The following morning when she wakes up she hears two familiar voices. She quietly tiptoes towards them. She stops outside her son's nursery and peers in. She sees two men standing over her son's crib. Her father bends down and carefully removes him from his cribs. She watches, and listens quietly to them.

"He looks a lot like Tempe when she was a baby," Max comments.

"I don't know that she can see that."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how much of herself she sees in him. It's clear to everyone else that he looks a lot like her, but I don't know how convinced she is."

"She'll be ok."

"I know that, I just wish she'd let me in more."

"She will, just give her time Booth."

"He's such a ham," Booth comments.

"He's not at all shy is he?"

"Not for a second."

"I had forgotten how nice it was to be around a baby. They're so innocent."

"Yeah. He's something else."

Liam begins to fuss, and Temperance fights the urge to go in and scoop him up and make him stop. Instead Max calmly hands the baby to Seeley who gets him to stop crying.

"He seems to like you pretty well."

"I'm around a lot, I guess that he's used to me."

"How old is your son now?"

"Seven. I don't get to see him as much as I'd like. I've missed out on a lot of important things in his life."

"Which is why you can't seem to leave this little guy's side."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No Max what are you trying to say here?"

"You want to play house with my daughter."

"What?"

"You want to be his father..."

Seeley cuts him off before he can finish, "I would be honored to be his father. I wish that I were, but I'm not."

"Because she won't let you be."

"What?"

"You aren't because she won't let you be."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I know her."

"I know her too."

"Booth don't take offense to it. She's just trying to protect him."

"No she isn't."

"Ok, she's trying to protect herself, but she's stubborn."

"I know that, believe me."

"Sometimes you have to push her a little bit."

"But if I push too hard she just clams up."

"Yep."

"So Liam are you ready to get dressed?" he questions as he moves to the closet.

"Don't you think that you should feed him first?" Temperance asks as she enters the room.

"Why?"

"Why would you dress him before you feed him? He's just going to get milk all over him anyway."

"That's what a bib is for Temperance," Booth tells her.

She eyes him waiting for him to hand her the baby. He doesn't. Instead he pushes past her.

"Where are you going?" she calls out.

"To the kitchen," he responds.

She starts out but Max stops her. "Wait," he says softly.

"What?" she questions as she spins around to face him.

"Booth is a good guy."

"I think we had this conversation yesterday."

"Tempe stop being so stubborn and just listen to me once."

"Ok," she agrees reluctantly.

"You should let him."

"Let who what?"

"Let Booth be Liam's father."

"But he isn't."

"You can never get past facts can you?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"The concrete evidence, the facts about Liam's genetics are simply that he does not belong to Booth."

"This is true."

"That isn't what a father is Temperance."

"I'm not so sure that you're the one to give that definition to me."

"Tempe, he wants to be this child's father."

"I know that."

"So why won't you let him? I know that it's not because of genetics, that's just an excuse."

"I can't let him."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't."

"You're being unreasonable."

"How?"

"A child needs a father."

"I know."

"Booth wants to be the father of your child."

"I know."

"He's a good father to Parker isn't he?"

"Yes. Booth is an incredible father."

"So then what's the problem?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"You'd be surprised."

"I think that I've already crossed the line of professionalism by allowing him to be as involved as he has. If I allow him to take on the role of father to my son then there is too much personal stuff between us to be professional."

"Why don't you and Booth go out?"

"What?"

"I meant out to breakfast."

"Oh. What would you do?" she asks suspiciously.

"I'll stay here with the baby."

"I don't..."

"He'll be fine."

"But..."

"Just go get dressed."

"I..."

"Temperance I'm not going to take no for an answer. Besides I'm more stubborn than you are. Where do you think that you got it from?"

She sighs in defeat and retreats to her bedroom. When she emerges from her room she finds Seeley sitting on the couch. Max sits in the chair next to him. Baby Liam sleeps peacefully in Seeley's arms.

"Are you ready?" Seeley asks.

She reaches for the baby. She takes him from Booth's arms. She kisses him multiple times and then carefully places him in Max's arms. She looks at Seeley who is now standing and then answers.

"Yeah."

"I've got your number," Max reminds her.

"Ok," she nods.

They leave the apartment and make their way to their spot. At the diner he orders coffee as they study the menus. Each already knowing what they want. He orders pie, and she orders a stack of pancakes. As they wait he carefully watches her.

"What's on your mind?" she questions.

"Nothing I was just watching you," he admits.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I was just waiting on you to say something."

"It's nice to be here, you know just the two of us."

"Yeah just like old times."

"No not like old times."

"What?"

"Better," she tells him.

"How so?"

"We don't have any dead bodies to talk about today."

"True."

"There is a beautiful little boy in our lives."

"Yeah," he nods in agreement.

"And..." she stops.

"And what?"

"Ok," she tells him.

"Ok what?"

"Ok," she repeats.

"Ok? Things are ok? Or what? What are you saying ok to?"

"Ok. I'm ok with it."

"With what?"

"This."

"This what?"

"What we're doing here."

"And what exactly are we doing here?"

"Endeavoring to raise a child... a boy... a son."

"What?"

"I'd like nothing more than for you to be the other parental unit in Liam's life."

"So what you're saying is..."

"I see the way you look at him. The way you long for him to be yours. I'm ok with that."

"With what? With me wanting him to be mine?"

"Yes, and I'm ok with you being in his life."

"I thought that we already established that."

"I'm ok with you being in his life as a father."

"I am a father."

"As his father," she clarifies.

"Yeah? Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely certain."

"Because I don't want you to do anything you aren't comfortable with."

"I'm very comfortable. You are a good man, a good father and you love him. I'd be even more comfortable if you would take on the role of being his father."

"Ok," he nods as he sips on coffee.

"How long does it take to make pancakes?"

"I don't know do you want some of my pie?"

"No are you going to push pie on my son..."

He corrects her, "Our son."

"Our son," she repeats liking the sound of it.

His hand glides over the table and lands on top of her hand. She looks up at him and he doesn't back down.

"So I guess this means we're playing house?" he jokes.

"No. We aren't playing anything," she tells him.

"So what are we doing here?"

"Being a family," she answers.

"Oh," he smiles at her very genuinely hoping that she understands what she's just said.