Parker wobbled on his bicycle after his dad let go of him for the first time. After a few nervous seconds, he straightened out his path and rode on without assistance. Seeley's face wore a grimace of anxiety as he saw the boy topple over into the grass. He ran over to Parker and helped him up.

"You okay, Bub?"

The boy dusted off his pants and nodded. "Yeah, will you push me again, Daddy?"

After a few more tries, Parker was getting the hang of it, and riding his bike all over the park. Booth sat back on the bench and watched his little boy with pride in his eyes. He'd grown up so fast. He'd missed out on so much of his son's young years due to the strain in his relationship with Rebecca.

He smiled fondly at his wife's insistence that it would be best to move closer to his son, so that their baby could have a relationship with her big brother. A relationship like she had with Russ, he thought.

As he watched his son play, he was thankful that they had bought the house in this neighborhood because he didn't miss out on as much of Parker's life anymore. In the past few months, he'd seen his little boy two, sometimes three, times a week. It was the best gift he could have ever gotten-----a gift that Temperance had given him.

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It was four o'clock on a gorgeous spring afternoon when Tempe pulled her silver Mercedes convertible into the driveway of her two-story brick colonial. As she struggled to ease herself out of the low position in the car, she mentally noted the need for a more logical choice of vehicle.

Now eight months pregnant, she had come to realize the inconveniences her rounded abdomen afforded her. She had been putting in extra hours in the lab on this Saturday in order to catch up on her duties at the Jeffersonian Institute. Tempe had been moving slower at work and was growing increasingly frustrated with her semi-handicapped state.

When he noticed that his boss had difficulty sidling up to the examination table due to her pregnancy, Zach, ever the engineering genius, had surprised her with a raised and modified version of the table the following morning.

She had been putting more hours into training her young protégée lately because she knew he'd be taking over her responsibilities very soon. And she had promised Booth that she'd take ample leave following the birth.

Tempe had felt unsure of how much time she was willing to give up to raise this child, but her husband had reassured her that "when you're looking at your kid, you don't even feel like you're giving up anything." And he was always right.

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From his position on the park bench, Booth saw Temperance slowly pull herself from her car and carefully make her way up the front steps to their house. Minutes later, she emerged from the front door and walked across the street to him. As she took her seat beside him, he knew her smile was in place to veil the exhaustion she really felt.

He took her hand in his and spoke. "You know today is the last Saturday you're working, right?"

"What? Why?"

"Well, next weekend we're flying up to Philly for Easter, remember?"

She nodded, recalling their family obligations.

He continued. "And I think it's time you start cutting back a little on your hours at the lab, babe." He looked into her weary eyes. "I know you're tired, Temperance."

"Maybe. But I still have so much to do before she comes."

"Yeah, well, we have preparations to take care of here at home too, don't forget."

"Can't you handle that stuff? You know more about cribs and outlet covers than I do anyway." Her expression showed that she figured her argument was reasonable.

"It's all part of the experience. The experience we're supposed to be sharing? I'd just appreciate a little more time with you---you know, while we're still alone?" He gestured to her stomach.

"What are you talking about, Booth? We have a great sex life!" Tempe looked confused.

"That's not what I'm talking about. It's just that I think you should probably get used to spending more time at home." He braced himself for her wrath. Bringing up anything close to a discussion of housewifery had always resulted in a never-ending diatribe on the archaic notions he clung to as a result of the mainstream media's portrayal of working mothers.

It may have been due to her exhaustion, but this once Temperance stayed quiet on the matter and answered simply, "Duly noted."

His appreciative gaze settled on her serene features as his arm reached around her shoulder. Parker rode up on his bike and showed off his newfound skills for his step-mom. A few seconds in the boy's presence erased all signs of tiredness from her eyes. The child's joy and excitement was infectious. And Tempe thought, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to spend more time feeling just like this: Happy.