A Boy From Philly (Rated M, friendship, fluff, angst)

I am totally loving this. Its just so freakin brillaint x x

Thanks!!!

Part V

"You can go in now," a shorter Latina nurse said to the couple who stood just out side of room 206.

"Thanks." Booth entered the hospital room with Brennan on his heels.

Mike was laying in bed. The nasal cannula hooked around his ears, his skin was blotchy with a purple/gray mottled tone. "Hey, boy," he said, breathing through his mouth as though he couldn't get enough air. "Who's the pretty girl?"

Booth smiled and put his hand behind Brennan's shoulder blades. "This is--" Quick decision. "Tempe, Dad." It sounded strange on his tongue, but it was the name she'd had his mother use.

Brennan held her hand out, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Booth." His grip was weak.

He breathed heavily, "Tempe. That's a strange name."

"It's short for Temperance."

"What kind of cock-and-bull name is that? Your parents name you after a dog?"

"Dad--"

Brennan's cheeks glowed for a split second, then the color dissipated. "It's OK, Booth." Then she addressed Mr. Booth, "What kind of name is Mike? Your parents obviously had the imagination of a six year old. Let's just hope you didn't inherit either of their IQs."

He wheezed a laugh, "I like her."

Booth smiled uncomfortably, "How've you been?"

"Dying. And you?" His voice was heavy and raspy.

"Nothing's changed in the last twelve hours, Dad."

"Except this beautiful young thing." He eyed Brennan like he hadn't just met her. "She your girlfriend?"

"This is my partner, Dad. You guys just met."

"Whatever you kids call it these days." He stopped to catch his breath. "F-ck!" The exclamation came out of nowhere.

"What's wrong?"

"Hurts like a sonovabitch."

He reached for the call button and soon after a nurse came in. Her name tag read, Jill H. RNA. "How you doin', Mike? Need me to up your dose?"

"Yeah," he blurted.

Brennan walked to the little couch in the room and took a seat.

Once the pain had subsided, Jill disappeared and the three of them were left alone once again. They sat in silence for little more than a minute before Mike turned to his son. "How long you two kids been together?" He reached up and adjusted the cannula.

"A couple of years, Dad." Booth smiled and patted his dad's hand.

"Just a... bit of advice from your old man, son." Booth suppressed an eye-roll. Relationship advice from the man who drank and beat his wife. "Be each other's best friend." He took in several deep breaths. "And I know I'm not the one who... who should tell you about this stuff... but I think... that's what I did wrong with Nan." He took more deep breaths and squeezed Booth's hand. "I never let her in."

"I've... got to go to the bathroom, Dad." Booth pushed back the stool he was sitting on. It rolled across the room.

"I think that''s one right there," Mike gestured to a door.

"Not that one." He left the room quickly.

Brennan watched the whole thing with curiosity, then silently followed. In the hallway, she found Booth sitting on a folding chair. She walked over to him. He scooted over for her and together they sat on that one chair for several minutes. Nurses, doctors, and patients passed by silently. Brennan just watched the hallway activity without saying a word. Her partner sat beside her, his head in his hands.

"My dad hit my mom," Booth muttered resignedly into his hands. "He was actually trying to sell me advice. Him." He laughed humourlessly. "Of all of the people in the world. And you know what?"

Brennan leaned forward on her elbows to meet Booth's face. "What?"

"He was right, Bones." He nodded and shook his head slightly. " He was right."

"Is that bad?"

He shook his head again, his eyes distant. "All my life, I've tried to do whatever was opposite of what he said." He turned his face toward Brennan's. "I figured I was safe, you know. Nine times out of ten, if I did the opposite of whatever he said, I was in the right."

Brennan was silent. She knew that it was best just to let him talk it out.

"And I guess it's--" He looked at her again and smiled. "Illogical, but I don't want to do what he said, but I know he's right."

"About being friends with your wife?"

"Yeah." His eyes grew distant. "There wasn't a single day they didn't argue."

"We argue. And we're friends."

"It's different, Bones."

"How?" She was honestly curious.

Booth smiled warmly at Brennan, "We banter. We talk. We clash. We bounce ideas off one another. But we don't hate each other."

"Your parents hated each other?"

"I didn't see any love."

Brennan leaned her cheek on her hand. "They didn't love each other?"

"Mom loved Dad, but he never returned it. That's no relationship, Bones. That's one-sided. The best gift you can give your kids, Bones, is to love your spouse. Period. Everything else grows from there."

"What about Rebecca? You're not her spouse."

"Bones, I love Rebecca. I respect her."

"You love her?"

He sat back and rubbed his hands on his jeans. "Yeah, but I don't like her all of the time." He crossed his arms over his chest. "We make better friends than enemies."

"You mean lovers?" Her eyebrow tipped in the air.

"Nope, Bones. I said enemies, and I meant it. Whenever we were together, we fought. Parker didn't need for that to be his memory of us together. He deserves a better childhood than that."

Brennan measured that for a little while. "I can see that."

Booth stood. "Come on, Bones. I wanna show you something."

She stood, taking the offered hand and they walked out of the hospital.

Before the doors shut, Brennan could be heard asking, "Do you like me?"

Booth laughed, "Of course I like you, Bones!"

"No. I mean, do you like me as a person? As a friend."

"Bones, like is an understatement. I love who you are. Take anything away, and you're not you." He smiled at her. "C'mon, I know a shortcut."

Part VI

Brennan followed behind Booth as he cleared away overgrown shrubbery.

"I'm being eaten alive."

"Huh?" Booth yelled back.

"The mosquitoes are attacking me. How much farther?"

"Just a few more feet. Trust me that it's worth the wait." He pushed back more branches, holding back some so Brennan could walk through.

"Korsakoff's."

"Krakatoa-what?"

"Your father. He either has Korsakoff's syndrome or Wernicke's disease."

They reached a sharp embankment. Booth side stepped down and held out his hand for Brennan to take. After she reached the shoreline, they walked side by side along the river. "What makes you think he has Wernicke's or Korsakoff's?"

Brennan smiled at him, "Besides the fact that you didn't mispronounce them purposefully?" Booth looked over at her and grinned. "He has the classic signs and symptomotology. Alcoholism followed by a memory disorder. He asked who I was twice in a minute."

He pushed his hands into his pockets, "You know what? You're not so bad with the living after all, Bones." They reached a spot that looked somewhat familiar to Booth. He began to climb through the weeds, leaving Brennan behind.

"Where are you going?" She bent down and folded up her blue jeans into capris and took off her boots, ready to take off after him.

"Just stay there!"

She sighed and stood, hands on hips waiting for something to happen.

A second later, Booth, swung through the dry and overgrown weeds wearing nothing but a pair of Mickey Mouse boxers and a huge boyish grin. The rope swing swung over the river and back again, then back over the river. "Wooooooh! Hooooo!" He let go of his grip and dropped into the water with a large sploosh!

Brennan froze when, after about a minute, Booth didn't surface. She took two steps toward the water, fully prepared to dive in, clothing and all. Then he came back up, shaking the water out of his hair.

"Come on in, Bones! There's plenty of water to go around!"

"If you think I'm going to strip to my bra and underwear and dive into that river, you're wrong, Booth!"

Booth laughed and came toward the shore. The weight of the water tugged at his boxers. He pulled them back up before they reached the point of no return. "C'mon, Bones. You'll love this."

"I'm not going."

"Are you shy?"

"I've lectured thousands of students at a time. I'm not shy, Booth."

"Then prove it."

She sighed and eyed the rope which had swung back to shore. "My underwear isn't exactly... appropriate swim attire."

"Bones, Bones, Bones..." He shook his head. "I promise I won't look."

"Of course you'll look. You're a man. I'm a woman."

"Yeah, I'll probably look." He grinned and grabbed the rope, then began to make it back up the hillock he had just swung from. "You're not afraid, are you?"

"What if... What if a troupe of boy scouts comes through the woods? That could destroy their innocence in one fail swoop." She put her hands back on her hips.

"Very few boys are innocent, Bones."

"That must make it difficult, having that kind of insight with Parker." A teasing grin.

"Now, why'd you have to go and say that?" He shook his head and grinned, then began to walk back up the hill. "Now hurry and take off your clothes. And I mean that in the most respectable way possible."

He disappeared, leaving Brennan to ponder what had just transpired.

She sighed, looked around nervously, then removed her shirt. She left it on a sun-warmed rock beside her boots. The jeans came off reluctantly. She weighed several scenarios before finally discarding the jeans beside the top. Good thing she'd been eating right and working out.

She walked up the steep embankment and began to push through the weeds and shrubbery. Booth was waiting. His classic cocky grin twisted his lips upward. "Took you long enough."

He pulled the rope closer to her. She took it in her hands anxiously, but didn't budge.

"You gotta stand on the rock, Bones." He nodded at the boulder that was at the base of a large oak.

"OK." She breathed in and out slowly before stepping onto the boulder. Booth helped her up, keeping his hands North of the Border. He showed her how to wrap her toes around the rope. "Now you just have to actually do it, Bones."

"I can't," she breathed. She regretted the words almost immediately. She wasn't one to say she couldn't do something. "It's ridiculous, I know."

"You don't like heights?"

"No. It's not that." She sighed and rolled her eyes. "This is going to sound stupid. I hate... I hate swimming in bodies of water where you can't see the bottom. It freaks me out."

"There's nothing at the bottom of this river, Bones. Jared and I have been swimming here since we were kids--"

"I know. I know there's nothing at the bottom. There might be trout or crayfish or something like that-- It's ridiculous."

"Bones. Do you want me to go first?"

"No. I can do this. I just need to clear my head." She closed her eyes and rationalized for a few seconds. Her eyes opened once again. "OK. I'm going to do this." Her fingers tightened around the rope. Then they relaxed. "Are you sure there's no rebar or fallen limbs?"

"Nothing like that, Bones." Booth looked up at her. He may or may not have let his eyes wander just a little bit. What? He's not dead.

She got off from the rock. "You go first. I'll aim for the spot that you fall in."

Booth shrugged and they exchanged places, with Bones on the ground and Booth standing on the rock. "When I was nine, Jared climbed this tree and tried to jump from the bough to the water. He missed."

"That's not very comforting, Booth."

"He was all right. Then the next day, I did the exact same thing."

"Why?" Brennan grinned at the thought.

"I had to show him how it was done right."

"Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Did you do it right?"

"Nope. I missed and broke my arm."

"Why are you telling me this, Booth?"

"But neither of us, Bones, were ever hurt swinging from the rope. See where I'm going with this?"

"It's convoluted, but I think I know where you're going."

Booth chuckled, "OK. One... Two... Three!" He pulled his feet up, his arms and chest flexed, the limb dipped under his weight, then Booth hit the water.

The rope came back just far enough for Brennan to grasp it at the top of the slope. She walked it back and mounted the boulder.

"OK..." She closed her eyes. No, that was way more unsafe than before. They reopened. "One... Two... Three!" Some things are best done when you don't think twice. She jumped. Arms flexed. She and the rope swung over the water, then back over the land. "I can't!"

"You can!"

She let her toes touch the top of the hill, then she walked the rope back a little farther and jumped again. This time she released when she swung out over the water. The cool clear liquid enveloped her. And nothing was under her feet except sand.

Booth swam up to her once her head reappeared from the water.

"What'd you think?" Booth asked.

"It was exhilarating!" She tipped her head back to smooth her hair back with the water.

"Wanna do it again?"

"Yes!"

"That's my girl!"

They swam up to the shore and repeated the process several more times. After the final swing, they both were swimming in the river, closer to shore.

"How'd you find this place?"

Booth swam up to her. "This was our escape."

She studied his face for a second. "Escape?"

"Yeah. Jared's and mine. Probably more mine than Jared's."

They walked onto shore and sat where the water and sand met and sat with their toes in the water. "What did you mean by escape?" From what Cam and Sweets had told her, she suspected the answer, but something inside of her made her want to hear the words from his own mouth. She wrapped her hands around her knees, grabbing her wrist with her thumb and forefinger. When Booth didn't answer, she prompted him. "Cam and Sweets said that your father was physically abusive. They weren't just referring to your mom, were they?"

Booth shook his head and looked over at her. "You're getting a sunburn, Bones." He stood and brought her back her shirt.

She stood up. "Now don't make fun of me." She pressed her hands to her breasts and water escaped from the padding and streamed down her stomach.

He couldn't help but to laugh. "Bones, you don't need it. You have a great body."

Now, that was a confusing comment. "Thanks," she murmured.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment.

Booth walked back through the woods and retrieved his clothing. He came back to a fully dressed Brennan.

"You never answered my question."

Booth nodded and put his shirt on. While he worked on his jeans and shoes, he spoke, "Dad didn't always hit Mom. He didn't hit just Mom, either."

"He hit you?"

"More like beat me." Booth sat down and put his bare feet in the water. He watched the light flicker off the surface in silence. After a second, Brennan sat beside him. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. It had begun to dry in the warm sun, revealing the fact that she straightened it on a regular work day. "Your hair's curly, Bones." He smiled. "I like it."

"Well, wavy." She stuck her toes in the water beside Booth's. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He laughed lightly, "If there's anyone in the world I should tell, Bones, it's you."

She looked a question at him.

"Have I ever told you that you're my best friend?"

"No."

"Well, you are, Bones." His eyes crinkled, then relaxed. He looked over the water. "He used to go after Jared first." He spoke slowly, pausing between sentences as memories rushed back to him. "He was so little then. Four years younger than me. I had to protect him. So I tried to make sure I was the target. Not him. I swore that if I ever got big enough, I'd strangle my father with my bare hands." He looked back over at her. "Now I'm bigger. And he's weaker. And the only thing I feel for the man is... pity. And love. But mostly pity."

"You love your father?"

"It doesn't make much sense, does it, Bones? But then again, you can relate. Someone who hurts you, abandons you, but you can't help but to love him despite all of his faults." He laughed a humorless laugh. "It's f-cking screwed up." He shook his head slowly, then looked back at Brennan. "You have a good dad, Bones. In spite of it all, there was never any doubt that he loved you back."

Brennan scoffed. "That's doubtful."

"No, Bones. When you told Max that you loved him. He always told you 'I love you' back." He paused. "When I was twelve, I told my Dad that I loved him."

"And...?"

"And the next day I had to tell my teacher that I fell into the door." He smiled. "Like I said, Bones. I pity him. Someone who has lived his entire life like that. I would always tell Parker that I love him."

"You're a good father, Booth."

With a teasing smile, he replied, "You've said that before."

"Well, I mean it."

They shared a long look. One of those patented, extended-warranty smiles. Then Booth stood, holding out his hand for her. "We should probably get back."

She hesitated. "Only if you promise we do this again."

He weighed it with false duality. Then he smiled. "Deal."

She put her hand in his.

Welcome to the ABY, xBeMinex!!!

Part VII

Later that evening, Booth was napping on the couch in his father's hospital room. His feet were propped on a little coffee table. Brennan's legs were over his lap, her head resting on the arm of the sofa. Mike was asleep, fully sedated with pain meds.

She felt some movement, but kept her eyes closed.

A second later, she heard two men talking just outside of the door in serious tones. She shifted to face the door, realizing that Booth had disappeared. She stood and crossed the room to the door, leaving it just cracked enough to look into the hospital's hallway.

Booth and Jared stood toe-to-toe. Jared had obviously been drinking and his arm was wrapped around a scantily dressed date. Jared was the least dressed up Brennan had ever seen. His hair was long and shaggy. He wore jeans and a tee-shirt.

"Nice to see you've finally decided to show up," Booth said to his brother.

"Hey, at least I showed up. Give me some credit, OK?"

"Where were you?"

"I was working, Seeley. Imagine that?" Sarcastic.

Booth shook his head, "It took you more than a week to finally show up at your own father's hospital room?"

"Hey, don't tell me what you think I've done wrong, Seeley. I'm a grown man now."

Booth puffed air through his lips in a way that conveyed his disbelief.

"What the hells' that supposed to mean?"

Jared's date began to look uncomfortable, "I'm just gonna go to the little girl's room." She jogged down the hall in her stiletto heels.

"Damn. She looks as good going as she does coming, huh?" Jared grinned, then looked back at his older brother. The look on Booth's face made his grin disappear. "What?"

"Your father's dying and you not only take your time showing up, but you pick up a prostitute on your way?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Tanya's not a hooker. She's a working professional."

"A working professional stripper."

"Just mind your own damned business, Seeley. We've both got our own priorities. I've got Tanya and you've got that partner of yours."

Booth gritted his teeth. "You leave Bones out of this."

"Leave Tanya out of this."

"You're the one who brought her into this. Instead of coming to Philly, you took her to a motel or the back seat of a van or whatever you did."

"You're crossing a line, brother. A fine line."

"Every night for almost two weeks I've been sitting with Dad, Jared. The least you could've done is taken time out of your busy schedule and come sit with Dad. Give Mom a break. Give me a break."

"You've always been the archangel, haven't you? The shining star." Jared's voice was more than just sarcastic. "Seeley the good son."

"No. You've got that wrong."

"Have I? I lost my f-cking job, Seeley. Now I nail two-by-fours together for a living. Do you know what Dad said when I told him?" He paused for dramatic effect. "He said, 'Figures.' Like he's been waiting his whole life just to see me screw up. I guess he got his dying wish."

Booth didn't answer for a few seconds. His eyes followed Tanya as she came back down the hall and wrapped her arm around Jared's waist. Jared wrapped his arm around her neck and planted a kiss on her lips. "It's not about us any more, Jared."

"Then who's it about?"

"Right now? Mom." Booth put his hands on his hips and shook his head. His eyes settled on Brennan for a moment, then he looked back at Jared quickly before he noticed. "You can't live your life like this, Jared. Selfishly. Mom's breaking apart. I can't be the only damned pillar. I need my brother."

Jared just looked at him. Finally he sighed. "Fine. Where's Mom?"

"Home."

"Think she's up?"

"Probably not."

"Do you think she'd mind if we bunk up at her place?"

Booth shrugged and smiled. "The more the merrier."

He put his arm around Jared and they walked toward the door. Brennan back-stepped away, leaving room for the door to swing.

Jared's gaze settled first on his father. He still slumbered, his purple lip hung from his face, bearing yellowed teeth. Then he saw Brennan. "I didn't know you were here." And for a moment, he felt foolish and wondered if she had heard his comments.

"Booth needed a friend, considering that he was alone with your parents for so long."

"Bones--"

"It's OK, Seeley. Dish it out however you want, Tempe. I can take it."

"OK." Brennan shrugged. "I think you're an inconsiderate jerk."

"Ah. Now I'm a loser and a jerk."

Booth was the confused one now. "She never called you a loser."

"Oh, I did," Brennan said confidently. "The last time I spoke to your brother, I called him a loser and pushed him off a bar stool."

"Oh."

"I should've broken his nose, but there were too many witnesses." Brennan crossed her arms over her chest and stared Jared down coldly. "And unlike a certain somebody, I think about the consequences of my actions before I actually act."

"You're a piece of work, Tempe," Jared muttered.

"Hey, be respectful to my partner," Booth interjected angrily.

"Fine. I'm not here to fight. I'm here to talk to Dad."

"Well, he's asleep, but if you want, you can take call dibs on tomorrow. Maybe Bones and I can grab some lunch."

"Fine." Jared turned around, kicking the door as he exited.

"See ya later," Tanya said apologetically, then she trotted out after Jared, her brown hair bouncing as she went.

Booth turned toward Brennan when they were out of sight. "I don't know about you, but they're sleeping on the pull-out. It feels like concrete."

Silence grew between them before Brennan decided to ask a question that had been pressing her. "Does Parker know?"

"About Dad?" He answered the question quietly. "No."

"Why not?"

"He doesn't know my Dad very well. I never wanted him to."

"Because of what he did?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"I don't know, Bones. I guess I never... I didn't want to be responsible for-- You know, if..."

"If he ever abused Parker, you'd feel responsible. Even though he's been bedridden for the last several months."

"I know what you're going to say. It's not rational, right?"

"Sometimes you can't be rational when it comes to the safety of your children."

Booth smiled at her. She was leaning against the door frame with her toes against the opposite side. He had his head against that door frame with his toes against the one her head was resting against. "That was beautiful, Bones."

"You're either being ironic or sarcastic. I can't tell which." She cleared her throat. "But I was being anthropological."

"How's that, Bones?" He grinned. "Wait, you're going to name off some African tribe that sacrifices to their gods or something like that, right?"

"South American."

He laughed. "Come on. Maybe if we beat Jared, we can make sure we get the bedroom."

She shot him a look.

"I'll take the floor, don't worry."

that was sooo cute
I love that they have gone to do something fun during all of this....and Booth really opend up to her.....
I absolutely loved this paragraph:

"Bones, Bones, Bones..." He shook his head. "I promise I won't look."
"Of course you'll look. You're a man. I'm a woman."
"Yeah, I'll probably look."

but of course we all want him to look....and maybe even touch....

ForensicMama wrote:"I'll take the floor, don't worry."

What?
No!
They have to share the bed!
Please make them share!

Excellent--I liked Jared's momentary thought about whether she'd heard and then when he encouraged her to berate him. I think Jared underneath it all knows what he is. I think he knows Booth is the better man, but he just can't help himself. Booth has never made him "man up" and Booth is the only father he knows. So he takes the coddling and blames his father (or Booth) for his choices. Can't wait to see the direction you take this.

Thanks everyone!

Part VIII

Jared was five when it happened. Booth was about to turn ten. It was a memory that had become turned over and forgotten so many times that it only came back to him when he was especially stressed out or anxious.

Anne had become pregnant with her third son soon after Jared's fourth birthday. Frightened and happy were the operative words. It described every feeling that churned inside of her. Caught in a marriage that was loveless and violent, bringing a third child into the household was the last thing she wanted. But she never wanted this to happen to her son.

He remembered walking through the hallway of the hospital. His grandmother made him hold Jared's hand, which was really embarrassing for an almost-ten-year-old. He could still practically smell the polyester. Even in his dreams. It was the spring of 1979 and Kevin was less than a day old.

Outside of his mother's hospital room, his grandmother stooped and straightened each of the boys' over-sized 70s style collars and licked down one of Jared's cowlicks. Seeley laughed. But his laughter was cut off by his grandmother licking her hand and slicking it across Seeley's head, which caused Jared to start giggling.

"Quiet now. Your mama's still pretty tired." She stood and knocked on the door. A second later, the door was opened by Mike. A much younger, livelier version of the 2009 version of real life.

"Come on in, boys." He ushered them in. His mother was breastfeeding a tiny little infant.

She looked up and smiled, tucking back a lock of red hair. She was much thinner that year. Her pregnancy with Kevin was not what one would consider routine. Every day was a struggle to keep down enough fluids and food to keep her growing infant alive and thriving. Most of the pregnancy was a blur. Neither Jared nor Seeley had seen much of their mother. She spent the last four months of her pregnancy at the local women's hospital on IV fluids.

"Woah. He's so little!" Jared marveled. He climbed up onto the bed to get a closer look.

Mike grabbed his arm and snatched him down roughly. "Hey, what'd I tell you? Your Mom doesn't need you crawling all over her."

Both the sharp tone of his voice and the brusqueness in which he snatched Jared down caused the boy to coddle his arm and cry in the corner of the room.

Seeley, learning from his brother's mistakes, was much more careful. He stood on his toes and looked on from a distance, only really seeing the tip of Kevin's pink nose and two chubby pink cheeks.

"What do you think, baby?" Anne smiled at her oldest son.

His eyes were wide. "He's cute."

"He looks like you when you were first born."

Mike looked over Nan's shoulder. "I don't know. He's a little cuter than the other boys." Mike Booth wasn't one for holding those kinds of opinions to himself. Regardless of whether or not they would cause emotional harm.

Seeley was used to those kinds of comments. They didn't phase him. He was used to people saying that Jared was adorable. He was cute. So well behaved compared to his older brother. Nothing new under the sun. "Can I hold him, Mom?"

"No," Mike answered. "You're too little, son." He ruffled Seeley's hair. And for a moment, everything was perfect. They were a normal, everyday, American family of five.

Two weeks later,Seeley was in the kitchen doing his homework. Nan was working on dinner with Kevin on her hip. The Frigidaire was Bud-free.

Mike came through the door at ten minutes to five. He crossed the room to the refrigerator. As usual, Seeley's stomach twisted in his gut. So did Anne's.

"Where the hell's my beer, Nan?"

"I was just about to go out."

"F-ck me. You always wait until the last damned minute. You're so f-cking selfish, Nan."

Postpartum depression and hormones are bad enough without a Michael Booth in your life. She'd gone through this scenario about a hundred times before. Mike usually went through a pack of Bud a day, so it was a daily purchase. And with a fresh vertical C-Section wound and three young boys, it seemed to be a scenario that repeated itself more than once a week.

She began to cry.

Mike slammed the door and took Kevin from Anne's arms. "You've got all damned day to do one simple thing." But that wasn't the only thing he required of her. A spotless house. No dishes. No laundry. Hot meals served at a certain time each day. Sexual intercourse within days of childbirth, despite the doctor's suggestions and Anne's pain. "One f-cking simple thing. Stop your damned crying, Nan!" Kevin began to cry at his father's harsh voice.

Anne crossed the room silently, grabbing her jacket and purse on her way out.

"She pisses me off, Seeley. Do yourself a favor and don't marry a lazy woman. She's always feeding me bullshit by the heaping tablespoon. She's about as useful as a a one-legged man in a kicking contest. F-cking bitch."

The baby continued to cry.

"F-cking shut the hell up! F-ck!"

Kevin cried louder.

Seeley stood up and walked toward his father. "Can I take him?"

"No, you can't take him," he replied in a mocking tone. "What are you? Growing f-cking ovaries, Seeley? Do I have to go buy you a bra now for your tits?"

"Dad, I can do it. He stops crying when I hold him."

"Get the f-ck outta my face. Go to your room. Now!"

That's where the memory ended. And he was glad. Because he knew what came next. Ten minutes later, Anne came through the door and her world had been turned upside down. To anybody that asked, Kevin Booth died of SIDS. Mike told the nurse that Kevin went to sleep in his crib and never woke up. That was a lie and everybody knew it. Except the nurse. A bright-eyed, straight-out-of-college young woman who had done her research. She heard about this new thing. SIDS. And Kevin Booth fit the bill.

Anne knew better.

Seeley knew better. He knew that his Dad did something to hurt his baby brother. But accusing him of such a thing would probably tear his family apart. And if it didn't, then that would make him the victim of another attack by his father.

That spring day in 1979 became another part of the plague of silence. Don't talk about Dad hitting Mommy. Don't tell anybody where your bruises really came from. And never mention Kevin's name again.

"Wakey, wakey! Eggs and bakey!!!" Jared's voice. Lots of jostling. Booth's face hit the mattress several times. Brennan's toes kept bumping against his nose.

Both she and Booth turned onto their backs and looked up to see Jared in his pajama bottoms jumping on the bed. He stopped when he realized he'd woken up the partners.

Jared grinned. "Welcome to the land of the living, love birds!"

It was obvious that Brennan and Booth weren't in bed romantically. Heads were in opposite directions and both were wearing pajamas. But Jared thought it was a hoot.

Brennan grabbed a pillow and threw it at Jared. "Go away!"

"Hey, that's not the way you talk to your little brother, Tempe."

This time it was Booth's time to talk. "You're playing with fire, Jared. Bones knows martial arts."

"Three kinds," Brennan clarified.

Jared raised his arms in feigned surrender. "I know when I'm beat. Wouldn't want Tempe to push me off the bed or anything."

Booth took the opportunity, pushing his brother's leg. Jared stumbled off the bed, falling into the wall and laughing hysterically.

When Jared had closed the door, Brennan got up and put her head next to Booth's. "How'd you sleep?"

"Whatever's the opposite of 'a log'."

Brennan's brows squished together. She didn't understand. Then the brows raised. "Oh. You slept poorly. Was it because of me? Do I kick?"

Booth rubbed his eyes. "No, Bones. Just... bad dreams."

"What about?"

"About my brother."

"Jared?"

Booth smiled and looked at her. Sleep-rumpled. Her hair was still wavy, but out of place. She looked cute. "Who else would I be talking about?"

"I don't know." She'd meant for it to be rhetorical, to get him to talk more.

"Kevin."

"Kevin?"

"My Mom gave birth to him when I was ten." He got up, out of bed and walked to his suitcase. Brennan watched him look for an outfit to wear. He smiled and looked over at Bones. "I'm only telling you this because I haven't slept for two weeks. You know, purge the demons." She didn't reply. He breathed in deeply. "He died when he was two weeks old. He looked just like me."

"I'm so sorry. How'd he die?"

"Shaken Baby. Calling it a syndrome is a joke."

Brennan sat up. "Who-- Who...?"

"My Dad wasn't a good man, Bones." He smiled. "If I were you, I'd get in a shower before Jared does. He tends to stay in there 'til the water runs cold." He left the bedroom, leaving Brennan alone. Stunned. Then he popped his head back in and grinned. "By the way, you look cute, Bones."

She smiled, put her feet to the carpet, and gathered her clothing.

Wow--heartbreaking. I feel bad for Booth--he's telling Brennen things but being cavalier, she can't comfort that. Usually she can't interpret that as needing to be comforted. But how strong is he? He shocks her, then teases her to make her do as told her to. I fear a Booth meltdown.

OMG he killed his own son?
How could he do something like that?
Poor Booth really had a bad childhood......

Of course it was nice that they shared the bed.....but I would have prefered a more cuddly scene....but I guess it is okay for a start....they still have a few days to get closer together.

I really can't wait for more!!
PPS

Part IX

Brennan's feet hit the tile. She dried off quickly and dressed. A long shower had given her time to think. And the more she thought, the more she listed questions in her mind. When she made it into the kitchen, a strange mixture of scents flooded her senses. "What's that?"

Anne turned around and smiled. "Eggs and bacon."

Brennan smiled. Apparently 'wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey' wasn't just a phrase.

Booth looked up and flashed her a grin, "Morning, Bones."

"How'd you all sleep?" Anne asked. She sat down a bowl of scrambled eggs next to the plates of bacon and pancakes.

"I slept good, thanks," Tanya said. All eyes went to her. It seems that everyone had realized that she hadn't said a word all morning.

Jared chuckled and leaned back, putting his arm around Tanya. "No, you don't have to lie to Mom, Tanya." Then he looked at Anne. "That pull-out felt like a two-ton brick of cement."

"Concrete." Booth and Brennan corrected him in unison.

Jared stabbed a blob of eggs and lifted his fork to his mouth. "Well, it's no wonder why you two were so willing to share a bed."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Booth asked calmly.

"Oh, come on, Seeley. You two act like you've got Syphilis or something. I'm surprised you didn't paint a yellow stripe down the center of Mom's antique quilt." The eggs were shoveled in.

"I don't think Anne would be very happy if we did that," Brennan said.

A second passed. Jared studied her expression."Is she serious?"

Booth didn't reply to that. "It's not the first time Bones and I have shared a bed."

All forks froze in mid-air. Except Brennan's. "These are delicious eggs, Anne."

"I'll have to share the recipe with you, sweetie. What did you mean, Seeley?" Anne's voice sounded distant.

"Under cover, Mom. Vegas. And another time this last January."

"Oh," Anne began to breathe and all tension released from her face. "I thought I'd have to have the birds and bees talk with you again." She laughed.

"I don't know, Mom. You might have to have that talk, yet with these two." Jared.

Booth glared at him and flicked an egg across the table. "You're a riot, Jared."

"Look at that. Eggs from the brother who sucks eggs!" Jared flicked an egg back.

"Boys!" Anne scolded them, although her voice hinted at the fact that she was joking. And that she loved having her sons together under one roof.

"Well!" Jared stood, clearing his throat. "Tanya and I have the first shift of the day. You relieving us at two?" Anne nodded. "Alright. Thanks for breakfast, Mom."

Anne stood and kissed Jared's cheek. She hugged Tanya, "Nice to meet you, Tanya."

"You, too, Mrs. Booth."

"No. It's Armstrong. But I'd prefer it if you just call me Anne."

"Anne."

While Anne let the two out, Brennan leaned close to Booth. "Does your mom realize that your father may have caused Kevin's death?"

Booth put his elbows on the table. "I don't know, Bones. Besides, I was ten. I could've remembered it all wrong."

She thought this over. "Would your mom allow me to do an exhumation?"

"Bones. You don't just go around unburying painful memories. It's in the past now. Dad's about to die. My Mom's at peace with Kevin's death."

"But I could prove whether or not it was fowl play. If he truly died from Shaken Baby then it might--"

"No. It's not a good idea, Bones."

"But if it was SIDS then it might bring closure. From my own experiences, I've come to appreciate value of closure."

"But if it doesn't bring closure, then it'll just bring to surface a million terrible memories for my Mom."

Anne walked into the room, cutting the conversation short. "What are you two talking so seriously about?"

"Just work stuff, Mom."

"Well, why don't you put that stuff on hold while you're here?" She took a seat and poured coffee into her mug. "Tanya seems like a nice young lady. I don't care much for her line of work, but I like to think that everyone has a bit of good in them."

"I personally have no problems with her profession. She's an entertainer. The American version of the Geisha." Brennan sipped her coffee.

"My sisters would've liked you, Tempe."

"Are they no longer alive?"

"Catherine went to be with God last summer. She was seventy."

"I'm so sorry."

"We all have to die eventually." She smiled weakly. "I just miss her from time to time." She cleared her throat and wrapped her fingers around her mug. "And Beatrice lives in Oregon. The last time I saw her was... in 1979." Her eyes settled on the table cloth and her countenance reflected the sadness that came from that comment. "It was at a funeral," she added softly.

"Kevin's?"

Booth squeezed his eyes shut. Anne looked up at Brennan sharply. "What did you say?"

"It was Kevin's funeral, right?"

"Bones," Booth whispered harshly.

Anne pushed back her chair quickly. The chair screeched along the floor. "I can't believe you, Seeley." She walked out of the room and closed her bedroom door with a thud.

"What did I say?"

Booth stood up without answering Brennan's question. He crossed over to his mother's bedroom door and knocked. "Mom. Mom, I'm sorry. Please open up."

"Just go away," she murmured from within.

"Mom, please."

"You swore, Seeley."

"Mom, you're being silly." He knocked and tried the handle. Locked. "Mom!"

"I'm not senile, Seeley. I know I'm being ridiculous. I just don't want to see you right now."

Booth sighed and rested his back against the door. He bounced his head against the door a few times, then his eyes fell on Brennan. She was standing beside the table. She looked hurt. Surprised. Annoyed. Confused. "Mom, I told Bones because... I trust her with my life." No reply. "And... I trust her with everything in between." No reply. "Just let me in, Mom."

Brennan walked up to him and leaned her shoulder against the door. "Did you mean that?"

"What?"

"Do you really trust me with your life... and everything in between?"

"Yeah. I do. We're partners." He reached out and slid his hand along her arm, his fingers slipped into hers. He squeezed them. Before the heat had a chance to build, he let go. "Mom didn't want me to tell anyone about Kevin."

"Why didn't you respect her wishes?"

"I had to tell somebody, Bones. I can't keep reliving these things. Memories of Dad. Memories of Mom, Jared, Kevin. There's nobody I trust more in this world with these things than you."

Their eyes locked, then faltered.

"Anne?" Of course there was no reply. Brennan looked up at her partner. "Booth only told me about Kevin because he needed to... purge his demons. He didn't mean to hurt you. I know your son fairly well. He is good and decent. I don't think he would ever purposefully hurt you."

"Thanks, Bones."

The door opened and Booth embraced his mother tightly.

so sometimes Boens can say the right thing after all....
I love the little fluffy scenes in between all the bad childhood memories of Booth
can't wait for more!

I'm glad Bones was able to get Anne to open the door--she's right though. Anne needs to face the truth so she can release it. Excellent as usual.

Here's another chapter before I go. I'll be watching my mom tonight, so hopefully another chapter will be up tomorrow (they have no internet).

Part X

"From an anthropological perspective, strippers, prostitutes, and other--"

"I'm not a prostitute, sweetheart."

"Of course not. What I'm saying is that, for some men, emotional bonds are only strengthened when sexual bonds are forged with other women. Or, in your case, simply watching a woman dance around a pole, might bleed sexual surplus, therefore keeping the bond between the monogamous man and the woman strong."

Tanya took a pack of Virginia Slims from the back pocket of her cut-offs. She flicked the butt of the cigarette a few times before putting it in her mouth. "I don't know what the hell you just said, sweetheart. You lost me a long time ago."

"You really shouldn't smoke cigarettes. They can cause a plethora of cancers."

"I'm not afraid to die. Cancer's a hell of a lot less scarier than getting hit by a bus or getting murdered, am I right?" She lit the cigarette, took a long drag and looked over at Brennan.

Brennan measured this comment for almost a full half-minute before responding, "Technically, I'd say that you're right. I'm a forensic anthropologist--"

"A what?"

"A scientist. I identify decomposed human remains when traditional methods are no longer useful--"

"That answers a few questions I've had about you," Tanya laughed.

"Anyway, I've seen what humans can do to one another in a fit of rage or jealousy, and I agree with you. I'd rather die from cancer than by murder or some horrendous accident." Brennan hugged her knees and readjusted her bottom on the rocks.

A second later, Booth swung through the brush. "Wooo! Hooo! Hoo-wee!" He let go of the rope and dropped into the water with a huge splash.

"Your man's got quite a body on him." Tanya blew out some of the smoke from her lips.

Brennan scrunched her nose and waved it away from her face. "Oh, no. Booth and I aren't-- We're not--"

"Don't lose your shirt, Tempe. I didn't call Seeley your boyfriend. I said man." She raised an eyebrow and looked over at Brennan, who looked somewhat flustered.

A moment later, Jared swung through the brush, released and dropped into the water.

"So, what is it with you two? Mind if I ask?" Tanya said.

"I don't understand the question."

Tanya laughed. "You're really like this, aren't you?"

"Like what?"

"That's why Seeley likes you. You're funny. No, seriously. Are you all 'we're just partners' on the outside, but all hot and heavy when the lights go out?"

"I don't feel comfortable discussing this with you."

"Well, if he's anything like his brother is in the sack--"

Brennan stood up, "I'm going to have my turn on the rope swing."

"Sure, sure." Tanya watched Brennan walk out of sight. She laughed as she walked away.

Booth got out of the water. "Hey, Bones."

"Hi."

"I want to show you something."

"OK."

Booth led Brennan around the bend in the river, where the water was smooth and slow. He picked up a rock. "What you need is a rock that's shaped like this one. See how it's kind of flat and round?"

"Yes."

"Watch this." He grinned, took his stance, pulled back his arm, and let the rock sling-shot out of his hand. It skipped across the water three times before finally falling beneath the surface. Sploonk!

"You realize that this is science, don't you?" Brennan grinned. She picked up a rock that fit the description that Booth had just given her.

"Nah," Booth said. Although, he knew that it was.

"The rock bounces off from the water because of surface tension. I actually read an article on this in the Jeffersonian Magazine a few years back."

"They wrote an article on this?"

"They take science very seriously. Even the most mundane of events is article-worthy."

"Apparently. Now pull your arm back. Like this." Booth modeled for her. She tried to match, but failed.

"According to the author, the physics for rock skipping depend on the stone's diameter, velocity, mass, tilt, angle of attack, and the density of the water." She pulled back her arm, released the rock. It fell beneath the surface on first contact. She looked defeated and blew a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"Bones, Bones, Bones." He grinned that cocky grin. "I'd put my money on it that the guy who wrote that article couldn't skip a rock of his life depended on it. Some things are more than science. Some things are all about experiencing them." He walked toward her, and took her hand. "Now, I'm not coming on to you. Try to resist my charm." She rolled her eyes, but her comment and breath caught in her mouth as soon as his hand touched hers. He pulled it back. "You have to throw it at a bit of a side-ways angle." He showed her how to throw it. "About at this speed. It doesn't matter what that scientist guy said, it's all about technique."

He let go. She pulled her arm back. Released. The rock skipped twice and dipped beneath the water. "I did it." There was surprise in her voice. Then she said with more confidence, "Of course I did it."

"Well, you did have a great teacher. See, Bones? I can teach you stuff. You can teach me stuff. This is how this partner thing works!" He was thoroughly pleased with himself.

"I don't know, Booth. There are always flaws in ones' techniques."

"Not mine, Bones. I'm the Rock Skipping Champion of the World. Ask Jared."

"Was this one of your summertime activities?" She took a seat on a rock, her feet in the water.

Booth took a seat beside her. "We got pretty good at it. Jared almost beat me for the title, but in the end, it was clear who the true RS Champ was."

"You?" Brennan asked teasingly.

"Hey! I still have the trophy to prove my awesomeness."

"There was a trophy?"

Booth laughed. "I hot-glued a rock to an old baseball trophy."

Brennan looked at him teasingly. "Wow. That's simply amazing, Booth. You are such an Alpha Male. A true specimin of manliness." To say that that whole sentence was dry on sarcasm is to say that Dolly Parton should go up a size.

Booth pushed his hands into the pockets of his shorts. "Sarcasm. Nice, Bones. Real nice. You should do Stand Up." He took a few steps back toward the water.

Brennan noticed. "Where are you going?"

"It's hot, Bones. Are you hot?"

"The weather is unseasonably war--"

Booth cut off her diagnosis of the weather with a cold splash of river water. Brennan sucked in a sharp breath, "Ah!"

When she had finished drying her face with her shirt, she eyed Booth with a look of calculated determination.

Booth started laughing and stumbling backward. Then the laughter stopped when he realized that he had truly made a mistake. "No. Bones. You don't know what you're--Bones! No--No--No--No--NO!!!"

She jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his torso and throwing him off balance. It's not like the man had never dreamed of the scenario before. Admittedly, neither one were clothed and there was a soft bed to catch his fall in those particular imaginings. In this case, Booth was wearing swimming trunks, Brennan was fully clothed, and a cold riverbed was there to cushion their fall.

"Bo--" She dunked his head under water. "--nes!" Another dunk. "Bo--" Another dunk. "nes!" At that moment in time, Booth realized something. He was playing nice. Because she was a 'girl'. He also realized something else. There was no need to play nice with Temperance Brennan. She was trained in martial arts. She'd killed a man before. And a woman!

No more Mr. Nice Guy.

Booth shifted his weight so that he was on top of her and she was the one being dunked. She clawed at him. Booth laughed. Payback.

Jared and Tanya looked on in horror. Maybe those two shouldn't be together after all. Or maybe they should. Sexual tension much?

Brennan squirmed out from beneath him and splashed him one last time. The movement of her arm brought a sharp pain up the back of her arm. "Ow." She twisted her arm to get a better look.

"Bones. Are you hurt?"

"Yes, I'm hurt. You just attacked me."

Booth walked through the water up to her. "Let me."

She drew in air sharply through her teeth, denoting the pain that his touch caused.

"Sorry, Bones." A large scratch spanned the length of her arm, armpit to elbow. He looked up at her. Soaked from head to toe. He chuckled.

"What? Are you proud of yourself?"

"You know what, Bones? You attacked me. Not the other way around."

She pulled her arm out of Booth's hands. "See that's where you're wrong. You attacked me."

"As I recall, I was minding my own business and you took me down. Out of nowhere. Bam!"

"There's a fault in your logic, Booth. You forget about the loophole."

"What loophole?"

Brennan walked past him, then turned around. "I'm a girl. An innocent girl." She grinned and turned, walking out of sight.

Booth put his hands on his hips, shook his head, then jogged after her. "You are far from innocent, Bones!"