Disclaimer: Bones and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement.

Author's Note: Long chapter… I hope it was worth the wait!

Chapter 4 – Pops' Questions (Published on June 17, 2010)

Brennan drove home to get showered and changed while Booth was picking up Parker. They were going to stop at the bakery before coming to her apartment for her. She was just finishing when there was a knock on the door.

"Hi Bones!" Parker ran and gave her a hug.

"Hi Parker. Are you excited to go see Pops?" He shook his head yes. "The first one to the car gets to choose where we go for dinner tonight."

And she thinks she doesn't do well with kids. He shook his head. Bones got there first. Parker had a slight pout on his face. "Where did you want to go for dinner?" asked Brennan.

"I wanted to go to the diner. They have the best chocolate milkshakes," he said rubbing his belly and licking his lips.

"That's amazing! I was going to choose the diner. They have the best fries."

"I can tell that you like them a lot," Parker said seriously. "You're always eating dad's fries. Why don't you just order your own?"

"Yah, Bones. Why don't you order your own?" Booth had caught up with us and startled me. I'm not quite sure how to respond to that. He whispered in my ear, "I don't want you to order your own. I think it's cute that you eat some of mine." He walked to his side of his SUV with his lopsided smile that always captivates her and makes her smile, too.

Pops greeted us heartedly with a "Hi Shrimp! Parker, give me five! And you, pretty lady, give me a hug!" Quietly he asked Brennan, "Has that grandson of mine made any moves on you yet?"

"Pops, that's private."

He sighed loudly. "That means 'no'." He turned to Booth and shook his head in disapproval. "You don't have much time Shrimp. She just may meet some handsome anthropologist while she's gone. At least someone around here is getting some crocheting done."

Brennan blushed. Obviously shocked and embarrassed as well, Booth said, "How do you know what that means?"

Before she could speak, Pops answered, "We talk about a lot of things."

What's up with that?

"How about a game of Dominoes?" asked Pops.

After a fun day, they sadly announced that they needed to get Parker back home. "Not quite, yet." answered Pops. Booth and Brennan looked at each other with questioning eyes. Pops picked up the telephone, spoke quickly and quietly, and opened the door. Two minutes later, a kind elderly woman entered the room and introduced herself as Pop's friend and asked Parker if he would like to get some famous gum from the recreation room before he left. She proceeded to tell him a fabulous tale about the history of this special gum. Parker looked at his dad for permission. Instead, it was Pops who gave permission while escorting the two out the door. "We'll meet you in the lobby."

I saw him give his friend a wink. This doesn't look good. It looks like Bones is thinking the same thing. "What's this about, Pops?"

"Why don't the two of you sit there," he said pointing at the love seat. "It will be easier to talk with you while facing in one direction." This doesn't sound good, either. "What the two of you are doing has me worried."

He looks serious! "Pops…"

"Now just listen. The two of you are about to leave each other for an entire year. And you still haven't resolved what your relationship means." Why didn't I ever tell him that I tried? "You are running from each other and I don't know why. It's obvious that you love each other!"

"Pops, I think we need to talk."

"I think you've done enough talking and not enough doing!"

Yep. I really should have gotten here sooner to tell him what had happened last month at the Hoover. Instead, I let my pride control me. I was embarrassed and upset. How could I tell him she turned me down? She really turned me down. This was a good day going downhill fast. "Pops, you don't understand." He disregarded the statement.

"I don't want you to answer these questions I'm about to ask. It's none of my business. But I want you to think about them. How often do you see each other after work hours?

Do you buy each other gifts, just because? Do you have "a song"? Do you know each others' weaknesses without fear? Do you make excuses to see or talk to each other every day? Who do you think about when you wake up in the morning? Who do you think about when you go to bed at night? Who do you fantasize about?"

"Pops!" I shouted in shock. Why is he doing this to us?

"What?"

"Why are you doing this to us?"

"Are you saying that you wouldn't rather be crocheting with this beautiful woman?

I can't believe this is happening. He ran his hand through his hair wondering what to say next.

"We really need to go to the lobby before Parker gets worried."

"Speaking of Parker, Does he think of you as a family?" And with that, he led the way down the hall.

They found Parker enjoying his gum and playing cards with Pops' friend. Surprisingly, things were no longer tense as they said their goodbyes. Just as they were getting into the car, he hugged them and said he loved them.

On the way to Parker's after an early dinner at the diner, everyone was silent. I wonder if Parker is sleeping? A quick look proved her hypothesis. Booth was smiling. "Does he usually sleep like a bear while riding in the car?" Booth's smile turned into a chuckle.

"It's sleep like a baby, Bones… sleep like a baby. And yes, it happens sometimes after a busy day."

"I don't know much about babies, but bears hibernate in the winter." He began to laugh and I couldn't keep myself from laughing with him.

I didn't want to take him back after just one day. "It's probably for the best that he's sleeping now. Who knows how late he'll be up at his team's sleep-over party."

It was an emotional good-bye with promises to stay in touch whenever possible. I am not at all surprised to see Booth with watery eyes. He's the heart one in our partnership and I am the scientist. To my surprise, Parker told his dad he was doing the right thing. He reminded his dad that he was going to save lives. He's such a sweet and brave boy.

On the drive home, they had a great time talking about their most memorable cases. After Booth parked the SUV, he started to talk instead of getting out of the car. "Bones. I understand the need to get away from the crimes. It's normal. The people who go on vacations or take leave of absences are the people who are most devoted to their work. It's not the other way around. That's because they're taking care of themselves so that they don't get burdened with depression and end up miserable." She's not interrupting me. She's keeping eye contact and really listening. I know her so well after spending so much time with her. This is going to be so hard to be separated from her for a year. She started to speak and I quickly interrupted. "Please, you don't have to agree with me. Just think about it over the year. Promise me that you will think about it?" She's nodding her head. What a relief. I need to quickly get out of this car before I get too emotional.

I don't take vacations. Maybe he's right. Going on this dig wouldn't be considered a vacation to most people, but it's my get- away from the crime and I'm happy to be going back to my original passion for anthropology. He has taught me so much over the years. I don't like change. I don't want to change. But thinking of it scientifically, I can't stop it. Evolution has been proven. But does it pertain to psychology? Psychology is not a science! Walking into his apartment, it occurred to me that he hasn't even started packing. And he's leaving on Monday! "Booth!"

"What's wrong?" He spun around to look at her. He looked shocked.

"You haven't packed."

He instantly calmed down and his heart rate went back to normal. "Jared and Padme have been looking for a house and since they haven't found just the right one, they're going to stay here for the year."

"Oh, well that is reasonable. I'm glad that it suits everyone's needs."

"Jared has been doing so well since he met Padme, but I need to free my frig of all this beer. Would you like one?"

"I would love one. Thank you."

As he was walking to the refrigerator, she took the opportunity to check her purse to see if everything was there. He joined her and sat on a bar stool next to her. It's so normal to end their days like this…. having a drink and talking. It's usually after working on a case, but I'm so glad she's not pointing out the fact that this is different. "You look like you're unsure of something. You're thinking about something quite hard."

"Sorry. I was just thinking about what Pops was asking."

"I am really sorry about that. I had no idea he was going to do that. I should have…." With a heavy sigh, he continued. "I should have talked to him sooner about… about your rejection." He couldn't look at her.

"Why do you back down so easily?"

His head popped up. "What?"

"You never fight for me. You just walked away without a fight that night at the Hoover. Why Booth?"

"Is this a game to you?"

"No, of course not. What I'm trying to say is… It's difficult to explain. I'm not used to feeling this way and my first reaction is to stop it from happening. You're the heart guy and you're acting like me. Sometimes I feel that this won't ever last if you can so easily walk away. It's difficult enough that I do that. Pops is right. Caroline's right. Angela's right. We keep running away from each other."

"So you want this as much as I do?"

"I don't know. I think I do. But I can't trust my feelings right now. I've changed so much that I'm starting to wonder who I am."

"Bones, you have made some changes. But the things that make you who you are, I don't want to see that change. I love you. You, Temperance. The person you are today."

"How?

"Don't ask how. Just be you. And I'll be me. Accept that the relationship we have, whatever we call it, is real."

Is she leaving? "Wait. Where are you going?" OK, I learned something just now and I'm not making that mistake. He ran after her.

She quickly put her hair up with a scrunchy and turned around wearing glasses with thick lenses. His jaw dropped and she began walking towards him. She carefully took off the glasses and shook out her hair. "Mr. Booth, do you know what the penalty is for an overdue book?" My heart rate went up. Did she know what I was talking about on the plane to China? What a case that was. I don't know what to say. He shook his head 'no'.

"Well, let me show you." I can't believe I'm actually doing this. She stepped closer, tipped her head up, and closed the gap between their lips. Ever so softly, she caressed his lips with her own before continuing caressing them with her tongue.

What is she doing? Is she seducing me?

Author's Note: Wow… that was a long chapter with altering emotions! I realize that there is an inconsistency with Parker's story. I'll need to go back and revise chapter 3. Now I understand how that can happen with the writers for the TV show. Chapter 5 is already partially written. And so far, I'd have to say it's really good! Actually, I had it partially written before I wrote chapter 4. I had to figure out how to fill in the gaps to get to the story line in chapter 5. How many days should I wait to post it? LOL