A Week Later

Brennan felt like she had no air left to give. She looked over at Booth, who appeared to be not having any troubles at all. He finished and grinned at her.

"You must have excellent lung capacity," she pointed out.

"I know I do," he replied. "I've done 10 to your 5. That's double."

Brennan rolled her eyes. Like she needed to be reminded that she was behind. Booth started batting the balloon around playfully.

"Shh," she ordered. "He'll hear you."

"I rather doubt he'd hear this noise and automatically guess that it's a hand smacking a balloon," Booth pointed out.

"Just put it down," she commanded.

"Yes, ma'am."

He tossed it onto the pile of other balloons.

"How many are we doing?" he asked.

"20."

He reached for another and started blowing it up. Brennan tied the knot on hers and added to the pile.

"I love that he has no idea," Booth said, finishing his next one even faster. "He doesn't, does he?"

"No," Brennan shook her head. "He doesn't."

"I can't believe no one ever celebrated his birthday. He's a kid!" Booth said, outraged.

"Well, this will be even more special for him then," Brennan pointed out. She'd been planning Parker's birthday for a while now but keeping it on the down low. Angela was on board, of course. Cam was too. Even Zack was getting into it. Hodgins was acting secretive about his gift, which was making Brennan suspicious. She hoped it wasn't going to be some kind of bug.

"Janet and Michael are excited," Booth told her, breaking into her thoughts.

"Good," Brennan smiled. She liked them a lot. They called to talk to Parker almost every day, and he was thoroughly enjoying having grandparents. Her heart twinged as she thought of her father, but she dismissed it. Her father wouldn't have time to be a grandfather because he couldn't even give the time to be a father.

Booth's phone rang then, and he groaned.

"No," he said. "No way."

"Did we get a case?" she asked. He answered, and she eavesdropped. It definitely sounded like a case. She tried not to feel worried. They could finish a case in time for Parker's birthday tomorrow. It had been done before.

"All right. Yea. We'll be there," Booth said, hanging up. He looked at Brennan. "Damn."

"Where are we going?"

"Some old stone house," he answered. "Where there's a body with glowing bones."

"Glowing bones?" Brennan asked, surprised.

"Yea."

"I guess we should get going then," she sighed. She stood and picked up the balloons, tucking them into her closet. Booth set the last one on top and helped her shut the doors.

"So tomorrow, I'll take him to the park since it's Saturday while you get things set up here? Or what's the plan?" he asked.

"I was thinking we set up after he goes to bed and then make him his favorite breakfast," Brennan suggested.

"I like that better," Booth smiled, giving her a kiss.

They went out of her room and started to get ready to go to work. Booth went to wake Parker, and they got him ready for school. Brennan found herself feeling excited for Parker's birthday tomorrow. She wanted him to feel special, and she hoped they could succeed in doing that.

...

It had been a bizarre morning so far. They now had the glowing bones on the table, which were deemed non-toxic at the crime scene, but not before Booth felt like he was having a heart attack thinking he was going to be exposed to radiation.

"Why?" he asked Zack and Hodgins, who were standing over the body. "Why the hell does it look like a glow stick?"

"I don't know," Hodgins snapped. "I'm working on it."

"Wow. Someone's cranky," Booth noted.

"This reminds him of the Waitomo Cave, which is where he was taking Angela for their honeymoon if she said yes, which she didn't," Zack clarified.

"Just...shhhh!" Hodgins said loudly, annoyed.

"Goodness," Cam said upon coming and seeing the bones. "You weren't kidding. What do you think, Hodgins?"

"I'm not Google," Hodgins growled. "Back off." Cam raised a brow and looked at Booth, who furrowed his face and shook his head to deter her from asking what was wrong.

"Oohh, flesh," Cam said, noticing. "That's very good for me. Can I have it?"

"Yes," Brennan nodded. Cam took the hand and walked away with it. Booth didn't even want to know what she was going to do with it.

"Are we still doing Parker's birthday tomorrow?" Zack asked from his work.

"Yes," Brennan answered.

"We have to wrap this up by then," Booth instructed.

"Oh, no pressure at all," Hodgins said, shooting him a look.

"Lots of pressure," Booth replied. "Lots of it. Now, get moving."

Hodgins muttered under his breath as he walked away with his samples.

...

Cam identified the body as Carly Victor, which led Booth and Brennan to going to Carly's restaurant where Booth stole mac and cheese right off the plate passing him. Brennan smacked him.

"Ow!" he yelped, his mouth full.

"That was very unsanitary, Booth," she scolded.

"I'm not even sorry," he said while still chewing, his eyes rolling at how good it was. "This is amazing."

They found Carly's husband, Dan, in the back telling everyone Carly was busy working. When they told him what happened, he broke down. He told them Carly and Abby had taken the money to the ATM on Friday night but hadn't heard from them since. This was normal behavior, apparently. They'd just take off to have a break from it all. It was discovered that Abby might still be missing, though, which caused Booth to call in for a search for Abby's car. Then it was time to talk to Abby's boyfriend, Ben.

...

Parker spent his time at school thinking about his birthday tomorrow. He hadn't said anything to Brennan or Booth about it because he didn't want to bother them. No one had celebrated his birthday before, so he took that to mean it wasn't an important thing. He tried to play with his friends and be happy, but a part of him felt sad. Other kids told stories of their birthdays, and they made it sound so wonderful and fun. Parker wanted this experience, but he was afraid to ask for it. He didn't want to make anyone angry with him.

He stopped short in the playground, looking at the fence by the road. A man was watching him, and he recognized him as Max, Brennan's father. He stared, curious, until Max waved at him and started to walk away. Parker wondered why he was watching him. He couldn't help but notice Max looked sad, and he wondered if that was because he didn't spend time with Brennan.

...

Hodgins discovered that a bacteria that grows in shellfish was responsible for making the bones glow, and Angela looked to see that Carly had spent time with someone who had access to this kind of shellfish and knives. Brennan and Booth went to visit him, and Brennan was slightly appalled that Booth was eating while interrogating Ernie, Carly's high school sweetheart and chef. Ernie swore Carly had cut her hand with his knife, which explained how the bacteria got into her bloodstream. He was reluctant to give up his knives, but in the end he did. Angela did her magic back at the lab and proved that Ernie didn't kill Carly, which made her express relief that they could still eat at his restaurant, much to Brennan's annoyance.

They were walking to Brennan's office now, and Brennan decided to ask.

"Why aren't you saying yes to Hodgins when he proposes?" she questioned.

"I think he loves asking. Why deny him that?"

"Why not just say yes or no and stop torturing him?" Brennan countered.

"Because I have you in my head saying that marriage will cripple both my legal and personal freedoms," Angela answered. Brennan gave a slight pause here, and Angela caught it.

"Wait," she said. "Are you thinking about marrying Booth?!"

"No," Brennan answered quickly. "Not at all."

"You lie!" Angela gasped exaggeratedly. "You totally are!"

"It makes no sense to get married when we can just live together," Brennan tried.

"You want to give Parker a real family," Angela cut her off. "And that makes you think about marriage, am I right?"

"Marriage doesn't equal a 'real' family. Family isn't strictly one segment..." Brennan began.

"Cut the crap," Angela laughed. "I know somewhere inside of you there's a little girl just screaming to wear a white wedding dress and have a wedding of her dreams."

Brennan was saved from answering by her phone ringing. It was Booth telling her that Ernie's story checked out and that Carly's husband just took out a two million dollar life insurance policy on her.

"This isn't over," Angela warned, pointing her finger at Brennan, who hurried past her. The last thing she wanted was to be talking about marriage with Angela. It might give away the fact that she really was thinking about it.

"Don't forget to pick up the cake!" she called over her shoulder as she left.

"I won't!" Angela called back. As if she'd forget Parker's cake.

...

Dan got upset that Booth insinuated he killed Carly. Their conversation got interrupted when Booth got a call saying they found Abby's car. Thankfully, Abby was still alive and was taken to the hospital. Hodgins and Cam were tasked with working on the car to find evidence and particulates. Angela was working on the knife pattern in Carly's bones.

"I am not getting the ceramic," she sighed. Brennan frowned.

"Ceramic?"

"Yea. There were pieces found with the body. It doesn't make sense to me."

"If Booth were to ask me to marry him one day," Brennan said out of the blue. "I wouldn't say no."

Angela stopped what she was doing to turn and gape at her friend.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Yes," Brennan nodded. "I'm not as cold hearted as people think, you know."

"I didn't think you were, sweetie," Angela smiled sympathetically and went to hug her.

Booth stuck his head in at this point.

"Hey," he said. "Abby's awake."

"Oh," Brennan said, looking at her watch. "I have to get Parker soon."

"I'll do it," Angela said.

"Are you sure?"

"Not a problem. I can drop him at Ashley's."

"Thanks, Ange."

"Anytime," Angela grinned. "I love that kid."

Brennan smiled at her friend and went to follow Booth to go to the hospital.

...

Parker was unsure if he should say anything, but he couldn't keep it in any longer. While Angela drove, he piped up.

"I saw Bones's dad today."

Angela almost hit the brakes hard in shock.

"What?" she asked, twisting to look at Parker quickly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. He was watching from the fence. He looked sad."

Angela wondered why Max was watching Parker unless he just felt he needed to keep an eye on Brennan and her foster child. It was kind of sweet, actually.

"Do you think he'll come see Bones again?" Parker asked.

"I don't know, sweetie," Angela replied. "I don't know."

"I hope so. It might make Bones feel better."

Angela had hope that one day, Max would come and be the father Brennan deserved. She smiled thinking that Parker was hoping the same thing too.

"Did Hodgins ask you to marry him again?" Parker asked after a moment.

"No," Angela lied. She didn't want to confuse Parker when she was trying not to confuse herself. She'd been thinking about it all day.

"What if you asked him?" he proposed. Angela raised a brow. This was an interesting idea.

"Yea?" she asked.

"Yea. Then you get to do it when you're ready," Parker said easily.

"Huh," Angela said, thinking about it. He did have a point. Even after she dropped him at Ashley's, she was still thinking about it.

...

"She killed her own best friend," Brennan said, still surprised at this turn of events. At first, it had looked like Ben had done it, but then Angela discovered that there was a ceramic knife, and the pieces of the puzzle were put together quickly after that. Not to mention the fact that Carly and Ben were having an affair according to what Cam found in the backseat of Abby's car.

"Yea," Booth said. "I mean, I couldn't do it. There are better ways of being angry at someone than murdering them."

"Well, she will have a very long time sitting in a jail cell learning that lesson," Brennan commented. They were heading to pick up Parker now. Brennan had requested they make a stop at a grocery store quickly, and she wouldn't let Booth see what she was getting, much to his frustration.

"Hi, Bones," Parker said, hugging her when she picked him up.

"Hi," Brennan smiled, hugging him back. "How was your day?"

"It was okay."

She helped him into the back of the SUV and buckled him into his booster seat. Soon he wouldn't need it.

"Did you solve a case today?" Parker asked Booth.

"Sure did," Booth replied with a smile.

"Another one bites the dust!" Parker sang, making Booth laugh.

"You got that right," he winked.

When they got home, Brennan shooed them away until she was finished cooking. It was then Booth saw what she made.

"Oh my God," he gasped. "You made mac and cheese!"

"I love mac and cheese!" Parker called, excited. They both sat at the table while Brennan served it up.

"Carly said to go with my instincts, so I did," Brennan explained.

"It's freaking amazing," Booth said, practically drooling as he tried it.

"I agree with Dad," Parker added. "I could eat an entire bowl of this!"

Brennan smiled as she sat down and joined them. She looked at her little family and felt warm inside. One day, she could legally be Parker's stepmother, and she found she wanted it very badly.

The Next Day

Brennan was up first. She and Booth had stayed up late decorating after Parker went to sleep, but she wasn't tired. She couldn't wait to see Parker's face when he woke up.

"Good morning," Booth said, coming up behind her and moving her hair to kiss the back of her neck.

"Good morning," she smiled.

"I got this," he said, taking the pancake mix from her and starting to cook. Brennan let him. She liked watching him cook too.

"Do you think he'll be happy?" Brennan asked.

"Bones, he's gonna be ecstatic," Booth replied. "You did really great."

"Thank you," she smiled again. She looked around at her handiwork until she heard Parker come out of his room. Both she and Booth watched as he came down the hall and stopped short upon seeing all the balloons and streamers. He looked shocked and then like he was about to cry.

"Happy birthday," Brennan said.

"Happy birthday, buddy," Booth said at the same time.

"Y-You did this f-for me?" Parker asked, his voice sounding teary.

"Yes, of course," Brennan answered, feeling concerned. "Why wouldn't we? It's your birthday."

"No one...no one's ever..." Parker tried to say, but he ended up crying instead. Brennan was instantly up and going over to him, gathering him into her arms.

"It's okay," she soothed.

"I'm s-sorry," he hiccuped. "I love it. I d-don't know why I'm c-crying."

Brennan hugged him tightly, feeling sad all over again that no one had done this for him. Booth was there at this point, and he joined in on the hugging. Parker gripping his arms tightly with his fingers.

"We love you, buddy," Booth said. "And we wanted to do this for you because you're special to us, and we want to celebrate the day you were born because it was the beginning of your journey to finding us."

"I l-love you t-too," Parker said.

"Whaddya say we get you some chocolate chip pancakes, huh?" Booth asked, kissing the top of Parker's head.

"Uh huh," Parker nodded, reaching to wipe his eyes now. They were shining and full of wonder now.

"You're six today," Brennan said. "Do you feel older?"

"I always feel older than I am. I don't know why," Parker explained as he got up on the chair. Brennan knew this was because of everything he'd gone through, and she wished he hadn't so he could just enjoy being a kid. He eventually got laughing at Booth's antics while cooking and flipping pancakes, and she felt better that he wasn't sad thinking about all his other birthdays that had gone unnoticed.

...

It had been a glorious day. Parker opened his presents from Booth and Brennan after breakfast, which included a new football from Booth. He wanted to go play in the park right away, so the three of them spent the afternoon running around and teaching Parker how to play football. Then it was time for dinner, which Parker requested pizza. He seemed in awe all day that he got to choose what to do and eat.

When Angela arrived with the cake, he was even more excited.

"You came to my birthday?!" he exclaimed, hugging her around the waist.

"Of course!" Angela replied enthusiastically. Hodgins was behind her, and he had his gift in his hand. "And I have something to tell you."

"What?" Parker asked. Angela bent down to his ear.

"I asked Hodgins to marry me," she replied. "And he said yes."

"I knew it!" Parker grinned.

"We'll announce it later, so keep it under your hat for now," Angela instructed.

"Got it," Parker beamed. He got even more excited as Cam, Zack, Janet, and Michael arrived. He went around to all of them, hugging them and chatting away about his day.

"He's so happy," Janet noted to Brennan after a bit. "He reminds me of Rebecca when she was his age. She always seemed so grown up than the other kids, you know?"

"He definitely seems that way sometimes," Brennan agreed. Angela was getting the cake ready, so she went to assist. It was a simple cake with images of different sports balls on it and Parker's name.

"Look at him," Angela said, smiling.

"Thank you for helping me with this," Brennan said, giving her a sideways hug.

"Anytime, sweetie."

They all gathered around and sang to Parker, who sat looking at his cake in wonder. Booth told him to blow out the candles after making a wish, and he looked at Booth and Brennan before doing so. Picture were taken, and Parker's grin was permanent on his face. It grew even wider when it was time to open presents. He loved and appreciated every single one of them, giving everyone a hug afterwards. His favorite gift was the one Hodgins and Angela gave him, though, which was a gecko. He named it Rocky.

He was ready for bed by the time Angela and Hodgins left. Brennan escorted him down the hall to brush his teeth. His eyes barely stayed open as he did them. When she tucked him in, he grabbed her hand.

"This was the perfect day," he told her. "I was really sad before I found you, and I am really glad that we found each other because you make me feel happy and like nothing bad could ever happen to me again. I love you, Mom."

Brennan felt the emotion hit her throat at a hundred miles an hour.

"I love you too, son," she said, hugging him. He kissed her cheek and then settled back down on his pillow, content. She moved aside to let Booth, who had just entered the room, say goodnight. When they went back out to the living room, she started to cry.

"What's wrong?" Booth asked, alarmed.

"He called me Mom," she answered, sniffing hard and wiping at her eyes.

"Aw, Bones," Booth said, pulling her in close. It made him happy inside that this was happening for her. He was thinking about how one day he wanted to officially make them a family, but he didn't want to do it too soon. He knew she viewed it as just a piece of paper, but it meant something to him.

When the time was right, he'd ask, and he hoped she would say yes.