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Ooooooooooooooo

Waking from her nap, Brennan walked through the house looking for Booth. Not finding him, she walked out onto the back porch and noticed him leaving the small cemetery near the garage.

His attention captured by the sound of the back door opening and closing, Booth looked up to find Brennan waving at him. Raising his right hand, he waved back. "Bones, wait and I'll help you down the stairs." Jogging over to the porch, he reached up and took Brennan's hand in his, helping her down the steep steps. "We really need to see about rails. I'll talk to John about it tomorrow."

Happy to see her husband, Brennan kissed him. "I thought we could go for a walk if you aren't too tired."

Placing his right arm around her shoulders, Booth enjoyed the fact that they had such a quiet place they could call their own. "Sounds good." As they moved slowly down the path towards the tree house, Booth told her about his encounter earlier. "He said his name is Dewey Gallagher. His father was Melvin."

Not sure what to say, Brennan peeked at his face to see how he was reacting. "So the child is living with John Gallagher?"

"Yeah, he's an orphan now that both his mother and father are dead." Quietly, he confessed, "I don't know how I feel about it. He's just a child and just because his father was a bastard that shouldn't mean anything, but it does. I . . . I promised to build him a tree house on his uncle's land if John says it's okay. Maybe he'll stay home and won't come back over here if I do that. I know it sounds crappy, but I don't really want him to come over here."

Her arm around his waist, Brennan squeezed it slightly. "Booth, you feel the way you feel. It isn't right or wrong. It is nice that you want to build him a tree house and the reason doesn't really matter. It will make the boy happy and may give you some distance afterward."

Grimly, Booth shook his head. "I feel bad not wanting the kid around, but if you saw him you'd know why. He looks just like his father and it just . . ." Trailing off, Booth cleared his throat. "I'm not being very Christian that's for sure."

"You're being human, Booth." Spying the tree house, Brennan smiled. "I love this tree house. I wish I'd had one when I was a child. It would have been a nice place to read."

Pointing towards the bench, Booth stopped their progress. "I cleaned the bench when I was here earlier. Want to sit there or do you want to try to go up into the tree house?"

Considering her options, Brennan sighed. "I don't think I should try to go up to the tree house. I'm quite large and it would be too awkward."

Booth stopped, turned her in his arms and placed his hands on her hips. "Bones, you are not too large. You're just right."

She loved that Booth was trying to protect her, Smiling, Brennan kissed him. "Booth, I'm not self-conscious about my size. I am merely stating a fact."

Relieved, Booth took her hand in his and pulled her towards the bench. "Good." Arriving at the marble seat, Booth waited for her to sit down and then he sat down beside her. "You didn't tell me, what did your publisher think about you and Parker's book?"

Disappointed, Brennan felt frustrated with her publisher at the moment. "Apparently there isn't a market for that kind of book, at least not by my publisher. It doesn't matter though. I've decided to print it myself. I'm going to check into what that entails. I think I'll have enough copies printed to give to our friends and family and perhaps to a few local libraries if they're interested. The important thing is that it be published. I promised Parker that there would be a book and I mean to keep my promise."

"I know you're kind of disappointed. Why don't you check with some independent publishing houses?" Rubbing her back, Booth tried to be sympathetic.

Shrugging her shoulders, Brennan sighed. "I have a contract with my publisher, so I can't use another publisher to publish a book without their permission. If I have it printed by myself to just give to family and friends I hope that will allow me to get around my contract. I'm going to check with my lawyer to make sure."

Proud of her, Booth leaned over and kissed her. "You know Bones, you're the best. Parker is going to be so excited about his book. What you're doing for him is fantastic. Make sure I get a copy so I can put it in my office. I'll need it for bragging rights." Laughing he kissed her again. "You're just amazing. You're going to be a fantastic mother. You'll see."

Suddenly uncertain, Brennan looked at her stomach. "Do you think so? Sometimes I worry that I won't be able to connect with her. My childhood was not idyllic and I had a difficult time connecting . . . "

Her insecurities making him feel sad, Booth shook his head. "Bones, I promise that you don't need to worry about that. You and Parker really get along and you two have connected since he was little. He loves you. Believe me you'll connect with our daughter and she'll love you too. You're great with kids." Kissing her once more, Booth hugged her against him. "Come on, let's go back. I'll make dinner and you can catch up on your emails. I know you want to make sure that Hodgins hasn't blown up the lab."

"Booth, I'm not worried about Hodgins . . ."

Guffawing, Booth stood up and pulled Brennan up and into his arms. "It's a joke, Bones. At least I hope it is." Placing his arm around her shoulders, Booth voiced a concern. "Someday that guy is going to come up with an experiment that is going to get out of control and there won't be anything left of him, but a grease spot. I just hope to God no one else is there when it happens."

Oooooooooooooo

His marinara sauce simmering, Booth was dicing zucchini when he heard a knock on the front door. Placing his knife down, he walked into the living room. "Don't get up, Bones, I got it." Arriving at the door, he opened it to find John Gallagher standing on his porch. "Hey John, come in." Stepping back, he allowed his neighbor to enter the house.

Standing near the couch, John smiled at Brennan. "Nice to see you Temperance." Turning back to Booth, John clasped his hands in front of him. "Booth, I know my nephew was over here and he shouldn't have been. I've told him to stay home and not wander off, but he's got ants in his pants and he can't stay still. He reminds me of my brother, Kyle. Anyways, I'm sorry that he was trespassing on your land and I told him not to do it again. I also told him that I don't expect you to build him a tree house. You're up here to rest not work."

"No." Holding up his hand, Booth waved it a little. "No that's okay. He wasn't really bothering anything. He said he'd never seen a tree house and he wanted to look at mine. I just don't want him playing in it when no ones around. He could get hurt and no one would know he was over here."

Embarrassed, John shook his head. "No, you're right and I told him that."

"I don't mind building him a tree house though." Glancing at Brennan, Booth turned back to John. "Every kid should have one. They're a lot of fun."

Relieved that his neighbor wasn't angry, John smiled. "Well, thanks. I'll tell you what, how about I build one and if you have time you can help me. I know you were hurt, but maybe in a month or so we can work on it together."

Hooking his thumb in his belt, Booth assured him. "Sounds good. Just let me know when you want to work on it . . . Hey, we're getting ready to eat dinner. You want to join us?"

"No thank you." Shaking his head, John clapped Booth on the right shoulder. "I have to get back. The kids want to go to the movies tonight, so we're going to eat out first." Walking over to the door, John paused, "Thanks for being nice to Dewey. Some people can be real assholes when they find out who his father was. Dewey knows his father was in prison and came home to die. He doesn't know why Melvin was in prison, but . . . well the boy's not stupid. The kid has to deal with shit that he shouldn't have to and I just appreciate you being so nice to him."

Following John to the door, Booth assured him. "Dewey can't help who his father is, John. Believe me I know. Just let me know when you need me to help and I'll try to be there."

Once John had left, Booth stood at the door staring at the floor. "You know Bones my father was an asshole and a damn bully and a lot of people that knew him treated me like I was like him even though they didn't know me at all. You know acorn and tree? It stinks. It stinks a lot."

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