A/N: This one is for my buddy 2BBornot2BB. Thanks for the inspiration.
To those who are waiting for updates for my other stories - so sorry, the plot bunnies keep attacking me. I will update them as soon as I can.
Do I own Bones or any of its characters? The answer is an unfortunate no.
The Great Debate
Brennan was at home, quietly working on her book. In this latest chapter, Kathy and Andy had broken up because he proposed to her, and she wasn't ready to say yes. Kathy wanted to, she really did, but after his most recent trip to the hospital from a suspect shooting him in the leg, she wasn't sure how much more she could take. Andy was always one of those maverick heroes who seemed to have little regard to his own life - was always ready to jump in and save lives at the expense of his own. What he didn't realize was how closely it was tied to Kathy's. Kathy was afraid of the next time, that she might be too late to save him, the next suspect that might be smarter than they are and that Andy might not be lucky enough to survive. She had enough of a hard time dealing with his heroics as his partner and his girlfriend. She wasn't ready to be a widow.
Brennan had been crafting the speech that Kathy was making to Andy as she tried to make him understand her decision, how it broke her heart to hurt him but she needed distance, perspective. She needed to steel her heart against losing him again. Kathy had once been told that Andy was dead, and the pain she felt was excruciating. It was something she had never felt before, and never wanted to again. It was also the most difficult ten days that she had ever had to endure. She didn't want to think about how she would survive if he never came back.
Tears were rolling down Brennan's cheeks as she typed, pouring her emotions into her words. She knew that the news of her two main characters breaking up wouldn't be well received by fans, but this was a necessary development in the evolution of her characters. She had to make the fans understand why this was happening, how sometimes two people can become far too close and in order to properly consider what to do next, she would need space to think objectively. Booth had become too much a part of her life that she feared...
Andy - Andy had become too much a part of Kathy's life. It was nothing more than a simple type-o. No reason to make a fuss over it, she thought to herself.
She took a sip of white wine from the goblet that sat right beside her uneaten salad. She smirked, knowing what Booth would say if he knew that she hadn't had dinner yet. He would most certainly lecture her on taking care of herself and the necessity of the consumption of food in order to optimize one's thought processes and production output. Of course he'd put it in simpler terms and add some sort of humorous comment. He was probably doing so while he had dinner with Catherine. The thought that Booth was still seeing Catherine caused her no small amount of pain, but what could she do? She was the one that told Booth she wasn't willing to risk their steady friendship and dependable partnership for a questionable chance at a romantic relationship. Brennan knew that she was terrible at relationships - she seemed to choose the wrong men, or found the right men who would eventually realize she wasn't capable of giving more of herself than she already was and leave her. Those rejections hurt, but she got over them in time. She wouldn't know what to do if she didn't have Booth in her life any longer. She would rather have him remain in her life as a friend than engage in a relationship only to have him leave like Sully did.
She sighed, irritated at herself for not having the discipline to keep her thoughts ordered, and set her sights back to her laptop screen. The cursor blinked at her, taunting her for not knowing what to type next. She knew that it was irrational to think that the cursor was setting out to annoy her, but she couldn't help it. Usually when she was uncertain as to what would happen next in one of her stories, she would either call Angela - who was on a date with Hodgins and most likely wouldn't appreciate the interruption, or she would call Booth to temporarily distract her. She found that a conversation with him tended to be as enlightening as it was entertaining. Yet the option of calling Booth was not open to her on this night. He was with Catherine, probably entertaining her with his conversational skills.
With a light growl, she saved what she had already typed and powered down her computer. She intended to get some sleep and try to finish the chapter in the morning when her cell phone rang. She looked on the caller ID and smiled when she saw a familiar name.
"Hello Booth, have you concluded your date with Catherine already?" she inquired.
"Bones, it's me," a young voice hissed. "You have to get here right away! We need you!"
"Parker,what's wrong?" asked Brennan, fending off the panic that was bubbling up inside her. "Where are you? Where is your father?"
"I'm at Dad's place," he rasped, obviously trying not to be heard by anyone other than Brennan. "Please hurry!"
She heard a short click and the call was ended. Brennan ran to her closet, grabbed the gun safe, and unlocked it with a quick and practiced hand. She took the 9mm within, making sure that it was loaded before throwing it in her purse and running to her car. Driving as fast as she dared, she made it to Booth's in record time, somehow managing to avoid being pulled over by law enforcement for speed violations. She was about to call for backup when she realized that she had forgotten her phone at home. It was foolish to have forgotten her cell phone, yet remember to bring a weapon with her, but at least she was armed in case Booth had been injured by an assailant and the perpetrator remained at the scene while Parker hid from him. She did find it odd that Parker had called her instead of 911, but she would have to ask him about that later. Parker said that he and Booth needed her, and she knew that she would do whatever was necessary to be by their side.
She used the keys that Booth gave her to gain entrance into the building. When she got to his floor, she cautiously drew her weapon, careful to keep it pointing downwards and at her side while she slowly and quietly unlocked Booth's door. Suddenly the door flew open and she was met with Booth's gun aimed at her head while she leveled her gun at him.
"Bones! What the hell!" exclaimed Booth, putting his gun down. "I could have shot you!"
"I'm glad that you didn't." she remarked, thumbing the safety back on before returning her gun to her bag.
"What are you doing here?" asked Booth, suddenly looking away. "Um...do you want a jacket or something?"
It was then that Brennan looked down to see what she was wearing. She had been at home, relaxing when she received the call from Parker. She was so worried over his well being and that of Booth's that she didn't stop to consider changing out of her black silk camisole and matching boy cut silk shorts. Although what she was clad in was inappropriate for wear outside of the home, she wasn't embarrassed - she followed a very strenuous fitness regime as well as practiced the martial arts of judo, jeet kun do, and jujitsu and the result of that was a toned and fit body. One that was inciting an interesting reaction from Booth.
She was amused to see that his face was turning red, and although it seemed as though the gentlemanly thing to do would be to look away, he couldn't help but steal glances at her.
"Here." he muttered, throwing his leather jacket around her. It was the one that was on the hook by his door, the one he wore regularly, and as he put it on her she found herself surrounded in his warmth and smell. She gasped, and felt more than saw just how close he was to her. She looked up, and his face was mere inches away from hers.
"You want to come in?" Booth sputtered, backing away quickly and looking everywhere else but at her. It was bad enough that she show up at his door, wearing a barely there silk shorts and top outfit, no bra in sight, dark silky brown hair wild and wavy, she was wielding a gun and wearing his leather jacket. He was definitely going to hell for the thoughts he was having of his partner.
"I mean do you want to go to my apartment," he corrected himself upon realizing that what he said could have been construed as a double entendre. "You know, rather than standing out here in the hallway half naked."
"I'm not half naked Booth." she protested, opening up the jacket so that she could demonstrate her point. In response, Booth closed his eyes and started muttering.
"What are you saying Booth?" inquired Brennan.
"I'm just praying." Booth said with a half sigh, keeping his eyes shut.
"Why are you praying?" she asked, trying to discern Booth's thoughts with a tilt of her head and a curious frown upon her face.
"It's nighttime, I pray at night before I sleep," he replied, carefully turning to go back into his apartment. "Can we at least continue this conversation out of the hallway?"
"Sure." Brennan shrugged, following him inside.
"Bones, could you cover up?" asked Booth tentatively. "Parker's with me tonight."
"I know." she replied nonchalantly, though she did as he asked.
"What do you mean you know he's here?" scoffed Booth. "Becca's mom had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, she just dropped him off an hour ago. How could you have known he'd be here?"
"Bones!" the boy in question squealed, running towards her and clamping his arms around her waist. "You're here! I knew you'd come."
"Of course I'd come over if you called," Brennan reassured him, holding him tight briefly before dislodging him from her. "Especially since I was under the impression that you and your father were in danger."
"You called Bones? When did you call her?" asked Booth, looking rather puzzled.
"I used your cell phone to call her while I was in the bathroom dad." Parker replied as though the answer should be obvious.
"Wait, that was only ten minutes ago," said Booth, doing some quick calculations in his head. "You made it here in ten minutes, all the way from your place?"
"Well - yes, I suppose I did," replied Brennan. "Parker called me and said that the two of you needed me, and he told me to hurry. From the intonation and the urgency in his voice I deduced incorrectly that you and he required immediate assistance, perhaps even rescue."
"Is that why you rushed over here Bones?" Booth smiled warmly at her. "You thought we were in trouble? Is that why you're not wearing...shoes?"
Brennan looked down and sure enough, she had made it all the way to Booth's apartment bare foot.
"That seems to be a logical conclusion." she replied with a shrug, hoping that the blush that she felt creeping up her face was simply her imagination. "I suppose that due to my concern for your well being and that of Parker's I didn't think to consider a change of clothes or footwear."
"Wait," Booth paused, tilting his head and taking a glance around. "I don't hear sirens. Did you call 911?"
"Why would I call emergency services?" asked Brennan. "You and Parker seem to be in good health and there doesn't seem to be any evidence of criminal activity."
"Yeah, but you thought that Parker and I were in some kind of trouble," Booth pointed out. "The kind of trouble that you would bring a gun to, and you didn't call for backup? Are you crazy? What if there was someone here? What if there was a whole gang of bad guys waiting for you-"
"My main concern was for you and Parker!" she argued. "This is my reward for 'rushing over here' to provide you with assistance? I didn't even change out of my bedclothes or put on shoes because I was -"
"Bones, why are you wearing my dad's jacket?" inquired Parker innocently, with a sly smile.
"Parker, why did you call Bones this late at night and make it sound like we needed her help?" Booth asked sternly, changing the subject.
"I had to call her!" exclaimed Parker. "It was an emergency. I can't let you keep dating that woman dad."
"You called Bones because you don't like Catherine?" Booth asked, not sure whether he was more irritated or more puzzled. "Is that why you were rude to her?"
"You were rude to Dr. Bryar?" questioned Brennan, concerned. "There must have been a reason why he was impolite to her Booth. Parker has only ever been rather well behaved and considerate with me."
"I knew you'd understand," sighed Parker in relief, looking upon Brennan with a mixture of adoration and respect. "Dad was cleaning up the table and he told me to talk to Dr. Bryar. I did! I tried to be nice, and I even asked her about where she works. She started telling me about the aquarium and I told her that I went there on a field trip a couple of months ago. We started talking about sharks and stuff. It was kinda fun talking to her at first. Then I asked her if she knows important people at the aquarium because Bones knows important people at the museum and I get to see stuff that no one else gets to see. She said that she could take me for a VIP tour if Dad says it was okay. I said I'd ask, and she said that she bet that it would be more fun than the museum. I told her no way, that the Jeffersonian was the best, and that I love going there. She said that I'd like the aquarium better if I gave it a chance."
"She has a point there Parker," sighed Booth. "You can't be sure that you wouldn't enjoy the aquarium better until you actually go and see how much fun it can be."
"Your father makes a logical argument," added Brennan. "You should withhold your judgement until you go to the aquarium and fairly assess the quality of their exhibits and enjoyability of their programs. Until then you don't have the necessary evidence to support your claim. You could find that you do enjoy your time at the aquarium and that your beliefs on the matter are unsubstantiated."
"What's unobsansiated?" asked Parker, scrunching his face in confusion.
"Unsubstantiated means that there's no real reason for you to think that way," explained Booth. "Catherine was just trying to get you to like her, that's all."
"But I don't," shrugged Parker. "I like Bones better."
"Parker, what did I say about being rude?" warned Booth.
"What? I'm just being honest," pouted Parker. "You and Bones said that I should always tell the truth."
"There's a difference between being honest and being rude," reminded Booth. "And being honest doesn't mean that you should forget your manners."
"I'm sorry dad," Parker said sullenly before continuing his argument. "But you weren't here when we were talking. She hates hockey, she doesn't like comic books and she likes country music. Country music dad! What kind of person likes country music?"
"She has the right to like whatever music she wants," shrugged Booth. "Just because she likes country music and hates hockey and comic books doesn't mean that she's a bad person."
"That's true," agreed Brennan. "I'm not a comic book aficionado nor am I a fan of hockey, and yet you still like me, right?
"Yeah," admitted Parker. "But you dress up as wonder woman for Halloween every year, and she's the best girl superhero ever. And you go to my dad's hockey games."
"I go to your father's hockey games to support him, not as a devotee of the sport." explained Brennan.
"I just don't get why you can't be dad's girlfriend." replied Parker petulantly.
"We've discussed it before Parker," Brennan reminded him. "Your father and I work together. We can't be involved romantically if we work together."
"I still say it's a stupid reason," Parker reiterated. "Why can't you work together and be boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"Because..." began Booth, realizing that what Parker said was true - it was a stupid reason. "Because those are the rules."
"You're the one that says that you shouldn't follow rules just because they're the rules," Parker pointed out. "When I stood up to Dylan Meyers because he was bullying Avery Carter, you said that you were proud of me. Even though I got in trouble for fighting, you said that you were proud of me for doing the right thing and protecting someone who needed help. You said that I shouldn't get into fights unless I was defending myself or if I was trying to help someone else and there was no other way. You said that sometimes you have to do the right thing even if the rules tell you not to. You shouldn't follow the rules if it doesn't make sense to."
As much as Booth hated it, Parker was making sense. He looked to Brennan for support and to come up with a reason that Parker would accept, hopefully one that wouldn't involve explaining how his father wasn't good enough for her or she didn't feel the same way that he did.
"Parker, you're aware of the risks that are involved in what your father and I do, correct?" asked Brennan gently. When he nodded, she continued. "In our line of work, becoming romantically involved with someone you work with is not a good idea. It can become a distraction, and when you're pursuing killers, you can't afford to be distracted."
"Dr. Hodgins and Angela work with you guys, right?" inquired Parker.
"Yeah, why?" replied Booth hesitantly.
"Didn't they just get married?" Parker pointed out.
"Okay, you want to know the real reason Bones and I can't be together?" huffed Booth, pointing to the couch ordering him to sit. "The real reason is..."
He was just about to inform his son on the harsher realities of life when he happened to look over at Brennan. There was an expectancy swimming in her blue gray eyes, and it was almost as if she wanted to hear the answer as well. In that moment, all his words left him and he couldn't come up with anything. He couldn't remember a single reason why he and the woman he loved were apart.
"The real reason your father and I can't be together is," continued Brennan in a quiet voice. "Our partnership, what we do is too important to risk. The unique combination of science and investigative techniques we employ has been extremely effective, and together he and I bring to justice killers that might otherwise never have been caught using traditional means. If we were to become romantically involved and we eventually decide to end that aspect of our relationship, naturally it would affect our partnership as well. Due to the ill feelings and resentment from our break up, we would no longer be able to work together, and all of the murders that we would have solved would go unpunished."
Parker sat quietly, seeming to absorb what Brennan had just said when he suddenly smiled brightly at her.
"So, you do like my dad!" Parker giggled. He looked over at the flabbergasted adults and had to reign in a laughing fit. "Don't worry, I already knew that."
"Parker, didn't you hear a word that I said?" Brennan practically whined, her face turning a bright red.
"Yeah, I listened to every word," nodded Parker solemnly. "You said that you and my dad being partners was important and that together you catch bad guys no one else can catch. I didn't hear you say that you didn't like my dad in that way."
Booth gulped and stared at Brennan. Was it true? Was his nine year old son able to see something he wasn't able to? Could Bones really have felt the same way he felt the whole time?
"Don't worry," Parker reassured her with a hug. "My dad really likes you too. Every time he talks about you he gets this really goofy look on his face and he can't stop smiling. And he talks about you a lot."
"Is this true Booth?" she asked him earnestly, turning to him.
"Well..." Booth wanted to say yes, he wanted to say that he talked about her a lot because all he could think about was her, that when he wasn't with her he felt like a part of him was missing. But when she was this close, when she was looking not just at him but into him all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and kiss her. Even though Parker brought up the possibility that Bones might actually have feelings for him, she hadn't admitted it yet. There was a greater likelihood that she didn't and he wasn't about to get rejected in front of his son.
"You should go to bed Park, it's getting late." he muttered, getting up and trying to pretend that he didn't see a flicker of disappointment in Brennan's eyes.
"Dad, come on, just tell her!" pleaded Parker. "I know how much you like Bones, and now you know that she likes you!"
"Parker, I realize how much you want me and your father to be a couple," hedged Brennan. "But-"
"I know, you said that you're afraid of what would happen if you and dad broke up," he sighed, interrupting her. Booth gave him a warning look and Parker quickly apologized. "I'm sorry for cutting you off Bones, I know I shouldn't have done it. But I heard what you said, and what dad said about you and he hooking up. Thing is, you two keep talking about what would happen if you broke up, but what if you didn't? What if you two ended up being happy together?"
"Alright, that's enough Parker," said Booth, putting his foot down. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have with her while his son was around. "Time for bed, now."
"Bones, you should go out with my dad," Parker announced decisively. "You should withhold your judgement until you go out on a date with him and fairly assess what he's like as a boyfriend and the enjoyability of being with him. Until then you don't have the necessary evidence to support your claim. Maybe you'll realize that you do like being his girlfriend and that your beliefs on the matter are unsubstantiated."
Brennan and Booth looked at each other, impressed that Parker managed to throw their arguments back at each other. They each wanted to say yes, but were too plagued by doubt and fear to say it. They turned their gazes towards the clever little boy and the earnest expression on his face helped make up their minds.
"If we go on a date, will you promise to stop bugging us about it?" proposed Booth. "No more late night calls to Bones and you'll be nice to Catherine if it doesn't work out?"
"Nope," Parker said, shaking his head emphatically. "One date doesn't make you boyfriend and girlfriend. You have to promise to really try to be a couple. I want you and Bones to go out for a week. And I'll be watching since I'm here while Mom is taking care of Gram while she's in the hospital."
"Parker..." they both gritted simultaneously.
"Come on guys, you have to give this a fair chance before you say that it won't work out," he beseeched. "I promise that after the week is over and if it doesn't work out, I won't say one more word about it. I'll be nice to Catherine and even go on the aquarium tour. Please?"
"My son, the matchmaker," Booth quipped nervously. He looked over at Brennan, who was studiously avoiding his gaze, and over to Parker, who looked back anxiously. "Parker, I think-"
"Booth, may I speak to you for a moment?" Brennan pipped up, grabbing him by the arm and leading him to the kitchen.
"What is it Bones?" asked Booth, his heart hammering against his ribcage, hoping that he was about to be rewarded by his patience.
"Maybe we should say yes," Brennan said nervously. "I mean, Parker does seem to be rather invested in the idea and perhaps the only way to divest him of this notion is to demonstrate to him the likelihood that this wouldn't work out. That is, unless you don't-"
"No, you're right," interrupted Booth before she talked herself out of her decision. "I mean, Parker seems to need some sort of proof that we should just be partners, right."
"Precisely." she smiled at him.
"So, we'll be boyfriend and girlfriend for a week?" confirmed Booth. It wasn't exactly what he wanted, but maybe Parker was right, maybe he could change her mind.
"Yes, you and I will be a romantically involved couple for a week." she agreed. It wasn't exactly what she had in mind, although perhaps Parker was correct and she may be able to change Booth's mind.
They returned to the living room, hand in hand and said "You've got a deal!"
