A Mother's Secret-by redrider--B&B fluff and smut--rated M sometimes

Okay, since I'm going to continue this story here, I decided I should post the first few chaps too. Newcomers who haven't read the prior 3 installments, "The Secret", "Secret No More" and "A New Secret" should go read them over on the original Boneyard or on fanfic.net under my penname, redrider6612. Email me if you can't find it. So, without further ado, here it is.

Chapter 1

It was four in the morning and Brennan was getting desperate. Little Russ was fussy and she couldn’t seem to figure out why. He woke up screaming at two and she had changed him and tried to breast feed, but for some reason her milk wouldn’t come in, so she had to give him formula, which made him even more unhappy. Walking the floor with him on her shoulder, she was trying to hum a song to him, but the tears she was holding back kept choking her. Now and then the screams would subside into sobbing hiccups and his eyes would drift closed and she would think that he was finally asleep, but the minute she tried to put him back in his crib he would wake and the screaming would begin again. The urge to join in was becoming almost impossible to control.

Somehow Booth was sleeping through the whole ordeal, she thought resentfully, then felt guilty for resenting the fact that at least one of them was getting some much needed sleep. She’d only been back at work for four days, and the baby still hadn’t gotten used to the new routine. He woke up every night between one and two and wouldn’t go back to sleep until nearly dawn and Brennan was almost at the end of her rope. Booth tried to help when the baby’s crying woke him, but she always sent him back to bed with assurances that she could handle it, she was used to sleep-deprivation and he needed his sleep. If he argued, she got angry and practically threw him out of the nursery.

She sat down in the rocking chair, hoping the soothing motion of the rocker might calm her fractious son. Looking down at his red face as he continued to cry, she finally couldn’t hold back any more. Bending her head over him, the sobs crawled up her throat and the tears started pouring down her face, wetting the blanket he was wrapped in. And that’s how Booth found her.

“Hey,” he said gently, crouching down beside the rocker. “Honey, why didn’t you come get me?” he asked, alarmed at the deep sobs that were sending tremors through her body.

“Y-you n-needed s-sleep,” she managed to say, shaking her head as he firmly took the crying baby from her arms.

The baby suddenly stopped crying as he noticed who was holding him. Booth smiled down at his son, then looked at his wife with concern. “You need sleep too, babe. You have to let me help,” he said softly, shifting from foot to foot and smiling down at his son as the baby’s eyes mercifully drifted shut.

Brennan’s sobs were subsiding as the blessed quiet brought her relief. “I’m his mother,” she said stubbornly. “I should know how to make him stop crying,” she said with a hiccupping sob on the last word.

“Honey, he’s my son too,” Booth said in a level, quiet voice, when he really wanted to grab her and shake her and shout at her. “I want to help. You don’t have to do it alone.” Turning, he gently laid the baby in the crib and covered him. Thankfully the baby gave a little sigh and settled down to sleep. Booth turned out the lamp, leaving the Pooh nightlight on, then went and pulled her from the rocker and out of the room. He held his peace until they were in their bedroom with the door shut and he had turned the baby monitor back on. Then he turned on her with barely contained fury.

“Stop trying to do it all alone, Bones,” he said in a low voice. “Stop trying to shut me out.”

Brennan stiffened her spine, resisting the overwhelming urge to collapse on the bed and curl into a ball. “I’m not,” she denied hotly. “I’m his mother—“

“And I’m his father,” he interrupted with a growl of frustration. “Be reasonable. Wearing yourself out won’t do any of us any good. You have to let me help or you’re gonna make yourself sick. I mean, I realize I can’t help with the feeding—“

“My milk’s gone,” she cut in sadly, feeling like a complete failure as a mother. Tears starting slipping down her cheeks again.

Suddenly his anger and frustration were gone. He stepped close to her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms soothingly. “You’re just stressed, babe. I’m sure it’ll come back once you calm down and get some rest.”

She gave a shuddering sigh and looked up at him sadly, her eyes swimming with tears. “No,” she whispered. “It’s gone. I’ve had less and less to give him every day, and just now when I tried, it wouldn’t come at all.” She hated the whining note in her voice, but was too tired to do anything about it.

He pulled her into his arms, wrapping her close and rocking a little just as he had done while holding their son. “Shhh, it’s okay, honey,” he whispered, a lump forming in his throat as she gave another sigh and relaxed against him, to tired to fight him any more. He felt her tears wet his chest. “Let’s lie down,” he urged gently, and lay down on the bed, cradling her close. Her shudders gradually came less frequently and her breathing became even and he thought she was asleep until she spoke in a more or less normal voice.

“Booth?” she asked. He grunted a reply and he felt her take a deep breath. “Are you sorry?” His heart clenched at the smallness of her voice. He didn’t need to ask her to elaborate.

“Of course not, baby. Now go to sleep,” he ordered softly. With another soft sigh, she drifted off, safe in his arms. Booth lay awake for a long time, worrying about her. His strong, capable partner hadn’t been herself since returning to work, and he decided it was time to do something about it. He wondered how much of a fight she was going to give him. Not that it mattered, he could out-stubborn her when he needed to. That settled, he relaxed and slipped into a deep sleep. He’d need it for the battle ahead.

@@@@@@

Chapter 2

The routine they had established worked well and Booth was especially glad that he would be last to leave this morning. Brennan kissed him and the baby goodbye, leaving for the lab by six fifteen. Booth was ready to go by seven, when Rachel, their nanny, arrived.

Opening the door, Booth smiled. “Morning, Rachel,” he said, taking her coat and hanging it on the rack by the door.

Rachel smiled, dropping her tote by the door. “Good morning, Mr. Seeley,” she said brightly. He had given up trying to get her to call him Booth. He’d never seen her tired or in anything less than the chipper mood she was in now. It had irritated him at first, but he was used to it now. She bustled over to where Russ was bouncing his foot in his baby seat. Bending over him, she greeted him warmly and the baby responded with a huge smile. She picked him up, talking to him sweetly.

Booth came up beside her and smiled down at his son. The baby waved a fist at him. “We had another rough night.” She glanced up at his serious tone, eyebrows raised. “He kept my wife up half the night.”

Rachel sighed and looked back down at the baby. “I’m sorry to hear that. He seems fine now. Was there anything wrong? Did he seem to be in some kind of pain?”

Booth shook his head. “I don’t know, he just wouldn’t stop crying no matter what she did,” he said helplessly.

She started bouncing the baby a little. “Sounds like a touch of colic. Maybe I should take him to the pediatrician.”

Booth smiled gratefully. “That would be great,” he said, thinking again how lucky they were to have found her. “Call me after you see him. I wanna know what he says.” Bending to kiss his son, he picked up his suit jacket and grabbed his cell and keys. “Talk to you later,” he called, and then he was gone. He had a doctor’s appointment of his own to make. And a stubborn partner to drag to it.

BBBBBBB

Brennan was examining the remains of a man that had been murdered and set on fire in a federal park. The body had come in late yesterday and she’d only had time for a cursory preliminary examination before she had to leave for the day. Before the baby she would have stayed late to complete a proper examination, but since returning to work she never stayed past five thirty. There was an invisible tether pulling her home and she felt guilty for the irresistible impulse to be with her son. At the same time she felt guilty for the hours she spent at the lab, away from him. Cutting her hours at the lab hadn’t been a conscious decision, it had been imperative.

The card reader beeped and Booth strode onto the platform. “So, what do we have?” he asked predictably. Brennan glanced up at him, but looked back down before replying.

“The victim is Caucasian, in his fifties, five ten to six one. They broke his neck, then set him on fire,” she replied in a clinical tone. She straightened and looked at Hodgins. “Do you know what was used as an accelerant?”

“Alcohol,” Hodgins replied. “And I don’t mean rubbing, probably whiskey, since we found shards of a whiskey bottle.”

“Brilliant observation, Hodgins,” Booth said sarcastically. “Do we know who he is yet?”

Angela spoke from her station. “Not yet. Since the guy had no teeth, we can’t—“

“Wait—no teeth?” Booth interrupted. “You mean he had dentures?”

Zach spoke from his position beside Brennan. “If he had dentures, he wasn’t wearing them.”

Booth frowned. “Why would someone go around without their dentures?”

Brennan shrugged. “Speculation is your area of expertise. All we know is, they weren’t in his mouth, nor were they found anywhere on his body or at the scene. Zach will clean the bones this afternoon and apply the tissue markers, so Angela should have a facial reconstruction done by Monday or Tuesday.”

Angela sighed from her seat at her station. “It isn’t going to be easy without the teeth,” she said dubiously.

Booth glanced at his watch. Time to go or they’d be late. “Okay, great. C’mon, Bones. I’m taking you out for lunch,” he said bossily, motioning at her to come along.

Brennan rolled her eyes. “It’s too early and I’m not done here—“

“Zach can finish, you and I have an appointment,” Booth said firmly, grabbing her arm and starting to pull her along.

She groaned in frustration. “What’s with you? You think I can just drop everything and go every time you show up?” She planted her feet, folded her arms and glared up at him mutinously.

The squints watched the power struggle with amusement. Some things hadn’t changed in spite of the fact that they were married.

Booth decided to try another tactic. “C’mon, Bones. I don’t wanna be late. I promise I’ll bring you right back after lunch,” he said with a smile guaranteed to disarm her. She sighed and relaxed her stance somewhat. Score one for the FBI guy.

“Fine. Zach, make sure you examine the clothing thoroughly before removing them. I expect a full report when I return,” she warned, pulling off her gloves and following a triumphant Booth off the platform. In her office, she shrugged out of her lab coat and grabbed her coat and bag.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she pulled on her coat. Booth was fidgeting by the door, jingling his change in his pockets, anxious to get going.

“You’ll see,” he said mysteriously.

Brennan rolled her eyes and sighed, but decided to let him have his fun. Evidently he had a surprise for her. She hoped it wouldn’t take too long. She had a lot of work to do.

The drive was quiet until Brennan recognized the building they’d parked in front of. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. “This is your surprise? Dragging me to see my OB?” she asked incredulously.

Booth shut off the car and turned to her. “Yeah, you have an appointment to see your doctor. I’m hoping he can help you—“

“There’s nothing wrong with me!” she growled, folding her arms over her chest and glaring at him.

Booth leaned towards her. “Really? So, it’s normal for you to cry at the drop of a hat? To snap at people? Walk around like a zombie half the time?” he asked bluntly.

She pursed her lips. “I’m getting, at best, four or five hours of sleep a night,” she pointed out. “Sorry if I’m not my usual bubbly self.”

Booth reached out and touched her cheek, in spite of the fact that her posture screamed ‘don’t touch me’. “Hey, I know it’s been rough. I just want to make sure there’s no medical reason for the way you’re feeling,” he said gently.

Brennan fought the urge to cry. Crying never solved anything. But if he didn’t stop looking at her with warm concern in his eyes, she was going to lose what little control she had. Grabbing her purse, she got out of the car and headed for the building, leaving him to get out, lock the vehicle and jog to catch up. She threw an irritated glance over her shoulder.

“You don’t need to come along,” she groused. “I’m going, okay?”

“I wanna be there,” he insisted. “I cleared my schedule so I could be, I’m here, so I might as well stay and hear what the doctor has to say.”

She pushed down her irritation. And he thought SHE was stubborn.

Dr. Walsh did a thorough examination, then called Booth in after Brennan had gotten dressed. His manner suggested there was nothing to worry about. Booth sat next to Brennan and took her hand.

“You have postpartum depression,” the doctor said. Booth frowned but Brennan didn’t look surprised.

“What’s the treatment?” Booth asked. At least they knew what it was and they could treat it and everything would be okay.

“I’m going to prescribe an anti-depressant and I want Dr. Brennan to get more rest. And try to reduce stress,” Dr. Walsh said, as though it was the easiest thing in the world.

Brennan snorted and Booth spoke to forestall the sarcastic reply he knew was on the tip of her tongue. “Why did her milk dry up? Will it come back?”

The doctor shook his head. “I’m afraid not. The stress was most likely the main cause. It’s not uncommon,” he said reassuringly as he noticed the guilty look on Brennan’s face. “Don’t worry, the baby will do fine on formula.” He looked from her to Booth and back again. “I’d like you to get counseling,” he said firmly.

“No! I don’t need a therapist—“ she protested.

“Then join a support group,” he countered. “I’ll have my nurse give you a list of therapists and support groups.” He paused at her stubborn look. “There is no need to be ashamed, Dr. Brennan. Sometimes it takes awhile for a woman’s body to restore hormonal balance after giving birth. It’s not your fault,” he said kindly.

She had her doubts about that, but she didn’t want to prolong the visit with a pointless argument. She stood. “Well, if that’s all, I need to get back to work. Thank you, Dr. Walsh.”

Booth stood and shook hands with the doctor as Brennan swept out of the room and down the hall. “I’ll see that she gets more rest, doc. Thanks for seeing her on such short notice.”

“Be patient with her, Mr. Booth,” the doctor said softly. “She’s under tremendous pressure, most of which she is putting on herself. Help her as much as you can and be there for her when she needs emotional support. She’s her own worst enemy, pushing herself far too hard.”

“I know. But she did that before she ever got pregnant,” Booth said wryly, turning to follow his partner, who was waiting impatiently at the front desk.

@@@@@@@@

Chapter 3

Booth’s cell rang while they were at lunch. He frowned when he saw that it was Rachel.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Seeley, it’s Rachel,” she said breathlessly. Booth was alarmed. Why was she out of breath? Brennan straightened at the look on his face. “We just left the pediatrician,” Rachel went on. “He’s changing the baby to a soy based formula; he thinks that may be the source of his problem.”

Booth closed his eyes and sighed with relief and his heart rate returned to normal. “Thanks, Rachel. Would you please pick some up and we’ll reimburse you?” He ended the call and smiled over at his partner, relaying the news.

Hope lit her features and she smiled too. “Oh, that’s the best news I’ve had all day,” she said, thinking she might actually manage a bit more sleep tonight. Booth reached over and squeezed her hand. He was thinking if she got more sleep, maybe they could resume their intimate relationship. It had been a long time.

BBBBBBBB

The baby was finally asleep and they had two blessed hours to relax together before bed. The TV was on low, but only Booth was watching. Brennan lay with her head in his lap, drowsing off and on while his hand stroked her silky hair. Booth looked down to find her watching him.

“What?” he asked with a half smile.

Brennan smiled too. “Nothing. Just…looking,” she said.

“Do I have something on my face?” he asked, wiping at his mouth and looking at his hand.

She chuckled at him. “Noooo…can’t I just look at you without you getting paranoid?” she teased.

“Can’t take your eyes off me, huh?” he said smugly.

“Actually, you need to blow your nose,” she said, “you have—“ She couldn’t keep a straight face as he sat up and reached for a tissue off the end table. “I’m kidding!” she chuckled, which turned to laughter when he started tickling her.

“Ssssshh!” he hissed as her laughter rang out. “You’re gonna wake Russ!”

She subsided into chuckles. “It was your fault. If you hadn’t tickled me…” She trailed off at the tender look on his face. Reaching up and hooking her hand around his neck, she pulled him down for a deep kiss, deeper than any they had shared in a long time. His heart sped up as her tongue swept his and he groaned as she shifted higher in his lap. Her hands slipped under his shirt, sliding over his taut stomach to stroke his chest. When her open mouth trailed to his neck he suddenly decided it was time for bed.

“Bones,” he rasped, trying to still her hands. If she didn’t stop, they weren’t going to make it to the bedroom. He wanted it to be right, and that didn’t mean making out with her on the couch.

She growled with frustration, thinking he was trying to stop altogether. She looked up at him with a frown. He would have found it cute if he wasn’t so aroused. He pushed her upright and stood, pulling her along toward the bedroom.

Once they were there, they shed their clothes as though in some kind of bizarre stripping contest. But when they were finally lying together skin to skin, things slowed down. His hand stroked her hip, then moved up her ribs to cup her breast. She sighed as sensations raced along her nerve endings and she shifted to press herself closer. Her hands ran over his well-defined chest, lingering there to marvel at how well he was made. They moved on to his shoulders, equally well-muscled and thrilling, then down his back to settle on his buttocks. Almost purring with pleasure, she squeezed and he stiffened, nearly losing control right then and there. He rolled to his back, pulling her to lie on top of him.

He saw her smile in the near darkness. “Careful, Bones, or this is going to be over before it’s begun,” he warned softly.

“Don’t call me Bones,” she warned in a mock severe tone, sliding her leg over his hip and joining them slowly, inch by agonizing inch. Booth’s breath hitched as her muscles contracted around him.

“Temperance…” he groaned, grasping her hips to pull her in tighter. He froze at her gasp. He’d forgotten that she might not be able to take it this soon. She’d only given birth nine weeks ago. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, trying to withdraw, but she wasn’t about to allow that. They had waited long enough.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, leaning down to kiss him softly as she started to move. His hands moved from her hips, smoothing over the soft skin of her back. Soon thoughts ceased altogether as they moved as one, striving for the bliss that awaited them.

Afterward they lay entwined, the sweat slowly drying from their bodies. Booth was idly stroking her hip. “Are you okay?” he finally asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied softly. “I just—its been so long. It took me a minute…” she said.

“I’m sorry, I should have let you control how fast…how deep—“ he began, feeling guilty for causing her any pain.

She leaned up on an elbow to look down at him in the dark, placing a finger over his lips. “Sssshhh, I told you, I’m fine. It didn’t hurt, it was more of a stretching feeling…” she said, breaking off as the right words to describe the sensation failed her. He touched her face and she could see that he was frowning. She reached up to stroke away the frown.

“I never want to hurt you,” he said hoarsely.

“You didn’t, Booth. Really, I’m fine. We may have to wait a day or two before the next time…” she said, only half teasing.

He smiled with relief and she dropped a kiss on his lips, then lay back down, snuggling up to him with a sigh. Moments later her breathing had slowed and he knew she was asleep. Closing his eyes, he drifted off too, glad she hadn’t noticed that he’d moved the baby monitor to his side of the bed. There was no way he was going to let her get up to feed the baby when the time came.

BBBBBB

She woke, disoriented for a moment. Stretching out her hand and finding him gone, she sat up and threw the covers off. Pulling on her robe, she hurried to the nursery.

He was there, holding their son as he sat in the rocker. The baby was contentedly sucking at a bottle, on hand clutching his daddy’s index finger. Booth looked up with a smile. “Hey,” he said. “We’re almost done here.”

Brennan folded her empty arms, but couldn’t find the energy to get angry. “You moved the monitor,” she accused softly.

“Guilty,” he said wryly. He noticed her stance. She didn’t look angry, but she wasn’t pleased either. “You needed your sleep, honey. We did just fine, didn’t we buddy?” he murmured, looking down at his son, who wore an expression of intense concentration.

Brennan’s heart swelled with love for both of her men. Moving to kneel in front of her husband, she touched the baby’s head and looked up at him. “Thank you.”

He leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “Don’t mention it. Now, why don’t you go back to bed? I’ll be along as soon as I get this little rugrat tucked in.”

She nodded and stood, turning to look at them from the doorway. “You really are a wonderful father, Booth,” she whispered with a smile. The grin he gave her followed her back to bed and warmed her until he returned and took her into his arms.

Chapter 4

“Zach, where’s that report on the Donnelly case?” Brennan asked in a sharp tone. She was applying tissue markers to a skull from limbo.

Zach looked up from his monitor, exchanging a glance with Hodgins, who rolled his eyes and gave a slight shake of his head. “I thought you needed me to analyze the kerf marks on this John Doe,” he asked.

“Ongoing cases take precedence over limbo cases, Zach. I shouldn’t have to tell you that,” she snapped.

Zach’s spine straightened. “You’re right, Dr. Brennan. I’m sorry, I’ll get on that right away,” he said. Angela shot him a sympathetic look.

“Hey, Bren, can I see you in your office?” Angela asked, standing up. She didn’t have anything to do until Brennan finished with the tissue markers, but she thought it was time for some intervention. It had been a week since Booth had dragged her off to the doctor. Angela didn’t have any personal knowledge of post-partum depression, but she thought they’d see some improvement by now. She suspected something else might be going on.

Brennan finally looked up, frowning. “Now? I’m nearly done here, then you can have the skull if you need something to do. This is not the appropriate time for girl talk.”

Angela rolled her eyes and sighed. “You wanna discuss this in front of the guys? Fine. Is the medication you’re taking having any affect on your post-partum—“ she began.

“No! Okay!” Brennan shouted. Straightening and putting the skull down, she marched off the platform, leaving Angela to follow.

“Good luck,” Hodgins muttered, returning to the particulates he was processing.

Angela shut the door behind her and stood watching her friend. Brennan was behind her desk, tidying an already tidy pile of folders. Angela stepped closer and made an ‘ahem’ sound. Brennan looked up at her with a frown. “I’m taking the damned medication, okay?” she said grumpily.

Angela folded her arms and cocked a hip. “Maybe the dosage needs to be adjusted. Have you called the doctor?”

“No, there’s no point,” Brennan said, then sighed. “Look, Russ is sick and I really need to finish up here so I can get home to him—“

Comprehension dawned on Angela’s face. “So, that’s what’s wrong,” she said.

Brennan looked at her, puzzled. “What?”

“Sweetie, you’re feeling torn. Every working mother goes through it. Your baby needs you, especially when he’s sick, but you also need to be at work.”

Brennan sighed and dropped into her chair. “He was screaming for me when I left,” she said hoarsely. “Leaving him this morning was really hard. Rachel is the best, but when he’s sick, he only wants me. What kind of mother leaves her baby when he needs her?”

Angela came around the desk and perched on the edge near her friend. “A mother that has other responsibilities.” She watched Brennan as she stared blindly at her blotter. “Sweetie, don’t worry, I’m sure he’s fine. I’m sure Rachel got him to calm down eventually—“

“I should be the one calming him down, Ange!” Brennan cut in, angry at herself. “I should be there to comfort him when he’s sick.”

“So, you wanna quit? Take a leave of absence? Cut your hours? What do you want to do?” Angela asked, desperately trying to help her friend find a way to deal.

Brennan blinked her tears away. “I don’t know,” she whispered miserably.

Angela touched her hand. “Have you talked to Booth about it?” she asked gently.

“What good is that going to do?”

“Sweetie, I realize you’re new to the marriage thing, for that matter I don’t think you’ve had much experience with committed relationships, but the beauty of being with someone is being able to share your troubles with them. If you can’t talk to him about what’s bothering you, I don’t think there’s much hope it’s gonna last.”

Brennan sniffed and dashed away the pair of tears that had rolled down her cheeks. Angela was right. Talking to Booth was the first thing she should have done. She still wasn’t used to depending on someone else. “Okay, I’ll talk to him.”

Angela smiled, relieved. “Good. Who knows, maybe he’ll have a solution you haven’t thought of.”

Brennan smiled too. “Maybe. There’s only one way to find out,” she said, feeling better already.

BBBBBBBBB

For the first time since returning to work, Brennan beat Booth home. Rachel had told her everything was going well every time she had called to check, but it just wasn’t the same. She had left the lab at four thirty, anxious to see for herself that Russ was fine.

Dropping her bag and coat inside the door, she hurried to the nursery. Rachel looked up from the changing table where she was buttoning Russ’ sleeper. “Hi. Great timing, he just had a bath and a bottle. His temp is back down to 99 degrees, so I think we’re on the downside.”

Brennan reached for him as Rachel picked him up. He was smiling at the nanny, but chortled with glee when he saw his mommy. Brennan smiled at her son, chuckling at the silly smile on his face. Gathering him close, she kissed his sweet-smelling head. Rachel took another swipe at his hair with the brush, but finally gave up. He seemed to have inherited his father’s unruly hair. Brennan picked up his tiny hand and he wrapped his fingers around her thumb.

“Thanks for taking such good care of him, Rachel,” she said, unconsciously rocking the baby a bit. She chuckled as the baby’s free hand latched onto her hair.

Rachel smiled and rescued the lock of hair from the baby’s fist. “My pleasure. Even sick, he’s the best baby I’ve ever cared for. Aren’t you sweetie?” she asked the baby brightly. “Well, I need to get going. I have a few stops to make on my way home. See ya Monday.”

“Okay, thanks again, Rachel.” Brennan took the baby swing and set it up in the kitchen so she could make dinner. Russ kept up a steady stream of nonsense chatter, laughing at the toys attached to the crossbar overhead. She turned the radio on low and hummed as she worked, stopping occasionally to talk to the baby.

Booth came home and stopped just inside the doorway. “Hey,” he said with a smile.

Brennan turned from the stove. “Hi,” she said, putting down the potholder and moving to meet him. She leaned up to kiss him sweetly. “Dinner’s ready.” Booth hugged her. “Great.” He went over to the swing. Russ was waving his arms madly, laughing. “Hey, buddy, how’s my little Russ-ter doin’?” he said, picking the baby up and pulling him close to hug him and kiss his forehead. “Fever’s down,” he noted with relief.

Brennan turned from serving up dinner. “Yeah, Rachel said it’s back down near normal.” She set the table and Booth put the baby back in the swing where they could watch him.

“How was your day?” she asked to forestall any similar question from him. She wasn’t quite ready to talk about her issues. She managed to keep him talking through dinner with a few questions here and there. They were almost done when Russ began to fuss. Booth picked him up as Brennan got up to clear the table. While she cleaned the kitchen, Booth sat down on the couch with his son. He was showing the baby a brightly colored cloth book when she joined them.

“He’s a very smart baby,” Booth declared. “Look how closely he’s paying attention.”

She chuckled. “Booth, it’s a little early to determine his intelligence. He’s only three months old. He’s just responding to the bright colors and your tone of voice.”

“You hear that, buddy?” Booth said, smiling down at the baby. “Your mommy doesn’t think you’re smart.”

“I didn’t say that!” she argued. He looked at her with a glint in his eye and a smile tugged at her lips. “Smartass!” she murmured.

“Ah-ah-ah,” he scolded, shaking a finger at her. “Language,” he warned teasingly.

“He’s three months old. At this stage he isn’t able to process and discern language, and he’s still months away from being able to form words.” She leaned in to kiss the baby, raising her voice a little and smiling at him. “Right now he only understands tonal quality and facial expressions, right sweetie?” Russ grinned at her and grabbed for her earring. Catching his hand, she freed the earring and kissed his fingers.

Booth snorted and rolled his eyes. “Oh, so now you’re an expert on early child development?”

She smirked at him. “I googled it. There are some really interesting online articles on the subject.”

They played with the baby until he started yawning and scrubbing at his eyes with his chubby little fists. Brennan stood, holding the tired baby close. She leaned down so he could kiss his son.

“Goodnight, buddy. Sleep tight,” Booth said, then watched his wife and son head for the nursery. He marveled at the change in his partner. If anyone had told him a year ago that they would be happily married with a beautiful son, he would have thought they were nuts. He never dreamed she’d ever marry him, much less make such a loving mother.

She was back in thirty minutes. She had changed into a pair of burgundy satin pajamas and her hair was in soft waves around her face, and Booth was struck by her beauty all over again. She smiled at the expression of wonder on his face, then, to his disappointment, sat down in the chair adjacent to the couch.

“I need to talk to you,” she began.

It took a moment for her words to register, then he straightened, somewhat alarmed by her serious tone. “What is it?”

“Something has been bothering me lately and I don’t know what to do and Angela told me I should talk to you, because we’re married now and I should get used to asking for your advice—“ she said all in a rush, stopping abruptly as she realized she was babbling. Booth was watching her with a frown. “This morning, when Russ wasn’t feeling well and was crying for me and I had to go…was very hard,” she said tentatively. “But I love my job and I really wanted to go into the lab…but at the same time I couldn’t concentrate because I was so upset about leaving him.” She stopped again as tears clogged her throat.

Booth leaned forward and took her hand. “So, what do you want to do? Do you want to take a leave of absence?” he asked cautiously, not quite sure where she was going with this.

“I don’t know!” she said, frustrated beyond words. After a moment her lips firmed. “No, I can’t, I won’t—it would be like giving up a part of who I am.”

Booth didn’t know what to say. “It wouldn’t have to be permanent—“ he began, but she cut him off.

“Do you think a few months leave will solve the problem? There’s always going to be something. When would be a good time to return to work? When he starts kindergarten? High school? College?” she asked, her voice rising as she got more agitated. “This is why I never wanted to have children!” she exclaimed, bouncing up to begin pacing. “I knew the demands of motherhood would intrude on my career, but I never expected to feel this…torn. I want to be with my son, to be there when he cuts his first tooth, says his first word, takes his first step. But what I do at the lab is important. How can I put that on hold so I can raise my son? And then I feel guilty for even thinking that my career is more important than him.” She stopped suddenly, her back to him, shoulders rounded in defeat. “I just don’t know what to do,” she said miserably.

Booth sighed. He had been completely unaware of the struggles that she was going through. He felt guilty for being so oblivious, blithely going about the job of living without considering how she might be adjusting to the role of mother and wife. He got up and approached her carefully. He slid his arms around her waist from behind and cradled her close, dropping a kiss on her head.

“Why don’t you talk to Cam. I’m sure you can work out a compromise to temporarily reduce your hours. And I don’t see why you can’t stay home with Russ when he’s sick. Zach has his doctorate, it isn’t like they won’t have a forensic anthropologist around if you’re not there.”

She turned in his arms and looked up at him. “I swore I wouldn’t cut back my hours after the baby was born,” she said stubbornly.

“That was before you fell in love with him,” Booth reminded her gently. “You’ve been trying to do it all, be everything to everyone. This just proves you’re human after all.”

She took a deep breath and leaned into him. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to cut my hours temporarily. I could keep up via email from home,” she said thoughtfully. She was feeling a lot better now. She smiled up at him. “Thanks, Booth,” she said.

He smiled too, pulling her closer. “My pleasure,” he said huskily, dropping his head to kiss her lingeringly. She moaned a little, winding her arms around his neck. He stroked his hands down her back, kissing his way along her jaw to her ear. “I think it’s bedtime,” he whispered, sending goosebumps skittering along her skin. She nodded and pulled back, taking his hand and leading him to their bedroom.

Thanks for your willingness to continue this story .. SO happy when I see you here from

Hey! I have a fan! LOL Thanks, bonbon. I'm hoping musie will grace me with her presence this weekend. I have A LOT of cleaning to do tomorrow, so she should be raring to go.

I'm anxious for more too. Is this all the stuff from the Boneyard or is there a new chapter yet?

I don't read a lot of baby stories, but this is really nice. I'm enjoying it a bunch, and I hope you get inspired for the next chapter soon.

A/N: This first part is dedicated to all you smutterfluff addicts who complained that I cut off the bedroom scene at the end of the last chapter. Sorry about that, but sheesh, I’m running out of ideas on how to write a fresh love scene. So, without further ado, here is the next chapter at last. Musie has grudgingly returned from her vacation in the Bahamas and I’m bribing her with chocolate so she won’t leave me again.

Chapter 5

Booth was a bit irritated to see that she had moved the baby monitor back to her side of the bed, but when he turned to scold her, he completely forgot what he was going to say. She was slowly unbuttoning her pajama top and his mouth went dry as it slipped off her shoulders and down her arms, landing on the floor with a whisper. The bottoms soon followed and she kicked them aside and stepped up to him, completely naked. Her hands came up under the hem of his T-shirt and he sucked in his breath as she stroked up his taught abdomen to settle on his well-defined pectorals. His mind went completely blank as her fingers found his flat nipples.

Her lips were parted and he bent his head to take them in a tender kiss. She shuddered as his hands framed her face and his tongue began a thorough exploration of the moist depths of her mouth. His fingers threaded up into her hair and she moaned, straining to get closer, frustrated that he hadn’t touched her body yet. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry to rid himself of his clothes either. Her hands pushed the T-shirt up and roamed the taut skin she could get to, but he wasn’t cooperating in her efforts to get it up past his armpits. He kissed his way up her jaw and stopped to nibble her earlobe.

“Easy, baby. We got all night,” he promised in a husky whisper that sent goosebumps racing down her arms. She made a small frustrated noise and he relented, pulling the T-shirt off in one smooth move. Her pulse picked up as her hands smoothed over his shoulders and up into his hair, bringing her breasts into contact with his bare chest at last. They both moaned with pleasure at the sensation. His hands made their way from her shoulders and down the silky skin of her back, finally settling on her firm buttocks. He pulled her close so she could feel the bulge of his arousal and her breath hitched. Reaching between them, she started working at the button of his jeans, but gave up a moment later in frustration as her fingers couldn’t seem to work right.

Booth chuckled a little. “Slow down, okay? I’m not going anywhere,” he murmured as she strained closer to him, almost like she was trying to absorb him into her being. Turning, he eased her down onto the bed, leaning up on an elbow to look at her in the dim light from the hallway. His breath caught as he paused a moment to look down at her in wonder. Her hair was a silky tangle on the pillow, her eyes a brilliant blue as she frowned up at him.

“Booth…?” she whispered, puzzled at his hesitation.

He smiled softly. “You’re beautiful,” he said, awestruck all over again. His hand came up to cradle her jaw, his thumb stroking the slight dent in her chin. Her eyes flashed with…irritation?

“Not now, Booth. Save the pretty words for later. Right now I need you to love me,” she demanded in that smoky voice that could get him hot in a flash. Her arms snaked up around his shoulders, bringing them skin to skin. It wasn’t enough and she moaned, pushed beyond the limits of her control. His hand stroked down her hip then slipped between them to the apex of her thighs. She forgot to breathe as his fingers explored the folds of her sex, purposely avoiding the button that was begging for his touch. The torture continued for an agonizingly long moment and she was almost sobbing with need by the time he finally gave her what she was wordlessly begging for with every move of her hips. She bit his shoulder to smother the scream crawling up her throat at the waves of pleasure that crashed over her as he stroked her. Moments later she stiffened as her muscles clenched in an intense orgasm, but he didn’t stop, teasing her past her endurance. Her thighs clamped tight at the unbearable sensations that were sending aftershocks rocketing through her.

Suddenly he was gone and her eyes snapped open as he got up. To her relief, he shucked the rest of his clothes and was back before she could frame a protest. He rolled on top of her, propped up on his elbows, smoldering dark eyes holding hers solemnly as he slowly slid into her. She swallowed thickly as tears threatened. “I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you more,” he countered huskily, picking up the pace to forestall any argument. The distraction worked as she moved to match his rhythm, striving to give him as much pleasure as he was giving her. His face was taut with concentration as he struggled to hold back, waiting for her to come again. When she did, he still held back, continuing to move as her muscles clenched around him over and over. It was almost over, the last shuddering aftershocks receding when he stiffened and gave a deep groan, dropping his forehead to hers as pleasure washed over him in waves.

He was smashing her into the mattress, but she didn’t mind. Her hands trailed up and down his back, stroking over his firm buttocks, raising goosebumps in their wake. He finally rolled to his back, pulling her to lie across him. They lay that way for a long time, waiting for their pulses and breathing to return to normal.

The monitor sputtered to life as their son made his displeasure known. Brennan made a move to get up, but Booth held her tight. “No, let me,” he urged. He kissed her softly and she nodded, curling up in the warm spot he left as he got up. “Don’t wait up,” he said as he pulled on a pair of sweats.

She smiled up at him sleepily. “Okay,” she murmured, yawning. She was asleep a moment later and Booth chuckled softly, heading for the nursery and a very unhappy little boy.

----------------------------------------BB----------------------------------------
NINE MONTHS LATER

Plans were underway for little Russ’ first birthday in two weeks. Brennan didn’t know what all the fuss was about. He wouldn’t understand the meaning behind the party, but Booth insisted on having one. He was taking care of all of the arrangements, right down to purchasing the birthday gift. All the squints were invited and Parker, too of course. She wouldn’t have minded so much if they weren’t in the middle of an especially grueling double homicide that had her and her team completely baffled.

“Bones,” Booth called as he strode through the sliding doors at the lab. Brennan gave him a distracted glance as he swiped his card and bounded up onto the platform. “C’mon, we’re going to question Hanson.”

She continued examining the remains of Carol Swanson. “Not now, Booth. I’m trying to determine the type of weapon—“

“Can’t Zach do that? I want to get there before dark. It’s fifty miles outside the city, up in the mountains,” Booth explained impatiently.

Brennan frowned at him. “Why do you need me?” she asked, looking back down at the remains. She really didn’t have time for a field trip.

“Sometimes you help. You see things that I don’t,” he coaxed, trying flattery. Her glance told him she saw through the ploy. “Hey, you used to insist on being involved in the field work. Now you don’t want to? What could be more important than nailing the bastard who did this?’

Brennan closed her eyes and sighed. “Fine. Zach, would you please take over here?” she asked, pulling off her gloves and unbuttoning her lab coat. She spent a few minutes showing Zach her findings thus far while Booth stood by, practically vibrating with anxiety. Ten minutes later they were on the road.

Robert Hanson lived alone in a tiny ramshackle cabin up in the hills. Booth parked about fifty yards away, just out of sight of the cabin.

“Okay, here’s the drill. You stay back,” he said firmly, his tone telling her this was not negotiable. “I need to determine that he’s unarmed, then you can come in, okay?”

Brennan pursed her lips, biting back the argument that was fighting to be voiced. She nodded once and Booth suddenly leaned forward and kissed her briefly. She cocked an eyebrow at him. “That wasn’t very professional,” she scolded.

“Well, I guess I need more practice,” he quipped with a grin.

Brennan rolled her eyes and chuckled, getting out and closing her car door as quietly as possible. She followed a few paces behind, copying Booth as he approached the cabin at an angle, stopping against the front wall just to the left of the door. He held his gun ready, left arm held out to indicate that she was to stay back. His head jerked as she drew and cocked her own firearm, but he didn’t waste his breath going into all the reasons he thought she should put the damn thing away. She could tell by the grim set of his mouth that she’d hear it later.

He knocked. “Robert Hanson? FBI, we have some questions for you,” he called out. Silence. “Things will go better for you if you cooperate.”

Just as Booth was prepared to bust the door in, it opened slowly. A middle aged man stood in the opening, peering at them blearily. One whiff told Booth the man was drunk.

“Whaddya want?” the man groused. Evidently not a happy drunk. Booth kept his gun trained on him.

“We need you to come with us, Mr. Hanson,” Booth said clearly.

“Wha’? Where? I ain’t goin’ nowhere ‘til ya tell me what this is ‘bout,” Hanson said stubbornly, frowning up at Booth.

“We have reason to believe you may have information relating to the murders of Carol and John Swanson.”

Brennan tapped Booth on the shoulder. “I thought we were going to question him here?” she whispered.

“The man’s three sheets to the wind, Bones,” Booth whispered back. “Even if he can answer our questions, I wouldn’t put much faith in the answers. I’ll put him in a cell at HQ, let him sober up, then we can question him.”

Hanson was watching their exchange, apparently puzzled. “Am I under arrest?” he asked.

Booth gave a half shrug. “Nah, Robert, I wouldn’t put it that way. Let’s just say we’re asking you to do your civic duty. Now, are you willing to come along?”

Hanson belched and Booth had to stop himself from taking a step back as a fresh wave of booze laden breath washed over him. “I guess. You gotta bring me back in time for dinner though. Macy wouldn’t like missin’ her dinner,” Hanson said, shuffling out onto the porch.

“Macy?” Brennan asked as Booth put the cuffs on their suspect.

“Cat,” Hanson said, finally getting a good look at her. A smile broke across his unshaven face. “Say, you’re pretty,” he said, trying to stand taller. She topped him by several inches.

Booth yanked him around by his arm and started pulling him toward their vehicle. “Yeah, real pretty. And mine, so you can just forget it,” he muttered as they walked. Hanson kept craning his neck, trying to watch Brennan who was trailing behind them. Her cell had rung and she was trying to hear the caller.

“Rachel?” she said loudly. Static came over the line, blocking out some of the words, but Brennan thought she heard ‘Russ’, ‘emergency’ and ‘bleeding’. Her heart started slamming. She pulled the phone away from her ear to check the cell reception. One bar. Damn!

“Booth!” she called frantically. Booth paused in the middle of stuffing Hanson into the backseat. Something in her voice had him looking around, searching for an attacker. She came running up. “Get in, hurry, Rachel called, Russ has been hurt!” she said urgently, pulling open the passenger door and jumping in. He ran around the vehicle and jumped in, starting the SUV.

“What did she say?” he asked, his heart racing. If anything had happened to Russ, he didn’t know if he could handle it.

She recounted the disjointed call as he whipped the wheel around, peeling out with a spray of gravel. Their suspect fell over in the backseat, unable to brace himself with his hands cuffed behind him. “Hey!” he yelled.

“Shut up!” Booth and Brennan yelled in unison. Booth drove with controlled fury, worry pulsing through him in time with the whoops of the siren. Brennan had her hand braced on the dashboard, eyes focused on the road.

@@@@@@@@

There you go! I hope that was worth the wait. Let me know, okay? Now, off to write the next chappie, I may have it posted as quickly as tomorrow.

from: flyersfan35

Woo Hoo!! OMG, loved the smut, red!!

However.....what the hell was that last?! U did NOT just do that!

Go fix it! Right now, red!!!!

Wonderful chapter, the vacation must have done wonders for musie!!

from: willgirl

Hooray for smut! That was awesome! But what? He's been hurt? NO!!!!

*Willi hunts down all the chocolate she can find to bribe Red's muse.*

Here take it! Take it all! Just write the next chap!

Okay, as usual a great read. However, GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE AND FIX IT LIKE RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! Please.

from: BGWGscienceteacher

Thank you so much, will, flyer and bw! I'm really glad you liked it. Sorry about the cliffie-I so rarely do them, it's nice to shake things up a bit once in awhile. It was so great being able to post without having to go back and edit all the good smut out. Ahhh, freedom!

Red! Don't know how the hell I missed this one before... all caught up now, and fantastic story....and woo-hoo for not having to edit cause that was...whew!

but...i'm with the others....little Russ hurt? oh, fix it now, chica...

*adds even more chocolate to the musie bribe stash*

oh, musie...come out come out wherever you are....red's gotta fix this one...

from: anaG

I love Bones telling Booth to cut out the pretty words and just do her. Hee!

More, more, more!

from:sarcastress

A/N: Sheesh, people, calm down. You’d think you’d never read a cliffie before! lol

Chapter 6

Brennan’s cell rang as they entered the city limits. It was Angela. “Sweetie, where are you?” her friend asked worriedly.

“We’re on our way. Do you know what happened?”

“Rachel called me when she couldn’t get through to you. Russ was trying to walk and he fell and cut his eyebrow open on the corner of the coffee table. She’s taken him to St. Mary’s. I’m almost there now. You know where that is?” Angela asked.

“St. Mary’s,” Brennan told Booth and he nodded grimly. “Yeah, we’ll be there in ten minutes. I’ve been trying to call Rachel—“

“She had to turn her cell off when she went into the emergency room,” Angela explained. “She thinks he’s gonna need a couple stitches. She says it looks worse than it is.”

Brennan nodded, trying to calm down. “Yeah, facial wounds bleed a lot heavier than wounds anywhere else on the body. I’m sure he’ll be fine. We’ll see you at the hospital.” She shut the phone off and told Booth what Angela said.

“How could Rachel let that happen?” Booth asked. Part of him realized he was being unreasonable, but he was sick with worry for his son. He was so…small and vulnerable and he felt a certain amount of guilt for not being there for him.

Brennan reached out to touch his arm. “Childhood injuries aren’t uncommon, Booth. They can happen any time, no matter how vigilant the person caring for them is. I’m sure it’s not Rachel’s fault.” Her clinical side was taking over now that she’d been reassured that her son wasn’t seriously injured, but she was still anxious to be with him. An emergency room would be a scary place for a one year old.

“Hey, pretty lady, do ya think ya could take these cuffs off—“ Hanson whined.

“Shut up!” the partners shouted simultaneously and he fell silent.

@@@@@@@

Booth called headquarters and requested that a unit meet them at St. Mary’s to take Hanson off their hands. That taken care of, they rushed into the emergency room, met by an anxious Angela.

“Rachel’s with him. They wouldn’t let me in because I’m not family,” she said, twisting her hands together.

“Thanks for coming, Ange,” Brennan said as she and Booth approached the registration desk. The large woman behind the desk wasn’t impressed with their breathless urgency until Booth flashed his creds. She punched their son’s name into the computer and told them what room he was in and they rushed down the hall, leaving Angela to pace the waiting room. Drawn by a baby’s screaming, they quickly found the right room.

Four people, one of them Rachel, were struggling to strap little Russ to a papoose board. He was kicking his little legs and waving his arms wildly, all the while screaming.

“Mama! Daddy! Nooooo!” he wailed as tears streamed down his beet red face. Brennan and Booth rushed in, one of them stopping on each side of him. Blood was seeping from the gash in his eyebrow. Pushing their way in, they tried to calm their son.

“It’s okay, baby, mama’s here,” Brennan crooned and stroked his arm. At her touch and the sound of her voice, Russ suddenly stopped his struggles.

“Mama! Go now?” he asked on a shuddering breath, his brown eyes pleading with her. Her heart caught. She wished she could snatch him up and run, but her logical side told her that wasn’t what was best for him.

“Not now, Russ-ter. You gotta let the doctors fix your boo-boo, okay buddy?” Booth said gently. There was a lot of blood. How could one little guy have that much blood? Russ turned his gaze to his daddy, frowning.

“No! Hurts! Go now!” he wailed as he realized even his parents were in on the conspiracy.

Brennan blinked back tears that she knew would only alarm her son even more. Leaning down, she kissed her son’s blood smeared cheek and started whispering in his ear. He quieted so he could hear her soft voice, snuffles shaking his small frame as her words had the desired affect. Pulling back, she smiled tenderly at him, holding his eyes while Booth helped Rachel and the nurses take advantage of his stillness to secure him to the board.

“That’s my brave boy,” Brennan whispered, leaning down to kiss his button nose. He was still frowning, but the tears had stopped.

“Mama?” he asked tremulously as all but one nurse left and the doctor started making preparations for the stitches.

“What baby?” she asked softly. Booth was standing on the other side of him, holding his son’s tiny hand.

“Go now?” he asked again with a catch in his small voice. Brennan smiled sadly and gently stroked his cheek tenderly.

“Not yet baby. Remember I told you the doctor needs to fix your cut?” She refused to use childish baby words with her son. It was one of things she and Booth disagreed on.

Just then the doctor warned them in soft tones that he needed to clean the wound and administer a local so he could suture it. Brennan and Booth nodded and Booth bent to talk to his son.

“Okay, buddy, be a brave boy now. This is gonna hurt a bit, but not for very long,” Booth said in a soothing voice. Russ’ eyes widened and bounced to his mother.

“Don’t worry, Russ. Daddy and I will be right here the whole time,” Brennan reassured him softly. The doctor moved in as fresh tears welled up and spilled over. Working as quickly as possible, the doctor cleaned the wound and gave the local. Once the anesthetic began to do its work, the baby calmed down considerably. Booth kept his eyes locked with his son’s, but Brennan watched the doctor’s skillful suturing with interest.

The doctor finally straightened and the nurse started unfastening the straps. “Five stitches. He’s going to have a scar. You can take him home now. Keep him quiet as possible for the next twenty four hours and keep the area clean and dry. Bring him back in ten days to remove the stitches.”

As soon as Russ was free of the straps, Brennan picked him up, clutching him close. He cuddled into her chest, his right thumb firmly planted in his mouth and his eyes beginning to droop now that the excitement was over. Booth moved close, reaching out to stroke his son’s back. He was so glad the ordeal was over. His other hand came up to caress her cheek and her eyes met his, her lips firmed against the tears that were just below the surface.

Rachel spoke up. “I’m so sorry,” she said softly.

Booth turned to her. “How did it happen?” he asked grimly. Now that it was over and their son was going to be fine, he felt a lot calmer.

“I was sitting on the couch and Russ was walking along, holding onto the coffee table. Suddenly he let go and tried to walk on his own. He nearly made it past the end of the table when he lost his balance and fell. I—I wasn’t quick enough to catch him,” she finished with a hitch in her voice.

Brennan reached out to squeeze the nanny’s arm. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “These things happen. He’s fine now.”

Booth took a deep breath. “Don’t worry about it, Rachel. No harm done. Look, why don’t you take the next couple days off? Bones and I can handle the baby.”

Rachel gave a relieved smile. “Thank you, Mr. Seeley.” She reached out to gently stroke the baby’s head. “I’ll see you Monday.” And then she was gone.

@@@@@@

Brennan held her peace until they were home and Russ was safely tucked away in bed. Booth sensed the anger simmering in her, but he didn’t suspect the source until they were finally alone in the living room.

“It’s your fault,” she said from where she sat curled in the chair.

“My fault?” Booth asked, bewildered.

“If you hadn’t dragged me off to Hanson’s I would have been able to be there when our son was taken to the emergency room,” she said.

“You’re the one who is always bugging me to include you in the field work!” he said, struggling to keep his tone reasonable.

“That was before I had a son to worry about!” she countered with barely controlled anger.

“He’s my son too!” Booth countered, starting to get angry himself.

“But I’m his mother! I should be there when he gets hurt, to—to comfort him,” she ended on a broken whisper and Booth’s anger evaporated. He went down on his knees in front of her chair.

“Look at me,” he said gently. She complied, lips trembling as she struggled to control her emotions. Booth reached for her hand, stroking her knuckles. “You can’t be everywhere at once. Things like this happen sometimes. It isn’t a reflection on you as a mother.”

She felt guilty suddenly. He was being so sweet and she was being a bitch. She smiled a little. “I know,” she sighed. “I’m sorry. It was just so—hard seeing him like that.”

Booth leaned forward to kiss her. “It’s okay, I understand. I’m just glad he’s gonna be fine. Join me on the couch?” he asked invitingly. She nodded and they moved to the couch, cuddling up together.

A long moment later she spoke. “When do you want to interrogate Hanson?”

Booth chuckled as he thought of their inebriated suspect. “Tomorrow’s soon enough. Let him cool his heels for tonight, it’ll do him good.”

Brennan sighed with contentment. “Fine with me. I don’t want to move from here for at least an hour,” she murmured.

Booth tightened his arm around her. “Me either.” The events of the day caught up to them and they soon fell asleep that way.

@@@@@@@

There you go! Don't worry, I couldn't bring myself to seriously hurt an innocent little boy. Hopefully musie will cooperate and give me more in the next couple days. smile/waku.gif

Hooray! That was excellent! I'm glad Russ was okay and I'm glad that Booth and Brennan had that talk at the end. I feel bad for Brennan because she's feeling so guilty! I can't wait for the next chap!

from: willgirl

Aw, so sweet, red!! I loved it, and I can relate!!! You rock, girl! Keep it coming, cuz we all want MORE!

from: flyersfan35

I've been following this whole series over at FF, so I'm glad to see it here.

Let me guess -- you have some experience with little ones in the ER? You must, because that chapter was so close to my experience when my daughter was 15 months old that it was kind of freaky reading it. Except you left out the part about battling with the nurse who tried to make us wait in the waiting room waaaaaay down the hall. Um.... no. Damn ER Nazis smile/bluewink.gif

And wow! Russ is exceptionally verbal for a 12 month old boy. Must get it from his mom smile/!icon_biggrin.gif

Keep those chapters coming smile/thumb.gif

from:StrangeButNotaStranger

Well, thanks so much! Yeah, my son was a bit--accident prone. As for Russ being exceptionally verbal--I figured with a mother like Brennan he would be pretty good at talking. Actually, my daughter was quite chatty. She said her first word at 6 months and was making 3 or 4 word sentences by the time she was a year old. I think it was partly because I read to her every night from an early age and I played with her a lot. My son, on the other hand, was more stubborn and wasn't really talking much until the age of two.

i love it.... pps

from: CheeseBK

Quote :
As for Russ being exceptionally verbal--I figured with a mother like Brennan he would be pretty good at talking. Actually, my daughter was quite chatty. She said her first word at 6 months and was making 3 or 4 word sentences by the time she was a year old.


from: StrangeButNotaStranger

Yeah, my mom tells me I was the same (and she has the audio tapes to prove it lol!). My girls were both early talkers too, but not quite like that.


Now here's some nice Thai take out for you while you work on that next chapter
[Only admins are allowed to see this link]

alright red......finally all caught up.......with this fic anyway...so glad you brought it over here......wowza......i like how torn she is between her work and her son....it does make her appear more human......i also like how she doesnt use baby talk with her son.....and booth of course.......love how he is always there to comfort her and tell her she is doing a good job...awwwwwww and then of course the sex.......good thing they have a baby monitor.....cause if i was with him.....oh...wouldnt hear anything....just be focusing on him of course.....lol

so freakin fantastic red.....as usual......and now that i am caught up, well of course i want more........duh...........now i am going to have to bug you, willi, and flyers.......ughhhhh so many people to bug and so little time........cant wait for more woman..................

from:A2BOREANAZ
a2b

Chapter 7

Little Russ’ first birthday party was underway. The birthday boy was strapped into his high chair, a huge grin on his face as Angela and Hodgins sat on either side of him talking to him. Brennan was cutting the cake while Booth scooped ice cream. Cam, Zach and Parker were all seated around the dining room table.

Brennan set a piece of cake in front of her son. “There you go, Russ. Now, use the spoon like I taught you,” she urged, putting the spoon into his right fist. He giggled and waved it around, then plunged his left hand into the chocolate cake. He squealed with glee as the frosting squished between his fingers. “Russ!” Brennan scolded, trying not to laugh as the baby smashed frosting and bits of cake into his mouth. Only half of it actually hit the intended target, while the rest was smeared across his cheek. She caught his hand before it made it to his hair.

Angela laughed. “Maybe he’s left handed, Bren,” she half teased, handing her friend a napkin.

“That’s possible,” Brennan replied, taking the napkin and cleaning her son’s chubby fist. He was starting to fuss as he struggled against her efforts. He was focused on his cake and she was deterring him.

“I don’t know why you’re bothering with that,” Booth said as he continued to serve the cake and ice cream. “He’s just gonna do it again. Why don’t you just let him enjoy his cake? Great things about kids is they’re completely washable.”

Brennan rolled her eyes. “Sure, you can say that, you’re not usually the one who has to do the washing.”

“Hey! I gave him a bath just the other night. We had fun, didn’t we buddy?” Booth said to his son, taking his own plate and sitting down next to him. Russ chortled and plunged his hand into his cake again.

Brennan sighed and sat down to eat her own cake. “And who had to clean up the bathroom when you two were done having fun? There was more water on the floor than there was in the tub,” Brennan mock complained.

“I would have cleaned it up after I got him into his jammies. It’s a matter of priorities, Bones,” Booth said with a smile. Brennan smiled back at him. It was impossible to resist his charm at times.

“Daddy, was I that messy when I was little?” Parker asked from his seat on Booth’s other side. He wore a faintly disgusted look as he watched his brother demolish his cake.

“Sure, bub. Sometimes we had to hose you off outside, you were such a mess,” Booth teased.

“Did not! You’re makin’ that up,” Parker said, familiar with his dad’s sense of humor.

“Nope. You can ask your mom. I remember one time we had spaghetti and you had sauce smeared everywhere. You were having so much fun, you threw a fit when your mom took the plate away.”

Parker grinned, swinging his legs. “I love s’ghetti.”

“Your manners have really improved since then,” Booth joked, handing him a napkin and motioning at a smear of frosting on his chin. Parker giggled and scrubbed at his face.

The doorbell rang as they finished clearing away the plates. Angela had volunteered to clean up the baby, a task made challenging by the fact that he was struggling and yelling to get down. Booth turned from the sink.

“Right on time,” he said mysteriously, a sly smile on his face. Brennan frowned at him as she handed Angela a clean T-shirt for the baby.

“Who is it?” she asked warily. Booth’s reply was a soft “you’ll see” as he headed for the front door.

“Hey, everybody, come into the living room. I have something to show you,” Booth called a moment after the front door closed.

Parker squealed with delight at what his dad had to show them. There, in the middle of the living room, stood an organ grinder with a small, ring-tailed monkey on a leash. The monkey wore red velvet pantaloons and vest, with a tiny pillbox hat on his head. He smiled up at the people crowded around him.

“This is Tony and his friend, Cheche,” Booth said in introduction. Tony smiled broadly, revealing a gold cap just left of center. The monkey chattered, obviously enjoying the attention.

“Oh, he’s adorable!” Angela crooned, hunkering down and reaching out a hand. The monkey slapped her palm, then held his paw out, palm up. “Awww, look, he wants some money. Hodgie, give me some money,” she said, holding her hand up to Hodgins without taking her eyes from the monkey.

Hodgins rolled his eyes and dug in his pocket, handing her a quarter. She threw him a smile and put the coin in the monkey’s paw. The tiny creature bowed to her and slipped the quarter into a pocket in his pantaloons, causing a round of laughs.

“I wanna give him a quarter, Daddy!” Parker said, and Booth dutifully handed his son a coin. Parker crouched down and held out the coin, which the monkey took with a bow and quickly put in his pocket. Parker laughed. “Oh, Daddy, I want a monkey. He’s just like a tiny man.”

“Sorry, bub, I don’t think your mom would go for that. But you can ask her.”

Brennan bent down so Russ could get a close look at the monkey. The baby smiled. “Baby!” he said, clapping his hands and laughing. The monkey reached out a paw and Russ slapped it, just like his daddy had taught him. The creature frowned at him, evidently disappointed at the lack of a coin, and turned to the next person.

Zach hunkered down, studying the monkey. It cocked its head to the side, returning stare for stare. “How long does it take to train a monkey like this?” he asked curiously.

Tony smiled even broader. “Oh, not long,” he said proudly. “My Cheche, he is very smart, I train him in just a year.”

Zach held out a fifty cent piece, watching the monkey’s behavior closely. “How long have you had him?”

“Five years this April,” Tony said.

“He seems to have learned to emulate a lot of human expressions and gestures,” Zach observed as the monkey pulled his hat off and affected a pleading expression, trying to get Cam to give him a coin. Cam laughed and handed him a quarter, which he took with a grimace and a bow.

“I play a song now?” Tony asked, still grinning. Everyone agreed that would be great and settled on the couch and chairs. Tony spoke a few words in Italian and the monkey affected a dance pose, much to everyone’s amusement. After warming up, Tony started playing and they all laughed with delight as the monkey danced and did flips, making comical faces the whole time.

Suddenly the monkey slipped out of his leash. Sensing freedom, he dashed for the entertainment center, scampering nimbly up to the top. They laughed and clapped uproariously, thinking it was all part of the act, but Brennan could tell by the alarmed look on Tony’s face that it wasn’t. Cheche sat on the top shelf, well out of reach, and chattered at them. Tony started berating the monkey in Italian, but that only seemed to agitate the creature. It started throwing the knickknacks from the shelf at its handler. Tony ducked as a porcelain dove sailed at his head.

Booth jumped to his feet. “Calm down, Tony,” he told the organ grinder quietly. “You’re just making it worse. Here let me try.” Booth approached the shelving unit cautiously. “Nice monkey, good monkey. Come down from there, Cheche,” he crooned. The monkey stopped in the middle of picking up a porcelain robin, cocking his head at Booth. Booth ducked as the robin was launched at his head. “O—kay, that didn’t work. What does he like to eat?” he whispered to Tony.

Just then Brennan came back from the kitchen with a bunch of grapes and handed them to Booth. Tony smiled, nodding his approval. Booth held the grapes up and suddenly had the monkey’s undivided attention. “See, Cheche. Yummy grapes. But you have to come down to get them.”

The monkey seemed to be weighing his desire for the treat against his desire to stay where he was. His stomach apparently won the debate and the monkey climbed down the shelves. Booth handed the grapes to Tony and his pet was soon back on his leash, wolfing down his treat contentedly.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Booth. Cheche, he never do that before,” Tony said, upset by his pet’s boorish behavior.

“Don’t worry about it, Tony. No harm done but a few broken knickknacks,” Booth reassured the poor man, showing him to the door. When he returned the party was breaking up and soon they were alone. Booth cleaned up the mess while Brennan bathed their son.

“Why a monkey?” Brennan finally asked him. They had collapsed on the couch and the baby was drowsing between them.

Booth shrugged. “I don’t know, I thought everyone would enjoy it. Don’t you think they did?” he asked hopefully.

Brennan rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure, up until he started throwing things. Next time rent a pony, okay?”

“Fine. I thought it was a hit,” he muttered. Brennan chuckled, snuggling up to his side.

“Your heart was in the right place,” she murmured, kissing his neck. He shivered a little.

“Make sure you’re ready to follow through on anything you start, Mrs. Booth,” he said huskily, leaning down to kiss her. They broke apart when Russ shifted and grunted in his sleep.

Brennan kissed her husband near his right ear. “Ready and willing, Mr. Booth,” she whispered in that smoky voice he loved. “Put your son to bed and I’ll meet you in the bedroom.” Booth grinned and watched as she sashayed out of the living room, pausing in the doorway to give him a saucy glance over her shoulder. Booth chuckled and picked up his son, careful not to wake him. He wanted at least an hour of his wife’s undivided attention. He needn’t have worried. The eventful day had completely worn the little guy out and he slept through the night.

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Phew! What a relief! I hate having two multi chaps going on at the same time, I just can't handle the pressure!

Aw, red, how cute!!! The monkey was hilarious, and of course 1 year olds have to use their hands for their cake!

Another wonderful chapter, red! Of course, I may be a little....um....obsessed, but where was the SMUT??!!

lol, jk, it was great

from: flyersfan35