[A/N: Hey, guys! I had a random muse come to be in the version of a Taylor Swift song on the drive home Friday. So, I wrote. I apologize if it's a little long. It's just a one-shot, so it's not taking the place of "Just Say the Words." Like I said, when I have a muse, I have to write. Enjoy! ~P]
You're on the phone with your girlfriend, she's upset
She's going off about something that you said
'Cause she doesn't get your humor like I do.
I watched from my office as Booth talked to Hannah on the phone. It was day two of their first big fight and, since he was a gentleman, Booth had been sleeping on my couch. It was getting harder and harder to move on with Booth making his presence known everywhere. I thought I could be safe to live in my own home, but even that wasn't true anymore. I had to mask my feelings around him all the time now. Why did you invite him in, I ask myself. But, then I see his body sprawled all over my couch at night and my heart skips a beat. Booth is like a drug to me. A drug that I might have to actually rehabilitate from.
"Yeah, bye." Booth clicked his phone shut and then nearly slammed my door shut. I jumped a little bit from my concentrative thoughts, as Booth slumped down in one of the chairs in front of my desk. "I don't understand her!" He clenched his fists to his head, and then sighed. I tapped my pen on my desk for a moment, trying not to watch him.
"I find this hard to believe, Booth." I said, opening my laptop open. "You have a high common sense and a logical feel for women. You seem to understand me very well."
"Yeah, but you're different, Bones!" He hissed. I finally managed to meet my eyes with him, questioning him.
"How-How am I different, Booth?" I stammered.
"I don't know, Bones. All I know is that I am staying on your couch again tonight." He got up and started to make his way out of the office. "And this time, we're picking up something stronger than a six pack on the way home."
If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along, so why can't you see
You belong with me, You belong with me.
The "something stronger" that Booth picked up from the liquor store was whiskey. I hissed as he got in the car. I knew that bottle, and I knew the mission he was searching for tonight. He was going to drown himself in the amber liquid, possibly tell me he still loves me, and try to take me to bed. I started building up my own courage as we walked in the door of my apartment. He tossed off his suit coat and added it to the pile of clothes that had started to build up in the middle of my living room.
"I'm sorry for the mess, Bones." He sighed, putting the bag on the table and sitting down on the couch. "I'm hoping to do laundry tomorrow, if we don't get a case." He said, and watched me as I put my jacket in the closet. "Bones," He said, and I stopped. He had gotten up and was now leaning against the wall separating my walkway and the living room. "You've been awfully quite all day," He noted.
Maybe he didn't need liquid courage after all. He was looking for a way to forget about his problems, but he was also noticing that I hadn't been speaking much this week.
"Just recovering from the last case," I lied, before kicking my heels off and adding them into the closet as well. "It was a rough time, and, though it's been five days since the…" I paused and looked at him. I cleared my throat. "Though it's been five days since the incident, I'm slowly retuning back to my normal state of being." I said, walking into the kitchen.
The "incident" I was referring too was my confession to Booth that I finally realized my feelings for him. I opened my refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. I hadn't felt like eating much over the past couple of days, but I knew hydration was key even if I was taking in no calories. Booth went back to his spot in my living room and I heard the television come on. Good, I thought, drown yourself in sports and liquor.
"I'm going to go take a shower." I said.
"Well, I'm pouring out drinks at halftime." He said, and I looked at the clock on the screen, confused. He smiled, the first time I had seen him do so in a couple of days. "The period of time between the first quarter and the second quarter." He smiled.
"What time will that be?" I asked. He looked at the clock above the television and then back at the screen.
"I'd say about half an hour." He smiled. I shook my head, agreeing that I would share a drink with him, and then proceeded up the stairs.
Precisely twenty five minutes later, I heard footsteps coming up the stairs towards my room. I, however, remained in the bathtub.
"Bones," Booth questioned.
"I'm still in the bath," I sighed. "Pour me a glass and leave it on my dresser. I'll be down stairs in a few moments." I said. I pulled the plug on my bath and gathered my terry cloth robe from the hook it was sitting on. Leaving my hair down, I pulled the robe on and exited my bathroom. Booth was just pouring my glass when I walked out. I cleared my throat, and he looked up.
"Oh, Bones," He stammered, closing the bottle. "I am so sorry, I thought you would be a little—" But he just started making his way out of my room. He closed the door slowly, and I sighed. This was going to be an impossible evening.
Walking the streets with you and your worn out jeans
I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be
Laughing on a park bench, thinking to myself
Hey isn't this easy. And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town
I haven't seen it in a while since she brought you down.
You say you're fine, I know you better than that
Hey, what 'cha doing with a girl like that?
As day three of the Booth and Hannah drama escalated, I decided it would be best to get him away from the distraction entirely. Now, I wasn't always the most spontaneous one, but…for the sake of Booth and his happiness, I was willing to try.
"Hey, Booth." I said, walking down the stairs to meet him at the front of the Jeffersonian. It was a balmy Friday afternoon and I was pleased. It would be perfect, I thought.
"Hey, Bones. Why did you tell me to meet you out here, we usually walk out together." He mentioned as we started toward his SUV.
"I had to fix the finishing details on your surprise." I said, as he opened the door for me. He gave me a quizzical look and then made his way to his side of the car.
"Surprise?" He asked.
"Yes," I smiled. "Now, let's head to the park."
Once we arrived at the park I nearly begged him to buy me an ice cream cone. He obliged, confused by my actions, and we continued on our journey. When we arrived at the playground, and I stopped, he was generally confused.
"What're you doing, Bones?" He asked. I simply took off my suit coat and looked at him.
"Providing a distraction," I answered honestly. I walked behind him and took his suit coat off him as well. "I am rather sick of all this moping you've been doing lately." I said, coming back to face him. "I haven't seen your smile in quite some time and," I paused, looking up at him. "I intend to see it today so, let's go." And I grabbed his wrist, leading him to the swing set. This didn't help with his confusion, but he played along.
I sat down on the swing, and started swaying with the wind. When he didn't sit, I looked up at him. He was smiling, sure enough. For a moment, I thought it was fake, but then I heard a slight giggle form at his lips, and I pondered.
"What," I asked, looking over myself. He shook his head and then walked behind me. He placed his hands under mine on the swing and pulled back, before letting me go. "Are you pushing me, Booth?" I asked.
"Sorry, Bones, I couldn't help it." He said, and I felt his fingertips press lightly on my back as he pushed me forward. "You looked so damn adorable I just had to." He confessed. I felt my heart skip a beat. Booth had called me adorable. But, he probably meant in a childish way, so I returned back to my mission. From the swing set, we made our way to the basketball court, where Booth was trying to get me to understand how to make a basket, but then his phone rang.
He looked down at the caller I.D, and I knew then who it was. He placed the ball down, answered the phone and walked a distance away from me. The conversation between the fighting lovers was short, but, when he returned to me, there was a different look on his face.
"Hannah wants to talk to me," He sighed. "So, let's go back to your place?" He asked. I just gave him an encouraging smile and shook my head.
If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all a long
So why can't you see, you belong with me.
Standing by, or waiting at your front door.
All this time, how could you not know baby
You belong with me, you belong with me.
They were no longer fighting. They were no longer Booth and Hannah. Hannah had made up her mind and Booth was a gentleman. He accepted her leaving with no attempts at trying to bring her back. Which leads us to our current situation; sitting at the bar at the Founding Fathers.
"To us, Bones." He said, before drowning the shot. I followed close behind and sighed as the liquor burned my throat. "Let's get out of here." He smiled. Once our jackets were on, we decided that it would be more fun to walk home. It was quite as we walked, but neither of us really minded. He was healing now, as I was finally finding my path again.
"You did the right thing, Booth." I reassured him. "She wanted to move on and you were the gentleman. You let her go with good intentions." I said, and looped my arm through his as we continued walking down the street.
"I know, Bones. I know," He sighed and I felt the pressure of his head on top of my own for a moment. We walked in silence for a moment and then I stopped. He was pulled back, surprised, and looked down at me. "What," he asked, and I saw a sudden panic shoot through his eyes. I took a deep breath and looked at him.
"Have you ever thought that maybe there was another reason you and Hannah broke up when you did?" I asked. After some quick research, I noticed that Booth and Hannah broke up exactly one month to the day of me confessing myself to Booth. He shook his head.
"It was time," He finally shrugged. I searched his eyes then, and accepted the fact that he was right. There was so significant tie to us anymore. I shook my head, and continued walking on. He pulled me back, suddenly.
"Booth, what's—" But my speech was captured by a pair of warm, velvet lips. His hands cupped my face, and we both inhaled sharply at the contact. We pulled away slowly from each other, and he pressed his forehead to mine.
"You didn't let me finish my sentence," He sighed. He took both of my hands in his, and looked at me with intense brown eyes. "It's time," He continued. "To realize that the woman I have been searching for has been right here all along." He spoke in nearly a whisper, acting as if I was the only one allowed to hear his words.
My heart skipped a beat, but then my brain caught up to what was happening. I tried to fight back the tears that were rising to my eyelids.
"Booth," I said, my voice cracking. "I've just gotten used to the fact that I'll have to go on living the rest of my life—"
"Bones, no." He said, and his hands were at my face again. "Temperance, baby." He sighed, and his lips met mine again. The kiss wasn't a kiss I was expecting, because this kiss was filled with a promise. "I promise," he pulled from me. "Never to leave you alone like that ever again." And he kissed my forehead.
I looked up into the brown eyes that I've known for six years now, and searched for the thing I would've never thought I'd search for. He looked into my eyes and pulled me closer.
"I love you, Temperance Brennan." He sighed, hugging me close. I wrapped my arms around him, and a small tear escaped from my eyes. When he pulled us apart slightly, my brain was searching for the words.
"I—I," I stammered. When I saw those eyes, those deep brown orbs, I saw the encouragement I needed. "I love you, too, Booth." I smiled. A smile rose on his lips, and he crashed them down to mine again.
"Say it again," He whispered. "I need to make sure I wasn't dreaming." He said. I laughed for a second, and looked deep into those eyes again.
"I love you, Booth."