HELLO peoples! I just took a five hour nap and I feel FAB-U-LOUS! (If not a little high from the cold medicine I took that put me in the mini-coma!) Anyways, here's the next chapter! ENJOY!

PS. Aren't I funny when I'm high?

Chapter Thirteen: Sleepless Nights

Parker Booth was awoken for the third time that night by a loud cry. By this point he recognized the different cries. This one was his little sister, Angie's hungry cry, which meant that his stepmother, Bonesy, as he called her, would have to get up. He saw the light in his father's room turn on and heard Bones tiptoe as quietly as possible down the hall, past his room to his little siblings' room, where after a couple of moments the crying stopped, and a much softer voice began to sing.

Parker smiled. He loved it when Bones sang. She used to sing to him almost every night he spent with his father when he'd have nightmares. His father usually got up too and tried to join her in the singing once or twice, but his voice was usually scratchy and out of tune, so he simply watched while Bones rocked Parker in the rocking chair that was once in Parker's room but had been moved to the nursery.

Parker quickly scrambled out of bed and tiptoed down the hall, where he saw Bones holding a bottle to little Angie's mouth, the baby sucking hungrily with one hand curled on top of the bottle, while Bones sang gently to her.

"You are my sunshine, my only Sunshine.

You make me happy, when skies are gray.

You don't know, dear, how much I love you.

Please don't take my sunshine away."

Parker smiled. This had been one of his favorite songs, making him feel like Bones was his mother, rocking him to bed. Now, as it was sung to his little sister, he couldn't help feel a little jealous.

He stepped into the room and padded to the spot next to his stepmother, who smiled warmly when she saw him standing there.

"Hey, Parker," she whispered. "What are you doing up?"

"The baby woke me up." Parker whispered back, "Then I heard you singing. I came to listen."

Bones's smile widened. "Oh, really? That's nice. Do you want to feed Angie?"

Parker's eyes widened. He'd only ever been allowed to hold his little siblings in the three months since they were born, but he'd never been able to feed them. He nodded vigorously, and Bones smiled, standing up, taking the bottle away from Angie, who began to whimper.

"Shh, baby." Bones said, rocking her daughter in her arms, while Parker got situated in the rocking chair.

When he was sitting all the way back in the chair, with his legs straight over the seat, he held out his arms for his sister. Bones placed the baby girl in his arms, making sure he knew to mind her head, then she gave him the bottle and instructed him on the proper way to feed her.

"Keep the bottle up so no air gets out. It's hard to burp them and I don't want gas coming from any other orifices." Bones smiled at her own joke, though she doubted Parker knew what she meant.

Parker lifted the bottle and placed the nipple near Angie's mouth. Angie latched on and began sucking greedily.

"Wow." Parker whispered. "She's hungry."

Bones giggled softly. "Yeah, well she slept straight through dinner so I sort of knew that she would be waking me up tonight to be fed. That's why I had a bottle ready."

Parker nodded, his eyes never leaving his little sister's, who was looking up at him, her eyelids slowly beginning to close, until she was no longer sucking her bottle, sleeping peacefully. Parker looked up at Bones, startled. "She fell asleep!" He whispered in alarm.

Bones chuckled, taking the baby out of his arms and putting her on her shoulder, rubbing her back as she bounced her. "That's okay. She's still a little sleepy. I just gotta get her to burp and then I can put her to bed."

After a couple of moments, Angie let out a soft burp and Bones placed her in her bassinet. "Night, baby girl." she whispered, placing her on her back and covering her with her pink baby blanket.

She turned back to Parker who had stood up and was now looking at all his siblings. A few months ago he'd found out that his stepmother was pregnant, and he'd been excited, thinking he was going to have a little baby brother or sister. Then they'd found out that she was having quadruplets and, though still excited, Parker couldn't help feeling a little sad that all his dad's time would be taking care of a bunch of babies and he wouldn't be around a lot. But Booth had proved him wrong when he insisted on taking Parker on every scheduled visit they had, despite Rebecca's persistence that he may not have a lot of time with the new babies around. Booth hadn't wanted Parker to feel cheated out of a father just because he had more kids and always made time for him, no matter what.

Now, though, he was feeling left out, not by his father, but by his stepmother. "Bones?" he said, looking up at her.

Bones smiled down at him. "Yes, Parks?"

"You don't sing to me anymore." Parker said, almost too softly for Bones to hear.

Bones's heart broke for the little boy. She hadn't realized how busy she'd been with the new babies and realized that she hadn't sung to him since before they were born.

Bones leaned down and picked him up, instantly feeling how heavy he was compared to his much smaller and lighter sibling, but not caring a bit.

She held him like any of her other children and sat down with him in her lap on the rocking chair, and began to rock, while she sang:

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word.

Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird don't sing.

Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring..."

Parker instantly relaxed into her arms as she sang, her soft voice lulling him to sleep, as he buried his head in her chest and she wrapped her arms around him.

When Bones didn't return to bed after an hour, Booth got up and padded down the hall towards the nursery, checking Parker's room as he went. When he didn't see Parker sleeping in his bed, he got worried, and walked a little faster to the nursery to see if he was there with Bones.

When he got to the nursery he had to repress a very un-manly 'awwww!' that seemed persistent to come out. His little boy was in the arms of the woman he loved, and they were both sleeping soundly, Bones's arms around Parker in a protective gesture, while Parker's head was nestled on her chest, and her chin rested on his head. It was obvious that they'd fallen asleep while Bones was singing, something that hadn't happened in over six months, and Booth was glad that was taking place once again.

He walked over to them and, after kissing each of them on the forehead, placed a large quilted blanket over them to keep them warm.

He just stood there and admired him for a few minutes before he heard some whimpering coming from Tyler's bassinet.

He walked over and picked up Tyler, who was fussing in his bassinet. "Hey, big boy." Booth said to the oldest of the quadruplets. "You need a nappy change?"

The baby squirmed more as Booth checked his diaper, then recoiled at the smell. "Whew! I guess so." Booth chuckled as he carried the little boy to the changing table, while his wife and eldest child slept the night away.

Awww! Don't you just looooove Bones and Parker moments? She acts so much like a mom when she's around him. She's so much better than Hannah! I hate that Parker likes her (Hannah)! It just really bugs me! Anyways, I have some sad news. Since my dad didn't pay the cable bills I won't be able to watch that very exciting Bones episode that I've been dying to see that airs tomorrow UNLESS I go over to my friend's house, but she may not be there at that time so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. But, PLEASE, if you see the episode, NO spoilers in my REVIEWS! I wouldn't be able to take it if I had to wait til Friday to watch it online! Anyways, please REVIEW! (Hold the spoilers, though!)