A/N – Okay, holiday's over and I'm back on this. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter, and to MickeyBoggs for checking it over.

Disclaimer – The characters here do not belong to me in any way.

Enjoy


"I don't want to know."

"But Booth…"

"Nope, don't tell me." Booth put his hands over his ears defensively. "I already said, I want it to be a surprise."

"How do you expect me to keep this under my gloves?" she argued, pushing herself into his path. "Especially given that Angela is anxious to begin acquiring preparatory items."

"Hat, Bones. And if she can't keep quiet then you'll have to just keep it from Angela too." Booth paced onwards across the hospital parking lot, until they reached the SUV. "Um… when you say preparatory items you do mean like clothes and diapers and a crib, right?"

"What did you think I meant?" She looked at him with interest as they both climbed in.

"Nothing…" His tone was dismissive as he slipped the key in the ignition. "Look, surely in Umpa-Lumpa-Land there is some tribe who shuns unnecessary medical intervention and has some ritual where everyone places a… modest wager on whether it'll be a boy or a girl."

"I really don't know where you acquire your information from but I can assure you there is no such place as Umpa-Lumpa-Land." She crossed her arms and looked out of the passenger side window. "What would you prefer? A boy or a girl?"

"Well…" Booth thought for a moment. "I suppose that already having Parker… wait!" He banged his palms against the wheel. "I'm not answering that 'cause you'll just use it as an excuse to tell me whether I'm right or wrong."

They sat silently as Booth drove them back to the lab. Every once in a while Temperance glanced down at her abdomen. It felt bloated but no one who didn't already know would guess she was hiding new life inside. It wouldn't be long now before she started to show, after all, her pregnancy was much further on than she'd believed. The sonographer had predicted a due date of January 6th. A far cry from the early March that Temperance had herself calculated.

Booth glanced across at her as she shifted in her seat. "You okay?"

"Mmn, I just don't travel too well at the moment," she mused.

"You need to puke just let me know soon enough to pull over."

"I was just recalculating. If my due date is early January then conception must have occurred mid-April." Temperance looked at Booth in expectation.

"Which means?.." He asked as he pulled into his usual parking spot. "Oh!" He grinned exuberantly. "Which means we can pin-point exactly when we made a baby."

"Conceived."

"Whatever. Still means I was right to pull you off that plane in handcuffs." He flashed his best charm smile at her.

Temperance raised her eyebrows at his smug expression.

"I can't believe it happened first time!" he gushed. Booth placed his hand on her thigh. "I just… I wish we'd known sooner."

Temperance watched his fingers stroke her leg affectionately. "I know. It would have made things… different." She avoided his inquiring gaze as Booth processed what she was saying.

"In what way, different? In a good way?" he asked quietly. "Bad?"

"This just confirms that my hormones have been playing havoc with my emotions. How can I trust any of the decisions that I've made since then?" she argued.

"If you want," Booth offered, "we can pretend the last two months didn't happen. Go back to how things were supposed to be," he suggested hopefully.

"No, Booth. That would just make it all complicated. And how can I know that being more than friends was something I would have agreed to before my body was overloaded with Estrogen and Progesterone. I think it would be more sensible to stick to the original plan."

"I want to believe we still have a chance, Bones." His warm brown eyes looked deep inside her.

"And I don't want to ruin what we have."

Booth shook his head slowly as he struggled to accept that she might not want him as much as he wanted her. As much as he loved her. "All I want is for you to be happy, Bones. What is it that you actually want?"

"I'm sorry Booth." She opened the door and climbed out. "I just don't know."

*******

Camille Saroyan leaned on the railing and regarded the entomologist working below with curiosity. He'd barely left the lab in the past two weeks, spending more time here than Brennan even.

"Hodgins is hiding from the media." Angela confirmed from behind a cup of coffee.

"What? Why?"

"Cantilever produced a faulty batch of merchandise, and now they are having lawsuits issued left, right and center."

"Medication?" Cam asked with curiosity.

"No. Pregnancy tests. They've recalled them now but there are a lot of angry women out there."

"Yup, and Bones is one of 'em. Although to tell you the truth, I'm pretty pissed too." Booth sauntered across the lounge to the coffee machine. "Cause if the test had come out positive then Bones wouldn't have jetted off to the back of beyond. And now I think about it, she probably wouldn't have had any reason to break it off between us and I'd be one of the happiest guys on the planet right now."

Both women nodded in sympathy.

"As much I enjoy your company, Seeley, why are you here?" Cam asked. "We have no case that I'm aware of."

"The coffee here is better than at the Hoover," he quipped.

"Booth," Angela warned. "She won't appreciate your checking up on her every five minutes."

"That's why you're not gonna tell her. I can be in and out without Bones ever noticing."

"Wow," Cam mused. "You are certainly playing the long game, aren't you."

He sat down on the chair beside them. "I'm a very patient man. I can wait it out as long as it takes. I pushed her for a decision before and look where that got me. She ran off to Peru. Yes, I make mistakes. But never the same one twice."

Angela leaned in towards Cam. "Good to know he doesn't see you as a mistake."

"It's reassuring."

"Anyway, G-Man. You've had your coffee, and time to check on Bren." Angela shooed him away. "Now vamoose before she comes up and catches you."

"I'm gone," he breezed, subtly checking Brennan was still working below.

Cam and Angela smiled and laughed as he made a hasty retreat. "Do you think he's actually gone back to the Hoover?" Angela wondered out loud.

Cam shook her head. "Not a chance in hell."

******

Temperance sat at the table in the lounge stirring her chamomile tea aimlessly.

"Talk to me," Angela instructed as she sat down opposite.

Slowly, the anthropologist placed the spoon down and looked up at her friend. "What I had perceived to be fact actually isn't. And now I find myself questioning my own rational judgment. There is no doubt that Booth and I share something very special and I have no regrets in asking him to father my child. But his desire for a more socially acceptable relationship has left me unsure of whether I can embrace the concepts I spent so long refuting."

Angela reached out and touched Temperance's arm. "Why do you not think that you want the same?"

"Because we aren't the same. We are very different people with nothing in common and when he sees who I really am he won't want me and he'll leave me. And if he has no expectations then I won't be a disappointment to him." Her voice was almost childlike in her profusions.

"You are a lot more alike than you know," Angela reasoned. "And you draw this unbelievable strength from each other that make you… untouchable. Individually you are both amazing people, but together you are…"

"Perfect!" Cam joined them at the table. "You are perfect together. I don't understand why you still don't see it."

Temperance looked between the two women. "How can I be sure that the next time it all gets too much I won't run again? Being abandoned, it hurts. A lot. He deserves better than that."

"What is it you want me to say, Bren?" Angela continued. "This is the rest of your life we're talking about. You need to be sure of what you want."

"I want a baby. I never considered anything more than that."

"Maybe you should have," Cam offered.

Temperance sighed. "Why did Booth have to make it all so complicated?"

Cam lowered her voice to a whisper as Max walked cheerfully towards them. "You asked Booth to give you a baby. He did. Cut the guy some slack."

"Hey, mind if I join you ladies?" Max asked as he poured himself a coffee. "And what are the big issues in the world today?"

"Actually, Dad, this is um.. girl talk."

"Great," he enthused. "I'm great at girl talk. So what are we bitchin' about? Periods? Calories? Men?"

"Bingo," Cam grinned back, catching his sly wink. "We were actually talking about Booth."

"Oh of course you were. I bet you were all saying what a total shit he is. After all, he's stopping my little Tempe from telling us all the sex of my grandchild. And he's hardly made any attempt to woo her back. I mean she's having his baby. Sheesh, he could put some effort in. But no, all he does is twitter on about how she's her own woman capable of making her own decisions, and how much he respects her."

"Dad!" Temperance exclaimed. "How can you say those things? Booth is the most wonderful man I've ever known."

"Then why aren't you with him?"

"What?"

Angela and Cam silently slipped away from what was obviously now out of their hands.

"You heard." Max pulled his daughter's chin up and met her eyes with sincerity. "Booth, he's a good man. And that's what I want for you, Tempe. But what I don't understand is why you don't want that too?"

"Because… with Booth, it's too good. And I know that it can't last forever."

"Honey, I am so, so sorry that your mother and I left. We honestly thought it would be for the best. You can't let your fear and anger spoil what should be a wonderful time for you both. You're having a baby, with the man you love."

Temperance stood up, turned abruptly and walked quickly back down the stairs to her office.

"Tempe, where are you going?" Max asked in quick pursuit. As he reached the foot of the stairs he felt a firm grip on his shoulder. The two men exchanged a look, and Max allowed Booth to continue the chase.

Booth knocked gently on her office door as he walked in slowly.

"If love is so wonderful then it shouldn't be so hard," she concluded. "Now please Dad, just leave me… oh!" Temperance froze as she realized her companion was not who she'd assumed.

Booth came up close and pushed her hair back behind her ear. Her eyes widened in awe as she felt his breath tease her skin, and she swallowed nervously. "Funny thing Bones. For a minute there, it almost sounded like you really believed in love."

As she stared up into his warm eyes the temptation to simply let go, to abandon herself to the inevitable became overwhelming. Lowering her head, she watched her fingertips reach out and straighten his tie, feeling a spark at the contact. She rocked aimlessly on her heels, deliberating whether to permit herself to fall into his welcoming embrace.

Booth watched and waited patiently, his lips curling into a slight smile as the woman before him battled her own consciousness. He kept his arms relaxed by his side, knowing the second she made her decision he would wrap them around her and never let go. Metaphorically speaking of course – Any attempt to permanently restrain her would result in a major ass kicking.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people," Temperance chided quietly, still toying with his bright red tie.

"I knocked."

She sighed as the warmth of his breath caressed her cheek. "You did," she recalled, tipping her head upwards, finding his warm orbs gazing down in adoration. "Booth?"

"Dr. Brennan!"

In perfect unison, they turned to face their interrupter. The new intern. Booth scowled fiercely at her. Wendell or Nigel-Murray would have known better than to walk in at a moment like this. Even Daisy Wick had better interpersonal skills than this one.

"Dr Brennan, I was wondering if you could provide your expertise with an anomaly I've found on the femur."

"Of course." Temperance turned back to Booth. "I just need to…"

"Sure," he offered, through gritted teeth, walking beside her as she sped towards the platform. "So, um, you wanna get some food when you've done here?" Booth called up as he waited patiently below.

"No. But I suppose I should," she answered back as she worked.

Booth watched her turn back to the intern and explain something he couldn't quite make out. Then she moved to face him, smiled timidly and walked towards the steps to meet him. As Temperance stepped forward, her expression changed.

Something felt wrong, and time seemed to stand still as her heart palpitated within her chest. The worry obvious on Booth's face was the last thing she saw before everything went black.

The alarm that resounded through the lab, as Booth broke the security barrier at the foot of the platform, went ignored as the team flocked forwards to them both.

For a split second Booth thought his reflexes had been too slow, and then he felt her – every ounce of her fragile being – fall straight into his arms.

"Call 911," Booth barked at Cam, as he carried an unconscious Brennan into her office, laying her down softly on the couch. "Bones," he whispered. "Bones, wake up, please!"

"The ambulance is on its way," Cam offered soothingly from the doorway a few minutes later. "I'm sure it's… something and nothing."

Booth turned his head to face her, his expression less than convinced. So focused on the woman he loved, he hadn't noticed that all their friends had followed him in here. Angela stood rigid, staring at Brennan with a look of sheer panic melded into her eyes, as Hodgins held her close, stroking her arm in comfort.

Booth turned back to Temperance, brushing the loose strands of hair from her face. "Please," he begged, choking up with fear, "please wake up, Bones! Be strong for me - for us?" He looked skyward as he held her tight. "Oh, God, for our baby."

A/N – I'm sorry, I don't know why I keep doing this. It's like some sort of an illness. Cliffhanger OCD or something.