As she had predicted, Joey was thrilled to have Booth to himself for lunch and had talked to him during the entire meal. Booth left shortly after lunch, leaving Temperance with two tired children. Joey kept insisting that he was not sleepy, all the while rubbing his eyes. She put Sadie in her crib first and the little girl went down without a fight.

Joey, on the other hand, was adamant that he was too old for naps, even though his fatigue was more than obvious. Remembering what Booth did with Parker just before bed at night, she selected a children's book from the small bookcase provided by the WPP and began reading. Within ten minutes Joey was asleep and she quietly slipped off of the bed and out of the room before he woke up.

She spent the next two hours transcribing all of their new notes and sending them to Cam and filling out some of the paperwork that had begun accumulating already. Cam had been sending her all of the paperwork as email attachments to a new account that was set up in Kelly Keller's name. Temperance didn't pretend to understand half of what Angela had explained to her, but the bottom line was the email was encrypted enough to be virtually untraceable and unreadable to anyone trying to intercept it.

Before she knew it, it was time to wake the younger two up and pick the older two up from school. It was times like this that she wished they could use the bus system, but both she and Seeley had agreed it was safest if she picked them up and dropped them off every day. It was a hassle to be sure, but in light of today's findings it was a small price to pay for the children's safety. She and Seeley were the only ones authorized to pick up the children and the school's staff knew to alert either of them should anyone else attempt to pick them up.

She was pleased when she picked them up to see that Maddie and Parker had experienced a good first day. Earlier, while they were getting ready for school, Temperance had heard Maddie ask Parker what would happen if the other children didn't like her or wish to be her friend. With his patented Booth charm, Parker had assured her that everything would be okay and that even if nobody else liked her, he would always be her friend.

As it turned out, Maddie's fears were groundless as she had not only met several girls who had been kind to her, but she had also been invited to a birthday party on Saturday. Apparently the whole class had been invited previously, and the child's mother had extended the invitation to Parker and Maddie as well. Temperance told them that she would check with their father later, but she did not know of any previous engagements and did not think it would be a problem.

When they arrived home, she gave them all some apples and cheese to snack on, then insisted that the school-aged children complete their homework right away. She and Joey worked on the enrichment worksheets that had been provided for him, and she moved back and forth along the dining room table aiding Parker and Maddie with their homework. They each had spelling words to write out and math reinforcement sheets to complete, but within forty minutes they were done and had raced upstairs to change out of their school clothes.

They spent the rest of the afternoon outside playing. Sadie and Joey, fully rested from their earlier naps, joined the older two excitedly. Parker had just begun to teach his step-mother how to play a basketball game called "Horse" that did not involve dribbling when Seeley called to let her know he was half-way home. She excused herself from the game so that she could begin preparing dinner and promised Parker that she would play with him again after the meal.

Keeping a close eye on everyone through the large kitchen window, she began preparing spaghetti for the evening meal. She cooked up ground hamburger- which smelled disgusting to her- to add to the sauce, and set a small amount of plain sauce aside for herself. When the children came in announcing that they were bored, she had them wash their hands and began searching for something that they could help her accomplish.

Seeley came home just as they were coming back down to her and she begged him with her eyes to help her find something to keep them occupied so that she could finish making the salad and preparing the pasta and sauce. He immediately gave the older three children butter knives and began showing them how to make garlic bread. Sadie toddled back and forth between the two adults, curious as to what each was doing.

When the garlic bread was in the oven, all six of them helped to set the table. A loud cheer went up when the last buzzer went off, announcing that dinner was ready for consumption. The meal was a success and the table was abuzz with conversation as everyone exchanged information about their day. Maddie and Parker were especially excited when they received permission to attend the birthday party. Joey was upset that he would not get to go as he was not invited, but Seeley promised to teach him how to play football instead. Excited by the prospect, Joey got up from his seat and gave the FBI agent a huge hug and thanked Seeley for being his new daddy.

It was still daylight out when they finished, so Seeley suggested that they all go back outside to play. Parker, Maddie, and Temperance played Horse, while Joey, Sadie, and Booth played in the sandbox beside the swing set. Maddie won the game and Parker congratulated her, then challenged her to a footrace to the other end of the yard.

"Having fun?" Seeley walked over from the sandbox.

"Yes," Temperance replied, helping him brush the sand off of his clothing, "It was refreshing to find that not all basketball games require dribbling skills."

He laughed at her and she glared at him in return.

"I think we are going to have a tired crew tonight," he observed, watching as all four children raced back and forth across the yard.

"Yes," she agreed, "Thank you for your help with dinner."

"No problem," he shrugged, "And I'll cook on the weekend so you can have a break."

They shared a smile that was moving toward a kiss when Joey fell and skinned his knee. It was only a surface abrasion, but he was tired and was not easily consoled. Deciding that it was growing dark anyway, they hustled the children inside and began getting them ready for bed. As Seeley had put it, they were a "tired crew" and put up very little resistance. Less than an hour after they started, the last one was tucked in and the upstairs hall was silent.

The Booths changed into more comfortable clothing and headed down to the office to see if anything had been found at the crime scene. There was a message from Cam saying that they were delayed in traffic getting back and she would not have a full report until tomorrow. Hodgins had also emailed them, reporting that he still could not crack the code, and he had forwarded it to the FBI's code-breakers to see if they could help.

Temperance set about reading all of the new emails that had been forwarded to her since the morning, while Booth stretched out on the bed to fill out his paperwork. The first email she opened was from her publisher, reminding her that the outline of her next book was due in just over a month. She answered the ones that warranted it and deleted the rest.

Shutting down the computer, she joined Booth on the bed.

"You'd think we'd get out of the paperwork since we're banned from the field," he commented, setting his stack aside for the moment.

"Yes," she grimaced, "That's what I spent the early afternoon doing after you left."

"Now this," he grinned, putting an arm around her, "Is worth coming home to."

"A haggard wife who has barely enough time to accomplish the day's tasks?" she asked wryly.

He considered her for a long moment before speaking, "You okay, Bones? I mean, you're doing a great job of juggling everything but how are you doing?"

"I feel rushed," she admitted, "I drop the children off at school and come home, then I put Sadie down to nap and I catch up on the news at the Jeffersonian, only to turn around two hours later to pick up Joey. We get lunch, play for a bit, Sadie gets another nap as does Joey if he needs one, and before I have time to accomplish any real tasks it's time to bring Parker and Maddie home.

"They come home and need help with homework, then they wish to be played with, after which it is time for dinner to be prepared. This is only our second day on this schedule and already I feel overwhelmed by the task of childrearing."

Booth reached over and closed the case file that had been sitting on her lap, setting it, and the paperwork he had been filling out onto the desk.

"What did you do that for?" she asked.

"We're done with work tonight, Temperance," he told her gently but firmly, "There's not much we can do anyway and you need to rest."

She sagged against the pillow, too tired to argue with him, "I don't know how working mothers accomplish everything they need to for their jobs while not neglecting the emotional and physical needs of their children."

"They don't, Bones," he said, pulling her into his embrace, "They fake it and do the best they can."

"I don't like doing things in half-measures," she told him.

"I know," he turned her around and began massaging her trapezium, "What's the hardest part?"

"Not being alone," she answered honestly, "I am not used to having so many people around me, demanding my attention so much of the time."

"You've got the squints," he teased, "They're always underfoot."

She shook her head, "They are grown men and women who do not require my supervision at all times, nor do they wear diapers that need changing, or have homework that requires correcting."

"So you need some space?" he asked, his hands relaxing her muscles with every stroke.

"Yes."

"Okay," he said, turning her back around to face him, "From now on I can give you the hour right after dinner kid free. If work wasn't so far away I'd give you more."

"But what if they wish to play?"

"They can play with me, or work on chores around here to lighten the load. I was serious when I told them I don't want you left with the lion's share of the housework. We're a family and even Sadie is more than capable of picking up her toys after she plays with them and even if they don't like it- tough. They've gotta learn at some point that we can only do so much and then we need a break. My days are nothing compared to yours so it's no problem for me to come home and run around with them, or even help with homework if you want me to."

She considered his words and nodded, though there were still some issues concerning her.

"What's that face for?" he asked.

She looked into his warm, brown eyes, "Sometimes I speculate what this will be like once we are back in DC."

"Like what?"

"Well, right now things between the two of us seem good, however we are not working together eight to twelve hours either, and the time that we have together is limited. I wonder if we will grow weary of one another once we go back, since we will be both working together and living together."

"We'll do we're doing right now," he said, stroking her face with his forefinger, "We'll figure out the boundaries and what each of us wants and needs and we'll compromise. I have no problem giving you time alone if that's what you need."

"Thank you," a weight lifted off of her and she laid down fully on the bed and curled up inside of his warm embrace.

"Besides," he whispered in her ear, "I'll never get tired of being with you."

"I'm not sure that you can realistically promise that."

"Temperance," he turned her so that their eyes met, "How many waking hours have we spent apart over the last year?"

"I'm not certain," she furrowed her brow, "It's not as if I've sat down and calculated them."

"During a case, I'm willing to bet we spend maybe two hours apart in the morning and another two at night," he pointed out softly, "Face it Bones, we should have been sick of each other a long time ago for all the hours we've logged together. Besides, now we get to sleep together too; and when I say sleep I mean-"

"Yes, she rolled her eyes, catching the obvious euphemism, "I believe Angela would call us partners with benefits."

"Hmm, yes," a feral grin spread across his face, making his eyes gleam, "Now, come here and let's start collecting on those benefits."

"We do have our own bedroom, you know?" she laughed as he began removing her clothing.

"There's a bed here," he said, "And an alarm clock to wake us up."

"True," she acknowledged, removing his clothes and enjoying the view, "And this bed is smaller."

"Mmm," he breathed, kissing along her collarbone, "Works for me."

Hours later, they lay together, basking in the afterglow of their love.

"Tired?" he asked her, reaching over to turn out the light.

"Yes," she said as the room was plunged into darkness, "Though I do not feel as weary or overwhelmed as I did earlier."

"Good," she could hear the smile in his voice, "That was the Seeley Booth stress relief special."

"Indeed?" she purred, "And do you offer this special to all of your partners?"

"Nah," he shook his head, "Just the sexy scientist ones that marry me."

She slapped him lightly on his chest in reproof, "Sexy scientist?"

"Hey," he threw up his hands in mock protest, "You're sexy and you're a scientist, I can't help that. 'Course you're also my wife, so that makes you doubly sexy."

"Good to know I wasn't sexy before we were married," she said drily.

"Oh you were," he grinned, "But it's double that now."

"It truly does make a difference to you then?" she asked, "Our being married?"

"It does," he answered, "How about for you?"

"Somewhat, I suppose," she said, "Though in some respects I fail to see how it is any different than simply moving in together."

"Commitment," he said without thinking about it.

"But I am every bit as much committed to you now as I would be if we were living together."

"I'm not saying you wouldn't be," he said, "But marriage is society's way of making that commitment known to the world."

"Staking a claim, you mean."

"No, Temperance, not like you mean that," he fingered her rings, "These rings let people know, without a doubt, that we've set ourselves apart exclusively for each other. A flash of those rings and anybody hitting on you will back off.

"Moving in together is fine, but it still gives you an easy out if things go south. To me, being married means we stick it out no matter what for the rest of our lives. It means I look out for you and your needs and you look out for me and mine and it's love-centered not lust-centered."

She thought back to all of her childhood memories and knew that her parents shared Seeley's view of marriage.

"While I still do not fully understand your viewpoint I am glad that we can dialogue openly about such things," she said finally, "And I am content with the status of our relationship."

"I never doubted that," he replied.

They said good night and drifted off to sleep.