The whole thing with the girl and boy in the last chapter is not a memory. It was created by Brennan's self conscious. I'm big on symbolism in dreams or visions or whatever you want to call them. There's more in this chapter. I'm not going to explain it because a big part of symbolism is that it's open to interpretation. However, if you don't understand something feel free to ask.

You people have no idea how hard it is to keep this from turning into a crossover with NCIS. A character from NCIS might show up here or Bones might visit the NCIS headquarters so I get it out of my system. However, if you haven't seen the show things will still make sense.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones. I do own a new suitcase and not Bones season 4. Great, now I have to buy it myself.

Anyone watch NCIS this week? Through the whole thing I was like 'Omg, what is Abby going to do... PIN IT ON VANCE!'… and then it ended with a cliffy. So… next week! I hate Vance even more than Sully and Hacker combined.

Note: Using Banana in this first scene threw off the flow a little. I'm switching to using her real name (Sirree) in text and Banana in speech. If there's any confusion please tell me.

Special Thanks: My ever wonderful beloved Lena-chan who is my beta.

Wallace23 who game me a link to a site on Columbus and corrected me on a few things that I am to lazy to go change/fix.

To my fluffy kitty, Duff, who tries once again to steal my pillow last night. T.T because we all like waking up with a cat practically in our face. And for just being my cute and cuddly kitten of sometimes evil intentions.

"Bones!" With a quick glance at the others and a 'stay here', Booth took off running towards her office. Spy looked at Hollie then took off after him. After hearing it so many times, the screams were familiar; they were the screams of a nightmare, a nightmare that wouldn't vanquish unless awoken. They were nightmares that sucked you into their very depths and chained you there to suffer once again even as the tangible event moved further away in time.

Grabbing the door handle, Booth found the latch locked. "God damn it!" he swore. Putting his shoulder against the door, he twisted the knob and forced his weight against it. Stumbling slightly, he saw Bones curled up on the couch, her knees drawn to her chest and her face buried in them obscured by her hair.

Stumbling over, he tried to uncurl her to no avail. When his hands touched her clammy skin, she whimpered and tried to draw further away into the couch and into a tighter ball. Shaking her gently, then a bit harder he tried to wake her. "Bones, come on Bones. Wake up baby, please wake up." No doubt if she remembered this, he'd die for the 'baby' part of it.

Out of options, Booth sank onto the couch and pulled the trembling woman onto his lap, turning her so she was on her back. His left arm wrapped around her shoulders keeping her upright, ready to support her head if, no, when she uncurled. His right came up under her knees which had loosened when he lifted and turned her. Cradling her to his chest, he pressed his lips to her hair and rocked her gently.

The trembling refused to cease and her whimpers of fright were increasing in frequency and volume. "Come on Bones, wake up. Please wake up. I can't stand seeing you like this." Her legs unfurled, her feet resting on the couch. Booth's hand moved to brush the hair from her face and cup her cheek gently. "Wake up Sweetheart, please wake up." Again, if she remembered his terms of endearment, he might very well end up in the hospital. She wouldn't kill him… right?

Spy stood by the door and watched the scene unfold. A small scream of fright drew her out of her trance-like state. Stepping into the room, she quietly made her way over and set her bag of the table. In her hand, she held two vials. She spoke softly and gently. "Agent Booth, please hold her so her back is upright and hold her head steady."

Glancing at the girl, he saw a calm, relaxed look on her face like she'd done this before. Unknown to him, she'd done it many times over the past 5 years, since Sirree was 5. Complying with her instructions, he shifted Brennan so his left arm now held her back in an upright position, her head rested against his shoulder. She turned into it, seeking comfort in his warmth. It nearly broke his heart to see her like this. Gently, his right hand turned her head and held her steady.

Uncapping the first vial, Spy held it under Brennan's nose and gently moved it in small circles. The trembles subsided, but the whimpering continued, softer, and not as often. She continued the motion for several minutes as the doctor slowly relaxed into Booth's arms, his hand the only thing keeping her from burying her face softly into his neck.

Angela, Parker, Hollie, and Sirree stood by the doorway, Angela holding Parker back while Hollie watched her friend. Stepping softly, Sirree made her way over to her sister and took the second vial gently in her right hand. Her left clasped onto her sisters as her eyes widened and looked at Brennan.

"Can you uncap that Sirr?"(Pronounced like sear not sir) Yet again, her voice was soft, but this time it held concern and comfort. Nodding, her sister did as she asked and handed it to her, taking the first vial and capping it before holding onto her sister's hand again. "Thanks Sirr." Her voice was soothing.

Holding the second vial under the Brennan's nose, she let the scent float upwards, unrushed into the woman's senses. Inhaling deeply, Brennan stiffened, then relaxed completely.

Spy recapped the vial and placed them both in her bag. "Saffi…" Sirree began. She only used her sister real name in times like these. "Do…" She trailed off.

"What is it Sirr?" It was in times like this, Spy referred to her sister as Sirr. It was their way of comforting each other: with names seldom used that held great meaning in their hearts. "Agent Booth, you can let her sleep now. She'll wake up in less than an hour."

Gently, Booth let her head rest against his chest and eased her down, his left arm resting under her head for a pillow and she lay across his lap.

Clutching her sister's hand tighter, Sirree moved her gaze to her sister. "Do I look like that?" The question hung in the air. She asked again, a bit unnerved by Spy's lack of response. "Do I look like that when I have nightmares?"

Glancing at Booth and Brennan, Spy gently pulled her sister into an embrace. "No, you don't." It wouldn't be until much later years that she would tell Sirree the real truth. It was scary. Before they'd found the herbalist, she'd watched her sister scream and toss, fighting invisible demons are she tried desperately to wake her.

Booth looked at Parker. The little boy was upset seeing one of the people he idolized reduced to such a state by dark memories haunting their mind. "Come here Parker." At a nod from Angela, Parker crawled onto the couch above Brennan's head.

"Is Dr. Bones going to be ok Daddy?"

"Yeah Bud, she's going to be ok." If his hand hadn't been supporting her head, he would have ruffled Parker's hair. Pride filled him that his son cared so much for others, especially the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

As the light struck her face, the girl in the cell vanished and was replaced by a child: untouched, uncorrupted, by a system of errors and wrongdoing.

She screamed, that she knew, but she didn't know why. She knew she knew, but her mind wouldn't remember the cause. It smelled like flowers. Looking, she saw none. She saw no one else either. The only thing in her sights was a gnarled old oak tree whose lofty branches stretched up towards the sky in seemingly endless sinuous patterns.

The scent of flowers met her nose once again, but as she looked around, a frown evident on her pale face, none were to be seen. Grasping the lower limb, she hauled herself up onto it and gazed into the distance. Still, there was nothing except the grassy field that seemed to extend forever.

As she climbed the branches grew more numerous and oddly shaped. One in particular caught her eye. Climbing to it, she saw the wood was grooved and shapes carved both into and out of it. Stretching her hand out slightly, wary to go out farther on the branch, she ran the tips over her fingers over the shape. It was a music note.

A cracking sound was heard behind her. Before she had time to do anything, she tumbled down towards the ground and…

"I come home in the morning light. My mother says when you gonna live your life right." The smile on her face shone brightly in her eyes as she danced and sang, letting loose the controlled anthropologist and setting free the childlike Brennan. "Oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones,"

No one notices the former suspect enter. No one knows what she carries in her purse. "Look at me, not her."

"And girls they want to have fun. Oh girls just want to have fun." He laughed as he watched her enjoy herself. God, she loved when he laughed. As he took out his lighter, her smile widened at the childish nature of his flame waving. Didn't most people use cell phones at concerts now?

"The phone rings in the middle of the night. My father yells what you gonna do with your life." His eyes are on her, only her.

"Oh daddy dear you know you're still number one, but girls they want to have fun. Oh girls just want to have fun." She feels giddy with delight as her eyes flash around, never lingering on him to long as she dances and sings. Their friends are watching her, they'd notice. As their eyes meet once more, their smiles grow even larger.

"That's all they really want, some fun, when the working day is done…"

"Seeley, I'm doing this for us."

"Girls, they want to have fun."

Everything in her world stops. He stands up, shielding her with his body. Doesn't he understand? He has a son, a wonderful little boy. She has no children. He has a loving grandfather. She has no one.

Max is always moving, never in once place to long. Paranoia has caught up with him after years in hiding. Russ has Amy and her two girls. She's just getting in the way of their family gatherings.

Her hands press frantically against his chest, trying to slow the bleeding down. Nothing is working. Where's the ambulance? Shouldn't it be here by now? Where is it! "You're going to be find Booth, you're going to be ok. Come on Booth, come on!"

With dimming eyes, his hand reaches up to cup her cheek. "Love you Bones."

"Don't leave me." She pressed her hands harder to his chest to stem the blood flow. Booth winced in pain.

"Sometimes, things happen Bones and you can't change it." Speckles of blood dotted her face as he coughed.

"Booth… don't leave me," she whimpered. "Please don't leave me."

"I don't believe in heaven." A weak smile made its way across her face.

"Yeah, but I do." His voice was growing weaker by the minute. "That should be enough for the both of us."

Looking up frantically at the horror struck faces of her collages, she demanded, "Where's the ambulance?"

"On the way Dr. Brennan."

"That's not soon enough!" She wanted to scream. Booth was dying because the damn paramedics weren't fast enough. He was dying because the stalker was jealous of her. This was all her fault. Tears rolled down her face as she looked at Booth's form under her.

"S'not heaven without you Bones."

"It's not worth it without you." Keeping a hand pressed to his chest, she pulled him up into her embrace, burying her face in his shoulder.

"You got to move on, Temperance."

Sirens rang through the air as the ambulance finally arrived. Booth was wrenched from her back and placed on the stretcher. "Booth!" She struggled to go to him, but the paramedics held her back. "Let me at him!"

"He's flat lining!"

Angela grasped her arm tightly. "He'll be ok Bren, he'll be ok."

"No… he won't." She gave up. What was the point anymore?

"Clear!" Everything swirled and colors blended. Words became indecipherable murmurs. Her body shook, but the tears wouldn't come. More than anything, she wanted to cry for him, to grieve for the loss of the single most important person in her life.

"Time of death, 9:42 pm."

"It's not heaven without you Bones, s'not heaven without you."

Gasping, Brennan jerked awake, her head nearly hitting Booths as he tried to calm her. Her eyes were wide with alarm and her hands frantic.

"Bones, it's ok." His voice was soothing, but had no affect on the anxious woman in his arms.

A sob escaped her lips as her hands scrambled at the buttons of his shirt. "Hey, what are you doing?" She didn't answer him; her voice was swallowed in her throat.

Without bothering to undo the last few buttons, she yanked the shirt and jacket down his right shoulder. He jumped slightly as her chilled hands hit his skin just above a small, crescent shaped scar. Gently, tenderly she felt the scar and the area around it, reassuring herself that he was all right despite the absence of blood.

His left hand stroked her back gently. "It's all right, I'm ok." Hands pressed over the scar, she pressed her head into them as another sob shuttered through her body.

"I killed you." The whisper was barley audible as the tears overflowed from her eyes and trickled down his bare skin. "I killed you."

Tilting her chin upward, Booth placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm here Bones, I'm here."

They stayed like that, her in his arms and her hands on his chest. Glancing away from his eyes, she blinked back tears. Logically, she knew that scene hadn't played out how her mind portrayed it. Booth was still alive, he'd never told her he loved her, he never flat lines in the ambulance, and she hadn't been reduced to tears.

"I'm sorry."

The hand stroking through her hair slowed. "For what?"

"I didn't cry. When you died, I never cried at your funeral. I didn't cry before it either."

"Bones, it's..." If she hadn't interrupted him, he didn't know how he would have finished the sentence. It hurt him, it cut him deeply that she'd seemed so emotionally distant at his funeral.

Yanking herself from his grip, she stood and faced him. "No! It's not ok!" she hissed, practically yelling. "You meant so much to me even then and I didn't cry. I betrayed you."

Shock played across his face. The reality of what she said crashed down upon hurt that he'd been the one to cause her to withdraw back into the shell she'd hidden herself behind for so many years. It all made sense. Why she was scared, why she was pushing him away even though all indicators told him she wanted more than anything to be near him. He held to much power over her. If he was gone, her life would crumple and fall to pieces... forever.

She grabbed her purse and ran. "I have to meet someone." Then she was gone, out the door and in her car, getting as far away from him as she could.

45 Minutes Later – Hoover Building, Interrogation Room.

Booth walked in and sat down. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but Sweets was in an appointment."

Spy shrugged. "Things happen that you don't expect. You can't plan for everything." Her mind drifted to Dr. Brennan rushing from the building and a distressed Booth looking after her.

"Right, then let's get this started. You said you knew the victim?" the questions began.

"It looked a great deal like Liz Steinkirchner. She's a student at my old school."

"Why did you chance schools?"

"My father sent me to private school. How is this relevant? I'm not the one who was found under a pile of twigs."

"Fair enough. Did you know the victim."

"Not very well. Most of our classes weren't together, but I was in her science class about two years ago. We were partnered together for one assignment."

"Do you know of any enemies she might have?"

"Well… certain people had their… disagreements with her."

"Like who?"

With a sigh Saffi looked at the floor then back at him. "Hollie did. It wasn't violent or anything, she just doesn't like Liz. Her ex-boyfriend, Nickie, broke up with her and about a month later started dating Liz."

"Did Hollie ever injure Liz?"

"Of course not. She may have glared at her from the corner of her eyes and ignored her completely when Liz tried to be nice, but they never got in fights or even yelled at each other. It was like a silent stalemate."

"When was the last time you saw the victim."

Spy frowned. "Well, I don't go to that school anymore. I'd say about 4 weeks ago when Hollie and I went to the movies. We stopped at the mall afterward and she was there with some friends. "

"Thank you for your time. I'll bring you to Sweets, talk to Hollie, and then you can go."

She nodded. "That's fine. Do you need me to watch Parker for the rest of the week, or does this case effect my standings?"

"You can still watch him as long as you aren't a suspect."

"Kay." She followed him to Sweets room where who knows what troubles two children were causing the child-like physiatrist. 'At least this way I'll know if I somehow become a suspect,' she thought.

Brennan was nervous during the elevator ride up. She'd only been here two times and it was many years ago. It stopped and the doors dinged open before her respective floor. A woman dressed in a skeleton shirt, a black skirt, platform boots, and her hair in two ponytails stepped into the elevator and looked at her curiously.

"Hi."

"Hello." She certainly didn't look like an agent. Logically, there was a good chance she was from the forensic department considering she got on from the forensics floor.

"I'm Abby, the forensic scientist here at NCIS. I haven't seen you before." Suspicious confirmed. Abby looked at her professional, slightly rumpled from her nightmares, cloths. "Are you a new agent?"

"No. My name is Temperance. I'm here to see an old friend of mine or two depending on if they're busy." Honestly, she wasn't sure how many of the agents she knew, had known, still worked in the building or were even still alive. She'd only kept in touch with two.

"Oh." The silence lasted only a moment. "Well, who are you visiting?" A smile crossed Brennan's face. "Is it a boyfriend? Oh no, please tell me you aren't here to see Tony or McGee."

"I only vaguely remember their names being mentioned once or twice." The elevator door dinged open and the two women walked out into an open area, Brennan trailing a good few yards behind. Stopping at the first collection of desks, Abby went over to a younger agent who Brennan could swear she'd seen before. Two of the other desks were empty and a man around Booth's age sat at the last.

Reading the plaques on the desk, she found the one saying 'Special Agent Gibbs' and sat down in his seat. "You might not want to do that," the second man warned.

"Oh and why not Agent..." she looked at his plaque. "DiNozzo."

"That's Gibbs' desk. And you can call me Tony." He smiled at her, but the effect was lost. No smile compared to Booth's when his who face lit up or when he tried (and most of the time succeeded) to get her to do something for him.

"I know this is his desk. That's exactly why I sat here."

"If you wanted a chair, all you had to do was ask." He flashed her another charm smile, but was promptly slapped on the back of the head by an Israeli woman.

"Leave her alone Tony, she's not interested."

"Ow Ziva, that hurt." As the two continued to bicker, not unlike her and Booth, she turned her attention to McGee, frowning slightly. Where had she seen him before?

McGee, who had been talking to Abby the whole time, noticed her looking. "Um excuse me?"

Startled slightly she apologized. "I'm sorry. I know I've seen you before, but I can't put your face with the event."

"Do you work with law enforcement?" McGee knew he'd seen the woman somewhere too. The 'where' began to puzzle him.

"Yes, but I've never had shared jurisdiction with NCIS." The light bulb clicked on. "New York last year at the convention. I take it Thom E. Gemcity is a pseudonym."

He nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"That's because I never gave it to you." Standing, she walked over and held out her hand. "Dr. Temperance Brennan."

He shook it. "Timothy McGee."

Glancing around, she still saw no sign of Gibbs. "Is Agent Gibbs in?"

"AGENT GIBBS!" A woman's angry voice rang out through the bullpen before he or anyone else could answer.

"Well, that answered that question," Brennan mumbled under her breath.

"The children don't like it when mommy and daddy fight." Abby looked sulkily towards MTAC.

Gibbs walked out with a smirk plastered on his face. Halfway down the stairs, he noticed Brennan.

"Well, well. Look who's shown up here after all these years. I hear you work for the FBI now." He ruffled her hair. She aimed a vicious looking scowl his way."

"Jethro, I'm not 16 anymore. And I don't work for the FBI. I'm 'loaned' out to them like some piece of property." Her cell phone rang. After glancing at the caller, her scowl softened into an amused look. "Brennan… Yes, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?.. I can take care of myself Booth… I'll look at the results when I get back… No I'm not sure what time that will be… I'm hanging up now…" Hanging up her phone, she looked to see Gibbs smirking at her. "What? My partner worries too much."

"I'd worry about you too Temper, if you couldn't kick my old self to the ground. You have three black belts now, that's three more than last time I saw you."

Abby, McGee, Tony, and Ziva just watched as their boss interacted with the woman they'd never seen before. He was acting like well, a father.

"Don't call me Temper." She kissed his cheek then headed for the stairs. "I'm having lunch with Jenny. Talk to you later," she smirked wickedly, "Daddy Gibbs."

"She's in quite a Temper. I'd watch out for her, kid."

"Ha ha, very funny Jethro."

Tony snorted. "Back to work DiNozzo," Gibbs growled. His eyes however, sparkled with laughter.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I really enjoyed writing it. A bond between sisters, especially ones without a mother.

Music (because it is my life):First Time by Lifehouse
Better Than Me by Hinder
We Might As Well Be Strangers by Keane

Next time: Sweets deals with two children: Banana and Parker. Will they prank him? If so… what should they do? (this mean submit ideas to feed my inspiration) Brennan has her lunch with Jenny. Booth 'interrogates' Hollie and brings in the boyfriend for questioning. More nightmares… I'll probably use something like the one in the gravedigger trail with a few more twists in it.

Note: None of the NCIS characters will show up in this again except Jenny and maybe Gibbs so if you don't know then it doesn't matter.

Gravedigger: Holy cheese, those nightmares were scary as heck. MAX! I saw that coming. One he said that in the courthouse. Heh, heh DNA. Take that gravedigger!... if only she was convicted of all charges though. Bones.... you really know how to kill a moment... SHE DIDN'T ANSWER O.O he might not see her tomorrow =O

Remember, reviews are like pop rocks. They taste nice when you get them, but then they pop and fizzle away leaving you wanting more.