The closer they got to the car, Brennan knew something was wrong with Eli. The little boy's pace was slowing down and he was looking around. Even though it was dark, the parking lot was well lit, so she could see the moment his shoulders began to shake. At that point, she wasn't sure what to do, so she continued to walk, keeping her eyes on the small child in front of her.

Eli was still looking around when Lynette stopped at Brennan's Hybrid SUV, so he bumped into the back of her legs.

"Oops," Lynette said, turning around and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Careful, Eli." She paused and opened the back-passenger door closest to her. "There's a lot more room back here than I expected."

Brennan nodded, taking Lynette's place and focusing on securing Eli's car seat. Once satisfied, she stepped back and looked at Lynette.

Lynette smiled. "All set?" At Brennan's nod, she turned her attention to Eli. "Eli, sweetie, it's time to go." She reached for his hand, but he turned away from her. "Come here, Eli."

Lynette didn't notice when Eli started breathing heavier, but Brennan did. It didn't take her long to figure out what was going on, what had been going on since they reached the parking lot – he was scared.

"Come on, Honey. I am sure Dr. Brennan wants to go home and I know you're tired. Just get in the car."

The second Lynette uttered the word 'car', Eli turned and tried to run, but ended up colliding with Brennan.

Brennan held onto him, afraid to let go in case he attempted to run off again. She felt him vibrating in her arms and heard the hitch in his breathing. When she looked at his face, expecting to see tears, all she saw was a blank expression, dilated pupils, and flushed cheeks.

Lynette blinked. "Of course. I'm sorry, Temperance. I should have realized this might happen."

Brennan shook her head, continuing to run a soothing hand through Eli's hair and down his back. A few minutes later, she noticed he had fallen asleep. She stood, lifting the little boy with her, and carefully set him down in his car seat and buckled him in. "You mentioned he had a stuffed animal with him?"

Lynette nodded. "Um, yes, a dog. It's in his backpack. Here, let me get it." She picked up Eli's backpack, which landed on the floor when the boy tried to run, and unzipped it. She rummaged through the bag and pulled out the ratty stuffed dog. The stuffed animal was missing one of its floppy ears and had a pink patch over one of his eyes, likely due to a missing marble. It reeked of floral perfume and its formally white fur was a dusty brown color. She scrunched up her nose as she handed it to Brennan.

Brennan took the stuffed dog and paused, staring at it.

"Temperance?"

Brennan blinked, shaking her head, and tucked the stuffed dog under Eli's arm. She set his backpack on the floor below his feet and made sure he was secure before closing the door as softly as possible. She let out a breath and stepped away from the car.

"Thank you again, Temperance. It's unlikely I will have any answers for you until Monday."

Brennan nodded. "I understand." It was Friday, after all.

"Have a nice weekend."

"Thank you. Goodnight." Brennan got into the driver's seat and started the car, turning slightly to glance at Eli. She let out a breath, relieved that he was still asleep. She closed her eyes for a moment and then backed out of the parking space.

It was a quarter to nine when Brennan made the final turn onto their street. They were five minutes from home and Eli was still asleep. She hoped Booth had had the boy's bed already arranged, so she could carry the sleeping boy into the house and tuck him in without delay. She should have known it wasn't going to be that simple.

She had just passed by the neighbor's house when she heard a whimper followed by a hoarse scream. She glanced in the rearview mirror and blinked. Eli was still asleep, but he was thrashing around in his car seat, tugging on the car seat harness. Even though she was less than two minutes from home, she pulled over onto the side of the street and jumped out of the car. She opened Eli's door and stroking his bruised cheek with her thumb. She pushed his wild hair out of his face and took his little hand in hers. "Eli," she whispered. "Eli, sweetheart, wake up."

Eli yanked his hand from her grasp and continued to pull furiously at the straps, kicking his feet. He hiccupped as his screams turned into violent sobs, his body contorting slightly. He coughed and sputtered, his breathing erratic.

Brennan reached in and adjusted the driver's seat so that it was as far forward as possible. She climbed into the back and knelt on the floor in front of Eli. She quickly unbuckled him and grabbed both of his hands.

Despite the new restraint, Eli continued to pull, his body now sliding down so his feet were touching Brennan's thighs.

"Eli," she raised her voice and squeezed his hands, brushing her thumbs across his knuckles. "Eli, sweetheart, wake up. Please," she pleaded. She let go of his hands, and though she didn't want to, she gently shook his shoulder. "Eli," she exhaled when the boy's eyes finally opened.

Eli looked around and his body went rigid.

She rubbed his shoulder and leaned against the back of the driver's seat. She breathed in and out, trying to get her own heart rate to lower. She got out of the car and lifted Eli out of his car seat. The little boy was still shaking and breathing heavy, but he was quiet. She wasn't confident he would tolerate even the short drive to the house, so she decided to walk the remaining distance. She would come back for the car later.

She set Eli on the ground and reached in for his light jacket. She helped him put it on and then hastily grabbed his backpack and stuffed animal. She got her purse off the front passenger seat and pushed the 'engine start stop' button, effectively shutting off the car. She locked the doors and lifted Eli into her arms, settling the little boy on her hip. She started walking towards their house, but paused to watch Eli fiddle with what was left of his stuffed dog's right ear.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes again.

She tore her focus away from the stuffed animal and adjusted her grip on the little boy. "We're almost home, Eli." She quickened her pace and soon they were making their way up the driveway.

It was obvious that Booth had been waiting up for them because he had the front door open by the time Brennan and Eli reached the front porch. That became even more apparent when he asked, "Where's the car?"

Brennan sighed, walking into the house. "The car is parked next to Mr. Jaeger's mailbox. I'll have to retrieve it sometime tonight."

Booth shrugged, dropping the subject for now. He closed and locked the door and once all three of them were standing in the entry way, he glanced from Brennan to the little boy in her arms. "And this must be Eli. Hey there, little man." He nudged Eli's shoulder and smiled.

She hoisted Eli higher on her hip. "I am going to tuck him in and then we can talk."

Booth nodded, following her down the hallway and into their son's room.

She walked over to the inflatable mattress and set Eli down. She pulled the sheets over him and made sure he was comfortable before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Goodnight, Eli." She sensed that Booth had followed her, but when she turned around, he wasn't there. She shrugged and looked back at Eli. His eyes were closed, but by the pattern of his breathing, she knew he wasn't asleep yet. She heard the front door close and shook her head. "Goodnight," she said again before leaving the room and heading into her bedroom to wait for Booth to return.

Next chapter is partially written, so I hope to have that up this weekend.