Chapter Twelve:
Brennan reluctantly handed Elizabeth over to Booth so she could get stitched up, her bullet graze required more medical attention than what she had let Booth in on. She watched her partner and her child interact.
"Thank you for saving me." She told him again. Those were the only words she could seem to utter for the time. Booth looked at the little girl. Her voice was soft, and almost angelic. Her eyes were what Booth called the Brennan blues. Elizabeth wrapper her small arms around his neck getting comfortable in her protector's arms.
"I'm Seeley Booth." He told her making the long needed introduction.
"I'm Elizabeth Carmichael. I'm three almost four." She announced proudly to him. He chuckled knowing that she was proud in becoming a big girl. Brennan sighed, realizing how much she missed of her life.
"I have a son, he is almost six. He'll be six next Saturday." He told her about Parker. Brennan noted that his eyes lit up at the mention of his son.
"I'll be four on May first." She told him. Booth studied the small girl in his arms, and noticed she was making the same face that Brennan did when she was thinking. "Do you think that my mom will be okay?"
Booth knew that the woman wasn't alright. SWAT had stormed the house after Brennan had clipped the man in the shoulder. They had found that the man had shot her in the kitchen. The bastard was now in FBI custody. Booth contemplated on what to say, and before he could answer, Brennan's voiced filled the room.
"Elizabeth your mom is in heaven now." Brennan told her. Brennan didn't believe in heaven but it was the best way for a three year old to understand the concept of death. She had read that in a book shortly after her partnership with Booth had begun.
"She won't be lonely will she?" Elizabeth questioned.
"No my mom is there too and they will keep each other company." Brennan stood up from the stretcher, careful not to rip the fresh stitches, and placed her hand on Elizabeth's back. Booth instinctively rocked the small child in his arms as Elizabeth let the news set in that her life as she knew it was going to change forever.
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Caroline Julian thundered down the hall with the Department of Child and Family Services. She didn't like the lady, but then again there wasn't many people that she truly enjoyed being around. She was getting aggravated explaining to the lady that young Elizabeth should be placed in FBI custody, but she wouldn't hear any of it.
"Elizabeth Carmichael is the subject of an active kidnapping case. She needs to have a DNA test done so we can give the parents some peace regarding this matter. Her mother has been looking for her for nearly three years." Caroline tried explaining to her again.
"It doesn't matter how many times you tell you this, but yet again Ms. Julian, the rules are clear. Elizabeth is now a ward of the case. Elizabeth is to go into custody of DCFS now that the woman who was considered her mother is dead. We will set up supervised visitation with the potential mother, but that is all I can do. I will need to run a background check on her as well."
Caroline shuffled around some papers. "Here is Dr. Brennan's background check, here is the court order for the DNA test. The FBI will provide the supervision considering the circumstances. Dr. Brennan will pick up the minor at eight o'clock on Saturday and will have her back at eight o'clock PM." Caroline sighed and paused at the door. To no one in particular she muttered, "Now let's go disrupt that young life again."
They opened the door and stepped in. Brennan looked up and knew what was going to happen. She had seen it happen many times in their cases and it had happened to her many times. She didn't want it to happen for her daughter as well, but knew she was going to have to be strong. She wrapped her arms tightly around Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked around. She was confused as to what was going on. All she knew was that she was safe and that she wanted to stay with Booth and Brennan.
Booth put her hand on her shoulder. "Temperance, it is going to be alright." He told her softly. He knew that pain that she was going through all so well. He reached down, scooping up Elizabeth off Brennan's lap. "Elizabeth, Tempe and I will come pick you up on Saturday at eight in the morning."
"Please don't make me go with them." She pleaded with them.
Brennan blinked away her tears. "Honey, Booth and I don't want to let you go, but it's the rules. We will see you soon." She leaned in and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek.
The DCFS worker came forward and took Elizabeth's small hand in hers. She led Elizabeth toward the door when she let go of her hand and ran back over to where they stood.
"Tempe I will see you on Saturday. You and Seeley are going to make chocolate chip pancakes right?" She asked uncertainly.
Brennan stooped down to eye level, she looked into her daughter's eyes which were as blue as hers. "I promise that Booth and I will be there."
"Pinky promise?" Elizabeth asked. Her voice started to crack, her emotions were breaking through her brave façade.
"I don't know what that means." Brennan looked at her partner.
Booth dropped to his knee. He stuck out his pinky and Elizabeth latched her small pinky around his. "Pinky promise." He affirmed. He gave her his charm smile and ruffled her curly dark brown hair. "We will see you in a couple of days."
The DCFS worker put her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and led her away. In the distance, Booth and Brennan heard Elizabeth finally break down, her sobs breaking both of their hearts.
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Brennan looked at Booth, standing in the same place she had been for the last couple of minutes. She finally had her daughter back, only to have her taken away again. She waited as the technician drew her blood to take the DNA sample. Due to the lab backup, it was going to take several weeks to get the results. The judge had already said that the Jeffersonian and FBI labs had to keep out of it due to what could be considered conflict on interest.
Booth knew there was something going on in her mind. It worried him. She hadn't said anything to him since he had let DCFS walk out of the room with Elizabeth. The technician stuck a Band-Aid on her arm and smiled.
"Bones, are you okay?" Booth asked softly when they were walking out of the hospital to the SUV.
"I swore that I would never have children. I didn't want them to end up abandoned, in the system like me. And now my daughter is going to sleep in an unfamiliar bed, probably in a group home." Her voice was raw. She stared up into the sky. It was dark, and it was only four in the afternoon. Rain would be falling soon. "You just gave her to DCFS! I would have just taken her home! I could have her with me!"
Booth had waited for the onslaught. He knew she needed to blame someone and he was the one who was so damn noble to believe in the law and doing everything legally. He caught her fist as it connected with his chest and wrapped her up in a hug. "Shh. Bones. It is going to be okay. It is only temporary. I promise you that she will be back with you soon. Let me take you back home now."
The sound of thunder rolled in the distance. "I'm not going anywhere with you." She took off in a run out of the parking lot and across the road. He stood there for a second wondering what had just happened. They had gone from making love twelve hours previously to fighting in the middle of a parking lot. He wanted to take off after her, but he knew that she would find him when she was ready. When she was being more rational, they would have a talk.
AN: Sorry it took a while to post it. Holiday season and all. I have been trying to find my muse. Also, feeling a little angsty. Don't know why. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm finding it a little difficult to keep Brennan in character and still be a mother. Please let me know what you think. I hope you guys had a happy holiday.
