A/N: Okay so, the previous chapter was basically a filler kind of chapter. I wanted to provide a little backstory into how we got to where we got to in this chapter. I'm genuinely happy that you all seem to be intrigued and want to know more! I'll admit that I was kind of nervous about how people would react to where I wanted to take the storyline of B&B and a new baby but I also knew that this would be an interesting change for the two of them and I mean hey, we still got a ways to go before I think of ending things so, I hope you stick with me through it.

Heads up! Things do get a lil spicy at one part so proceed as you may with that ;)

As always, thank you for all your kind words and the time you spend reading (even if you don't leave a review, I'm grateful that you interact with this story, although I would really love to hear your thoughts). Okay, okay, I'm done being sappy. Proceed!

Ever since Russ had gone back to prison after coming back to see Hayley that one time, Brennan had finalized her decision in becoming a foster parent. Russ and Amy had reached out and asked her to do it so that if anything were to happen to Amy while Russ was still in prison or even after he got released if anything were to happen to the two of them, Brennan would be in a position to be able to take care of their children. Truth be told though, her time in the system had influenced her decision more than anything else. Brennan knew all too well about the cruelties that existed in the foster system. In a system designed to protect kids, it was rare that a good family was found.

Physical abuse, emotional and mental abuse, neglect, starvation, Brennan had experienced it all and didn't wish it upon any child. It was brutal and cruel. While her job was demanding and she had reservations about being a parent at the time she completed the training courses and received her certification, she knew that if it ever came down to it, she would make sure she provided the utmost care to any child trusted in her care. She would not hesitate to make them feel loved, wanted, and protected. Financially, she knew she would be able to provide but she also knew that that wasn't where foster kids needed provision most. Yeah, they could do with clothing, hygiene products, food, medication if needed, and all of that but love, care, and understanding. That's what they all needed and Brennan knew what it was like to not have it, to crave it. On the last day of the training, as she sat in her chair, she made a promise to herself that if the opportunity came her way to put the things she learned in her training to practice and to give a child the love and protection she never got, she would go all in.

Life, however, had kept moving forward and besides Baby Andy, Brennan wasn't presented with any cases. She hadn't really thought much about it until she and Booth were moving in together. They were packing up her apartment, she in her bedroom and he in her home office helping her pack away her files when he came across the folder and got curious.

"Bones?" he called out.

"Yes, Booth?" she answered back but when he didn't respond, she walked, well being eight months pregnant, more like waddled down the hall to find him. She found him standing at her desk, folder in his hands.

"Booth, are you okay?"

"Yeah no, I was just wondering... You've been a foster parent this whole time right?"

Unsure of where the conversation was going, she decided to just go along with it. "Yes, since 2007."

"Yeah, I remember when we had to care for Andy," he trailed off smiling as the memory played through his mind. "I was just... you never did take on any cases after that. Why?"

Brennan sighed. She looked up at Booth and could see nothing but sincerity and genuine curiosity in his face. She crossed over to stand beside him, slightly sitting on the edge of the table. "Well, things got really busy with work. I had my father's trail, and then… there was that whole situation with Gormogon and Zack…" Booth instantly picked up her hand and held it in his. He knew how much it still hurt her to talk about Zack. He gently squeezed her hand, a silent sign of support and Brennan smiled in return.

"And then we went to England and our caseload got pretty busy for a while… not to mention what happened with your brain tumor and then what happened between us a year later. I called and let them know that I might not be the ideal choice and if they could, leave me as a last resort option." Brennan shifted slightly hoping he wouldn't ask what he was going to next.

"But what happened after we came back? I know that while things between us weren't the best, we weren't as ladened down with cases." Brennan took a breath and looked away trying to gather the strength to tell him the truth but she also knew that if she did tell him the truth he would feel guilty and that's the last thing she wanted.

Booth noticed her hesitation. "Bones, hey, look at me." He put the folder down on the desk and tilted her face towards his. "You can tell me okay? Whatever it is, Bones, I'm here." Brennan nodded, her free hand went to rubbing her rounded belly absentmindedly. She steadied herself and figured now or never.

"Yes, that's true. When I came back from Maluku, and we were working together again, I did have time to foster. I could've called again and let them know that I was more available but I didn't. I just… I knew that I could be a good parent, you've told me before, and considering my history in the system, I knew what I'd never do, I knew what a foster child needed. Financially, I could provide for them without having to worry about the money they would provide. Objectively, I knew I'd be okay but… at the time Booth, you were with Hannah, and if I'm being completely honest… I just.. I… I didn't feel like I could do it without you."

Booth stood still, his breath caught in his throat. While he wasn't sure what she would've said, he certainly didn't expect that. But before he could stop her, she continued.

"You have always been there for me Booth. Even if I didn't want to acknowledge it in the past, you were there. When we took care of Andy, it was your experience I leaned on Booth. I didn't know anything about caring for an infant but you did. You came over that night and walked me through it. You stayed in the guest room just in case we needed you, you didn't have to but you did."

Booth couldn't help but smile at the memory of him and Bones making a little makeshift bassinet for Andy that night out of a spare laundry basket she had and blankets and pillows. He had gotten up a few times during the night to check on Andy and Brennan. She'd left her door open and though he didn't go all the way in, he peered inside and made sure they were both okay. Then, at four a.m. when he got up to check on them, he found Brennan outside sitting with Andy on the couch. She was rocking herself, feeding him a bottle, and cooing to him softly. Booth didn't want to interrupt her and potentially embarrass her so he stood by the kitchen looking out into the living room. He wondered how she could ever think she'd be a bad mother. Looking at her with Andy, how gentle she was with him, how attentive she was and even how goofy she was pulling faces at him while she fed him, she was a natural. He knew right then and there that Brennan's heart was her biggest muscle. If people could see her now, they'd regret ever calling her cold or calculated.

Brennan spoke up again, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I know that you weren't a foster parent Booth but as my partner, I… it… I wanted to have your support but with the way things were between us…" she trailed off again not trusting herself to say anything else.

Looking at her now, Booth was moved beyond words that she held back from something he knew she wanted because she couldn't do it with him. He also felt the guilt and shame rise up knowing that during the time he was dating Hannah, he didn't make much time for him and Bones like he used to. Looking back, he recalled all the times she put herself forward and offered for them to do things together but he had been too caught up to even realize.

"Bones, I… I don't know what to say… I mean, 'sorry' doesn't even begin to cover it."

"Booth no. Don't apologize, you made a choice then. It's okay… I don't hold it against you." Brennan looked up at him and could see him fighting the emotions that were building. She raised a hand and rested it on his chest. "Please don't agonize over it Booth. What's done is done."

Booth nodded and placed a hand over hers. Their fingers intertwined and he held her hand close to him. "I promise you Bones that I'll be by your side and our baby's. Okay, we're partners. Through and through. You have my support, my love, all of me."

Brennan smiled and squeezed his hand in acknowledgment.

"I do have something else to ask you though."

"Okay." she breathed.

"Do you still want to foster? In the future I mean. We'll be pretty busy in the upcoming months and few years but generally, is it something you'd still consider?"

"Yes. I can't explain it, which frustrates me because I'm normally quite adept at explaining things." Booth chuckled at this. "But yes, if I can, I would love to."

"Then it's settled. Once things pan out with moving and getting into a routine with the baby, I'll enroll in the training and become certified. That way we can do this together officially." Call it her hormones or the fact that she was overwhelmingly in love with the man standing beside but Brennan wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as best as she could with her belly.

"I… thank you, Booth." Booth wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple. He couldn't think of anything he wouldn't do for her.

Brennan stood in the shower letting the warm water run over her body. She had woken up an hour ago and spent some time in the living room drinking her coffee and reading one of the new anthropology journals she received in the mail the other day. Booth and the kids were still sleeping when she woke up and decided to let them rest a while longer, it was still pretty early. School had picked up for Christine again but not to the extreme it had been. They'd mostly been reviewing and preparing for her final exams. A task she was already so done with. Booth and she had been rotating their schedules helping her, Brennan even going to the extent of making little mock tests and printing them out on the home printer for Christine to use to review.

Brennan could see the exhaustion in her daughter's face though. While Christine had a love for learning, something she inherited from her mother, being at school virtually for so long had taken its toll. Brennan did her best to encourage her, and Booth took on the role of giving her treats whenever they got through a section of the units they were reviewing. He'd spent a lot of time in the kitchen baking cookies and brownies and even going out to pick up some of Christine's favorite gummy worms. He thought Brennan would have said something, but she just wanted her daughter to get through her exams any way she needed. She was also grateful for Booth, he was a great father and she found herself thinking once again that she couldn't have done any of this without him, without his support and love.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when a pair of familiar arms wrapped around her waist from behind. She rested hers above his and leaned her head back as he buried his face in her neck.

"Morning babe," he mumbled.

She chuckled and squeezed his arms to hers tighter. "Morning."

"You sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I just woke up a little earlier than I thought I would, so I spent some time reading in the living room."

Booth nodded and hugged her tighter. He admitted that he didn't like waking up without her but joining her for a shower was second best especially in the early morning. He moved her forward slightly so that they were both standing under the stream of water and kissed under her ear, the spot he knew always got her On cue, she shivered.

"Boooothhh."

"Shh, I got you, babe."

"The-the kids are gonna- oh god…" she lost all sense of coherence when she felt his finger run across her belly and trailed down. He continued kissing down her neck and across her shoulder.

"They're both still asleep, I checked and it's still early enough. Now, tell me." He brought his other hand up and Brennan cried out as he cupped her and began massaging her breast with one hand while the other lightly caressed her upper thigh. "What do you want?" he asked, his voice already husky and breathless.

"I-I… mmmm… touch me just don't… don't stop." Brennan lifted her hands behind her to clutch his head. She never understood how simple touches from him could move her as they did but she was beyond thrilled and aroused at the fact.

Booth chuckled, "You got it, babe." And he continued to pleasure her, bringing her to the edge and back down a couple of times before giving her the release she needed. As she felt the familiar spasm ignite her, she grabbed on the arm he now had wrapped around her waist. Her fingernails dug into his arm and she cried out breathlessly, only slightly registering her gratitude that he was holding her up because right now, her legs weren't. She collapsed against him, turning her head into his chest and lightly kissing it.

"Give me… give me a few seconds and I'll return the favor," she whispered, trying to catch her breath. Booth smiled and kissed her head.

"If we hurry in here, we might be able to make it to bed before the kids wake up." She looked up at him, grinning salaciously.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?"

Both sated, Booth and Brennan laid in bed holding each other talking about Thanksgiving plans. They were going to plan a video call with everyone but as for their immediate family, them, and the kids, they were thinking of ways to still make it a good time. Both of them decided that they would still bake both the apple pie and pumpkin bread they normally did but agreed that dinner would be a smaller event, neither wanting to eat tofurkey or turkey sandwiches for weeks on end until Christmas. Their conversation was interrupted by Booth's phone.

"Booth," he answered.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Brennan sat up, hearing his side of the conversation. She saw his brows furrowed together and shock passed over his face.

"Yeah. Okay, listen. I need to talk to Bones about this… how soon do you need a response?"

Okay. Okay. I'll call you back by then. Yeah. Thanks, Aubrey. Be safe man." He ended the call and looked at Brennan.

"Booth? What's wrong? Is Aubrey okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, they umm got some development in that Kennings case they were following and they went over to the place that surveillance had been canvassing and did a sweep. Found three dead bodies."

"Oh my god."

"That's not even the shocking part." Booth felt his frustration build. Every time he encountered a case with a child being treated wrong or left in a terrible condition, his blood boiled. Coming from an abusive childhood situation and being a father himself, he could never fathom parents putting their children in harm's way. "Jessica and he found a baby girl upstairs. About four months old."

"Is she…" Brennan felt the bile rising up.

"No. No. No. Thank God. She's okay. Paramedics were on the scene and they took her to the hospital, got her checked out and she's okay."

Brennan sighed in relief. "I'm assuming something is still wrong."

"Yeah," Booth sat up a little taller and grabbed her hand in his. "Her mother was found dead on the scene, the father, Kennings' right-hand man, was the body that washed up a week ago and ended up at the lab. She'd basically orphaned."

Brennan's heart constricted. "Are they going to put her in the system?" Her brain already running with an option.

"Aubrey said that the social worker there wants to but they're trying to locate family, so it's going to be emergency care but he's worried that any other family might be caught up in the drug mob and Caroline doesn't want to bring an outsider family into things. She wants to make sure the baby is safe."

"Booth, we are registered foster parents," she said gently.

"I know Bones, that's why he called to ask if we would take her in as an emergency case until they find her family."

"And if they don't?"

"I guess we take it a day at a time from there." Booth looked at his wife and could see the emotion building in her eyes. They'd had this conversation years ago and he knew where she stood with the foster system, left to the mercies of one abusive situation after the next. He also knew that there was a part of her that would say yes and he would support her decision, whatever it was but at the same time, he knew that they had been trying for a baby of their own. As if reading his mind, Brennan looked up at him.

"Booth, we can't say no just because we're hoping to get pregnant. Chances are I might not conceive right now or in the near future. I… she's four months old Booth. I can't even... I don't trust leaving her there."

"I know, babe. I know. Ultimately I'm behind whatever you choose to do. But we also have to think about the kids and what their reactions are going to be."

"If we take the time to explain to them Booth, they'll understand. Not the details of the case but why we have a new baby in the house."

"You think so?" Booth asked, a little skeptical.

"They're smart children." Booth smiled at that, "Yeah they are."

"I want… I want to give this baby a safe place to live for the time being Booth. I don't trust anyone else to care for her and protect her. Much less in this pandemic? The shelters are bad enough on their own but right now? The virus is dangerous for babies her age, their immune systems aren't fully developed. If she were to get sick, the damage to her lungs would be almost irreparable."

Booth nodded. He agreed with her a hundred percent. He was also concerned about a four-month-old baby being placed into a shelter and he didn't trust any other family to take her in. He knew that with him and Brennan, they took the necessary precautions whenever they went out, and if needed, he had access to the Hoover testing site, so did Brennan. Christine and Hank were up to date with their vaccines and were healthy, thank God. Little Shepsky probably wouldn't be a concern but they'd been proactive in keeping him up to date with his puppy vaccines.

Generally, their home was safe, a blessing the two of them didn't take for granted. They had enough food to go around, money to provide more, a spare room they could turn into a little nursery until further notice. And most importantly, they had love. Enough of it to go around. Coming from abusive childhoods, when Brennan got pregnant the first time, they both promised each other that love would be the foundation of their family. Neither able to entertain the thought that they'd put any child of theirs through what they went through.

Brennan looked at Booth. The father of her children, the man to who she compared every other man. He was her standard and in the years she'd seen him be a Dad, to Parker and then to Christine and then to Hank, she couldn't imagine a better father. He was selfless with his time and attention, loved them fiercely, and protected them. He also many times got down to their maturity level and goofed off with them, something she knew both their younger children loved immensely. She hadn't yet met this baby but she knew that by bringing her into their home, Booth would find a way to love her too.

Booth looked at Brennan as she looked at him and shared a similar thought. In the years he'd know Temperance Brennan, he'd loved all of her. But watching her grow into her maternal instincts and care for their children was one of his favorite sides of her. She was the definition of 'momma bear' whether she wanted to admit it or not. The gentle way she took care of them when they were hurt, she never raised her voice at them if she could help it and if she slipped, she was quick to apologize and reaffirm her love to them. Christine, Hank, and Parker loved her and he knew that all of his children were proud to call her "mom". Bringing this little baby girl into their lives, though she didn't carry her in her womb, Brennan would love and care for her all the same. That he knew for a fact.

They shared a smile with each other and Booth wrapped his arms around her. "So, are we doing this, Bones?"

"Yes, if you're okay then yes, I want to."

He pulled back and tilted her chin up. "Babe, do you remember what you told me, about wanting my support if you ever fostered a child?" She nodded. "You have my support, my love, my pride at the size of your heart. I'm doing this with you."

She leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss. "Call Aubrey and let him know we'll be at the Hoover in an hour. We're more than likely going to have to sign some paperwork. I'll go wake the kids and start preparing them."

Booth nodded. "Okay, but let's tell them about the baby together okay? Just get their little minds open."

Brennan chuckled and nodded, climbing out of bed and walking into her closet to put on some clothes. She should have probably been anxious but as she walked down the hall to go wake her children, Brennan could feel that they'd made the right decision. She also knew that with him by her side, they'd get through whatever came along with their decision.

B & B are opening their home to a little baby! I swoon if I'm being honest (and if I do say so myself haha) Thanks for reading and please don't be silent! Let me know what you think!