34 Work First
Brennan felt slightly uncomfortable when Booth asked Parker to say a blessing over their food. She considered telling Parker he should thank Booth for the food and her company, not some invisible man in the sky, but it wasn't her place to have such a discussion with the boy.
Despite her mild discomfort, Brennan enjoyed supper immensely. Booth was a decent cook, and Parker was a joy to be around. He was an enthusiastic and curious child. He even turned their conversation back to the case when they were nearly through with the meal.
"Daddy, you didn't finish asking Dr. Bones about your case. Is it 'cause I'm here?" Parker asked.
Booth's gaze traveled from Parker to Brennan and back again. "Bones and I are going to work on the case after you go to bed, Parker. It can keep until then."
"It's 'cause I'm too little, isn't it?" Parker asked again.
"It's partly because your Mom wouldn't be happy if I talked about the gory details of my cases in front of you Park. But mostly, I don't want you to have to deal with any of it. Ever. Not just because you're young," Booth said honestly.
"But I helped you with a case when I found that finger. It was really neat!" Parker said, pushing the issue.
Brennan leaned over towards Booth and said quietly, "He did seem to find it more of a curiosity rather than disgusting."
"Oh, no you don't. You're not going to gang up on me on this one," he said waggling a finger between Parker and Brennan.
"Merely an observation, Booth," she said.
"That's beside the point," Booth said, becoming animated.
"It seems completely relevant to take into consideration Parker's comfort level with the subject matter," Brennan said.
"Nope, no case discussions with Parker. Rebecca would have my head, and I'm not really keen on the idea either. You did great earlier with that broken heart thing, Bones. Just leave it at that," Booth said humorlessly.
Parker's eyes grew wide while they bickered, completely unnoticed by Booth and Brennan.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Brennan relented. "Okay, fine. No case discussions right now." She turned her attention to Parker and said, "But, if you ever want to learn about the human body or the skeletal system in general, I'll be happy to tell you about it, Parker."
"Now that," Booth said with a smile for Brennan and a wink for Parker, "is fine."
"Wow, did you guys just have a fight?" Parker asked. "You're not going to kiss and stuff now, are you?"
Brennan glanced at Booth who turned to her, with a wide grin. Their eyes locked for a moment and they both erupted with laughter.
"We'll definitely save the kissing for later, Parker," Booth said through his laughter.
"Eew, I hope I'm in bed by then," Parker said. He sat and watched his father and Brennan laughing and holding hands at the table. When neither looked his way again, he asked, "May I please be excused?"
Booth tore his eyes from Brennan's to focus on Parker. "Sure thing. Just take your plate the the sink and I'll clean up. Thanks for your help today."
"I liked making the meatballs. It was fun," Parker said while carrying his plate to the sink. "Can I see if there's a hockey game on tonight?"
"Sure," Booth said. "If you find a game, maybe we'll get started on these files before you head to bed."
"Okay, Dad. See ya, Dr. Bones," Parker said as he headed to the living room.
"He's a great kid, Booth," Brennan said.
"I think so," Booth agreed. "C'mon, help me clean this mess up." Booth stood, but didn't release her hand. Brennan stood, and Booth wrapped his arms around her, enfolding her a warm embrace.
"Careful," she cautioned. "Wouldn't want to gross out Parker."
"He's in the other room," Booth said quietly; then lowered his lips to hers. Their kiss began featherlight. Booth pulled back slightly, but Brennan slid a hand to his neck to pull him into a deeper kiss. She parted her lips to gently graze his with her teeth. A low hiss of pleasure from Booth quickened Brennan's pulse, but he moved away again. He buried his face in her hair and whispered in her ear, "Work first, Bones," then nipped at her earlobe.
"How is that work?" she hissed quietly.
"It's not," he said with a grin and released her. "Let's clean up."
She sighed, but released his hand and began clearing the table. They worked easily together, rinsing dishes and loading the dishwasher. While they finished in the kitchen, they could hear Parker cheering occasionally at the television set.
"I guess he found a game," Booth said.
Brennan nodded. "Seems so."
"I really do need to get through these logs tonight. Still willing to help?"
"Yes," she said. "Of course, I'd rather be otherwise occupied, but I suppose the quicker we get through the logs, the quicker we can both find something else to do."
"My thoughts exactly. I'll grab the files," Booth said. "Parker's happy watching the game. But, I'd rather work out there so we can keep an eye on him."
"Lead the way," Brennan said.
Booth retrieved his laptop and the relevant paper files, and they settled on the couch. Parker was sitting on an ottoman in front of the television. A commercial was blaring from the set, extolling the virtues of an energy bar.
"Turn down the volume just a bit, Parker," Booth said. Parker poked out his bottom lip, but complied. "That's better," Booth said with a nod for Parker, who was once again absorbed in the game.
"Okay, I've pulled all the transcript logs that relate to 'fools gold' in any way. We just need to read through these phone calls and see if any of it means anything based on what we know," he said and handed Brennan a stack of folders.
"Seems straight forward enough," she said while Booth put a note pad and pen beside her on the couch.
"I hope so. I'd really like to get a lead out of this. I'm supposed to hear from Tom tomorrow afternoon. You want to sit in on that?" he asked.
"What time?" she asked distractedly. She was already beginning to skim through the first folder.
"Probably around 3. You want me to conference you in?" he asked.
"I suppose it depends on what I'm doing when he calls," she said.
"All right, we'll play it by ear," Booth said. He was disappointed that she hadn't immediately agreed, but managed to keep any hint of regret from his voice.
She nodded and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear while she continued to pour through the file. Booth nodded, more to himself than anyone, and then opened the first file on his lap and began to read.