Perfect
A/N This is a song fic to Perfect by Maren Ord.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Temperance looked at the letter before her. She looked at it without emotion or even thinking.
Don't close your eyes
They may not open
He was gone. He was gone and he said he wasn't coming back.
What if they open
Would you be alive
Maybe he would... even though he said he wouldn't... Tempe looked over the letter again. Why hadn't he told her in person?
Angela walked into Tempe's office. "Sweetie, are you still reading that?"
"Ange, I just want to know where he's gone, I want him to come back," Tempe looked at her friend, her eyes looked sad.
"Booth's a big boy. Give him a while. He'll come back," Angela didn't know if she had just lied to her friend.
"Are you sure?" Tempe asked.
Everyone falls
But not everyone rises
"Positive sweetie," Angela sat down across from her friend.
Why don't you get up
And rise again for me
"Why did he leave, Angela? Why would he leave me when I needed him most?" Temperance asked and she began to tear up again. "Why do everybody I love leave me?"
"I haven't left you sweetie, I won't leave you. Hodgins won't, Zach won't, none of us will," Angela looked at her friend's face. She had never seen Temperance so distressed.
If that bastard ever comes back, I'll kill him... Angela thought to herself I can't believe he'd hurt her like this.
What if the world were a little more perfect
Would you stop crying
Would you take the leap
Temperance pushed the tears out of her eyes and got up. She walked over to her couch and picked up the small box that Booth had sent with the note. "He sent me this, but I don't want to open it."
"Open it sweetie," Angela told her friend softly. "It'll help."
What if the world were a little more perfect
Would you open your eyes
And blink again for me
Temperance sighed and opened the small box. Inside was a small ring with a dolphin on it. She snapped the box shut and set it down again. "It didn't help."
What about friendship
What about friends?
"What was it?" Angela asked quietly.
You said the whole world was against you
And it all had to end
"A ring..." Temperance said quietly.
"WHAT?!" Angela yelled.
"Not an engagement ring, a dolphin ring..." Temperance whispered.
"Oh my god..." Angela took Tempe's hand. "I'm so sorry."
Temperance smiled a little and then dropped her friend's hand.
What about love
What about family
"I have to get back to work," she walked out of the office and went to get a war hero skeleton.
What about all that you have to live for
What if the world were a little more perfect
Two Years Later:
Temperance was sitting at her desk, working on her new book. She was just finishing up the chapter when somebody knocked on the door. "Angela?" she called, but there was no answer. "Unless it's Angela go away," she didn't want to talk to anybody else today.
There was another knock on the door and Temperance ignored it, but there was another knock and another and another.
"I said go away!" Temperance yelled. Today had been hell for her and she didn't need it to be worse.
Would you stop crying
Would you take the leap
The knocking didn't stop so Brennan sighed and got up. "WHA..." she saw who it was when she opened the door. She slammed it again.
She went over to her phone and dialed Angela's cell number.
"Montenegro," Angela said into the speaker.
"It's Temperance. Come to my office, right now please," Temperance hung up the phone and the knocking started again. "Go away or I'll call security!" she yelled and she closed all the blinds so that nobody could see in.
What if the world were a little more perfect
Would you open your eyes
And blink again for me
Suddenly, Temperance heard yelling from outside. She smiled. Thank God for Angela she thought to herself and then she went over to the door and opened it a little.
"What the hell do you think you're doing here after you left her! How dare you even consider coming back you stupid pig!" Angela yelled.
Hodgins ran up and saw who Angela was yelling at. He went in front of Angela. "Get out of here."
"Bones, I need to talk to you," he said, looking past her. He didn't see that she was wearing the ring that he had left that day.
"Go away," Temperance walked past them. She went up onto the platform.
Booth tried to go up, swiping his card, but he found that it didn't work. "What the hell.." Booth mumbled.
"We changed all the cards and codes," Temperance snapped as she began to work.
"Bones, I really need to talk to you."
"No," Tempe continued working.
"Come on Bones," Booth said.
"Don't call me BONES!" Tempe said very, very loudly, but not quite a yell.
It isn't easy here without you
Why did you leave me?
What am I supposed to do?
Without you
"Temperance, let me explain..."
"Two years Booth! Every day I wondered why you left me! Why you... why you decided against keeping my trust and left me!" Temperance came off the platform and stood right in front of Booth.
"It wasn't like that..." Booth said quietly.
"Then what was it like?" Temperance snapped.
"I left because..." Seeley Booth couldn't think of the words.
Temperance shook her head and walked past him and into her office. She slammed the door.
What if the world were a little more perfect
Would you stop crying
And would you take the leap
"Bones I really need to talk to you, it's important," Booth sounded tired and he ran his hands over his face.
"No," Temperance called. "Why should I let you back into my life?"
"You don't have to, but let me explain!" Booth called and he couldn't help the tears. "Please Bones."
Temperance heard his tears and she got up and opened the door softly. She couldn't bear to hear him crying. "Come in..." she said very quietly.
Booth tried to stop the tears, but it was an unsuccessful attempt.
Tempe went over to her desk and sat down. She nodded to the chair across the table to show that Booth could sit down.
Booth sat down, still trying to recover from that blow to his ego.
"You have a few minutes," Temperance said, pursing her lips. "So you'd better start talking."
What if the world were a little more perfect
Would you open your eyes
"I didn't leave you, Bones," Booth said quietly.
"Oh yeah? Then what would you call it?" Temperance snapped. "Abandoning? Running away? Cause you sure as hell didn't stay."
"I couldn't stay!" Booth yelled.
Temperance was a little shocked that Booth had raised his voice with her, but the shock disappeared and pain came in its place. "What do you mean couldn't?" she felt terrible. "Wasn't I good enough?"
"It wasn't my choice Bones," Booth said, looking down. "I was protecting you."
Temperance's look of shock came back. "What?" she asked.
"There were people after you," Booth sighed. "We knew that if I left, you'd have to stay in the lab again because I was your partner. We didn't want you to get hurt so I went into protective custody for two years. I left you the ring to show you that I would come back, just like your dad did."
Tempe couldn't look at him any more. The tears began to fall. "You left... to protect me?"
"Yes Bones, I would never try to hurt you," Booth stood up and moved around to her.
"Don't..." Tempe said, trying to keep him from touching her, from getting close to her again.
"Bones please, I didn't want you to get hurt. Here in the lab you were safe," Booth took her hand and she sighed, looking down at the hand he had taken. It was the one that had the ring on it.
Temperance looked down. "Your... your note... I kept it," she opened the small box that the ring had come from and she pulled out the note. She read it out loud:
"Bones:
I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye in person. I'm leaving. I don't think I'm coming back. I love you. Goodbye
--Booth." Temperance sighed. "I couldn't understand why you would leave me. I didn't understand. Without Angela, and Hodgins and Zach, I don't think I'd still be here."
"I'm so sorry Bones, I didn't mean to hurt you," Booth lifted her hand up to his lips.
"But you did. I don't know if I can trust you again," Tempe said and she closed her eyes, forcing the tears back. It hurt more then anything to see him again.
And what if the world were a little more perfect
would you stop crying
and would you take the leap
"Can you try?" Booth asked, touching her cheek with his other hand.
Temperance stared deep into her ex-lovers eyes. She became entrapped in the dark chocolate coloured eyes. She stared for a moment and then she nodded so slightly. "I can try. But I don't know if it'll work."
"Thank you," Booth leaned in and kissed her cheek. Temperance caught his cheeks in her hands and pulled his lips towards her. She kissed him fully, tasted him, explored him again.
Booth kissed her back with the same intensity, the same passion. After a few minutes, the both pulled back, staring at each other breathlessly.
"I missed you..." Temperance said, quickly pulling Booth in and wrapping her arms around him to embrace him.
"I missed you too," Boot hugged her for a few minutes, he just liked feeling her back in his arms. He had spent too long in protective custody, and he didn't even really understand why HE had been in protective custody. The FBI had never told him.
Temperance pulled back after a while. "You know it's not me you have to worry about right?" she asked.
"What?" Booth asked, a little surprised. "Of course it's you I have to worry about! We only have three of the gang members. I'm not letting you out of my sight!"
"No I mean here," Tempe said. "I won't get angry at you for a while, but Angela? You might want to watch out for her," Tempe smiled.
Booth gulped. "Is she that mad?" he asked.
"Yep," Tempe stood up and Booth stood up with her. AS soon as they were standing, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again.
"Bones? I love you and I always will. I promise."
"I know," Temperance said quietly.
what if the world were a little more perfect
would you stop crying
and would you blink again for me
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A/N Ok please review for me? I could've been totally evil and had Brennan not forgive him cause that was what I was gonna do originally.
Just so everybody knows: I'm still looking for a beta reader!!
Thanks!
-S-D-
(Formally: Fire From The Sky)