Okay guys, I'd just like to warn you all now: THIS CHAPTER IS EPICALLY LONG. Don't ask why or how, but you might want to take a break in between reading. I really don't think that we'll post another one so long (not soon at least) so don't get used to this, but take it as our little gift to you guys for all your amazing feedback! ENJOY!
The dry august heat that had been oppressing Washington D.C. for the first week or so of the month was beginning to disappear with the setting of the sun. At the hour of six pm, the sun had lowered nowhere near the horizon yet the temperature had still dropped at least ten degrees in an hour. It wasn't much but it was enough for air conditioners to be turned off and apartment windows to be opened.
Inside Brennan's apartment, two miniature legs gleamed with sweat and dangled off the edge of a vintage dark mahogany vanity that sat in the corner of her bedroom.
"What's a gala?" Parker questioned as he swayed his head back and forth to the same beat as his swinging legs. He picked up a giant make-up brush and experimentally brushed the bristles across his cheek, the ticklish feeling making him giggle.
"Well, technically, a gala is an extremely extravagant and lavish social event." Brennan replied automatically. She continued to rub moisturizer deeply into her forehead until she caught her son's confused expression in her peripheral vision. "It's a really fancy party where your Daddy and I have to get dressed up and go talk to the other people that we work with."
Brennan smiled to herself and readjusted the neckline of the plush, cream colored cotton robe that she was sporting, proud of her ability to use what Booth often considered 'layman's terms'. Her joy was short lived though as Parker suddenly stopped fooling around with her makeup brush and gasped.
"No fair! A party? I wanna go, Mommy! Pleeeeeease, can I go?" He bounced up and down, shaking the vanity and making a couple of lipstick tubes and lotion bottles topple over with simultaneous clanks and thuds. Brennan frowned slightly as she reorganized her cosmetics with one hand and stilled her son with the other.
"Baby, you're making everything fall over. You know that this is just an occasion for grown-ups. Daddy and I would bring you if we could. The only reason we're going is because I won an award for work and I have to go receive it." She leaned in close to his ear and whispered, her exhalations tickling his ears. "It's all uninteresting people from work anyways."
Parker smiled a little. "I guess an award is kinda cool. I got a perfect attendance record at school last year. Is it like that?"
"Yes, it is slightly different, but just as important." Brennan tried to make her son smile but she could still see the sadness in his eyes. "What are you thinking about?"
Parker huffed and wriggled away, defeated. "Daddy just gets to be your date to everything. He's a Mommy hog." Brennan couldn't help but smile at him.
The idea of being fought over by her Booth boys pleased her, no matter how irrational it should have made her feel. They had a talent at that, she had noticed, at making her feel things that she never would have before knowing them. If they didn't have that damn charm smile she might have remembered to be troubled by it. At this moment though, the lack of that smile on Parker's face is what was troubling her.
She reached over and took both of Parker's cheeks in her hands, cupping his chin and rubbing her thumbs across the apples of his cheeks that were, thanks to her make-up brush, slightly pinker than usual. "You're not going to be missing anything, baby. Actually, you'll probably have a more enjoyable evening than us. Guess who's coming to watch you tonight…"
Parker's face lit up. "Max!"
Brennan nodded, happy her little rouse had distracted Parker like she had intended.
"You're right Mommy; I am going to have more fun then you and daddy tonight!"
Brennan dropped her hands from Parker's face and turned to look at her reflection in the vanity's mirror, sighing in relief. Ever since Max had expressed his approval towards her role in Parker's life, she had been more open towards the idea of her father being a part of his life as well. Max had become the unofficial babysitter to Parker and his granddaughters and often their play-date chaperone as well. In fact, that night would be the first opportunity for him to bond with just Parker. Brennan knew how much Parker adored Max but seeing the sincerity in his excitement still relieved her immensely.
"Mommy, what is this thing?" Parker inquired slightly scared-sounding, interrupting Brennan's thoughts. He was holding an eyelash curler at arm's length, studying it without allowing it too close to his body. "It looks like it could hurt me….Could it?"
Brennan laughed loudly and took the tool from the worrisome boy's hands.
"Not if you know how to use it correctly." She placed the curler on the center of her vanity and glanced at the clock, mentally noting the amount of time she had before Booth was due to arrive.
"Now, Parker. I have a very important job for you." Brennan stated very seriously, capturing her son's rapt attention. "I need to finish getting ready for the gala before your Daddy comes to pick me up and I think you should be my assistant so we can amaze him."
"Okay, Mommy! We're gonna make Daddy's mouth hang all the way to the floor!"
(*)
About ten minutes later, Brennan was finally content with the application of her make-up. She had never been one to wear an excessive amount of cosmetics so she kept with the basics but gave them a mysterious edge; a discreetly smoky eye, light pink blush and clear gloss for her lips.
Parker had ultimately proved himself to be a good helper with the exception of one eye-shadow suggestion based upon the color's resemblance to his favorite jelly-bean flavor. He handed Brennan every container that she requested and even helped rub away smudged eyeliner when her hand slipped.
Throughout the entire process, Parker waited intently on his mother's next order which was exactly what he was doing when Brennan emerged from her closet with a dress in each hand.
"Okay, now this is the most important part. I couldn't pick which one I liked the most so you get to be the final decision." Brennan informed Parker as he smiled and moved his body so that he was sitting on his little fingers.
The two dresses were exceedingly different. The first resembled what she usually wore to Jeffersonian events, it was a stone grey cocktail dress with lace detailing along the underside of the bust. Slightly feminine but nothing that stood out too much. The other was an ensemble that she had bought on a whim. The moment that she had seen it, she knew it would look fantastic on her. She knew it was the kind of dress that would turn heads. It was strapless and its color resembled something of a deep plum. It hugged her hips and her chest and it fell right at the knee.
Parker stared at the dresses very intently, taking his responsibility very seriously. It did not take him very long to decide though.
"The purple one. Definitely." He stated, staring at it with a tilted head.
His response surprised Brennan although she wasn't quite sure why. Perhaps it was because she was secretly hoping that he would choose it. "You sound very sure about your decision."
"Well, it's a no-brainer Mommy. Purple is a much prettier color then grey is and you look 'specially pretty you wear colors. Plus the purple one is littler and Daddy really likes when he can see lotsa your skin!"
"Parker Booth!" Brennan gasped; half shocked that something so mature could come out of a six-year olds mouth and half amused at his perceptiveness.
"Well, it's true, Mommy." Parker looked at her as if he was explaining the most basic of concepts. "You know those jammies you always wear when Daddy come over or picks me up in the morning?"
Brennan nodded, mentally scolding herself because she knew exactly which pajamas Parker was talking about and she did wear them every time that Booth came around early.
"Well, those are much littler than the rest of your jammies and Daddy always smiles bigger when he can see all of your legs and arms and stuff. So I think if you want to make Daddy smile, you should wear the purple dress." Parker finished his argument with a nod of his head.
Brennan was flabbergasted. She couldn't believe that her six year old was the person recommending that she wear a sexy dress for his father but she was going to take his advice all the same. He was right after all; she did want to make Booth smile. Unreasonable as it may have been, she wanted to make his jaw drop.
"ALright, you've convinced me. But now you have to face the other way while I put it on because I still have one final thing to ask of you in a moment." Brennan requested as she placed the spare dress carefully on her bed.
Parker obeyed and climbed into the stool below him. He kneeled on the hard seat and propped his elbows on the vanity's surface making popping noises with his lips. Brennan dressed herself quickly, pulling the warm fabric over the curve of her hip and adjusting the heart-shaped neckline so that it covered her black strapless bra faultlessly.
"Okay, baby. You can turn around now." Brennan instructed as Parker immediately whirled around in the stool so fast that he could barely keep his balance. His eyes lit up the moment his eyes focused on his mother.
"Wow, Mommy. You look pretty." Parker was completely in awe.
"Thank you very much, but we have one last thing to do." Brennan turned around so her back was facing her son. "Can you close the zipper please?"
Parker stood up on the stool so that he was tall enough to pull the zipper all the way to the top of her back but as soon as he placed his hands on the pull of the zipper a deep voice came from the doorway.
"Hey now mister, I believe that is my job."
Both Brennan and Parker snapped their heads around to see a very dapper looking Booth leaning against the doorframe of Brennan's doorway in a perfectly fitted tuxedo. A smile crept onto her face; he looked absolutely perfect.
Booth removed himself from his position in the doorway and walked over to his partner and his son. The closer that he became to Brennan the harder he had to force his lungs to keep breathing. He had never seen her look as stunning as she did in that moment. He thought she looked beautiful every day but what was before his eyes felt like a piece of artwork.
Her hair fell around her shoulders in loose tendrils and she smelled like warm vanilla. Her skin shimmered. She had put something on her eyes that had managed to make them seem sultry yet light at the same time and her lips looked like they would taste like fruit. His glanced down to her dress and he immediately felt as if he never wanted her to wear anything else. The color made her skin seem warmer. It clung to her in all the right places and looked as if it could have molded to her body. Just enough cleavage spilled over the top of her dress to make him feel on the verge of nervous sweats while still hiding enough to seem like a present waiting to be unwrapped. The curve of her ass deliciously transformed into a set of legs that already looked as if they went for miles without the assistance of a pair of heels.
He felt a flush creep onto his face as he looked at her. He wasn't sure how he was going to survive the evening.
Brennan had watched Booth rake his eyes over her body and she knew by his quickened breathing patterns that she had accomplished her goal. She knew she normally would have felt slightly objectified but in that moment she would have let him stare at her for as long as he pleased. An impatient sigh redirected her attention to the presence of her son, though, and Brennan figured she had to get things moving.
She turned her body slightly so that her back was facing the larger of the two Booth's and she pulled her hair towards the front of her body, exposing the bareness of her shoulder blades. She could feel his breath on the nape of her neck as he reached down and slowly pulled the zipper of her dress up until it was closed.
All of a sudden a loud thudding noise came from the living area of the apartment signaling Max's arrival. Parker cheered and leapt off of the stool scurrying in the direction of the front door.
Booth, who had not yet moved away from Brennan, took advantage of their solitude to plant his lips silently just above the zipper that he had just closed.
"You look gorgeous, Bones." He muttered as he continued to trace the skin above her dress with a line of whisper-soft kisses.
Brennan felt a shiver creep up her spine. "As do you."
Against her baser judgments, she turned her body around and away from Booth's ministrations. She smiled and allowed her hands to run up his chest to his tie. She tweaked it, checking the knot. "We should leave. It's getting late."
Booth nodded, allowing himself one last fleeting look at Brennan before reaching his arm around her body and placing his hand on the small of her back.
As he tenderly led her towards the door, something very troubling suddenly clicked in his mind.
"Was my son wearing make-up on his cheeks?" He gasped. Brennan chuckled at his overriding alpha-male tendencies.
"He was merely playing with one of my make-up brushes while I was getting ready. You can relax, he is just as much of a man as you are, Booth."
(*)
Booth clutched onto Brennan's hand as he pulled her through a crowd of chatting scientists and anthropologists towards the bar.
"Every time I come to one of these I feel like I'm at a freak convention. I mean do they ever get tired of talking about the degenerative life span of Native Americans or whatever…it's weird."
"Booth…" Brennan began, completely ready to refute his statement. She realized, though, that ultimately Booth was correct. Some of them were quite dull. "At least keep your volume low. These are my colleagues and they wouldn't appreciate being reminded of their flaws."
"But it's true, Bo – Reminded? You agree with me?" Booth beamed. He loved the rare moments where she agreed with him without a fight.
"Oh, just keep your voice quiet, please?" Brennan responded to his childlike delight. Booth merely laughed as they finally reached their destination. He gripped the edge of the counter as he leaned in towards the bartender so that he could be heard over the noise of the gala's guests but he was interrupted.
"Dr. Brennan! It's fantastic to see you. Congratulations on the award. I have an associate I would love to introduce you to…" A tall, gawky man in small glasses had approached Brennan. To Booth, he looked like every other Jeffersonian clone he had seen there that night.
Brennan looked towards Booth questioningly, as if asking permission to leave for a moment. It surprised Booth that she would ask permission for something of the sort but he gave it anyway.
"Hey, go ahead, Bones. Go mingle a little. I'll get your drink for you." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her cheek before she followed the other man back through the crowd.
Booth turned around so that he was facing the twenty-something bartender once again.
"One whiskey for me and a vodka martini for the lady." He requested, without even having to think about what Brennan would have ordered. Booth drummed his fingers along the bar as the bartender handed the whiskey glass to him and started on Brennan's drink.
"Dude, your wifey is smokin' hot." He said as he dropped a toothpick pierced olive into the martini glass.
"Hey , kid." Booth said threateningly, forcefully putting his glass back onto the bar. "That is not how you talk about a woman. You've probably never been with one so I'll give you a get out of jail free card this time. But if you don't learn to respect them, you'll never even get the chance to be with one."
Booth grabbed the martini glass from the shocked bartender and picked up his whiskey. He was well aware that he had over reacted, at least a little but no one was allowed to talk about her like that.
As he turned away from the bar and spotted Brennan talking animatedly with her associates he allowed himself yet another longing glance at his date. Her hair still fell perfectly around her face and her dress still hugged her in all the right places. The bartender was right, she was hot. Still, no one was allowed to talk about her like that except him.
As Booth made his way through the crowd towards Brennan he noticed another person enter the circle that she was currently talking to. This new addition was nothing like the awkward looking men that surrounded her already.
Booth wasn't the kind of guy who would admit that another man was attractive but he could say with certainty that this new guy could compete with him if he wanted to. Which is exactly what it looked like he was trying to do.
Before Booth could even get angry, remembering the recent grocery store incident all too well, he saw Brennan politely, yet firmly, send the man away without a second glance.
He felt triumphant. He knew that she had promised him that she wouldn't go off with anyone else and he had definitely felt them getting closer to something more all summer but the prospect of life without her still scared him to death. Every time Booth saw her pick him over another guy it made him feel like he won the Stanley Cup.
By the time he reached Brennan, he was still smiling ear to ear. The people around her began to gesture goodbye due to the entrance of Booth but he didn't even notice.
"Sent him packing, huh, Bones?"
Taking her drink, Brennan smiled. "I'm not sure what that means, but if you're talking about that man then I see you didn't even try to feel sympathetic for his embarrassment."
"Hell no, Bones. Let's go find a table." Booth gulped down a large sip of his whiskey and laughed, feeling the burn of the liquid traveling down his throat.
(*)
"Well, we actually met in that café down the street from the Lab." Cam explained to Booth and Brennan, gesturing to her extremely attractive date sitting next to her.
Brennan had spotted her boss and her date from across the room and decided to go and sit with them while she and Booth finished their drinks. She was capable of taking part in small talk with the other Jeffersonian employees but she found it exhausting. She was much more comfortable being around people that she already knew in social situations.
"The one with those really good chocolate chip muffins?" Booth excitedly asked, craving one the moment the words came out of his mouth.
Cam laughed. "Yeah, that one. God, Seeley, do you eat anything without candy in it?"
"Meat." Booth said decisively. "I'm pretty sure chocolate would destroy a good steak."
Everyone at the table laughed. Brennan smiled though knowing that if he was ever actually offered a steak covered in chocolate he'd probably try it before sending it away.
The song playing throughout the room suddenly changed. Instead of the upbeat, jazzy music that had been favored for the majority of the event a song with a much slower pace began to play. It was The Way You Look Tonight and Booth recognized it immediately.
He stood up and lowered his hand down towards Brennan. "Oh Bones, we have to dance to this. It's Sinatra. You can't ignore Ole Blue Eyes."
Brennan took his hand and allowed Booth to lead her to the dance floor. She offered Cam a smile as they left and saw her smiling back, shaking her head in a knowing exasperation.
As soon as they reached the center of the dance floor, Booth wrapped his left arm around Brennan's back and grabbed her hand with the hand attached to the other. He pulled her as tightly into his chest as he could. Brennan sighed and settled into his chest, allowing herself to melt into the warm, solid planes of his body.
As they began to move their bodies slowly to the sway of the song, their breathing began to match one another. Brennan could feel Booth's chest rising and falling in the same beat as her own and she listened to his humming turn into mumbling as he moved his mouth to her ear and began to softly sing the song.
"Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm and your cheeks so soft. There is nothing for me but to love you and the way you look tonight."
Brennan felt a wave of warmth roll over her. It must have been a mixture of his breath on her ear, the words he was whispering and the feeling of his body pressed up against her own but Brennan felt as if she could melt. She had never understood that expression and she had always demeaned it when Angela would use it to describe her emotions. Still, in that moment, it was the only way she could describe how she felt.
Booth continued to speak-sing through the song and Brennan continued to clutch on to him like her life depended on it. They both lost all sense of thought. Neither would have been able to even tell you if they were still dancing. All they could do was feel the music rushing through them and the pressure of each other's bodies.
As the song came to an end, both Booth and Brennan awoke from their trance and stared at each other with an intensity that had building since Booth had appeared in her bedroom earlier that evening.
Neither moved but they continued to stare, as if daring the other to make a move. Unfortunately, neither had the chance to.
"Whew." Angela gasped, fanning herself as she approached the two on the dance floor. "I just wanted to come and say my goodbyes because Jack keeps flicking that rubber band on his wrist and I figured it was about time to go but wow! You could get sun burnt standing next to you two for too long when you're looking at each other like that. I am going to go, Sweetie. Love you to pieces. But seriously…don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Angela backed away from the couple, smiling as hugely as her face would allow her to and not even giving Booth or Brennan a chance to respond. They stood shoulder to shoulder staring at where the artist had just stood, his mouth sat slightly agape while she pressed her lips together firmly.
Brennan was the first to break the silence. "Well, that doesn't really hinder us in any way…"
Booth looked at her confused face and laughed. "Bones, I'm pretty sure that was the point."
As her best friend's meaning finally clicked in her mind, Brennan joined in Booth's laughter. Then, once again, their moment was interrupted by a nervous tapping on Brennan's shoulder.
"Excuse me, Dr. Brennan?" A younger looking version of the standard run of the mill Jeffersonian clone stuttered nervously. "I was sent to find you and tell you that it's almost time for your acceptance speech."
As soon as he had finished his statement, he disappeared into the crowd as quickly as he had appeared. Booth chuckled. "A scaredy squint!"
His laughter stopped once he looked at his partner's face. He saw an unmistakable look of anxiety plastered all over her face. He didn't hesitate in taking her back into his arms.
"I hate these things. Conversing with multiple people at one time at these sorts of occasions are hard enough without having to seem humble and amusing in front of hundreds."
Booth hushed her quietly as her rocked her slightly.
"You're going to do great. I think you're very amusing. Not humble but you can be very amusing." He smiled at her to indicate his joke and rubbed his nose across the hairs at the top of her forehead.
"Thanks, Booth." Brennan returned his smile and tried to pull away but Booth kept his grip on her for a moment longer.
"Go get 'em tiger."
(*)
"So what do you wanna do? We can watch a movie or play with my blocks. No girly stuff though. We always gotta do girly stuff with Hayley and Emma. I have lots of fun toys from my birthday and mommy helped me pick out some new marbles to go with the ones you gave me! I have a bunch now." Parker enthusiastically spoke, bringing a bright smile to Max's face.
The older man thought back many years ago to the time when he was responsible for entertaining his own young son. If there was one thing he knew about boys it was that they loved any and all things disgusting. "I have a better idea. Where does your mother keep the laundry detergent?"
Minutes later Max stood at the kitchen counter while Parker stood at his side on a small step-stool. The boy had changed into an older t-shirt at the promise that he'd get dirty. "Alright, now we're going to stir up the water and laundry borax." The older man instructed. Parker did as he was told and stuck the spoon into one of the two cups in front of him. "No we mix the water and glue. Which food color do you want to use?"
"Green! It'll make it look grosser!" Parker exclaimed.
Max added a few drops of the coloring into the glue and water mixture. He helped Parker combine a little bit of the first mixture with the second and it tightened into a lump. The boy took it out and kneaded it in his hands. The material that was between a solid and liquid came together and apart in his hands. "This stuff is so cool!"
Thirty minutes later he was still squishing and rolling and pulling the substance apart, but he had relocated to the dining room table so he could sit. Max watched him happily and explained the science behind the goo. "There's water trapped inside the molecules and that's what makes it feel liquid, but if it's left out the water will evaporate so when you're all done we have to put it in an air-tight plastic bag."
"You know a lot about science. Did you teach mommy when she was little like me?" Parker asked, unaware of the sensitive issue he was bringing up.
Max look away for a moment, remembering a few of the moments when Tempe was little and he did share his knowledge with her. When he glanced back at Parker who was looking at him with his soft brown eyes that made Max understand how his daughter fell in love with the boy so quickly. "I taught her some things, but she liked to learn things on her own."
"Mommy teaches me stuff all the time. I like to play at the lab with Dr. Jack and Angie, too. He shows me bugs and she lets me play with her computers sometimes. Daddy says they're makin' me into a squint." He giggled. "But squint stuff is fun. I like doin' experiments just like tonight."
"Well making the goo wasn't really an experiment since we already knew the result."
"Not with the goo. With you being my grandpa." Parker recognized Max's expression as one that urged him to go on. "Mommy and Daddy said that I could pick what I wanted to call you, so I thought that if we had fun tonight then that means you could be a good grandpa."
Max felt his heart swell at the little boy's words. "And what'd you decide?" He held his breath, realizing that if Parker didn't want him as a grandfather he would be truly crushed.
"You're an awesome grandpa."
(*)
Booth rubbed his hands together as he exited the men's room to prevent himself from wiping his slightly damp hands on his tuxedo pants. After Brennan had finished her speech she was mobbed by well wishers and nervous interns waiting as if they were about to meet a celebrity. He figured he could disappear into the bathroom without being missed.
He scoured the crowd trying to find Brennan, expecting to see her in the middle of a crowd of adoring fans. To his surprise though, when his eyes finally found her they found her with only one adoring fan. A very interested in more than congratulations fan.
Booth felt his stomach drop. Not because he felt threatened. He could tell simply by looking at her that she was just trying to be 'humble and amusing' as she had been instructed. He felt that way because he felt inadequate.
When he watched Brennan giving her speech he had been overwhelmed by her. By her beauty. By her intelligence. Even by her ability to overcome her normal social awkwardness to charm a crowd in a speech. She could do anything that she wanted and be with anyone that she wanted and she was wasting her time with him.
She could have one of the brilliant, handsome scientists that were fawning over her on her arm. Instead she was spending her days helping a former gambling addict take care of his illegitimate son because his mother had picked up and left. He had no idea whatsoever at why she would waste her time with someone like himself.
"Booth. Is everything alright? You have the same look on your face as you do in the interrogation room when you really want to hit something."
Apparently he had been too caught up in his guilt to notice that Brennan had broken off her conversation and appeared directly next to him.
"Why are you settling?" Booth asked just loud enough for Brennan to hear him.
"What do you mean?" She pleaded. She placed her hands on his upper arm, trying to calm him.
"Why are you settling, Bones? You could have anything and anyone. You could have everything. You could live in an expensive as hell apartment with a man who has the brain of a rocket scientist and the looks of a model. You deserve more than playing house, Bones. You deserve more than to have me drag you into my messed up life…"
"Hey." Brennan interjected forcefully. "I enjoy every moment of this life we're leading. I told you before that I have never felt as if you were trapping me into anything."
"But you can do so much better, Bones." He whispered.
"No, I would have to disagree. Parker is the greatest little boy that I have ever met. I didn't know how much I could love a child before him. And You. You have a compassionate heart and you are the most loyal person I have ever met. You are an incredible father and an incredible person. I have seen you on your good days and on your bad days and you have never once sacrificed your morals or your thirst for truth. You are an incredible man, Booth. I am perfectly happy."
"Really?" Booth turned to look into her eyes and he saw his answer there before she could respond with words.
"Yes, really." She let her words sink in before she continued. "Plus, I already have an expensive apartment."
Booth let out the breath that he had been holding with a heady chuckle. "Yes. Yes, you do." He felt beyond relieved. He knew that he had surprised Brennan with his intensity but her sincerity untied the knot in his stomach immediately. As he watched her beautiful face trying to comfort him he realized how much better of a person he felt around her. He realized how much better of a person he was because of her.
Brennan tilted her head like she was still trying to figure out what was going on in his mind. "Let's go sit."
She laced her fingers into Booth's and dragged him to the nearest table, keeping their hands attached as they sat.
A little over a half an hour later they were in exactly the same place.
"I am so bored." Booth whined, banging his head on the table in front of him and sounding exactly like his son.
"Booth, stop acting like Parker. You are not six." Brennan scolded playfully.
"Boooones." He continued, refusing to stop.
"Fine, I must admit that the party has reached that point in which the intoxication has turned to fatigue and all of the social anecdotes have already been used."
"Yes, also known as the point when the bored guests escape to the coat closet to slide into second base with their date. What do you say Bones? Wanna play some baseball?"
Brennan, recognizing the colloquialism that Booth was referring to, was astounded. "Are you being serious?"
Booth couldn't decide whether her expression was intrigued or if it was reluctant so he denied it. "Of course not, Bones. I graduated from closet feel 'em up a long time ago."
"Oh. I assumed as much." Brennan responded curtly even though Booth could've sworn she looked slightly disappointed.
A silence fell over them as they glanced around the room trying to find anything else to relieve their boredom. As they came up short once again, a small yawn escaped Brennan's lips.
Booth redirected his attentions to her and suddenly knew exactly what they could do.
"You want to go home and see Parker?"
Brennan's face lit up. "That's exactly what I want to do."
(*)
Brennan unlocked the front door of her apartment and stepped inside with Booth right behind her. The two were met by the Max's smiling face as he wiped down the dining table with a damp paper towel. Despite his initiative to clean, Booth spotted a green, gooey substance hanging off the edge of the table. "I'm not even going to ask what you guys did tonight." He grumbled as he loosened the knot on his tie and pulled off his suit jacket.
"We had a good time. I'm sure Parker will tell you all about it tomorrow." Max told them with certainty. "How was the party?"
"It was rather enjoyable. Conversing with the other guests was tedious, but the music was lovely." Brennan answered. "Thank you for taking care of him."
"It was my pleasure, but I should get going. Long drive home." He kissed his daughter's forehead. "Goodnight, honey. Anytime you need someone to watch the little guy just give me a call." He shook Booth's hand and then stepped out.
Wordlessly, both adults moved towards Parker's bedroom. Only a blue moon night light plugged into the wall illuminated the room. Dozens of star stickers glowed green on the ceiling. Brennan remembered when he asked her to help him align them in accurate constellations. She could also recall the indescribable feeling when he requested to reproduce Delphinus right above his bed.
The two walked towards the bed and split so one sat on both side of the child. Brennan leaned down and placed her lips on Parker's cheek. She kissed his baby soft skin a couple times until he slightly woke. Groggily, he cracked his eyes open. He smiled sleepily when he recognized the two bodies weighing down either side of the mattress. "Hi."
"Hey, bub. Did you have fun with Max?" His father asked gently.
Parker nodded. "He passed the grandpa test."
Booth glanced at his partner knowing that whatever feelings he had about Max being in Parker's life took second place to hers. He felt a calming sense of relief when he saw her smile. "I'm glad." She said.
Brennan's cell phone started to chirp from the living room. She went to stand up, but Booth placed a hand on her shoulder stopping her. "I'll get it. You stay here." He kissed his son on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, bub."
With that, the father quietly strode out of the bedroom.
"Did daddy smile a lot?" Parker quietly asked.
Brennan grinned at her son who was truly wise beyond his years. "Yes, he did."
"Did you get a big trophy?"
"No, just a plaque to hang on the wall."
"I'm proud of you, Mommy." He pulled his arms out from under the covers and held them out. Brennan leaned down to pull him into her warm embrace. The scent of his children's shampoo invaded her nostrils. The downy soft material of his pajama shirt felt like velvet against her bare shoulders.
"Thank you, baby." She whispered as he fell back against his pillow. "You get back to sleep. Goodnight." She pecked his cheek once more and moved off of the bed.
When she stepped into the undone hallway she found Booth leaning against the wall. He'd lost his silk tie. The top button of his white dress shirt was and his suspenders were hanging loose around his hips. She noticed him holding her cell phone. He stared at the screen. "You looked beautiful tonight, Sweetie. I hope studly ripped that dress of you by now. Call me with the details tomorrow." He read with a smirk.
Brennan shook her head slightly at her friend's salacious message. "This dress is expensive. Ripping it off wouldn't be sensible."
"I wouldn't dare harm that dress." Booth retorted as he handed her the phone. He surprised himself with his response. He blamed it on the whiskey running through his veins. Before it could go any farther he spoke, "I should go."
Brennan's eyebrows dipped together. "You've been drinking."
"Two glasses. I'm hardly buzzed."
"Stay here." She insisted before adding a sweet, "Please."
Booth groaned. How was he supposed to say no to that? "Alright, I'll go push Park over." He took one step towards his son's bedroom before he felt a tug at one of his suspenders. "Bones…" He warned.
"Don't wake him up again. My bed is bigger." She told him, stepping backwards and pulling him with her. She could see the hesitation in his eyes. "I promise no funny business."
They both laughed at her use of the phrase she had learned from him.
Twenty minutes later they both slipped into her queen sized bed. She stayed true to her word and didn't press herself against him despite her body aching to. They stayed quiet, listening to each other breath until she spoke, "Parker said he was proud of me."
Booth smiled and draped his arm over her stomach, pulling her close. "I'm proud of you too, mommy."
ONE MONTH AGO
The intense sizzle from the grill told Booth that his culinary masterpiece would be ready to serve any minute. He gazed over the heating grid and a surge of masculine pride shot through his body. There was nothing like cooking out with delicious food for a 4th of July celebration.
Brennan had surprised him and Parker by reserving the roof of her apartment building for the three of them only. On the top floor were a pool and a canopy covered lounge area. She also arranged for quite possibly the fanciest grill he'd ever used to be delivered and set up by the lounge. While he showed off his skills as a barbeque master, Parker splashed around the water enjoying the fact that he had it all to himself. Brennan kept a watchful eye on them both as she soaked in sun rays.
As Booth reached for a t-bone steak with his stainless steel tongs for a final turn, he felt a soft hand smooth across his shoulder and settle on the nape of his neck. "I'm impressed." She voiced.
His grin reached from ear to ear. "Told you I could whip up more than the standard hotdog and hamburger. Here we have a classic steak with peppers and onions for yours truly." He pointed to each food as he announced it. "A slider burger and sweet potato wedges for Park to scarf down and for my favorite vegetarian, a couple grilled mixed vegetable kabobs with a portobello mushroom and parsley salad." He poked a juicy mushroom with a fork and held it up to her mouth.
She removed her hand from his neck and closed her lips around it. "I am very impressed." Brennan revised her last statement. "Everything else looks delicious as well, Booth." She complimented.
He turned his head and let his eyes quickly roam her body that was clad in a yellow, cotton sundress. "I'll say."
She smirked at his comment, but didn't speak any word of protest. Instead, she offered him the glass she held. "You didn't have to make everything today."
Booth sipped the festive red mixed drink and immediately his taste buds puckered. "Whoa!" He took a quick inhale of breath. "That's strong. You trying to get me drunk?" He teased.
"Of course not. The amount of alcohol in the drink in comparison to your body weight isn't nearly enough to get you intoxicated." She explained, taking a sip of it herself.
Booth smiled and transferred the cooking food onto serving plates. He turned his head over his shoulder. "Time to get out of the pool, bub!"
Parker scowled but started to kick towards the ladder.
Brennan stayed at his side and quietly spoke in his ear, "So, is that apron a suggestion or a demand?" Her eyed darted to the garment he wore. "Kiss the Cook?"
Booth looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "First the drink and then asking about a kiss? Feeling naughty, Bones?"
Wordlessly, Brennan answered him by planting her lips on the apple of his cheek. Before his cheeks could blush, she stepped away from him and helped Parker towel dry himself.
"What time are the fireworks, Mommy?" The boy asked as he ran a towel back and forth over his messy hair.
She laughed when he took the terry cloth material off of his head and revealed extremely disheveled blonde locks. "They're scheduled for nine o' clock, but in years past I've learned that they normally begin a few minutes late."
"What time is it now?" His impatience was evident.
Brennan lifted her wrist to him so he could see her watch. She'd been trying to teach him how to tell time. Even though it was a skill that was usually learned in second grade, he asked her to teach him so she couldn't refuse.
"The big one is after the seven, so it's seven somethin'." He knew how to tell the hour, but being able to count by fives to find the minute was too difficult.
"That's correct." She praised. "It's actually 7:18 so the fireworks will start in a little less than two hours."
"Ok, let's eat. I'm starvin' like Marvin."
Brennan looked at him curiously. "Who's Marvin?"
Twenty minutes later parker was beginning to jump back in the pool. "I don't think so, Park. It's getting dark and you've got a full belly. I don't want you to get a stomach ache." His father declined.
Parker let out an unhappy sigh, but nodded causing few stray drops of water trickled off the ends of his hair. "So, how come there's always fireworks on the 4th of July?"
"A long time ago, on July 4th, America became its own country. It's like America's birthday."
"Actually the Declaration of Independence was only signed on July 4th, 1776. It wasn't ratified until July 6th so technically-"
"Bones." Booth harshly whispered and made a hand gesture across his neck. He taught her that it was a signal to stop talking so that's what she did. "What Mommy said is true, but we still celebrate on the 4th."
"How did we get to be our own country?"
"The Revolutionary War." Brennan replied. "American soldiers fought against British soldiers."
A fact that he'd heard from his Uncle Jarhead about his father suddenly popped into Parker's mind. "Daddy, did you fight British people?"
Both adults stiffed at his innocent question. Brennan eyes immediately averted to Booth who shifted uncomfortably in his seat under the steady gaze of his son. She knew he wasn't ashamed of his time in the U.S. Army, but it certainly wasn't something he liked to discuss at the drop of a hat.
"No, Parker. When I was in the army, America was at war with a different country."
"We didn't lose right? Cuz if we lost then we wouldn't have 4th of July."
His childlike reasoning tugged at Booth's heart. "Everyone loses when there's a war, bub. It's never a good thing." He looked at Brennan. "Unfortunately, it's inevitable." His words made it clear that he listened to every one of her anthropological explanations about the issue. "We celebrate the positive outcomes of war and we remember the soldiers who went to heaven because of it, but we never celebrate the war itself."
Parker was quite while he processed the information. When he finally spoke, neither of his parents could have anticipated his question. "Did you know soldiers who went to heaven, daddy?"
The back of Booth's eyes stung with tears. His voice turned horse when he answered, "Yeah. I did." He took a steadying breath and then decided to tell his son a story he'd been waiting to since the day he was born. "When I was in the army I made a really good friend. He was younger than me, but he was really funny and kind. He ended up going to heaven during the war. His name was Teddy Parker."
His son's eyes lit up. "Like me."
"Exactly like you. That's who you're named after, one of daddy's best and bravest friends."
"I like my name." Parker told him sincerely. "So since today isn't America's real birthday I can just have fun for you and Teddy and all the other guys who were in a war?"
"You sure can."
Parker scooted himself off of his chair and climbed into his dad's lap. He hugged him tight and whispered. "I'm proud of you, daddy."
The father hugged him tighter and buried his nose in his son's untamed hair. He breathed in deeply, letting the scent of chlorine and little boy consume him. "That's my favorite thing in the world to hear, bub."
Parker pulled back with a happy smile. "Can I play with the sparklers now?"
Booth laughed. Sparklers were his son's favorite part of the Independence Day. They were banned on the National Mall, where most D.C. citizens went to watch the firework display, but Parker's love of the blinding, crackling sticks kept them far away from any monument each year. "Go ahead." He nodded towards the long, small box lying on a plastic poolside chair by his damp towel. "Bring 'em over and we'll try not to burn down the building."
A little over an hour later, Parker was staring upward towards the sky, entranced by the explosions of bright colors and deafening booms. Booth and Brennan laid back on a large cushioned lounge that was big enough for two. His arm was snaked around her shoulders. Brennan wanted to close her eyes when the soothing sensation of his playing with the ends of her hair engulfed her, but she didn't want to miss the show of low explosive pyrotechnic devices. Her eyes moved back and forth from the sky to her son, making sure he didn't move too close to the edge of the rooftop. When she finally gathered the courage to look at her partner, she found his eyes steadily gazing at her.
"You're missing the fireworks." Her voice was so quiet that he wouldn't have heard her if they weren't so close.
"No, I'm not." He confidently replied.
"Thank you for naming Parker after your friend." Her gratitude caught him off guard, but it made his chest ache with joy. "I know how important a name is and Parker's is absolutely perfect for him."
"I agree." Booth smiled down at her expecting that his words were the end of their conversation, but then he felt her shift closer to his side.
And then he felt her hand move up his torso to rest in the middle of his chest. And then he felt her warm breath on his ear. "I'm proud of you too, daddy."
It didn't matter if it was 80 degrees outside. Booth shivered at her words. Nothing he'd ever heard was so affectionate, yet so sexy at the same time. Before he even had time to catch his breath from the treat Brennan had just given him, she outdid herself by dropping her lips onto his. Their mouths moved together in a dance as old as time. A low moan sounded from Booth's chest when her leg bent and rose to lie across his. She took advantage of his moment of weakness to slip her tongue between his lips. He felt her smile against when he fervently responded, but his excitement was nothing compared to hers. Each time Booth would tighten his hold on her body or caress her in a new place that was still a mystery to him, she'd grind herself deliciously against him or whimper in a way he never would have dreamed would be so sensual.
He'd never known this dominant side of his partner. The seductive, assertive woman who knew exactly what she wanted and knew exactly what she needed to do to get it. In that second, when her hand slipped under the hem of his t-shirt to stroke the taught skin over his stomach, he knew he wouldn't ever get enough of this. Of her. Of them.
A series of loud, repetitive booms pounded in their ears. He knew that meant the finale. This was almost over. Parker wouldn't be distracted anymore. With extreme reluctance, Booth pulled away and planted two more quick kisses on her lips before adding a little more space between them.
Brennan was so busy trying to catch her breath that she hardly heard Parker squeal, "That was SO awesome!"
Booth looked up at the stars. "You have no idea."
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