AN: Wow. And do I mean WOW. I never expected so many wonderful reviews, and I'm so glad this story is so eagerly accepted! It makes me happy that people seem to be enjoying it. I do hope it stays that way!

Disclaimer: The only thing I own that is remotely related to Bones is a David Boreanaz action figure (long story).

Without You – Chapter 2

"What is wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?" Brennan replied.

"That whole thing with Booth. Are you insane?"

Brennan looked down. "So you were listening."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Duh! You were shooting daggers at him and then wanted to 'talk' to him. Do actually think I wouldn't listen?"

"Angela," Brennan sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I really don't have time right now, and I don't feel like explaining. We have work to do."

Angela defiantly sat down on Brennan's couch. "Nuh-uh, missy. You're going to explain it to me right here, right now. The work can wait."

Temperance just stood up from her desk and walked out of her office. "I don't want to talk about it, Ange," she said as she left.

-

Rebecca was hysterical. Blaming him, even though he had nothing to do with it.

Booth's previous conversation with Brennan was completely lost to him as he drove through the streets, scanning.

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. Not to him. He didn't deserve it. He hadn't done anything.

He was an innocent child.

According to Rebecca, Parker had gone missing the day before. Thinking that he had run off to a friend's house without telling her, she had spent the hours of the previous evening calling all of Parker's friends' houses. She had given up and gone to sleep, expecting him back in the morning.

And Booth hated her for that. That woman didn't know how to be a mother. The kid was four years old, for God's sake. He wouldn't know where his friends lived. He didn't even know how to find his own house.

Booth seethed with anger at Rebecca and worry for his son as he continued searching the streets around where Rebecca had last known where he was. Then his phone rang again.

After looking at the caller ID, he shoved it back into his pocket, deciding not to answer it. No way was he talking to her right now. He had more important things to take care of than a self-righteous forensic anthropologist.

-

The phone seemed to ring a million times. Then Booth's voice told her to leave a message. Crap. She took a deep breath. I can do this.

"Booth, this is Angela. I really need you to call me back, because I have something important to talk to you about. And don't worry, I'm not defending Brennan or anything. I don't think I could even if I wanted to. We just need to talk."

Angela set the receiver back down and sighed. She wasn't sure what it was she needed to tell Booth about, but she knew she had to say something along the lines of the fact that Brennan was the only one who didn't want to work with him anymore.

Because quite frankly, at the moment, she would rather be working with solid, stable Booth than with her recently seemingly insane best friend.

-

As the day turned into night and the night dragged on, Booth began to lose hope for the day. He was contemplating stopping to sleep and looking for Parker tomorrow instead of going to work. Then he realized what it was he had just thought.

His son was out there, probably lost and afraid. No way was he stopping for the night.

And though Booth refused to consciously admit it, he knew that there had been many cases of disappearing children that turned up in the lab. But not this time, because Booth wasn't going to stop until he had found Parker and he was determined to find him alive.

-

There was some kind of noise. God, what was that? It was really annoying.

Brennan reached up to turn her alarm clock off, but her hand instead hit the phone. She lifted her head and remembered that she was in her office. Looking briefly at the time, she picked up the phone. It was already 11:00 am. It was Wednesday. Why hadn't someone woken her up? How long had she been out of it?

"Brennan."

"Doctor Brennan, Cullen here."

Odd. What did he want?

"I'm calling regarding Special Agent Booth."

Booth. What about Booth? Who cared? "Yeah?"

"I've tried numerous times to get a hold of him both last night and this morning, but have been unsuccessful. Last time I spoke with him he was heading over to you."

"Yeah, um…" Brennan replied, trying to get rid of the haze over her memories. "He came in here around 5 yesterday and left around 5:10. He wasn't here long and I haven't seen him since." Thankfully.

"Ah. Well. Thank you. That's all."

Click, Buzzzzz.

Temperance set the receiver back down. That was strange. Cullen had always seemed to avoid her as much as possible and now he was calling her. Granted he wasn't much for the small talk. But it was still weird.

"Morning," Angela said flatly as she strolled into Brennan's office. "Was that Booth?"

"No, it was Cullen."

Angela looked equally surprised and a bit disappointed. "What did he want?"

"I think he wanted to know if I knew where Booth was. Apparently he didn't come into work this morning."

"Do you think there's something wrong?" Angela asked.

"Why should I?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "If this was all switched around and Booth was getting calls from Goodman asking about your whereabouts he'd be freaked, but you don't even care."

"Booth's a grown and mature man. I'm sure he can take care of himself." I don't care about where the hell Booth is! Far away from me is all I care about! she wanted to shout. But she held herself back. "I'm not worried."

"Yeah. I can see that," Angela said, turning to leave.

"God, Angela! What do you want me to do? Send out a search party? Open an investigation? So he won't answer his phone and is late to work one day of his life! So what?"

"No, Brenn. I want you to care. Booth cares about you, and I know that up until yesterday you cared about him. I know it's still there somewhere. I don't know what happened. I don't know what's wrong with you. But obviously something is. And until you find out what that is, just know that the things you said to Booth really cut him deep. You really hurt him, your partner, your friend."

And with that, she left, only turning around in the doorway to add one last thing.

"And if that was your intention, Temperance, well…good job."

-

Bottoms up.

Refill.

Bottoms up.

Refill.

Seventy-nine hours missing. Four years old. Fifty-five hours of searching, and not a sight.

Booth was tired, hungry and really wanted to get drunk and forget about everything. And that's exactly what he was doing at Wong Foo's. Getting drunk. Wallowing. Trying desperately for one night to forget about his lost son.

He felt a presence next to him and swore to himself that if it was her, he'd knock her right off the stool.

But when he turned, he saw a face he instantly recognized and instantly wished he didn't.

"Tessa."

"Hey Seeley." Tessa nodded to Sid that she wanted a drink. Meaning she was staying a while. "How's everything?"

"Fine," he replied the expected response.

Tessa was silent for a moment. "Then why are you sitting here alone getting drunk? What are you going to do next? Go gamble?"

"Tessa…" Booth warned. "Just…don't."

"Just tell me what's wrong," she pleaded.

"Parker's been missing for more than three days," he told her, more as a way to shut her up. "That's what's wrong."

"Oh."

"So I'd just like to be alone."

Tessa reached out and put her hand on his arm. "Seeley…"

In an instant, Booth was back at the war memorial, talking with Bones, her hand on his arm, his hand over hers.

In the next, he was shaking off the memory and back with Tessa. "Let me help you," she offered. Booth looked at her for a moment, and then nodded. Maybe she could help him. If not with the search, then maybe something else.

-

Brennan sat at her desk, staring down at her keyboard. She was stuck.

Stuck between the place that she was and the place that Kathy was. Kathy was about to go out for a romantic evening with her partner, while Brennan herself didn't even have one anymore.

Whether she liked to admit it or not, her books thrived off of her co-workers. It was their traits, the things they said, and the things they did that she wrote about. But now she had gotten her and her Booth-based character into a situation that wasn't happening in real life. That was never happening in real life.

Temperance leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Angela had said that she knew she still cared for Booth somewhere deep down inside. And in order to finish the next chapter, she knew she had to dig way down to find it and focus it.

'Bones'. Always 'Bones'.

Stubborn. Cocky. Gorgeous. Annoying.

But…caring and willing to open up to her.

The warehouse. His arms. His bedside. His company.

New Orleans. His eyes. His worry. His kindness. His smile. His risk.

The war memorial. His words. His sadness. His tears. His hand.

It was her who had kept him at arm's length, and had now shoved him away. For a good reason, she reminded herself. But she couldn't help but wonder…if she had once brought her arm in a little more, and let him come a little closer…would that have changed anything?

But she was torn away from her thoughts when her phone rang.

"Brennan," she answered.

"Brenn, Booth hasn't been into work for four days, and no one's heard from him," Angela said from the other side.

So? "Yeah?"

"But…I just talked to Cullen and he told me that Rebecca filed a missing person's report yesterday."

"For Booth?"

"No," Angela said, then paused.

"Who for then?" But as soon as she asked it, Brennan knew the answer.

"For Parker."

"God…" was all she could manage. "Booth must be so worried."

"Now do you thing there's something wrong?" Angela asked wearily. "Because it's about time."

"Ange, he's probably been out there looking for Parker on his own. You know how he is. He's very determined," Brennan said, hiding the worry in her voice.

Determined. To the death. Booth wasn't letting anything happen to his son, even if that meant dying for him. What had Booth done? If he had found Parker, he wouldn't be missing work. Everyone knew he valued work almost as much as life. If he hadn't found Parker, he wasn't stopping until he did.

This whole situation was probably tearing Booth up on the inside. Brennan said her goodbye to Angela and leaned back in her chair once more.

Poor Booth… she caught herself thinking.

And for the first time since she broke off their partnership, Brennan was second-guessing what she had done.

And deeply regretted it.

She picked up the phone and dialed the number she had come to know so well, hoping to God that he would pick up.

"Booth," his voice came over the phone. He sounded distracted, irritated or maybe still angry at her. Was there a reason he shouldn't be angry or distracted?

Temperance's heart leaped into her throat, putting her at a loss for words, and before she knew what she was doing, she hung up.

-

AN: Please review, it keeps me going. I'm basing a lot of what's gonna happen by your reactions, so please tell me what you think. Thanks!

(And just a random side note here: Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday DAVID BOREANAZ! Happy Birthday to you! He's 37 today. And…that's all.)