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It's 10:30 and Booth's hovering in the doorway of Parker's bedroom. He's leaning against the doorjamb, breathing in and out slowly. He closes his eyes in attempt to keep his tears at bay and shifts his weight. He reaches for the knob and pulls the door shut, cringing at the sound of wood scraping against wood. He stares at the door for a second and then turns to the side. He takes a tentative step towards his own bedroom and nods. He'll be fine. You're right down the hall. He's fine. He grips the walkie-talkie tight and brings it up his lips. He holds down the button and clears his throat. "Goodnight, bub," he whispers, even though he already said goodnight to his son a half hour ago.

As he walks down the hallway, Booth hears a click and some muffled static followed by his son's sleep-filled voice. "Night, dad."

Booth presses his palm against the wall, steadying himself, catching his breath. He reaches the master bedroom and pushes open the door. He fully expects to find Brennan sitting up in bed, reading a book or one of her Forensic journals. Instead, he finds her asleep, lying on top of the covers, her lips curled into a smile, her hair half covering her face. He walks over to her side of the bed and gently nudges her. He knows she'll be far more comfortable in actual pajamas and not jeans and a sweater. "Hey, Bones." He shakes her again, a little more forcefully. "Bones."

Brennan stirs, waving her arm at him. "Hmmm. I was sleeping, Booth," she slurs.

"Sorry."

Brennan sits up and brushes her hair out of her eyes. She swallows a yawn and looks up at him, smiling. She swings her legs around and pushes herself up to standing. She walks over to the dresser and grabs one of his old FBI t-shirts. She unbuckles her belt and pulls it off, setting it down on the top of the dresser. She unbuttons her jeans and pushes them off her hips, instantly feeling more comfortable as she steps out of them and kicks them to the side. Her movements are slow due to her exhaustion. She wraps her hands around the hem of her sweater and pulls it up over her head, yanking down on the undershirt she's wearing underneath it to keep it from riding up.

Booth blinks, watching her slowly undress in front of him.

She removes the undershirt next, tossing it on the floor for the time being, too tired to fuss over untidiness. She reaches behind her and struggles to unhook her bra. She feels her body shutting down. Her limbs are heavy, her eyes are blurry and she can hardly keep them open, and she keeps yawning.

He hesitates, but closes the gap between them. "I've got it," he whispers. He pulls her hands away and unhooks her bra with one flick of his wrist. He brushes the straps off her shoulders, skimming his fingertips across her soft, warm skin. He lowers his head and presses a few delicate pecks to her neck and shoulder, grazing her arm with his nails. He lets out a breath against her and smiles.

Her feet sink into the rug as his lips lightly touch the sensitive area right below her ear. She closes her eyes and leans into him, too tired to keep herself up solely on her own. She can feel his breath against her, can feel the slight vibration as he mumbles in between kisses, and can feel his fingers gently stroke her. She lets out a satisfied moan and opens her eyes for a split second.

He steps back and removes her bra completely, his hand "accidentally" brushing against her right breast. He swallows and his heart races. He grabs the T-shirt from the top of the dresser and takes another step to the side, his eyes drifting from her head down to her feet, taking in every inch of her, every naked (save for her thin, nearly sheer underwear) inch. He snaps out of his reverie and pulls the T-shirt over her head.

She opens her eyes again and gives him a lazy smile, looking at him, her focus shifting between his eyes and his mouth as his lips inch closer to hers. She takes in a breath and expels it just before she feels his mouth on hers, gliding purposefully but lovingly against her lips. She grips his shirt in case her legs finally decide to give way due to her exhaustion.

He breaks the kiss and takes a step back. He can't help but smile at her. He can tell just how exhausted she is. He leads her over to the bed and watches her crawl under the covers, her eyes shutting the second her head hits the pillows. He takes off his jeans and joins her, rolling onto his side. He lifts his hand and tucks her hair behind her ear. He leans over and presses another kiss to her lips. "Goodnight, Bones."

"You're staying?" She mumbles into her pillow and tugs on the covers.

He nods. "I'm staying." He scoots closer to her and takes her in his arms, kissing the top of her head.

"Goodnight, Booth. Parker will be just fine," she hums and falls back asleep, her head resting comfortably against his shoulder.

He slides his hand under her shirt, caressing her back as he tries to sleep. He listens to her even breathing and can feel her heartbeat against his. It's oddly calming, oddly reassuring. He turns his head and looks at the walkie-talkie on his nightstand. He'll be fine. He'll be just fine.

He shifts, the mattress forming around his frame, relieving his sore and stiff muscles. He looks at the walkie-talkie again and sighs. He's been right by his son's side for two months. He's been right there—either sitting in a chair, sleeping on a cot not even three inches away from Parker's hospital bed, or wedged in the doorway of his son's room, sleeping on the floor. This is different, it feels weird being this far away, but he knows Brennan has a point. Parker needs space. He needs to feel like things are normal. This may feel odd and wrong, but Booth knows this is what's best, what's actually right. Holding Brennan, having the walkie-talkie right by his head, it makes him feel a little bit better.

It takes nearly three hours, but eventually, his thoughts quiet down and he drifts off to sleep, Brennan still nuzzled against him and the walkie-talkie still sitting on the nightstand, not in use, as the owner of its companion sleeps somewhat soundly down the hall.

Brennan rolls onto her back and opens her eyes slowly. She groans as she stretches her stiff muscles and turns her head towards the clock. She rubs circles into her temples and swallows. She quickly gets out of bed and disappears into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

She comes back out nearly twenty minutes later, wrapped in a towel, her hair tied up with another towel, drying. She gets dressed and combs her hair, wincing as the comb catches every knot. She yawns. She's not well-rested despite the fact that she slept for just about twelve hours, give or take a couple minutes.

She puts her discarded clothes from the night before in the hamper and makes her way down the hallway. She peers into Christine's room and then Parker's room, finding them both empty. She raises an eyebrow and heads downstairs. "Booth?" She calls, looking around. "Booth?" She sniffs the air and the smell of cinnamon nearly knocks her off her feet. She smiles. "Of course. He's in the kitchen." She walks through the living room, spotting Parker sitting in the recliner, playing a game on his phone. "Good morning, Parker."

Parker just nods and mutters a soft 'morning' back to her.

"Are you joining us for breakfast?"

Parker shakes his head. "Not hungry."

She sighs. "What're you playing?"

"A game."

She laughs. "Yes, I figured, but I mean what game? It sounds very violent." Realizing he's tuned her out, his focus solely on the game, she heads into the kitchen. Sure enough, she sees Booth standing at the stove, making breakfast.

"Mommy!" Christine yelps from her stool, kicking her legs. "Daddy says you're a sleepyhead."

Brennan nods, glaring in Booth's general direction. "Yes, Mommy was tired." She yawns, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

"Still are, huh, Bones?" Booth teases, stacking the finished French toast on a plate. "I let you sleep. You looked so peaceful and I didn't wanna disturb your dream."

"Mommy, sit next to me."

Brennan runs her fingers through her daughter's auburn hair and smiles. "I would, but I'm heading to the lab this morning. I'll be back before lunch."

"You need to eat breakyfast, mommy. It's very inportant."

"She's right. Breakfast is very important," Booth agrees, turning off the burner. "Sit down and have breakfast with us, Bones. You've been out of the lab for two months, another twenty minutes isn't going to make much difference." He flashes her a huge grin, one that he knows she's powerless against, and sets the plate of French toast in the middle of the island. "C'mon. French toast is your favorite."

Brennan sighs. "Oh, alright," she relents, taking a seat beside her daughter. "Looks good, Booth."

"Tastes even better." He winks, cleaning up a little before sitting down. He looks over at her in the middle of breakfast and raises an eyebrow. "Are you not hungry or something, Bones? You've barely touched your plate."

Brennan takes another bite of her French toast, making it a point to look at him as she chews and swallows. She pushes away her plate and shrugs. "I guess I'm not that hungry anymore, but it was delicious, as always, Booth. Thank you."

"Are you okay?"

Brennan nods. "I'm fine, Booth." She stands up and smiles, trying to convince him she isn't lying. "You don't mind if I spend the morning at the lab, do you? I don't officially go back to work until Monday or Tuesday, but I need to get a head start on some paperwork. I don't want to have to deal with it next week."

He shakes his head. "I don't mind."

"I'll be home before lunch. I can stop by the diner and bring home something if you'd like."

He smiles. "Yeah, that sounds good. The usual. Don't forget the milkshakes." He sighs. "You sure you're okay? You look a little pale."

"I'm fine, Booth. I'm a little tired, but I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks. I need to get out of the house for a little while. I'm going stir-crazy. I miss the lab. Plus, I need to confirm who's coming to the party next Saturday."

Christine looks up and licks syrup off her bottom lip. "Party?"

Brennan nods. "It's not really a party, Honey. We're hosting a small get together to honor Ms. Rebecca because your daddy and your big brother weren't able to attend the actual funeral."

"Will there be cake?"

Brennan nods. "And pie."

Christine's eyes sparkle. "What about baboons?"

"I'm afraid there won't be any baboons or balloons at the party."

Christine giggles. "Oops. I meaned balloons, mommy." She pauses. "What are baboons anyways?"

"They're a species of monkey that are found in parts of Africa and Arabia, Honey. Your daddy can show you some pictures." Brennan gives Booth a kiss and walks towards the front door. "I'll be back in a few hours. I'll call if I'm going to be late." She grabs her purse and jacket and walks out of the house, leaving a somewhat confused and very concerned partner in her wake.

The first half of this chapter was originally going to be the whole chapter, but I decided to add the second half, just to give you guys something lighter. Hope you liked it.

Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you guys are still enjoying this story.

:)