A/N: This chapter is all Parker/Dakota, but there's a slight mention of B&B towards the end.

It's Thursday morning and Parker is sitting in the passenger seat of Dakota's blue Toyota. They're currently stopped at a traffic light a few minutes away from the high school. He turns his head and shifts a little on the seat. "Hey, Cody?"

Dakota keeps her eyes on the road, but nods. "Yeah?"

He lets out a breath. "A few weeks ago you said, you said your dad was a cop for the LAPD. What did you mean by that?" He's aware that there are a lot of explanations for why she used was instead of is, but it has been bugging him since she said it. They had just met, so he didn't think it was appropriate to ask such a personal question that early on.

She eases up on the break, anticipating the light change, and then taps the gas pedal lightly, pressing it down harder when the car in front of her drives through the green light.

He tugs on his seatbelt and shuffles his feet on the car mat. "You don't have to tell me. It's okay. Just forget I asked."

She flicks on her blinker and switches lanes, continuing to say nothing.

He looks forward, mentally kicking himself for asking her that question.

She pulls into the high school and parks her car into an unassigned spot. She turns off the engine, leaving the key dangling in the ignition, and unbuckles her seatbelt; however she doesn't move to get out of the car. Instead, she turns her head towards him and blinks, her green eyes sparkling with unshed tears. "Two years ago, my dad, he, uh, he was shot and killed while working undercover."

He blinks, reaching over and taking her hand. "I'm sorry." He pauses. "I shouldn't have asked."

She shakes her head. "It's okay, Parker. It's been two years, but it's still difficult to talk about. I usually don't. There are only three people I've told—my ex-boyfriend, my best-friend from back home, and now you. I figured you'd understand 'cause your mom and dad work for the FBI."

"Bones isn't my mom," he corrects. That tiny bit of information hasn't revealed itself either over the last three weeks, neither has he mentioned his mom at all since he and Dakota met.

"She's not?"

He shakes his head. "No, I mean, she's been part of my life since practically forever, but she's not my biological mom."

"Oh. I just assumed she was. Is your mom around then? Do you get to see her?"

He fiddles with the zipper on his sweatshirt and swallows.

She brushes her thumb against his knuckles, giving him the same courtesy he gave her while she was working up the courage to tell him about her dad.

"I was in a really bad car accident a little over eight months ago." He takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "My mom died later at the hospital. I didn't get to say goodbye because I was in a coma when she passed away."

She blinks and squeezes his hand. "I'm sorry."

And he knows she really is.

"I never got to say goodbye to my dad, either." She wicks away tears from her cheeks and clears her throat. "We should, um, we should go inside. We have like five minutes before first period."

He nods, taking his hand back from hers. "Yeah." He unbuckles his seatbelt and opens the car door. He grabs his backpack and hops out. He walks over to the driver's side, where Dakota's already out of the car and waiting for him.

The two teenagers head towards the front entrance of the school, a somewhat tense silence hanging between them. They walk through the doors and make their way to their lockers, wordlessly. They gather up what they need for their first three periods and then slam their lockers nearly in synch. They turn towards each other at the same time and lock gazes.

The warning bell sounds and he pulls on the adjusting straps on his backpack. "I'll see you during third period." He starts to turn away, but she reaches out to grab his arm.

She steps closer to him and rises up on her tippy toes, so she's at the perfect height to press her lips against his.

He fights against his surprise and reciprocates the kiss. He steps back after a minute and looks down at her.

She stares up at him and draws her bottom lip into her mouth, biting it and then releasing it. "I—I have to get to class."

He nods. "Yeah, um, me too." They turn around and head in opposite directions.

Parker walks outside during his lunch period and looks around the picnic area for Dakota.

"Looking for me?"

He whips around and a smile instantly graces his lips at the sight of her standing there, even though third and fourth period had been filled with awkward silences and knowing glances. "Yeah." He pauses. "Um, we need to talk."

"I know." She follows him over to a secluded table, which is shaded by a tree, and sits down across from him. She takes out her lunch and removes the saran wrap from around her ham and cheese sandwich. She picks at the bread, avoiding his eyes.

He scuffs the bottom of his sneaker on the ground, kicking around the small pebbles littering the area.

She finally flicks her eyes up to his and lets out a breath through her nose. She blinks and shifts on the bench.

"We could just forget it happened," they both say almost in unison.

She looks away from him for a second and then finds his gaze again. "I—I don't really wanna forget it happened."

He lets out a sigh of relief at her admission and shakes his head. "Good 'cause I don't either."

She smiles. "Really?"

He nods. "Yeah."

She balls a piece of bread between her fingertips and watches his eyes shift. "So…"

He stands up and sits down beside her. He touches her hand on the table and brings his lips down to hers. After a moment, he breaks the kiss and pulls back, looking at her again. For the first time, he notices just how many different colors are reflected in her emerald eyes. There are flecks of gold and brown, mixed with different shades of blue. He dips his head and lifts his hand slowly, running it through her dark brown hair as his lips glide across hers in a much more electrifying kiss.

She contorts her body more towards him and snakes her hand around the nape of his neck.

He breaks contact when he starts to get a little lightheaded and untangles his hand from her hair. His lips twitch upwards into a small, half smile as he keeps his eyes trained on her.

"Wow," she mutters, looking away from him, her cheeks flush.

He shrugs a shoulder and leans against the edge of the table, propping himself up on his elbow and forearm, his head tilted and turned towards her.

She narrows her eyes and nibbles on the inside of her cheek. "I don't really know what this all means, Parker. Is this a onetime thing or are we dating?"

"What do you want it to mean, Cody?"

"What do you want it to mean?"

"I asked you first."

"What are you twelve?" She laughs.

"I want to know what you want because I know what I want and if it's not what you want, then okay, but—."

She presses her index finger against his lips to quiet his rambling. "I like you, Parker. I want to date you if you want to date me." She laughs. "Okay, that sounded a lot better in my head than it did when I just said it out loud."

He smiles. "That's what I want too."

"Yeah?"

He nods. "Yeah."

"So we're dating?"

He shrugs. "I guess so."

She raises an eyebrow. "You guess so?"

He smiles, leaning closer and kissing her again.

Her lips instantly mold to his and she places her hand on his shoulder. She breaks the kiss this time and opens her eyes. She turns her focus to her lunch and picks up her defiled sandwich.

He bends down, pulling his backpack towards him. He grabs his lunch and unwraps his turkey sandwich. He brings it up to his lips, looking at Dakota sideways. He smiles as he takes a bite and then looks away again.

She crosses her ankles and bites back a smile of her own.

He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket, so he sets the sandwich down and pulls the phone out. He sees 'dad' flash across the screen and quickly answers it, his whole body shaking, his mind racing with the reason for his father's call. There's only one possibility that comes to mind: Bones. "Dad, hey." A smile spreads across his face after he hangs up the phone.

Dakota had tuned out the one-sided conversation, but the second he hangs up the phone, she turns her head. "Is everything okay?"

He nods. "Yeah. Bones is in labor. She and my dad just got to the hospital. The baby could be here any minute. Well, okay, probably not any minute, but soon."

"Do you need a ride?"

"I'll need a ride after school. My dad said it'd probably be a while before the baby's here, so he told me to go to the rest of my classes. Even though it's not like I'm gonna be able to concentrate now."

She nods. "I'll drive you to the hospital after school, sure."

He stands up and tosses his lunch in the trash. He's not all that hungry anymore. "I'm sorry that we won't be able to catch that movie tonight."

She shakes her head, getting up off the bench. She wraps up her sandwich and packs away her lunch. "Your stepmom's having a baby, that's like one of the best excuses there is to cancel what would have now been considered our first date." She smiles.

"I'll make it up to you. Our first official date will be one hundred times better than going to see a movie."

"I'm looking forward to it. Whenever and whatever is it." She slings her backpack over her shoulders and takes his hand, their fingers instantly fitting together. She tilts her head and smiles up at him.

He smiles back, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, and then they head back into the school.

It's baby time!