I really, really want to thank everyone for the response! It's very helpful in continuing. I was to say, first off, that the ending of my last chapter was not actually an end note. My notes will always be bolded, for future reference. Usually the italicized words will be thoughts or writing, or of course, emphasis. Of course, I'm not going to lie, I'm really not totally sure of everything and will likely make mistakes.

If you don't like explinations or want to hear any insight into my life, then feel free to skip. I'm just explaining why I felt compelled to write this chapter.

It came to me while I was actually thinking about some things my mom and I used to do together. When I was little, my mom used to read me a book called "Love You Forever", a book written by Robert Munsch. It was a children's book, and to tell you the truth, I actually hated it, even as a kid. I don't exactly know why, but I think my mom read it to me a total of three times, maybe, and I never wanted to hear it again.

The book didn't stick with me, but my mom and I adapted a ritual after reading it. Right after tucking me into bed and shutting my door, she would start much in the way that Christine started. We would alternate the lines, "I'll love you forever/I'll like you for always/as long as I'm living/My baby ("Or my mommy" for me)/you'll be". When she went into surgery for her back, she even recorded the little saying for me to listen to every night if we didn't get to talk to each other.

I got older, of course. As I did, I didn't feel the need to either be tucked in, nor to do the little sang. My mom figured that out pretty quick too, and didn't dwell on it. While I was in middle school, however, she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. She fought for three years, but died due to complications with chemotherapy.

At the time, I'd went through rough emotions. There were points where I felt alone, sick in grief. I felt as though I were grieving my mom before she were even dead. Really, as anyone who's seen the effects of chemo can tell you, there were times when I was pretty sure she was dead. The thing was, though, she could still pick up my moods. And occasionally she would whisper those words to me to try and get me to smile. It worked.

Those words were also some of the last words I heard from her, followed by "I'll see you in the morning, squirtal".

Today is her birthday, and I've been focusing on those words. I wanted to write something for her, so I guess this is it for now, until I get skilled enough to write something powerful and changing. So Happy Birthday, Mom.

This chapter is dedicated to you.

Dr. Brennan,

I'm sincerely sorry to hear about what happened. I was excited when Sweet's brought me the news that it was a baby boy, but it seems the mood was brought down rather quick. I've been trying to call you, but it seems as though no one is picking up. Which I suppose is fine. Hodgins told me his name, and I'm quite honored, though I've always been confused on the significance of naming a child after another person you know. I wanted to try and get out to talk to you, but Sweets is adamant about staying in. I'm unsure how I feel about this.

Do know, however, that I do believe that you'd have made a great mother for him, just as you are to Christine. In my years in the Jeffersonian, I don't believe I found a better home then while I was there with you. I know that if you can do so for a stranger, you can certainly do so for one of your own. It's instincts.

Perhaps, if you'd like, you can come visit me at some point. Like I said, I'm unable to get out at this point in time, or else I'd make the trip to see you. I'd enjoy seeing Christine again, but I know how Booth feels about bringing her here often.

Call if you can. It's quite lonely among dull minds here.

Zach Uriah Addy

Sweets handed this letter to Booth, who in turn snuck into the guest room and placed it on the table next to her bed. He waited for a moment, watching her sleep, before almost walking out.

"Booth? That you?" Brennan asked sleepily, though her voice cracked from lack of use. Booth swallowed and nodded before realizing she couldn't see him.

"Yeah. It's me Bones. You need anything?" he asked softly, resisting the urge to kneel down next to her and hold her.

"No. I'm okay. What'd you come in here for?"

Booth tried to keep the gut punch from reaching him, but it did, and he felt as though she were denying him completely, telling him to leave her be, isolate herself. He wanted to shout, 'Hey, I'm hurting too! Why can't we just talk to each other?' before he realized that he'd been hoping she didn't need him.

"Zach…Wrote you a letter. It's next to your bed if you want to read it. You okay with stir fry for dinner?" he asked. If he'd have been watching her face, he would have seen her cringe and her face clench up at the mere thought, but she nodded.

"Sure. Sure,"

As he was about to walk out, Brennan called for him again.

"Hey, Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones?"

"I…I'm sorry…"

The suddenness of this made him blink in confusion as he turned around and started towards her again, sitting on the edge of the bed this time. It was strange. This was the closest he'd been to Bones in days. Cam had given her time off, lots of it, and she'd spent most of it here.

"What are you sorry for, Bones?" he asked softly, trying to urge her to turn around and face him. When she finally twisted around, she looked up at him hopelessly.

"For the baby…For our fight…For being here instead of with you and Christine…"

Booth stayed silent, patting down her hair, though she flinched away from him on multiple occasions.

"I understand. I really do," he stated, though he bit his lip when he saw her eyes harden quickly.

"You understand? Okay. Sure. You understand. Now leave," she stated, pointing at the door and turning away from him. He cursed himself and pulled away quickly, walking out and closing the door as softly as possible.

The anger that went through her veins…That was irrational. It didn't make sense. Still, she felt it. She felt the anger, the exhaustion. It was as though someone had taken every strong emotion she'd ever felt in her life and put it into her. Worst of all, she found it impossible to even enjoy small things. Things like sleep, like food, like her anthropology journals. Nothing made her happy or helped.

Loneliness, guilt. Shame at not being able to deal.

Everything was too much.

Sometimes she couldn't understand what people were saying, but now she understood how people could feel all of these things. She'd believed emotions were for the weak, but she was strong, wasn't she? Why was she feeling all these sudden emotions, she asked herself. Why me?

So it wasn't until much later that she picked up Zach's letter and read it carefully. She was analyzing it, really, but even that she found little joy in. When she was done, she put it down and breathed a soft sigh of relief that Zach wasn't angry at her. She didn't think she could deal with that.

Still, she found no joy in it, and had to store away into memory that she should call him at a later date.

Christine and Max both were in the living room, playing with a wide variety of toys and trying to take over, as Christine called it, the "Dragon Kingdom".

"See, Parker has the Dragon Kingdom and I have the Princess Kingdom. He says that little kids aren't allowed in the Dragon Kingdom, but Prince said that I could have his army and go in and take over the land! Can you help me Grandpa?"

"Sure, sure. I know a thing or two about kingdoms," he stated, helping her plot out in detail how to "take over" Parkers land.

"You two! Get out here. We're eating," Booth called, setting the table for three instead of four. Christine wiggled up and looked at where Brennan usually sat, before looking up at Booth.

"Mommy's not eating wit us?" she asked sadly.

"No, I don't think so sweetie. You want to go check?" Booth asked, though he already knew the answer. She was never hungry. He put left overs in the fridge, but knew that if he tried to make her eat, she'd just freak out at him. She'd get hungry sooner or later, he guessed.

Christine nodded and climbed down, running to the guest room before tumbling in, and sitting on Brennan's bed.

"Mommy? Are you gonna eat wit us?" she asked, shaking Brennan. She looked up at Christine, smiled and shook her head.

"Not today, sweetie…Mommy isn't feeling very good."

Christine's eyes widened as she sat back and tilted her head.

"Does you're tummy hurt, mommy? Cuz I can gets you medicine! You and daddy always get me medicine when I feel sick, and it helps me feel better."

Brennan smiled softly and shook her head.

"Not that kind of not feeling well, sweetie. Just sad,"

"Because little brother moved away to Heaven?" she asked curiously. Brennan had to keep herself from scoffing, and barely did so. Sighing, she nodded.

"Yeah. I miss him," she admitted. Christine laid down, totally ignoring the call for food she'd just been issued earlier, and tried to snuggle into her mother's arms.

"I miss him too, Mommy. Even if he was a boy like Parker. And I still loves him, even if he moved away from us," she stated, with all the sureness that a child could muster. Brennan suppressed a chuckle, that developed into a sob. Christine looked surprised.

"Don't be sad, Mommy! Little brother loves you too, I know it!"

"How's that, Christine?"

"Cuz I love you. And if I love you, and Parker loves you, and Daddy loves you, then of course little brother would love you! Maybe Bruce needed someone to play with…I don't know why he left, but it isn't cuz he didn't love you, Mommy!" she stated knowingly, nodding. Brennan choked back another sob and held Christine tightly to her.

"I love you, baby. Don't forget that, okay?"

"I loves you forever!"

Brennan quickly caught onto the childhood game and story and smiled.

"I'll like you for always."

"As long as I'm living!"

"My baby you'll be…"

It continued afterwards, the exchange, only this time Brennan would start and Christine would end with "My mommy you'll be".

It hadn't been one of Brennan's favorite books to read Christine, but the game had become something of theirs after a while. When Brennan had once more been at the hospital after a case, Christine had clambered up and shared the idea that they do it every night, so neither one ever forgot how much they meant to the other.

While it was irrational, Brennan had played into it. It had been a while since she'd actually tucked Christine in and had had a chance to say it to her.

It hurt really bad, though. It hurt so much.

"Mommy, do you think you'll feel better tomorrow?" Christine asked, and Brennan smiled a little bit.

"We'll see, honey…Go eat, okay?"

Christine nodded, but hugged her mom one more time before running out. The sound of their rhyme played in Brennan's head, and for the first time in a long time, she felt a tad bit of relief.

Short lived relief, but you take what you can get.