Welcome back everyone and thanks again for your amazing reviews! They really mean a lot to us, so keep them coming if you can ;). Here's some Angela thrown into the mix...

Chapter 20

Brennan felt so relieved as she exited the building three hours later. She breathed in the fresh air and immediately grabbed her cell phone to call Booth.

"Booth," he answered as he continued to finish the paperwork. Lars Bergman had admitted to all of the burglaries and he had even told them where they would find the stolen items. Booth had had a good morning.

"It's me, Temperance. I'm done. I had to use every minute of the time allowed, but I think I should pass this one," she told him happily.

"Well done, Captain!" Booth grinned widely. "I'm going to come over and pick you up. I took the rest of the day off. We can pick up Elena and go do something nice together."

"Great! I'll have to study for the next one after dinner, but until then, I don't think I can even focus anymore. I'll wait here for you."

"I'll be right there." Booth ended the connection, grabbed his stuff and left the office. He walked outside, trying to think of something that would be able to relax all three of them. It couldn't be something too active, both of his girls needed to rest and he could use some rest as well after that sleepless night. Still pondering his options, Booth got into his car.

Brennan almost ran up to him as she spotted him; she felt so happy to see him. He'd made everything all right.

This was a huge difference compared to this morning. Spontaneously, Booth wrapped his arms around her and lifted her in the air, spinning her around. With great care, he set her back down on her feet. "Congratulations, darling."

"I have to wait for my grade, but I can't imagine having failed this one. Three more to go," she smiled.

"And we'll make sure that you are better rested for the next one. I was thinking, do you have any boardgames at your place? We can have an afternoon of fun with those and we can all do that together."

"I think Russ brought a few that we used to play as kids. Maybe Elena would like Scrabble; she reads pretty well. Oh, I didn't mention this to you, but Elena told Russ on the phone that she liked you, that you're a policeman and that you make hot chocolate. So, well done," she smiled at him.

"Thanks, but I think a trip to the toy store is in order then, 'cause even though our brilliant daughter may enjoy Scrabble, I don't. We'll go pick her up and then she can help us choose."

"Are you sure? She'll just say she wants everything, probably," Brennan chuckled. "She's only been to a toy store once in her life, and then I realised it was cruel because I couldn't afford to buy her anything."

"Well," Booth wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "You are not alone anymore." They started walking towards Angela's apartment. Suddenly he realised something and he stopped walking. "Hey, I just realised. What's her birthday?" There were so many things he still didn't know about his own daughter, but it was okay, because they were accepting him into their life. He would learn.

"July 7," Brennan answered him. It had to be more than mind-boggling to find out you have a daughter after four years and then not know anything about her. But, he'd learn and she'd help him. There was plenty of time to make up for lost time.

So, Booth still had time to think about the perfect gift for his princess. "There is something I want to talk about while we're still alone. Can I stay over tonight? I know that the burglar is behind bars and that you can take care of yourself and our daughter but... you don't have to."

"I think Russ basically said he was fine with whatever, and I'd like you to stay. I'm sure it will make Elena feel safe, as well."

"Thank you. I would love to stay over." They walked up to the door of Angela's building and Booth held open the door for her. They walked inside and went up to the third floor, to Angela's apartment.

"Mommy!" Elena exclaimed when the door opened. She jumped into her mother's arms and kissed her cheek. Brennan cuddled her daughter and kissed her hair. "Did you have fun with Aunt Angela?"

Elena wriggled out of Brennan's arms and took her hand and then Booth's. "Look, look! I painted my present." They were halted in front of a canvas portraying Zorro, a female pirate and a princess.

"Whoaw!" Booth sank down to his knees, so he could take a closer look. "This is very good, princess!" Booth kissed her cheek and smiled. "I'm very proud of you. Actually I'm so proud, that I think it deserves a little reward, what do you think, mom?"

Brennan and Angela kissed each other's cheeks, then Brennan heard Booth's words. She squatted down next to Elena. "She's been a very big, brave girl, so I agree."

"Would you like to go to the toy store with Mommy and me, where you get to pick two new boardgames?" Booth proposed.

"Two?" Elena repeated, not believing him. "I can pick two?" She showed him two fingers to make sure.

"One," Booth kissed one of her fingers, "two," he kissed the other. "Yes, two." He smiled widely. "Is that okay, princess?"

Elena giggled and wiped her fingers on her dress. "It's not my birthday. That's July 7."

"You're right, it's not your birthday yet. And still we are going to the toy store, because you were so brave yesterday." Booth became serious. "And because you're such a big girl, always helping Mommy and Uncle Russ with the dishes."

Elena smiled at him. "I like you," she said and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I like you too, little one." Booth wrapped his arms around her and lifted her as he stood. "Very, very much. Why don't you say goodbye to Angela?" He kissed the little girl's cheek and put her back down, so she could say goodbye and get ready.

Elena ran over to Angela. "I love you, Aunt Angela. We had sooooo much fun," she said, describing a big circle with her arms.

Angela giggled. "We did, didn't we, sweetie? Have fun at the toy store." She hugged the little girl, then looked at Booth. "Will you help her get ready?" When he nodded, she grabbed Brennan's hand and pulled her into the bedroom. "Mommy will be right back, sweetheart."

Brennan couldn't do anything but follow Angela. She was a tiny woman, but nobody messed with her.

"That," Angela whispered, "is a keeper! Oh, I'm so happy for you. How are things going between the two of you?"

Brennan felt relieved Angela approved of Booth. "I'm... quite certain I have feelings for him. Still have feelings for him. He calms me down, takes some pressure off."

"That's good. Has he asked you out on a date?" Angela wanted to know.

"He has. He's so sweet to Elena. And patient. I can see that he wants to be a father for Elena, but she doesn't know, so he keeps her best interest in mind and takes things slowly."

"I think that's good." Angela noticed that her best friend looked tired, but she didn't comment. Instead, she embraced Brennan and then stepped back. "Come on, let's not keep them waiting."

They joined Booth and Elena, both ready to go, Elena's little hand in Booth's. There was no question about whether they were family. "Thanks for entertaining her today, Ange," Brennan said and hugged her best friend.

"Anytime! You know that I love having my god-daughter over. Have fun. All three of you."

Booth's smile grew a bit as Angela included him. Temperance had made a good choice, picking Angela to be Elena's godmother.

Within half an hour, they were in the toy store. Elena was walking around with eyes big and her mouth half-open, gaping at all the shiny new toys.

Booth chuckled and linked arms with Temperance. "It's as if Christmas, New Year and her birthday all happened on the same day this year."

Brennan smiled. They were just following Elena around, making sure she didn't get lost but got to see everything she wanted to see. She could try out different toys throughout the store and they stayed for hours until they finally returned to the board games section.

"It's time to pick, princess. Otherwise, we won't have time to play with any of the games anymore," Booth told her gently.

"I want everything," Elena whispered with a large wave of her arms. She'd never been more impressed.

Brennan laughed and looked at Booth. "I told you so."

Booth winked at her. "Let's play a game. Let's say we buy everything. The whole store. Every toy." Booth looked around and pointed at a boy her age, "Wouldn't that make him very sad?" He pointed to a little girl that was a bit older than Elena was, "What would she have to play with?"

"But I can't pick anything!" Elena told him. "I like everything!"

"If you can't pick anything, we have to go home. So Mommy and me will help you. You can pick five games. Then Mommy can put one game back. I will also put one game back. And then you can put one game back and we're left with the winners. How about that?"

"I think that's fun," Elena agreed.

So, that's how they did it. Elena picked five and Booth noticed that Brennan instantly got rid of the most expensive one. Then, he decided, based on the difficulty of the game and eventually, Elena closed her eyes and picked one game that they put back as well. "Well done, princess!"

They took a satisfied, happy and tired Elena home. Brennan felt good despite her fatigue; doing fun, happy things with her family gave her energy.

Booth drove them back home and they gathered around the kitchen table, enjoying the new games together.

They had hot chocolate and fruit chopped into pieces to snack on. It was a fun day, and Brennan felt like a family with them. They had pancakes for dinner, which Booth and Elena made while Brennan took another hour to study.

After they'd done the dishes, both of Booth's girls had disappeared into the study. Brennan was sitting at her desk, surrounded by her books as Elena read in her own books. Booth frowned. So that explained why his little one could read. "Uhm, Captain, what's her bedtime exactly?"

"It's not very strict, between seven and eight PM," Brennan replied.

Booth was taken aback by that. Children should have a strict bedtime routine. He knew it was too early to start discussing routines and rituals, though. It was already 7:15PM and he knew that neither of them had slept well. "What do you usually do before bed?" When Temperance looked up at him, he shrugged his shoulders. "I want to help."

"Well, we change into her nightgown, wash her hands, feet and face if we've been to the playground. Brush her teeth, have a few sips of water. And then read in bed. I leave the light on in the hall so it's not completely dark," Brennan described to him in detail.

So there was a routine in place – talking about jumping to conclusions. "Why don't we get started on that, princess?"

Elena looked at her mom, then back to Booth. "But Uncle Russ said he would call."

"You can put your nightgown on and brush your teeth. Uncle Russ will call, sweetheart," Brennan told her daughter.

Booth watched Elena leave, knowing he would be crossing a huge line if he would help her change into her nightgown at this point in their relationship. "I think she should have a set time to go to bed, don't you think?" Booth proposed.

"It's probably better to have a stricter daily routine. When I have finals, she doesn't have school. I'm home-schooling her. This is why I wanted to graduate early and get a job. At least I'll know my working hours."

"Why isn't she going to school?" Booth asked her, extremely confused as to why Temperance would deny their daughter that experience.

"I've been home-schooling her since she was two years old. It's been easier for me this way," she admitted.

"What about Elena? She's missing out on valuable experiences in kindergarten. Playing with other kids, making friends. Even fighting about who has the nicest backpack, who can jump the highest and who can draw the most beautiful butterflies." Booth paused for a moment. "I think you are a wonderful, loving, dedicated mother, but I don't agree with her not going to kindergarten. Is money the problem?"

"Of course it's a problem. It's always a problem," Brennan sighed.

"I want her to start school in September, Temperance. And maybe I don't have the right yet, to be adamant about anything concerning her upbringing, but our little girl deserves the best chances in life. And we both know that's not here at home. Not when it comes to school."

Brennan felt a little offended at that. "If she'd been in regular school, she wouldn't be able to read. I teach her things she wants to know, that interest her. She's smart. I was like that when I was younger, I was bullied in school for being smart. I don't want that for Elena. School was boring."

"We can enrich her at home, but she's missing out on too much if she doesn't go to school. There are other things there, Temperance, that you can't teach her here."

Brennan rubbed her forehead. "Elena could use more social contact with her peers. Maybe she should try out a sports club first. She copies the gymnastics girls at the playground."

"She can get bullied in a sports club just as easily as she could get bullied at school," Booth pointed out calmly.

"Yeah, but she won't spend as much time doing sports as doing school. I don't know, Booth. She's vulnerable."

"Is she vulnerable? Or are you?" A heavy silence settled in the room and when the phone rang, Booth got up to help Elena answer it. He knew she'd love to talk to her uncle.

Elena crawled onto Brennan's lap and answered the phone. She talked happily with her uncle, telling him about her fun day. Brennan had her arms wrapped around her daughter and breathed in her scent. She didn't want them to be separated. She didn't want to leave her daughter alone in some school.

Booth sensed that he had overstepped boundaries and respectfully let them have a private moment together.

When Elena hung up, Brennan asked her, "Do you know what school is?" When Elena shrugged, Brennan explained it to her as objectively as she could. "Would you like to go to school, Elena?"

"I'll think about it," Elena said. "I like when you teach me, Mommy," she said as she pushed her mother's hair out of her face.

"Yes, but you could play with other children there."

"I can play with you, too," Elena said softly.

"Just think about it, honey," Brennan said to her daughter. "You don't have to go if you don't want to, but you can try it."

"Right now I want to stay with you," Elena said, and Brennan nodded. "Of course you can stay with me. Did Uncle Russ kiss you goodnight?"

"Yes. Now I have to go to bed. Can Booth also help?"

"Let's get him."

Booth had been sitting on the couch, doubting himself. He knew this was no time to push her, about anything, but this had simply seemed too important to let go. When the door opened, he turned to face it and smiled. "Was that Uncle Russ, sweetie?"

"Yes," Elena said, "Do you want to come? Mommy's reading Moby Dick."

"Sure." Booth agreed and followed the little girl. He was surprised when she led him to the master bedroom, instead of her own bedroom. Elena snuggled up to her mother and Booth sat down on the end of the bed. It was clear which one of his girls was more vulnerable and he realised he had to be a bit more gentle in his approach. After all, whose fault was it that she'd become so vulnerable? He'd played a huge part in that and he shouldn't forget it.

Brennan patted the spot next to them. "Over here, or you won't be able to see the pictures."

Elena stuck out her arm. "Here, you can have a Moby as well."

Booth sat down next to them, Elena sitting in between them and he accepted one of the Mobies. "Thank you, sweetie." Temperance read a chapter and Elena started to doze off. By the time his Captain was done, the little girl was asleep.

"I hope she sleeps through the night, with what happened yesterday," Brennan whispered.

"We will be here for her if she doesn't. Are you going to study some more?"

"I probably should, but I really don't want to," Brennan sighed with a guilty smile.

"When is your next exam?"

"Tomorrow at noon."

"You know what my Pops used to say?" She shook her head and he continued. "When I was getting too tired to study, he encouraged me to go to bed early and get up early the next morning, to study. And you know what? It always worked. In the morning, I would be rested and things would go a lot easier."

"I should take his advice," Brennan said. "It's been a long day. I asked Elena if she wants to go to school. She said she'll think about it."

"That's good. I'm sorry if I overstepped boundaries, but I care about her. I care about you, too. Is she going to sleep here? With you?"

"She usually does if Russ is not here, or if she's not feeling well. Is it wrong?"

"It's not wrong that she knows she's welcome and safe with you. But I don't think it's good if she's here for you, instead of for her."

"Is she?" She looked at him.

"I think you've both got used to it, but I'm here. Russ isn't, but I am. Isn't that the same situation as when Russ is here?"

"Yeah, I guess. But after what happened last night, I'd rather have her close."

"You know what? I agree. And I also think you would benefit from just changing into your nightwear and spending some alone-time with her." Booth got up. "I'll be on the couch if you need me." If he had to be honest, he was exhausted and he was ready to get some sleep. The couch wasn't very comfortable, but it was close to them and that was all that mattered.

"Booth? You can take Russ's bed. I'll make sure to change it before he comes back. He's not here," she said with a soft smiled

"Thanks. I think I'm going to bed, too."

Brennan carefully got out from under Elena and sat upright. "Thanks for today." She gently pressed her lips to his. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, darling."

So, Booth's winning points but also starting to get involved in Elena's upbringing. Is it too soon? Should he press on or back off and focus on gaining Brennan's trust? Let us know what you think and we promise you a wonderful chapter for next time :). (It deals with something several of you have been asking for...)