A/N: Thanks again to those who reviewed! Please get ready for the second update of this week :).

Chapter 4

"Easy there, Pops," Booth warned as he helped his grandfather to get out of his car. Jared had moved out the day before, making space for his brother in Hank's apartment.

Hank climbed out of the vehicle, assisted by his grandson. Finally, home. "I've got it, I've got it," Hank told him as he used his walking rack to stay balanced. It had taken him a surprisingly short time to walk again, according to the doctors. But what did they know, really? They only saw ancient people. Hank didn't feel that old yet.

Booth closed the door of the car and locked the vehicle, then hovered around his grandfather, helping him inside and into the elevator. "You're doing good, Pops," he smiled at his grandfather. "This will be nice, won't it?" he smiled. "Living together again. Sharing a home."

"Hm," Hank gave a groan. "I'll be just fine on my own. You should go back to college, son. I mean it."

"Pops, we've already had that conversation." Booth placed his hands on his hips after he pushed the button to the second floor. "I can always go back later. I'll get a job somewhere and I'll help you get settled in. I'm not cut out for college, anyway."

"But you should study. I don't want you to ruin your life because of me," Hank told him, unhappy with his grandson's decisions, however noble they may be. "I love you. I want the best for you."

Booth's mind flashed back to his Captain and he forced himself to stay focussed on the conversation. He missed her, which was crazy. It had been nearly a week since he'd seen her. They'd only had one night together. He didn't even know her name and yet, she occupied his every dream. "'I'm not ruining my life, Pops. I will get a job, you'll see."

"You're a good man, son. Too good, almost. I want you to be happy, to have a good life." Inside, Hank sat down on his comfortable couch. He had his objections, but in the end he was relieved he wasn't alone. "Shrimp, you always were a good boy. I'm proud of you no matter what you choose to do."

"And my choice is to live here with you," Booth leaned down and kissed his grandfather's cheek. He didn't really have a choice in the first place. He had no idea what the identity of his mystery Captain was and no way of finding out. Maybe it was for the best. "Do you want some tea or coffee?"

"Yes, son, please. Get me some strong coffee, come sit here and tell me about your life."

"There isn't much to tell, Pops. College wasn't really my thing." After Booth had turned the coffeemaker on, he sat down on the other couch. "So, Jared got promoted, huh," he smiled widely, changing the subject. "I'm glad for him. He's been working really hard towards that goal."

"Yeah, he has. He's clever. Not smart like you, but clever. How did you like campus life, son?"

Booth sighed. "I enjoyed it," he agreed reluctantly, "but Pops, really, you don't have to feel bad. I had been thinking about stopping anyway. My grades were low and I was having a hard time concentrating."

"Girlfriends?" Hank waggled his eyebrows in a humorous way.

Booth shook his head, "No, Pops, no girlfriends. I've only been at college for a few months after all." But if he'd found her, he found himself thinking, he would've done whatever it would have taken to get her to agree to a date with him.

"That sounds boring. Parties?"

"Yeah, sure, lots of those. I went to a masked ball the evening you fell." Booth got up again and went over to the coffeemaker to pour both of them a cup of strong coffee. He would need it. Because he knew his grandfather and the chances that he was somehow going to get him to tell what happened were very high.

"Sounds sexy!" a rebellious Hank shouted to him.

In the kitchen, Booth rolled his eyes, but he couldn't contain his grin. Well, at least Pops was feeling much better. He returned with two cups of coffee. "Do you want milk or sugar?"

"I'm an old man. I need lots of cream and sugar."

Booth chuckled and went back to the kitchen to retrieve it. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Pops," Booth said as he handed his grandfather the cream and sugar.

"I could have left that place a week ago, but they insisted I go through all that physical therapy. I guess it's for my own good." Hank sipped his coffee. "Ah! Much better than Jared's."

Booth sipped his own cup of coffee and smiled. "Thanks, Pops. What do you want for dinner? You can have a nap while I can go to the store."

"Anything that doesn't come from the hospital. Except pudding. The pudding's good. And get me a girlfriend while you're at it, will ya? As soon as I find one willing to take care of me, you can go back to college."

"Pops, stop it," he turned serious. "This is what I want. I'm here because I want to be with you. I love you too, Pops and I want you to be cared for."

Hank heaved a sigh and drew Seeley's head towards him. He pressed a kiss to his grandson's temple. "I never once regretted taking you boys in. You're the joys of my life."

Booth embraced his grandfather for a moment. "And there is not one day that I don't thank God that you did," he kissed his grandfather's head and straightened. "I'll go get us something nice for dinner. Pudding for dessert."

How long will it be before Booth meets his Captain again? It's always fun to guess, isn't it? We have a very lengthy chapter planned for the next update to see how Brennan's doing. Stay with us!