Hey everyone, I'm back from vacation and here is the next chapter. The story is coming to a close and I want to say thanks for reading! One or two chapters more and thanks so much for sticking with the story this far! Enjoy!
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"Hey Agent Booth," Katie greeted enthusiastically as he walked through the door. "Glad to finally be out of that shoulder brace for good?"
"Oh yes," he replied, stretching his now mobile shoulder for good measure. "Two months on desk duty is more than enough for me."
"As your frequent whining and mood swings could testify," Bones added cheekily as she wheeled herself up to the pair.
Katie laughed as Booth gave Brennan a mock glare and an indignant protest. The trio continued talking until Tara came to take Katie for therapy. Once Tara had signed off on his papers, Booth followed Brennan out of the room. As he watched her rolling herself down the hall, he watched her carefully. The past two months she'd been improving in therapy, but she'd also gotten better at hiding when she was discouraged. They were waiting for the elevator when a glint of metal caught his eye.
"What is that?" he questioned, leaning towards her legs for a better look. She tensed but the ding of the elevator saved her from an answer and his scrutiny, if only for a moment.
"Bones, what's going on," Booth asked again once the doors had closed, his concern outweighing his curiosity. She squirmed under his gaze but straightened herself out again.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said determinedly, looking straight ahead instead of at him. The doors slid open on the ground floor and Brennan blessed its timing while Booth cursed it. She rolled ahead of him and he couldn't help but feel like they were going backwards again and again. Running ahead, he blocked her as they reached the door.
He gripped the frame of her chair and invaded her space, "Are we really going to do this again, because honestly, I'm pretty sure I know the ending already." Her eyes flashed but she remained silent.
"I thought we were past this, Bones," he said exasperatedly, throwing his arms up as he paced in frustration.
"We are," she confirmed quietly, guilt seeping into her tone and soul.
"Then what the hell? We laid this out months ago. You know I'm here for you, so what's going on?"
She dropped her head and took a deep breath before leaning down to roll up the legs of her pants. Booth let out a small exhale of surprise as she revealed a pair of braces wrapping around the lower part of each leg.
"It's important that I wear the braces to ensure that my feet don't turn in as well as to maintain the strength that I'm building up," she gave the textbook definition in her 'logical' voice; the detached tone that Booth knew wasn't a good sign.
"I'm not even sure I understand it yet," she continued in a hushed tone, finally catching his eye, "not really."
"What's the plan then," Booth asked gently, silently accepting her even quieter apology. She breathed out in relief and told him everything Tara had briefed her on. Booth listened closely, nodding at intervals and feeling thankful that the situation wasn't nearly as damaging as he had imagined. He finally walked behind her and started wheeling her to the car.
"I'm sorry, you know," she said, turning to look up at him.
"I know, Bones. I know," he replied with a smile, squeezing the hand that had reached up to grab his own.
"I'm going to work on this," she promised solemnly, "I'll annoy you with my persistence."
"And that's different how?" he shot back and she gave him a light punch in the shoulder, their laughter echoing in the lot.
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Making a quick detour, they picked up Parker from Rebecca's house before grabbing pizza and heading back to Bones' apartment. Booth had all but moved in and both adults were relieved when Parker was more than thrilled to be able to spend more time with dad and 'his Dr. Bones'.
The night went by smoothly, though Booth still contested Parker's domination at Monopoly. After Starwars, interjected with a frequent "Booth, I don't get it", the pair tucked the energetic nine year-old into bed.
"Oh no," Parker cried out suddenly as the adults were leaving, "We forgot a story!"
"I think it's a little late for that Bub," Booth replied, "Your mom would kill me if she knew how late you'd stayed up already."
"Please? Just one! I want Bones to tell it," Parker begged, pulling out his own charm smile. Booth turned to the scientist in question who looked pleasantly surprised to have been requested.
"Okay," Bones agreed, wheeling herself closer to the bed, "What would you like to hear?"
The boy thought for a moment, "I want to hear a story about you and Daddy, one of your awesome adventures!"
Brennan smiled at his exuberance, settling on a story, "There was this case once—"
"Bones, every good story starts with 'Once upon a time', haven't you seen Disney?" Parker corrected and Booth snorted from his position at the end of the bed.
"Alright," Bones quickly amended, "Once upon a time in Las Vegas, there was a couple named Tony and Roxie…"
The story quickly unfolded, and Parker listened with wide eyes as he learned about the undercover operation, the bad guys and the fights, though it was toned down a bit for the audience ("It didn't hurt at all," Booth boasted while Brennan raised her eyebrow at his fabrication).
"And we were able to save the day and help Billie," Bones finished quietly while Parker yawned and his eyes drooped.
"Did Tony and Roxie live happily ever after?" Parker asked in his quiet daze.
"Very," Booth interjected with a soft smile that Bones returned.
They tucked the boy in one last time and left, each caught in contemplation. Later, as she lay contently nestled in Booth's strong arms, Brennan couldn't help but feel like her life was truly complete.
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The light streamed through the windows, dancing across the floor towards the bed. As Booth shifted from sleep to wakefulness, he smiled at the absolute perfection he felt. He had the woman of his dreams cradled in his arms and his son in the next room. It couldn't get better he thought, sighing in content. Feeling Brennan shifting from her position across torso, he looked down, waiting for her to awaken, though she fell back into slumber. His eyes trailed down the auburn hair cascading across his chest and down the rest of the form that fitted so perfectly within his. Even their legs, tangled in a night's slumber, seemed to belong around the other. He dwelled on this thought a moment before it finally hit him.
"Bones, Bones! Wake up," he exclaimed, shaking the woman on top of him.
"What's going on, what's wrong?" she asked, pushing herself up on her arms and trying to shake the sleep from her head.
"Your legs! Look at our legs!" he continued, almost bouncing in excitement. Bones did as he requested and he heard her breath quicken as she realized that her legs had moved in the middle of the night.
"They've never done that before," she said, turning to look at him with wide eyes. She looked back down at their tousled feet and slowly her big toe quivered up and down.
"Do it again," Booth whispered excitedly. Both stared at her feet as the toes began twitching, slowly starting to dance on her command. She let out a sob of relief and Booth grabbed her into a crushing hug, their joy overtaking the room.
"I am so proud of you," he told her before kissing her soundly to emphasize his point. They continued this for several minutes before Brennan stopped them, reminding Booth that there was still a nine year old in the next room. "He won't be up for hours," he argued and Bones fell to the logic, pouring herself into the moment as well. As their kisses became more languid and heated, the door burst open, carrying a rambunctious Parker with it. The adults broke apart while Booth reminded Parker that no, he wasn't allowed into rooms without knocking and yes, he should apologize. Brennan smiled as a sheepish Parker, the spitting image of his father, apologized and smirked at Booth, refraining from reminding him that she told him so. Booth helped Bones into her chair and they followed the excitable child into the kitchen, ready to begin a new day.
The next night, as they lay together on her couch watching a movie, the same content feeling that Bones had been feeling throughout the weekend washed over her. She looked down at her feet, wiggling her toes again, just because she could. They'd visited Tara on Saturday to show her this newest trick and she confirmed that indeed, it wasn't a fluke and that there was a distinct possibility that Brennan would be able to walk again. Booth curled his arms more tightly around her torso, breaking her reverie. As illogical as she knew it was, Bones felt his love flowing into her.
"I love you," she said with her blunt nature. While it wasn't the first time she'd said the words, it still surprised him when she did manage to. He reciprocated and smiled again as he felt her toes squirm once more against his jeans. His smile grew wider as she slowly shifted herself in his arms, turning to plant a soft kiss on his lips. He returned her actions with fervor, enjoying the feel of her against him far more than any new release.
"We have to go to Founding Fathers," she mumbled half-heartedly against his lips, "The team said they were meeting for drinks."
"But staying in has its virtues," he replied, making her stomach quiver as he worked on her pulse-point.
"I can't do what I want to you in Public," he continued, "at least not without getting arrested."
Kissing him thoroughly, Brennan pulled back with a smirk, "And what exactly do you want to do to me that we can't do in public?"
His hands roamed lower, tickling along her ribs and making her hold back a giggle, "Something that we couldn't finish earlier and Parker won't be walking in on."
"Well that is a plus," she returned, her own hands traveling, "but let's not fall off the couch this time."
