Booth sat on the porch watching the last of the day slip behind the trees. The last few days spent with his daughter passed way too quickly. Booth loved his girl dearly. She filled his heart. From the moment she had slipped from her mother's body into his large strong hands, and he had held her, shivering and wet, mewling like a kitten, her eyes opened wide and stared straight into his, he was hers. He was always the first awake when she cried in the middle of the night. He would all but push Brennan out of the way to run to change her dirty diapers. He would sit with her lying on his chest while he watched the playoffs, wrapped in a Flyers scarf, sleeping soundly as he bellowed at the television. Never did she flinch. She was, totally and completely, her daddy's girl.
He was there when she took her first steps. He had been working in the yard, trying to burn off some excess nervous energy. He'd been in court for seven days straight. He was mentally and physically exhausted, but he insisted he needed to be digging out that pit for a sandpit for Christine for her first birthday. Brennan had shrugged and left Christine in her playpen while she went inside to prepare lunch.
Booth was sweating and grunting. He looked up and as he wiped the sweat from his eyes, he noticed that Christine had managed to tip over the entire playpen and she was crawling rapidly towards him and the hole he was standing in.
"No baby. Stop. Stop right there. Daddy will come and get you." He called, not wanting her to tumble into the hole, as shallow as it was. He pushed the shovel into the sand and stepped up onto the grass. As he did Christine stopped and looked up at her father. Before he could take a step she pressed her hands into the ground, pushing her bottom up into the air, she balanced on all fours for a moment, then somehow, she squatted back down, balancing on her two feet, and incredibly stood up, staring at her father, a wide grin, mirroring his, on her face. Booth squatted down and held out his arms, the smile on his face wide.
Christine wobbled slightly and then, without any further encouragement, took a tentative step, wobbled, semi squatted, then pushed herself upright again and took another step. She giggled loudly as she took the four steps that deposited her into her father's large, dirty, hands. "Oh Christine, baby! You did it!" he stood up, whirling his daughter around. "Bones! Bones! She walked!" He was half running towards the house.
Brennan opened the door frowning, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. "What are you yelling about? Why is the playpen tipped over. And Booth! You've got dirt all over her!" she said, the irritation in her voice quite apparent.
"She walked Bones! Straight to me! Must have been six or seven steps I think! But she did it all by herself!" he explained excitedly. Brennan looked at him, then at the upended playpen and then at her daughter who was waving and clapping her hands as if she knew what amazing feat she had just accomplished.
"But that's not possible. She wasn't really crawling properly yet. She hadn't even been pulling herself up and standing unaided. The books clearly state"
"Bones, forget the books. They don't know our brilliant daughter." Booth said loudly, beaming at his little girl "You're not like those other babies are you baby. You're super baby!" he said as he tossed Christine into the air, her arms and legs waving as she squealed. He caught her firmly and planted his two lips firmly on her cheek, making her giggle.
He looked up to see Brennan's face. She was upset. "What's the matter Bones?" he asked, concerned. "Nothing. I just. I always assumed." she stopped speaking and held out her hands, taking Christine from him.
"Nuh uh. Bones. What's up?" he said, pulling her arm as she turned away from him.
"It's silly. I. I just always thought I would be the one she would walk to first." she said quietly.
Booth smiled, pulling her into his arms. "Oh honey. I'm sorry. But truly, I wasn't expecting it. I didn't even see how she tipped that playpen over! We'll have to watch out for that now. It's probably not going to hold her in any more. Hey, I bet you will be the one she talks to first." he said, just as Christine held her arms out to him and yelled "Dadda lub" smacking her lips in an air kiss.
Brennan pressed her lips together and turned her blue eyes on him. "Well, I suppose it's to be expected, she loves you. You are the one she always wants." She said. Booth's eyes twinkled. "Well that makes her just like her mother." he said winking at her.
"Booth! Don't say things like that in front of your daughter!" Brennan said, feigning shock, but her eyes and the blush on her cheeks told him the truth.
He smiled at the memory then blew his nose into a handkerchief that he pulled from his trouser pocket. He sniffed loudly and stood up, wincing as his knees took his full weight. He picked up the walking stick and stared at it, then leaned on it and turned and walked along the porch into the house.
"Ah ha! I knew you needed that!" Brennan shouted across the room when she saw him. Booth closed his eyes and nodded, his mouth mimicking her. Christine laughed as she walked towards him, her arms outstretched "Aww Dad, you'll just have to get used to it. And I think it makes you look rather distinguished. Like a British gentleman!" she said smiling at him. He looked at his beautiful daughter, her eyes exactly like her mothers, her smile was all him. She was the best of both of them, and the worst, he thought to himself.
"Stop trying to make me feel better about using this stupid thing" he said frowning and waving his walking stick in the air. "It' makes me look old!" he said. Brennan started laughing. Christine hugged her father "No it doesn't dad. You're hair makes you look old." she said, ruffling his white hair.
"Hey! That's enough out of you young lady" he said unable to keep a straight face.
It was their last night with the family. Christine, Phil and the kids were leaving in the morning to go home.
Brennan was sad. Booth was in denial. He thought if he didn't think about it and nobody talked about it then it just wouldn't happen. But of course it was happening. And both he and Bones were going to hate it.
The last two months had been the best they had had in a long time. Brandon and Erin had been so much fun. They had fought and argued of course. But they had also given them so much joy. Evenings spent around the dining table, eating, telling stories about their life together. The children had truly been interested in hearing about their grandparents as younger people. Booth had loved it too. Remembering all the good times, and some of the not so good ones. All the moments in time that had woven into the fabric that was their life together.
They were all sitting around the dining table after dinner. They had just finished dessert. Brennan was having a cup of tea, but Booth, Christine and Phil were drinking a bottle of red wine that Booth had been keeping for a special occasion.
"So are you gonna miss us Pops?" Erin asked. Booth screwed up his nose and rubbed at his chin then waved his hands in the air "Oh God No! All the noise, and lining up to use my bathtub, and sharing my ice cream, and all the glitter!" He winked at her then grinned "Baby I'm not sure I will be able to stand being here alone with your grandmother!"
"Booth!" Brennan punched him in the arm and pursed her lips. Booth smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, planting a kiss on her cheek, feeling her soft papery skin beneath them. "I love you, old girl. You know it." he whispered. Brennan couldn't keep from smiling.
Erin rested her chin in her hands, elbows on the edge of the table. She sighed "You two have been in love for a really long time haven't you?" she said. It wasn't really a question. But Brennan took it as one.
"Oh yes. I didn't know I loved him though, for many years. But in hindsight, yes. I think I fell in love with him many years before either of us knew it.
"Oh I knew" Booth said hugging her to him. "I just knew" he said nodding at his granddaughter. "Waiting for her to catch up was the hardest part. I thought maybe it would never happen. Your Grandmother was a very popular lady with the boys when she was young." He winked at Brandon.
Christine laughed and leaned into her husband's chest, his arm came around her shoulder and she felt him kiss the top of her head. "I think I hear a story coming on" she said.
Brennan wiped her mouth on the corner of her napkin then folded it neatly and laid it next to her plate.
"Well, as a matter of fact." she said her eyes sparkling through her glasses.
Booth rolled his eyes "Uh Oh. Here we go" he said pulling his arm back from around her and picking up his glass and taking a long draught, draining his glass. "Phil, do us both a favour and go grab us a couple of beers? I think we might need them" he winked at his son in law, who gladly obliged.
"Are you suggesting that the stories I tell are boring?" Brennan said, slightly miffed.
Booth shook his head, "No Bones, but sometimes they are very long. Perhaps you could just tell a short one tonight?" he asked a smirk on his face.
Brennan sucked in her cheeks and pursed her lips "Well" she said turning back to face her grandchildren. "you know I met your grandfather way before we were officially working together as partners for the FBI. I was giving a lecture on the Red Deer Cave People who were the most recent known prehistoric population that do not resemble modern humans. You know, Fossils dated between 14,500 and 11,500 years old were found in Red Deer Cave and Longlin Cave in China. Having a mix of archaic and modern features, they were thought to be a separate species of humans that became extinct without contributing to the gene pool of modern humans. They found evidence shows large deer were cooked in the Red Deer Cave, giving the people their name."
"uh Bones?" Booth interrupted her, nodding his head at their grandchildren who were sitting with their mouths hanging open, identical frowns, staring at her. "We're at our dining table, not in a lecture hall honey" he added, his hand making a winding movement as if to hurry her along.
Brennan felt her face start to burn. "Sorry, it really was a very interesting lecture. Anyway" she shook her head trying to focus on the story, "your grandfather came into the hall and interrupted me with a stupid question"
"Hey!" Booth said.
"Fortunately I had finished the lecture and was just taking questions by that time. Brennan continued, ignoring Booth. "I have to say, I was quite taken with him. Tall and well proportioned. He had these broad shoulders, and his hair was beautifully combed. And then he smiled at me. A sort of crooked, cheeky smirk." She trailed off staring into Booth's eyes, before pulling herself back and clearing her throat.
"Anyway, you know we worked on a case, then had a big fight and didn't see each other for a long time. Then I started working with him again. It wasn't easy mind you. Your grandfather was. Well. He was."
"Brilliant? Dashing? Handsome?" Booth interjected with a grin.
"Cocky" Brennan responded. "He had this brusque attitude. He was all by the book and get the job done, and chop chop" she said chopping her hand into her palm. "He had no idea about the science behind identifying bodies. The intricacies involved. I will say he was very good with people though. The way he spoke to the family of the victim. He was very empathetic. That was something I wasn't naturally good at back then. I dealt with facts and science and I admit, I would sometimes blurt things that were shocking or hurtful for the victims families to hear."
"Oh boy" she heard Booth mutter, but refused to look at him. She smiled at her grandchildren "Your grandfather was a wonderful FBI agent. He was smart, but more than that he understood people and how things affected them. That's why we worked so well as a team. He was the heart."
"And you were the brain" Booth added, covering her hand and giving it a squeeze.
Brennan smiled at him. He was just as handsome as that first day she lay eyes on him. She cleared her throat again and continued her story.
"We had been working together for many years. We'd had some ups and downs. Both of us had been in relationships with other people during those years. But neither of us could ever seem to make them work. They lasted a while, then just seemed to fizzle out and we would move on. We always remained close, which was awkward at times. You're grandfather always seemed to think that my relationships were his business."
"That's because I never thought anyone was good enough for you Bones." Booth said defensively.
"Well, as it turns out, you were right." she said. "We had been dancing around our feelings for years."
Booth interrupted her again "No. I'd been clear. You were the one who"
"It doesn't matter who was or wasn't clear, or ready, or who knew or didn't know, or" Brennan swallowed and stared at her daughter who was smirking, exactly like Booth was. She picked up her tea and took a mouthful, swallowing it and then clearing her throat. "We were on a case, as we always were. Booth was being targeted by an old army colleague, who had gone bad. We had been under a lot of pressure. All of us. We were in the lab. Young Mr Nigel-Murray was working with us that day." Brennan felt a prick in the corner of her eye. She always got emotional when she thought of Vincent. He had been her favourite of all the interns, or squints as Booth liked to call them.
"I remember it like it was yesterday. There was a phone call. Vincent was holding the phone when the glass from the skylight shattered and I remember shards of glass raining down on us. Your grandfather pushed me to one side and he dived onto Vincent throwing him to the floor."
"Bones" Booth said, his voice catching in his throat.
"No Booth. I want to tell them. This is when I knew. It was my moment of clarity. Vincent had taken a bullet. It pierced his heart. I remember we were kneeling over him. There was blood everywhere. He was losing so much blood. Your grandfathers hands were bright red. He was trying to stem the flow, but it was pointless. I recall Vincent's eyes. He was so young. And he was scared. He was asking us if he could stay. It was heartbreaking. I didn't know what to say to him. So I told him that of course he could stay. But of course he couldn't."
She paused, Booth covered her hand with his and squeezed it gently. Brennan wiped at her eyes with a tiny blue handkerchief, pushing it up under her glasses. "I'm fine Booth" she said smiling at him, and patting his hand.
Erin was mopping at her eyes with her sleeve. Christine got up and returned to the table with a box of Kleenex, which everyone but Brennan pulled one or two tissues from.
"Booth had me come and stay at his home. He was worried that the person who shot Vincent, might target me. He wanted to keep me safe. I normally would have argued with him, but I didn't have the strength to say no to him."
I remember laying on the couch in his living room. I think I lay there staring at the ceiling for a couple of hours. All I could see were Vincent's blue eyes. All I could hear was him asking me if he could stay. I remember opening Booth's bedroom door and peeking in to see if he was awake. There he was sitting up in bed pointing his handgun at me."
"Aww come on Bones. You startled me out of a deep sleep. I kind of forgot you were there for a minute. I wouldn't have pulled the trigger" Booth said, feeling terrible that she had just told their grandchildren that he had actually pulled a gun on her.
Brandon sat, his eyes wide "Wow! You sleep with a gun next to you? Cool!" he said. Booth held up his hand "No. Now don't go getting any stupid ideas. I had a gun, yes. But that was only because of the situation we were in. I don't sleep with a loaded gun by my bed Brandon. Don't be silly" he said, looking at Christine who was frowning at him. He shrugged and mouthed she started it! while pointing at her mother.
"anyway, I remember coming and sitting with your grandfather. I was really upset. I felt guilty and responsible for Vincent's death. Of course your grandfather was wonderful. He let me stay and comforted me. He held me close and told me it was going to be alright." Brennan smiled at Booth "That was my moment. That's when I knew. I was in love with him. I was never more sure of anything. He was there. He was holding me and just loving me and telling me that nothing bad would ever happen to me while he was there." she said staring into Booth's eyes.
"and that was it" Brennan said leaning back in her chair. "I found out I was pregnant with your mother about a month later."
"MOM! You basically just told my children you got pregnant with me the first time you and dad. Ugh" Christine covered her face, which was burning.
"Well perhaps not the first time. But definitely that night!" Brennan clarified with a bright smile.
"Oh My God Mom!" Christine said from behind her hands while her husband Phil rubbed her shoulders and winked at Booth laughing "Well done!"
Erin and Brandon sat grinning like Cheshire cats at them all. "But that is not the way you go about having a baby and all that stuff. You go to college, and get good jobs and work for a long, long time. Then meet someone, and date for a long long long time. Then you get engaged, for a long time. Then you get married and then maybe, you have children. But not before all that other stuff" Booth said, pointing at his grandchildren trying to keep a straight face.
Brennan laughed, "Well, that's how it worked for us. I remember the look on his face when I told him I was pregnant. I thought he looked like his heart was going to burst right out of his chest. He was so happy. From that night, there was nobody else for me. I knew there never would be. And the rest, as they say, is in the past."
"History, Bones. The rest is history" Booth said nodding at her.
Brennan frowned "That's what I said. In the past." Booth rolled his eyes and laughed out loud pulling her against his chest "God woman I love you" he said, kissing her cheek.
Christine sat smiling at her parents. All these years. So many moments. Good, bad. All woven into these two people. It was there on their faces, their whole life. It showed in the way they touched, and looked at each other. It was there in the softness of their voices when they talked to each other.
She turned and looked at Phil. "I hope that's us one day" she whispered as she kissed his cheek. "I want that so much."
"Well, on that note" Booth looked at his watch. It was well after eleven o'clock. "I'm going to go hit the hay. What time are you leaving?" he asked Phil.
"Probably around ten" Phil replied looking at Christine for confirmation.
"OK. Well we'll see you in the morning. Can't lie. I don't want you to go." Booth said as he stood up, holding out a hand to Brennan as she stood up. "Neither of us do." He added as they headed to the stairs.
"Goodnight Mom. Dad?" Christine got up and ran over to her father and wrapped her arms around his chest, squeezing him hard. "I love you daddy, you know that right?" she said, her face pressed into his shoulder. He swallowed hard, words sticking in his throat "I know it" he said roughly. Then kissed her cheek and turned and followed Brennan upstairs.
Booth stopped halfway up the stairs and looked back down, from the shadow he stood in.
There she was. His baby girl. But she wasn't a baby any more. She was a grown woman, with a husband and children of her own.
He watched as Phil wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. He nodded to himself that man loves her. Just as well.
Erin and Brandon walked up to their parents and wrapped their arms around them. Booth stifled a sob. Not sad tears. Tears of joy.
We did good Bones he thought We did damn good as he turned away and headed upstairs to lay in the arms of the woman he created this family with.
His Temperance.