Temperance was standing at the sink washing the breakfast dishes while she absently looked out the bay window above the sink. The dog, Angel, was running around the back garden chasing butterflies. She smiled as she watched her bounding around, occasionally tripping over her own feet, or a stray toy the twins had left laying out on the lawn. She looked down into the soapy water and swished her hand through it, a large bubble seemed to rise off the surface, becoming airborn, it floated up and popped right in front of her face. It's rainbow shimmering colours breaking into tiny droplets that sprayed her nose making her laugh. It was a good day. She was over her morning, or more correctly all day, sickness. Her skin was clear and glowing, her belly round and firm. She was happy.
Angel had taken the twins to school today so she could have a lie in, but she had gotten up early anyway. Her tummy had grown quite a lot this last couple of weeks. She was half way through her pregnancy, and the babies were growing quickly at this point. They had just started to move and she was amazed at how much more active they were than Seeley and Cordy had been. Angel loved to lie on the couch with her and lay his cheek against her bare tummy and listen to the swooshing and swirling sounds her tummy made, convinced it was the twins moving around.
She would laugh and ruffle his hair and stroke his forehead and explain that it was simply not possible. That the sounds were probably her digestive system. But he would have none of it. What they both loved was when the babies would wriggle or kick and he would get a tiny prod on his cheek. They had not found out the sex of them. They decided to just wait and see. Angel had nicknamed them his little peanuts, or P1 and P2 because that's what they had looked like on the ultrasound. He never failed to make her smile with his simplistic love of all things human.
The doorbell rang, snapping her out of her daydream. She wiped her hands dry on the tea towel and hung it over the back of one of the kitchen chairs as she walked to the front door. She was laughing and called out "What did you forget?" thinking it was Angel returning to collect something one of the twins had forgotten. She opened the door and her hand fell to her side. Her eyes were wide as she took in the figure standing on her doorstep. "Hello Tempe".
Max Keenan, her father, stood before her, his hands shoved deep into the front pockets of his brown corduroy trousers. He was smiling at her, hoping that she would not slam the door in his face. "Tempe?" he said again, uncertainty in his voice. Temperance swallowed, looking at her father. He was the last person she expected to see standing here. She finally collected herself and spoke. "Hello Dad. What are you doing here?" the words out of her mouth before she had time to consider what she wanted to say.
Max shuffled on the doormat that was welcoming him. He was not so sure his daughter was. "I thought it was about time I met my grandchildren. His eyes flicked down to her rounded belly. "And it seems like I may have another one to meet soon" he added. Her hand automatically covered her stomach protectively. "Why now Dad. The last time I saw you was my wedding to Booth. A lot has happened between then and now." Her mind was racing now.
A lot had happened. Booth had died, she had had twins and was raising them with a man who had been anything but a man for hundreds of years, who had saved her and her children's lives, who had dedicated himself to her and them, who had gone to hell and back becoming the man that she called husband, father, lover, friend, family. Max stood, his face drooping a little. He had known she would be shocked to see him, but he had not expected her to be cold. He stepped back slightly "I see. I guess I should have called you first. Asked if I could come. I'm sorry Tempe. I guess. I guess I just wanted to see you so badly. I'll go." he took another step back off the step and turned to walk away.
Temperance felt her heart pull in her chest. The babies, at that very moment, kicked her at the same time, hard. She took that as a sign. Which is ludicrous as she didn't believe in signs generally. "Don't go Dad." she said stepping out onto the welcome mat. She glanced down and looked at the words under her feet "Love Lives Here, Welcome". Angel had come home from a market with this rolled up under his arm one day. He had unfurled it with a flourish and grinned at her as he lay it before their door. She had thought it a little wordy for a door mat. But he had loved it so much, she had smiled and hugged him and told him that it was perfect.
She swallowed and looked up into the eyes of her father. She repeated her words "Don't go. Come in. The twins are at school and, Booth is at work. Are you hungry? I'm about to make breakfast." She ushered him into the house and closed the door behind her, trying to make small talk. Her mouth was saying one thing, but her brain was in overdrive. She needed to talk to Angel as soon as possible. Angel had never met her father. Her father knew Booth well. Probably too well. How were they going to do this? What if he suspected something. What if he started asking questions?
She lifted her hand to her forehead and rubbed at it absently. Max had taken a seat at the breakfast bar and was watching his daughter. She looked tired. Her body had blossomed with the child growing in her. She looked beautiful, he decided, and happy. Especially happy. He realised that his arrival probably had caused her some undue stress. "I'm sorry Honey. I should have called. Except that I don't have your phone number" he added. "I actually wasn't even sure if I was knocking on the right door. Did you know the lady at the post office calls Booth Joe?"
Temperance smiled, her brain kicking into gear, remembering everything they had told everyone about Booth. "Yes. We know. Actually Dad, everyone here calls him Joe. We came here when Booth had his last operation. He took a long time to recover from this surgery. Much longer than the first one. He was in a coma for a long time, and he had lost his memory when he did wake up. He knew me, and the children, but not much else. Our sons name is Seeley, and he couldn't grasp that his name was Seeley too. He latched onto his middle name and that's what he would answer to. So everyone in town, knows him as Joseph, or Joe. Please don't make a fuss over it. We are used to it. We don't even really notice it anymore. Just call him Booth."
She turned and got a loaf of bread out of the cupboard, "would you like some eggs?" she asked. Max sat looking around him. The room was large and open and warm. Just the type of kitchen her mother would have loved. He smiled "Sure." he said "Sunny side up" she replied in unison with him. They laughed and the tension broke.
The day passed quickly. Max had gone out for a walk around the neighbourhood and to run an errand at the local store for her. She picked up the phone and dialled. Angel answered on the fourth ring "Hello?" he said simply. She smiled, he never answered with his name. "Angel? I need to talk to you, do you have time?" she asked urgently. "What's wrong. Do you need me to come home?" his concern levels started to spike. "No. No nothing is wrong. Well, something has happened. I don't know where to start."
Angel started walking towards the exit doors "I'm coming home" he said quickly. "No! No. Angel, my father is here." Angel stopped walking, his hand holding the phone dropping to his side. He stood staring at the exit sign above the door. They had never talked much about her father. He had been absent the whole time they had been together. He had never tried to call or contact her. In fact, she had not even known where he was. Why was he here. Why now? And more importantly, would he realise that he wasn't the Booth that he had given his daughter away to at her wedding?
"Angel. Angel? Are you still there?" he suddenly became aware of her muffled voice. He lifted the phone to his ear. "Sorry. Sorry Temperance. I just got a little surprised. I'm here. What does he want?" he asked, not really knowing what to say. Temperance sucked in her breath and breathed out heavily "OK. He wants to meet his grandchildren and visit with us for a while. I don't know how long that means. I hope it's just a day, but knowing Dad. He's a little unpredictable. Are you OK?" she asked, sensing Angels silent panic.
Angel sighed "Yes, I'm OK, I guess. How well does he know Booth?" he asked knowing that this could make his time during Max's visit awkward. In their day to day life, he was Temperance's husband and Cordy and Seeley's Dad. But Max was a spanner in the works. He was wiley and street smart. He took notice of things. But then again, they had convinced Angela and Jack, and Dr Sweets, and Cam, and Caroline that he was Booth. Hell, he was Parkers dad now. But Max? Angel shook his head. Temperance was speaking "Wait. Sorry. I didn't catch that first bit. What did you say?" he said forcing himself to listen to her.
"He and Booth had a complicated relationship. You know about Max and how he disappeared and left my brother and me in foster care. And how he has been arrested and served time. In fact, Booth has arrested him several times. He's got a record a mile long. But he's my father Angel. He loves me. I understand that, he wants the best for me and therefore he is always scrutinizing Booth. I know that at our wedding he and Booth went off and had a chat. I'm not entirely sure what was said, but it was something about if Booth hurt me, he would come after Booth, and Booth basically threatened him with the same thing. Dad has always held Booth accountable for how he treats me. I don't expect that will have changed. He may not have been around for the last few years, but he will start interrogating you the minute you walk in the door. I'm going to try to explain about your brain injury after surgery. I just hope he understands that the Booth he gave me away to at our wedding is not exactly the same Booth I am married to now."
Angel stood listening to her quietly as she echoed his own thoughts. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead and pushed his fingers through his hair. A loud sigh escaped his lips. "I'm sorry" Temperance whispered into the phone. Angel opened his eyes and started walking to the office to sign out for the day. "I'm coming home now. Don't worry. I'll just. Wing it." he said. "And don't be sorry. He's your father, my father in law, grandfather to our children. He may have been absent for a while, but he's here now. He deserves to get to know Cordy and Seeley. And they deserve a grandfather. It'll be OK Temperance, I'll be there soon. And we'll be fine." I hope he thought to himself as he hung up the phone.
Angel came in the back door. He kicked off his work boots and shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the coat rack. He shoved his orange and yellow stripy sock clad feet into the old brown slippers that waited by the door. "Hello! I'm home!" he called out. Normally he would just wander through the house until he found her. But today, he thought he'd give her some warning he was there. "We're in the living room!" she called back. He stopped in the kitchen, filled a glass with water and drank it quickly. His throat had become dry and scratchy all of a sudden he's just Temperance's dad. Your father in law. That you have never met he thought to himself as he rinsed the glass and set it upside down in the draining rack.
He took a deep breath and walked into the living room forcing himself to smile. "Booth! Look who's here!" Temperance cried, her voice a little more shrill than usual, as she jumped up off the couch and came over to wrap her arms around him and kiss him "Just be yourself. I've told him all about you being slightly different after the surgery. He's not expecting anything. I'm pretty sure" she whispered into his ear as she hugged him tightly. She then turned around and smiled just a little too widely at Max. "Here he is! He knocked off work early when I rang and told him you were here!"
Max stood up and looked at the man in front of him, a frown forming between his eyes. He tilted his head to one side and squinted at Angel, his mouth pursing tightly. Angel was reluctant to step towards him he's scrutinising me! Temperance was right! he thought to himself as he took the longest five steps he'd ever taken. He extended his hand and waited for Max to take it. "Good to see you again Max" he offered. Max scratched his head and continued to frown at him, looking down at the hand in front of him, noting the large square palm, the long fingers and the neat square nails. He reached out and grasped Angels hand and squeezed it as he pumped it up and down.
"Booth. Good to see you!" he said smiling into the familiar dark brown eyes that looked at him nervously. "I see you've been busy since I saw you last. Twins. And another on the way? Well done man!" he added proudly, as if he had something to do with his son in laws ability to procreate. "uhhh, thanks." Angel responded looking to Temperance for some help. She sat on the couch and simply shrugged. "So, what time to the rug rats get home from school? I can't wait to meet them! What are their names again, Seeley and, what was it? Cody?" Max asked. "Cordy" Angel and Temperance replied in unison. Max frowned "Cordy? Where did you get that hokey name? You didn't think to name her after your mother?" he said, not stopping for a reply. "You people come up with some weird names for kids these days. What are you going to call this one?" he said pointing to Temperance's belly. "So you are in security now?" he continued talking without letting either of them reply "How's that panning out for you? I would have thought you might have gone back into law enforcement, or couldn't you do that after, you know. The" he pointed to his forehead "brain thingy?"
He suddenly stopped talking and sat down in Angels favourite chair and crossed his legs "Wouldn't mind a drink Booth, if you're getting one for yourself?" he added.
Angel stood staring at Max, then looked at Temperance, who was staring at her father, her mouth ajar slightly. He finally managed to move and headed over to the bar. He grabbed a couple of glasses and walked to the kitchen. "Do you want ice Max?" he asked. Temperance sucked in her breath and covered her eyes with her hand. Max's eyes half closed "No. I don't take ice. You don't remember that?" he asked suspiciously. Booth dropped several cubes into his glass and took a deep breath then turned and walked back into the living room, smiling.
"Actually, no Max. I don't remember. I don't remember a lot of things. Like, I don't really remember why you abandoned your daughter when she was just a child. I don't remember exactly why I had to arrest you several times. I don't remember what you told me at our wedding. I don't remember why you disappeared again for, what is it? six years? I don't remember why it is you didn't contact your daughter in all that time either. Sorry." he forced himself to smile at Max, who was sitting on the edge of his seat, his mouth hanging open staring at the man in front of him. Son of a gun Max thought.
Max stood up and clapped Angel across the back, taking the glass from him and walking over and filling the glass with Angels best scotch. "It's good to see you again Booth. It's real good to see you." Angel turned and looked, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, at Temperance who was smothering a laugh behind her hand. He turned back to Max, who took his glass out of his hand and filled it with scotch and handed it back to him. He held his glass up in a toast. "It's good to be back with family" he said clinking his glass against Angel's "So how long til the new rug rat arrives then?" he added smiling at Temperance. "Actually Dad, it's how long until they arrive. We're having another set of twins"
Angel barely had time to grab the glass out of Max's hand as he dropped to the floor. He stood holding the two glasses, looking from Max's body on the floor and Temperance who was sitting on the couch laughing. "Temperance! He's fainted!" She got up and walked over to Angel and patted him on the chest. "I can see that. I was just thinking how much alike you and Max actually are!"