Booth wore a contented smile as he settled back into his beach chair to watch his children play by the water's edge. He and his family had enjoyed two blissful weeks at the beach house...two glorious weeks of uninterrupted fun...two wonderful weeks of simply enjoying their time, just the four of them alone, being together without worrying about what terrible event might happen to spoil their day. He knew he'd cherish the memories of this vacation for the rest of his life. If only Parker could've come...but he's busy with school. Maybe we're all too busy...

Sighing as his mind drifted back to what had occurred over the last few months, Booth realized once again how important this vacation had been for his family's emotional health. After all the trauma and uncertainty that had accompanied Jared's death and his own injury, they'd all needed time to heal. He knew Hank probably wouldn't remember anything about what had happened, but Booth was worried about the toll those events had taken on Christine's sense of security. She'd been a resilient child in the past, but as she'd become older, she was more aware of the intense things that were often a part of her parents' lives, and her father wondered how she'd react if he was ever wounded again. Would she be plagued with the nightmares that had so often intruded on her parents' slumber? Would she have trouble trusting people as she grew up? Would she always be able to bounce back as easily as it seemed she had this time?

But those were questions for another day. Digging his toes into the warm sand, he made a conscious effort to chase away his gloomy thoughts as he soaked up the morning sunshine. He was determined to be happy and relaxed. This weekend they'd be having company, and he wanted to enjoy the quiet while he could, before their guests arrived later that day.

He'd been annoyed when he first found out that his wife had invited Angela and Hodgins to visit for a weekend during their month long stay, but, after all, it was Bones' vacation, too. Considering that she hadn't wanted to come to the beach at all, he figured having a group of people come to stay at the house for a couple of days in the middle of the month was a great compromise on his part. What was it Pops always said? 'Happy wife...happy life.' And the older man's advice had been correct. If his Bones was happy, he was, too.

Glancing at his phone, he was surprised to see how late it was. "Christine! Hank! Come on." He folded up his chair and gathered up their belongings. "We need to go back to the house and help Mommy get things straightened up. Uncle Jack, Aunt Angela, and Michael-Vincent are coming today, and I think Uncle Aubrey may be coming, too. We don't want to have a messy house when they get here." Laughing when he saw his kids' sad faces as they slowly trudged up the shoreline, he handed each of them a towel. "I'm sure we'll have time to play in the water later this afternoon. Come on...last one to the house is a dirty monkey…"

Squealing loudly as her daddy and Hank tried to catch her, Christine quickly raced ahead, turning to grin at them after beating them to the veranda that stretched across the back of the house. "I win! That means I don't hafta eat my spinach at dinner tonight, right? Mommy says I need to eat it to be strong, but I'm already strong if I can beat you, Daddy."

"No fair...I had to help Hank. He can't run very fast." Booth pretended to pout a little bit as his daughter giggled merrily. "Anyway, I guess you can ask Mommy about skipping the spinach, but I think we both know what she's gonna say, right?"

"I guess so." Christine's shoulders drooped a bit as she thought things through. "Daddy? Is Mommy always right about everything?"

"As far as I know, she is." Brushing the sand from her feet and legs, Booth grinned at his little girl. "At least about most of the important things, anyway. I mean, she knows about what kind of food we should eat and how much sleep we need, but she never seems to remember who Luc Robitaille is." Seeing Christine's blank expression, he tousled her hair. "He was a hockey player...one of the greatest of all time. I'll tell you all about him some time, okay? It's never too soon to learn about hockey."

"Dada, I hungry." Hank stood on his tiptoes trying to reach the doorknob, whining in frustration. "Hungry, Daddy!"

"Okay, little man. Hang on. Let's go see what Mama's made for our lunch today."

Oooooooooo

After having lunch, a fussy Hank was put down for a nap. Christine insisted that she wasn't sleepy, but a few minutes later she was dozing off over one of her books. After carrying her to her room, Booth came back to the kitchen and gave his wife a tender caress as he quirked an eyebrow at her. "Maybe we should take a nap, too, Bones. We might not have a chance later, when everyone's here and we have to entertain our company."

"That does sound like a good idea. I'm sure I'd find you quite entertaining, Booth, but I just got a text from Ms. Warren. She estimates that she and Agent Aubrey will be here in approximately 45 minutes...an hour at the most." Brennan kissed her husband's cheek and smiled. "It seems we don't have time for a nap."

"Ms. Warren is coming with Aubrey?" Booth huffed out an aggravated sigh. "Great…just great." Seeing his wife's grimace, Booth quickly changed his demeanor. "Look, I like her just fine, but being around her makes Aubrey act like a big goofy kid, you know? I mean, even worse than he normally does. He shows off for her, and he follows her around like a puppy. I can only handle that goofball stuff for so long…and anyway, the guy eats constantly. I don't know how we'll feed him, because when he's in goofball mode, it's even worse. I'd better go to the store and stock up on snacks..."

"You're being quite silly, Booth. They'll only be here for a few days and Ms. Warren mentioned that they were bringing their own provisions…" Brennan shrugged as she turned away from her husband. "I seem to remember another Special Agent who used to act like a big goofy kid, especially when it came to things like stadium seats and winning hockey games. And I'm sure you've never shown off for me, except perhaps at the gun range..."

"Whatever." Ignoring his wife's teasing, Booth picked out an apple from a bowl on the counter and took a bite. "Hey, since they're not married, where's Ms. Warren gonna sleep? I guess she can sleep in one of the bunkbeds in Christine's room. Christine would love that."

"Why can't they just share a room? They're both consenting adults…" Brennan rolled her eyes at her husband's disapproving scowl as she loaded the dishwasher. "After all, we lived together without being married for quite awhile…"

"That's different." Exasperated, Booth glared at his wife's chuckle. "Christine was a baby then. Now she's old enough to be curious about what they'll be doing if they share a room together, and you know where that leads…" Booth shook his head as he thought about all the embarrassing questions his daughter might ask.

"Yes, I do know where that leads, Booth…" Brennan drew him close for a kiss. "I believe that sort of curiosity is why we have two children together. However, I'm sure Christine will be too busy to notice what those two are doing." Glancing at the clock on the microwave, she giggled. "We may not have time for a nap, but I'd say we have approximately 30 minutes before they get here…are you efficient enough to make good use of our time?"

Booth grinned broadly. "Challenge accepted." He pulled her into a tight embrace. "No more talking. We're burning daylight…"

Ooooooooo

Forty minutes later, Booth and Brennan were readjusting their clothing when they heard Aubrey's SUV pull up to the house. They shared another quick kiss before they stepped out onto the front porch to greet their visitors.

"Hey, Booth. Nice place…" Aubrey paused for a few seconds as the car doors slammed behind him. "You're looking pretty good…all rested up..."

"Thanks. I'm feeling a lot better...almost back to normal. I'll probably be back at work shortly."

Brennan walked around to the passenger side of the truck to greet Jessica, but she stopped in surprise. "Dad? What are you doing here? I thought you were in Arizona."

"Hi, Honey." Slamming the back door of the car, Max smiled as he gave his daughter a hug. "I got back from Phoenix earlier than I expected. I dropped by the house to see you, and this kid…" Max grunted as he pointed at Aubrey. "...he was there with that cute little redhead, and he said they were coming here to visit you at the beach house, so I decided to hitch a ride and crash the party." He winked at Jessica as she handed him a duffel bag. "Thanks, Sugar." Laughing at Aubrey's grimace, Max shrugged as he walked toward the house. "If you don't want me to flirt with her, marry her…"

"Like that's ever stopped him before.", Booth muttered to his colleague. "Come on, Aubrey. I'll show you where to put your stuff…"

Climbing the stairs, Booth opened the door to one of the upstairs bedrooms. "Bones said she thinks you and Jessica can share a room responsibly, but just remember...we've got little kids in the house, so you gotta keep the noise down."

Aubrey turned bright red as he put his bag on the bed. "Jesus, Booth...we're not there yet, okay? I don't think that's necessary...us sharing a room...I mean, it's not like that...not now, anyway..." Looking around the room, he tried to change the subject. "That's a nice view of the ocean…"

"Hmph. Whatever you say, Aubrey." As he started to leave, Booth turned back to his friend. "There's some cold ones in the fridge. Feel free to have one if you want. I'll be on the back porch relaxing."

In the meantime, Jessica had also vetoed the idea of sharing a room with Aubrey. "Really, Dr. B, I think it'll be fun to share a room with Christine. It'll be like a slumber party." Turning away to hide her embarrassment, she set her bag on the lower bunk bed. "Thanks for inviting me…"

Smirking as she left the young woman to change into her swimsuit, Brennan nodded. "Whatever you say, Ms. Warren. I'm glad you were available to make the trip, and I'm sure Aubrey is pleased as well."

After making sure that Jessica was comfortably settled, Brennan went to find her father. "I'm glad you decided to come see us, Dad. I'm sorry we didn't invite you to begin with, but your initial plans were to spend the summer in Phoenix."

"Don't worry about it, Tempe. I think it's great that you've been able to spend some time alone with your husband and kids. After everything that's happened, you needed it." Max patted her hand as he saw her tentative smile. "Are things going well? Booth's better?"

"He seems to have recovered completely as far as his physical injuries are concerned, but I think the loss of Jared will bother him for a very long time, even though there was absolutely nothing he could've done to prevent it." Brushing a tear away, she shook her head. "It wasn't his fault. Jared put himself in an untenable position…but Booth still feels as if he did something wrong, since he couldn't save his brother's life."

"Honey, you should know that Booth is always gonna feel responsible for the safety of the people in his family. It doesn't make any difference if it was something he could've prevented or not. Jared was his little brother, and Booth took that responsibility to heart." Giving his daughter a tender squeeze, Max smiled. "That's one reason I so was happy when I knew you two were finally together. He'll always do everything he can to keep you and my grandkids safe. I want a man like that to take care of you when I'm not around. I'm not sure I'd feel safe trusting your care to anyone else.

"I can take care of myself and my children, Dad…", Brennan began impatiently. "I'm perfectly capable of standing my ground. I certainly don't need to rely on a man for that..."

"I know, but isn't it nice to know that you don't have to do it all by yourself? Doesn't it make you feel safer?" Max studied his daughter's expression. "He loves you so much, Tempe, and I'm so glad you get to have him in your life. When you find someone you can love and trust, you need to hang on to them."

"You're right...I am glad I have him in my life, Dad." Clearing her throat softly, she decided to change the subject. "There are three bedrooms upstairs. Aubrey is using one, and Hodgins and Angela will be using another. Do you want to use one of those? Or, if you'd rather, we can move Hank's crib into our room and you can sleep in his room downstairs."

"Nah...Just leave Hank where he is, and I'll sleep in the room with him and Angela's kid. I'm sure you and your hubby could use some more alone time."

"Dad!" Brennan rolled her eyes, chuckling as she picked up her father's suitcase. "Thank you. I appreciate that, and I'm sure Booth will, too." She gave him a hug as they walked toward Hank's room. "I'm really glad you came…"

Oooooooooo

An hour later Aubrey, wearing his swim trunks and an old tee shirt, joined Booth on the back porch. As he sat down, he handed Booth a beer. "This is great. Are you sure you're gonna be able to tear yourself away from here and come back to work?"

"Yeah, I think so...but it'll be hard." Booth laughed as he watched Christine and Jessica splashing in the water. "Of course, that'll put me back in charge again, I guess, and you'll have to move out of my office…"

"I have my own office, thank you very much!" Taking a sip of his beer, Aubrey chuckled softly. "It'll be good to have you in the office again so you can get everybody whipped back into shape…" He lost his train of thought as he noticed how cute Jessica looked in her lime green bikini as she pranced in the water. "Um...yeah. Whipped…"

"Definitely whipped." Booth grinned slyly at his friend. "Anyway, it'll be three weeks or so before I'm back, so you'd better warn everybody next week that they need to get their shit together before I show up."

"Yeah." Watching Jessica chase the frisbee that Christine had tried to throw, Aubrey found his mind to be a complete blank. He knew he needed to say something, but he was unsure what that should be, so he tried a new subject. "Uh, so...Max…."

"Yeah? What about him?" Booth took a drink from his bottle, waiting to hear what Aubrey had to say.

"He's really a murderer? He seems like such a nice old guy…" Aubrey shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe it."

"Well, in the eyes of the law, he's not guilty of murder. That was the verdict the jury handed down. He was acquitted." Sighing as he looked out over the water in the distance, Booth explained what had happened. "There was a little bit of subterfuge involved. Bones had Max's lawyer make it seem like she might've had time to kill Deputy Director Kirby, and that created the reasonable doubt about Max being the perp, and he got off. However, that doesn't matter. We all know who took out Kirby. Max did it to protect his kids. Kirby was a nasty son of a bitch, gunning for Bones and her brother because Max had something he wanted, so Max ended him. Nobody better threaten Max Keenan's kids. They won't live to tell about it."

Aubrey glanced at his friend and smiled. Booth thought he was describing his father-in-law, but he was describing himself, too. Anybody who threatened Booth's family would be in bad shape.

As he contemplated the similarities between Booth and Max, Aubrey found himself nodding off in the warm sunshine. Finally asleep, his dream of chasing Jessica down a sunny beach in the Caribbean was interrupted by a happy barrage of noise as Christine ran up to the back porch.

"Daddy! Daddy! Mommy says you and Uncle Aubrey have to come. Uncle Jack and Aunt Angela are here, and they brought a s'prise!"

Groaning slightly as he pushed himself out of his chair, Booth slowly ambled to the front of the house, unsure of what Hodgins could've brought with him that was worth getting that excited about. He could hear the excited chatter as he rounded the corner of the house. There was something familiar about the man's voice that he heard above the rest of the conversation...something very familiar.

Seeing everyone milling around Angela's van, Booth's curiosity was aroused. "Bones? What's going on?"

"We have company, Booth. Look…" She stepped aside to reveal the surprise.

"Hey, Dad…"

"Parker?" Smiling broadly, Booth rushed to engulf his oldest child in his arms. "Oh, my God!" Turning to his wife, Booth beamed. "Wow! This is great! You managed to surprise me again, Bones!"

"I did? Good." Brennan gave Angela a hug. "Angela offered to bring Parker to the beach house after he arrived from London. That's why she and Hodgins had to come for the weekend…"

Laughing happily, Booth shook Hodgins' hand. "Man, you can come to spend vacation time with me anytime you want." Standing back to look at his son, he shook his head. "Look how tall you are...you're practically full grown. Wow...I'm so glad to see you, Buddy!"

Still suffering slightly from jet lag, Parker offered up a lopsided grin. "Me, too, Dad. Me, too."

Brennan clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Alright...Dinner will be in approximately 3 hours, so if you want to swim for a while before we eat, I suggest you change into your bathing attire quickly."

Hodgins picked up their suitcases and followed Angela and Michael-Vincent into the house. Brennan moved to follow them in, but her husband took her hand and pulled her close for a kiss.

"Thanks for getting Parker here for our month at the beach, Bones. I really appreciate it. I miss spending vacations with him, you know?"

"I know. He's going to stay until Wednesday morning. You can drive him back to the airport and then go to your check up with the doctor later that afternoon. I've already changed your appointment."

Smiling as they entered the house, Booth nodded. "Just like you to think of everything. That must be one of the reasons why I love you so much."

"I just wanted to make sure you got to spend the maximum amount of time with Parker." Seeing her husband roll his eyes, Brennan laughed. "I love you, Booth. Now...go spend time with your son!"

Thanks for reading. If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it.