(The Mother and Child in the Bay)

I don't own Bones.

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While Brennan was competing for dominant positon in the Lab, Booth was struggling with Rebecca's new boyfriend Drew. It put a lot of strain on both of them and they both tried to be patient with each other, but they both failed.

While driving on the way to the crime scene, Booth stewed over his situation. "So what if I want to do a little background check on Drew. That guy is living with Rebecca and I don't know anything about him. If it was just her, then I'd say she could take care of herself, but my son is in that household. I need to make sure Drew isn't a perv. That guy is seeing my son more than I am. Rebecca wants to cut into my time with Parker so Drew can bond with him. I'm Parker's father. I'm a good father. She knows that. Drew is some loser that rocks her world for God's sake." As if I give a damn about that.

His voice was rising and Brennan knew he was upset, but she was upset too. Cam was going to beat them to her crime scene and she didn't know if she could trust her new supervisor to handle the crime scene properly. After a quick argument that momentarily diverted Booth's anger, Booth gave in to Brennan's demands and took a short cut through Grafton making them late because of a traffic tie up.

Fuming at Booth's unwillingness to use his siren to get them there sooner, Brennan approached the crime scene in a very foul mood.

The tension in the air between Brennan and Cam was palpable and caused Booth to shove his own worries behind him while he worried that his girlfriend was going to get in a physical altercation with Cam. Fortunately Cam dialed down the competition a little and Booth felt it was safe to leave the crime scene and go arrest Kyle Richardson for the murder of his late wife, Carlie. The body gave him probable cause to bring in Richardson and he was going to take great pleasure putting the cuffs on that particular douche bag.

Unfortunately Richardson did a runner before Booth got to Richardson's house and Booth had to wait to make the arrest which caused his own mood to become dark once more. His day was not going well. Not at all.

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The tension in the Lab remained elevated while Cam examined the flesh of the victim. Brennan was chafing while waiting for her to finish so Zach could clean the bones. She wasn't used to waiting and flesh covered evidence as far as she was concerned was not as valuable as the bones underneath.

Cam was aware that Brennan was not happy with her, but she'd performed hundreds of autopsies and she had learned from experience that sometimes the flesh held the key to a conviction and sometimes it was the bones. She needed Brennan to understand that, but so far her forensic anthropologist was fighting her on that and unwilling to learn from her experience.

While that was going on, Booth was stalled in his investigation and he called his son on the phone. The sound of the boy's voice made him happy, but it also reminded him that Rebecca was keeping him from actually seeing his boy. What made him so angry about Kyle Richardson was that man had had a wife and they were going to have a baby together and yet he'd dared to have an affair behind her back just before she was murdered. No respect. No damn respect at all.

Booth believed that Carlie found out about the affair, confronted Kyle, he killed his pregnant wife and unborn child and so far he had got away with it. The thought of Rebecca being murdered while carrying Parker made Booth feel sick. He loved his boy so much and the thought of him dying before he took his first breath made him realize just how lucky he was that Parker was so healthy and strong. His son was four years old and a bright child. Booth hoped that someday, Brennan might want to have a child with him and that thought made him feel calmer and less tense. He needed to work out his problems with Rebecca for Parker's sake and also for his sake. He didn't want his bitterness towards Rebecca spoil what he had with Brennan. They were still learning what it was to be a couple and Booth was worried he was going to derail the best thing that ever happened to him if he didn't get his act together.

The next time he saw his girlfriend, Booth pulled her to the side and talked to her very quietly. Cam and Zach were in view, so he knew he had to pretend that Brennan was just his partner and not his lover. "Bones, I'm sorry about this morning. I was in a bad mood and I had no right to take it out on you. My problem with Rebecca is not your problem. I'm going to talk to her as soon as I can and get this whole mess straightened out . . . we good?"

Brennan appreciated Booth's apology and even though she hated to admit that she was wrong she knew she had added to the stress between them. "Booth, it's alright . . . I'm trying to understand Cam and her insistence that flesh is valuable, but so far I don't. Still I will try harder. This case is still ongoing and I may change my mind about Cam. I'm not ready to quit yet." I have to remember that Booth will quit his job for me and I can't let that happen. Not unless it's absolutely necessary.

Continuing to keep his voice low, Booth moved so that his back was towards Cam. "Bones, we're just in a bad place right now. Our problems are with outside shit and it's forcing us to deal with it whether we're ready or not. This is not something between you and I. We're not going to break up because my life is fucked up right now. I'm not going to let that happen, so don't even think about it." I have got to be calmer when I deal with Rebecca. I don't want Bones to think I'm a damn loser like Richardson. I can't lose her. "If we were alone I swear I'd kiss you, but I can't. I love you, Bones. You and I are fine. I promise."

She had been worried about Booth's anger with Rebecca and she had also been worried about her own anger with her situation at the Lab. Brennan knew that both Booth and she were alpha personalities and they didn't like to be told what to do. It made them feel out of control and they both loved control. "We are fine, Booth. I have work to do. When we go home tonight, let's go to my apartment. I think we can put my tub to good use tonight."

Amused, Booth laughed which caused Cam and Zach to look at them. "It would appear that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth have found something amusing to talk about."

Cam shook her head. She didn't know what she thought of her old boyfriend and his partnership with Dr. Brennan, but so far they seemed to get along well and their solve rate was fairly high. She wasn't sure if she was interested in hooking up with Booth again, but it was still an option. She just worried that her tussle for control of the Lab with Brennan might strain her friendship with Booth. "Let's concentrate on Carlie Richardson, Zach."

Once Brennan joined them, Booth left and went back to his office where he hoped to work on reports while he waited for evidence to be found that he could use against Kyle Richardson.

Unfortunately, Rebecca was waiting for him there. She had found out about him checking up on Drew and she threatened to take Parker away from him. Fuck, could my day get any worse?

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During the investigation, Brennan called Booth back to the Lab and asked him to stab a body for her. Reluctantly he'd arrived at the Lab and discovered that he was needed to stab a mannequin. Relieved that it wasn't a real body, Booth took part in the experiment, but he was creeped out about the whole thing. His days as a Ranger had taught him how to use a knife in defensive or offensive situations, but to just stand in front of a replica human woman and stab her as hard as he could was just too creepy for words. He really hated the Lab sometimes.

Surprisingly the experiment proved that Kyle Richardson had not killed his wife. The murderer had been a woman and that surprised the hell out of Booth and Cam, but not Brennan or Hodgins. They only cared about the facts.

After a slight detour when they thought Karen Tyler had been the one who murdered Carlie, they found out that the murderer had actually been a veterinarian named Mary Corbis who was a friend of Carlie. She had accidentally murdered her own child by shaking the baby and in her grief and insanity she had decided to kill Carlie and take her baby since Carlie had made the mistake of saying she didn't really think she wanted her baby. It was so bizarre to Booth, but he knew that humans were capable of doing horrific things and so it was unsurprising.

Once the whole thing was over, Booth called Rebecca to offer his apology. He knew that Rebecca held all the cards at the moment and if he wanted to be in his son's life, he'd have to quit trying to control Rebecca's love life. He had his own love life to worry about.

After an evening with Rebecca, her boyfriend and his son, Booth returned to Brennan's apartment and tried to relax. Brennan had called him to tell him she would be late and he was fine with that. He knew that Brennan was still struggling with Cam as her boss and he hoped that she would work it out.

An hour later, he was lying in bed, the room dark, the only sound came from the cars passing by on the street outside when the bedroom door opened. Booth recognized the scent of Brennan's perfume and waited for her to join him. Soon the bed shifted and he felt her body press against his. "I wasn't sure how long you'd be. You okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay now that I'm with you." Brennan placed her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. "Did you come to an agreement with Rebecca about Parker?"

"Yeah." Booth moved his hand so it rested on her lower back. "I'm going to behave and quit doing background checks on her boyfriends and she's going to let me see Parker when it's my turn. No more bullshit about using my time to bond with her boyfriends."

Brennan heard the bitterness in his voice and that worried her. "We can always hire a lawyer and try to get custody of Parker."

"No we can't." Booth tried to be patient, after all she was just trying to help him. "We aren't a couple remember, at least not officially. I'm a single father with erratic hours in a dangerous job. I'm a recovered gambler and Rebecca knows all about it. She's a lawyer and a damn good one . . . You know she's a really good Mom to Parker. She makes good money and she can give Parker everything he needs . . . besides, I don't want him to end up like me. My mother ran away and I haven't seen her in years. A boy needs his mother and I won't take him from her. I just can't."

Certain he was upset with her, Brennan sighed. "I'm sorry." I wish I was better at this sort of thing. I really do.

"No Bones." Booth realized that what he'd said sounded like censure and he was embarrassed. God what is wrong with me? "Bones, you didn't say anything wrong. I'm just being a jerk right now and I'm sorry. It was good advice, really it was, but . . . well, I guess it's complicated."

She wanted to make him happy, but right now it seemed like she was a failure at it. "I will support you with whatever course of action you choose to take." She hesitated for a moment and then asked the question that had been rolling around in her thoughts all day. "Would you like another child?"

"Someday." Booth had spoken before he'd thought about it and now he worried that he'd said the wrong thing. "Wait . . . Bones I'm not asking you to have a baby with me. I know you don't want any kids and that's fine. I don't need any more kids. I have Parker. You and me are fine just the way we are. Someday, when some time has gone by and we've proven we're a great team even when we're in a personal relationship, we can tell the world we're a couple. On that day I'm going to brag about being in a relationship with the most beautiful smartest woman in the world. What we have is enough Bones. It really is."

She had spoken in the past about children and she was certain that she didn't want any, so she was grateful that Booth understood that. She loved him and would do anything for him, but she really didn't think she would be a good mother. She felt she lacked empathy. She worried that she didn't even have enough for the man she loved. "I love you Booth."

"I know you do, Bones." Booth thought about a child with her beauty and brains and his charm and athletic ability and he knew that was a child they would both love, but he would not ask her for one, ever. It had to be up to her. "I love you. We're fine together. Maybe someday, in the future you might change your mind about kids and if you do, I'd be more than happy to help you get pregnant, but if not then that's okay too, really. As long as you're in my life, I'm happy. A man like me shouldn't have this kind of luck, but somehow it happened and it's all because of you."

Brennan hated it when he made it sound like what they had was more than he deserved. It was just so wrong. "You're a good man, Booth. I know that even if you don't. We're fine and we will continue to be fine." I really need to find a way to get along with Cam. Booth loves his job and his son and me. I want him to have all three.

Emotionally tired as well as physically, Booth closed his eyes. "The next time you want someone to stab something, ask someone else, please. I love you Bones, but there are certain things that creep the hell out of me and stabbing a woman, even a pretend woman is kind of wrong."

Brennan smiled. She knew that Booth may be an Army Ranger and he had done some questionable things working with the CIA, but there were things he would never do and she loved that about him. Her boyfriend was an honorable man and lived by a set of rules that he had learned from his grandfather. "Of course, Booth."

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