Temperance was tending to dinner, and keeping an eye on Melody as the little girl perused the small pile of accumulated photo albums that were at the kitchen table. She heard the doorbell ring and glanced to the clock, noting that it was probably Sweets arriving, as most everyone else typically piled into the house without so much as a knock anymore. She turned toward Melody and when the little girl looked up, she smiled over at Temperance. "Someone is at the door." She signed. "It's probably our guest." She signed, watching Melody's eyes cloud with a bit of concern, though she sensed that Temperance was calm and happy about the guest's arrival, so she nodded and watched curiously as she stepped from the room.
Temperance walked from the kitchen to the door, glancing back toward the kitchen as she disengaged the alarm, and unlatched the sliding lock and dead bolt. She shook her head and sighed at the extra security on the door and opened it to a smiling Lance Sweets. "Quite a hefty security system you have there, Doctor Brennan." He said with a chuckle.
"Sweets." Temperance said with a smile, leaning forward, she surprised him with a hug. It took him a second, but he returned it. "It's so good to see you." She said, pulling from the hug, her hands on his shoulders as she looked into his eyes. She could see a look of surprise in his eyes as she shook her head and simply smiled. "And it's Temperance. You're in my home, surrounded by my family, it's Temperance or Tempe." She said, pulling at his arm, she reached behind him and grabbed his suitcase before he could.
Once inside, she closed the door, and simply latched the deadbolt, and decided not to go into detail about why they had the added security on the front door. "Okay." He paused. "Temperance." Sweets said with a smile, looking around the house. "You have a beautiful home." He said politely, watching as Temperance looked around with him and smiled.
"Thank you. I thought you had been here before." She said curiously, watching as Sweets removed his coat. She took it from him and hung it on the hook, and moved his bag to a spot beside the door.
"I think Daisy and I had visited once or twice quite a few years ago for a barbecue or something, but we moved pretty soon after that." Sweets replied, taking in the decor of the room, and the warmth that it seemed to give him as he found himself surrounded by the signs of a full and happy family that lived here.
"Well, we are very happy to have you here now. I'm making dinner in the kitchen, if you don't mind hanging around with Melody and I a bit before Booth arrives. He was getting a few things for me, and everyone else will be arriving shortly as well." She smiled.
"Yeah, sure." he said with a smile. "It smells delicious." He said, following after her, they stepped into the kitchen, and Sweets noticed the little blonde girl sitting at the table. Her blue eyes flicked up to the new arrival, and her brow furrowed slightly. "You must be Melody." He said, stopping by the table, but not sitting down, he could see that she was reading him carefully. "I don't know sign language." He said honestly, glancing to Temperance.
"She can read lips." Temperance said, watching Melody look to her and a slight smile lift on her lips. "Melody, this is Mister Sweets, he is Nana's friend." She said as she signed, listening to a snort from Sweets, she looked to her guest and narrowed her eyes at him, her eyebrow lifting curiously.
"Nothing... just... nothing." Sweets chuckled. "Just... Nana...sounds weird coming from you." He said with a smile.
"Would you like to be relegated back to calling me Doctor Brennan?" She teased, watching Sweets grin sheepishly.
"No, no... it's fine, it's fine. I'm sorry." He laughed. "Go on."
She shook her head and smiled. "Melody and I were looking through old photo albums." She said, watching Melody turn another page and sit up a little straighter. "Melody, would you like to show Mister Sweets what you're looking at? Maybe you can tell him who all of the people in the photos are." She signed to Melody, who stared at Temperance for a moment, and then back to the man, and then back to Temperance, and nodded slightly.
"Wow. That sounds cool." Sweets said, sounding a bit coddling, Temperance just smiled and shook her head, moving back toward the stove. Sweets approached Melody and lowered himself into the chair beside her.
"I know you can't understand her signs, but I think you pretty much know everyone in the photos, so just play along." Temperance said, watching Sweets smile at little girl. "The social worker will be able to help you tomorrow with your assessment, she is fluent in American sign language. I have become quite fluent as well, but you shouldn't ask Booth what she is saying, because he only understands a very limited amount. He is learning though." Temperance explained as she continued preparing things for dinner.
"And how long has she been living with Antonia and Aiden?" Sweets asked curiously as he looked at the various pictures with Melody.
"Since July. That's when she was discovered at the crime scene. She's been with them ever since. She had become quite attached to the both of them, and her complaints that started this whole investigation came out of nowhere. Everyone was quite shocked by them." Temperance said, her head turned slightly, Melody was unable to read her lips. "For the most part, she and Antonia have been inseparable. Aiden has been her protector." Temperance sighed. "We believe that it has to do with a desire to protect them. She's been through quite a lot. We can discuss more details after she goes to bed this evening if you'd like. Did you read everything that we sent you on her case?"
"I did. There was a lot of stuff in there. The file on the kidnapping case alone was almost a hundred pages long." He said with a bit of a chuckle.
"That is Antonia's work. She is extremely thorough." Temperance said.
"Like mother, like daughter." Sweets said, glancing to Melody as she tapped his hand with her finger, pointing out something in the picture. He smiled. "That's Antonia." He smiled, pointing out the little girl in the photo.
"Ant." Melody signed. "Mommy." She signed.
"She's telling you that it's Ant, her Mommy."
"Ant." Sweets said, trying to sign, watching Melody's eyes light up a little when he tried, he then signed 'Mommy' to her, and Melody nodded, pointing to another picture of Antonia.
"Very good, Sweets." Temperance said with a bit of a teasing voice. She looked up when they heard the sound of the front door closing. "That must be Booth." She said, turning back to the stove, she turned on the oven, and watched the door to the kitchen swing open, though the person that walked through wasn't Booth. Temperance smiled at the man and shook her head. "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"What's up, Doc..." Ace laughed at the face she made at him, his eyes flicking to the table. "I stand corrected." he said. "What's up, Docs." He amended, holding his hand out to Sweets.
"Sweets, you know my partner, Christopher Harding." Temperance said, smiling as he shook the psychologist's hand firmly. Suddenly there was a loud shuffle and a scurry as Melody nearly knocked over her chair to get to him, squeaking excitedly when he took a step back and lifted her into the air above him, her smile bright and happy.
"There's my little Shadow." He said, tossing her into the air as she giggled and landed in his arms, wrapping her arms around him tightly as he held her against him, her little kisses wetting his cheek.
"She's been waiting for you all day." Temperance said, watching the little girl hold onto him tightly.
"It appears she's quite attached to you, Agent Harding." Sweets said with a smile.
"Literally." He said, peeling her arms from around his neck. "What are you up to?" he signed to her, watching her grin brightly as he sat in the barstool and turned in a circle with her on his lap.
"Looking at pictures with Mister Sweets." She signed, pointing to Sweets. He stopped spinning and he lifted his eyebrows at the small pile of photo albums.
"Wow, look at all of those pictures." He signed to her with a smile, setting her to the floor, she ran back over to the chair and sat down eagerly. He stepped around the other side of the island where Temperance was, leaning on the counter facing Temperance, his voice low. "Booth mentioned she wanted to talk to me." He said to Temperance, watching her glance over at Melody.
"Yes. I think she has some things on her mind that she'd like to discuss with you." Temperance said softly, avoiding mention of the 'running away' incident. "Where is Rebecca?" She asked, taking a step toward the coffee maker, she pulled the carafe and began to fill it with water at the sink.
"She's coming with Parker and the boys. She's got them until Parker gets done with work. I figured I'd stop by early." He said, taking a step backwards toward the stove.
"Christopher, behave." Temperance said with a warning glare. "Get away from the sauce." She said, watching as he reached for the spoon on the counter. She turned the water off and set the carafe in the sink.
"What? I'm just taste testing." He said, lifting up the lid of the sauce, he dipped the spoon in.
"Get out of my kitchen." She said, reaching for the spoon, he stepped back quickly, his other hand guarding the sauce so it wouldn't spill as she moved in on him, trying to reach for the spoon.
"I just want a taste!" he said, blowing on the warm sauce as he took a step back and turned, with Temperance still reaching for it. He laughed as she reached around him to grab the spoon, but by the time she got to it, he had already put it in his mouth. "Mmm..." He said, smacking his lips, laughing when she grabbed the spoon from him. He turned quickly and took a step back and she advanced quickly toward him. "Oh, crap." He said, moving away from her as he ran around the island, with Temperance right behind him.
"Get out!" She growled, stopping when she saw Sweets watching with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. She retreated back around the other side of the island with the spoon. "He's worse than the children." She huffed, dropping the spoon into the sink, her cheeks turning red as Ace hopped onto one of the barstools and laughed at her reaction, spinning it in a circle. She leaned across the counter slightly, crooking her finger and Ace leaned across with a smirk on his face. Quickly, she grabbed his tie and held it firmly in her hand, pulling her face close to his. "Touch that sauce again, and you'll be getting cereal for dinner tonight. Got it?" She said, smacking his forehead with her other hand, he laughed when she let go of his tie, sending him spinning around, he turned in the barstool to face Melody, who was watching with an amused smile.
"Are you ready to talk to me?" He signed to the little girl, she nodded. "Good, let's go get the chess board out and we'll talk." He said, hopping from the barstool, he glanced to Temperance. "We'll be in the other room." He said, watching as Melody hopped from her chair, and like a flash was running toward the living room.
"Wait, she's how old, and she plays chess?" Sweets asked with a surprised expression.
"She's six." Ace said with a smile. "And she's better at chess than I am." He shrugged, taking a step toward the stove again, Temperance stepped toward him and grabbed the spoon, holding it up in warning, Ace let out a laugh and quickly excused himself in search of the little girl.
As soon as Ace left the room, Sweets stood up and walked to the counter, sitting at the barstool that Ace had vacated. "Wow." Sweets said, watching as Temperance turned her attention back to him.
"Wow, what?" Temperance asked, hearing the front door open and close again, she was sure that Booth was home by now.
"That display." He chuckled. "You and Agent Harding. I've never seen you let anyone get into your personal space like that before."
"Christopher?" She laughed. "Christopher is the brother that I never asked for. He has always been that way." Temperance said, pulling a cookie tray from the cupboard, she set it on the counter. "He's a good man." She said, glancing to the door he disappeared through. "An infuriatingly irritating, childish, kind, compassionate, trustworthy man, that my family can't live without." She shrugged with a smile.
The door to the kitchen opened halfway through her sentence, and Booth strolled in. "You talking about me again, Bones?" He asked with a grin.
"No. I was speaking about Christopher. Everyone loves him... and the jury is still out on you." She said with a teasing tone, watching his jaw drop as he stopped. "I'm kidding." She said, dropping a kiss on his cheek, she reached for the grocery bags he brought in, thanking him. "You are revered by all." She said with a tone that teetered on sarcasm.
"See that, Sweets. Some things never change. She's still mean to me." He said, handing over the bags, he reached out to shake Sweets' hand and let out a laugh. "I see that Ace showed up to talk to Mel."
"Yes, he came by early to test my patience. Rebecca will be along with Parker shortly." Temperance said, going through the bags.
"He's bringing the boys, right?" Booth asked, watching Temperance nod. "You met the boys at the wedding, right? Chips off the ole block." Booth laughed. "Grandchildren are so much more fun than the originals." He joked.
"You have another one on the way, correct?" Sweets asked, watching as Temperance and Booth exchanged a look.
"We forgot to tell you?" Booth said, pulling his phone out, he scrolled a few pictures and slid it across the counter toward Sweets. "That's Christopher Maxwell Fitzgerald. Born yesterday afternoon, just as perfect as the last one." He smiled proudly.
"Congratulations." Sweets said with a smile, looking at the picture of the baby, he handed Booth the phone back. "Good looking little guy right there." He said smiling.
"He was delivered nearly a month early, but was well developed, and they will be able to bring him home in a day or two." Temperance said, looking up from her tasks. "Antonia had a placental abruption, and the doctor felt it was necessary to deliver immediately. Both are doing well today." She said with a nod, noting that attention was on her, she smiled and went back to cooking.
"What's all of this?" Booth asked, indicating the photo albums on the table, he looked back at Temperance, who looked over her shoulder.
"Melody was looking at photos. I think she enjoys seeing pictures of Antonia when she was a child." Temperance said with a smile.
"It probably instills a level of assurance to her when she sees photos of Antonia smiling, or of the family enjoying themselves. She sees this, and it affirms to her, in her six year old mind, anyway...that Antonia had a good childhood, and that you all are people that she can trust." Sweets said.
"I found her looking at the albums in the other room." Temperance said. "I didn't want to discourage her from it, or make her think that it was wrong, so I encouraged her to look at them with me, pointed out people in the photos, and she asked questions. It was quite engaging." Temperance said with a smile.
"I can see already that she is very loved in this environment." Sweets said with a kind smile. "Not that I doubted it or anything." He chuckled. "I'm looking forward to being part of how we can prove that to her."
"Well, you're family too, Sweets." Booth said with a smile as he moved toward the sink. "How about some coffee, and we'll catch up, wait for everyone, and stay out of Bones' kitchen." He said, glancing to her as she smirked slightly.
"Do you see why I keep this one around? He gets it." Temperance said with a smile, grinning as Sweets let out a laugh.