A/N: Set between season 6 and 7. Booth and Brennan discover what it means to be a couple. Based around the Bonesology 2023 Summer Challenge, List of Holidays.
Chapter 1: Summer Solstice
Brilliant sunshine poured through the open blinds, waking Booth from what had been surprisingly calm sleep. With everything that had taken place in the last weeks, Broadsky's arrest, Vincent's death, and Angela's baby, his dreams had varied in nightmarish intensity.
In most of them, Bones answered the phone. Very few were of happier things. Which seemed unfair considering the turn his life had taken recently.
But last night, for the first time in weeks, he'd slept.
Next to him, was a warm body, bathed in the same brilliant light. Turning his head slightly, he inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of both her shampoo and whatever it was that made her Bones. That was the biggest change, though most of the dreams about her hadn't involved nightmares. Just soft, pleasant moments of the two of them finally being in the same place at the same time.
And now a baby. His baby. Her baby. The idea made him breathless with wonder and terror. He was going to be a father again. She, the woman he pined for, risked his life for, and loved would be the mother.
"Nothing worth doing is ever easy," he whispered, bending to press a soft kiss to the top of her head. If everything they'd been through together had brought them to this moment, it was all worth it.
She grumbled, burrowing closer to him and Booth smiled. They still had a few minutes, though the intensity of the sun made it seem later than it was. Looking down again, he caught a glimpse of her sleepy blue eyes. "Sorry the sun is so bright," he said, adjusting himself so he blocked the beams from hitting her in the face. "I forgot to pull the shades."
"Summer solstice," she muttered. Closing her eyes again, she contemplated whether she should get up or just stay horizontal, knowing the moment she decided to move, nausea would force her from the warmth of Booth's arms.
"What?" he asked, reaching across her body to grab something from the stand next to the bed.
"Summer solstice," she repeated, deciding to stay right where she was. "The northern hemisphere's tilt toward the sun is at its maximum. We will receive approximately fifteen hours of daylight today."
Snorting, Booth shook his head. Of course, she would know something like that off the top of her head, less than ten minutes after waking up. "Here," he said, moving back to shove a package of crackers under her nose. "I read that eating something before you get up can help with the morning sickness."
Pulling back from the crackers, not sure about the smell, she looked up at Booth. "You read this?"
Suddenly shy, he opened the package and offered her a saltine. "Figured it was worth a shot." He'd been doing a lot of reading about pregnancy and babies so he was prepared. He'd missed a lot with Parker.
"We'll get crumbs in the bed," she grumbled before taking the food from him. Carefully, she nibbled at it, not sure whether choking from staying flat while eating or sitting up and getting sick was the better option.
Deciding choking sounded worse, she moved until she was more upright. "How much time do we have?" she asked, trying to lean around Booth to see the clock. Now that she was awake, there was no sense in staying in bed and wasting the day. The sooner she rose, the sooner the nausea would pass. Better to just get it over with.
Looking at her in his bed, hair tousled from sleep, eating a sleeve of crackers because she was pregnant with his baby, Booth decided he was taking advantage of the day. "Skip work with me," he said.
Her brain rebelled at the idea. She'd miss plenty of work in the next few months between doctor appointments and then the birth. But something in Booth's eyes had her swallowing the denial along with another cracker. "Why?" she inquired instead.
Flopping back next to her, he took his own cracker from the sleeve. Always afraid that one wrong word would send her running again, he hesitated to be completely honest. Finally, he tossed the rest of the cracker into his mouth and shrugged.
"That's not an answer, Booth." She eyed the packet of crackers and took another. Slowly, she sat a little straighter, waiting to see if she was going to keep them down. Deciding the food was going to stay where it belonged, her attention turned to the man beside her. "It's not like we don't see each other during the day," she pointed out.
"Over dead bodies," he said. "I just want to spend the day with you and not with gross, leaky remains on the ground next to us." He glanced toward her and seeing she wasn't convinced, kept going. "A year ago, this," he said, motioning with his hand between the two of them, "wasn't even a dream I dared have anymore. Six months ago, we were tiptoeing around the idea of this." Plucking at the blanket over his lap, he refused to turn toward her. "Three months ago, there was the Lab," he continued, knowing no further explanation of both the pain and joy of that day was needed. "Then Angela's baby and you stopping me on that sidewalk."
Her hand came down on his and he linked their fingers together. "Now we're here," he said, squeezing tight. "And I feel like everything has gone from not moving to moving way too fast. I just want the day, the longest day, to spend with you. To slow everything down just for a moment. Because all of this, Bones, is going to go way too fast."
He sighed, before taking his gaze from their clasped hands up to her face. What he saw there had his shoulders relaxing.
Her gaze stayed on his before she nodded in agreement. He wasn't wrong about the pace things had taken place. It would be nice to just enjoy the good things that were in her life right this moment. Both were familiar with how quickly things could be snatched away. "We'll need to go back to my place to get some clothes. I brought only work clothes with me," she said. "Do you have a plan for our day?"
"I didn't even think you'd agree," he said. "And I only came up with the idea a few minutes ago." A disbelieving laugh followed as he racked his brain trying to think of something they could do together.
"How could I say no?" Gingerly, she moved to the edge of the bed and rose to her feet. She'd know in the next few minutes if the cracker trick worked.
"You good?" Booth asked, watching her closely. It had become a routine he hoped wouldn't last forever. She'd get up and morning sickness would have her running for the bathroom. He'd follow, holding her hair and rubbing her back until it passed. The book he'd bought and tucked away told him it wouldn't last forever. Though he knew for some women that wasn't necessarily true.
"For the moment." She closed the bathroom door between them. Waiting until the water started in the shower, he rose and headed to the spare bathroom and then the kitchen to start some coffee.
What could they spend the day doing? Not a movie or some scientific lecture. He wanted to be able to talk to her. Some activity requiring them to remain quiet went against everything he wanted this day to be.
Automatically, he moved from refrigerator to coffee to breakfast, preparing something he knew she could tolerate. Some things had fallen into place without much conversation. They rotated where they slept. Breakfast was usually his domain, though she was better about eating more consistently than she used to be.
Some days, it all seemed too easy and he worried it would all explode around him if he wasn't careful. Which wasn't fair and he knew it. He was in this all the way and so was she.
"Smells good," she said, coming up behind him to wrap her arms around his waist. Startled, he jumped and she quickly stepped back.
"Sorry," he said, turning to press a quick kiss to her forehead before turning back to the food. She'd distracted him more often than he cared to think about, breakfast burning more than once because he'd forgotten it was cooking. "Thinking too hard, I guess."
"I want to go to a park," she said. She assumed he'd been thinking about their plans for the day. Reaching around him, she grabbed the plate of food he'd prepared for her.
Thankful for the easy out, Booth turned his thoughts away from unnecessary worries to the day ahead. "A park? Any specific one?"
"No. Somewhere we can hike." Surprised to find she was actually hungry, Brennan smiled at his back. "I think the cracker trick might have worked."
"Yeah," he said, shooting her a lazy grin before plating his own food and sitting next to her. "And you don't care which park, as long as we can hike. Do you think you can handle that?"
She sent him a withering glare that had him smiling nervously. "But why wouldn't you be able to?" he asked, shoving food into his mouth before he said something else she wouldn't like. "He couldn't help but worry about her. That was never going to change.
"I'm sure that I'll be fine. Women have been having babies for thousands of years."
But you haven't, he added silently, chewing and swallowing carefully. Being overprotective would only make her angry. "Okay," he agreed. It met the one requirement he had; a place they could just be together and hang out. He'd pick a park with easier trails. Then he wouldn't have to worry about her getting dehydrated or lost. She did have a tendency to attract danger. "Let's finish eating and start our day."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
She tucked her hand into his after they left the car. Pleased, he squeezed tightly. "We'll go left," he said at the trail entrance. It was wide enough that they could continue to walk side by side. Shady and flat, it was close to perfect. "It will circle around in a couple of miles and bring us back to the car."
"The longest day will barely be over then," she pointed out.
"There's food and trails," he pointed out. "Naps to be taken at your place. Movies to watch at mine."
The thought of doing so little on a day when she could accomplish so much was enough to make her skin crawl. But she pushed the anxiety aside and forced herself to focus on the man next to her. "Are you nervous?" she asked suddenly.
She was. So many questions and no way to know the answers. Could they make this work? Would she be a good mother? Would her struggles to connect with people impact her ability to connect with their child?
Alone on the trail, beneath the canopy of leaves, it was easy to believe it was just the two of them. "About?"
"The baby," she answered, glancing down at her still flat stomach. It wouldn't be long until they'd need to tell the world. For now, it was still their precious secret.
"Terrified," he said immediately, and she looked up in alarm. He chuckled at the look on her face. "Maybe too strong of a word. I always thought Parker might be my only. And I was okay with that. But now," he blew out a breath, "now there's baby Bones and I'm terrified that I won't be a great dad and so excited to meet her at the same time."
It was easy for her to sooth his fears, even when she couldn't her own. "Your worries are unfounded. You are an amazing father to Parker and you'll be an amazing father this time too. And it could be a baby Booth."
"Do you have a preference?"
That was one thing she wasn't worried about. It made no difference to her either way. She shook her head. "No."
"Me, either. Though I picture a baby girl with your eyes and big brain."
"And your courage," Brennan added. "I want whatever it is to have your courage."
"Our child isn't an 'it,'" he argued.
Her voice took on a teasing tone. "Would you prefer progeny?"
Bringing their clasped hands to his lips, he kissed hers. "The only thing I care about is that it's ours. Yours and mine."
They continued deeper into the trees, comfortable silence falling between them. "Do you think we could date this summer, Bones?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper. There was something about where they were that made him hesitant to break the peace he'd found.
Green trees and the deep silence a person could only find far away from civilization. He'd find the answers to mysteries if he only knew where to look.
"Aren't we already dating?" she asked, clearly confused. Her voice was as soft as his. "I'm carrying your child. We started seeing each other after the incident in the elevator. You were there."
"I am aware of all those things. But, Angela and Hodgins are off on baby leave," he explained. "Broadsky is gone. I want to make some memories of just the two of us. As a couple. Just for the summer."
"I won't take another sabbatical."
He looked over at her. "I'm not asking you to. Just asking you to make sure you carve out some time for just the two of us."
Walking next to him, she thought about what he'd said. "We can both plan these dates?"
He wondered what she'd come up with. "Absolutely, Bones. It's the two of us now."
"Are there rules?"
"To dating?" Only she would worry about something like rules. "You can only date me. Nothing dangerous." Was there anything else? "We have the right to make more rules along the way if we need to." There. That should cover it.
"The first two rules are obvious. But I agree with your suggestion."
Both pleased, they followed the path back toward the SUV. The sun was higher in the sky now; the air both warm and humid against their skin.
"A lunch and then a nap?" Booth suggested when they were driving out of the park.
"Perfect." Staring out the window as they left nature behind, Brennan smiled happily. "I am confident I'm going to enjoy our dating."
"Me, too," Booth agreed. "Me, too."