AN: I know I disappointed the heck out of you all in the last chapter, so I hope you're looking forward to how I'm going to fix what I did to Brennan. This chapter begins to explain it, but I have to leave you wanting more, right? Oh, and here's a little game for you all. I have another penname on this website, and only a couple of people know what it is, so we're going to play a little game. Let me know who you think I am and I'll let you know if you're right. By the end of this story I'll announce what my other penname is and we'll see how many of you are right. The only thing that I will say is that I've been on this site and writing since May of 2006. Take your best guess and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Booth stood outside Brennan's apartment with a bouquet of flowers and a couple of balloons as he waited for the door to be answered. As it swung open, he smiled at Temperance.

"Congratulations momma. When do you…Bones what's the matter?" He noticed the tear stains on her cheeks and the comfort clothes she had on. His stomach dropped and he pulled her into his arms, the flowers crunching up against her back. "The adoption didn't go through?" She shook her head against his chest, new tears wetting his shirt. Booth kissed her hair and held her until she was able to pull herself together. "What happened?"

"She was placed with a family. Teresa said her interests would be better served with a nuclear family." She wiped her eyes and pulled away from Booth to head to her couch. Booth followed her into the apartment and shut the door behind them.

"So you weren't allowed to adopt because you're not married? What a load of crap." As he sat next to her, he pulled her into his lap and held her against him. She sighed and laid her head against his shoulder.

"Logically I can understand their concern that she's better placed in a home with two parents…"

"You're allowed to hurt Bones. Don't close yourself off because this didn't work out. If you really want to adopt a child, don't give up on it."

"Maybe I'm just not supposed to have this. I mean first I wanted to adopt Ripley, and now I'm not suitable enough to adopt Norah." Booth's heart squeezed at her words.

"Hey, you're one of the most suitable people I know to be a parent. I'm sorry that you weren't able to adopt Norah, but don't you think for one moment that you're not meant to do this." Brennan nodded and melted further into Booth's comforting embrace. He ran his hands over her hair, dropping kisses onto her forehead occasionally. Neither spoke, and it wasn't long before Temperance's breathing deepened into sleep. Booth slowly maneuvered off of the couch and carried Brennan to her bedroom. It took some work, but he finally got her under the covers and tucked into bed. She rolled over in her sleep and sighed, reaching for him. After a moment of hesitation, Booth kicked off his shoes and climbed in next to her, pulling her to his side.

Booth closed his eyes, breathing in her scent as she slept, noticing the small worry wrinkle still in place between her brows. He let out a breath and pulled her tighter into his body. It wasn't fair to Temperance that she wasn't able to adopt Norah. He knew she felt a real connection to that little girl, much like she had with Ripley. A small wave of guilt washed over Booth as he thought about the Shepard that Brennan had developed an attachment to. He'd been doing his job and following the law when he'd ordered the dog put down. If only he'd known how much Brennan cared for that dog… Now she had her all too caring heart broken again. Please, he thought, please let her have the family she wants.

XxXxX

"Have a good night Max," Sam the security guard called out as the elder Brennan left the museum for the night. Max pulled his coat tight around him and shoved his hands into his pockets to stave off the cold. With just four days until Christmas, the air was crisp making his breath mist with each exhale. So far it seemed that everything was in order for Christmas wishes. Booth and Temperance were together and she was waiting on word about adopting Norah. He smiled as he thought about the little girl, and how enthusiastic she was about life.

Temperance was just like that as a little girl, so curious and interested in the world at large. A smile spread across his face as he watched a family walking down the street. His daughter deserved to have that relationship. She'd be such a good mother. Everything proved it from her interest and concern in Haley and Emma to her interactions with Parker. Now there was a smart little boy. Booth had done a wonderful job raising the curious little boy.

Max snorted as he thought about Parker's Christmas wish. So he wanted a baby sister, huh? Well that was definitely something he couldn't help with. That right there was entirely up to either Booth or Parker's mother. Max shook his head and turned his attention back to the family that walked along. The mom and dad were walking at a leisurely pace, holding the hands of a little girl, while their boy ran ahead and came back toward them excitedly. He'd point out things and run ahead again.

That was how he'd been picturing his daughter recently. She and Booth finally had the relationship they should have been in years ago, and he of course had Parker. Now Norah would complete the picture of the ideal family… Max frowned and looked back at the happy family. He focused his attention onto the little girl and his heart squeezed in his chest. No, he thought. Norah was supposed to end up with his daughter. He hurried along, needing to catch a cab to Temperance's house. If he knew her as well as he thought he did, then she'd need a shoulder to lean on right now.

XxXxX

Booth woke up to the sound of a handle jiggling in the other room. He rubbed a hand down his face and pulled out of Temperance's embrace to see what was going on. As he reached the living room, the door opened and Max came into the apartment. The elder man took in Booth's rumpled appearance and gave him a wry smile.

"I suppose now's not the time to have the talk about your intentions with my daughter."

"No Max, it's not." Booth motioned to the couch as he headed to the kitchen. "You want something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Suit yourself then," Booth said and grabbed a beer for himself before joining Max in the living room.

"What happened? Why didn't she adopt Norah?" Booth took a swig of beer and sat heavily on the couch.

"The agency gave her to a family. They felt her interests would be better served that way. Personally I think it's a load of crap."

"How's she holding up?"

"I'm not sure yet. I've seen Bones shut down when she's had to deal with major disappointments." Booth looked pointedly at Max Keenan. "She bottles things up and I'm worried that she's going to crack under pressure. When she wakes up I'll have a better gauge of the situation." Neither man said anything as they sat there while Booth occasionally took swigs of his beer.

"You're a good man Booth." Booth looked at Max, an eyebrow raised as he waited for an elaboration on the comment. "You take care of my daughter, and have even when you weren't together. I don't know that there are too many men that would do that."

"She's my family," he answered with a shrug. "I'd do anything for her or Parker."

"You keep taking care of her. She needs you, you know. I know that she's independent and thinks that she can get on by herself, but you let her shine."

"No, she shines on her own. There's this moment that happens with her when she just transforms. It's like Temperance comes out and the scientist is pushed to the background, and whenever it happens, it's breathtaking." Booth smiled as he thought of the look of absolute joy that would overcome her features when she was carefree. His heart clenched as he thought of the last moment he'd seen that expression on her face. She'd had it there when she was decorating her guest room, turning it into a room any little girl would love to have.

He knew that getting Norah for her was out of the question. The little girl was adopted out to a family and it would cause her unnecessary grief to pull her from her new environment regardless of how happy a life with Temperance could be.

"I wondered where you went." Booth shook himself from his reverie and glanced over his shoulder to smile at Temperance. She rubbed her eyes as she approached the couch and kissed him on the lips before squeezing in between her father and him.

"You didn't think I'd leave you, did you?" She shook her head and leaned into him smiling a bit when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"No, I know you won't leave me." Brennan looked from Booth to her father. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

"I found out about what happened and wanted to make sure you're okay." Temperance sighed and pulled in closer to Booth.

"I'll admit that it hurts. I thought that Norah and I had a connection, but I know what it's like to be in a good home after losing your family and I'm happy that she's in a place where she'll be loved. I just wish it had been with me."

"I'm sure it'll happen if it's meant to," Max said and gave his daughter's hand a squeeze. Brennan glanced from her father to Booth.

"Even if it doesn't, I still have Russ's girls and Parker around. I might not have the benefit of having a child myself, but that didn't really matter before. I still can interact with them in a familial environment." Booth's heart soared at some of her words.

"You think of my son as family?"

"Of course I do Booth. If he's calling my dad 'Grandpa' then I can hardly think of him as just my partner's son. You're in my life, and by default so is Parker. He's a smart child and he's wonderful to be around." She smiled at the huge grin spreading over Booth's face.

"Grandpa Max huh? Kids say the funniest things." Max grinned when Booth rolled his eyes.

"As if you didn't instigate that one. Parks told me you let him call you that."

"It's close enough to the truth anyway." Brennan rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when she heard her cell phone go off. She got off the couch to answer it, and as she did so, Max looked back at Booth. "You know he asked me for a baby sister for Christmas."

"Please tell me you didn't promise him anything," Booth groaned, but let the thought of having a child with Temperance run through his head momentarily. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind just as quickly. That was not an issue he would push and anyway, they were in too new a position to even consider having a child. No, that was something that needed time.

"I told him that would be up to either you or his mother, although I've found that if a child asks for a baby brother or sister, it's a way to ensure they'll get a puppy instead." Both men laughed and Booth glanced over his shoulder to look at Brennan as she talked on the phone. She had an odd closed off kind of expression on her face, almost as if she was trying to hold back hope.

"…yes I can be at your office in about fifteen minutes. I'll see you then." Temperance hung up the phone and looked at Booth and her father. "I need to leave for a bit. If you want to stay here, that's fine, but I'm not sure how long I'll be gone."

"Where are you going honey," Max asked as Brennan set down her phone and headed back toward her bedroom. She paused in the doorway and looked back at the two men.

"That was Teresa Miller. She needs to see me at social services as soon as possible." Brennan stepped into her room and shut the door behind her. Booth and Max looked at the closed door and then at each other.

"You don't think…" Max began and Booth shook his head.

"No, but I'll tell you one thing, she's crazy if she thinks that I'm going to just sit here and wait for her to get back."