#its like they forget missing most of your tibia will do more than just be an excuse for a cool metal leg

[saturnniidae]

I'm my mind Hiccup has more of a limp than in canon because while he does still have a working left knee, realistically the type of burn scars he'd have from the Red Death would probably make the joint movement stiff

[drakewalkerfantasy]

The day its all began... [2/17]

Summary: Arriving to the crime scene, FBI agent Seeley Booth and his partner Temperance Brennan from Jeffersonian Institute, never could have imagined, what they would see. Does this really seems, that ghosts of the past have been returned to complete their work. Or is there more to this story than meets the eye? All agent Booth and Dr. Brennan has to go on is crucified body on the tree and a bunch of bones and flesh, and sign cut on the chest. Will they be able to identify and give the face to the victim. Or this victim will become another one from the myriad of faceless victims of crimes?

Pairings: Booth x Brennan

Rating: T

Warnings: Language, Multiple deaths (children), corps description. PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Words Count: 1599

Note: All rights reserved to Hart Hanson, Fox Television, Kathy Reichs and whoever else work on this brilliant TV series I just borrowing their characters and nothing else. Also Miles Straume I will borough from LOST creators, thought he is original character in this Universe with his own story line. This was my first series I wrote, also this was originally written in Russian and I’m translated it to English. I’m trying to do my best there, so hopefully you will like it. Please let me know.

Please let me know, if you want to be added or removed from tags list, no hard feeling, I understand that this may be not everyone peace of cake.

Taggs: @thesassysparkle @elles-choices @fluffy-marshmallow-heart @boneandfur @tmarie82 @walkerismychoice @darley1101

Washington, DC

Rock Creek Park

11th June, 9am

Stopping on the side of the road in about 45 minutes, the partners get out of the car and moved inside the park. Turning to the left from the main trail they walked for a while through forest in the direction of the creek. It took them just ten minutes to come to the halt in front of FBI cordon’s tape. Noticing them, the man of about 40 years old with a confident look, but with sign of tiredness on his face, headed toward them.

- Hey, it took you long enough to get there, - stated the man, slightly lifting the FBI tape and letting Booth and Brennan pass to the crime scene.

- Miles... - spoke Booth shaking the man’s hand, - Brennan, this is agent Straume - my former partner. Miles, this is Temperance Brennan from Jeffersonian Institute, she is working with me as my partner. She and her team are helping in victim and cause of death identification.

- How and who found the body? - shaking man’s hand, Temperance immediately got down to business and headed to the crime scene.

- Some guy was walking with his dog and he noticed something on that hill over there, - Miles pointed in the distance, where already was crowded with FBI agents and onlookers outside the cordon, - Our guys arrived as soon as they could, after receiving the call. What we found... this became a test even for us.  Your assistant arrived a couple of minutes ago, he is waiting for your there, - spoke man, pointing once more in the same direction on the big pine tree in the middle of the hill, - poor guy went white as a sheet, when he seen this, - in quick strides they approached the place indicated by Straume, covering the distance in a minutes, they stopped to the halt at the food of the hill. But what they saw on top was too much even for a Brennan, who seen a lot of corpses even in worst condition before and during her work for FBI and Jeffersonian.

Judging by the bone and body structure, this was a child, crucified on the tree. Taking a deep breath, she climbed the hill coming closer to the crime scene and realising that this was not all. She could feel the nausea washed over her, when she have made her next observations:  “The skin on the face was torn off to the bones, fingers were missing on one hand, and some sign was cut on the chest. With a bottom half of the body, apparently, have worked some animals. Also scraps of meat and bones were scattered at a rather large distance.” The body was in such state that this was impossible to identify a victim. Brennan came closer to the tree, not even noticing that Booth state behind. Looking around, she found her assistant, who was pale and looked at one point.

- Zack, - she spoke, pulling the young guy from his benumb condition and giving him some instructions, - you will need to scour the area and collect the missing parts of the skeleton. Also you will need to take a pictures of the crime scene and... - before she could finish, a young girl approached them. She was in her late 20th, her golden hairs fell down from her slender shoulders and her big crystal blue eyes were focused on them. 

- Hello, my name is Claire Maggregon. I’m a professional photographer of The Washington Post, I spoke with this man over here, - girl pointed in Booth direction who spoke with some FBI agent, whose name Brennan couldn’t recall, on the foot of the hill, - and was told that this is okay to make a photos of a crime scene to raise an awareness among the residents. Also I couldn’t help, but overheard that you need someone to make photos of this... there, - her already big eyes got even bigger and her pale skin became even whiter, when she noticed a body crucified on the tree and parts of the flesh and bones around. She swallowed hard refocusing her gaze on Temperance and taking a deep breath she continued not letting Brennan to object, - I can help. I’m the best photographer you ever could find and I’m keen to the details. Whatever you need will be there.

- Good, - grudgingly agreed Brennan, - but you need to pay extreme attention to the details. I need pictures from all angles and nothing should be missing. 

- Of course. This is understandable. Moreover, I can show you pictures straight after I complete to make them and if something will be missing, you can tell me what else you need, -  said Claire friendly, with enthusiasm getting to work.

Having sighed heavily, and gaining more air into the lungs, Brennan put on gloves and proceeded with body primary examination before body would be taken to Jeffersonian Institution. Usually this part of her job was easily done and never caused any difficulties, but today... today this was much more difficult to perform. But she quickly brushed these thoughts aside and tried to concentre on the details even harder. Setting to work, she started to speak her observations on a tape recorder:  "This is a child. A boy, around 6-8 years old, an approximate height of 3 feet 12 inches, race is uncertain. Obviously played soccer." 

- What makes you think he played soccer? - asked Booth, who had climbed the hill at that time. Brennan continued body examination, meantime answering the question that seemed so obvious to her: 

- The anterior cruciate ligament is torn. It's most commonly torn during sports that involve sudden stops and changes in direction. Based on my knowledge I would say this is more likely is soccer than any other sport. This injuries mechanism often concludes in valgus curvature of the tibia and its pronation.

-Bones, please say it in normal language? - wearily asked Booth.

- Simply speaking, he had a knee injury with a pathological curvature of the lower leg to the outside, which can only be obtained by playing this sport, - said Temperance, as if explaining the obvious things to the child.

- She is smart, - smirked agent Straume who came up at this time, - and also good looking, - stated Miles, watching curiously at Hale, not noticing the disgruntled gaze of his former partner. 

- When he died? - asked Booth, ignoring his former partner and trying to hide his irritation.

 - It’s hard to say. I’ll need to examine the skeleton in the laboratory, - said Brennan a little bit guiltily, lifting her head and looking on Booth intently, - well, it will be necessary to remove the body from the tree. But this needs to be done very carefully, so bones wouldn’t be damaged. They are already too fragile.

- All right, I'll give you a rate, - Booth said with a salute.

- I don’t know what this means? - uttered Brennan frowning and straightening to her full height. Booth smiled slightly and throwing orders to the FBI agents headed to the car, showing agent Straume that he is driving with them. Striding slowly toward the car, Miles did not take his eyes off Temperance, who was walking in front of him. He slowed down waiting for Booth to reach him. For a second they walked in silence, while Miles looked at him with interest and, following his gaze, grinned.

- She doesn’t look bad, - stated Miles with a smirk, - single? 

- This is none of your business, - cut off Booth, barely restraining himself and his boiling anger.

- Don't worry my friend, I was just curious. Also... Booth, I’m not a fool. I noticed how you devour her with your eyes, and look at me like in the good old days, when I did something that went against your ethical considerations.

- Straume, shut up, - Booth growled through clenched teeth. And then taking a deep breath, he added guiltily, - I'm sorry. I just had a very bad morning... So sorry if your remark doesn’t humour me. This case... Shit, - swore the man under his breath and closed eyes for a moment before continuing, - This case and the last one we worked together are like two peas in a pod. Miles, I am so sorry. I just tried to forget everything what happened then. I tried not to think, tried to hide from my memory that this was my fault why Nick has died. I'm so sorry. And this case is so similar to the last one. It feels like the ghosts of the past have been returned to complete their work.

- I know. I myself would gladly forgot about those times. But apparently someone decided to remind us of them, - said Miles, who turned a little paler and patted Booth on the shoulder, - Seeley, you know, I have never blamed you for Nick’s death. This was my fault too.

- If I wouldn’t insist on location that we need to check first and on calling for backup, he would have been still alive, - said Booth.

Coming to the halt, they stood there for a bit, remembering the events they both wanted to forget. Both men not even noticing, that Brennan tactfully walked a couple of meters away and waited for them patiently, what was quite odd for her usual self.