Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
A.N. : ENJOY!
You remember when you were a kid and you spent a day at the pool? When you first got in the water was cold but as you got used to it it felt warm against your skin? Then you'd feel the cold bite of the air when you got out, only to jump right back in the warmth. Sometimes you were pushed in though. That's what this moment was. At first the bump did nothing but irritate her as the present she was holding fell from her grasp and slid across the floor. Bending down to retrieve the toy her irritation faded when a pair of distinctively male and astoundingly familiar hands came into view, grabbing the toy first. She knew as she was standing she would soon be looking into a pair of "warm, reassuring brown eyes." as she had described them once. Same as the face, the hands would never be forgotten. The recognition was clear in both sets of eyes. The recognition along with the joy. The despair and regret could only be seen by someone looking through the same murky opaqueness. Yes, looking into his eyes she couldn't help but feel surrounded by the warmth. Over their years together they had both gotten out of the water so much, they had become accustomed to the chill. Then one day they both got out only one got back in. Booth had moved on, he had found happiness. After she became used to the air outside again, she finally had no choice but to move on too. She had found someone she was comfortable with, but never found comfort in. She accepted marriage, and had the baby she'd wanted so long ago. He and Hannah had had 2 beautiful little girls. They had drifted apart.
Without her noticing, too caught up in her thoughts, he had walked them down the street to a little deserted hole-in-the-wall bar and sat them at a booth. They both ordered a beer. They still had to drive home tonight. As he settled in beside her she couldn't help but notice he looked older, as she was sure did too. He looked more distinguished, and it suited him. She couldn't help but tell him. He told her she was aging gracefully as well, that she was still structured very well and her eyes were still beautiful. She doubted that. She asked after Parker and the girls, in which he reciprocated the question respectively. He asked about her husband, she told him her belief that love is ephemeral has only strengthened over the years. He told her about his promotion to the "head honcho" of the field agents. She couldn't help but to be proud of him.
They were nearing the bottom of the bottles and the conversation, They sat with each other for a while, the despair and regret so close to the surface, they produced a mist over their eyes. He mumbled something about finishing his last minute shopping and they got up from the booth and headed to the door. Standing outside he told he told her to take care of herself and pulled her into a hug. It felt nothing like the "Guy Hugs" used to and he turned to walk down the street. She watched as he strode, with a little less purpose than before, away from her.
You know when you're a kid and you spend a day at the pool and you get out of the pool to sit in the hot tub for a while and the temperature stings a little at first, but you get used to it, then you still your nerves and run and jump in the pool again and it was more chilly than when you ran to the hot tub. You know when you hit the water and the crash turns into deafening silence and you have a moment of tranquility, then you realize you're actually cold and a shiver racks your body? That's what this moment is. All you can do now is wait for the water to warm against your skin again. It always gets warm again. Doesn't it?
A.N. I feel like I should apologize. I truly suck a chapter stories. Pwease forgive me? Ok I love Christmas and Same Auld Land Syne by Dan Fogelberg is pretty much one of my favorite songs ever. Loosely based on that, if you caught it. Please review.
