Bones
"Bone of my Bone"
Summary: When past and present collide…interesting things start to happen.
Author's Note: Set in season five—so Parker is nine. Also, I'm not sure if Rebecca is married to somebody or not, but for the purpose of this story let's say she's not. Okay?
Warning: This story will contain spanking.
Disclaimer: The only characters I own are Bryan and Hunter. Bones, Booth, and the Squints belong to Kathy Reichs and Hanson Hart.
Chapter 14: Hard Handed But Soft Hearted
~ CP (spanking) warning in this chapter, people ~
The drive back to the town house was a silent one.
Booth drove tight lipped the entire way, while the boys merely glanced at each other guiltily.
They were in trouble, and they knew it.
Heading inside, Booth ordered, "Parker, head up to your room. I'll be up to speak to you in a minute but right now I need to have a talk with Hunter."
Parker gave his stepbrother a sympathetic look, but hurried up the stairs—not wanting to make his dad any madder.
Booth nodded toward the couch. "C'mon, bud," he told his new stepson.
Hunter followed him to the couch and they both sat down.
"Please, Booth," Hunter pleaded before he could say anything. "Don't be mad at Parker. I talked him into it."
"But Parker could have still said no, and he should have," Booth told him. "He knew what I'd told you guys and that it was wrong to lie to Bones. That's why he's in trouble."
"Yeah, but don't be too hard on him," Hunter said, "cuz it really was my fault."
"That's between me and him, bud," Booth told him, gently. "This isn't the first time Park's in trouble and it won't be the last time, either."
Hunter nodded, sighing.
He couldn't say he hadn't tried, at least, to keep his best friend and new stepbrother out of the frying pan.
"Right now, though," Booth went on, lifting his chin so that he was looking him in the eye, "you and me need to talk."
Hunter swallowed. "Am I in big trouble, Booth?" he asked him, nervously.
"I don't know, Hunt," Booth told him, raising an eyebrow. "What does 'big trouble' usually mean for you—with your dad, I mean?"
He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring up Bryan or not, but he really needed some insight into how the boy had been disciplined in the past.
He didn't want to be too hard handed with him, after all, but neither did he want to be too soft hearted, either.
Hunter blushed, biting his lip.
"He'd smack my butt," he admitted, "but only if I did something really bad."
Booth nodded, smirking.
"I've smacked Parker's butt too when he's done something really bad," he told him, honestly.
"Oh," Hunter said, quietly. "Guess that means you're going to spank me, huh?"
"Well, that depends," Booth told him, truthfully. "If it was Parker I was talking to right now, I'd say 'yes' because he knows our rules. You, however, don't."
"What rules?" Hunter asked him, curiously.
"Most are fairly normal," Booth told him. "Keep your room clean, don't make a big mess, and do your homework— that sorta stuff. But there are three really big rules that I take very seriously, bud, and those rules are that you're to do as you're told when you're told to do or don't do something; are respectful to all adults and even other kids at all times; and that you under no circumstances ever lie to me or Bones."
Hunter looked very guilty.
He realized he'd just broken two of those—maybe, even, all three.
"Now," Booth said, "you definitely didn't do as I told you to and you definitely lied to your mom about where you and Parker were going. Didn't you?"
Hunter nodded.
"I expect more than a nod here, bud," Booth told him, sternly. "Answer me."
"Yes, sir," Hunter said. "I did."
"And by doing those two things," Booth told him, "you broke the rule about respect, too."
"How?" Hunter asked, curiously.
"You disrespected me because you didn't do as I told you to, which was to stay put," Booth told him. "And you disrespected your mother because you tricked her."
"We didn't trick mom," Hunter protested, though he didn't sound certain of himself.
"Oh, yes, you did," Booth told him, firmly. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you made up that story about getting something to drink, didn't you? You knew your mom would believe you because she doesn't have that much experience dealing with kids."
Hunter felt really guilty now. He had known that his mom wouldn't know the difference…
"Yeah," he admitted, quietly, "I did."
Booth nodded, proud of him for not making up some kind of excuse.
"So, you tell me," he told him. "Do you think I should spank you for what you did today?"
Hunter bit his lip and looked down again.
Booth narrowed his eyes.
Again, he lifted his chin up and spoke sternly. "I expect an answer, Hunter."
Hunter swallowed. "Yes, sir," he admitted. "I do."
If he'd been proud before, Booth was extremely proud of him now.
"Okay, then," he said, gently. "C'mere."
Standing him up, he gently lowered him across his lap—lifting one leg slightly so that his butt was raised.
This was a bit awkward for him, as he'd never had to spank another kid besides Parker before.
Oh sure, he'd threatened Sweets and swatted him—but this was going to be the real thing.
Luckily, he pretty much knew what to do.
Not wanting to prolong it, he brought his hand down across the upturned bottom with a resounding pop!
He spanked him quickly, not leaving an inch of his bottom untouched.
He gave him the same number of smacks he gave Parker—twenty in all, with five of those targeted directly on his sit spot--those were the hardest of the lot, too.
By the time he was finished, Hunter was crying and promising to be a perfect angel from then on--more or less.
Letting him off his lap, he pulled the boy into a big bear hug—again, the same as he always did with his own son.
He kissed the top of his head, and whispered, "It's okay, son, it's over now. I forgive you and I still love you."
Hunter cried for a few more minutes, but then calmed down.
"How come you said you love me, Booth?" he asked, his glasses fogged up from his tears.
Booth smiled, taking his glasses from him and wiping them clean. He then gently put them back in place.
"Because I do, bud," he told him. "I know we haven't known each other but a few days, but I already love you a heck of whole lot."
"But Parker's your son," Hunter reminded him.
"You're my son now, too," Booth reminded him. "By marrying your mom, I not only promised to love and cherish her, but you also. I took that vow very seriously, son."
Hunter smiled.
"I love you too, Booth," he admitted. "I miss my dad, a'course, but I'm glad I've got you now."
Booth pulled him into another hug, and then stood up.
"Now, I need to go have a talk with Parker," he told him.
"Okay," Hunter said, quietly. He didn't quite meet his eyes as he agreed, however.
Booth smirked, lifting his chin for a third time.
"You, I want to go stand in that corner 'til I get back," he told him, pointing to one of the empty corners of the room.
"But that's for babies," Hunter protested, indignantly.
Booth narrowed his eyes at him. "Hunter Brennan," he stated, sternly. "Now."
Hunter winced at the throbbing in his behind and decided he didn't want anymore swats.
"Yes, sir," he said, and headed for the corner.
Booth chuckled, shaking his head.
Loving his kids really wasn't all that hard…even if he did have to be hard handed with them, sometimes.
With that thought firmly in place, he headed upstairs to have a 'chat' with his other errant son.
…
Bones entered the townhouse to find Booth and the boys sitting down for dinner.
"Hiya, Honey," Booth greeted her, warmly. "Where're Max and Cynthia?"
"They decided to go see a movie," Bones told him, "and will be having dinner, afterwards."
Booth chuckled. "Told you," he told her, causing her to roll her eyes. "Hungry?"
Putting her stuff down, she joined them.
She hadn't failed to noticed how quiet the boys were—or the second cushions they were sitting on—but decided not to comment on it.
"This smells good," she said, sitting down.
"Dad's a good cook, Bones," Parker told her, smiling. "Even if he does make a lot of vegetables."
"Vegetables are good for you," she told him. "Hunter, do you like them?"
"Yeah, Mom," her son answered her. "Da really is a good cook."
She raised an eyebrow at Booth on that one.
He shrugged. He mouthed 'I'll explain later'.
She nodded, and started eating.
Once they were finished, the boys were put on 'dish-detail' as Booth called it and sent into the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Booth and Bones adjourned to the sofa, where she promptly started kissing him.
"Wow," Booth said, once they broke apart. "I guess you 'noticed by absense' a lot today, huh?"
She slapped his chest, playfully. "Shut up," she told him, "and yes, I did. How did it go with the boys today?"
"Well, you saw the cushions," he told her, and she nodded. "They were just hamming it up for you, though. They weren't sore for more than an hour afterwards."
"What was up with the 'Da' thing?" she asked, curiously.
"Well, after I got done 'talking' with them," Booth explained, "I made them help me out in the yard doing some hard work. In the middle of that, Hunter ups and asks me if it would be all right to call me 'Da'. I was a little confused, but I told him it was okay."
"Bryan's mother was Irish," Bones explained. "Every summer they spent a month in Ireland so its understandable he would have picked up the local vocabulary."
"Oh," Booth said, and then hesitated. "Is that okay with you? If he calls me that, I mean?"
"Of course it is, Booth," she told him. "In fact, I was thinking…"
"Uh oh," Booth said, wincing dramatically. "I usually end up shot when you start thinking…"
She slapped his chest again—this time not so playfully.
"After we finished this case, I'd like for you to adopt Hunter," she told him, seriously.
"Why?" Booth asked her, frowning.
"I'd like him to share your name, just as our child will," she told him, placing a hand on her stomach. "And I will, too."
"I thought you said…" he started to protest, but she put a finger to his lips.
"When you called me "Mrs. Booth" today, it made me feel strange," she told him, "but in a good way. I liked hearing that."
He smiled. "You did?"
She blushed. "I know it may be illogical, and I still intend to be known professionally as Dr. Brennan, but I think I'd like to legally become Mrs. Seeley Booth."
"Have I told you how much I love you?" he asked her, curiously.
"Yes," she told him, "but I kinda like hearing it."
"Me, too," he said, and leaned in for a deep kiss.
"EW, GROSS!" Two identical shouts of distain came from behind them.
They glanced back to find the boys standing there, wearing identical disgusted looks.
Booth chuckled. "Kids," he said, shaking his head. "They have the worst timing."
Bones nodded. "Later?" she asked, smirking.
He smirked back.
"Yeah," he said, and then glanced at the boys. "C'mon, guys, let's watch some television."
"I think I'll take a shower," Bones said, getting up.
"Ah, c'mon, Babe," Booth said. "There's a hokey game on!"
Bones smirked.
"I think I'll pass," she told them, "but you three have fun—just don't break anything."
"Yes, Dear," Booth said, snorting. "We're not that bad, are we guys?"
"Well, we aren't, Dad," Parker answered, smirking. Hunter laughed at that.
"Hey," Booth complained. "You're supposed to be on my side!"
"Uh huh," both boys answered, smirking. "Whatever."
Bones chuckled. "Keep him in line, boys," she told them, kissing the tops of their heads.
"A crime, I tell you," Booth said, overdramatically. "It's a crime when a man can't even get any respect from his wife and kids!"
Bones smirked. "We respect you, Booth," she told him, grinning. "Just when we want to, that's all."
"Thanks a lot, Bones," he told her, scowling.
She smirked.
"Love you," she said, and then headed upstairs.
"And I sure as heck love you," Booth said, smiling.
Wrapping an arm around each of his boys, they sat back and watched his favorite team mop the ice out of the competition.
And after the game was over and the boys had been sent to bed, he adjourned to his bedroom for a little one-on-one with his beautiful wife.
Now there was a game he really got into to.
TBC…