Prologue

Seeley Booth used his hand to cover a yawn as he stepped onto the elevator in the Hoover Building. He did not recall the last time he had received a decent night's sleep. With a three-month-old who slept in four hour stretches, an eight-year-old, a seven-year-old who still missed his mother, a puppy, and a slightly crazy pregnant girlfriend, he was lucky if he managed to sleep for six hours during the night. Currently, he was averaging around four to five hours of sleep a night. It did not help that he had not yet managed to finish work on the house, so he, Brennan, Parker, Kristen, Noah, and the puppy were living in a two-bedroom apartment. They were constantly tripping over one another, and tempers were running a bit high.

Still, he would not change his life for anything. He was in a committed relationship with a beautiful woman who he loved more than life itself. He had three wonderful kids and another one on the way. He had a great job with the FBI that may not have paid as well as he would have liked but still gave him a sense of satisfaction that he knew he would not receive from any other career. Yes, he truly was living the American Dream. Though admittedly his family was far from typical, they loved each other and looked out for one another, and that was all that mattered.

The elevator stopped on his floor, and he stepped off, making his way quickly to his office, humming tunelessly under his breath. He took a sip from his coffee as he reached the office, pushing the door open. When he saw who was standing on the other side, however, he nearly spit the coffee all over the floor. The man turned around when he heard the door open. His brown floppy hair was slightly longer, hanging low over his face, and his skin was a shade darker from the sun. He still seemed to be in decent shape though Booth noted with some satisfaction that he could probably out-compete the other man athletically. The wrinkles at the corners of the man's eyes crinkled as he smiled at Booth.

"Booth, it's good to see you again. I must say, I figured you'd be out of this office and somewhere more fitting for a man of your talents and ambition. Or at the very least I thought there would be an ADD in front of your name."

Booth knew his mouth was still hanging open, but he did not bother to close it as he spoke a single word. "Sully?"