A broken plate has Brennan remembering her past.

If you like it…or hate it, let me know. I'm curious. ~SAM

Broken Pieces

It was a common sound, yet one that would cause anyone to jump slightly. As the crash of broken glass echoed throughout the kitchen, Brennan could barely make out the little boy who whimpered a quiet 'Sorry, Bones.' Her mind was already in a different place, another familiar kitchen. She could smell the cigar smoke in the air and could hear the TV in the distance. The fear she had felt, when the plate slipped from her hands onto the floor, rushed back to her. It caused her heart to speed up and her throat to dry out. The pain of the large hand grabbing her arm and dragging her to the garage was fresh in her mind. She remembered the darkness washing over her as the trunk slammed shut.

She could feel tears running down her cheeks, and it was only when a small hand reached for her own that she realized she wasn't stuffed in a 4x3 box. Through the water pooling in her eyes she saw him- a blond haired boy with his father's brown eyes cautiously directed at her. He too seemed to be quite upset. "I'm sorry Bones. The plate, it just slipped. I didn't mean to," he said as his bottom lip quivered.

She turned her eyes to the plate lying broken in pieces on the floor, then back to Parker and saw his face reveal a trace of fear. She knew she never wanted to see that look fall over that precious face again. Getting down on her knees she gently held his shoulders and said softly, "It was an accident, Parker. I'm not mad. In fact, I dropped a dish before too."

"Really?" He seemed shocked.

She nodded then brushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes and continued, "Come on, let's get this cleaned up so we can finish dinner before your dad gets back."

"Okay!" Parker smiled.

From that moment on, a broken dish would remind her of that smile instead of her past.