AN: Thank you to all you lovely people who reviewed. It made me do the happy dance to come home and see 20+ on my inbox. And thanks to everyone who answered my question about Parker, it really helped.

This chapter introduces a new point of view. Everyone say "Hello, Parker." And sorry, not much happens. Forgive me. We are almost at the climax, here. But not yet.

Enjoy.

-

Without You – Chapter 8

"Zack!" Angela called. "ZACK!"

"Yes?" he answered, looking up from a microscope. Hearing the tone of Angela's voice, Hodgins also looked up.

Angela came up the steps and stood in front of the two men waiting expectantly. "You were right," she said to Zack.

"I was?" Glad, but confused. "About what?"

"Brennan was being blackmailed." Angela's eye sparkled like they always did when she had information to share.

"That's impossible," Hodgins said, sounding skeptical as always. "And how do you know?"

"She just told Booth everything."

"…And you were listening," Jack said. It wasn't a question, it was a given.

"Yeah," Angela said, as if to say 'duh'. "Usually I'd be a little ashamed. But not this time. This is important stuff that I actually need to know. I mean, Parker's son is on the line, here."

"You just wanted to see if they'd made up yet," Zack said, returning to the microscope.

"What? Do you actually think I'm that heartless? I care about Parker's well-being!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "But seeing if they'd made up yet was just a perk. Listening was your responsibility."

"Precisely. I do what I can."

Jack rolled his eyes again. "Well, are you going to tell us what she said or not?"

The sparkle in Angela's eyes intensified. She told them exactly what she heard through Brennan's door.

"But why wouldn't she tell us?" Zack asked once she was finished.

"Forget about telling you two, why didn't she tell me?" Angela asked.

"That is the better question," Hodgins agreed.

-

Once they were in the car and exiting the parking lot, Brennan finally spoke again. "Where are we going?" she asked.

Booth kept focused on the road ahead of them, as if that would make the city traffic move any faster. "We're going to talk to Johnny."

"Who's Johnny?"

"My gut tells me it's the voice you were talking about. The perv that called you," Booth answered.

"What makes you think that?"

"Mattia. It was the phone number that you gave me. It led us to this house in the old part of town, I talked to the owner and he said that his son was visiting them around the time you received that call." Booth made a right turn to get out of the traffic and take a detour.

"That number led you to a house?" Brennan asked. "That doesn't make sense. I thought for sure it was a cell phone number. He had to have been in the Jeffersonian at the time he placed the call."

"Since when do wireless calls produce a last name?" Booth asked. He wasn't being mean, but he wasn't teasing, either. He was being logical and detached. Weird for him, even in a time like this.

Brennan had an answer, but kept it to herself, noticing that it was a rhetorical question. Booth continued. "The owner of that house gave me his son's address and the name of his son's girlfriend. His girlfriend was part of a drug ring I was the lead agent in busting a couple years back. I thought maybe she was trying to get revenge."

"But you don't think that anymore?" Brennan asked.

"When I did a little research I found that this girlfriend committed suicide a few months ago. Mr. Mattia just wasn't aware of that. Apparently he and his son don't talk much."

"So the girlfriend is out of the picture."

"Yeah." Silence reigned over the SUV for a few minutes.

"How mad at me are you?"

Brennan's question caught Booth off guard. "What?"

"You know what I mean. Because, well, you're talking to me, and taking me with you into the field. So obviously you don't hate me, but how mad are you?"

Booth sighed. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "I really don't. Part of me is just asking a lot of questions, part of me just outright despises everyone right now, and part of me just wants to forgive you."

"How big is that last part?" Temperance dared to ask.

"Very small," he snapped, giving her a quick, annoyed ice glare.

"Understandable," she said quietly. "And…the questions? I'd be happy to answer some for you…if you want," she offered.

He took it. "Why didn't you tell me about the phone call earlier?"

"Well, I didn't know that Parker was missing until four days after the fact, and even then I wasn't sure if it had anything to do with that."

"But even when you gave me the number, you refused to tell me what was said."

Temperance looked over at him just as he was looking away. But she caught his eyes and he turned back. "You hated me. You wouldn't have wanted to hear it."

"…and…?"

"…and I was embarrassed. There. Are you happy now? I was embarrassed that I had given into the threat. I thought that you'd think less of me and you'd automatically assume that I had something to do with Parker's kidnapping," she fumed.

Booth was silent for a minute, and when he spoke, Temperance barely heard it. But she did.

Then wished she didn't.

-

"Mr. John?"

"Yeah, Parker?"

"When's my dad coming back?"

"I don't know, son. He didn't say. But I'm just keeping you safe here until he does come back."

"Oh."

Parker sat back on the couch, and reached for the remote. He handed it to Mr. John. "Do you have Nick?"

"Sure, Parker, sure." Mr. John turned the TV to the requested station. "Did you want something to eat?"

"Do you have sandwiches?" It came out "samiches"

"Yeah, if you want."

"Thanks, Mr. John," Parker said. But as his guardian walked to the kitchen, Parker's eyes followed him. Then they flashed to the door. He wondered when he dad was coming to get him. Or maybe his mom would pick him up if his dad couldn't, like it sometimes happened. He didn't really like it here.

But at least he could watch all the TV he wanted. Mr. John was nice, so he guessed it was okay. Just until his dad picked him up. It should be soon, he knew. Mr. John said that his dad knew where he was and that he had been very worried.

Parker was glad that Mr. John had come for him, even though it would've been much better if it was his dad, but he did like Mr. John more than that other man. The other man had been mean to him and wouldn't let him talk, or even go to the bathroom more than once a day.

He had heard Mr. John and the other man yelling at each other, but he couldn't hear what they said. But the mean man just let Mr. John take him.

Parker's attention was drawn back to the TV.

He really didn't understand what was going on.

And how very lucky he was not to.

-

AN: I don't know if any of you have any ideas as to what's going on, but this might turn M. And it has nothing to do with B&B. But maybe not. Probably not. I'm not sure yet. Again, sorry about the lack of action. Please review. Thanks.