Disclaimer: Don't own Bones.

A/n: Another prompt from the BGA fic meme. Fluffy and non-smutty. I know not as many people read anymore, but for those that do, hope you enjoy some fluffy BB!

Prompt: What if Brennan gets sick with a cold and Booth has to take care of her and the baby? Of course, he has to convince her to take it easy.

Sick

Booth's cell phone rang and the screen said Angela.

He was surprised. It was the middle of the day and they didn't have a case at the moment. Curious, he picked up. "Hey, Ange."

"Dude, you gotta come pick up your woman and take her home."

"What?"

"Hodgins, give me that!" Angela's impatient voice came through, loud and clear. "Booth?"

"Yeah?" He frowned. "What the heck's going on?"

"Did you know Brennan's sick as a dog?"

"She's at work?" he growled.

"Um, yeah." Angela's voice was tinged with amusement. "Where did you think she was?"

"At home. Where I left her this morning." Booth raked a hand over his hair. "She's been coming down with something and I talked her into staying home this morning and getting some rest. Or, at least, I thought I had."

"Yeah, you thought wrong." She kept her chuckle internal, since it was doubtful Booth was very amused. "Cam has ordered her to go home, but she's being disobedient."

Booth sighed loudly. "Ange, can you do me a favor and bring Christine home after daycare?" He was tempted to pick them both up when he went by the Jeffersonian, but knew Brennan would fuss about disrupting her daycare routine. He was already going to have a battle on his hands when he told his partner he was taking her back home; Booth didn't want to add to it.

"Of course," Angela answered immediately. "What are you going to do?"

"What do you think?" Booth grabbed his car keys and strode out of his office. "Come get my sick genius and take her home."

-x-

"I'm going to go get you some soup," Booth said patiently. "I would appreciate it if you stayed put this time."

She immediately bristled. "Don't speak to me like I'm a child, Booth."

"Then stop acting like one."

"It is not childish to dislike the interruption of my workday." It was said with as much dignity as it was possible to achieve with a stuffy nose.

"It is when you're not supposed to be working to begin with!" Exasperation was quickly replacing patience. "Bones, your eyes are red, you can't stop coughing, and you look like you're about to keel over."

"Well, I'm not," she said stubbornly, but when Brennan took a defiant step, her head spun.

"Aw, baby," Booth said softly, exasperation fleeing at the sight of her pale face and red-rimmed eyes. "C'mon, when you look at all the evidence…" He wrapped an arm around her waist. "What's the logical conclusion?"

"Stop using logic on me," she grumbled, but without any true heat. The fact was she felt exhausted and her body automatically leaned into Booth's. "I'm just tired."

"Bones …"

"Fine," she sighed with a small pout, even as her head fell against his shoulder. "I appear to be ill."

"Yeah, you are." In a fast move, he scooped her up. "C'mon, let's put you to bed."

It was a testament to her fatigue that she didn't even chastise him about his back. Instead, Brennan snuggled into his arms. "Are you getting the soup from Mama's?"

"Where else?" Booth strode to their bedroom and carefully placed her on the bed. He removed her shoes and helped her change into her favorite pair of cotton pajamas. Once she was settled under the covers, he tucked her in. "I think we have some Advil and Tylenol, but is there anything you want me to get you while I'm out?"

"Astragalus root would be beneficial to have—" Her words dissolved in a fit of sneezing and coughing. "Oh god," she moaned piteously, blinking watery eyes.

Booth sat on the bed, brushed back her hair. "Astra-what?"

"Astragalus," Brennan said hoarsely. "It is used in traditional Chinese medicine and studies have found that it has antiviral properties and stimulates the immune system."

"Ah, where do I find that, Bones?"

"The dried root will probably be difficult to find," she considered. "Maybe a Chinese herbal shop or …"

"Bones, baby." Booth stroked her cheek tenderly. "I'll google Chinese herbal shops tomorrow and try to find one, but for tonight let's try some hot soup and rest, yes?"

"Okay."

"All right, get some rest, baby." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back in a bit. Call me if you need anything."

-x-

The sound of a demanding cry made Brennan stir. The room was extremely dim and she blinked to make sure her eyes were open.

Trying to sit up, she rubbed sleepy eyes. There was another cry, followed by a soothing murmur. In the dim light, she was able to distinguish Booth's figure. "B-booth?"

"Hey, baby," he said softly. "How're you feeling?"

"I ache all over," she replied honestly. "What time is it? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine, just a little fussy." Booth patted his daughter's diapered bottom in a lulling motion. "It's almost seven."

"I've been asleep a long time," Brennan murmured.

"You needed it." Walking over, Booth sat on the side of the bed. "You were already asleep when I got back with the soup, so I put it in the oven."

"I have a marked lack of appetite."

"You need to eat, Bones." Her nose scrunched, her expression much like Christine when she was displeased. It made Booth smile. "Yeah, that's the same look Christine gave me today when I fed her."

"She didn't want to eat?" Brennan frowned, extending a hand towards her daughter. At the sound of her mother's voice, Christine had begun to babble happily. Little fingers closed over Brennan's index finger.

"We had to try a few different things. Didn't we, baby girl?" Booth cooed, rubbing his nose against Christine's tiny one. "The formula and mashed veggies were a no-go, but she really liked those little pieces of pureed tofu." He shook his head. "I can't believe you've gotten her to like tofu."

Brennan smiled proudly. "She has very discerning taste."

He snorted. "Well, when she can eat solids, she'll love bacon."

Brennan just rolled her eyes, too tired to give her usual lecture on healthy eating habits. Instead, she rubbed her thumb over Christine's little hand. "Did you give your father a hard time during dinner?"

"Just a little," Booth spoke lovingly to his daughter, bouncing her a little. "I think she just missed you today. She hasn't seen you since this morning."

"Aww," Brennan murmured, leaning forward to press a quick kiss against the tiny fingers gripping hers. "I missed you too, Christine. But I'm ill and I don't want to make you sick too."

Christine had been fussy and unwilling to fall asleep, but apparently she just needed to see her mother because her eyelids began to droop. With a little gurgling sound, she dropped her head to Booth's shoulder. He stroked a gentle hand over her tiny back and lulled her to sleep.

"I'll be back," Booth whispered to Brennan.

Going to the nursery, Booth carefully placed his sleeping daughter in her crib. He watched her for a few seconds. Even though it had been months since he'd gotten his family back, there were still days when he didn't want to let either one of them out of his sight.

His next stop was the kitchen, where he heated up Brennan's soup. The look on her face when he walked through the door with the steaming bowl bordered on rebellion. "You gotta eat something, baby," he preempted. "You know you do."

Booth made the lights in the bedroom just a little brighter and set the soup on the nightstand while she propped herself up against the pillows. Even as she took the bowl of soup and stirred unenthusiastically, she said softly, "I'm not hungry, Booth."

She sounded like a tired, sick child and it turned him to mush. "I know," he soothed gently, climbing next to her on the bed and stroking her hair. "Just a little bit, Bones. Just a few spoonfuls so you can have something warm in your stomach."

Brennan complied halfheartedly, taking tiny spoonfuls. When she looked at him with wide, pleading eyes and said, "No more," he just sighed.

"Okay." Booth set the bowl back on the bedside table and drew her into his arms. "Come here."

She nestled against him even as she warned, "You'll get sick too."

"And you can take care of me if I do." He hit the lights and snuggled her under the covers. "But right now, let me take care of you."

-x-

When Christine Booth demanded breakfast at six in the morning, Brennan could barely move. Her body ached, her nose was stuffy, and when she swallowed, it seemed as if there was jagged glass stuck down her throat.

"I got her." Booth was already rolling out of bed.

Brennan's response was a hacking cough and a wretched moan. Booth settled the covers more firmly around her. "I guess that answers how you're feeling." He pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling her temperature. "I don't think you have a fever, but I'll take your temperature before I leave just to make sure."

It was tempting to argue because she hated being sick, but it would be unreasonable to do so in light of the circumstances. "There's breast milk in the fridge," Brennan said instead. "She likes it better in the morning."

"I know," Booth said tenderly with a soft stroke over her brow. "When I drop Chris at daycare, I'll let Cam know you're not coming in today."

"Perhaps, I'll feel better later and—"

"No, Bones." He gave her a stern look. "You're sick and you deserve a day off. C'mon, please don't fight me on this."

If she had been feeling better, she might have. But just thinking about getting up, made Brennan want to whimper. With a nod, she closed her eyes and curled herself into a ball. Thankful that she wasn't going to argue with him, Booth went to get his daughter ready for the day.

Christine greeted her father cheerfully, wide awake and ready to be fed. Booth scooped her up out of her crib, smiling automatically at the happy sounds she made. "It's just you and me this morning, princess."

Booth was not nearly as efficient as Brennan in getting her ready for the day, but Christine didn't mind. She giggled and gurgled contentedly, maintaining continuous and unintelligible baby babble as he washed, dressed, and fed her. The only thing Booth could understand was the occasional "Da" and it made him grin foolishly every time.

Before leaving the house, Booth checked on Brennan again, taking her temperature to make sure she wasn't running a fever. Thankfully, she wasn't and he kissed her goodbye, making her promise to stay in bed.

"Don't even think about going to work," he warned from the doorway.

"Already promised, Booth." Brennan burrowed deeper into the pillow, closed her eyes. "Now go away. I'm sleepy."

With a satisfied smile, Booth closed the bedroom door behind him.

-x-

Though not necessarily work related, by 1pm, Booth had been extremely productive. He'd checked on his daughter, gotten some much needed groceries at the store, and ran one particularly time-consuming errand.

He also got lunch for himself and Brennan and took it home. After unloading the groceries, he went to check on his partner. She was still deep under the covers, a mountain of tissues in the wastebasket next to the bed.

"How you feeling, baby?"

Her miserable expression said it all. "I hate being sick."

"I know." He sat next to her on the bed, leaning over her, fingertips brushing her pale face. "I'm sorry. But guess what I got?" With a smile, Booth reached inside his jacket, pulled out a little clear baggie. "Astrululu."

It took her a moment before she realized what was inside the bag. "Astragalus," she corrected with a smile. "You got me some?"

"Of course."

Brennan raised a hand, fingered the small pieces of root through the plastic. "The most common way to buy this is in capsules. Was it hard to find this way?"

"Nah." Just a half an hour of goggle searches and trips to a couple of different herbal shops.

Her eyes narrowed on him. "Liar." She cupped his face, her thumb stroking gently along his jaw. "Thank you, Booth."

He turned his head and kissed her palm. "Anything for you, Bones."

-x-

p.s. Loved the promo! It has made me so antsy for the premiere!