One Day Later

It was still dark outside when he felt the resounding kick of his bed partner into his calf muscle. He jerked awake, expecting her to be full throttle amidst a nightmare, but when he turned, all he saw in the moonlight from the window was her eyes looking back at him. "Bones? What's wrong?"

"I'm trying to wake you up, but you didn't respond to the normal whisper and kiss on your ear, so I had to take to other measures."

"You mean kick me?" He asked.

"You're awake, aren't you?" She whispered. "Let's go get Parker up…" She whispered, climbing out of the bed, she disappeared out of the room of the cabin, without saying another word.

"This was not a good idea, Bones." Booth whispered to his wife, as they trudged up the side of the mountain in the dark with Parker at the lead, his flashlight bouncing off the trees.

"This was a great idea, Bones!" Parker exclaimed.

"Did you give him coffee?" Booth muttered. "He's way too awake for five in the morning."

"Excitement, Booth. It's caused his body to excrete adrenaline." She said, watching him trudge along behind them both, breathing heavily as they climbed faster.

"How about we stop talking about the kid's excrement…" Booth said, watching as the two ahead of him stopped and flashed their flashlights in his face. "Excre…ations?"

"Secretions?" Parker asked.

"Let's change the subject." Booth said, pointing forward. "Keep going."

"Bones, are you sure you're alright?" Booth asked, handing her a bottle of water as she turned and rested against a rock for a moment, Parker stood several feet ahead of them, waiting patiently. "You shouldn't be climbing in your condition… it's not…"

"It's fine, Booth. As long as I don't overextend myself, I will be fine." She said, taking the water from him, she swallowed every last drop in the bottle, handing him the empty bottle, she looked up to see the light of the sky above them. "Daylight is just about to break, Booth."

"Well then, get your pregnant butt up, and we'll be able to make it before the sunrise begins." He said, leaning forward for a kiss.

"This would be easier if a bear was chasing us, huh, Bones?"

"Right." She winked at the boy as he grinned. "Then we'd just have to go faster than your dad."

"Right!" He laughed, remembering the story that she had told him at the beginning of their hike.

One year later-

"Bones… slow down a bit…" Booth said, watching as his wife climbed at the same pace as Parker just as they reached the top of the mountain.

"Why should we slow down? We're almost there… and we're going to miss the sunrise."

"Well I have a bit more weight to carry than you do." He said, bumping the backpack with the precious cargo in it just a bit, to show her that he was serious.

"I carried Benji up last year, Booth. It was your turn this year." She smiled a brilliant smile as he shook his head and chuckled.

"Yeah, and last year he was the size of my pinky finger… he's a little bit bigger this year." Booth said as he watched Brennan climb back down toward him, she walked behind Booth and checked in on the little one secured in the backpack. His dark brown hair was messy, and his head rested against his father's back with his eyes closed tightly in sleep. "How is he doing back there?"

"Still sleeping." She whispered. "But he won't be if you keep complaining." She said, giving her husband a peck on the cheek as she rushed out of the way of his grabbing hands, laughing playfully as she caught up with Parker.

They climbed higher and got to the last leg of the journey, Parker stepping up the rocks expertly while Brennan stayed behind to ensure that Booth made it alright. Once to the top, they stopped, walking out toward the flatter rocky surface, Brennan held Booth's hand as Parker sat down on the rocks, looking up at the stars that surrounded them in the quickly lightening sky. Brennan carefully lifted their young son from his father's backpack, his head resting on his mother's shoulder as she cradled him carefully, ensuring that he didn't wake.

"Bones?" Booth whispered.

"Perfect." She whispered back, already knowing his question.

He wrapped his arm around her, kissing the head of their son, as she rested her head against his, just as the sun began its gentle push into the morning sky. "Perfect." He whispered back knowing that it was the only thing that needed to be said at that moment, and that nothing else said could do it justice.

The End.

206 Bones, 206 Chapters...250,000 Words. Review?