Sweets watched as the family unit acted out in front of him. It was almost as if he didn't exist.
"Do you know where Ruth's panda pacifier is?" Booth asked and looked at Brennan, who rummaged through the diaper bag and pulled out a pink and white stuffed animal panda with a pacifier attached to the end. "No, the blue one, she only likes the pink one after she eats." Booth responded and Sweets' eyebrows shot up. Brennan rolled her eyes and rummaged further through the diaper bag, grabbing the same stuffed animal, but in blue, she handed it to Booth, who handed it to Ruth.
"So, this seemed to be going well." Sweets murmured, jotting down a couple notes and Brennan nodded.
"Well Ruth has a strange attachment to the panda bear pacifiers, so we bought 5 of each." Brennan responded, assuming that Sweets was speaking to the pacifier conversation.
"No, I meant the familial unit." Booth looked at Sweets, his eyebrows knit together.
"You got that from me asking about a binky?"
"I don't understand why you call a pacifier a binky." Brennan interjected.
"Because it's a binky." Booth responded with a shrug and Brennan rolled her eyes. Ruth giggled and walked up to Sweets, who had grown fond of the toddler. Although it was only their second session with Ruth, Booth had made it a habit to bring Ruth into his office after picking her up from daycare on Wednesdays when Brennan had tea with Peggy, as well as Fridays, when Brennan and Angela would sit and have a glass of wine after work. Sweets had made it a point to stop by and say hello so that Ruth wouldn't be so nervous around the young psychologist. Booth said he wanted to make up for all the times Brennan had to sacrifice alone time, but Sweets knew Booth also wanted to make up for time lost with the little girl. Ruth started to crawl into Sweets lap when both Booth and Brennan's phones rang.
"Booth."
"Brennan."
"Okay."
"Mhm."
Ruth's head swiveled as she watched each of her parents respond and then she looked up at Sweets. Brennan ended her call and looked at her watch. "Shoot the daycare closed a half hour ago and everyone is being called to the scene."
"Hey, Sweets, we have to go to a crime scene, body dump near the Potomac. Uhm, would you mind watching Ruth?" Booth looked at Sweets, who stared at the veteran FBI agent.
"Well, I guess that should be fine."
"Please do not initiate her into your pseudo science." Brennan began, while Booth pushed her out the door. "Her diapers are in the bag, there's snacks, she's eaten dinner, you have our numbers and everyone at the Jeffersonian for emergencies. Books, toys, and her blanket, all in her diaper bag." Brennan continued to rattle. Ruth had now hobbled off Sweets' chair and began following her parents out of the office.
"SWEETS! RUTH! WATCH!" Booth ordered before crouching down to Ruth's level. "Mommy and daddy love you, Ruth! Be good for Dr. Sweets!" He kissed his daughter's cheek before sprinting out the door.
Sweets looked at Ruth and then at his watch. "Studies have shown that children around your age work well when given various colorful stimuli, why don't we work with-" Before he could finish, Ruth's face screwed up with sadness and she began to cry. "Oh no, no, no. It's okay, they're coming back! They just are going to work!" But she continued to cry and sat on the ground, looking at the door.
"Mama, baba!"
"No, I know, mom and dad, they're going to work, but they'll always come back!" He reached out and picked up the distressed toddler. He knew from his books on childhood psychology that this was a normal behavior. Ruth had been spending time with her parents and they randomly broke away from routine, and unlike a normal workday, where she went to daycare, they had to leave her with an unfamiliar person. She only knew Sweets in passing. "Shhh, shhhh, they'll be back before you know it." He tried to calm her down as her sobs slowly pacified.
-BB-
In the car on the way to the crime scene, Booth watched as Brennan typed something on her phone.
"Whatcha doing, Bones?"
"We were rushed, I'm instructing Sweets on all of Ruth's different nuances."
"Nuances?"
"Well, she likes the regular cheerios as a snack, but the frosted cheerios are more of a dessert. I have a feeling she might throw her shoes at him."
"She's definitely going to throw her shoes at him." Booth agreed with a grin, but when he saw her glare, he sighed. "Bones, she's okay. We had to leave her, she couldn't come and we can't leave her in the lab alone."
"Well, I didn't even have time to call Dr. Goodman."
"If we called Dr. Goodman, by the time we dropped her off at his house, the crime scene would've been completely stomped all over and you would've been furious. You know how you always tell me that I need to let her fall, you need to let her get comfortable around new people. I know Sweets is a psychologist, but he's a good kid, a little on the geeky side, but he's a good guy, just give him a chance. If it doesn't work out, we never let him babysit her again."
"Fine, but I'm finishing my email." Booth sighed and resigned himself to the fact that Brennan would finish the email regardless of if he agreed or not.
-BB-
"Ruth, what is your hatred with shoes? Does it stem from a hatred to adhere to social constructs?" Sweets poised the question as he offered the toddler another frosted cheerio.
"I think it stems from her feet being too hot." Booth said as he entered the room.
"Baba!" Ruth exclaimed but remained seated. She held her hand out and Sweets placed another frosted cheerio in her hand.
"Hey, baby girl. Uhm, Sweets, why are you giving her frosted cheerios past her bedtime?" Booth whispered and checked behind his shoulder, he knew that Brennan was cleaning up in the bathroom but wouldn't be far behind. Sweets' confused expression was all he needed. "You haven't had time to check your email. Hide the cheerios." Booth continued and snatched up Ruth, who was happily chomping away, while he tried to find her shoes. "Jesus, this place looks like a bomb was set off."
"She has an incredibly active mind, Agent Booth."
"You can just say she's a ball of energy." Booth responded and tickled Ruth's side. Brennan walked in and was taken aback.
"Did you empty the entire contents of the diaper bag? I didn't realize we packed all of this with us. Wow, she must have been incredibly active tonight."
"You have no idea." Sweets mumbled under his breath as Booth and Brennan collected stuffed animals and books off the floor of the office. "I did find it interesting that she has this tendency to attempt to jump from very high places, risk taking has been known to be a hereditary trait, which given both of your professions, she may be more inclined to possess." Sweets mentioned causing both parents to stop and look at him.
"What?" Booth asked.
"Well I had to use the bathroom really fast and when I returned, she had climbed on top the back of the couch and was attempting to jump off of it." Sweets stuttered, while Booth stared daggers at him.
"You left our child unattended?"
"Well I had to use the bathroom and I didn't think it was appropriate to bring her into the men's bathroom."
"That's why you use the family stall." Booth responded, and Sweets blinked.
"I didn't know we had that."
"I don't want you watching Ruth."
"Don't say that." Sweets whined back and Brennan sighed.
"Booth, he didn't realize, it's okay, she's fine!"
"Ruth could've gotten hurt!"
Before Booth could attempt to kill Sweets, Brennan quickly picked up the rest of their things and scurried them out of the office.
-BB-
A couple weeks had passed and Booth was sitting in his office on a Wednesday night while Ruth grabbed pieces of paper off his desk and handed it to him.
"Thank you, baby girl." He mumbled, as she walked away to grab another piece of paper.
"Cher, what the hell are you doing?" Caroline Julian yelled as she walked into his office and slammed the door. The sudden sounds caused Ruth to run to her father's lap and crawl into his arms. "Who is that?"
"Ruth, it's okay, Caroline is just loud."
"Excuse you."
"You came in here after hours, scared my kid, and now you're getting snippy?" Booth questioned his favorite federal prosecutor, whose eyes went wide.
"I thought you had a little boy?"
"I do, Parker, but well, Brennan and I."
"You and the scientist?"
"Back during the Arrington case."
"Oh shit." Caroline placed a hand over her mouth, but not fast enough.
"Thit" Ruth attempted to repeat and Booth shook his head.
"No, no, baby, bad word!"
"Thit!"
"Ugh, Caroline!"
"Goodbye, Cher!"
-BB-
Booth sat alone in his apartment, nursing a beer and watching the Flyers game when his phone rang.
"Booth."
"Why is Ruth attempting to say shit?" Brennan's voice through the phone had been a welcome surprise that night until Booth registered what she had asked him.
"What?"
"THIT!" Ruth's screech in the background distracted him long enough and he had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing.
"Booth?" Brennan's agitated voice made the hair on the back of Booth's neck stand on edge.
"Long story."
-BB-
A couple months had passed and a comfortable routine had set in. Brennan and Booth continued their sessions with Sweets, and he even occasionally watched Ruth. Booth was spending more alone time with Ruth, but they still tried to have him come over as much as possible for her nighttime routine, but Booth realized it would be unsustainable unless he made a move. They were stuck in a limbo. Both of them were single, but neither wanted to admit they were interested in each other.
Booth was sitting at the diner with Cam while they chatted over dinner.
"So, where's Ruth?" Cam looked at her watch, they had been working on the Gravedigger case and Booth sighed.
"Bones asked Peggy to look after her while she went to karate class and then she's going to pick her up, but I might grab her after we're done here. I just, this case is bothering me, that father must have been beside himself with those two boys missing." He spoke and Cam nodded with a bit of a shudder.
"Well in other news, I might be going to New York this weekend, I met a guy at one of the crime scenes." Cam smiled and Booth laughed, he felt his phone buzzing but rather than check it, he let it go to voicemail.
"Please tell me it wasn't a witness to a murder or something."
"Oh, stop it, Seeley." When he felt the voicemail buzz, he picked up his phone and let it play. The smile he was wearing immediately vanished. "Seeley, what's wrong?"
-BB-
Hodgins and Brennan had been buried alive by the Gravedigger and Booth was attempting to make sense of it. He had called the Cantilever Group, but they needed proof of life. The clock was running down and Cam walked up on the catwalk to see how Booth was doing.
"Booth, maybe you should go get Ruth, let us run some ideas. If the Cantilever Group isn't willing to pay the ransom, it's going to mean that we have to really look into the Kent boys and maybe we can look at Dr. Brennan's findings and Hodgins' notes to see if there's anything there. But right now, maybe you would find some comfort with her." Cam spoke softly and Booth could only nod. He felt helpless, so with a heavy heart, he walked to the daycare facility. Peggy was sitting with Ruth on a small couch.
"BABA!" The little girl screamed as she ran to her father. In an instant, he knelt down and hugged her. Peggy didn't need to know what was going on to know something was wrong. She saw the distress and the worry in the way Booth held Ruth.
"Agent Booth? I wasn't expecting you, is everything okay?" Peggy asked and Booth cleared his throat. His eyes stung from the tears and he attempted to swallow the lump in his throat.
"Uhm, there's been a development in one of our cases and I decided to pick up Ruth." He could only whisper to prevent his voice from cracking.
"Oh, well let me know if you need me to watch her, I'll leave you my number." Peggy replied and Booth grabbed Ruth's hand, allowing her to slowly walk them down the hall towards her mother's office.
As they walked into her office, the smell of Brennan's perfume, lavender and vanilla, filled Booth's nostrils. He looked at Ruth and wondered how to explain all of this. She had no idea that right now her mother was buried alive, and they had no idea how they were going to scrounge up $8 million to get them out. They were doing everything, but they just didn't know what to do, and here was this little bundle of joy and energy, waddling around her mother's office, not a care in the world.
"Hey." Angela's small, weak voice broke the silence and Booth met her teary gaze. She looked down at Ruth, who grinned up at her. This caused a new wave of tears to flow. "She has her eyes. I always said that to Bren, but Bren would say that there were subtle differences, flecks of gold, but they're her eyes. Everytime Ruth looks at me, it's like it's Bren staring into my soul." Angela reached out and picked up the toddler, who nuzzled into Angela's embrace. "Oh, sweetie, I just want your mama to be okay, for all of us." She said in prayer, resting her forehead against Ruth's.
Booth stood and walked over to them. Rubbing Angela's back, he could feel her shudder with sobs. "Angie cry." Ruth said, her voice laced with confusion as she looked at Booth.
"Auntie Angie is sad, so why don't you make sure you give her a big hug." He whispered in Ruth's ear before kissing her cheek, she smiled at her dad and wrapped her arms around Angela's neck. Booth could hear the sobs as Angela tried to compose herself. They had to remain strong, if not for themselves, for Ruth.
-BB-
Hodgins and Brennan were trying to come up with ideas as they were trapped underground, but Brennan found her mind continuing to wander.
"She'll be okay, Dr. B." Hodgins mumbled. He could see the worry in her shoulders and eyes.
"My mother abandoned me when I was fifteen, and I didn't know she was gone for eighteen years. Then I found out she was killed for … I found out she ran away to protect me, but she left me nonetheless." She breathed as she felt the tears stream down her face. "I wanted to promise Ruth more than that. When Ruth was born, I promised her I would never abandon her."
"You haven't, you were kidnapped, taken against your will, Dr. B."
"But, I wanted to give her all the things my mother wasn't around to give me. The guidance and memories. I just, I want her to know that I would never leave her." Brennan whispered and Hodgins reached out to hold her hand.
"So then we'll do everything we can to get out of here."
-BB-
Hours had passed and Ruth's eyes began to droop with sleep. "Baba?" Ruth called out from the couch in Brennan's office and Booth jogged over.
"Yea, baby girl?"
"Mama?"
"Uhm, she's just working right now." He replied, looking over his shoulder as Cam and Zack continued to scour the notes and evidence before them in the lab.
"Want Mama." She whimpered and his heart broke.
"I do too." He muttered, before kneeling down and kissing her forehead. "Try and get some sleep, baby girl, mama will be here when you wake up."
-BB-
The text came in while Booth watched Ruth sleep. He tried not to wake her as his anger flew through the roof. Hitting the monitor, he looked from Cam to Zack and Angela. "Think, eggheads, work it! We're running out of time."
He peered over and didn't see movement from Brennan's office.
"Minor correction, in 5 seconds, we are out of time." Zack said, as Angela looked down at the floor, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Baba?" Ruth stood at the steps of the platform and Booth spun around. Angela ran toward the little girl, scooping her up and almost collapsing on the floor. "Angie cry?" She looked confused as she wiped the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand. Booth looked over his shoulder and he saw Zack wipe a tear from his cheek. Even he couldn't stop the emotions that overtook his system.
"We can't give up on them. Just because some math tells us. You don't think they elongated their air supply? I know Bones, she …" Booth felt himself breaking, it was Angela who spoke up.
"She would do anything to make sure she stayed for Ruth." Her voice cracked as Ruth's little hands found Angela's cheeks.
"Angie no cry." She smiled and Angela attempted a grin, the tears still slipping down her cheeks. Cam cleared her throat and looked at the screen.
"We have to think who the message was for-" The squad went into action with a newfound vigor and Booth quickly called Peggy when they realized they knew where to find the burial site.
-BB-
Hodgins and Brennan had been rescued in the morning, and released from the hospital around noon. By the time they got back to the apartment it was late afternoon. Brennan couldn't put Ruth. Booth had convinced her that he would only allow her to go home that day if she let him stay at her place, which she didn't mind, she just wanted to be near Ruth.
"Mama, down." Ruth whined, wiggling in her mother's arms as Booth opened the front door.
"Temperance, you have to let her go at some point." He whispered, but Brennan shook her head.
"I just, just one more hug." She responded, but the moment she knelt down and let Ruth's feet touch the floor, the little girl ran toward the living room to grab her toys.
"Mama, play!" As Brennan walked toward the living room, Booth walked toward the kitchen.
"Do you want anything to eat?" He asked and Brennan shook her head.
"Cheerios!" Ruth shouted, which caused Booth to chuckle. He watched Brennan. He knew the signs. She was struggling. He had seen it in a lot of soldiers. She reached out and touched Ruth's hair, curling it behind her ear. Booth grabbed some cheerios in a bowl and a couple glasses of water. The adrenaline from the day before had begun to wear away and he realized that he was right where he wanted to be, he just hoped that Brennan wanted him there too.