(After 'The Change in the Game')

A/N: this chapter is rated T for violence.

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I don't own Bones.

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One of Parker's greatest fears had been that he wouldn't be allowed to stay with his father and Brennan during the summer. His mother had told him that his father was involved in a complicated case and he might not have any free time to spend with him. Now that he was back in the States he felt relief.

Once they had arrived from the airport and his things were put away in his bedroom, Booth and Brennan had handed him a gift bag and encouraged him to open it. Excited, he opened the bag and found a framed picture. The picture seemed to be a baby, but he wasn't sure. The image was grainy and black and white and it just looked strange to him. "What's this? I don't know what this is."

Booth took the frame from the boy's hand and sat down on the bed. "This picture is called a sonogram. It's the picture doctors take of a woman's stomach when she's pregnant. It lets you see the baby in the stomach. Do you understand?"

"Not really." Parker sat next to his father and stared at the sonogram. "Is that picture of me when I was in Mom's stomach?"

"No, Parker. That is my baby." Brennan placed her hand over abdomen and smiled at the child. "I'm pregnant."

Stunned, the boy looked at Brennan with an odd expression on his face. After a few moments, he jumped from the bed and raced over to where Brennan was standing and threw his arms around her hips. "You mean I'm going to be a brother?" Parker stared up at Brennan. "I get to have a brother?"

"Or a sister, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet." Booth felt a sense of peace wash over him. He had been afraid that his son might not like the idea of sharing him with a sibling. "Sisters can be fun too."

Releasing Brennan, Parker moved back over to the bed and took the framed sonogram from his father. "I keep asking Mom for a brother or sister, but she says no, that she's not ready. I'm glad Bones is going to have a baby, I really want to be a big brother. I can teach him how to throw a ball and build Legos, play video games and stuff like that."

A quick glance at Brennan, Booth winked at her then placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "It'll be a while before you can do that, but I'm glad you want to be a big brother. I'm really glad."

"Can I pick the baby's name?" Parker stared at the sonogram. "I want the baby to have a cool name."

Wary, Booth glanced once more at his partner. "Tell you what Parker, you write down a list of boy and girl names and we'll consider them. I don't guarantee we'll use the names, but we'll check out your list before we decide."

"That seems fair." Parker hoped they chose one of the names he liked, but if they didn't that was okay too. At least they were going to let him make a list and they were going to read it. "Don't worry, I won't write down some dumb name like snowflake . . . that would be funny, but it would be a stupid name."

Amused, Booth chuckled. "Well, we have unusual names in our family, but I agree, snowflake would be a dumb name."

"I agree." Brennan shook her head. There was no way she would saddle her child with an awkward name like that.

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Parker accepted that his father and Brennan had to work, so they couldn't be with them during the day, but at least Max was looking after him and not some bossy person he didn't know. "How come you're living here while I'm here?" The boy was playing a video game, but it was an older game and he wished it was a new game he'd never played before.

"Because I'm your grandfather and I like being around you, Kid. My children are grown up and my son and his wife and kids live in North Carolina. I don't get to see them too often."

"You're not my grandfather." The boy placed his remote down on the table. "Bones isn't my mother."

Picking up the remote, Max restarted the game and tried to play. "Okay, technically I'm your step-grandfather . . . this game seems kind of babyish . . . would you like to go to the store and buy some games for older kids?"

"Oh boy, can we?" Parker hadn't expected that offer. "I have some money my Mom gave me for my vacation."

After he placed the remote down, Max stood up, checked the contents of his wallet and smiled. "That's your vacation money. I'll buy them. I'd like to buy some games we can play together . . . of course, I'm not very good, but I'm a fast learner."

"Cool." The boy shut down the game and stood up. "My friend Clyde has a new game . . . 'Assassin's Creed'."

"Whoa, now." Max was certain buying a game like that would get him killed. Booth wouldn't tolerate violent games, he was sure of that. Not for a ten year old boy. "We can't buy games that are very violent. We'll look and see what they have."

Disappointed, Parker nodded his head. "Mom won't let me have that game either . . . It's not fair because some of my friends have that game and I don't."

"Kid, whoever told you that life is fair lied to you." Moving over to the doorway, Max waited for Parker to leave the house and followed him outside. "Believe me, no one gets everything they want. All they can hope for is that they get what they deserve."

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A body was found in one of the waterways in Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The body had been found floating near one of the waterfalls. Since the park was Federal property, the unidentified body was sent to The Jeffersonian at the request of the FBI since their Lab had a backlog they needed to deal with.

Examining the clothes while Brennan and Cam examined the body, Hodgins found a slit in the back of the shirt as if the victim had been stabbed. The clothes were soaked of course, but he was sure that some of the fibers in the shirt were stained with blood. "I'd say he was attacked from behind. The shirt has some staining which tells me the victim was killed somewhere else and the shirt absorbed a lot of blood before the body was moved and dumped in the river. The water didn't leach all of the blood out of the shirt . . . no wallet on the body. In fact, the FBI says there was nothing in the man's pockets. Whoever killed the victim, took everything he might have had on him. The temperature has been in the 70's in the Willamsport area for the last few weeks, so I'd say the body floated to the surface in about three to seven days after the body was dumped in the water."

Carefully noting underlying bone structure, Brennan checked the victim's teeth and nodded her head. "He appears to be indigenous, between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one. Two of his wisdom teeth have erupted, one is partially erupted and the last one is still inside the mandible."

With Brennan's and Hodgins' help, Cam turned over the body very carefully, so she could access the back of the victim. "The body isn't degloving yet, so I'd say it's closer to three days than seven."

Brennan agreed. "There is clearly a slash in the victim's trapezius muscle. It appears to be the size of a large bladed knife. There are numerous small gashes in the skin."

"He was in the water for a few days." Cam studied the body closely. "His body may have hit rocks on the way into the water and once it was on the surface again the nearby waterfall may have moved him against more rocks and whatever else was in the river with him . . . I think it's safe to say he was murdered."

"I agree." Brennan continued to examine the body, searching for anything unusual to help identify the body. "He has a tattoo on his left shoulder above the knife wound . . . a bird of some kind . . . perhaps a crow or possibly a raven. The skin is wrinkled, so it is hard to tell. I think Angela should take a picture before you begin the autopsy."

Cam motioned for her new intern to come closer. "Ask Ms. Montenegro to come here. Tell her to bring her digital camera."

Once Angela had arrived and taken the requested picture, Cam motioned for Brennan and Hodgins to help her turn the body over once more. "You can take a picture of his face while you're here. Maybe he's been reported missing."

Hodgins was checking the leather belt that had been clasped around the victim's waist and found a hidden compartment. It was thin and narrow, but something was in the pocket. Taking a pair of tweezers, he grasped the piece of metal and pulled out a U.S. Army dog tag. "Well, look at what I found . . . Claire Collins, O positive, Christian and a social security number . . . We can get Angela to do a search on that name."

The army tag was an unusual find, but Cam hoped it led them to their victim. "We can get Booth to do the search. He has access to a few more databases that we do plus he as contacts at the Pentagon."

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"Master Sergeant Claire Collins, born in July 20, 1965, served in the United States Army as a truck mechanic, retired as an E8 in 2004. She was married to Joseph Collins in 1985 and she had a son in 1991. Joseph Collins died in Iraq in 1991 . . . he was killed two months before his son was born . . . that's tough." Booth had looked into Joseph's death and found that the Lieutenant had been killed by a IED. "Claire is living in Williamsport, Maryland with her second husband, Hans Bourgeois. They own a small farm outside of town. Claire's son was named after his father, Joseph Xavier Collins, Jr. The victim was reported missing a week ago by Claire."

"I think we know who this is, but I need a DNA sample from his mother or if possible, a toothbrush owned by Joseph, Jr." Cam shook his head. "The young man was stabbed in the back nicking an artery in his heart. I won't tell you which one since I know you don't care. He bled out rather quickly . . . much like Vincent did." The thought of the quirky intern gave her pause. The funeral had been well attended and Mr. and Mrs. Murray had been so kind to her after the funeral, inviting her to the wake at their house. Clearing her throat, she shook her head. "Yes, well, whoever killed him didn't want him identified, but of course, they all forget about DNA."

Booth closed his notebook and pointed over his shoulder. "I'll go see if Bones wants to go with me to see Claire." If she wanted to go, he'd call Max and let him know they might be an hour or two late getting home.

"Good, Dr. Brennan has been worried that you might freeze her out of investigations because of her pregnancy." Cam had heard Brennan's complaints for several days and she appreciated that Booth was still working with her anthropologist in the field.

"It's early days." Booth had heard the same complaints. "I'll get that DNA for you."

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The trip to Williamsport was uneventful, which can't be said for when they arrived. Pulling into the yard in front of the house, Booth glanced at the barn and saw a man running from the open barn door to the back of the house. "I assume that's Hans." Stepping out of the truck, Booth waited in front of his truck for Brennan to join him. The sound of the front door opening, Booth looked towards the front of the house and saw a man charging out onto the porch with a rifle in his hands. Quickly pulling his gun, Booth aimed it at the man. "FBI, put the gun down."

"No, you put your gun down. If you don't I'll shoot the woman." Hans Bourgeois was terrified. He didn't know why the FBI had made it to his door so quickly, but he was going to protect himself.

"Drop the gun now." Booth's eyes were boring into the gunman. If the man moved, he knew that he would shoot.

Han licked his lips, threw the barrel of his rifle up and aimed it at Brennan when he heard a shot ring out and felt a burning sensation in his chest. Dropping his rifle, he looked down at the blood spreading on chest, fell to his knees then fell face down on the oak boards of the porch.

A scream came from inside the house and immediately a woman appeared on the porch, knelt next to the body and wept. "He was afraid . . . he was afraid." Claire touched the cheek of her husband and shook her head. "I reported my son Joseph missing and Hans started acting strangely when he found out and he . . . he wouldn't let me leave the house. He said the police wouldn't understand . . . I've tried to get him tell me what he meant, but I think I know . . . He killed Joseph didn't he? Joseph disappeared and Hans wouldn't let me report it, but he had to sleep sometime and when he did I made the call . . . Is my son dead?"

Booth moved up onto the porch, picked up the rifle and handed it down to Brennan who was standing on the steps. She could see that Hans Bourgeois was dead from where she was standing. There was a large pool of blood under the body and there were no signs of breathing. "We think so. A body was discovered in the Park a few days ago. We found a U.S. Army dog tag in a special pocket in a belt around his waist."

"My dog tag." Claire continued to weep. "I buried his father with his tags, so when Joseph was around thirteen I gave him one of mine . . . He and Hans never got on. Hans wanted Joseph to be a farmer and take over this farm when he died. Joseph wanted to go into the service . . . they've been arguing a lot lately. Joseph came home from college a few weeks ago and said he quit. He was going to join the Army like his real father . . . Hans was his father, he tried to be . . . Joseph disappeared last week and I was afraid that Hans had banished my son, but Hans started to act strangely. He wouldn't let me go to the store or church or make phone calls and I knew . . . I knew."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Ms. Bourgeois." Booth stared down at the body. "Are you alone? Do we need to call anyone?"

Claire stood up and stared down at her dead spouse. "My son Blair is visiting his grandparents for the summer. I'll call them and ask them to bring him home . . . I don't know how I'm going to tell them that their son is dead . . . I guess Blair will inherit the farm if he wants it." Sobbing, she placed her hands over her eyes and started to cry harder.

Brennan handed Booth the rifle, walked around the body and placed her arms around Claire. Normally she wasn't one to hug strangers, but she was moved to help the woman in her time of need. Her pregnancy was probably influencing her emotions, but Brennan didn't care about that.

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After the local Sheriff had been notified about what had happened at the farm and the local coroner had collected Hans' body, Booth and Brennan left. While he was driving towards home, the image of Hans aiming his rifle at Brennan kept flashing into his mind. "Bones, no more trips into the field. At least not until the baby is born."

"What?" Brennan was outraged. "Nothing happened to me, Booth. You saw what was happening and you protected me. Hans is dead. I am not staying out of the field because of this incident."

"Incident!" The word was shouted, Booth was so angry. "Incident? He aimed his rifle at you. If I been just a little bit slower, he would have shot you. Maybe killed the baby or you and the baby."

Calmly, Brennan placed her hand on Booth's arm. "We won't talk about this right now while you're upset. We'll talk about it tonight when you're calmer."

"Calmer." Booth ground his teeth. "He tried to kill you. What makes you think I'll be calmer tonight . . . yeah we will talk about this, Bones. Tonight!"

She knew he was upset, but she was certain that once they had a proper discussion about the situation that she would win.

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After they arrived home, they found that Parker was in bed and Max was sitting in the living room watching television. "Hey, you two, I made some soup. It's still in the crockpot so it should be warm."

Ignoring Max, Booth stalked into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge and moved down the hallway towards the bedroom.

Curious, Max watched Booth slam the door shut after he entered the bedroom. Turning, he faced his daughter. "What happened?"

"A suspect pointed a rifle at me. Booth is upset." Brennan moved into the kitchen and removed a bottle of water from the fridge. Once the cap was removed, she drank until she was satisfied. "He doesn't want me in the field while I'm pregnant which is ridiculous."

"I'm on Booth's side. It's not ridiculous." Max had followed Brennan into the kitchen and watched her pick up an apple from the fruit basket and take a bite from it.

In no mood to argue with her father, Brennan swallowed her bite of apple. "I don't think Booth and I will be eating dinner tonight." Eating the rest of the apple, she threw the core away and walked past Max out into the hallway to her bedroom. Opening the door, she found the room unoccupied and the light on in the bathroom. Entering the bathroom, she found Booth in the tub, leaning back against the wall, swallowing some beer from the bottle. "Do you wish to discuss what happened now or later?"

"He was going to shoot you, Bones. If he'd shot you in the stomach . . . you can't go into the field until the baby is born."

"Do not tell me what to do, Booth." Brennan was furious. She was not going to allow Booth to control her life. "I will go into the field if I want to. I am your partner. You need backup and I will not let you go out on interviews by yourself."

He knew she was angry, but so was he. The sight of Hans Bourgeois aiming his rifle at Brennan had been his worst nightmare. "He could have killed you."

"But he didn't."

"Tell me what would have happened if he had shot you in the stomach. Tell me what damage would have occurred. Be the scientist you are and tell what would have been the consequences if he'd shot you in the stomach." Booth waited to see how she would respond.

Irritated, Brennan sat on the toilet and stared at her boyfriend and partner. "If the abdominal aorta or vena cava is hit, especially by a rifle bullet, the victim will bleed to death in a matter of a few minutes. Wounds in the liver or kidney blood vessels also can quickly exsanguinate the victim unless quick medical treatment is given. One doesn't have to be pregnant to die from a gunshot wound to the abdomen, Booth. You are just as likely to die from such a wound as I. Of course, if there is no major blood vessel damage if the bullet hits the stomach or intestines then it is unlikely you'd die if you receive proper medical treatment."

"And if the bullet went through the baby, he or she'd be dead. You left that part out." Booth moved the beer bottle to the floor next to the tub, leaned over and let the water run out of the tub. "I don't want to lose you or the baby. You . . . you're my life, Bones. I know you don't want to hear it, but that's what this is about. If you died . . ." He couldn't finish the sentence. Standing he grabbed a towel from the towel bar and started to dry off. "You're resourceful and brave, everyone knows that and I know you can protect yourself, but not under all conditions. Hell, I'm in danger too when bullets start flying, I know that. I'm not a hypocrite, but you have a baby growing inside you. That means if you die, the baby dies too. It's not just about you. I know that's not fair, but you of all people know that life is not fair. Your parents ran away when you were fifteen and you were dumped into the Foster Care system. Your mother was killed by Vince McVickar when you were sixteen and you didn't find that out until you were thirty. You're the poster child for life's unfairness." Wrapping the towel around his waist, Booth stepped out of the tub.

Brennan stood up and crossed her arms against her breasts. "I cannot do my job, if I can't go out to crime scenes. It is important that I observe the body in situ. The placement of the body and the surroundings can give important clues."

Studying Brennan, Booth finally nodded his head. "I don't want to keep you from doing your job, Bones . . . We'll compromise, you can go to crime scenes, but you can't go with me to interview suspects. Interviews at the Hoover would be okay though. It's not like we allow armed suspects to enter interrogation rooms."

She thought about it and nodded her head. She knew that Booth was giving in more than she was and she appreciated that. "Your compromise is acceptable."

"Good." Booth moved closer to Brennan and placed his hands on her upper arms. "I know this is hard for you, but thank you."

"You're welcome." Brennan hated to give in to any demands, but Booth's compromise was the best of a bad situation. "I care about my fetus, Booth. I just need you to acknowledge that I am not an invalid. I can do my work as well as before I became pregnant. Access to the crime scene is a very important part of what I do . . . As long as you have trustworthy backup when you go to interviews then this is acceptable. Just remember, you are not allowed to die either. I want you to live just as much as you want me to live."

He kissed her. "Got it. Thank you."

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