Disclaimer: I don't own Bones.
Title: Home
Author: ReadingRed
Chapter Six: 1st and Amistad
After Booth and Bones dropped Parker off at his private school they drove to the law offices of Turner and Boyd. They had called earlier and made an appointment with Mr. Boyd. The office was a big imposing building that sat ominously on a hill. They parked close to the building and walked in. Once Booth and Bones entered the building they were greeted by a strict looking secretary.
"Hello, do you have an appointment?"
"Yes, we're here to see Mr. Boyd concerning the Gable children." Bones told the woman. Booth and Bones stood in front of the secretary's desk and watched her pick up the phone and call her boss.
"Mr. Boyd? Your 9:15 is here….Yes sir. I'll send them right in." She hung up the phone and looked up at the couple. "You can go in. His office is the first one on the right." She pointed off to the side then forgot them to answered the ringing phone.
"Are you ready for this?" Booth asked Brennan.
"I think so." She reached out and took his hand in hers and they walked down the short hallway to Mr. Boyd's office. The door was open so they went in. When the lawyer saw them he stood and came around the desk to greet them properly.
"Hello Mr. Booth, Mrs. Brennan." He said shaking their outstretched hands as he said their names.
"Actually it's Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan but considering the situation you can call us Seeley and Temperance." Bones told the lawyer.
"In that case Temperance you may call me Robert. Take a seat, please. I know you two must be eager to see the girls so I'll try to make this go by as quickly as possible.
An hour later after a huge pile of paperwork and a quick briefing about the girls they were given the address, the corner of 1st and Amistad, where the children had been living in the week since their parents had died. Bones and Booth made it across town in record time because Booth had turned the siren on for part of the way. They pulled up to a nice looking house. It was two stories with a wraparound porch and the yard was littered with outdoor toys. As soon as Booth put the car in park they were both out and out their way up the sidewalk to the front door. Climbing the set of steps and walking the few feet from there to the door seemed to take forever. Brennan raised her hand and knocked firmly on the door. Soon after a kind looking older woman answered. She had a small boy perched on her hip and paint splattered on her top, she looked so comfortable in her home and the young boy seemed to like her. Brennan was happy that the girls had ended up with a woman like this in their short time in foster care.
"Oh hello, you must be the Booth's. The lawyer called me and said you would be coming by today. I bet you want to see Harper and Ember. Well come on in dears. Close the door behind you please. I'm Paula Finlay." The woman sounded as kind as she looked. They followed the woman into her house and looked around. It was clean aside from the toys and games that seemed to cover every square foot of the floor. She led them into a playroom of sorts and pointed to two children playing quietly on the other side of the room. Brennan recognized them immediately; she would know those faces anywhere. Harper looked like a mini version of herself only with blond hair and Ember looked like Harper did at her age. Bones turned and looked at her husband.
"It's them Booth. It's really them." Bones took Booth's hand and they made their way across the room, careful not to step on any of the toys. Unsure of how the children would act to their presence Booth and Bones kept about a foot in between them and the two little girls. They knelt down to be eye level with the children. Harper was the first to look at them. When she did, there was a flash of recognition in her eyes.
"Tempe?" Her voice was soft and melodic. Both children stopped the game they were playing to give their full attention to the two adults.
"How…how do you remember my name? You were just a baby the last time I saw you." Bones questioned the child.
"I had a picture of you in my room. My mommy said you were me and Emmy's bio-log-ick-al mommy. Are you here for me and Emmy?" The look on Harper's face was so earnest Bones felt her heard go out to the child.
"Yes, sweetie, we are. This is Booth, my husband. If it's ok with you and Ember we'd really like for you two to come live with us. We have a little boy named Parker and he is very excited to see you both." Bones told the two girls. The children shared a look, Ember the smaller one nodded and Harper turned back to face Booth and Bones.
"Okay. We'll come." Harper smiled shyly at the two. Bones opened her arms and the two small girls rushed to her for a hug. She tightened her hold around the two and looked over their heads to see Booth. He was smiling at her. It was a peaceful content smile, like he would be happy just to look at her and the children for the rest of his life.
"Bones we should get going. We only have an hour before we have to get Parker from school." Bones nodded and with reluctance stood. She picked Ember up and placed the toddler on her hip. Ember smiled at Bones and wrapped one arm around the anthropologist. Booth reached out his hand, offering it to Harper. She smiled at him and took hold. The four then said their goodbyes to Mrs. Finlay and the other children at the home. The new family made their way to the car so they could retrieve the last member of their group. Both adults made conversation with the children as they walked.
"Hi." Ember said.
"Hello Ember. Are you ready to get out of here and meet your new brother?" Bones asked.
"New brov'er?" Ember asked cocking her head to the side.
"Yes, Parker, he's five, he's going to very happy to meet you." Bones told Ember with a smile. Meanwhile Booth and Harper were having a talk of their own.
"You're Tempe's hus-paned?" Booth chuckled at the four year olds pronunciation of the word.
"Yes, Temperance and I were married just a little bit after your sister was born."
"What are me n Emmy 'posed to call you?"
"Well Temperance calls me Booth, and I call her Bones. My son calls me Daddy. My first name is Seeley so you can use that if you'd like. Whatever you two want to call me is okay with me." He wanted to make this as easy on the little girls as possible.
"Well I called my daddy, 'daddy' so I don't wanna use that." She looked apologetic, and Booth smiled gently to try and show her that he was fine with that. Harper was quiet for a moment and then she looked up at Booth. "How 'bout Papa Booth? It 'minds me of Papa Bear, you know? From 'dat story?" Booth grinned.
"That sounds great Goldilocks."
Thirty minutes later they arrived safely at Parker's school. After going through the security checks mandatory for all entries onto the school grounds, the family waited for the students to be released. After a few minutes the glass doors opened and Parker was the first child out. He stopped at the top of the stairs and looked around. He spotted his family and a huge grin spread across his face. Parker raced down the stairs and ran all the way to his family. He finally stopped a yard in front of them. Walking slowly closer he looked at the two girls. Booth and Bones stood back and waited to see what the three children would do.
"Hi" he said then he flashed the charm smile he learned from his father and the girls warmed up to him at once.
"Hi" they both said.
"I'm Parker."
"My names Harper and tis is Em'er." Harper introduced herself and her sister, pointing at the younger girl when she said her name.
"Do you like Superman?" Bones laughed quietly, only Parker would think that that was the most important question to ask. Harper looked stunned for a moment then grinned.
"Yes. You like Superman too? My daddy had all 'da movies and we watched them together." Harper looked sad when she mentioned her father.
"We have them all too, maybe we can watch one of them when we get home." Parker offered, looking to his parents for confirmation. Booth nodded.
"I think that's a great idea." Bones said while she didn't like the movie, after all a flying man just wasn't plausible she knew both Parker and Booth enjoyed it and having a movie night would give them all an opportunity to bond.
"Okay kids let's load up. Harper you get the middle, Parker the seat behind me, and Ember's car seat is behind Bones' seat." The older kids scrambled to arrange themselves accordingly. After they were seated Bones picked up Ember and buckled her into her new car seat. The adult got into the front seat. Before they pulled out Booth looked back and asked "everyone alright." After one yes and two nods they were on their way home. The kids spent the ride talking amongst themselves, and Booth and Bones used the time to talk about the kids.
"They seem to be getting along fairly well." Bones commented.
"Yeah, just give it a few day and they'll be fighting like cats and dogs." Booth said with a laugh.
"Is that a good thing?"
"Bones when they start fighting, that's when they start thinking of each other as family, that's a good thing."
"I see." Bones said skeptically.
"Come on, like you never fought with Russ."
"Well of course we fought, did you and Jared?"
"My dad… well you know he wasn't the nicest guy Bones. Jared and me, if we fought dad would get involved and that usually ended up with a lot of bruises. We still fought a lot but we didn't want dad to get mad at us so we always tried to be nice in front of him. I remember one time I was about nine and Jared musta been seven or eight. We had been fighting over this stupid toy car. Dad saw and got mad. I took the fall, told dad that is was all my fault. I ended up with a bloody nose and a broken arm. Later that night after I got home from the hospital I was laying in bed and I promised myself that I would never hurt my kids like that. I didn't want to be like my dad. I didn't want my kids to ever be afraid of me." Booth said staring straight ahead at the road. Bone reached over the center console separating the two of them. She placed her hand gently on his arm.
"Booth you are a great father." Bones said, putting as much love and truth into those words as she could. "Parker and now Harper and Ember are so lucky to have a dad like you. Parker loves you and I'm sure the girls will too." Soon after this unexpected emotional talk the family of five arrived home. Harper and Parker tumbled out of the car and raced up to the front door while Bones unbuckled Ember and placed the toddler on her hip. Booth unlocked the front door and they went inside.
"Harper, you wanna see your room?" Parker asked excitedly. "We made it special just for you and Emmy." Parker said using Harper's nickname for Ember. Harper looked up to Bones.
"Can I mama Tempe?" Bones nodded and set Ember down, taking the girls small hand instead.
"Do you want to see it too?" Brennan asked. Ember nodded and the group filed through the kitchen and down the hallway to the girls room.
"This is it." Parker said opening the door a small amount. "It's right across from mine." He pushed the door open farther and walked in. Harper gasped.
"Tis all is for us?" She looked at Bones and then Booth, searching for confirmation on their faces.
"Yeah Goldilocks. This is all for you two. Welcome home."