Hi sweeties. Thank you all so much for your reviews and your patience. It's been way too long since the last update, I know, but my life's been pretty busy these past weeks.

Glad you think I described Parker's reaction in character for a six-year-old.

Please note: I'm ignoring the Season 3 finale ;)

Here we go, chapter 23 is ready! Hope you'll like it!

Chapter 23:

"Really?" Angela asked her best friend. Brennan nodded. "Yeah,... he asked how it got there." She had to giggle. "You should have seen Booth's face."

"Shocked?" Angela grinned. They were both sitting on the couch in Brennan's office, drinking tea.

"Terrified!" Brennan grinned back at her best friend. "But I think I explained it in a suitable way. Parker was really very grown-up about it."

"He's a cutie. But that's not surprising, he's Booth's kid." Angela winked at her best friend and Brennan shook her head. "Don't you ever dare to tell Booth he is cute. He already has an ego the size of Texas. No need to encourage him. Although you're right... he is cute... sometimes."

"Thank you very much." A male voice from behind them startled the women.

Booth winked at his girlfriend and chuckled at the expression on her face. "Ah, come on... the size of Texas? You're exaggerating."

"Am not." She shook her head. "What are you doing here?"

"Am I not allowed to visit you?" Booth asked innocently.

"No." She answered. "Not only one hour after dropping me off here. That would be stalking, not visiting."

He rolled his eyes at her retort. "Stalking, my ass. We've got a case. Saunders is getting Zach. I thought I could use the time Zach takes to get his things together to visit my girlfriend. What a stupid idea." Despite his words he grinned at her.

"I was just telling Angela about our talk with Parker yesterday." Brennan said.

"I heard. Thanks for the compliments by the way, Angela." Booth smiled at the artist and she beamed back at him. "Should I leave you two lovebirds alone?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"No. We're not lovebirds here, we're professional. You know that." Brennan frowned at her best friend.

"So you admit to be a lovebird elsewhere? Pregnancy is making you soft, Bren." Angela giggled.

The frown on Brennan's face deepened. "That's not at all what I said."

"I was just kidding. But I better go anyway... I have lots of work to do. When are you going to leave today, Bren?" The artist rose and gave her friend a questioning glance.

"I'm going to pick you up for lunch and drop you off at home." Booth addressed his girlfriend.

"I thought you were going to a crime scene?" Brennan asked. "You can't know how long it will take. And you have work to do. I can get home all by myself, you know. I have a rental car until mine is repaired."

"I know that. But you're going to forget the time over work. And you're not allowed to work the whole day. Come one, Bones... be reasonable." Booth tried again.

"I'll have lunch with Angela and then drive home with my rental car. No need for you to interrupt your work, Booth. I promise not to work longer than allowed. Besides, Angela is going to make sure I don't work too much, right, Ange?"

"You can count on that. And if I have to drag you to your apartment by myself." Her best friend nodded in agreement.

Booth scowled and sighed. "Okay, okay. You know I don't do that to make you angry...I'm just... worried. The last time you drove alone..." He left the sentence hanging.

"Booth, it was an accident. Accidents happen. We might get into an accident with you driving. Would you refuse to ever drive a car again after that?" Brennan answered calmly.

"No... I'm just..." Booth's shoulders slumped a little in defeat.

Brennan rose and met his gaze. "You're trying to protect us. That's okay. But you can't always be there, Booth. And I have to be able to breathe, okay? I won't work too long. I'll drive carefully. I wont forget to eat and I won't do anything to endanger our baby. You've got to trust me." She closed the distance between them and put a hand on his arm. The small contact was not enough for him, so he pulled her into a light embrace. "You're right. And I trust you. But you can't blame me for worrying about you and the baby." He whispered into her ear, inhaling the scent of her hair.

Angela watched the couple with a tender smile. When Booth released his girlfriend, Angela saw that Brennan's eyes were brimming with tears. Knowing how much her best friend hated to show her pregnancy-enhanced emotions – Bren tended to equal them with weakness – she teased "I see, you're really 100 percent professional. Your restraint is enviable."

Her attempt on distracting Brennan worked and earned her an annoyed look of both of them. Angela just smiled.

"Booth!" Agent Saunders' voice drifted towards them from outside Brennan's office. "We're ready to go."

"Coming." Booth shouted back. "Be careful." He whispered to his girlfriend and brushed a soft kiss over her lips. Then he stepped back from her and strode towards the door. "See you later."

"Bye Booth." Angela said cheerfully and grinned at her best friend. "Now, if that was a professional work-related conversation I'll go grab my fiancé and discuss something with him." She used air-quotes on the word 'discuss'.

"Ah, stop it, Ange. Of course we can't stay totally professional. But we can at least try." Brennan explained.

"I know, Sweetie. I was just teasing you. I'll leave you to your paperwork now... Don't forget we'll have lunch together, okay? See you later." Angela walked out of Brennan's office.

The forensic anthropologist gave the paperwork on her desk a long look and sighed. It had been bad enough not to be able to go out to crime scenes with Booth anymore... but now she had to make sure not to work the whole day as she had been used to, not to stand for hours. So, working on remains was pretty much out of question. She briefly closed her eyes and imagined how her life would be, if she wasn't pregnant and Booth and her were not a couple.

She shuddered at the mere imagination... no, she wouldn't want to go back... but that didn't change the fact that she loathed paperwork.

"The things I do for you..." She muttered, not even noticing she was once again talking to her unborn child.

Did you like it? Reviews would be wonder-awesome ;) !

Thanks to everybody who's still reading!