Hello my lovely readers. Thank you for all of the wonderful feedback and support.

Enjoy!
-Christi

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Chapter 10

Against his girlfriend's wishes, Booth insisted on going in to work the following morning. He was managing his pain with over-the-counter pain relievers, and he felt that he should at least make an appearance and check in with his agents before the weekend. If there were any messes to be cleaned up, it would be better if he knew about them before Monday. Brennan argued that they could easily call him if his help was needed and that he should take it easy for another day. They were scheduled to have Parker that weekend, and she knew that he would downplay his pain so that he could give Parker his full attention.

"If you insist on going to work, then at least make it a half day," Brennan implored him. Booth shot her an incredulous look.

"You know, if it were you with your arm in a brace, you'd have tried to skip your pain meds completely and snuck into the lab within hours of being injured," he accused playfully. She rolled her eyes and decided not to give him the satisfaction of a response.

"Come home after lunch," she said firmly, ignoring his attempts to coax a smile out of her as he snaked an arm around her waist and gave her his best charm smile.

"I'll bring something to the lab and eat lunch with you," he countered.

"And then you'll come home," she finished stubbornly. Booth gave an exaggerated sigh but nodded.

"Then home."

Brennan smiled victoriously and kissed him goodbye. She was expected a little earlier than usual that day for the arrival of some ancient remains. Once she'd left, Booth finished getting ready and headed into work, hoping that the stack of paperwork he would find on his desk would be somewhat manageable.

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Less than an hour into his morning, Booth's phone buzzed with an incoming text from Rebecca. She was canceling his weekend again, and this time she hadn't even given him the courtesy of an actual phone call. Booth suppressed the urge to chuck his phone across the room and focused on deep, calming breaths. He didn't reply to the text, and by eleven, he figured it was close enough to lunch that he could head over to the lab. He couldn't bear to sit still any longer, trying to keep a hold on his temper.

Brennan looked up in concern when she noticed him in her office doorway, not having expected him quite so soon.

"You're here earlier than I thought you'd be. Are you okay?"

Booth knew that she was referring to his pain level and he shrugged noncommittally. The truth was that he'd been so irritated, he hadn't even given his injured arm a second thought since earlier that morning.

"My arm is fine," he replied with a weary sigh. Brennan continued to scrutinize his expression.

"Then what's wrong? You're upset." Booth gave her an approving nod and began to arrange their lunch on the coffee table. She perched on the couch next to him and waited patiently for an explanation.

"Rebecca texted," he said simply. The look on Brennan's face told him that she understood the implication immediately. "I really can't keep doing this, Bones."

"Then don't. Talk to her, tell her what you want. Make her understand how hard this is on Parker. She might not care how hard it is on you, but she does love her son, even if she behaves selfishly sometimes."

"Sometimes?" he echoed sarcastically. Booth was quiet for a moment, considering how to even broach the subject with her. Every tactic he'd tried in the past had failed miserably, either due to Rebecca's short temper or his own. Brennan was contemplating the best option as well.

"Maybe… Maybe invite her over to the house to sit down and talk about it like adults. Not over the phone or by text where she can simply disengage, and not in your office where she might try to make a scene."

Booth nodded, trying to think of what he would say to her when she got there. If she even agreed to come in the first place.

"Will you be there?" he asked hopefully. Brennan cringed a little.

"I think she would feel less threatened if it was just you and her. Especially since she doesn't seem to like me," she replied, thinking back to the looks of disdain Rebecca had given her throughout their day at the zoo. Booth frowned but nodded, seeing her point.

He texted Rebecca a short message asking her to stop by the house later that afternoon, saying that it was important but giving no further explanation. To his surprise, she agreed and said she would be there around four. Brennan was surprised as well as a little encouraged.

"Well, maybe the text wasn't a means of avoiding you then," she suggested. "Maybe she just couldn't talk at the time."

Booth shrugged and gazed at her tenderly. He wondered if he would ever stop being amazed by her unwavering support. They finished their lunch, and he gave her a goodbye kiss that left her toes curling in her boots.

"I'll plan on being home around six," she advised him. "Do you think that will give you enough time to talk to her?"

"I doubt she'll stick around to listen to me for that long, but we'll see. Whether she's still there or not, don't work late, okay? It's your home too, so don't feel like you have to stay away to avoid her. She'll just have to get over it."

Brennan nodded and kissed him again before watching him go, hoping that Booth would be able to get through to his ex.

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Rebecca showed up a little after four, and Booth was surprised to see that she seemed to be in a good mood. Either she really didn't understand what he wanted to talk about or…she didn't want to talk at all. Fuck, he cursed inwardly. He recognized the look on her face and knew precisely what was coming.

Within seconds of the front door closing behind her, she was pressing herself against him and slipping her arms around his back. Booth pushed her away immediately, disgusted with her behavior.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Why else would you invite me over in the middle of the day, Seeley?" she purred, not at all dissuaded by his attempts to put space between them. He'd played hard to get before, and she was more than equal to the challenge.

Booth glared at her, not quite able to believe what was happening. You have got to be kidding me, he thought.

"It sure as hell wasn't for that," he sputtered angrily. "I wanted to sit down like grownups and talk about Parker."

"What about him?" Rebecca asked irritably, dropping the seductive facade in a heartbeat.

"I'm tired of my time with him relying on your unpredictable moods. I have a right to see my son." Booth was doing his best to speak calmly, but his frustration bled into his tone, and Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest in defiance.

"It has nothing to do with my mood, Seeley, we just have things going on this weekend."

In truth, Rebecca had absolutely nothing planned, and that was the problem. She and Drew had decided to take a break not long after their last trip to the zoo with Parker, and she just couldn't stand the idea of being alone all weekend. Parker would be able to distract her, and that was what she needed right now. Which was why she'd been more than happy to receive Booth's text, asking her to come over. She'd assumed that he was interested in fooling around while Brennan was at work.

"Well, you can do them without Parker. He hasn't had a full weekend with his father in months, Rebecca."

"I've told you before: I don't have to let you see him."

"That's bullshit, and you know it. You're a lawyer. You know that I have a right to see my son, whether you like it or not. I've had enough, Rebecca. If I have to take you to court, then I will."

Rebecca gazed back at him, stunned. Booth had never had the nerve to threaten her with legal action, and she didn't have to look far for the reason he'd changed tactics.

"Did Dr. Brennan tell you say that?" she asked, sneering a little. "She's got my son wrapped around her finger, and now she wants you to try to take him away from me?" Her voice trembled as she spoke, and although she tried to keep her expression confident, Booth saw through it.

"She would never suggest that. And I would never do that, Rebecca. You're his mother, and he needs you. He loves you; how on earth could I try to take him away from you? No one's going to do that, and no one is suggesting that." He was angry at the way she'd talked about Brennan, but this point was more important.

"Then why are you talking about going to court?" she pressed, still not entirely reassured.

"Because I can't keep doing this. I can't keep having this same argument with you, and I can't keep wondering when I'm going to be able to see my own child. It's not fair to me, and it's sure as hell not fair to him."

Rebecca looked away, allowing her eyes to roam the portion of the living room that was visible from where she stood. They had a very nice home: clean and well-organized, comfortable and welcoming. She didn't know why that angered her, but it did. She caught sight of a framed photograph hanging on the wall opposite from the front door. It was an enlarged snapshot of Brennan and Parker that Booth had taken earlier that year, and her own possessiveness of her son swelled once more.

"I apologize for the short notice about this weekend, but we have plans," she said brusquely, ignoring everything he'd just said about what was fair and who was being hurt by her actions. Rebecca crossed the foyer to the front door and left quickly, slamming it behind her to drown out the sound of his protests.

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Booth stood in the silence for a few moments, gritting his teeth in frustration. Son of a bitch. He shook his head at his ex-girlfriend's audacity and turned on his heel, mounting the stairs two at a time and changing quickly into a pair of gym shorts and sneakers.

He spent the next hour or so on the treadmill, trying to outrun his anger, and when that didn't work, he went after the punching bag he'd hung from the basement ceiling when they'd moved in. Though he could only use one hand, it served its purpose, and that was how Brennan discovered him when she came home.

"Are you trying to break your other arm?" she asked, looking a little disturbed. She crossed the room toward him, and he stopped punching when she came to stand next to him. Her hand immediately took hold of his to inspect the damage he'd done. He had taped his knuckles, but they were bleeding a little anyway, and she gave him a reproachful scowl.

Booth allowed her to pull him up the stairs to the kitchen and hold an ice pack to his hand. She inspected his bruised knuckles carefully and was slightly mollified to find the bones in good shape. Brennan placed the ice pack carefully back over his hand and poured him a glass of scotch.

"I assume it went poorly?" she asked sympathetically. He snorted and brought the glass to his lips.

"You could say that."

"What happened? You thought her willingness to come over was a good sign."

"Hah," he scoffed, looking angry again. "She came over because she thought I was making a booty call. That's-"

"I know what it is," she interrupted, her voice low and dangerous. He didn't blame her. If one of her exes had done the same to her, he would have broken his other hand. On the guy's face.

"Yeah, well after I made it absolutely clear that that wasn't going to happen, it pretty much went downhill from there." He recounted the conversation, watching Brennan's face cautiously as he spoke. She was angry, that much was clear. But she was also offended at the implication that she would ever try to come between Parker and his mother, and she felt compelled to make sure Rebecca understood that was not the case and never would be. She contemplated the situation for a moment before she spoke again.

"You know I would never do that, right? I love Parker very much, and though I do consider him to be my child, I'm not his mother and never will be." Booth winced at the hurt in her voice and quickly reassured her.

"Of course I know that, Bones. I've never doubted your intentions with Parker, and I corrected Rebecca's assumption immediately. I don't know if I got through to her, but trust me," he said firmly, tilting her chin up so that she made eye contact, "I'm the absolute last person who needs convincing on this issue. Okay?"

Brennan nodded and smiled sadly, still concerned about what would happen next. They made dinner together and discussed their options as they ate. Booth could go 'all in,' as he described it, and hire a lawyer first thing Monday morning, allowing his attorney to handle the proceedings on his behalf. He could also give Rebecca a few days to calm down and try talking to her again next week. Booth said that he would take the rest of the weekend to think about it, and Brennan agreed with that plan but added a suggestion of her own.

"Really? You know what he thinks of her," Booth reminded his girlfriend with a chuckle. "I think his opinion is pretty much a foregone conclusion, don't you?"

"Hank might have some helpful insights," she argued. "If you ask the right questions, that is. We could go visit him tomorrow. We haven't seen him in a while."

That much was certainly true. They'd visited a couple of times over the summer, and Booth still checked in with his grandfather every week, but they hadn't been up to see him since they'd returned from North Carolina.

"Maybe you're right," he admitted. Booth had heard his grandfather run his mouth about Rebecca more times than he cared to remember, and he shuddered a little at the thought of actually asking him to talk about her. But Brennan was right; when Booth needed guidance he found it in one of two places, Brennan or Hank.

After dinner, he called his grandfather to let him know they'd be visiting, and he grinned widely as he hung up the phone.

"I've been instructed not to bother showing up unless I bring you with me," Booth announced, watching her change into a rather skimpy pair of pajamas and reach for her lotion as she climbed into bed. She had washed her face clean of makeup, and Booth thought she looked absolutely perfect. He watched her hands move methodically to rub the lotion into her skin, and he found himself wishing she'd put those hands to better use.

Brennan laughed at the relayed message from Hank, smiling fondly at the idea of seeing him the next morning. He had offered her comfort in the weeks and months following her kidnapping, particularly when she'd been feeling upset about her father.

"He did what he could to help get you home safe, Sweetheart. Even if his method wasn't what you'd have expected, he still saved you. That's not nothing."

Brennan remembered Hank's words and sighed, remembering the lives that had been taken on behalf of Max Keenan's family. She had taken a life now too, and although she'd had a damn good reason, she was certain that Max had felt his actions were justified as well. Was it all simply varying degrees of murder?

Booth pulled her out of her reverie with a soft kiss to her temple, and she smiled at him, switching off the bedside lamp and enjoying the feel of his strong arms as they came around her. He continued to press his lips to her face and neck, and he had her aroused and ready for him in mere seconds, drawing breathless moans from her throat as his mouth worshipped every exquisite inch of her.

They made love slowly, cautious of his injury and savoring every delicious sensation until they were crying out together in simultaneous release. Brennan clung to him as her pulse slowed, desperate to keep him inside of her for as long as possible, and Booth kissed her tenderly and deeply, no more eager to separate than she.

Eventually, they collapsed in one another's arms and drifted to sleep, and Booth hoped that Brennan's demons would leave her in peace that night.

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As Booth had predicted, Hank used more than a few colorful words to voice his opinion of Rebecca and her behavior, but while Booth blushed with embarrassment, Brennan merely chuckled in amusement at them both.

"You know, I thought that Booth picked up his crude vocabulary from his time in the Army," she teased. "Now I know better."

"Well, he certainly shouldn't be speaking that way around a lady," Hank replied, giving his grandson a rather surly look. Booth sputtered at the injustice of the chastisement.

"You just did," he pointed out before turning to Brennan. "And besides, I've only ever talked like that around you when I'm on narcotics for pain."

"Yeah, but I'm old. You can get away with a lot more when you're my age," Hank cackled. Booth rolled his eyes, and Brennan smiled affectionately at the older man.

"Hmpf…" Booth grumbled. Hank ignored him.

"Now anyway, like I was saying… You've gotta get this situation under control, Shrimp. I know you respect Rebecca because she's your son's mother, but in this case, you're giving her more credit than she deserves. She's in the wrong here. And you can't be afraid to do what's right, even if it won't be easy."

"So you think I should take her to court."

"I think you should do whatever it takes," he clarified. "If you've exhausted all other options, and what you're left with is a legal fight, then… it is what it is. It's not like you haven't given her plenty of opportunities to do the right thing by her kid."

Brennan watched Booth's expression curiously, wondering if Hank's advice was helping him. She was of a similar frame of mind, but it wasn't her opinion that weighed the most heavily in this situation. Brennan also found herself slightly distracted by Hank's use of the phrase 'all other options.' Have we really tried everything? she wondered. Before she could give it much more thought, however, her attention was drawn back to the conversation.

"She actually tried to put the moves on you in your own house that you share with another woman?" Hank asked in disgust. Brennan felt her face growing hot at the reminder.

"Yeah," Booth scoffed, glancing cautiously at Brennan.

"Guess it's a good thing Shrimp doesn't let you carry a gun around, huh Sweetheart?" Hank joked.

"Probably," Brennan admitted, avoiding Booth's eyes. Both men smiled knowingly, and Booth took the opportunity to change the subject a few minutes later. He and Brennan listened as Hank filled them in on the inner workings and social hierarchy of the retirement community, and the three of them passed an enjoyable hour discussing Hank's lady friends and his distaste for a certain orderly.

By the time they left to head home, Booth was feeling better about the situation overall, and once they were back on the road, he thanked Brennan for suggesting they visit Hank.

"You were right, Bones. Talking to him did make things better."

"Have you made a decision then?" she asked curiously.

"Well, at the very least I'm gonna give her a couple days to calm down, cause she was pretty pissed yesterday. And the next time I try to talk to her will be in a public place, to be sure," he added darkly. "But I think if she doesn't come around to at least discussing getting something in writing, then I'll hire a lawyer."

Brennan nodded and considered how she might be able to help. She was fairly certain she could convince Booth to accept financial help for a lawyer at this point, but she thought perhaps it might not have to come to that.

The beginnings of a plan were starting to thread themselves together in her mind.

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"Booth, we'll be late," she admonished him as his hand wandered determinedly beneath the skirt she'd just pulled on. She was standing in front of her dresser, attempting to put on a pair of earrings, but he was making the task rather difficult. Booth ignored her words and pressed open-mouthed kisses to her throat as his fingers slipped beneath her panties and stroked her encouragingly.

"It'll be worth it," he promised. Brennan moaned in spite of herself, and their eyes met in the mirror. Her gaze was challenging, and he smirked a little before circling her clit with his index finger. She gasped as her eyes slammed shut.

"We really don't have time," she groaned, but her hands were reaching behind her to caress him through the dress pants he hadn't even finished buttoning.

"It won't take long," he chuckled. "You know what the sight of you in a skirt does to me."

"Mmmm… Guess I forgot," she murmured, plunging a hand into his boxers to grasp him firmly.

"Sure you did," he grinned against her skin. The top she'd chosen was cut rather low as well, and he had a perfect view of her breasts as he looked over her shoulder. His fingertips played skillfully against her slick folds, until she was breathing heavily and pushing his pants and boxers down. Booth took his cue from her and slid her panties over her hips so that they dropped to her ankles.

He lifted the skirt to her waist as she leaned forward and braced her hands against the polished surface of the dresser, and their eyes met again in the mirror. Booth held her gaze, watching her eyes change as he filled her completely. His movements were almost torturously slow, and Brennan whimpered with need.

"Booth. Please…"

"'Please' what, baby?" he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"Harder. Fuck me…"

He nearly lost it right then and there, shuddering at the way the profanity sounded coming from his typically professional and eloquent partner.

"Oh God, Bones," he groaned. "Hold on, baby."

Brennan gripped the dresser more firmly as his pace quickened, crying out as he pounded into her repeatedly. It became difficult to hold herself upright on her own shaking legs, and Booth curved an arm beneath her hips to support her. She hadn't taken her eyes off his face, and she watched his features contort with pleasure as she voluntarily clenched her walls around him.

Booth slammed into her with a passion that was almost desperate, causing the miscellaneous objects on the dresser to rattle, and Brennan reached her climax only moments later. She cried out as the waves of ecstasy overtook her, and his own release followed swiftly. Booth continued to support her hips until she regained enough strength to stand on her own, panting as their eyes met in the mirror again.

He slipped out of her with a groan just as the cell phone next to her on the dresser buzzed with an incoming call. Brennan was still collecting herself and working on standing upright, so he answered the phone a little breathlessly.

"Booth."

"Um… Good morning," Cam greeted him, sounding a little odd. "I was trying to reach Dr. Brennan; is she available?"

"Just a minute," he replied, pulling the phone away from his ear to look at it more closely. He'd apparently picked up her cell without checking the caller ID, but he shrugged, figuring it wasn't as big of a deal as the last time one of them had answered the other's phone.

"It's Cam," he said quietly as he handed Brennan the phone. She wedged it between her ear and shoulder while she cleaned herself up.

"Brennan."

Booth cleaned up and finished getting dressed while she talked, listening curiously to her side of the conversation. They were needed at a crime scene apparently, so he grabbed a pair of her pants out of the closet while she finished up in the bathroom, knowing that she preferred not to wear skirts in the field.

Brennan ended the call and walked back into the bedroom quickly, smiling in surprise when he held the pants out for her.

"Thank you," she said, changing quickly into a clean pair of underwear and pulling the dark jeans over her long legs. She smirked when she spotted Booth wetting his lips as he watched her. "Haven't you had enough for one morning?" she teased.

"I'll never have enough, Bones," he corrected her. He'd chosen his favorite pair from amongst her jeans, but now he was second-guessing the decision, certain that he'd be tormented by them all day while they worked their case. It was too late to argue with her about it though, especially since they'd already been running a little late. So they finished getting ready quickly and rode to the crime scene together.

"Cam sounded strange on the phone," Brennan commented. "Like she was choosing her words very carefully or maybe trying not to laugh at something."

"Yeah, I noticed," he replied. "Probably just because she wasn't expecting me to answer your phone."

"Maybe."

Booth steered the SUV through the crowd of construction and government workers that were surrounding a half-completed condominium. He pulled to a stop and noticed Cam getting out of her own car nearby. Brennan made her way through the structure as a tech led the way to the remains, but Booth hung back slightly and fell into step with Cam.

"Sorry if I interrupted something this morning," she smirked.

"Uh… you didn't," he said awkwardly. He really didn't want to talk about this with Cam.

"Of course I did. I could hear it in your voice. I might as well have walked in on y-"

"Yeah, Cam, I get it," he interrupted her, flushing deeply. She merely grinned at him.

"Aww, you're blushing," she teased him. Booth struggled to keep a straight face as he watched Brennan walking in front of them. His eyes strayed a little too far south, and Cam snickered. "You could at least try not to stare at her ass, Seeley. I mean for Christ's sake, you just-"

"Enough. No one needs to be talking about that, especially not you and especially not right now, so you just... you know… go do whatever it is you're here to do," he stammered. She chuckled and walked away, leaving him to scowl after her. "And don't call me Seeley, Camille."

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The remains had been partially dissolved by chemicals in a bathtub, and Brennan insisted that the entire thing be carted back to the lab quickly. They would be racing the clock to prevent the chemical mixture from compromising the evidence any further. Booth came with her to the lab and made calls from her office to check on things at the Hoover while he waited for an ID.

Brennan and Cam argued a little over the best way to proceed with the evidence recovery, but they eventually reached a tentative accord. They had worked together very little during the last case, primarily because the evidence hadn't really required a pathologist. Cam had interacted with the team in a more supervisory capacity, but there hadn't been any major conflicts between the two women since the Dylan Crane case.

The evidence indicated that the victim had suffered from Osteogenesis Imperfecta, and although there was no official database of patients with the disease, Angela was able to track down a list of local cases. Unfortunately, they were all children, but Brennan suggested that since the disease was hereditary in mild forms such as the one their victim had, it was very possible that he had passed it on. Angela printed two copies of the list, and Booth decided they would split up to save time, each of them covering half of the names.

Booth and Brennan met back at the lab a few hours later, each carrying a photograph of their victim with his family. They were both shocked to realize that the father in each photograph was the same man, but the woman and child in each picture were different. The victim had apparently been leading a double life under two different names. He had lived as Lawrence Turner in Maryland with a wife and daughter, and he had also worked as a commercial electrician by the name of Lawrence Seaver, living in Virginia with a wife and son.

Once they had recovered from the surprise, Booth went to his office to set up meetings with both wives, and Brennan left the lab not long after his departure. She called a cab and found herself looking up at a tall office building a short while later. Brennan drew in a deep breath before she opened the main doors and stepped into the marble-floored lobby.

Here we go…

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Rebecca's eyes narrowed at her office intercom as her assistant announced that her four o'clock appointment had arrived. She didn't remember having scheduled anything for four pm, since she'd been planning to work late. Taking the afternoon off the previous Friday had left her a little behind, and she'd been even more irritated at the prospect of a late night in light of the fact that her visit to Booth's house Friday afternoon had been a waste of time.

"What's the name, Michaela?" she asked in confusion.

"Kathleen Reichs," the woman replied. Rebecca was now even more puzzled but assumed she must have simply forgotten about the appointment. The name did sound vaguely familiar.

"Thanks, show her in, please."

Rebecca looked up from her desk and was alarmed to see Dr. Temperance Brennan striding through her doorway. She wasn't sure whether to be angry or nervous. After all, she had thrown herself at this woman's significant other just three days ago, and in Brennan's own home no less. Still, scheduling an appointment under a fake name just to corner her in her own office was a pretty underhanded thing to do.

"Good afternoon, Rebecca," Brennan greeted her coolly as she took a seat on the opposite side of the desk. Rebecca chewed her lip slightly and decided to proceed with caution.

"Is there something I can do for you, Dr. Brennan?"

"A few things, yes, but for now, you can just listen." As much as Brennan might want to behave like an overpowering alpha female, she knew that actually resorting to physical confrontation would only make matters worse. So she kept her tone even and businesslike as she continued.

"I don't know why you turned Booth down when he asked you to marry him, and I don't particularly care. But you did turn him down. You missed your moment with him, and although I may not subscribe to the theory that there is only one moment in romantic relationships, you have irrevocably surrendered any opportunity to reconcile with Booth. After this conversation, I won't verbally address this issue again, but I feel I should warn you that if you fail to keep your hands to yourself in the future, I won't waste time using words to make my displeasure clear."

Rebecca's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to speak, but Brennan charged ahead.

"Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to discuss Parker-"

"It's not your place to discuss anything about my son," Rebecca argued.

"I quite agree. This should have been handled between you and Booth, but since you have refused to discuss the matter with him, you get me instead. You don't even need to speak, if you prefer. I believe that in your heart you're a good mother, and you love Parker very much." Brennan's voice softened a little, and Rebecca's features registered her surprise at the unexpected compliment.

"I'm not entirely sure why you think that I would ever try to come between you and your son, but I want to make it very clear that it is not now, nor has it ever been, my intention to replace you as his mother. I love Parker very much, but you are his mother, and nothing will ever change that. I do feel, however, that you tend to forget that you're not his only parent. Booth would do anything for Parker, and when you consistently cancel his time with his son, it leaves Booth feeling as though you believe him to be a bad father. You make excuses about the dangers of his job or the mistakes he's made in the past, but you know as well as I do that Parker couldn't possibly have a better father than Booth.

"He's never asked for more time with him than he's entitled to have, and he doesn't want to take your son away from you. But Parker needs his father. When you repeatedly prevent them from seeing one another, you're not just hurting Booth but Parker as well. Your son deserves to know that his father is a good man and that he will get to spend time with him on a regular basis. He deserves to know that Booth loves him and wants to be there for him. In just the time that Booth and I have been romantically involved, you've cancelled more than half of his scheduled weekends, and though I may not know much about children in general, I know that they need consistency. They thrive on routine, and you've denied him that."

Rebecca listened with pursed lips, her feelings of guilt increasing with every word Brennan spoke. She wanted very badly to despise the woman sitting in front of her, but Brennan was making that difficult. It was clear that she cared about Parker's welfare, and as difficult as it was to see her son growing attached to another maternal figure, she felt a begrudging gratitude that Brennan seemed to be a good person. Rebecca held up a hand to interrupt Brennan a little more politely than she'd done before.

"You… you're not wrong," she admitted quietly. "It's not the first time I've been told that I have a tendency to be a little selfish when it comes to my son." That was certainly true. Several ex-boyfriends, as well as her own mother, had mentioned it more than once. "It's...difficult to watch your child become attached to a step parent. I know Seeley has had the same feelings in regards to men I've dated in the past… But I will admit that you have been a good influence on Parker, especially when it comes to academics," Rebecca conceded.

"I love him very much," Brennan repeated. "And Booth as well. I really wish that everyone could simply focus on what's best for Parker." Rebecca nodded thoughtfully.

"So you don't… you don't think Seeley wants full custody?" she asked nervously.

"I don't believe so. He merely wants the current arrangements to be recognized by the courts and the current schedule to be followed more predictably. Booth understands the need for Parker to be with you the majority of the time, for multiple reasons, and the last thing he wants to do is drag everyone through endless legal proceedings. It wouldn't be good for Parker, and he knows that."

Rebecca sighed deeply, reassured by Brennan's words and feeling even more ashamed of her own behavior.

"I'm...willing to discuss it with him. Perhaps we can all sit down and draw up the paperwork together… I'm also…" Rebecca struggled a little, the words tasting bitter on her tongue, "I apologize for coming on to him the other day. It was inappropriate, and I wasn't thinking clearly. I crossed a line, and I regret it. It won't happen again."

"Thank you," Brennan replied with a stiff nod. Though she might not be as talented as Booth at deciphering tones and facial expressions, she was fairly certain that Rebecca was being sincere. "I'm sure that Booth will be more than willing to discuss things in more detail. Perhaps...you and Parker could come over for dinner later this week," she suggested hesitantly. Brennan didn't particularly want Rebecca in her home again, but a private setting really was necessary in this situation. To her surprise, Rebecca nodded.

"I think that's a great idea," she agreed, smiling a little. "Would Friday be okay? Parker could stay until Sunday…"

"That would be wonderful." Brennan was smiling genuinely as she rose from her seat. "Six o'clock?"

"Sure. See you then."

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So this time, we got a small dose of Pops. Next time we'll get one of Parker.

Reviews make me happy! ;) See you Friday.