In The Blink Of An Eye Chapter 12, a bones fanfic

In the Blink of An Eye

By LizD

Winter 2011

Chapter 12

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was late when he got back to Rebecca's house, later than he had expected, and ran into Sherry. He was really trying to be indifferent to her, but it was hard to do. She was barking at him again about something.

"What the hell is going on?" she snapped. "Out with one of your sluts?" she accused. "Right ... working." Sherry glared at him with her hands on her hips. "Must have been a very important case to take you away from the son you love so much."

Booth lost it. He just didn't have it in him to take her shit any more. He had been up for nearly forty-eight hours, and had more coffee than anyone should in a month. In less than eighteen hours he had lost is girlfriend, found out the mother of his child was murdered, had a heart to heart with his son, and he nearly lost his partner. Sherry and her Booth vendetta were not even on his radar.

x-x-x

Booth had come home from the lab early that morning that morning before contacting the FBI, before going to Kirkland Construction, before the explosion that killed two FBI crime scene techs, injuring two more and his partner. He came home to check on Parker hoping to get there before his son woke up. It was about four forty-five when he pulled up to the house. He had been gone less than four hours. The lights were on and Booth could see Brent and Parker on the couch in the living room as he walked up. He didn't know Brent very well, but the man looked totally devastated. Booth had to assume it was from the loss of Rebecca. Booth hadn't told him that he suspected murder; that conversation was coming. Brent didn't ask why Booth needed to go out in the middle of the night. In fact Brent would have been hard pressed to tell you what day it was much less the time.

What caught Booth's attention was Parker. He had never seen him look so uncomfortable, anxious, nervous. He was sitting on the opposite side from Brent with what looked liked his game controller in his hands. He was fiddling with it and turning it over and over. His eyes never met Brent's and he wasn't talking. Booth could see that Brent was trying to engage him but it was fruitless.

When Booth came in Parker barely looked at him. He didn't say anything and shied away from his father's touch. It broke Booth's heart. He had one job now: to give some stability back to his son. To let him know that he was safe, loved and would be taken care of. There were other cops in Washington dedicated to finding justice. He could let them take over the search for Rebecca's killer.

Booth thanked Brent for watching out for Parker. Brent didn't want to leave but he knew that Parker and Booth needed some time alone. He suggested that he go out and pick up some breakfast. Sherry had stocked the house with healthy food (her whole wheat waffles the day before were barely edible).

When Brent was gone, Booth sat down with his son.

"What do you have there?" Booth nodded to the game controller.

"It's broke."

"Broken," Booth corrected reflexively and was sorry afterward. "It's OK, buddy, we'll fix it. Do you want me to show you how?"

Parker tossed the controller across the room. "I don't care. It's just a stupid game."

Parker had been into all kinds of video games. Rebecca had been worried that he was focusing on them too much neglecting his school work and his friends. Booth assured her it was just a boy thing but promised to talk to him about it. He hadn't done that yet.

Booth screwed up his courage. "I'm sorry I went out so late."

"You didn't tell me," Parker accused.

"I was hoping to get back before you woke up," Booth said weakly knowing that it was no excuse. He should never have left without saying good-bye and telling him when he would be back. "I'm sorry, buddy. I am. But you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up."

"I heard you leave. I saw you pull out of the driveway."

"Oh Buddy, you should have called me. You have my cell."

"Brent said you were working."

"Parker." The boy did not turn toward Booth. "Parker, listen to me." He waited until the boy turned his head. "You can call me any time - day or night - no matter what is going on. You can call me. I will always answer for you. Every time. I will always be there for you. You are all that matters to me, OK? No one else, Bud, just you. OK?"

"What about Hannah?"

Booth knew this conversation was coming and had expected that it would be sooner rather than later. "You're more important than Hannah," he said earnestly. It was the first time he said it out loud. It wasn't hard for him to say. He believed it completely, but he was still sorry that it had to come to that. But he needed to tell Parker that Hannah was gone. He hadn't wanted to before. He felt that it was his loss not Parker's and he didn't want Parker to feel like he was responsible for Hannah's leaving. The real truth was that he wasn't responsible, but the nuance of that would probably be lost on an eleven year old. "Come here, Buddy."

Booth moved closer to him on the couch and wanted Parker to do the same; meeting in the middle, as it were. Parker did. He was a little reluctant but he did.

"Parker, Hannah has taken a job in South America."

"When will she be back?"

Booth pursed his lips and exhaled slowly. "She won't be coming back - at least not to us."

"Why?"

"For her job. Her job just wouldn't let her stay here with us." He had to say something that a kid would understand.

Parker knew Booth was lying. "She left because of me," he stated. Kids understand a lot more than we give them credit for.

"No," Booth protested. "No, not at all. She left because of me."

"I thought you loved her."

"Ya, know Buddy, I thought so too. I did love her, but not the right kind. There are all kinds of love in the world. Some are meant to last a lifetime, some not so much. And just because you love someone doesn't mean that you can be with them. I love your mom, and we couldn't be together. It doesn't mean that I don't love her."

"And Dr. Bones?"

Booth's heart nearly skipped a beat. Kids understand A LOT more - what happens to that understanding when kids become adults? "Yes, I love Bones too."

"Enough for a lifetime?"

Booth didn't know how to answer. A year ago he was sure enough to take a risk on it, but that didn't work out so well. Six weeks ago that could have changed, but it didn't. Now that there was nothing standing in their way, could they find a common ground that could build a lifetime? Was it the right time for that? It was all too much to think about right then. He need to give his kid a simple answer and Booth fell back on the truth; can't go wrong with the truth. "I don't know, Bud. I really don't know. Maybe." He offered a weak smile. "But you and me, huh? You and me are good for a lifetime, right?"

Parker smiled. "Yeah."

Booth wrapped his arm around him and pulled him close. "I'm sorry I left without telling you. I won't ever do that again, OK? And if you ever need me, for anything ... and I mean ANYTHING ... even if you just want to say Hi ... you call me, OK? I will always answer and I will never be more than fifteen minutes away." Booth needed to be careful with the always and never comments. Making promises that he couldn't keep was not a good thing. Sweets would tell him that.

"What about when you are working a case? Sometimes you have to go away for cases."

"Well, we should talk about that, shouldn't we? I was thinking about not working cases any more. That maybe I would find a better job; one that won't take up so much time; one where I can be sure to make all your games and be home on the weekends."

"You would stop working for the FBI?" Parker asked.

"Well, maybe ... maybe I would work for them in a different capacity."

"Then who would catch all the bad people?"

"There are other agents at the FBI, Parker."

"Not as good as you."

"Some are better."

"No," Parker protested. "Who would work with Dr. Bones? And Dr. Jack? And Angela?" Parker was getting upset. Too much was changing too quickly.

"OK ... OK Bud, don't worry. It is just something to think about, OK? We don't have to make any decisions right now and we can talk about it some more before we do anything, OK?"

"OK." He looked away and then back at Booth. "Is that where you were? Looking for a bad guy?"

Booth again felt caught. Truth, Booth. Stick with the truth - the SIMPLE truth. "Yes."

"Did you catch him?"

"Not yet, buddy, but we will."

"Do you have to go back to work?"

"For a little while, but not right now. When I do, will it be OK if Brent stays with you?"

"Brent's OK. He's sad."

Booth and Parker talked more about Brent, about being sad and about Rebecca. They talked a lot about her. It was a good conversation. The kid seemed to be handling it really well. Resilient. But Booth knew enough not to trust that. Parker was just a kid. At some point it would really hit him that his mother was gone for good. Booth needed to be there when that happened, as often as it happened.

Brent came back and the three had breakfast. Rebecca wouldn't approve of Brent's choice and that made them all feel a little guilty. Booth was beginning to see what Rebecca has seen in Brent. He was a decent man.

Shortly after nine, Booth left to go to the office. He had been on the phone, but needed to speak to the director in person. He got them to open a case and claim jurisdiction. That meant there would be a full blown autopsy done on Rebecca, and Ephraim Cohen which meant exhumation orders etc. There was a lot to do. The judge finally signed the order to retrieve Lacey Carroll's car around eleven-thirty, and Booth and Brennan were in Kirkland's office before one o'clock. Then all hell broke loose.

x-x-x

It was after four when he got back to Rebecca's house and ran into Sherry and Booth was about as his breaking point. Lack of sleep will do that to a man - well anyone really.

"Must have been a very important case," Sherry barked at him. "To take you away from the son you love so much."

"As a matter of fact it was ... it is."

"Look Booth -."

"Rebecca was murdered ... so will you get off my back for fifteen damn minutes so I can figure out who murdered her. Is that really too much to ask?"

Sherry fell back as if his words had literally slapped her in the face. Her back hit the wall and she sunk down to the floor. She was in shock. Speechless. The look on her face was of sheer horror.

Booth was immediately sorry. He never should have snapped at her like that and not with that kind of information. He squatted down in front of her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't ... I have ... I'm sorry."

She stared at him, the hatred replaced with fear. "Murdered?"

Booth nodded.

"She told me she was scared but I didn't think she was serious. She told me not to worry."

"Come on," Booth touched her arm. "Let's get off the floor. We are both too old to be on the floor." He helped her up and directed her to the kitchen table. He sat caddy corner from her.

"She told me that there was a man ... a man that called her ... he told her to back off."

"When ... when did she tell you?"

"Last week ... maybe Friday ... I don't know. We talk every day. She only told me about the one time. She told me not to worry." She fixed booth with a panicked look. "Oh god, she was murdered?"

Booth felt sorry for her. Sorry about the way he had told her and sorry that she was so distraught. "The evidence points to that. The Jeffersonian is doing an autopsy right now and we have some leads to follow."

"Autopsy ... no, no ... she has been cremated. I am picking up her ashes tomorrow. The service is tomorrow night. No."

"It's OK, Sherry."

"How will it ever be OK?"

Booth shook his head. He had no idea how or when it would be OK. He saw Brent and Parker pull up. "Ok, Sherry, you have to pull it together. I haven't told Parker about this. Brent knows but not much. OK. You need to keep it together. That little boy has gone through too much already, OK."

She nodded wiping at her tears and trying to calm herself down.

"You should go to the bathroom and throw some cold water on your face."

She nodded and started to get up. She turned to Booth and took both his hands in hers. "Promise me, Booth. Promise me you will catch the guy who took my sister away from me."

"I will," he assured her.

She stood up, took a half a step away and then turned her head back. "I hope you kill him," she said over her shoulder and then walked into the bathroom.

Booth couldn't hope for the same thing, but knew that if it came to that, he would - no questions asked. Booth hated that about himself.

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A/N: So this chapter was Brennan-lite, but at least Booth admitted to loving her. Thanks for reading, looks like there are a bunch of you. Keep those comments coming; love to chat with you about your thoughts on the story and on what is happening on BONES next. Think we can all agree - Hannah has to go and they need to bring the funny back, the hook up for Booth and Bones is so far down on my list of what I want to see on BONES as to not even make the top ten. Not to worry - FanFix always get them together. :-)