The booming crash of thunder rolled outside the Booth and Brennan home as the two in question enjoyed a well deserved glass of wine after a finely cooked dinner. Sitting on the couch, Bones was curled against Booth's side, rolling her eyes as he tried to talk sports with her. She knew quite well that Booth was a big sports fanatic and though she found many of those activities to be barbaric displays of violence and unnecessarily idolized, she listened because it was something her lover cared about, which meant she cared too. Somewhat, at least.
They'd solved another case; one with a drunken FBI Agent that had somehow managed to find himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. It had left Booth on edge to know a colleague, though they didn't know each personally, was murdered and he'd been frustrated by the situation the entire week.
Bones had picked up on her partners agitation and had taken it upon herself to ask Angela and Hodgins to watch Christine for the night so that the two of them could enjoy a night together, getting comfortable by the fire and simply basking in the love they shared. Then again, she should have known something, or someone, would throw a wrench into her plans.
Outside the unsuspecting couples home, a man stood in the storm. His dark hair was plastered to his skin from the rain, his suit soaked completely through, his shoes containing more water than feet. He swallowed hard and moved forward, crossing the street and heading towards the front door. As he reached it, he took a deep breath and pulled up a shaking hand to knock three times on the wooden door.
Within the house, Booth stopped talking about the cheap shot one of his opponents had taken during hockey and glanced towards the front door. "You order anything, Bones?" He asked, unwrapping his arm from around her shoulders and lifting himself to his feet.
Bones shook her head and leaned forward to place her wine glass on the table, "No, I haven't. I asked the others to let us have a night alone together. I know that case was particularly rough for you and I wanted to give us time alone." She stood as well and followed Booth to the front door.
One the locks were undone, Booth's hand wrapped around the doorknob and he pulled it open.
In front of him stood a lanky, awkward young man, almost drowning in the wet clothes he wore and staring at both Booth and Bones with the biggest puppy dog eyes anyone had ever seen. "Sweets?" Booth asked, eyebrow raising in question. "Uh, what are you doing here?"
Sweets looked between the two of them and stepped inside, his shoulders slumped in a way that was even making Booth feel sad. "I broke up with Olivia," he sighed, stepping out of his shoes and pulling his jacket from his shoulders.
"Sure, just come on in," Booth grumbled, taking the jacket from the psychiatrist. Dark eyes glanced to Bones before cutting back to Sweets as if trying to convey a message.
Bones nodded and looked to Sweets, "Would you like to stay with us?" She asked smiling. Booth let out a groan, earning a confused expression from Bones.
Sweets shook his head, "I can't stay long. I've got things I need to do." However, he pulled off his tie, letting it hit the ground.
"Perhaps you'd like some wine? Booth and I were just enjoying a bit ourselves," Bones asked, motioning to forgotten glasses on the coffee table. "And maybe some dry clothes? I'm sure Booth has a few old things you would fit in."
"Not really where I was expecting this night to go," Booth muttered, shuffling off to his and Bones' room for some extra clothing items.
By the time he returned, Sweets was done to his boxers. "Oh come on, man. Really?" Booth asked, throwing the sweat pants and t-shirt at the younger man. "Get dressed and we'll talk."
Bones stepped up before Sweets could head to the bathroom, "And give me your boxers. I'll put them in the drier so that they dry faster. The other clothes will need dry cleaning, but I can't do that because I am not equipped to."
"Thanks you guys," Sweets said, smiling sadly as he reached for his boxers.
Booth grabbed his arm, shaking his head, "No, Sweets. Take 'em off in the bathroom."
Nodding, Sweets blushed a bit, "Right, sorry." With that, he left them in their living room as he trudged to the bathroom.
Booth turned to Bones the instant Sweets was out of earshot. "Bones, what were you thinking?"
"Booth, he was obviously very distressed. And did you see how his shoulders were slumped and his eyes were bloodshot? He has either been drinking or not sleeping. Possibly both, but I don't have enough evidence to say for sure."
"Not what I meant, Bones. I just, I thought this night was supposed to be about us? We were so busy this week and I was kind of hoping..." He grinned, pulling her close and trapping her lips in a fierce kiss.
Smiling as she pulled away, she patted his chest, "I'm a mother now, Booth. When I see a child in need, I understand what it takes to console them. I couldn't just let him stand in the rain looking so broken."
"Sweets isn't a child, Bones. And he didn't look that broken, just a little sad. All he needed was a good punch to the arm and he would've been fine. Now he's gonna drink our wine and..."
"Thanks for letting me borrow the clothes, guys." Sweets reappeared again, his skinny frame completely engulfed by Booth's clothing. If possible, it made him look even more pathetic.
Collecting his clothes, Bones smiled, "We do not mind, Sweets. You'd do the same for us. I'll get these hung up."
Booth stared at Sweets for a long moment, trying to decide what to do. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head, "You want a beer or something?"
"Yeah, please." The two men headed towards the kitchen where they retrieved their beers from the fridge.
They stood in silence for a long moment, taking a couple gulps of the alcohol before Bones finally returned. Only now, she was in her pajamas, leaving Booth the only one in formal attire. "Guess I'll go change," he huffed, taking a long drink of his beer before exiting the room to change.
"Would you like to play a game, Sweets? Hodgins got us that game Monopoly for Christine's birthday a few months back. He says he knows she's too young to play now, but he doesn't want to risk Monopoly going under and having Christine go without a...'normal childhood,'" she explained, using quotations.
Sweets smiled gratefully and nodded, "I'd love that actually." The two grabbed a few more beers, knowing Booth would want more, and headed back to the living room where Bones retrieved the game from one of the cabinets.
"I haven't gotten the chance to play myself, but I googled it and it seems fairly easy. I'm very smart with my money and the odds are easy enough to figure out." They moved the coffee table to set the board on the floor and arrange the pieces and cards.
"What are you two doing now?" Booth asked, walking back in with the rest of his beer. "Monopoly? Bones, you don't even know how to play."
She grinned triumphantly, "Then this will prove to be a learning opportunity. Now, I shall be the car. What do you want to be, Sweets?" She asked, shuffling the cards and placing them on their rightful spots.
"I'll be the top hat," Sweets says, grabbing his piece before taking another drink of his beer.
Booth plopped down beside Bones and snatched the car piece, "You can't be the car, Bones. I'm always the car."
The woman snorted, wrinkling her nose, "We haven't even played before, Booth. And besides, I'm an excellent driver. I should obviously be the car."
The arthur and the agent argued for what seemed like hours before finally coming to the agreement that neither would be the car. Instead, Booth chose the battleship and Bones settled for the dog. The rest of the night was spent with the three of them trying to sabotage each other, Bones asking questions concerning the game, Booth trying to explain things to her and Sweets taking pleasure in knowing that these two people were important in his life.
By the end of the night, Sweets was passed out on the floor which lead to Bones and Booth just barely managing to hoist him onto the couch. Grabbing a few extra blankets, Bones covered Sweets gently before brushing a stray piece of hair from his forehead. "He's a good kid," she said, her voice gently, low and motherly. Albeit, she was a tad bit drunk.
Booth wrapped his arm around her waist, kissing her cheek gently. "Eh, he's not a kid anymore, Bones." They shared a genuine smile before packing up the board game, throwing out the empty beer cans and snuggling into bed.
"Booth?" Bones asked, curling against his side with a yawn.
"Hmm?" He replied, stretching out on his back, one hand above his head and the around around his partner.
She hiccuped, the alcohol on her breath a clear indicator she was definitely drunk, "It may sound silly, and it certainly isn't rational, but do you suppose we could adopt-"
Booth cut her off by pressing his hand over her mouth, "Bones, you can't adopt a twenty-eight year old man." He couldn't stop the smile that tugged at his lips though, and he pulled her close. Lately, this motherly side of Bones was one of his favorite things.
"Fine," she murmured against the flesh of his palm before gripping his wrist and pulling down, "But I'm going to talk to him about it in the morning."
Chuckling to himself, Booth couldn't stop the rolling of his eyes, "You do that, Bones. You do that."