A/N: Chapter 3 is here! Long overdue but here! From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you to everyone who has bookmarked this story, reviewed it, and read it. Your reviews make such a difference and have truly helped brighten my day. Not to be too personal, but it's been a tough couple of weeks for me. Each review I've received from this and my other stories have made my days have been so much more bearable. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I hope that I continue to make you happy with this story :)

Brennan sat on her bed waiting for Booth and kept fidgeting with her fingers. Her anxiety had spiked and she couldn't taper down the nerves that came about thinking about her brother's family. When Russ came back into her life, she was confused, angry, and hurt. All she could remember was the abandonment she felt from him leaving her to a system that had hurt and stolen so much from her.

But as the case with her mother progressed, something in her shifted and maybe it was a chance she never thought she was capable of taking, or maybe it was Booth, his comfort and encouragement. The help he gave her in trying to understand the feelings going through her that she decided to try and see where a relationship with her brother could lead.

"To us. Whoever the hell we are. To what we're becoming."

A toast between the three of them an entire decade ago. She really had no idea who they were at the end of that case, much less who they'd be, but who they became was more than she thought she'd have. And it pained her to know her brother was going through such difficult times now.

"Bones, you okay?" Booth's gentle question pulled her out of her thoughts and musings.

She turned to see him leaning against the door of the bathroom. He had already somehow gotten dressed while she was lost in her thoughts. He wore a pair of his black sweatpants, hung low on his hips, and one of the white tank tops he loved to lounge around the house in. She managed a nod and soft smile but Booth knew that Brennan was deep in thought and sorting through a lot in her head.

He ran his hands through his hair a couple of times trying to dry his still-damp hair and walked over to his side of the bed. Instead of staying on his side, he sat down in the middle and put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. Placing his fingers under her chin, he gently turned her face to his.

"Hey, you do know whatever is, you can tell me right?"

"I know. I'm sorry it's just…" Brennan paused and took a breath. "There are too… my feelings they're a jumble and it's hard to sort through everything."

"And that's okay Bones. You don't need to put it all together for me. How bout we start with who called last night?"

Brennan nodded and leaned her head back on his shoulder. She always felt grounded being with Booth physically. Simply holding his hand, cuddling with him, or even with one of their 'guy hugs', she felt grounded enough to sort through her brain that was always working. She picked up his hand that was playing with the hem of her t-shirt and held it.

"Russ called. Hayley's sick. Her condition relapsed."

She felt Booth suck in a breath. "How bad is it this time?"

He instantly remembered the time he had decided to let Russ visit Hayley before officially arresting him. He and Bones hadn't spent much time talking about it but when she was leaving her office that evening to go visit Hayley, she briefly explained it to him. Even from that brief explanation, he knew it was serious and was grateful that he had been lenient with Russ earlier.

"From what Russ was telling me, it's pretty bad. I called Dr. Goetz earlier and he agreed to treat Hayley again, giving her a spot in the treatment cycle that he's doing."

"Good. That's great right?" Booth tried to encourage Brennan but he could tell that there was still more to the story.

"It is Booth. I sent Russ a text telling him and he told me that Dr. Goetz had already called Amy arranging a time for him to go down to the hospital and examine Hayley. I'm glad that they're getting the help they need and that Hayley is being treated…"

"But?"

Brennan took a deep breath and shifted so that her back was against the pillows and she could stare up at the ceiling. Booth's hand was still in hers. Booth looked down at his wife with concern. It was only when she was deeply troubled she went silent for prolonged periods during conversations.

"Bones, what else is wrong?"

"Russ has fallen into some difficult times...financially." She said in a low voice almost as if admitting her brother's adversity out loud would make things worse. She continued to relay the conversation she had with Russ to Booth. By the time she reached the end, tears had pooled in her eyes.

"Oh, Bones…. You kept all this to yourself last night?"

"It was hardly for 24 hours Booth." she sniffed trying to hold back her tears.

"But still. I'm sorry Bones, I shouldn't have walked away like that last night. If I had known-" he stopped when her finger pressed against his lips. She shook her head.

"No. Don't beat yourself up over this Booth. I won't allow it. We were both tense and on the edge last night. It happens. Nothing is your fault. Do you hear me?" She looked up into his eyes pleading for him to understand. He could see the shine in her eyes from her unshed tears and if it was possible, his heart grew so much more for her.

Seeley Booth looked down at the woman in his arms and was awed. In the years he's had the privilege to know Brennan, he knew one thing she would never truly believe about herself and that was that her heart was bigger, so much bigger than anyone ever gave her credit for. The fierce way in which she loved her brother despite everything they had been through in the beginning. The unconditional way in which she reassured Booth, loved him, and even when she was going through emotional distress, she found her own way of reassuring him. God, he loved this woman.

"Okay, but next time, let's try to not repeat it."

"We can try but we both have tempers Booth so as much as we'd like to prevent this, realistically, it could happen again."

He chuckled. "Yeah, but the important thing is we try."

Brennan nodded her head and went back to idly drawing patterns on his hand she held. "I offered to help them financially for a bit. I know they need the money and with the success of my books over the years, we can afford to do it."

Booth smiled. "Yeah, I think that's great Bones."

"Also… I know how you feel about the topic Booth so, if it would make you feel better, we could talk about splitting the amount between us. At least taking into account what you're currently getting from the FBI."

"Yeah, sure. We can work that out. I think we should sit down and try to come up with a monthly amount we could send to them and when. You could call Russ and Amy and see when best works for them." Booth offered.

Deep down, he was happy that Brennan suggested keeping him involved with paying. He had, over the years, gotten used to Brennan's financial success with her books and it helped that she never purposely flaunted it but still, when it came to financial decisions about his family, he wanted to be involved, as much as he could.

"Sounds like a plan but… do you think we could just sit here for a bit. I don't want to talk about things anymore."

"Whatever works for you, baby. I'm here." Brennan smiled and curled up into Booth's side resting her right leg over his and laying her head on his chest. Booth gently removed the hand she held from hers and used it to wrap around her shoulders. He used the other one to bring her right hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He began gently rubbing her shoulder and then trailed his hand down to rub her back. Brennan let out a deep sigh and he could tell she was enjoying it. Shifting her to lay a little more flat on top of him, he continued.

Brennan snuggled her face into Booth's sternum and sighed. She was grateful that he didn't oppose them helping Russ and that he was even willing to pitch in some of his money as well. But then again, Booth was like that. He cared for his family, extended family included, and despite the rocky beginning he had with Russ, he had moved forward and embraced him, Amy, and the girls. Hell, he was the one who encouraged her to give her family another chance.

She found herself thinking about the time she had first met Booth's grandfather and he was thinking about taking him in. She was worried about him taking on too much but he had looked at her and said, "It's family Bones. You do anything for family." And while she hadn't understood the extent of that then, she certainly did now. Brennan tried to keep her eyes open but thanks to the bath she took earlier and the back rub she was getting from her husband, she found herself struggling to keep her eyes open. As if he had a sixth sense, which at this point she was sure he did, Booth pressed a kiss to the top of her head and whispered, "Don't fight it Bones. Close your eyes and rest. I'm right here." She nodded her head briefly before dozing off.

Brennan had been asleep for about an hour and while Booth figured he should also get some rest, he couldn't close his eyes for longer than a minute. Partly because of the woman in his arms. He found himself thinking about how lucky he was that she chose him, well, that they chose each other and had gotten here. It had taken them so long, chasing each other through the worst that to simply lie awake holding his wife while she slept was enough to keep him awake thinking. Reminiscing actually and thanking God that she was a part of his life.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of little footsteps nearing the door. A little hand appeared on the side of the bedroom door that was cracked open, followed by tiger paws.

"Daddy?" Hank's still sleepy voice called out.

"Hey buddy, come 'ere." Booth whispered.

Hank's little mop of curls peeked through and Booth smiled at how much it reminded him of Parker at Hank's age. He walked over the foot of the bed and threw his tiger towards Booth who caught it before it could hit Brennan in her head.

"Hey, careful buddy. Mommy's sleeping." Little did he know, Brennan had woken up when she felt something moving by her feet but chose to keep her eyes closed for a bit longer. After a few pulls and jumps, Hank got himself up on the bed and crawled over to the other side of Booth.

"Did you have a good nap?" Booth asked his son, ruffling his hair.

"Uh-huh. I dreamt about snowmen."

"Did you now?" He always enjoyed hearing about his children's dreams. Both Hank and Christine and even Parker when he was younger recounted them in such an animated way, it was amusing.

"Yep! And we were all there, the whole family." Booth figured he was referring to Angela, Hodgins and the rest of the squint squad.

"That sounds like it was fun."

"It was!" Hank smiled up at his Dad.

Trying to not give away that she was awake, Brennan suppressed her giggle. She enjoyed witnessing Booth interact with their kids. Most days, he had the exact same maturity level as them which drove her crazy but if she were honest, she wouldn't have it any other way. He was an excellent father and his overactive imagination fueled his children's fun and so long as they were happy, she was happy.

Booth smiled, "Good but remember what we talked about okay?"

"No more snow parties in Chrissy's room."

"That's right buddy."

"But Daddy, when can we have a party again? I want to see our family…" Hank flopped across Booth, his head propped up against his Mom who was still curled up on Booth's side. At this, Brennan opened her eyes and looked at her son. She knew how much Hank missed being around other people but hearing him say so, she felt for him.

"Oh, sweetie." She reached out a hand and ran her fingers through his hair.

Booth and Brennan shared a look. God, when is this nightmare of a time going to end?

Brennan figured that by the look of his face, Booth was thinking about the same thing. When Hank was born, it had been during the time they had not been working and had resigned. So, they had hosted a small family dinner one Sunday evening so that everyone could meet the newest member of their family. Everyone had immediately gotten attached to him and he to them and for the past five years before the pandemic, they'd gotten him used to a routine that involved weekly family dinners. They figured this was what Hank was referring to.

"Sweetie, do you remember what we spoke about? Why we can't have people over anymore." Brennan asked him.

Hank nodded his head. "Cause it's not safe anymore right?"

"Yeah, buddy, at least for right now, we can't. We need to make sure we're keeping us and our friends and family safe." Booth added.

Hank nodded again, tears welling up in his eyes from frustration. While he knew to trust that what his parents were telling was true, he couldn't fully wrap his head around why and as a little kid, he just wanted to be with his family and see Auntie Angie and Uncle Hodgie. He rolled over and reached out to Brennan who instantly took him her arms. He buried his face in her shoulder and cried, not able to handle his frustration any longer. "But...I'm… I'm… bored mommy… I want to see them…" he snuffled.

"Oh sweetie, shhh it's going to be okay."

Brennan sat there trying to comfort her son who just seemed to grow more agitated by the minute. Booth was about to offer to take him but his phone rang. His caller ID lit up with Aubrey's name.

"Hey Bones, I gotta take this, Aubrey's probably calling about a case."

She nodded. "Go ahead, we're going to go outside for a snack. Aren't we baby? You hungry?" Brennan kissed her son's head when he nodded in response to her. She held him close, cooing at him to calm down as she walked outside. Christine, who had woken up a little while ago looked at her brother confused.

"Why is Hank crying, Mommy?"

"He's just a little frustrated sweetie. We're about to grab some snacks, want something?"

"Yes please!" Christine bounced off the couch and skipped into the kitchen.

Hank's cries had calmed down but he was still agitated and sniffling. Brennan adjusted him on her hip and began taking out the things to make some veggie ranch dip and sandwiches.

"Hey Hank, do you want to make pirate hats with me?" Christine asked.

"That's a wonderful idea, Christine! Why don't you go with your sister baby and I'll make the snacks for you." Brennan tried to hype up the idea to her son in an effort to further calm him down and take his mind off things.

Hank nodded and wiggled to get down from his Mom's arms. Hand in hand, the two walked to Christine's room to get what they needed. As she was blending the ingredients for the homemade ranch dip her children loved, she kept trying to think of a way to do something fun for the both of them. While Christine wasn't crying from frustration, she figured her daughter was going through the same agitations. An idea came to her. After the dip blended, she poured it into a container and finished up the sandwiches then she went over to the hallway cabinet and pulled out the spare pillows and blankets they kept. She could see that Booth was still on the phone but quickly went into their room to grab the throw blanket they kept at the foot of the bed.

Booth gave her a look but she brushed it off and kept doing what she was doing. From the voices and giggles she heard, she figured Christine and Hank were both still occupied making their pirate hats. She dumped the pillows and blankets and the floor and began rearranging the furniture until she was satisfied. Running back into the kitchen, she grabbed plates and the snacks along with a couple of juice boxes for the kids. Taking a step back, she was pleased with the result and was just about to call her kids when she heard twin gasps.

"WOAH! A fort!" Christine squealed and Hank followed with, "It's a pirate hideaway!"

"Do you like it?" Brennan asked her children, smiling at their fascination with the pillow and blanket fort she pulled together. Too excited to verbally say anything, both kids nodded and ducked under the massive fort. Brennan had rearranged the couch and recliner using the backs to help drape the blankets and then grabbed two chairs from the dining room to drape the front of it so it could be a little higher along with the middle part to help stabilize it.

Christine's head popped out, "Mommy, you need a pirate hat too!" She ducked out and ran to her room before Brennan could remind her about not running in the house and came back in the blink of an eye, little arms filled with paper, crayons and art supplies, and a bubble machine. Brennan crawled in with her kids and the three of them shared snacks and made pirate hats.

Booth had finally gotten off the call with Aubrey after forty minutes. One of the junior agents had seriously screwed up an arrest leaving Booth and Aubrey to figure out how to do damage control without Caroline screaming murder at them. All he wanted to do was eat dinner and spend the night with his family. Speaking of, as he walked out of the bedroom the first thing he noticed was the rogue bubbles floating down the hallway. Curious he kept walking and came upon the rather massive and surprisingly well-crafted fort that stood in his living room. He heard Brennan's giggles next and the sound brought a smile to his face, one he would never tire hearing.

Then came Christine's and Hank's voice asking Brennan to blow more bubbles. He quickly ran back to their room and grabbed the camera. Coming back outside, he ducked down in front of the opening and snapped a couple of pictures. Brennan had her back to him, slightly turned on the side. Christine sat in front of her, paint was on her arms and pirate hats scattered around. Hank laid down, his head by Brennan's lap as he tried to catch the bubbles from the machine. Their snack plates and juices around them like a picnic. Pirate hats adorned all their heads. Brennan turned her head to blow some more bubbles with the machine when Booth immediately captured the candid moment on camera. She blinked a few times, "Hey you're done!"

"Daddy! Come join us!" Christine called out. Brennan tilted her head inviting him in. He crawled in and sat beside her.

"Call went okay?" she asked.

"Eh, it was alright. I'd rather not talk about it right now though." He kissed her temple picking up one of the many pirate hats they'd made and put one on his head. The small size of it allowed it to only rest on his head. Brennan nodded in understanding and squeezed his arm that was next to hers. She laughed when caught sight of the hat.

"So what's going on here?" Booth asked, amused that he was sitting in this massive fort.

"Mommy built it, Daddy! It's our pirate hideaway! And we have magic bubbles!" Hank told him, swiping up another carrot stick munching on it.

"And I see Mommy has been giving you guys rabbit food."

"Booth," Brennan whined looking at him pointedly. She was about to launch into why encouraging her kids to eat healthily was a good thing when Christine beat her to it.

"It's not rabbit food Daddy. It's healthy snacks so we can grow big and strong. Right mommy?"

"That's right, baby." Brennan beamed at her daughter.

Booth chuckled, clearly thinking like mother, like daughter. To which he had no problems. He had told Brennan a few years ago that if Parker had turned out like her, he would be the proudest Dad ever and that included their other two kids. He loved seeing how much they listened to Brennan and took everything she told them seriously. It also helped that she took her time explaining things to them, always giving them the truth and doing so with such patience.

She was truly an exceptional mother and what she did for them right now proved that. Booth was always amazed at the life they had created together and witnessing how much his wife had grown over the decade and a half that they'd known each other but it always stopped his heart when he saw the things she did for her children. The selfless way she loved them, and yes, there were those not-so-perfect moments, but she always came back to them and gave them as much of her as she could. He couldn't imagine his children having a better mother.

"Hey Bones," he whispered.

"Yeah?" she turned to face him, the amusement and smile still on her face.

"I love you. They'll never forget this."

She blushed and ducked her head. Looking back up at him, she smiled and nodded not trusting her words right now. For the rest of the evening, the family hung out in their 'pirate hideaway'. Dinner was cooked and served picnic style, mac 'n cheese, and pigs in a blanket by popular demand. By bedtime, both parents had to coax their kids to go and get ready for bed, promising that they could come back to the hideaway for storytime. Booth read to them and they didn't realize the tiny predicament they were in until both kids promptly fell asleep during the fourth story.

"Should we take them to bed?" Booth whispered.

"No, I think if they realize they're being moved, it'll start a collective tantrum. Just make sure that they're comfortable and I'll go grab the baby monitor from Hank's room so we can put it out here." Brennan ducked out of the fort while Booth rearranged the pillows and blankets. Brennan had already placed the padded, weighted floor blanket they had so he wasn't worried about the kids being uncomfortable. She came back a few minutes later with the monitor and night lamp. She placed the monitor in the back corner inside and the night lamp at the fort entrance.

Both parents then ducked out agreeing to keep on the dimmer kitchen lights so if either one of the kids woke up during the night, they could see and weren't in total darkness. They turned to look at their kids, both of them curled up on their side, snuggled under blankets and heads resting on pillows, Hank had brought his tiger out when he came back after changing which was now being cuddled. Christine hugging the teddy bear Max had gotten her.

Booth and Brennan then went about their nightly routine, Booth still amazed at Brennan. The thing that drove him wild was the fact that she probably wasn't even thinking much about it. To her, it was simply, she made a fort, her kids had fun, and the end. But to him, it was one of the many little things she did that reminded him of her love for their family. She was coming out of the bathroom, his oversized t-shirt still on, hair down framing her face when he felt an overwhelming need to hug her.

He walked over to her and gathered her in his arms. His hand holding her head to him while the other snaked around her waist.

"Booth?"

He leaned back, tilting her head up. His brown eyes gazed lovingly into her blue eyes. She felt the heat rising up in her from the intensity of his stare. She could see nothing short of love and adoration in them. He brought his forehead down to rest on hers. He closed his eyes and took a breath savoring the scent of her. She smelled like a mix of the lavender and vanilla lotion she used.

She brought a hand up and held his cheek. Her fingers running along his jawline. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

He nodded, opening his eyes. "Yeah, I just… thank you. Thank you for being such a wonderful mother to our children, for loving them, caring for them, trying for them. I know the past couple of months have been hard but they are so lucky to have you. I'm lucky to have you, that you have chosen me to spend your life with."

"Oh Booth. I couldn't imagine a better man to spend my life with. What we have, this life, our children, I love it all. I love you all. I never thought I'd get the chance to be a mother, to have this life. This is all thanks to you, Booth. You came into my life and turned it upside down in the messiest and wonderful way. "

Booth closed the gap between them and kissed her. Soft and slow. Pouring every bit of his love into it. Brennan met him with as much passion, moaning into the kiss, curling her hand around his neck running her fingers up and down his neck. His hand that was holding her head kept cradling it with such a gentle strength Brennan found herself dizzy from it all.

Their love had been the result of years of partnership, years built into their history and now that they had this shared life with one another, it wasn't strange for either one of them to be floored by the significance of it when they shared these intimate moments. Her other hand slid under his shirt and she ran her fingers over his torso. His muscles twitching at her touch. He gently sucked her lower lip with his, a whimper escaping her. She broke away, eyes heavy with want, with a need to be connected to him.

"Booth… make love to me," she whispered going to kiss him again, the need evident.

Booth wrapped both arms around her, lifting her and carrying her over to the bed. He gently laid her on the bed and hovered above her. Trailing a finger along her jaw, he kissed her forehead. "There's nothing I would love more than to show you how much I love you, baby."

Becoming one. Two objects occupying the same space. It was something Brennan hadn't believed but now, as she lay in her husband's arms, her body being worshipped by him, her reciprocating and then coming and falling together in the most beautiful and intimate of ways, she couldn't imagine her life without becoming one with Booth.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think, they make my day and the more reviews, the more I feel motivated to keep writing :)