A/N: Dear reader, thank you for your patience. This chapter took me some time to get up but with finals done and being on a three-week break, I'm finally able to sit down and write. Here we go, chapter 4! I'm still trying to sort out how to do the 'guest chapters' where we go and visit the squints and have a chapter dedicated to them, so that will take a while to get here. In the meantime, let's continue with B&B, and this time blob they're in.

The weeks passed by in one continuous 'time-blob' and Brennan and Booth found themselves extremely busy for the last half of September into the first week of October.

Aubrey had called Booth to consult on a case that had popped up. Three victims, all found in the same neighborhood, each containing similar injuries. Brennan had driven herself into the ground working trying to figure out what could have been the cause. Because of needing someone to keep an eye on the kids and help them with school throughout the day, she had to resign herself to looking at the x-rays the squints had sent to her. But with such limitations using this method, she had been stumped. In a moment of desperation, she called Dr. Edison to provide a second opinion. He had been just as stumped but after going over the x-rays and bones in a new light, they finally concluded that the weapon was a three-pronged blade of some kind. Most likely, a garden hoe. Passing the information along to Aubrey, he had taken the information over to a profiler who had given them some semblance of direction as to who they were looking for.

Booth had gone out with him to inspect the neighborhood and after days of frustration and long hours of work, they had gotten a lead. A neighborhood kid who had been sitting up on his roof, just chilling at night, came forward and reported having seen a figure sneaking around the streets, hiding behind houses and in trash cans. Although Brennan didn't want Booth to put himself in danger without her there to ensure his safety, she relented in having him join Aubrey and the other agents at a neighborhood stakeout the night after the neighborhood kid gave them the lead.

Long story short, that same night, they apprehended the suspect who was a previous homeowner in the area but had gotten evicted from the home he was renting after destroying the property. He had been harboring resentment against everyone in the neighborhood, taking his garden hoe and stabbing residents as they left their homes at night to take out the trash.

Psycho and petty didn't even begin to cover it. Booth came home later than he suspected he would because he got caught up in helping Aubrey finalize the paperwork. The first thing he did when he walked through the door was head straight for a shower. His need to wash the day and germs away had been driving him crazy since he left his office.

He walked out of the shower and got ready for bed, the number one thought in his mind was falling asleep next to the woman he loved. But, Brennan wasn't in the house. He checked the kids' rooms, the kitchen, the home office but she wasn't inside. Heading outside, he found her sitting on the back porch, nursing a cup of tea.

"Hey Bones," he called out softly.

"Hey. Are you okay? How'd it go?"

"As okay as these things normally go. I'm telling you that guy is a complete psycho. Who even does something like that?"

"I think you just described the person Booth. A psycho," she replied in her literal sense. She scooted over on the porch swing and patted the place next to her. Taking her cue, Booth sat down putting an arm around her. Brennan's head dropped to his shoulder. The two sat in silence for a couple of minutes.

"I'm going to go get tested tomorrow just in case okay? I don't suspect anything but I want to be safe. Especially because I spent the past few days around other people." Booth told her.

"Is the Hoover providing testing services?"

"Yeah, they're realizing that agents are out and about apprehending suspects, doing interrogations. Better safe than sorry. Cullen sent out a blast email last week explaining the steps and protocols."

"Yes, I agree. That's good. You should not only get the rapid but also get a PCR test Booth. The rapid tests won't detect much if you're not exhibiting symptoms. A PCR test will confirm the results better." Brennan advised him.

"Can you imagine we have this to worry about now? I mean I thought being afraid of getting shot was enough of a worry."

"It's part of the reason why I didn't want you going tonight. But, I knew it was selfish of me. You are one of the top agents and Aubrey needed you, those people in that neighborhood needed you there to help them figure out what was going on. You saved lives tonight with that arrest." Brennan took a sip of her tea, looking out into their backyard. Booth sat in silence at her admission. He figured she had been feeling uncertain earlier but her admission touched him.

He pulled her closer to him and placed a kiss on her head. "Hey, I'm right here okay. I promise you-"

Agitation and mostly fear rose up in Brennan. "Booth you can't promise that. You don't-" He shifted so they were looking at each other and placed his finger against her lips.

"I know I can't speak for what is going to happen to us but Bones, I promised you after the lab blew up that I would be more careful. Do you remember that night we were driving to meet Aubrey and the kids at the diner? I told you, promised you that I would do what I could to stay with you. I meant it."

Brennan nodded her head. She wanted to tell him how much she needed him. How much their children needed him. That they had spent years already wasting time, that life had been proven too short to them too many times to count. They needed to cherish the time they had, to do what they could to prolong it. She wanted to tell him that she couldn't imagine a life without him, that if she hadn't lost him to a bullet, bomb or psychos over the years, she was not losing him to a virus. She wouldn't have it. She wanted to tell him all of that but all she could do was mutter what she had told him several times prior.

"You are not allowed to die. Okay?" she looked up into his face, pleading silently with him to understand her request. To see the depth behind that one statement. His reassuring brown eyes gazed into her wide blue ones and he nodded.

"I promise that I will not leave you okay. I know, baby. I know how scary it is. I promise you I will be here." He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He felt it too. They had taken so much time to get here. He had spent so many hours praying for them to find their way to one another. When life went wrong and they went their own ways halfway across the world, he had lost it, parts of him broken beyond repair he felt. But then one life lost turned into a night, a moment they would forever remember. A moment turned into a promise and the creation of a loved life. The start of a family. He had been stupid before, he had made decisions that endangered their family but no more.

He not only promised her, but he also promised himself that he would do everything in his power to stay with her. He would not leave her or their children behind and he'd be damned if a virus took him away.

Booth woke up earlier than he wanted to. He and Brennan had spent the night on the back porch talking and enjoying each other's company before coming back inside to sleep. But, as much as he would love nothing more than wrapping his arms around his wife and going back to sleep, he had to go get his rapid test at the Hoover. He decided to follow Bones' advice and get a PCR test done just to be a hundred percent accurate and while he waited for the results, he'd stay home and refrain from going out at all. He got ready and stopped to give Brennan a kiss and to let her know he was leaving.

She stirred at feeling the bed dip at her side. Booth gently brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen into her face.

"Hey beautiful," he whispered, smiling at how peaceful she looked first thing in the morning.

She muttered something which he assumed was her whining at his compliment. He didn't care, she was beautiful always, no matter the moment and he would make sure she knew that.

"I'm going over to the Hoover to get tested okay. I'll be back soon, in time for breakfast."

"Okay… be safe. I love you."

"I love you too baby." Booth gave her another quick kiss on her temple, rubbed her back, and left.

Brennan stayed in bed a little while longer, sleep claiming a couple more minutes of her time but woke up at 7:30 to begin getting things ready for her children's classes and make them some breakfast before they both had to log on to online classes. Brennan went through her morning routine, donning her robe over her pj's, and walked out into the living room. The dining room table off of the kitchen was still littered with papers, worksheets, school supplies, and laptops for both children.

Sighing Brennan walked over and began sorting through making a list of what Christine and Hank would be doing today. Hank didn't have much as he was still in kindergarten, basic letter tracing, and number worksheets. Both of which could be spaced out throughout the day so as to not overwhelm him. Christine on the other hand had started learning simple geometry. She had an upcoming test later that day. Putting her revision worksheets into a pile, Brennan figured that she could spend some time reviewing with her daughter after her first class so that she could be ready for her test.

She got into the zone, organizing, planning, and making breakfast in between doing everything that she didn't hear Booth come back in until his arms wrapped around her.

"Oh! You're back!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I came in a couple of minutes ago, but I guess you didn't hear me."

"No, sorry. I guess I zoned out a little while cooking."

"It's okay, whatcha making?"

"Well, some oatmeal and fruit for myself, cheesy eggs and waffles for the kids, some for you too of course and I was just about to grab the juice and set the table."

"I'll do it, Bones. You finish plating everything." Booth kissed her temple and unwrapped his arms from around her. The two fell into a similar yet comforting routine.

"How was the test?" Brennan asked as she placed the syrup in the middle of the table.

"It was okay, uncomfortable, I mean you won't find me on the daily sticking something that far up my nose but I can't complain. The rapid test came back negative, so now I just gotta wait for the PCR."

"That's wonderful news Booth. We'll just monitor your symptoms now in case you have any."

"Yeah, we can do that. You're gonna have to go grocery shopping tomorrow though. That way I can stay home and away from people and things."

"That shouldn't be a problem, Booth. The kids will be excited to have you home and all to themselves for a bit."

Booth smiled, already predicting he'd be roped into some game the two invented. "Speaking of, are they still sleeping?"

Brennan nodded. "Yes, they haven't come out yet. Do you want to go get them?"

"Sure. Be right back." Booth came back seconds later with two still very sleepy kids trailing behind him. Brennan looked at her kids sympathetically. She figured their grogginess had something to do with none of them wanting to go to school today and spend that long behind a computer screen. She kissed each of their foreheads, rubbed their backs encouraging them to dig in. Breakfast went by uneventfully and soon after, the kids both went their separate ways logging into school. Christine and Brennan went into the home office to be able to concentrate on prepping for Christine's test and Booth stayed at the dining table with Hank logging into the class.

By the time the day turned to evening, everyone in the Brennan-Booth household was exhausted. Brennan walked into the living room, leaving Christine to take some time to herself in her room to decompress. While Christine was academically advanced and prepared for the test, it was beyond what Brennan was expecting to be given to fourth graders and after the fifth page, Christine had had enough and began to get frustrated. Brennan had to coax her daughter to finish the other four pages and by the end of it, she had mentally composed an email she'd be sending right to the principal. It was ridiculous the amount of work that was being demanded by the kids.

"I swear I feel like I'm doing the teacher's job," Brennan muttered, running a hand over her face.

"That bad?" Booth asked from the couch where he sat going through Hank's school stuff organizing everything they'd accomplished that day into the accordion binder.

"God, Booth. Nine pages of geometry for a fourth-grade test. NINE PAGES! I know I place importance on Christine's academic success but she's still a child Booth. It was ridiculous."

Booth shook his head and smirked knowing that Brennan's frustration would more than likely prompt a strongly worded email to the principal and maybe even the school board. Better them on the receiving end of Temperance Brennan's frustrations than him. He couldn't blame her though, he had been keeping tabs on everything Christine had to do during the weeks since school went online and he had been wondering how normal that workload had been. He watched as she pulled out the ingredients to make dinner along with the bottle of Brunello. He quirked his eyebrows remembering exactly what happened the last time they shared some glasses of it.

"Umm… Bones?"

"Yes?" she answered nonchalantly, pouring herself a glass. Booth looked at her and walked over to where she stood in the kitchen. Before she could protest, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and nuzzled his face in her neck.

"Booth?"

"Do you remember what happened the last time we drank Brunello, Bones?" he mumbled.

In her typical, blunt manner Brennan responded with a slight smirk. "If I recall correctly, which I always do, we drank so much we finished the bottle and couldn't even make it to the bedroom to have sex. That was the night we conceived Hank."

Booth chuckled. "Yeah, Bones. It was."

"Wait, Booth… Do you want another child?" Brennan trailed off unsure for a moment.

"Do you Bones? I mean I know we've never really discussed the possibility of us having another child other than that one time."

"I'm sorry again Booth, I never-"

"Hey, it's okay. But seriously," he turned her around to face him. "Do you want another child, Bones?"

Brennan sighed and looked at Booth. She could see the sincerity behind his eyes and she knew that he wouldn't pressure her or be disappointed in her decision if she said no and would support her regardless. But she could also see a small hint of hope behind his eyes. She thought about their life together with their children and how afraid she had been while pregnant with Hank. But she looked at where they were now and how Booth had been able to overcome his relapse and the way he fought for them. How he had been by her side when he came home and fought to stay sober.

She thought about how grateful she had been to have him home and how much she loved their family. He truly was a great father and her children were so lucky to have him. Could they do it again? Hank and Christine were still young enough that the age gap wouldn't be tremendous. Her one concern was dealing with hospitals during a pandemic but they could take as many precautions as possible and she could have the baby at home again.

"Talk to me, baby. I could see your brain going a mile a minute."

"Oh Booth… I think about what a great father you are to our children now and how amazing our family is. And I know that whatever choice we make, we'll get through it and I… I don't know for certain Booth. If we had another child, I would never regret it nor would I be upset but the thing is, we never planned Christine or Hank. They were just wonderful surprises when we found out and I wouldn't have it any other way so planning for a child seems a bit…"

"Not our style." Booth finished softly. Brennan smiled and nodded.

"I know what you mean, Bones. How about we take it slowly and see what happens okay? Because if I'm being honest, baby, I love the thought of us expanding our family. Watching you become a mother has been one of the greatest joys of my life and I'm thankful that I'm doing this with you. But, Bones, it's no pressure on you okay. I love you and I love our family. If we just so happen to conceive again, then we'll go from there okay?"

Unable to keep still any longer, Brennan wrapped her arms around Booth and hugged him tightly. Booth returned to hug with just as much love.

"Thank you, Booth."

Kissing her cheek, Booth nodded. "Always, Bones and I mean you got to admit, we make some pretty good babies." He winked. Brennan laughed and swatted his arm.

"Oh hush up and come help me with dinner."

"Homemade pizzas?" Booth asked, seeing the different cheeses and sauces and toppings laid out on the counter. Brennan nodded. She figured it'd be a good comfort indulgence, especially for Christine. The two got to work on rolling the dough, sprinkling cheeses, and toppings on each. By now, they knew each of their child's favorite topping combinations and made two smaller ones each to their liking.

Each also quietly thinking about if they did have another child what they'd be like. What other sets of quirks would they learn? Booth kept sneaking glances at his wife and imagined her getting pregnant again, the slow and steady swelling of her belly. The glow she always seemed to get when pregnant. She also always was more sensitive during pregnancy and the thought of how much more responsive that made her sent chills down his spine, he had to start receding hockey stats to control himself.

Unconsciously, Brennan placed a hand over her stomach and thought about what it felt like to feel her child growing inside her. The little kicks, the heaviness she felt as the baby kept growing, the connection she made with her children during those nine months. She snuck a glance at her husband and thought about how much more devoted he became. Granted there were times he went a little too overboard. But Booth was always there and ready. Not to mention how much more she craved him. During her first pregnancy, she had been a bit self-conscious about it but Booth quickly erased those fears the second she voiced them. Her body shuddered at the thought of it, she made a second trip into the freezer just to feel some cool breeze.

They both knew they'd take it a day at a time and see what would happen but at that moment, Brennan and Booth knew that if they were to conceive another child, they'd be wholly happy.

Thank you for reading! As always, please let me know what you think by leaving a review! I'm doing my best to get back to everyone I haven't yet.