Disclaimer: All characters, etc. are the property of their respective copyright holders. No infringement intended.

Author's Note: My first fanfic here. Let me know what you think.

The Dilemma in the Dream

Seeley Booth sighed with contentment as he leaned against the arm of the sofa in his living room. His legs were stretched out in front of him, and in between, wrapped in his arms, was his wife. He tightened his arms around her now obviously pregnant stomach, squeezing just a tiny bit to let her—and in his mind, their baby—know how much he loved them.

"Bones, I love you so much," he said. "I can't believe our little girl will be here in two months."

Dr. Temperance Brennan couldn't see his face, but she heard the smile in her husband's voice and knew the goofy, delighted expression which was likely on his face. "It could be a little sooner—I'm sure she can't wait to meet her daddy and her big brother." She was smiling with contentment, as well.

They spent another moment just enjoying each other's company before they heard the sound of little-boy feet rapidly approaching.

"Hey Dad, hey Bones!" Parker said. "I just beat the next-to-last level in my video game!"

"Good job, little man!" Booth said with pride. "Once your sister gets old enough, you'll need to teach her how to play." He grinned at his son. Booth was so happy Parker had adapted well to the changes in his life.

At the mention of his sister, Parker looked thoughtful. He glanced at his dad, then at Brennan. "Bones, after the baby comes, she'll be calling you 'Mom' or 'Momma,' right?"

Brennan smiled. She was looking forward to this very much. "Yes, Parker, I'm sure she will." She and Booth both wondered where he was going with this question. But Parker, like most kids his age, was very direct and open about his thoughts and feelings most of the time. He wasted no time in saying what was on his mind.

"Should I start calling you 'Mom' then too?" he asked. Brennan hadn't been expecting this question, and Booth gave her another squeeze to indicate she had his support no matter how she wanted to proceed. She looked at Parker, trying to gauge his emotions. He just looked interested in her answer, without showing any signs of being uncomfortable about the subject.

"Well, Parker," Brennan began, choosing her words carefully," I am your stepmother, but I know you have a Mom whom you love very much." She looked into the earnest face of her stepson, the little boy she had come to love as much as a biological son. "So you can call me whatever name makes you most comfortable. Only you and your dad are allowed to call me 'Bones,' so you can keep calling me that if you want." She smiled at him, hoping he could see that she was serious and not upset that he did not call her "Mom." She knew how important the bonds were between a parent and child.

"What if I wanted to call you 'Mom?' Would that be OK too?" Parker asked, taking a step closer to his dad and stepmom. He had thought for a while about this before deciding to ask Bones this question. He felt like she was as much a "mom" to him as his mom was—she always asked how things were going at school, helped him with his homework, helped him tease his dad, read him stories…

Brennan had never expected him to ask her that. She felt a surge of emotions course through her, threatening to manifest in happy tears. Booth had never felt more proud of or close to his son at that moment, that Parker felt that much of a connection with his wife, his Bones, to ask her this.

Smiling a beatific smile, she answered, "Yes, Parker, that would be more than OK." She paused, wanting to reinforce that he could make this choice himself. "But only if and when you want to do that." He had moved close enough that she was able to reach a hand out to wrap loosely around his arm in a gesture of affection.

Parker smiled back at his parents. "Good. Then I'm going to start calling you 'Mom' right now. Except maybe not when my mom is around too—that might get weird." He knew adults could be funny about this kind of thing, though he didn't really understand why.

Booth reached out his closest arm and brought Parker into a three-person hug. "I think that's great, bub." He couldn't think of anything else to say to convey how happy he was.

His wife took care of that: "Hey Parker, want to come snuggle on the couch with us and watch a movie? I have really started to enjoy the animated ones, since you and your dad informed me that they are not supposed to be realistic." Parker knew that her smile was sincere—she really wanted him to join them. That was one of the things he didn't always get at this mom's house—she often wanted to have "private time" with her boyfriend, whichever one it was.

He gave her a good rendition of the classic "Booth" grin. "Yeah, Mom, that would be great. I have a new one in my backpack that we haven't watched together yet. I'll go get it." He gave Bones a little peck on the cheek before running off to his room.

Brennan and Booth were momentarily speechless, absorbing this new state of affairs. Booth spoke first, repeating the relatively new word.

"Mom," he said warmly, close to the ear of his wife, still marveling that his son had decided on his own to grant that title to his stepmother.

"Mom," Bones repeated, the wonderment and happiness evident in her voice. "That's one word I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing."

Booth closed his eyes as he waited for Parker to return with the DVD. He was jarred out of his momentary reverie by the sound of his first name.

"Seeley?" the female voice asked.

Booth's eyes were still closed, and his brain was trying to process this information without much success. 'Why is Bones calling me Seeley? She never calls me that, she knows I don't like it.'