I own none of the characters of Bones
Years ago…
"Hey Rebecca. I thought that the mother of the groom should have flowers on her son's wedding day so I brought you some." Booth placed the flowers in front of the headstone. "I can't believe that our son, our baby is getting married today. Damn, I feel old. I wish that you could be here today Becks and I know that Parks wishes that you were here as well. You would love Emily. She is a wonderful young woman and most importantly, she makes Parker so happy."
" You would be so proud of Parker. He has grown into a wonderful young man and I am so proud of him. He worked hard and recently earned his Masters Degree in Forensic Anthropology. He is so stinking smart. He must have gotten that from you cause school never came easy to me. I had to work for my grades and don't get me wrong, Parker works hard for his grades. He is an amazing kid or I guess I should say man. Even though you aren't here, I see so much of you in him. Just know that you will be in our thoughts today." Booth stood, said a quick prayer, crossed himself and when he turned around he was surprised to see Parker standing behind him.
"I'm surprised to see you here." Parker said approaching his mother's grave with flowers in hand.
"You're mom has been on my mind today and I thought that she deserved flowers since she is the mother of the groom."
"She's been on my mind today too. " Parker set his flowers down next to his father's. "I miss her everyday but today…today is really bad." Parker looked at his father with tears in his eyes. "She should be here dad."
"She should." Booth agreed. "I'll leave you alone and give you some time with your mom."
"Don't go far."
Fifteen minutes later Parker said goodbye to his mother and joined his dad. "You okay?" Booth asked.
"I will be. I'm glad that you came today. Mom would have appreciated it."
"I wanted to come. Before she died, we were getting along really well." The two men walked silently to their cars. "Since the girls are busy getting all girly how about you and I go get a really greasy breakfast filled with lots of cholesterol that Bones never lets me eat?"
"Is that what's going to happen to me? Is Em going to start controlling my diet?"
"Not till you're older. "
"Great."
"So what do you say? Wanna spend your last half of day as a single man with your old man? Breakfast and then nine holes?"
"Really dad? You want me to kick your ass at golf again?"
"If you win today and that's a big IF then it's because it's your wedding day and I let you win."
"Then what was the reason that I have won all the other times?"
"That was me being a good father." Parker snorted in response.
"Don't hold back today old man. Let's see what you got."
"I'll show you old man." Wearing identical smiles the Booth men climbed into their respective cars and headed to the diner, where they knew that they could get breakfast with the perfect amount of cholesterol and grease.
Booth was at the church in search of the bridal room to check on his girls when walking past another room he caught Morgan out of the corner of his eye. Slightly confused, he walked over and pushed the door opened the rest of the way. "Heya Angel."
"Hi daddy." Booth stepped into the room.
"You look beautiful." Morgan was wearing a dark red bridesmaid dress.
"Not so much." Morgan looked at her father with tears in her eyes.
"What's wrong honey?"
"My stupid still practically ugly bald head." Morgan had been done with her chemotherapy for a few months and her hair was just a touch above peach fuzz. "I can't go out there with all of those people."
"Your stupid still practically ugly bald head isn't stupid or ugly. Now tell me what's really going on. Since you lost your hair you have never thought what people thought about your beautiful bald head." Booth walked over and kissed the top of his daughter's still practically bald head.
"I care when it's not about me. Today is about Parker and Emily and if I walk down the aisle then people will talk about my stupid cancer and then it won't be about Parker and Emily and I am not going to ruin my brother's wedding. I'm dropping out."
"Dropping out; nah, that won't ruin your brother's wedding. Parker and Emily love you and they want you to be a part of their day. Hell Morgan, if you aren't in the wedding I don't think that Parker will get married."
"He's right Morgs. If you aren't in my wedding than I'm not getting married and that will really piss Emily off. I need my sister standing up at the altar with me." Parker was walking past the room and eavesdropped on the conversation between his sister and dad.
"I…can't." Morgan admitted tearfully. "I know that I'm being selfish on your wedding day and I have no right to be but I'm sorry. I just can't Parker."
"Why not Morgan? Don't you think that you owe me? I did give you my bone marrow."
"That's not funny." She mumbled tearfully.
"Well you do owe me but that's besides the point. Talk to me Morgan. Why won't you support me?"
"I want to Parker but…"
"But what sweetheart?" Booth asked gently.
"There are so many people out there who don't know me and I will embarrass you and her." This was the first time since Morgan's cancer and chemotherapy that she has ever been self conscious about not having any hair. Booth knew it was because prior to today, Morgan surrounded herself with friends and family that she was comfortable around. Morgan proudly wore a scarf on her head for her winter formal simply because her friends supported her. Today's situation was totally different. There was a church full of people that Morgan didn't know and that terrified her.
"You would never embarrass Em or I. I am proud to be your brother and I want you up there with me whether you have a head full of hair or if you were a bald as a baby. If someone out there says or thinks something negative about you then that's on them."
"That's easy for you to say." Morgan looked at the floor. Booth went to say something but Parker stopped him.
"Morgs will you look at me?" Morgan slowly lifted her head and looked at her brother. "I know that you are scared to go out there in front of all those people, strangers but you are the bravest person I know. You faced cancer twice and beat it both times Morgan. It takes a really brave person to do that. I don't think that I could have done it."
"Just so you know my cancer came back so technically I only beat it once." That was Morgan's form of a joke so Parker knew he got through to her.
"So what do you say squirt? Will you be standing up next to me?"
"Are you sure that's what you want squint?" Morgan used the nickname their father bestowed upon him when he got his masters degree.
"Absolutely." Morgan suddenly hugged Parker.
"I'm sorry I kinda freaked out." Morgan sniffed. "I just…"
"Did you open the gift Emily and I gave you last night?"
"No."
"Did you bring it with?"
"Mom did."
"I'll go get it." Booth left his kids and stared to make his way to the bride's room.
"Booth!" His hand was raised to knock on the door when he heard Bones shouting his name. "I can't find Morgan. She left to go to the bathroom and she hasn't returned." Booth could hear the panic in her voice.
"She's in a room down the hall with Parker. She kinda had a breakdown."
"Is she okay?"
"She is now. She was panicking about her hair or lack of. She's nervous to face all of the people in the church because of how horrible she thinks she looks. She claimed that she didn't want to embarrass Em and Parker but the truth is she was terrified what people would think or say."
"You said that she's okay?"
"Parker talked her down. "
"I need to see her."
"That's why I'm here. Morgan said that you had the gift that Parker and Emily got her."
"I do. It's with my purse inside the bridal room. I brought in hoping she would wear it."
"Go get it and we will take it to her."
"Don't order me around."
"Please go get Morgan's gift?"
"That's better. Yes I will. Wait here." Booth and Bones both knew what Parker and Emily had gotten or more accurately made for her. Bones returned in less than a minute with the wrapped gift in hand and the two of them walked to Morgan's hideout. "Are you okay sweetheart?" Bones asked after hugging Morgan.
"Yeah mom. I'm fine. I just had a cheesy girl moment."
"I don't understand."
"Never mind mom. I'm good." Parker came over and took the gift from Bones.
"Open this." Parker demanded of his sister. She took the gift from him, slowly opened it and pulled out a black and red scarf.
"Parker it's beautiful and the red matches my dress perfectly."
"Emily made that for you to wear today. She knew that you would probably be apprehensive about your hair and she wanted to make you comfortable." Morgan threw her arms around her big brother.
"Thank you so much. It's perfect. I love you."
"I love you too Morgs. " Parker kissed Morgan's cheek. "Now can you please go tell my bride that I am ready to get married?"
"I will." Morgan left the room, holding her new scarf tightly in her hand with Bones following behind and Booth and Parker just laughed.
"Have I told you how beautiful you look today mom?" The wedding was ready to get started and Parker was getting ready to walk his mother down the aisle while Booth stood behind the two of them.
"No you haven't."
"You look beautiful."
"Thank you. You look very handsome. In fact I have never seen you look so handsome and grown up before."
"I am grown up mom." Bones looked up at Parker.
"I know you wish that Rebecca was here today with you and I'm sorry that she isn't but I am honored to be standing in her place."
"I do wish she was here but you have been my mom for almost twenty years and right now there is no one else that I would want representing the mother of the groom. I love you mom." Parker embraced her.
"I love you too." Bones mumbled against his chest. "I am so proud to have been your mother for the last almost twenty years."
"Come on you two. It's time to get this party started." Booth announced from behind them.
Parker linked arms with Bones and the two of them began their descent down the aisle. Walking behind the two of them, Booth was able to observe all the looks that passed over the guests face as the two of them walked down the aisle. Women had looks of awe, jealousy, and even hate while the men were practically drooling as Bones passed them and Booth just grinned. It tweaked his manhood to know that most of the men in the church wished that they were him or they had his beautiful wife as their own. When they settled in the pew Booth wrapped an arm possessively over her shoulders, letting everyone in the church know that she belonged to him.
When the music started Booth glanced at the altar and saw Parker was staring anxiously at the back of the church waiting for his bride and he couldn't help but remember the day his bride walked to him wearing an off-white gown. Until the moment he saw her walking towards him he was terrified that she was going to change her mind. Next to Parker and Morgan's birth, their wedding day was the best day of his life and now his son was experiencing the same happiness.
"Here she comes." Bones whispered as Morgan began her walk down the aisle. "She looks beautiful."
"She really does." Booth agreed. Watching Morgan walking down the aisle holding the flowers he was blown away by how much she looked like her mother. She was staring at the ground because she was so nervous but when she got closer to her parent's pew she lifted her eyes and returned her parent's smiles. When she got to the altar she lifted her head to look at her brother and identical grins, the same as their father, crossed both of their faces and Parker broke normal wedding protocol, stepped away from his assigned spot and hugged his sister tightly.
A few minutes later Emily came walking down the aisle, Booth reached over and took Bones' hand and together they watched their son say his vows to the woman he adored and when the two of them were pronounced man and wife Booth and Bones stood, applauded the couple proudly and they both shed a few tears.
"May I cut in?" Booth pulled away from his wife and looked at his son.
"Normally no, but since it's your wedding day I guess that I will allow it."
"Thanks dad." Booth stepped away, allowed Parker to take his place and he went in search of Emily while Parker and Bones began to dance.
"Do you remember the last time we danced together?" Bones asked him softly.
"I do. It was at your and dad's wedding."
"It was one of the favorite things about my wedding."
"When the music started and I saw dad dancing with you I really wanted to do it as well. When I asked dad if I could dance with you, the look on his face was priceless. It was a mixture of pride, shock and utter joy. It was great."
"I'm glad that you asked me to dance. I thought that your father put you up to it."
"Nope. It was all me."
"You know, there was a time in my life that I didn't believe in marriage. Your father's love for me convinced me that marriage was a wonderful thing and I am glad that he did. Being married to your father, it's been the best experience of my life, besides being a mother to you and Morgan and I wish you and Emily as much happiness as I have had with your father."
"Before the wedding I thought that you just married dad so he could get custody of me." Parker admitted.
"Why on earth would you think that?"
"I heard mom and Brent talking and she said that the only reason that you two were getting married was so that dad could win custody of me."
"That's not true." Bones insisted. "We were engaged before the custody issue came up."
"I know. At first I believed it but during your wedding, I knew it wasn't true. Even though I was just a kid, I knew that you two really loved each other and custody of me had nothing to do with it. I had never seen my dad so happy before and even though I didn't know what it meant, I knew the looks of love you two shared was something special."
"It was and still is special and I want that for you and your wife."
"I think that we have that mom."
"You have a small portion of that but speaking from experience it will grow every day that you spend together."
"From your mouth to God's ears."
"I don't understand. Your father says that as well."
"It's just a saying. Mom, I am really really glad that you and dad got married. By marrying him you gave me the family that I always wanted, an amazing sister and most importantly you made my dad very happy."
"By marrying your father, I knew that I would always have someone to love me. I gained a family through your dad, you and Morgan and I was able to become your mother. I helped raise you to become the wonderful man you are today and the husband you will be in the future and I can't be more proud of you." The song ended and Parker hugged the woman who had become his mother.
"I love you mom."
Bones sighed as she walked into her daughter's room and found her bridesmaid dress crumpled on the floor. No matter how many times she asked, told, or yelled at Morgan to not leave her clothes on the floor in her bedroom or bathroom, she never listened. Bones picked up the dress, laid it on the back of her desk chair and then she walked over to her bed, adjusted the blankets that had fallen off the bed and then kissed her cheek. "Sleep well my sweet girl."
Bones walked out of Morgan's room and into her own where Booth was already in bed. She quickly got ready for bed and climbed in next to her husband who immediately rolled onto his side and wrapped an arm around her. "It was a beautiful wedding wasn't it?" She mumbled sleepily.
"It was. I can't believe that Parker is a married man."
"I still remember the day I met him. It was Christmas day after we were quarantined in the lab. He was four years old and the first words he spoke to me were "Merry Christmas."
"I remember."
"That day was the first day that I ever had a desire to get to know a child."
"He's just like his dad. He is very charming." Booth bragged.
"He changed everything for me. I never wanted to be a mother but meeting Parker that day, something began to change even though it took me years to realize it. It's because of him that I am a mother."
"You are an amazing mother Bones and Parks and Morgan are damn lucky to have you."
"I think that Parker will make an amazing husband. He has had an excellent role model."
"Did you just say something nice about me?" Booth asked with a grin.
"No. I just stated a fact."
"Yeah. Sure you did." Booth rolled his wife over onto her back and his lips descended onto hers.