(The Family in the Feud)

A/N: this is a reminder that this story is AU. This story changed dramatically at the end of season 5.

I don't own Bones.

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"Bones, some nanny service called while you were gone." Watching his wife carry their daughter into the house, Booth frowned, "They wanted to know if you planned on hiring someone from their service or not."

Carrying her baby over to the couch, Brennan removed Christine from her car seat and carried her over to the kitchen, kissing Booth as she passed him in the doorway, "I haven't made up my mind yet. I've researched them and they seem to be adequate but I'm not sure if they're right for Christine."

Rolling his eyes, Booth turned and complained, "Bones, for God's sake, this has been going on for more weeks than I care to think about. If you don't trust them then don't hire them. Just let Max continue to babysit Christine. He wants to do it and he's family. Just leave it the way it is."

Opening the fridge door and removing a baby bottle, she closed the door and placed the bottle in a warmer, "I don't really want to permanently rely on Max for Christine's care Booth. He's just temporary until I can find a professional care giver that fulfills our requirements."

Sighing, Booth sat down at the kitchen table and stared glumly at one his fingernails, "Bones, what do you have against Max? He's been taking really good care of Christine. You have to admit that. He likes taking care of her, let's just let him do it and forget about getting a nanny. She'll be going back to Day Care when she's nine months old so it's not a long time to rely on Max."

Shaking her head, Brennan removed the bottle from the warmer, tested the milk against her skin and finding the temperature satisfactory, walked over to the table and sat down. Propping the baby in the crook of her arm, she proceeded to feed her hungry child, "It's not that simple for me, Booth. It just isn't."

His patience thin, Booth tried to speak rationally hoping she'd listen to him, "Bones, I know you have some issues with Max. I know that, but he's stuck around for three years and he's done his best to make it up to you. He risked his life to come back into your life, you know that. That has to count for something. He loves you and he loves Christine. That's better than a stranger taking care of her, don't you think?"

Staring into Christine's trusting face, Brennan responded, "What if he decides to leave? He's done it before. Christine is growing attached to him. She loves him. What if he leaves again? It will break her heart."

Sad for his wife, Booth stood up and moved around the table. Leaning over her, he kissed her. "Bones, he loves you. I don't think there isn't a day goes by that he doesn't regret not taking you with him. He thought he was saving your life by leaving you with Russ. How was he to know that Russ wouldn't man up and take care of you? Russ was an adult but he just walked away from his responsibilities. Max thought you were safe. He loves you. Give him a chance. Please?"

Nodding her head, Brennan sighed, "Alright."

Surprised and relieved, Booth smiled and kissed her again, "Thank you."

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Meeting his father-in-law at the Diner, Booth sat down across from Max and placed an order for a cup of coffee from the waitress. Once his coffee had arrived, Booth directed his attention towards the older man, "Max, I've talked Bones into letting you take care of Christine until we're ready to take her back to Day Care. It took a lot of arguing but she's agreed."

Grimly, Max nodded his head, "I don't understand why she doesn't want me to take care of the baby. I've been doing a good job so far haven't I?"

Nodding his head, Booth sweetened his coffee and then stirred it, "Yeah, you have but that's not the issue. She . . . She has a hard time trusting you. She just can't forget that you abandoned her when she was 15. You know that Foster Care was hell on earth for her. She was abused and she almost died when she was locked in the trunk of a car by one of the families that was supposed to take care of her. She blames you for that."

"God, I didn't know that." His face pale, Max placed his elbows on the table and rested his face in this hands, "Ruth and I thought we were doing what was best for our kids. We were running for our lives and we didn't want them in harms way. Russ was 19 and . . . and God help me I thought he'd take care of her." Lowering his hands, Max shook his head, "I'm not really blaming Russ. Tempe has always been special. She's literal and she hates change. I guess when we left her she thought we didn't want her anymore. She would have made Russ's life hell and he wears his heart on his sleeve. He probably just couldn't handle it, but what could we do. We didn't want our kids to be murdered with us. We had to make sure they weren't with us and . . ." Pausing, Max exhaled deeply, "This is all just so wrong. We should have risked it and taken her with us."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth gravely replied, "You can't change the past, believe me. All you can do is earn her trust now. This is the time to do it. Show Bones that she can trust you with our daughter. Whatever you do, please don't screw this up. You've been doing a great job with Christine, Max you really have but right now you're under a microscope. You're under Bones' microscope and that means that any little thing wrong is going to be magnified. Just . . . just be careful, okay. I'm warning you that she's worried about trusting you. The only reason she's going to give you this chance is because of me. She trusts me and I'm trusting you. Don't make me regret this."

Nodding his head, Max assured his son-in-law, "You can trust me, Booth. I'm not the man I was when my baby was fifteen. I'm walking the straight and narrow. I'm staying out of trouble and I'm doing it for my family, for Tempe and Christine and you. Russ accepts me as whatever I want to be so I'm not worried about him, but Tempe and you, you two are a different story. I'm doing my best for you and my baby and I will take care of your baby. You can trust me, it isn't misplaced."

Smiling, Booth reached out and patted Max's arm, "Good, glad to hear it. When Christine is nine months old, we're going to put her back in Day Care. We just want to wait until she's older and her immune system is more mature."

Picking up his glass of tea, Max smiled, "She's really not hard to take care of, Booth. She's a happy baby that's for sure."

Cheerfully, Booth smiled, "Isn't she? She hardly ever cries. I know we're pretty lucky when it comes to that. She almost sleeps through the night now and only wakes us up once or twice. Really, that isn't too bad and she smiles a lot. My little girl is a gem."

Amused, Max smiled, "She is a precious little thing. Pretty like her Mom and she does smile a lot. I just love taking care of her."

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Reviews would be great thank you. Some fluffy reading for this Monday morning. I hope you have a wonderful week.