(A/N): Well… hi guys. I know, I know, it's been over a year since I last updated this. I honestly hadn't thought it had been that long, but apparently, I was wrong. I promise you, I am going to finish this story; it's just a little slow going. I know where it's going, how the case will go, how it will end. It's just a case of actually writing it that I seem to be having a problem with. In other news, I graduated, so I now have a degree. That's something, I guess.

This isn't very long, but honestly, I thought you'd appreciate something a little short rather than nothing at all. I hope to be able to write this more, but obviously I don't know that until I actually sit down and write it. I love each and every one of you and I hope you enjoy. I still don't own anything, as always.

Heaven Can Wait

Chapter 21

Ruth had gathered the audio tapes on the kitchen counter as soon as she'd awoken that morning, but Booth and Russ had both moved the tapes to the nearest cupboard that had a lock on it, locking them inside. When Ruth had made to protest at their actions, Booth had commented that if they hadn't locked them up, there would have been curious children attempting to listen to them. All the children, apart from Christine, had slept longer than the adults, and so hadn't even seen the audio tapes.

Once everyone had awoken and eaten breakfast, Parker pulled Brennan over to one side whilst everyone was getting dressed and ready for the day.

"Bones?"

"Yes, Parker?" Brennan asked, concern for her step-son seeping into both her tone and expression.

"What's going on?" He asked, biting his lip.

"What do you mean?" She asked in return, guiding him over to sit on one of the couches in the living area, sitting beside him and facing him. Parker sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know. But you're all doing something, hiding something from us, and we can tell. Well, me Emma and Haley can. I don't think Christine's caught on yet. I thought I'd ask you, because you've never lied to me Bones, not even when I asked you difficult questions years ago, when dad was with that Barbie."

"You still remember that conversation?" Brennan asked in surprise.

"Bones?"

Brennan glanced up from her paperwork, surprised at the sight of the boy stood in the doorway to her office, looking vaguely uncomfortable. She hadn't seen the boy since before her trip to Maluku, as Booth had stopped bringing him round to the lab, and she hadn't been allowed to spend any personal time with the FBI agent, and by extension, the boy stood before her currently. "Parker? What are you doing here? Do your parents know that you're here?"

"My mom knows. I told her I had a science question that she couldn't answer, and nor could dad, so she brought me to see you, so you could answer it for me."

"Oh, what's your question?" She asked, standing up to direct Parker to her office couch, sitting down beside him and tying up her hair in a messy ponytail. She should be getting on with her work, but she'd always make time for Parker. She always had, no matter what she needed to do work wise.

"I… I don't have a science question," Parker admitted with a flush at acknowledging the lie he'd told his mother. "I wanted to see you. I haven't seen you in like a year Bones. I miss you."

"I cannot condone lying to your mom, but I miss you too," Brennan confessed as Parker practically threw himself at her, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back with the same level of enthusiasm, neither seeing a smiling artist in the doorway that took a photo of the sweet moment before leaving them alone once more. Eventually, Parker pulled back to look up at the anthropologist.

"Bones, do you know dad's got a new girlfriend?"

"Yes, I met her a week or so after your dad got back from Afghanistan." Brennan told him, struggling around the lump in her throat. Parker had touched upon the one subject she didn't want to talk about with anyone, but she'd always made the effort to be completely honest with the child, a habit that the child returned with gusto, resulting in many occasions where Parker had confided things to her that she'd then gone on to relay to either Booth or Rebecca, or both. She'd worried about either parent being angry that Parker confided in her rather than them, but Booth had reassured her in his usual fashion, and Rebecca had expressed her gratitude that Parker felt comfortable enough to confide in someone that they all trusted so much.

"Do you like her?" Parker pressed, not moving his arms from around Brennan.

"I… I don't really know. Do you?"

"Not really." Parker shrugged. "What can't my dad get back together with you?"

"Parks, your dad and I were never together." Brennan reminded him gently, ignoring the sharp pang in her chest.

"Well you should've been." Parker argued stubbornly. "Bones?"

"Yes?"

"Do you like my dad? Like, like-like him?"

"…Yes, I do. I love him." Brennan confessed quietly.

"Then why aren't you together?"

"Because we were both stupid and stubborn and scared."

"But you're not anymore?"

"No. Well, I am still a little afraid."

"Then why? I like you Bones. You're the best."

"I like you too Parker. I will not be the one to split your father and Hannah up. I could never be the cause of such pain to Booth."

"Oh." Parker bit his lip in thought. "Well, my dad's silly if he doesn't see that you're the best. And Bones?"

"Yes Parker?"

"You'll always have me."

"Yeah, I still remember." Parker offered her a sheepish smile. "I don't think I realised just how difficult that was for you."

"I was glad I had finally told someone. Did you ever tell your dad about our conversation?"

"No. Did you?"

"No. So, what exactly is it you want to know?" Brennan asked, resigned to having to tell him something at the very least. "I don't know how much I am able to tell you right now," she warned him. Parker nodded.

"That's okay. What's going on? With all of this?"

Brennan sighed, pulling him closer to her and wrapping an arm around his shoulder comfortingly. "Someone is after Ruth, and we believe that they are also after Russ and I, which puts you all in danger by extension. We are currently trying to solve the entire mystery, and we would appreciate it if you would help us."

"How?" He asked curiously, pushing down the initial panic that someone was after the woman he considered a second mother to him.

"I need you to make sure the other children stay safe." Brennan requested simply. "It would really help us. Especially your dad and I."

"Okay… Bones? Don't get hurt, please." Parker wrapped his arms around Brennan and hugged her tightly. Brennan returned the embrace, resting her cheek on top of his head, pressing a kiss to the messy locks.

"I'll do my best, I promise."

"Thanks Bones."

…

"What was all that about?" Booth asked his wife quietly as they set up the living area for the children. Parker had some homework to be getting on with, as did Emma and Haley, whilst the two parents had given Christine a colouring book and crayons to use, similar items for Michael Vincent to use set beside her.

"What?"

"With Parks earlier. It looked pretty serious." Booth clarified. Brennan nodded her understanding as they left the children to their own devices and moved further towards the kitchen area.

"Oh. I told Parker some of the truth of why we're here." She held up a hand to forestall Booth's protests that even she knew were imminent from the FBI agent. "I only told him the bare essentials and he's going to keep watch on the other children for us, to help us. I thought it would help if he felt useful. Did I get that right?"

Booth pulled his partner into a loose embrace and kissed her forehead gently. "You did great Bones. I just worry about him, that's all. He's growing up way too fast on me."

"You have no need to worry, Booth. He's growing up a wonderful boy."

…

Once the adults had discussed all their options in regard to the tapes, Russ, Amy and Hodgins offered to take the children on a tour of the exhibit hall section of their secure floor in order to keep them away enough that they wouldn't accidentally overhear anything that could get them hurt or in trouble. Emma and Haley had put up a fuss about being shown around in the same manner as the younger children, but Parker had convinced the two older girls to go with them after he glanced at Brennan and received a slight nod from her, silently indicating that it was part of his 'job'.

After those three had moved the children away and Angela had retrieved some of her equipment to both play and enhance the audio tapes, the adults sat on the leather couches, Brennan and Max both holding notepads ready to take note of every sound they heard. Ruth was sat mainly to herself, Booth was sat beside Brennan fiddling with his poker chip, and Angela was in charge of her equipment, having ignored anyone else's attempt to use said technology. She still hadn't forgotten what had happened to the Angelatron when she'd been in labour and Wendell and Cam had attempted to use it.

Pressing play, all five remaining adults crowded the speakers, listening intently to every word, every sound that could possibly be picked up. Hallf an hour in, Brennan and Max had used up five sheets of paper each, and everyone was confused at the way the conversations on the tapes jumped between topics, seemingly at random and with absolutely no warning whatsoever. Angela paused the first tape and they all looked at each other, each wondering if anyone else knew if there was anything of relevance in the disjointed ramblings they'd heard.

Booth, who had been reading the notes over his wife's shoulder, blinked a few times before taking the third sheet of paper from her gently. "Does anyone else see this?" He asked, holding it out so everyone could see with one hand, using the other to point at a section near the top of the page, and a supposed throwaway line at the very bottom of the page. "These lines match up. They're about the same thing."

"That same thing is his cat, Booth." Max pointed out dryly.

"So? If he's done it with that, why can't he have done it with all of his notes? They could all be there if it can be pieced together!"

"I could see if I have a program that would match up the sections through common words studly." Angela offered, smiling as Booth nodded to her gratefully. "And until then, we can listen a little longer, just in case there's something else we're missing."