(After 'The Change in the Game')

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I don't own Bones.

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The Antietam National Battlefield in Maryland proved to be just as interesting as Gettysburg. The visitor center had a theater that showed a 26-minute orientation film narrated by James Earl Jones that Booth and Parker found fascinating. Brennan made a few notes while the film ran and appreciated the information included in the film. After the film was over, Booth picked up a tour map and decided they'd do the Auto tour. Walking on a long tour wasn't really an option. Brennan took pictures of the battlefield, some of the regimental monuments and the Clara Barton monument as they toured the area.

Brennan hadn't known that there was a monument dedicated to Clara Barton there, but she was pleased to see it. Clara was a pioneering nurse and had founded the Red Cross. Her efforts during the Civil War to help the soldiers injured in battle were admirable. Not only did she provide comfort and aide, she had also supplied food and clothing to those soldiers who needed it. Brennan admired her determination to work in inhumane conditions and to succeed in helping those who needed it.

Once their tour was done, they drove over to Hagerstown and got a hotel room at Spring Hill Suites. Once again Parker was delighted to find out that there was a pool. The pool was the first indoor pool he had ever swam in and he loved it. "I really like this swimming pool, Dad. Someday I'm going to buy a house and it's going to have an indoor pool just like this one. That means I can swim even when it's snowing outside."

Standing in the shallow end of the pool, Booth grabbed a towel lying next to Brennan and wiped his eyes with it. "Well, it sounds like you better find a job that makes a lot of money then." Finished with the towel, he tossed it on the cement floor and patted Brennan's leg. She was sitting on the rim of the pool, moving her feet in a slow scissor fashion in the water. "Want to come in? The water isn't too cold."

Moving closer to the edge, Brennan slipped into the pool and stood next to her partner. "This is a nice pool . . . but I think I prefer pools that are outside." Turning to face her partner, she placed her hands on his shoulders and kissed him. "Of course, an indoor pool does have a certain degree of privacy."

While his son swam near them, Booth leaned forward and returned her kiss. "Well, we can't afford an indoor pool and our yard isn't big enough to add onto the house anyway, so we'll never know."

"You can't afford an indoor pool, but I could afford one if I wanted it. Of course, I do realize that our property wouldn't allow for that kind of an expansion." She kissed him and whispered in his ear. "If we had an outdoor pool in the backyard it would still give us some privacy. We have high fences and trees bordering our yard and there is room for a small pool."

Booth thought about it and smiled. "I suppose you could give me a pool for my birthday . . . if you want to buy me one I wouldn't object."

"You wouldn't?" This surprised her. Normally Booth was touchy about expensive purchases and presents. She had paid for the house out of necessity, but Booth paid for utilities and the upkeep of the house. She knew that it was important to him to feel like he was contributing. When it came to major purchases for the house, he liked to pay half the purchasing price even when it was inconvenient and busted his budget. She knew that it was important to him to feel like he was contributing because anything less made him fear he was turning into his father.

"Nah . . . I've been thinking about stuff lately and well . . . you should be able to buy anything that you want. You have the money and stuff like pools aren't that big of a deal. Not really." A lot of things had happened in the last couple of years including his brain tumor and his former ex moving to England and taking their son with her. That move had been done without warning and he'd had to accept it. Those jolts in his life had made him realize that he couldn't control everything that happened to him. He could try, but outside agencies would always make that impossible and he had two options. He could roll with the punches or rail against it and turn into a bitter bastard like his father was. He wasn't his father. He would never allow that to happen.

The murder of Gale Storm and the discovery that Wayne Kitchen had been a traitor had also added to his feeling that life was unpredictable and if the woman he loved wanted to use her money to buy things he couldn't afford to pay for then he would just have to tamp down his pride and allow it to happen. Who was he to object about something that Brennan wanted to buy? She didn't tell him how to spend his money, so why should he rain on her parade when it came to her money? "I want you to be happy, Bones. I want you to know that I have your back, yours and the baby . . . I just want you to be able to enjoy life and be happy and if you want to buy stuff then you should be able to do it without me making a big deal about it. If you want a pool then buy one. Just keep in mind it can't be a big one."

"I am happy, Booth." Brennan wasn't sure why Booth's mood had changed, but it was an odd turn of events and a little unsettling. "Pools don't make me happy. You do."

He placed his hands on her waist and moved closer to her. "Thanks and you make me happy." Leaning forward he kissed her again.

"Ewww." Parker was didn't care for public displays of affection especially if it involved his father. "Come on Dad. Swim with me."

Amused, Booth pecked Brennan's lips to annoy his son, turned quickly, dove to the left, came up in front of Parker, picked him up and threw him a few feet towards the deeper end of the pool. Since there weren't any other patrons using the pool at the time, Booth didn't see any harm in using all of the pool.

Spluttering, Parker broke the surface and laughed. "That was fun, Dad. Do it again."

As his son swam towards him, Booth felt a wave happiness move over him. His oldest child was with him at least for now, his partner/girlfriend was pregnant and they were living together in a home that would soon include their baby. He'd been sidelined for a while when it had been discovered that he had a brain tumor and it had to be removed. He had fought hard to recover with the help of Brennan and his friends and he felt like he was himself again. Life could throw trash at him, but it was up to him to press on. He refused to let the terrible things bring him down, not when he had so much going for him. His life was blessed and interesting and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Standing near the shallow end of the pool, watching her mate and his son playing, Brennan felt a sense of peace. They had been though a lot in the last couple of years, but they had come through it whole and well and Brennan was grateful for that. She was going to have Booth's baby and she had never been happier. He had given her a family, something that she had never dreamed would happen. Certain that she would be alone forever, Booth had changed that when he came into her life. He was stubborn and temperamental, but truthfully, so was she. They bickered a lot about inconsequential things, but when it came to the important things, the things that really mattered, they usually came to a consensus and moved on. They were partners and supported each other when it counted and she could admit that she didn't want any of it to change. She was living an unexpected life and she was looking forward to seeing what came next.

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A/N: I know this chapter reads like I'm ending this story, but I'm not. I have no idea how long this story is going to be. I suppose it will depend upon how many readers continue to support it.