A/N: I know what you probably were thinking. "Just another story that died out short after it began..." Well, that's where you're wrong, I'm happy to say. :)

Some things have come up that have made getting this story finished a near impossible task, but I'm not one to leave things unfinished.

So, I hope you enjoy this. :)

A Favor

Present Day…

"They seemed happy," Josie sighed, her eyelashes fluttering much like her grandmother's had, once upon a time.

Hodgins shot her a bittersweet smile, and then nodded. "Yes. They were happy that night."

"Didn't last long, though," Parker said softly. His expression darkened slightly as he tried to recall the exact day. Time has a way of blurring past events, and Parker frowned as he realized how time had taken its toll on his memory.

"Why didn't it last?" Alex asked, his nose crinkling up in confusion.

"My Dad had three people in his life back then, that he loved more than anything in the world," Parker explained. "Myself, his Bones, and Pops…"

The echoed staccato of her high heels announced her presence long before she came into view. Angela glanced up cheerfully as Brennan sashayed towards her; with a confident stride only she possessed.

"Good morning, sweetie. You look flustered."

"I do not get flustered," Brennan said without batting an eye.

Angela rolled her eyes, and rose from her chair before shooting her friend an accusing look.

Brennan faltered a little, but fluidly maneuvered around Angela before casually calling over her shoulder, "Although, I am late for breakfast." Angela raised an eyebrow curiously, so Brennan elaborated as she laid a folder of case files on Angela's desk. "Booth and I are supposed to go over some case details. He was supposed to meet me here. I wanted to drop these files by before I left- our newest victim needs a face."

Angela shook her head and chuckled, before wobbling over and looking over the files. Brennan shifted slightly, her eyes never leaving her friend's bulging stomach.

"You should check your office," Angela finally said, her eyes meeting Brennan's stare. "He always naps on your couch when he's waiting for you."

"Yes, I know," Brennan stated flatly, before sighing and fidgeting a bit. "But… I wanted to check on you, Ange. Are you sure you don't want to take this last week off? Although your due date is two weeks away, your baby could come earlier than planned."

"I'm fine, sweetie," Angela said sincerely. "And to be honest, I just want to catch this guy. One less murderer on the streets is one step towards a better world for junior here." Angela patted her stomach lovingly, and Brennan smiled before excusing herself and making her way to her office.

She opened the door quietly, and tip-toed inside. He was stretched out on her couch, letting out soft snores as he slept. Brennan smiled at his sleeping form, before crouching next to him and gently nudging his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open, and he smiled widely at her.

"Mornin' Bones."

"Good morning, Booth," she said coolly, before rising to her feet and shaking her head at him. "How did you get into my office? It was locked."

"You're not exactly good at hiding the spare key," he retorted, before rolling his eyes and throwing it to her. "Are you ready to go?"

Brennan nodded deftly as she caught it, and so Booth grabbed his suit jacket and fell into step beside her.

The ride to the diner was relatively quiet; as were most of their early morning rides together.

The radio was playing softly, and Booth hummed along with the familiar tune as he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Brennan pretended to be interested in something outside of the Sequoia, but in truth, she was enjoying listening to him hum along. Although he was a little flat, she found the way he crooned the lyrics to be quite endearing.

The moment ended much too soon, as Booth pulled into the parking lot. He quickly killed the engine, before jumping from his seat and running around the side of the SUV to open the door for Brennan. She quickly opened it on her own, and slid out of the seat before shooting him a playful glare.

This was becoming a regular game of his.

"Booth, although I appreciate the sentiment behind your acts of chivalry, I am perfectly capable of exiting a car on my own."

He grinned devilishly as he reached over her to shut the door, before offering her the crook of his elbow. She linked arms with him, and chuckled as they crossed the parking lot to the diner.

"I know you're capable, Bones. But it's an alpha male thing. Indulge me, every now and again."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't protest as they found their seat, and ordered their coffee and food. Booth thought they had dropped the subject, so he was surprised when she sighed.

"Perhaps I will let you open the car door for me when you're having a bad day. Or, when it's raining. Is that satisfactory?"

"Geez Bones, you're so generous," Booth laughed sarcastically, before smirking. "You know, there's rain in the forecast. It must be my lucky day."

Brennan chuckled mirthfully, as their waitress approached them and handed them their orders. They discussed the case, argued about which suspect they should interrogate first, and pooled their evidence together- all over coffee, a whole wheat bagel, and a pile of pancakes that were drowning in sticky-sweet syrup.

Halfway through his next-to-last pancake, Booth's cell phone chirped to life. Brennan, deep into her explanation of the victim's injuries, didn't stop her rambling until his brow furrowed worriedly and he held his hand up to silence her.

"What happened? Is he stable?" Booth asked hoarsely, before running his hand through his hair.

Brennan felt her heart leap into her throat, and she couldn't contain her concern. "Who is it? Is it Parker? Is he okay-"

"Bones," he hissed, before plugging his ear and turning slightly away from her.

Brennan fell silent, and looked away awkwardly.

"No, really, thank you for calling me. I can be there in three minutes. Tell him I'll be there in three minutes, okay?"

Booth flipped the phone shut, and pocketed it before his hands fell uselessly to his side. Brennan put her hand on his shoulder, hoping to coax him into an explanation.

"That was the hospital," he finally said, his voice surprisingly steady and calm. "Pops had a heart attack this morning, Bones. They…" Booth trailed off, and rubbed his chin with his hand absentmindedly. "They said he forgot to take his medicine."

He swallowed the lump in his throat, before getting up and striding towards the door. Shocked, Brennan slid a few bills onto the counter to cover their meal, and flounced out the door in pursuit of her distraught partner.

The darkening sky rumbled around them, and Brennan shivered as she followed him.

"Look Bones, I can drop you off at the-"

"No," she said softly, as she settled into the front seat of the SUV. "I'm coming. You shouldn't do this alone."

His smile was unconvincing, but it expressed his gratitude.

She began to ask him if he was okay to drive, but the way he nervously clenched his jaw told her that now was not an appropriate time. She instead listened to the rolling thunder, and watched Booth's knuckles tighten their grip around the steering wheel.

Her hand hovered in the air, hesitant, before finally resting on his knee in their familiar form of comfort. Without looking down, Booth let his right hand fall from the steering wheel, and clasp hers tenderly. And he continued to cling to her- the entire drive to the hospital.

When the SUV stopped and Booth got out, Brennan watched the drizzling rain as it fell, and waited patiently for him to open the door for her.

The irony of their earlier conversation was not lost on her, as she compliantly let her partner help her out of the car, and then shut the door behind her.

Brennan had always hated hospitals.

She was good with handling people who had been dead for a while- not people who were in the process of dying, and especially not grieving family members. So she stuck close to Booth; keeping her eyes on the scuffed up tile floor. Booth's pace was somewhat difficult to match, and Brennan found herself jogging to keep up with him.

When they reached the room Hank Booth was residing in, Booth whispered some sort of brief prayer, and eased open the door. Brennan followed him, desperately wishing she could offer him some sort of comfort.

"Hey Shrimp," the man wheezed from the hospital bed, before glancing at the clock and teasing his grandson. "Doc said three minutes, and it's been five. You'll be late to your own funeral!"

Booth visibly winced at the mention of funerals, and Brennan's arm snaked out to rest on his shoulder.

"How ya doin', Pops?" Booth asked, moving forward to sit on the chair next to the hospital bed.

"I've been worse. I see you brought your girlfriend along, Seeley."

Booth was about to correct him, but Brennan stepped forward and cut him off. "It's good to see you again, Hank."

Booth was silently surprised- normally she readily jumped at the chance to correct people about their relationship status. He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly, but she ignored him with practiced ease, and instead pulled up a chair next to them.

Booth pinched the bridge of his nose, and let his elbows rest on his knees. "How long did they give you, Pops?"

Hank sighed, his heavy-lidded eyes drooping shut. "These son-of-a-bitch doctors don't tell me anything, Seeley. They all think I've gone senile."

Booth smiled at his grandfather's tough façade, and patted his hand before rising to his feet. "I'm going to go talk to them, okay? See what I can find out." He turned to Brennan, and whispered, "Will you keep an eye on him?"

She neglected to nod, but instead shot him a small smile, before leaning closer to Hank and saying, "While Booth is gone, perhaps you could teach me the secret to playing dominoes? I'm very interested in learning your techniques."

"Sure sweetheart," Hank chuckled, before shooing Booth away. "We'll be fine, Shrimp."

Booth gave Brennan a grateful look, before pushing through the door.

"Temperance," Hank said softly, watching his son disappear down the hallway, "I'm not gonna… not gonna last too much longer. You knew that, right?"

She brushed away a defiant tear, and took his withered hand into her supple one. When she didn't reply, he let out a shuddering breath and continued. "You remember what we talked about, don't you?"

She nodded, and shifted so she was closer to the bed. "Of course, Hank. And I promise… I won't be scared."

"Good girl," he whispered. "Because he's going to need someone. Everyone needs someone."

"I know," she reminded him gently. "I keep my promises, Hank. I'll help him through this."

The door swung open silently, and Booth crept in. "Pops, I want you to hang in there, alright? Rebecca is bringing Parker to see you, and Jared and Padme are on their way."

"Shrimp," the old man protested, "I don't want Parker to see me like this. And I sure as hell don't want to see the woman who keeps him from you. Not while I'm on my deathbed."

Booth swallowed the lump in his throat and pointed at his grandfather accusingly. "Pops, I want you to stop talking like that. The doctor said that you just need to stay here for a week or two, until they can get you back on your medicine properly. He told me that you would be fine if-"

"Seeley, stop it. I'm not taking that damn medication any longer," Hank snapped, his jaw set with determination.

Booth flinched at his harsh tone, and his hands fell limp to his sides. The old man softened slightly, and sighed. "Look, Shrimp. I love you, and I couldn't be more proud of you. What you've become, and everything you've done. But I'm tired, Seeley. I can't do anything for myself anymore, much less take care of others."

He blinked slowly, methodically; and then looked to his grandson for a glimmer of understanding. When he found none, he sighed. "It's time, Shrimp. I'm ready. I just hope you'll stay with me, so I'm not alone."

Booth dragged his fingers through his hair, and nodded meekly. "Yeah, Pops. Of course we'll stay."

"Good," Hank said gruffly, before motioning him over. "Now come give me a hug, young man."

Brennan watched Booth carefully as he conversed with his grandfather. He was managing to keep himself composed, and he was even laughing a little bit while they exchanged old stories. The only thing that gave away Booth's composure was the way his shoulders were slumped.

He was being strong for others, as usual- at the expense of sidelining his own feelings.

The door burst open suddenly, and a tear-filled little boy ran straight to his great-grandfather.

"Parker!" Hank wheezed, his eyes regaining their spark for a split second. "Good to see you, my boy. Where's your mother?"

"Actually, we brought him in," announced another voice from the doorway. Jared stepped forward, and then added, "Rebecca's waiting in the hallway."

Padme walked in behind him, her eyes downcast as she awkwardly lingered in the corner of the room. Brennan sympathized with her- she also felt uncomfortable in the small hospital room, with a saddened family that didn't belong to her. But she knew that Booth needed her to be there with him. And that was enough to satisfy her.

"Mom says this is the last time I get to come visit you," Parker said solemnly, before sniffling. "She says that you're dying."

The old man comforted his great-grandson, and hugged him in his arms. Parker pulled away after a minute, and wiped at his eyes indignantly.

"Well, I told 'er she was wrong. I think you just have to go be with God now, because he needs another angel."

Hank let a few tears slide down his face, before hugging the boy for the last time and whispering something into his ear that seemed to comfort him. Parker nodded, and left the room to rejoin his mother in the hallway. Booth had agreed with Rebecca that Parker did not need to be in the room when his great-grandfather passed away.

"Seeley, you and Tempe can take a break. We'll stay with him for a while," Jared whispered.

Booth hesitated, but then shot Jared an appreciative smile and ducked out of the room. Brennan walked beside him, but kept her eyes on the floor due to her slight discomfort.

"Thanks for being here, Bones," he finally said, his voice a lot stronger and confident than she had expected.

She studied him carefully for a moment- trying to gauge his emotions. But she had never been good with that sort of thing, so she gave it up and instead smiled.

They made their way to the cafeteria, and settled into a small booth. They ordered nothing, and instead just enjoyed the silence of the large room. Brennan fiddled with a salt shaker for a moment, before sighing and deciding it was time to tell him.

She had to wonder how he would react, and if this was the best time to tell him at all.

A/N: There you have it. Personally, I don't think it's my strongest chapter, but the plot gets moving from here on out. It's going to get worse before it gets better, dear readers, but the end result will be worth it all. I hope you enjoyed this. :) Please let me know your thoughts through a review. It would make my day. :)