As Temperance Brennan examined the now freshly cleaned bones in front of her, she slowly turned her head to the left, feeling a pair of eyes on her. The eyes belonged to her intern Clark who looked perplexed.
"Is there a problem Doctor Edison"?
"Err….no! No. Of course not…it's just. You look different. I don't know how exactly…" He began scrutinising her.
"I beg your pardon? Can we please concentrate on identifying the victim"?
"Of course Doctor Brennan, I apologise".
Brennan felt uneasy knowing that she was hiding a secret from everyone but she agreed with Booth that they should at least wait until after her ultrasound scan in a couple of weeks and work on what they were going to tell their friends and colleagues. Somehow having Booth around made her feel better and she wished he'd find something on a possible victim quickly so he'd have an excuse to come to the lab. Just then, she heard a quick swipe of a key card and the sound of the security alarm. She looked up to see Booth waltzing toward her with a big grin across his face.
"We ran Angela's sketch through the missing person's data base and got a match. Our victim is Naomi Johnson, 18 years old, went missing 4 days ago. Apparently she was some big tennis hotshot". A perplexed expression arranged itself across Brenna's face.
"We haven't found any evidence on the remains to suggest that she was an athlete of any sort".
"What? Are you saying her profile's wrong or that this isn't Naomi Johnson"? Booth started to sound frustrated.
"This can't be her Booth, it doesn't add up".
"Does that mean Angela's sketch is wrong? Great. Naomi Johnson's parents are being shown to the interview room downtown as we speak. You coming Bones"?
"Okay, but you should avoid asking Angela for another favour. She left the baby for three hours this morning to do that sketch and it's unlikely she'll want to redo it. She's only 5 weeks into her maternity leave Booth. Maybe we should talk to the parents first. Doctor Edison can finish examining the remains and call me if you find anything at all".
Brennan ducked into her office and exchanged her lab coat for her jacket and followed Booth out of the building.
"Do I look different to you Booth"?
"What"?
"Different. Am I showing or something"?
"What? Bones, no. Why?"
"Really? Because I would say I looked rather sallow and Doctor Edison seemed to think I look different. And this constant feeling of nausea, it's very disconcerting Booth. How am I supposed to show up at crime scenes with rotting flesh and blood and who knows what else when all I want to do is constantly vomit"?
"Bones, relax, okay? The morning sickness won't last forever and pretty soon we can tell people about us and then we won't have to make up excuses about you feeling sick or hide our relationship anymore".
"What if this doesn't work Booth"?
"What if what doesn't work? Look Bones, it'll all be fine in a couple of weeks when everything is out in the open, we can keep it a secret for a few more weeks". Brennan gave an exasperated sigh before looking him in the eyes.
"I meant us. What if it goes wrong? I feel like we're living some sort of dream and it's not really real".
"Bones, Listen to me". Booth said whilst trying to keep his eyes on the road. "We are real. We're very real, and don't you forget that. You're scared and emotional and pregnant but you're not alone okay. We're partners remember"?
"Is that how you'd describe us Booth, just partners"?
"Bones, that's not how I meant it. I meant that I'm here for you okay? I'm not going anywhere. We're in this together. And sure the baby is what has brought us together but that's not the reason I want to stick around. We've waited seven years for this Bones. We are not going to screw it up, okay"?
"Okay…" Brennan answered slightly breathless with a smile at her lips. Booth's sudden outburst had sent a very satisfying warmth through her and she felt better and safe. That's the way Booth had always made her feel…safe.
"It's a little piece of magic Bones. You and me together and expecting something so precious to look forward to".
"Booth, there's no such thing as magic". Brennan rolled her eyes and Booth's absurdity.
"Believe me Bones, its magic". His smile and the hopeful look appearing across his face told her not to argue this one.
"Okay Booth, it's magic". Brennan quickly swiped at a small tear that had formed in the corner of her eye without her consent and gave him a slow smile. He parked up and made sure no one was watching before leaning across to the passenger's seat and putting his arms around her and rubbing her back which he had taken to doing lately whenever they embraced. She liked it. As they began to part she impulsively touched his lips softly with hers and smiled almost simultaneously. Then they both got out and headed toward the main entrance of the FBI Building as nonchalantly as they could manage.
As Booth interrogated Naomi Johnson's seemingly heartbroken parents, Brennan wondered how she would feel if anything ever happened to her and Booth's baby. In their line of work it was certainly a possibility, but then she was also certain that Booth would die before he ever let anything happen to someone he loved; especially his child. He was extremely protective and loyal and she was glad that is was Booth who was the father of her child.
"Are you telling us that the body you found isn't Naomi's"? Mrs Johnson asked, obviously realising for the first time that her daughter could still be alive somewhere.
"The sketch of the victim that we have is a match for your daughter. Do you have any idea how that could be possible"? Booth asked and Brennan realised from his tone of voice that he knew something was off.
"No Agent Booth. What exactly are you trying to say? And where the hell is our daughter? Are you still searching for her"? Mr Johnson began raising his voice but Booth kept calm.
"We will continue to search for your daughter. In the meantime we need a list of anyone close to her okay. Boyfriend, class mates, teachers, family friends. We'll need to interview everyone".
"Okay Agent Booth, I can do that", offered Naomi's mother with a sad yet hopeful smile at her lips but tears still in her eyes.
"We'll call you if anything changes", Booth added as he escorted them out of his office and to the elevator.
When he returned to his office, Brennan smiled and he gave her a questioning look. "They're lying". She said sounding rather pleased with herself.
"Well done Bones", he said with a proud smile. "You're getting the hang of this".
"Yes, I find that I am becoming quite perceptive when it comes to reading people".
"Yep", Booth smirked but Brennan missed the non-committal tone to his voice and the twinkle in his eye.
"In any case", Brennan continued. "We'll have to consult with Angela but I'm quite certain her sketch was accurate, which means…"
"Naomi Johnson has a twin", Booth finished for her.
"Correction", said Brennan with a serious expression rearranging itself on her features. "Had a twin".
When Brennan arrived back at the lab with Booth, she was surprised to see Angela in her office with her back to them and wondered what she was doing back again and how on earth she had been persuaded to leave baby Michael for the second time that day. "Angela"? Brennan said as she shrugged off her jacket and draped it over the back of her small sofa.
Angela Montenegro spun around at the sound of her name and both Booth and Brennan were surprised to see the five week old baby Michael strapped to Angela's chest in his baby carrier. Angela rolled her eyes at the pair's expression of shock. "Don't look at me like that okay. Cam begged me to come and re do this sketch so I brought the baby with me. I can't be away from him for so long without experiencing an over whelming fear that something terrible is going to happen if I'm not there with him. So, I brought him along. Look", she said sounding excited. "He even has his own visitors badge", and Booth and Brennan both smiled at the laminated badge hanging on the front of his blue striped baby carrier. Trust Angela to bring her five week old in as a visitor to the Jeffersonian Institute.
"Hi there little guy", Booth cooed as he moved forward and bent down slightly to admire Michael Stecato Vincent Hodgin's chubby cheeks and little button nose". Brennan moved to Booth's side and rubbed the back of her index finger lightly across the baby's small rosy cheek to sooth him. At that moment, Cam poked her head around the door to Brennan's office and smiled at the scene before her.
"Sorry to break this up guy's but I need to borrow Angela for a minute".
"Okay, I'll be right there", said Angela exhaling a little louder than necessary, probably from lack of sleep and the annoyance of being back at work only five weeks into her 6 months maternity leave. "Can you take him for a few minutes", she asked turning to Brennan. "I really don't want my baby going within a few inches of human remains at such an early age", she added sarcastically. Brennan smiled.
"Of course". She reached over and lifted little Michael out of his baby carrier and he let out a soft groan in protest at being taken from the comfortableness of his mother's chest. "Shh shh shh" Brennan soothed the little person in her arms and then began to softly rock him back and forth as Booth looked on in admiration. Angela disappeared and Booth moved closer with a smile that spread across his entire face.
"How does it feel", he asked her.
"Quite satisfying", Brennan smiled and began humming the tune to Poco's Keep on Tryin' just as her father had done when she was a baby. Booth laughed to himself. Even with all of her quirks and social unawares, Bones was going to be an amazing mother to their baby. He could feel it.