"I've got it!"
Booth looked up from his desk to see his pregnant partner storm into his office, cheeks flushed with a combination of excitement and exertion. "Got what, Babe?"
Her glare zeroed in on him and he held his hands up in surrender, flashing her a patented Seeley Booth Charm Grin. "I know, I know, don't call you Babe". He lowered his hands. "So, what have you got?"
"Her name, Booth," Brennan replied. "I know what we should call her."
Booth waited a moment before he realized that she was waiting for a response. "Well?"
Brennan grinned. "Ismene." Now it was her turn to hold up a hand before she barreled on. "Before you say anything, I know that we agreed we would choose a name that fits into societal norms in order to minimize the opportunity for taunting, but Ismene has a fairly soft, melodious quality to it—it's not harsh like Temperance or unduly effeminate like Seeley. I believe that her peers would view it as unique rather than strange. And should I be proven incorrect, the moniker is easily shortened to Izzy or Minnie, although I believe the latter to most commonly evoke thoughts of the animated character created by Walter Disney—"
Booth cut her off. "It's beautiful, Bones." She smiled softly, gratefully. "What does it mean?" He knew there had to be more to her affinity for the name than simply finding it pretty. She had, after all, been researching the origins and meanings of every name on their (rather pitiful) list since the very beginning.
"It means 'knowledgeable'. I believe that she will be quite intelligent, due to my genius and your rather impressive array of what Sweets refers to as 'street smarts'. I will love her even if she is not, of course—however, I must confess to hoping that we have not been responsible for the creation of yet another moron in this world."
Booth had to chuckle at that.
"And for her middle name…" Brennan hesitated. "For her middle name, I thought we could use Joy. Like you've been wanting."
"Ismene Joy," Booth tested out. "Ismene Joy Booth. Ismene Joy Brennan-Booth." He smiled. "I like it. It feels…right…on my tongue." His brow wrinkled in concern. "You didn't just decide that for my sake, did you? You like it too, right?"
"Yes, I too thought that it had quite a pleasing cadence. And I did choose it partially because of you, but once I thought about it I realized exactly how perfect a combination it is. Don't you see, Booth?"
He didn't.
"Ismene Joy. Knowledge and happiness." She smiled tenderly. "Brain and heart, Booth, just like us."
Booth gazed at her, his heart pounding in his chest just as it did every time he realized that, contrary to what he always thought, it was indeed possible to fall even more in love with her.
He got up and walked around his desk, planting a hard kiss on her lips as he rested his hand lightly on her swollen belly.
"It is perfect, Bones. And you're right. It's 100% us, through and through."
So, I didn't want to put this in the summary or at the beginning because I know some people find it a bit of a turn-off, but this is my first story! I've been reading fanfic—and writing plenty of my own without it ever existing anywhere but my own brain—for more than ten years now, but this is the first time I've dared to try my hand at letting others read my work. I decided this would be an easy story to begin with, and that if I was going to bite the bullet and do it it should be before the premiere of 7x01, because if I waited I'd be risking having it ruined by canon. Please let me know if I've got any potential, or if I shouldn't waste my time in the future. (But in my own preemptive defense, please keep in mind that I don't have a beta!) Thank you so much, and HAPPY BONESDAY!
By the way, Ismene is pronounced Iz-meh-nee. Just in case you were wondering.