I own none of the characters of Bones
"You are so chubby." Bones commented to her son. "So unlike your brother. Chase was born so tiny and you are double his weight. You're going to be a big eater just like your daddy. Speaking of your dad you are so lucky to have him. He is a great dad." Bones heard her hospital door open and she looked up and saw Julie walking towards her.
"Hello Temperance."
"Get the hell away from me."
"I came for my son. Hopefully this one will be better then the last brat you gave birth to." Bones glanced desperately at Booth who was sleeping soundly in the chair next to her bed.
"Booth wake up." Bones demanded and Booth just continued to snore.
"Aww looks like your hero isn't going to come to your rescue this time." Julie said reaching for Riley.
"Don't touch my son." She cried as she held Riley close to her. "Booth please wake up." Julie pulled a syringe out of her pocket and before Bones could react she injected the sedative into Bones' IV. "Please Julie don't take him from me." Bones begged as she began to grow drowsy. She tried to hold on to Riley but her arms were growing weak.
"Thank you Temperance for giving me a part of Seeley."
"RILEY." She shouted as the door shut and her baby disappeared from her life again.
"Bones wake up." Booth shouted as he tried to shake her awake. She had been sleeping for maybe an hour when her nightmare started. She was screaming out Riley's name and shouting no. He had a feeling that she was dreaming about Julie kidnapping Riley. "Come on Bones. Wake up." Her eyes finally fluttered open.
"Riley. Where's Riley?" She asked.
"He's fine Bones. He's in the nursery."
"I need to see him."
"The nurse took him so he could get a bath."
"Go get him." She demanded.
"Okay." Booth relented. "I'll go get him." He gently kissed her forehead and stepped out of the room.
As soon as the door shut she burst into tears. Her rational brain knew that Julie was dead and her son was safe in the nursery but her dream felt so real. The fear, the anger, it was all present just like it was when Chase was taken out of her arms a year ago. She was still crying quietly when Booth returned to her room with a nurse and Riley.
"Temperance are you okay?" The nurse asked her and she nodded through her tears. "Would you like a sedative to help you calm down?"
"No." She shouted. "No sedative."
"She'll be fine." Booth assured the nurse.
"I'm just going to check you're vitals and incision and then you can hold your son." Bones nodded in agreement and the nurse went to work. Five minutes later she left them alone.
"Give him to me." She demanded. Booth just stared at her. "Please Booth." He smiled at her and placed Riley in her arms. "Hi Riley. I'm so glad that to see you."
"Wanna talk about it?" Booth asked her softly.
"When are Chase and Parker coming? " She asked avoiding his question.
"Angela and Hodgins are on their way over here with them now."
"Good. I really want them to meet their brother." She laid Riley on the bed in front of her so she could examine him.
"Bones do you want to talk about your nightmare?" She ignored him and proceeded to unwrap the blanket. She took his chubby hand in hers. "Temperance, you need to talk about it.'
"There is nothing to talk about."
"Oh I think that there is something to talk about. You've been having nightmares for months, hell since Julie died. You spend most nights tossing, turning and crying in your sleep. You don't even realize that I wake you up most nights from your bad dreams do you?" She shook her head. She had no idea that he knew about the nightmares that plagued her nightly. He reached out and took her free hand. "Tell me about it."
Not taking her eyes off of Riley she began to speak softly. "It was just like what happened a year ago. She came in the room, injected me with a sedative and took Riley right out of my arms." Tears slid down her face. "The only difference was she took Riley and not Chase and you wouldn't help me. You were here, sleeping on the chair next to my bed and no matter how many times I yelled for you, you didn't wake up." Booth stood up, squeezed on the bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, bringing her to his chest.
"Bones, sweetheart, it was just a nightmare. Julie is dead and she can't hurt us anymore. Maybe you should consider talking to Sweets about these dreams of yours."
"I don't believe in psychology. It's a soft science, besides I'm fine."
"You're not Bones. You freaked out when the nurse wanted to give you a sedative and you're still having nightmares."
"I don't need to talk to anyone, especially Sweets."
"Getting therapy doesn't make you weak."
"I never-" She didn't get to finish her sentence because they were interrupted.
"Mama. Mama. Dada." Chase shouted from Angela's arms.
"Hi daddy. Hi Bones." Parker spoke up.
"Hey guys come on in." Booth climbed off of the bed and Bones wiped her eyes.
"Where is my new brother?" Parker asked.
"He's right here." Bones spoke up as she began wrapping Riley back up. "Would you like to hold him Parker?"
"Yes please."
"Sit down on the chair over there and I'll bring Riley to you." Parker did as he was asked and Booth leaned down to take Riley from Bones. "Are you okay?" He whispered and she nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying again.
"Mama. Mama." Chase was squirming like crazy in Angela's arms.
"Someone wants his mom." Angela said bringing Chase over to Bones.
"Hey little man." Bones said holding out her arms.
"Mama." Chase squealed.
"Kisses for mommy?" Chase puckered up and leaned forward and kissed his mom.
"Hey Booth." Hodgins said holding up two cigars. "How about we celebrate the birth of your third son?"
"NO." Bones shouted and everyone looked at her in surprise. She was having flashbacks of Chase's birth and Booth knew it. "I… mean… smoking isn't good for you and if you want to be around for our children's lives I suggest you don't start." Booth flashed her a smile.
"You see that?" He asked the room. "She's not even my wife and she's hounding me like we've been married for years."
"Bones is right daddy. Smoking is bad for you." Parker agreed.
"Thank you Parker."
"You're welcome Bones." Parker and Bones shared a special smile.
"Are you okay sweetie?" Angela asked her even though she knew she wasn't and wouldn't admit that she wasn't fine.
"I'm fine Ange. I'm very happy in fact."
"I love you Bren and you know that I'm here for you if you need anything right?"
"I know." Angela leaned forward and kissed her friend's cheek.
"Now Parker it's time to give up your brother. I need to check out my nephew."
"Okay Angela. He's heavy anyway." Angela practically skipped over and scooped Riley into her arms.
"Oh my God Bren. He's so fat." Angela gasped and everyone burst out laughing.
"Tell me about it. I tried to push his big head out."
"Fat or not he is perfect sweetie. You have the perfect little family."
"Yes I do." She said with a smile looking at all of her boys. "I really do."
--
Riley's cries filled the room and Bones rolled over and squinted at the bedside clock. It was 2:22am. She groaned and pulled herself out of bed while Booth snored softly beside her. She had just laid Riley down an hour ago and now he was up again.
"What is going on?" She asked him as she lifted him out of the crib. "I just fed you so you cannot possibly be hungry again are you?" Riley just grinned at her. "What am I going to do with you?" She laid him on the changing table, checked his diaper and found it dry. "So you're not wet and you cannot be hungry so what's going on my little prince?"
She sat with him on the rocking chair, pulled a breast out of her nightgown and attempted to feed him but he wanted nothing to do with it. He just wanted to spend time with his mother. "Riley it's after two in the morning. Your brother will be up in four short hours and I'm the one who has to get up with him, not you. You'll be snoozing like your dad. So work with me here and go to sleep okay?" He just smiled at her, a smile that made her melt. Riley was five weeks old and he already had his father's charm smile. She laid him back in bed, kissed him and tried to sneak out of the room. She made it to the door when he started crying again.
"Riley. What is going on?" As soon as she picked him up he stopped crying. "We are not doing this young man. This has been going on for a few weeks and I'm exhausted. You're going to sleep okay." She kissed his head. "You're going to be mad at me but remember that I love you." She laid him back in his crib and he started wailing.
Even though it broke her heart she let him cry it out. Grabbing the blanket off of the back of the rocking chair, wrapped herself up in it and curled up on the chair. Chase had just started sleeping through the night and now Riley was the one keeping her up all night. She had just closed her eyes when she heard Booth shuffle in and kiss her head.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"I've fed him, burped him and changed him and he is fine so I'm convinced that he just wants to play because every time I pick him up he stops crying and starts smiling."
"Does he have a fever?" She shook her head. "Then you're right. He just wants to hang out."
"You said that sometimes he is just going to have to cry himself to sleep so that's what he is doing."
"Why don't you come to bed?"
"No. I want to be here in case something is really wrong."
"You can hear him with the monitor in our room."
"But you won't be able to sleep and you're the one who has to work in the morning so go on back to bed. I'll be in as soon as he falls back to sleep."
"You're a great mom."
"I'm getting there." Booth leaned down and kissed her.
"Night Bones. I love you."
"I love you too Booth."
--
When Riley was seven weeks old Bones went back to work. Zach had been covering for her and had been doing a great job but he was anxious to get back to assisting his mentor. Field work was never Zach Addy's forte. He was much more comfortable in the lab and so was Booth. He loved working with his Bones not only because he loved her but because she was the best.
During her maternity leave Bones reluctantly took Booth's advice and started meeting with Sweets to discuss what had happened with Julie and as much as she hated to admit it he helped her. Her nightmares eventually disappeared and she was able to return to living a normal life without the constant daily reminder of what Julie had put her, Chase and Booth through.
Bones of course had trouble leaving her boys and returning to work. She loved staying home with them, watching them grow. She cried as did Chase. Riley was too young to understand what was happening so he just sat in his swing smiling at everything around him. Chase, on the other hand, had gotten used to his mom being home and when Bones left for work that first day Chase was sobbing in Sandy's arms, holding his arms out to his mother and crying "mama" and it broke her heart.
Since they both were back to work they worked out an overnight schedule for Riley. It was rather simple. Every other night one of them got up with him while the other slept. If a body ever turned up in the middle of the night Booth went out with Zach while Bones stayed home with the boys. Bones' work day ended promptly at 4:30PM every day unless she was at a spot in a case where she couldn't stop which was rare anymore.
Over the next few years life for Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan finally became what they both had dreamed of, had wanted for years; they were finally a happy family. Every night when Bones kissed her boy's goodnight and they responded with "Goodnight mommy. I love you," she knew that she was part of a family again. Booth, Chase, Riley and according to Booth, Parker loved her unconditionally and that love would never cease. She knew without a doubt, that her boys, her family, would never abandon her and she would never be alone again.
--
"Where are you going mommy?" Five year old Chase asked her.
"Daddy is taking me out for a nice dinner." Bones told her son.
Chase and Bones had a very close relationship. He was a mama's boy but not in a bad way. Bones had always been somewhat protective of him and that made them close. He was timid and shy but had his father's sense of humor. He could always make her smile. Now Riley was the opposite of his brother. In fact, Riley was just like his father from his looks to his personality, to his smile. Riley had everyone he came in contact with wrapped around his little finger.
"I want to come." Chase said.
"Not tonight. This is just a mommy and daddy dinner. You're going to stay home with Riley and Sandy."
"Please mommy?"
"Not tonight sweetheart." Chase sat on the floor and pouted.
"You ready Bones?" Booth asked walking into their bedroom.
"Almost." She was digging in her jewelry box.
"What's your problem champ?" Booth asked Chase
"I wanna go with you and mommy to dinner."
"No you don't." Booth responded sitting on the floor next to Chase. "It will be really boring. You would have to put on a suit like what I have on and then you have to be real quiet in the restaurant. They only want people to whisper and they can't laugh."
"Really?" Chase asked with wide eyes and Booth nodded. "That doesn't sound like any fun."
"It's fun for grown ups but not kids. You will have a lot more fun here at home with Sandy and Riley. I ordered pizza for you guys and you get to have a special dessert."
"What is it?"
"Your favorite."
"Banana splits?" Chase asked with a smile.
"Is that your favorite?" Chase nodded. "Then that's what you're having. Now doesn't that sound like more fun then going with mommy and me?"
"Yeah. Can I eat my dessert now?" Before Booth could answer they were interrupted.
"Mommy, daddy look what I found outside" Riley shouted running into his parent's bedroom. He held out his hand which held four juicy worms.
"Riley take those outside now." Bones ordered trying to stay away from his dirty hands.
"But mommy I want to keep them as pets. I've already named them." He held his hand up to his mother. "This is Petey. This one is Gerty. This is Alfonso and this little one, he's the baby and I named him Gus." He said proudly.
"Come on Riley. Chase and I will help you make them a home but they are going to live outside okay?" Booth told him.
"They don't like the outside. They are scared of the dark."
"No they're not Riley. They are worms and they belong outside."
"Yes sir." He mumbled. Booth took both of his boy's hands.
"Five minutes Bones?"
"Uncle Jack told me worms don't have bones." Riley piped up.
"That's right Riley." Bones said to Riley and then she turned to Booth. "I'll be ready."
"Come on boys. Let's find these worms a new home." Bones smiled after her family as they walked out of the room.
--
"This was nice." Bones said softly. They were enjoying their dessert and wine.
"Bones do you realize that we have never been out like this since the boys have been born?" Bones thought about it.
"You're right. We need to do this more often." Booth reached across the table and took her hand.
"Most people spend these romantic evenings celebrating their anniversaries but you know what Bones we don't have one."
"That cannot be true Booth."
"It is. We don't have an anniversary of our first date because before we conceived Chase we never had an official date. We could celebrate the anniversary of the first time we made love but that wasn't exactly perfect was it?" She shook her head. "We could celebrate the date when we officially got together, when I found you at Julie's but that's not something that either of us want to remember. Bones I want to have an anniversary with you."
"What are you saying?" She whispered although she had a good idea where this conversation was going and she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it.
"Bones I know how you feel about marriage; that's it's an archaic tradition that really has no place here in modern society but I can't help myself. I'm a traditional man. I believe in marriage. We have been living together for five years as husband and wife. We share a home that is in both of our names, we have one bank account that has our money in it, not your money or my money but our money, hell both of our names are on the checking and savings account and most importantly we are raising two children together." Booth took a deep breath to help calm his nervous stomach. "You know I love you, more than anything and I know you love me and I don't need a piece of paper to prove that. Marriage isn't about that piece of paper. Marriage is about love and Bones we love each other. I want to wear a ring on my left hand, a symbol of our love for the world to see and I want to see a ring on your left hand so the world, mainly these men who are always checking out you or your ass, know that you're in love with me."
"We could just wear rings." She said softly.
"That would be sac-religious and maybe bad luck to wear a wedding ring if we're not married and we don't need any more bad luck." Bones smiled softly at him as he stood, moved his chair next to hers, and took both of her hands in his. "Bones I love you. I'm planning on spending the rest of my life with you married or not and if you say no to me I'll understand and I'll still be here with you and our boys but I've got to at least ask. Temperance, will you marry me?"
She sat at the table, staring at him as her eyes filled with tears. She never wanted to get married. Actually before she met Booth she didn't believe that love existed and she had no desire to have children but all of that changed. She knew without a doubt that love existed. She felt it fill her body every time she looked at Booth and now at this point in her life, sitting across from the man that she loved more then anything else, she knew, without a doubt that she wanted to make him happy and marry him. She wanted to be his wife.
"I'm not changing my name." She whispered softly. She smiled broadly as a look of shock and then pure joy crossed his face.
"Is that a yes?" He asked.
"It's a yes." With a shaking hand Booth pulled out a simple diamond engagement ring and slid it onto her left hand. "You were confident that I would say yes weren't you."
He shook his head. "No but I hoped like hell you would." He leaned forward and they pressed their lips together until they could no longer breathe. "I suggest that we do this quickly before you change your mind." He said with a grin causing Bones to giggle before he sealed their proposal with another sweet, tender kiss that was full of love.
--
Three weeks later Bones was standing in one of the bedrooms at Hodgins' mansion in front of the mirror in her wedding dress. True to his word Booth made sure that their wedding came about quickly. All he had to do was tell Angela that he and Bones wanted to get married right away, give her his credit card and in pure Angela fashion she planned her best friend's wedding, the wedding that no one thought would ever happen.
"Bones you look beautiful." 13 year old Parker told his soon to be step-mother. Bones was not wearing the traditional wedding dress. Instead she was wearing a plain white, strapless, ankle length, satin gown. It was tight around the bust and then loosened slightly. It wasn't skin tight but it hugged her curves perfectly.
"You are definitely your father's son." Bones told Parker as she embraced him. "I'm so glad that you are here with us today Parker."
"I am so glad that you and dad are finally getting married." Parker said with a smile as they pulled away from each other. "You have been like a second mother to me and now it's official. I'm really happy about that."
"So am I Parker. So am I."
"You and dad make each other so happy. Bones I've never seen my dad so happy before and it's all because of you." Parker reached out and took her hand. "Thank you so much for making him so happy." Parker wiped away the tear that had fallen down his cheek. "I love you Bones."
"Oh Parker I love you too." The two embraced again.
"Bren, don't ruin that magnificent makeup job that I spent an hour on." Angela said walking into the room and seeing the embrace and the tears falling from her friend's eyes.
"You used waterproof." Bones said pulling away.
"Are you ready? It's time."
"I'm ready." Parker leaned forward and kissed Bones' cheek.
"I'll see you at the altar." Booth asked Parker to be his best man.
"Where are the boys?" Bones asked. Chase and Riley were going to walk their mother down the aisle.
"Booth's keeping them occupied. They are out in the hall. Do you want me to get them?" Bones nodded. Angela sent her a smile and then disappeared out into the hall. A minute later Chase and Riley were running in the room.
"Mommy." Riley cried rushing over to her. Angela grabbed him before he reached his mother.
"Hold it kiddo. You cannot touch your mama. You might get her pretty dress dirty."
"It's okay Ange. I want to hug my boys." Bones squatted down and opened her arms. "Come here boys." Chase and Riley rushed into her arms and hugged her.
"Mommy you look like a princess with a crown and everything." Chase said staring at his mother. Bones' hair was piled on top of her head in tons of little curls with a tiara encasing them. "You're so pretty."
"Thank you Chase. Are you boys ready for your important job?" They nodded solemnly. "What are you supposed to do?"
"Hold your hand and walk you to daddy." Riley said.
"And then what?"
"Then we go and sit on a chair." Chase finished.
"Very good. Well mommy is ready so let's go." Holding a single rose she linked hands with her boys and they headed to the garden where the wedding and reception would be taking place.
Cam headed out the door first into the bright sunshine followed by Angela. When Bones got her signal she nodded to the boys and they walked outside. As soon as Riley saw his dad and brother he waved. "Hi Daddy. Hi Parker." The guests laughed.
"Hi Ry guy." Booth said.
"Shhhh Riley. You're not supposed to talk." Chase chastised.
"Boys." Bones said softly.
They finished their walk without any further issues and as Booth and Bones joined hands Chase and Riley took their assigned seats.
"Hi." Booth whispered.
"Hi." She responded staring deeply into his brown eyes.
Since Bones wasn't Catholic Booth's priest wouldn't marry them so they found a non-denominational pastor to perform the ceremony. It was simple and straight to the point. They exchanged the traditional vows with the exception of the "obey" part, exchanged rings and ten minutes after Bones arrived at the altar Booth and Bones were pronounced husband and wife.
"Seeley you may now kiss your wife." Booth cupped his wife's face.
"I love you so much." He whispered tearfully.
"Not as much as I love you." She responded.
"We'll see about that." Ginning he pulled her to his face and they shared their first kiss of many kisses as husband and wife.
Thanks as always for reading. Reviews are appreciated and encouraged.