I'm BACK! Yes, after a LOOOONG hiatus from FF writing, I've decided to give it a try again. I'm a little hesitant to post this since I can't say for sure that my mojo is really back for good, but I want to get it out there really bad, so I'm going to chance it! You've been warned (but please don't leave now 'cause I'd really like some feedback on this ;))
Summary: 6x09, tDitP. Booth confronts Brennan about what really took her to that street in the middle of the night. Plays on Sweets' theory.
He stepped out of the SUV, staring at his partner across from him.
She was crouching in the middle of the street, staring at something on the ground. He didn't know what she was doing out there on her own, at night, but he recognized the look in her eyes. And it scared him.
Then he heard the sound of an engine, coming from around the corner. Headlights fell on her form, and the image sent chills down his spine. He looked at her, waiting for her to move. But she didn't. She wasn't even looking, he realized.
He had to do something, and quick. He shouted at her, trying to shock her out of her dazed state, but she still stared at the ground. At the other end of the road, the car had completed its turn. The driver must have seen her by then, but he wasn't slowing down. Oh God, he's going to hit her...
He felt his legs move, felt his arms wrap around his partner's waist, felt his body shielding her as he dragged her to safety. His thoughts still lagged behind his actions as he held her in front of him, his eyes sweeping her for injury, for any sort of harm, until he saw that she was really okay and he could relax.
It was then that the anger hit him. Coming out here, risking herself like that, she had no right. She should have called him, should have called someone, hell she shouldn't have been there at night in the first place. He didn't care how much this case had rattled her, it didn't make it okay for her to nearly die in front of his eyes... no, it didn't make it at all okay.
She told him of her theory, of what had happened to Lauren Eames. He listened, but he didn't really hear her. His mind was far from the case after what he'd just nearly seen.
"Bones, what the hell were you thinking?" He waved his arms as he asked the question. He'd been scared, really, truly scared, and he could still feel too much adrenaline rushing though his body. His mind kept going back to something Sweets had said about the victim, something about dangerous situations and... suicide by murder, he'd called it. He couldn't help the words that came next.
"Did... did you want that to happen?"
He saw the look of hurt flash across her face, and immediately wanted to take the words back. To tell her that he didn't think she was so far gone that she would do something so crazy, that he didn't think that of her. But wasn't that exactly what he'd just thought?
It didn't matter anyway. The words were out, and it was too late to stop them, too late to hide behind their all their pretenses, too late to pretend he didn't see. Because he did. And now he had to face it, he had to be the best friend he'd left behind... because if he didn't, if he let this go, he didn't want to think about how much further she could fall. And letting her fall just might kill him.
"Sweets, he said... he was saying about the victim, about Lauren, he said that she put herself in danger, that she wanted to die, or... at least to get hurt. Bones, I just, I- I mean, it's the middle of the night, Bones, and- dammit, Bones, you were in the middle of the street for cryin' out loud! And you keep saying that she's you, like the pitch for some bad movie or something, and- just tell me that that's not what you were doing, Bones." He stopped pacing and looked her in the eye. "Tell me you weren't being the victim."
Thanks for reading! I'm sorry it's so short, and a cliffie, but it seemed like such a good place to stop it (because I'm evil). Hopefully I'll get the next chapter written before Christmas, but I'm not making any promises. In the mean time, leave me a note telling me what you thought! Suggestions are more than welcome. This is my first real forray into FF in almost two years, so I could really use your input or, if I can hope, your praise!
~Jess