November's Challenge
Theme: Forgiveness. Must Haves of the Month: Must have at least one of the squints; Must have these words: elbow, pistachio, elements, wandering, psychic The Natural Course of Events
Brennan sat at her desk at the end of the day, lost in her thoughts. Two months had passed since she kissed Booth under the mistletoe. During the two weeks immediately afterwards, she often recalled the feel of his lips on her but contributed it to the awkward set-up of the situation. Then another two weeks passed in frustration with her inability to banish her body's response to the mere memory. The combination of her sexual frustration and confusion over the intensity of her emotions made it impossible to rationalize and dismiss her feelings.
In order to properly categorize her perception of her partner, she decided to write it down in a list format of positive and negative stimuli. In the beginning, the list had followed a clinical approach, but that did not last long. Soon her hands had begun to shake as she recounted the physical and emotional reactions she had during their kiss. She remembered the immediate heat and within seconds of their lips meeting, her skin had felt hypersensitive to both the breath that blew across her cheek and the fingers that curled into her back. But it was not just the intensity of the physical effects that lingered. The impression of rightness and belonging that coursed through her was inescapable. Brennan had not wanted the kiss to end, so when she felt him begin to pull away, she had grabbed his lapels more forcefully and continued tasting him for several more precious seconds.
Brennan had spent the last four weeks in desolation. She realized while creating her list that all the elements that made her working partnership with Booth so successful were the same ones that had finally broken through the self-erected walls of her heart. She was in love with Seeley Booth. And she was miserable.
Angela walked into Brennan's office and sat down opposite her. "Sweetie, are you okay? You've been moping for weeks now. They're going to revoke my membership in the Psychic's Club, 'cause for the life of me I can't figure out what's bothering you."
Her friend's voice broke into her musings and she looked up, too upset with her circumstances to muster an accompanying smile. "Angela no respectable research facility has ever produced a scientific study on psychics."
"It was a joke, sweetie. I know something's making you unhappy. Do you want to talk about it?"
"I won't be working with Booth any longer."
"What! What happened?" asked Angela, evidently confused.
"Because working with him has become too complicated," Brennan said, hedging on the entire truth knowing Angela would only argue with her decision, citing Shakespeare or some other romantic nonsense. "Booth risked his career again by letting Russ see Haley and he did that for me. I've become a liability to his job in more than one way and the only thing I can do to protect him is to end our partnership."
"Bren, that doesn't make any sense. A connection like yours is a strength not a weakness. And Booth may have bent some rules with Russ but he did not break any, because he was with Russ the whole time. He knew what he was doing."
"Angela, Booth is going to agree with me on this. He warned me several months ago that something like this could happen." Brennan thought about how Booth had warned her that they could not sleep together. She reasoned that wanting to sleep with him and be with him all the time equated to the same thing.
"You mean you haven't even discussed this with him yet?" At the negative shake of Brennan's head, Angela continued, "Then don't! Just think about it for awhile."
"I have been thinking about it for the last two months. I evaluated our situation from every angle and this is the only logical solution."
Angela could hear the resignation in her best friend's voice and it pained her. "Bren, are you sure?"
"Yes, Angela." Brennan stood up and began to gather her things. "I should go; I need to tell Booth. I've waited too long as it is."
Angela remained seated, still feeling the shock. Soon Brennan had her coat and belongings and was ready to leave. "Angela?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah." Angela rose and followed her to the door, where Brennan shut off the lights. They exchanged a small smile, neither of which held any cheer, before Brennan turned and headed towards the exit.
Twenty minutes later, Brennan walked up and knocked on Booth's door, waiting for her partner to open up. "Her partner." It hurt so much knowing that after tonight that term would no longer apply.
The door opened, revealing Booth in jeans and a logo t-shirt with a dish towel over his shoulder. He smiled brightly at her, "Hey Bones, come on in. I just finished dinner, but I have plenty left. Are you hungry?"
"No, Booth, I'm fine. Thanks," she answered, not making any move to enter his apartment.
Booth chuckled lightly, "Yeah, Bones, sure. You've been eating less than a bird for weeks. C'mon I made pistachio-crusted chicken. Fancy, right?"
"Yes, that does sound like an interesting combination but I didn't come here for food; I came to tell you something."
The smile on his handsome face faded with her serious tone. He moved closer to her in his concern. "Are you okay? Is it Max? Russ?"
Brennan shook her head while stepping back. "No, Booth. I…uh…" She sighed and closed her eyes briefly. Opening her eyes, she rushed through, "I can't be your partner anymore."
Booth would have laughed at her continually improving sense of humor, but the look in her eyes said she was not kidding. "Bones, what's going on?"
"I understand that this is sudden to you, but I've been debating for weeks and I know this has to be done. Zach is really coming along and he's going to be just fine in the field, should you choose to continue to be the F.B.I. liaison. After all, since I am dissolving our partnership; it is only fair that you make the choice of whether you would like to continue working with the Jeffersonian or if you'd prefer a reassignment.""
She had been talking so rapidly that he was not sure he had understood it all. Not saying a word, he took her elbow intending to guide her inside. The strength of his hand distracted her as did the pain of knowing any touch from him would never be replicated in a romantic fashion. Booth saw her anguish and knew he was at a loss to figure out what had changed. He gently pulled her inside, closing and locking the door.
Brennan unbuttoned her coat, shivering as she felt his hands on her again helping her shrug out of it. While he hung it in the closet, she moved to the couch and sat down. Booth did not immediately follow as his eyes were glued to the plum colored tunic and black jeans that hugged her lithe form. After getting his breathing back under control he strolled over and sat down next to her. Brennan immediately moved over, trying to put some distance between herself and the amount of heat that radiated from him.
Booth remained silent and she soon realized he was waiting for her to explain. She began, "When you first established the line for our partnership, I thought you were concerned that as a man and a woman who need to spend so much time together, we would wind up having sex." Booth shifted uncomfortably next to her and despite the situation she had to smile at his prudishness. "I have recently realized that the line was meant to protect both of us from all forms of intimacy, including emotional." At Booth's puzzled look, she tried to simplify her explanation, "What I mean is that you've risked your career several times already because of me and my family. You take too many physical risks for me; always putting yourself directly in the line of fire. I feel we have become too close and it is no longer in our best interest to stay partners."
Booth looked at her as if she had four heads. He started shaking his head completely exasperated by now. "So because I want to help you, protect you and be there for you, now I lost you? What the hell kind of logic is that? You've done the exact same thing for me. You've killed for me and lied to save me. That's a partnership, Bones; we're there for each other."
"And we'll still be there for each other. You didn't lose me Booth. I'm not saying we should stop talking to each other. And yes, I've taken risks too, which further supports my argument."
Booth was having a hard time following her reasoning but it did not matter because he knew, in his gut, she was lying to him. He was silent for so long, trying to read the truth, that Brennan got up to leave. "Oh no, you don't," Booth thought as he invaded her space intending to press her for the real story. He was surprised again by her reaction when she gasped and stumbled back. "Whoa, Bones. Easy!" he said, grabbing her arms to steady her.
She shrugged off his hands as she snapped, "Booth, please stop touching me. You always have your hands on me. Angela's my friend too but she doesn't touch me even one-tenth as often as you do." She walked a little further away, placing the coffee table between them, falsely thinking a barrier might shield her from the impulse to touch him a lot more than he had touched her.
"What? I…It's not like I was being inappropriate." Booth sighed dejectedly as he saw she was avoiding eye contact, and thought, "Damn, she knows." He made no move to close the distance again as he shared his thoughts out loud, "Well that explains why you brought up the line. When did you realize it?"
Brennan panicked, "How the hell did he guess this one? Damn his stupid gut!" She began to plead with him, "Booth, please, do we have to discuss this?"
"Yes, because you are my partner. You were right to bring it up, although I don't think we have to stop being partners," he said this part with a pointed look at her, silently arguing with her drastic decision. "I do agree that I should have talked to you about this earlier. I didn't think it was affecting our work or our friendship, but apparently you do."
"I'm so sorry, Booth. I didn't mean for this to happen." She chuckled wryly as she continued, "With all of our fighting in the beginning, who would have known that love would finally break this up."
"I thought you didn't believe in love; that it was only a bunch of chemicals. What were they Dopamine and something…?" Booth smiled softly, feeling his heart break at her obvious rejection.
"Dopamine and Norapenephrine; I'm impressed you remembered. You'll be a squint yet," she said teasing him with a smile. "And I guess maybe there is more to it than that. After all, the euphoria is normally brought on by the promise of, and during the act of, physical intercourse. That's not the case, since we never…" She sighed and crossed her arms, resigning herself to the fact that things had irreversibly changed. "And while the kiss may have been the catalyst, I had to admit I felt this way for a long while. I just didn't understand and I suppose I was scared I'd lose you. Ironic, isn't it?"
Had he heard her correctly? Booth felt shell-shocked. Finally speaking when he saw her head tilt in confusion, "You? That's why you flinch and pull away when I touch you. That's why you don't have an appetite at all anymore and you lost weight. That's why you've been acting weird since you came back from Peru."
She gaped, full-blown panic setting in as she realized her mistake. "Oh God, he didn't know?" Her flight response kicked in full gear, but before she could move closer to the door he said her name, "Temperance." She did not recognize the deep and husky timbre as his. Her mouth went dry as she saw the look in his eyes. "How the hell is he getting me aroused when he's not even touching me?"
He began to stalk her, watching her eyes widen and then darken as he closed the distance between their bodies. He never once slowed his pace until his right hand slipped around her waist and the left trapped itself in her hair. He captured her lips at the same time he pulled her closer. She gasped at the added contact and he slipped his tongue inside the warmth of her mouth, angling his head to gain greater access. Brennan felt desperate, shaken, weak and so hot. Her skin felt like it was burning; he was so close and yet still not close enough. After several minutes, he raised his head, both of them taking in huge gulps of air.
"Bones, please say it. Please?" His eyes pleaded with her.
For the first time in two months, she felt a stirring of hope. She stared in his eyes trying to confirm that she was reading him right. His eyes shared the hope in her heart, and she finally answered, "Booth, somewhere over the past two years I fell in love with you."
Booth closed his eyes as pure exhilaration raced through his veins. Her lack of hesitation only increased his belief that this was real and not a cruel dream. He didn't realize how long he must have been silent until he felt her pull away. He quickly pulled her back to him cradling her body against his. "Temperance, I love you too. I've been in love with you since our first case. I finally admitted the truth to myself after New Orleans. You're right, Bones; I would gladly risk my career and my life for you, because the thought of not having you with me scares me more than anything."
The relief she felt had been immediate and his declaration had allowed her mind to adjust to the new circumstances. She playfully punched his shoulder before sliding her arms around his neck and pressing the full length of her body against his. "Well after a kiss like that you better be in love with me, Seeley Booth; otherwise you'd be really evil." Her smile radiated the joy she now felt knowing he was hers.
"Me? Evil? You know I'm an angel," he whispered in her ear before taking the lobe between his lips and sucking gently. Her breath hitched and she tilted her head slightly as he moved to the hollow behind her ear, swirling his tongue in slow circles down to where her neck and shoulder met.
"Booth," she moaned his name and he brought his lips back to hers. While he again plundered every recess of her mouth, her hands moved down his chest, continuing to the hem where she slipped underneath to feel his skin.
His stomach muscles jumped as her soft hands caressed him and he quickly disengaged from the embrace in desperate need of control. "Ummm, Bones, we need to stop."
"Why?" she asked as she brushed against him and began sucking on the sensitive skin of his neck, gently grazing her teeth and sending goose bumps racing over his body.
He gripped her arms, keeping her still while he stepped back, responding, "You're making me crazy." He dropped his hands but needed to retreat further as Brennan began to advance. "Bones, we should take this slow. Go on a date…or something." He lost his train of thought as he watched her moving towards him with a predatory gleam.
Brennan never broke eye contact and her voice seduced him, "Booth, we've been on hundreds of dates already. Besides, the point of a date is to learn useless, empty facts about a person's life to build a false sense of familiarity." He staggered against a wall beside the couch, and Brennan trapped him there placing her hands on his waist. "We know each other so well, we don't need any words." She tugged at his belt buckle, smiling as she felt his breath escape in a choked gasp. "And right now I do not feel like talking." She pulled the belt out of its loops and dropped it on the floor.
The last of his self-restraint fell away with a groan and he clasped her to him, his fingers gripping her hips. His mouth devoured her, and his tongue thrust and withdrew in a repetitive rhythm that made them both lightheaded. His hands moved over her ass settling her more firmly against his erection.
Brennan's fingers dug into his scalp needing a point of stability in her spinning world. "Just kissing him is going to make me come." Her body was beginning to quake and she was becoming more vocal with her need for release. He must have felt her trembling, because he switched their positions, now pinning her against the wall. She moved her hands from his hair to his shoulders for balance, while she wrapped one leg around his waist, grinding herself further into the rock hard length pressed between her legs. Even through their jeans, the new position provided enough friction to push her towards her first orgasm of the night. She cried out against his lips, breaking the kiss and breathing in vital oxygen.
Booth could not remember any woman responding to him so strongly; nor could he recall being so close to the edge just from making out. He could feel lingering spasms going through her as his wandering hands soothed and he whispered, "I love you, Temperance."
She smiled as she raised her head, the love in her eyes making the words needless, "We have to catch you up."
He chuckled softly, "This is one match I will gladly throw. I want to feel your body do that again." He took her hand and led her to his bedroom.
The night progressed in a similar fashion, neither of them getting any sleep until the early morning. The soft glow of dawn graced the walls and discovered the couple wrapped in each other's arms, soft smiles revealing the nature of their dreams. Another hour passed before the dreaded alarm clock shattered the stillness. The partners opened their eyes simultaneously and found the other's warm gaze.
"Morning, baby," greeted Booth with a slow kiss.
"More nicknames? Do you have an aversion to my real name?" she teased in mock anger.
"Aw, c'mon sweetheart, you know I like Temperance. Pet names are a way to be affectionate."
She answered wryly, "Any more affection and I won't be able to walk straight."
He smirked in that sexy way he had, before rolling her on her back, "Are you complaining?"
"One thing I'm not is stupid." Just then the growl from her stomach interrupted and she laughed. "Sorry Booth, but I guess I worked up an appetite somehow."
Booth did not respond as he brought his lips to hers, kissing her so thoroughly they both forgot everything but the pleasure of the several hours that just passed. Finally he raised his head and was about to say something when her stomach growled again. "All right, all right, let's get you some food."
Sweet laughter filled the room as she stood up, making her way to the kitchen in all her beautiful, naked glory. "I could happily start my mornings like this for the rest of my life," thought Booth before following his partner.
And so they did, for the rest of their lives.
THE END