There's some case here, but it's a lot of fluff. Again, some things I write might not actually happen in real life, but the same can be said for a lot of things which authors write.


An hour later, Brennan was sitting in her office frowning at the paperwork on her desk that she was attempting to complete. Kristen sat in her lap, attempting to play chess on her computer. The small girl had picked up on the game fairly quickly and was even starting to learn some strategy with Brennan's help. Booth breezed into the office without bothering to knock. "You were right, Bones," he announced, waving a folder. Opening it, he read, "Lindsey Pauline, born December 6, 1988. Adopted by Ted and Norah Ellis January 5, 1989. Adoption records were sealed which is why they did not come up initially. Norah Ellis lied to us."

"She never technically lied to us. We never directly asked her if she was Lindsey's biological mother," Brennan pointed out.

"A lie by omission is still a lie, Bones."

"What's omission?" Kristen asked suddenly, alerting both partners to the fact that she was still in the room.

"It means leaving something out," Brennan explained. "I have a pair of headphones here, Kristen," Brennan continued, plugging her headphones into the computer. "Why don't you put these on while you play your game?"

"You just don't want me listenin' to what you're sayin'," Kristen deduced accurately; however, she still placed the headphones over her ears.

"So what do you want to do, Booth?" Brennan questioned.

"I want to question her again. Here, this time."

"I thought you had decided she had nothing to do with the murder."

"I don't like people lying to me, Bones, whether they're murderers or not."

Thirty minutes later, Booth and Brennan sat across from Norah Ellis in the interrogation room. Booth was turned sideways in his chair, one arm on the table in front of him, his fingers tapping a random rhythm on the smooth surface as he regarded the older woman carefully. "I don't understand why I'm back here, Agent Booth," she told him. "I answered all of your questions before."

"You lied to us, Mrs. Ellis," he told her.

"I'm sorry?" He slid the adoption papers across the table to her. She picked them up and glanced quickly at them before returning her gaze to Booth's face which had remained expressionless. "I did not think Lindsey's adoption had any bearing on the case," Norah explained. "It was a long time ago."

"Still, you think you would have mentioned it at some point."

"Why? I raised Lindsey from an infant. As far as I was concerned, she was my daughter. It doesn't matter what genetics say."

"Did you tell Lindsey she was adopted?" Brennan inquired.

Norah turned to Brennan. "We were going to tell her on her eighteenth birthday. That's what Ted and I had agreed on. But then when he got sick and with everything that happened after that, I just couldn't do that. Not when she was just beginning to let me in again."

"But she found out," Booth guessed.

Norah nodded. "About a year ago, she confronted me. Evidently, she was taking some genetics class for school and realized that there are some things which don't make sense genetically about her being related to us. Her eye color for one." Booth looked to Brennan as Norah spoke, remembering how she had discovered Lindsey's true parentage in the same way. She, however, was not paying any attention to him; her attention was focused entirely on the woman in front of her. "At that point, I told her everything. I even showed her the adoption papers."

"How'd she take it?" Booth questioned.

"Not well as I'm sure you can imagine. She refused to speak to me for awhile. We'd only recently started talking again, and even then she was still cold and distant. I knew I should have told her earlier, but I simply couldn't bring myself to do it. I just started thinking that I would never have to. I should've known better."

They spoke to Norah for a bit longer before Booth decided to let her go. "You aren't going to hold her for longer?" Brennan asked.

"Nah, there's nothing to hold her for. She didn't do it."

"You said that before."

"And I still believe it."

"Are we going to talk to her friends at school now?"

Booth checked his watch. "It's too late now. We can do that tomorrow. We need to get to your apartment and get some dinner before the social worker gets there." With that, he turned and left before she could begin to protest.

They stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up more food, for Booth knew that Brennan did not have many kid friendly choices in her apartment. While they were there, they also stocked up on formula and bottles for Noah and picked up a couple Barbies for Kristen. He also stopped at his apartment and wrestled the old portable crib he had for Parker out of the closet so that Noah would have somewhere to sleep. When they reached Brennan's apartment, Booth headed immediately for the kitchen with most of the groceries to begin cooking. Brennan had learned early on in their relationship that he was actually a fairly skilled chef; evidently, he had learned in college to impress girls. He told her that he did not often cook except when he had her and/or Parker over, however, for he found it depressing to cook for only himself.

And tonight with three mouths to feed, he decided to make his famous chili, a recipe that Parker loved and that he could easily convert into something vegetarian for Brennan. He had found himself cooking many more vegetarian meals since they had started dating. Though he scoffed at the food, he had found that it did not taste as bad as he had first feared (a fact he would never admit to Brennan). And while he was still a carnivore at heart, he was willing to expand his horizons to accommodate her. After all, she was worth it.

He found Brennan at the dining table with Kristen, showing the small girl how to set the table. He watched the scene play out with a small smile. Who would have thought that Dr. Temperance Brennan could be so domestic? And yet, here she was, carefully guiding Kristen's hand so that she placed the fork in the correct spot.

"Dinner's ready," he announced, walking up behind Brennan. Placing his hand on her hips, he bent over to kiss the back of her neck. She turned in his arms, and he used the hands still on her hips to pull her closer to him. Kristen rolled her eyes as he leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. As they continued to kiss, Kristen finished setting the table. Just as she was placing the last fork, a knock sounded at the door. Kristen glanced briefly at the two partners who were still locked together at the lips before sighing and traipsing toward the door.

When she opened the door, she saw an older woman in a sensible black skirt and jacket standing outside, her fist raised to knock again. The woman glanced down at Kristen curiously. "Is this the Brennan residence?" she questioned.

"Yeah. I'm Kristen. You're the social worker Booth and Tempe were talkin' about?" Kristen questioned, extending a hand. The woman took it, slightly taken-aback.

"Yes, I am from social services. Is Temperance Brennan around?"

"She's inside." Kristen jerked her head over her shoulder, turning. When the woman didn't follow her immediately, Kristen turned back to her. "You comin'?"

"Yes, of course." Together, the two walked into the apartment. Kristen led the social worker into the dining room where Booth and Brennan still stood, their lips pressed so tightly together that it looked to Kristen like they were trying to devour each other's faces. Booth's hands were slowly traveling over Brennan's back as her hands tangled in his hair. Kristen cleared her throat loudly, and the two sprang apart.

"Kristen, did you finish. . ." Booth broke off as he noticed the social worker standing a few feet from the girl. "You found a friend?"

"Says she's with social services," Kristen announced.

"Oh." Booth forced a nervous smile as he glanced at the clock. "You're twenty minutes early," he observed.

"I like to come early," the social worker told him. "I'd rather have my appearance be a surprise. It lets me see the. . . natural environment."

Booth gave an anxious chuckle. "Seeley Booth. Dr. Brennan and I are partners." He held out a hand which the woman shook perfunctorily.

"I can see that," she remarked. "Penny Treewater."

"And I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan," Brennan introduced, also holding out a hand.

"We're just about to have dinner if you'd like to join us," Booth offered. "It's vegetarian chili. I made plenty."

Penny glanced around briefly before nodding. "You know, I think I'll take you up on that offer," she decided.

"Okay. If you'd like to take a seat at the table, I'll be right out with the chili." As he said this, wails could be heard from the other side of the apartment.

"I've got him," Brennan assured Booth. "Why don't you just get dinner served?"

"Okay. Um, how much chili would you like, Ms. Treewater?" he questioned, walking into the kitchen with Kristen trailing behind him.

"Just a little is fine, thank you." Booth nodded, dishing up a small bowl for her before handing it to Kristen with instructions to carry it carefully to the table. The young girl did as he asked before racing back into the kitchen. "Okay, Munchkin, how much do you want?" he questioned once she stood beside him again.

"A whole lot!" she exclaimed, spreading her arms wide. He chuckled.

"Why don't we start out with a bowlful and see how it goes from there?"

She considered his offer for a moment before nodding. "Okay." As he finished dishing her chili up, he heard Brennan call from across the apartment.

"Booth?"

Wiping his hands on the dish towel hanging on the oven, he exited the kitchen to join her. "Yeah, Bones?" he called back.

"Where did you put the diapers?"

"Uh, I think I took them in with me and the rest of the groceries," he answered, reentering the kitchen. Sure enough, the diapers were tucked into a bag in the corner. He brought them out and presented them to her triumphantly.

"Thanks." She smiled gratefully before reentering the bedroom with Noah still cuddled to her chest. Penny watched the interaction with interest.

"So how long have you two been married?" she inquired.

"They're not married," Kristen answered quickly. "They just kiss and stuff."

"You need to stop talking with your mouth full, Munchkin," Booth chided as he came back into the room with two more bowls of chili. "And wait until everyone is seated and served before you begin eating."

"Okay, Booth," Kristen said with a dramatic sigh. He smiled and ruffled her hair. After a final trip to the kitchen, he set a salad on the table, telling Kristen and Penny to go ahead and serve themselves while he checked on Brennan. He found her in the bedroom, carefully fastening the diaper onto Noah. When she finished, she turned to Booth expectantly, holding the infant out to him.

"How'd I do?"

"Great, Bones. You're a natural." She bit her lip when she heard this. There was no way she was a natural; she had not even decided that she wanted to be a mother until a month before. She was not good with kids; she did not know how to speak to them or act around them. Why did she even think she could do this?

As usual, Booth read her thoughts. He tipped her chin so that she was looking at him. "Trust me, Bones, you're doing great. Just be yourself. Kristen already loves you, and I think this guy is well on his way to loving you, too." He looked down at the baby in her arms who was rustling around, likely hungry. "And just remember, I've got your back. No matter what." He leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before exiting the bedroom.

"We now have one clean, hungry baby," he announced to Kristen and Penny who both jumped when they heard his voice. "Whoa, a little skittish there, huh? Have you two been up to something?" he questioned.

"No, nothing," Kristen answered quickly. A bit too quickly in Booth's opinion.

"Uh huh." His tone was disbelieving. "Well, I'll get it out of you later. Just remember, you can't lie to me." Though his words might have seemed threatening, his playful tone and wide smile belied any intimidating quality they might have held. Kristen giggled. "Okay, Bones is just getting Noah's bottle ready. Kristen, why don't you bow your head and fold your hands? I'm going to say the blessing, and then we can eat."

"Can I say it?" Kristen asked eagerly. Booth looked up at her curiously. "I'm good at it, I promise," Kristen told him. "Mommy used to have me say it all the time before we ate. Please, Booth, please!"

"Sure, sweetheart, go ahead." So Kristen had been raised at least somewhat religiously, Booth noted. Interesting.

"Dear God. Thank you for everything you've given me. Thank you for Noah and Chance and Tempe and Booth. Thank you for helping us to find them and having them take us in. And thank you for all the wonderful food. And thank you for not making me live on the streets any longer. And watch over Mommy in heaven. Amen." She opened her eyes and looked up expectantly at Booth.

"Amen," he echoed, surprised as he heard a third voice say the word. Turning, he saw that Brennan had emerged from the kitchen to join them. He shot her a questioning look, but she did not respond, instead walking back into the kitchen to retrieve Noah's bottle.

"Did I do good, Booth?" Kristen asked eagerly.

"Yes, sweetheart, you did well," Booth praised, emphasizing the correct word.

"You're a religious man, Mr. Booth?" Penny questioned.

"Catholic," he answered simply. "And please, just Booth. Or Seeley."

"Call him Booth," Kristen instructed. "Seeley's a funny name."

"Hey, no making fun of my name!" He tweaked her nose in mock indignation, and she giggled. Brennan walked back into the dining room and took her seat next to Booth, still holding Noah who was now sucking contentedly at a bottle.

"Are you religious, too, Dr. Brennan?" Penny questioned.

"Tempe. And no. I don't have the same faith Booth has. But I'm learning." She exchanged a look that spoke volumes with Booth.

"Oh." Penny seemed slightly off-put by Brennan's answer, but she recovered quickly. "This is excellent chili," she complimented. "You are quite the chef, Dr. Brennan."

"Actually, Booth made it. The fact that I am a woman does not mean that I must make dinner every night. It's a ridiculous stereotype that-"

"She wasn't trying to insult you, Bones," Booth said placatingly.

"I assure you I wasn't, Tempe." She turned, addressing her next question to Booth. "Bones?" Booth sighed; he was really growing tired of explaining this.

"She works with bones. It's a nickname."

"Oh? What do you do?" Her head swiveled back to Brennan.

"I'm a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian, but I assume you already knew that since you have the information I submitted when I applied to be a foster parent," Brennan said.

"And you, Se-Booth?" she corrected, glancing at Kristen. "What do you do?"

"I'm a special agent with the FBI," he answered proudly.

"Don't see what's so special about you," Kristen muttered, plastering on a false smile when he glared at her. He tweaked her nose again.

They talked amicably for the rest of dinner with Penny throwing in numerous questions about their lives and work. Finally, near the end of dinner, she asked the question Booth knew she had been skirting around the entire time. "Are you and Tempe living together?"

They exchanged a glance. "No," Brennan answered.

"But you're seeing each other?"

"Yes."

"Do you think that's best for the children?"

"The children love him. He's great with him; he's an excellent father," Brennan replied, glancing at Booth as his hand shot out to catch Kristen's glass when she accidentally hit it with her elbow.

"So your relationship is stable?"

Booth steadied the teetering glass before answering. "Our relationship is perfectly stable. We've spent three years getting to this point; trust me, I'm not going anywhere."

"Then perhaps you would be willing to sign as a second foster parent."

"What?"

"I'm always more comfortable when children are in families with two parents. And while I would prefer that you two live under the same roof, the children are obviously attached to both of you, and you two seem to have a domestic situation of sorts. I'm guessing that you're at Tempe's house a lot, Booth?"

He glanced at her. "A fair amount," he answered. In truth, they spent nearly every night together now either in her apartment or his.

"Well, in that case, it makes sense that you should share responsibility for these children. Now, I'm guessing you're not registered as a foster parent?"

"No, not yet."

"Well, I can fax you the paperwork tomorrow. It'll take a couple weeks to process, so we would just have Tempe sign now, and we can add your name as a foster parent later. Would that be okay?"

Booth nodded. "That would be great."

"Does this mean you're letting me foster the children?" Brennan asked.

"For now, yes. These two are already attached to the two of you, and once children grow attached, I'm always reluctant to separate them. I'll be coming by periodically to check on you, make sure the children are adjusting okay. And you need to find a school for Kristen. Also, I'm slightly concerned about your jobs."

"The Jeffersonian has a great daycare program," Brennan told the woman. "I figured I would try to enroll Noah in that tomorrow. That way, he would be close to Booth and I while we worked."

"Okay. That's good. Now, I usually prefer at least one parent to be at home, but I think I can make an exception in this case if you prove to me that you can handle your jobs and caring for two children. Think of this as a conditional foster for right now. I'll be checking up on you frequently to make sure everything's going okay. If I find that you don't seem to be having problems and that the children are doing well, then I will decrease the frequency of my visits. But if I feel that the children are not doing well in your care, I won't hesitate to remove them."

"Of course. We'll take good care of them, don't worry," Booth assured her.

"I believe you when you say that, Agent Booth. I've been a social worker for many years now, and I've learned to get a feel for people pretty quickly. And I have a good feeling about the two of you. I think you truly want what is best for these children."

"We do," Brennan confirmed.

"Wonderful. Now, if you'll just fill this out, Tempe, I can be on my way." She handed Brennan a form, and Booth passed her a pen from the table behind him, taking Noah off her hands as she began to fill out the form.

Booth cleared the table while Brennan finished all the paperwork, enlisting Kristen to help. Once all the leftovers were put away and the dishes were in the drying rack, he returned to the table where Brennan was signing the final paper. "Okay, thank you, Tempe. I'll be in touch. And I'll send you that paperwork tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you," Booth told her. "Take care."

"You, too." She waved at them, and Booth saw her to the door before returning to the kitchen where Brennan and Kristen still sat.

"Does this mean we get to live with you?" Kristen inquired.

"It does," Brennan confirmed.

"Yay!"

"Hey, Munchkin, what were you and Penny talking about out here while I was helping Bones with Noah?" Booth queried.

"I just told her that I really wanted to live with you guys and no one else. I said that if she tried to take me away, I'd just run away. She said she'd consider that when she was making her decision." Booth smiled and shook his head.

"Well, I guess you're stuck with us then. Now, come on, let's go see if we can find a clothing store still open so we can get you something else to wear."

Later that night, Kristen was asleep in Brennan's guest bed which easily dwarfed her. Noah slept soundly in a crib beside the bed, and Booth and Brennan could hear the breathing of both kids from where they sat in the living room through a monitor they had bought earlier that day. Booth's phone rang, and he sighed when he saw the name. "Hello, Rebecca," he greeted without enthusiasm. He paused to listen to something she said, and Brennan watched as his eyes lit up. "No, no, I'd be happy to watch him. . . Yeah, that's fine. . . No, actually I'm at Dr. Brennan's. . . One second." He covered the receiver. "Drew's mother's sick, so they're going up to see her tomorrow. Rebecca wants me to watch Parker while they're gone. Is it okay if I tell her to drop him off here tomorrow morning?"

Brennan nodded. "It's fine," she assured him. "Besides, we need to make introductions soon anyway."

Booth nodded in agreement before removing his hand from the phone. "Yes, do you think you could drop him off at Dr. Brennan's tomorrow? It's actually closer to you. . . Okay, you have something to write with?" He proceeded to give Rebecca Brennan's address and directions to her apartment before exchanging a few last words and hanging up. As he replaced the phone in his pocket, he looked at Brennan. "Seems like we'll have a third munchkin for awhile," he remarked. "I'll have to drop Parker off at school tomorrow morning, but that'll give us a chance to speak with someone about enrolling Kristen. You don't mind him coming here tomorrow, do you?"

"No, of course not," Brennan said quickly.

"Good. Now, come on, Bones, let's get to bed," Booth said, standing and extending a hand. "I have a feeling we're going to have a long night ahead of us."