----Friday---

Brennan put down her camera and carefully stepped around the skeleton at her feet without taking her eyes of the spot where she'd seen him.

In one swift movement she pulled herself out of the shallow grave and took off running.

"Bones!" Booth saw his partner suddenly take off toward the street and ran after her.

Brennan didn't hear him calling to her, just kept running. She knew she'd seen him. She hadn't imagined it.

Booth caught her elbow just barely before she ran out into the busy street and pulled her tight against him.

"What the hell Bones?" He pulled back to look at her, but she wouldn't meet his gaze.

Effectively ignoring Booth, Brennan searched the other side of the street for her father. She didn't see him. Her blue eyes roamed up and down the street trying to catch any glimpse of Max Keenan, but to no avail.

He had disappeared. Again.

"Temperance, were you thinking? Are you alright?" Booth tried to grab her other shoulder and make her look at him but she wrenched herself out of his grasp and stepped back.

"I-I'm fine Seeley. I just…" She took another sweeping look around her before bringing her eyes back to her husband. "I just thought I saw something. I was mistaken." She turned and walked determinedly back to the crime scene. Booth watched her go, hands on his hips.

He'd seen the look that passed over her eyes when she looked at him. The sadness that had briefly invaded them was only upstaged by the way she'd looked a few months ago when she'd received a congratulatory anniversary card from Russ and Max.

The two men had been on the run for several years now, but still managed to stick their noses into Brennan's life just often enough to keep her off balance. He was glad they still cared for her…but he hated the way their attention made her feel. Too often after some contact from her father and brother, Brennan would withdraw back into herself, trying to sort things through on her own. She would be like this for days and it killed Booth each and every time.

While Booth knew this was something she had to do herself, it still angered him that she had a demon he couldn't quite capture and kill for her. A dragon he couldn't slay.

He tried to talk about it with her when they were doing that undercover job a few weeks back, but she just continued to blow him off.

Booth smiled at the thought of that undercover job. He and Bones really liked doing those things, but it was too hard being away from Sonny and David for that long. It was hard on the kids too.

"Seeley!" Brennan called from behind the crime tape. "Let's go! I need to get back to the lab before the remains do." She waved him over, hoping he hadn't been thinking about her, although she knew he had been.

Stupid Temperance. Why did you have to take off like that? Of course he's worried about you now.

She was right. He was worried about her, and the subsequent events that would follow in the next few days would not do anything to ease his mind.

"Bones," Booth began slowly, "It's already five-thirty. The kids will be home soon, why don't we just call it a day?"

Brennan shook her head and continued to stare out the window of the SUV.

"No Booth those remains need to be processed asap."

"C'mon Babe, Zack's in town, he's got his assistant and yours. Assistants are there so you don't have to be. Let's just go home."

Brennan avoided looking at him, fearing the pleading look he was surely giving her would be too much to bear. Unfortunately, she could feel it poring into her skin and after a few moments she relented and pulled out her cell phone.

"Addy."

"Zack, Booth and I are done for the day, we've sent over a set of remains from the crime scene. They need to be processed asap if it's not too much trouble…"

"That's fine Dr. Brennan, I was going to stay late and authenticate this Renaissance era skeleton anyway, I can have Charlotte and Greg help me."

"Thanks Zack."

She hung up and glared at Booth.

"Happy now?"

"Yes." Booth said smugly, drumming his fingers in time to the rock station on the radio.

Silence fell between them again and Booth could tell something was still bothering her.

Reaching across toward her, he squeezed the ticklish spot just above her knee, earning a slight smile from Brennan.

"Talk to me Bones." He coaxed.

Brennan sighed deeply and turned to him.

"I saw him Booth. He was there."

Booth's face darkened and he returned both hands to the steering wheel.

"Your father." It was a statement instead of a question and Brennan was puzzled.

"How'd you know?"

He glanced at her and pursed his lips.

"When your father shows up…you get this look in your eyes, you pull away and go to a place where I can't get to you."

Brennan frowned.

"I did not pull away." She said indignantly.

"Oh really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "Then the way you wiggled away from me at the scene, rushed ahead of me to the car and haven't spoken a word this entire time, I imagined all that then?"

Brennan started to say something and then shut her mouth with a click of her teeth.

"I did do that…didn't I?"

Booth nodded and they pulled up into a parking spot in front of their apartment building.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, wondering if he was mad at her.

Booth slipped off his sunglasses and leaned in toward her.

"You don't have to apologize, I understand…I just don't like it. I don't like that he hurts you and I don't like what that makes you do, but I'm not mad at you."

Brennan smiled slowly, his breath tickling her lips and she leaned forward a fraction of an inch.

"That's very rational Booth."

Booth returned her smile.

"I'll try not to take offence to that."

Before she could defend her self and the idea of 'rationality' Booth slipped his hand around behind her neck and pulled her to him, their lips connected and a familiar electricity pumped through them.

Brennan was immediately enthralled and moved to deepen the kiss, tugging at Booth's tie in frustration while he searched for the hem of her shirt.

The sound of loud squeaky breaks and a diesel engine brought them out of their trance. Booth opened one eye and saw a big yellow school bus pulled up across the street, red lights flashed to indicate that a child was emerging.

Brennan groaned as Booth pulled away and smoothed her hair before getting out of the car.

"Whatever happened to those two partners that could hardly make it from one room to the next without a little…" she glanced again at the school bus as she stood alongside Booth in front of the SUV, "…intimacy?"

Booth chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders, kissing her temple.

"They had kids Bones."

"Oh…why'd they do that?" She said, trying to sound disappointed, but couldn't really pull it off as a shaggy-haired seven-year-old came running toward them. David had his jacket in one hand, a colorful piece of paper in the other and his backpack hanging open, flopping around behind him. The boy jumped on his father, who groaned to get his wind back.

"Cause they're just so gosh darned cute?" He asked breathlessly and wincing.

"Yeah," Brennan laughed and gave David a hug 'hello', "that must be it."

"Hi mom! Hi dad! Guess what!" David bounced alongside his parents as they went toward the doors.

"What is it buddy?" Booth smiled and took the salmon-colored paper David was shaking in his face.

"Mrs. Dastoli is takin' our class on a field trip!" David shouted, pumping his fists in the air as he ran up the stairs to their apartment. "You gotta sign that paper so I can go. We're gonna go to Mom's work, the Jeffersonian! It's gonna be so cool!"

"Salim, you're shouting." Brennan gave him a warning glare.

David colored up. "Sorry mom." He whispered sheepishly, before flashing the charm smile.

"What's so special about that? You go there all the time." Booth scanned the form half-heartedly.

"Yeah, but this time it'll be with my friends dad."

Brennan reached for her keys and smoothed David's curls. Unlike Parker, David hadn't grown out of his twisted locks and he wore them proudly. Madison had her mother's hair, it was only wavy after her bath.

"You need a haircut David." She commented as she pushed open the door. At hearing this, David clasped his hands over his head and ran to his room.

"No! I won't let you!"

"David! Lower your voice! We have neighbors!" Brennan called through the apartment. She felt Booth slip an arm around her waist and kiss her on the cheek.

"You do realize your yelling too…right?"

Brennan sighed and shook her head in frustration and Booth handed her David's permission slip.

"Your turn to sign."

Brennan rolled her eyes and turned Booth around so she could use his back for writing on.

"Daddy! Mommy!" The sound of small feet came pounding down the hallway just as Brennan finished signing her name across the bottom of David's permission slip.

They both looked down the hall and saw little Madison in a jean shorts and a purple shirt that read 'Daddy's Girl' across the front in rhinestone lettering running at them full speed.

"Hey Princess!" Booth grinned and snatched his daughter off the ground, twirling her in the air so she giggled.

Brennan bent to pick up Madison's tiara, which had become dislodged when Booth was twirling her.

"What am I? Chopped steak?" She said in mock offence, placing the plastic crown back on the little girl's head.

"No mommy you not steak." Madison leaned from her father's arms and gripped both sides of Brennan's face and planted a wet kiss on her nose while Booth mumbled something about 'liver'.

"See? I love you Mommy."

Brennan grinned and kissed Madison's forehead.

"Love you too baby."

"Hey Mr and Mrs. B." Jackie emerged from the bathroom, wiping her hands on her jeans, her face freshly washed. "Sonny and I were playing 'makeup artist' and I had to clean up before coming out. I was pretty scary."

Booth gasped and looked wide-eyed at Madison.

"Did you put makeup on Jackie, Princess?"

"Uh-huh."

"Did she look pretty?"

The little girl shrugged and giggled. "Uh-uh. I made her green!"

"You made her green?" He asked in that high-pitched voice parent's use when humoring their children.

"Yeah! And her lips was wed!"

"Red lips too?" Booth attempted to shrug out of his jacket while holding Madison on his hip and Brennan moved to help.

"Actually Sonny, red is a normal color for lips." She said in all seriousness.

Booth turned to say something to her when Brennan stood on her tippy-toes and smirked over his shoulder at her daughter.

"Next time make them black!"

Madison dissolved in giggles and Booth smiled at his wife warmly. Sometimes he forgot how good she was at all this stuff.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow then." Jackie moved around the spacious apartment gathering her things. "Bye Sonny."

Sonny waved and Booth took her to the kitchen to help him start dinner while Brennan paid the sitter.

"Thanks again Jackie, we'll see you tomorrow."

Brennan waved as the girl disappeared from sight down the stairs at the end of the hall.

A low rolling chuckle followed by a high-pitched squeal emanated through the apartment. Brennan shook her head and headed for the kitchen.

I swear that girl has a little bit of Angela in her. She thought, smiling.

In the kitchen Brennan found little Madison seated on the counter while her father mixed things in a bowl.

"Unh!" Madison tipped her head back and opened her mouth, making herself look just like a baby bird.

Obediently Booth produced an aerosol can of whipped cream from his side and sprayed her mouth full. Just as Madison took the can to do the same to Booth, it was snatched from her hand.

Booth jumped at the sight of his wife beside him.

"Ummm…"

"Save it." She glared at them both, but mostly at Booth, or as she called him, 'the bad influence'.

"You two know the rule about dessert before dinner."

"Sorry mom." They responded in unison, putting on their best sorrowful faces, Madison's genuine, Booth's teasing.

Brennan kissed her daughter on the head.

"It's all right sweetie."

Then, turning to Booth, "And as for you. We will talk later."

Booth grinned, still sensing a hint of playfulness in her.

"What are you gonna do?" He asked, his voice low as he turned his whole body toward her and stepped closer.

Brennan caught the desire lacing his voice and couldn't help but smile.

"Oh…you'll see." She leaned over to kiss him, but didn't quite make it before a loud groan rang out from the back of the apartment.

"Mom! I need your help. This homework is so hard!"

Brennan sighed and let her forehead fall against Booth's. He pushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Go ahead, the Princess and I will finish up here."

Brennan nodded and turned toward the back of the apartment.

"I'm coming David!"

Oh yay! Family a la Booth. lol. Tell me what you thought!