Hello, friends! It's been a minute. After I wrote the chapter of The Diary of Someone's Daughter where Lily and Aubrey have a pregnancy scare, there was the episode where Aubrey's dad comes back—and I thought, what if Aubrey was going to be a dad when that was happening? How would that affect him? And so, when I started thinking about how I wanted to start 2019 off with a story, I figured—why not revisit this idea? What if, in Season 12, Lily is pregnant? How does that change the rest of the season? So, here we are—an AU of an AU.

Many of these chapters will have a lot of similarities to the originals—I'm counting on the fact that you probably haven't read them in over a year.

P.S. I promise that one day I will actually write the epilogue to the real Lily Booth story.

And one more thing—man, I miss this show.

"Hey, Booth," Aubrey greeted, before he noticed that the man was heading toward him with raw fury written on his face. "What's wrong?"

Suddenly, Aubrey found himself pinned against the wall, Booth pushing his arm into Aubrey's collarbone.

"You got my daughter pregnant?" Booth asked.

"What?"

"She has dreams, you know. She's getting her PhD. I can't believe you, of all people, would ruin that for her."

"Lily's pregnant?" Aubrey asked quietly.

Booth dropped his arm, looking at Aubrey's stricken face with a sigh. "She didn't tell you."

"No. I—where is she?"

"She was at the lab. That's where she was talking to Bones about it, anyway."

"Where is she?" Aubrey demanded of the gathering of scientists on the forensic platform.

"She's in my office," Brennan told him, her jaw tight. "Did Booth talk to you?"

"Yes," he said, through gritted teeth. "And I. Didn't. Know."

"Oh." Brennan's face softened slightly. "Be nice to her," she warned.

"Nice?" he asked incredulously. "I—"

He looked at the others' confused faces. At least not everyone knew before him. He shook his head, storming into Brennan's office.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked without greeting, closing the door behind him with more force than was necessary.

"James!" Lily jumped in her chair as he startled her out of her thoughts.

"When?" he demanded.

"Today!" she insisted. "I promise, today. I was just—"

"Just what?" He sighed, rubbing a hand across his jaw. "Your dad shoved me up against a wall, which is not the way I wanted to find out that I'm going to be a dad, thank you very much."

"He did what?"

"In front of everyone at the FBI," he explained, but the anger boiling in his stomach had started to give way to something else as soon as he spoke the words I'm going to be a dad.

"I can't—I can't believe he did that. I was asking my mom some questions, she must have told my dad, and he thought…"

"So you're pregnant?" he half-whispered, moving next to the chair she was sitting in. "We're having a baby?"

"I don't know, James. I was asking my mom some questions because, well, I think that maybe, I could be? But I don't know."

"You're on birth control, though," he said.

She nodded. "I know. But it's," she dropped her gaze, lowering her voice to a guilty whisper. "I don't know. I must have messed up somehow."

"Oh."

"I was waiting for you," she explained. "I was waiting for—for you to get off work, or get a break, or something, because I want to take a test, and I want you to be there. And dammit, I wanted to tell you!"

In fact, she had spent the last hour in Brennan's office rehearsing what she was going to say to him (a straightforward James, I think I might be pregnant, or James, I don't want to scare you, but there's a chance, or James, my period is late and I threw up this morning, or James, I've never been more terrified in my entire life, please hold me and tell me it'll be okay).

"Okay, well." He shrugged. "I'm here now."

"Are you okay?" he asked nervously, reaching over the center console for her hand. "Are you…" he sighed. "I don't know what to ask," he apologized.

She squeezed his hand. "I'm scared. I'm not ready to be a mom."

He nodded. "You know that I'll do whatever it takes for you to still get your PhD. You'll be a forensic anthropologist. I promise."

She smiled weakly despite herself. "I'm not even worried about that," she admitted. "I mean, I am, because it sucks. But I'm just… not ready. You're going to be a great dad, either now or in several years. And I'm—"

"Lily. You'll make a wonderful mom. I know."

"If I'm pregnant."

"Yes. If."

She went silent, praying that she wasn't.

They stood in front of shelves of pregnancy tests, Aubrey's arm firmly around her shoulders. She leaned into his side and groaned, then reached out and picked one.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I've seen commercials for this one. And it comes with two in the box. I should have asked my mom."

When she put it on the conveyer belt, she wanted to melt into the floor—she couldn't even look at the cashier, for fear that she would give away how she really felt. Aubrey pressed a reassuring hand to her back as he moved past her to the credit card machine, before she could even reach for her wallet. He smiled back at her, and she felt tears well up in her eyes—what a wonderful, wonderful man. How lucky I am. How much I love him.

And then she cursed inwardly, because being emotional was just another symptom she could add to her mental list.

"You can come in now," she said, and Aubrey opened the bathroom door to find her washing her hands, the two tests resting face down on the edge of the tub.

"How long?" he asked, looking at his watch.

"Three minutes."

She leaned up against the doorframe with her eyes closed, shaking with nerves, and then she winced.

"I'm going to throw up."

And she did, Aubrey kneeling behind her, holding her hair with one hand and rubbing her back with the other. With her head in the toilet, she felt like her fate was sealed.

When she was done, she leaned back against him, trying to keep herself from crying. He wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on top of hers.

"It's okay, Lils. It's going to be okay."

They just sat for a few moments, silently, until Aubrey could bring himself to look at his watch.

"Time's up."

Lily stood, Aubrey helping her—she didn't look very steady on her feet. She rinsed her mouth out quickly, then turned around, leaning against the counter.

"I can't look. You do it."

He put his back to her, hiding the actual tests from her view, and she wrapped her arms around herself to try and combat the shaking. It didn't work. It felt like an eternity before Aubrey let out a breath, turning to her with a shrug.

"They're both positive, Lily."

She let out a half-sob, collapsing against him.

He wished more than anything that he had the words to comfort her—it will be okay and we'll make it work and we're going to be a great little family all seemed to fall flat even just in his head. He couldn't look at her, into her dazed, sad eyes, and make her feel the light swoop of joy pressing against the fear in his stomach. It was easier for him—it didn't delay any of his dreams.

"Lils," he said softly, stroking her back. "Lily Catherine Booth, I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and with this baby."

"Stop!" she said suddenly, pushing away from him. "James Aubrey, do not propose to me right now, I swear to God."

He looked crestfallen. "Would you say no?"

She shook her head. "No. Of course not. I just—this isn't how I want to remember it. Not because you feel like you have to out of some obligation. Although I guess that's what it'll be now."

"No, no." He paused. "Would it help if I told you I already have the ring picked out?"

The corners of her mouth turned slightly upward. "You do?"

"Do you want to see a picture?"

She thought about it, chewing on her lower lip. "No. Just ask me later."

"Okay." He hugged her again, then took a step back, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back and forth on his feet. "What do we do now?"

She shrugged. "You need to get back to work."

"Really? You want me to go back to work?"

"It's not like there's anything to do right now, James," she said softly. "I'm fine."

He reached out to touch her cheek, smoothing his thumb across her skin. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yeah, yeah. It's going to take a little while to sink in, anyway."

She was lying—her insides had twisted into knots, squeezing her. But she didn't want Aubrey to see. She didn't want him to worry any more than he already was, and she didn't want to steal the happiness she could see in his eyes just because she couldn't feel it.

He could always tell when she was lying, but he let her, let her feel like she was in control because he knew she needed it.

He smirked at her. "You're sending me back to work, to your dad, without telling him? You're sending me into the lions' den there, Lils."

"You're a big boy," she said gently, poking him in the stomach.

"I'll just try my best to avoid him."

She was proud of herself, that she made it through him leaving for work with a quick peck on her lips, that she even waited a few extra minutes to make sure he didn't come back for something he forgot, before she flopped down onto the bed and sobbed until all of her tears were dried up.

By the time Aubrey (finally) got home from work, Lily was done crying, instead sitting on the couch and watching television. He sank down next to her silently, unsure of what to do.

"A newborn baby has three hundred bones," she recited, almost mechanically, not taking her eyes away from the television.

Aubrey froze. "What?"

"A newborn baby has three hundred bones," she repeated. "They fuse as they get older, which is how adults have only 206. But a baby has three hundred."

"That is… fascinating."

"We should go to my parents'," Lily said. "And tell them. That I'm pregnant."

"Yeah."

"Stop fidgeting," Lily scolded, reaching around in her purse for her keys in the dim evening light.

"Okay, look, your dad threatened me before they even knew you were pregnant, I'm more than a little afraid of what they'll do to me now." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "They could very literally murder me and get away with it."

"Yeah, except that I need you to help raise this child, and, also, I am equally culpable."

"Somehow I'm not sure that they see it that way."

When they entered, Booth and Brennan were sitting on the couch, waiting in an almost ominous way. Lily unceremoniously dumped her purse onto the counter, pulling Aubrey along with her to stand in front of them.

"So?" Booth asked impatiently. "Are you?"

Lily groaned. "Would you please let us announce it? God, you have taken all of the possible fun out of this today."

Booth put his hands up in surrender. "Sorry."

"And at least pretend to be happy for us," Lily continued. "That would make this a lot easier."

"Of course we're happy for you, Sweetheart," Brennan said. "We love you—both of you—and you're going to make excellent parents. And we'll be thrilled to be grandparents."

"Well, that's good. Because I'm pregnant. I called the doctor. I made an appointment for two weeks from now—I asked if I should come in and take a test, but she said that home tests are pretty accurate, especially if I've been having other symptoms. So I'm almost definitely pregnant." She sighed, like that was her last shred of hope. "About six weeks in, we think, but she said we can make sure at the appointment."

"Congratulations," Booth said, his jaw tight.

Brennan rose to hug her daughter, and in her mom's arms, Lily's grip on her emotions faltered a little. She relaxed into Brennan, letting out a little whimper.

"It's okay, Sweetheart," Brennan soothed.

Booth pointed a murderous look in Aubrey's direction.

"You're going to have to move out of your one-bedroom apartment," he said gruffly.

"I know," Aubrey nodded.

"Kids are expensive. I know how much you make. Are you going to be able to support a family? Is Lily going to be able to get her PhD right after?"

"Dad!" Lily shouted, pulling away from Brennan. "Please, please stop. Not today. I can't handle that today. I—we—need some time to process this, and that is—it's not helping. It's not."

Booth frowned, feeling like he could only do the wrong things.

"I'm so sorry, Mini. I just love you is all."

"I know that."

Aubrey woke up, reaching for Lily, but her side of the bed was empty and cold. He found her at the kitchen table, staring at her laptop.

"Hey," he said sleepily, squinting in the light. "It's the middle of the night."

"Oh." She didn't even look up at him. "I'm doing research."

"You need to come to bed," he said, forcing himself not to say what had popped into his head—you're sleeping for two—because Lily had spent the past three days making no mention of her pregnancy, pretending like everything was normal. He figured it was her way of dealing, and eventually, either she'd come around or she'd be somehow forced into it.

"Okay," she said, almost mechanically, and he stepped behind her, rubbing her shoulders.

"Babe."

"I can't stop thinking about it, you know. My brain just spins, a hundred miles an hour, and I can't turn it off. That's why I came out here."

"I know."

"I know you worry about me."

"I just wish you'd share it with me instead."

She shrugged. "I'm so much like my mom, you know. When things get tough, I hide and I turn to science."

"It's one of the things I love about you," he said softly, bending down to kiss the top of her head.

"Really? You love that?"

"I love everything about you. I bet that if you looked at my skeleton, my love for you would be right there in my bones."

Lily scrunched her forehead. "That's scientifically inaccurate. Love is controlled by chemicals in the brain. Even the idea that love is in the heart is metaphoric." She paused, then nodded. "Oh, you were being sweet. That was sweet."

"You're right," he smiled. "Sometimes you open your mouth and your mother comes straight out."

She sighed, closing her laptop. "I'm trying. I promise I'm trying. Right now I just… kind of don't feel anything. Which makes me feel so guilty, because I'm such a terrible mother before even becoming a mother."

"Lil." He crouched down next to her chair, taking her hands in his. "You're not going to be a terrible mother. You are going to be a wonderful mother."

"You can't know that," she whispered.

"I can. Because I know you." He squeezed her hands. "That is the end of that argument, Lily Catherine. Now please, come to bed."

Lily reached for her ID, preparing to swipe onto the forensic platform, when she saw—and smelled—the body laid out on the table.

"Nope," she squeaked, backing away swiftly. "Call me when the bones are clean. Bye!"

She turned on her heel and was gone, Cam, Angela, and Hodgins looking after her in confusion, Brennan unconcerned.

Angela went to her office, where Lily had retreated, a few minutes later, placing a hand on Lily's shoulder.

"You okay, Sweetie? Because that body doesn't even crack the, like, top thirty grossest we've had."

"Yeah, yeah." Lily shrugged. "I'm just not feeling so great today, is all."

"Okay, well, do you think you could handle some pictures? I'd like your help with some stuff."

"Is this going to be every day?" Lily asked, her back propped up against the cabinets as she sat on the bathroom floor. "I mean, yesterday at the lab I couldn't even be in the same room as a body, and this morning, I wasn't awake ten minutes before I had to hurl."

Aubrey shrugged from the edge of the bathtub. "I'm sorry."

Lily lie on the paper-covered table in the doctor's office, feeling physically incapable of letting go of Aubrey's hand.

"You know my mom wanted to come with me?" she asked. "She seemed to think that somehow I would handle all of this better with her around."

"She's a good mom. She just wants to take care of you."

"It's a lot to live up to," Lily admitted quietly.

"You have a great model to look to," Aubrey corrected.

Before Lily could protest, the ultrasound technician came in, grinning warmly at the couple. There was a part of Lily that wished he were more sterile, more serious, looking less like he was delivering the happiest news—and a larger part of her that felt immensely guilty for thinking that.

"I'm sure you're more than ready for this," he grinned, reaching to position Lily's legs.

Aubrey grinned back at the man, and Lily felt a pang of jealousy.

And then—and then—the wand was inside of her, and a faint heartbeat started coming through the machine. It was insistent, alive, growing right inside Lily, half her and half James.

Aubrey's mouth fell open, watching the screen as the tech pointed out the tiniest dot.

"There's your baby," he said.

The world seemed to fall away from Lily, so that there was only the dot and the heartbeat and Aubrey's hand squeezing hers. She could only sit there as the technician waited patiently, letting them listen for a few minutes.

"Wow," Aubrey said, and she could hear the tears in his voice, her own vision beginning to blur.

When they were alone again, Aubrey kissed her fingers gently, feeling like he had never been more in love with the woman in front of him.

"How was that?" he asked, acknowledging that the experience was the most confronted Lily had been with their situation so far. "I know that you didn't want a baby—"

"No," she interrupted, "but I want this baby. I want this baby a whole lot."

"Yeah?" he asked, trying not to sound too enthusiastic.

"It's like it happened all at once," she explained. "Like I didn't feel anything, and now I feel—well, still terrified. But at least a little happy. At least a little like a mother. And like I love that tiny little dot and that faint little heartbeat sound more than anything in the whole world."

A/N: And so a new adventure begins! I have about 15 chapters planned, so please stick around! And please leave a review—it's what keeps me going.

The next chapter gets angsty.