The song for this chapter is "I'll Stand by You, written by Chrissie Hynde, Tom Kelly, and Billy Steinberg. No copyright infringement intended.

When you're standing at the crossroads,

And don't know what path to choose

Let me come along

'Cause even if you're wrong,

I'll stand by you.

oooooooooo

"Booth, I want to go to New Jersey with you to interview the suspects, but are you sure it's going to be acceptable to Director Cullen?" Brennan waited anxiously by the passenger door of the SUV, drawing her coat close to protect herself from the cold. "I really don't mind if you take Agent Perotta. I don't want your position to be put in jeopardy because of your partnership with me."

Taking Perotta as my partner instead of Bones? Like that's ever gonna happen. "Of course it's okay. What good is it to be a Special Agent in Charge if I don't have some say so about who my partner's gonna be? Here, jump in…" He unlocked the doors, and they climbed into the SUV quickly, trying to avoid the chilly mix of rain and snow. Booth put a thermos of coffee and small briefcase on the console between them, and turned to smile at Brennan. "Anyway, it's easier to bring you with me than anyone else since you started this investigation with me. By the time I bring Perotta up to speed on it, you might have the whole thing figured out."

"Oh...okay, if it's easier." Brennan grimaced slightly as she buckled herself in. "I'll do whatever I can to help you…but I don't want to be in the way..." I may not be so willing to help Agent Perotta, however….

Booth heard the hint of doubt in Brennan's voice, and realized she had misunderstood what he meant. Glancing over his shoulder, Booth pulled the SUV into the early morning traffic and onto the state highway. He turned back to her as they started their trip, trying to reassure her that he wanted her help. "You can be my partner as long as you want to be, Bones. It's up to you, although I hope you want to work as my partner for a long time. That'd be wonderful."

"I would like to close out this case with you, Booth, since we began it together. However, from what little interaction I've had with Agent Perotta, she appears to be quite competent. It seems that she would be an excellent partner. I'm sure she'll be an asset during any sort of investigation." She'll be an asset as long as she doesn't ever work with Booth….he's MY partner….

"Yeah, she's had a lot of experience as a field agent, and she's got a good record as far as closing cases goes. She'll definitely be an asset to the Major Crimes division." Booth gave Brennan a sideways glance. "Why all this sudden interest in Agent Perotta? I mean, I know she's new, but we've had five new agents transfer into the office in the last few weeks. DC is considered a prime location for the FBI...lots of people want to work here."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders a bit. "Well, she's supposed to be your new partner, so you'll probably end up spending a lot of time with her. I just wondered if you'll be compatible when you're working together. I know you're adaptable, Booth, and you shouldn't have any trouble adjusting to someone new, but you've had to change partners several times over the last few months. She also seems very interested in you. Based on her interactions with you, it seems that she finds you to be very attractive." And those types of interactions will not be tolerated….

"Interactions? What kind of interactions? You really think she's checking me out? That is interesting." Booth nodded, pursing his lips so he wouldn't laugh out loud. Now he knew exactly why Bones wanted to know all about the new partner Director Cullen had assigned to him, and he couldn't be happier. She was jealous of Agent Perotta. Maybe I can get a little rise out of Bones… "Well, I'm not really planning on her being my partner, Bones, since I have you, but I have to admit...Payton is really cute."

"Agent Perotta is indicating her sexual interest in you by the way she licks her lips, flutters her eyelashes, and runs her fingers through her hair when you're around, and she moves her hips suggestively when she walks toward you or away from you." Brennan eyed Booth suspiciously. "And why do you call her Payton? Do you know her well enough to be on a first name basis with her?"

"Yeah, why not? I mean, I call Charlie and Matt by their first names. We don't always call each other 'Agent So and So' at the office. Of course, Sully was Sully, and everybody calls me Booth, but most of the time it's just first names."

"I see." Brennan scowled slightly at Booth. "Do you actually think Agent Perotta is pretty? I know you usually find blondes attractive, but isn't she a little bit short for you? In the past you've seemed to prefer taller women." Brennan crossed her arms across her chest as she stared out the side window of the SUV.

"I don't know...maybe she can wear some special lift shoes or something. Maybe she can be like Agent Scully on the X Files and learn to run in high heels." Booth smirked as he watched Brennan carefully think the situation over. That little crease in her forehead is so cute...and the way she chews the inside of her lip when she's nervous...I love that… He didn't want Bones to be upset...he just wanted to tease her a little bit. Maybe it was a good time to clarify the situation.

"Anyway, Payton transferred to the DC office because her husband got a great new job in Baltimore. She says he's gonna be in partnership with two or three other orthodontists there. I guess she's gonna work until he gets his practice well established, and then she's gonna quit the FBI to have kids and be a stay at home mom."

Brennan tried to hide her smile. She certainly didn't want Booth to think she was jealous, or his alpha male ego would go into overdrive, but she was also relieved to hear that Payton Perotta was married. Even so, I'm sure she thinks Booth is attractive...most intelligent women would. Perhaps I should remind her that she may look, but not touch... "You found out quite a bit about Agent Perotta considering you just met her two days ago."

"That's what special agents do, Bones. You might be surprised….I know a lot of things about you, too...things maybe you don't think I know…."

"Like what?" Brennan's curiosity was piqued. She turned in her seat to see Booth better. She narrowed her eyes as she studied him carefully. "I think you're bluffing, Booth...you merely want me to jump the hook. You couldn't possibly find out anything new about me."

"You mean take the bait?" Booth chuckled as he looked in the rear view mirror. "Oh, Bones...if you only knew! I'm not bluffing, but I'm also not going to tell you everything I know about you. I might need to blackmail you some day. Maybe that's how I'll make sure you stay as my partner...I'll threaten to tell all your deepest, darkest secrets if you leave me." He reached over and patted her knee. "Don't worry...most of your secrets are safe with me…"

"Booth….not the tennis racquet incident...or the tap dancing classes….or that I like to watch vampire movies…"

"I'll never tell." Booth wore a smug smile. "It's my 'keep Bones as my partner' insurance policy, after all…."

"Well, then….I guess I'll just have to find out secrets about you, too, Booth. Two can play that game…" She smirked as she looked at her partner. "I can't wait to find out all your secrets. I might have to use my superior intellect and my feminine wiles, but I'll know everything about you when I'm done."

God...I'm really looking forward to that….the thought of Bones using her intellect and her feminine wiles on him as she tried to figure out his secrets was making Booth's temperature rise as he squirmed in his seat, and they still had a long drive ahead of them. Maybe it was time to change the subject. "So does Agent Andy ever get to have any hot detectives chase him around while he's working with Kathy? He might like that…." Booth twitched his eyebrows at Brennan.

"Booth!" Brennan rolled her eyes at him. "Andy has too much work to do with Kathy. He doesn't have time for hot detectives…."

ooooooooooo

Let me see you through

'Cause I've seen the dark side, too….

...I'll stand by you.

They drove for an hour through the wintry mix of rain and snow, laughing and talking about the latest exploits of Kathy and Andy in Brennan's new book, when Booth noticed the time on the dashboard clock and gestured toward the briefcase. "We'd better go over the file again while we're on the way there. It's gonna be a good hour until we get to Gloucester City...maybe longer if the weather keeps up like this, so let's use the time to get prepared. I wanna nail these two animals if they did what we think they did."

Brennan pulled out the file and read the newest information out loud. "A woman named Marilyn Sheehan called the Gloucester City, New Jersey, police department yesterday after seeing a spot on a local news station about an unidentified child's body being found." Holding up the sketch Angela had made, Brennan continued. "Mrs. Sheehan was worried that the little girl in the sketch might be her five year old granddaughter." Brennan smoothed out the copy of Angela's drawing. "Angela is really very good at this...the Angelatron gives her a general picture, and she can add details that bring it to life. Anyway, Mrs. Sheehan said the drawing looked like her granddaughter Bridget, except for a few details we couldn't know about because of the advanced state of decomposition in the remains."

"What kind of details? I mean, the bones can give you most of the important stuff, right?" Booth cocked his head as he considered what Brennan was telling him. "So what did Angela miss?"

"Bridget has a very large port wine stain birthmark covering over 85 percent of the left half of her face and neck. We would have no way of knowing that because it's a skin condition, and unfortunately, there was almost no soft tissue left with the remains. Mrs. Sheehan told the police that she hadn't seen the child for several weeks. Her daughter had said that Bridget had been quite ill, so she had to stay away from interacting other people."

"So it's possible that Bridget had been dead all that time….Jesus...so what about the daughter? What does the file say about her?"

"Maureen Sheehan is living with a man who is not Bridget's father...Sean Kelly. The biological father has been out of the picture for years. Sean Kelly is currently unemployed, and Maureen works evenings as a waitress in a popular local nightclub. Kelly was supposed to stay with Bridget while Maureen was at work." Brennan leafed through the papers in the file. "According to the grandmother, the club where Maureen works had done a fundraiser so that Bridget could have her birthmark reduced using laser surgery. The birthmark was large and it was going to be an expensive and delicate surgery to remove it. The family had no insurance, but the man who owns the bar was fond of the little girl, and wanted to do something to help the family. He held a fundraiser, and the club patrons raised over ten thousand dollars to pay for Bridget's surgery. If they had any money left it was to be put in a savings account for Bridget's college education."

Booth inhaled sharply and bit his lower lip, trying to control himself. He swore under his breath as he realized what had probably occurred. "So, here's what happened, right? Bridget dies, and the parents use the surgery money for something else…." He couldn't finish his sentence. Angry tears stung his eyes as he looked over at Brennan, and she nodded in agreement. He inhaled deeply calm himself. "And they just threw her away…."

Tears are in your eyes.

Come on and come to me now.

Don't be ashamed to cry….

….I'll stand by you.

"That was what the grandmother postulated, also. Marilyn Sheehan is afraid that her daughter's boyfriend murdered the child and then they used the money meant for Bridget's surgery to purchase methamphetamines. Gloucester City is on the Delaware River, and Sean Kelly has a large boat, so he could easily dispose of the little girl's body in the river, and it could've ended up on the Delaware shore…" Brennan closed the file and looked back at Booth. "Most of the evidence we have right now against Maureen Sheehan and Sean Kelly is circumstantial. We also don't know for certain if the skeleton at the lab is definitely Bridget Sheehan. We'll need DNA samples, particulates, clothing and hair samples from the home..."

"The remains may not be Bridget's, but it doesn't make any difference, I suppose...either way it looks like those monsters murdered their kid." Booth gripped the steering wheel tightly as anger washed over him. "The local cops are supposed to be handling retrieval of DNA samples and other forensic evidence from the residence using FBI protocols. They did a welfare check at the home, but the child wasn't there, and since the couple couldn't explain where she was, the police were able to arrest the couple on neglect and endangerment charges, but it's a weak case at best since there wasn't any actual evidence of foul play. They want me to do the interrogation since the FBI is handling the identification of the remains with your lab."

So if you're mad, get mad.

Don't hold it all inside…

Come on and talk to me now.

….I'll stand by you.

A look of sympathy crossed Brennan's face as she watched Booth struggle to control his anger and pain. "Booth...are you sure it's a good idea for you to do the interrogation of this couple? You might be too emotionally invested, because…"

"Because of Parker. Yeah, I know…" He reached over and covered Brennan's hand with his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I know. But I'm trained as a professional interrogator, and I know how to control my emotions….most of the time. And when I have trouble the rest of the time, you're going to be there for me, Bones...you'll support me...you'll keep me grounded...you'll make me strong. That's why you're the perfect partner for me. No one else can support me like that…not like you do."

"Booth…" Brennan blushed a bit as she looked out the side window.

"I'm serious. You're perfect for me. I'd never trust anyone as much as I trust you...if you see me slipping in my self control, you'll tell me, and I'll listen." He glanced over at Brennan, wondering if she understood the depth of his feelings. "I care about what you think of me, Bones, and I don't want to do anything that would jeopardize our relationship. You know that, right?"

She looked back at him and sighed softly. I wish I could express what I'm feeling for him right now, but it's overwhelming...he trusts me that much? He loves me that much?... "Yes, I know. I'll always be there for you, Booth...I'll make sure you stay focused on being in control of your emotions . Excess anger would be a detriment to your success in this situation…." The ringing of her phone interrupted her.

"Brennan...yes. I see. Yes, I think we can get a sample. Please run a cross section of the bone and look for any toxins, especially methamphetamines, that might still be present….yes. Okay." Brennan finished the call and bit her lower lip, wishing she could be almost anywhere else at that exact moment…

"What?" Booth looked over at her. "That was the lab, right? Hodgins and Zach? So what's going on?"

Brennan sighed as she focused on the road ahead. "It was Hodgins. He wants us to get some samples of the river water while we're there, and he suggested that the police department look at the suspects' shoes and their boat."

"Okay…." Booth shifted his eyes to the road, and then back to Brennan. There was something else...something she didn't want to tell him. "Why does he want water samples, Bones?"

"The bones still had some marrow present so Hodgins tested it for microorganisms called diatoms, which live in bodies of water. Diatoms can only enter the marrow if the deceased person was breathing when they entered the water, because they come in through the lungs and out to other parts of the body through the bloodstream. If we can match the type of diatoms in the bones with the river and also with the suspects' belongings it's another way we can link them together forensically."

"So the little girl in the lab…she was alive when she went in the water?"

"Yes. She drowned, Booth."

"Son of a bitch...who would do that?"

"Based on the microfractures I found on the sutures of the frontal and parietal bones, she was hit on the top of her head by a blunt object with sufficient force to render her unconscious. Whoever put her body in the river may have thought she was already dead."

"That really doesn't make it better…"

"I know, Booth…."

Take me in, in your darkest hour

And I'll never desert you.

….I'll stand by you.

They rode in silence for several miles as they both tried to comprehend what had happened to the small child in the lab who was still waiting for an identity. Finally Booth spoke again.

"I know you're trying to do everything you can to solve this case, Bones, even though it hurts, and I know you won't give up until you do. You know I'm not angry at you, right? I'm angry that someone hurt that little girl."

"Yes." She nodded as she watched snowflakes melt and run down the windshield as they sped along. "I know you're upset about the case, not about me." She hesitated for a few seconds before she continued. "It might make you feel better if I tell you that I don't think she struggled, Booth...I don't think she was scared. I'm confident that we'll find who did this to the girl in the lab, Booth, even if she isn't Bridget Sheehan….and if that isn't Bridget in the lab, we'll find out what happened to Bridget as well..."

Won't let nobody hurt you….

….I'll stand by you.

Booth glanced at the dashboard clock again as his phone rang. "They're probably wondering where we are…Booth...Yes, Detective Tonelli...we're almost there….30 minutes, I think. Really? That's interesting. Hey, did any of your guys take water samples down at the river? Okay, let us know when we get there. Thanks." He put his phone back in his jacket pocket. "Maureen Sheehan and Sean Kelly have separate lawyers, so we're gonna have to interview them separately. I'm sorry...it may be later than I expected when we get back tonight, especially if the snow gets heavier." If we can even get back tonight...I hope we don't have to sleep in the SUV...maybe we can get some rooms...or maybe one room….don't wanna waste the taxpayers' money, do we?

"I didn't have plans for this evening, Booth. I knew this might be a long day." Getting home late at night with Booth….perhaps it will be too late for him to drive any further than my apartment…

"Detective Tonelli said they got us some sandwiches for lunch, but I can stop and get you a salad if you want. I guess the good news is that Tonelli says that Sheehan and Kelly are both wanting to know if they can cut a deal if they rat on the other one. So we just gotta figure out what happened to their little girl, and then see if that's her in the lab."

"That's all?" In spite of the gravity of the situation, Brennan had to laugh. "Just another day at work, right, Booth?"

"When I'm with you, Bones, it's not just another day. You make every day special." Feeling like he sounded a bit sappy, Booth cleared his throat and scowled a little bit, but when he saw the confused look on Brennan's face he winked at her and smiled enough to show a dimple. "Gotta get my game face on. Ready to go take down some slime balls, Bones?"

"Yes! Are we going to roast them, Booth? I'm ready." Brennan put the file back in order and slipped it into the briefcase. "Let's smash some slime balls."

"Grill them, Bones...we're gonna grill them. Yeah...let's go smash some slime balls."

Nothing you confess

Could make me love you less…

I'll stand by you.

oooooooooo

A/N: I know you all may be thinking...where's the good stuff? Well, my imagination ran wild, and I had a hard time controlling it. If it cooperates better this week, we may have some smoochies next chapter. Thanks for the nice comments so far...feel free to review.