A/N: The first in a series of loosely connected ficlets about Brennan and Parker over the years. I've finally got up the guts to post this after about six months. Go me.
According to the clock on the nightstand, it was somewhere near two. Brennan groaned, and wondered why she was awake. And then she heard the floor board creak. Immediately on alert, she threw back the covers and crept to the door. She peeked through the crack and let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Parker. She'd almost forgotten he was here. She opened the door halfway, letting the dim light of the nightlight into the room.
"Daddy?"
"Your dad's still asleep. Do you need something?" She vaguely hoped it was something easy like a glass of water or a trip to the bathroom. When they boy didn't answer, she opened the door wider. "Parker?"
"I had a bad dream," he whimpered. She stiffened. She was no good at comforting anyone, let alone a frightened child. Booth's frightened child. They stood there for nearly a minute as she ran through her options. Then images began to creep forth from the recesses of her memory; a storm, a monster, a scary noise- and the safety of her parents' bed. Was that the right thing to do? She was still a stranger to him, really. Would Booth be mad? Should she send him back to bed?
The boy shifted on his feet, and she realised he wasn't the only one who was unsure. Deciding to go with her first instinct, she gestured into the room behind her.
"Do you want to sleep in here?"
He nodded, but didn't move. Now what, she wondered impatiently. She was tired. She'd been working overtime for a month, and she and Booth had been arguing every day for a week straight- mainly about her spending the night on Parker's weekends; she was against it, but he maintained that Parker was going to have to get used to her being part of Booth's life and in the end she'd had to agree. She wasn't planning on going anywhere, and Booth wasn't planning on letting her. Being a part of Parker's life frightened her, but it was something she was going to have to face. But getting up in the middle of the night to deal with the child right off the bat was inot/i on her agenda.
"Well, I'm going back to bed. You're more than welcome to join us." She turned on her heel and climbed back into bed. Booth still hadn't moved. She stared at the ceiling a minute or two, feeling a little guilty for just leaving him out there, and wondering whether she should get up and check on him. She briefly pondered waking her partner, but dismissed the thought almost immediately. She'd never live it down.
Then there was another creak, and a weight on the bed. She breathed a sigh of relief, and moved slightly towards the edge of the bed as Parker crawled under the covers between Brennan and his father. She winced when he kicked her- twice- as he was getting comfortable, and couldn't help but smile a little at his contented little sigh. Maybe she could do this after all.
