Disclaimer: Bones and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement.

Author's Notes: Here's some light-hearted fun and fluff for you. This chapter is partially written in a different style that I normally do. In some situations, I wrote snippets of conversations instead of whole scenes. When you see ~BOOTH&BONES~, a small amount of time has elapsed.

Responses to your reviews are at the end.

The Trouble in the Triangle

Chapter 25: Chilling Out

Booth was flipping through the TV stations available at the hotel they were staying at. "Hey, Bones! Good news!" Of course, she couldn't hear him. She was still in the shower. That's a mighty long shower! He got up and opened the door about an inch and tried again. "Hey Bones! Good news!"

"Booth! What are you doing?"

"Bones, I can't see anything. That shower curtain is a yuck green." He poked his head in and there she was wrapped in a towel."

He looked her up and down. "I thought you were taking a long shower."

"I shaved my legs first, not that you needed to know that. I was just about to get in. Now unless you're joining me, please walk back out so the water doesn't turn cold on me."

As soon as she mentioned joining her in the shower he immediately got hard. "Yeah, I'll be going. And if you run out of hot water, that won't be a problem for me. I need it cold." And he closed the door on a laughing Brennan.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I'm surprised you'd want to watch a movie about a war."

"It's WWII, Bones." He dragged out her name to encourage enthusiasm. The charming smile was in full wattage. "You know you're interested. And it's a good story. Heart crushing at first but heart warming at the end."

"You're really interested in this?"

"It's history, Bones. It's a piece of the United States of America. That war was nothing like the one I was fighting. It's fine. I promise."

~BOOTH&BONES~

They were only a few minutes into the story when she looked over at him. "Four brothers from the same family went to war? What were their parents thinking?"

"It's patriotism, Bones. Keep watching. I promise it will get better."

"Three brothers are dead and I'm supposed to believe it's going to get better?"

~BOOTH&BONES~

"Bones, relax. No wonder you don't watch TV. Relaxing isn't part of you is it?"

"Shhh!"

"Did you just shush me?"

~BOOTH&BONES~

"Okay, I can see how in the middle of a battle being a hero is just something you do without thought. There's no time to think. You just react. But I'm still mad at you."

"You're mad at me?"

"As irrational as my request was to ask you not to be a hero, I could have lost you. It was bad enough when I thought I lost you when you faked your death. What would I do if you hadn't come home?"

He didn't know why, but he hadn't thought of her thinking about it that way. He thought she was just mad at saving Hannah and then having sex with her out of gratitude… under a fig tree no less. He never felt so shallow.

He hugged her. It didn't seem like she was crying. He was sure it would cause another round of coughing if she was. He ran his fingers through her hair and said comforting words such as, "I'm here, now. I'm sorry I worried you."

When she eventually pulled away, they finished watching the movie.

~BOOTH&BONES~

"What sounds good to eat, Bones?"

"Nothing, really."

"You have to eat."

"Maybe some vegetable soup as long as it doesn't have beef broth."

He picked up the phone for room service. "I'll see what I can do."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Thanks, Booth. That was good." Brennan was delighted that Booth was taking care of her again. She really had missed him when Hannah was around. There just wasn't enough time in Booth's life for her.

"It was worth the trip to the specialty bakery," he smiled. "Were you working on your book while I was gone?"

"Yes," she stated as a matter of fact.

"Are you going to let me help?"

"I'm still thinking about it."

~BOOTH&BONES~

Booth was flipping through the TV channels. "Bones, you've been thinking about it for over 20 minutes."

"You can be really persistent. It's annoying at times."

Booth chuckled. "I'll take that as a compliment coming from you."

~BOOTH&BONES~

"Aw Bones! You can't leave it there."

"Cliffhangers are a natural part of a story, Booth. You should be familiar with them since you read my books."

"But this cliffhanger is just mean."

"Mean?"

"Yeah. You should at least let them make-out before she has to go to the airport without knowing when they'd see each other again."

"But wouldn't that cause more heartache. I just don't see the point. It's better for her to protect herself from such pain."

"Protecting yourself from such emotions can bring just as much pain." This scenario is sounding very familiar.

~BOOTH&BONES~

"Wow, Bones! That's a very creative action-packed plot twist at the airport."

"Thank you."

"How does your magical mind come up with these ideas?"

"Booth, there's no magic. I'm just very intelligent. I have…"

He kissed her as a way of interrupting her. Then he finished her speech. "Three doctorates degrees and you're a world famous anthropologist. Published many times in journals as well as writing best selling novels. Did I leave anything out?"

"I'm rich."

Booth laughed. "Of course, you are. And you're also very generous."

"You're always telling me to spend my money."

"I've been saying you need to spend a little on yourself. You deserve it."

"Other people can benefit from it. I hardly need all that money."

"As I said, you're generous. Think of all those people you helped in Andy's community."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Brennan put her phone on speaker so that they both could hear the latest news on the cases going on across the country. Then Brennan made their flight arrangements for the next afternoon. Their plans changed. They would both be heading back to D.C. for a couple of days. Sully was planning to return to Texas the next day and Charlie and Perotta were moving on to Kansas City, Missouri where more amateur sniper victims were found.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I'm glad we're not waiting another day to leave here."

"Would you like to talk about Angela? You're obviously very worried about her."

"Angela and Hodgins got the results back from the amniocentesis. They didn't get good news."

"The baby? Is it alright?" Brennan shook her head. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"She has Down Syndrome."

"Oh," was all he said. What was there to say? It's not something I've ever had to deal with.

"That's not all, Booth."

What else could possibly be wrong? The news was frightening enough.

"Hodgins has a sister."

"What? That can't be. He told us years ago that he was the sole heir of the Cantilever group."

"That's technically correct. His sister isn't an heir, but the board provides for her care."

"I don't understand," admitted Booth.

"Hodgins has a younger sister. Her name is Annalisa. She was born with Down Syndrome."

"Where… Where has she been all these years?"

"I don't know. Booth, I'm not good at these kinds of things. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know if I should ask questions. I need your help."

"Bones, I don't think this is something anyone is prepared for. My guess is that parents learn as they go along. And they probably meet new people who are experiencing the same thing. I think the best thing we can do for them is to be there, not shy away and act frightened. And a hug goes a long way."

"Yeah. Your hugs do help. I've never been the type to give hugs, though."

"She's one of your best friends. I think you'll find it natural when she needs you most."

"Thank you, Booth."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Do you think we'll get any sleep tonight, Booth, with all of my coughing?"

"That's what the prescription cough syrup is for. Let me grab it. We'll be snoring before you know it."

"I don't snore."

"Yes, you do."

"You're making that up."

Booth chuckled. "It's soft and doesn't wake me up, but Bones, you do snore."

She threw a pillow at him.

~BOOTH&BONES~

"Bones? Are you asleep, yet?"

"Almost," she replied followed by a yawn.

"Sorry. I won't bother you then."

~BOOTH&BONES~

"Booth? Are you asleep?" she asked a few minutes later.

He chuckled. "Not yet. Something on your mind?"

"Angela."

"Come closer and let me hold you for awhile."

~BOOTH&BONES~

"Parker is a good kid."

"Yeah. He's great! I can't imagine my life without him."

"You're a great father, Booth."

"Do you ever think about having a baby again?"

"I did for quite some time after your surgery."

"What changed your mind?"

"Circumstances."

"Care to elaborate?"

"I don't think I'm ready to talk about it."

~BOOTH&BONES~

"Did you ever think about having a baby with Hannah?"

"I tried, but it never really seemed possible."

"I don't know what that means."

"I never was able to imagine it… like seeing a photo in a picture frame. It didn't seem possible. I guess it's hard to explain."

"I think I know what you mean, now."

"Can I ask you to do something for me?"

"Yes. I don't know if I can answer the way you want me to, though."

"Will you stop talking about Hannah when we're in bed?"

"That seems like a reasonable request."

"Thank you."

~BOOTH&BONES~

"Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"We're both on antibiotics."

"Right," he drew out the word.

"Can I get a kiss goodnight?"

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"No. But I want one anyway." He could hear a smile in her voice.

"How could I ever say 'no' to a kiss with you, Bones?"

"That's good to know."

I could be in for some trouble giving that bit of information.

They kept there kisses short after the first one left them breathless and had Brennan coughing.

"Goodnight, Bones."

"Goodnight, Booth."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Review Responses

Thank you for your reviews: BBfansavl6, rmbuckeye, harper83, SouthunLady, Barb, Boneslover97, TheLoveOfBones, and bones35. I'm glad you're enjoying the quick updates!

Angela: We found out about Angela's baby. We still have more to learn about Hodgins' sister. Brennan will be seeing them soon when she returns to D.C. with Booth. Brennan used the 'friend card' because Angela didn't want her to feel like she needed to stop everything to come and see her.

rmbuckeye: I'm glad you found this story and liking it so much. It's great to get new readers. I'm also glad to read that there is another Bones fan that liked Sully!

bones35: I'm looking forward to your reaction of Booth's help with Brennan's book!