I LOST MY FLASHDRIVE. I don't know how, or why. All I know is I HATE typing things I've already written unless it's a rewrite. I put off posting this chapter to try and find it because I know I took it out of the school computer.

Anyways, it had a good part of this chapter on it that I was hesitant to retype. And I waited for Monday so see if the teacher in the room found it. And then my mom found it. In the washer. But, it lived =D so I got what I wrote and didn't have to retype it.

Hollie, Spy, Parker, and Banana left the building and headed for the best ice cream place in town. Spy has promised to bring Sweets back ice cream seeing as he had work to do and chair to fix. (Tee Hee)

Sitting at a Booth, Hollie and Spy on one side and Parker and Banana on the other, they looked over the menu quickly even though they always ordered the same thing.

"What can I get you guys?" They didn't come often enough to be considered 'regulars'.

"Chocolate please." Parker politely handed her his menu.

"I'll have banana please." Banana followed suit with her menu.

Spy took both hers and Hollie's and handed them over. "Mint chip for me."

"And a strawberry for me."

"Ok. What sizes?"

"The biggest!"

"Parker, I don't think your dad would like it if I ruined your dinner."

"Aww… ok Spy. Can I get a sugar cone?" Spy nodded and the waitress wrote it down.

"Same for me."

"Hmm… I'll just have a medium cup."

"Awww, that's boring Hollie."

"Yeah, well it's what I want Parks."

He scowled at her. "Don't call me Parks."

"I'll have a waffle cup." Spy chimed in.

"Ok. It shouldn't be long." The waitress walked off to get their orders. (Sit down ice cream places are hard to find where they bring it to you XD)

Booth walked into his office and stopped. A silver haired man was sitting in his chair, sipping a cup of coffee. "Can I help you?" he asked, slightly annoyed. It was only 3:30, but this day had taken its toll on him.

"Interesting office you have here. So, what are you? Marine, seal, air force…"

"Army Ranger." Booth cut him off. He wanted to know why the guy was here. All he had to do for the day was pull the victims file, get it over to Bones, and make plans to talk to the boyfriend.

"Ah, a sniper. Tough job Sergeant Master Booth."

Booth stiffened at his army title. "It's Special Agent Booth. I'm no longer a member of the army."

"You can take the boy out of the army, but you can't take the sniper out of the man." A faraway look crossed his face.

"You speak from experience." It was a statement, not a question.

The man, who was still sitting in Booth's chair nodded. "Marine sniper during Dessert Storm."

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude, but it's been a long day. Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually," He paused. "You can."

"Well, what can I…" Booth was cut off before he got any farther.

"You can protect Tempe. If you hurt her, I will know. If you hurt her, I have access to a gun and a forensic scientist who can murder someone without leaving a single shred of evidence. Are we clear?"

"What right do you have to threaten me, you're not her father."

He snorted. "I'm as good as. I was there for her when he wasn't."

"Max has his reasons. He may be a little warped, but he has good intent." Booth was quick to defend him. Sure, Max had his faults, but in the end everything had been done to protect his family.

"I know all about Max and his little run-ins with the law. But, you on the other hand, know very little of what that child's been through."

"Bones is not a child." Just who the hell was this man?

"Maybe not in your eyes, but you started with the cold and calculating woman she became. You never saw the frightened child that still lingers in her every move, her every decision."

"Parker, so down. You don't want to get brain freeze."

"To late," Hollie commented as she looked up from her own.

"Gawwww." Parker dropped his spoon on the table and clutched his head. "Brain freeze!"

"Was that comment really necessary Hollie? Parker, curl your tongue back and press it to the roof of your mouth."

"Yes, yes it was."

"Phew. That felt weird. Thank's Spy."

"Eat slowly now, Parker."

"Kay." He was already eating his ice cream again, but at a much slower pace.

"Well that was today's highlight."

"Hollie, shush."

"I'm done!" Banana wiped her mouth on a napkin. "That was yummy."

"Go wash your hands," Spy chided. She had most likely gotten ice cream on them.

"Kay." She hopped off her seat and headed for the bathroom. Hollie threw away her cup and the napkin while Spy and Parker finished theirs.

Banana skipped back just as they were done. "Can we go to the park now? I want to use the swings."

"Hollie, can you take them? I'll just bring a cup to Dr. Sweets then meet you there."

"Sure."

"Hey," Spy whispered in Banana's ear. "Don't let her out of your sight. We wouldn't want everyone getting lost."

"Kay," she answered a bit too loudly.

"Kay what?" Hollie eyes them suspiciously.

"Nothing."

"Yeah, sure." Parker rolled his eyes at them. 'Girls.'

"And I suppose you did." The remark was meant to be sarcastic, but the look on the man's face said it all.

"She still hurts. When she's ready, she'll tell you. Listen, understand. We all have our own demons and hers are worse than most, even the demons of war."

"I know Sir, I've heard some of it."

"Not the worst of it."

"I'd never hurt her." Booth's fists clenched. He would never hurt Bones. She was everything to him.

"Good. Then we have an agreement."

Booth clenched his fists. "I'll agree to no such thing. She's one of the two most important people in my life, the other being my son. No promise could make me care for her more than I already do. She already has my heart to do with as she pleases. I can't give her more than that."

"You have hers, whether she knows it or not." They looked at each other, not quite sizing each other up, but not as friends either. Overprotective father meets new boyfriend perhaps, not that he and Bones were dating… yet.

"Booth," a new voice began. "I need your signature for the Wright case… Gibbs." Agent Fornell looked back and forth between the two. "You two know each other?"

The two men exchanged a glance. "We have a mutual acquaintance." Gibbs supplied.

"As secretive as ever Gibbs."

"You need my signature?"

"Ah, yes." Fornell handed the file over.

"Excuse me Mr…" Fornell had called him Gibbs, but his ever present manners demanded that he ask for a title. It was like someone assuming they could call his anthropologist 'Bones.' It was his name for her and his alone, well and Parker's.

"Agent Gibbs."

"Excuse me Agent Gibbs, but I need my desk." Gibbs stood and walked over to the window.

"So, I heard Diane cleaned out your bank account too."

"You could have warned me."

"I was undercover, in Paris. I thought her cleaning me out was a good enough warning for you."

"Speaking of Paris, how's that former partner of yours?" Booth wasn't really paying attention. He was double checking everything in the file.

"Ask her yourself the next time we have a jurisdiction issue," Gibbs grunted.

"Oh, problems with the boss lady?"

"Jenny is fine. If you're so concerned for our director, you can ask her now."

"What?" Fornell looked at Giibs confused.

"Her car just pulled up."

"I wasn't aware of any director's meeting. Were you?"

"She's dropping off our little, as Abby would say, Gibblet, although she's more like Jenny.

"So, she's secretive, sarcastic, and hogs a crime scene?"

"Sarcasm isn't her thing. I was referring to the 'I can take care of myself', calling me Jethro, a good shot, and… well her hair is auburn so I can't really call her a redhead." Gibbs pulled out his phone, glancing at the time.

"You always were a stickler for redheads."

Standing, Booth closed the file and handed it to Fornell. Looking out the window, he saw Bones outside a car talking to the occupant. He smiled at the sight of her with the sunlight bouncing of her auburn hair make it shine even more than normal. He would bet any amount of money (if he wasn't a recovered gambler) that her eyes shone even more than usual right now.

Arriving at the Hoover building, Brennan got out and turned to Jenny. "Thanks for meeting me Jen. No matter what happens, I needed to let it out with someone not involved in our work like."

Jenny bit her lip holding back a response. Brennan hadn't let out much, but it was a start. "It's what friends do Tempe."

She nodded and was silent for a moment. "You know… In a way you're kind of like my mother." Her face flushed slightly. "Not that you're old Jen."

Jenny shifted to place a hand on her arm. "You're kind of like the daughter I never had. You were so lost when we found you."

"You helped me."

"You helped us too you know."

"Thanks for finding me Jen, even under the circumstances. If you hadn't, who knows what would have happened to me."

"I thought you didn't speculate." A smile twitched at the corners of Jenny's mouth.

Brennan glared. "I don't."

"Well, that sure sounded like speculation."

"Stop teasing me Jen. I get enough of that from Booth."

"That's because he loves you."

She let out a sign. "I know he does… Next week?" she asked hopefully.

So, this is a weekly meeting now?" She smiled her all knowing smile. The very smiled that she used to piss Gibbs off.

"I'd like that."

"I'll have Cynthia (Jenny's secretary/assistant for those who don't watch NCIS) call you. I'm not sure how my MTAC meetings will run next week."

She grinned. "Ok…" Anything else she might have said was cut off by Jenny's phone ringing.

"Hold that thought Tempe."

"Director Shepard," Jenny spoke into the phone.

A teasing voice came from the other end. "Jenny, why don't you come up and meet the FBI who stole little Temper's heart."

Jenny groaned. "Jethro, tell me you didn't."

"To late to stop me now," he taunted. "Come up and visit. Forenell is here too. He seems quite concerned over your health."

"Just wait until I get my hands on you!" She'd been curious about Tempe's partner, but she'd never butt in like this.

"Is that a threat?"

Why that no good former partner of hers. "No, it's a dead serious promise." She snapped her phone closed, effectively hanging up on him.

"I'm sorry about this Tempe. A certain overprotective NCIS agent went to have a talk with your partner."

Brennan's eyes flashed with emotion. It was gone before Jenny could tell what exactly she was feeling. "Oh… Gibbs is in so much trouble." Turning on her heel, she stormed off towards Booth's office.

Smirking, Jenny instructed her driver to wait and followed her. Seeing Gibbs get told off by someone other than her was something that almost never happened. Plus, she wanted to meet Agent Booth and this was a perfect excuse.

Gibbs smirked at the dial tone. His smirk, however, lessened when he saw Brennan stomping off towards the entrance.

"Looks like you pissed another one off Gibbs. Who's this? Ex-wife number 5?"

"I only have 3 Tobias."

"Really? Well, I count Director Shepard as one. Who knows what would have happened if she stayed. Besides, you fight like a married couple anyways."

"Quit Tobias, the children might hear. We wouldn't want to get their hopes up, would we?"

Booth seriously had no idea what was going on other than the fact these two men had interagency issues and the one threatening him had 3 ex-wives and must have been in a serious relationship with the director of NCIS.

The door to Booth's office opened with a little for force than Brennan intended. "Jethro, what are you doing here?"

"Introducing myself to the man who made you come to NCIS headquarters out of the blue to have lunch with Jenny. I was going to take her out today."

"Aww, I didn't know you cared so much Gibbs. If you'd asked, maybe we could have rescheduled." Jenny stepped through the door, arms cross and a scolding expression. "But, we weren't going anywhere anyways, so no harm done except to that ego of yours."

Gibbs snorted. "My ego? What about yours?"

"I have every right to be proud. Last time I check it was my name on the door to the director's office. It still is Agent Gibbs."

"Special Agent Gibbs to you."

"Madame Director to you," she spat back, but not in an unfriendly way.

Brennan walked over and poked Gibbs in the ribs. "Don't get off topic Mr. Stop interrogating my boyfriends, my friends, my teachers, and especially my partner."

He raised his hands in fake surrender. "Fine, fine. I surrender General Temper. You win."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I mean it. I know your secrets."

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?" An evil glint flashed through her eyes as she turned to Jenny. "Remember the month before I turned 18 and you tried to convince me to have a party for me and my one friend?" (Angie)

Jenny nodded.

"Well… Jethro over here decided to… mphm." Gibbs hand clapped over her mouth.

"Point taken. Keep that to yourself."

She smirked.

"Excuse me Agent Booth, but do you know where... Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had visitors." Spy stood in the doorway, an ice cream cup in her hand. "I was just looking for Dr. Sweets."

"He should be in his office. Where's Parker?"

"I looked there, but I didn't see him. He's with Hollie and Banana. She can be responsible for short bursts of time." Feeling a bit unnerved in front of so many people she didn't know or barely knew, she focused her gaze on the floor, her red bangs falling to cover her eyes.

"He went to see D. Director Cullen. I saw him go into his office on my way in here." Brennan shot a glare at Gibbs.

"Hai, thank you Dr. Brennan. I'll just wait in his office then." She turned to go and then paused in the doorway. "I'm sorry for anything Hollie might have done or said. She can be overbearing and rude sometimes." Without waiting to hear any answer, she left as quietly as she came.

"Well, as interesting as this all is, I have work to do. Thanks for the signature Booth." Fornell left the room.

"As do I. Come on Jethro, I'll give you a lift considering you took a cab and avoided all the security cameras to get up here. No evidence of your little 'chat'?"

He scowled. "I did not."

"Move it Agent Gibbs. Or I'll have you take a mandatory vacation seeing as you never use any vacation time."

"Yes, Madam Director. Lead the way." He followed Jenny out the door leaving Brennan and Booth alone.

"Sorry about Gibbs."

"Hey," Booth tilted her chin up and gently brushed the hair out of her eyes, the pads of his fingers ghosting over her skin. "He does it because he cares about you. He wants you to be happy Bones, and he doesn't want to see you hurt."

"I know."

"Come over tonight."

"I can't Booth. I need to go over what they've found at the Jeffersonian."

"Please? Parker wants you to come watch a movie with us."

"Not tonight Booth. I really do need to work." Neither one realized how close they were still standing to one another or that their hands had drifted together and fingers were now gently intertwined with one another.

"Tomorrow?" His head tilted sideways and he did his best imitation of Parker's puppy dog face. A smile twitched at the corners of her lips. "Please Bones. Pretty please with some Thai on the top."

She laughed at his childish antics. "Fine Booth. I'll come watch a movie with you and Parker tomorrow night."

Internally, Booth shouted in triumph. "Thanks, Bones. Parker really likes you." He didn't want to get her upset by saying the 'l' word. "I'll pick you up tomorrow Bones. We have a boyfriend to question."

"Okay. I'll see you then." As she moved to step away from him, he gently kissed her on the forehead. Her hand lingered in his, then fell to her side as she turned and walked out the door.

"Forever," he whispered to an empty room. "I'll wait forever."

Brennan glanced back once after she left Booth's office. He stood exactly where she left him, staring at the hand that had held hers. His fingers gently rubbing over each other, missing the comfort he found in her touch already.

Booth was shaken from his trance like state by Spy returning. "Um, excuse me Agent Booth, but when did you want me to drop Parker off?" Sweets must have returned to his office because the ice cream cup was no where in sight,

"Oh, I'm leaving now so I can take him."

"Ok, they're at the park."

Nodding, he followed her to the park a few blocks down. "Parker."

"Hey Dad!" He raced over and hugged Booth.

"Lets go home bud."

"Movie night?" he asked excitedly.

"How about, we have pizza tonight, and movie night tomorrow with Bones?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Can I pick the movie Daddy? Bones says she's never seen Harry Potter!"

"Really?" he feigned surprise as his partner's lack of knowledge about recent films. "Well, we'll fix that tomorrow."

Booth turned to Spy. "My brother and his fiancé are in town tomorrow. Parker's going to spend the day with them."

"Ok." Spy took her sister's hand. "Come on, let's get you back to Auntie's."

"Awwww. Why can't I stay with you and Hollie?" Banana whined.

"Because when Dad is away, you stay with Auntie. We'll come get you tomorrow."

"Promise?"

"Course. Come on." The three girls left the park together as Booth carried Parker over to his SUV.

"Lets go get some pizza Bud."

"And soda?"

"We'll see when we get there."

In her office at the Jeffersonian, Brennan sat awake late into the evening trying to make sense of all the evidence her team had found. Things didn't add up. Why was the victim running? Why did she fall? Why did she die?

Her heart ached in her chest. It could have been her. Before Gibbs and Jenny saved her, it could have been her. Any one of her horrid foster parents could have decided she was too troublesome to keep around. She would find out who killed this girl and give her justice.

Well, there was a lot of smirking in this chapter. We can now wave goodbye to Gibbs. I don't know about Jenny yet though...

IMPORTANT: I won't be able to update as often because of the severe rain during April, we missed 3 days of school. Due to prior plans, I'm now missing the last week of school and have to take my exams early, so I'm up to my eyeballs in studying right now for exams and my actual school work right now. Also, I'll be out of the country for 6 weeks during said plans. I will have my netbook, but its vacation. I'll be running around some country on a different continent.

So yeah, If I don't update for awhile I'll be doing my school work (yes, I'm going to school this summer. No, it's not summer school, it's a language school) but I'm not abandoning this story. I know exactly how it's going to end, and how the sequel (woo, sequel) begins. Thanks for reading this.

-DHUnleashed

Reviews are like pop rocks. Feed my inspiration with sugar =D