It was a week after Sully had left. Brennan had felt sad at first, but the more Booth was around with Parker, the more she realized that what she could have had with Sully did not compare to what she could have with Booth, if only she was brave enough to pursue it. For now she fully understood why she had stayed. It wasn't just for her job and Parker. It was for Booth.

"Ready or not," Booth was saying now with an exaggerated voice. "Here I come!"

Brennan smiled as he began hunting for Parker in her apartment. Parker's favorite game was hide and seek. She remembered it was her favorite as a child too, and then her parents hid, and she could never find them until her mother showed up dead and her father committed murder to save her and her brother's lives. It hadn't been such a favorite game since, but Parker was making her start to enjoy it again.

She could hear his giggling. The child just couldn't help himself and give away his hiding spot. She figured it was time for her to get involved and teach him the art of hiding and sneaking. She always did that, never stayed in one spot. It was why Russ could never find her unless she walked up behind him and scared him half to death. That part was even better than hiding.

"Found ya!" Booth called from down the hall. He came out carrying a giggling Parker under his arm like a football.

"Again!" he cried.

Booth gave a dramatic sigh, swinging Parker left and right as though he was looking for something.

"I dunno…" he said.

"Pleeeeaaaaase?" Parker begged.

"All right, but make it a bit harder for me to find you this time," Booth replied. He set the boy down, and Parker immediately ran off.

"There are only so many hiding places in this apartment," Brennan reasoned, looking at Booth.

"I know, but it's still fun for him," Booth shrugged. Then he grinned at her, and she smiled back, feeling something inside her chest that she couldn't fully describe.

...

Parker was in Brennan's closet. He had tucked himself in and buried himself under some of her clothes. Something was scratching at his cheek, though, so he reached to move it. A folded piece of paper came loose, and it was dark so he couldn't see it properly, so he tucked it into his pocket without really thinking. He could hear Booth outside the closet door, and he wanted to keep quiet.

"Is he UNDER THE BED?" Booth asked loudly. Parker stifled his giggles. His father was funny, and he loved it. He could hear Booth clomping his feet around the room, looking for him. "Is he IN THE CLOSET?" The door was pulled open, and Parker fought hard to not laugh. He felt hands push down on the pile of clothes he was hiding under, probing and poking.

"Hey, Bones," Booth called. "Either you've got a dead body in your closet, or our son has decided to hide there and play dead."

Parker's breath caught in his throat. Booth had said "our son." He wondered if Bones had heard him say that.

"Hmm," her voice said, in the room now. "I haven't murdered anyone that I know of. Have you checked for vitals?"

Parker felt Booth's fingers reach to press into his throat, and he couldn't keep it in any longer. He laughed.

"He's alive!" Booth cried after Parker whipped the clothes off to reveal himself.

"Was that a little harder?" he asked.

"A little," Booth nodded.

"We have to get to work," Brennan said. "Are you okay hanging out with Angela for a while?"

"Sure!" Parker beamed. He loved Angela. He ran to get his drawing supplies.

...

Our son.

Brennan had heard it. She had been surprised and then touched. Booth considered Parker to be her son too? Or was it just a slip of the tongue? Did he have feelings for her? She peeked at him sideways. They were driving and talking about their case. Father Donlan had rubbed her the wrong way, which she was also thinking about.

"I'm glad Janet was cooperative with us," Booth said after a moment of silence, looking at her and surprised to see her already looking at him. Was that a small blush on her cheeks?!

"We could have always just had Parker move in with you and still had him stay with me sometimes," Brennan pointed out, recovering. She could feel her cheeks were a little hot.

"I know, but it's official this way." Booth was more curious as to why she was blushing, but he didn't ask.

Booth looked back at the road and wondered if she had caught what he'd said earlier about Parker being their son. It had been an accidental slip, but he had meant it. Brennan was very much a mother to Parker, and he wanted her to know it. His fantasy was of them being a big, happy family together, but he knew it wasn't as easy as that.

"Do you think Father Donlan smacked children with rulers?" Zack asked from the back seat, making them both jump. They'd forgotten he was back there.

"Probably," Brennan answered.

"Let's not go back down that road," Booth said quickly. They'd already bickered about religion and how she had behaved in front of the priest. He spent the rest of the car ride trying to ignore Zack and Brennan's opinions on God and religion.

...

Angela had the pictures of the skull on her computer screen since she was watching Parker and wasn't at the Jeffersonian. She didn't want him to see it, but he had stuck his head around to look even after she'd told him not to. He had not freaked out, though. Instead, he had been intrigued. Typical boy. Now, he was sitting beside her trying to draw a face for it too. Angela peeked, and she noticed he wasn't doing too bad for his age and for having just learned the other techniques she'd taught him. It was their little secret as Angela did not want to be murdered for letting Parker see a human skull let alone draw from it.

"This is cool," Parker said for the tenth time. Angela smiled. She wished she had his enthusiasm. It was never easy drawing victims' faces and wondering who they were when they were alive and all the people left behind to grieve after they were gone.

"I have another secret," Parker told her after they were quiet for a while.

"What's that?" Angela asked.

Parker dug into his pant pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"I think Bones likes my Dad."

"Excuse me?" she asked, surprised. She took it from him and read it.

"Dear Agent Booth, you are a confusing man. You are irrational and impulsive, superstitious and exasperating. You believe in ghosts and maybe even Santa Claus and because of you, I've started to see the universe differently. How is it possible that simply looking into your fine face gives me such joy? Why does it make me so happy that every time I try to sneak a peek at you, you're already looking at me. Like you, it makes no sense, and like you, it feels right. If I ever get out of here, I will find a time and place to tell you that you make my life messy and confusing and unfocused and irrational and wonderful. If I don't get out of here, there is something you need to know. There's no easy way to say it, so I'm just saying it. I think Parker might be your son. When I look at the two of you side by side, you share facial structure. I'm scared to tell you because I love Parker so much and want to be his mother more than anything, but if I can't be there for him, then you can be. Please get a DNA test. Even if you're not his father, please adopt him. Don't let him get lost in the system like I did. Bones."

"Whoa!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet.

"I didn't understand it all," Parker explained. "But she's happy when she looks at him, right? And she likes when he's looking at her? Doesn't that mean she likes him?"

"You betcha it does," Angela confirmed. "Where did you find this?"

"I was playing hide and seek and hid in her closet. It poked me in the face when I hid under her clothes, so I went to move it. Then Dad was coming, so I put it in my pocket and was gonna put it back later. I promise."

"Then you read it," Angela said. He hung his head.

"I know it was wrong. It's a private letter. But what if I was meant to find it?" Parker tried. "What if this is what helps me get them together?"

"You want them together?" Angela asked.

"Yes! They're my parents. They like each other. Dad smells Bones's hair all the time, and I know from my friend that it means he likes her too."

Angela knew Brennan would probably be a bit upset with Parker for reading her personal letter, but the boy was so hopeful that Angela would help him that she couldn't deny him what he wanted. Hell, she wanted it too.

"All right," she said. "I will help you with your mission."

"Really?!"

"Yes. But, maybe put this back and don't mention it," she said, handing the letter back to him. "We don't want to upset Brennan."

"No," he said, shaking his head solemnly. "And I'll never read her private things again."

"Pinkie swear," Angela said, and he reached to hook his pinkie finger on hers. Maybe she was letting him off the hook by not telling Brennan so he could have a consequence for his action, but she figured Parker had enough tragedy in his life that this could slide. He was a good kid. And if Brennan didn't want her private thoughts read by someone else, she should hide them better and not leave them where they could be found. That was Angela's opinion anyway.

...

Religion exposed the underlying issue, and I will find out what that is and help you solve it in order to restore the balance of light and dark in the universe.

Brennan heard this in her mind over and over as they left Dr. Wyatt's office. Did he know she had feelings for Booth? Were they written on her face? And how could she have feelings when she just broke up with Sully? Well, to be fair, she hadn't dated Sully that long, and she already had the feelings for Booth before he came into the picture, and she stayed because of Booth, so...

"I think he really can help us," Booth said, interrupting her thoughts. He wondered what she was thinking. She seemed lost in thought, and he wanted to know.

"Hmm," was all she said in return. Or maybe, they'd have to help themselves. How, though, she had no idea.

...

After promising Parker they'd make a plan, Angela dropped him off at Ashley's (the babysitter) so she could go to work. Brennan needed her, and Ashley had been available, thankfully.

What surprised her was when Booth asked her to go with him to the church. It was like a sign. She could start her work on him, the weaker target. She knew Brennan was more headstrong, and if anyone was gonna make the move, it'd be Booth.

"Why am I here again?" she asked him.

"Bones and I are just having some issues," he answered.

"Did you two sleep together?"

"Angela!" he hissed. "You're worse than Bones. We. Are. In. A. Church. Don't talk about that stuff here!"

"Well, I think..."

"I'm trying to pray," he cut her off. And now he was trying not to think about sleeping with Brennan. Damn that Angela.

"Since Sully left, she's vulnerable," Angela went on anyway. "But I don't think she was ever into Sully."

"Shut up," he growled. But he was listening, attention perked. Brennan hadn't been into Sully?

"I think you know full well what I'm talking about," she said pointedly, looking at him. Booth caught some stares from the people around them, and he shot Angela a look back.

Thankfully, the service ended so Booth didn't have to answer her, which was a bonus cos he knew he would have caved and told her the truth, that he loved Brennan. He wanted to tell Brennan himself first, not Angela. They were approached by a boy named James, and they discovered that their victim was Father McCourt. Booth made sure he was on his phone to avoid anymore questions from Angela.

She wasn't stupid, though. She'd get him later.

...

Angela picked Parker up from Ashley's to feed him lunch and watch him while Ashley ran for an appointment.

"I have a plan!" he cried as they entered Brennan's apartment.

"What's that?" she asked a bit absently. Hodgins had thrown her a curveball by asking her to move in with him after she'd gotten back with Booth from church.

"What if we did a dinner date?" Parker asked. "With candles and stuff? Here?"

"Here? Not in a fancy restaurant?"

"It's private here," Parker reasoned. "They'd be alone and more likely to talk about things."

"I like how you think," Angela smiled. She started making him a grilled cheese while he sat on the stool and kept talking.

"What is the best song to play in the background?" he asked.

"Hmm. I'll have to think about that one," she replied. Parker peered at her then.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You look...scared."

"Do I?" she asked. She felt scared. Moving in with Hodgins was a big step. Not having her own space was a scary thought. But not moving in with him was also a scary thought.

"Is it Hodgins?" Parker asked. "Did he do something bad?"

"No, no. He asked me to move in with him."

"And you don't want to?"

"I...I don't know," Angela admitted. She couldn't believe she was talking to a child about this.

"He's nice," Parker encouraged.

"He's very nice. I just worry that if we go too fast, it might ruin things between him and I."

Parker cocked his head, looking at her. She felt a little unnerved at his stare. It was like he could see into her soul.

"I think if you're scared, you should talk to Hodgins about it," Parker said finally. "If anyone could make you feel better about it, wouldn't it be him?"

Angela stared at him, almost burning his grilled cheese until she realized she was cooking and took it out of the pan, sliding it on a plate over to him. He chewed on it happily while Angela kept thinking about what he'd said.

Before he went back to Ashley's, he put the note back where he'd found it in Brennan's closet.

...

When the case was over, and Dr. Wyatt had given them his assessment of the two of them, Brennan didn't know what to think. She had been certain he would have told them something different, especially after his comment about her wanting to be one with Booth. Instead, he told them they both feel out of place in each other's domain, that Brennan didn't want to lead a purposeless life by sailing around the world, and that Booth had an irrational fear of controlling someone else's destiny (i.e. him being the reason she stayed behind, which it was, but she didn't say that out loud).

She wasn't sure what she wanted Dr. Wyatt to tell them. Did she want him to tell them that they had hidden feelings for each other? That they were meant to be together? It was ridiculous, and it made her hate psychology even more.

She found Angela and Parker watching a movie. Booth came shortly after to take Parker out for dinner and said he'd pick her up when she was done with Angela, who had told Brennan about Hodgins asking her to move in with him and her confusion about it, so that was why she stayed behind. She had a good idea of how to help her friend.

...

Angela was left sitting across from Dr. Wyatt. He was looking at her, a twinkle in his eye. He'd just given her the answer to her problem, and it was reasonable enough. Take back some of her clothes and wait until Hodgins's stuff took up room in her closet. Then they'd be equal, and she'd be ready.

"All right, Monty Python," she said. "Maybe you can figure me out, but you're full of it about Brennan and Booth, and you know it."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," he said. He was still smiling, though.

"Brennan stayed because she didn't want to leave Booth, not because she needs a purpose."

"You're projecting..." he started.

"And you said what you said solely to be on the side of the FBI and get them working together properly again," she cut him off.

"Well, I admire your romanticism, but as Bard says, 'lovers and madmen have such seething brains, such shaking fantasies, that apprehend more than cool reason ever comprehends.'"

"Yes, but he also says that 'journeys end in lovers meeting, every wise man's son doth know,'" she said, looking at Wyatt.

"You're good," he smiled. "You are very good."

"You betcha, Monty," Angela smiled back. They watched Brennan get into the car with Booth, and Parker was in the back, leaning forward to talk to them between the front seats.

They belonged together. They were a family. And gosh darn it, she was gonna help that little boy make his dream come true and give him a family.

Next chapter will be the date ;) Stay tuned!