Booth looked at Marcus sitting across from him, and his inner voice said Marcus was guilty. Yes, there was probably some bias because of the way he looked and all the tattoos he had, but Booth just had a feeling.

"Your property has a very interesting story to tell," Booth began. Marcus didn't even blink. He kept staring back at Booth.

"Oh yea?" he asked.

"Yea. You wanna explain the torture devices?" Booth asked, sliding over the photos. He watched Marcus carefully, and he did detect surprise in the man's eyes. That was not a good sign. That showed possible genuine innocence.

"I haven't stepped foot on this property in at least four years."

"I don't believe you," Booth retorted.

"It's the truth."

"I think you kidnap women, torture them, then dispose of them in the river," Booth said.

"I think you're nuts," Marcus snorted.

Booth gave him the dead eye stare, and Marcus's smirk slowly turned into panic as he realized Booth wasn't kidding around.

"I'm telling you the truth, man," he said. "I haven't been there. I inherited it from my uncle. I went up there to check it out once and never went back. I didn't even go inside the buildings. It was a dump. I was getting ready to sell once the market was better."

"Who is your uncle?"

"Steve Vance."

"When did he die?"

"About five years ago," Marcus answered. "He died in a robbery gone bad."

"Have you ever seen this woman?" Booth asked, showing Marcus the photo of Rebecca. Marcus swallowed.

"No," he denied.

"You're lying," Booth said. "Tell me the truth, now."

"All right, all right," Marcus said. "That's the woman whose baby my aunt tried to kidnap from the hospital."

"Excuse me?" Booth asked, incredulous.

"It was horrible. My aunt couldn't have kids, and she worked at the hospital where she saw all these babies and sometimes negligent mothers. She just snapped and took this kid because she thought she'd be a better mother. She did some jail time. My uncle was furious at the woman who put her there."

"Because she pressed charges for kidnapping?" Booth asked. "What did they expect?"

"I dunno. I'm not that close with them. All I know is my uncle was really pissed at this woman," Marcus said, pointing at the picture.

"And he's dead now," Booth confirmed.

"Yea. Sorry."

"Your aunt?"

"Moved to Europe. I don't know where," Marcus answered. "She was too embarrassed to stay around here after what she'd done."

"Great, thanks," Booth said, standing up and leaving the interrogation room suddenly. He met Brennan in the hallway. She was checking her phone. Parker was at school, so she didn't need a babysitter.

"Well?" she asked.

"He didn't do it," Booth answered.

"Are you sure?" she asked, incredulous.

"He told me that his uncle left him the property in his will. Steve Vance died about five years ago. Apparently his wife tried to kidnap Rebecca's baby from the hospital. My baby," Booth added, feeling sick. He could only imagine what Rebecca had felt at the time.

"That's terrible," Brennan said, her stomach twisting. If it had indeed been Parker, it made her feel sick to know how his story could have ended.

"I think that Steve did something to Rebecca," Booth said. "But he's dead, so I will never find out."

"I have even more bad news," Brennan said when he paused.

"Oh, what?" he asked, dreading her answer.

"Hodgins has analyzed almost everything from the property," she started. "Those so called torture devices we found? They only had pig's blood on them, not human."

"Seriously?"

"Yea."

Booth didn't even want to know what Steve had done to pigs with those devices. He shuddered.

"But," she went on. "There was a gun found in one of the buildings. Hodgins said Rebecca's prints are on it."

Booth stared at her. Then he went back in to see Marcus.

"What now?" he asked, looking a little afraid.

"Your uncle, he died in a robbery gone bad you said?"

"Well, that's what they told me. I don't really know what happened other than he got shot," Marcus answered.

"Did he ever mention wanting to hurt Rebecca?"

"All the time."

"You think he did?"

"Man, I don't know. Like I said, we aren't close."

"Where is he buried?"

"He was cremated."

"All right," Booth said, leaving again. His gut told him that Steve had taken Rebecca there, but she had shot him and gotten away. What happened to her after that, though, was a mystery. Hodgins had said she had been in that lake and then traveled down the river. Had someone else been involved? Or had Steve just been wounded by her shot and managed to overpower Rebecca and kill her still? He wouldn't know because there was no body of Steve's to exhume and find out.

"I'm sorry we couldn't get any real answers for you," Brennan said as they walked to his office. She kept looking at him and analyzing his face. Had she really seen a similarity between him and Parker last night? She had thought she had, but now she was doubting it. There was no way. It couldn't be. She was mistaken. Then again, she knew she was good at what she did. Was her wanting to adopt Parker clouding her judgment? She still didn't really know Booth that well. The main thing of all was that she wanted Parker to be safe and happy. He was attached to her. She didn't want to make him lose that attachment and feel abandoned for the 11th time. She did not want to hurt him, not after he had put his trust in her. She didn't really know what to do. It was a tug of war in her mind, and neither side was winning currently.

...

"So, we're at a dead end," Cam noted. She and Booth were sitting in the lounge area up top in the Jeffersonian. He sighed.

"I guess we are."

"You think she shot this Steve person?"

"I do."

"So...who killed her? And what happened to her baby?"

"I don't know," Booth shook his head. "I don't. I don't know if I ever will. No other evidence was found there."

"I'm sorry," Cam said, taking his hand in hers. "Not knowing is the worst."

"I'm going to put my focus into finding my child," Booth said, looking at her finally. "I have to find him...or her." He didn't voice his fear that his child was already dead.

"I'll be there for you every step of the way," Cam promised. Booth knew she would, and he was grateful for that, but at the same time, he knew he was going to be doing this alone.

A Few Weeks Later

Parker looked at Angela as they played on the swings at the park. He could tell she was upset by something. Brennan and Booth had gone to Las Vegas to work a crime, and Angela was watching Parker, much to the boy's delight. He didn't get as anxious when Brennan wasn't there like he had in the beginning.

"What's wrong?" Parker asked finally.

"Hm? Nothing," Angela answered, coming back to the present. In truth, she was thinking about her great date with Hodgins and how she said they were going to stay friends.

"I know I'm just a kid, but I know when people are sad," Parker pointed out.

"You're very smart, aren't you?" she asked, smiling.

"I am," he nodded proudly.

"Okay," Angela said. "Well...there's this friend of mine..."

"Is it a boy?" Parker asked, interrupting.

"Yes," she laughed. "He's a boy."

"Okay."

"He likes me, but I'm not sure if I like him," she finished. Parker furrowed his brow, thinking.

"Did he hurt your feelings?" he asked.

"No, he didn't."

"Does he fart a lot? Girls don't like it when boys fart. They told me," Parker explained. Angela bit her cheeks to stop laughing.

"No," she shook her head.

"Is he nice to you?"

"Yes."

"Is he funny? Girls like funny. They told me that too," Parker said emphatically.

"He can be funny."

"Then why don't you like him?" Parker asked simply.

"I don't know," Angela said absently. There really wasn't anything wrong with Hodgins. She was just scared of the fallout if it failed.

"I think you should try to like him," Parker declared. "You might be happy you did."

"You're a very wise little boy, Parker," Angela said, ruffling his hair and making him grin. They swung together, and Angela kept thinking about Hodgins.

...

"You're thinking about Parker," Booth said, looking at Brennan as she looked at her phone constantly.

"I just want him to be okay," she replied. The internal battle inside of her was raging. She hadn't had Booth and Parker side by side since that one time, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was right, that Parker was Booth's child. She felt angry because she wanted to adopt Parker because she realized she loved that little boy very much almost immediately, and she had called a lawyer already against her better judgment. She felt bad that she had his son and she hadn't told him. She knew she had to tell him. The words just failed her every time she opened her mouth to tell him. She didn't want him to blow up at her to start with, and knowing that she'd lose Parker after she told him was like a noose around her heart threatening to sever it. She forced it from her mind once more. She had to stay focused on the case here. They walked into a casino looking for a loan shark.

"There he is," Brennan pointed. "Come on."

She charged ahead until she realized he wasn't behind her. Puzzled, she turned around. Then she saw his face.

"Oh no," she said. "You...you can't be in here. You're a degenerate gambler!" She felt very worried suddenly.

"Former gambler, Bones. I was a former gambler, not a degenerate...anyway, I'm fine," he finished, giving his head a shake. "I just needed to adjust." He caught sight of the loan shark walking away now. "He's on the move."

"I think you need to sit down," Brennan commented, looking at his face. "You can barely breathe."

"I'm fine."

"This is not fine."

"I'm going to talk to him, and you stay here," Booth ordered, annoyed. It was the sound of winning that was getting to him more than anything. He didn't tell her that. He knew it would only make her more convinced he needed to leave.

Brennan hovered by the game tables until she spied one that seemed interesting. She sat down at it and began to play. After a moment, she caught on to how to play the game. Then it was easy.

"What are you doing?" Booth asked, finding her there after talking to Lou the loan shark.

"This game is easy," she answered. "You just count the..."

"Ah heh hem!" Booth said loudly, grabbing her arm and pulling her up.

"What?" she asked, confused. The pit boss was now standing before them, arms crossed.

"We're just leaving," Booth promised him, pulling Brennan after him.

"What's going on? I was winning," she said.

"By cheating."

"How?"

"Counting cards is cheating."

"I disagree. It's a strategy."

"Not to these guys it isn't," Booth said. Brennan was still confused by this, but she let it go. Booth filled her in on Lou as they walked.

...

"He is so cute I just want to scream," Cam said to Angela. They had Parker in her office where Cam had just visited him. Working weekends really did suck. Angela knew Parker would rather be playing outside than sitting in here, but she had no choice.

"Isn't he? Oh my God, Cam, he's so smart too."

"Is Brennan adopting him?"

"I think she has started the proceedings. She seems edgy about it, though."

"Nerves probably. He's going to become her son. It's a strange feeling," Cam nodded. She knew what that was like. She thought of Michelle. No one else here knew about it but her right now. Technically she didn't legally adopt the girl, but it still felt like Michelle was her adopted daughter.

"I've got something," Hodgins said, approaching them. He was reserved in front of Angela now, and she felt bad.

"Is he...?" Cam asked, gesturing to Parker inside Angela's office.

"He's drawing. He's practising a technique I showed him," Angela said. "He'll be fine."

They followed Hodgins to find out the news and to call Booth and Brennan with it.

...

After discovering that the victim was involved in illegal fighting, Booth and Brennan went undercover. Brennan was thrilled by this but at the same time wondered what was happening. Booth was acting a little handsy with her, so she got handsy back, and something was going on in her stomach that just felt weird to her. On top of her secret about Parker, she now had an attraction to Booth. Perfect. Could things get any more complicated?

They were waiting for Booth to fight when his opponent came over to him.

"H-Hold on," Booth said. "Aren't you supposed to be over there?"

"They pulled me out. They think this other guy is better for betting."

Booth swallowed as he looked at the giant standing in the ring, waiting.

"He'll kill you," Brennan said, sounding a little scared. "You can't fight him."

"I kinda have to," Booth replied, heading into the ring. He was feeling a bit freaked out, though, not that he'd admit it to anyone. The fight started, and things did not look good for him almost immediately. Brennan was anxiously watching. Then she discovered something that would help Booth.

"Don't get up!" she shouted at Booth after he was thrown down. "Monroe has calcium deposits on his left medial epicondyle."

"He has what on the what?!" Booth shouted. The other fighter went at him again, throwing him once more. Brennan managed to get close to him again as the crowd went nuts.

"He has lack of motion in his quadratus lumborum and can't extend his arm. Hit him in that area!"

"ENGLISH, PLEASE!" Booth roared, dodging blows.

"Hit his lower back just above his kidney on the left side!" she shouted at him.

"All right," he nodded. He broke away from Monroe, and then he started pounding on him where Brennan said to. In no time, Monroe went down and stayed down.

...

"Oh, hello," Hodgins said, seeing Parker at her desk.

"Hi," Parker waved.

"You're Parker?"

"Yup."

"Do you know where Angela is?" He knew she was working with the boxer, Marisol, who had been sent to compare her injuries to the victim's injuries to see if they had fought together and if that had killed the victim.

"She's with Cam," Parker answered. "I think."

"What are you drawing?" Hodgins asked, going over to look.

"Angela on the swing," he replied. "We were there earlier today."

"Really," Hodgins said, wondering if Angela was still thinking about their date.

"Yea. It was fun. She seemed sad, though."

"She did?"

"Uh huh. She talked about this boy who likes her, and I think she likes him too but is scared."

"Scared?"

"Yea," Parker shrugged. "I told her she should like him back."

Hodgins couldn't believe his ears.

"Hi," Angela said, coming in then. He cleared his throat and stepped back.

"Hey. I was just wondering about Marisol..."

"It's all finished. We got what we needed from her." Angela hoped Marisol wouldn't get found out for coming here to help with the case. The woman had been scared of that.

Hodgins nodded.

"Great. G-Great...great," he finished awkwardly. Then he took off. Angela frowned, wondering what that was about.

The Next Day

"That looks painful," Cam noted as she sat with Booth in his apartment. He was back from Vegas after solving the murder.

"I've had worse," he answered.

"You okay?" she asked, sensing his mood was low.

"Just...thinking about Rebecca still," he replied. And Brennan. Something had happened in their last exchange in Vegas before coming home. She'd told him she had bet on him because of beginner's luck, and he saw a flush on her cheeks at this. He didn't know what it meant, but he had felt a small twinge too.

"Pizza?" Cam asked, getting up to grab the phone to order.

"Sure," he nodded. He was also thinking about his relationship with Cam. It wasn't feeling the same as it had in the beginning. He didn't know what to make of that either.

...

"You're home!" Parker cried, hugging Brennan tightly.

"How are you?" Brennan asked, breathing in his scent. She had missed him so much.

"Good. Angela taught me how to draw stuff," he answered.

"Awesome," Brennan smiled. Angela was saying goodbye to Parker as Brennan noticed she had a voicemail. She checked it, and she felt her stomach drop as it started.

"Hi, Dr. Brennan, it's Tiffany," her lawyer said. "We're good to go on starting the adoption process. We just need you to sign some papers. Call me when you get this."

Brennan barely registered Angela leaving and Parker telling her about the park and swings. All she could think about was what she was doing to Booth if she continued with this lawyer, and she felt anguish inside at knowing she had to find out for sure he was the father and then tell him before she did anything else even though that meant Parker leaving her forever. And that...that broke her heart.

We know you've said Brennan would tell him, and she will. It's not going to be an easy road, though, hence the title of the story lol. We're trying to show her inner conflict over this whole thing and her interest in Parker's wellbeing. Also, we are not going to forget about Rebecca's case. It is going to come back very soon. Everything will get solved, we promise.

Thank you for reading!