Chapter 1

Present Day….

This case was a hard one, a serial kidnapper known as the Grave Digger, or Heather Taffet. Brenna and Hodgins had been her victims and then she had kidnapped Booth. Heather had been arrested and charged, the evidence found in the warehouse storage place that Jared had found, had been enough to charge her and convict her of the numerous kidnappings and the deaths that were connected. The victims and the families of the victims of the Grave Digger had been grateful and had been overjoyed and overwhelmed at the news that the kidnapper had finally been brought to justice.

It had been shocking when Brennan had watched Booth walk in, pale and nervous. He had informed her that Heather Taffet had escaped from prison. She had found a way to outsmart the guards and she had made it out of the prison and far away before anyone caught onto what she had done. Now they were trying to track her because she had made it clear that she wanted revenge. They were all going to be working long hours, and Booth had made it clear that everyone in the lab would have to call and check in, make it clear that they were all right.

They were even more worried about Angela right now, considering she was currently pregnant. Hodgins had been on a warpath all day since they found out about the escape and Brennan couldn't blame him. Hodgins had been majorly traumatized by the kidnapping, and Brennan knew that Angela would have to really watch out for Hodgins, really rein him in if he got out of line on this case. But there was something that worried Brennan, the secret she had been keeping could be an issue for the Grave Digger.

Brennan sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck. She walked into her apartment and looked around her, frowning because she knew something was wrong. She rushed around, trying to find what was wrong and she realized what it was immediately and her heart sank. She rushed throughout the apartment, searching for what was missing, but there was no sign of it. She felt the panic rising inside of her, she was near hysteria and she dialed the only person she could think of, she dialed Booth.


Booth walked into the apartment and he could see Brennan pacing back and forth, muttering to herself. He leaned against the door that he had just walked through, making sure it was locked and then he pushed away from it and walked over to her. He had no clue what she was hysterical about, but he had a feeling that whatever it was, it was something important. He was wondering if Taffet had threatened her, or if she had been here or somewhere close by. Booth kept his hand on his gun as he scanned the apartment and he realized something wasn't right, something was off. He could feel it, something was off in this apartment.

"Bones?" Booth said softly, trying not to startle her. When she turned to face him he could see the terror and anguish in her eyes.

"It's all my fault, I know it is. I am such a failure." Brennan said and Booth was shocked. He walked over and pulled her into his arms as sobs wracked her body.

"What's the matter Bones? What happened?" Booth asked her as she clung to him.

"I am so sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn't want you to feel any obligations to me." Brennan said as she tried to stop her sobbing.

"What are you talking about?" Booth asked, but he had a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

"Six years ago, when we slept together, I got pregnant Booth, we have a daughter. We have a daughter who is five and half and Taffet has her, the Grave digger has our baby girl." Brennan said as she collapsed to the floor sobbing, her whole body shaking.

Booth stood there in complete and total shock, he couldn't believe the words he had just heard come out of her mouth. Booth had another child, he had a daughter, Parker had a sister. He didn't even know how own daughters name. He felt angry, but he understood. Brennan didn't understand how families worked, she didn't understand love and she didn't understand trust and loyalty fully. She was confused and scared and she didn't have the best example of family.

"What's her name?" Booth asked as he dropped to the floor next to Brennan.

"Alana, Alana Marie Booth." Brennan informed him.

A feeling of warmth and pride swept through him at learning she had his last name. He was happy to hear that she had his name at least. "Am I on her birth certificate?" He asked her.

"Of course." Brennan said nodding her head. "She looks like you and me, mostly like you." Brennan said as she tried to wipe at the tears. "But we don't have time to talk about her right now, Grave Digger has Alana, she has her."

Booth finally realized what she was saying, it finally hit him. A serial kidnapper/killer has his five and half year old daughter that he had not yet met. A freakish, heartless, cold killer had his innocent and defenseless daughter. He jumped to his feet, panic threatening to overwhelm him as he called in the kidnapping to the FBI and he called Deputy Director Cullen himself, informing him that he had just learned he had a daughter with Dr. Brennan and that Heather Taffet had kidnapped his five and half year old daughter.


A few hours later, Brennan was sitting in her office at the Jeffersonian. Sitting in the room she was getting glares all around her, Cam was not happy, Clark was confused, Sweets was downright hurt that he had not been informed that Dr. Brennan was a mother, Hodgins was not sure how he was feeling and Angela was hurt that her best friend hadn't felt like she could confide in her. Then there was Booth, who was holding on tightly to the picture of Alana that Brennan had handed him at the apartment, the picture he wasn't letting go of.

"Sweetie, we just don't understand why you didn't feel like you could trust us." Angela said, seeing the panic starting to close in on her friend. They all knew that Brennan was different from them, that she saw things differently and that she didn't understand how different things worked.

"I just didn't want everyone to treat me differently, but I see now that was a mistake. I will regret my decision for the rest of my life, I took away Booth's right to see Alana born and see her grow up, and for that I am truly sorry Booth. I didn't tell all of you about her and I robbed not only her of the right to know the very people who would have loved and cared about her the most, but I robbed all of you of the chance to know her. She really is very smart, and not just like me but like Booth." Brennan said and her voice hitched and she closed her eyes. The pain in her heart was getting worse, she was afraid she would never get to see her daughter again, and that Booth would never know his little girl, and it would be all her fault and no one elses.

"You could make this up to me." Booth said suddenly.

"How?" Brennan asked softly.

"All me to be there full time from now on, marry me like you should have when you first found out you were going to have my baby." Booth said. He saw a chance to be with one of his kids full time, he had sworn after Parker he would never ever be a part time father to another child again. He hated he was using her guilt against her, but when they got Alana back, and they would get her back, Booth wanted to be there for her all the time and this was the only way he could ensure that happened.

"There is nothing else I can do?" Brennan asked. Everyone knew her views on marriage and although they disagreed with them, they never questioned them or tried to change them before now.

"No there isn't. I say we get married at the court house today and that way I move you into my place and when we get Alana back, we can get her settled there right away and make it clear she is now going to have both her parents, the way she should have from the start." Booth stated with a very determined look on his face.

Brennan looked between Booth and all her friends that were in the room. She could tell they were on his side and would be no help to her, so she sighed and slowly nodded her head. Now if they could just find a way to find Alana, maybe things would get better, but deep inside her gut, Brennan knew things were only getting started and would go downhill from here.