This is an AU piece. Not sure how long it's going to be, but it's an idea that wouldn't go away. So, here it is. As always, reviews are much appreciated. Another chapter will follow shortly. Giving more insight into the Booth family dynamics...
Seeley Booth paced back and forth in the waiting room. He should have been back there with her, but something had went terribly wrong and the doctor's hurried him out into the waiting room. Every time the doors opened, he hoped that it was the doctor bringing him news. Instead, it was some other doctor giving news to another happy family.
He finally sat down in one of the chairs and stared straight ahead. Wishing that there was something that he could do, but knowing that the fate of the woman he loved was in the doctor's hands.
When he heard the door open again, he didn't even bother to look up. He simply stared at the floor, but he had a feeling that this time would be different. That this time, the doctor would deliver the news that would change his life forever. What he didn't know was just how right he was.
The doctor cleared his throat and waited for Booth to look up. He honestly hated this part of his job. When he'd finished medical school twenty years ago, he'd never dreamed how hard this would end up being. When Booth finally looked up, he told him, "I'm sorry. We did everything that we could. She just lost so much blood. It was impossible to save her."
"The babies?"
The doctor gave him a kind of half smile and said, "The little boy is doing remarkably well. He's definitely a fighter."
"Our daughter?"
The doctor shook his head slowly and said, "She's hanging on by the slimmest of threads. I'm not expecting her to make it through the night however. I would suggest calling for your pastor. If you believe of course."
Booth asked softly, "Can I see her? Their mother I mean?"
The doctor nodded and said, "Her body is being prepared for transport. If you will come with me I'll take you back to her."
Booth followed him wordlessly. It was almost as if he was in some sort of trance. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't go home without her. He wasn't prepared to be a single father. This wasn't how it was supposed to work.
He swallowed hard and looked down at the woman that he loved with all of his heart and whispered, "How am I going to go on without you? I miss you so much. I promise you one thing. I will raise our children to know how much you loved them and how you fought to bring them into the world."
He took her hand and kissed it softly. She was already growing cold and he thought about how much he hated that. He took one final look at her and whispered, "I promise you that I'll make you proud of me Becs."
He closed his eyes and stood up and walked towards the nursery. He swallowed hard and whispered to her doctor, "Can you take me to see our children?"
The doctor nodded and said, "Of course."
Booth walked as if he was in a trance and followed the doctor to the nursery. He was walked inside and the nurse motioned for him to take a seat in one of the rocking chairs. He watched as a incubator was rolled over in front of him and he looked inside at his son. He looked small, but the nurse smiled and said, "He's a fighter. We just put him in here as a precaution. We expect that he will be out tomorrow morning."
Booth simply nodded and she continued, "Do you have a name for him?"
He nodded again and whispered, "Parker Matthew Booth."
That was the name that he and Rebecca had agreed on. He reached out and touched the tiny baby and smiled when he stretched towards him. The nurse smiled and said, "I'll bring you your daughter."
As soon as she said that, alarms started going off in the nursery. Booth watched as nurses bent over a incubator. Booth watched as they worked on the infant. He walked over and watched them working hard to save his daughter. After a few minutes, the alarms stopped and the nurse smiled and said, "She's definitely a fighter. Do you have a name for her?"
Booth nodded and told her, "Julie Renee Booth."
The nurse smiled and said, "Come closer."
"I don't want to hurt her."
The nurse smiled and said, "The best thing for her is to know that you are close by. I'm sure that you talked to her while she was inside her mother."
Booth nodded, "All the time."
"Then she knows who you are."
Booth wasn't so sure of it, but he walked forward and touched her tiny hand. She looked so fragile and so helpless. He noticed a wisp of blonde hair and smiled sadly at the little girl. He had a feeling that this baby was going to make it and that she was going to be a lot like her mother. Thinking of Rebecca made his heart break. He missed her so badly. He promised his babies, "I promise you both that I'll be the best daddy ever. I love you two so much."
Booth sat down in a rocking chair that was nearby and sighed heavily. He had no idea how he was going to do this. How he was going to be both mother and father to these two tiny infants, but he knew that they were depending on him. He would do whatever it took to raise them to know that their mother loved and wanted them.
***Three Years Later***
Special Agent Seeley Booth stood outside his children's preschool class and smiled at the happy sounds coming from inside. He could hear Parker and Julie laughing above all of the noise inside. He'd never thought that this day would come. He missed Rebecca every day and sometimes, the only thing that kept him going were his children.
He'd joined the FBI two years ago. He'd needed something stable for his children. The FBI offered everything that they needed.
He even had a partner now. Forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. She was smart and beautiful. The perfect combination. Booth felt something for her. Something he hadn't felt for anyone since he'd lost Rebecca. He shook his head and told himself that he couldn't get involved with anyone again. Especially with two children depending on him. He'd dated a bit and none of the women could accept the twins. So, he'd decided that he was putting them first.
No one at the lab knew about his children and he was happy about that. However, it all came out in the open one Christmas Eve. He managed to let it slip about the twins and soon everyone knew. He hated visiting with them through a glass door, but Booth knew that it was important. It killed him to watch Parker and Julie walk away from him. He wanted to go with them.
He had no idea that Bones was watching him interact with his children. She couldn't help the smile that came to her face. She walked away quickly from the scene and hurried to her office.
Once they were let out, Booth went to Sid's to get the children. He waited a few minutes and then he talked to Bones softly and said, "I lost my wife three years ago. The day that they were born was the best and the worst day of my life. I don't know if I would have made it without them."
She simply nodded and smiled softly at him. Then, the kids ran over to their father and Booth picked them up and said, "Say hi to my partner Bones."
Julie buried her head in his shoulder and Parker waved at her shyly. Booth smiled when she waved back at him with a smile. He smiled at her and said, "I have to go now. I'll see you at work Monday."
Booth walked out of the restaurant and took his children's hands. He was determined to keep whatever relationship he had with Bones strictly professional. He'd already had his once in a lifetime love. He knew that he would never find anything like that ever again.
What he didn't know was that fate would intervene and make it impossible to stop the combining of their two hearts...