A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews on the last chapter! I realized a day/two after I had posted the chapter that I had a typo in my disclaimer (I've fixed it since). Hahaha. As much as I wish the Bones characters were mine, they aren't. Any characters you recognize from the show are not mine. I'm borrowing them for some fun. Lily though, is a sweet result of my imagination. We're going to keep going from where we left off last time. Everyone was pretty much sleeping and taking a short afternoon nap.

Brennan had dozed off in a couple of minutes of laying in his arms leaving Booth to his thoughts. He honestly didn't know what to expect from today. But he was grateful that it went as smoothly as it did and there were no hiccups especially concerning the paperwork or Lily not feeling comfortable with them. He knew that in the upcoming days and weeks, they would all just have to take it one day at a time, but he wasn't worried.

When he felt Brennan shifting in his arms, he rolled them, so they were lying face to face. Her eyes slowly opened, and he reached a hand up to cup her cheek. It didn't matter how many times he woke up beside her, it was always a beautiful moment he cherished.

"Hey, you have a good nap," he whispered.

"Mmmhmmm," Brennan answered, stretching and resting one of her palms on his chest. "Is Lily still sleeping?"

"Yeah, but it's been about an hour already so she might be waking up soon."

"Hmmm, okay. Lemme go check on the laundry. It should be done by now."

"No, you stay here and rest a little longer, I'll go. But umm… where are we gonna put all her clothes baby?"

"We could always empty one of our drawers for now. I have a spare one that only has a couple of tees in it."

"Mmm, a couple. Gee, I wonder where you get the rest of all your sleeping tees." Booth joked, lightly slapping her rear as he got up.

"You know your shirts are far more comfortable than mine besides if I wear any of my camisoles or nightgowns, you end up ripping them off of me before I can even get in the bed," she whined rolling over and eyeing him as he stood by the door. "Not that I'm complaining," she added coyly.

Booth inhaled as images of her in her short sleep shorts and silky camisoles flooded his memory. Every time his wife went to bed in one of them, he had to recite saints twice to hold off from immediately pulling her close to him and having his way with her.

He walked back over to the bed, snuck a hand under her back, and pulled her up to him one hand fisted, balancing him to hover over her as he kissed her senselessly. She wrapped her hands around his neck, palms resting at his nape in what she secretly referred to as 'her spot'. He kissed her for a few minutes, lips parting hers. At her whimper, he sucked her bottom lip, his hand at the small of her back pulling her impossibly closer to him.

"Mmm... god babe, I swear…" he hummed, pulling away slightly, still nipping at her lips.

"I concur," Brennan agreed breathlessly. "You know we're going to have to control ourselves until we can get her room set up, right."

Booth groaned. This was the one detail he didn't foresee. He kissed her once more and pulled back to look at her. He ran a thumb over her kiss-swollen lips. "You know, there's always the shower." He winked.

"Hmm, we'll see. Now go check the laundry so we can give Lily her bath when she wakes up and then feed our family. You know the kids will be starving when they wake up."

"Yes ma'am." He playfully saluted her and jogged out of the room. Brennan sighed and laid back down, her fingers absentmindedly ghosting over her lips. She would never forget the first time she kissed Seeley Booth in the pouring rain some fifteen years ago.

It was a moment that had driven her crazy for years. It was the first time that she had ever simply kissed a man and felt the reaction she did. No man had ever. But with Booth, all the normal assumptions went out the window. Even now, lying in bed, her body was humming for more.

More would have to wait though because Lily began stirring and her whimpers filled the room.

"Hey sweetie, come here. Hey," Brennan picked Lily up and held her to her chest. Lily calmed down as Brennan picked her up and she walked into the bathroom. Booth had already placed her bath chair in the tub along with her little bath toiletries. She started running the water as Booth came in with the towels and clothes.

"Hey look who's up!" he beamed. Lily squealed seeing him and kicked her little legs. Brennan smiled and rubbed her head.

"Do you need help?" Booth asked.

"Hmm, I think we can manage. Why don't you go start on a small afternoon snack, it's almost four anyway and I'd rather not spoil their dinner." Brennan suggested.

"Okay, how do sandwiches and vegetable sticks sound? I can make you the creamy vegetable sandwiches you like."

"Yes please, that would be great. There's ranch and hummus in the fridge we can use for the vegetable sticks."

"Gotcha. Holler if you need me." Booth kissed her temple and then left to go prepare the snacks. Brennan changed Lily out of her diaper and put her to sit in the bath chair. She went and grabbed a plastic container from under the sink and knelt beside the tub.

She took the time to wash the little head of hair and soap Lily up not once but twice. Lily was a little fish and loved the water. She splashed around when she could and when Brennan poured the water over her like rain, she squealed and babbled happily.

Brennan giggled, "You like that don't you?" Lily splashed her hands in response. Brennan had forgotten how splash-friendly bath time could become and by the next time Lily splashed at the water in her lap, Brennan figured time to get out. "Okay, let's go before you splash me some more."

That was a wrong move because as soon as she started draining the tub and lifted her out, Lily started crying. Not as loud as she did earlier but tears flowed, nonetheless.

"Shhh, it's okay, baby." Brennan rocked her around and started throwing the edge of the towel over Lily's face and pulling it back. It was a game Hank loved to play when he was smaller, especially after bath time when he was laying on the bed getting changed.

Lily stopped crying and stared until she started giggling. "There you go. See, no need to cry, sweetie. Don't worry you'll get another bath tomorrow."

Lily reached up with one hand trying to catch the towel as Brennan carried her into the bedroom. Booth had laid out her clothes and she smiled at the elephant patterned footie onesie he picked out and at her newly cleaned stuffed elephant that he placed on the bed.

He had closed the door behind him and the curtains looking into their sunroof dining nook were pulled shut. Their bedroom was nice and cozy now. Brennan set Lily down in the middle and began the familiar task of dressing and putting on diapers after baths. Lily had been entertained by her stuffed elephant and had completely forgotten about her being upset at not being in the water again.

After buttoning up her onesie at the neck, Brennan grabbed the pale-yellow baby brush and sat Lily up. She carefully and gently brushed her little hair, the ends starting to curl a little. When she was done, Lily looked at her with a no-teeth smile, and Brennan smiled with her, booping her nose. "Look at you, all clean sweetie. Let's go see what daddy has been cooking."

Brennan picked up Lily and held her on her hip, elephant balanced in between the two of them as she hung up the towel and put the baby hairbrush and powder on the vanity in the bathroom. When she walked outside, she was greeted by the sight of one special agent in the kitchen and two freshly changed kids helping him.

"Mommy! Lily!" Christine beamed. Hank put down the cup he was holding and hopped off his little stepping stool. He ran over to where Brennan was with Lily, Christine following behind.

"Can we play now?" Hank asked. Brennan looked to Booth who nodded, knowing she was silently asking if he needed any help. Brennan turned back to Hank and Christine and motioned for them to go sit by the play mat. Booth had replaced the rug out in the living room a couple of years back, wanting a fluffier and more comfortable one so the kids could lay on it while watching TV. If they fell asleep on it, he or Brennan still moved them to the couch or bed, so they were more comfortable but generally, it was a great rug to lounge on.

Brennan sat there with the kids, playing with them. Lily was laying down on the mat kicking her legs in excitement. Both kids were in love with her. Their little giggles filled the room. Some of the toys Booth had gotten her earlier were rattle toys and Lily squealed and laughed as Christine shook them for her. Booth, who was in the kitchen putting on the finishing touches on their snacks, smiled at how happy his family was. He brought everything over placing the snacks on the coffee table. Brennan reminded him to go and grab the plastic mat to put over the carpet so it wouldn't stain if there was a mess.

Pretty soon, the family of five was snacking away happily. Brennan had gotten up halfway through and made Lily another bottle and fed her as Christine and Hank finished up. Once they were done, Booth heard the familiar yapping at the back door in the kitchen. Scratching the bottom of the door.

"He probably wants some attention, Booth."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing."

"You should go, take the kids and play with him a bit."

"Don't you want to come?" Booth asked wondering if something was wrong.

"I'll be fine. Besides you know how eager Shepsky is, and I don't want to give Lily a scare if he barks or jumps up at her."

Booth thought for a moment. He didn't mind going outside ramping with the little guy and the kids, but he also wanted them to all be together.

"What if we put up the porch swing again? The hooks are still there I just need to get it out of the garage. Then you can sit there with Lily, and we'll keep Shepsky down in the yard."

Brennan tilted her head looking at him. Some time ago, Brennan had gone down to Belize on a dig at one of their Mayan ruins and while there, she'd taken a liking to the handcrafted Mayan works. A lot of the ladies were very skilled in weaving, embroidery work, and beading.

On the last day of her travels there, she had visited some of the riverside stalls they had set up before taking the ferry across to the Mayan ruin. She'd purchased some of the heavily beaded jewelry she enjoyed along with a hand-woven porch swing. She ended up needing to purchase a whole other suitcase to be able to take it with her back to D.C., but it was worth it.

She and Booth had to put it away and store it though after Hank had a way too close incident in it while swinging. They'd left him outside for a little bit while they had gone in to get lunch and check on Christine who wasn't feeling well that day. On the big bang outside followed by his screams, the two raced outside to see him sitting there on the floor, right under the swing.

It took Brennan a whole fifteen minutes to coax him into telling her what happened. And when she heard that he'd try to climb in without help, she gave him a stern talking about not doing so without her or Booth there to help. While also showering him with hugs and kisses. Later that night, they decided to keep it down and stored to prevent any more mishaps.

"That should be fine Booth. Thank you," she smiled up at him. Booth, who had been sitting next to her, wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple.

"How's the little elephant doing?" He bent his head and pulled faces at Lily who giggled in response.

"Boootthhh," Brennan whined chuckling, "Must you give animal monikers to all of our children? Christine is the only one who doesn't seem to have one. Also, even young elephants aren't tiny by any means."

Booth flashed her his 'Boothy smile'. "Nonsense, she's my little bear. You know how much she loved Brother Bear when she was younger."

Brennan shook her head. Little bear, tiger, and now elephant. She was pretty certain they were raising a zoo. At the cacophony of 'yes' at the mention of going outside with Shepsky, it was confirmed. A cute, loud zoo. She simply laughed softly and looked down at Lily who was wide awake looking around at everything.

"Oh, sweet girl, you're in for a time. That's for sure." She whispered.

Booth helped her set up the porch swing and once she and Lily were settled in it with books and toys and water for Brennan, Booth took the kids and Shepsky into the yard to play. He'd taken out the small football as well figuring he could start teaching Hank how to throw it. Booth had started teaching Parker at Hank's age and he'd loved it.

At the thought of his elder son, Booth decided he would try and call him later to catch up. Parker had taken the lockdown hard especially because it meant he couldn't fly over and be with the other half of his family. Rebecca and Drew had split a few years after she'd moved to England, none of them able to take the long-distance for much longer. So, for a while, it'd just been Parker and his mom, a thought he'd expressed to Booth before that made him kinda feel out of sorts.

Booth hated the thought of his son feeling that way, so he decided he'd wake up at the obscene time to give his son a call. Time differences were seriously hard.

Brennan sat on the porch swing, Lily in her lap, gently swinging. It wasn't too cold outside yet, but it was chilly. She donned her thick brown cardigan and brought an extra blanket outside for Lily and they'd been perfectly comfortable in the warmth they had. Brennan had thought back to a time before this where she'd have been too restless to sit still. But right now, she was content watching her family play around.

Her children were happy and that's all that mattered. Lily was awake, babbling every so often and Brennan engaged her in small conversation. Pointing things out to her and talking to her. But soon, the cool fall breeze and gentle rocking motions of the swing combined with Brennan softly running her fingers through Lily's hair had her dozing off.

Brennan knew that while babies her age still needed as much sleep as they could get, they typically stayed awake for longer periods throughout the day than Lily had. But, given the circumstances, Brennan couldn't fault her. The poor babe was probably exhausted and just grateful to be in an environment where she could rest without worry. She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Lily's forehead. She still couldn't fathom putting such a young baby at risk. She knew that situations were difficult, and her birth mom had done everything she could to protect her which explains hiding her away in a closet, but it still made Brennan shake with chills at the what-ifs.

It was done and over with though. While there was still the thought of moving forward from the temporary foster placement they were doing to a more permanent one, Brennan decided to not stress. She and Booth would cross that bridge when they got there.

She instead focused her attention on said husband. He had thrown on an old T-shirt and his gray joggers he wore whenever he went running. For a man who was quickly approaching his fiftieth birthday, he was in great shape. Booth wasn't overly vain about his body. He didn't spend hours upon hours in the gym. He worked out daily yes to stay in shape whether by running or doing some of his reps in the garage. She also knew he did it to keep himself busy when he could. Since they had both chosen to stay home, they had a lot more free time on hand during the day. Well, when the children weren't needing them.

Brennan also had to admit that she loved his body. The way his muscles flexed whenever he worked them. Anthropologically, she'd get into the scientific and biological way her body was programmed to respond to him. But when they were alone together, making love and renewing that connection between them, she dropped all anthropological pretenses. Her husband was just point blank hot and sexy.

There was a time that she had been worried they'd fall out of connection with each other. Granted it was caused by her own insecurities, but Booth had proven to her, time and time again that she was it for him. That he would never want anyone else the way he wanted her.

She was sometimes awestruck at his dedication and love to her but humbled that in all her social awkwardness and hyper rationality, he chose her. And she would choose him ten times over. She thought about the fact that his fiftieth birthday was coming up in a week. She'd been making plans the year before to do a big birthday dinner for him at their home. Invite their family, his mom, and Reggie and she'd even considered getting Parker to fly over for the weekend. But with the pandemic, her plans had been botched. Well, not totally.

She could still make him a nice birthday dinner. She'd have to let him grill his own steak though, but she'd go all out for him. They could call Parker and Rebecca and talk for a bit. She also thought about making him breakfast in bed. Her mind went to an online boutique she'd been browsing on a while ago. Angela had sent her the link and while on it, she'd spotted a nice 'little outfit' she'd love to wear for him. Hopefully, she had enough time to order it, and have it shipped, and they would have enough time to get Lily's room all set up so they could spend the night before and the night uninterrupted for a bit.

Booth had spent the past few minutes teaching Hank how to hold and throw the football while Christine was playing fetch with Shepsky. Every so often, they all end up running into each other. He glanced up from his spot and saw Brennan with a far-off look on her face. He tossed the ball to Hank and told him to play with his sister and Shepsky for a bit while he went to go check on Brennan.

He walked over and when he caught her attention she smiled softly at him, his heart sped up. That soft crooked smile of hers always got him. He pulled up on the porch chairs and sat slightly off the side of her.

"You okay, you got that look on your face."

"And what look would that be?"

"I call it your thinking look. It's like you're trying to plan out everything in the world all at once."

She smiled. "No, no. I'm okay. Just thinking a little but not too much."

"Do you want to share?"

"I'd rather it be a surprise," she winked.

"Bones, what are you up to?" he asked poking her knee.

"Nothing really, you'll have to wait and see."

He shook his head. Ever since her fortieth birthday when she planned a surprise party for herself but while also making plans to surprise Angela and Daisy, he knew that she had a knack for surprises. Even though she herself didn't really like them, she loved planning them for other people. He looked to Lily who was still sleeping, nestled comfortably in Brennan's arms under the blanket. Brennan followed his gaze and smiled.

"She's been out for a couple of minutes, probably catching up on sleep."

"Well, she's had a very exciting day so far."

Brennan nodded. She and Booth settled down watching their two children ramp around with their puppy and they made small talk between themselves. It was one of the things they enjoyed about their relationship. Since they became closer during their partnership, they could literally talk about any and everything. Serious talks and even goofy conversations sparked by Booth of course. But the companionship they found between themselves was cherished dearly by the two of them. Soon enough, Booth called the kids over to go and wash up for dinner.

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think as always!