"We have court." Booth didn't even wait for Bones to answer exactly what she was reading - he could see what she was reading and he was not even close to ready to have that little chat with her. Especially after he'd gotten the third degree from Rebecca about why he looked so worn out after only thirty-seven hours with Parker. His sleep deprivation had let the little revelation of what his partner wanted to utilize him for slip right out of his mouth before he could apply any sort of filter. The ensuing conversation had only served to amuse Rebecca, but had left him feeling completely frazzled. Who knew that his ex had thought that some kind of romance between him and Bones was a foregone conclusion - unfortunately, it seemed that Bones hadn't quite gotten the memo about the romance portion of the event.
"Of course." Brennan smiled at him and set the book aside. She had gone over her notes over the weekend just in case she was called back to testify. "Did you have an opportunity to review the case notes? Caroline was rather emphatic about you being at the top of your checkers."
"Game, Bones. It's top of your game, and my game is just fine thank you." Of course his distraction level was at an all time high as well and so he only hoped that he sounded more confident than he actually felt.
"Are you feeling better? You weren't feeling very well on Friday." She looked genuinely interested in his welfare, and while she really was concerned, she also hoped that she could delve into a discussion of the merits of their DNA blending to create a child. Surely any offspring that they would produce together would bring the best of both of them together into a superior infant.
"I'm feeling fine." He was a little more abrupt than he'd intended to be, but he really did not want to know what Bones had learned about what to expect when she was expecting because he was sure that she was never going to leave the topic alone.
"Because I could drive if you weren't." She eyed him carefully to see if there was any indication at all that the pallor of his skin was hued incorrectly or if perspiration was evident on his brow, or if his posture and gait had any evidence of a hidden malady. Her mouth puckered into a bit of a frown as she realized he was indeed healthy and there was no compelling reason for her take command of his SUV.
"I'm driving." Booth rolled his eyes and gestured towards the door of her office. If she kept dawdling like this they were sure to be late. "C'mon, Bones, we don't want to keep Caroline waiting." The wrath of Caroline Julian was not something that he ever wanted to be on the receiving end of. She had a way of making even the strongest and bravest men quiver with a single glance.
They'd almost made it to the SUV without a single mention of the word 'baby', but a single question instantaneously unraveled the entire thing.
"How was your weekend with Parker?" Brennan knew that Booth had been looking forward to spending some quality time with his son doing things that he referred to as 'man things', or maybe it was 'guy stuff', in any case, she was curious how his weekend had gone.
"He asked me why he didn't have any brothers or sisters." The words were out of Booth's mouth before he had a moment to even consider the floodgates that he'd just opened up - no finger in the dike was going to stop this conversation.
"So then Parker would be open to the idea of the addition of a sibling." She seemed pleased by the fact - that was one hurdle that she wasn't sure how to overcome and seemingly it had been done all of its own accord.
"Bones, it's not that simple." He wanted to avoid it, but like a sudden and catastrophic earthquake here it was and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"So he doesn't want a sibling?" She was confused.
"No, Parker does, but as I explained to him, you have to have a mommy and a daddy to make a baby." Caroline was going to kill him if he couldn't keep it together on the stand.
"I don't see what the problem is. I'm willing to be a mother and you would make a remarkable father - Parker could have his brother or sister." She proceeded carefully, she was in unknown territory and she wasn't sure that she wasn't about to take a very wrong turn.
"Look, Bones, I'm not interested in becoming a sperm donor simply because you think our DNA would be compatible." Oh, yes, he had a very good idea of the way those wheels had been churning away in that pretty little brain of hers. "There's far more to being a parent than I think you realize."
"I've considered as many variables as I'm aware of - the additional information contained in the book Angela gave me was extraordinarily helpful." If he thought she hadn't done her research, he was wrong.
Booth made a mental note to shoot Angela later - planting ideas in Bones' mind was the last thing he needed her to do. "Did you consider the fact that your field work would be limited if you were pregnant?" He thought that if there was a threat of pulling her out of the field she might consider retracting this whole crazy idea of hers.
"I really don't think that pregnancy will interfere with our field work, Booth. With the proper precautions I believe I should be able to work in the field until shortly before giving birth." She had done her research, she was sure that given her overall good health that she would have no reason to stay in the lab.
Booth snorted out a laugh. "Not if you're carrying my child you won't." No way was he going to let her endanger herself and their unborn child simply because she wanted to continue working in the field. As it was, she was in danger far too much for his liking. The fact that she wanted to put their child in harms way was completely unacceptable. She had to put the baby first - he was the one who was supposed to chase down bad guys and apprehend them. Oh, no, there was no way in hell that she was going to continue going out in the field with him as long as she was having his baby.
"Angela said that you'd be more possessive." She furrowed her brow as she realized that he hadn't said he wouldn't help her have a child and she felt a swell of victory welling up within her. "So if I were to agree to reduced hours in the field based on the perceived danger of scene, you would agree to father my child."
His voice squeaked. "What?" How in the world had she come to that conclusion? He had no recollection of agreeing to this crazy idea - despite frequent fantasies that involved his sexy partner doing very sexy things with him - he was firmly grounded in reality. At least he hoped he was.
"I'm just trying to understand the terms to which I'm agreeing." Brennan noted that there was a slightly panicked expression on Booth's face. "I've made you uncomfortable."
"Asking your partner to knock you up is not normal, Bones." Booth was just glad that he had a firm grip on the steering wheel because otherwise he might not have realized that he was driving the vehicle in the first place.
"I don't know what that means." She blinked at him, hoping that what she thought it meant wasn't what is sounded like.
"Most people who talk about having a child together are usually at least dating first." Oh, why in the hell was he explaining this to her in a way that might actually let her have her way? What was he thinking? Why couldn't he just tell her no and be done with it? He couldn't actually want this - could he?
Her expression was thoughtful and as a conclusion seemed to suddenly dawn on her, the corners of her mouth pulled upwards into a soft smile. "I accept."
"What? You accept what?" Had something come out of his mouth that his ears have missed?
"We should date. If those are the terms, then I accept." She should have known that Booth would be old fashioned about this and if he needed to have the added emotional connection to the process, she wasn't going to object. She certainly had an emotional connection with him that she'd never experience with anyone else and she was sure that it would add something very nice to their attempts to impregnate her.
He felt like a fish out of water, gulping air and feeling as if he was drowning and somewhere in the middle of it, he found himself nodding his head. Was he actually agreeing to this whole crazy idea? He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.
What in the hell was he getting himself into?
