Just bear with me!
Booth stood watching Bones and Parker for a little over an hour. He looked down at his watch and figured they'd be hungry. At the very least Parker would, and he knew that would get Bones off the platform and them to the diner. He tried clearing his throat a few times, but it didn't catch their attention. He made his way over toward the steel table they were working on and leaned against it. Immediately, Bones' eyes snapped up and addressed him, followed then by a sharp rap on his knuckles with her fingers.
"Ouch, Bones. Sheesh. I was just trying to get your attention." He grinned. He knew what would get her focus off the table and onto him.
"Well then you succeeded. What can I do for you?" She looked impatient, but he knew she was only pretending. She was hiding a slight upward curve to her lip, indicating she was trying not to smile.
"Well, I figured you and Parker have been working so hard, it's time for a break. Perhaps some food? You know, from the diner?" He gave her his charm smile and winked over at Parker. He knew Parker loved the diner, and if Parker was convinced, it wouldn't take anything more to convince her.
"Yeah, come on Bones! Can we go to the diner? I'm starving!" He let the syllables of 'starving' drag out as long as he could.
"Well, I really doubt that you're starving, Parker, but I suppose we should go get something to eat." Parker was jumping up and down and was heading for the doors of the lab until he stopped and turned around and noticed he was alone.
"Hey, come on guys! I thought we were going!" Booth just watched Bones as she walked to her office to drop off her lab coat and to get her bag. His eyes followed her as she shut off the light to her office and closed the door behind her. He continued watching as she walked past him still on the platform as she made her way toward Parker. She looked all too happy to be spending time with him. He made his way off the platform, keeping his eyes locked on her the entire time. When he reached the two, he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her out the door. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and watched her eyes sparkle as she watched Parker walk backwards as he talked about the things she taught him. They made their way to the diner and sat at their normal booth with their normal meals.
Booth just sat back and let the two of them continue their talk from the lab. He was obviously not needed, with the exception of the occasional french fry leaving his plate. He watched Bones' smile as she continued to steal fries from him. She occasionally chanced a glance his way while Parker was eating or drinking. She smiled when she noticed him watching her, and then went back to giving her full attention to his son. After the three of them finished their food, Bones' cell phone went off. She stood and answered, stepping away from the table.
"You missed Bones, didn't ya bub?" Parker stopped getting the last bit out of his milkshake cup and looked up at his father. Mouth full of milkshake, Parker animatedly nodded his head up and down.
"Hey, I need to get back to the lab. Mr. Nigel-Murray apparently found an anomaly and he needs my expertise." Her matter of fact tone wasn't arrogance, Booth knew that. Sometimes it just amazed him that she was so blunt and truthful.
Booth stood to pay for their meal while Bones helped Parker clean the chocolate from his face. They made their way to the door at the same time. Booth led Bones out of the diner and they walked back to the Jeffersonian. Bones headed into the lab while Booth headed to the parking lot with Parker. Before they parted ways, Booth stopped.
"Hey Parks, why don't you jump into the truck, I'll be right there. And say thank you to Bones for spending the day with you." Parker ran toward Bones and hugged her waist tightly.
"Thanks Bones, for everything!" He held on a little longer while Bones put her arms around him and she ruffled his hair.
"Anytime Parker. I enjoy spending time with you very much." He looked up at her and smiled, then let go, running toward the SUV.
"Hey Bones, thank you again for taking care of Parker. It really means a lot to me. It means a lot to Parker, too." He looked down at his feet, not wanting to look her in the eye.
"I meant what I said, Booth." She reached out and touched his arm, getting him to look at her.
He raised his eyes and saw sincerity in her eyes. He wasn't sure what meaning she had behind her words, but either way, he knew she was genuine.
"Thanks, Bones." He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek and stepped back from her. He looked her in the eyes and gave her a genuine smile. She smiled back and he started to walk away. She wanted to stop him, but knew she had work to do. She turned and went into the Jeffersonian, turning once to watch him leave. As much as it hurt that he was with someone else, she would rather him still be in her life than not at all. He was her best friend, she would take him in any capacity she could.
Parker and Booth rummaged around the kitchen figuring out dinner when Hannah walked in the door.
"How are my two favorite boys?" She gave Booth a kiss and smiled down at Parker.
"Dad, can I go play in my room?" Booth nodded and the boy went off down the hall to his room.
Booth gave her a kiss before continuing moving through the kitchen making dinner. Hannah took her bag into their bedroom and came back out wearing sweatpants and an old t-shirt. She started helping set the table and portioned the food out onto their plates. She was never sure what to give Parker, so she hesitated until Booth walked over and smiled.
"He's a guy; he'll eat until you make him stop. He could probably eat twice his weight in food, Han. No reason to be nervous." He continued smiling as he portioned the food onto his son's plate.
"I'm just not used to being around kids, Seeley. Especially not in this capacity."
"Parker loves you, there's no reason to doubt it. Just be you. That's all." He called Parker from his room and the three of them sat down and ate.
"So, Parker," She looked up at Booth and he nodded, "what did you do today?" Parker looked up from his plate toward Booth, who raised his eyebrow, then to Hannah.
"Daddy had to go to the office, so I got to hang out with Bones and Ange all day! It was so much fun!" Parker couldn't hide the sparkle in his eyes. "Ange and I made a bunch of pictures with her art supplies and Bones helped me learn all of the bones in my arm. It was awesome!" The only reason the boy stopped was to cram more food in his mouth.
Booth noticed the slight hurt on Hannah's face, but before he could address it, she hid it.
"That sounds great, Parker. I'm glad you had a good day." They finished eating in near silence. Parker was absorbed in his meal, Booth was thinking about Hannah, and Hannah was thinking about Bones.
Booth got Parker bathed and to bed while Hannah cleaned up the dishes. He walked into the living room to find a bear on the table for him, while she had a glass of scotch. She knew it was going to be hard to win over that little boy, but she wasn't aware that she'd still be competing with the infamous 'Bones'.
"Hey, Han, I want to talk to you about something." She noticed his face and decided that it wasn't going to be a bad conversation, but it was going to be lengthy. She took a large gulp of her drink and set the glass on the table next to his untouched beer.
"Go ahead, Seeley." She took a deep breath and sank back into the couch.
"Well, listen. I'm not really sure where to start with this, so just bear with me. You know that Bones and I have been through a lot together, right? And you know that I love you very much?" She shifted in her seat a little. He noticed and placed his hand in hers and pulled her a little closer to him.
"Just listen. To everything. Bones is my best friend. We have been through more than our fair share of events. We've been through more life and death scares than anyone can imagine. When two people like Bones and I have saved each other from death as much as we have, it's inevitable that we'd be as close as we are. There's something about her that you have to know, and I can only be vague about it. She's had a rough life. Everyone in her life, at one point or another has left her. From day one, I swore to her that I would never be one of those. I failed her. I walked away from her. When I met you, it was right after I left her. I wasn't in a good place. I wasn't the man I'm supposed to be."
"Seeley, listen…"
"No, I'm not done. Just, just listen to me. I need you to hear this. Since we've been back from overseas, I've realized that I'm not the man I used to be. I can't be this man anymore. I have to be who I'm supposed to be. Bones is important to me. She's my partner and she's my best friend. Without her, I simply would not be here. What I'm trying to say is that I have to be there for her when she needs me. I'm one of two people she can truly count on. She doesn't trust many people. She needs stability. She needs to know that I won't walk away from her again. I need her in my life as much as she needs me in hers. And I need you to understand all of this."
He sat and watched Hannah for any sign of flight or tears. He had no idea how this was going to go, but he had to at least be that honest with her. He may not be willing or ready to divulge the entirety of his past to her the way he has to Bones, but he had to start somewhere.
She took a deep breath before she spoke. Booth held his breath. "Seeley, you're a fool. From the moment we met, I've known how much Temperance means to you. You'd have to be stupid not to. She was all you talked about. Why do you think I wanted to become friends with her when I first got here? I know she means a lot to you. I would like to think that eventually I would become your best friend, but I understand the place she holds in your life. I've always understood that. I can see that she is a special person."
Booth let out the breath he had been holding. He didn't know how this was going to go, and now that they got through it, he knew what was going to come next. He moved from his position next to her on the couch, though he kept holding her hand. He moved in front of her and stood on one knee. He moved his finger under her chin to pull her eyes to him. He reached in his pocket and removed the ring that was nestled inside.
"Hannah, you accept me for who I am. You support me while I find out who that's supposed to be. You understand my faults, and you can see past them enough to love me. I love you very much, Hannah, and I would be so happy if I could call you my wife. Will you marry me?"
He watched tears fill her eyes. He searched them to find an answer, but he had no idea what she was thinking. He watched her sit up and move to the edge of the couch. She composed herself and flung her arms around his neck.
"Seeley, you have made me so happy since the day I met you. I'm not letting you get away; of course I'll marry you!" She held on a little tighter to his neck and closed her eyes. When she opened them she noticed they were no longer alone.
"Dad." Parker's tiny voice broke them from their embrace.
"Hey bub, what's going on? Are you okay?" He got up from the floor and walked over to his son.
"I wanted a glass of water. What's going on?" The boy was just like his father, and could always sense when things changed.
Booth walked into the kitchen and got him a glass of water. He walked back into the living room where Parker was sitting in a chair. He knelt in front of him giving him the glass. Parker took the glass, but didn't drink. He was waiting for his answer.
"Well, bud. I just asked Hannah to marry me and she said yes!" Booth was smiling, but it started to fall as he noticed his son just nodded. Parker drank his water and handed Booth the glass back.
"That's great guys. Goodnight dad." With that, Parker walked back down the hall and back into his room. Booth wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a faint 'dangit' coming from the hallway. He looked over to Hannah and saw that she was no longer smiling.
"Hey, don't worry about him. He's half asleep. He'll warm to the idea." He gave her a kiss and welcomed her into his arms. The only thing he was left wondering was how to tell Bones.
