A Week Later

It had been an emotional past few days. Brennan was stretched out on her couch, Parker asleep in the other room. She was just sitting there, not doing anything and desperately trying not to think.

Someone had copied her book and committed three murders. Someone had used her ideas and made them real. Then they discovered it wasn't just someone but three people. Her fans. This made her feel responsible. If she hadn't written the damn book, then they wouldn't have done it. Or, as Booth pointed out, they would have just found a different way. In any case, she felt sick inside.

"You wanna talk about it?" Sully had asked. They had made up after getting into it about her safety. It was the one thing that irritated her, someone thinking she couldn't handle herself.

"No," she had shook her head. "I just want to go home."

That's where she was now. Booth had offered to take Parker, but she needed him around for the normalcy. She needed the bedtime routine, the book reading, and the hug and kiss goodnight. She needed it, and yet she knew she had to stop needing it because soon it was going to be gone.

Brennan was so not handling the idea of Parker leaving very well. She knew he had to, though, but it didn't make things any better.

She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Sully wanted to meet Parker, and she had agreed. It had been a couple of weeks, and she didn't like hiding things from Parker. She gathered he seemed smart enough to understand what dating was. He'd already asked her who she was talking to on the phone so much and why she was leaving him with Ashley an extra night a week.

The tears prickled against her eyes again. She dreaded being all alone in this apartment again.

Then she looked down at the paper in her hands and wondered for the thousandth time who had found her note to Booth and left it on her desk. It was horrifying to think that Booth himself had read it, but he would have said something surely. She knew he was incapable of helping himself when it came to certain matters, which included revealing feelings about something...or someone. If he did read it, he must think she was foolish. Why else would he put it back? Why wouldn't he tell her he read it? He obviously didn't feel the same way and wanted to spare her the hurt and rejection, and that somehow hurt even more.

She was tired of feeling like such a muddled mess.

The Next Morning

"I love Saturdays," Parker said happily. He was shoveling his after-lunch-yogurt into his mouth as fast as he could. They were going to the park like always. Booth was spending all day Sunday with him.

"Me too," Brennan agreed. She thought of what Saturdays used to be for her growing up. They usually started with cartoons and then some manner of outdoor adventure, whether it be on a bicycle or on foot. She shoved down these thoughts since they always made her think of her father, and that she wasn't about to do.

Today was a bit different, though. Today, Sully was going to meet them there and meet Parker. When they got ready to go, Brennan knelt down in front of Parker, straightening out his jacket.

"One of my friends is going to meet us there at some point," she began, looking at him. "I think you'll like him. His name is Sully."

"Friend? Or 'friend?'" Parker asked, using quotes. It never ceased to amaze her what would come out of that child's mouth.

"What do you mean?" she countered, playing dumb.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

Brennan and Sully hadn't really talked about labels, but for the sake of not making things complicated for a young boy to understand, she just nodded.

"Sort of. Yes."

"Oh."

She could hear the disappointment in his voice, and she knew that he wanted her to be with Booth, but he was going to have to move on from that.

"I think you'll like him, if you give him a chance."

"We'll see," Parker said breezily, reaching for the door knob and opening the door to go out. Brennan followed, locking it behind them. She felt nervous, and she didn't understand why.

...

Sully knew how important Parker was to Brennan. As he waited to meet the boy, he felt nervous. He knew he couldn't try too hard, and he knew he had to be careful with his interactions with Brennan. He didn't have much experience around young children, but it couldn't be that hard.

He caught sight of them by the swings, the boy pumping hard and laughing, and he inhaled slowly before exhaling just as slow. Here went nothing.

Brennan looked up as he walked towards them a few moments later. She smiled, and he saw Parker studying him carefully while sitting in the now motionless swing.

"Hi!" he said brightly. "You must be Parker."

"I am," Parker nodded carefully.

"I'm Sully."

"Nice to meet you," Parker said politely. Sully chuckled nervously.

"Nice to meet you too," he nodded. "You mind?" He gestured to the swing beside Parker, who shrugged.

"Go ahead."

Brennan watched all of this, feeling unsure of what would happen next. Parker was looking at Brennan with almost an accusatory glance, like she was betraying Booth by being with Sully. She didn't think this was fair. If Booth hadn't said he wasn't dating coworkers anymore...

"I bet," Sully said suddenly, swinging hard, "that I can jump to that green, plastic shovel right there."

Brennan turned to look and saw that it was quite the leap. She raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"What do you bet?" Parker asked. "If you lose?"

"One chocolate sundae," Sully answered. Parker's interest perked at this. Brennan smiled. Of course Sully would use dessert to win over a child. How had she not seen that coming?

"Okay!" Parker nodded emphatically. Sully swung harder, and then he launched himself. It was impressive, Brennan would give him that, but he was nowhere near the shovel when he landed in a heap.

"Oi," he groaned as Parker laughed. "It's been a long time since I've swing jumped."

Parker swung and jumped next, landing a little farther than Sully, but not by much.

"Did it always hurt this much?" Sully asked, wincing as he tried to get up. Brennan offered him her hand, and he took it. He groaned loudly as he stood up.

"Probably," she answered, smiling still.

"Can we go get that sundae now?" Parker asked hopefully.

"Sure," Sully nodded. He needed to sit down anyway. They made their way to Brennan's car. Parker started chatting about how he swing jumped at school with his friends. Then Sully told him he played basketball, which started a whole debate about a certain basketball team on TV. Brennan tuned them out by that point. She wasn't entirely interested in sports, but she was glad they were bonding a little.

Maybe Parker would be okay with her not being with Booth after all.

The Next Day

"You have to do something," Parker said to Booth. They were both staring at a chess board, Booth trying to teach Parker how to play.

"I'm still thinking," Booth said, a little affronted. "Chess moves take time to think about."

"Not this," Parker said impatiently. "With Bones!"

"What about her?"

"She's with Sully! He's a lot nicer than I thought he would be, and that's not good," Parker answered.

"How is that not good?" Booth asked, confused.

"Because she needs to be with you, not him," Parker explained. "He's nice, but you're nicer, and if you don't do something, she will marry him, and you'll lose your chance."

"Whoa, buddy," Booth said, holding out his hand. "We've gone over this..."

"And, every time, you're not getting it," Parker finished for him.

"What am I not getting?"

"That you and Bones are perfect together."

Booth resisted heaving a sigh. His son had a point, but it was too late. There was no changing things now.

"Sometimes, in life, we don't always get what we want," Booth started.

"Why not?"

"It's just how it is, and it's okay. Bones deserves to be happy, and if she's happy with Sully, then I'm happy for her."

"No, you're not," Parker scoffed. Booth really wasn't, but he wasn't about to admit that out loud.

"I am."

"Please. I am a kid, but I'm not dumb," Parker commented.

"No, you're not. You're very smart," Booth agreed.

"Which is how I know you're lying."

Booth did sigh this time. All focus on chess was right out the window now. He folded his hands and rested his chin on them, looking at Parker.

"I love how dedicated you are to getting us together, but you have to stop," he said. "I'm sorry, Parker, but it's not going to happen."

Parker looked like he was going to argue, but he closed his mouth, nodding instead.

"It's cos you're not there yet," he said simply. "I get it."

Booth gave an amused chuckle, but he let it go. Eventually Parker would understand. Eventually his feelings for Brennan would go away. Eventually they'd all just move on with life and work and everything and not feel so tortured all the time. Eventually.

A Week Later

"What do you want to do?" Angela asked, her voice hushed. They were sitting in Brennan's office where Brennan had just told her that Sully wanted to sail around the world for a year, and he wanted her to go with him. They had finished their case, the one with the boneless bride in the river. She had been dragged into it by Booth, interrupting her vacation.

"I...I don't know," Brennan admitted. Sully had made excellent, valid points. Parker was going to live with his father full time very soon (she hadn't told him Booth was the father. She hadn't wanted Sully to get mad at Booth for some reason, which he really shouldn't, but you never knew), and work was getting to be a bit much emotion wise. What would it hurt to take a year off and go sailing with a man who clearly cared for her a lot, who might even love her? They had spent a lot of time together the past few weeks, and he got along so easily with Parker. He encouraged her to foster again when they returned, that Parker didn't have to be the only child she fostered. She knew that, but hearing him suggest it was a good reminder.

"I think it wouldn't be such a terrible idea," Angela said. "I mean, Parker is going to live with Booth..."

"I know," Brennan cut her off sharply. Then she softened her face. "I'm sorry. It's all just still a bit sharp for me, losing Parker."

"You're not losing him," Angela pointed out. "He's just going to be with his father."

"I know. I do. He's just moving out, not leaving me," Brennan said, feeling emotional again. Why, then, did it feel like she was losing him? It was getting even closer to Parker moving out, and she wasn't handling it very well. She kept thinking about her parents, even though this situation was nowhere near the same, and it brought up all these old feelings and hurts that she had thought she had buried. She knew, though, that this was what it meant to be a foster parent. You had a child for a while and then they left. That's how it worked.

Angela wasn't sure what else to say, so she just did what she did best. She hugged her best friend and tried to convey how sorry she was that Brennan was once again feeling abandoned by someone she loved, even if it wasn't intentional, or true, this time.

...

Booth looked up when Sully came in for coffee. Word in the office was that Sully was retiring, and this made Booth curious.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Great," Sully beamed. "It's my last day!"

"Really?"

"Yup! I'm off to travel the world."

"Wow. Where are you going?"

"I am going to sail the high seas, Booth," Sully said. "Can you just see it?" He waved his outstretched hand from left to right. "The sunset, the waves...the stars? It'll be fantastic."

"Good for you," Booth nodded, feeling this sudden spark of hope inside. If Sully was leaving, then that meant...

"I asked Temperance to go with me," Sully said, bringing Booth back to reality very harshly.

"You what?" he asked, his voice a touch higher than he would have liked. Sully squinted at him, catching it.

"I asked her to come with me. I mean, why not? Take a year off...relax...it'll be good for her."

You have no idea what is good for her, Booth thought.

"Does she want to go?" he asked out loud.

"She seemed interested. She is going to let me know. I don't see why she'd say no. Parker is going to live with his father, so some time away might help her adjust to that. She's really crushed by it," Sully added. Booth stiffened. Did Sully not know that Booth was Parker's father? Why hadn't Brennan told him?

"I mean," Sully went on. "I understand he's the biological father and all, but Parker seems really attached to Tempe, and I kind of wish he'd just let the boy stay with her."

"And why does the father have to suffer? He didn't even know he had a son until recently," Booth said before thinking. "Why does he have to give up the chance of being the boy's father?" Sully peered at him.

"Have I struck a nerve?" Sully asked. "I didn't mean to."

"Parker," Booth started firmly. "Is my son."

The silence in the room after his words settled was so loud.

"Wow," Sully said finally. "I did not know that."

Why hadn't Parker told him either? Booth was feeling really confused. What was his son's plan by leaving that detail out? Or was it just an innocent oversight?

"I'm really sorry now," Sully went on. "I...I understand it is all a very confusing, complicated scenario. All I meant was that...well, I don't even really know what I was trying to mean..."

"I offered her to co-parent," Booth cut him off. "I told her I want her in Parker's life. I'm not taking him away to never be seen by her again. I still want her to be a mother to him."

"No, but to her, it's still someone she loves leaving her again," Sully said softly. "Whether it seems that way or not."

Booth felt hit in the chest then. Of course Brennan would be feeling abandoned again. How had he missed that?

"And what if she says no?" he challenged. "To the trip? That makes you the next person she cares about to leave her behind."

"It's her choice to come or not," Sully argued. "I'm not just up and leaving without a goodbye or anything. This is different."

"Just like Parker living with me instead of her is different," Booth countered. "He's not abandoning her either."

"Okay. We have established that neither of our situations is actual abandonment," Sully confirmed. "Then why is it making her feel that way?"

"That's a question for Bones," Booth said. And he would talk to her about it. He'd make her realize that Parker wasn't abandoning her. He'd tell her again that he wanted her to co-parent. He'd make it so clear that what was happening was not a repeat of her parents taking off and never coming back.

Sully just nodded and left without another word. After a few moments, Booth left to find Brennan.

...

Brennan was alone in her office when Booth found her. She could tell from his face that he knew about Sully leaving and asking her to go with him.

"Hey," he said. "Can I come in?"

"I suppose," she gestured. He came to stand in front of her desk, hands folding in front of him.

"Bones, you know Parker isn't abandoning you, right?"

The question caught her completely off guard. She had expected him to say something about her potentially leaving for a year. She blinked, looking at him. Booth knew he had shocked her, but he had decided to just dive right in instead of tiptoeing around it.

"I know that," she nodded.

"But you're feeling triggered," he commented.

"I guess I am, whatever that means," she replied. He'd been hanging out with a therapist too long.

"How many times can I say that I want you involved with Parker's life?" Booth asked. "How can I make this better? How can I make you feel better?"

"I...I don't know, Booth," Brennan shook her head. "I knew that signing up to be a foster parent meant that children were going to come and go. I knew not to get attached..."

"You thought Parker was an orphan, so you allowed yourself to get attached," Booth argued. "There was nothing wrong with that, and you can always be attached to him."

"And confuse him further? He already is convinced..." Brennan stopped abruptly, and Booth suddenly realized that Parker hadn't just been working on him about their relationship. He had been working on Brennan too. He took a step closer.

"Convinced what?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm really fine, Booth," she insisted. "I'm happy you have a son, and he loves you. I'm happy this worked out."

"No, you're not," Booth said, echoing Parker. "I am me, but I'm not dumb."

"I don't know what that means," Brennan dismissed, wanting this conversation to be over.

"It means I know when you're lying," Booth pressed. He leaned down onto her desk in front of her. "Be honest with me, Bones, and tell me how much this is hurting you." He wanted to ask more about what Parker was trying to convince her of, but he knew better than to push on that subject right now. That was a conversation for another day.

"It'll be over soon, and then it won't hurt anymore," she said firmly.

Booth didn't want her to hurt at all, but he didn't know what to do. Then he realized she was probably going to go with Sully to run away from the hurt.

"Don't go," Booth blurted, referring to Sully now.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't go on that trip."

"Why not?"

"I just...I know you, okay? Your passion is solving crimes and helping people. If you go, you'll be calling me in a week and begging me to rescue you."

"You don't know that," Brennan argued.

"I think I do," he smirked.

She resisted smiling back at him. She knew he had a point, and it was the same point she had been thinking of all day. The other side of the coin, though, was that she wanted to be as far away from the hurt as possible in order to move on from it before coming back to her regular life.

"You have to go pick up Parker now," she pointed out. She wanted to be alone when she talked to Sully about her decision, so she had asked Booth to pick him up.

"All right," he nodded. "But this conversation isn't over." He pointed at her as he walked out.

She believed him.

...

"Dad?"

"Yea?"

They were in the car in traffic. Booth was thinking about Brennan and how she was talking to Sully very soon. Right now, actually.

"I wanna live with both you and Bones," Parker said. He knew he was supposed to move in with Booth, but he liked how things were. He didn't want them to change. It would also help him to get Bones and Booth together, like he planned. He knew that Booth would come over when he was at Brennan's and possibly stay overnight sometimes, and they'd all do stuff together when he was with Booth. After enough time, they would eventually realize they should all just live together as a happy family. It was going to work. He knew it.

"You do?" Booth asked, looking in the mirror at him.

"Uh huh. I love both of you, and I want to live with both of you," Parker said simply. "So make that happen."

Booth wanted to laugh. He made it sound so easy. Janet was a bit of a hard ball, though, when it came to some things. He'd have to convince her.

"That's what you really want?"

"It is."

"All right. I will talk to Bones and Janet about it," Booth promised. The solution he had been looking for to help Brennan feel better had finally arrived. It was a relief.

Parker watched as his father vibrated in his seat in the car a bit later. He knew something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Huh? Yea," Booth answered quickly. "Just fine."

Parker had sensed something was going on with Brennan and Sully since she had been distant when she dropped him off for school that morning. Sully had been there the night before, and he had heard them talking about something. He hadn't quite heard well through the door, though, so he had missed what they were talking about, but it had sounded serious.

"Is Bones marrying Sully?" he asked, suddenly realizing. "Is that why you're upset?"

"I'm not upset!" Booth exclaimed, twisting to look back at him. "And no, she's not."

"But something is happening," Parker said.

"Nothing is happening," Booth lied. He was not going to be the one who told Parker that Brennan was potentially sailing away for a year.

"You're lying again."

Damn it. How did that kid know? Booth tapped his fingers on the wheel, knowing that Brennan was talking to Sully right now at the marina. What if she went? What if she actually left? He couldn't face life without her for an entire year, if she even came back at all.

No. He had to tell her. She had to know that he had feelings for her before she took off. And maybe that would be enough to make her stay.

He yanked the wheel around.

"I knew it," Parker said gleefully. "You're going to save her."

Booth didn't respond. His son was right.

...

Brennan stood there looking at Sully, who had a sad look on his face. As much as she had wrestled with everything all day, she knew what she had to do.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"It's okay," he nodded. "I get it. I really do."

"If it was a different time..."

"Then we'd go together," he finished. "I know. Don't feel bad at all, okay?"

"I'll try," she said.

He came over to hug her tightly then.

"You are a very special woman, you know that?" he said in her ear. "Don't be afraid to be loved. It might just surprise you."

Brennan gave him a surprised look as he pulled back from the hug. Sully knew Booth had a thing for her, and he was pretty sure that co-parenting Booth's son would make Brennan eventually realize she liked Booth that way too. It was only a matter of time. He had done some thinking that day too, especially after his conversation with Booth.

"Be safe," she said, not knowing what else to say.

"I will," he nodded. Then he climbed into his boat and casted off. Brennan hugged herself as he started to sail away.

Running steps behind her made her turn to see Booth coming towards her. His SUV was parked in the lot, and Parker's face was pressed against the window.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Booth knew he should answer with the truth, but he was so relieved that she had decided to stay on her own that now he suddenly felt afraid of telling her what he was feeling. It was too soon after breaking up with Sully he realized. There was a time and a place to share his feelings for her, but it wasn't right now.

"I'm just seeing if you're okay," he answered. Her eyes welled up with tears, and he didn't even hesitate to pull her into a hug.

"I'm okay," she answered, muffled by his shirt.

He just responded by smoothing her hair with his hand, holding her close.

Eventually, he'd tell her. Eventually.

"Come on," he urged. "We're going for pizza, and Parker and I really want to talk to you about how we want him to live with you and me still."

"What?" Brennan asked, looking up at him.

"He likes the way things are," Booth shrugged. "I have him a few days, then you have him for a few days. Why mess that up for him? He's happy, and if he's happy, then I'm happy."

"But...Janet..."

"Can stuff it," Booth finished for her. "We'll play along until she closes her file, and then we do what we feel is right."

Brennan felt a spark of happiness in her chest as they walked back to the SUV. Parker got out and ran towards them, hugging them both, and she felt immense relief over deciding to stay.

It had been the right decision.

Hang in there a bit longer, guys. The ending we all want is coming! And we're still not done with that letter Bones wrote, so don't worry ;)