Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews, I'm glad so many people seem to like this story so far. I hope you'll like the following chapter too.

Coming home…

Chapter 4

Glumly I looked at my mug of – formerly – hot chocolate and sighed. My eyes felt swollen and my face and nose hot from crying and I sniffled. Angela wordlessly took our mugs and went into the kitchen with them, presumably to reheat the content. A few minutes later she returned and placed the mug in my hand. "Drink" She ordered. My brain seemed oddly numb and I obeyed without obligation. The hot chocolate tasted good – and as Angela had promised – somehow comforting.

"You know, Sweetie, whatever you do, I'll be there for you." Angela told me, the expression on her face sincere and her voice gentle. And I knew she meant what she said. Despite the fact that she was not fond of abortion – as she had told me more than once – she would support me if I decided to terminate the pregnancy, because she was my friend. The best friend I ever had – except maybe Booth. But Booth was not here. And he was more than just a friend.

"I know, Ange. Thank you." I addressed my best friend and she smiled her compassionate and gentle smile at me. I glanced at her again and suddenly noticed that she had been crying too. I did not know how I deserved to have a friend like her but I was thankful she was here.

"Do you want to distract yourself or talk about it now?" She asked, obviously prepared to go through with either plan as soon as I told her to.

I sighed. "Talk. I don't want to, but I guess it's inevitable. I have to find a solution"

"Do you want to contact Booth? Or do you want to decide what to do first?" Angela - as always – found the one important variable in the equation.

"I'm not sure what to do. I know that it will not be easy to contact him. In fact, I'm not sure if Cullen would let me." I sighed, absently tracing the design on my mug with my index finger.

"I thought you said that there is some way to contact him in case of an emergency." Angela threw in.

"Yes. I'm not familiar with it, but Booth mentioned it to me. In case something happened to his family." I nodded.

"Sweetie….. don't you think his child qualifies as family? And don't you think this decision qualifies as emergency?" Angela asked softly.

I closed my eyes upon hearing her words. His child. That sounded… so unfamiliar. 'His child' had always meant Parker. Now there was a second meaning to that. I drew in a deep breath.

"I'm not quite sure what to do now." I heard myself say. I opened my eyes and looked at Angela. "I don't know if I want to go through with the pregnancy or not. And I'm not sure if I should….. contact Booth before I have made this decision."

"I know you probably don't want to hear that right now, Sweetie…but…. Doesn't he have the right to know about the pregnancy and help you deciding what to do?" She asked.

I moistened my lips and sighed again. I did a lot of that lately, huh?

"I just don't know what to do, Angela. I know Booth is a good father to Parker… but I never really wanted to be a mother, you know. I don't know if Booth would react positively to the pregnancy, but what if he does but I don't want to go through with it? He… he would hate me." My voice trembled.

"Sweetie!" Angela's eyes were huge. "I don't think Booth could ever hate you. But…. You have to tell him about the pregnancy, even if you go for an abortion. It is his child, too. It just wouldn't be right not to say anything. And it would….it would not be good for your relationship to keep such a secret."

"He's not here, Ange. It's my decision to make." I said.

"You're afraid." My best friend stated.

"Of what?" I asked, instead of blurting 'I'm not', which would have been my first impulse, my usual defensive retort. But my defences were weakened and Angela would be able to see right through me anyway.

"You're afraid of being rejected, aren't you? You said you fear Booth would want the child and you wouldn't and that he would hate you for that, but I don't think that's the real problem here. Booth might react hurt and be angry at you if you terminate the pregnancy, but there is nothing in this world that would make him HATE you." She said. I swallowed hard as she continued. "I think, Bren…. that you consider having this baby and you fear HE would not want it. You're afraid he wouldn't want to be a father to your child and reject you and the baby."

"He is the father." I nearly yelled.

"Biologically, yes. But what really, really counts is the father that is there for you, the father that raises you, the father that tucks you in at night and makes sure there are no monsters under your bed." Angela's words nearly brought new tears to my eyes. "You don't want to admit it, Sweetie…. But you want him to be there for you, right? To help you with the baby. You want him to come back and be a real daddy to that child."

"I can raise a child on my own." I said, not acknowledging her words. "I'm perfectly able to provide everything a child requires………. I'm not sure if I want to, that's all."

"Is that so?" Angela asked softly. "You didn't want coffee and you bought pregnancy vitamins."

My gaze swivelled to hers. "I saw them, they fell out your purse." She smiled knowingly.

"What are you hinting at?" I frowned at her.

"You care." She softly said. "You can picture a future with this baby." She pointed at my abdomen.

"Maybe." I admitted hesitantly. Uncomfortable silence settled over us as I closed my eyes and pictured my future. With or without child, that was the question.

"When did you and Booth start sleeping together, anyway? I never suspected it." Angela's question interrupted my thoughts.

"We didn't." I gave back. Angela gave me a long look. "Yeah, right. How did you get pregnant then, huh?"

"No, no I mean…. You couldn't have suspected anything, because…. We didn't sleep with each other before the night before he had to leave. It…. we knew we wouldn't see each other for months and….it was good bye." I rambled. Angela blinked at me. "Ho boy. You're saying the stud impregnated you on the first and only try. Talk about potent."

"Angela!" I rolled my eyes at her. "First of all, I didn't try to get pregnant. We used condoms."

"As in plural?" Curiosity shone bright in her eyes and she made me laugh. It felt good to be able to laugh, and if it was only for a moment.

"Yes, as in plural. If you must know it, he spent the night." Memories of my one and only night of hot sex with Seeley Booth arose and I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly going dry.

"You've got a dreamy look on your face. So, it was THAT good, yeah?" Angela asked.

"Oh yes." I nodded as I replayed the night in my head. And suddenly I knew how I had ended up pregnant. "Damn."

"What damn?" Angela wanted to know.

"I told you we used condoms. We did. But… we took a shower together in the morning and…." When I closed my eyes I could nearly feel his hands travelling down my back, our skin slick with soap, his strong arms coming around me….. Ah, better not go there.

"You forgot about the condom. Yeah, hot shower sex can do that to you." Angela nodded understandingly. "But you gotta admit that it's quite impressive you got pregnant that easily."

"Impressive, right. That was the first word that sprang to mind." I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Oh, cut out the sarcasm, sweetie. I'm just saying…. I mean, you spent one night together and only once you forgot to use a condom… and I know your cycle is pretty mixed up most of the time, so… the chances of you getting pregnant were pretty slim, huh?" Angela reached the same conclusion I had earlier that day. Then she added a meaningful. "Maybe it was meant to be." Okay, I hadn't reached THAT conclusion by myself. And I found it rather ridiculous.

"Things are not meant to be. There is no such thing as…. Fate." I felt obliged to inform her.

"You think?" She gave me a long look and continued. "Believe whatever you want, Sweetie… but fact is, that you are pregnant with his child…. As improbable as it is."

"I know." I said miserably.

"So he came to your apartment and what? You just decided to jump each other? With or without declarations of love?" Angela asked curiously.

"Ange." I sighed and shook my head.

"What? I'm curious…. Come on I had to watch that tragedy for years, sweetie. YEARS. You were dancing around each other and never once you had the guts to admit what you two are to each other… and then you finally end up having sex and you don't want to tell me a little bit? That's cruel." Angela gave me her pleading look.

"We … had sex, Angela. For one night. That's it. And now I'm pregnant. That's all the information that is important." I said defensively. My serious retort seemed to sober her a little. For a few minutes she just watched me, sat there and stared at me with that meaningful look on her face.

"Booth loves you, Sweetie." She said and I nearly jumped off the couch. "What! Why do you say something like that?" I yelled. I yelled? That surprised even myself and I blinked in astonishment at my outburst.

"Because it's true. And you know it or you wouldn't react like that." My best friend calmly said.

I sank back on the couch and swallowed hard.

"He said it, right?" Angela whispered.

I could only nod as I recalled how Booth had looked at me, his brown eyes full of emotion I had not been able to interpret until he spelled it out for me. We had been standing at the door of my apartment, the very moment we really had to say good bye.

"I'm coming back." He had said after he had given me a long kiss. "It might take months, but I'll do my best to come back to you. I love you. Take care, Temperance." Then he had placed another kiss on my lips and I had been to stunned to do anything but return it. Then he had left.

And ever since that moment eight weeks ago I regretted that I had been too surprised and insecure to tell him that I loved him too.

Sooooooo, what do you think, did you like the girl talk?

Reviews would be AWESOME!