So this wasn't the chapter I had planned, but oh well. It's pretty long, so enjoy :)


Brennan was standing in the kitchen, her right palm pressed flat into counter near the coffeemaker just in case her legs decided to give out. She fought back a yawn and placed her other hand on the counter, steadying herself as a wave of dizziness hit her. She was released from the hospital a week ago, but her body was still recovering. She might be home now, but she was far from being 100 percent.

After another minute, she headed over to the refrigerator. She grabbed the container of eggs, two packages of shredded cheese, a packet of bacon, and a box of breakfast sausage. She set the ingredients on the counter and dropped a couple pieces of bread into the toaster. She rearranged everything, organizing her workstation, and got to work cooking up omelets.

She finished the last omelet, hers, and set the table, adding two plates in the center, one of cut up fruit and another of extra slices of bacon she prepared. She poured three glasses of orange juice, and after the cups were arranged at their respective plate settings, she went about cleaning up the mess she made.

Satisfied, she left the kitchen and made her way the short distance to Booth's bedroom. She raised her hand to knock on the closed door, but paused, her lips curving into a smile as she listened to the noises on the other side. She could make out the muffled sounds of her partner's whispery voice and their son's husky, exuberant laughter. She quietly turned the knob and pushed open the door, poking her head inside.

The two Booths were sitting up in bed, Ryder situated in the crook of his Dad's side. The older Booth was holding a book, his neck craned so he was looking at the toddler pressed against him. He would say something to Ryder and the latter would happily point to the book and giggle, getting increasingly more excited with each whisper of praise he got from his Dad.

She blinked and shifted in her spot in the doorway. She was smiling like a fool now, listening and watching "her" boys. She didn't want to disturb them, but breakfast was getting cold. She cleared her throat, effectively getting her partner's attention.

Booth pressed a kiss to Ryder's head and looked up, glancing in the direction of the doorway.

Ryder pulled the book from his Dad's grasp and brought it to his mouth, immediately starting to chew on one of the corners.

Booth ran his fingers through his son's hair and looked back at Brennan, raising an eyebrow.

"Breakfast is ready." She walked into the room and lifted Ryder up, setting the toddler on her hip. She hoisted him higher and hooked her arm around him tighter when he started to wiggle. "I'm going to change him. I'll send Dana in to help you."

Booth grumbled. "Yeah, okay."

She turned to head for the door, but Booth's voice stopped her.

"Actually, Bones, don't call Dana. I've got this."

She looked at him, bouncing slightly to keep Ryder entertained. "Are you sure?"

Booth nodded. "No, but I want to try."

She smiled, but sighed. "I commend your determination, Booth, but I feel more comfortable with Dana providing assistance until you regain more of your strength." Seeing his crestfallen face and what she interpreted as a smidgen of anger, she added, "I will inform Dana of your plan and instruct her not to go any farther than the doorway—in case you need help. Is that an acceptable compromise?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah, but I can do it myself."

"I know."

"And eventually I'm going to have to try and get in and out of bed on my own. Why not start now?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but he held up his hand.

"Rhetorical question, Bones."

"Oh." She paused. "I have to change his diaper before he develops a rash."

"Go."

She turned and left, only to pause just outside the room and turn around to face Booth again. "Wait until Dana comes before you try and get out of bed, please."

"Promise."

She smiled and headed upstairs.


With Dana hovering in the doorway, Booth sat up, which took a considerable amount of time and effort, much to his dismay, and maneuvered himself, so he was sitting on the edge of the bed, his legs bent over the side. He was already out of breath and his muscles were screaming at him. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, glancing at his wheelchair. I can do this.

He glanced back at Dana, who smiled at him, before he scooted closer to the edge of the mattress. He shimmied and shifted his hips and stopped only when he got to a point where he knew if he scooted any father, he'd fall to the floor, flat on his ass. He reached forward, grabbed the arm of his chair. The tasked seemed so much simpler moments ago, but he'd gotten too far now to give up. He heard Dana take a step into the room and he couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Brennan scolding the nurse for disobeying orders. He shook his head and tried to concentrate on getting himself from the bed to the chair.

He exhaled and attempted to lift himself off the mattress. When he was nearly standing, his muscles twitched and cramped up. He relaxed and waited a couple seconds before trying all over again. It wasn't until the fourth try that he managed to lift his body off the mattress. All his muscles burned and he was exhausted. He only had an ounce of energy left and he just knew he'd collapse before he even got into his wheelchair. He still had to turn around and lower himself down onto the seat, which wasn't going to happen, at least not without Dana's help.

Sensing his predicament, Dana rushed over and held onto him. Together, they turned him and lowered him into the wheelchair.

He slumped forward and sighed.

Dana smiled. "That was great!"

"Yeah." His reply was far from genuine.

"No, seriously. You stood up—by yourself," she clarified.

His head popped up. He had been so focused on his failure that he hadn't realized she was right. He stood up without someone helping him to his feet.

Brennan appeared in the doorway, with Ryder on her hip, the toddler still dressed in his pajamas. "Well?" Seeing Dana standing beside him was proof that he was unsuccessful, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions.

Without giving Booth a chance to answer, Dana said, "He needed some help actually getting into his wheelchair, but he stood up for a few seconds by himself."

Brennan's face lit up. "Booth?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Bones."

"I'm so proud of you. I understand you may be upset that you couldn't get from the bed to your wheelchair without assistance, but this is huge." Feeling overwhelmed, she walked over to him and leaned over, planting a kiss on his lips, disregarding Dana, who was still standing nearby. She pulled back, breathless, and winced.

"You okay?"

She nodded. "Yes. Ryder was being rather difficult when I was changing his diaper and he accidentally kicked me in the ribs." She paused and quickly continued, "It wasn't hard and the pain isn't bad, but I'm a little uncomfortable right now. I'm fine." She handed the baby to Booth and rubbed her side in order to ease the dull throbbing. She took in a shaky breath and exhaled, the pain already subsiding. "Let's go eat breakfast. I made omelets. We could each use the protein."

He kissed Ryder on the top of his head and looped his arm around him. "What're you gonna have for breakfast, Little Guy? Huh?" He tickled him, causing him to erupt in giggles and squirm.

"Come on, Booth. We have a lot to accomplish before the party tonight."

He nodded and the two of them headed into the kitchen.


Shortly after Booth and Brennan sat down, the doorbell rang. Brennan set her fork down and pushed herself up to her feet. She held up her hand to stop Booth from offering to get the door and then left the room while Booth went back to feeding Ryder his oatmeal.

After checking the peephole, she unlocked the door and pulled it open. She took a faltering step back when Parker ran past her and up the steps without as much as a grumbled hello. She watched him disappear and jumped when she heard a door slam. She turned back to face Rebecca, who looked exhausted and a bit frazzled. "Is something wrong?"

Rebecca sighed. "He's mad at me."

Brennan raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I'm sure he'll tell you everything. I really have to go. I'm already late. I'll pick him up tomorrow and tell Seeley I'll talk to him then."

Brennan nodded, though she was confused. "Okay."

Rebecca nodded, turned, and headed back to her car, which she parked on the street.

Brennan shut the door and turned the deadbolt. With one last glance upstairs, she went back into the kitchen.


Booth raised an eyebrow when Brennan came back into the room. "I heard a door slam. What's going on?"

Brennan shrugged. "Apparently Parker is angry at his mother."

"Why?"

"That is what I would like to know, but Rebecca said Parker would tell us everything. She would have, but she was running late to her meeting. I wonder why he's so angry. He rarely slams doors. He must be very upset." She paused. "I'll go check on him."

Booth placed his hand on hers. "Give him some time to cool off. You won't get anywhere now."

Brennan nodded and picked up her fork. She poked her omelet, her appetite gone. She and Parker had grown extremely close in the time Booth was unconscious and she was worried about the boy. "I'm sorry." She stood, pushing her plate away. "I know I should give him space right now, but I can't. I'll be right back." She turned and hurried out of the kitchen, making her way upstairs.

Booth fed Ryder another spoonful of oatmeal and sighed. He wanted to comfort his eldest son, but unless the young boy came downstairs, he was at a serious disadvantage. "Your mom will handle this." He loved the fact that Parker and Brennan were so close. It comforted him knowing that even if he, himself, couldn't be there for his son right this minute, she would be. They shared a bond that even he, as Parker's father, would never have.


Brennan had to lean against the wall for a brief minute to catch her breath and rest her muscles. She straightened up again and raised a fist, knocking twice on the closed bedroom door. "Parker, Honey, it's Bones. Is everything okay?" There was no answer, so she knocked again. "Parker?" She turned the knob and pushed the door open. She ducked, nearly being hit in the face with a flying sneaker. Stepping into the room, she found Parker sitting on the floor near the window. "Parker, what's wrong?"

Parker shook his head. "I don't want to go! She can't make me go."

Brennan slowly sank to the floor and raised an eyebrow. "Who? Your mom?"

He nodded. "I'm not going."

"Where aren't you going?"

"England."

"Where in England? I've been there a few times. That sounds like a wonderful vacation, very educational and exciting. I'm sure you'll have a great time. I assume we're talking about when you're off school for winter?"

"You don't get it, Bones." He jumped up and started pacing. "This isn't gonna be like when mom took me to Universal last year. This is forever. She got offered a new job there and she's taking it. She didn't even ask what I wanted. She just told me she's taking this stupid job and we're moving in two weeks. Two weeks! It's not fair."

Brennan blinked. Booth is not going to be happy about this. "I'm sure she has valid reasons for accepting this new job offer."

"I thought you'd be on my side!" He sank onto the edge of his bed and crossed his arms over his chest.

She stood and padded over to the bed, sitting down beside him. She sighed when he scooted farther away from her. "I'm not on anyone's side, Parker. I'm only trying to rationalize your mother's decision," she admitted.

"Well, don't! It's stupid. She's stupid."

"Parker—."

He jumped up again. "No! No. It's stupid. All of it. I don't want to go." He paused. "All my friends are here and you and Rhino and Dad. Everybody's here," he said, throwing himself at Brennan.

She let out a strangled sob, but wrapped her arms around him. She wasn't quite sure what to say, but she held him and rubbed circles into his back. "It's okay, Parker. You don't have to go if you don't want to."

He tilted his head back, his eyes wide. "Really?"

"I can't promise you anything, but I will speak with your dad."

He hugged her even tighter and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Thanks, Bones."

She smiled. "I don't know if it'll be enough. You might still have to move."

His face fell and he pulled away from her. "But you said—you said I didn't have to go. Can't I stay here and live with you?"

"I would love that very much, Parker, and I'm sure your dad will not have any objections to that either, but the final decision is your mom's to make."

"This kid in my class told me that his Dad took his mom to court so that he could live with him. Can't you do that?"

"Yes, we could, but your father would—the judge would most likely rule in favor of your mom."

"Why? My Dad's not a bad person. He's not bad like that kid's mom. She beat him a couple times, called him all kinds of really bad names."

"I know, Sweetheart. He's a wonderful father and a good man, but he's—."

"He's in a wheelchair, so he can't take care of me good, right? But he's got you. You help him."

"Yes, I do, but this isn't about me."

"But you love me, don't you?"

"Of course I do." She pulled him back into her arms, ignoring her sore ribs. "I love you very much."

"Doesn't that count for anything? And you're my Dad's girlfriend."

"Legally, no, it doesn't."

"Can't you make it legally count?"

She sighed. "Let me talk to your dad, okay?" She pressed a kiss to his forehead. She swiped her thumb through his tears, whisking them off his cheeks.

"I really don't want to go, Bones. I'm sure England's great, like you say it is, but it's not home. I'll miss my mom if I stay here, but there are so many more people I'd miss if I have to move."

"I understand and I'll try my best to make sure you don't have to move."

"You're the best, Bones." He separated himself from her and rubbed his eyes. "I'm hungry."

"I made omelets."

He nodded. "Okay." He wiped away the remaining tears and smiled. "C'mon, Bones. I'm starving."

"I highly doubt that." She stood up and ruffled his hair.

He noticed how slowly she was moving and sighed. "Are you still hurt?"

She nodded. "Yes, and I get short of breath sometimes, but I'm okay."

He walked back to her and took her hand, guiding her to the door. "I'll help ya, Bones."

She smiled down at him. "Thank you, Parker."

"Did you put bacon in my omelet?"

"Yes, I did."

"It's not fake bacon, is it?"

She shook her head. "No, sir."

"Good." He beamed. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He nodded and let go of her hand. He linked arms with her instead and the two of them headed downstairs.


Booth turned his head when Brennan and Parker entered the kitchen. He noticed the unshed tears in his son's eyes and the pained expression on his partner's. "Is he okay?" he mouthed.

Brennan turned and heated up Parker's omelet before answering with a shrug and mouthing back, "I'll tell you later."

Booth nodded and wiped the corners of Ryder's mouth. He pushed the sippy cup towards the toddler and finished eating his omelet.

Brennan continued to poke at her breakfast, taking small bites occasionally. Conversation was minimal, Ryder's giggles and jabbers punctuating what little talking there was between the three other family members. She cleared the table with Parker's help and then they moved into the living room.


Parker sat on the floor, dumping out the bucket of Ryder's large toy trucks and cars.

Brennan set the toddler down beside his older brother and helped Booth onto the couch before sitting down beside him.

Booth nudged her and with a quick glance at his boys, he looked back at her. "Did he talk to you? Tell you what's bothering him?"

She sighed, flipping on the television to drown out their conversation. "Yes, he did." She paused and placed her hand on his forearm.

He looked down, already knowing he wasn't going to like what she was about to tell him. Normally she waited to touch him until after the conversation. The fact that she was doing it beforehand really worried him.

"Rebecca was offered a new job and has decided to accept it."

"That's not the whole story."

She shook her head. "The job is in England."

His eyes widened and he was already shaking his head.

"Parker is upset because they are moving there in two weeks."

The shaking movements got faster and his hands balled into fists.

She squeezed his arm. "I'm sorry, Booth."

He couldn't speak. He was getting angry and even her soft touch wasn't helping to abate it. "I thought we were past this. I'm a good father!"

She tightened her grip. "You're a wonderful father, Booth. I don't think your parenting abilities are a factor here. Parker adores you and Rebecca knows that. I would imagine this job pays more or offers more benefits. Rebecca most likely saw this as an opportunity to provide more for Parker."

"I don't need you to make excuses for her, Bones. There is absolutely no excuse for taking my son away from me. None."

She nodded. "I agree."

"You do?"

"Yes. I'm only trying to stay objective." She sighed. "You were absent from your son's life for nearly two years due to circumstances out of your control. Now that you are conscious and attempting to make up for that lost time, she has decided to accept a job and move out of the country, taking Parker with her. It's bad timing, but it's also unfair to both you and Parker. Selfishly, I would miss him, as well."

He smiled, but shook his head, his anger rising again.

She slid her hand down his arm and slipped it in his, weaving their fingers together. She scooted closer to him and dropped her head to his shoulder, exhaling. "You need to discuss this with Rebecca and attempt to reason with her."

"She's not going to listen to me, Bones. She's stubborn, always has been. You know what I had to go through for years just so I could see Parker."

She nodded. "Yes, I do." She paused. "It may be time to consider taking her to court."

"I'm not dragging my son through all that just to lose because you know that's what's going to happen. Look at me. I can't even take care of myself. A judge is going to take one look at me and rule in favor of Rebecca without even listening to the testimonies."

She lifted her head and nodded. She told Parker as much. "I know, but what other option do you have?"

"I'd rather see Parker two weeks out of the year than not at all." He shook his head.

"She wants to talk to you when she comes by to pick up Parker tomorrow."

He clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes.

"Getting angry at her is not going to solve the problem, Booth." She paused and looked straight into his eyes. "You know I would never do this to you, don't you? Even if one day we decide not to continue our relationship, regardless of the reason, I will never deny you your son."

He brushed his thumb across her bottom lip and leaned forward, kissing her forehead. He nodded and smiled. "I know, Bones. Even if we hate each other, I know you wouldn't take RJ away from me because you know what it's like."

She rested her head back on his shoulder and squeezed his hand. "We will figure this out, Booth."

He placed a kiss in her hair and let his cheek rest against her head. "I'm not letting her take my son to England without a fight."

"I didn't think you would."

He smiled, kissing her hair again as she looked at the television and flipped through the channels. He turned his focus to his boys, watching them play and interact. Parker was imitating the general sound of a car at the moment and Ryder was attempting to copy him. The toddler threw down the truck he was holding and pointed to another car.

"That's a SUV, like Dad used to drive. His was special, though, 'cause it had flashing lights on the roof and a really loud siren. He was in the FBI. He used to catch bad guys with your mom," Parker explained.

Ryder reached for the SUV and pushed it across the rug.

Booth smiled, but sighed. He wasn't sure if he'd ever work for the FBI again. Even if he did, he was likely never going to be a field agent again, that was one thing he was sure of. He shrugged and shook his head. He had more important things to worry about at the moment. There was his slow-going physical recovery, Brennan's on-going recovery, and Rebecca potentially moving to England and taking their son with her. His future employment barely registered in his mind.

Ryder pushed himself up to his feet and toddled over to the couch. He held out the toy SUV and looked up at his Dad. "Da-da."

"For me?" Booth placed his hand over his heart for a second before taking the truck from his son. "Thanks, Buddy."

Ryder held out his hands and pushed out his lips.

Booth handed the toy back to the toddler and watched him scurry away.

Ryder plopped down and turned his back to Parker, pushing the SUV around in circles, sometimes picking it up, throwing it down on the rug, and giggling whenever it landed upside down.

Parker nodded at something Ryder babbled. "Yeah, Rhino," he answered, pretending to understand the toddler. "SUVs are kinda cool, but racecars are even cooler." He held out the toy racecar he picked up.

Ryder ignored him and continued to play with the SUV. "Da-Da." He pointed at the toy and beamed.

Parker shrugged and took the toy from his little brother. He pushed it forward and then over Ryder's foot, up his leg, across his stomach, around his back, up his arm, neck, and side of his face, through his hair, and back down following the same path.

Ryder giggled and tried to grab at the car as Parker drove it over his body once again.

Booth just sat back and watched. He prayed Rebecca would be in a good mood tomorrow when she came by to pick up Parker because he wasn't about to let her take him away. He wanted to avoid the whole court thing at all costs, but there was no way in Hell he was giving up these moments.


Next up: Party time!