"No, you know what, Bones. I'm coming with you tomorrow. I'll stay in the waiting room, but I'm coming with."

"Why?"

"Why what? If you're going to have my kid, I'm going to support you the whole way."

"Why did you change your mind?"

Booth sighed. "Because I care about you, Bones. I want to help. I'm so glad you're going to let me help you raise the baby. I'll get to do the things I never got to do with Parker when he was born. I just…You deserve some support. And I know you have Max and Hadley and Angela, but Parker and I are going to help out too. We're gonna be here through all of it whether you like it or not. And you can't back out on this, Bones. If we have a kid and you decide to kick me out of the baby's life, I'm going to fight. I had to fight for Parker and I lost too much time in his life. If you shut me out, Bones, you can expect some legal battles. I know you won't go broke but I'll spend everything I have saved to fight this. Don't shut me out, Bones."

"I told you I want this child to have a father. Obviously, that would be you. Have I given you reason to believe that I would not allow you to help me raise him or her? I do not intend to go back on my word, Booth."

He smiled. "Sorry, Bones. This is just kind of freaking me out. I didn't expect to have another kid…like this."

"You mean out of wedlock?" The concern in her voice was evident and she took a step closer to him. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but she wanted to hear what he had to say.

"Well…yeah. I mean, I don't regret Parker at all, but I just always imagined that if I had another kid, I'd be married and have a real house, not just an apartment. This is just not what I had planned on."

"Have you changed your mind, Booth? Do you not want me to have a child anymore? You still have until tomorrow to back up."

"Back out, Bones. It's back out. And no, I don't want to back out, but if you're going to do this, it's gotta be me and you. It's gotta be me and you now, when the baby is born and forever. None of this 'we're partners' bull."

"Booth…"

"No, Bones. That night on the Hoover steps I know I moved to fast. I should've explained things more, explained myself more. Look, I know I told you I didn't want you to have the kid if I couldn't be part of it's life but that's a lie, Bones. I don't want you to have my kid unless we're together. This kid deserves two parents."

"But it'll have that. Just because we're not together doesn't mean this child wouldn't have two parents," she reasoned.

"You're missing my point, Bones. I want my, our kid to have parents who love each other and care about each other. I couldn't give Parker that, but maybe I can do that for this kid. Just…if you still want to do this, say you'll give me a chance. If you can't do that for me, I can't do this for you."

His rant left her speechless. Brennan opened her mouth to say something but it wouldn't come out. She didn't know how to respond. He looked sad and she didn't fight the tears welling up.

"I told you, Booth, I…I can't change for you. What happens when you decide you want to date someone else or when you change your mind about me? I know you're a devoted father, Booth, so I can't risk the relationship a child would have with you for one that we could have. It's too dangerous. It's too…selfish!"

"Bones, that's not selfish. What about the benefits it would have for our baby? There are some studies out there that have proved that kids who grow up with parents that are together turn out better than the ones who grow up in a house with only one parent!" he said, grasping at scientific straws for any sort of hope. She seemed to accept that and didn't respond.

"So you want a relationship with me for the child?" her voice was strained, doing what she could from letting the tears fall. He could tell she was afraid; he was pushing too fast again.

"Not just for the kid, Bones. I…love you and the idea of having a family with you and Parker and Hadley and any kids we might have. Just the thought of that, Bones, makes me happier than you could even imagine."

"I don't know what to say, Booth."

"Bones? You don't want a family?" Parker's voice startled both his dad and Bones. The boy didn't sound hurt or sad, just very confused.

"You are my family, Parker. I…"

"Well, not really. Not unless you and Dad are together. It doesn't really count."

"I agree with Parker," Hadley added.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to side with the kids," Max added, coming up behind the two. She didn't feel cornered or pressured. She felt as confused as Parker.

"Dad, Booth, can I talk to Parker and Hadley for a minute?"

Max smiled and walked away and Booth reluctantly followed. She waited until their footsteps faded before speaking.

"I want you two to know that I really do want a family," Brennan spoke, attempting to make her speech as young adult friendly as possible. She knew Hadley and Parker were not considered children, nor did they think of themselves as children. They didn't deserve to be treated like toddlers.

"I sense a 'but,'" Hadley said.

"Totally," Parker agreed with a nod.

"You would be correct. But I have been hurt in the past."

"Bones, Dad isn't gonna burn you."

"Why would he do that? He would certainly not hurt me like that!"

"No, Bones, Parker means burn as in leave. Booth won't leave you."

"Parker, you know how much I like evidence. And not just anecdotes, like you father had a tendency of giving. I would like to see what yours is supporting the hypothesis that your father won't burn me, as you call it."

Parker let out a deep breath and thought very hard about his answer before speaking. He didn't want to mess this up for his dad and Hadley or for himself even. They all wanted this, except for Brennan, who didn't know what she wanted.

"Well…Dad says he's loved you since the moment he met you. He always get that gushy look whenever someone even just says your name, you know that look that boys get when they have a crush on someone. But it's way more than just a crush. And…Oh! When you look at Dad, you get that same gushy face."

"I do not," Brennan said, blush rising into her cheeks.

"You do too, Bones," Hadley said, her smile bigger than Brennan had seen in a while. Hadley still had her moments when she would lash out, but they were almost always justified and Brennan could always count on Booth to help smooth things over. "Plus, I need a foster dad," she teased.

"Dad practically already is your foster dad," Parker said simply, like it was nothing.

"True. But not really, I mean."

The two started having a conversation between themselves, almost excluding Brennan, but let her in on how Booth really felt.

"I don't think you two would be over here so much if we weren't, like, best friends and your dad wasn't in love with Bones," Hadley said.

"You're right. I mean, think about it! What would it be like if we never hung out again?" Parker cried.

"That would totally suck. And I was just getting used to being a sister."

"Yeah, I liked being a brother."

They both shrugged, playing the guilt trip card. Neither of them was sure it would work, but Parker and Hadley both felt they were running out of options.

"That won't work, Parker Booth. You know better than that," Brennan scolded.

As Booth listened in on all of this, he realized a relationship between them would affect his son and Hadley as well. It would only be for the better, he told himself. The two would have to be used to being a sibling if he and Bones were still gonna have a kid. And he realized just how improved Brennan's parenting skills had become. She went from saying the wrong things to Hadley on almost a daily basis to reading his son like a book. But Booth was running out of options and he didn't know what to do. Sure, they could push back her appointment to a later day until they worked things out between them, but what if it never worked out? His heart dropped and broke a little for his son when he heard the pain in his voice of what he said next.

"But Dad always said you're the center! You're the center, Bones!" Parker felt like he wanted to cry. His ideas, his evidence wasn't working and he had to remind himself that his dad never cries so he wasn't going to either. Parker loved Bones. And Hadley and Max. He wanted this to work, not only for him, but for his father too. He had seen the way his dad was hurt when Bones had first said no. The two had talked about it, mainly because Booth needed someone to listen to him that wasn't Sweets. Booth regretted telling his son, only because a burden like that should be placed on someone so young. But Parker knew his dad's heart was breaking and he wasn't going to stand for it anymore. He had to protect his dad and help him in any way he could, just like his dad had done for him so many times before.

"He told you that?" Brennan's voice caught in her throat. Parker nodded.

"The center's gotta hold," Hadley tried out of desperation. She needed Booth. To Hadley, becoming so close to Booth was a matter of keeping her own sanity. Sure, she never really saw her real dad. He worked like a dog and never spent his free time with her, but he was the only biological family she had ever known. Bones was her mother, in every sense of the word. Seeing Bones in such a conundrum made her feel less sorry for herself and more remorseful for Bones. She wanted to help the woman that helped her and if that meant pushing her toward her best friend's father, then that's what she was going to do. She needed Booth and Parker. Parker was the only kid who had ever been nice to her. Hadley was a loner in school and the girls at her old high school had only made it worst. Her new school was better. It was a quality program, not like the one she had attended when she lived in the suburbs. She made friends there who were kind to her, and she knew she could let herself go a little, because even if they ended up pushing her away, she'd always have a friend in Parker and Booth.

Brennan had let a few tears fall and struggled not to let the rest flow freely.

Booth continued to listen as he debated what to say. He wasn't in the habit of letting his son fight his battles for him, but he was well aware of the perfect argument he was making. He felt Max's hand on his shoulder. "So are you going to say something or are you just going to eavesdrop?"

Booth didn't respond, but he didn't push Max away either.

"You know," Max continued, "this grandkid of mine you two are planning is never gonna meet me if you and Tempe keep dancing around each other like this. Now, those two kids are doing a damn fine job of campaigning for you, but they can't do all the work. You gotta step up."

"I tried, Max. She doesn't want me. And you won't have a grandkid if she doesn't want me."

"Will you just pull your head out of your ass for one minute, Booth?" Max cried, "This isn't about kids. I know you love my girl. And I know she loves you. But she is as stubborn as Ruth when it comes down to it. You have no clue what I had to go through to get her mother to marry me. She's stubborn, we both know that. But she loves you. The kids are doing a pretty damn good job of hyping you up, if you ask me. So I suggest you go relieve them and see what Tempe has to say. You send those two in here. I'll keep them occupied."

He nodded and clapped Max on the shoulder. For a hardened criminal, the man sure had a soft spot. He walked up behind Parker and placed his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Max wants to play a game with you two."

"But Dad-ˮ Parker wanted to protest. He thought he was getting somewhere with Bones.

"Go, Parker. Hadley, you too." She nodded and followed a sulking Parker to where Max was.

"Bones, I-ˮ

"The center will hold, right?" she asked when they were alone, a hopeful smile covered her tear laden face.

"It'll always hold," he promised. He went to her and she let him hug her. She breathed in his scent and he placed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Mission accomplished," Parker muttered to Hadley as the two of them, plus Max, left their eavesdropping posts and went back to their card game.