A new Booth/Brennan fluff story, because I'm just that predictable. This one has a little more angst than the others, but sometimes you need the angst to get the fluff. Counterintuitive, I know, but I'm hoping that's where season 6 is headed so just bare with me. Anywho, enjoy!

Booth pushed open his partner's bedroom door and was met with darkness. The shades were drawn, the lamps unplugged, and there was Bones, lying on her bed, on top of the covers, curled away from him. "Bones." Her name escaped from his lips on a rough breath.

She didn't answer him, but he knew she was awake. He walked over to the bed. Shrugged out of his jacket. Slipped out of his shoes. Pulled off his tie. She was silent as he eased onto the bed behind her. "Bones," he said again, resting an uncertain hand on the curve of her hip.

Silence. A soft, sharp breath. "Bones, baby." And then she broke apart. He felt the tremor run through her, the shudder of her shoulders.

He shifted closer to her. Draped his arm across her waist and tugged her back against his broad chest. She felt fragile in his arms. Sobs racked her thin body. He held her tighter. "Booth," she whispered. A moan of sadness that vibrated across the silence.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. He pressed his lips to her shoulder and neck. "I'm so sorry, Bones."

She was quiet as she breathed. In and out. In and out. Her chest expanding and relaxing. "I feel empty," she said hollowly.

He swallowed past the tightness in his throat, unconsciously shifting his hand to her stomach, spreading his fingers across the warm, smooth skin. She closed her eyes and leaned back against him. "I feel so empty."

"Why didn't you call me?" he asked.

She shook her head. She was glad he couldn't see her face. "You were with Parker. That was important."

"You're important," he said softly, his voice almost stern in its conviction. "You're important, Bones."

"I didn't want…I didn't want to…" She trailed off. She was too tired to lie. "All I wanted was to see your face. But I was scared of what it would do to me."

"Bones…"

"I didn't want to fall apart."

"Bones," he murmured, shifting his hand across her skin. "It's okay to fall apart sometimes."

"It's too much, Booth," she whispered. "This sadness…I'll drown in it."

"No, you won't," he promised. "I won't let you."

She let out a long breath and turned in his arms, tilting her face up to his. She studied the line of his drooping mouth, the shadow of stubble along his jaw, his sad eyes, the furrow of worry in his brow. And then his face blurred and the tears were hot against her cheeks. She crumpled into him, clinging to him. "Booth," she breathed. "I can't do this. I can't…be here."

"Yes, you can," he murmured, his voice low. "You can, Bones."

She shook her head. "I can't," she said simply. "I loved her so much…I loved our baby so much. And…and I'm so confused, because how could I love something that I never even had? I never even held her in my arms and I'm still…I still can't…"

"You did have her," he told her. "We had her, Bones. She was ours, if only for a few months."

"She was a fetus," she said. "A clump of cells. Barely formed, barely anything." She hated the words even as they left her mouth. For once, science was betraying her. Even she could feel that it was so much more than that. She lost so much more.

"She was our baby, Bones," he said steadily. "Ours. Yours and mine. There's something in that, Bones. Something beautiful."

"It's science, Booth," she insisted. "Biology. Conception is not this magical thing that you make it out to be."

He shook his head and lifted a hand to her face, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, smoothing out the lines of hurt on her forehead. "It is magical, Bones," he murmured. He kissed her cheek and her red-rimmed eyes. "And it's okay to be sad."

Her eyes welled at his words, but she refused to let the tears fall. "There's so much I don't understand, Booth. So much that can't be explained by science." She lowered her eyes from his face. Traced the dark spot on his shirt left by her tears. "I feel this loss and I can't explain it away and I can't call it magic."

"It's okay, Bones," he soothed. "You don't need to explain it. Just feel it."

She closed her eyes, her fingers curling around the fabric of his shirt. "It hurts."

"I know, babe," he mumbled, his lips brushing her forehead. "I know."

She sighed and pressed closer to him, resting her head against his chest, her hand settling over his heart. "Angela said you haven't been sleeping."

She shook her head. "It's fine," she mumbled.

"You need to rest," he told her softly, running his fingers through the soft strands of her hair. "The doctors said—"

"I know what the doctor's said." Her voice was suddenly hard. "And I can't sleep."

"Do you see her?" he asked.

She closed her eyes. "See who?"

"Bones…"

She let out a long breath. Her heart felt too full and too heavy for her chest. "Yes, I see her. Every time I close my eyes I see her. This beautiful little girl who looks like me and like you." She paused and he heard her sharp intake of breath. "God, it's worse than a nightmare, Booth."

"Can't they give you something to help with that?" he suggested gently.

"I don't want sleeping pills. I don't want to be groggy," she said. "I don't want to be trapped in my dreams."

"Then why don't you just lay here and try to sleep and I'll stay with you," he offered.

She nodded and nestled closer to him. "Just…keep talking, okay? Talk about Parker."

He smiled, a little sadly, down at her face, his arms tightening around her, and began to talk. "We went to this island off the coast of Virginia called Chincoteague. You know, like Misty of Chincoteague? Parker was so excited. He got all these crazy ideas about taming a wild horse." He chuckled softly, picturing his son's bright, animated, still- innocent face. "We didn't really get to see the horses. They were off grazing under some trees, just specks in the distance. But the beach was great. Parker built a sand castle. He called it a sand empire. He called it 'epic'. That's his favorite word now; did I tell you that? Everything's epic. His breakfast, soccer games, sand castles. I helped him build a big wall to try and keep the rising tide away. It kept getting washed away and we'd have to remake it before another wave came. You should've seen us, Bones. Covered in sand, digging furiously. Parker charged out into the waves to rinse off. Got knocked over, got back up, laughing and spluttering water everywhere."

He paused and felt her shift against him. He ran his hand down the arm that was draped over his stomach, felt her skin and her hand over his heart. "I wish you were there, Bones," he murmured. "I wish I could have taken you out into the waves and held you, because my feet touched the bottom and yours didn't. And we could've bobbed there while Parker tried to body surf. That would've been nice, don't you think?"

He smiled softly and glanced down at her. She was sleeping soundly, her face relaxed, peaceful, beautiful. "I'm sorry, Bones," he told her. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you. I'm sorry you lost the baby. I'm sorry that happened to you." He kissed her forehead. "I wish you'd been there with me, in the waves."

—BB—

When Brennan woke up, Booth was sleeping. She felt an odd sense of relief stir in her as she looked at his face, felt his arms around her, strong and comforting even in sleep. He was such a good man. Always quick to hold, quick to comfort. She realized that it was this more than anything that had made her ask him to be the father of her child. It was this vague, unquantifiable thing—his goodness—that made her gravitate towards him. He was a good man. That was all.

She stretched up and pressed a kiss to his jaw and watched as his eyes opened and met hers. "Bones," he murmured. Her name sounded good on his lips—husky and soft.

His arms tightened around her. "No dreams?"

She shook her head. "No dreams."

He smiled at her. Bent down and kissed her lips. Felt the shape of her mouth against his. When he pulled back he saw that some of the pain had faded from her face. Her eyes had softened, her lips curved upwards. "Why did you do that?" she asked softly.

He reached out and held her chin, traced her lips with the pad of his thumb. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

He met her eyes. "Because I love you."

She swallowed and felt tears fill her eyes. New tears, different tears—not sad anymore. "You do?"

"Of course, Bones, of course I do."

She leaned into him and he pulled her on top of him. He felt her relax into him, felt the lines of her body meld with the lines of his. "Do you know why I wanted you to be the father of my baby?" she asked him. He shook his head. "Because you're good Booth. And because I trust you and because…"

"Because?" he prompted.

"Because I love you, too."

He smiled and she leaned down and kissed him. He parted his lips and tasted that Bones taste. Felt her body all along the length of his. Heard her little hum of desire. And as she kissed him, slanting her mouth across his, she felt something warm inside her, felt an empty space, deep within her, fill back up. He was a good, good man. And she loved him. "Hey, Bones?"

"Mmm."

"I want to have a baby." He kissed her. "With you."

"I think we've already established that, Booth," she murmured into his lips.

"No, I mean…" He trailed off and brushed the hair away from her eyes. Kissed her flushed face. "I want to have a baby and I want to do it the right way. The old-fashioned way."

"You mean you want to engage in sexual intercourse," she specified.

"Jeez, Bones, don't call it that. If we're making a baby, you gotta call it making love."

She shook her head and brushed her lips over his lips. Trailed them down his cheek and across the shadow of stubble along his jaw. "I don't follow your logic."

"Just trust me, Bones."

"I do," she said and her face—so earnest, so lovely—made him want to cry.

He kissed her again. "So," he said softly, "you're in?"

"Yes, Booth, I'm in. I'm all in."

So, sad premise, happy ending (as always). I hope ya'll liked it. Please review!