Brennan

I'm still mad at Booth. His overprotectiveness might have overdone it this time. He's been trying to make it up to me, and whenever we're in front of the kids or other people, we try to act like nothing's wrong, but when we're alone, we don't even speak.

We sleep in the same bed, because Alice has nightmares quite often nowadays and her haven is our bed. I've tried sleeping on the couch once but then she came and asked why I wasn't sleeping in the same bed as her Daddy, so for now, we're in the same bed, but not really talking.

I decided to take a few days off for Alice's sake, so she can stay home with me. Booth goes in to the office with Michael this week so I can focus on Alice. Today, I don't really have anything to do, but Alice has other plans. So does my phone.

At 9:17 it goes off.

"Brennan." I answer and put it on speaker-phone, because I'm fixing Alice's hair as she's standing on the kitchen chair.

I thought it was Booth, calling for whatever reason, but it's not.

"Hi, it's Margaret."

"Margaret?" I say and it takes half a second for me to realize it's Margaret Whitsell, "How are you?"

"I'm good thanks, and you?"

"We're all fine, I think."

"Who is that?" Alice asks as I finish her hair.

"I have Alice here." I tell Margaret.

"Hi Alice." She says "Do you remember me?"

"No." Alice says loudly "Are you coming to my birthday party?"

"If it's okay." Margaret says.

"I want her to come." Alice tells me quietly.

"She wants you to come, Margaret." I say

"Good, because that's why I'm calling; what time?"

"Oh, we're doing it in the afternoon in the Jeffersonian Rose Garden. Do you know where that is?"

"I think so." she says

"I can give you directions." I offer.

"That's okay, I've got a GPS."

"Okay." I say "Anyway, the party starts at 3."

"Mama, can I go?" Alice asks.

"Sure sweetie." I say and Alice goes off to play.

"So, what does she want for her birthday?" Margaret asks.

"You don't have to get her anything." I say. Alice has gotten so much, and I'm sure she will get a lot more.

"But I want to. I'll think of something."

"Okay."

"So how are things otherwise?" She asks.

"So-so." I say "Booth and I are having some problems, but I think we'll work through it eventually."

"Well, if there's anything I can do, like babysit or something…"

"Thanks, but I think we'll be fine." I say.

"Well, I'll see you this weekend then?"

"Yes, I'll see you then Margaret. Bye."

"Goodbye." She says and we disconnect.

The morning floats by and Booth calls me to tell me to get Alice for lunch; we need to talk.

"Are we going to Daddy?" She asks me.

"Yes, we're going to the park." I say "Daddy said he and Michael will meet us there."

As we arrive at the park, Alice runs up to her Father and brother and hugs the former whereupon she drags the latter in to the playground.

"Bones, I'm sorry." He apologizes for the 2362nd time. "I should have told you, but can you please try and look at it from my perspective?"

I have. Numerous times. And I still can't see why he didn't tell me.

"Booth, I just can't understand why you wouldn't tell me? How am I supposed to do anything if I don't know? I refuse to feel so helpless again if I can prevent it, and I want you to know that I won't tolerate anything like that in the future. It's completely unacceptable."

"In the future?" He asks.

Crap. Now I have to forgive him. I know I was going to do just that eventually anyway, but I wanted to drag it out a bit longer so that he really understood that I wouldn't accept such atrocious behavior, should a situation like this occur again, in the future.

"Yes." I say, silently cursing my slip of the tongue still. "I won't have any more of this again."

"So you've forgiven me?" He asks, trying to hide the hope in his voice.

"On two conditions." I say, "One; Nothing like this can ever happen again. We're a team, and for a team to work, you need communication, otherwise the whole construction collapses."

I look at him and he nods in agreement.

"The second request is that Alice's party is guarded."

"What do you mean?" He's confused.

"I want a guard at Alice's party, so that nobody unauthorized gets in. It's going to take a while before I can be in public and not fear another Allison-incident."

"Bones, don't you think you're stretching it a bit far now?" he asks.

"Wasn't it you who said you weren't letting her out of your sight anymore?"

"My sight, yes, and I'll be there."

"But when you made that claim, you made it as if you were going to bodyguard her, and I don't want you there as her bodyguard, I want you there as her dad. I want you to relax for one day."

"There is no way that's going to happen." He says, "but if it makes you happy, I'll invite Hacker. I'm sure he's got nothing better to do than to come to his ex-girlfriend's daughter's 3rd birthday party."

"Thank you." I say and I kiss him for the first time in a week.

We watch our kids play for a little while and we are both getting a bit hungry.

"Booth, look at them." I say "They're happy, aren't they?"

I'm talking about our kids. Alice plays with Michael in the sand.

"Of course they are."

"I wonder if they will stay that way though."

"Why wouldn't they?" He asks.

"Because I have something to tell you." I say and he looks at me, "I'm having another baby."

At first he says nothing.

"Are you kidding me?" He asks after a few seconds

"No." I say but before I can say much more, he's hugging me and kissing the side of my head.

"So we're expanding our family once again." He says. I'm not sure if it's a question or a statement, but I reply nonetheless.

"Yes, unless you don't want to."

"Of course I want to." he says and takes my head in his hands "Sometimes I wonder where you get all your ideas from. The unrealistic ones, I mean."

I smile at him and I'm happy. I've turned my life completely around. I hadn't even considered a child 4 years ago, and here I am with 2½. Life never ceases to surprise me.

"You must be starving." Booth says and gets up "Let's go and grab some lunch."

"Alice." I say in a semi-loud tone as Booth walks over to get Michael.

Alice comes to my side in a few skips.

"Are you hungry baby?" I ask and she nods.

"Let's go and get some lunch then." and we leave the park and head towards the Diner.