The Truth Zone
The truth zone. Why the heck they'd started using the phrase to call each other out on bullshit, they weren't sure. It was one of Sweets' most loathsome for sure, so Booth was pretty sure she'd been the one to start it.
She was pretty sure he had been the one to start it. But it didn't really matter, because…
"Oof!" Brennan grunted as Booth grabbed her arm and shoved her into the nearby supply closet.
"Truth zone, Bones" he hissed and slammed the door. "Do you REALLY think you can just come in when I'm talking to parents of our latest victim and talk about her body like a freaking science experiment!"
Brennan yanked her arm away and poked him in the chest, "Yes! It's the truth; those people deserve the truth. And anyways, we AGREED that I would be allowed to present information!"
"Information is one thing!" Booth's hand slashed through the air, "That was practically an autopsy!"
Brennan pulled in a deep angry breath through her nose and mouth, and her eyes flashed. Her foot began frantically tapping against the cold storage room tile, and Booth's eyes went down her legs and back up to her face.
"Fine" she muttered and turned to walk out.
Booth followed a few moments later.
Three weeks later……
Brennan called for her partner, asking her to come look at some new evidence, but when he arrived to the suspect's guest bathroom, she shut the door behind him and stood in front of it, blocking his exit.
"Truth zone!" she called, "You're letting your infantile love of sporting events cloud your judgment out there!'
"What?' Booth scoffed, "Whatever."
"It's true!" Brennan insisted in a harsh whisper, trying to make sure the other FBI techs didn't hear them, "This suspect plays one season of professional football, and for some reason, the fact that he scores home runs makes you think he's automatically innocent!"
Booth swallowed and ran his hand through his hair. "First of all" his hand slashed through the air as he brought it down in frustration, "It's touchdowns. Touchdowns, Bones, not homeruns." His lips tilted in a slight smirk and then he sighed.
"Fine, I'll take another look, okay?"
"Fine" Brennan opened her hands toward him, "Good."
She stepped forward and then opened the door, motioning for him to leave first.
Two days later………
Booth pressed his hands against the table in the interrogation room and jerked his head toward the door. Brennan knew the sign and nodded slightly toward their suspect before following him out of the office.
She didn't speak as she followed him into the observation room and just watched as he paced back and forth for long moments.
"Truth zone" he confessed. "I don't know what the hell to do in there!"
He ran his hand through his hair and cupped the back of his neck before picking up the random cup of pencils on the side table and throwing them against the wall.
Brennan winced, and looked back through the one way window. "It's not your fault, Booth."
"What?" he growled, and Brennan turned just in time to see him step right in to her space. "What did you say?" he threatened through narrowed eyes.
"I said, it's not your fault." Brennan shrugged casually, "This man has outwitted you. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
Booth's jaw jutted out and he pulled on his collar. "You think you're so damn smart, is that it, Bones?"
She swallowed and nodded. "I know I'm smart. Not even relatively. I'm very smart, Booth. You know that."
"Mhmmm…" he nodded, his casual tone belying the tenseness in his shoulders as he pressed his palms against the wall on either side of his partner. "So…so damn smart" he mocked. "Fine, then why don't you solve this one, hmmm?" He tilted his head in question, "Yeah? Go on ahead, Bones…tell me the answer; you're so smart."
Brennan looked once again through the observation window to see their perpetrator grinning with his hands behind his back and his feet propped up on the table. Her eyes narrowed, and she looked back to her partner, shoving his arms away.
"Truth zone." She clenched her fists and her teeth, "I want him to confess."
Booth nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, Bones". His eyes grew passionate and he nodded again. "Let's go make him confess, alright?"
He turned and opened the door, and Brennan closed it behind her as she followed him.
Ten days later….
"Bones, are you freaking kidding me?" Booth stopped right on the sidewalk, and Brennan bumped into him, almost spilling her new cup of coffee.
"Booth!" she chided, "Watch it!"
"Watch it?" he turned, incredulous, "My partner tells me that she's thinking of going away for a YEAR, and I'm supposed to watch my reaction?"
Brennan sputtered a bit, "It's only a year, I don't even…"
"Shut up, Bones." Booth groused and then shoved her with his hip toward the antique phone booth on the corner. Once she was shoved inside, he tossed his coffee in the nearby trash and stepped in the booth, sliding the door shut before turning toward her.
The soundproof glass blocked the sound of their very visible discussion.
"A year, Bones?" He raised his hands in disbelief. "And what the hell am I supposed to do, hmmm? Just go back to homicides on my own? Or, I don't know…maybe you need an assistant" he mocked, "Maybe I should just come with you and carry your equipment!"
He tried to stomp around in the space, and Brennan scooted out of his way to the other corner of the tight space. "Is that what you want, Bones? Me to just follow you around everywhere?"
"No one asked you to do that" she muttered, not quite sure why he was reacting like this.
"Exactly!" he shouted, "No one even asked me about this at all! My partner is apparently thinking of going to who the hell knows where--"
"Malaysia" Brennan muttered
"---and I have to hear about it in front of a freaking coffee shop?"
Booth blinked twice and then looked around, realizing for the first time where they were. "You know what? Just forget it" he sighed and turned to open the door.
"Wait"
Booth paused with his hand on the handle. He didn't turn around, but he didn't leave either.
"Truth zone" Brennan whispered, and his shoulders tightened.
"I feel like I'm holding you back" Brennan confessed, and his shoulders relaxed as he turned his face to look at her. "I heard about the promotion you turned down."
It was quiet for many moments as they looked at one another, both searching for answers to unspoken questions.
Then Booth slid the door open, and pressed his hand against her back as she walked out in front of him. Brennan turned to him and held up her coffee to share.
"Thanks" was all he said as they walked back to the SUV.
Two weeks later…..
"Psst!" Booth stomped his foot, and Brennan looked around but didn't see him right away.
"PSST!" Booth hissed. "Bones! Over here!"
Brennan looked around and saw Booth standing inside an open door at the diner. He motioned with his head for her to come over there.
"What is it, Booth?" She asked, and he pressed his hand over her mouth and pulled her in quickly.
"Shh! Bones, don't say my name!"
Brennan frowned and pulled his hand away from her mouth. "What's the big deal, Booth?"
He flung his hands in the air and made a face at her, "What the hell did I just say? Will you just shut it for once?"
Brennan's eyes narrowed, and she examined their surroundings. "Are we in a fridge?"
"Yes!" Booth whispered, "It's no big deal."
"No big deal!" Brennan whispered in disbelief. "What is going on here?"
Just then, sounds of voices and footsteps approached the door, and Booth grabbed his partner by her waist and pulled them both against the wall on the other side of the shelves of vegetables.
"What's going on?" Brennan insisted and turned a bit, causing her head to bump against a sharp corner, "Ouch!"
Booth pulled in a hiss, "Ah, Bones" he whispered, then smiled as she rubbed her head, "Ouch, that has to hurt."
She didn't answer, but just looked at him, waiting for an answer.
Booth rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine. Truth zone, or whatever, okay? There's this waitress here, right? And when you're not around, then she, you know…she…"
"Wants to shine your badge?"
Booth gulped, and his eyes widened. "Bones! Was that innuendo? From you?"
"No" Brennan frowned and rubbed her head again, "I think I heard one of them mention it. The redhead? One night last week when I had to come back in and get my coat, I overheard her say she wanted to shine your badge. And your gun." Brennan nodded. "Probably a very helpful person."
Booth snorted in disbelief, "Yeah, right."
His eyes softened when he realized she was serious. "Okay, Bones, come on…even you know better than that." He chuckled and nudged her shoulder with his fist, "Unless that bump on your head knocked out your genius or something."
Brennan smiled to herself, "I don't think so, Booth. That's highly unlikely."
"Ah, yes" he teased, "of course."
His fingers reached up to where hers rested against her scalp and he rubbed a bit, then on impulse leaned down to kiss the spot she'd bumped. "There" he pulled back, then looked into her surprised eyes. "Uh…all better…"
His gaze flicked down to his shoes, and he motioned once more with his head toward the door. 'Let's get out of here." He tucked his head down as he led the way.
And neither one of them said much during dinner.
The next day……
"Why won't you just discuss it, Booth?" Brennan challenged as they pulled into the parking lot of the Jeffersonian.
"Bones, will you just drop it!" Booth's voice rose, and he shoved the shifter into park, reaching with his other hand to unbuckle his seatbelt.
"No!" Brennan had heard enough. Or not enough, in fact, and she was faster. She'd already unbuckled her seat belt and she pressed her hand over his on his seatbelt fastener and tried to block him from getting out of the driver's side. "Truth zone" she declared, lightly blowing her hair from her face. She shook her head also to try and get it out of her face, since both hands were occupied.
They both froze, realizing that she'd practically crawled into his lap to stop him. Brennan felt his hand under hers, and her chest was pressed against his. "Why can't you just admit that the idea of Rebecca getting married bothers you?"
His neck twisted to the side and back as he avoided her gaze, "Why do you even want to talk about it?" he finally asked. "I thought you didn't approve of marriage, anyways."
"I don't" she bristled a bit, "but that doesn't mean that I don't…"
When she trailed off, he met her eyes, then smiled a bit as she kept trying to blow her hair from her face.
With two fingers, he tucked her wayward locks behind her ear, "You don't what, Bones?"
Brennan opened her mouth to articulate her feelings. "I don't…" she sighed. "It doesn't mean that I don't worry about how you would feel about this."
His fingers froze, tucked under the skin of her ear, her soft hair trapped between. "What do you mean?"
"Just that you do believe in marriage, and someone you wanted to marry at one time is now marrying someone else. Someone…someone Parker will live with, and all of that." Brennan finished tentatively, guessing this was something that really bothered Booth. "I was just trying to help you talk about it, that's all."
He swallowed and let his hand move down to cup her shoulder. Although their position was awkward, it felt very natural when he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "Truth zone?" he whispered, and she nodded.
He pulled in a sigh, and she felt it against her chest.
"It sucks, Bones. It sucks big time. I don't want Parker to call someone else dad, you know?" Booth's eyes were pained, and he pulled back enough to let her see his expression.
Brennan winced at what she saw. Unsure of how else to comfort him, she nodded. Seemingly of their own volition, her hands rose and cupped his shoulders. They were very close, closer than normal, closer than even a guy hug, but it felt very natural again for her to lean in and press her lips against his. All better… she wanted to say, but knew that this wasn't something she could fix. Just something she could try and help him cope with.
They stared at one another for long moments, until Booth shifted his weight under her. Brennan blinked and shook her head slightly, clearing her throat. "Thank you for telling me" she rasped out, as she slowly tried to untangle herself back to her side of the SUV.
Silently, they both opened their doors and walked into the Jeffersonian.
A month later…….
Booth's hands flexed on her waist as he shuffled her inside his office, then closed the door. He pulled the rarely used curtain over the windows, then turned back around.
"Truth zone" he muttered. "I can't stop thinking about you."
Brennan gasped as his hands clamped onto her hips again. "I know. I don't know why this is happening…again…"
"I know" Booth moaned as their lips brushed against one another. That was as far as they'd go. But week after week, stolen little moments, where they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Not much kissing, just…feeling. His hands sliding into her hair while he stared into her eyes. Her hands running down his chest as they made plans for dinner.
Always fully clothed, always fully aware, but always under the guise of the truth zone.
"Just a little bit longer," Booth whispered against the skin of her jaw, and Brennan wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his chest.
"Just a bit" she whispered, feeling just as confused as his voice had sounded.
The next Friday night…..
"Ey yo Bones, another case solved!" Booth bounded up the steps to the lab table, "So which is it tonight, Wong Foos? Diner? Thai? Pizza at my place?" Booth grinned, "Ladies choice."
Brennan swallowed and looked around to the rest of the team on the forensics platform.. "Actually, I will be unable to have dinner with you tonight, Booth" Her eyes widened a bit as she looked at him. "I have a date."
"You do?" Booth flinched, then cleared his throat, "I mean, oh…okay. A date, hmmm?"
Brennan felt her stomach twist a bit as she turned back to the table. "Yes."
Everyone else standing around pretended not to notice when Brennan left the platform and went to her office. And everyone also pretended not to notice when Booth followed her.
"Truth zone, Bones" Booth caught her office door before she could close it and stepped inside. He closed it, and then followed her to where she stood on the other side of her desk. His hands clasped her elbows and he bent his head to meet her eyes. "You have a date tonight?"
Brennan felt a painful pressure above her ribs, a slight shortness of breath, "Yes." But really, what was she supposed to do? Kiss only Booth, whenever it was convenient for him? How was something the 'truth' when it was only done in secret?
"Bones…" he murmured and pressed his lips against hers, sliding his hands around to pull her tight against his body. Her arms wrapped around him as well, almost in desperation. The kiss grew more intense as each one fought for whatever thing it was that could help them figure this out. "Bones…" he gasped and turned her so she was flush against her office wall, his long form pressed against her from head to toe.
Brennan gasped, surprised by his dominance and by her body's acceptance over what her mind would normally rebel against. But her hands were clasping at his strong back and her feet parted to make room for his in between. Minutes lasted hours but felt like seconds as their lips said what their voices couldn't yet speak.
The chime on a Nigerian clock startled them, and they pulled apart quickly, their chests still brushing with every strangled breath.
Blue eyes searched brown ones, strong fingers brushed against soft ones.
"Do you still have a date tonight, Bones?"
The question was whispered in honesty, and she had no choice but to respond likewise.
"Yes"
The whispered response arced between them, and the coursing of hurt and confusion flowed from one to the other.
But they were stuck. Stuck living a lie in the truth zone.
Brennan smoothed her hands up Booth's arms to his shoulders. She ran her thumbs against the cool cotton there, feeling the warmth of his skin permeate through the fabric. But the tender sensations became too much, and she released him, then bit her bottom lip gently before turning and walking away.
Later that evening……
Booth turned off the TV and tossed the remote to the other side of the couch. He laid his head against the headrest and tried to still the pounding between his temples. But his tense muscles and fists and jaw weren't helping matters.
He was just about to go to bed when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it to see his partner there, looking sexy and sweet and worried and nervous, and a part of him didn't care and the rest wanted to hug her forever.
"How was your date?" was all that came out as he leaned against the doorway and pressed his hand against the other side.
She didn't answer, but just ducked under his arm, entering his apartment uninvited.
Booth's eyebrows rose, and he stepped back and closed his front door, then turned to her.
"Truth zone" she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "My date was miserable."
Booth took in her appearance. The slightly curled hair, the darker makeup and higher heels. All for someone else. And his gift was the vulnerable look in her eyes. He wasn't sure it was as good.
"Truth zone" he conceded. "I hope all your dates are miserable."
Brennan gasped, as if she'd never expected him to say anything like that. Booth knew that he'd said enough, so he just stepped back and opened his front door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bones."
She nodded, knowing it was best, and walked toward him. She paused once, right by him, and looked at his face. Booth could see she wanted to say something, but instead she just nodded again and stepped into the hallway. "See you tomorrow."
The next morning…..
"Well, Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth" Sweets nodded and sat across from them, steepling his fingers under his chin, "It's good to see you."
Neither one answered, but Sweets was not deterred. "Right. Okay, so…is there anything either of you want to discuss?"
Brennan's gaze grew even more detached, and she shook her head. Booth shifted in his seat and looked at her, noticing the smooth, pretty line of her jaw. "I have something to say."
Brennan looked at him in surprise. "You do?"
"You do?" Sweets repeated.
"Yeah" Booth cleared his throat and shifted again. "I do. It's sort of something just for Bones, but I also need to say it in public, so…"
"Booth…what…"
Booth silenced her with a finger over her lips. Brennan paused, her eyes wide as his finger slipped away only to join the rest of his hand as it cupped her face. "Truth zone…" he whispered, then paused.
After a couple of moments, Brennan nodded encouragingly, "Okay…truth zone…what?"
Sweets' was stunned as the moment progressed, using one of his terms.
"Truth zone…" Booth leaned in, "I'm in love with you."
Brennan's eyebrows rose, and her fingers wrapped around the wrist near her cheek. A single, uncharacteristic tear fell from her eye, and he wiped it away quickly. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"
She nodded and then composed herself, turning back toward Sweets.
Booth did the same with a slight smirk on his face, and he crossed one of his legs over his other knee. "So are we done here?"
Sweets just stared back at them, in shock.
"I think we're done, Booth. It seems the session is over." Brennan smiled.
"I think you're right, there, Bones. Let's get out of here, what do you say?"
Brennan stood up, "I think that sounds like a good plan."
And Sweets remained seated, still amazed at what he'd just seen.
The end.
Or…just the beginning…….