As soon as her mother said she was to show Nichols the evidence, she felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. She had been very careful not to be in a room alone with him, and she didn't want to explain to her mother or father why she didn't want to. Her experiences and relationship with Agent Nichols was not one that was known to Temperance or Booth, and though Aiden knew of part of what had happened that night, he had not been told the entire story. There was only one person that knew more details, and he too was still in her mother's office.
Antonia stepped past the platform on her way toward the one of the back rooms, when and she looked up at Charlie as he stood at his work station. "Charles." She whispered, watching his eyes flick to her, he could see there was a pall of anxiety over her and he lifted an eyebrow. "I need you." She said, nodding her head toward the back of the lab, he made a face and she growled at him. "I need your help, please." She said, trying not to look like she was pleading, she tried not to gain too much attention as she nodded again toward the quieter corner of the lab. He put what he was doing on the table and stepped down the platform and walked toward her.
"What's going on?" He asked softly, watching her eyes move toward her mother's office, and then back to him.
"I need you to stay with me, unless I say otherwise." She said, expecting him to ask why, but pleased when he shrugged and nodded. "Agent Nichols wants to go over the evidence again."
"He's been over the evidence many times." Charlie said, giving her a confused look. "He's not a bright man. Though he was always more interested in asking about a certain forensic anthropologist." He said, smirking for a moment until he saw the anger in her eyes. "Not a Nichols fan, I gather."
"No." She said, shaking her head. "I don't trust him, and neither should you." She said, watching Charlie nod. "He's coming, but just… don't leave me alone with him, okay?"
"Oh, you got it. I'm stuck to you like cyanoacrylate." He said playfully.
"I know we're in the lab, Chuck, but you can just say super glue." She said, nudging him as he smiled and stepped behind her as she turned. She turned as Nichols approached, and she could see that somewhere between the office and the moment he was standing in front of her, he had entered into a swagger that nearly made her laugh out loud. There were several things about Nichols that she had enjoyed in the past, but there were also many habits that annoyed her, and remembered as he approached. One of them was how he wanted so badly to be like her father. The way he held himself, the way he spoke, the way he would try to say the same things as Booth, nod his head when Booth nodded his head, agree with everything he said. It bothered Antonia, and she could see that it hadn't changed. However, his 'Booth' walk, often resembled to Antonia, when her father was in a hurry to find a restroom.
"Agent Nichols, what evidence were you interested in seeing?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow as she took a step back. "Mr. Morris has said that you've looked through the evidence on multiple occasions, and he's going to help me with whatever it is you need."
"I was hoping that I could just, you know, take a look with you for old time sake. Just you and me." He shrugged.
"Agent Nichols, this isn't a reunion, it's a murder investigation. It is also an attempted murder investigation. There's no time for 'old time sake' here at the lab. So, what were you interested in looking at?" She asked, taking a step back, and deferring to Charlie. "Charles, be our tour guide." She said, watching as he glanced to her. He could see that little sparkle in her eye and it gave him a warm feeling of confidence at her approval, as he nodded his head and directed Nichols toward the evidence.
Antonia held back for a second, glancing to the office, she immediately noticed when the tall form of her fiancé came rushing out in her direction, followed quickly by Ace and her parents. "Hang on a second, guys." She said, grabbing Charlie's wrist lightly, he stopped and they turned toward Aiden.
"I think I know what the number is." He said, a smile rising on his face, she could see the confidence in his eyes. "I mean, I think I know who might know." He said. "Lily." He touched the side of her face with his hand, he watched her eyes dance as she watched him, waiting for the rest of his sentence. "That's Mrs. Farrell's first name." He said, turning toward Ace. "The neighbor. She lives on Kennedy Street, Tex."
"The fifty cent piece!" Antonia exclaimed. "Aiden!" She said, trying to hold her excitement, she reached up and grabbed him, kissing him on the lips, she watched as his ears turned red and he grinned sheepishly. Her lip slipped between her teeth as she looked at him with a guilty expression, taking a deep breath. "Sorry." She said, trying to hide her grin, she glanced to Charlie who was smirking, and she gave him a jab to the rib with a playful glare.
"Ace is going to go with Fitz to talk to her." Booth said, nodding as Ace nodded. "I have an errand to run." Booth said, glancing to Temperance, who nodded knowingly. "Nichols, come with me. We'll let Ace and Fitz do their thing, and if you need to take another look at the evidence, Charlie will take you through it later."
"Uh, okay." Nichols said, glancing to Booth, he nodded.
"You're good here?" Ace asked Antonia, who glanced to her mother and smiled.
"Yes, perfect." She grinned. "Now go, go." She said, pushing at him, she looked up at Aiden's smile as he leaned down for a quick kiss. "Go get 'em, Tiger!" She exclaimed, slapping his butt as he let out a laugh and he and Ace headed quickly for the exit.
She laughed and turned to see her father's stern glare. She straightened her posture, put her hands behind her back and nodded professionally at him. "Agent Booth, Agent Nichols. Have a nice day." She said, turning on her heel, she quickly retreated toward Hodgins' office.
Booth turned toward Temperance, who just lifted an eyebrow, shrugged, and turned toward her office. "Alright, Nichols. Let's go." He said, sighing heavily, he and the other agent walked toward the exit.
Monday, July 16th- 6:00pm-
The day had worn on at the lab fairly quickly, with little to no word from any of the FBI agents working on the case. Aiden and Ace had gotten what they needed from Mrs. Farrell, and Booth and Nichols had completed their task, and all had returned to the Hoover to complete their research and make phone calls, collecting data for their next move. Temperance brought Antonia to the safe house at around 4:30, sending Grace home after a quick conversation and thanking her for looking after Melody. The little girl was happy and eager to talk about her day, though a bit concerned that Aiden wasn't with Antonia, when she knew that they had left together that morning.
Melody sauntered into the kitchen, Bonnie tucked under her arm as she shuffled over to Antonia. "Where is Bean?" She asked for possibly the eighteenth time since Antonia came home, having grown tired of playing and coloring, she was looking for other forms of entertainment. Antonia set down the cookbook she was looking at, and looked down at the little girl.
"He's at work." She signed, watching the little girl sigh heavily, pulling herself into a chair, she sat down with a grunt. "Do you want to help me cook?" She signed, watching as Melody's eyes brightened a bit, and she nodded. "What should we make?" she asked.
"Cake." Melody replied, nodding excitedly.
"For dinner, silly." Antonia smiled.
"Spaghetti!" Melody signed, climbing from her chair, she moved toward Antonia and was immediately pulled up into her lap.
"Spaghetti." Antonia sighed, looking through the cookbook for a sauce recipe, she heard the sound of a car door closing and glanced to her phone. She was surprised that Aiden wouldn't call before leaving the office, but shrugged it off. She didn't tell Melody that she thought he was home, because she knew that it was possible that it was Hodgins or Angela, since they had said they might stop in from time to time. So, she waited patiently as she cuddled Melody and looked through the cookbook.
She heard the door open at the front of the house, and waited for a moment. "Aiden?" Antonia called, feeling a bit anxious suddenly at the silence of the person who had entered.
"It's me." He called from the hallway, she swore he was whispering something, and then it was quiet.
"Are you coming in here, or are you going to stay in the doorway all evening?" She called. "How is the case going?" She called.
"Case is good, we're looking into the bank account deposits into that account, see where they came from. We have a forensic accountant looking into it." He called back. She heard whispering again and glanced to Melody, who looked up at Antonia curiously. She lifted the little girl to the seat and stood up, walking toward the door. "I'm going to see if Bean needs help with anything." She signed, watching Melody nod her head.
"Aiden?" She said, stepping around the corner, she caught sight of a set of very eager green eyes. "Fiona?" She smiled.
"Ant!" Fiona exclaimed, running quickly to her as she was lifted from her feet, the little girl's arms wrapped securely around her friend as she was hugged tightly. "Oh my goodness, I was so worried about you!" Fiona said, hugging tightly to Antonia. "Uncle Aiden brought me here to have dinner with you guys!" She giggled.
"Surprise." Aiden smiled, watching Antonia hug the little girl to her tightly.
"I can't believe you're here!" Antonia exclaimed, smiling to Aiden again, who shrugged and smiled. "What a surprise, what an amazing surprise." She said, leaning over toward Aiden, she kissed his cheek. "Thank you so much." She laughed.
"Where is Shadow?" he asked, nodding toward the dining room, Antonia nodded as she set Fiona to the floor and took her hand.
"We were going to start making dinner." She said, walking behind him as Fiona looked eagerly for the little girl that she had heard so much about, and when she saw the two blue eyes looking over at her from the table, she gave a friendly wave.
Aiden watched Melody slink down in the seat, her eyes looking out at Fiona, wide and almost frightened. "Is she okay?" Fiona asked.
"She's just a little shy." Antonia said, watching Melody's attention flick to her. "Melody." She signed. "This is Fiona." Melody slinked a little further down, sliding under the table.
"Is she afraid of me?" Fiona asked, looking under the table, she watched Melody for a moment. "I'm just a little girl, nothing to be afraid of." She said, looking up at Antonia.
"Why don't we start making dinner, do normal things, and she'll realize she has nothing to be worried about. Would you like to help me make the tomato sauce for dinner?" She asked, watching as Fiona smiled brightly.
"Yeah!" She said excitedly, walking toward the counter with Antonia, she glanced to her Uncle Aiden as he sat on the floor beside the table, trying to coax Melody out.
Antonia got a small knife out, and the garlic, quietly explaining to Fiona how to peel the garlic so that it could be chopped by an adult. She listened to Aiden speaking as he signed, and noted that Melody still refused to come out, and was making angry grunting sounds, swatting at him as he tried to get her to look at him. She sighed and dropped a kiss on Fiona's head. "Let me try." She said, watching Aiden nod. "Help Fiona with the sauce, please."
"No problem." Aiden smiled, standing up, he walked over beside his niece and talked and laughed with her as Antonia sat down on the ground to see Melody lying on her side, curled in a ball with her eyes closed tightly.
Antonia reached out for her, and she let out a screech, gritting her teeth angrily as she tried to roll away from her.
"You're sure you're okay with her?" Aiden asked.
"I'm fine, Aiden. I can take care of a five-year-old child." She sighed, reaching for Melody again, this time, the little girl quickly stretched from her fetal position, kicking her feet out at Antonia hard, landing her foot on Antonia's rib solidly. Antonia yelped and jumped, her head hitting the table hard as Melody stopped struggling suddenly when she saw the pain on Antonia's face, holding her head. She then immediately began to scream and cry.
"Tex!" Aiden exclaimed as he ran for the table, when suddenly Antonia emerged quickly, the squirming five year old in her arms as she wrestled against Antonia. "I'll take her. I can take her."
"Nope, this one is mine." Antonia said, still dizzy from hitting her head, she gripped the writhing, crying girl in her arms, and she very quickly turned and made her way to one of the bedrooms with Melody, closing the door behind her, leaving Aiden standing in the hallway looking after them.
"Uncle Aiden?" Fiona called, watching as he turned and faced his niece as she smiled toward him nervously, while Melody continued to scream in one of the rooms with Antonia.
"Yeah, sweetie?" He said, sighing as he looked back down the hallway, then back to Fiona.
"She's just a scared little girl. That's what you said, right?"
"Yeah." He said softly, listening to the wave of screaming and crying as it reached a crescendo.
"She just needs someone to show her that there's nothing to be scared of." She smiled, looking down at the bits of garlic in her fingers. "Am I doing this right?" She asked, giggling, she watched her uncle snap out of his reverie as he approached her with a laugh.
"Yes, yes… here, let's get this sauce going so we can eat dinner sometime tonight." He teased, as Fiona let out a giggle, he glanced toward the hallway one more time, and then immersed himself in getting dinner ready.
It was a little over a half hour when the bedroom door opened, the crying and screaming had stopped a bit earlier, and Aiden had called to Antonia a couple of times, only to be reassured that everything was fine. Aiden glanced down the hallway to see Antonia step from the bedroom, her hand on her ribs, and pain in her eyes as she took a deep breath.
"Are you okay?" He asked, stepping forward, she held her hand out for him to stop.
"I'm fine." She said, turning toward the room, she signed something that Aiden couldn't see, and after a moment, the small girl took a step from the room. Her eyes were downcast, her fingers knotting themselves in one another as Antonia bent down tenderly to look her in the eyes. Aiden watched Melody look up at Antonia, her cheeks were pink with emotion, her eyes a glittery blue, almost lighter than usual as she sniffled. "Tell Aiden." She signed and spoke, pointing down the hallway to where he stood watching.
Melody walked down the hallway keeping her eyes down as she looked up at him and signed. "I'm sorry." She sniffled. "Please don't send me back."
"Melody." Antonia said out loud as she approached the little girl, she touched her shoulder and she looked up at Antonia. "We talked about this."
She turned toward Aiden, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried to control her emotions. "I'm sorry I yelled." She signed to him. "I'm sorry I was bad."
"I love you." Aiden replied, watching the girl's eyes widen at his response, her lip sticking out as it trembled.
"I'm a bad girl." She responded, not understanding his response. "I'm a bad girl, hit me." She said, reaching for his belt, he backed up, and looked down at her.
"Never." He said out loud, signing it to her, he shook his head.
"Hit me, I was bad." She signed again, reaching for his belt, she stomped her foot stubbornly, slamming her wrist with her other hand with an angry scowl again and again as Antonia reached forward and grabbed her swinging hand.
"Melody." Antonia signed, standing beside Aiden. "No hitting. We don't hit, we don't kick, or punch, or scream."
"Or bite." Aiden muttered.
"Don't give her any ideas." Antonia mumbled back, listening to his snort. "We love you. We don't hurt people we love." She said, watching Melody's eyes flick to the floor.
"Melody?" Fiona's voice said softly from behind the two adults, she grabbed Antonia's hand cautiously, and Antonia smiled at her as she carefully crouched down, touching Melody's chin to lift her eyes to look at her.
"Melody, this is Fiona." Antonia signed, watching Melody watch the other girl curiously. "She is Bean's niece. She is five years old, like you." Antonia said, watching as Melody glanced between Antonia and Fiona, then looked up at Aiden.
"Bean?" Fiona giggled, looking up at her Uncle.
"What? She says it's because I'm tall." He said, defending his nickname to the little girl playfully. "Like a beanstalk."
"That's silly." Fiona laughed. "Uncle Bean." She said, laughing joyfully as Aiden playfully scowled at her.
"Fiona, Melody can read your lips, if you want to say something to her, if you'd like to talk to her. Maybe she can show you some signs." Antonia said, while also signing to Melody. Melody glanced between Fiona and Antonia, and shifted nervously.
"I hope we can be friends." Fiona said, holding her hand out to Melody, she smiled slightly, looking at the other little girl curiously.
"Friends." Antonia signed to Melody, showing Fiona how to sign the word, hooking her index fingers together, she watched Fiona try it, looking to Antonia. Melody swallowed hard and looked to Fiona.
"Friends." She replied, looking between Antonia and Fiona, she slowly reached out to shake Fiona's hand, she smiled lightly, her blue eyes sparkling, she pulled her hand back and smiled. "Fiona." She signed, looking to Aiden, who nodded. "Do you like to color?" She signed.
"She asked if you like to color." Aiden nudged Fiona, who smiled.
"Yes!" She said, glancing to Aiden as she nodded happily. "Let's go color!" She said, taking her new friend's hand, Melody and Fiona made their way to one of the bedrooms, giggling.
Antonia watched them disappear into the bedroom and let out a long, exhausted sigh. "Hey." Aiden said, watching her look toward him, her eyes were clouded with pain and concern, though masked with stubbornness. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
"I'm fine, Aiden." She said strongly, but unconvincingly. "I'm fine." She said, turning toward the kitchen, she walked away from him and went to check on dinner.