Get ready for the sweetness, the fluffiness, the happiness. I am not sorry for any of it. And it's going to be long, so heads up. Flashbacks are in italics. As always, thank you for your amazing reviews.
I included parts of "The Man in the Mud" from season three in here, because that little ceramics date (with Booth and Brennan, at least) was honestly too cute. I reworked it to fit this universe that I created.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Lines of dialogue are borrowed from episode 3x10, "The Man in the Mud." The chapter title comes from the song "Let Your Heart Beat Here" by Dashboard Confessional.
*Four Years Later*
"She asleep?"
Brennan looked over her shoulder as her husband entered their daughter's bedroom. She smiled and watched as he quietly made his way across the room towards the crib. Together, they both peered at the little girl that was sleeping soundly against pale purple sheets. Today had been a big day for her.
"She was out almost as soon as I laid her down," Brennan told Booth. "She was exhausted."
"I don't blame her," Booth said with a chuckle. "Turning two is a big deal, you know."
It was Christine Angela Booth's second birthday. The early June day had been sunny and pleasant, creating the perfect atmosphere for their cookout. It had been warm enough for them to set up a sprinkler, which the toddlers eagerly played in for hours. There had been cupcakes, lots of bar-be-que, and plenty of summer salads. Their little girl had been showered with gifts and attention, all of which Christine ate up eagerly. She loved being around people, and she adored her family most of all.
Booth and Brennan leaned over the crib, watching their little girl sleep in the tender way that parents had. In a few months, her new big girl bed would arrive—something that Christine was eager for. Still, it was nice to have these moments to watch her, fast asleep in her crib, where she was still very much their baby.
Her dark hair, thick and wavy like Brennan's, spread across the pillows. She had her mother's eyes, but Booth's smile. At two years old, she knew exactly how to use it. Parker had been the exact same way.
"Did Parker settle in alright?" Brennan asked. Their six months with Parker started a little earlier than usual this year, since Rebecca and Brent were leaving the following day for a two week long trip to Europe. They were celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary, and Brennan and Booth were only too happy to get some extra time with Parker.
"He's great," Booth confirmed as he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist. He pulled her into his side, and she rested her head against his shoulder with a happy sigh. "Those toddlers tuckered him out."
It didn't come as a surprise to anyone that Parker was an amazing big brother. Now almost eight years old, Parker had taken it upon himself to make sure that his little sister and all her friends had the best birthday ever. Christine, of course, adored her older brother and had stayed by his side all day.
After a few more minutes, Booth and Brennan left their daughter to sleep. Brennan made a quick stop in Parker's room to kiss him goodnight, and then she and Booth made their way to their bedroom. When the door was shut behind them, Booth drew Brennan into his arms, so her back was against his chest. He smoothed his palms over her abdomen, rubbing in tender circles.
"And how are you feeling, Bones?" he murmured as he pressed a kiss to the side of her neck.
"I feel wonderful," Brennan told him truthfully. Booth had been the exact same way when she had been pregnant with Christine. He was always sweetly checking in on her, and while Brennan teased him and sometimes complained about his tendency to hover, she also secretly loved it.
"The little guy didn't give you any trouble today?"
Brennan frowned, but her eyes were playful. "How are you so sure it's going to be a boy?"
"Hey, I have a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right," Booth pointed out. He rested his chin on her shoulder, cradling her in his arms. "But you didn't get sick? You felt okay?"
Smiling, Brennan closed her arms and leaned back against her husband. For both of her pregnancies thus far, Booth had been there through every bout of morning sickness, every craving, every Braxton Hicks. However, on the morning of their daughter's second birthday, Brennan had been up at six in the morning in order to finalize details of the party. She'd been running around all day with Angela, whom Booth had secretly dubbed the Party Planning Dictator.
When Brennan had been pregnant with Christine, her morning sickness was like clockwork. Almost two hours after breakfast for about three weeks, Brennan would get sick. This time around, though, the morning sickness had been more sporadic. It would it at the most random times, with random foods or smells making Brennan nauseous.
Booth and Brennan had decided to hold off on announcing this pregnancy, until after the birthday party. They had passed the three month mark earlier in the week, but had wanted to properly celebrate Christine's birthday before telling their friends and family their new and exciting news.
Given that Brennan had spent the whole day with Angela, if Brennan had gotten sick it would have been a dead giveaway. As it was, Angela was already suspicious, but Brennan had been doing absolutely everything she could to distract her best friend. Thankfully, Christine's birthday party had provided the perfect distraction.
"No morning sickness today, thank goodness. I really enjoyed that potato salad, though."
"I noticed," Booth said with a chuckle. When everyone had been eating, Booth had seen his wife with a plate that was mostly full of Ruth's famous potato salad, along with some slices of pickles and a salmon burger. An hour later, Brennan had a second serving of potato salad, and had topped it with black olives. Later, when everyone had been eating cake, Brennan had gone back for even more potato salad.
Looking over her shoulder, Brennan scowled at him. "I like potato salad," she insisted, even though it appeared her cravings had officially kicked in. Her mother made some truly excellent potato salad, but she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten that much of it.
"It's very delicious," Booth told her in a placating sort of voice. He took her hands in his own and led her over to the bed. She sat down with a relieved sigh, and Booth knelt in front of her. He slid his hands down her legs and began to undo the straps on her sandals. Once he had removed both of them, he pressed his thumbs into the arch of her left foot. Brennan moaned in appreciation as her head dropped back.
"That feels amazing," she whispered as she weaved her fingers into Booth's thick hair.
He smiled sweetly up at her. "You were on your feet all day." Booth's hands move to her other foot, massaging and soothing. When that was done, it wasn't long before his hands began to stroke her legs, and his caresses took on a different meaning.
Leaning forward, Booth pressed his lips to Brennan's left knee. She inhaled sharply, her fingers tightening his hair just a little bit. He ran his lips up the inside of her thigh, stopping just short of where she really wanted him. With a teasing smile, Booth moved to her right knee, repeating the process.
"Booth…" Brennan breathed in a voice that clearly indicated he needed to stop messing around. She could feel how ready she was, and she was throbbing mindlessly between her legs.
Eyes dark with arousal, Booth pushed the skirt of Brennan's sundress up and around her hips. His fingers hooked in the sides of her underwear, and he deftly pulled them down her legs. Brennan shamelessly parted her thighs even further, nearly shaking in anticipation of where his lips were going to land next.
"Love you, Bones," Booth murmured before he pressed those sensual lips of his to her center.
Brennan fell back against the bed with a gasp. Her fingers tugged at his hair, pressing him closer, and Booth groaned against her. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the amazing pleasure, feeling confident as always that Booth would be right there with her.
Settling into bed next to Booth, Brennan wasn't surprised to find that her partner was fast asleep. He was on his back, his left arm thrown over his head, with the blankets draped haphazardly around his hips. His bare chest rose and fell evenly, and for the first time all week he was completely relaxed.
It had been a busy two months for them, with case after case that they worked. This past week especially, though, had taken a lot out of Booth and Brennan. They had seen a lot of horrible things over the past year that they'd been working as partners, but it was always that much worse when they had a case involving a child.
Their round of difficult cases had started with the death of a young man that had been dating a girl in the foster care system. Sadly, the girlfriend's younger brother had ended up being the one who had accidentally killed the boyfriend, and the sister had covered it up in an effort to protect her brother. Less than a week later, Booth and Brennan had gotten another case where a mother had been killed and the son had been kidnapped by mercenaries, all due to the work the father was involved in. That case had hit Booth hard, as it was a worry he had for Parker every day. Thankfully, they had rescued the boy in time.
Following that case, there had been one where a child competing in beauty pageants had been killed by one of the girls running against her. The stress those poor children had been put under had been sad to witness. Their final case from the month—the one that they had just finished up—had been the most horrifying of all.
A terrified girl who was deaf and had been unable to communicate had been presented as evidence. She had been found in an alleyway, covered in blonde and clutching a kitchen knife. The girl was terrified and reacted violently. On top of dealing with that, Booth, Brennan, and the rest of the team at the Jeffersonian had to find out if the person she attacked was still alive or not.
In the end, it was the girl that had been the true victim. She had been kidnapped as a toddler, and then abused by parents that hadn't understood her or her needs. When she had finally run away, they had sent their friend to kidnap her, and the girl had defended herself in any way that she could. Thankfully, they had been able to locate her parents and reunite her with her family.
That poor girl's story had still been absolutely heartbreaking, though. That, on top of every other case they had for the past two months, had made Booth withdrawn and quiet. When they had arrived at the house that they had purchased six months ago, Booth had disappeared into the basement for a few rounds with his boxing bag. He had surfaced almost two hours later, looking exhausted and spent. Booth had refused dinner, pressed a gentle kiss to Brennan's temple, and had gone upstairs.
Lingering downstairs, Brennan had tried to give Booth some space for another hour or so before the stress of their last few cases caught up with her. She was tired down to her bones, and she just felt so… sad. Brennan could take a small comfort in the fact that their last case had ended happily, but that girl had endured so much before she had finally been reunited with her family. That didn't even include the heaviness of the cases they had before that.
Brennan ran a hand down Booth's chest as her eyes drooped sleepily. She lingered over his heart, feeling its reassuring beat beneath her palm. As he always did, Booth relaxed further underneath her touch. He stirred slightly, turning towards her in his sleep before settling once again.
Brennan curled into his side and closed her eyes, finally surrendering to the exhaustion that had chased her all week.
When she woke, Brennan instinctually knew that it was much later than it usually was.
True, it was a Saturday, and Brennan generally wasn't a morning person, but she really didn't sleep in past eight—nine o'clock in the morning, at the absolute latest. She could tell by the way that the sun was streaming through the windows, though, that it was probably close to noon. She supposed that her body really had needed the rest, and had basically shut down after their hard work over the last month.
What was even more surprising, though, was the fact that Booth was still in bed next to her. He likely had woken before her and had gone for a run, since it seemed that he had showered. His hair was still a little damp, and the scent of his soap was a little stronger, like it normally was when Booth had just gotten out of the shower.
He had been reclined back against the pillows, wearing his gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt, watching a football game on mute. When he felt Brennan shift next to him, Booth had turned the television off and rolled onto his side to face her. He smiled sweetly and brushed some of her hair away from her face.
"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," he greeted in a teasing voice.
There was something so incredibly domestic about that moment, something so warm and comforting, that Brennan felt her heart swell in her chest. After the difficult few months full of cases that they had endured, with emotions running high for both of them, they could still wake up in peace next to one another. The words escaped her without her even really thinking about it:
"We should get married."
Booth's eyes widened with shock, and his hand limply fell away from her face. "Wh… What?"
"Um." Brennan cleared her throat and sat up suddenly, dragging her hand through her unruly, bed-mused hair. The words had left her in such a rush, and she realized that she probably should had gone for something a little more romantic. "I'd like to get married, Booth," Brennan blurted. Well, that wasn't much better, but at least Booth knew that she was serious. "To you." She added, in case that hadn't been clear.
A slow smile began to form on Booth's lips. "You'd like to get married, huh?"
"I would," Brennan confirmed without hesitation. They'd been together for about a year now, after all. Their relationship began in a rather whirlwind kind of way, but there had been something so right about Seeley Booth, ever since that first moment she had bickered with him at the Hoover. She could never imagine a version of her life without him, and she wanted to make sure that she wouldn't have to.
Suddenly, Brennan found herself plastered against Booth's chest as he quickly drew her into his arms. He dropped quick, tender kisses to any part of her face that he could reach, and then he rolled her underneath him.
"Yes, of course." For a brief moment, Booth buried his face in Brennan's neck. When he lifted his head to make eye contact with her, she was a little surprised to see his eyes shining. "Yes, I'll marry you, Bones."
A bright, lovely smile bloomed over Brennan's lips, and she surged up to kiss Booth—her fiancé.
He kissed her back, his arms tight around her as they rolled around on the bed and started shedding their clothes. Before things could get too out of hand with their celebration, Booth pulled with his hands pressed into the mattress on either side of Brennan. Her hands were busy stroking over his bare chest, heading with determination to the waistband of his worn sweatpants.
Before she could distract him too much, Booth said, "I knew it."
"Knew what?" Brennan asked absently. She was on a mission, now. Booth had agreed to marry her, and now they had to celebrate—preferably in every room of their house.
He smirked, his eyes twinkling. "That you'd be the one to propose to me."
Brennan paused with her hands halfway down Booth's pants, and she rolled her eyes at him. Still, she couldn't hide the smile playing around her lips. A sultry smile of her own curled Brennan's lips, and she hooked her fingers into Booth's sweatpants and slowly drew them down.
"Yeah, yeah," she said in a rather comical imitation of his voice. "No one likes a know-it-all, Booth."
Now it was Booth's turn to imitate Brennan, and he slipped his hand between her legs. She inhaled deeply, but kept her eyes trained on his, refusing to let him get the upper hand. He brushed his lips teasingly against hers. "That seems like a rather broad statement, Bones. Where's your evidence?" All of his teasing was gone, suddenly, and he ducked his head down to press a deep kiss to her lips. "I do, Bones. I like know-it-alls."
Pregnancy always made Brennan easily tired, so it was no surprise that she slept in rather late the day following Christine's birthday party. Normally, Christine's fussing or happy baby babble woke Brennan up through the baby monitor, while Booth was on his daily morning run. On workdays, Brennan would scoop her daughter out of her crib and they would get ready for the day together, gathering all of the things they would need for work and daycare, and then pulling breakfast together. With Christine playing quietly in her playpen, Brennan would generally wait for Booth to return from his run, and more often than not, they ended up showering and dressing together.
On the weekends, the mornings still started in much the same way. Booth would go for his run, and Brennan would get their daughter from bed. They spent their weekend morning lounging around, though, and Booth would come back from his run and make breakfast for them. Brennan found that she loved this routine their life had taken on, and was excited to add another baby to the mix. Booth was just as thrilled as she was, and they had already spent a fair amount of time debating on whether or not this baby would be a boy or a girl, and what they should name the baby.
So Brennan rolled out of bed, pulled on one of Booth's old FBI t-shirts, along with a pair of cotton shorts. She scooped her wild, auburn waves into a messy bun on the top of her head, and sniffed experimentally at the air as she stepped into the hallway. The scent of bacon had made Brennan sick at least twice so far during this pregnancy, and even though she could hear Booth moving around in the kitchen, she couldn't smell it.
"You know," Brennan said as she made her way into the kitchen. "You don't have to stop making bacon on my account."
Booth flipped a pancake and grinned at her over his shoulder. "Morning, baby," he greeted sweetly as he held his arm out. Brennan crossed the kitchen and tucked herself into his side, pressing a kiss to the strong line of Booth's jaw.
"Good morning," she told him return as she slid a hand over his chest. He was wearing a pair of boxers, along with a long-sleeved version of her borrowed FBI t-shirt. Pink and white stripped socks peeked out over the top of his slippers, and Brennan grinned. Booth had bought those socks the day their daughter was born. "Where's Christine?"
As if on cue, a loud, high-pitched squeal reached their ears. Clearly, their little girl wasn't thrilled with being left out of the morning greetings. Booth grinned as they both turned towards the playpen, where Christine was standing, her blue eyes peering at them over the edge.
"Well, she was asleep," Booth said with a chuckle. "Someone decided to wake up on the early side today, so we thought that we'd give you a break and let you sleep in."
Stretching up on to her tiptoes, Brennan pressed a kiss to her husband's cheek before she crossed the kitchen to the playpen. Christine stretched her arms in the air, a cheeky smile on her face as she demanded, "Up!" With a bright smile of her own, Brennan scooped her daughter into her arms and blew a raspberry onto her cheek.
"How early?" she asked.
"Like, five AM," Booth answered immediately with a little furrow to his brows. "I swear, Bones, she is not allowed to have sugar anymore. It must have been all the cake she had last night."
Grinning, Brennan simply shrugged her shoulders. Since she was the birthday girl, of course Christine had her customary piece of cake. It was all of the members of her extended family, however, that kept sneaking her more—especially her Aunt Angela and Uncle Aubrey. She was sure that Christine had employed the Booth charm smile in the same way her father often did to get his way.
Booth smirked as well, having followed Brennan's line of thinking. "Well, at least she's using her powers for good rather than evil," Booth joked.
"Good being cake?" Brennan teased as she strapped their daughter into her high chair.
"Of course," Booth answered immediately as he brought a small, purple plastic plate over to Christine. It had a pancake cut up into small squares on it, along with some slices of strawberry. Christine clapped her hands in delight as Booth poured some maple syrup on to her breakfast, chanting "Cake, cake, cake!"
"Cake is always good," Booth continued with an indulgent smile as he handed Christine a child-sized fork. "Pan variety or otherwise."
Brennan rolled her eyes and palmed her still-flat stomach. "This child better not inherent your charm smile," she quipped. "Or I will be severely out-numbered."
The rest of their weekend passed rather quietly since the excitement of Christine's birthday party, and soon enough, Booth was pulling up to the Jeffersonian in order to drop Christine and Brennan off on Monday morning. They didn't have a case yet, and Booth was honestly hoping that they could make it at least a few days into the week without one. He was always just a bit more intense about Brennan's safety when she was pregnant while working—which was really saying something, given the way he had been ever since he first met her.
But that also meant that he wouldn't be able to drop by the Jeffersonian several times during the day, like he normally did when they were working a case. Thank God the team had gotten used to him showing up randomly during the years. Plus, he could always use the fact that he was visiting Christine at the daycare or was picking up Brennan for lunch as an excuse.
Booth had parked in the garage, and was getting ready to get Christine from her car seat in the back when Brennan grabbed on to his hand. She pulled it to her mouth, pressing her lips to the inside of his wrist, on one of his tattoos. Her blue eyes were bright, and a wide smile was forming on her lips.
"Let's tell them," she said.
Booth knew immediately what she was talking about, and he stroked a hand over her hair. "Bones, are you sure?" he asked softly. When she had discovered that she was pregnant with Christine, she had told him immediately… but had insisted on keeping it a secret from all of their coworkers (besides Angela) for almost four months.
They had already explained to Christine over the weekend that she was going to be a big sister. She was young, but she understood enough—after all, Parker was her big brother, and she knew what that meant. She was excited, and was already planning the games she was going to play with her new sibling. Since Christine knew, both Brennan and Booth knew it wouldn't be long until she let slip that she was going to be a big sister.
"I'm sure," Brennan assured him. "That is… if you want to tell everyone, too."
"Of course." Booth was quick to alleviate her apprehension. "Whatever you want, Bones. If you're ready, I'm ready."
They dropped Christine off at the daycare together and then made their way to the Medico-Legal lab. Right before they walked in, Brennan took Booth's hand and laced their fingers together. He gave her a bright smile, his eyes so full of love that Brennan's breath caught in her throat. She had known for years just how much Seeley Booth loved her, but it sometimes still struck her just how much when she could see it in his eyes like this.
Luck was on their side that morning, it seemed. Their whole team was up on the platform: Angela was doing a sketch, and Hodgins and Cam were bent over some ancient remains on one of the steel tables. Wendell was there, helping Hodgins gather samples for some of the many tests he needed to run. Aubrey was on the platform as well, hovering close to the side of Karen Delfs, an agent from the Behavioral Analysis Unit that had begun working with Sweets. She was helping them profile potential suspects during their cases, and Aubrey had taken quite the liking to her.
"We got a full house, Bones," Booth murmured in her ear. "You still want to do this?"
"Yes," Brennan answered without hesitation. Besides, Angela already suspected that something was going on with her, anyway. It wouldn't be long before Angela truly figured out what was going on with her best friend, and then everyone would know.
Taking her access card out of her pocket, Brennan swiped it through the hub and stepped up onto the platform with Booth. The chime of the acceptance of the card alerted everyone on the Jeffersonian team to the newcomers, and all of the squints looked up to give a greeting. When they saw the way that Brennan was clutching Booth's hand, however, they all paused to see just what Booth and Brennan had to say.
Wendell and Angela were the first ones to guess what might have been going on—Angela was Brennan's best friend, after all, and Wendell had had his doctorate for a year and had been hired by the Jeffersonian. He had recognized the changes in Brennan's body, having seen them when she had been pregnant with her first child.
Before anyone could say anything, Brennan blurted, "I'm pregnant!"
Angela's loud squeal drowned out almost everyone else's immediate cries of congratulations. Their coworkers and friends rushed forward, eagerly embracing them and all asking different questions a mile a minute. As she hugged Angela, Hodgins, Cam, and Wendell, Brennan was amused at the difference between this pregnancy announcement and the last one.
While she loved her friends dearly, a little over two years ago, Brennan couldn't imagine making such a personal announcement in the middle of her workplace. She had guarded her first pregnancy with Booth with such fierceness, in part because it had happened so soon after they had gotten married. The changes had been a lot, and after everything that Brennan had been through with her parents, first-time motherhood had been a little scary for her.
Of course, Brennan had taken to it like a duck to water. Booth had known from the very beginning, having seen how wonderful she was with Parker. The love and connection between Brennan and their daughter had been immediate and beautiful, and Booth was thrilled to have been a part of it. Her confidence had increased with this second pregnancy, and she and Booth were excited to share the news of their expanding family.
Their lives weren't easy, by any means. Their work was often dangerous, even with Brennan staying the lab more since she had given birth to Christine. They witnessed evil and horrible things almost daily, which only made Brennan and Booth want to hold on to these happy moments and celebrate them that much more.
"I knew it!" Angela babbled as she hugged Brennan for the third time in the span of sixty seconds. "I so totally knew it! All that potato salad you ate at the party was a dead giveaway Bren, I swear."
Brennan's cheeks flushed. "I like potato salad!" she defended, like she had when Booth had teased her about it over the weekend. She glanced over her shoulder at her husband then, and added, "That reminds me. I'd like potato salad for lunch, please."
Wisely choosing to hide his amusement, Booth nodded his head, murmuring that she could have whatever she wanted for lunch. Finally, Angela let Brennan go long enough to turn to her husband. The artist's eyes glinted mischievously, and a devious little smirk curled up her lips.
"That means we have to get started on our second one, Hodgins," Angela announced loudly.
Hodgins, who had returned to the slide he had been looking at once he had congratulated his friends, looked up with wide eyes. "What?" he blinked, shaking his head as if he hadn't heard his wife correctly. "Wait, what?"
Angela and Hodgins' son, Michael Staccato, was a year older than Christine. Both Angela and Hodgins had been only children and had wanted siblings for their son. Angela, in her typically flighty-artist way, had decided to leave it up to fate. She knew it wasn't really likely for her to get immediately pregnant over the next few months, but she couldn't deny that she would love to pregnant the same time as her best friend.
Cam rolled her eyes. "Oh, Lord," she muttered. She knew that she was about to lose her entomologist to thoughts of having another baby for the rest of the day, just as she had lost her forensic artist and computer expert to the thought of little, squishy infants. Thank God Brennan was able to turn her intense and considerable focus entirely to work.
"I'm just saying," Angela told her husband sweetly. She patted his cheek, scooped up her sketch pad, and walked off of the platform. Without a backward glance, she disappeared into her office.
Hodgins was still gaping after her. "What?" he called again.
Chuckling, Booth shook his head. "Well, my job is done here. I've got a meeting in about an hour at the Hoover." Leaning down, he dropped a quick kiss to Brennan's cheek—it was the most affectionate they allowed themselves to be while at work. "Lunch at one?"
"Lunch at one," Brennan agreed, already looking forward to the potato salad in her future.
Brennan might have been the one to spontaneously propose, but it turned out that Booth had bought her a ring several months ago. It was simple, but beautiful and stunning in that simplicity. A solitaire diamond sat on a band of platinum—not too large, but not small either. Brennan loved when the diamond caught the light, but what she loved even more was the fact that she could wear it at work without it getting in the way.
Brennan adored their friends, but she honestly wasn't sure how to tell them about her engagement to Booth. Their relationship had started in a rather public way, and Brennan wanted to hold on to this just a little longer.
Knowing how Brennan was about this sort of thing, Booth had told her that he would be alright with whatever she decided. His assurance made her love him all the more, and once again she was in awe of the fact that she managed to find someone who understood her so completely.
In the end, Brennan had just decided to slip the engagement ring on her finger and wear it as though nothing was different. After getting dressed that morning, Brennan had just finished dabbing her perfume on the insides of her wrists when she reached for the ring and slid it onto the third finger of her left hand. It winked in the light of the early morning sun, and Brennan smiled as she admired it.
"You're going to test the Squints' power of observation, aren't you?" Booth asked, his voice heavy with amusement. Brennan turned to look over her shoulder and though Booth was smiling, there was such a flare of heat in his eyes that her breath caught.
It took her a second to respond, and she licked her lips as her eyes drifted down to the quickly growing bulge in Booth's trousers. "I thought I'd just see what happens when I wear the ring," Brennan told him in a distracted sort of voice. Whenever Booth looked at her like that, she could always feel an answering throb in between her legs, and she shifted a little.
One second, Booth was standing in the doorway of their bedroom. The next, he was at Brennan's side at her vanity, pressed as close as he could get without touching actually touching her. Brennan's lips parted as his hands stroked down her shoulders, his fingers moving around to trace the V of her blouse. Two of those clever fingers disappeared under the silk, toying with the front clasp of her bra.
"Booth," Brennan murmured ."We really don't have much time." Even to her ears, though, the protest didn't carry much weight. She wanted him, and she wanted him bad.
Glancing at the clock, Booth did a few quick mental calculations. If he used the sirens, they just might make it to work on time. Ignoring her half-hearted protest, Booth swept down, tangling his fingers in her hair as he claimed her lips in a deep, passionate kiss.
"Do you have any idea what seeing you wear that ring is doing to me?" Booth panted against her mouth as he turned her on the little bench in front of her vanity. He deftly pulled her blouse over her head and flicked the clasp of her bra, pushing that off of her shoulders as well.
Brennan was fumbling with the buttons on his dress shirt, but got them only halfway done before she was distracted by Booth cupping her breasts in his large, warm palms. Her head dropped back as she moaned, her hands pausing as she arched into Booth's touch.
Then, she remembered what he had just said. Abandoning the buttons on his shirt, Brennan simply dipped her hands inside and smoothed her hands over his broad chest instead. "You know, anthropologically speaking, you are responding to the fact that my wearing your ring is a sign of ownership." Her breath caught on a gasp as Booth slid his hands under her thighs and lifted her onto the vanity before he buried his face between her breasts. "That is not why I am wearing the ring, however."
"Then why are you?" Booth murmured before he wrapped his lips around her nipple and suckled gently. The look in his eyes suggested he already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it anyway.
Brennan moaned his name and combed her fingers through his hair. "Because I love you, of course," she whispered.
"Oh, God, Bones," Booth grunted as he pushed her skirt up around her hips. His fingers hooked in her panties and he quickly pulled them down her legs as she undid his belt buckle and unzipped his pants. He paused just long enough to allow Brennan to push his pants down just far enough, and then he was pressing her thighs apart as he stroked inside of her.
They both cried out, and Booth's forehead rested against Brennan's as he held himself still inside her. Her hands gripped his shoulders, her eyes wide open, so blue, and trained completely on his. He slid his hands up her thighs and took hold of her hips.
"I love you too, Bones," he told her before he began to thrust.
Brennan wrapped her legs around Booth's waist and held him close to her as extreme pleasure sent her quickly rocketing to her peak. He buried his face in her neck, licking and sucking and she dropped her head back for further access. He was likely going to leave a mark, but Brennan just couldn't bring herself to care. She was too far gone by the feel of him inside her, losing all control just for her.
Lifting his head, Booth kissed Brennan again as he dipped her fingers in between her legs. He pressed hard circles around her clit and Brennan screamed his name as she came, rippling around him.
Holding her tightly against him, Booth managed one more thrust before he came as well. He held her hands tightly in his, and his thumb rubbed over her engagement ring.
"Good morning," Brennan finally managed, sounding a little stunned.
Booth laughed outright and hugged his fiancée to him, dropping an affectionate kiss to her cheek. "It really is a good morning, isn't it?"
Brennan had been at work for several hours before anyone noticed her new accessory. Surprisingly, Hodgins was the first to notice. Brennan had been in her office, and Hodgins was bringing her a list of samples used during the case with the deaf and mute girl, so that she could complete the paperwork. As he dropped the files off at her desk, he noticed the sparkling diamond on her left hand.
"Nice," Hodgins said simply with a broad smile on his face. "I assumed this happed over the weekend?"
His question caught Brennan's attention immediately, and she smiled brightly as she looked down at the ring on her hand. To her, it represented the love that Booth had for her. The stone had come from the ring that Booth's grandfather had given to his grandmother. Booth had just had it reset in a more modern setting, and in a way that she could wear it while at work. His thoughtfulness with picking out a ring was what made Brennan want to wear it.
"It did," Brennan confirmed.
Hodgins didn't ask for the details, and Brennan didn't volunteer to give them. What happened between her and Booth was theirs and theirs alone, and she wanted to hold on to their sweet and simple proposal.
"You know that Angie is going to freak out when she notices the ring, right?" Hodgins asked in amusement. She had been waiting for Booth to propose to Brennan since their first date, practically. Hodgins had no doubt that when Angela realized her best friend was engaged, the people all the way in the museum proper would be able to hear her squeals of excitement.
"I have prepared myself for that fact, yes," Brennan said.
"She's going to want to start wedding planning, like, immediately."
Not pleased with the highly amused grin that Hodgins was wearing, Brennan smirked and came back with, "I'll just ask Angela when she plans on having a baby with you as a diversion tactic, then."
"What?" Hodgins blinked a few times, and his mouth dropped wide open. "Wait, what?"
Sure enough, about an hour later while the two best friends were sharing lunch, Angela finally noticed Brennan's new piece of jewelry. She dropped her sandwich, allowing it to fall to the ground with a 'plop' before she snatched Brennan's left hand and held it up to her face.
"CAM!" Angela screeched. "GET IN HERE!"
Brennan had almost ended up with a whole spoonful of soup all over her blouse, but she had managed to steady herself just in time. She set her spoon down and pushed her soup safely to the side, just in case there were any more food casualties.
Cam had practically sprinted into Brennan's office at Angela's shout, which was impressive, given the spike heels she had worn to work that day. "What?" she gasped out as she tried to catch her breath. "What happened?"
Angela let out another excited screech and waved Brennan's left hand in front of Cam, with the ring facing towards her. Cam grinned at Brennan, the excitement for her two friends plain on her face, before she narrowed her eyes at Angela and wacked her on the shoulder.
"You almost gave me a damn heart attack, Angela!" Cam snapped. "Didn't we talk about this? Screams like that are only acceptable if your husband blows something up."
"Cam, oh my god, are you seeing this?" Angela demanded, completely unfazed by her friend's scolding. "This is a huge deal. Like, the biggest deal. Brennan and Booth are engaged!"
Finally allowing the excitement to get to her, Cam sat down on the other side of Brennan and hugged her around the shoulders. "Congratulations, Brennan. This is wonderful news!"
"We have to start planning now," Angela babbled. "Oh my god, this ring is beautiful. Booth did an amazing job, seriously. I need all of the details."
Brennan had been watching her two closest friends get giddy over her own engagement, and she smiled brightly. "It happened this weekend. I… Well, I asked him."
"Of course you did," Angela and Cam said at the same time. They had known all about Booth's theory that Brennan was going to be the one to ask him, but they had both also known that Booth had gotten the ring made for her.
Then Cam said something about picking a venue, while Angela started talking about flowers. Brennan looked down at the ring on her hand once more, her smile growing even more.
"Hey."
Brennan looked up from the report she had been studying and blinked in surprise. Her husband was standing in the doorway to her office, carrying a white paper bag from the diner. She pushed her hair away from her face and slid the chair back from her desk.
"Booth? What time is it?" Brennan asked before she glanced at the clock. It was a half after one, and she winced. "Oh, we were supposed to meet for lunch at one! We got a new shipment of ancient remains from China, and I just got so caught up in the report, and I… I'm sorry, Booth."
Over the years, Booth had gotten used to finding Brennan when she got sucked into work. Her dedication to the job that she loved was one of the reasons that Booth loved her so much, but he had also gotten used to finding her and reminding her about things like eating and sleeping. When he had received the text message from Wendell, informing Booth about the new arrival at the Jeffersonian, Booth knew that it would be better for him to bring lunch to her.
"Yeah, I heard about the shipment," Booth said with a chuckle as he walked into her office. He shut the door behind him and crossed the room towards his wife. She rose from behind her desk to meet him halfway, stretching up on to her tiptoes for a thankful kiss. "That's why I figured it would be easier to pick up lunch."
Taking Booth's hand, Brennan led him over to the couch. The lab was on the emptier side, given that it was lunch time. Sitting at the couch, which faced away from the windows, offered them a little more privacy. Leaning forward, Brennan pressed her lips to Booth's in a gentle, sweet kiss.
Brennan pulled back to thank him for bringing her lunch, but wasn't able to get the words out given that Booth slipped his hand behind her neck and drew her towards him again. His mouth covered hers, this kiss deeper, more thorough. His tongue slipped between her willing lips, and Brennan wrapped her arms fully around him as she got as close to him as she possibly could…without actually climbing into his lap, that is.
When Booth finally pulled back, Brennan blinked dazedly, her eyes foggy with passion. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, and Booth grinned in amusement. Brennan finally managed to pull her eyes away from Booth's chiseled features, instead directing her attention towards the paper bag that he had dropped on her desk.
"Lunch," Brennan finally managed. "What did you… you brought lunch?"
Chuckling, Booth finally took pity on his wife and drew the bag towards him. "I got you a veggie and hummus wrap and some fruit salad," Booth told her as he pulled the items from the bag. "And I got a turkey club and some fries." When Brennan opened her mouth, Booth removed one final item from the takeout bag. "And I got your potato salad, too."
Eyes lighting up, Brennan scooped up the container of potato salad. "Have I ever told you that I love you?"
"Once or twice," Booth joked. He passed Brennan a spoon, watching in equal parts humor and affection as she scooped up a hearty helping of the potato salad.
Satisfied that Brennan was enjoying her meal, Booth unwrapped his own sandwich. He had only managed to take a bite before Brenna suddenly froze, looking decidedly pale. Booth watched her turn a light shade of green before she shoved her food aside and dove for the trashcan beside her desk.
Booth discarded his sandwich and dropped to his knees beside his wife, holding her hair back as she retched into the trash bin. His heart broke to see her in even the slightest bit of distress, and he hated that he couldn't do anything but rub her back and whisper soothing words to her.
When Brennan was done, she sat back on her heels and gave Booth an apologetic look. "I think we might have to put turkey on the list of things we can't keep around for now."
Pressing a tender kiss to her forehead, Booth wrapped his sandwich back up and threw it out. He took care of what Brennan had left in her trashcan while Brennan rinsed out her mouth with water and popped a piece of gum.
Booth flopped onto the couch next to her and shoveled a handful of fries into his mouth. "Bones, you wouldn't mind sharing some potato salad, would you?"
It had been a few years Brennan had wanted to stay at work past dinner time, but she wasn't that eager to leave the ancient remains from China that she had been studying. After her little bout of nausea at lunch time, Booth had talked her into taking a quick nap on her couch. Brennan had stayed a little later at work than she normally did in order to make up for the lost time.
She heard the familiar pitter-patter of little feet running down the hallway, and Brennan pulled her latex gloves off just in time. Booth deftly blocked Christine from entering the bone room, where Brennan was examining a set of remains. The little girl bounced around in the doorway, eagerly waiting for her mother to greet her.
Booth and Brennan had long ago decided not to hide the nature of their jobs from their children. However, there was a difference between telling them truth, and exposing them to things that were inappropriate. Parker and Christine loved to visit the lab, but Booth and Brennan generally kept them away from the more gory aspects. A two year old little girl had no business seeing a skeleton, even if it wasn't part of a murder investigation.
"Mama!" Christine called as she waved excitedly. "Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama!"
"Someone is excited," Booth said with a nod of his head. Christine was still small enough that she enjoyed being carried around, and she especially wanted Booth to do it when he picked her up from daycare. When she found out that they would be getting Mama at the lab, however, she had gotten a second wind and had turned into a bouncing little jellybean.
Bending down, Brennan swooped her daughter into her arms and pressed tickling kisses all over her little face. Christine giggled happily and wrapped her arms around Brennan's neck, hugging her tightly. Booth watched his two girls with soft eyes, with a sweet half smile playing around his lips.
"Let's go find your brother," Brennan said as she gestured for one of her interns to come over. She quickly murmured directions on putting the remains she was studying away, and then headed into the main part of the lab with the rest of her family to find her son.
Booth rolled his eyes playfully as he followed his girls. "I'll bet Hodgins has him looking at bugs or snakes or mold or something. He's turning my kid into a squint."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Brennan said in amusement.
Booth's hand settled at the small of her back, and he shot her a charm smile. "Nah. I happen to adore squints."
Sure enough, Parker was in Hodgins' lab, and Wendell was with them. They were all surrounding a giant, hairy, black tarantula, which Parker studying it closely with fascination. Hodgins and Wendell were both taking turns teaching the boy facts about the arachnid, and he was eagerly soaking up the information.
Christine gasped as soon as her eyes landed on the tarantula. "Spider!" she gasped as she hid her face in her mother's neck. Just like Brennan, she was interested in all sorts of scientific things. However, she was still a little girl, and wasn't exactly thrilled with eight-legged crawly things.
"Aw, Christine!" Hodgins exclaimed. "This little guy isn't gonna hurt you, I promise! He's actually quite fascinating, and—"
"Hodgins, she's two," Booth reminded him as he rubbed his daughter's back.
Hodgins sighed. "I know, I know. Parker is the only one who likes bugs, though!" Michael showed interest in bugs only in the way that three year olds did—he wanted to squish them. Luckily, despite his young age, the little guy loved learning about dirt from his father.
"Give Michael some time, Bug Boy," Booth advised. "He'll get over the squishing stage eventually. Parker did. Then the three of you can ooh and ahh over bugs all you want." Reaching over, Booth ruffled his son's hair. "Let's go, Parks. We have some special visitors at home and we gotta get there soon."
That caught Brennan's attention. "Special visitors?" she asked with an arched eyebrow. "Who?"
"You'll see when we get there, Bones," Booth told her with a wink.
Brennan rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Booth wouldn't give up the surprise. He loved little surprises, even though Brennan was the kind of person who always needed to know things. Luckily, they were always small surprises, and it was always something that Brennan would enjoy. She loved that he knew her so well, was able to give her those little things without pushing.
Half an hour later, they arrived at home. The lights were all on at the house, and when Brennan opened the front door, the delicious aroma of simmering tomato sauce and cheesy garlic bread reached her. Her stomach growled, and she looked at her husband with a smile. She knew that smell, and had experienced it over many Sunday dinners with her family.
"My parents?" she asked.
"When you told me that you wanted to work late, I figured we could get some help with dinner. Plus, it'll be a nice time to tell them about our news… If Angela hasn't already told everyone, that is," Booth explained.
Grinning, Brennan stretched up onto her tiptoes and kissed her husband. Their little girl was squirming in his arms, eager to be put down so she could greet her grandparents. Parker had already run into the kitchen, knowing that his grandmother would have a special treat for him.
Booth set Christine on the ground, and she scampered into the kitchen as she called out, "Grandpa! Grandma!"
"This was a good idea," Brennan said. Reaching up, she slipped her arms around Booth's neck and drew him close. "Thank you, Booth."
Booth ducked his head down and kissed his wife deeply. Brennan moaned softly as she pressed closer to him, tangling her fingers in his hair. He slid one hand down, palming her bottom, while the other grasped her hip.
For one brief moment, Brennan thought about dragging Booth upstairs to have her way with him. Her parents would keep the kids occupied long enough, and the relief she wanted to seek was so close. It was always like that when Booth touched her—after over four years together, it hadn't waned in the slightest. With every touch, Booth was proving to her that it never would.
They had all the time in the world to make love tonight, however, after her parents left and the kids were in bed. Booth knew that too, since he pressed her against him once before he murmured against her lips, "Later."
Brennan caressed his cheek. "I love you, Booth."
He always got this look in his eyes when she told him that, much like he did the very first time she said it to him. It was soft and sweet and always melted her insides a little bit. "I love you too, Bones."
Hand in hand, they made their way into the kitchen together. Max and Ruth Keenan smiled as they entered, obviously in their element. Parker was at the counter, rolling crescent rolls. Christine was on a step stool next to Max, stirring the pasta sauce with jerky little turns. They adored their grandchildren, and doted on them completely.
"So," Max began casually. "Booth said you had some news."
Brennan shared a look with Booth as they both laughed. They had barely been in the kitchen for ten seconds before the interrogation began. Booth had known exactly what he was doing when he had invited Max and Ruth over, telling them that they had some news to share. Ruth, who was supervising Parker with the rolls, was practically beside herself.
"Your father wouldn't let me call you," she said with a pout. "He said that I would just have to wait until tonight."
Booth squeezed Brennan's hand and brushed a kiss against her cheek. "Guess you shouldn't make them wait anymore," he whispered in her ear.
Grinning, Brennan pressed her palm to her belly. "I'm pregnant!"
Ruth squealed and rushed over to hug her daughter and son-in-law, while Max scooped Christine in his arms and joined them. Hugs and congratulations were exchanged, and Ruth was already asking about potential names. Max reminded Ruth that they still had plenty of time before Booth and Brennan had to pick out any names, and Ruth scowled and told him not to rain on her parade.
Brennan shook her head, more amused than anything else as she pulled down plates for dinner. After everything her parents—their family, really—had been through, she sometimes marveled over the fact that they could be so happy now, and have so much.
Running her hands through her hair in frustration, Brennan huffed out an annoyed sigh. "Mom," she tried again. "Booth and I just wanted a small ceremony. Something intimate, and easy, and with the people that we care about."
"Honey, you're a world famous anthropologist," Ruth reminded her daughter. She wouldn't quite make eye-contact with Brennan, though, which gave her away. "And Booth is an excellent FBI agent, and a distinguished Army veteran. There are certain people that you should be inviting." She shared a pointed look with Amy, who had wisely stayed out of the whole discussion.
Brennan let out a shaky breath. She had to remind herself that there was point in her mother's life where she had been worried that they would never have a close relationship ever again. Even after they had started to make amends while Brennan was still in college, she had never fully opened herself to her parents. She had always held herself at arm's length, taking care not to expose too much of herself as she struggled to come to terms with her parents' secrets.
The return of Barlow and McVicar had changed all of that, and once everything was over—the trials and the guilty verdict and the fact that Barlow and McVicar were never going to see the light of day again—they really and truly had started to grow close once again.
So Brennan really did have to cut her mother some slack. There had been a time when Ruth had imagined that she would never get to plan her daughter's wedding with her. In fact, Ruth had probably been sure that Brennan was never going to get married. Before Booth, Brennan hadn't ever really considered the possibility, either.
Now it had happened, all when Brennan had least expected it. She had found Booth, and they were in love and engaged and looking to build a life and a family together. It was hard to say who was more excited about the wedding: Ruth or Angela. Ruth had latched on to the wedding planning with enthusiasm, and was eager to show everyone how proud she was of her daughter and future son-in-law.
Brennan knew that she needed a break. And a drink, probably. "I'll be right back," she told her mother and sister-in-law. "I need to… I'm going to check in with the lab."
The lie was poor; it was Sunday, and they didn't have an active case, so it wasn't like there was any need for her to call the Jeffersonian. Ruth let her get away with the fib anyway, and turned to Amy to talk about the cocktail hour before the reception. Apparently something called pigs in a blanket were going to be involved, which thrilled Booth to no end.
Max and Russ had tagged along with Ruth and Amy over to the Brennan-Booth house. Emma, Hayley, and little Luke were playing in the backyard, with the guys taking turns checking on them every fifteen minutes or so. A football game was playing on the television, and all three men had beers clutched in their hands. Even though it was a very stereotypical form of male bonding, Brennan was glad that they had the chance to connect over something other than crime.
Booth looked up as soon as Brennan entered the living room. He took one look at her face, set his beer aside, and said, "I'll be right back, guys."
Taking Brennan's hand, he led her upstairs and into their bedroom. He shut the door behind him and drew her into his arms, hugging her tightly. He tangled the fingers of one hand in her hair and stroked the other over her back soothingly.
Pressing her face into his chest, Brennan sighed happily. There was just something about Booth's arms around her, and his familiar scent, that comforted Brennan. He anchored her, made her feel at home. With one look, he had understood what she needed and hadn't questioned it. He was just there for her, like he always was.
"What was that for?" Brennan asked when she pulled back enough to look up in Booth's face.
"You looked like you needed it," Booth explained. His large palm continued to move in slow circles over her back, holding her close to him. "Wanna talk about it?"
Sighing, Brennan pressed her face into Booth's chest one more time. After several long moments, she pulled back and looked into the warm, brown eyes of her fiancé. "I love my mother," she began.
"Oh, Bones." Booth dropped a kiss to her forehead. "I know you do."
"And you know I don't believe in psychology."
He smiled at that. "I know."
"I just…" She kept her gaze focused on the black fabric of his t-shirt. "I think she's overcompensating with planning our wedding. Everything has to be extravagant. The number of guests, the flowers, the food… it's a little too much."
Booth started laughing, and Brennan narrowed her eyes at him. That certainly hadn't been the reaction she had been expecting, and she was a little perturbed that he thought this was so funny. She had just spent the last hour being stressed out while he had been watching football and drinking beer, after all.
"It's not funny, Booth!"
"Oh, Bones." Booth kissed her quickly and said, "It's just, for someone who's so against psychology, you really hit the nail on the head."
Brennan's brow furrowed, but she remained wrapped in Booth's arms. "I don't know what that means."
"She is overcompensating. So much happened with you guys. Even after you made up with them in college, I doubt she ever believed that you would let her plan your wedding with you. This is a big deal, and she's just… she's going overboard." Booth stroked some of her hair behind her ear and trailed his fingers tenderly across her cheek. "Tell her how you feel, Bones. We both know what we want this wedding to be. We just need to tell her."
"You're right," Brennan said after a long moment. "I know you're right. I just… I don't want to disappoint her."
It was a deep-seated fear that every child with their parents at some point or other in their lives. Brennan had refused to acknowledge it for a very long time, so it was manifesting itself now with a vengeance. Even when Brennan had been fighting with her mother and father, the last thing she had wanted to be was a disappointment.
"You're never going to disappoint your mom and dad, Bones," Booth said. "And I think you know that. They just want what's best for you. Sometimes, though… you have to remind them of what those things really are. You shouldn't ever have to apologize for what you need."
Of course Booth knew the right thing to say, because he had already been through it himself. He refused contact with his father, for very good reason. About six months ago, his mother had reached out and found them, seeing Booth for the first time in over twenty-two years. Marianne Booth was getting remarried, had been with another man who had kids of his own for over ten years, and had wanted Booth to be there to walk her down the aisle.
Booth had struggled deeply during that time. He had been thrilled that his mother had found him again, but had been devastated that she had found another family to be another mother to. He had been abandoned by his own mother at eleven years old, left with an abusive father and a younger brother he had tried his best to protect. While Marianne was sorry, she had come back acting like Booth was going to forgive her immediately.
Brennan had watched it all unfold and had been there for Booth as best as she could. Neither of them seemed to understand—part of Booth was still that little boy who hadn't understood why his mother had abandoned him, and was having trouble seeing that Marianne just needed a way out. Marianne couldn't seem to grasp the fact that Booth had lived through four more years of horror after that before being rescued by his grandfather. All the while, Marianne had found a new family. The former matriarch of the Booth family didn't seem to understand how hard that was for Booth, how much it had hurt.
In the end, they had worked through it a little bit. Booth had ended up to going to his mother's wedding with Brennan, and she had held his and the entire time and whispered that she loved him. Booth loved her all the more for her support, for her understanding.
"I'll talk to her," Brennan agreed.
"Do you want me to be there with you?" Booth asked, ever supportive.
"No, I can do it," Brennan told him immediately. He gave her an amused, knowing look, and then Brennan added, "Give me ten minutes."
Laughing, Booth kissed her once again. "You got it, Bones."
Wrenching her mouth from Booth's, Brennan rolled her hips against the hardness Booth was pressing between her legs. She was perched on the kitchen counter, and it was the perfect height for her to rock against Booth. He had already pulled her shirt over her head, and his hands were busy unhooking her bra.
"Did you plan for my mother and father to take the kids, too?" Brennan breathed out as Booth simply attached his lips to her neck. She tilted her head back, allowing him more access as he kissed and sucked at her tender skin.
"Wasn't my exact plan," Booth grunted as he unhooked her bra and slipped it down her arms. "But I'm not mad about it." He groaned when her breasts spilled into his waiting hands, his thumbs immediately stroking over her nipples. Brennan moaned out his name, reaching down to hike her skirt further up her thighs so that she could part her legs even more.
She had already divested Booth of his shirt and pants, leaving him only in his boxer briefs. They hadn't exactly planned on having sex in the kitchen, but when Max and Ruth had left with Parker and Christine for "grandparents' night," they had immediately taken advantage of the situation. The deep, passionate kisses had started in the kitchen, and they had yet to make it to their bedroom. Booth had settled Brennan on the kitchen counter, now determined to celebrate their kid-free night in almost every room of the house.
"Touch me," Brennan panted as she pressed her naked chest to Booth's. "Please, Booth, I—Ooooh…" She trailed off on another moan of pleasure as Booth pressed his fingers between her legs, stroking over her lace panties.
"Oh, fuck, Bones. You're soaked." He could feel her wetness through her panties, and as always, it turned him on an outrageous amount at just how ready she was for him. "So fucking hot…"
"For you," Brennan told him. She arched her hips towards him, eager for him to touch her where she really wanted him. "It's for you. Don't you want to feel it, Booth?"
"Fuck yeah I do." Booth's voice rumbled darkly, and it never ceased to amuse her how his language suffered when he was turned on. His fingers slipped under her underwear, stroking through her wetness and circling over her clit.
"Yes, oh yes!" Brennan clutched at Booth's shoulders, pulling him close so that she could kiss his neck. "Booth, please… oh, yes…"
"Do you want me to make you come, Bones?" He slipped one finger into her, pumping slowly. "You want me to fuck you with my fingers?"
"Yes, yes yes," Brennan chanted. She spread her thighs as much as she could, rocking her hips towards Booth's long, talented fingers. As more wetness coated his hand, Booth slipped a second finger into her and pressed down on her clit with his thumb. His hand moved faster, his thumb circled with increasing pressure, and Brennan's orgasm crashed over her.
She cried out, biting down on his shoulder as she shuddered in his arms. As she came down from her pleasure-filled high, Booth stroked his fingers soothingly between her legs. When she lifted her face from his neck, Booth captured her lips in a passion-filled kiss.
With Booth distracted, Brennan was able to easily slip her hands in his boxers. She wrapped her fingers around his hard length, stroking tightly. Booth cursed as he moved into her hand, loving the tight grip she had on him.
"Make love to me, Booth," she whispered. "Right here, right now."
"Here, Bones?" Booth fumbled with the zipper on the back of her skirt and shoved that and her panties down at the same time, until she was sitting naked on the kitchen counter. "You want me to make love to you here?"
"Right here," Brennan told him. "I want to feel you inside me…"
"Oh, god, Bones." Together, they shoved down Booth's boxers. "I love you."
He hooked his arms under her knees and with one smooth thrust, slipped inside of her. They both cried out, taking a moment to revel in the perfect fit. Brennan arched her back and Booth buried his face between her breasts, licking and sucking as his hips began to move.
They were both spiraling quickly towards the edge, but neither of them minded. They had all night, after all—and even a little bit of the morning, since Max and Ruth had offered to drop the kids off at school. Brennan was already well on her way to another earth-shattering orgasm, and she was eager for it.
Tilting her hips in his hands, Booth trust harder and faster until he felt her begin to tighten around him .He kissed her quickly, deeply, and then released her mouth to hear her cries of pleasure fill the house. His own harsh shouts joined hers as he followed her over the edge, spilling in to her.
Wrapped in each other's arms, they both recovered from the intense pleasure. It was barely nine o'clock, and they still had plenty of time.
Pressing her cheek against Booth's naked chest, Brennan asked, "How do you feel about getting married in the gardens at the Jeffersonian?"
The talk with her mother had gone exceptionally well. Brennan and Ruth had come to an agreement about what the wedding was going to be. It was going to be the small ceremony that Brennan and Booth had wanted in the first place. In the end, Ruth was the one who had suggested holding the ceremony in the gardens at the Jeffersonian. With all of the flowers in bloom, and then tent that Amy had described, Brennan knew that it was going to be perfect.
Booth considered that for a long moment as he stroked his fingers through Brennan's auburn hair. "I think that sounds amazing," he told her. "I mean, that's the place where we really became partners, isn't it?"
"I suppose it is," Brennan agreed. Yeah, she and Booth had officially met at the Hoover. But they had truly become partners when Brennan had given him the keycard to access the platform at the Jeffersonian.
"I think that's the perfect place for us to get married," Booth said. "Can we have our reception in the dinosaur exhibit?"
Brennan burst into laughter at that, because that was such a Booth thing to say. "I doubt Angela would let us have it there," she said truthfully. "How does the ballroom sound, though?"
"Fine, I guess," Booth said with a dramatic sigh. "As long as we can visit the dinosaur exhibit later."
Brennan giggled and kissed her fiancé. They had a date and venue picked out, and she was going to marry Seeley Booth. Brennan wasn't normally one to get giddy about this sort of thing, but she just couldn't help it.
Booth was thinking along the same lines as her. "We're getting married, Bones," he whispered as he gathered her in his arms.
Smiling, Brennan pressed her hand over his heart. "We're getting married, Booth."
"Chrissy Booth!" Crouching down, Aubrey held his arms out for the dark-haired toddler. She giggled at her silly uncle and toddled into his arms, patting his cheeks happily. Christine absolutely adored Aubrey—he acted like a five year old half the time, and he always had snacks.
Parker followed, with Booth right behind them. "I didn't know it was bring your kids to work day," Aubrey joked. Parker had an in-service day at his school, so Booth had decided to bring him in for breakfast before he dropped both of them off at the Jeffersonian daycare. It was a nice, mid-week surprise.
"Well just for that, I guess we won't invite you to breakfast," Booth deadpanned. Christine immediately turned in Aubrey's arms, holding her own out for her father. Booth took her, tucking her against his chest, and was not surprised when Christine extended her little palm towards Aubrey.
Grinning, Aubrey dug into the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a packet of fruit snacks. I really was amazing how much food that guy had stashed on him. Christine grinned the charm smile she had inherited form her father and immediately tried to open the little plastic package with her uncoordinated fingers.
Parker grinned with a smile identical to Christine's and held his hand out as well. Aubrey extracted another packet of fruit snacks, which he opened immediately before he opened his little sister's as well.
Booth sighed. "Bones is going to kill me if you keep giving the kids artificial sugar, Aubrey."
Aubrey had yet another packet of fruit snacks in his hands, which he was snacking on. "These are made with all natural fruit juice," he defended. "And they're organic!"
"Whatever." Booth grinned, thoroughly enjoying teasing his friend. "You coming or not? Bones already has a table waiting for us at the diner."
"I love that wife of yours. Always efficient," Aubrey declared. He bent down once again, offering his back to Parker for a piggy-back ride. The seven year-old jumped eagerly on his uncle's back, making his little sister giggle at their antics.
"I want some French toast," Parker said. "Or some waffles. Or some pancakes. Chocolate chip pancakes! With scrapple!" Brennan didn't do well with the scent of bacon, but she could handle scrapple just fine. It amused Booth a little, actually. As a Philly boy, he was a fan of scrapple.
"Pancakes!" Christine exclaimed, always eager for her favorite breakfast food.
Booth cast both of his children an amused look. "You two have been spending way too much time with your Uncle Aubrey."
"Uncle Aubrey always has snacks," Parker said, as if that explained everything.
Fifteen minutes later, Booth, his children, and their uncle spilled into diner, all singing the theme song from one of the kids' favorite television shows. Brennan had heard them while they had been coming down the street, and was already recording with her phone.
Booth, embarrassed that he even knew all of the words to the Octopods theme song, was even more embarrassed that his wife now had video proof of it. "Bones," he whined upon sitting down next to her. "Delete that!"
"Absolutely not," Brennan said with a big grin as she accepted the kiss he brushed across her cheek. Christine settled in his lap, and Aubrey and Parker sat across the table from them. "I can add it to my collection."
Booth's cheeks flushed a little at that, but he grinned at her. She did have quite the little collection of photos of him—all of which had started with a picture she had snapped of him cooking an omelet naked, not long after they had officially moved in together.
"Dude, the Octopods theme song is a jam," Aubrey said seriously.
"We should stop letting him babysit," Booth declared. "He's obviously having too much fun doing it."
"Hey Uncle Aubrey?" Parker suddenly asked after he had taken a long sip of his chocolate milk. "Are you going to marry Miss Karen?"
Aubrey choked on his coffee, while Brennan tried to—unsuccessfully—smother her laughter behind her hand. Booth chuckled heartily while Aubrey tried to figure out where that particular question had come from.
"Then again, maybe we should keep him around."
A warm, familiar body slid behind his in the bed. Slender arms draped around his waist, and soft lips pressed a kiss to his shoulder. Booth covered her hands with his own, pulling them up to his mouth to kiss her knuckles.
"You're breaking a few rules here, Bones," Booth pointed out, but there was no real scolding in his voice. He felt her shift, sliding a leg over his thigh as she peered over his shoulder.
"I couldn't sleep," Brennan admitted. "Angela will kill me, but…"
"Hey, I was a highly-trained sniper, remember? I'm pretty sure I could successfully sneak you out of here without Angela knowing."
"Angela knows everything," Brennan pointed out, but she was smiling. It was true. The artist did seem to know just about everything about everyone. Booth always figured that it was a good thing she used her powers for good rather than evil.
"Yeah, well, I'm ready to take my punishment," Booth told his fiancée. "Especially if it means I get to hold you tonight. Besides, there's nothing that Angela could say or do that could scare me. We're getting married tomorrow, baby."
Beaming, Brennan dropped a kiss to his lips. "Has anyone ever told you that you're quite cheesy?"
"You tell me that. All the time."
"Poor baby."
"You should be nicer to me," Booth teased as he rolled Brennan underneath him. "I'm going to be your husband."
"And I'm going to be your wife, so wouldn't you say that gives me some free license?" Brennan wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, arching up into Booth. His lips descended upon her neck, lightly kissing and sucking.
Sliding his hands underneath her nightgown, Booth slowly drew Brennan's panties down her legs. "You're going to be my wife," he murmured before he kissed her again.
"I should have known."
Brennan woke the sound of her best friend's half-amused, half-exasperated voice. Squinting her eyes against the bright sunlight streaming through the windows, Brennan lifted her head from her fiancé's chest before she gave a sheepish shrug of her shoulders. She did a cursory check to make sure that they were both sufficiently covered by the blankets, but it was more for Booth's benefit than anything else. If he had been awake, Brennan was sure that Booth would be all flustered at the fact that Angela might see him au natural.
"What can I say? I can't resist him."
Angela snorted and tossed Brennan's robe onto the bed. Brennan was supposed to be spending the night at the Hodgins-Montenegro house, but she had snuck out before midnight to go back to her own house, where Booth and the rest of the groomsmen were staying.
Angela rolled her eyes, but she was smiling the whole time. Her best friend was getting married today, after all. Angela had been the biggest supporter of team Brennan/Booth since the very beginning. "Please, like this wasn't your idea. You have twenty minutes before I come back up here and drag you downstairs. We have to be at the salon in forty-five minutes."
Brennan snapped off a mock salute. "Yes ma'am."
Angela disappeared with a waggle of her eyebrows. Once the door shut, Booth's chest began to rumble with his chuckles. Sitting up, Brennan pushed lightly at his chest as she gasped in mock-outrage. "I knew you were awake!"
"So you can't resist me?" Booth teased as he kissed her cheek. "I guess it's a good thing I can't resist you, either."
"Stop trying to sugar me up."
"It's butter me up, Bones," Booth corrected automatically. He laughed for another moment before he suddenly grew serious. His eyes were dark and intense, and he slid his fingers under her chin, tilting her face up towards his.
"We're getting married," he murmured.
Brennan practically melted under his heated gaze, the warm rumble of his words. "We're getting married," she repeated as she pressed her fingers over his heart.
It struck her again, just what Booth meant to her. Brennan understood—anthropologically, of course—the significance of getting married. She knew what this sort of union meant in nearly every culture, and she especially understood what it meant to Booth. Even though there had been a time that Brennan had been convinced she would never take that walk down the aisle, she knew that it was right with Booth.
He hadn't changed her. She had simply evolved with him, opened herself up and overcame the fear and anger that she had held on to for years. Now, she was getting the chance to join their lives in front of their friends and family, in a way and in a place that was special to them.
"So." After a beat of silence, an impish smile curled up Booth's lips. "Twenty minutes?"
"Booth!" Brennan gasped in mock-reprimand. "Are you suggesting that we engage in coitus before we have to get ready for our wedding? And here I thought that you were a traditionalist." Even as she was pretending to protest, she swung a leg over Booth's hips and straddled him.
"Baby, when have we ever been traditional?" Booth pointed out.
When Brennan smiled brightly at him in return, Booth reached up to kiss her. Then they both made good use of that twenty minutes.
"Hey, Bones, you busy?" Booth swiped his access card through the hub and bounded up the stairs, cutting his way quickly across the forensics platform. She was peering at something on a slide through a microscope, explaining something to one of her newer interns. It was some vaguely annoying redhead that was eerily reminiscent of Daisy Wick. Aubrey had even gone on a few dates with her, but admitted that while she was nice, they just hadn't wanted the same things.
Booth, admittedly, was biased with Brennan's interns. Wendell had been his favorite, and Booth had been thrilled when the young man had gotten his doctorate, and they had all celebrated when the Jeffersonian had hired him. That meant that there was a new batch of interns that Booth had to deal with, though, and the newer group was a lot less endearing than the first.
"I'm always busy," Brennan stated mildly, but she looked up at her husband with a smile.
Booth flashed her a brief one in return before he grew solemn. "We have a body."
"Oh." Brennan gestured for another lab tech to finish up with the slide, and then she issued some directions to Ms. Warren so that the platform could be prepped for their return. She stripped off the gloves she had been using and went to Booth's side. "Where?"
"Homestead Natural Hot Springs," Booth answered. "Apparently, a body was found in one of the mud pits after a couple decided to… get down and dirty. Literally."
Brennan's brow furrowed. "I don't know what that means."
Smiling indulgently at his partner, Booth placed his hand on the small of her back and led her off the platform. "Ask Angela."
Rolling her eyes, Brennan knew that it had to mean something sexual. Together, she and Booth left the lab and headed out to his SUV. They were just barely out of sight from everyone else in the lab when Booth grabbed Brennan's hand, tugging her to a stop. With a grin, he tugged her towards him and pressed a short but deep kiss to her lips.
They tried not to show too much affection while they were at work, but Booth and Brennan were always finding ways to push that boundary. It was actually a little amusing, the way they both insisted on being professional while they were on the clock, but then conveniently managed to forget that rule when the urge to touch one another overtook them.
Of course, Brennan knew that the urge to touch Booth, to kiss him, to be physically close to him came up more than a few times a day. It was actually rather impressive that she managed to resist Booth at all. Based on how often Booth bestowed little touches, gentle brushes of his fingers on her, Brennan knew that it was the same with him.
They made a quick stop for coffee (tea for Brennan), with a side order of French fries that Brennan had suddenly decided she wanted. By the time they got to the crime scene, Brennan's potato craving had been satisfied, and she was all focused and ready to go.
With that navy blue Jeffersonian jumpsuit pulled on over her clothes, Brennan crouched down next to the mud pit and inspected the remains with a critical, well-practiced eye. The couple that had found the victim was still there, waiting to be question by Booth. FBI techs and park rangers milled around the scene, already doing what they could to perfectly preserve the evidence—Brennan had trained them well over the years. The one who was running the scene approached the partners, giving them both nods in greeting.
"This hot spring averages a temperature of one hundred five degrees, but it can spike to near boiling." The park ranger shot a pointed glare at the young couple. "Which is why we discourage bathers. Especially those who illegally drive four-by-four vehicles into a national park."
"So someone was boiled to death?" Booth asked with a grimace. That didn't really sound like a good way to go. It also didn't sound like a murder, but Booth knew better than to assume anything at this point.
The park ranger shrugged his shoulders. "Or had a heart attack, or passed out, et cetera, et cetera."
Brennan wasn't going to climb into the mud pit, but she was leaning over far enough that Booth was concerned she was going to fall in. Brennan was worried first about compromising any evidence that might still be in the mud, and second about the dangerously high temperatures.
Thinking out loud about why they would have to do once they got back to lab, Brennan mused, "The remaining flesh will have to be macerated."
"What's that?" the ranger asked.
Booth wrinkled his nose. "Ugh… don't ask."
Never missing a chance to teach, Brennan explained, "The flesh either has to be boiled off, or eaten by Dermestid beetles."
"Bones, why can't you just say 'cleaned'?" Booth complained. After over four years of working together, Booth knew that he should be used to it by now. And still, it amused him that she could get sick around the scent of bacon and turkey, but be totally fine around a decaying body, while she described how beetles would eat the remaining flesh.
Ignoring Booth's question, Brennan described the sulfur that stained the bones, and then pointed out the signs of blunt force trauma. Booth had already had a gut feeling that this wasn't someone who just passed out in a mud pit and had the misfortune of being boiled to death—this was a murder.
"I'm going to need all of the mud," Brennan declared.
Booth tried to suppress a smile while the park ranger sputtered incoherently. Finally, he managed, "Excuse me?"
Brennan blinked at him, uncompromising. "Get a tanker truck out here and suck it up so we can filter it back at the Jeffersonian."
The park ranger looked towards Booth for help, but he just shrugged his shoulders. Booth recognized that tone of voice—first, she didn't miss around when it came to keeping her evidence uncompromised. Second, he could tell when her hormones were kicking in, and they were about to make a roaring appearance.
Lifting up the mangled remains of a leg, Brennan said, "Humerus is thirty-six point five centimeters. Medium build, late twenties to early thirties. He's broken this bone before."
The park ranger was still stuck on her earlier request. "Is she serious about the mud?"
Brennan pursed her lips, wondering why they were wasting time coming back to the mud when she had already explained what she wanted. "Serious as a gas attack."
Now Booth was smiling indulgently at his partner, his eyes light with affection. "Heart attack, Bones," he corrected teasingly. "Serious as a heart attack."
Hours later, they learned that the body belonged to Tripp Goddard, a motorcycle racer. There had been indications of many previous broken bones in the x-rays they had taken: fractures to the pelvis, compression fractures of the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae, multiple fractures to the metacarpals and metatarsals. There were even more recent injuries that they hadn't quite been able to figure out until Booth had taken a look at Angela's rendering of the face and recognized Tripp Goddard. The mystery of the knee injuries had been solved; Booth explained that when racers lean low when they go around corners, they scrape their knees on the asphalt.
Booth and Brennan went to the racetrack and interviewed Philippa Fitz, one of the owners, and Garth Jodrey, a journalist. That led them to Philippa's father, Lenny, and they discovered that though the fans loved Tripp, everyone else disliked him. Jodrey especially had a reason to, given that Tripp was the reason he had ended up in a wheelchair.
Tripp had won a race two weeks ago, right before he died. He had barely won against Danny Fitz, whom he had gotten into a fight with after the fact. The further Booth and Brennan dug, the messier it got. Tripp had dated Philippa and cheated on her, leading to yet another fight between Danny and Tripp. They all had motive, and there was indication that they were looking for two killers.
They discovered that Tripp was killed in the garage, with his body likely being moved to the mud pit after the fact. Later, Booth and Brennan went back to the race track to conduct another interview and see Danny race in person—on Tripp's old bike. They were horrified when Danny's bike crashed, resulting in a horrific accident… and Danny's death.
It only got more depressing from there. The bike had been deliberately tampered with, which begged the question of who was supposed to be murdered: Danny, or someone else? In the end, it was a piece of evidence from the mud pit that gave them their answer: a melted pen had been discovered, and after a few tests from Hodgins and some crafty thinking from Brennan's interns, they discovered the writing on the pen. Knee scrapers dot com.
In the midst of working through their case, Booth and Brennan had to deal with Sweets on top of it. Since the FBI had no "official" rule on agents dating (or being married too) contracted consultants, Booth and Brennan had been free and clear to start their relationship. Not to mention the fact that Cullen had been present at their wedding, forever cementing the FBI's approval. As such, their partnership was scrutinized more closely than others, and Booth and Brennan had to go to evaluations with Sweets twice a year. Aubrey was also added more permanently to their team, working the more dangerous cases with Booth out in the field. Cases where there was a lower risk, like this one with the motorcycle racer, Brennan took advantage of the fact that it was still early enough in her pregnancy to go into the field while she could.
For Sweets' newest form of evaluation, he had demanded to observe Booth and Brennan outside of the work environment. Despite Booth's complaints that Sweets had seen them outside of their work environment plenty of times before—they were married, for Pete's sake, and often had Sweets over for any gathering outside of work. Christine's second birthday party was a perfect example!—the young psychologist was adamant. He wanted to observe them in a social setting while they were on a case, to see how they split their focus between their professional lives and their personal ones.
So Booth and Brennan grudgingly agreed to attend a ceramics class with Sweets and his current girlfriend. Daisy and Sweets had broken up for the fifth or sixth time, and Sweets was dating someone named April, who worked with tropical fish.
Christine and Parker were with Max and Ruth for the night, and Booth was grumbling about the fact that they had to give up child-free hours to go on a double date with Sweets and his girlfriend. Smiling mischievously, Brennan promised to make it worth Booth's while if he made her something during their ceramics class.
Booth kissed her hotly in response, wordlessly agreeing to Brennan's proposal. Forty-five minutes later, they were at the class that was scheduled before dinner, dressed in old clothes with bandanas tied around their foreheads. As always, Brennan wasn't sure what she liked more: when Booth was dressed to kill in his sharp suits, or when he was more relaxed, like this, in a t-shirt that molded to his chest and worn jeans.
"So, Lance says the two of you have been married for a couple of years now, and that you have a daughter!" April exclaimed. "And you work for the FBI? My, you two lead exciting lives."
Booth grinned as he worked at his wheel. "And we have another little one on the way." His eyes fell on Brennan, full of warmth and light and love, and she beamed at him in return.
April gasped and smiled hugely at them. She turned towards Sweets, directing that huge smile his way, as if trying to make a point, before she looked back towards Brennan and Booth. "Congratulations!"
"Thank you," Brennan responded kindly. She knew that in situations like these, she should ask a question about the person that showed interest in their lives. "Dr. Sweets says that you work with tropical fish?"
April nodded, her eyes wide. "Oh, yes. I love fish. They're just like people."
Sweets, having worked with Brennan for several years now, knew just how literal she could be. He suppressed a sigh, while Booth attempted to hide his chuckle. Predictably, Brennan's brow furrowed in confusion. It was her patent, "I-don't-know-what-that-means" look, without her actually having to say it.
"No, they're not, actually," Brennan finally said. "People can't breathe underwater."
April laughed, which only served to confuse Brennan further. "She's funny," April said.
"I'm funny?" Brennan asked. She had been serious, after all. The people she spent her time around knew how literal Brennan was, and adjusted their speech accordingly when communicating with her. Even with her mother and her tutelage over the years on social niceties, Brennan didn't get people like April Presa.
"I don't think she meant that literally, Bones," Booth pointed out for his wife. This whole situation was just too amusing for him. Sweets was a little annoying, but Booth liked him well enough. And even though Sweets and Daisy had a tumultuous relationship, even Booth knew that this April girl wasn't going to last with the psychologist. Ever since Sweets had reassured Brennan while Ruth had been captured, Booth had resolved to at least look out for the kid.
Brennan raised her eyebrows at Booth, and he grinned at her as he waggled his eyebrows. She so owed him for this, and he was definitely going to collect. Sure, he knew that they had to do these evaluations so they could continue in their partnership, but Booth also knew that they had more than Sweets' approval on their sides. Booth and Brennan's solve rate was through the roof, and had been for years. Even when Aubrey went out into the field with him instead, Brennan was still his partner. She was still in the interrogation rooms with Booth, in addition to doing her thing in the lab with the other squints.
"It's their eyes," April stated seriously. "You can tell so much from their eyes."
Brennan nodded her head, still trying to connect with Sweets' girlfriend so that they could consider this evaluation a success. "The retinal scan is as specific as a fingerprint."
"No, their souls," April said, all wide-eyed once again. "You can see their little souls."
Booth was still trying his hardest not to laugh. This woman clearly took her fish very seriously, and it was making him actually miss Daisy a little bit. At least when they were all together, Brennan had something to talk about with Daisy. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from making a comment and continued working on his sculpture. He wondered what his wife would have to say when he was finished.
"I don't understand," Brennan finally said. Her foot was still working the wheel her hands expertly molded a bowl. This wasn't the first time she had thrown pottery—she had learned on one of her many digs. "You believe that fish have souls?"
"Yes, you can see it in their coloring." April had stopped pressing her foot on the pedal to keep the wheel spinning, and her hands were now resting on either side of the sculpture she had been attempting to make. "It's a reflection of who they are."
Now Brennan was well and truly confused. Her pregnancy hormones, combined with her logical, literal, scientific side, often made for interesting conversation. "Their coloring has developed over millennia as a way to deal with predators."
God, did Booth love this woman. Sweets had forced them into this situation, all for the sake of "evaluation," and Brennan was doing what she always did. She was just being herself, proving that no matter what, Booth and Brennan were able to tie their personal and professional lives together seamlessly, all while being able to separate them when they needed to. They had proved it when Booth and Brennan had worked the case with Max and Ruth and McVicar and Barlow. Things hadn't changed in the intervening years.
"April just means that they're beautiful," Sweets tried to explain. He could see that this whole little idea to meet outside of his office was rapidly getting away from him, just as any appointment with Booth and Brennan always did. How they managed to completely take over their appointments was beyond Sweets.
Suddenly, April glared darkly at Sweets. "Don't tell me what I mean, Lance. I mean they have souls."
"Ah…" Sweets blinked, unsure of what his transgression was. "Okay."
Trying to give the poor guy an out, Booth presented his sculpture to the group. "Hey, look at what I'm making!" The beginnings of a very detailed horse was taking shape on Booth's wheel, and Sweets and April gaped at it while Brennan smiled.
"It looks fantastic, Booth," Brennan murmured while Sweets gasped that Booth had done something like this before.
"You really think it's good?" Booth asked, having not forgotten the promise Brennan had issued earlier that night. If he made something for her, she would make it worth his while… and Booth always played to win.
"Yes, very," Brennan answered, eyes sparkling.
"Yours is good too, April," Sweets tried. He noticed the sparks flying between the married couple (because the air between Booth and Brennan was practically on fire, their interactions were so hot), and he wanted to channel some of that between him and his girlfriend.
April's eyes narrowed even further. "I'm not talking to you."
Sweets and April continued to argue while Booth was still diligently modeling his beautiful horse. Brennan stopped working on her own pot in favor of watching Booth's strong, capable hands. She knew what those hands could do—they touched her every day, every night, in a thousand different ways, and she loved each and every one of them. She loved what those hands could do to her.
"Look at my horse!" Booth exclaimed, cutting through Sweets and April's argument. The detail on it was incredible, and even Brennan was impressed. She had known that her husband had many secret talents, but even this surprised her a little bit.
All three of his companions voiced their awe with Booth's talents, but he was only concerned with one response. And his wife was watching him with sparkling blue-green eyes, with a secretive little smile playing on his lips. Before they had to pick up the kids, he sure as hell was going to get lucky tonight.
When Brennan told him that his sculpture was impressive, Booth solemnly agreed that it was. Then he picked up an errant lump of clay and tossed it at Brennan. It landed on her left breast, and she gasped playfully. She reacted with remarkable quickness, launching her own lump of clay at Booth in retaliation.
Laughing the whole time, Booth and Brennan continued in their little clay fight, with Booth declaring, "Hey, Sweets, I apologize. This whole ceramics thing is great!"
Unsurprisingly, their night ended early. They didn't even make it to dinner, considering the fight that Sweets and April got in before their pottery class was over. Sweets tried to do the little clay-throwing maneuver, like Booth had done with Brennan, and hadn't succeeded in the slightest. April had grabbed a whole handful of loose clay and dumped it over Sweets' head in retaliation, thus putting an end to their night.
Booth and Brennan decided to order takeout—it was only seven o'clock, and Max and Ruth were keeping Parker and Christine until ten. They invited Sweets, but the psychologist had simply sighed and declared their evaluation over. He muttered something about getting beer and playing Call of Duty, and Booth agreed that it was probably the best course of action for Sweets.
Forty-five minutes later, Booth and Brennan had finished their dinner, leaving them with two hours and fifteen minutes of extra time. Brennan's cravings had kicked in not long after they had finished up with their class, and she had demanded takeout from the diner. Potato salad and French fries were the main parts of her meal, along with a salad. Booth had ordered his customary cheeseburger, and they had eaten quickly, still in their clothes from the class.
"I need to take a shower," Brennan declared as she headed up the stairs. "Someone decided to behave like a child and cover me in clay."
"Aw, man, must've been a naughty guy," Booth agreed as he followed his wife up the stairs and into the bathroom. She already had the shower on and the heat cranked to high, and he got into the bathroom just in time to see her drop her loose pants before she stepped under the stream of water. "He should probably help clean you up."
Booth stripped quickly and followed Brennan, hissing in pleasure as she immediately pressed her wet, naked body against his. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his thundering pulse at his throat.
"You're cheesy," she murmured, as she had many times in the past.
"You complaining, Bones?" Booth asked, as he had for the past four years whenever she lobbed that particular comment his way. Grasping her hips, Booth ground against her, holding her as tightly to his body as he could get her.
She grinned up at him, pressing the very slight curve of her belly against him as she strained up onto her tiptoes. "Never," she whispered before she kissed him. Then she sank to her knees, her eyes dark with lust as she peered up at Booth and slid her hands up his thighs. Neither one of them said much after that.
Two days later, they solved the mystery of Tripp Goddard and Danny Fitz's murder. It hadn't actually been two murderers, since the injury to the frontal-nasal suture had been explained. Philippa had hit Tripp with a pry bar to the head, resulting in Tripp smashing his face into the side mirror of his truck. Philippa had been the one to tell Jodrey about the mud pit, and Jodrey had been the one to share the location with the young couple that had found Tripp's body. Philippa had thought that no one would ask questions about the mud pit, leading to her dumping the body there. Tripp was actually supposed to die on the rigged bike that Danny had died on, since Lenny had signed part of his company over to Tripp. But Tripp had signed the contract before he could get on the bike, leading to Philippa moving up her plans a bit early.
It was a messy case all around. With twins, and the DNA evidence they needed being used up in a test, an actual conviction in court was unlikely. In the end, though, everyone would know what Philippa Fitz had done, which was the most important part of all. She'd live with what she had done for the rest of her life.
"I just don't understand," Brennan murmured as she settled a hand over her belly. She always got a little extra emotional where cases with siblings were involved, and this was no different. In fact, her reactions were a bit amplified with her pregnancy hormones. "How could she do that to her brother? What good could possibly come from her plan?" Brennan shook her head sadly, tears glistening in her eyes.
"Aw, Bones." Standing up from behind his desk, Booth drew Brennan into his arms and held her tightly against his chest. They were in his office, with the blinds drawn closed. The team in the Major Crimes bullpen had gotten used to Booth and Brennan's little displays of public affection over the years, though, and had long come to accept seeing it. "Unfortunately, money played too big a part in this."
"I just…" Sucking in a deep breath, Brennan buried her face in Booth's chest. Her logical mind knew that her hormones were running away with the emotions she was usually able to keep compartmentalized. God knew that her own family was messed up enough, but even they had managed to find a way through all the pain and lies. And yet Philippa Fitz had committed murder all for money, and a larger part in her family's business?
"I don't see how she could come to that conclusion . How could she see that murder was the best option for her?" Brennan wondered out loud. Logically, there were several other courses of action that Philippa Fitz could have taken, as opposed to killing Tripp Goddard. Instead, she had taken the darkest, murkiest path, and she had destroyed her own family in the process.
Family was important to both Booth and Brennan, for a multitude of reasons. They had discussed those reason several times over the years, so Booth completely understood where Brennan was coming from. Dropping a kiss to her forehead, Booth stroked his hands comfortingly over her back.
"You're amazing, Bones. You know that?" Even after all the pain she'd experienced, she still insisted on believing that people could be good, that the world was a better place than the evidence it presented.
Brennan smiled to herself before she tilted her face up to Booth's. She knew what he was trying to do. "You've told me that before."
"And I mean it," Booth insisted.
Surprise! The epilogue is going to be two parts long! Try as I might, I couldn't fit everything I wanted to into this chapter. It's cheesy and sweet and hopefully has some fun callbacks to the rest of what we've seen in the show, even though this is an AU. Honestly, the epilogue could have been its own story, but I really wanted to keep all of this together. I couldn't leave the Booth and Brennan wedding out, could I? Keep your eye out for the second part of the epilogue!
