A/N: Wow! I never really thought this story would get such rave reviews from you guys. Thank you! I'm sorry about the shortness of this chapter. I was having problems getting it to flow right. Please tell me if you notice any mistakes... I kinda rushed it. Hope you guys enjoy it. :D
Chapter 2
Christmas Gifts and Happy New Years.
Booth stood back from the tree and grinned. He had managed to talk his girlfriend into having a tree in her office. What she didn't know, was that while she was in court testifying he would be setting it up and decorating it. While he had been standing in the store, looking at all of the different decoration, the clearance rack had caught his eye. After several days of back and forth with many of the books in her office he had managed to find everything he needed and decorate them. Now he stood there, grinning at his own stroke of genius. He only hoped that she wouldn't be mad about it. Shaking his head at the thought, he moved about gathering the containers he had brought the things in, and generally straightening up the office. He still had about twenty minutes before she would get back and he wanted to talk to Angela again.
Making his way past the forensics platform and into the artist's office, he found her tapping away on her pad for the hologram projector. Floating in front of her was a baby, or at least he thought it was a baby. Curled around itself, with an umbilical cord connecting it to a large glob of something just above it's head, it slowly rotated.
"Hey Ange. Wow, that's really cool," he said, stepping up to the projector. She glanced up at him and grinned, before returning to what she had been doing.
"It's a Christmas gift for a friend of mine up in Archeology. She's seven months pregnant, and I managed to get a couple of copies of her ultrasound photos. Figured I'd do the program for her. Once I'm done with it, I'm going to do it in clay. Figured a cute little statue of her baby would make her really happy," Angie said, making a couple more adjustments before setting the pad down and turning her full attention to Booth. She couldn't help but notice the look of longing on the big guys face. "You want another one," she said. Not a question, a statement of fact. Sighing and scrubbing his face with his hands he nodded.
"I can't tell you how thrilled I was when Bones asked me to be the father of her baby. Before the tumor and all. I just couldn't do it. I can't be a father, without being a father. I know it's strange, but it's the truth. But I can't shake the want for it," he said, returning his eyes to the baby floating in front of him. Angie patted him on the shoulder and moved to a table near by. Leaning against it, and making sure that her frilly shirt wasn't touching any of the tools needed for the clay sculpture, she smiled at the big guy.
"Now don't get me wrong on this, I know it's none of my business, but I think your need for another child has a couple of roots. The first I think, is how much time you missed with Parker while he was just a baby. He's a great kid now, and you love him so very much, but I think you regret missing out on so much. The second being the missed chance you had with Bren. Yeah I understand why you couldn't just do it in a cup and leave it at that, you're not that kind of person. But you also regret once again, missing out on the baby you could of had. Now both of these things are connected, you refused Bren because of how hurt you were with Parker and Rebecca," Angie said all of this while watching the wistful look in Booth's eyes as he watched the unborn baby slowly turn. He didn't say anything to her, but the look in his eyes when they met her's a few moments later said it loud and clear. He understood, and he knew. He knew why all of it was happening, but the sadness there, was that he didn't know if Brennen would ever give him the second chance at being a father. Mere heartbeats passed as they stared at each other and understood. Then Booth shook himself and grinned at Angie.
"Anyway, the main reason why I came in here is that I wanted to ask you to come and look at the tree that I put in Bone's office and tell me what you think," He said, a happy note in his voice, but Angie could still see the look in his eyes, that little spark of hope that had died when he'd told Brennen no. Angie smiled back at him, that indulgent look on her face once again, the one she wore when she had to explain something so obvious to Brennen.
"Alright big guy, let's go take a look at this tree of yours," she said, pushing away from the table. As they made their way across the lab area, she threaded her arm through his, throwing a sultry smile at her husband on her way passed his desk. When they stepped into Brennen's office, Angela laughed at the tree. Pale blue and white lights circled it, giving it an almost eerie glow, which wasn't entirely helped by the bones hanging from small hooks on it. Booth had spent hours researching the human skeletal structure to make sure that he had a complete skeleton on the tree. He'd finally succeeded in gathering, or making the bones he couldn't just buy, the 200+ bones that would make up a male skeleton. Wood or plastic, the decorations were definitely going to surprise Brennen a little. The skull was the tree topper, and hidden near the back, where it wasn't easy to see was the sternum, which he had had to make him self. Carved into the back of the wooden bone was the year. It was his way of commemorating their first Christmas together. Cheezy? Yes. Corny? Yes, but Booth didn't care one little bit.
"What do you think?" He asked, smiling at her.
"I think it's perfect, and it's accurate? You know how picky she is about her bones," Angie said, moving away from Booth to the tree and looking it over.
"Yep, every bone in that would be in my body is there, either made of plastic or painted wood, and every one is strung up separately. I even went so far as to take them all down to one of the intern's in Limbo and have them double check my work. There are a couple of the... phalange... bones that are a little odd shaped, but we couldn't figure out what was wrong with them, so we left them. I know Bones with help me fix it when she figures out what's wrong with them," Booth said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and bouncing on the balls of his feet. He looked entirely too smug with himself about succeeding in his little plan. It had taken quite a bit of work on his part, but he figured that his girl would love it. Speaking of his girl, he heard her voice from out in the lab and grinned.
"Everything went well, I just need to drop my bag off in my office, then I'll come by to take a look at that with you Mr. Nigle Murry," Brennen was saying as she stepped into her office, looking over her shoulder at the intern on the platform. They were identifying 300 year old spartan remains that had been found in Crease a few months ago. When she turned to face her office she grinned. The first thing she saw was Booth standing there with a grin on his face. She didn't even notice the tree or Angela standing next to it until after she had dropped her purse onto the couch and kissed Booth soundly. After they parted, she glanced around and blushed slightly at the sight of Angela, then gasped. She'd seen the tree.
"It's all there, as accurate as I could make it. I hope you like it," Booth said as he turned Brennen toward the tree and pushed her toward it gently.
***
Twelve hours and a throbbing headache later, Booth was laid down on the couch in his and Brennen's apartment, trying to forget about the pain in his skull while Brennen cooked dinner. It was not working all that well, every beat of his heart sent a knife of searing pain straight into his head, which was then compounded by the sounds of his breathing. He'd taken a couple of pain killers when they'd gotten home, but they hadn't kicked in yet. Just as he was beginning to contemplate weather he'd live through it or not, he felt a cool damp cloth be laid over his eyes. Knowing instantly that it had been Brennen who'd done it, he smiled tensely and lifted his hand. Her cheek was laid against his palm, and he could almost feel the small smile play across her face. She had gotten what she had wanted after all. She almost never came home to an empty apartment anymore.
And on top of that, even though she had yet to tell Booth, she'd gotten another wish as well. Sighing, she pressed a soft kiss into Booth's palm and laid it across his stomach again. Dinner was ready, and she suddenly decided that they would eat in the living room tonight. Just when Booth thought that she wasn't coming back and he'd have to face the bright lights of the dinning room, the couch near his feet sank with her weight. Smiling he slowly sat up and swung his feet to the floor. The cloth slid off his face and landed on his lap, making him grimace. Removing the wet cloth he dropped it onto the table and turned to look at Brennen. She was sitting there next to him, a bowl of Macaroni and Cheese in both hands, forks sticking out of them, but there was something in her eyes that belied the smile on her face. She was scared. He'd known her long enough to know that. But what was she scared about?
Brennen smiled at him, trying her best to suppress the fear that she felt in her heart. What if he didn't want this? What if he didn't want her because of it? But hadn't she sworn to herself that night in his apartment all those months ago that she was would be honest to both of them? So why was it so hard to just say those two words? And she answered her own question, because she was afraid to loose him, she was afraid to once again come home to an empty apartment, to loose the love she had from this man.
Booth took his dinner from her hand, brushing his fingers across it hers gently, that charming smile on his face. Brennen turned to her own dinner, speared a couple of noodles and froze. He didn't seem to notice. He was too busy scarfing down the food she'd made. This is what he gets for not eating all day, a headache and a rumbling stomach. Well her Mac and Cheese was enough to make him feel better. Or at least it was until he heard the shuddering breath of his girlfriend from beside him. Whipping his head that way, his eyes wide, the fork fell from numb fingers when he saw the tears sliding down Brennen's cheeks. She had set her food on the carpet next to her feet and was just sitting there, crying.
"Oh god! Bones?!" Booth cried, setting his own half-finished dinner on the coffee table and sliding to the floor on his knees. Shuffling for a moment, he managed to place himself in front of her. Brennen sobbed when her face was cupped by both of his hands. "Babe? What's wrong?" his voice was soft, full of concern and fear. Bending forward, she buried her face in her hand and sobbed. She didn't know what to do, this was very unlike the logical Dr. Brennen. She was afraid, that this man would not want her, because of the baby she had growing in her womb. If there was a higher power then it was a cruel one to have given her a taste of everything she never knew she wanted, and then snatch it away from her with such a joyous thing. The sobs continued to wrack her slight frame as Booth wrapped his arms around his partner and lover. What could have made her cry so?
"Bones? Babe? What's wrong? You know you can talk to me, no matter what it is, I won't freak out I promise," He said, running his fingers softly along her back. A moment later he felt her tense even more before she mumbled something into her hands. Her body held the tension as she waited for him to reply. "Um... I didn't understand that darling, I'm sorry," Booth said, dropping back to sit on his knees. Anger snapped in her blue eyes when she lifted her head from her hands and glared at him. How dare he not understand her when she finally gets up enough courage to say it. Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly at the anger in her eyes, he waited her out though, now he knew he'd done or said something wrong, she wouldn't be angry otherwise, but what had he done?
Brennen took a deep breath, remembered her vow to be honest to them, and blurted it out. "I'm pregnant," her eyes snapped shut and she waited for the anger, and denial in his voice. Boy did he shock her. The only thing she heard when he finally found his voice once again was shock.
"Pregnant?" Booth sat on his heels, and stared at her, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open slightly. This is what she was so afraid of? What did she think, he'd leave her for this or something? Then he stopped, of course. After what he'd said to her when she'd asked, how he'd acted, god he was an idiot some times. Here he was, getting the second chance to be a father, to be a father to Brennen's child, and he'd already screwed it up. Well, he'd just have to fix it now wouldn't he?
Brennen's head snapped up to look at Booth when she heard what was in his voice. He sat there, staring at her, not saying anything his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. Just as she was starting to get scared again, as the heat of her anger was cooling, he moved. Surging to his feet, he gripped her by the shoulders and brought her with him, when they were standing he crashed their lips together, clutching her too him. Brennen gasped against his lips before moaning, more tears trickling down her cheeks. They staid that way for a few moments before he parted their lips and leaned his forehead against her. Breathing hard, Brennen dug her nails into the back of his shirt, where her arms had encircled him during their kiss.
"I love you, Bones. More than you'll ever know, but right now I'm a little mad at you," He panted, and had to tighten his grip on her to prevent her from wriggling away from him. "Not because you're pregnant, you don't know how happy that makes me. No I'm a little bit mad at you, because you doubted me, you doubted that I would be happy about this. I never want you to doubt me, ever. I know I screwed up before, and I know you were afraid that I wouldn't want this baby because of what happened last year, when you asked, but you were wrong. I wanted to have a baby with you then, but the way you were doing it, wouldn't let me. You didn't want me involved, and that's what made me say no. Well, that's changed hasn't it?" he said all of this ever so softly against her nose, his eyes still closed his hands now resting on her arms. Brennen's lightning quick mind processed everything that he'd just said and sighed. He wanted this baby, he wanted to stay with her, and was asking her if she wanted the same from him. God, sometimes she really could be an idiot couldn't she?
"Of course it has, forgive me?" she murmured, rubbing small circles into his back. Booth sighed, nodded and scooped his girlfriend up into his arms. His headache was long forgotten, and he had other things on his mind then Mac and Cheese at the moment.
"Always," was his soft reply as he walked them into their bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him.
***
Christmas came and went, with Brennen's apartment and office filled with the sweet scent of pine. A few days after Christmas, Brennen had her first appointment with her midwife, and found out that she would be due in late September. Booth was a dream, he rubbed her feet for her, which after a long day of being on her feet, it was needed, and agreed to wait a little while longer to tell everyone else. They both wanted to keep it as just theirs for a while before everyone started to through advice at them. However, they couldn't wait much longer, Hodgin's had invited them over for a New Year's party, and there was no way, no one would notice that Brennen wasn't drinking. So when they were sat around the dinner table, Brennen ignoring the glass of red wine set by her, and sipping water, she knew she couldn't wait any longer to tell her family and friends. Taking a deep breath as panic rose in her throat, she fumbled under the table and took Booth's hand. He turned to look at her, gave her a warm smile and squeezed her hand. Then he stood up.
"Excuse me everyone? Just a moment please," Booth called out, tapping the side of his water glass with his spoon. After a moment he had gathered everyone's attention. "Thank you, now I know that everyone just wants to finish eating and get to fully stocked bar in the other room, but myself and Bones have something to say before then," he said, smiling down at the women who sat to his left. She took a deep breath and nodded to him to continue. "We are happy to announce that we will be welcoming a new member to our family sometime in late October," his words passed through smiling lips and when they fell into a shocked silence he settled himself back into his chair and turned to his girlfriend, taking her hand. A hand span of heartbeats passed before the silence shattered into a confused murmur. Suddenly Angela sprang to her feet, rounded the table and hugged her best friend.
"Congrats, Bren, I'm so happy for you," she said, a grin on her face. "And you too Big Guy," she said, turning her attention to Booth. That's all it took, everyone was smiling and congratulating the happy couple, and when the New Year hit, Brennen and Booth sighed, hoping this new year would bring nothing but happiness into their lives.
A/N: Thank you guys again for suck amazing feedback, please keep it coming. It'll be a while before I can manage to get the next chapter up. I had this one half finished when I posted the story on here. I havn't even touched the next chapter yet. Again please keep the feedback coming!!!