I wanted to write this one over a period of several days to make sure I got it right as I haven't written for the character of Max before. I hope that this one is a good transition chapter as I want both of the principal characters to do some thinking as a result of their talks with Max. Don't worry, the lists will keep on coming, but I think that this chapter will allow for some further development of the characters. I hope that you all enjoy this one. Let me know. Gregg.
Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
"So, you and Booth," Max smiled at his daughter as she came out into the kitchen of her apartment where Max was pouring a cup of coffee.
Brennan blushed slightly, though she didn't have anything to hide. Her Father had as much as said before that he wanted her and Booth to be a couple. "Yeah," she said with a certain hesitancy. She may have a decent relationship with her Father now, thanks in no small part to Booth, but she still had a certain reticence.
"Good," Max said with the smile he always had for her. He sat down at the table and slid across a cup of coffee for her, too. He took a sip. "You never mentioned anything when we talked the last couple of months I've been gone, so I assume this is recent?" he wheedled. Above anything else, like all who knew them, he was curious as to how it came about. He'd never seen two more blind and stubborn people in his life, himself included.
"As of yesterday," Brennan revealed. "He sent me an e-mail and it got me mad, so I challenged him to a sparring match."
"Is that why he looked like he was a bit uncomfortable in your bedroom, and sitting on a large pillow?" Max asked curiously. He knew of his daughters many martial arts black belts, so he knew that any sparring match between them would be a 'painful' experience.
Now Brennan really blushed. "I stabbed him in the ass with a foil," she admitted reluctantly.
Max's eyes widened and then he let loose a deep, playful laugh. "Now that's something that I would have paid to see!" he told her delightedly. He felt sorry for Booth, of course, but the image was just too hilarious to be too sympathetic. Empathetic yes, but not sympathetic.
"It was a little humorous to see now that I think back on it," Brennan revealed, though she admitted that she'd been horrified at the time. She didn't tell that part to her Father, though. She spent the next few minutes explaining about the fencing and how she used it to get back at Booth for his e-mail. She also explained how the stabbing happened and the trip to the hospital and Booth's staying with her while he recovered. Then she decided to see what her Father had to say about the lists that were going back and forth between herself and Booth. It was pretty amusing, after all. She got up and pulled out copies of the original e-mail from Booth and then the three lists she'd already given him. "Here is the original e-mail from Booth and the three lists I've given him so far," she told Max.
Max spent a few minutes reading them over and he had to admit, his baby girl was really doing a number on the FBI agent. Not that he had any problems with it, of course, but it was a bit controlling. He decided to have some fun of his own with Booth, while at the same time knowing that these lists were simply an extension of the bantering that Booth and his daughter were such masters at. He looked forward to seeing how this game of theirs would play out, so long as they stayed together and his Baby didn't get hurt.
"Booth and I are going to try to have a baby," Brennan revealed as she took another sip of her coffee. It didn't make any sense to her to keep something like that hidden, and this was her Father, after all. If anyone would be happy for them, it would be him.
Now Max was surprised. He knew full well about his daughters long standing desire to not have children. He had never agreed with that point of view, for obvious reasons, but he could respect her reasons. He himself was a large part of the reason for her long held views, and while he deeply regretted his part in that, he understood it. Now she was not only in a serious relationship, and with Booth it wouldn't be anything but serious considering how the younger man viewed relationships, but they were talking kids after less than a day!
"Really?" he asked in a rather ironic tone.
"I made a small wager on the outcome of the sparring match," Brennan grinned. "If he won he would see my personal file on him, and if I won, we would have a child together. Since he always keeps his word, and would never have a child unless he was in a serious relationship after all that happened with Parker, I would get something that I've wanted with him for quite some time."
"You were afraid before," Max observed, though he had to admire how she had boxed in Booth, but he was sure that Booth would never have accepted the wager unless he was sure that Tempe was ready for this and he wanted it too, relationship and all.
"I still am, to be honest," she admitted. "But Booth won't hurt me. I know that, and I can't say that about anyone else."
Max noticed that she was indirectly saying that she didn't necessarily trust him completely, and while it hurt, he couldn't blame her for it. He and his late wife had done what they thought was best, and in hindsight it had been a terrible mistake. At the very least arrangements should have been made to prevent her from being made a part of the system, but then hindsight was 20/20 after all.
"I know, Honey," he assured her, hoping that she knew that he understood and approved. He decided to get this back to a more up beat tone. "I like your lists, by the way. They'll give Booth some things to think about, and also some interesting boundaries to live by."
She smiled. "I'm open to negotiation on some things, though I draw the line at his beer hat and cigars," she admitted. While she was serious about some things, she was also hoping that the lists would bring about some fun back and forth banter between her and Booth. She loved their back and forth discussions very much. She enjoyed seeing him flustered when she delivered a telling point.
"Depriving a man of his beer hat and cigars?" Max asked, feigning horror. "I see you're a real hard ass yourself, Honey."
"I've got to have some standards," she retorted with good humor.
Max stood up after finishing the last of his coffee. "Give him Hell, Honey," he said as he kissed her forehead. "I'm just going to go in and say hi to Booth for a minute."
"I'll clean up in here," Brennan said as she laughed inside at the thought of her Father's coming 'talk' with Booth. She generally hated the stereotypical Father routine, but in this case she felt strangely comforted by it. She smiled as she thought of the next list she was going to be giving him later that day. It was the rules for her office at the Jeffersonian.
Booth was quietly watching the ballgame when the door opened and in walked Max. He sighed, knowing that sometime during that afternoon Max would pay him a visit. This was beyond humiliating.
"That'll teach you to turn your back on my Little Girl," Max said with his usual smile on his face.
Booth sighed again. "Are you here to watch me wallow in my personal misery?" he asked.
"That's just the floor show, Booth," Max said as he sat down on the edge of the bed so he could face the man eye to eye. "I understand that you and my Baby are going to make me a Grandfather."
"She told you already?" Booth asked, wanting to sink into the nearest hole and not come out.
"Do you really think that Temperance would keep something like that from me?" Max asked.
"No," Booth replied. Bones was gossip central with some people about the most personal of issues, even though in her mind she was simply stating facts. Angela was one of those people, and in a pinch he figured that Max figured in there somewhere.
"Look, Booth, I like you, and I think you're very good for my Girl," Max told him honestly. "You've also been more than fair with me and the rest of my family. That being said, though, she is still my Baby Girl. I haven't been there for her when she needed me, and I'll regret that the rest of my life. But that doesn't mean I can't look out for her now. I'll only say this once. You hurt her in any way and I'll make what I did to you when you arrested me seem like a love pat by comparison. Do we understand one another?"
"What is it with your family and bodily harm?" Booth asked aloud with a shudder. He vividly recalled Max nailing him in the balls with a closed fist and most definitely did not want to find out what was worse than that.
"It's called self-preservation, Booth," Max chuckled.
"Yeah, we understand each other, Max," Booth told the older man seriously.
"So, I also understand that she's putting you on a short leash with these lists," Max got back to having fun with his wide grin back in place.
"Maybe you can explain to me what she has against a beer hat," Booth replied. "I gotta say that most of the stuff is common sense, thank God, but I love my beer hat!"
"Buck up, Son," Max said with evident cheer as he stood to leave. "The things we hold dear get the ax, but I can guarantee you that the rewards are much better than simple beer hats. I had to give up my dragster with the flaming racing stripes when it came to her Mother."
"Women just don't understand," Booth said morosely.
"But you can't live without 'em," Max replied honestly.
"Ain't that the truth," Booth agreed. At least when it came to Bones, he told himself.
"Have Parker give me a call, Booth, and I'll work up some time at the Jeffersonian with him for some more science lessons," Max told the younger man as he walked out the door.
Booth settled back some more and thought that as far as Fatherly warnings were concerned, that wasn't too bad. His ass started to twinge where he'd been stabbed. Time for another pain killer.
"Bones!" he called out loudly. He thought about getting a bell to ring, but he squelched that idea rather quickly. He didn't want his other ass cheek skewered, after all.
A/N: I hope the wait was worth it. I wanted some interaction one on one between Bones and Max and also Booth and Max, so this wasn't a really quick paced chapter. The next chapter will be a new list and I should have it in a couple of days. Thanks for all the continuing reviews and great support. Gregg.