A Week Later

It was all set. Parker ran around to make sure the finishing touches were complete, and then he went to find Angela.

"I'm ready," he said. "Are you?"

"Almost," Angela said, finishing what she was doing. She doubted things would get that far on the date, but she had hope.

"What are you doing?" Parker asked, cocking his head.

"Oh, you know," Angela said, tossing some rose petals around. "Prettying up the place."

"To make it smell nice?"

"Right," Angela nodded. It was best to keep him thinking that. She set the lighter right next to the candle on Brennan's dresser and closed the bedroom door behind her as she followed Parker back to the living room.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We wait," Angela answered with a smile. Booth and Brennan should be coming along any minute now.

On cue, the door opened.

"Hi," Brennan said hurriedly. "We got a case."

"Now?" Angela asked, craning to see where Booth was.

"Yes. I have to go to Baltimore," Brennan added. She didn't even notice the table. Thankfully, she didn't go into her bedroom. She grabbed her kit from her office and came back.

"So you need me to watch Parker," Angela said.

"Until we get the body to the lab. I'll text Ashley after that," Brennan replied. She noticed the table then. "Were you guys about to have dinner?"

"Eh, no," Angela shook her head.

"It was..." Parker started.

"For you and Parker," Angela cut him off. He understood her warning look and closed his mouth.

"Aw, that's sweet," Brennan smiled. She bent to kiss Parker's head. "We can eat when I get back."

"Okay," Parker agreed. Then Brennan was gone as fast as she came, and the two of them were left standing there alone.

"Well," Angela said.

"What do we do now?" Parker asked. Angela went to pull the food out of the oven.

"We wrap this up, tidy up, and wait for another chance to surprise them," she answered. Parker was disappointed, but he understood. He could always try again.

...

Over the course of the next two days, Brennan found herself exhausted. Angela had insisted that she visit her mother's grave on the anniversary of her burial, and who did she run into there but her very own father. He tried to talk to her, but she immediately called the authorities. It had left her feeling rattled. When he'd shown up at her apartment to tell her to look at his file, she felt even more rattled that he had broken into her place. What if Parker had been there with Ashley? Then Booth kept complaining about his tooth, so she practically went up to her elbows into his mouth to look at it. The feel of his hands on her shoulders remained with her to this day, and she wondered if he was still thinking about it too. They had these little moments in the past week where he would accidentally touch her (she was beginning to think it wasn't accidental) and be looking at her whenever he thought she didn't notice. She knew he was a little frustrated with her not giving her father a chance to talk. A part of her wanted to, but she also felt angry that her father had abandoned her and then continued to have a life of crime. It went against everything she stood for if she gave him the time of day and didn't call in his appearance to the authorities.

She came home to another nicely set table and Angela and Parker looking at her.

"Hi," she said cautiously. This was the second time she'd come home to this. Something was up here.

"Where's Booth?" Angela asked.

"He went home," she answered.

"Oh."

"What is all this?" Brennan asked. Angela and Parker looked at each other.

"I think we have to tell her, buddy," Angela said.

"Do we have to?" he asked.

"Tell me what?" Brennan inquired. She was curious now.

"I have a crush on Angela!" Parker blurted out. Both women gave him a surprised look.

"What?" Brennan asked.

"I know what a crush is," Parker said defensively. "And I know that it means nice dinners and talking. I know Hodgins has a crush on her first, but I wanted to do something nice for her too."

Angela didn't know whether or not to laugh or cry. It was the most touching, sweetest thing but also adorably hilarious. She was glad she refrained from the rose petals in the bedroom again because she knew Parker would not have an explanation for that one. She could only imagine what he would have come up with.

"Okay," Brennan nodded slowly. "What did you make for dinner?"

"Vegetarian lasagna," he said proudly.

"My favorite," Brennan commented.

"I know," Parker grinned. Then he froze, realizing. "Um, it's Angela's favorite too."

"It is?" Brennan asked him.

"Yup!"

"Yes," Angela said at the same time. She decided to keep Parker's secret for now.

"Well, I'll leave you to it," Brennan smiled. Angela's phone vibrated with a text then, and she looked at it.

"Oh, no," she said. "I'm so sorry, buddy. I have to go do some work. Cam called me in."

"That's okay," Parker said cheerily. She bent to hug him.

"Nice cover up," she whispered in his ear.

"Thanks," he beamed. Angela stood up and tucked her hair behind her ear. Brennan was absorbed in what she was doing by the counter.

"See you later," she said.

"Okay. Send me updates," Brennan replied.

"You got it."

When Angela was gone, Parker watched Brennan warily. Had she read through his fib? He was worried she would get mad at him.

"Just you and me," Brennan said, turning around finally. "Let's eat."

"Okay!"

There was a knock at the door then, and Brennan went to answer it. Parker took a peek around her and saw a man standing there.

"Snickerdoodles," he started, but Brennan closed the door in his face. Parker wondered why.

"They were your favorite," the man called through the door. "Also, I have a message from your brother."

Brennan opened the door again, and he pushed through it.

"What message?" she asked.

"He says hi," the man answered. Then he stopped short upon seeing Parker.

"Hello," Parker said politely.

"Is this my grandson?"

Grandson? Parker was intrigued now. Was this Brennan's father?!

"What do you want, Dad?" Brennan asked on cue.

"What's your name?" he asked Parker, ignoring her.

"Parker."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Max. Or Granddad I guess."

"No," Brennan said sharply, making both of them look at her. "Parker, please go to your room."

"Okay," Parker said reluctantly. He didn't like seeing her like that anyway. He scuttled down the hall and into his room, but he still listened by his door.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

"Did you look at my sheet?"

"Yes, but it does not excuse you for what you did."

"I've been straight for 15 years."

"You just murdered the director of the FBI!"

"I protected my children," Max corrected. Parker wondered if this was true. Max seemed too nice to be a murderer, but he'd only known him a whole three minutes.

"Booth will arrest you when he gets the chance," Brennan went on.

"He can try," Max replied. "So, snickerdoodle? Come on, you loved them as a girl. You'd always wait for me to get home and then dance around asking for one while trying to get me to play the 'trying song.'"

"I don't remember," Brennan said stiffly.

"By Poco?" Max tried. He sang a few lines before faltering. Parker wanted him to continue. He liked the song. It was perfect for his scenario with preparing the date for Brennan and Booth. He had to just keep on trying. It was quiet for a moment until Max spoke again. "Hugh Kennedy, eh? He's a real bad guy. Dead, though."

"Not according to recent evidence," Brennan answered.

"Well, he's tight with Ice Pick, if I recall. But I gotta go."

"Right now?"

"Yup. You called Booth, and he'll be here with SWAT any minute," Max answered cheerily. "I wanted to talk to you about some stuff your mom wanted you to know, but another time. And Booth, Mr. Kennedy is addicted to model airplanes and is very wily. Stay sharp."

When the door shut, Parker poked his head out of his room. Brennan was still on the phone with Booth. When she hung up, she rested her hands on the counter. He could tell she was crying. He padded out to her and hugged her legs, surprising her.

"Hey," she said, clearing her throat. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. I don't think you're okay, though," he said.

"I'm all right."

"Crying means something is wrong," Parker pointed out.

"I just had something in my eye," Brennan fibbed. He knew it was a fib, but he let it go. He knew that if Max was her father, she would be having a hard time with it like before. He also knew that adults sometimes didn't like to share feelings.

"You wanna eat now?" he asked instead.

"Sure, since you went through all that work," she nodded. She set the lasagna on the table, and he pulled out her chair for her like he knew boys were supposed to for girls because it was polite (his friend at school was always telling him this stuff). He really wanted to ask questions about Max, but he didn't. He knew she wouldn't want to talk about it. He hoped she would talk to Booth or Angela about it, though. Everyone needed someone to talk to. He knew that.

The Next Day

Brennan was trying not to let the fear consume her. Booth was missing. He had gone to check out the airplane field in Baltimore and hadn't come back. She kept it from Parker so as not to worry him, but she herself was freaking out. She paced her office, thinking. What if he was dead? She couldn't bear the thought. The FBI were of no help to her whatsoever. They were vague as hell, and that only infuriated her. There was someone she could get to help her, though. Someone she didn't really want to ask for help but felt she had no other choice. She knew he was keeping an eye on her so he could approach her again. She grabbed her bag and went out the door. She'd make him come to her again.

...

Booth had endured lots of torture in his life. He was used to it. When Gallagher and Lightner looked at the picture of Parker and Brennan, though, that burned him inside. They could do whatever they wanted to him, but he would rather die than let them hurt the ones he loved.

The blows kept coming hard and fast. He felt his head snap back with each one, but he refused to show he was hurt.

He really hoped Brennan was trying to find him.

...

Brennan was a little horrified at what her father was doing, but she knew that this was the only way they'd find Booth. She knew Angela had been stunned to know her father was helping her, that she had allowed him to help her. She didn't want to think about what that meant right now. Her main focus was getting Booth back. If this was teaching her anything, it was teaching her that you can't just sit and wait for the right time...you had to make a right time happen. She should have learned that lesson before after getting buried alive. This was just a sharp reminder.

"It was Booth's tooth?" Max asked, breaking into her thoughts.

"Yes."

"You don't have to watch," he said, looking at her, the pillow in his hand over the bounty hunter's face.

"I...I get why you're doing it," she replied. "Man of action." Like Booth. She didn't think he would get this extreme, but maybe he would if she or Parker was in danger.

"All right, all right, all right," the bounty hunters practically squealed. "Kennedy is alive! I had to help him fake his death or die myself."

"Tell me something I don't know," Max ordered. "Like where is Agent Booth?"

"This room was empty when I got here. I swear it," the bounty hunter said, staring at him fearfully.

"So what happens to her?" Brennan asked Max, gesturing to the bounty hunter. He put the pillow behind her head and dusted his hands.

"The room's paid for til the end of the week," he shrugged. They walked out together.

"So, who has Booth? Kennedy?" Brennan asked as they drove back to the Jeffersonian.

"No. He's old...he just wants to be retired and disappear. Like me," Max added.

"Comparing yourself to Kennedy is not helping your case with me," Brennan pointed out.

"Right. Sorry."

"So, who has Booth then?" she asked, getting back on topic.

"You're forgetting the other key player here," Max told her. Brennan thought hard.

"Gallagher," she realized, looking at the paper Max was holding up with Booth's handwriting on it. "So what do you do while I'm in the lab telling the others this?"

"Oh, I'll just have a cat nap in the car," Max answered. "All this excitement has tired me out."

"Okay," she nodded.

"Is Parker my grandson?" he asked suddenly.

"Um, not officially," she answered.

"What does that mean?"

"I'm a foster parent. He's my foster child," she explained. She left out the fact she wanted to adopt Parker but Booth was the father, so they just shared custody. He wouldn't get it.

"Oh. Well, he seems fond of you," Max said.

"I'm very fond of him too."

"Think you'll adopt?"

"Maybe one day," she answered. If she did get with Booth, then she would be his stepmother in a sense. She really liked that idea, and she thought about it a lot.

"You should. Kids are great," Max said.

Brennan bit down her response. It went along the lines of, "How would you know since you abandoned us?"

"Stay put," she ordered as she parked and got out.

"You bet," he replied, leaning the seat back and resting his head on his folded hands.

...

"Do you want me to hurt your boy?" Gallagher asked. "Huh? Because I will."

"Then the wife," Lightner added. "I'm assuming that's your wife."

Booth said nothing. His rage was boiling, though. He wanted to rip them both apart limb by limb.

"We could have some fun with the wife first," Gallagher suggested, nudging Lightner and chuckling. Booth clenched his fists tightly. Just imagining it was killing him inside. He had made a vow to never let Brennan ever get hurt. He wasn't about to break it now.

"Oh, we're hitting a nerve now," Lightner said, noticing. Booth spat on him, earning another round of blows to his face.

...

Brennan knew Angela had only meant well by ratting her out to Cam about her father helping, but she was still annoyed by it. Ashley had texted her an update saying Parker was fine and could stay until she gets back. That was a relief. She didn't know what she would do without Ashley and Angela sometimes.

She drove fast. She knew lying to the FBI was bad, but she didn't care. They shouldn't have played stupid with her first.

"Whoa," Max said, hanging onto the door handle. "I wanna get there alive, honey."

"I am an excellent driver," she retorted. They squealed into the lot, parked with a jolt, and got out. She hoped she wasn't too late. They ran towards the building. Max went first, and when they rounded a corner inside, Brennan wanted to throw up. Booth was being burned by a heated screwdriver. She shouted, and all three spun their heads to look at them. Booth knocked over Lightner, who landed on the screwdriver. Max chased after Gallagher. Brennan tore towards Booth, who was now on the ground.

"Are you okay?" she asked, coming to a skidding stop by his head. She searched him with her hands for injuries aside from the visible ones.

"Yea, I am now," he answered, groaning.

"Hey," Brennan said to Lightner. "Unless you want to die, you should stay very still." Lightner gave her a frightened look back while Max returned in a hurry.

"I need the keys," he said. Brennan could hear sirens outside then and knew he had to go.

"Max Keenan, you're under arrest," Booth tried.

"Next time, chief," Max replied.

"They're in the ignition," she answered, ignoring Booth. Max kissed her head and took off.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"I didn't actually give him the keys," she shrugged. He gave a laugh followed by a wince.

"I just never thought you would help your old man," he said.

"I thought I was never going to see you again," she said back. She helped him up and untied him gently. She reached to hold his face, looking at him. She knew all her emotions were on her face, but she didn't care. She was making this the right time.

"Bones?" he asked. Without overthinking it, she bent to kiss him. His surprise was evident, but he kissed her back. She realized after that it probably wasn't the best thing to do since his face was all beat up and bloody, but she didn't care. She finished kissing him and then she hugged him as tightly as she could without hurting him. He held her back, breathing her in and feeling immense relief, shock, and happiness. Agents swarmed around them then, and they put their attention to Lightner. Brennan helped Booth get up and walk slowly outside.

"Is Parker okay?" he asked, realizing he could be upset right now.

"He is. He doesn't know you were missing."

"Okay. That's good. The poor kid is gonna have a heart attack every time something almost happens to us," he joked. He was still in shock from her kiss but also in pain from his beatings and burns.

"We'll have to explain these injuries to him somehow, though," she warned.

"Let me handle that," he offered.

"Okay."

The paramedics insisted that Booth get checked at the hospital, so Brennan climbed into the ambulance with him. She held his hand for the entire ride.

...

"Wow," Parker said in awe. Booth had finished explaining that he had a fight with a bad guy and won without giving specifics.

"Yup. You never have to worry about me," Booth promised with a smile. Brennan insisted that he stay with them that night after he was released from the hospital. They hadn't talked about their kiss yet, and she was dying to know what he would say about it. Booth was sitting between them on the couch now. Brennan's hand was still in his. He felt warm inside at her touch and couldn't wait for Parker to go to bed so he could kiss her again.

A knock on the door surprised them, except Parker.

"I got it!" he exclaimed, rushing to it. Angela was revealed to be on the other side.

"You ready?" she asked.

"I'll be right back!" Parker cried, running to his room.

"Hey," Brennan said, getting up. "What are you doing here?"

"Taking Parker a sleep over," Angela answered.

"What? Why?"

"Because he asked," Angela shrugged. Parker returned with his backpack, a grin on his face.

"I don't understand," Brennan said.

"We've been trying to set up the perfect date for you guys all week," Angela explained. "Parker called and said Booth was staying here tonight, so we decided that there is no such thing as a perfect date, just perfect timing." She gave them a smile then.

"Oh," Brennan said, realizing now the nice dinners had been for her and Booth, not because Parker had a crush on Angela or because they were for her and Parker.

"Have fun," Angela winked, putting her hand on Parker's head and steering him out the door. Brennan shut the door and turned to look at Booth.

"A date, huh?" he asked, smirking.

"It was not my idea," she answered.

"I know," he nodded. "I'm just teasing. Come here." He patted the couch beside him, and she went to sit next to him again. She felt a bit nervous now and didn't understand why. This was Booth. She knew him. So they had kissed...would that ruin everything?

"I guess we should talk," she reasoned.

"I guess we should," he agreed. He reached to tuck her hair behind her ear, and she shivered at his touch.

"I think Parker's right," he told her.

"Right how?"

"We should be together," Booth answered simply.

She felt relief inside. She had been worried that he would reject her.

"I didn't know if you would feel the same," she started.

"Are you kidding? It's been coming for a while now," he said.

"Oh."

"It killed me when you were with Sully."

"It did?"

"Yes."

Suspicion confirmed for that too. Brennan didn't know what to think or do next. In the end, Booth figured it out for them.

He touched her face gently before cupping her right cheek and moving in to kiss her. She had a slight, dazed expression on her face when he pulled back a bit.

"I think I might love you," she blurted. "But I'm not sure."

"It's okay, Bones," he said. "I know I love you, and I'll be here when you know for sure too."

"Okay," she nodded. She reached for him then, and he got lost in her touch and kiss. It was everything he had imagined and more.

It was finally happening.

...

"Do you think they are mad at me?" Parker asked Angela in her apartment. They were on her couch watching a movie.

"No," she shook her head. "I think they're too occupied by other things."

"Like what?"

"Talking," Angela said seriously. "Lots of talking."

"I know adults kiss," Parker said, a little affronted.

"Maybe some of that too then."

"Thank you for helping me," he said, hugging her. She hugged him back tightly.

"Anytime, buddy," she replied. "I'll always help you no matter what."

"I'll always help you too," Parker said back, grinning. They high fived, and then they got back to watching the movie.

Mission complete.

Sorry it was more Brennan/Parker based. There will be more Booth in the next chapter. Don't worry, we aren't done with this story just yet! You'll know when it's over ;)