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Chapter 14
Lance's head swung around when he heard Booth's voice. "Uh oh!" he whispered. "Jack told." Skye's eyes filled with tears again.
"What's gonna happen now?" she asked. Lance shuffled uneasily in his seat.
"Not sure." he said.
"Hi.." Booth said to the policewoman on the desk. "I believe you have my son...my foster son here." he said.
"Oh?" The woman said. Now the show was about to start. "So you got back form being out of town early."
"Hmmm. No. Wasn't out of town." Booth said.
"Didn't think so." The woman said with a patronising smile. Damn people, she thought. Can't even keep track of their own kids.
"Look..." Booth said getting out and flashing his badge. "I'm Agent Seeley Booth...and I'd like to see my kid."
"Uhhuh." The woman said totally unimpressed. "I spoke to a Mr Jack Hodgins about the minors in question."
"That's be me." Jack said with a cheeky smile. "The Godfather."
"I'm his wife." Ang said with a smile.
"And I'm the other Foster parent." Bones said.
"Pleased to meet you... all of you ...I'm sure." The woman said.
"Wow!" Jack said to Ang. "She really has the sarcasm down pat."
"Sure does."Ang said.
"Like I said..." Booth said. "Could I see the child...children...please?"
"Find it hard to remember how many kids you actually have in your care?"
"Ok..." Booth was starting to get annoyed with this woman's attitude. He hadn't done anything wrong. All he'd done is tell his kid to get some air...air...not stuff that didn't belong to him and not a girlfriend.
"Well we have one...and the sister...is his girlfriend." Bones explained.
"There a close family." Jack said with a chuckle.
"Because she's not really his SISTER..." Bones amended with a glare at the woman.
"Oh I gathered THAT." The woman said. "They've been holdin hands since they got here."
"Awww. How cute." Angela said. Jack nodded with obvious respect, the theft for the moment forgotten.
"This is NOT cute." Booth said.
"I have to agree." The woman said. "This could have been very serious."
"Could have been?" Booth asked hopefully.
The woman beckoned Booth into an office where they would be out of the kids earshot. Everyone followed in a long line.
"We're not gonna charge these kids...the ring was only costume jewellery and it's a first offence for both of them."
"Oh good..." Bones said with relief.
"We just wanted to give them a good ole scare."
"Won't have done em any harm." Booth said."So can we take them home now?"
"You can take yours."
"We can take Lance's girlfriend home too..." Bones said helpfully.
"Will ya stop calling her that Bones?"
"Why Booth? That's what she is..."
"I'm afraid that isn't possible. She needs to be collected by a parent or guardian."
"I'll go get your son."
"I'm scared Lance." Skye said.
"Yeah I'm feeling a little jittery here myself."
"They're gonna ring my Mom and Dad aren't they?"
"Maybe Booth'll take you home and we can stop and get your dress on the way."
"What if they won't?" She cried. "I don't wanna stay here by myself." Lance scrubbed his face with his hand. He didn't know what to do about this. "You won't leave me here will ya Lance?"
"No, no." he said. "Course not."
The policewoman stood in front of Lance.
"Come with me son." she said. Lance looked at Skye.
"What about...Skye?" he said. No point really keeping up the brother sister story...not now Booth was here. Things were bad enough.
"I'm going to have to call your OWN parents."
"No!" Skye wailed."You can't."
Booth, Bones, Jack and Angela followed the noise out into the hallway at the back where the kids were sitting.
"Ahh Lance." Booth stood tall with his hands on his hips. Lance gulped and then his dry throat made him cough. "Well isn't this a fine mess." he said. Lance looked from one person to another carefully avoiding Booth's glare and then settling on Jack. Jack winced.
"Sorry little man." he said. "Had to do it."
"Don't apologise to him!" Booth said. "Time to go Lance...honey your folks will be along soon I'm sure." he said to the teary eyed girl who didn't loosen her grip on Lance.
"We can't just leave her here...she's scared." Lance tried to explain.
"Well yeahhh." Booth said.
"You don't understand." Lance said.
"Why don't you explain it to us." Bones said sitting beside him.
"No Bones!" Booth said. "He doesn't get to decide."
"She's SCARED Booth." Lance said..."Her Dad's a preacher!"
"Oh great..!" Booth said.. "A Preacher...a man of God..." Ignoring Booth's dramatics, Bones started to question the girl.
"Why are you scared..."
"Skye." Lance added gratefully.
"Skye...do you have reason to be scared of your father?" she asked. Skye cried but shook her head.
"He doesn't hurt me or anything if that's what you mean." she said with a sniffle. "But he'll...he'll think I've shamed him." She wrapped her arms around her legs to cover them.
"She had these shorts hidden under her skirt and then she took off the skirt and it's stuck in the bushes." Lance added.
"Oh for the love of GOD...why were you taking your skirt off in the middle of the bushes?" Booth was sure he was gonna have a stroke. "Lance! What the hell were you thinking...stealing rings and a Preacher's kid sans her clothing!"
"Calm down Booth!" Bones said.
Jack was speechless. It took every bit of control he had to keep his amusement at bay. He knew this would be good...but not in his wildest dreams would he have figured in all this...
"I'm gonna have to get your details hon." The policewoman said. She felt a little sorry for her now. Skye nodded and rattled off a number.
"I think I get what happened now." Ang said. "Your parents make you stay covered right?"
"Yeah." Skye said. "He thinks the right thing is to stay modest. I'm supposed to wear a long skirt that covers my legs."
"But you took it off?" Ang asked gently.
"All by herself I swear!" Lance said, his face as red as a shiny red apple.
"I think we should stay Booth." Bones said quietly. Maybe we can explain... I mean the stealing is one thing...but she shouldn't get into trouble for wearing clothes that any young girl would wear."
"Awww geez Bones." Booth hissed. "This is not up to us...Lance and the stealing...that's up to us..."
"I'm not gonna leave her here." Lance said.
"You're not in a position to dictate Lance." Booth said. Lance rolled his eyes.
"Booth...it really wouldn't hurt..."
"Yeah common Booth." Both the women felt for Skye.
"Ok, ok." Booth said. "But you can both start telling me how you ended up here."
The kids were almost at the end of the story, and Skye tearfully told how she'd been the one that picked up the ring and put it in Lance's pocket.
"Did you know about it beforehand?" Booth asked Lance seriously. He looked at his feet which were suddenly the most interesting thing in the room.
"Yeah." he said. Booth lifted his chin.
"Then you're just as guilty."
"Is that the law?" Lance asked nervously. Booth shrugged.
"It's my law...the only one you have to worry about at this stage thankfully."
"Whew..." Lance said breathing a sigh of relief.
"Don't breath too easy."
"Man..."
A man of medium height wearing a suit and tie and a smaller woman who was nicely but soberly dressed, were shown to the hallway. Booth shot Bones a look of warning to take it easy. A look which of course she ignored.
"You must be Skye's parents." she said. Unfortunately Skye's Dad's eyes had already fallen upon what he considered to be her state of undress.
"Where are your clothes child?" he demanded while removing his suit coat and draping it over her knees.
"There is a very reasonable explanation for where your daughters skirt is Mr..."
"PASTOR...My name is Pastor Thomas and I can't imagine ANY explanation that would be reasonable enough for my daughter to sitting in a police station in a state of undress. It is indecent to say the least." Bones shrugged. "And TOTALLY out of character."
"And I can't see why your daughter would have to be so afraid of you that she would feel the need to hide a pair of shorts underneath her skirt...unless you did something to scare her that is..."
"Go Bones." Ang said with pride.
"Ok...why don't we all sit down here and discuss this calmly." Booth said. Jack's eyes were darting from one person to another as each of them spoke...it was like he was enjoying a three person tennis match.
"My money's on Bones." he whispered to Ang. She nodded.
"Mine too."
"I dunno... I take the preacher..." the policewoman said quietly suddenly forgetting her place in all this.
"And who are you two?" Pastor Thomas asked.
"Friends." they answered together.
"My daughter is scared not of me but of disgracing the Lord." Bones rolled her eyes.
"I have no idea what that means or what the Lord has to do with all this." she said.
"Bones.." Booth hissed through his teeth... "Preacher...Man of the cloth...servant of God.."
"He's a bully Booth." she said.
"And YOU young woman have never learned to hold your tongue." The pompous preacher said sharply. Booth was very fast losing patience for the so called God man...HIS God didn't treat women this way.
"Now listen Pastor Whatever...Bones is free to say whatever she wants..."
"If I was you, I would worry about your thief of a son."
"Oh really!" Booth said.
"Yes really!"
"STOP!" Skye yelled. "Daddy please...Lance didn't take the ring...I did."
"I don't believe you." Her Dad said. "You're covering for this boy."
"Seriously I'm not...he's my friend."
"Your daughter doesn't have many friends." Ang said to the mother who still hadn't spoken. "The clothes she's made to wear make it difficult for her."
"It's our way. WE CHOOSE to dress modestly." The woman said.
"I don't think Skye chose this. IT was thrust upon her." Ang said.
"I don't MAKE my daughter dress this way." Pastor Thomas said. "She knows it is wrong to flaunt herself." Suddenly with so much support around her Skye felt she was able to speak out.
"Daddy...I don't want to flaunt..." she said.
"See?" The Pastor said. "He must have had something to do with this."
"No Daddy...could I finish please?" Her Dad nodded.
"I only wear these shorts because I was able to get them out of the goodwill and they were easily hidden under the skirt. I just want to be normal. Wear jeans...and T shirts."
"Jeans are men's clothes."
"I don't think this man knows anything about compromise at all." Bones said to Booth.
"Ok...what the kid wears...their business Bones... I won't allow him to be rude to you or blame Lance for something that wasn't ENTIRELY his fault..." he said looking at Lance pointedly. He wanted to make sure he knew he was still in plenty of trouble. The message was received and Lance sat quietly.
"No they're not Daddy."
"I'm a policewoman and I'm wearin pants."The older woman said.
"I'm not... but I'm not twelve." Ang said.
"I have pants on." Bones said.
"Figures." The Pastor spat.
"Ok...now your making me mad." Booth said. "You do what you want...but you do know that if the kid's on a swing in a dress, she's gonna give the boys more of an eye full than if she's totally covered in a pair of jeans."
"Yes well...her legs would be clearly visible in jeans."
"But covered. If her skirt blows up they're not going to be covered at all." Booth would have rather the man had admitted that he was wrong but that clearly wasn't gonna happen...but he did give him something to think about. "Let's go."
Their whole entourage headed for the door. "I'm getting spanked aren't I?" Lance asked.
"Funny boy." Booth said with a sarcastic chuckle.
"Well...I thought maybe you might ground me or something..."
"Ahhhh yeah! Didn't I mention that? You're grounded too."
"How long for...?"
"I dunno...Until your thirty..."
"Well technically Booth you can't ground him past eighteen." Bones said. Ang giggled.
"Everyone's a comic."
"You will be writing passages from the Bible every day for the next month at least..." Jack heard the Pastor say.
He wiggled his fingers in spirit finger fashion.
"Way to make the girl love the Lord!" he said with a chuckle. The man ignored him.
TBC