"Are we all just treading water here, are we all just treading water here and there must be a little Ashley in all of us it's a little old for the Holiday now and he said I know there's a place for us. Anywhere will do because you're not that particular."

Ashley In All Of Us

by

Thriving Ivory

Brennan opened the door to her apartment letting Booth inside, it was pouring out and he was soaking wet. She looked at him odd. "Booth, you are all wet let me get you a towel."

"It's okay, you don't-" but she had already left.

"You are dripping all over the floor Booth."

He wanted to make this sharp, short and as painless as possible. Though, he knew there was no such thing as painless involved in leaving Bones. He inhaled and exhaled when she returned handing him the towel. He took it and dried his clothes some then stopped. "Bones, we have to talk."

"Okay, but we are talking Booth." Brennan said in that Bones way of hers. "Oh you mean you would like to speak to me of an important topic. Go ahead Booth, I'm listening." Brennan said and Booth closed his eyes. Brennan caught his distress and cocked her head.

Booth dropped the towel and took both his hands and placed them on either side of Brennan's face. "Booth you're scaring me. What is wrong?" He kissed her forehead and hugged her close to him soaking her clothes. He whispered an unasked question in her ear.

"I love you too Bones, I love you." He pulled out of their embrace and she looked at him with wide kaleidoscope blue eyes. Their breathing picked up and he kissed her lips, his still wet from the rain she devoured him pulling him closer to her. Licking her lips they reluctantly parted for air. He kissed her forehead and smoothed her hair then rested his forehead on hers. "But we can't keep doing this."

Brennan stepped back a bit and cocked her head at him, "What do you mean? We haven't done anything wrong."

"We have to end the more than just partners relationship." Booth said and Brennan withdrew into herself.

"What do you mean? We don't have a sexual relationship." she asked Booth with wide eyes, innocent eyes, scared eyes, eyes that were his home, eyes he told everything too. Her eyes…they were becoming distant.

"Bones, come on' we are like a couple of teenage kids. We have done everything but have sex." Booth said.

"Are you saying you would like to change that?" Brennan asked, eyes still confused and worried.

"God, yes Bones, more than anything." Booth started.

"Okay." Brennan smiled. "I find you attractive and while you are my best friend and partner. I believe some of the best relationships, the ones that last are rooted in friendship."

"I agree, but we can't Bones. Hannah is pregnant, four months she just found out." Booth said and he watched as Brennan withdrew into herself away from him, trying to make this easier. It wasn't going to be.

She inhaled, "Are you going to ask her to marry you like you did Rebecca?"

There was Bones up front and blunt, but did he expect anything less?

He rubbed at his forehead, "I don't know."

"What are you going to do Booth?" This wasn't supposed to happen. Hannah and Booth had broke up months ago, though, not that many months ago. Life's unscripted, and is anyone ever really prepared for the two lines on that little white stick? They had done nothing wrong. This wasn't supposed to happen, but it had.

"She needs me. She wants me to be involved, and while this baby was an accident everything in life has a purpose." Booth said and Brennan agreed; besides she didn't really know what to say. "Maybe this means she and I are supposed to be together." Booth said regretting it as the words came out of his mouth. He walked over and sat on the couch. Bones followed and sat next to him.

Brennan looked down at their hands, "You should be with her. She needs you Booth and you are going to have a child together."

She put her other hand on his hand and he looked up into her eyes. Then all in one motion he engulfed her in an embrace, never wanting to let go. She had watery eyes, his were glossy too. She swallowed unsure of whether she should say what was on her mind. It was a whisper in his ear, "Ditto." She pulled back and smiled a sad smile at him and he understood exactly what she meant. He kissed her on the lips one last time, the kiss was slow and filled with passion they took their time as salty tears fell on their lips and they tasted each other's pain.

Then he stood and Brennan walked him to the door then watched as he walked out of it. She waited for him to turn his head and look at her, but he never did. Her bottom lip quivered and she was biting it so hard it was now bleeding. She shut the door and sunk down the back of it crying racking sobs. She hadn't cried so much or so loudly since she realized her parents were gone when she was fifteen. Booth's presence was now a mere ghost in her apartment.

She was an accident Ashley was, and Hannah who hadn't wanted kids had quickly realized she had become the best accident that ever happened to her. Booth watch as Hannah plays with their little girl now two and a half, on the living room floor of their new apartment. Hannah turns and smiles at him and the little blond haired blue eyed child looks up at him with a curious expression then starts laughing hysterically. "Dada!" Booth obeys his little princess and joins Hannah on the floor with Ashley.

They were happy, everything was going okay except with Bones she was on a dig in Australia she had been going on a lot of digs lately. He seemed to have lost his partner Hannah had said to give her time. It had been almost three years. He felt they were somewhere close to the end, they weren't familiar anymore, and their partnership had passed treading water a while ago and seemingly drowned.

Booth sigh and turned his attention back on little Ashley as she raised her arms up to him. She was a year younger then Piper Angela's little girl they were both the new mascots of the Jeffersonian. Everyone adored them both Piper almost three looked like Angela and had attitude like her as well. Ashley was her tag along, the blue eyed blond followed Piper and Parker's every move yet, was very independent, laughed easily, and became shy only at times.

"What's wrong Seeley?" Booth was smiling holding Ashley as she begged to be let down, she could walk on her own. Hannah had known him long enough to know the look in his eye didn't hold the same smile he wore on his face.

"Work… and Bones."

Hannah sigh as she watched as Ashley ran over to a plethora of crayons in the center of the living room, out of her peripheral vision. "Ash, stay on the paper kay?" The little girl didn't look up, but did mind Hannah making sure she scribbled in circles her tongue out concentrating on the paper. Hannah turns her attention back to Booth.

"Seeley, she just needs time she loved you and once you loved her all of this change must be tremendously hard on her." Booth had told Hannah of the car ride home in the rain, and the night outside of the Hoover, they had no secrets. He asked Hannah to marry him just as he had Rebecca only Hannah had said yes.

They weren't married, but they were engaged the date was set in October and it was April. That was the one thing Booth stressed that could have happened a little sooner. Hannah said Ashley could be the flower girl, Booth countered Piper could be just as easily and they left it alone after a year and a half had gone by.

"I know it's just, she has never left so much before she's never disregarded everyone so easily. I thought maybe when Angela had Piper, then when we made her Ashley's Godmother as well."

"Seeley, it's been hard for her isolation is how she copes." Booth wanted to say no, no it's not I know her and she cries or cried. She wants to feel wanted and loved, but denies herself that right Hannah.

Though, Booth knew when to keep his mouth shut. Instead innocence spoke from the other room. "Mama! Dada! I drew a picture." He smile at Hannah and they both left the room to go and see their daughter's masterpiece.

"That's excellent Ash!" Booth smile and pick Ashley up throwing her in the air as she screams in delight with laughter. Hannah smiles and watches as her fiancé plays with their daughter so wonderfully, he was a great father.

Sydney was freezing, she knew the states were warm and when the states were warm Australia was freezing. Booth was happy her mind, damn her mind couldn't she get him off of it for longer than a moment lately it wasn't going to happen.

No matter what she busied herself with and she felt bad leaving her niece Piper and her best friend, but she couldn't she just couldn't stay in D.C not with Booth engaged to Hannah and while she couldn't help but love their happy daughter Ashley, her God daughter. She couldn't help imagine herself being Hannah and she having a little girl that had his last name. She had dated a couple of times and tried to move on, unsuccessfully.

It was Sunday Booth was glad Bones flew in at nine tonight. Angela and he were in agreement that Piper, Ashley and the team would cheer her up from her depression that she claimed not to have. Telling everyone about the dig would also help. She always seemed tired, yet happy for a few weeks after returning from her travels.

"Babe, I'm going to run into the Bureau real quick and drop some stuff off. Meet you and Ash at the park in an hour?"

Hannah smile as Ashley spoke up hearing her name. "Me to park too?"

Booth smile and walk over to little Ashley picking her up and raising her in the air she became a fit of giggles. "DAAADAAA". She screamed happily.

"You too silly girl, bye see you in a little bit." He kiss Hannah and Ashley goodbye and wave as he walk out the door

Hannah turns to Ashley and smile as the little blue eyed blonde shriek with laughter and ran Hannah caught up with her quickly scooping her up and flying her into her bedroom. "Time for you to get dressed little lady."

Booth was dropping some papers off in Cullen's office and chatting with Hacker on the way out. He looked at his watch knowing Hannah and Ash would be on their way to the park waiting for him.

Hannah drove as Ashley babbled on about "Parks, cars, roads, blue, radio, and anything else she knew how to say Hannah glance in her review and smile at the almost two year old. "Yep we're almost to the park Ashley. I can see it it's right there."

Ashley laughed and a hard impact was felt another driver had hit them. They spun quickly as Ashley started to cry and screamed loudly. Finally they stopped slamming into a fire hydrant water spray everywhere.

Booth smile finally glad to be out of Hacker's company, just knowing he had slept with Bones plus he was. Well the guy was annoying and Hannah and Ashley were probably playing on the swings by now. Stepping out of the elevator onto the ground floor he made his way out of the building and to the parking garage.

Two men had stopped as soon as the other car had run the red light and hit Hannah's. One man tried to open the door to grab the screaming Ashley it didn't open. Instead he went to the other side and broke the window opposite to Ashley leaning in unbuckling the screaming child from her car seat. Holding Ashley he looks at the other man and he shook his head no. The medics, cops, and the fire department had arrived. Now the intersection was full of stopped cars that held flashing lights.

Booth pull around the corner to the park seeing a horrid accident he looked a little closer the car looked a little like Hannah's but was too hard to make out. He turned on his radio to see what the details of the accident were.

Then he turned on his lights and quickly parked the car running up to the crash site. He heard Ashley first her familiar screams and went to her. The medics were checking her over she only had small burns from the belt of the car seat no broken bones.

"I'm her father Seeley Booth her name is Ashley Faith Booth. How is her mother? Her name is Hannah, Hannah Burley." Booth was scared as the two men hesitated for a moment looking at each other. He left Ashley as he ran over to the mess of a car trying to push pass medics who weren't working on anyone, and police officers. "Sir, please stay back."

"My fiancé, she is my fiancé! The little girl, Ashley is my daughter I need to know how my fiancé is!" He received a look that said I'm so sorry and it's too late. The men parted and he made his way to Hannah as his cries mixed with Ashley's and he hit his knees.

"Hello?" Angela recognized the voice immediately. "What's wrong Booth?"

Silence linger for a bit. "Hannah was in a bad car accident and she didn't make it. I'm at the hospital with Ashley, they thought she was fine but… she has some bad burns from the belt of the car seat and..." he grew quiet exhaling a shaky breath. "Two of her ribs are broken Angela."

"I'll be right there Booth hang on."

It was eight thirty Angela hung up on Booth and turn her cell back on dialing Brennan, he needed her weather he knew it or not. Hell, if he didn't Angela did for support her flight should land in a half hour and she would half service again. "Bren, Ashley is hurt very bad Hannah has been in a bad accident and I'm at the hospital with Booth call me as soon as you land. Hope you had a safe flight love you."

Angela walk in the sliding glass doors to Washington Memorial the familiar cold air, smell of the hospital, and swoosh of the automatic doors greeted her all at once. As she made her way to the elevator she heard her cell go off and fumbled into her jean pocket quickly for it. It was nine ten and Bren would have received the message upon arrival. Angela answered hoping Ashley's middle name would help carry them all through this. For they all needed a little Faith right now, each and every one of them.