Disclaimer: I own nothing Bones related except my imagination.
As Booth pulled into the driveway of his home, he was surprised to note that Brennan's car was already ensconced in the garage. Getting out of his SUV, he reached out to run his hand over the hood of her car as he walked past and noted the metal was cool to the touch. Hmmm, Bones had been home for a while which was oddly disturbing as she rarely came home early.
"Bones?" Booth tentatively called out his wife's name as he entered the house, a little nervous about what might be waiting for him inside. "You in here Bones?"
"I'm back here Booth," he heard the responding voice floating out to him from the vicinity of his bedroom and he headed in that direction.
When Booth entered their bedroom, it was empty, but he saw the clothes his wife had been wearing earlier in the day laid across the foot of the bed and heard noise coming from the adjoining bathroom through the partially closed door. Booth emptied his pockets placing his keys, badge, poker chip, and wallet on his dresser before hanging his shoulder holster on the back of the closet door and kicking off his shoes, wriggling his toes in the plush bedroom carpeting. It always felt so good to free his damaged feet from his dress shoes at the end of the day.
Poking his head into the master bathroom, he discovered Brennan residing in the bathtub, surrounded by bubbles, with one long, slender leg raised up to the rim as she ran a razor blade through the creamy lather on her calf and shin. The room smelled faintly of the vanilla and citrus bath oil she occasionally used and the only light was provided by a wall sconce over the sink plus a few candles she'd strategically located around the tub. Her hair was gathered in a loose knot on top of her head with a handful of tendrils escaping here and there resulting in a sexy, slightly mussed look. Her moist skin glistened in the muted lighting she had provided and she was quietly humming along to a sultry jazz tune playing softly out of a small portable radio she'd placed off to the side of the bathtub.
It was the simple intimacy of moments like these that Booth treasured as a privilege of being married. In his opinion, she never looked more beautiful – relaxed, nonchalantly attending to her toilette, and unselfconscious about her nudity as her full breasts poked through the bubbles, hovering slightly above the water line. Such an inconsequential thing, but he doubted there was another person alive who had ever had the pleasure of watching her this way and he felt his chest constrict with a sense of satisfied longing for her that was so much more encompassing than just lust. My wife. Just mine, he thought with possessive pride.
"Hey," he spoke just barely over a whisper as he pushed the door open more fully so he could lean against the jamb, arms crossed, and admire her bathing, the ambiance of the room making him feel rather mellow.
Brennan smiled, tilting her head in his direction, and looking at him briefly from the corners of her eyes. "Hey yourself. Your home earlier than I expected."
"Yeah. I got to a good stopping point at work and figured what the hell, you know? It'll all still be there tomorrow. How about you? You're uh, you're home early today as well. Everything okay?" He hoped he didn't sound overly concerned as he posed the question that had been haunting him more and more each day over the last week.
Brennan's lips curved upward like she was enjoying whatever thoughts were running through her mind as she continued to focus her gaze on the leg she was currently shaving. "Mmmm, yes." After a pause and a final swipe of the razor blade, she gave Booth a quick, teasing glance, her eyes twinkling merrily as she checked him out. "I just thought I'd come home early for a change and prepare to seduce my husband when he gets home, but it appears I've been caught in the act of getting ready so I may have to improvise."
Booth, who'd been semi-erect since entering the bathroom, felt his arousal suddenly grow a little heavier. "I think your improvisation technique is working pretty well so far," he choked out, feeling the smile that she found so charming spreading across his face. Reaching up to loosen his tie, he asked "Where's Christine?"
"With Max." She gave him a direct, heated look. "All night."
On that note she popped the plug in the bathtub and stood up letting the water and bubbles cascade down her body as the contents of the tub slowly swirled down the drain. "Dinner's cooking, but won't be ready for at least another 30 minutes," she informed him.
Booth straightened in the doorway and started loosening the buttons of his shirt as Brennan stepped out of the tub and sauntered towards him, heedless of the trail of puddles on the floor. Leaving no room for the Holy Spirit between them, she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him down for a deep, carnal kiss as she plastered her wet body to his. When they finally broke for air, Booth pushed all the way into the room and hoisted her up, setting her on the bathroom counter as she wrapped her legs around his waist pulling him close.
"I think I really like it when you leave work early," he growled into her mouth, then proceeded to make love to her right then and there.
A little while later, Brennan was in the kitchen putting the final touches on the dinner she'd prepared when Booth wandered in having taken a shower himself following their late afternoon tryst.
"Mmm, smells good," he commented walking up to her and embracing her from behind.
Brennan leaned back into his arms for a moment, turning her head to give him a quick kiss. "So do you."
Booth released her and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator before walking to the far side of the kitchen counter and pulling up a bar stool to sit and chat with her while she pulled the casserole from the oven and finished mixing the salad she had made to accompany the meal.
"What's this?" he asked, reaching out and pulling a large folded piece of pale construction paper towards himself.
"Oh yes, that's a picture Christine made for you at daycare today. She asked me to give it to you before she and Max left for the night."
"Hey, would you look at that!" he exclaimed, studying the colorful assortment of Crayola crayon hieroglyphics. "These scribbles are almost starting to actually look like something we can recognize. I'm pretty sure these are supposed to be people."
Brennan came around the counter to stand next to him and look over his shoulder. "Yes. I believe she was trying to draw a picture of the three of us and the picnic we took last weekend." Pointing at the drawing, she continued. "See this black blob here is your truck, and this is the big tree we spread the blanket under, and I think that is supposed to be the lake where you two fed bread crumbs to the fish."
"Wow. This is amazing. Our little girl's growing up so fast, isn't she?"
"Yes, she is."
"No longer a little baby," he mused.
Brennan chuckled. "Before you know it, she'll be dating."
"What? No way. Christine is not going to start dating until she's like thirty . . . maybe not even then."
"Don't be ridiculous Booth. You know she's not going to wait that long. Look at Parker. He's almost as old now as you were the first time you had sexual intercourse you know and we know from Rebecca that he's expressed interest in a few of his female classmates. I assume your partner your first time was a girl approximately the same age as you were."
"Stop. Just stop. You can't use the word 'sex' in the same sentence as when you're talking about our kids."
"Booth" she said in that tone of voice that was like a verbal eye roll, letting him know she thought he was being unrealistic. Not that he cared. The words Christine and sex did not belong anywhere close to one another. "Why are you so skittish about talking about sex and your children at the same time? The sense of euphoria a person experiences as their body is flooded with chemicals is not only pleasant during coitus, but there are many beneficial side effects that can produce a lingering sense of well-being long after the sexual encounter has concluded. The physical release of tension and stress. The emotional connection with another human being. I know for a fact that you happen to really enjoy sex. I do too. I always feel our sexual interactions reinforce and strengthen our emotional bonds, whether we're being soft and slow or a little more hard and fast, like earlier. Don't you want your children to be able to experience something like what we share with each other?"
"Well, yeah Bones, but not for a long long loooong time, okay. I mean, she's only five and I am not ready to think about that yet."
"Of course, when she's older. But it's my hope that someday she'll find a partner to share her life with that's as special to her as you are to me. I want her to be happy and I've learned from you that true happiness comes from having someone to share your experiences with. Besides," she said, nudging him on the shoulder with hers in an attempt to lighten the mood, "if you weren't so good at sex, you wouldn't have fathered three children of your own and we would have missed out on so much."
"Two."
"What?"
"You said I wouldn't have fathered three children. I've only fathered two, Bones."
"Oh." Brennan bit her lip and reached out to stroke her fingers along the nape of his neck. "Maybe it would have been more accurate if I had said two-and-a-half."
Booth gave her that look he had perfected for those times when he didn't have a clue as to what she was talking about. "Two-and-a-half? How does someone father half a child Bones?"
Brennan couldn't help but smile. "How about fathered three, but only two are children? One's technically still a fetus."
Booth stared at her uncomprehendingly for almost a full five seconds before her words finally sank in and he registered what it was she was telling him.
"No," he said in joyful disbelief, reaching out and placing the palm of his hand gently on her belly. "You're . . . you're pregnant? You're sure?"
At her nod of confirmation, Booth pulled her into his embrace and gave her a very excited and enthusiastic kiss. He couldn't believe it. They hadn't been trying to expand their family and he hadn't ever expected to have any more children, but he instantly felt that this was right. It was perfect and he felt as though he was going to burst with love and happiness. He squeezed her to him one more time before leaning back on his stool and reaching down to stroke her stomach again.
"How'd this happen?" he asked reverently.
Brennan snorted. "I'd think you would know that by now Booth, especially in light of what we just did a little while ago in the bathroom."
He laughed and gave her a little swat on her backside. "You know what I mean."
Somehow, she had ended up standing in front of him, between his splayed thighs. She placed her hands on his waist and bussed him on the lips quickly. "Yes, I do. Best guess is that when I got sick after my trip to Argentina, it interfered with my birth control pills throwing my system out of whack. We haven't exactly been chaste, so . . . " she shrugged her shoulders to indicate the rest of the sentence was obvious and didn't need to be verbalized. "I'm about 6 weeks along."
"Wow. Another baby. When did you know?"
"I began to suspect it about a week ago, but didn't get in to the see the doctor until yesterday and I just got the official confirmation today."
He shook his head in amazed disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me? You're happy about this aren't you?"
"Yes, I am Booth, but I'm scared too."
Booth wrapped his arms around her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. "Hey, I've got you Bones. There's nothing to be scared of. You'll do fine, just like last time, and I'll be here again with you every step of the way."
Brennan tucked her face in under his chin, drawing strength and comfort from his arms. "It's not being pregnant that I'm afraid of Booth. That part I'm looking forward to. It's bringing another life into this world that we're responsible for that scares me. Christine and I came so close to losing you twice this last year – once to those gunman who destroyed our home and again to the penal system. I was devastated without you and barely held it together for Christine's sake. I'm not sure how I'd manage if something were to happen to you again and I have yet another person whose welfare I'm responsible for alone. I love you Booth and I need you, but our careers frequently seem to put one or the other of us in danger and I'm just anxious about whether or not it's really fair to bring another baby into such a situation."
"Hey, Bones. I understand your concern. I do. You're the one who always reminds me that there are no guarantees in life, no matter what type of jobs we have. But we're not your parents and our kids aren't you and Russ. They're never going to be abandoned or left alone to fend for themselves. You know that right? I mean, even if something really bad were to happen to you and I, they've got a whole network of people who would make sure they were taken care of – Angela and Hodgins, Max, Russ and Amy, Jared and Padme. Even Cam. All those people would move heaven and earth if necessary to make sure our kids were okay if you and I couldn't be there for them. But none of that really matters anyway because you and I were meant to be together and we're going to be around for a long, long time to come. Got it?"
Brennan just nodded her head and held him tighter.
"What do you say we eat some of this delicious dinner you prepared and then spend the rest of the night in our bedroom, hmm?"
Brennan smiled as she pulled away and stood up straight. "Sounds like a good plan to me."