-14-

First love

"Dad?", Parker suddenly said, looking up from his meal.

"What?"

"I wanna have a sleepover at Dr. Bones'."

"Why do you want to sleep over hers and not in your room? And don't you think you're a little too young to have a sleepover?"

Parker rolled his eyes, a manner he had shown a few times these days.
Booth had already noticed that his son was acting a little strange lately, but he still wasn't successful in finding out why.

"Dad, please. I'm almost 11 years old. I'm not that young anymore. So…am I allowed to sleep over hers?"

Booth shrugged. "You have to ask her, I guess."

"'kay, give me your cell phone, so I can call her."

While Parker talked to his girlfriend, Booth asked himself what was making Parker acting this strange. He had already talked to Rebecca, but she couldn't see anything strange in her son's behavior and Bones… well, she couldn't interact that well with kids, so he just didn't ask her.

"She said I'm welcome. So, can we put our stuff in the car and drive to her house?"

"Parker, what's up with you?"

He rolled his eyes again. "Dad, just finish your meal and let's go."

*

When they arrived at her house, Brennan had already set up the couch for Parker.
Booth kissed her on the lips and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but he wouldn't stop being annoying. I don't know what's up with him!", he sighed and pulled her into a warm embrace.

She nodded into his chest. "Yeah, I know. He's a little different lately."

Surprised her boyfriend looked down at her. "You noticed?"

"Yeah, I mean…. I see him almost every second weekend, so I kind of noticed, yes. Did you talk to him?"

"Well…I tried, but he just… Bones, he rolled his eyes!"

Brennan laughed at his unbelieving face. "You know, I could try."

"If you want, I guess you could. But don't promise yourself too much. He's difficult."

"I'm sure, I can deal with him. You go and buy dinner and I'll talk to him!", she ordered.

Booth nodded sighing and kissed her again. "Ok."

*

"Parker? Do you want to have a hot chocolate?"

"Of course. Thanks." He smiled through his golden curls and hopped on the couch.

"You're welcome. Why did you want to have a sleepover anyway?"

"Well…because I wanted to talk to you."

"Why that? And couldn't you just call me?", Brennan asked perplex.

"Em…no. I…it's something personal and Daddy told me to do such talks in person."

"Your dad is probably right."

"Yeah, he always is. But you're wiser, so I really need to talk to you."

He smiled and she placed his cup in front of him.

"You may start."

"Ok….so…when did you know…or…how did you know that you're in love with my dad?"

She was quite surprised. "Oh…well…you know…I just….knew it. It's not something you can…measure. You just feel it."

He nodded slightly, trying to understand her point.

"Why don't you ask your dad? Because…he's the heart person, you know?"

Parker nodded again, his blond curls waved a little. "Yeah, I know, but he just could tell when a boy knows when he is in love. But I want to know, how a girl knows."

Confused Brennan narrowed her eyes. "But…don't you normally try to find out if you're in love, before you wonder if the other one loves you too?!"

"Yes, but I already know. So I wonder if she likes me too."

Brennan nodded slightly. "Ok…I get it…slowly. So you like a girl and know you want me to tell you how you can find out if she likes you, too?!"

"Exactly. You know, she's one of my best friends and…so I thought it's a little like that what you have or had with Daddy."

"Yes, in some way you're probably right. But I'm afraid there isn't anything I can tell you. You probably just have to tell her and wait for her to react. And that's something you should talk about with your dad. You know, how to tell a girl how you're feeling."

Parker sighed and nodded slightly. "I was afraid you'd say that. But he…he thinks I'm too young to know about it. But I think…love isn't something you just can feel or do when you have a specific age."

Brennan smiled. "You are right, Parker. Scientifically it's also possible for a kid who's younger than you to fall in love."

"So…I really have to tell him?"

"You don't have to, but you should."

"Can't you just…prepare him for that?"

"Why?" She blinked.

"Because…so I don't have to deal with his first reaction."

Brennan sighed. "Ok. I'll tell him. But you have to tell him the rest, ok?"

"Deal."

*

It was late when Parker lay finally on the couch, sleeping tightly, when Brennan and Booth lay cuddled up together in her bed, watching TV (which she had brought recently).
She lay between his legs, her back rested against his bare chest while their fingers were interlaced.

"So…did you talk to my son?", Booth suddenly asked, slowly rubbing his nose against the soft skin of her neck.

"Yeah, I did."

"And?"

"He's in love."

"What?"

"He's in love!", she said again, smirking slightly. Parker had been so right.

"But…but…he's ten. He can't be in love. He doesn't even know where babies come from."

Brennan broke into laughter. "Booth, right, he's a kid, but not that naïve anymore. I think I knows what to do to get a woman pregnant."

"He knows?" Booth's voice was high-pitched.

"Yeah, probably. He's in love with one of his best friend, so similar to our situation a few years ago, and now he wants to know how to find out if she likes him too."

"What? I mean…he wants to be with her?"

She didn't need to turn around to know that his eyes were wide and his face an expression of shock. "It seems so. Probably you should have one of those …. "man-to-man-talks" with him and ask him your questions yourself."

Booth breathed a little heavier. "You're right, I guess. And why did he tell you and not me?"

"Because he didn't want to deal with your reaction. But I told him he should talk with you about that because you can help him better than I. I mean, you're a man and know how to tell a woman how you're feeling."

He sighed. "Thanks, by the way."

"No problem."

"So, you really think I should let him go get the girl?"

"Yes, because scientifically it's also possible for a kid who's younger than him to fall in love, so you shouldn't undervalue his feelings." She carefully turned around to face him and gently placed her hands on each of his cheeks. "Booth, he won't stay a little boy. He's getting older and you have to deal with it!", she said softly.

"I know but I thought…it would last a little longer, you know? I mean..it seems to be yesterday that he was born."

She nodded smiling and kissed him gently.

He kissed her back, but when she released him his face had still a sad expression. "I will always love him, Bones and he will always be my little boy. No matter how old he is."

She smiled. "Yeah, and he knows that. You're a great dad and he loves you too, no matter what. Like I love you, always have and always will."

He also smiled. "Thanks, Bones!", he answered before kissing her again.

*

It had been two weeks since the weekend and Parker was supposed to come over this weekend.
Even if Booth had talked to him and said he should call him and tell him how it went, Parker hadn't called, so Booth guessed, Lily, the girl, didn't like him that way.

Brennan was tidying up her apartment, when the door bell rang. Booth and Parker. They would go to the movies and wanted Brennan to join them.
But when she opened the door, she looked into three faces instead of two. There was her boyfriend, looking totally desperate, Parker, who seemed to be excited to see her and lastly a girl, who seemed to be shy.

"Hi, Bones. Here we are. I told Lily everything about my family and so she wanted to meet you. So…that's Lily. Lily? That's Dr. Bones, my Dad's girlfriend."

"Hi!" The little girl smiled shyly.

"Hello, Lily. Pleasure to meet you!", Brennan said.

"Thanks." She blushed, which looked cute, because of her brown hair.

"So you spend the weekend with us?", Brennan asked, throwing an amused glance to her boyfriend.

"Well, yeah, if I'm allowed to!", she answered, glancing fearful to the agent.

"Of course!", he grumbled and Brennan slightly laughed. "Great, then let's go."

*

And when they were in the movie theatre, Booth holding his girlfriend closely against himself, Brennan slightly looked over to the younger Booth and Lily, who were holding hands.

"You know, you can be happy to be the father of the boy! You can't imagine how my dad reacted when I had my first boyfriend. I mean, I was thirteen!", Brennan quietly told him and he chuckled slightly.

"Hopefully he won't be that angry if he finds out about us."

"It doesn't matter to me because I'll still love you. And he likes you by the way."

"Good, because I'll never let go of you. You're stuck with me!", he chuckled.

She laughed happy and kissed him lovingly on the lips.

"I really don't care."

I really didn't get the idea of Parker having his first girlfriend out of my mind, so here it goes. What do you think ??

As always, I'd really like you to R&R !!

Xoxo,

Michi