Broken Bones

Episode 39 "The Santa in the Slush" Part 2

-Venus POV-

I was out with Booth and Hodgins as I was standing near the trash can that Hodgins was swimming in while Booth questioned a chef from the restaurant. I listen as Booth asked the chef, "Look, you ever see this man before?" "Santa Claus?" I chuckle as Booth looked at him annoyed, "No, this isn't actually Santa Claus. The guy that's wearing the Santa outfit in this picture- have you ever seen him?" "Can I see your I.D. again, please?" I chuckle again as Booth looked at me not amused as Hodgin then comes out of the trash bin as he says, "Booth. Venus." We looked at him as Booth asks, "What?" "Your kid like roaches." I see him with a bug on his hand as I step a few steps away from him and the bug as he continues, "Gromphadorhina, man, hissing roach." "Hey, grab me this container?" I do as he says as he adds, "This is a great pet, man. Perfect Christmas gift." I shake my head, "I prefer you don't get me anything this year or the next few if it includes anything with bug, alright?" Booth then says, "I agree. Did you find bird's nest maggots yet?" I close the lid and quickly give it to Booth who was reluctant to hold it as Hodgins looks back inside the dumpster, "Still looking."

We look over the chef as he says, "Okay, I'm calling the cops." Booth turns to him, "Whoa, whoa, pal, I am the cops, all right? Any fights out here back in the alley in the past four days?" "No, I don't come out here since I quit smoking. It stinks." I nod agreeing as Hodgin pipes in from the dumpster, "It's the cycle of life, my friend. Quite beautiful if you get into it." Booth chuckles, "Okay, you go back inside. But tell the rest of your staff I'll be in a few minutes to ask them some questions." He speaks some Chinese as Booth says, "Hey, pal, you'd better hope I don't report this to the health department." I shake my head with a sigh as Hodgin then says, "Pay dirt. Fannia, Musca and Phoridae. This it the exact maggots I found on Kringle's suit." I nod, "This means this is where he was killed." Booth nods, "So, if he was killed here... then he was probably..." I see him move to a certain spot and moved a cardboard box aside, "Oh. Dragged over here... to this grate and dumped down this sewer." He lifts the grate up as I look down and nod as Hodgin says, "As ignominious end for Father Christmas, huh? Whoa." Booth and I look over at the dumpster as we both ask, "Whoa, what?" He comes out of the dumpster, "Phew. They were near the bottom. No cash, just I. D. s and credit."

Booth nods as we look at them, "Probably dumped there by pickpockets." Hodgin then asks, "You found cash in Kringle's apartment, right." I nod as Booth says, "Right." "Maybe he picked one pocket too many." "Mm-hmm. Well, we're going to find out the owners of these walls and see if they know any Santa pickpockets." I nod as Booth and I start walking away as Hodgin calls out to us, "Booth, Venus." We looked at him, "Help me out of here?" I was about to walk up to him as Booth grabs my arm and starts dragging me away from Hodgins as he says, "See you later." "Booth... Don't drag Venus away when she's about to help me out! Booth... Oh, come on..."

It was the next day as Temp and I were sitting at the counter as Booth and Parker sat on a table talking with each other as Parker held onto a new toy that I made him. Booth then says to him, "Vermont is gonna be great, buddy. Snowboarding. Just like when we went to Liberty." Temp and I peek behind us to look at them as Parker then says, "Mom says better than Liberty." "Well. she's right." "Can't you come?" "Parker..." "If you tell Mom that I don't want to go, then we could spend Christmas together. Like we always do." I had a small sad smile as I heard him. We look at them both as Booth looks back at us then back at parker, "It's not gonna happen this year, buddy. When you get back, me and you, we'll have our own Christmas, just the two of us." "Without Captain Fantastic." I coughed out a bit of my coffee hearing Parker say that as Temp helps me by patting my back as Booth then says, "No, we shouldn't call Brent 'Captain Fantastic' anymore." "Why? You do." "Well, I won't anymore." "But it's funny." "No, it's disrespectful. And if your mom likes someone, then we should respect that and like them, too." Temp then speaks, "Is that true?" Parker adds, "You like Brent?" "Yeah, I do." Temp then says, "Wow..." I stuff her mouth with my cookie as Booth says, "Bones! Thank you Blueberry." I give him thumbs up as Parker asks, "Are you gonna be all alone at Christmas?"