Title: Without You

Disclaimer: Whoever owns them, owns them! If I did, I most certainly wouldn't just be writing the fanfics!

Author's Note: This has been floating around in my head for quite a while, and I'm just now getting it down. So what if Booth had never woken up after his surgery? This explores what might have happened in an alternate universe where Brennan makes the decision to have his child and how differently things as a whole would be without Booth.

The pain was by far worse than anything she had ever experienced before. Her entire body ached and each contraction nearly stole her breath. She could feel the perspiration all over her body. The unfamiliar tears she held back left her telling herself it was because of the pain and not the circumstance. Still, his face haunted her mind—the proportionality and the planes of his features, the crooked smile he always gave her, and soft brown eyes full of trust in her. She knew he would want to be there.

A cool hand came to rest on her forehead. "You're doing great, sweetie," Angela soothed.

Temperance managed a small smile for her best friend, but it was hard to focus. She'd realized too late that she'd gone into labor, and by the time they'd made it to the hospital, she had been far too close to delivery for pain medication. It was only a matter of time now. Another wave of pain hit and she squeezed Angela's hand as the doctor told her to push.

She lost track of time and the world narrowed. She compartmentalized the pain until it dimmed enough that she could think again. The being that had been growing inside of her for eight and a half months was about the enter the world she had always known. It had grown fro one cell into a fully formed human. A baby, she corrected. Her baby—no, their baby. Half of his genetic structure had combined with her to make this child a possibility.

Booth would have called it a miracle.

Fresh tears stung her eyes as a clenching in her chest brought all the pain back full-force.

"Okay, Dr. Brennan, one last push..."

She followed directions and moments later, a piercing and angry wail filled the room. Temperance collapsed back into the bed, out of breath and aching, but it was over.

"Congratulations, Dr. Brennan. It's a boy."

A boy. She closed her eyes. She had elected not to know the baby's gender before the birth, knowing that if he'd been here Booth would have argued with her so many unknown reasons to keep it a surprise. She smiled through her weariness, the odd happiness that flooded through her confirming that it had, in fact, been worth it.

A nurse placed the now swaddled bundle in her arms a few minutes later. It went against all logic, but the moment she looked down at him and the tiny baby opened her beautiful brown eyes to gaze back at her, she felt and onslaught of strangely familiar emotions. From all that she had read and knew already, she could identify it as the beginning of a bond between parent and child. Booth had told her once that when he'd seen Parker for the very first time, he'd immediately felt a deeper love than he'd ever known. Now, she know what he meant. This was what it really felt like to love someone unconditionally. Now that she had a name for it, she couldn't believe she had missed it before. Her heart wrenched when she remembered that she would never get to share any of this with him.

Letting the baby take his first opportunity to nurse, she looked contentedly up at Angela. "Look at him, Ange."

Angela seemed to be completely enamored already. "He looks like Booth. You better watch it, Bren, he'll be a heart-breaker one day."

"I don't know what that means," Brennan said, but then the impact of Angela's words hit her. He looks just like Booth. She felt a tear roll down her cheek. "I wish he could be here, Ange."

"I know, sweetie," Angela affirmed, squeezing her best friend's arm in reassurance.

Her son made a noise somewhat asking to a groan. Brennan smiled down at him and spoke softly. "Hey there, my baby boy. I'm you're mother, and I'm going to take really good care of you. My little darling, my little Joseph Maxwell Brennan-Booth."

"Joseph Maxwell?" Angela asked with a smile.

"It is customary in many cultures for parents to name their children after previous generations of family members. I thought it appropriate to follow such a tradition," Brennan explained. "Joseph for his father and Maxwell for mine."

"How can you think like that at a time like this? My complete attention would be on the new love of my life," Angela teased gently.

Gazing down at her son once more, Temperance felt that emotion again. "Nothing I read or heard prepared me for this. I knew I would feel a bond, but I didn't expect to feel so much affection for someone I've barely met."

"Oh, Bren, he's been growing inside of you for almost nine months. Don't tell me you haven't dreamed of this moment since you found out you were pregnant."

"I honestly haven't," Brennan replied, but it was a half-truth. "I have only looked forward to it for the past few weeks," she amended.

"Whatever," Angela replied softly, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

Joseph had long since stopped nursing and was beginning to look around curiously. He focused the most of Brennan and Angela, seemingly fascinated by them. And that was when two words so unlike Dr. Temperance Brennan slipped out. "He's adorable."

Angela could only smile widely in response.

So what do you think so far? I'll continue writing this, but it really depends on the response in the long run. So, please review!