A.N : Bones? Nope, still not mine!

Thank you so much for your reviews!

To Shimpsrocks: Thank you for your offer, I would like your help indeed. How can we do it?

Oh, and to a Caroler: That's very sad that with all of your outstanding academics conquers, you still hadn't manage to learn good manners. But I have a nice solution for my atrocious English if it bothers you so much…stop reading it! Simple, huh?

CHAPTER 7- CARETAKER

" What? What you mean Parker knows? I've just landed in here. I haven't spoken to him yet. How in the world could Parker know about anything?" Deep down, Booth knew that it was a somewhat stupid question, but she had caught him truly of guard. But his Bones didn't find it confusing,much less amusing. The relaxed posture she had adopted faded away as she crossed her arms and stared at Booth with icy blue eyes.

" Well, unlike his father, Parker didn't disappear out of nowhere. Genetics has been kind to him, for he has only the chilvarious part of your genes. And I didn't see any reason to not let him know about it, since I still spend time with him and he's still my stepson by law. And if you were good at remembering what ours promises to each other were, you would remember that I've vowed to accept and love Parker as if he was born by my own body." She stared at him with a fierce look, and Booth felt his chest heavy with her statement. " And I wasn't going to confuse and sadden him more than he has already been by the past months, with his father gone. I promised him that I wouldn't go anywhere either."

" Don't you dare say that I've abandoned my son, Temperance." His voice was a bare whisper, but Angela and Jack felt actual fear by hearing it. But Brennan didn't even move.

" I never said that, Seeley. You used this word by yourself, right now. I said you were gone, which is true. And he was scared. Crap." Her hand rested on her belly once again, and she closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep sigh. " Look, I really think I need to get some rest now. The cramps are coming back, which clearly indicates that the baby is under too much stress. Just… you can come tomorrow. If you talk to parker before it, don't tell him it's a girl, I wanted to say by myself. He is so excited about it. Please?" How could he ever say no to her when she lifted those blue orbits directly into his? How could he ever say no to the woman carrying his own baby inside her body? No to the woman that for all that looked like, stuck around with his first born even if they weren't blood related in any kind of way, loving him, taking care of him, making him happy, while his daddy was out? Seeley Booth had learnt long ago that saying no to Temperance Brennan was a lost cause. But still, it amazed him the power over him.

" Sure, Bones. Whatever it takes to make you relax a little. Just go sleep,okay?" He stood in front of her, desperate to kiss those lips, but knowing that it was too soon. Instead, he touched the bulge in her stomach slightly, caressing it for a while, almost afraid that she would slap him. For a moment, it looked like she would, actually. But then, she sighed and just looked to his hand resting at the place where their little girl was growing. " You two stay good for me. You take care of your mommy, okay? Stop giving her a hard time with the cramps." Temperance once again only wished that time could go back, when all this protectviness of Booth would be able to destroy all her barriers and make her feel safe and loved. But when he left, the barriers came back fast and much more stronger and higher.

" You do know that she doesn't understand anything that you are saying, right, Booth? Actually, she won't be able to understand any words for quite a lot of time." She spoke merely in order to keep her mind to wonder to dark places, but he just gave her his charm smile while his fingers still caressed her womb, and she felt herself shivering. For sixteen weeks, she've waiting for his touch, craving for it.

" Sure she does. Specially if she's as smart as her mommy. She probably already understands even French by now. And even if she doesn't understand, there's a scientific fact for you… babies are capable to recognize voices from the womb. She already knows yours, and I want her to be able to recognize mine as well. And that, Bones, is something that you can't deny. I've read pregnancy books and articles when parker was about to be born,ok? That's science." Again, the charm smile, and those chocolate eyes. He caressed her one last time before straightening up, his voice a bare whisper, only for his Bones and their baby. " Daddy loves you, princess. I love both of you."

He gazed at her while saying that, realizing how tired she looked, how beaten. Man, he've screwed big time. He've spent so many years working on get into her heart, only to shatter it. And now, he would fight as hell to make amends and prove her that he will never leave her again, no matter for what motives. Once was enough, and lord help him, please not definitive.

" You just rest. I'll be here early morning, okay? Call me if you need anything, anything at all." He fought so hard the urge to lean closer and kiss her, while she nodded slowly, those amazing blue eyes eyeing him carefully .

" Okay, stud. I'll accompany you to your car. Jack, you stay here with her and make sure that she drinks all the tea. I'll be back in a minute, sweetey." Angela linked arms with Booth fastly, leading him to the door and to then to the garden, spotting his SUV. Once they were out of the reach of hearing any words, she smiled softly at him. " Well, I think that it went a lot better then I've ever imagined, really." He looks so broken. So lost. But then again, so does Bren.

" Yeah, maybe. But still. It will be a hell of a fight to even get her to trust a little in me again, let alone think about letting me be her husband again." He felt all the sadness of the fact, and it nearly killed him.

" Well, can you blame her, Booth? Honestly?" Angela's voice didn't have any accusations. And he knew that she could do a lot of them.

" No. I know that. It's just…I wish I could stay with her all the time. I miss her so much. And to come back and learn that we're having a baby…Geez, Ange. You know how much I've always wanted that for us. It's killing me the fact that I wasn't here for the very beginning. So, I know that's utopic, but I just want to barg into that damn door and crawl in bed with her, watch her sleep, watch that little bump in her belly that happens to be our daughter. Man…a baby girl. I always imagined a girl with her eyes seated on my lap, you know? Another kid. And with Temperance. Despite all this mess, I feel blessed." He smiled broadly at his wife's best friend, knowing that she understood. But talking about kids suddenly reminded him of his first one. " By the way… how Parker knows, really? I mean… what she meant by not leaving him at all? How did he took the news?" He had so many questions, and it felt like he've missed a lifetime. His boy was becoming a big brother, and he didn't even had the chance to talk about it with him. Ange gave him a warm smile, while crossing her arms.

" Well, those questions are really not for me to answer. You should ask Bren, or Rebecca. All I can say is that Bren never stopped being available for Parker. Actually, she became more available than ever. You know how they are together. And Parker…you would be so proud, Booth. He became so protective of Bren, as if he was taking your place while you were far away. And when she told him about the baby, you should have seen his face. And don't even think about complaining about Bren telling parker. She had a conversation to Rebecca and they decided it would be better for him to know, specially because nobody knew when you would be back, and parker still spends his weekends with Bren, just as if you were here. He made it very clear that he wanted to stay with her even if you weren't there. You have quite a boy, Booth. So, it's not like he wouldn't notice things. Specially,'cause I've already told you, Bren had a rough time at the first semester, and neither she or Rebecca wanted to scare Parker by let him thinking that she was sick or something. You really should ask Rebecca about that. Bren will kill me if she even imagine that I'm having this conversation with you, sweetey. And that's why I should get back inside. She'll grow suspicious. Just… talk to Rebecca, and come here tomorrow. Baby steps, Booth. But if it's worth for you, I really think that she'll give up and let you back in." She smiled again and gave a mock salut, making her way back inside.

" It's totally worth, Ange. Thank you." She waved at him and disappeared, and Booth climbed into his car, staring it while pulling his cell and dialing a very familiar number. He breathed deeply when she answered, trying not to stumble into his own words.

" Becca? It's Seeley. Yeah, I know I'm supposed to come just tomorrow morning. That's not it. Listen, I have a few questions for you…"

Temperance Brennan laid in her bed staring at the ceiling, her room dark and silent, and once again the flow of tears had came and wouldn't stop. She only tried her best to not make any sound that would for sure make Ange enter in her room in no second, for her friend was for sure wide awake and with sharp ears for her room. But how couldn't she cry? She was so tired of being strong, of showing an energy that she honestly didn't have since the day Booth had left. She was a human being. As much as she hated, she had a lot of weaken points. And the man that had just came back into her life was her biggest one. Along with the little girl that was now growing inside her. Her two weakest, most beloved points. Her hands rested where Booth's remained a while ago, but her mind traveling far away. To day where she was the caretaker, the day that they decided that changed everything…

She crept over the bathroom door tentatively, her feet touching the cold floor while she entered slowly.

"Booth? Are you done? The shower isn't working for a while now, so I just figured out that you were…" She stopped dead on her tracks by the vision that complimented her. There he was, seated by the bathtub edge, eyes closed and head on his hands, taking deep breathes. He was wearing the PJs pants she've found on his bag, his chest bare and wet, his hair dripping with water, as if It never had seen a towel. He opened his eyes a bit, wincing at the clarity.

" Yeah, sorry Bones. I was planning on call you as soon as I've stopped seeing everything doubled. Geez, this sucks." He shivered, realizing that he hadn't dried himself at all, only bothering to put the pants, praying for his bed, and to be honest with himself, his Bones. Her light touch over his temples, her caring, the sweetness that she only rarely showed. He was rewarded, indeed, for she moved fast and the next thing he realized was her hands with a big, fluffy towel moving around his body, his chest, shoulders. He grimaced, uncounsciously resting his forehead over her stomach, while she carefully dried his hair with soft moves, trying her best to not disturb his thudding headache.

" I already told you, Booth, it's migraine effects. It will be better soon, you just need some sleep. But honestly , an adult man like yourself should know better than get of the shower and not use a towel properly" She scolded, very selfconcious of his head in her abdomen. Temperance finally felt satisfied with her work letting go the towel and instead passing her fingers through his hair slowly, amazed by the feeling, along with his small moan at her ministration. " Rosie brought us some ice, I've already put it in the icebag. She brought some food, but I think that you should try to rest first and eat when you wake. Ok ?"

"Hum. Sure. I don't feel like eating anyway. Damn, you have great hands." He regretted the minute he've said it, but oh, it was so true. Soft, light fingers among his hair. He could get used with this. Which was incredibly dangerous, he thought.

"So I've heard. Cammon, time to get you in bed. Get up slowly,ok? Arms around my shoulders, don't go all alpha male now and try to walk by yourself. I mean it, Booth." She watched as he got to his feet gingerly, carefully placing his arm around her. She was actually surprised to see he doing so without protest, and leaning part of his weight at her. She could get used with a more cooperative Seeley Booth.

They made their way to the bed slowly, and Booth let out a relieved sigh when meeting the softness on the enormous bed. Temperance leaded him, and he suddenly realized he was trapped between her legs, his back against her chest, while she pulled him against her, until he was somehow laying down against her body, his head resting in a pillow placed in her belly, while she propped herself against the wall. All Booth could think was that if he were to die now, he would die a very happy man.- She smells good.

He almost jumped in surprise when her fingers touched his shoulders, something moisten and creamy within them, making immediate contact with his skin. It felt somewhat refreshing, and smelled like mint. Her fingers were small and strong wonders around his muscles, traveling from his shoulders to his neck, and he was amazed by every single touch. His Bones knew exactly were he needed, and how he needed.

" Bones…this is great. Really." He was surprised to see how drowsy his voice came up, not even realizing until now how relaxing her massage was. He felt his eyes heavy with tiredness and sleep , which only increased when her hands moved to his temples and forehead, circular moves that made the midgets inside his head stop jumping and squeezing his brain.

Temperance knew the exact moment he feel asleep, for his body completely relaxed against hers, and his breathing became even and sound. She've never saw him sleeping so deeply to be true. And it was an amazing view. She reached the icebag and placed on his forehead, realizing the small smile that started in his lips. If only she knew that she was the one that occupied all his dreams.

She propped herself among the pillows, careful to not disturb him in anyway, sinking further on her place, trying to relax her own body. Sleep, nevertheless, would have to wait until Booth woke up again, until she could make sure that he was better and ok. For now, her mission was just this, take care of her partner, her friend, her… she was suddenly scared by the numbers of words that came to her mind, none of them proper for co workers."

TBC…