I loved, loved, loved the episode last week and I can't wait for tonight! We're on our way to eventually, baby! Anyway, it's been a while since I've posted! I thought all you lovely people deserved a new chapter, so here we go! Enjoy!

And as always, thank you to Sam for being amazing. She nagged me to finish this chapter finally and gave me some great ideas for it. I'm eternally grateful!

"Am I doing it right?" Brennan asked nervously and she cradled Evangeline to her chest a few days later.

"You're doing perfect, Temperance," the nurse assured her. "This skin to skin contact is called kangaroo care. Studies have proven that this kind of contact with the mother and father fosters faster growth and development." Brennan was barely listening. She was gazing down at Evi who was making soft cooing noises in her arms. She was taken off the respirator the day before and she had just started crying and cooing. Booth watched in amazement as his girlfriend held their daughter in her arms, looking at her with such love that he thought his heart might burst.

"That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, Bones," he said with tears choking up his voice. Brennan smiled up at him and looked back down at the baby. They all sat in a comfortable silence for a while as Brennan whispered words just for her baby girl into her ear.

"Okay, Daddy, would you like a turn?" the nurse asked, breaking the silence. Booth looked down at his casted arm and then at his little girl.

"I… yes I want to hold her," he agreed. "But is it safe, with my arm and everything?" The nurse gave him a kind smile.

"Just as long as you're careful. And I'm sure you will be." Booth nodded and took off his shirt to allow for as much skin contact as possible with Evi. Brennan's eyes roamed his bare chest and she took in the many new injuries he had from the explosion. He had bruises and cuts that were just beginning to heal. She couldn't help but feel guilty about everything that had happened in the last four days.

The nurse took Evi from Brennan and carefully handed her to Booth. "There, perfect, hold her just like that," she praised. Booth smiled and looked down at the tiny baby in his arms. His breath was literally taken away by the amount of love he felt for her. He felt a twinge of fear at the thought that she wasn't meant to be here for another 12 weeks, but he already knew that she was a fighter like her mother. "I'll leave you alone for a little bit." The nurse excused herself from the room, leaving the new family alone.

"She's amazing," Booth said in awe. Brennan nodded in agreement. "I mean the doctors didn't think she'd be off her respirator for at least six days. And here she is, breathing on her own in three. She's definitely your daughter, Bones. Stubborn and determined to prove everybody wrong." Brennan chuckled.

"Booth?" she called his name cautiously.

"Yeah?" he said looking up from the baby at her with the most genuine smile Brennan had ever seen on him. She returned it for a second before it faded. Booth's brow wrinkled in concern. "Something wrong, Babe?"

"I… are you very disappointed in me?" she asked and broke eye contact with him.

"Disappointed in you?" he repeated incredulously. "No, Bones. Why would I be disappointed in you?" Brennan shrugged and stared intently at the floor.

"Because stress can be a contributing factor in preterm births. It's all my fault." Booth's heart broke for her, and he wished he could gather her in his arms and hug her close, but his arms were a little preoccupied at the moment.

"Hey, things like this just happen sometimes, okay? It's not your fault." Brennan looked up at him, but her pained expression didn't change. "God, Bones, how could you avoid stress the last couple of weeks? This is not your fault. It's Daniel's. No one else's." Brennan nodded but dropped her gaze from his once more. "Bones…"

"Booth." Her tone was a warning for him to drop it. He did, but he kept his eyes on her.

"What happened?" he asked quietly, not sure if it was a good idea.

"What do you mean what happened?" Brennan asked, genuinely confused. Booth looked down at Evi then back up at Brennan.

"When you went to meet with Daniel," he explained. "What… what happened? Did he… do anything to you?" Brennan shook her head.

"No, he didn't have any time. He took off my blouse and kissed me. It was unpleasant, but that's all." Even though Brennan was trying to put his mind at ease, Booth's blood still boiled at the thought of anyone touching Brennan when she didn't want them to. "He evaded arrest." Booth nodded.

"I know."

"So I did all of this for nothing. If I hadn't insisted on meeting him… you wouldn't have gone back to the Hoover. I would have been closer to the hospital. Evangeline might not have been born. They could have stopped the contractions if I had gotten here earlier. I…"

"Bones." Booth's heart was breaking. He had no idea what to do or what to say. "I would've gone back to the Hoover at some point today."

"No, no you wouldn't have," she countered. "We would have gone to the hospital because I was experiencing preterm labor. You would have been with me when Evangeline was born. That is, if the contractions couldn't have been stopped. You wouldn't be injured now or feeling guilty about missing our daughter's birth." Brennan sniffled. "I'm sorry, Booth. So, so sorry."

"Bones, you have nothing to be sorry for, okay? We both did our best today. Neither of us knew what was going to happen. We both did what we thought was right at the time." Brennan looked at Evi and smiled.

"She seems incredibly content when you hold her," she observed. Booth beamed.

"Yeah? I know she's here too early, but I'm so happy to meet her. She's breathtaking, just like I knew she would be. And Bones?" He waited until she was looking him in the eyes. "She's going to be fine." She nodded.

"I know she will be. She has an excellent team caring for her. And as you said, she's exceeding all of the expectations. If there are no further setbacks, she is well on the path to recovery."

"You see? Even science says that she's going to be okay. Not just my old, unreliable gut. Even though my gut is telling me that we have a lot of wonderful years with Evangeline Abigail Booth ahead of us." He looked down at the baby and gave her a quick kiss on the top of her little hat. "Thank you, Bones."

"For what?" Brennan asked. Booth considered her question for a second. For what? There were thousands, millions of things he was thankful to Temperance Brennan for.

"For giving her my name," he began. "We're not married, Bones. You could have put down Brennan-Booth or just Brennan. You didn't have to name her Booth." Brennan shrugged.

"I thought about putting down Brennan-Booth," she admitted. "But I didn't know if you were alive at the time. I wanted her to have a piece of you that was only you."

"So, is that the only reason, because…" Brennan sighed. He could find a way to feel guilty about anything.

"No," she said honestly. "I wouldn't change it now for anything. She is very lucky to carry the last name Booth." Booth's heart swelled again.

"I love you so much," he said with a hitch in his voice that made Brennan's stomach flip.

"I love you more than I can say, Booth." The nurse returned and Booth reluctantly gave Evi up to her. She got her settled the turned toward Booth.

"You have someone out in the waiting room," she told him. "I'll take Temperance back to her room." Booth looked at Brennan and she indicated that it was okay to go. He gave her a quick kiss before leaving the room.

Booth spotted Parker and Rebecca and made a beeline for them. "Parker!" he exclaimed and pulled his 12-year-old son into a hug.

"Is my little sister here?" he asked when they parted. Booth nodded with a wide smile spread across his face.

"She sure is."

"I thought she wasn't coming for a couple months."

"Yeah, well, she wasn't supposed to come yet. Sometimes babies are born early." Parker nodded in understanding.

"Is it bad when that happens?" he asked. Booth nodded slowly.

"It can be," he admitted. "But your little sister is doing great. I can ask the doctor if you can come see her, then we can go visit Bones, okay?"

"Are you okay, Seeley?" Rebecca asked. He knew she was hinting at the explosion. They had decided not to tell Parker about the bombing just yet. They felt like there was just too much to explain to him right now.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied honestly. "Thanks for bringing him down."

"No problem." Booth directed Parker by the shoulders toward the NICU. They got permission to sit with Evi for a few minutes.

"She's so tiny," Parker commented as he peered into the incubator. "Can I hold her, Dad?"

"Not yet," Booth answered.

"Have you held her?"

"Yes," Booth admitted. "But it's different for me and Bones. We're her mom and dad."

"Well I'm her big brother!" Parker retorted defiantly. Booth chuckled and clapped a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Soon, Bub," he promised. "You'll take care of her, right? She's gonna need her big brother to protect her. I can only do so much. I'm gonna need your help." He was only half-kidding. Parker nodded.

"I'll never let anyone hurt her, Dad."

"I know you won't, son." Booth noticed that the nurse was giving them a warning look. Evi had already had far too much stimulus today. "Come on, let's go visit Bones." The Booth men walked out of the NICU, only to be stopped by the receptionist.

"Mr. Booth, you have a phone call." Booth walked up to the desk. "He says it's official FBI business." Booth took the phone and put it up to his ear. He listened for all of two seconds before his eyes widened in shock.

"I… what? But how… Yes, sir. I understand, sir. Thank you, sir." He handed the phone back to the receptionist and walked back over to Parker. "Parker, I have to talk to Bones about something. Stay here for a minute, okay?" Parker nodded, knowing that his father was worked up about something.

Booth walked into Brennan's room. She was sitting up in bed, waiting for him. "Hey you," she said when she saw him. Her expression darkened when she saw that he was looking at her intently. "What is it, Booth? Is Evi okay?" Panic shot through her like a bullet.

"Evi's fine," Booth answered immediately to ease her fears. "I got a call." She waited patiently for him to continue. "They… they found Daniel… He's dead, Bones."

I'm glad to be back writing this one! Tell me what ya thought!