When the phone rang before dawn, Wendell Bray barely reacted. It wasn't his week to be available to the Jeffersonian, and the person he was closest to in the world was sleeping in the bed next to him. So rather than answer the phone in a panic, Wendell rolled over and went back to sleep.

The second time it rang, he pulled the pillow over his head and tried to ignore it. When the ringing began a third time, Wendell finally decided it might be something serious and reached for the phone. His annoyance grew when he read the caller id.

"Why-" he began, only to be interrupted by hysterical wailing.

"You have to come over," Daisy managed to utter between sobs. "There's…its…he's dead."

Rubbing his eyes, Wendell managed to swallow the sarcastic retort. "Who's dead Daisy?" he asked impatiently.

"He's dead," she said again, breaking down into sobs. Her level of reaction was starting to scare Wendell just a little and he sat up in bed.

"Who's dead?" he asked, searching with his free hand for a pair of pants. "Is someone dead inside your apartment? Where's the baby?"

"The…baby…is fine. But I need you to come help me. Please, Wendell. You live so close." Her voice was watery, pleading for help. Wendell found his fellow intern annoying most of the time, but there was no way he could ignore a plea from a woman in need.

"If someone is dead in your house, you need to call the police. Call Agent Booth. He lives close, too." Wendell set the phone down when Daisy began to cry in ernest again, searching desperately for a shirt. He was tempted to call Agent Booth himself, but hesitated to wake him up when he wasn't sure what was going on himself.

After pulling on the shirt, Wendell picked up the phone again. "Daisy. Daisy. I need you to calm down. You need to call the police. Did someone break in?"

"Of course, he broke in!" Daisy cried. "I didn't open the door and just let him in. He's filthy and ugly. You have to come."

"Daisy," Wendell repeated, trying to keep his voice low and calm. Getting excited wasn't going to help the situation. You really need to call the police."

"Who needs to call the police?" Andie asked groggily. She rolled over in bed and focused sleepy eyes on Wendell. "Where are you going?"

Having finally donned enough clothes to leave the house, Wendell picked the phone back up. "I'm coming," he said curtly, before hanging up on the insistence wailing from the other end.

"Was that Daisy?" And asked, slightly more awake. "Was she screaming?"

"Crying," Wendell said. Bending over, he gave Andie an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Apparently, there's a dead body in her house."

Andie blinked at him for several seconds before getting out of bed herself. "Wait for me, I'm coming with you."

"No," Wendell argued. "You aren't. If there's a dead body in her house, it could be dangerous for you."

"Nonsense," she argued, getting dressed much faster than Wendell had. "The guy is already dead. What danger could there be?" Pulling her hair back, in a loose ponytail, she faced her boyfriend. "I'm ready. I'll drive so you can call Agent Booth."

"It's two-thirty in the morning," Wendell said, following Andie out of the bedroom. "I'd hate to wake him for nothing." He'd already given up on leaving Andie behind. Besides, she might come in useful. Better she had to deal with an irrational Daisy than him.

"Exactly," Andie said. "Anything that happens at this time of day, it can't be good." She paused for a moment, her hand in the process of grabbing her keys. "Do you think she's acting strange? I mean, the woman sees dead bodies all the time considering her line of work. Isn't it a little weird she'd act like a hysterical female when she saw this one."

Already annoyed to be up at that hour, Wendell shrugged. "Maybe it's different when you find one in your house. Or cause one to appear in your house. Come on. Let's see what's going on. It could be a long night."

Wendell woke a clearly annoyed Booth and told him what was going on. Booth didn't give more than one word answers in response, but did indicate he was on his way before the phone went dead. Knowing Dr. Brennan, she'd call her father and also be on her way not long after her husband.

"Is he coming?" Andie asked, risking a brief glance at Wendell. She was driving enough over the speed limit that if they passed a cop, it would take even longer to get to Daisy's house.

"I think so," Wendell said, tossing the phone into the console between them. "He doesn't speak much when you wake him up." Wendell grimaced and stared out the windshield. "Do you think Daisy killed the guy after he broke in?"

"I would," Andie said plainly. "Especially if I had a child to protect."

"Yeah," Wendell agreed, rubbing a palm over his face, then through sleep styled hair. "I'd probably do the same. But I didn't even know Daisy had a weapon."

The pair in the car lapsed into silence, each lost in individual, but very similar thoughts. Miles dragged like hours, and Wendell tapped his foot nervously, wishing Andie would drive just a little bit faster.

"We'll be there in a second," she said with a smile that was supposed to be reassuring, but just made Wendell more nervous. What would they find when they arrived? Would Daisy be arrested? Who would take care of the baby?

"She won't be arrested," Andie said quietly. "And if she is, we'll take the baby."

Wendell's head whipped toward her. "Did I say that aloud?"

Andie nodded as she turned on the signal. Headlights were coming from the opposite direction, and Agent Booth pulled in behind them.

"Wait in the car," he said curtly to Andie, pulling his weapon from the vehicle.

Opening her mouth to argue, she closed it quickly after glancing at Booth and the gun he carried. Motioning to Wendell, she leaned back against the car. As soon as it was safe, she would follow the men into the house.

Before either made it up the steps, the door was opened by a clearly upset Daisy. Her eyes were red rimmed with tears and she held her son in her arms.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said, before further words were stopped by a gasp as Booth pulled the two of them out the door.

"Go wait by Andie," he ordered, edging around Daisy with his gun ready.

Expression going from upset to bemused, Daisy stared at the backs of the men entering her home. "Agent Booth? Why do you have a gun?"

"Andie," Booth said, his voice a clear warning to follow the direction, as he entered the home.

Wendell pointed at his girlfriend and slowly Daisy walked down the steps and toward the indicated direction.

"Are you okay," Andie asked, reaching forward to take the yawning child from her arms. "Don't worry about a thing, Daisy. Agent Booth will make sure everything is okay."

Daisy looked away from Andie, toward the house, and back again. "Why did Agent Booth have a gun?"

Concerned Daisy was in some sort of shock, Andie opened the passenger door to the car. "Sit here and stay calm, Daisy. Everything will be okay."

"I don't need to sit," Daisy snapped. The tears were rapidly drying on her cheeks as she tried to make sense of why Agent Booth had shown up at her house with his gun drawn. "Why did Wendell call Agent Booth?"

"Daisy," Andie said slowly, "you called in the middle of the night and said there was a dead body in your house. Why wouldn't he call Agent Booth?" As she finished the second sentence, Andie was fascinated to watch a look of horror appear on Daisy's face.

"Oh, no," Daisy whispered, "I think there's been a mis-"

"Daisy," Booth bellowed, reappearing in the door. "Where is the dead body?"

Heaving a large sigh, Daisy retrieved her son from Andie's arms. "I think you better stay with me, big guy. Agent Booth won't yell as much if I'm holding the child named for him. At least, I think he won't."

Walking as if she was facing a firing squad, Daisy trudged back toward her home, Andie close at her heels. Moments later, she squared her shoulders and faced Agent Booth. "It's in the bathroom."

Glaring, Booth shook his head. "There is no dead body in the bathroom, Daisy."

"There is," she insisted. "Just not the one you're expecting."

Leading the train of colleagues and friends like the Pied Piper, Daisy arrived at the bathroom and pointed into the corner. "I had to go the bathroom and saw it. I hate them."

Four sets of eyes stared at the corner, until, finally, Wendell swallowed audibly. "It's a dead mouse, Daisy. You see dead bodies all the time. This is just a dead mouse."

Lifting her chin, Daisy faced down three incredulous stares. "A dead mouse is not a dead person. And I hate mice. Dead or alive. Lance used to take care of them for me." With a shrug, she bent her head and kissed the child now sleeping in her arms. "It's the first I've seen since he died." Picking her head up, she looked up to see softer expressions on everyone's face. "Sorry I freaked," she apologized.

"I'll take care of the mouse," Booth offered, holstering the gun. "Do you have a bag?"

Daisy nodded. "In the cupboard under the sink."

"I'll get it," Wendell offered.

Looking at Daisy and the child asleep in her arms, Booth fought the sudden urge to smile. "Go put him back to bed," Booth said. "We'll make sure this is gone when you come back."

"I'll go with you," Andie said, looking at Wendell as he returned with the bag. "Then I'll meet you at the car."

The two women disappeared down the hall as Booth used the bag to retrieve the dead body from the floor. With quick movements, he tied the bag securely, before handing it to Wendell.

Bemused, Wendell took the bag and looked at Booth. "She called you to get rid of it," Booth explained. Leaning against the counter, Booth crossed his arms over his chest. "Was she really as upset as she sounded?"

Wendell snorted. "Terrified. I've never heard her sound like that. Maybe I'll bring some traps or something tomorrow and hide them around the house where she can't see them. I'd hate for this to happen again."

Clapping Wendell on the shoulder, Booth laughed. "Might save you from another late night."

Before long, Daisy and Andie reappeared. With more apologies and embarrassed laughs, Daisy ushered them out of her house and toward their car, leaving just her and Booth behind.

"Agent Booth," she started, but lapsed back into silence when he shook his head.

"You went to Maluku with Dr. Brennan. Kept her company when I couldn't. Consider this a thank you."

Stunned into silence, Daisy watched him walk toward the door, only to have him turn around again. "But if you ever do this again, it better be a real dead body, Daisy." His final warning given, Booth closed the door gently, but firmly, behind him.

A/N: I'm really busy at work and wanted to get this posted since it was finished. I didn't take much time to proofread, however, so please forgive any mistakes.

This story is based on my personal feelings about mice. Daisy's reaction, unfortunately, is not much different than mine when I encounter one, dead or alive.

Thanks for reading.