June 8th

The day that Grace was finally able to come home from the hospital was like a holiday. There were gifts and guests and happy smiles all around. The living room was filled with balloons, people, food and laughter as everyone gathered to celebrate the little one's arrival home.

Booth sat content and happy with the guest of honor in his arms, his pinky finger firmly planted in her hand as he watched her eyes open and take a peek at her daddy. She was still quite small, a tiny little thing that had stolen the heart of everyone in the room. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Angela looking down at him.

"You know you're going to have to let someone else hold her, Booth."

"I don't have to let anyone do anything." He said in a soft voice, looking down at the little girl, she let out a bubbling raspberry and looked up at him. "Do I, sweetheart? Daddy is going to hold you forever and ever…"

"That would be quite a problem when she has her first boyfriend… to have her daddy holding her…"

"Oh, she'll never have a boyfriend, not till she's thirty or forty years old… nope… will you, my precious little… Hey…" He said as a set of arms reached over him and lifted the tiny bundle from his arms. "We were having a conversation here."

"You've been talking for over an hour…" Temperance said, dropping a kiss on his cheek as she leaned over his pouting face. "It's time to give other people a chance to hold her."

"Don't worry man, we'll give her back when it's time for her diaper change." Hodgins said with a pat to Booth's shoulder, laughing at Booth's faux laugh and glare as he watched Antonia from the corner of the room, staring at him. He looked up when Max walked by, patting his shoulder, and when he looked back to where Antonia had been, she had disappeared.

He got up slowly, excusing himself from the crowd, and climbing over toys and other objects that were on the floor, he took a glance back to the crowd. Sweets and Daisy had brought Brendan, Cam and her husband were there with Michelle, Hodgins and Angela had brought JV, and Russ and Amy with their two children, not to mention Max and Ace, along with Rebecca and Parker. He felt his heart swell with love, though felt a bit sick to his stomach thinking of the members of his own family that weren't present.

It had been a year since he had been rediscovered and brought back into the living world, and when he had seen Pops for the first time several months earlier, the older man had claimed that he knew for a fact that his grandson wasn't dead. Booth had laughed and made a joke about him being psychic, but the older man didn't laugh, telling Booth that he'd know if something had happened, and that never did he give up hope that he would come back. Pops would have been there for the homecoming of Grace, but because of his age, it had become increasingly difficult for him to get around, so it was decided that he would be there for Antonia's birthday party instead, and would have his opportunity to see his newest great grandchild then.

Seeing Temperance's brother and his family made him think of his own brother, and it hurt to know that he had disappeared without so much as a return address. Booth had used his credentials to try to locate him on many occasions since his return, but it had appeared that Jared had fallen completely off the grid. He sighed as he walked into the kitchen after his disappearing daughter and looked around to see that she wasn't in sight. He walked around the island in the kitchen, and spotted her feet sticking out from beneath it, and crouched down to her level as he peeked inside the little alcove. "You're hiding."

"No." Her voice was tiny, nervous. She seemed sad, and it was breaking Booth's heart.

"Then why are you under the counter?"

"I don't know."

"Are you sad?" He asked, settling on the floor, he felt his muscles arguing, but he fought back and won, sitting with his legs crossed in front of her. She pulled her legs up into herself, and hugged her knees.

"No."

"Mad?"

"No."

"Glad?"

"Daddy." She sighed.

"Tell me what's on your mind."

"No."

"Is that your favorite word?"

"No." She pouted, her brow furrowing.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"I'm not your baby."

"Because Gracie is here?"

"No."

"You're going to have to give me more to go on, kid…"

"Gracie is your baby, Parker is your baby… but not me."

"What do you mean? Of course you're my baby." Booth whispered, his brow furrowing now to the ever so sad sound of his daughter's voice.

"Gracie's name is Gracie Keenan Booth."

"Yes."

"I am Antonia Elyse Brennan."

"That's right." Booth said, shaking his head. "What's the problem?"

"We have different last names, Daddy… don't you see? It is a problem." She said huffily as she started to climb out from under the counter, and he reached for her, feeling her pull away from him with a loud squeak. "Let go, Daddy." She grunted angrily.

"No, no way… you're going to talk to me about this." He said, feeling her fingernails push into his skin.

"Stop!" She screamed loudly. "Mommy! Mommy!" She shouted as Booth lifted her into his arms, she stubbornly kicked and screamed at him, tears springing to her eyes as she fought against him. He let her go, and she ran from the room sobbing, just as Temperance walked into the room, her eyes wide with concern.

"What was all of that about?" She asked, seeing the shocked look on Booth's face as he stood up.

"Something that I am going to take care of right now." He said, kissing Temperance tenderly as her eyes met his with a bit of confusion, he rubbed his arm and walked past her. "Don't worry, I have it." He said, walking into the living room to find that the excitement had died down a bit since Antonia had come running through the room, but Booth kept calm and walked past them toward the stairs, and the talking and happiness began to swell once more as he disappeared up toward Antonia's room.

He was met by a closed door, and the sound of shuffling within the room. He turned the doorknob and peeked inside, seeing a mad frenzy of clothes flying about the room. He walked in and found his daughter pulling open drawers to her dresser. "What are you doing?"

"I'm running away." She said, her voice was full of frustration and hurt, and Booth couldn't help but feel guilty for her sadness.

"You're running away?" He asked.

"Yes." She said, crossing her arms over her chest, she dropped her backpack and glared at her father.

"You can't run away."

"Why not?"

"Because you're just a little girl, and little girls can't support themselves." He said, using logic on the little girl, he knew he'd be able to put her thoughts to rest, though he had no idea that she had already thoroughly thought this out.

"I'll move in with Uncle Russ. His last name is Brennan, I can be his little girl."

Her argument startled him for a second, and as she swung her backpack onto the bed, he grabbed it from her. She jumped to try to grab it, glaring when she gave up after a moment. "Your Mommy's last name is Brennan."

"Parker said that when you and mommy are married, her last name will be yours. He said that I would be the only Brennan, and that I won't fit in."

"Parker also told you that you were born in a jar, and that you could grow a hand if you collected fingernails in a cup and watered it."

"I don't know what that means." She exclaimed.

"It means that you can't always believe everything you hear." He said, as he started to unpack her bag.

"What are you doing? I am running away!" She shouted.

"Well, you can't take these clothes if you're running away." Booth argued. "Your mommy bought these clothes for you, and if you're just going to leave, you can't take her things. So you will just have to run away naked!" He exclaimed. Antonia breathed heavily in and out, her face red from anger as she tried to come up with an argument for her father. She gritted her teeth and watched him angrily. He was very clearly at the end of his rope with her , and nothing seemed to be helping. When he was through with putting her clothes back in her drawer, he watched her scowl as he shook his head. "You're my baby girl, and nothing is going to change that… not last names, not running away… nothing. You're mine." He said, watching her breathe heavily with a glare. "And that's whether you like it or not." He replied, tossing her backpack into the corner. "Now get your little butt downstairs and tell everyone you're sorry for your outburst."

"I'm not sorry." She grunted in one last attempt for control, she watched Booth stand a little taller, his eyebrow raised, and she could feel his frustration. "I'm… I'm not…" She watched her daddy walk past her toward the door. He said nothing as he opened the bedroom door and held it open.

"Go on."

"I don't want to." She muttered.

"Go downstairs, Antonia." She stomped her foot and walked toward the door, and just as she reached it, he lifted her into his arms and looked directly into her eyes. "You will always, always… always be my little girl, Antonia. Always. Don't you ever, ever doubt that. I will never give you up, no matter how hard you kick and scream. I love you."

"Love you, daddy." She mumbled, staring at his chin. She suddenly felt bad for making her father so upset. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." He whispered, kissing her cheek. "I'm up for an argument, if you're up for compromise." He watched her eyebrow lift in confusion. "It means I love who you are, now get downstairs and say you're sorry." He said, kissing her cheek again, he put her to the floor and let her run down the stairs toward their guests, her mood changed considerably, as Booth followed after her, thankful for yet another fire that was put out before it became worse.