Booth knocked on Rebecca's door. He had not talked to her or Parker yet about the possibility of him living further away. He figured if Bones told him not to do it, there wouldn't be any need to have this conversation.
Rebecca had come around and allowed him more time with Parker, actually he got Parker pretty much anytime he wanted and sometimes out of the blue she would call and ask if Parker could stay with him for a week or two. Now he had to tell them he would be further away and although he would do whatever needed to be done for his son, this could complicate things.
Rebecca opened the door "Seeley" she greeted him as she pulled the door open wider for him to enter the house. She studied her ex, "Wow it must really be something."
"What?"
"Whatever, you came here to tell us, it has you all stressed out."
Booth swallowed hard "It is a big deal I guess."
"DAD" Parker jumped down the stairs then ran into his fathers waiting arms.
"Hey Buddy How you doing?" Booth hugged Parker tightly to him closed his eyes relishing in holding his boy.
"Let's go into the kitchen" Rebecca interrupted the two "I'll make us some coffee and we can talk." Booth nodded put Parker down followed Rebecca through the house.
Rebecca put a cup of coffee in front of Booth and pulled out some coffee cake and sat it on the table, and then she sat across from him and leveled her eyes at him "Okay Seeley out with it, what has you so tied up in knots?"
Booth took a deep breath and looked at Rebecca, his hands and then Parker. "I have been offered a promotion."
"Way cool Dad, does that mean you will be the boss? Isn't that cool Mom?"
Rebecca smiled at Parker "Yes it is" as soon as Parker turned back to Booth Rebecca's smile dropped from her face and her eyes sought out her ex's. This should be happy news, but it wasn't, what is the catch..
Booth took another deep breath "There's more" He locked eyes with Rebecca "It's in Baltimore."
And there it was She pursed her lips and nodded slowly refraining from saying anything until Booth had a chance to finish.
"Dad" Parker looked up at his dad with worried eyes
"Now Bud, I haven't said yes. That's why I am here talking to you. I would have to move, but maybe only 15 or 20 minutes away, so it isn't like I would be across the country." Booth watched Parker for some glimmer of what he wasn't sure of, but something to let him know if this was a good idea or not. "I would have more set hours, not being called out in the middle of the night."
Parker looked up at his dad with sad eyes "Don't you like working with Bones anymore dad?" Booth sucked in air as Parker drove that knife right into his heart
"I love working with Bones, but Bud sometimes…" Booth looked at Parker "she thinks I should take it."
"Can I be excused?" Parker turned and stared at his mother.
"Parks" Booth leaned in trying to get Parker to look at him, but Parker never took his eyes off his mother.
Rebecca nodded at Parker, giving him permission to leave the table and Parker stood, turned towards the living room and stopped, he never turned around to look at Booth "Dad I don't know why Bones told you to take the job, but I really can't believe you would leave her again." Before Booth could answer Parker ran off towards his room.
Booth jumped to his feet "No Seeley, he needs time." Booth stopped and stared at the empty spot where his son had been only a few moments before.
"Sit down" Rebecca ordered. Booth's head snapped around, his eyes coming in contact with molten lava "Sit down I said" she repeated her order and pointed at the chair he had moments earlier vacated.
As Booth slowly sank back into the chair, Rebecca was on her feet pacing back and forth. She would stop and stare at him like she wanted to open fire, then she just shook her head and began pacing again.
"Rebecca …"
"No" she stopped and shook her head and then locked eyes with him "You don't get to play the victim here, you don't get to make me tell you everything will be okay and that Parker will adjust. Because while Parker would adjust, this is wrong, this is all wrong and you know it." She started to pace again
"She didn't stop me." he said kind of sheepishly
"WHAT?" Rebecca stared at him like he had grown a third head. "Is this what this is all about, you would go through with this idiotic idea all because she didn't say don't go?"
Booth swallowed hard as Rebecca took a breath and continued "She is not that type of woman and you of all people should know that. Let me guess you told her how good of an opportunity it was for you and how it would how much better it paid and somewhere in that …" she took both her hand and pinched her fore fingers and thumbs together "feeble little brain of yours you think living half way in between you will be able to still see her and hang out." She leaned down on the table and glared at him "You know that won't happen, Oh at first you will try and as time goes on, you will be tired or she will have other plans and you will resort to only talking on the phone and eventually that will stop too and where will you be then, hmmm?"
Booth looked down at his hands in his lap "Becca"
"No, I don't want to hear it, not right now. You need to leave and go screw your head on straight." He raised his red rimmed eyes to her and she watched his jaw twitch as he held back tears, he nodded at her and hurried out of her house. Once in his SUV, he struck the steering wheel several times before starting the engine and heading towards home.
Cam entered Dr. Brennan's office to find her asleep on her desk "Dr. Brennan" she said softly, lightly touching her shoulder. "Dr. Brennan" she said slightly louder and then waiting as the anthropologist started to stir. Brennan raised her head off her arms and slowly looked around as she got her bearings.
"Dr. Saroyan"
"Good morning, have you been here all night."
"Yes" Brennan replied as she stood to stretch out her body "It didn't use to hurt as much a few years ago."
"I'm sorry I had to wake you, but I had this on my desk." She handed a paper to Brennan. "Are we having company today?"
"Sorry yes, members of NCIS will be here with the remains of a marine that they are having a difficult time finding cause of death. Agent Gibbs would not turn the body over to us without some of his people also."
"You go take a shower and I will get everything ready."
"Thank you Cam." Brennan headed for her private bathroom when Cam's voice stopped her.
"Is everything Okay?" Before Brennan could answer Cam continued "It's just that it has been a long time since you stayed at the lab."
Brennan glanced down avoiding looking directly at Cam "Yes, everything is fine. Thank you for asking." She smiled a tight smile and walked into her private bathroom.
Cam proceeded to set up who their guests would be shadowing and she called Hacker to let him know that Dr. Brennan was assisting NCIS on a case. Hacker could not hide his shock that Dr. Brennan had agreed to work with someone else, much less NCIS. Hacker might not know why, but he was sure it had something to do with Booth and possibly the promotion he was offered in Baltimore, he as going to get to the bottom of it before he lost Dr. Brennan and/or Booth.
Booth arrived at his office early; he couldn't sleep and decided to get an early start on the day and the mound of paperwork on his desk. As the time ticked by, slowly folder by folder Booth chewed away at his in basket. He wasn't a fan of paperwork, but in his line of work you had hours of paperwork for every one hour of an adrenaline rush. He stopped and leaned back in his chair, he looked over at the couch in his office. This paperwork was something they always had done together and today she wasn't there in her spot doing it with him. She was with other agents, working on another crime that he had no jurisdiction over, his Bones was working without him and he didn't like it.
Promptly at 8:30am Micah escorted NCIS affiliates and the body into the lab. Cam greeted them as they arrived. "Hello, I am Dr. Camille Saroyan, welcome to the Jeffersonian Medico legal lab."
She held out her hand to the person whom seemed to be in charge.
"Agent Gibbs, Thank you for the use of Dr. Brennan and your facility."
Cam motioned to Micah to have the remains transferred to the platform
"Dr. Brennan will be out shortly. I believe I can get you paired up with one of our staff to aid you."
She glanced down at her list "Dr. Mallard"
"Ducky if you will" he smiled at the Cam
"Ducky, you will of course be shadowing Dr. Brennan."
"Of course" Ducky headed off to the platform. Cam signaled the guard to allow Dr. Mallard access.
"Abigail Suito"
"Abby please" she bounced forward and Cam eyed her up and down
"Yo-you-you will be with Dr. Hodgins."
Jack stepped forward "That would be me."
Abby gave him her best smile and curtsied. Jack looked at her with mixture of astonishment and amusement on his face. "Well Abby follow me."
"Agent Gibbs, I was not sure if your other agents would be staying with us all day or not. I was under the impression that only Dr. Mallard and your forensics specialist needed to be here the whole time with the body."
"Agent DiNozzo will be here till noon and then Agent David"
"As long as they don't get in the way of my staff or anger Dr. Brennan, they are welcome to have free access to all areas.
"Thank Dr. Saroyan they won't. DiNozzo, Ziva will be back at noon to relieve you. Call if they find anything." Gibbs ushered his other agents out the door.
"So Abby, you are a forensics specialist."
"Yes and you have three doctorates entomology, Botany, and mineralogy."
"You did your homework."
"I figured if you worked here you must be extremely intelligent and I should be ready."
Jack motioned between them "We are going to get along just fine."
Brennan hurried up to the platform "Dr. Mallard, sorry for keeping you waiting." Brennan extended her hand to him.
"It's okay my dear I was just taking it all in. This place is truly remarkable."
"Yes it is, thank you, shall we get started?"
Ducky sat off to the side just watching Dr. Brennan not only examine the body in the same manner as she did in autopsy the other day, but he also observed her teaching style.
"Dr. Hodgins, Dr. Bray" she said while she moved the magnifying lenses over an area of the spinal cord. "See that discoloration on the T5-T9?"
"Yea it appears… could it be hemorrhaging?" Dr. Bray offered
"On first glance yes it appears so, however, look now." She magnified the area
"That almost looks like ink." Hodgins answered
"Could you please swab it?"
"Sure"
"Dr. Mal … Ducky would you like to see what we are discussing?"
Ducky approached the table and looked at the magnified area on the screen and then looked back down at the skeleton itself. "How on earth did you notice that, it could easily be mistaken for an old injury or a malformation to the spine?"
"This is why I am the best, I look deeper than what something appears to be, especially in an unsolved case."
DiNozzo had been sitting off to the side watching, admiring Dr. Brennan really. She was not only beautiful, but she was smart. Lunch, he was going to ask her to lunch. While her and Ducky conversed about whatever they found Tony sauntered up to the table to take look. He leaned over Brennan while he looked at the skeleton. "So those squiggly little marks are what all this fuss is over.
Brennan looked at him like he has personally insulted her and he was in her space. "As a matter of fact Agent DiNozzo, those 'squiggly marks' maybe an important link as to the cause of death." She locked eyes with him.
He smiled his best smile "Oh, you know you really have beautiful …"
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs voice caused Tony to almost fall over the table while he tried to pull away from Brennan with grace.
"Boss, the Doc here was just explaining squiggly marks to me."
"I'm sure she was." He turned his gaze from DiNozzo to Brennan.
The doors to the lab slid open and in walked a blonde, a determined clicking to her heels drawing attention in her direction. She had her jaw set as her eyes traveled over the people until they found what she was looking for. "Temperance, a word, your office" she never broke pace as she continued towards Brennan's office.
Brennan watched Rebecca skate across the lab without stopping and disappears into her office. "Excuse me; I'll only be a moment." She hurried off the platform to her office.
"Rebecca …" she began as she closed the door to her office.
"You told him to take the promotion?" Rebecca cut her off.
Brennan looked straight at Rebecca, never flinching "Booth? Yes I did" Rebecca could hear the ever so slight change to her voice and the light shift of her facial features, both just barely gave hint to the sadness that had been consuming the anthropologist.
"Why?" When Brennan didn't answer Rebecca continued "If it wasn't for Parker, I wouldn't be standing here. He doesn't understand and frankly neither do I, but yours and Seeley's life is none of my business, but Parker is my business and I am not beyond begging. Don't do this to him; please don't let him lose his father. You have the power to keep Seeley here."
"I highly doubt Booth accepting a position in Baltimore would keep him away from Parker, he loves Parker. I'm not sure why you believe I can keep Booth from leaving …"
"Temperance stop fighting it." Rebecca looked down and shook her head then looked back to Brennan "Just stop fighting it."
"I'm not fighting anything." Her quiet words were lost in the echo's of Rebecca's heels on the floor as Rebecca left the anthropologist to think about what was said. "I can't do this now, not today, maybe not tomorrow."