Again, thrilled at the reaction to this fic. HAPPY BONESDAY!!

He's like breathing for the first time. He makes me feel…I don't know…special somehow. No one has ever done that for me before. When he looks at me, it's like the whole world disappears. And it's just him. Just me and Tommy.

The two men sized each other up for a moment and Booth was both pleased and annoyed to find Tommy stood his ground under his penetrating gaze.

When they stepped back, Tommy gave a quick nod and Booth hooked his thumbs into his belt buckle, raising an eyebrow at the two teenagers. The boy's arm wrapped tightly around April's waist, April's hand with the black bracelets and silver rings, shoved into Tommy's back pocket.

He couldn't believe how grown up she was.

She used to be just a little kid. Hell, she's sixteen. She is just a little kid.

"Umm…" April glanced between them nervously, "Well, Tommy and I have to go Seeley so…" She trailed off and shrugged one shoulder.

Booth looked at her. "Oh, right. I should start heading back to DC too. I've got to pick Parker up and drop Bones off at the lab."

April nodded. "Tell Parker I say 'hey'."

Booth smiled, nodding as he reached into the pocket of his jacket.

"Listen. Call me if you need anything ok?" He handed her his card, which she hesitantly reached out and took. "I mean it April. Anything."

April glanced at Tommy, who's soft dark eyes kept flittering back and forth between him and Seeley. She thrust the card back out toward him.

"You think, um…you got an address?" She intentionally stared past him at the ground but felt Booth smiling as he gladly took the card, scribbled his address across the back, and handed it too her.

April bit her lip and nodded. "Thanks Seeley. It means a lot."

Booth shook his head. "Don't mention it Bug."

Rolling her eyes in an unexpected display of normalcy, April smirked at Booth. "I can't believe you remember that."

"How could I forget?" The mischievous twinkle in his eye slowly faded as he glanced once more toward his SUV. "Listen I should really go…"

Suddenly a weight was pressed into his chest and Booth looked down, finding the top of April's head. She had her thin arms wrapped tightly around him, eyes shut tight.

"Bye Seeley." She whispered, knowing letting go of him would be one of the hardest things she'd had to do in a long time. While Booth's presence was a pleasant, and yet painful reminder of her past, she didn't know if she was quite ready to let go of it. Or him.

Booth glanced toward Tommy, who'd set off for his car, giving the two a moment of privacy. Quickly he bent low and placed a feather light kiss on the top of the girl's black hair.

"Bye April."

----------------------------------

The air in the SUV was ten times thicker than the air outside. The awkward and somewhat tense silence that had wrapped itself around the occupants was almost visible.

As the odometer clicked over to 46 miles Brennan sighed heavily.

"Well?"

Booth glanced at her. "Well what?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Well are you going to tell me who she is?"

Booth drummed his fingers on the steering wheel thoughtfully.

"Who who is?" He responded as innocent as possible.

Brennan let her hands form fists and frowned deeply, nearly scowling.

"Booth you're always telling me how we're partners in this. If we're partners then I deserve to know everything you know about things that are pertinent to the investigation."

Booth cut in. "Fine but I also say that to get something you have to give something. That's what partners do."

Brennan set her lips in a line and took a deep breath. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Well…"

"And it has to be relevant to the investigation, just like your past with April is." She added quickly.

Booth paused. "Admit this case is personal."

Brennan threw up her hands. "How exactly is that significant to the investigation? Because I believe that was one of my stipulations for this question."

"If you don't at least admit that this case is personal, that it is affecting you, you'll start doing things that could compromise said investigation. Things like say…jumping down the prime suspects' throat for smoking in the house." He gave her a pointed look, which she returned just as fiercely.

"Look Bones, there is nothing wrong with admitting a case hits close to home. I'm not asking you to take yourself off it, I'm not saying it makes you weak. All I'm telling you is that if you don't at least say it, out loud, it could throw you off your game."

"I'm not playing a game Booth." Brennan muttered, looking out the window.

Booth replied just as softly. "Neither am I Bones."

Brennan turned to look at him and met his eyes for a long moment.

She sighed heavily. "Fine." Brennan shifted in her seat a little and attempted to detach herself from the words coming from her mouth.

I can't believe he gets to me like this. Damn him.

"I see every victim…"

"I know Bones I…"

"Will you let me finish?" She cut him off sharply and he shut his mouth with a click.

She sighed and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"I know each victim intimately. Not just how they died but how they lived. I see their faces and I feel a part of me has been lost with each set of bones that crosses my table…but… I was in the foster system for 2 ½ years. When the case has to do with street kids or foster kids…I don't just see the victim. I see…me." She was talking to the dashboard, her fingers sitting calmly on her thighs, giving a misleading outward appearance of tranquility, when in reality her pulse was racing and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Booth's eyes had softened while listening to her and at the next stoplight he turned to look at his partner. Her chin was bowed, almost touching her chest and he itched to lift it and make her look at him. He wanted her to look at him so he could make her believe that he would never let that happen, she would never be bones on a table.

Well, at least not unless it was for a very different reason. He thought, a devilish smile almost making it too his lips. But one glance at her killed the sentiment instantly.

Brennan was trying desperately to hide it but Booth could tell. He could see the slight tremble of her chin and the way her cheeks were much redder than normal. The way her eyes fluttered shut so she could focus on breathing normally.

On impulse he reached out one hand and laid it over hers, expecting her to pull away. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised when she simply readjusted the position of her thumb so she was holding his hand in hers and smiled to herself.

"Your turn." Brennan looked over at him, but Booth had returned to watching the road. She felt him stiffen and tightened her grip on his hand, not allowing him back out now.

"April is my goddaughter."

Brennan's eyes widened and her mouth fell slightly open.

Now that I wasn't expecting.

Booth took a deep breath and suddenly pulled into a large parking lot on the side of the road, knowing if he tried to do this while driving he was likely to cause serious injury to someone.

He shut off the car before continuing quietly.

"Her dad, Joey, and I grew up together. We were best friends, went to school together, got our first cars at the same time. When we graduated we went to the same college, joined the Army, became Rangers, served in the Gulf together." He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat but continued uninterrupted.

"When we got back I left the Army and got into the FBI, but Joey stayed in. He didn't get sent back over though, stayed here as a recruiter, moved to DC about five years before I did. He'd met Lauren before we left and were just getting serious when we were sent over. We got back, he and Lauren were married and about a year later they had April."

Brennan watched him from the passenger seat, but knew he was no longer with her in the car and was glad he'd had the foresight to pull over when he did.

"Cutest thing I ever saw, looked just like her dad from the moment she opened her eyes and grinned. I mean, I know they say kids that young can't smile, but I'm sure April did." A smile broke out on his face and he laughed wistfully. "She used to call me Uncle Seeley."

Not anymore though.

"Anyway, when April was eleven…her mom was diagnosed with cancer." Booth's voice got dark and he studied the steering wheel intently, "She lived for a year after that when the doctors only gave her six months. But then…she got worse. Fast…April was only twelve when her mother died." He took a deep breath knowing the worst was yet to come.

Brennan squeezed his hand, willing him to continue and incapable of trusting her voice to tell him to do so. He licked his lips and squeezed them in return.

"Three weeks later…three." He sighed. "I…I guess the war messed Joey up more than any of us realized. Losing Lauren was like losing his anchor, what kept him sane." Booth started shaking his head slowly and Brennan dreaded to hear what he'd say next. "One day while April was at school…he ate his own gun." His own voice cut him off and Brennan's face contorted in confusion for half a moment before she understood.

"Booth." She said quietly, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"I'm her godfather. I should have taken her in. She doesn't have any other family, I should've…But…Parker had just been born, Rebecca and I were still trying to keep it together…I was overwhelmed. Didn't think I could handle it. Now…I just wish I'd tried."

Brennan watched as her strong partner slumped under the pressure of his own memories. Suddenly, in a moment of blinding clarity and social awareness, she knew holding his hand was simply not enough. After hesitating half a second, she reached over and hugged him. As hard and as long as she could.

Oh man. I'm in trouble. He's giving me that look. Oh don't…shit. He's smiling that smile. There's no way I'm making it home on time tonight. Shit. I'm going to pay for that. But…Oh God…right now…kissing me the way he is...touching me the way he is...right now Tommy is makin' it so that I just don't care.

You guys are the most stupendous reviewers, keep it up!