Created May 2013 - I don't own these characters as made famous by the TV show, Bones. Love them anyway. All the rest that follows is my feeble attempt to keep time in between broadcasts and Razztaztic and Threesquares postings. Must not forget Covalent Bond either.
A/N: It's Mother's Day. So before I post the next two chapters of "You and I" I had to do a Mother's Day vignette. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. To the good ones - keep doing your thing, and share it with others.
"Okay Baby Girl, go get her." He whispered, depositing his daughter at the foot of the bed.
As expected, Christine took off on all fours up the bed, delighting at the bumpy and uneven journey up Mommy and Dada's bed. Her pants of exertion were interrupted only by cries of joy as her target – Mommy's face – came clearer into sight.
By mid-hip, Brennan had awoke to a creature's movement up her body. Initially startled at the unusual wake-up technique, her body's default reaction of alert soon relaxed as she recognized the giggles and adorable puffs of breath of her little girl. Although her hair partially obscured her face, both Christine and her Dada had view to Mommy's amused grin.
Brennan laid still as Christine reached her head, sitting beside her mama for a moment before she continued her attack. Demonstrating the Booth in her, she assessed her target prior to the the further execution of her strategy. Given her position, Christine rocked her body forward, putting one hand on the pillow and placing her right hand on Mommy' cheek as leverage. She leaned her head against her mama's forehead as she peered through Brennan's hair in search of her eyes. Brennan hummed at the warmth of her baby's open mouth breaths against her and the soft flutter of Christine's eyelids on her own. She felt the light but pudgy hand caress her cheek, a movement that Brennan was certain Christine learned having observed her father's caresses to her Mommy's cheek.
Christine was certain that this action would rouse her mother, but when her mother still showed no signs of motion, she decided to change her tactics. Almost immediately, Brennan began to giggle as her 14 month old began to pat her head, chanting "Ma Bone, Ma Bone…" As the pats became harder and began to resemble Booth's swats, Brennan determined that she had teased her little girl long enough. With a deep sigh of contentment, she swallowed up her daughter in a warm embrace. She rolled her baby from the right side of her and lifted her to lay onto her chest.
Christine squealed with joy at her mother's response, unexpectedly letting an accumulation of drool escape from her mouth onto Mommy's chin. "Oh Christine!" Brennan laughed as she wiped away the excess saliva. Brennan drew Christine's sweet little lips to her mouth, kissing her precious child.
While Christine placed both hands on either side of Mommy's face, Brennan held Christine slightly away from her face. She examined the features of her beautiful rosy-cheeked child, recalling the similarities between Christine and her half-brother, Parker. "You are so beautiful, Christine" she wondered out loud, observing the perfect hybrid of her eyes and pug nose so delicately complemented by Booth's curly hair and prominent mental protuberance. Her curly sandy brown locks spilled toward her face.
Christine squirmed on top of her mother, recollecting her Dada's instructions as interpreted by a fourteen month old. "Ma Bone Day! Ma Bone Day!" she asserted. Brennan chuckled at her daughter's obvious precocity when it came to the teachings of her father. While Brennan had struggled with episodes of Christine's disinterest in peek-a-boo and, who could forget the Emma-biting debacle – she never ceased to marvel at how effortlessly Christine took to Booth's instructions. She sighed with jealousy at the thought – ease with Booth.
Speaking of Booth, Brennan felt the warmth of her child's embrace triple as her partner slipped onto the bed beside her to the left. With a loving caress, Booth cupped her cheek and then embraced his two girls with a constrictor like grip. "Happy Mother's Day, Bones! Or, should I call it 'Ma Bones' Day?"
Brennan turned to her partner. How she loved this man. She smiled at the sincerity of his warm brown eyes that gazed upon her. He placed a soft, loving kiss onto her hungry lips, interrupted only by Christine's "love pats" to both of their faces for attention. Both laughed at Christine's impatience, silently recognizing this inevitable characteristic being contributed from both sides of her gene pool.
Booth rubbed Christine's back while he pecked at Brennan's lips once, then again, then again. "Christine and I made you breakfast, Baby. Are you hungry?"
"I could eat." Brennan replied, trying to untangle a memory of what she recalled as "veg Sundays" from her childhood, when she, Max, her mother and Russ would spend the entire Sunday camped out on her parent's bed. Her dad would make breakfast for everyone, and she and Russ would fight for control over the morning papers and then the TV remote. She thought it curious that she couldn't recall what her parents were doing during these little battles, especially given her current interest in kissing and touching her partner.
Partner. Brennan sighed at the term. It had almost been three weeks since she had proposed to Booth and he had accepted – and two weeks and four days since he had recused his acceptance.
Brennan sat up on the bed. She noted that on the far dresser, a tray awaited her lap, replete with fruit, toast, vegan yogurt, oatmeal bowls, juice and coffee. Booth darted off to retrieve the tray. Brennan sat her daughter up beside her. She sighed silently as she watched her partner retrieve the tray.
Brennan had been devastated at his change of heart – did she not know him as well as she thought? Was there something that she had done wrong? No theories had made sense, especially given the evidence of his obvious love for her as demonstrated through his commitment to their family and his obvious and persistent desire to couple with her. Nothing had made sense about his rejection of her submission to his archaic views…
…And right now was no different. How could any man look on a woman with more love and regard than Booth looking at her right now? To validate this point, Brennan turned to her child beside her to find the same look of unconditional adoration on her face as she had just seen on her partner. Though irrational, she felt her heart ache at the sweet pain of this disorienting situation.
Booth brought the tray over to his girls. "I was thinking that you ladies could enjoy your breakfast, and then we could meet Max for lunch at the diner before heading over to the cemetery to visit your Mom? I think it's time that Christine met Christine."
Brennan easily followed Booth's logic by his meta-communicative gestures. She watched her partner, her eyes welling with tears at how thoughtful and gentle he was with her. It had not occurred to her to share her daughter with her mother, but at the mere suggestion of it – it felt….right. He knows so much about love I've yet to be able to understand. She mused. She shook her head in agreement with his itinerary. "That sounds lovely, Booth." She agreed.
He smiled at her reaction and leaned in to kiss her. "Happy Mother's Day, Baby" he said with his trademark grin. She searched his eyes, certain of his sincerity and also - apology. He held her in a sad, loving gaze before he took off away from the bed. He pulled off his tee-shirt, tossing it carelessly toward the hamper as he headed to the shower.
Brennan watched admiringly as her partner's departing physique. She blushed slightly turning to their daughter, encouraging Christine to ape her mama's actions with the utensils.
Brennan sighed. She was utterly confused. She had noticed how penitent Booth's actions had become since that night. There was nothing, no indicator that he was not as in love with her as was she with him, but he had refused her - and in a way that even to her unconditioned receptors seemed reluctant.
She had not understood. She let her tears fall countless times since that night, confused by the duality of his rejection and his continued behavior that indicated that nothing had changed between the two of them.
Christine, nudged her mother's arm with pride – excited to show Mommy her new skill at eating oatmeal without assistance. Brennan beamed at her daughter, combing affectionately through her curly locks. She snorted as she watched her daughter borrow a blueberry from her own plate. She kissed the top of her daughter's head. Christine regarded her Mom with her father's grin.
Stroking her child's back, Brennan thought about the night before. Knowing her cycle, Booth still elected to engage in very rigorous, very pleasurable coitus without protection. Brennan touched the spot where her neck met her shoulder, recalling Booth's heated whisper against it: "God I love you so much Bones. I think it's time to make another baby, Baby. You're such an incredible mother. It would be selfish of us to just stop with just one, hmm?"
She took a deep breath. It was so evident that Booth loved her. It was obvious that he was committed to her for the rest of his life. Irrationally, she decided to let faith to be her driver - she knew that she would understand his actions at some point, no matter how painful was the immediate hurt of his refusal.
For now, she resolved to enjoy her daughter, her partner and this day.