroom made sense now. She had been throwing up. You did that when you were pregnant. But why? Why break up with him? Was it because it wasn't his? Or was it his and she didn't want him to know?

"Booth!"

Why would she do that to him? How could she hurt him like that? Then the next question was, was the child even still alive?

"BOOTH!"

Was the child missing? Was the child killed along with her? Did the child even survive birth?

He felt a hand yank his collar and pull him back just as he almost stepped in front of a moving car. Shaking, he turned to face Brennan.

"Have you lost your mind?" she asked. "You almost got killed!"

"Sorry," he apologized. She stared at him.

"Talk to me," she ordered. He rubbed his face hard.

"I think the child is mine," he told her.

"You...you can't know that," Brennan said logically.

"It's a hunch."

"Booth..."

"Just...let me go with this one, okay? I have to tell her parents now," Booth said, moving away from her. Brennan watched him leave, and she felt worried for him. She'd never seen him like this before.

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