I own none of the characters of Bones
Years ago
"Dad can I run something by you?" Sixteen year old Parker asked his father. Booth immediately noticed the secret look that passed between his wife and son. He had a feeling that he was about to be ganged up on.
"Start running. You have just a couple of minutes before the recital starts."
"I wanted to talk to you about my summer job."
"What about it? Last I knew you were working at the museum as a tour guide."
"Yeah I am but they can only use me for six hours a day."
"So?"
"So, since I'm going to be riding with mom to work I'll have a few hours to kill so I was wondering if it would be cool if I hung out in the lab with mom until she is done working?"
"That's not my call. It's not my lab. It's up to your mom."
"She's cool with it."
"So what's the issue? Why are you asking me?"
"Well…"
"Parker." Booth warned his son.
"I want to shadow mom in the lab and study the bones. I want to learn how mom solves murders with Bones."
"Parker I'm not sure that I want you in an environment with death and murder."
"Dammit dad I've grown up in an environment with death and murder." Parker snapped.
"Watch your mouth young man."
"You're an F.B.I. agent who catches murderers with mom for a living. I watched you get shot in front of me and in case you forgot that same night I watched my mother get shot and then bleed to death in front of me. Murder is and has been a part of my life for a very long time."
"I need to think about it."
"Come on dad. All I want to do is learn and maybe help."
"I said that I need to think about it so drop it."
"But…"
If you don't drop it now I'll give you my decision now and it will be no so what's your choice?"
"I'll drop it."
"Good choice."
"Booth don't you think…"
"Later Bones. The recital is starting." He was slightly pissed off that he was being ganged up on and he didn't want to fight with Bones during Morgan's ice skating recital. He'll save that until they get home.
For the next thirty minutes the Booth family watched the youngest member skate around the ice, twirling and jumping with nine other seven and eight year olds. Parker had the video camera and taped the recital while he wore a very proud smile and Bones was snapping dozens of pictures of her daughter with the digital camera. Booth meanwhile just watched his baby skating around with a pure look of boredom across her face which made him want to burst out laughing.
When the little girls were done and had taken their bows the lights came on and the applause had died down the families all headed down to the ice to congratulate the girls. Parker was the first one down on the ice from his family and he lifted his sister up into his arms kissing her.
"Put me down Parker." Morgan said giggling.
"I'm so proud of you. You did a great job." Parker told her as he placed her back on the ice.
"I know." When those words came out of Morgan's mouth Booth and Parker burst out laughing because she sounded just like her mother.
"Sweetheart, you were wonderful." Bones gushed as she knelt down to Morgan's level and hugged her. "I think that you were one of the best ones out there."
"I probably am." Bones kissed her and stood so Booth could congratulate their daughter. Grinning proudly, he pulled his arm out from behind him and handed her the bunch of wildflowers that he brought for her.
"What are these for?" Morgan asked.
"They are yours because you did such a good job."
"But how did you know that I would do a good job before you saw me?"
"You're my girl and I knew that you would do a good job."
"You could not have known that."
"You are too much like your mother for your own good. How about you just say thank you to your dad for the flowers?"
"Thank you for the flowers daddy." Booth leaned down and kissed her head.
"Morgan Booth, come on so you can change." Morgan's ice skating coach called. She handed her flowers to her dad and ran off.
"I'll be back. I need to take a leak." Parker announced.
"Really Parker?" Bones asked slightly appalled.
"What?" He feigned innocence and Bones glared at him. "Should I have said I need to hit the head?" Bones never quit glaring at him. "Fine. Please excuse me, I have to use the restroom. Is that better?" Parker asked with a smirk at his mother.
"Much better. You are excused." As soon as Parker was out of sight Bones wrapped her arms around Booth's neck and kissed him gently but he didn't respond. "Are you angry with me?"
"Not angry. Just irritated that you two ganged up on me."
"It wasn't our intention to gang up on you. It just worked out that way."
"I really don't want to talk about it here. It's Morgan's night and I don't want to ruin it for her. We'll talk about it later at home."
"I do love you." She whispered.
"I know. I love you too but I can still be irritated with you."
Five minutes later, Morgan came rushing out of the locker room and over to the viewing area so she could watch the hockey game that was in progress. "Morgan where is your bag and skates?" Bones asked.
"In the locker room." She answered nonchalantly.
"Don't you think you should go get it?"
"In a few minutes. I'm watching the game."
"I'll get them."
"Thanks mommy." As Bones walked away Booth went over and stood next to his daughter.
"What's going on angel? You didn't look like you were having too much fun out there."
"It was fine."
"Just fine?" He knew something was going on with her.
"Oh come on ref. Are you blind?" Morgan yelled at the ice and Booth just chuckled.
"Angel, talk to your dad. What's going on in your little head?"
"I hate ice skating. It's so boring. All we do is skate around in stupid circles."
"Why didn't you tell us honey?"
"Because mom really wants me to skate."
"Just because me or your mom want you to do something doesn't mean that you have to do it, especially if you don't like it."
"You know what I wanna do?" She asked with a very familiar twinkle in her eye.
"What do you wanna do?"
"This." Morgan motioned to the hockey game.
"You want to play hockey?" Booth knew she loved hockey. They watched the games together on T.V. all the time, she came to all of his games and cheered him on while Bones hid her face behind her hands and he got her a hockey stick on her last birthday and she loved it so much she slept with it.
"Oh yeah. It would be so much fun but mom will never let me. She thinks it's too dangerous. She's always telling me about all the bones that I will break."
"I'm not promising anything but I'll talk to your mom." Morgan threw her arms around his legs.
"Thank you daddy. Thank you so much."
"It's not a done deal angel. I said that I will talk to your mom."
"Talk to me about what?" Bones asked as she joined her family.
"About me playing hockey."
"Morgan!"
"Well it's not happening."
"Mom that's not fair. Daddy."
"Let's talk about this later okay?" Booth pleaded and Bones nodded.
After stopping at the diner for dessert of pie for Booth, Parker and Morgan and an ice cream sundae for Bones they dropped Morgan off at her friend's house to spend the night and when they got home Parker took off for the night on a date leaving Bones and Booth home alone, a rare event. Bones poured some wine for the two of them and they took it to the deck.
"Nice night." Booth commented.
"Yes. It is a very nice night. I enjoy it when the sky is clear enough to see the stars." They fell silent for a few minutes sipping their wine.
"You know I don't appreciate being ganged up on."
"Why would you tell Morgan she could play hockey without first consulting me?" They both said at the same time.
"It wasn't our intention to gang up on you."
"I never told Morgan that she could play hockey." Again, they spoke at the same time.
"Well obviously you told her something to make her assume that she was going to play."
"It sure as hell felt like you were ganging up on me." Booth sighed. They couldn't stop talking at the same time. He reached out and placed his finger over her lips. "Only one of us should speak at a time."
"If you wouldn't…"
"Hey now. Would you like to go first?" She nodded. "The floor is yours."
"What does the ownership of the floor have anything to do with this conversation? Technically the floor belongs to both of us because we both own the house."
"Bones." Booth said rolling his eyes.
"Okay. I'll put this in simple terms that you can understand."
"There is no reason to be condensending."
"I wasn't being condenscending. I was stating facts."
"Temperance."
"I don't want Morgan playing hockey Booth. It's dangerous. She could get really hurt."
"It's not that dangerous. She'll be in pads and a helment."
"You've broken your arm."
"Because I punched a guy's helmet."
"I've seen players get thrown up against the plastic protective window. They have had facial injuries and have lost teeth."
"Those are guys Bones and guys play rough. Girls don't play nearly as rough guys do."
"That's not true. Girls can be just as rough as boys."
"Well if they do play rough I don't think that we have anything to worry about. Morgan is tough as hell. She is after all our daughter." Booth smiled at his wife but she didn't smile back. "Bones she really wants to do this."
"But if she plays hockey she won't have time for her ice skating lessons."
"She doesn't want to continue ice skating."
"That's ridiculous. She loves it. She is the best in her class."
"Morgan may be the best in her class but she doesn't enjoy it anymore. If you look at your pictures that you took today you'll notice that she does not look like she is having fun. In fact, she looked bored as hell."
"Then why is she still attending the lessons?"
"For you Bones. She is going because she knows how much you want her to figure skate. She's skating for you not for herself but maybe it's time we let her skate for herself."
"I don't want her to get hurt. She's my little girl."
"She's my little girl too and I don't want her hurt either but I want her to be happy."
"I'll concede but only if you find her a girls only league."
"Deal." Booth grinned. He knew how happy his angel was going to be.
"Now we are going to talk about Parker."
"Yes ma'am."
"He really wants to come and work with me. He has learned so much about bones and he wants a chance to apply that knowledge. Why won't you let him?"
"It's not that I don't want him to use what you have taught him. I just…hell I don't know how to say this. I guess that I feel like if he is exposed to murder he'll lose his innocence."
"He lost his innocence a long time ago. He saw his mother killed in front of him."
"I know that Bones."
"Look you told me that I need to let Morgan do what she wants to do instead of what I want her to do. I think you should take your own advice. Parker wants to this. He wants to learn. He told me that he wants to be a forensic anthropologist and I know that's not what you wanted him to be but I want to help him in anyway that I can."
"The only thing that I want for Parker is to be happy and if being a squint is what he wants then who am I to stop him. He can work at the lab with you."
"Parker will be glad to hear that." Setting her empty wine glass down she stood from her chair and went over and sat on Booth's lap. "How much time do we have before Parker is due home?" She asked as she gently began sucking a sensitive part of his neck. From the corner of her eye she saw him lift his arm and look at his watch.
"An…hour and a…half." He mumbled.
"Plenty of time." She pressed her lips to his and they shared a passionate kiss until they were breathless.
"Bones." He groaned when she slipped her hand under his shirt.
"When was the last time we had loud, uninhibited sex?" They still maintained a very active sex life but it was a relatively quiet sex life because there were always kids in the house.
"Too damn long." Booth crushed his lips to wife's, stood up with her in his arms and Bones wrapped her legs around his hips and without ever breaking the contact of their lips they awkwardly made their up the stairs to their bedroom.
"Door." Bones said breathless when Booth dropped her on the bed.
"No one is home." Booth answered as he fell on top of her but his body never made contact because she placed her hands on his chest to stop him. "Bones." He whined.
"Parker could be home at anytime."
"Come on. You know Parks. He comes home one minute before curfew." He was desperate to be inside of her and he didn't want to waste a minute by shutting the door.
"Shut the door." Booth knew she wasn't going to relent so he reluctantly went to shut and lock their bedroom door. When he turned around he saw that Bones was naked in the middle of the bed. "How did you get naked so quickly?"
"I had incentive." She said coyly running her hand over her beautiful, naked body and Booth quickly shucked his clothes and he climbed on the bed. No matter how many times he has sees her naked, his heart still pounds with excitement, like the first time they came together as one.
"What do you see on the fibula Parker?" Bones asked him again for the fifth time.
"There is nothing there mom." He said in exasperation.
"You're not looking hard enough." She grabbed a magnifying glass and handed to her stepson. "Use this." Parker took the magnifying glass and examined the fibula for the next few minutes.
"The fibula was broken." He announced proudly pointing to the healed break he found.
"Very good Parker. It's a hard break to see."
"How the hell did you see it without the magnifying glass?"
"I've been doing this a very long time Parker."
"Why is it so small?"
"Because the break occurred when he was between the ages of one and two. At that age the break probably affected most of the fibula but as he grew the break in the bone stayed the same size." She explained.
"God. I'm never going to get this. I'm never going to be as good as you are."
"You'll get it Parker. It's just going to take time. I studied for years."
"I've been studying with you for years."
"But not seriously. I've been teaching you casually since you were twelve and right now you know more than I ever did about bones when I was your age so I think that with more time and study you will be almost as good as I am."
"Almost?" Parker said with a grin.
"While you are very intelligent Parker I am a genius so it is unlikely that you or anyone will ever be as good as I am." Bones told him honestly and Parker just grinned. Together, they began to put the bones on the table in a box. They worked in silence until Parker suddenly spoke.
"Why didn't you ever adopt me?" Bones froze with the right ulna in her hand. She didn't anticipate this question at all.
"Well…I…we…" She took a deep breath to get her thoughts under control. "Where is this coming from?"
"My friend Nick, his family just adopted a little girl and it got me thinking." Bones finished returning the remains to the box, gave it to one of her grad students to put away and then she turned to her son.
"Your father and I talked about me adopting you but I'm the one who decided that it wasn't necessary."
"Why? Because you don't want me?" Tears filled Bones' eyes and she reached for Parker's hands.
"No sweetheart. That's not true. I signed guardianship papers that legally allow me to make any decisions for you. In your dad's will if anything should happen to him, he left you to me."
"So basically, what you're saying is that you want to be my guardian, not my mom, right?" Parker sounded so hurt that tears fell from her eyes.
"You know me Parker. You know that I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that I'm your mother. You are every bit my child as Morgan is."
"No I'm not. You have a bond with Morgs. You carried her inside of you for nine months. We will never have that." Parker tried to release his hands but Bones held on tight.
"We may never have that bond but we have another bond. You and I were all each other had when your dad was in his coma for six months. You were my rock Parker. You were the reason that I didn't fall apart. I love you so much Parker. I'm sorry that I hurt you but there was another reason why I never adopted you."
"What?" Parker sniffed.
"I thought that if I adopted you I would be taking something away from your mom. Your mom was your mom and if I adopted you then I would take that away from her."
"That's crazy mom."
"That's what your dad told me but you know how stubborn I can be."
"Believe me, I know. Do you remember when I was little I used to call my mom my heaven mom and you my earth mom." Bones nodded. "I still feel that way. I feel like my heaven mom is watching over me, making sure that I am being well taken care of and she is doing that through you."
"Parker you know that…"
"Yeah I know you don't believe that but I do. It helps her death not hurt so much."
"Do you want me to adopt you?" She asked him softly.
"I think I do."
"Then I'll make it happen. I just need you to know that that adoption or not you are my son and I love you."
"I know mom. I love you too." Bones held out her arms and Parker walked into them and they hugged each other tightly. "Can't…breathe…mom."
"Sorry." Bones released her grip but still hugged him.
"What's going on in here?" Booth asked walking into limbo with Morgan by his side and Parker and Bones reluctantly ended the hug.
"Everything is fine." Bones answered as she wiped her tears away.
"Doesn't look okay." Morgan commented.
"If mommy says things are okay then things are okay." Booth told her.
"Come on." Morgan demanded. "We're going to be late." She walked over to her brother, grabbed his hand and proceeded to drag him to the door. "Moommm come on."
"Yes ma'am. I need to grab my purse from my office. I'll meet you guys at the sercurity desk." She rushed past her family to her office.
"You guys go. I'll be right behind you." Booth told Parker and Morgan and he followed Bones.
"They're probably gonna kiss." Morgan told her brother scrunching up her nose in disgust.
"Yep. They probably are."
"That is so gross. Do you kiss girls?"
"I sure do."
"Yuck."
"One day Morgs you won't think kissing is so bad."
"No. I won't."
"Trust me. It will happen. I used to think that kissing was gross but not anymore."
"Nope. Not me."
"Sure. Whatever you say." Parker said with a smile.
Meanwhile Booth cornered Bones in her office as she was getting her purse. "What was going on with you and Parker? Did you guys have a fight?" Bones looked over his shoulder to see if either of the kids were around. When she didn't see them she answered him.
"Parker asked why I never adopted him."
"What did you tell him?"
"The truth." She answered simply but Booth knew all too well her reasons.
"And?" Bones linked her arm with his and they made their way to the sercurity desk.
"I believe that he understood."
"But?"
"He wants me to adopt him and I want to adopt him. Will you let me?" Booth stopped walking and turned Bones to him.
"I would be honored if you adopted Parker." Booth said tearfully. Bones leaned forward and kissed him.
"Oh man. Come on." Morgan yelled. Laughing they pulled apart. "If I'm late I wait be able to play until the second half." Booth walked away from his wife and scooped his daughter up in his arms.
"Well we can't have that now can we?" Booth asked her.
"No we can't. I'll be so mad if I miss the first half of my first game."
"That's why daddy has a siren on his truck, so his little angel won't miss her first game. Let's go."
"Booth." Bones warned as they rushed out of The Jeffersonian. She hated how he drove when he had his siren on.
"I'll be careful Bones." He said playfully and the kids laughed.
"When am I going to be adopted?" Morgan asked, sitting in a judge's chambers with her family for the adoption hearing of Parker six months later.
"You're not angel."
"But Parker is so why can't I be adopted to?"
"Morgs you know that mom and dad are your real mom and dad right?" Parker asked his sister and she nodded. "Well dad is my real dad but mom is not. My real mom died and when one of your parents die when you're still a kid that's when you can get adopted. You should be very happy that you can't be adopted because that means that both of your parents are still here."
"What does adopt mean?"
"It means that I will officially be Parker's mom."
"I don't understand. You are Parker's mom aren't you?"
"She is angel but adoption makes it official."
"This is so confusing." She muttered, bring smiles to her family's faces. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and the judge walked in.
"Good afternoon. I'm Judge Reynolds." The Booth family greeted him. The judge walked around the room and shook hands with all of them and then he took a seat behind his desk.
"So we are here today so Dr. Brennan-Booth can adopt her step-son Parker. Is that correct?"
"Yep. Our mom wants to adopt my brother." Morgan answered.
"Morgan…shhh." Booth whispered.
"Parker how do you feel about this?" Judge Reynolds asked.
"It's what I want your honor."
"Why?"
"Temperance has been raising me as her own son for nine years since my biological mother died. In fact I have been calling her mom almost that whole time."
"And you Dr. Brennan-Booth do you want to adopt Parker?"
"Absolutley your honor. I love Parker like he was my own biological son."
"Do you realize that when this adoption is finalized that you will assume all responsibility for Parker, financially and emotionally?"
"I do."
"Morgan, how so you feel about all this?"
"It doesn't really make much sense to me. Mom and dad says that Parker will be my brother no matter what so I guess that's all that matters to me." Booth smiled proudly at his daughter.
"Mr. Booth what do you think about your wife adopting your son?"
"They have always loved each other like mother and son. I've always wanted my wife to adopt Parker but more importantly it's what Bones and Parker want so it's what I want."
"According to the social worker's report you provide Parker with a very stable home and she recommends for the adoption to proceed. All I have to do is sign these papers and then Parker Joseph Booth you be the legal child of Seeley and Temperance Brennan- Booth. Is there any reason why I should not sign these papers?" Everyone shook their heads and Judge Reynolds signed the papers. "Congratulations Dr. Brennan-Booth and Parker. You are now officially related." Booth, Bones and Parker all stood to shake the judge's hand and then they all embraced in a family hug.
"Thanks mom. This is the happiest day of my life." Parker whispered tearfully.
"Along with marrying your dad and giving birth to Morgan this is the happiest day of my life."
"Happier then when you had Morgan?" Parker asked jokingly.
"A lot less painful. I love you my son."
"I love you too mom."