~Secret~

Life was pretty good, Booth thought as he backed out of the driveway of the rehab house. The job was still going well, despite the days he'd taken off to be with Brennan and the girls after Caroline's birth. That he'd been able to do so was due entirely to Wendell, of course, who'd managed to juggle both the lab and helping Marcellus during those days.

And then Brennan had firmly put her foot down, insisting that her former intern was neglecting his dissertation research, and so Booth had gone back to work. He'd not minded, actually. It was good to get back to a normal schedule.

Home was still a priority, though. The last few days, they'd fallen into a routine where they'd spend the morning together as a family before he took Christine to preschool. Then, after putting in a chunk of hours on the house, he'd pick her up his way home.

It was a nearly perfect life, and one he never stopped being grateful for.

He started to make the turn to her school, and then remembered that Brennan had texted him that Max was picking her up early that afternoon. "Nothing to be alarmed over," the follow-up text had said in response to his question about whether everything was okay, and he'd had to be satisfied with that.

But he was curious. He knew something was up; he just didn't know what. For several days now, Christine had been acting weird, clapping her hand over her mouth and giggling - or running away - in the middle of a conversation. Brennan was in on the mystery, but she'd just smiled when he asked her, and used whatever diversionary tactic was available to her to change the subject.

He was a guy. It wasn't hard to divert his attention, even if they couldn't make love yet.

When he pulled into their drive, he saw Max's car. Maybe that meant they were getting ready to let him in on the secret.

He walked into the house, and for a moment, saw only what he expected to see - Brennan on the sofa, holding Caroline, Max laughing with Christine. And then his gaze settled on the unexpectedly tall young man sitting next to Brennan.

Parker.

His breath caught as the room went silent as they realized he'd come in. And then Christine barreled toward him. "Daddy! We surprised you with Parker!" He caught her to him, his eyes still on her brother, who was coming toward him, his face split wide with a grin.

For a moment, Booth wondered if Parker would now feel himself too old for a hug, but then his son nearly bowled him - and Christine - over in a fierce, hard, embrace, one Booth was only too happy to return.

God, it felt good.

Over their heads, he watched Brennan coming toward him, Caroline resting on her shoulder. Parker, still hanging onto Booth with one arm, reached out to gently touch his youngest sister's cheek with his other hand.

Now life was completely perfect.


A/N: I like that so many of us had the same idea, of a visit from Parker. It also amused me that Frankie707 wrapped up Parker's visit the same week I finally got around to his arrival. (Are you reading her stories? You should be!)