B/N: Booth comes home and the family is reunited.
Brennan stood in the porch of Rebecca's house waiting for the door to be opened and it soon was, Parker came out with a bag on his back. Rebecca joined him on the porch as she shut the door.
"You'll behave for Temperance right?"
"Yeah, we're gonna go see Dad!" Parker smiled and looked at Brennan, "I can't wait."
Rebecca smiled and looked at Brennan, "thanks for doing this, it's all he's talked about all week."
"It's no problem actually, I planned on it." She looked at Parker, "why don't you go get in the car, I'll be right there."
"Okay." Parker ran to the car and got in, Brennan looked at Rebecca.
"He called me 'Mom' last weekend, I told him it was reserved for you and only you but he won't stop."
Rebecca chuckled and smiled, "it's fine, you're probably going to be his step-mother soon so I don't mind. I'd only have an issue if you and Seeley were only partners but you aren't." She looked at her watch, "I got to go, he has everything he needs for tonight, I figured he'd be staying with Seeley so I had him pack an overnight bag."
"Alright, one of us will return him Sunday evening."
Brennan left and got in the car, checking to see if Parker was buckled in, which he was. She pulled out of the driveway and turned the car in the direction of the Mall.
"Is Dad going to be there when we get there or do we have to wait?"
"I honestly don't know Parker, we'll have to wait and see."
She noticed Parker leaned over and looked at Amy, he picked up a toy and shook it which caused the infant to laugh. Amy was thriving and growing, but was a quiet child. She rarely cried and only did so because she needed something. At four months and two weeks, she was sleeping halfway through the night and took naps during the day.
On the days she had Parker, Brennan allowed him to help take care of his sister. He attempted diaper changing but found it too gross and stuck to feeding and burping her and of course playing.
"Mom, Mom she's laughing at me."
Brennan smiled and looked back at Parker, "yes she is, she recognizes you."
"She does?"
"Yes, at four months she is aware who her mother and brother is."
The rest of the ride was about what Parker missed during the week and as soon as they got to the parking lot, Parker was out and ready to go. Brennan however pulled on the baby sling she often carried Amy in and placed the infant in it.
After locking the car, they began walking towards the Mall and finally headed towards the coffee cart. Brennan spotted a man in uniform, she knew who it was instantly and so did Parker. He ran in the direction of Booth, yelling his name.
"Dad, Daddy!"
Booth turned and bent down to catch Parker, looking up to see Brennan walking towards them. "I missed you Bub."
"I missed you too Daddy." He hugged Booth tightly, "don't go away again."
"I won't Bub, I won't." Brennan reached them and he stood, pulling her into a hug and kissed her. She pulled back and eyed him. "I won't leave again."
"You have too much to loose if you leave again." She gently removed Amy and handed her to her father.
Booth took the infant and held her close, "hey there baby girl, Daddy's home."
"Mom, Mom can I have some money for a soda." Booth looked at Brennan in surprise as she handed Parker a five and he ran off.
She looked at him and noticed his expression, "it started last weekend, I told Rebecca and she said she didn't mind. Since we are both have no objections to the name, I haven't discouraged it."
"You've changed despite what I said…you're not just a mother to our daughter but also a mother to Parker."
"Step-mother, biologically we are not related so scientifically I have no standing as a parent."
He chuckled and pulled her into a hug, "I love you." He kissed her head and they began walking to the coffee cart where Parker was getting a soda. "She's grown so much, so has Parker."
"I have been meaning to ask you if you are planning to co-habitat with me or go back to your apartment. While most cultures define co-habiting as a pre-curser to marriage or a marriage itself, I find nothing wrong with doing so."
He chuckled and looked at her, pushing hair from her face. "You could've just asked me to move in and not go all squint speak on me."
"You said you adore my scientific rationality, you even asked me not to change the fact that is how I act."
Booth nodded, "yes I did."
Parker came back over and handed Brennan the remaining change. "Three seventy in change and I got something with no caffeine." He held up his sprite and Brennan ruffled his hair. "Dad, can we play football tomorrow…just me and you?"
"Of course Bub, I'll pick you up from your mother's early and we'll spend all day together."
"Actually Rebecca had an out of town conference and since you were coming home, she sent an overnight bag for Parker. He's staying with us for the weekend, although I assume you are taking him to Mass on Sunday."
"Dad always goes to Mass on Sundays and I join him when I'm with him or Mom takes me. My communion is coming up in a few months, will you be there even though you don't believe in God?"
Brennan nodded, "of course I'll come." She smiled and Parker hugged her.
"I love you Mom."
"I love you too Parker, why don't we go have lunch…my treat."
Lunch soon came in the form of the Royal Diner, the owner gave them a free meal since Booth had come home from war. Booth finally got a chance to have fun with Amy, taking on the task of feeding her.
"Open up, come on." He put the spoon her mouth but she turned her head. "Alright, here comes the airplane…zoom…zoom. It's coming in for a landing, it's coming," Amy giggled and as soon as her mouth opened, he gave her the food. "And it landed, that's my girl."
He looked up to see Brennan cutting up Parker's food but she caught his eye and smiled. It took him a moment to realize that she had gone from anthropologist to mother in the span of a year, succeeding through motherhood as if it was just another excavation…with ease.
Looking back at Amy, Booth noticed she had her mother's slightly auburn hair and her eyes, but his nose and ears. She was moving her arms as if asking to be picked up. He picked her up out of her seat and held her. "That's my girl, I love you."
She just looked at him and tilted her head, studying him. "She does that quite often, Cam calls it 'baby squinting' but I have no idea where she gets such an idea."
"She's studying me, I mean the last time we saw each other was when she was two days old and she wouldn't remember me. All babies do it, Andy did it."
"I remember."
"Even Parker did it," Parker looked up as if questioning what he did. "Yeah Bub, you studied me when you were a baby."
Parker looked at both adults, "why would I do that?"
"Well, babies naturally study their environment to become comfortable with it. Just like you look at everything at the Jeffersonian, you watch everyone and everything…so you feel comfortable." Brennan eyed him and he nodded, "if you didn't know anyone, wouldn't you be scared?"
Parker shook his head, "I'm not scared of anything."
Brennan chuckled and looked at Booth, he spoke. "Everyone is scared of something, I'm scared to loose you and Amy and Bones is scared of change…there has to be something you're scared of."
"I'm scared you'll go away again."
Booth and Brennan looked at each other before looking at Parker. "I'm not going anywhere Bub, but know if something did happen…you have your sister and two mothers who love you and would keep my memory alive for you."
"Then I'm not scared." Parker smiled and went back to his food.
After lunch, they went back to Brennan's apartment and got settled for the night. Dinner would be spaghetti and in the mean time, Parker was settled into the nursery, where a twin bed laid against one of the walls across from the crib. Brennan had gotten it for a guest if someone stayed over.
Booth sat down and watched a movie with Parker, Prince of Persia, while Brennan started on dinner. Amy was asleep in the nursery. Midway through the movie, Brennan placed a bowl of popcorn between the two men and went back to the kitchen.
By the time the movie ended, dinner was ready and they all sat down to eat. Just after beginning to eat, Amy woke up. Brennan started to get up till Booth stopped her. "I'll get her."
He stood and walked to the nursery, he found Amy whimpering in her crib and he picked her up.
"Hey there, decided to join the party have you?" He walked to the changing station and changed her diaper, keeping her entertained by placing a small plush elephant on her belly. After changing her and putting her in a new outfit, Booth made his way to the dining room where he found Brennan had already set up the highchair.
Feeding Amy came as another challenge but after a few airplanes, he got her pureed food down. Brennan went about cleaning up dinner while Parker and Booth played with Amy but it was only when hands settled on her hips that Brennan turned to find Booth.
"Hey need any help?"
"No, I have it." He kissed her and she smiled, Booth rubbed her arms before moving away.
She watched him settled down and play with Amy, who seemed to like all the attention but was growing tired. Parker wanted to watch another movie and even set up a favorite of his, Cars, while Booth went to the nursery to place Amy to sleep.
Finding the music selection to be only classical, he began singing a tune silently.
Hush-a-Bye
Dont You Cry
Go To Sleep My Little Baby
When You Wake You Shall Have
All The Pretty Little Ponies
In Your Bed
Mamma Said
Babies Riding Off To Dream Land
One By One
They've Begun
Dance And Prance For Little Baby
Blacks And Bays
Dapples And Grays
Running In The Night
When You Wake
You Shall Have
All The Pretty Little Ponies
Soon Amy was asleep and he placed her in her crib, saying a silent prayer for her. Booth turned to see Brennan in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded. He left the room, an arm around Brennan and both settled on the couch with Parker to watch the movie.
The family had reunited and everything was great, peaceful and life moved on.
A/N: Bones faces an interview on her newest book and the fact she's a mother, countering the statement she made years before.