A/N: This chapter - for me, at least - is insanely long. I mean, longer than any of my one-shots ever. So it had better be good. :) Review please, but most importantly:enjoy!

Disclaimer: You know this, but I don't own Bones. Although I hope to one day own David Boreanaz...

--

Brennan woke to a gentle jabbing in the shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open and met the wide, inquisitive ones of a child.

She sat up immediately, blinking to clear her sleep-fogged vision as she stared at the small intruder.

"Um, Dr. Brennan?" The boy asked quietly. "Daddy told me to come wake you up."

As realization hit, she tried desperately not to take her frustrations with her partner out on his son. "Thank you, Parker." She told the boy as sweetly as possible. "Where is your daddy?"

"In the living room."

Brennan climbed out of bed, trying to smooth down her frazzled hair as she followed Parker down the hallway to find Booth sitting on the couch.

Spotting her, he stood. "Hey, Bones!" Brennan glared at him, envious of his cheeriness.

"How'd you get in here?"

"I work for the FBI. I used my federal powers."

"You took the spare key from Angela."

He shrugged. "Whatever."

Parker latched himself onto his father, grasping the man's hand and pulling him towards the door. "Come on, daddy! I'm hungry!"

Booth kneeled down beside his son, speaking to him softly. "We have to let Dr. Brennan get ready first so she can come with us. Can you wait that long?"

The boy seemed to look over the doctor for a moment before replying not-so-softly, "I think so. She's pretty."

Blushing slightly, Booth stood. "Go get ready, Bones. We're going to lunch."

And the last thing she heard as she left the room was Parker's curious voice asking, "Daddy, why do you call Dr. Brennan Bones?"

--

Forty-five minutes later, Brennan found herself seated in a very informal restaurant, known to the public as Chuck E. Cheese. Brennan sat at the table, watching intently as Booth helped his son play Skeeball, tentatively nibbling on a slice of pizza.

Parker had warmed up to her quite a bit throughout their meal, asking both her and his father lots and lots and lots of questions about the dead bodies and catching the bad guys.

Her chain of thought was interrupted by the little boy in question as he wrapped his sticky fingers around her own and attempted to pull her from her chair. "Come on, Dr. Brennan! Come race the cars with me and Daddy!" Parker was pointing towards a game that she had never seen nor played before, though it seemed to mirror the simple mechanics of operating a car.

Brennan smiled at the little boy's enthusiasm, letting him pull her towards the game.

She battled Parker for a couple of races as he sat on his dad's knee, Booth working the pedals and the boy maneuvering the steering wheel. Kindly, she let Parker win, putting on a convincing disappointed act every time she lost.

When he got bored and ran off to climb in the play structure, Brennan turned to her partner. "You'd better not let that kid get a license for a long time."

Booth laughed. "Race me?"

And as Brennan finished in first place, she smugly smirked at Booth. "Does this mean I get to drive next time?"

"I wouldn't count on it." He stood, reaching out a hand to help his partner out of the stiff, plastic chair. "Now, let's go find my kid. We've got a movie to go to."

--

As Booth paid for their tickets, Brennan seemed a little skeptical about seeing a movie appropriate for a four-year-old. That feeling, however, was a bit overpowered by the fact that she hadn't seen a movie in quite some time, so entered the theater with a smile anyway.

Parker absolutely insisted on sitting between the two adults so that he could be beside them both, gripping Brennan's hand with his small one until he had to free it to eat his box of Junior Mints.

Throughout the film, Temperance paid little attention to the juvenile plight of the characters and more to the expressions on the little boy's face. She smirked, recognizing the similarities between him and his father.

Her hand bumped against her partner's as they reached for the popcorn at the same time. Their eyes met and they smiled, the connection between them going unnoticed by the oblivious child beneath their shared gaze.

--

Seated at a fast food restaurant after the show, Parker discussed building a fort in the living room with his father. As Brennan half-listened to their conversation, she reminisced, remembering back when she used to build forts in the living room with her brother. She was jerked back to reality as the child addressed her.

"Dr. Brennan, can you come sleep in the fort with me and daddy tonight?"

She found it hard to refuse the child's request. "Parker, I don't think-"

Booth cut her off. "Come on, Dr. Brennan." He was imitating his son's childlike voice perfectly. "Stay in the fort with us tonight."

"Pleeeeeeease?" Parker added.

She couldn't resist the two puppy-dog faces before her. Sighing, she gave in. "I suppose I could."

--

Later that evening, they had a carefully constructed tent built in Booth's living room, sheets stretching from chairs strategically placed across the floor. Inside, they had piled a massive amount of pillows and three sleeping bags.

Parker, snuggled down in the middle sleeping bag, had fallen quickly asleep, tired out by their long day. Brennan rolled over a bit, trying to find a comfortable position that didn't hurt her back. She glanced over at Booth only to find that he was still awake. Spotting her, he raised a finger to his lips, then gestured for her to follow him as he crawled out of the fort. Careful not to wake the sleeping child, she followed him, entering the kitchen.

Brennan sat at the table as Booth prepared a glass of water and slid it to her. She gave him a grateful smile before taking a sip.

"You don't have to stay, you know."

"I know. I want to." Booth smirked at her. "For Parker. He'll expect me here in the morning."

"That he will."

Brennan finished her drink in silence, and her partner took the cup from her and set it on the counter.

"You can take my room, Bones. Your back must be killing you."

"I'm fine," she lied.

"Humor me, then."

Brennan shrugged, standing. "Where are you sleeping, Booth?"

He gestured in the direction of the living room.

"Don't you have a spare bedroom?" She asked, incredulous.

"I have a futon, but…" Again, Booth swung his arm towards the living room where the futon resided, settled amidst the furniture holding up the sheets.

"Your house, your bed… You should take it."

"Bones, I'm not letting you sleep on the floor."

She put her hands on hips. "Neither am I."

Booth knew not to argue. "Well, as the scientist, what do you suggest we do?"

Brennan sighed, averting her eyes. "The best… compromise… would be to share it."

Despite the slight discomfort, he tried to act nonchalant. He brought his hands together; wringing them in what he hoped was a not-too-nervous way. "Let's do it, then."

She followed him to the bedroom, and upon arrival began pulling back the sheets, smoothing them in anxiety as Booth rummaged through his dresser. Holding up some of his clothes, he broke through the silence. "You, uh, want some sweats?"

Brennan stopped her incessant neatening long enough to look over her own clothes and nod. Booth tossed the clothes onto the bed, landing right before her.

Clearing his throat, adjusting to the uneasy circumstances, he pointed towards the adjoining bathroom. "You can change in there."

"Thanks." She took the clothes and shut herself in the bathroom, thankful for a moment alone to assess the situation. Brennan changed, trying to ignore the smell of Booth on the well-worn material as she folded her own clothes neatly and set them on the counter. Firmly reminding herself that this was simply platonic, she exited the bathroom.

She had to work hard to keep those platonic thoughts as she spotted Booth perched on the foot of the bed, clad in only boxer shorts and a tee-shirt. Noticing she'd emerged, he stood, running a hand through his hair nervously. Glad to have something to focus on besides how she looked in his clothes; he moved his line of vision to the bed. "You picky about sides?"

Brennan shook her head, and that was when he realized she'd hardly spoken since they'd entered the room. He climbed in on the side closest to him, as she tentatively approached the bed on the opposite edge.

Smirking, Booth lightly patted the empty side of the bed. "I don't bite, Bones. You know that."

A small, anxious laugh escaped her lips and she climbed in beside him.

They both lay on their backs in the darkness, staring up at the ceiling. Shaking her head, Brennan finally spoke. "This is awkward."

Booth chuckled. "Yeah."

Slowly, she sat up, gesturing towards the doorway. "I could still-"

His hand shot out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down. "You're not sleeping on the floor, Temperance."

Damn. He'd used the first name. He definitely meant business.

It was just then a small shadow appeared in the doorway. "Daddy?"

Booth released his grip on his partner. "Yeah, buddy?"

"Can I sleep in here with you and Dr. Brennan?"

Laughing slightly, Booth scooted towards the edge of the bed to make room for his son. "Sure. Come on up here, little guy."

Parker climbed onto the bed and curled up between them.

And somehow the presence of that little boy broke the uneasiness between them, and both adults finally fell asleep.

--

TBC...