(After Season 5)

I really don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Feeling a little lonely, Max decided to visit Booth and see if he could watch a game with him. He hadn't heard from the agent for about two weeks and he needed to make sure Booth was eating. He didn't want the agent to get sick. Knocking on the door of Booth's apartment, he was surprised that it was taking so long for the door to be opened. He knew that Booth was home because he could hear music coming from the apartment. Concerned, he knocked on the door again.

Annoyed, Booth moved to the edge of the bed and looked around for his boxers. Since he didn't see them, he walked over to his dresser and removed a pair of sweatpants. "Bones, I'll get rid of whoever it is and I'll be back. Don't go anywhere."

Amused, Brennan smiled at her lover. "I'm not going anywhere. I can assure you of that . . . Since you're up, maybe you can bring back something to drink and perhaps some grapes or an apple."

"You got it." His pants on, Booth ran his hands through his hair while he left the room and walked down the hallway to the door. Once he was at the door, he rubbed his unshaved chin and knew he probably looked like a bum, but he didn't really care. It was his day off.

The door finally opened and Max was presented with a half dressed Booth. "Man, you look awful. Are you sleeping at all?"

Amused, Booth smiled. "It's my day off Max and I'm allowed to look like crap if I want to . . . and yes, I'm sleeping at night. Are you?"

Not sure he believed the agent, Max frowned. "Can I come in?" Holding up a pizza box, he felt he should make sure Booth was eating. "I thought we could watch a game together."

"Thanks, but . . . well, I want to be alone, so maybe you can come back tomorrow and we can watch a game then." The last thing Booth wanted was for Max to find Brennan in his bed. The old man was dangerous and who knew how he'd react.

Puzzled, Max shook his head and handed Booth the pizza. "Okay, you want to be alone then be alone. Take the pizza. I don't need it."

Surprised, Booth took the pizza box. "Thanks . . . Max, I'm okay. I really am. I'm eating and I'm sleeping . . . Um . . . Thanks for the pizza. Come back tomorrow at noon and we'll watch the game. I'll order takeout and I got beer."

"Alright." Max felt that Booth was trying to get rid of him, but he didn't know why. The agent was a private individual and he didn't share his personal feelings if he could avoid it. "Well, enjoy the pizza . . . make sure you eat it."

Once the door was closed, Booth walked down the hallway and entered his bedroom. "Max came by to watch a game with me. He gave me a pizza so we don't have to cook lunch . . . I told him to come back tomorrow and we can watch a game together. I think he misses you. You need to let him know you're back."

"Yes, I probably should." Taking the pizza box from Booth, Brennan remarked. "Beer would be good with this."

Taking the hint, Booth left and retrieved two bottles of beer from the kitchen. Once he was back in the room, he sat on the bed next to Brennan and handed her a bottle of beer. "Max has watched a few ball games with me on the weekends for the last month. I think he was lonely since you were gone . . . I was surprised he wanted to hang out with me, but it was okay. I didn't mind and it was a good way to make sure he was doing okay. He's not a young man anymore."

After she sipped some of her beer, she placed the bottle on the nightstand. "I'm surprised he didn't go back to Oregon after the trial. He did have a job there and friends."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth lifted a slice of pizza from the box. "He said he was starting over and wants to be in your life. I think he means it. When you left, he didn't go anywhere and I guess he started hanging around me on the weekends because he missed you and I'm your partner . . . He wants to be your Dad again."

"Yes, I know." Brennan still wasn't sure she trusted her father, but she found it interesting that he chose to be friends with Booth while she was gone. "I'll go back to my apartment tomorrow morning and call him. I need to do some laundry and check my emails and mail . . . I also need to work on my book, so you can spend the day with Max."

"That's a plan." Booth bit off some of his pizza, chewed it and swallowed. "I'll pack a bag and come over to your place tomorrow night. It's not fair to make you stay here all the time . . . I'll bring some stuff that I like to eat so you don't have to shop for me."

"Alright . . . Booth . . . are you happy?" Brennan was worried about what they were doing. "You would tell me if you're not happy, wouldn't you?"

He knew she worried about their relationship failing. "Bones, if I was any happier I'd . . . yes, I'm happy. I'm very happy . . . Are you?"

"Yes, I am." Brennan placed the pizza box on the bed and moved closer to her lover. After she kissed him, she smiled. "You are an excellent lover . . . we're more honest when we communicate now . . . even if this fails, we will remain friends. I will make sure of that."

"Bones, this isn't going to fail." Booth kissed her. "Just remember, we are who we are and we're going to fight sometimes, but when we do, that's not going to be the end of our relationship." He laughed. "Makeup sex is pretty hot stuff. You'll see."

Chuckling, Brennan kissed her lover. "We'll have to see about that."

Oooooooooooo

The next day, Brennan was placing her purchases in the refrigerator when she heard a knock on the door. She had made a trip to the store to buy a few things for Booth. She wanted him to eat healthier, so she thought she might get him to eat fruit and more vegetables when he was staying with her. Expecting her father, she moved into the living room and opened the door. "I'm putting groceries away." Moving away from her father, she expected him to enter her apartment and close the door. Once she had finished putting her purchases away, she carried two glasses of tea into the living room and handed one of them to her father. "It's too early for beer."

Accepting the glass, Max sipped some of the tea and placed the glass on the coffee table. "Thanks for letting me know you're back . . . you didn't write or call me so I didn't know how you were doing."

"I didn't call or write to anyone. I was too busy." Brennan felt a little irritated, but she knew none of her friends had been happy that she hadn't communicated with them while she was gone. "I was being paid to work and that was what I did."

He could see she was annoyed and decided to let it go. "You know that partner of yours missed you. I don't think he ate very much or slept a lot while you were gone. I visited him after you'd been gone for a few months and he looked like shit. I started to watch games with him on the weekends to make sure he ate."

Brennan had noticed that Booth had lost weight while she was gone. "He's eating now and he is getting more rest, so he should be fine . . . He doesn't like change and . . . I was away and he had to work with Dr. Edison . . . He's fine now."

"Yeah . . . um, you lost weight too . . . while you were gone." Max felt like his daughter hadn't been happy while she was gone either. He didn't really understand his daughter, but he was willing to try.

"Yes . . . I was busy and I forgot to eat . . . I'm eating now, Booth makes sure of that . . . He can be very bossy." Brennan smiled. "I have some Oreos in the kitchen if you'd like some. I bought them for Booth. He eats too much processed sugar, but he doesn't want to change his diet . . . Booth and I are in a relationship now. I don't need your approval . . . I'm just letting you know . . . I'm happy and so is Booth."

Surprised, Max felt like it had taken his daughter too long to see that her partner loved her, but obviously she saw it now. "Well, good for you . . . I'm glad."

"Thank you." Brennan was surprised that Max was taking the news so well. She really didn't understand her father. "Booth and I have agreed that if this relationship fails, we will remain friends."

"Oh, I don't think it will fail Honey." Max patted her knee. "You two love each other too much for it to fail."

Pleased with that observation, Brennan smiled. "You are the only one we have told about our relationship. We're waiting a while before we tell the FBI. They may try to sever our partnership, but that will be a mistake if they try that . . . I will punish them if they do that."

Max could see she was serious and he knew that it was a mistake to make an enemy of his daughter. He hoped whoever Booth's boss was would see that before it was too late. "Yeah, I'm sure they won't mess up your partnership . . . I'm going over to Booth's to watch a game . . . You can come with me, if you want to."

"Thank you, but no. I have some things I need to take care of."

Ooooooooooooooo

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