Author's Note: So here we are again, guys! The new story I promised. The prologue doesn't need much set up, so I won't ramble on too much here. Just want to immediately thank my beta Biba (biba79 on here) for helping me develop this idea...after Beauty and the Tragedy I had no idea what to write next and ended up doing nothing for months. But as soon as All That You Can't Leave Behind started to wind down, she started talking through other potential stories with me, and is a huge part of why this one is happening so soon...we both got really excited about it and couldn't wait!
Thanks to all my readers who have followed me here...and to new ones...hope I don't disappoint! Let me know what you think!
Without further ado...
Truth Doesn't Make a Noise
Prologue
Booth and Brennan had made love eleven times before he brought it up.
They were lying in her bed, after, legs entangled beneath the sheets, Brennan stretched out on her chest as Booth lazily trailed his fingers down her spine.
Leaning over her, his lips against her ear, Booth murmured, "What's this?"
Brennan rolled over, her lips curving into a smile as she looked up at him. "You tell me. You should know by now."
Grinning, Booth twisted a strand of her hair around his finger, considering. "You're right."
Leaning his weight on his forearm, Booth lowered his head, rounding his lips against the soft skin along her collarbone. "Clavicle," he hummed against her skin, raising his eyes. "Right?"
"Mmm-hmmm." Brennan's eyes were closed, her fingers threading absently through his hair.
Lifting his head slightly, Booth brushed his lips against hers, then dipping down slightly to nuzzle her jaw. "Mandible?"
She didn't answer, just smiled.
Booth traced his fingers down the center of her chest. "Sternum." He slid his hand over, splaying his fingers over the curve of her hip. "The, um, illll…."
"Ilium," she reminded him.
"Right, yeah. Almost had it." Grinning, he dropped his head onto the pillow beside Brennan, not moving his hand. "You know what I like about this, Bones?"
"About what?" She asked, forehead wrinkling in confusion."My ilium?"
"Nah," he said laughingly. "Though there's plenty I like about your, uh, ilium, too. I meant…" He wiggled a finger vaguely between the two of them. "This. You and me."
At that, Brennan smirked. "I would imagine you like a lot of aspects of that."
"Got me there, Bones," he said affectionately. "But one thing I like is that even though it's kind of like starting on the three hundredth date…we're still learning new things about each other."
She raised an eyebrow, wary. "Such as?"
"Such as…." He slid his hand slightly higher on Brennan's hip, moving his thumb in slow circles against the skin. "…we've been partners for over six years, Bones, and I never knew about your tattoo."
Instantly, Brennan froze, stiffening beneath Booth's touch. He lifted himself up on an elbow, eyes moving to the dolphin silhouette tattooed on Brennan's hip. "Would never have guessed."
Brennan covered his hand with hers, hooking her fingers around his and suddenly moving Booth's grip off of her.
He looked down at her, confusion gripping him at the discomfort etched in Brennan's expression. "Hey, Bones, I think it's sexy," he told her in a low voice. "Just unexpected."
Brennan looked up at him, their gazes locked, her blue eyes wide and conflicted. Finally, after a long silence, she stated quietly, "I got it in college…it was stupid."
Booth eyebrows drew together, sensing more to the story.
Finally, Brennan sighed quietly and reclaimed Booth's hand, gently returning it to her hip, guiding his fingers against the tattoo. "You feel that?"
Frowning, Booth nodded, his fingers touching a tiny patch of rough, puckered skin.
"And that?" Brennan moved his finger over barely an inch, to a similar area.
Lifting his hand, Booth stared down at the tattoo, which made the abnormalities unnoticeable without touch. Then, he glanced back at Brennan, eyes softening as he met hers. "What happened, Bones?"
"Cigarette burn," she told him, attempting an offhanded voice, though she wasn't meeting Booth's eyes anymore. "One of my foster fathers, he…anyway, it wasn't that bad, but there was a boy in college he…he asked about them." She shrugged, uncomfortable. "I made an impulsive decision."
When she dragged her eyes back to meet Booth, she found his had darkened, the muscles in his face tight. "Your foster father did that to you?"
"He…did it to all of us, Booth. He liked to knock us around sometimes, but…I was only with them for eight months." She paused, then hesitantly added, "He was the one who locked me in the trunk of a car."
Booth closed his eyes briefly, a muscle jumping in his jaw. Through clenched teeth, he asked, "What's his name?"
Brennan gave him a small smile, reaching up and touching his cheek. "He went to jail, Booth, so you don't have to kill him."
Slowly Booth's face relaxed, the calming tone of Brennan's voice taming his instinctive rage. "I just….I hate that anyone ever hurt you like that, Bones." He managed a smile down at her, reaching down and gently stroking her hair.
"I know. But this….it was a long time ago," she told him soothingly.
Booth was quiet for a moment, his eyes darting unconsciously back to the tattoo, considering the location, unease gripping him. "Bones, that…that foster father….knocking you around, the burns, is that…" He swallowed. "Is that all he did?"
"There was the car trunk thing…"
"Right, so….nothing….else."
Brennan paused, forcing herself not to look away. "Nothing else."
He exhaled slowly, tension ebbing. "Okay." Booth paused, "And he's still in jail?"
"Yes," she assured him patiently. Then, tentatively, Brennan added, "He wrote me once, from prison. Twelve or so years ago, he was…going through AA, making amends."
"Nice of him," Booth muttered sarcastically, anger surging again. "You still have that letter?"
Brennan narrowed her eyes. "I….yes, why?"
"Just…" Booth looked at her, his expression earnest.
Slowly, with a sigh, Brennan nodded, rolling out of the bed and pulling a robe around her as she walked to her closet.
She bent down, dragging a large shoebox toward her from the back corner of the small space.
At the top of the box as a single red Converse All Star, the last names of her foster families scribbled on the bottom. She moved it out of the way and flipped quickly through piles of papers before the extracting the correct envelope, scanning the letter inside before carrying it back toward the bed.
She fell onto the bed and silently handed it over to Booth.
He scanned it with a clenched jaw. In some ways, it read like a form letter, apologies and regrets with no specifics. But sentences jumped out at him, phrases like You know I would never want to hurt you, Temperance or I don't need to tell you how much I care about you that made Booth feel sick.
For several long moments, he stared at the signature of the letter.
Can't wait until I'm seeing you again, Sean
Finally, he lifted his gaze from the letter to look at Bones, who was watching him cautiously. Seeing the look on his face, Brennan gently tugged the piece of paper away from him. "It was a long time ago," she reminded him softly, wrapping a hand around his neck, gently making him look at her. "It's really alright."
Nodding, Booth wordlessly reached out and wrapped his arms around Brennan, pulling her close so she was lying against his chest. After a long moment, he told her, "I know. Just…you never talk about this stuff, Bones."
Brennan frowned, considering . "I suppose I don't see any benefit in bringing up the past." She paused, and then her voice softened as she admitted, "And generally I…I just want to forget it happened, as illogical as that sounds. Like you with your dad."
He nodded slowly. "I get that." Booth curled a finger under Brennan's chin, tilting her head so he could look at her, then kissed her softly, lips lingering for a moment before adding, "But you can tell me anything, Bones. Okay? I mean it."
"I know," she said softly. "Thank you." She kissed him again, reassuringly, then stood up, heading back to the closet with the letter.
Brennan bent down, pulling the box toward her, and tucked the letter alongside the dozens of other letters Sean Lowell had sent her over the years.
Storing it back in the dark corner of her closet, Brennan covered the box that held so many remnants of her past, the past she still wasn't sure she wanted Booth to see.
~(B*B)~
A/N: So. Much more vague and ambiguous than my previous prologues/first chapters, huh? But I hope it's intriguing. The bulk of the story takes place several months after this, when Booth and Brennan have been in an established relationship for around six months. Because I'm STILL trying to be an optimist, I'm placing it late season seven, early season eight at the latest. Obviously, this is my first story with Booth and Brennan in a relationship from the beginning, so I'm pretty excited about it.
Review away! Nothing gets me more excited to post the next chapter than hearing what you guys think (ah the return of my shameless hints. Miss me?)
