Here is the next chapter. My study is killing me, that's why it took me so long to update. I'm sorry.
Katrina, thank you very much for beta-ing this chapter!
Hope, you'll enjoy. :)
Chapter 9
Booth finished the soup that Brennan had been cooking, washed all the dishes, cleaned the table and had nothing else to do. He was slowly becoming insane from all his nervousness.
'What if she doesn't listen to me? And how should I explain to her that I left only to save them? Should I tell her that I saw no other way out of that situation? Which words should I use? I love her...I've always have and always will. I love her more than everything...'
"But does she love me after all?" Because of the nervousness he didn't notice that he was talking out loud. "I'm so sorry, Bones..."
"Don't call me Bones!" - Booth turned around to see Brennan standing near the door as far away from him as possible. Her red, swollen eyes met his ones and he could see all her pain there despite her trying to hide it. Unknowingly, Booth made a step forward to hug her and regretted it immediately. She shrank back from him and was able to close off her feelings. It was as if there were a blank wall between them.
"Temperance, I..."
"Don't, Booth. I...I don't want to know anything right now..."
"What then...?"
"We need to decide what to do; how to tell Parker..."
"You are right, we do need to decide that. But to do so, we HAVE to solve all the problems from our past..."
"I don't want to remember..."
"I understand you were hurt..."
"Hurt?! Do you realize what I went through when I was sitting near my best friend's hospital bad not knowing if she would wake up?! When I found out that I was pregnant?! That wonderful news only made my suffering worse! All my friends were at the hospital, my child's father was 'dead' and I had his six-year-old to take care of! How could I have been happy?!"
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Six months before
It was the second of Booths' funerals that she had attended. But this time was different from the previous one. Firstly, she went there voluntarily. Secondly, he wasn't undercover and wasn't gong to appear. And the weather was like a reflection of her own feelings. The sky was covered with cheerless gray-black clouds that were ready to spill with a heavy cold rain.
The temperature was too low even for the early spring day. A piercing wind permeated under their clothes. But Brennan noticed neither the wind, nor Caroline's voice who was once again making the farewell speech. She also didn't see all the sympathetic glances her friends sent her. The anthropologist stared into space. Her thoughts were far away from that doleful spring day and from all the people that stayed there to say goodbye to Special Agent Seeley Booth.
With one hand, she clasped Parker to her side with the other she held a white rose. She didn't cry. All those years of loneliness had taught her to cope with pain...but the pain had never been so strong before...
However, tears started to run down her cheeks when she helped Parker to put flowers on his father's coffin. Before doing it, the boy had said some words which would have made Booth so proud of him, if he had been able to hear them.
"Daddy...I want you to be with us...but...Dr. Bones said you were with God and...and that I would not see you for a long time...I'm so sad...but don't worry! We'll be fine. I'll look after Dr. Bones just like you've taught me...I miss you ...and I love you, daddy ..."
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Brennan was not able to hold her tears back. Booth had tears running down his face too. He tried to step closer again but she didn't let him.
"Don't you dare try to come closer!"
"I'm so sorry..."
"Booth..." He heard a warning in her voice but didn't pay any attention and continued speaking. - "Forgive me. It's my entire fault! I screwed up everything. But I'll do anything to correct all my mistakes."
"It's impossible to correct something that has already happened..." - Her voice was barely audible. "Impossible..."
Booth didn't let her continue.
"You are right, we can't change our past...but we can change our future! We can make it happy...at least, we can try. Let's start a new chapter of our life, a clean sheet! Let's leave the past in the past! Let's try to be close again," - seeing her ready to object, he added. - "At least as friends."
After some moments of silence she nodded. A smile appeared on the special agent's face. He stood up straight, straightened his shoulders, held his hand forward and said proudly:
"Seeley Booth."
Brennan stared at him not understanding.
"I know what your name is, Booth! Why..."
Booth grinned.
"We are starting from the beginning. The first thing, people do when they meet, is to introduce themselves. Special agent Seeley Booth at your service, ma'am."
He looked at her expectantly. Brennan sighed as if admitting the stupidity of this idea, but said:
"Doctor Temperance Brennan."
He continued to look at her, not changing his pose. After another sigh, Brennan held her hand to shake his - flesh touched flesh and...
The world stopped. All sounds, smells, and movements - everything went aside, as if there were nobody in the universe except them. All they could see was each other's eyes, full of tears. All they could hear was their faltering breathing. All they could feel was heat from their joined hands. Nothing could make them relinquish their hold nor look away.
Their non-verbal conversations had amazed everybody, but this time...it was like the first time... In her eyes Booth saw her soul, all those days that she had lived without him. He could swear that her pain, loneliness, fear, misery and resentment made him suffer more than she had suffered. He was silently apologizing to her, not wanting to break the fragile connection that had been made between them at that moment.
Suddenly, Brennan threw herself into his arms. Booth held her tight to his chest while she sobbed on his shoulder. He stroked her back to calm her down. He couldn't believe that she was in his arms after everything that had happened. She snuggled closer and closer to him, as if her life depended on that touch. After some time, Brennan was able to speak again. She slightly pulled away, looked into his eyes and said:
"We need to talk."
Booth just nodded. He wanted to kiss her, but he knew that she was not ready.
Brennan was stunned at her own behavior. She couldn't understand what had made her hug him. On the way home from the park she had decided only to discuss problems connected with the children, not to show him her feelings. Despite that decision, there she was - in his arms. But the most surprising thing was that she didn't want to change her position. The logical part of her mind screamed at her not to trust him, but she didn't listen. 'How strange...I've changed so much! I don't even listen to logic, I do what I feel is right...'
Brennan said with a shy smile.
"I need to sit down. It's difficult for me stand that long."
They sat on the couch in silence not knowing how to start the conversation. When the silence became oppressive, they said at the same time:
"Booth..."
"Tempe...."
They both smiled. Booth said:
"You first."
"Ok," - Brennan inhaled deeply. "The first problem is how to tell Parker. He is at school now. His classes will end," - she looked at the watch, - "in an hour. I think we should pick him up together. I want him to find out you are alive as soon as possible."
"I agree. How...how is he?"
"He misses you...we all do..." Feeling that she was on the edge of tears, Brennan decided to change the subject. "Let's talk about our baby."
Booth's smile became a little wider. 'Our baby! We are going to have a baby! Bones and I are going to be parents!'
"I don't know the sex, but it needs a name. Parker has helped me to choose...Booth! Are you listening?"
Her question pulled Booth out of his thoughts. He shifted his gaze from her stomach to her face and made the most innocent face he was capable of.
"Of course!"
"Then, what was I talking about?"
"About our baby," he answered confidently. Before she could ask a more concrete question he added shyly, "Can I...can I touch it?"
Brennan nodded.
"Of course. It's your baby, too."
Booth carefully put his hand on her belly. As if it could understand something, the baby kicked like it was greeting it's father. The future parents stared at each other with amusement. His face showed happiness and astonishment, hers - happiness and satisfaction. 'I won't be alone in this. Even if we are only friends, he'll help me with the baby.'
Booth was the one to break the silence.
"What about the name? Have you decided..."
Brennan looked at him reproachfully.
"You didn't listen! I said, we haven't chosen. But the middle name for a boy will be Jack."
"After Hodgins?"
"Yes."
Booth thought about something for a few moments.
"I think Jack Brennan sounds good as a middle name and a surname. What about the first name? Maybe, Antony?"
"As a matter of fact, he'll be Jack Booth...I think it's better for him or her to have the same surname as Parker's. If you're not against it..."
"My surname? Are you serious?"
"Yes. But..."
"Of course, I'd like that! I can't even say how happy you've made me! But...why after Hodgins? I mean, not Zach, not your brother..."
Brennan looked down at her belly and said in a quiet voice:
"He saved my life. Without him our baby would never be born."
The silence filled the room once again. Booth was afraid to ask, Brennan didn't want to remember. But the memory came to her mind. She sighed and answered Booth's silent question.
"It was the day when...when your plane crashed..."
"Bo...Temperance, you don't have to tell me this..."
The tear slid down her cheek.
"I know. But I want you to know it..." Jeffersonian Institute
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Six months before
Hodgins sat in front of his computer trying to gather all evidence together to catch the mongrel that had hurt his friends. He was the only one who could find something, that's why he was at the lab and not near Angela. Brennan had stayed with her at the hospital. He sighed. 'Ange is in coma. Cam is still weak, Zach...oh, God! Let him be alive! Please...'
Suddenly, a thought came into his mind. Hodgins ran to the microscope, studied something for a few moments, ran back to his computer, checked the information there and started to dial a number with a smile on his face. Booth's phone was turned off, but Brennan answered after two beeps.
"Brennan."
"It's Hodgins. I know how to constrict the area of searching!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. But I need your help."
"I'll be at the lab as soon as possible."
Hanging up, Hodgins went back to studying the samples. After some time he heard footsteps. Thinking that it was Brennan, he turned around only to find himself face to face with a man who had a birthmark on his cheek...