Candyland
Booth came into the house and closed the door behind him. Brennan had left the lab early to pick up Ben, so she knew that both of them were home, though it seemed very quiet in the house. "Bones?" He called, hearing noise upstairs, he draped his coat over the banister on the stairs and started walking up.
"I'm up here, Booth." Brennan called after her husband.
"Hey…" Booth said, coming up the stairs, he walked around the corner to find Brennan looking through her jewelry box.
"Hey." She replied, looking up.
"Where's Ben?" He asked. Typically, the four year old was wired when he got home, running to meet his father excitedly.
"In his room, I suppose." She said, looking up at him. "He didn't greet you?"
"No."
The parents exchanged a look, and Booth turned to the hallway and looked down toward his son's room. "Ben?" He called.
There was no reply.
"Benji?" He called, walking toward his son's room, he opened the door. The room was as messy as it always was, but there was no sign of the little boy. Booth knew better than to panic right away, this wasn't the first time that his son had decided to hide on him. "Benji, are you in here?" Booth said, kneeling down, he looked under the bed. He looked up at Brennan as she stood in the doorway. "He's not in here."
"Was the door locked when you got home?" Brennan asked, a little worry in her voice as she opened up his closet. The little boy wasn't hiding among his stuffed animals either.
"Yeah." Booth nodded.
"He has to be here somewhere then." She smiled.
"Benji, come on, buddy…" Booth called. "Daddy's home! Don't you want to say hi to daddy?"
"Perhaps you're losing popularity." She shrugged, turning to walk out of the room, she heard him scoff at her comment as he walked out of the room and nudged her. She let out a laugh as he looked in the bathroom, and the office, and again in their bedroom. "Benji." Brennan called.
Booth gave her a confused look and walked slowly down the stairs. He walked toward the kitchen, and he heard a slight rustling sound. "Benjamin. Daddy is getting worried… where are you?" There was no sound. He remained quiet and after another moment or two, he heard a little more rustling, the sound coming from the kitchen. "Benji?"
Brennan stepped into the room behind him, and leaned against him, listening silently.
They heard the sound again. Brennan pointed to one of the cupboards in the kitchen. They exchanged a glance and quietly stepped toward it together. Booth gave Brennan a glance, pointing to the cupboard and she nodded. He reached forward slowly and looped his finger on the handle. With his other hand, he indicated a count from three.
One. Two. Three.
"Ben!" Booth exclaimed as the little boy jumped. His face was covered in chocolate, and from the look on it, his father's surprise had frightened him. Immediately, he started to cry.
"Booth!" Brennan exclaimed, reaching down to extract the little boy who was curled up in the cupboard sobbing. "You scared him!"
As she pulled him into her arms, dozens of M&M candies started to pour from his hands, his mouth, and a large package of the candies fell to the floor, littering the ground around them. "Hey… Hey… he was the one that…" Booth said, looking at the boy as he pushed his face into his mother's neck. "Aw… Benji…" Booth said, trying to be concerned for his son being scared by him shouting, but at the same time assessing the mess that was quickly becoming worse. The little boys tears subsided just as quickly as they had started, and Brennan pulled him from her neck and looked at his face. His cheeks were chock full of M&Ms, puffed out and full of the forbidden treat. His mouth was coated with chocolate up to his nose. Booth wasn't even sure if one or two hadn't made their way up into his nose. "What on earth were you doing, Benji?"
Benji looked at his father and then to his mother, and back to his daddy once again. "Melts in my hands too, Daddy." He said, lifting his chocolaty hand to his mouth, he gave it a sloppy lick, as both of his parents tried desperately not to laugh.