Thank you so much for reading and for the feedback - it's much loved! :) This chapter is a little choppier, because I wrote it around what was shown in "The Change in the Game". There will be one more chapter after this one.
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"'The Godfather' or 'Pretty Woman'?" Brennan said, holding up two movies. "You said you'd teach me more about the classics of pop culture."
"'The Godfather', Bones. Always 'The Godfather'. How the hell did 'Pretty Woman' get in there, anyway?" he asked.
"I picked it up at the store – Angela referenced it once or twice," Brennan explained. "Personally, I'm not sure how the writers of Hollywood could manage to romanticize the life of a street walker, but perhaps once I watch it, I will understand."
Booth began to say something when his phone rang.
"Booth," he answered. "Yeah, I'll tell Bones and we'll be right there."
"Who was that?" she asked.
"That was the bureau. Gotta go – we got a case!" he said, eagerly, taking the DVDs from her and pushing her towards the door.
"Wait – Booth! I'm still in your FBI t-shirt – I'm not prepared to go into the office yet!" she protested. "Not only will I draw suspicion, but it's also very unprofessional."
"Then go change! Chop! Chop!" he hurried her along.
"Booth . . . I'm not the only one who needs to change," Brennan said, observing his t-shirt and boxers.
"Oh, yeah . . . Guess I got a little excited about having a case again. It's been over a week," he smiled, sheepishly.
"Obviously, I have failed in my multitudinous attempts to distract you," she looked at him slyly from across the room.
"Not even close. I wouldn't trade our uninterrupted time for anything," he assured her. "But you gotta admit it's been pretty quiet lately as far as the crime scene action goes. Aren't you itchin' to whip out your squint gear again?"
"I will agree that I have missed working in the field with you and also with everyone at the lab. However, once I actually had some free time with you, I was enjoying it . . . perhaps a little too much," she timidly admitted.
"Temperance Brennan actually likes a vacation? I'm witnessing history right here!" Booth teased.
"Just because I was content with the idea of spending the day in bed with you, educating myself on the standards of popular American culture, doesn't mean that I no longer see the value and satisfaction in a day's work," she corrected him.
"Whatever, Bones. Admit it – you wanna play hooky today," he countered.
"I . . . I'll be back," she said, rushing to the bathroom.
Booth heard coughing and heaving noises and followed.
"Bones? I thought you were over whatever you had? You haven't been sick since last Thursday?" he questioned.
"You never heard me. I didn't want to worry you," she replied, looking up from the toilet.
"We're going to the doctor. C'mon," he commanded, pulling her up.
She wriggled out of his grasp.
"I'm fine, Booth!" she argued and rinsed out her mouth.
"You're not fine, Bones! No one's 'fine' who's been throwing up for over a week! Here – put this on – we're goin'!" he insisted, handing her a top and pants.
"I will schedule an appointment for this afternoon. But right now, we are going to the crime scene," she insisted.
"Fine – here's your phone," he found it and held it out to her expectantly. He wanted to make sure she wasn't blowing him off.
"Are you saying that you don't trust me?" she said, angrily grabbing the phone.
"You hid the fact that you were still sick from me – what am I supposed to think?" he retorted.
"I don't need to discuss everything with you, Booth. Some things are private! The next thing you'll want to know is my excrement schedule!" she snapped, throwing on her clothes and storming out the front door.
"Bones! Bones, get back here and let's talk about this!" Booth ran after her in his boxers and crazy socks, but she was already gone.
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He met up with her half an hour later in the parking lot of the bowling alley. She acknowledged that he was there, but refused to say anything, proceeding to walk toward the entrance. Booth gently pulled her back.
"Bones, we need to talk. We can't go in there mad at each other, okay?" he insisted.
"I agree. For the sake of the case, we can briefly discuss this morning and perhaps achieve an amicable truce," she conceded.
"Look, I'm sorry I didn't trust you . . . It's just you more or less lied to me. We don't do that, Bones. We're partners – a team," he reminded her.
She guiltily looked down at the ground.
"I . . . withheld information from you, and for that I apologize. I am new to this and have not quite learned the boundaries and protocol when it comes to long-term romantic dyads," she said.
Booth nodded.
"I care about you, Bones. I'm not tryin' to control you, I just wanna know what's goin' on with you – know you're alright. And if you're not, I wanna be there for you, okay?" he explained.
"Okay," she smiled, timidly. "I made an appointment at 11:30AM with my primary physician."
"Thanks, Bones," Booth smiled. "I brought you a banana – you don't have to eat it, but I thought ya might want it since you didn't have breakfast."
"Thank you," she accepted it and allowed her hands to linger on his longer than necessary.
He knew that was her subtle way of saying they were okay.
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"Ride back with me?" Booth offered after they'd instructed the FBI crew to transport the pinsetter to the lab.
She nodded as they walked toward the parking lot.
"Just so ya know, I will never wanna have sex . . . make out . . . whatever . . . behind one of those things," he joked, once they were in his SUV.
"And you had considered it before?" Brennan asked, skeptically.
"No, but . . . it's a joke, Bones. Never mind," he sighed. "So any other thoughts on who ground this guy up in there?"
"I will know more once I can examine the remains at the lab," she answered. "My dad is on a bowling team – the Thunderbolts."
"Really? Is he any good?" Booth wondered.
"I'm not sure. I've never watched him before," she replied.
"Maybe you should sometime. You know, bond over some of his interests," he suggested. "There's nothin' better than family and sports."
"I suppose you're right . . . my father and I do not have much in common. Perhaps a sporting event could change that," Brennan said.
"Speaking of Max, I think he's startin' to catch onto us," Booth commented.
"What makes you say that?" she asked.
"Hodgins and I got into it while you girls were in the kitchen. He practically spelled it out for him," he complained.
"But my father never mentioned anything?" Brennan said, confused.
"I don't know, maybe he isn't . . . I'm kinda tired of analyzing what goes on in that guy's head," he digressed.
Brennan quieted.
"Sorry, Bones. I know he's your dad," he apologized.
"It's completely understandable that you and my father do not agree on certain issues. I have difficulties with some of his past actions as well. However, I have discovered that he is attempting to change . . . and he can be very pleasant to spend time with," she observed.
"You're right. Max can be a good guy sometimes," Booth agreed. "I guess I would've had more fun at that dinner if we weren't trying to hide somethin' from him. You can't con a con man that easily."
"That's very true," she said.
"But I don't think we'll have as much trouble here," he predicted as they pulled up to the Jeffersonian.
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"Seeley! Dr. Brennan! It's good to see your faces back here again!" Cam greeted them.
"Hey, Cam! Finally back on a case!" he grinned, then ran up the steps of the platform.
"Hello, Dr. Saroyan," Brennan smiled.
"So how did that game go?" she asked, grinning and raising her eyebrow.
"The Yankees won," Brennan replied innocently, and proceeded to the platform.
Cam followed, shaking her head.
"Okay, Bones, Squint Squad - do your thing!" Booth said, after making sure that the crew had delivered everything. "I'm gonna head to the bureau and see what they can come up with as far as suspect leads."
"Thank you, Booth. I will let you know what we find," Brennan replied, politely.
"No problem, Bones. See ya later!" he replied and ran back down the stairs.
Cam followed him.
"Seeley? Do you have a minute?" she asked. "We haven't had time to . . . catch up!"
"Sure, Cam. What's up?" he wondered.
"Nothing. I just wondered how your trip with Dr. Brennan went – the baseball game?" she said.
"Oh. It was good – Jeter was so awesome, he -" Booth began.
"Was that the only 'awesome' thing about it?" she smiled, slyly. "I thought you and Brennan might have also slid into home?"
"What? Cam, are you having problems with your boyfriend or somethin' and desperate to hear about anybody else's stories about . . . you know . . .?" he asked, hoping he could divert the conversation.
"No. No! I'm just wondering why you would invite a woman who knows absolutely nothing about baseball to a Yankees game without expecting to play a little bit of the game yourself?" she pried.
"Bones and I . . . I don't wanna talk about it . . ." he grumbled.
"Trouble in paradise? Because you two seemed very courteous with each other – too courteous. I mean, you're usually either fighting like children or joined at the hip." she observed. "Let me guess – you struck out in New York?"
"I don't wanna talk about it, Cam!" Booth yelled and left.
"And . . . I think we have a winner . . ." she muttered and walked back up to the platform.
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"Booth," he answered his phone.
"Are we still meeting at the diner?" Brennan asked.
"Yeah, but slight change of plans – you dad's coming, too," he told her.
"Why?" she wondered.
"'Cause his bowling team – the one you told me about earlier – plays in that same alley as our victim. I'm thinkin' he could help us out," Booth explained. "So how did your appointment go?"
"My doctor says I'm fine -" she answered.
"Then you need a new doctor," Booth remarked.
"No - you interrupted me. She said I was fine, considering my condition. She said it's perfectly normal," Brennan added.
"So you have a bug?" he assumed.
"I suppose you could call it that . . . it's not proper terminology, however -" she paused when she heard her phone beep and looked at her caller ID. "Booth, it's Angela. I need to answer this – she might be in labor. Can we continue our conversation later?"
"Sure. So you'll meet me at the diner, unless I hear something different, right?" he said.
"Correct," she replied. "Goodbye, Booth."
"Bye, Bones. I'm glad you're okay," he said.
"I know," she teased and hung up.
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"Buck and Wanda are back, baby!" Booth high-fived Brennan while in their undercover wardrobe. "Outta the circus and chillin' at the bowlin' alley . . ."
"We do make a pretty good team – don't we, muffin?" she said in Wanda's voice.
"You bet yer sweet cheeks we do!" he said in Buck's voice and kissed her cheek.
"Oh, Buck . . ." she giggled.
"Ya know your giggling didn't help me with Max back there. He kept lookin' at me like I was an idiot or somethin'," Booth complained.
"He probably just thinks you should be more observant of my flirtatious signals and react more to them," she shrugged and linked her arm with his. "C'mon. Let's go see if he found anything else out."
"After you, Wanda," he offered, then happily stared at her ass.
"Buck! What are you doin'?" Brennan caught him.
"What? That kid over there's right – you got a great set of buns," he flirted.
"You realize you'll pay for that lata," she glared at him with her arms crossed and smacked her gum.
"Promise," he grinned, devilishly.
Brennan jabbed him, but then couldn't resist a smile.
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"I wasn't kidding in there, Booth. If we ever have a child like Amber . . ." Brennan said on their way to the hospital. "She was absolutely horrible!"
"Yeah – that kid was a monster – if it wasn't for that helmet, my money was on her!" Booth chuckled. "But c'mon, Bones. That's waaaaay in our future - and trust me, we would never have a child like her because we would be loving, caring parents. I'm sure the kid's just messed up from lack of attention."
Brennan nodded.
"Booth, what if her parents are loving and attentive? What if her behavior is out of their control – what if she has ADD or ADHD and the Ritalin doesn't cure everything? What if there is nothing they can do about it?" she contemplated, worriedly.
"Are you thinking about Angela and Hodgins?" he asked.
"Their baby might be blind, Booth. They did everything they could to have a healthy pregnancy and yet it's out of their control. Nothing can prevent it. No scientific methods or medical treatments will help them . . . I don't know what I would do if I were in that situation . . ." she said, tears forming in her eyes.
He pulled into a parking spot and shut off the engine.
"Hey, look at me. They will be fine. No matter what happens, they will love that baby with everything they have. And I know you would do the same, right?" he assured her.
"Yes, of course I would," she agreed.
"C'mere. Everything's gonna be alright," he pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "Now let's go in there and support them, okay?"
"Okay," she said, gathering her composure and finding the stuffed bunny they were going to give the baby.
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Booth sat in the waiting room, discreetly staring at Brennan in the adjacent seat. She was fingering the bunny and looking very pensive. He knew she was still worried about the baby. She'd been really emotional lately, presumably because of the impending birth and results. She was, after all, gonna be the kid's surrogate aunt and Angela was her best friend, so he understood. God, he didn't know what he'd do if something had happened to Parker like that . . . But it didn't stop him from worrying about Bones. She had been through so much that he wondered if she was truly taking care of herself. He had tried, but there was only so much he could do without her telling him to back off. And her flu bug was probably the result of all the stress.
Hodgins just then came into the waiting room, a smiling, proud father. Booth knew from the expression on his face that everything was okay. He and Angela had had a healthy baby boy. As Michael was passed around to everyone and came to Booth, he realized he'd forgotten how amazing it was to hold someone that tiny and innocent, see a new life. There was nothing better in the world . . . he handed the baby back to Hodgins and congratulated him while waiting for Brennan to finish talking with Angela.
When she finally came out, Hodgins put baby Michael in her arms, and she seemed to glow with pride and amazement. Booth guessed that the time she had spent with Andy had really made a difference in her views of motherhood. She really appeared to be a natural with Michael. He couldn't help but gaze in awe at her and caught a glimpse of what it would be like if they someday had a baby of their own.
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"I . . . I'm p-pregnant," Brennan revealed.
Booth froze in shock as they stood on the sidewalk, a few blocks from his apartment.
"You're the father," she clarified.
Typical Bones, stating the obvious . . . A smile slowly formed on his face as it finally sank in. He was gonna be a father again. Brennan was pregnant. They were having a baby . . . He and Bones were having a baby . . .
"Booth?" Brennan tried to snap him out of it. "Does your jovial expression indicate that you believe this to be a 'great thing'?"
"Great? Bones, this is incredible! I can't even begin to express how happy I am right now! We're havin' a baby! You're havin' my baby! You and I made a baby! This is amazing!" he exclaimed, picking her up and spinning her around, causing them to both laugh and smile with joy.
"You're not upset?" she wondered, timidly, after he put her back down.
"Upset? Why would I be upset – this is the best news I've heard in a long time!" he assured her.
"You said you didn't want to think about having a child with me for a significant period of time," Brennan reminded him.
"I know I said that, Bones, but things happen . . . things change . . . and when something so incredible like a baby comes into your life you have to embrace it. Out of all the sadness and stress and everything we've gone through, we've gotten two amazing gifts – us . . ." he kissed her lips, then placed his hand on her stomach. "And our little miracle . . ."
"I don't believe in miracles, Booth," Brennan reminded him. "This child was produced by the act of -"
"Just go with me for once – okay, Bones?" he pleaded.
She nodded.
"What I'm saying is I love you and there is nothing I want more than to raise this baby and have a life with you," Booth reassured her.
"I want that, too," she smiled.
"We're gonna be a family, Bones," he hugged her, happily.