A/N: So, it's been forever, and I apologize. Real life has kept me busy but I'm hoping I can complete this one before I start grad school. At the rate I'm updating, I don't know. I'll be quiet now and let you read! Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Mommy and me

Tuesday



At 10 am, Brennan felt a head nuzzling under her arm. She rolled over to get away from the unwanted movement. After a minute or so of uninterrupted sleep, it happened again, a cold nose leaving a wet spot on her arm. She rolled again, this time running out of bed and thumping on the floor, tangled up in the sheets.

"Daisy!" she said, irritated at the puppy. The dachshund in question appeared in front of her, oblivious to her tone and wagging her tail. She crawled up Brennan's leg and stretched, giving her a lick good morning.

Brennan untangled herself and craned her neck from her position on the floor to see the clock on the nightstand. Seeing the time, she concluded that Booth had long since left for his day of work, not bothering to wake her up. She was a little disappointed since not being awoken had resulted in the lack of a good bye kiss. On top of that, she was curious to know if they'd both kept to their respective sides of the bed the previous night.

She stretched, still on the floor, and pulled herself upright, grabbing clothes and disappearing into the bathroom, Daisy following. Since she wasn't whining or racing around, it could be safely assumed that she'd already been taken out and fed.

When she emerged with the puppy, she carefully made the bed, and padded into the kitchen to make coffee and grab some breakfast. She removed a bowl from the cabinet and eyed the choices of cereal. She looked down at Daisy with a quirked eyebrow.

"Does he have anything without marshmallows and an insane amount of sugar?" she asked the puppy. Daisy naturally didn't reply, and Brennan dug through the cupboard, finally coming up triumphant with a small sample box of wheat cereal that had been shoved in the back.

She sat at the table with the bowl of cereal and a mug of coffee and perused the paper, sitting on the table, waiting for her. She bit back a chuckle as she noticed he'd already attempted to tackle the crossword.

It was a mess, with only a few boxes devoid of cross outs. He'd apparently reached his boiling point at some moment in time because the entire page was filled with wrinkles, indicating it had been crumpled up. The top was marked with a large wet spot and Brennan guessed that he'd thrown it and it had landed in Daisy's water bowl.

She finished her breakfast, and went out into the living room, sitting on the couch and looking over at the puppy who had hopped up next to her, resting two small front paws on her thigh.

"So what should we do with the rest of our day Daisy?"

Yes, she was talking to a dog, but, she reasoned, it was a step above talking to herself. "We could clean up around here a bit," she suggested, nodding her head at the thought. It would certainly suck up some time. She went to the hallway closet and located the vacuum cleaner. The second she turned it on, Daisy ran into the kitchen, diving into her pet bed, and staring at the vacuum with wide eyes. Brennan turned it off and plucked the frightened puppy from the bed.

"Come on, I'll put you in the bedroom until I have to vacuum in there." Once Daisy was safe and sound on Booth's pillow, the vacuuming commenced. She moved Daisy back into the living room before vacuuming the bedroom, and once that task was finished, Brennan found some cleaner and a rag and began dusting. It was too quiet though. She set her cleaning implements down, and wandered over to the stereo, eyes browsing over his CD collection.

Most of the bands she'd never heard of, and wasn't sure she'd like. She finally narrowed it down to Elvis or The Beatles. She held both CDs out to Daisy. "What do you think?" Daisy sniffed both and went back to her spot on the couch. In the end, she chose Elvis, and spent the remainder of the morning dusting to 'Hound Dog', 'Heartbreak Hotel', and 'Jailhouse Rock'.

As she was preparing to dust a table, she removed the framed photos resting on top, frowning as she noticed the one in the back with all of them in it had a crack through the glass. Maybe she'd get him a new frame for it. It was a nice picture, except the camera hadn't really captured Dr. Sweets' good side.

She looked at the one of herself. Speaking of not capturing one's good side; this definitely was not hers. She recalled the moment it had been taken. He'd taken her by surprise and had promised her that he wouldn't get it developed. She snorted. Not only was it developed, but it was framed and sat on a table in full view. She was surprised he hadn't had it blown up and hung above his couch.



When she was finished with the dusting, she looked around the room, satisfied with the job she'd done. She checked the time. It was a bit after noon. She was hit with another idea, and moved to the coffee table for Daisy's leash. After divesting her of the dress and clipping on the leash, she led Daisy to the door. "Let's go see Daddy."

On the way to the FBI building she stopped to pick up some lunch, holding Daisy securely under her arm, and promising the guy behind the counter that she wasn't sticking around. Once arriving at their destination, she looked down at Daisy. "Now, how am I going to get you in there? You certainly won't pass for a service dog." She thought, then turned and dug around in the back of her car, finding the large reusable shopping bag she took with her when going to the supermarket. She gently placed Daisy inside.

"Stay quiet ok Daisy? It's just so we don't get caught." With those words, she got out of the car, and walked briskly to the entrance, throwing open the doors with purpose and making a beeline for Booth's office.



The only moment she thought they might get caught was when a brown head and floppy ears peeked up over the edge of the bag, taking in the scenery. Brennan shifted the bag around so she could better hide the head of the curious puppy.

Upon reaching his office, she swung the door open without knocking, and sat down across from him. He was facing the wall and deeply involved in a phone conversation, apparently not hearing the door. The call ended and he turned around in his chair to replace the phone, nearly jumping out of his seat as he realized he wasn't alone in the office.

"Bones! What are you doing here? You left Daisy?"

"Nice to see you too," she said dryly, then held the sack from the deli out to him. "One question at a time. I brought you lunch."

"That's very…domestic of you Bones. Thank you." He took the sack from her hand.

She was about to say something about his use of the word 'domestic' to describe her action, when a black nose appeared at the top of the bag, followed by a head, front legs, body, back legs, and tail. Daisy dug her way out of the sack and hurtled herself across Booth's desk into his surprised arms.

"You snuck her in here?!" he asked incredulously.

"Yes. I couldn't very well leave her alone. And, there are no dogs allowed in here, so I had no choice but to sneak her in."

"You came all the way over here just to bring me a sandwich? Not that I don't appreciate it, but you didn't have to."

"I know. But, I…we wanted to see you. You forgot something this morning."

"Oh?" He ran down a mental checklist, not coming up with anything he'd forgotten.

"Yes. This." She leaned across the desk and kissed him briefly, all too aware of the other people on the other side of the door. She didn't mind, but knew he'd take all kinds of teasing from his co-workers.



"Oh. Right, yea, I did forget that." He licked his lips, then reached into the bag for his sandwich, while Daisy made herself comfortable in his lap. He was about to rip off a piece of bread to give her, when Brennan caught on to the movement.

"Don't you dare Booth."

"It's just a little bit Bones."

"Doesn't matter. She'll expect it all the time if you do it even once."

There was a knock on the door, and Booth's eyes went wide and he pushed Daisy into Brennan's arms. She glared at him and Booth pointed wildly at the shopping bag. Daisy was placed inside just before the door opened and a portly man entered, dropping off some paperwork for Booth.

"Thanks Sean. How did you know I needed more paperwork?"

The man smiled, causing his twinkling eyes to crinkle at the corners. "It's a gift. You're the first stop on my journey to bring down the spirits of everyone on this floor. Here's hoping they'll all 

be as gracious as you." He turned his attention to Brennan and her wriggling, snuffling shopping bag.

"I don't believe we've met. I'm Sean Dalton." He held out his hand, which Brennan shook.

"Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"Oh, you're that Dr. Brennan. Nice to meet you. I'm a big fan of your books, by the way."

"Thank you."

Booth noticed Daisy's impatience to get out of the bag. "Thanks for stopping by Sean. Catch ya later!" He shot him a smile and a small wave, and the man took that as his cue to leave and continued on his rounds.

Booth sighed and leaned back in his chair. A little too far back. He nearly fell backward, and made an ungraceful but successful attempt to right himself. He caught her grin at the near-fall and returned it. "I gotta get back to work." He gestured to the pile that Sean had placed in front of him.

"We should get going anyway," Brennan replied. Sean's appearance had been a close call. Daisy didn't like staying the bag, and eventually was going to get caught by someone. They both leaned toward one another, meeting halfway in a kiss that ended all too soon. "I'll see you when you get home." She let Daisy say good bye, and then headed out the door, leaving Booth leaning back again in his chair, happy about the fact that she'd referred to his place as 'home'.

Letting Daisy out of the bag once they'd reached the car, Brennan slid into the driver's seat, picking up Daisy and setting her in the passenger seat. The puppy stood on her hind legs and peeked out the window, watching the people and cars moving around outside. Brennan pulled out into the street, and rolled down the window a bit so Daisy could sniff the smells of the outside. She should have brought the camera with her, recorded Daisy at the window before they'd started driving.

Back at the apartment, she let herself in with the key Booth had given her that first day and went into the kitchen to give Daisy some fresh water and a treat. After doing that, she stood in the middle of the living room, and thought about what to do next. It was strange. She wasn't used to having a lot of free time, and when she did, she worked on her latest book or read. She didn't 

feel like reading the book she'd brought along with her, and she didn't have her laptop with her. She looked around the room, her eyes settling on the TV.

With a resigned sigh, she plopped on the couch, joined by Daisy in the next instant, and fingered the remote control. Hopefully he had The Discovery Channel or National Geographic. He did, but Brennan never made it that far, having stopped at SpongeBob Squarepants. She stared at the screen, mentally noting the glaring inaccuracies of the program. A squirrel living under the sea in a waterproof dome? Hardly even a possibility. And the sponge looked nothing like an actual sponge, looking more like the brightly colored ones you could buy two for one downtown.

Yet, she couldn't look away or change the channel. There was some sort of marathon airing and the hours slipped by. Brennan was in the middle of an episode wherein the sponge and a pink starfish were selling chocolate bars, when Booth opened the door, and let out a laugh at seeing her curled up on the couch watching cartoons. Daisy heard him, and made a flying leap off the couch, racing over to him as though he'd been gone for weeks.

He picked her up and carried her over to the couch, enduring the bath Daisy was giving his face. "Hey, SpongeBob!" He sat down by her, and she instantly folded herself up next to him before glancing up at him.

"You've seen this before?"

"Yea, sure, Parker watches it sometimes."

"It's highly unrealistic."

"It's a cartoon Bones." He gave her a peck on the forehead, then on the cheek, before moving to her lips for a longer more intense kiss.

She pulled her lips from his long enough to reply, "Even so, a little more effort could be made to educate on the realities of undersea life."

He just shook his head at her, and returned his attention to the screen. She put her head on his shoulder and sighed contentedly when his arm went around her. After the episode had ended, he ran his fingers through her hair absent mindedly, switching off the television as another program began. "I'm not sure I want you watching Fairly Oddparents."

She glanced at the blank screen. "Huh?"

"It's another cartoon. You want some dinner?"

"Are you offering to cook?"

"I am."

"Then, yes, please." She watched him move into the kitchen, Daisy not following him for once, deciding instead to curl up next to Brennan. The puppy gave a yawn, and proceeded to fall asleep while Brennan stroked her back.

"Did you clean today?" he asked, turning his head to her from his position at the stove.

"I did. How did you know?"

"It smells like lemons in this place. Thank you."

Brennan shrugged. "Not a big deal. I was bored this morning, and the entire living room was coated in dust."

"No it wasn't! It hasn't been that long since I dusted." His eyes shot up to the ceiling as he thought. "Well, on second thought, maybe it has been awhile." He turned back to his cooking.

After dinner, Brennan decided that she would get to bed at a decent time that night since tomorrow was her day to work. She ambled outside after Booth as he took Daisy out.

"Why did you take her dress off today?" he asked. She'd been waiting for that question since they'd paid him a visit at work, and was mildly surprised that it was being asked now, at the end of the day.

"In case I got caught with her, I figured it would be less embarrassing if she wasn't wearing a purple dress when it happened."

"Makes sense."

"I thought so."



Daisy did her business, got excited by the praise she got from Booth, and led the way back inside, straight over to her treat bag. Before Brennan could protest before-bed treats, Booth had given her one and she had wolfed it down.

"If she messes indoors tonight, you're cleaning it up," she informed him.

"Fine by me. She just wanted a treat so bad and I can't say no to big brown eyes. Now, let's go to bed."

It was still relatively early. Brennan had wanted to stay up for at least another hour. But, she discovered that, like Booth, she couldn't say no to big brown eyes; his anyway. "Very well."

After changing, she carefully set the alarm on the clock for six in the morning. Daisy had balled herself up in between their pillows, waiting for Booth. He came out and crawled in on his side of the bed, slowly inching closer to her. "Are you tired Bones?" He punctuated the question with a light kiss on her mouth, followed by one on the pulse point at her throat.



She closed her eyes and let a small sigh escape. "I do need to get to sleep Booth. I have to get up in the morning, and I've been sleeping in lately. It's a bad habit to get into."

"Says you," he replied with a one sided grin before returning his lips to her throat and collarbone.

She scooted even closer to him and wound her arms around him. "I'm serious. I'm looking forward to being back tomorrow, and would like to spend the day awake and alert."

"That's what coffee's for." She felt his hands venture lower down her body, cupping her bottom and giving it a squeeze, pushing her lower body into his. She swatted his shoulder at the contact.

"Cut it out," It was half hearted and they both knew it. She made no move to pull out of his grasp, and placed a hand at the back of his head, pulling it to hers for a kiss. She felt his hands stroking up and down her back and she moaned against his mouth before pulling away slowly. She really did need to get to sleep, but one couldn't fight the moment.

She sat up in bed, about to pull her top over her head when she felt his hands on her shoulders, stopping the motion. "What?" she asked, puzzled. "I thought this was what you wanted. I want it too, if that's what you're wondering."

"It's not that Bones," he said softly, then pointed at Daisy.

"She's asleep, so?" Brennan couldn't see the problem. Daisy was in a ball, snoozing peacefully.

"We can't...in front of her," he explained.

She raised an eyebrow, amused and frustrated at the same time. "She's a dog Booth. She doesn't know."

"Still," he said, as though that ended the discussion.

Brennan just shook her head, a smile on her face. "You're unbelievable sometimes, you know that?" Although, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised that Booth was reluctant to have sex in front of Daisy. She flopped back against the mattress and turned back to him, putting his hands back on her and kissing him again. He hadn't said anything about making out in front of the puppy after all.

A/N: Hope you liked it! Next update will hopefully not be as long in coming as this one did. Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments!