What are ten days in the larger scheme of things, if you want to know the value of a year ask Brennan about her time in Maluku, and if you want to know about the value of days, ask this man who is just walking out of the airport. His backpack is hanging from his shoulder, his passport still in his hand, he moved to tuck it in the back of his jeans. His light shirt is untucked, showing the sun kissed tan on the small of his back. He spent ten days on the beach, swimming with dolphins and sharks, surfing and he even tried the hula dance lessons, although he would never admit it to anyone. He partied, danced and had a lot of fun but kept his interaction with people to the minimum. When the ladies asked him to dance at the hotel's club, he accepted but he never danced twice with the same one. He did not offer to buy dinner or a drink, and when he was propositioned not too subtly by one very beautiful young girl, who could be no more than half his age, he accepted to escort to the Hotel's end of summer beach party but declined her offer to join her in her room. He was just beginning to feel free from all the baggage in his life and he did not need lust to mess with his plans. Seeley Booth was on a mission. He finally saw things clearly, he needs to adapt. He would come back to DC, live at his house, ask Parker to move in with him permanently, he was sure Rebecca would not disagree now, he even thought of asking Rebecca to have another child with him, he was a man on a mission, a man who wanted a family, and as skewed this might sound, if a wife was out of the question for him, at least he could have his son and a daughter maybe under the same roof and call it his family.

There was not a molecule of sadness left in this man, not that he lead a happy life, but he had decided that he had enough brooding for a life time, from now on, in his next 35 years he would build a new life for himself, he won't just go for a different outcome, he will live differently. Ten days on the beach, changed Seeley Booth and he was starting to love the change.

He took a cab from the airport to his house, opened the door and was thankful that Rebecca was thoughtful to send for someone to air the place and change his bed sheets. He went straight to the laundry room opened the top of the washing machine and dumped the content of his backpack in. no more slacking on his house work, he will take care of himself, his son and his life, this is the new him. He thought he would take off the clothes he was wearing and wash them as well, as much as he enjoyed the hotel in Hawaii, he always loved to come home to his own en-suite bathroom and take a shower. He dismissed the need to wrap himself in a towel and walked the corridor intending to go straight to his room.

"Whoaa Dad!, What are you doing walking naked at home"

"Seeley"

"Umm, Rebecca, what are doing here?" Booth was stuttering now, embarrassed, however he opened the linen closet and took out a fluffy dark blue towel and wrapped it around his waist.

"Well Seeley, it is good to see you, all tanned, we got back couple of days ago and I was just helping Parker with moving few things from his room" Rebecca explained.

"Moving, moving what?" He panicked, he wanted his son to permanently move in with him and now she was there helping him move out what ever little he had here

"Relax Seeley, most of what Parker had here he is not using, the clothes don't fit him anymore and he says he is too old for toys so he wanted to take it all and give it to charity, we were just gathering things"

He sighed in understanding, he thought of telling Rebecca about his decision, but he decided against it, he should be dressed first of all in something more than a towel when discussing the moving of his son, or maybe the baby idea, although if she agrees to the baby, it would be good that he is already out of his clothes. He smirked.

"Becca, I need to go take that shower, will you guys be here when I am done, and maybe we could grab dinner?"

"Actually Dad, I am going to see Avan this afternoon, we are going to school game and then we are having a sleepover at her house, her dad is having a camping thing in their backyard for 6 of us and mom said I could go, I really would like to sit with you but we could catch up tomorrow, huh Dad?"

"Sure parker" he ruffled his son's hair before he moved to his room. As soon as closed the door he snapped back open and called for Rebecca

"He Becs, do you think you can have dinner with me, I have something to talk to you about"

"Sure Seeley, I will see you later in the evening, I will get the food, you could use a home cooked meal"

Rebecca drove Parker to the game, after saying hello to Avan's parents, and making sure that they were ok with the sleeping arrangements, she drove back home to make dinner. She was not the greatest cook, but Parker as well as her past boyfriends always complimented her on her Sheppard's pie with the extra meat she added this time for her neighbor. She also tossed some salad in a bowl, carried both and knocked on his door by seven.

"Hey, come on in" He greeted her

"Thanks, here I made some salad and the meat pie you like, you look good, you solo honeymoon did wonders to you"

He placed the food on the table and went to get their drinks. "Yeah, it was fun, I haven't done this for as long as I can remember, but I don't want to talk about that, let us eat, I have something to discuss with you after dinner"

Their conversation at the table ranged from Parker's adventures with his grandparents, to her healing process, she was good now, her ribs healed perfectly and her arm although hurt sometime, it was getting better and will be better in no time. They cleaned up the dishes and the air of domesticity was not lost on both of them.

"So do tell? What is it you want to talk about, met someone in Hawaii, oh! don't tell me, you are professionally taking up Hula Dance?" she teased

He laughed "No way Rebecca, this is serious"

"Ok, go ahead"

"I have done a lot of thinking while I was away, and everything that happened to me in the last several years, well not just the last several years, but all my life, and I want things to be different, I am hoping to ask you if Parker could permanently move in with me, I want to concentrate on my family now, and Parker and you of course are the only family I have and you know I live close by, so you can come and see him anytime, he would go and see you anytime he wants, he is all grown up now, but it would be great to have him here every night" he held his breath waiting for her answer.

"Sure" she said

"Come on Rebecca, I thought we are over the mean phase…. What did you say yes ?"

"Yes"

"But why?" he was surprised

"Well, Parker discussed this with me while we were away, and he said he really would like to have his own what was the word he used yeah (Atelier)"

"What?" he asked confused now

"something to do with his own space to use as a studio, where he could put his canvas and draw, he is really good Seeley, and when I told him to set it up at your place, he said that his room at my place had better natural light and he is comfortable doing his work at my place, but he hinted that his room is too crowded with the canvas and the bed, so we agreed to move his bed here, because you still have his race car bed which he outgrown and this is what we did the last couple of days" she finished

"What? You mean Parker already moved in?" he could not contain his smile

"No, of course not, I would not do that without discussing with you, we merely moved few things here, so he could stay here more often, and we decided since he is away this weekend I could talk the details with you"

"Thanks Rebecca, that means a lot to me, now that we have this sorted it out, I have something else to discuss with you, but this require you to hear me out till the end"

He went about explaining to her about his need to grow his family, and how he abandoned the idea of a wife and he would like to have another child, and how happy and thrilled Parker would be to have a brother and a sister, he also explained that now they have a good rapport and they understand each other so it would be logical for them to have another child with someone you are close to. He also told her that they could do this the natural or the clinical way, whichever made her more comfortable. He used all that he learned from the squints over the years to logic his way to her, but still she declined. She held his hand hugged him, even kissed him softly on the lips and told him that he deserved true happiness and that he will find it someday, having another child is not the answer. However she also told him that in one year if he still felt the same, and there was nothing changed in her life, she would revisit this proposal, until then she asked him to give his life with Parker a chance, all in all to give simple life with no complication a chance.

He was content at the end of the evening, he was even grateful for Rebecca, although she rejected to have a child with him, he was not sore, and had no doubt that she was not rejecting him, but she was being his true friend, wanting him to live a little.