"You kept a secret…" His voice slightly cracked as his partner tensed in his arms, "from me?"

Brennan sharply looked away, forcing herself not to cry.

"It has come to my attention that daughters need their father." She said as clinically as she could.

"Yes, they do." He affirmed, making her words just that much more painful, "My boys are in the bank already. You don't have to ask to ask permission, I already gave you my consent. I'll sign the form if you give it to me again."

She expelled a hard breath as she turned back to her partner.

"Do you remember the last time we went out for dinner?"

"A month ago. Yeah, sure. What about it?"

"And I said I had to go home to babysit?"

"Around nine… which is odd… what are you getting at Bones?"

"Well I didn't have to babysit… exactly…" She fumbled, "I had a babysitter."

"Huh?" He turned her body to face him, watching her face intently.

"Booth…" She whispered.

"Yes, Bones? Whatever it is, we will get through it together. We will."

"But what if you leave her like you left me?" She panicked, "What… what if she isn't good enough… like me?"

"How are you not good enough? The men you date… well they are not good enough for you but you are good enough" He ran his hands down her arms, "Damn Bones, you are more than good enough."

"You left me…"

"How did I leave you? I have always been here."

"When you came back from your mission… you broke off the engagement, saying you are unlovable." She slowly closed her eyes as the memories flashed back, "But I have seen you with other women… you can love them. Why not me?"

"I never said I couldn't… or didn't." He whispered against her back, "I just… you don't understand what I did over there. No one does. You don't know what that does to a man."

"But you left me! In every sense of the word, you moved all your belongings out of my apartment… our apartment and moved back to your old place. How is that not leaving? I know when someone leaves me Booth, I am practically a pro." She practically screamed in a light sob. "After all we have been through, you just… left. Without a real explanation or giving me the chance to make up my mind, you left me with no other option."

"Bones, you were the one who has been sleeping with other men. All I said was we needed a break… that I needed to think about some things."

"You were the one who declared yourself off limits. You were as professional as you could be but I lost my best friend, Booth. My. Best. Friend… and lover. What was I to do? I waited six years for you to even date me then six months into the relationship you have a mental break and push me away. A woman has needs. I spent the last two years I was single with only you in my life. Then you up and left… when I needed you the most," She lightly choked up, "When we needed you…"

"You always had me… sort of." He coughed, trying to keep his voice from wavering, "I was still there for you."

"Booth, that is bull and you know it. I had you as my partner sure but after you came back you were a different man. A man she could not see, she deserves so much better… a real man."

"Right after I came back you had instantly took a sabbatical. I didn't see you for almost a year, Bones. What is that supposed to mean?" Booth's voice dropped as he practically growled at her.

"I… I ran, okay? What else was I to do?" Her frantic high pitched voice wavered as she tried to catch her breath. "You left us alone… I couldn't do it alone. I… I just couldn't."

"You should have…" Booth's eyes went wide as the bouncer placed his hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see everyone's eyes on the partners and he instantly froze, "Never mind that. This is not the place to discuss this."

"Agreed." Brennan expelled a breath and blushed, looking up at the burly man glaring at them. They really had created a scene and she hadn't even told him her secret yet. "But Booth, we will discuss it… right? That is… if you still…. want to be my partner after this."

"Of course I want to be your partner and yes, we do need to discuss it but this is not the place." He lovingly ran his hands down her arms, trying to reassure her, "Now that we have that settled, who in the world is this she you keep mentioning?"

"Margret Abigail Brennan." Brennan briefly smiled, "She is sixteen months old. The doctors say she is excelling in all areas. They want her to…"

"You sure get into the aunt role real quick." Booth teased, chuckling. "How many does that make for Russ now?"

Brennan froze. How was she not clear enough? He was a father… again! Not Russ, him.

"She is not Russ' child." Brennan looked down, refusing to make eye contact. "She is mine… she is ours."

"Ours? You… I…"

"We did have unprotected sex, Booth." Brennan fidgeted, trying to release herself from his grasp but Booth held firmly to her body. "Frequently."

"Yes but that was… years ago."

"Two years, one month and five days ago." She finally looked up at him, tears begging to burst through, "The night she was conceived was the first night you made love to me, not just as your girlfriend but as a woman who you had planned on marrying… the woman you loved."

"Bones, I don't know what to say…" He finally released her and she stood in front of him, "I am not sure if I should be disappointed in myself for not noticing, upset at you from keeping my… daughter from me, sad that I missed all those precious moments with my baby girl or all of the above."

"I understand." She nodded slightly, "I will let you resume your alpha male activities." Brennan slipped a recent picture of their daughter and her at the park into his hands before turning and walking away.

"And Booth?" She asked just a few feet away, waiting until he looked up from the picture before she spoke, "If you decide you want to be involved in her life, you know where to find me. She would love to have an authoritarian father figure. She already loves you." Brennan smiled briefly before turning back and walking toward her car. "She is a daddy's girl."

The rest of the night Booth's eyes never left the picture he so delicately cradled in his hands. How had his perfect family gone so very, very wrong? And those bright blue orbs of hers… they healed the ache in his soul quicker then absolution ever could.