Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding GWTW

Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews and feedback.

Chapter Nine

After Rosie had laid two bills on the table and left, Scarlett picked up the ticket closest to her. She said, "I guess she knew this wasn't a date."

Rhett said, "I told her my colleague was joining me. Give it to me and I will treat you to dinner."

Scarlett smiled and said, "If you pay for my meal, that would make it a date. This is not a date. This is two colleagues having a meal together and discussing business."

"Very well, but I will leave a tip for both of us. I don't want you to cheap out on the tip. I have a reputation to maintain here."

"Whatever makes you happy."

After Rhett and Scarlett had walked out of the café together, she said, "Which car is yours?"

"I did not drive. I live close enough to walk."

"Want a ride home?"

"No, I prefer to walk."

"Bye. It will be at least two weeks before you will be obligated to work with me again."

"You may call me directly next time you need my help."

"Okay. Bye."

"Goodbye."

As Scarlett walked to her Bronco, she knew Buttercup was watching her. She also knew that he would be gone before she turned around. She knew that he was interested in her on more than a professional basis and she was interested in him on more than a professional basis, also. She would be happy to jump his bones, but she also knew if she did it would be more than just sex…. At least for her.

As Scarlett drove home, she thought about Sam, her boss, calling her to chew her out for bringing a squint out into the field. That was the reason she had been late. She had defended herself by saying that Dr. Butler's actions probably saved Ken Thompson's life. The man had charged her. Even with a bullet in his shoulder he wasn't slowing down. Dr. Butler shooting him with the fire extinguisher in the chest was what had stopped the suspect.

After Scarlett had hung up from talking to Sam, she had thought about how proud she was of Dr. Butler. When he heard a shot, he didn't run away. He ran towards the sound. He ran down the stairs intent on saving her life. Her life was not in danger, and she could have saved her own life, but it was kind of special for any man to want to protect her. Not that she needed protecting. She was fine with two weeks of desk duty. She had a lot of paperwork to get caught up on, but it did mean it would be at least two weeks before she saw Buttercup again.

In the two weeks that Scarlett was bound to the desk both she and Rhett spent a lot of time thinking about the other one. They both agreed the other one was fascinating. One day after she was released back into the field at seven in the evening, she called him on his cell phone. He forced himself to let it ring three times. He didn't want to appear eager to hear from her.

Rhett answered the phone by saying, "Hello."

"Put on your jumpsuit, Buttercup, we need to find a body."

"A body?"

"I will explain all when you get here. Meet me behind the North Star Mall."

"Where behind the mall?"

"I will be easy to find. I will be by all the lights."

Scarlett hung up on him without saying goodbye. He called Emily. He told her, "I will pick you up at the Jeffersonian in fifteen minutes."

"Dr. Butler. Dr. Butler."

"Yes."

"I live twenty minutes from the Jeffersonian and I don't own a car."

"Very well. I will pick you up. What is your address?" After Emily gave him her address, he continued, "That is five minutes from where I am at. Can you meet me out front in five minutes?"

"Yes."

"See you then."

Emily turned to the young man, Troy, she had been making out with and said, "You have to go. I have to go to work."

"Go to work?! You work with old bones."

"I don't know what is going on, but my boss told me to meet him outside in five minutes and that is what I am going to do."

After Troy had gotten himself together, Emily grabbed her keys. That was all she would need. This was going to be work. There would be no socializing especially not with Dr. Butler.

After the couple had left the building, Troy said, "I will call you."

Distractedly Emily said, "Sure. Sure."

Emily was an attractive young woman who had no problem attracting the opposite sex. She was more concerned about making Dr. Butler wait on her. She saw him and quickly walked to his car that was double parked. As she got into the car, she said, "What is happening?"

"We are going to help Agent O'Hara find a body."

"What do we know?"

"That is just about it. Buckle up. We will stop by the Jeffersonian and change into our jumpsuits and cheap shoes."

Emily resented Dr. Butler calling her walking shoes cheap. They had been the best she could afford. She looked around the car and thought, 'I guess to him they would be cheap shoes.'

As Rhett and Emily walked into the building, he said, "We will take the thermal detector. It will make it easier to find the body."

"Won't all the heat be gone by now?"

"Let's hope not. Without heat it is going to be fairly hard to find the body in the dark. We need to get to the body before any more wildlife gets to it."

"Wildlife?! Yuk."

"Ms. Addy, put your modern-day sensibilities away. To a wild dog or a rat, the body is just dinner."

Although Emily was appalled by Rhett's statement, she knew it was true. The wildlife had no conscience. He was right. To them the body was just dinner.

Soon the duo was back in Rhett's Boxster. There was barely enough room in the trunk to get all the equipment in it. The car had no backseat, so all the equipment had to fit in the trunk. As they were driving to North Star Mall, Rhett said, "I am going to have to get another car."

When Rhett pulled behind the mall, he saw all the lights. He also saw Scarlett walking towards him. He stopped the car and waited for her to join him. She smiled and said, "Leave your car here. I would hate for you to get stuck back there. There is no road or even a trail and the ground is fairly uneven in spots."

"Very well. Let us get out, Ms. Addy." To Scarlett he said, "I brought a thermal detector."

"That will be helpful."

As Rhett and Emily were getting the equipment out of the trunk he said, "I did an anthropological profile of the suburbs as a grad student. The whole notion of a created community; a modern utopia with its own mores and rules. It was quite fascinating."

"Fascinating to who?"

"Whom. To whom."

Scarlett smiled and said, "Never mind. We are looking for a six-year-old little boy that has been missing for over thirty-six hours."

"What makes you think he is here?"

"Anonymous tip."

"Of course it was an anonymous tip. The people who frequent these places don't want to be found. They are here rebelling against the social customs that have been forced on them by their parents."

After walking about two hundred feet, Rhett said, "Alright. Ms. Addy, put the detector on."

"Yes, Dr. Butler."

Fifteen minutes later, as Emily took the goggles off, she said, "Under those bushes."

Scarlett and Rhett walked to the bushes. She shown her flashlight at the object. It was the body of a child. She said, "Now the big question. Is it the body we are looking for."

With horror Emily said, "There could be more than one body out here?"

"Yes, Ms. Addy, unfortunately there could be. His foster brothers said he was wearing a red shirt, jeans, and athletic shoes."

As everyone looked at the remains, it was clear that it was the body of a child. It was also clear he was naked. Scarlett said, "Where are his clothes?"

Everyone started looking around and Scarlett said, "There they are." She pointed at them.

Rhett said, "Ms. Addy, go get a plastic evidence bag and place the clothes in it and seal it. Also bring back the tarp I put in the trunk. We must try to get everything around the remains."

"Yes, Doctor."

Scarlett said, "Let me arrange to get the remains to the Jeffersonian. Do you want everything?"

"For now, yes. I may pass somethings off to the FBI lab later."

"Very well. Let me arrange transport."

"Tell them to back all the way down here."

"Sure."

After the remains were taken care of, Scarlett said, "When will you know something?"

"I don't know. I'm going home right now. I will start in the morning."

"You are going home?! You need to identify the body. The mother is worried sick."

"Agent O'Hara, lack of sleep causes lack of judgement. It will be better for me to identify the body once I have had a good night's sleep. You telling the mother that her son is dead is not going to allow her to sleep any better. She can wait to find out that news in the morning. Ms. Addy and I will make a correct identification and then you will be able to tell the mother. I do not want to misidentify the child and you tell the mother her son is dead when he really isn't."

"I get your point. I'm just not sure I agree with it."

"Furthermore, I am probably going to need Miguel and Dr. Hodgins's help and they are both home in bed asleep."

Emily said, 'I think it is a safe bet that Miguel is in bed, but I'm not so sure on the at home part." Scarlett burst out laughing. She had needed the tension breaker and was glad for it. Rhett looked at Emily and she said, "Just saying."

Which had made Scarlett smile, then she got serious, and said, "When do you think you will know something?"

"I don't know. I will call you as soon as I know something. Ms. Addy, come along I will drop you off at your apartment."

"I left my clothes at the lab."

"I am sure you have other articles of clothing you can wear to work tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

"Good night, Agent O'Hara."

"Good night."

Scarlett just had one question. How could the man just go home and go to bed. How could he get a 'good night's rest' when a small child's body was waiting for him on his table? She guessed he could turn his emotions off. Probably pretty easily.

The next morning as the remains laid on Rhett's table, he said, "Any observations?"

"Yes, epiphysial fusion puts the age at approximately six to ten years. Although the stature suggests younger."

"I concur."

"Cause of death?"

"Blunt force trauma to the chest."

"Agreed. Go find out from Dr. Hodgins what he can tell us."

Emily found Jack Hodgins in his lab. She said, "What have you discovered?"

"The remains were significantly degraded by insect and animal activity, mostly dogs and rodents. Despite the condition of the body, the victim has been dead less than forty-eight hours."

"What about the articles of clothing?"

"They are in perfect condition which means…

"The victim wasn't wearing them when he was killed."

Emily returned to Dr. Butler's lab. She relayed everything Jack had told her. Rhett said in a monotone, "That suggest sexual assault."

Miguel walked into the lab and handed Rhett a picture. He said, "This is the best I can do with there still being flesh on the skull."

"Thank you, Miguel." Rhett walked over to his desk and picked up the missing person bulletin. He sadly said, "We have a match. It is Charles Gregory Sanders. Thanks again."

Rhett walked into his office, and he called Scarlett. He told her, "It is confirmed. That is the body of Charles Sanders."

"I will go inform the family."

Fifteen minutes later, Emily said, "We have to get to the break room."

Rhett distractedly said, "Why?"

"To attend the meeting Dr. Goodman called."

Rhett stood up and said, "Between him loaning me out to the FBI and all his silly meetings, it is amazing I get any work done."

Author's Notes: This case is based on Bones Season One, Episode 5