Seeley Booth was doing good these days; he'd finally gotten his gambling addiction under control and was 38 days sober. The major turnaround in his life was due in part to Doctor Temperance Brennan and her team of mismatched squints. Doctor Brennan and her team had solved a case that he'd been working off and on for a few years in a matter of days. Booth knew working with Doctor Brennan and her team would help advance his career. He also knew he had to stop gambling and get his life in order for it to happen. Getting his life in order had the extra benefit of attempting another relationship with Rebecca, his former girlfriend and mother of his almost three-year-old son, Parker. Rebecca had stopped any attempts at another relationship with Booth, but she had given him more time with Parker, so he'd take it. Booth had just got back from lunch when Brennan walked into the bullpen and over to Booth's desk, he looked up.
"Hey Bones."
"I'm pregnant…"
"Congratulations…"
"You're the father…"
Booth quickly stood up and gently but firmly started guiding Brennan to the exit, seeing that the breakroom was empty he headed there.
"Are you sure?"
"That you're the father?"
"Yes…"
"Yes, I hadn't had sex with anyone else prior to us getting drunk you firing me then following my cab to my apartment…I haven't been with anyone since…."
Booth was about to say something when four agents walked in ."How about I stop by your place after work and we can talk more?"
Brennan looked over her shoulder and nodded, "I'm making macaroni and cheese…"
"Sounds good. see you around 7?"
"That's fine."
Booth watched Brennan leave the breakroom before grabbling a coffee and a stale donut then he headed to his desk. The rest of the day passed slowly for Booth; couldn't believe he was going to be a dad again with a woman he'd literally only known for a week. At 7 on the dot Booth knocked on the door of Brennan's apartment, she answered quickly.
"Booth! You're on time!" Brennan stepped back and let Booth enter the apartment.
"Hey, Bones. Yep, no traffic, one of those odd D.C. rarities."
"Yes, it took me longer than usual to get home tonight."
"Yeah, traffic was bad on the way home from the Hoover."
"Dinner is ready, if you want to eat now or I can keep it warm if you'd like to discuss…"
"Let's have dinner first, unless you'd rather talk first…"
"No, dinner first is fine."
"Okay. Do you need help?"
"No. Have a seat." Brennan nodded toward the table and headed for the kitchen. A few minutes later Brennan carried a casserole dish to the table.
"You made homemade baked macaroni and cheese?"
"Yes. Were you expecting the boxed kind?"
"Sort of. I haven't had homemade macaroni and cheese since I was a kid…" Brennan smiled and went back to the kitchen only to return with a bowl of broccoli and garlic bread. When Brennan sat across from him, Booth grinned, "it looks great, Bones."
"Thanks, Booth."
They filled their plates, Booth took a bite of macaroni, "Bones, this is the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had!"
Brennan chuckled a little, "I'm glad you like it, Booth."
They ate for a few minutes until Booth put his fork down and took a dink of water. "I don't regret that night, Temperance…"
"I don't either…"
"We probably should have slowed down a little and used…"
"We didn't need to, I'm on birth control, I have been for years…. I haven't taken anything recently to make it less effective…"
"It's not 100 precent effective, Bones…"
"No…"
"Do you regret getting pregnant?"
"No. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know how to raise a kid…"
"I'll help…I have a three-year-old son, named Parker. His mom and I were together before I became an FBI agent. She can't deal with the stress of my job…"
"Oh…"
"Yeah, Parker is the best thing to ever happen to me…"
"That's good. All I know is this baby isn't going in foster care… I was in foster care as a teenager and it wasn't a good experience. I know most babies get adopted quickly, but it still isn't happening to my child."
"I had no idea, Temperance."
"I'm fine. It's a story for another day…"
"Whatever you decide I'll support however you need or want me to, Temperance."
"Thank you, Booth…"
They ate and talked a little more about how they were going to handle their current situation. When Booth left Brennan promised to stay in touch.
B&B
It had been a little over a month since Booth had heard from Brennan, he was giving her two more weeks then he would go her. He still couldn't believe that he was going to be a dad again, Booth wanted more kids, but he'd hoped he'd be married or at least in a committed relationship. He didn't know what he and Brennan were other than a drunken one-night stand that had major consequences for both of them. Booth was about ready to head home for the day when his phone rang, he sat down on his chair and picked it up "Booth."
"Booth, it's Brennan."
"Hey Bones."
"Hello. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday at 8am, if you'd like to accompany me…"
Booth cleared his throat to hide his surprise at the question. "Sure, I mean if that's what you want?"
"It is. I've learned that is acceptable for the father of the child to attend doctors appointments. I don't know what we are to each other, but you are the father of my child…"
"I'll be there." Booth reached for a pen and a pad of post-its. "What's the address?" Booth scribbled down what Brennan told him.
"How are you?"
"I'm fine. I spend a third of the day nauseated, but hardly ever get sick. Other than things starting to not fit correctly everything is fine."
"That's good. well not that you spend a third of the day nauseated and that things are starting not to fit correctly but that you're fine, that's the good part…"
"I knew what you meant, Booth. see you Friday morning."
"See you Friday morning, Bones." The line went dead, Booth staired at the dead phone in his hand and laughed, Doctor Temperance Brennan wasn't like any woman he'd known and he had the feeling that her pregnancy and whatever relationship they had was going to keep him guessing. He didn't want it any other way.
