Chapter Three:

Booth wrapped his partner up in his arms, cradling her, trying to protect her from some unseen force of sadness. When she finally succoumbed to sleep he scooped her up in his arms and placed her on the couch in her office. The exhaustion coupled with the grief she was feeling was much more than what she could handle. He covered her with the blanket. "God, help me help her through this."

Booth walked out into the lab and saw his son sitting on the lab stool watching Zach reassemble skeleton of someone in limbo. There was nothing they could do on the case until the bones were cleaned and the skull reassembled. Right now Cam had the body trying to get whatever she could from what was left of the flesh.

Booth went to her area and watched Cam perform her duties. "I don't know what I can do Booth. The body is pretty badly decomposed, and I'm surprised considering it has only been seventy two hours."

"Don't think about what you can't do, think about what you can do. We need something so we can nail this bastard!" Booth's face had a thousand emotions running across it, but the one that Cam saw the most was sadness.

"Seeley, how is Dr. Brennan?" She asked. She had grown quite fond of her colleague, they didn't see eye to eye but respected each other professionally. Cam also didn't want her employees to be in pain, nobody wishes that on anyone.

"She is shaken up. She believes she knows who the victim is based off the bracelet."

"Well, we haven't made a positive ID." She hunched over and grabbed a magnifier, continuing on with her autopsy. Cam continued, "Hopefully it is all just a mistake and the victim isn't who she thinks it is. Poor woman shouldn't have to face that much loss."

"From your lips to God's ears." He whispered. Cam looked up with disgust.

"Seeley, it seems like the child was sexually assaulted." Booth took in a deep breath.

The bastard had shattered the girl's skull into about a hundred pieces, raped her, and left her in a shallow grave. "Are you alright?" Cam asked as she watched him try to hold down his stomach contents.

"I'm alright. I'm just concerned about the state of the world." He whispered. He looked out to where Parker was still perched chattering on to Zach about the issues of a five year old. He caught Zach smile a couple times choking on any laughter that adults find in the seriousness of five year old problems.

" . . . and then Billy Johnson hit Katie, so I pushed Billy, and me and him ain't friends no more . . ." Booth cleared his throat so his son would be made aware of his presence.

"Daddy, I didn't mean to hurt Billy, he was hurting Katie, and Katie is my girl, and you said we protect our girls, like you protect. . ." Booth put a hand over his progeny's mouth.

"Okay Park. I think we regaled the squints enough. Do you want me to take you to daycare or do you want me to call Rosa?"

"I want to stay here." Booth looked at Zach and Hodgins who nodded giving their approval for the youngster to stay with them, Booth mouthed a thank you to them. His son, completely oblivious continued on with his rant "Daddy is Tempe okay?"

"Yeah Bub. She is just sad," Booth replied to his son.

"You will make her happy Daddy. Tempe told me that you make her happy." Parker told him.

Booth regarded his son for a moment. "How will I do that Bub?"

"Just be you." Parker shrugged his shoulders keeping his eyes on Zach watching him pull out another bone. "That's the mandible . . . Tempe has been teaching me the bones of the body, did you know that I have 206 bones in my body?"

Zach swallowed his chuckle and nodded. "Yep." Booth cringed at the thought of his son becoming a squint, but was glowing with pride as he watched him pay attention to all of Zach's movement. Knowing Parker would be fine with Zach he left to go find Angela.

Booth soon found her on the upper level of the Jeffersonian. "I have the file for all the missing girls age three to eight. There are fifteen."

"How's Brennan?" Angela asked as Booth offered his hand to help her up from her sitting position. Angela was sketching a picture of what he could figure out was an ancient burial mask.

"She told me I have to take her off the case. She knows the victim, maybe." Booth said. They hadn't made a positive ID, and none of the children missing had the name Elizabeth.

Angela nodded her head. "I figured as much."

"You know something about this don't you?" Booth inquired as they began their way back down to the lab. He knew that he wasn't going to get anything out of her.

"Yeah, but it isn't my place to say. She will tell you when she is ready." Angela supplied. "Just listen when she is ready."

"Thanks Ange." He paused. "I don't want to leave her in this state, can you take Parker to lunch?"

"Sure, no problem." She said. Booth breathed a sigh of relief, he loved his son, loved spending time with him, but Brennan needed him right now. "Anything I need to know, allergies, likes, dislikes?"

"He's allergic to shellfish. He hates ketchup." He answered her quickly.

"Pizza place it is then." She responded. Booth looked up at his partner who had awaken. She gave him a slight smile. Brennan walked over to Parker, picked him up and put him on her lap. Parker immediately started naming all the bones he could remember.

"That's very good Parker." She told him as he finished up. "You have an aptitude for learning."

Parker made a face, "I don't know what that means."

Brennan waited until Parker and the rest of the group made their way for lunch. She made her way to her office to find her partner. His back was to her, he was staring out the window watching the group make their way across the Jeffersonian gardens to their cars. His cell phone rang.

"Booth," he responded picking up his cell phone.

"Booth we got an anonymous call that a child's body has been buried at the same sporting complex behind the tennis courts. We need you and Dr. Brennan on it ASAP, they didn't say were the body was, just the general location." Cullen told him sullenly into the cell. Booth had called earlier and had relayed his partner's reaction.

"Okay. I'll get right on it." He snapped the phone shut. His talk with Bones was going to have to wait. He turned to face her, his eyes connected with hers and the flow of energy between the two was unmistakable.

"Do we have another case?" She asked in anticipation.

"Another child has been found at Parker's sporting complex." He said. "We don't know the location so they are going to have to get a cadaver dog. Cullen wants us there ASAP." He sighed, his conversation with Bones was going to have to wait until a better time.

Brennan moved around the room. "Booth, should I still be on this case? I mean I already know that I know one of the victims."

"Cam pointed out that we still haven't made a positive ID all you have to go on is a bracelet." He stopped her from interrupting. "Look, we don't know if these two cases are connected. I have a strong suspicion that they are, however until it is confirmed we can work off the assumption that it isn't. You are the best that we have, you are the fighting chance that these children have for justice."

She looked down at the ground. She questioned her objectivity, children were always difficult. She needed to put her heart back into the proverbial box. Booth saw the tirade of emotions across her face and the one the remained was doubt.

"Bones don't doubt your abilities. I need you out there with me. I need you to help me catch the scum who already thinks he has gotten away with these atrocities." She looked at his face and saw determination and drew her strength from him.

AN: Thanks for all the reveiws - you guys rock my socks. Umm - I'm trying to figure out how I am going to get from point A to B so it may take a couple of days for me to update. Please continue reviewing and let me know if you like the direction, or if I should take it in a different direction.