Chapter 10 - Bathtime Reflections

Left to her own devices, Brennan quickly finished cleaning up from the taffy. That really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I actually enjoyed sharing that memory and reliving it. And Parker had fun, nothing like being five and getting all messy with taffy. Booth will have his hands full in that bath! She put the pot back where she'd found it and pushed in the chairs, leaving the bowl to dry on the drainboard. She was about to walk to her room when she thought of something and turned around to grab the wine glasses to refill them. Then she placed the refilled glasses on the coffee table as she passed to get her lap top. She paused to listen at the bathroom door, grinning at the giggles coming from within. She heard Booth cry out and had to stifle a laugh, "Parker! You just got me all wet!" Haha, yeh and you wanted me to help. I know how that would have gone.

Walking into her room she glanced around, taking it in since she hadn't really looked at it earlier. The flowers had proved to be a wonderful surprise and distraction. How did he ever remember that they were my favorite? I didn't even think he was paying attention when I commented about them in the park. He is full of surprises! This room had the dark beams just like the rest of the cabin, but the vibrant red orange walls were much more alive than the browns and grays that were throughout the rest of the cabin and they matched beautifully with the flowers, though it was a much deeper hue. The flowers were sitting on a rough hewn four drawer dresser probably made from cherry. Directly across from the dresser was a queen sized bed with a cream colored duvet and four big feather pillows. On either side of the bed were simple rough hewn night tables with one small drawer, on the wall to the left of the bed, against the back wall of the cabin, was a large, dark wardrobe. All the furniture in the room had the appearance of being handmade with old fashioned tools. She ran her hand along the door of the wardrobe, delighting in the solid feel of the wood and the coolness of the iron hinges. The wood was lightly sanded, and you could tell someone had used a hand plane to get the surface just right. She marvelled at the craftsmanship, it was absolutely breathtaking.

She put her suitcase on the bed and began to unpack the clothes she had brought. Her favorite cozy sweater, and another fleece, tank tops to layer, sweatpants, snowpants, and a pair of jeans. One by one she put them into the drawers of the dresser, finally pulling her coat from the chair in the living room where she'd thrown it earlier she hung that in the wardrobe. And grabbing her laptop she settled into the couch to put a few thoughts for her new chapter into writing. The firelight seemed to waltz around the walls when she turned out the overhead light. It had a calming effect. This is perfect for writing! Nice and quiet, a glass of wine. Wonderful! She sipped her wine and began to type.

All too soon a wet Booth emerged with a squeaky clean Parker, hair combed, teeth brushed and ready for a story. He put Parker down on the couch, and went to change into dry clothes.

"Dr. Bones are you ready to read to me now?" He asked eyeing her laptop as an adversary.

She looked up at him,"Of course Parker! You wanted to read the pyramid one?" She closed her laptop and put it under the coffee table. Reaching into her bag she pulled out the book he wanted to hear and snuggled in with him, grabbing a woolen throw off the back of the couch. And she began to read. "Long ago in a land far far away..."

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In the bedroom Booth was changing out of his wet clothes and pondering over things his son had said during bathtime. The most upsetting of which had been, "Daddy why didn't you ever bring Tessa up here? Why didn't she ever want to spend time with me like Dr. Bones?" He had been taken aback by the unexpected questions, and he knew that his son deserved an answer. How do I tell him she saw him as a nuisance? Something that would always keep her from being first in my life. How can I say this? Tessa had no desire to be out in the woods away from society, she was all about the spotlight and how things looked. Not that I ever invited her up here anyway. This is my spot away from everything, it makes no sense to bring everything with me. "Well Bud, Tessa didn't really like bugs, so she never wanted to come up to the woods with us. And she never spent time with you like Dr. Bones, because she wasn't special enough to realize how wonderful you are."

"You mean Dr. Bones thinks I'm special?!"

"Of course! How else do you think I got her to come? I told her you would be here!" It's no lie, she probably wouldn't have come with just me. But then who knows...

"I really like Dr. Bones Daddy. She's fun and she makes us laugh!"

"I know Bud, I know. She does doesn't she."

"And she brought lots of fun things to do. You should see what's in her bag! And she said we can play it ALL!" He looked at his father, his eyes filled with wonder and excitement. Thanks Bones! You have no idea how great you are with him, hopefully by the end of the weekend you'll see how much he adores you.

"I know, I can't wait till tomorrow, I'm sure she has more ideas." Lots more I hope! "Okay bathtime is over, time to get in your jammies and go read with Dr. Bones while Daddy gets into something dry."

Now alone in his bedroom he went back to his thoughts. It makes no sense to bring everything with me, but I brought Bones. Technically speaking I opted to bring work instead of a girlfriend. But I haven't had a girlfriend up here since Rebecca that one time. And Bones is...well Bones. I knew I wouldn't have to entertain her, and at least this way I know she's not spending Valentine's day in the lab, or worse out with some moron like Dick431. Why do I care? I know she would have been at the lab, it's that simple. She would have been all alone with a Mayan skelton or a mummy as her Valentine. At least this way she's with people who care about her. I do care about her, she's my partner...He moved to look out the doorway to see how they were faring with the book. The sight that greeted him caused his breath to catch. His son had crawled into Brennan's lap and snuggled in deep with the blanket, she had both arms wrapped around him and was rocking slowly side to side, he was sound asleep. She was staring into the fire, not seeming to notice anything, lost in her own thoughts.