Misconceptions and Deceptions

"Mom, where are we sleeping?" he yelled. She appeared with the baby.

"Your old room, sweetheart. Of course."

"Where's – Tempe?" she shot him an odd look and walked deeper into the house.

"This is worse than I thought." He muttered, standing stock still, face frozen in a mask of terror.

"I don't understand."

"They think – I said partner – Mom thought I meant – this is not good." He picked up the bags and started up the stairs.

"They think we're romantically involved?"

"It would appear that way."

"What's the big deal?" she asked. They were halfway up the stairs with their suitcases, so when he turned on his heel, swinging the bags, she had to hop back quickly to avoid being pushed backward down the stairs.

"I mean, why can't we just tell them?" she asked. Fear flashed across his face again.

"Because then come all the 'sweet girls' from 'nice families'."

"Are you frightened of your mother?"

"More than anyone else in the world." He confessed, dropping his voice even lower.

"Anthropologically speaking," she began.

"Shh. I'm trying to come up with a plan."

"The plan seems clear-cut to me."

"Oh really? Why don't you enlighten me?"

"Now who's sarcastic?" she grumbled as he opened a door in the long hallway.

"Okay, okay. What's the plan?"

"We can just pretend to be – you know. Involved. If it gets your mother off your back, I don't care."

"You think you can pull that off?"

"We did in Vegas." She said, slipping into her 'Roxy' accent for a second.

"This is different. The stakes are higher."

"Higher than death?"

"Ye-uh."

"Fine, then. Have fun breaking the news." She turned to leave.

"Wait! Okay, we can try it"

"Okay, then, as a romantically involved couple, you have to tell me. Did you seriously sleep on rocket-ship sheets?" she cracked up.

"Yeah, yeah. Everyone's a comedian. Almost like Colin Ferrell." He elbowed her.

"Hey, guys! Dinner!"

The dinner conversation was pedestrian as the reunited family caught up.

"So when can we expect more little ones?" Lisa asked sweetly. Tempe looked up from her food and saw everyone staring at her. She choked and Booth – Seeley Booth, that is – patted her on the back. She began to explain how patting someone on the back is actually detrimental, but she was coughing too hard.

"Tempe and I are friends and colleagues first and foremost, Mom. Anything – more – is new and we're taking it slow." He said. His fingers, on her back, crossed.

"I can't wait to see Lilah and her girls." Lucy interjected. And the conversation left Temperance Brennan far behind.

"What are you doing?" she returned from brushing her teeth to find Booth stretched out on the floor. "We went through this in Vegas." She sighed. "Don't be ridiculous, sleep in the bed."

"I'd better go check on Parker." Parker and the twins were sleeping in the guest room. Jared and Lucy were in their bedrooms with their partners, and Lilah, the oldest, would sleep downstairs, their girls in Lilah's old room, which Katherine now inhabited. Jimmy lived in the area.

"I just did, he's asleep."

"You checked on him?"

"Yeah." She shrugged and got into bed.

"Well, good night, Bones." He said, climbing under the covers awkwardly.

"Good night, rocket-man."