Laura is such a fantastic Beta, so chapter 4 is already complete.

The next morning Booth and Brennan went to the mall after they had taken Emma to school. They found a shop where they could look for their new swimsuits. While Booth rummaged through the men's section, Brennan went looking in the woman's department.

As she scoured through the collection of onepiece swimsuits, suddenly a blue bikini hanging on a nearby rack caught her eye. She liked the deep blue color very much and quickly decided to give it a try, so she went to the changing room and tried it on. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, turning back and forth to get a better view, she was very pleased with what she saw.

However, she wasn't sure what Booth would have to say about it. Knowing his protective side, he'd argue that this bikini was way too tiny, revealing way too much cleavage, but she decided it was just right. She was happy with it, and that was what mattered.

A small smug smile played over her lips when she went to the cashier to pay for her purchase. Booth will certainly be surprised…

§§§

After their shopping trip, they went to the hospital to check on Amy and Haley. Haley was still sedated, but the doctor had told them that her condition was getting better and if things stayed that way they would wake her the next day. That was good news. Amy was sto relieved and couldn't stop hugging Brennan. Brennan's eyes met Booth's, and he slowly nodded at her, telling her without words, "You did the right thing."

They left the hospital shortly after lunch to pick up Emma from school. Amy had told them where to find towels and blankets to take to the beach, along with sunscreen and some toys to play with while they were there.

Amy had also given them directions to a nice part of the beach, where it wouldn't be too crowded…at least not on a Thursday afternoon. They easily found the place, so they put down their blanket and set up a sunshade. They also brought a small cooler with some drinks.

It felt a lot like a vacation day and the tension of the last days had vanished, mostly, of course, due to the good news they'd received from the hospital. It was time to relax.

While Booth was fixing the parasol for the proper angle to bring them some shade, Brennan had already slipped out of her bermuda shorts and t-shirt. Booth looked up from his kneeling position and gasped out loud. Skin…there was lots of beautiful skin right there in front of him. His eyes roamed over her body, seeing so much to admire.

There was his partner clad in a bikini… a bikini that was much too small for his liking.

Well, that wasn't really true. He liked it…very much so…but he wasn't sure it was really appropriate for her to wear it in public like that. However, he figured Bones would just laugh at his overprotectiveness if he said something.

His breathing had just returned to normal when he locked eyes with her. It was then he recognized that she knew exactly what that blue bikini would do to him. Is she wearing it on purpose, knowing what it would do to me? He nodded as the thought crossed his mind. Does she want to tease me a bit? Does she know how attractive she is to me? Sure looks like it…

They'd danced around each other for years, always moving closer but never crossing their self drawn line. He pondered the situation again. Is she scratching at that line, wanting to erase it soon? To him it felt like that…immensely so, but the timing was bad. There was no way they could talk about it at that moment.

Emma was already jumping impatiently up and down. She couldn't get into the water fast enough.

"Wait, wait…just a minute." Brennan was holding her back. "First we have to use some sunscreen for protection." She reached inside her bag for the bottle and dropped some lotion into Emma's hand and then gave some to Booth.

She rubbed some lotion onto Emma's back before starting with her own body. Without waiting for his approval, she then started to spread some lotion on Booth's back, sliding her hand all over his strong muscles.

Yep, she definitely wants to push some of my buttons. Booth took a deep breath. This was not the time to act funny, so he tried to ignore how good her hands felt on him.

Without further ado he decided to give her a little payback, grabbing the bottle and pouring some lotion on his hands. Turning Brennan's back to him, he started with her shoulders and slowly worked his way down until he reached the small of her back, his favorite spot. The skin on skin contact felt wonderful to him.

Brennan felt the same way, but she tried to keep it a secret. However, she soon shot him a glance over her shoulder, a wide smile on her lips. She sensed what he was doing. Maybe she wasn't good at reading other people, but she could read Booth just fine.

It felt like flirting to her, and she was more than ready to join in the game. When Booth had finished his task, he bent down and placed a very small kiss onto one shoulder and then winked at her. They were really pushing their line here. Brennan arched an eyebrow in response. Why isn't this unsettling me? How is it that I feel like it's just the right moment…that now is the time to change our relationship?

But Emma was pulling at her hand, impatiently wanting to get to the ocean, so there wasn't time to think about that anymore.

They finally made it to the water and waded in. Booth did everything so that Emma could have fun, letting her fall off his shoulders, sending her flying out of his arms, and twirling with her through the waves. He made sure that she was always nearby, not letting her out of his sight.

Brennan was deeply touched how much he cared for her little niece. Raising Parker had made him a wonderful father, and that dedication was showing here, too. Brennan hadn't done much swimming of her own, instead standing waist deep in the water as she watched Booth with Emma, since it was so much fun.

While she was standing in the waves talking to Emma, she didn't realize that Booth had approached her from behind until she felt his strong arms around her, and she realized too late what he had in mind. In one swift motion, he had enfolded her, bridal style, into his arms and then threw her into the water with one big sweeping motion.

Squealing loudly, she landed in the water with a splash. Coming back up to the surface, she heard Booth and Emma laughing loudly. "Booth, you'll pay for that!" she shouted, but she couldn't stop laughing, either. They really were having a good time.

Later, they went for a walk along the waterfront. They had brought a small bucket and were collecting little shells they found in the sand. Emma wanted to build a sand castle and needed some decorations.

While they were walking, Booth suddenly took Brennan's hand in his. She was surprised about this action, but didn't mind one bit. There was a new intimacy between them and it felt just right, even if it did make her stomach flutter a bit.

After coming back to their spot, they ate some snacks and then Emma started building her castle a little distance away from where they were sitting but within Booth's and Brennan's sight.

Brennan stretched out on her back, enjoying the sunshine. Booth had laid down next to her but on his side, resting his upper body on his elbow, enjoying the view in front of him. She had closed her eyes and he took that as permission to admire her a little bit more without her noticing.

God, she is so beautiful.

After a while, Brennan opened her eyes and found him looking at her, but she wasn't a bit irritated by it, as if she was expecting it somehow. She'd literally felt his gaze upon her even before opening her eyes. Being the focus of Booth's attention made her feel special and while she didn't want to admit it, she felt loved. Are we turning tables these days? Everything seems to go in this direction. Why is it that I'm not panicking about that? Why is it that I feel so calm, welcoming the attention? She had no answer for those questions but soon realized that for once in her life she didn't care.

"Booth, I did some thinking while we went for our walk earlier."

He chuckled. "Yeah, Bones…of course you did. That beautiful brain of yours is always working, right? Couldn't give it a time out, huh?"

She gave him a playful slap to his chest, since he was laying close enough for her to do that. "Booth, I'm serious here." She smiled at him. "As I said, I've thought something through and I made a decision."

He grew serious. "Okay. So do you wanna share your thoughts?" He looked at her in surprise, wondering what she meant.

"Well…" She hesitated a bit. "I've thought about how easy it was for me to help Haley, because I'm lucky enough to have the money to do so. It's a blessing to be able to do that for her."

He nodded silently, letting her tell him more about her musings.

"So, I thought about setting up a fund for both of the girls, for their education. I'd like to give them a chance to go to a good college or university. I want to give them the opportunity to concentrate on their studies without thinking about how they'll pay for everything. I also want to make sure they don't have enormous debts from student loans."

"Bones…" Booth's voice became very soft. "That's an amazing idea." He couldn't help but lay his hand on her cheek. "And very generous of you, too."

"Well, Booth, I can easily afford it, and instead of giving my money to some charity I may not know much about, I think it's a much better way to spend my money."

Booth nodded again. "Yes, I understand. You love them." A big smile grazed his lips. "And because of that, you want to care for them in lots of different ways." His fingers slid along her cheek, caressing her. He wanted to show her how much he appreciated what she was telling him.

She took a deep breath. "And I thought of doing this for Parker, too." She looked at him, a little bit unsure how he would react.

"Bones, I can understand why you'd want to do this for your nieces… " He gave her a loving glance. "But, you know…my little boy isn't really a part of your family."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "But Booth, it's you who keeps telling me that there's more than one kind of family." She couldn't hold his gaze, staring at his chest where her hand lay, her fingers opening and closing nervously. "You and Parker, you're my family, too."

"God, Bones." He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her, overwhelmed suddenly by how much he loved her for that heartfelt statement, but they were at a public place and Emma was also nearby. He couldn't act on his feelings like he wanted to…at least not yet.

His hand gently slid down from her face, over her throat and landed on her sternum, right above the swell of her breast. He tenderly pressed his hands to the spot. "Please don't tell me ever again that you don't have an open heart…not ever. There's so much love and care in there, and I'm dazzled by it."

She was a little breathless because of his bold actions. "Booth, how often do I have to tell you? The heart is just a muscle! There's only blood in there, nothing else."

He chuckled. "Bones, you're being too literal, but you know that, right?"

"Maybe." Shrugging, she took his hand and slowly moved it a bit down, so it lay pressed between her breasts. She smirked as she heard him take a deep breath. "And anatomically speaking, the heart is actually closer to this position."

Oh, he felt her heart. It was pulsing strongly beneath his fingertips now, as his knuckles pressed against the swell of her breasts. For a moment he forgot about where they were and that it might not be an appropriate action on a public beach, because the moment was so intimate.

"Bones, I…" His gaze went from the spot where his hand was placed and back to her eyes again, which had become significantly darker in the last few minutes. "I would so, so like to kiss you right now…but I don't know if that's really a good idea."

He looked around. "There are so many people here." He pointed with his head in the direction of Emma. "And a nosy little girl over there." He bent down anyway and pressed a very short kiss to her cheek, and then another one at the corner of her mouth. Then his lips brushed over hers and he let the tip of his tongue slide softly over them before he kissed her in earnest. It wasn't a very long, deep kiss, but it still held all the love he felt for her.

Brennan looked at him with stormy eyes. What he'd just done had sent shivers through her whole body…and a warmth that didn't come from the sun. Shifting, drifting…it seemed they were really doing it. And she was on board, welcoming every touch, every kiss, every bit of affection he showed her.

His hand was still resting on her chest, but he slowly pulled it back and then turned onto his stomach so they could talk, facing each other. He held himself upright on his two elbows as Brennan turned to her side.

He was as affected by their actions as she was. His blood was rushing through his body, and his arousal threatened to take over. The way her breasts were pressed tight together in her bathing suit top was doing nothing to help him to cool down. Everything felt like somehow things were getting out of control. What are we doing here?

When his gaze met her eyes again, he was taken aback by how easy she was to read today. They'd always had their way of communicating with only their eyes, knowing exactly what the other wanted or needed…without saying a word. Sometimes, she had a way of hiding from his gaze when she felt too vulnerable to show her real feelings, but not now, not today. What he found there there in her eyes today made him feel a bit lightheaded and deeply happy.

He didn't even have to ask if they were on the same page, because he saw it in her eyes. The way she was beaming at him, the way her hand found his…it made their connection real.

"Aunt Tempe, look, I've finished the castle." Emma's voice startled them back to reality. They'd completely forgotten about their surroundings, being focused only on each other.

Finally, Brennan turned into Emma's direction and stood up to admire her work. "How beautiful!" She sat down next to the castle and told Emma a story her own mother had told her when she was a child. She'd been so sad when the castles she'd built so carefully were washed away by the tide overnight. "My mother once told me that the castles built in the sand on the beach during the day were taken away by the water at night and rebuilt at the bottom of the sea for the mermaid princesses to live in. What do you think about that?"

Emma gave her a skeptical glance. She was somewhat too old to really believe in mermaids but she nodded anyway. "I like that story…and I think it's cool to hear something that Grandma told you when you were a little girl."

"Well, technically, she wasn't your real grandmother…," Brennan began, but Booth quickly interrupted.

"If the girls think of Max as their grandpa, then it just makes sense that they'd think of his wife as their grandma, right?" He raised an eyebrow at Brennan, hoping she'd understand how important that relationship was to Haley and Emma. "So yeah…Christine was their grandma…"

After thinking it over, Brennan nodded in agreement. "I believe your logic is valid, Booth." She put a hand above her eyes as a shield from the sun. "Hmm…I wonder if we can see any dolphins out there in the ocean. Your grandmother loved dolphins. They were her favorite animal…"

§§§

The afternoon was drawing to a close, and it was time to get ready to leave. As they packed up their belongings, Brennan noticed that Booth was watching her closely as she pulled on her shorts and t-shirt. "I think we should stop on the way home to get some fresh fruit for later. Is that okay with you, Booth?"

"What?" He looked at her in surprise when he figured out she was speaking to him. "Um…yeah…whatever you want…and maybe some ice cream for dessert too…"

"Yay!" Emma could hardly believe her luck. "That sounds great!"

"Well, you can enjoy having another special dinner tonight, but we'll need to get back to a more normal routine soon." Brennan winked at the little girl. "However, I think ice cream does sound good."

Glancing at Booth, she licked her lips as she watched him load the car. If she was reading his signals correctly, ice cream might not be the only dessert they had that evening…and that would definitely be something to look forward to…

AN: So this is finally going somewhere. Hope you liked it and please let me know in a review. Happy Sunday to you.