**** MAJOR SPOILER ALERT! ****

If you haven't seen the "Change in the Game", I highly suggest that you immediately close your eyes, click the "Back" button on your browser and come back at 10 pm tonight. If you are part of the very fortunate fans who have already seen the episode, feel free to read around and leave a review at the door. Thank you very much! Hope you enjoy!

"You're really pregnant?"

He stared into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity, trying to figure out whether she was joking or actually being serious. When her weak smile disappeared and worry filled her eyes once more, he knew she couldn't be joking.

"Yes, I am."

His smile grew larger.

"And I'm the father?"

Bones sighed.

"Yes, Booth," she replied, with an edge to her voice. "I told you that already."

The smile grew even larger. A wave of happiness washed over him and all he wanted to do was to take her in his arms and lift her off the ground, but he wasn't sure how she was going to react. After all, she seemed more nervous than he was.

"Oh, come on, Bones! This is good news! A baby… we're going to have a little baby!" he said, reaching out for her stomach.

Bones took a step back. Seeing the hurt in her partner's eyes, she immediately felt guilty. But how could this be good news? It was completely the wrong time; was she even sure she wanted it?

"Bones, you said you wanted to have a baby," Booth went on, as if sensing her internal dilemma. "You were willing to go through with two years ago, how come you're so scared today?"

Sure, she had wanted it. Nonetheless, there was a fine line between wanting and having. Wanting came with desire and excitement; having came with apprehensiveness and fear of the unknown. She couldn't have known about it until she had actually crossed over that line. Now she had, and she was more apprehensive than she had ever been in her life.

She should have been happy. After all, she was having the baby she wanted with a father who was a real stand-up guy, one who would never abandon her or the child and who would be there to support her throughout the entire pregnancy. Booth was perfect, yet she couldn't shake the negative feelings away.

"You said Angela and Hodgins were living the happiest day of their lives because they got a healthy baby and because they are in love. But we're not them, Booth. We are not married, we're not even dating. We are not in love, like Angela and Hodgins."

Booth sighed. Rubbing her chin, he tried to think of something to tell her. Were they in love? That night certainly had meant a lot to him and, up until now, he had been sure it had been mutual. Things had definitely changed between them. They had talked about becoming a couple eventually. Maybe the time had come.

"Bones, we may not be a real couple, but you can't tell me that what happened between us had been all about hormones."

Bones shrugged, feeling more defeated by the second. They hadn't spoken about what happened that night. She had no way of knowing why it had happened and what had gone on between them. One second Booth had been holding her; the next their lips had locked into a sweet, yet passionate kiss. From that moment on, things had turned… intimate.

"If it wasn't hormones, then what was it?"

Again, Booth felt the urge to hold her in his arms. Instead, he took one tentative step forward and reached for her waist.

"Love, Bones. What we did was love. You asked me if I loved you; I told you I did. When I asked you if you wanted me to prove it to you, you said yes. I don't regret any of it. Everything about that night was perfect."

A smile began tugging at her lips.

"So you're happy?"

"Of course I'm happy, Bones. A baby! We're going to be parents!"

"And you won't let me down? You're not going to walk away from us?"

Booth understood her concerns and where her insecurities were coming from, yet the questions still hurt him. How could he ever leave them? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind before she brought it up.

"Temperance, you know me better than that."

She shivered at the sound of her name. He so seldom used her name it felt unfamiliar to her ears.

"I love you. I could never walk away from you now. You're carrying my child. Anything you'll need me to do, Bones, I'll be there. I want to be there. I'll do the parenting classes with you; I'll go to the sonograms and all the doctor's appointments. I'll be there when you're delivering that baby and I will be taking it home with you and raise it with you. I want to do all those things."

He stared into her eyes and could still see the worry in them. He thought back to the night she had walked into his bedroom, desperate for reassurance and comfort. He had offered her that and so much more, more than he ever thought he would be able to offer her. They could have been more careful; things had just unravelled so fast, they hadn't planned any of it. Now, she needed that same reassurance, but he wasn't quite sure how to give it to her.

Pulling her against him, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. Her arms snaked up around his neck. He could feel her heart beat against his chest and the warm feel of her breath against his skin made him shiver. Feelings he had thought long gone came rushing back to him tenfold.

"Can we please keep this between us for now?" she asked, her voice betraying her anxiety. "I'm not ready to tell anyone yet."

"Of course, Bones. Anything you want."