My dear readers and reviewers, I love you all…. Although I think you hate me for the cliffie, huh? But I found out that cliffies do wonders to the reviews count, lol. ….

Mostly threats of course ;)

Sweeties, don't fret… I'm here to make it better!!!

Coming home…

Chapter 14

I forgot about bed rest, forgot about premature contractions and medical advice. I just hopped out of bed and ran to the door of my apartment as quickly as I could. I threw it open, then took in a deep breath, wanting to race after him, despite the fact that my surroundings started to look a little blurry…. but then I spotted him sitting on the stairs, his head in his hands, his shoulders slumped.

"Booth." I choked and I saw his back stiffen, but he didn't acknowledge my presence with a single word. I wanted to tell him everything, but then a sudden wave of nausea hit me and I had to grab the doorframe to keep my self from falling. "Oh." I made, desperately trying to hold myself upright…. I wouldn't have made it, if Booth had not suddenly been beside me, holding me. "Careful." He murmured, steadying me, obviously concerned despite the fact that he had been ignoring me only a moment before.

I held on tight to him, my eyes filled with tears and my head somehow spinning. "It's yours." I forced out. I felt his grip on my arms tighten a little. "What?" He gasped in surprise, but I couldn't say anything else as I fought down another wave of nausea. "Need to lie down." I choked out after a moment. "Bed rest."

Booth didn't say a word, he just scooped me up in his arms and carried me back inside, into my bedroom and carefully laid me down on my bed. I closed my eyes and tried to even my breathing, tried to calm down. I knew my nausea and dizziness resulted from low blood pressure. I simply had stood up too fast, my body had not been able to adjust to the change after being in an horizontal position for days – only occasionally interrupted by slow and unsteady trips to the bathroom.

Just low blood pressure, I told myself. I took another calming breath and gently laid my hands on my stomach. There was no abdominal pain, so I hoped my hurried trip from bed had not caused any damage. It had been a stupid, impulsive thing to do to race after Booth like that… but I had not been thinking, just reacting.

I blinked my eyes open and stared at the man sitting on the edge of my bed. Wordlessly he helped me drink a bit of tea, then supported me sitting up, had put a pillow behind my back, drawn the comforter around me. But all the time I saw the question in his eyes, as his gaze slid to my stomach.

"It's yours, Seeley. Your child." I said with a tremor in my voice.

His eyes widened as he stared at my abdomen and for a long agonizing moment he didn't say anything. "My child?" He repeated incredulously, his voice hoarse.

"Yes. I found out eight weeks after you were gone." I confirmed, my voice unsteady.

"But….but…" He stammered and his eyes darted to my nightstand…and I could guess what he was thinking. We both knew that the top drawer contained a box of condoms. A box of condoms that was missing four little packages since that one night six months ago.

"I know." I smiled a tiny, humourless smile. I remembered how shocked I had been when I had found out about my pregnancy and knew what thoughts had to play through Booth's head now.

"We forgot in the shower." I explained. "And once is all it takes."

"My God." He said. And then he remained silent for what seemed an eternity, but probably only was a minute or two in reality. He just stared at my belly, stunned.

Then his hands jerked, moved towards me… and stopped. Slowly he took his eyes from my abdomen and looked at my face.

"Can I…" He paused. The fact that he hesitated somehow hurt. And on the other side, I understood that he had to feel as if his world had just turned up side down…. Just like I had felt months ago.

One night of great sex and a one-sided declaration of love … how should he have known I felt the same, how should he have even imagined the night might have lead to THIS?

I took his hovering hand in mine and simply placed it on my abdomen.

"It's your child, too." I whispered with tears in my eyes and heard him choke.

His warm hand on my skin seemed to be the only thing that was important now, the feeling of him touching my womb where the life we had unknowingly created together was growing.

And as if the baby knew it was his father touching, it kicked lightly against his palm. Tears were running down my face, but I let out a shaky laugh. "It knows it's you." Which was irrational, but I didn't care. My vision was a little blurred, but I saw how Booth stared at my stomach in awe, then his shoulders started to shake a little. "A baby." He choked out and I heard the emotion in his voice. He was crying, just like me and for some time we both were not able to utter another word.

"Is it… are you healthy?" He asked softly after some time, his warm hand still gently resting on my stomach, his eyes fixed on the sight of it.

I nodded. "It develops just as it should. It took some time until I first felt it move, but now it's quite agile." As if on cue, I felt another movement in my womb. "As you can feel." I added, smiling.

Another long moment of silence passed by. "But… you're on bed rest." He commented, his voice barely audible. "Why?"

"I… had premature contractions two days ago." I answered and I heard him suck in air audibly.

"What happened?" He whispered.

I took in a deep breath. "There was a news report… about your operation in Philadelphia." My voice trembled as I recalled that horrible moments when I had thought I had lost him. I started to recite the headline "Fourteen paedophiles arrested. Eight children rescued. And… one agent killed" My voice trembled "I .. thought you were dead." I hiccupped and new sobs tore through me, shook my body. I felt Booth's strong arms come around me.

"Bones." He whispered in my ear. "They got it wrong… nobody was killed."

"I know." I choked out. "I know that now, but I didn't know then. I thought you were dead... and the contractions started. Then I passed out… I woke up in the hospital a few hours later."

He winced. "God, Temperance." He whispered, his strong hands rubbing gentle circles on my back as I slumped against him. "Damn reporters."

"I thought you were dead and it hurt so much." I mumbled against his chest, sniffling. "I love you."

He stilled, went completely rigid for an instant, but then I felt him shift, felt him pull back a little. He cupped my tear-wet face with trembling hands. "Temperance." My name nothing more than a barely audible whisper on his lips, then he kissed me, the tears on both our faces mingling.

It was like coming home, kissing him again.

After some time he pulled back "I'm sorry that you had to go through this." Booth said softly, while his thumb gently brushed my tears from my cheek. "I love you, Temperance." He murmured and he kissed my forehead. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." I said and buried my face in the crook of his neck. "We missed you."

I felt his breath hitch. "That's what you said… when we talked on Parker's birthday. You knew then… but you didn't tell me." There was no accusation in his voice, just… a little hint of hurt.

I clung to him. "I wanted to. But you were in danger all the time… and I know what a shock it was to find out I was pregnant. You would have been worried and… less concentrated. I thought it would be safer that way. I didn't want you to be in more danger. I'm sorry."

He remained silent for a long time and I closed my eyes, afraid he would pull back any moment now and tell me how angry he was at me for keeping this secret. Afraid part of my nightmare would become true, though I never believed in precognition.

Instead he whispered "You shouldn't have been alone."

Relief poured through me. "You're not angry at me? For not telling you." I asked.

"I…. " He paused and sighed. "I'm angry that I couldn't be here. But not at you…. I understand why you felt you couldn't tell me. But … God I missed so much… and you were alone. I wish I could have been here."

"I'm sorry, Booth, so sorry. But when I went to see Cullen he told me what your work was about… and that he couldn't pull you off the case." I sighed.

"Cullen knows?" Booth asked, stunned.

"It's kind of hard to hide now. Everybody knows I'm pregnant." I answered.

"He knows… it's mine?" He asked slowly.

"Yes." I confirmed and felt him tighten his hold on me slightly.

"Who else knows?" Booth wanted to know, his voice just above a whisper..

"They all know, Booth. Angela was the first I told, then Cullen and Cam… I … You…" I suddenly felt a little cold as a terrible suspicion surfaced. "You didn't want them to know?"

"No, God… Bones. How could you think that? But… does Parker know?" His voice was hoarse and I pulled back to look at him. "Parker knows I'm pregnant, since it's a little hard to hide. But he doesn't know it's your child." I clarified. "Rebecca guessed it, though…. but she promised not to tell him. I thought… that was your place."

I heard him sigh. "Okay." He said. "Good. Thank you." Then he let out a shaky breath. "I missed so much, God I wish I could have been here."

"I know." I sucked in a deep breath, then pulled back a little. "I have something for you. I know it's not… it's never going to be enough, but…" I reached for the folder containing the journal and handed it to him. "What is this?" He asked, frowning slightly.

"A journal. Like…. a diary. It was Angela's idea. I… wrote down everything since I found out I was pregnant. It's all in here, every…. craving I had and every appointment and…" I swallowed hard as I saw the stunned look at his face. "….the ultrasound pictures and… everything."

I saw his throat work as he tried to say something, but no sound came out. I gently took the journal from his hand and flipped it open to show him the last ultrasound picture, which was only two days old. "Look." I whispered.

He blinked "That's… our child?" He asked, his voice sounding odd, not quite like himself.

"Yes. This was taken when I was in the hospital two days ago" I said.

"And... look, that was when I felt it move for the first time." I pointed to the respective entry a few weeks back.

He stared at the page. "You wrote down the time." Booth said in amazement.

"Uh-uh." I nodded. "I wrote down everything. You couldn't be here, but I … wanted you to know all this. You have a right to know all this."

There was a long moment of silence "Thank you, Bones." He said, the three words thick with emotion. "You have no idea what this means to me and I'm going to read every single word….. but now… I… God, I just want to hold you… Is that alright?" The look in his eyes was almost pleading and once again I felt so much emotion in me, I could hardly contain it.

Instead of answering with words, I simply lifted the comforter by my side and looked at him.

He smiled, took off his boots and crawled in bed with me to hold me. Just like I had wanted him to so often this past months.

I couldn't remember if I had ever felt so content before, so at home and safe and fell asleep in his arms.

And now, all together: AWWW! Or at least I hope you think this has been heart wrenching. If not, I guess I have to give up writing all together....

Hopeful, pleading puppy eyes? Reviews, puuuu-lease?