Everyone deserves their very own Booth.
Booth took a deep breath to release his tense shoulders when he heard her key in the lock and he set aside the glass he'd been washing. Moving to the kitchen doorway, he watched as she slowly set aside her bag and keys and hung up her coat with small, stiff movements indicative of yet another long day spent bent over a skeleton. Another day of facts and evidence and scientific, detached bravery.
Her favorite kind.
He leaned one shoulder against the wall and crossed his arms, head tilted as he studied her. It was only because she wasn't aware of his watchful eyes that she allowed herself a moment of human frailty. Covering her face with her hands as her shoulders slumped under the weight of the day.
She became aware of his presence when a small sympathetic sigh escaped him and she looked over. Immediately all traces of exhaustion vanished and she managed a small smile for his benefit.
oh look there you go again
puttin on that smile again
even though i know you've had a bad day
"You're home late." again he added silently. She merely nodded and stuck her hands in her pockets, awkwardly searching for the next right thing to say.
"You cooked?" She asked, hoping it was a question that would remove those concerned shadows from his eyes.
It was Booth's turn to nod and he headed back into the kitchen. He finished the stew he'd been brewing on the stove, a slight frown on his brow. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, if Bones was anything she was honest and loyal as the day is long. But she had a tendency to work herself to the brink of death. While he did his best to make sure she got food three times a day and slept a minimum of five hours a night, there was only so much he could do. He couldn't fight her battles for her, especially the ones that took place inside that beautiful mind.
Booth turned slightly when he felt a presence beside him and Brennan jumped up onto the counter, swinging her legs slightly, now without shoes and socks and unbuttoning the top of her blouse.
"Need any help?" She asked, absently sipping the wine he'd poured for her and scanning the apartment they now shared.
doin this doin that
always puttin yourself last
a whole lotta give and not enough take
but you can only be strong so long before you break
so…
"Nope, pretty much done." He looked over and smiled and she felt herself blush. Because it wasn't his charm smile, or his cocky smile, it wasn't even his devilish I-want-you smile. It was that true, honest, you're-my-everything smile. And it made her heart ache with an emotion she was scared to admit she felt.
She turned away as the tears welled up in her eyes and jumped off the counter.
"I'll set the table then."
Booth 'hmm'ed in response and turned back to his stew, pretending her slight brush off hadn't phased him, and wishing that were true. He waited to hear the sound of dishes being removed from the cupboard, but when it didn't come, he stopped. Just then two small, pale arms wrapped around his torso and he felt her press her face into his back. Warm wet spots began to soak into the material and though she made no noise, he knew she was crying.
fall
go on and fall apart
fall into these arms of mine
i'll catch you every time you
fall
Their bowls sat emptied on the coffee table while she snuggled in close to his side. He ran his hand up and down her arm with her head on his chest, a position they'd been in for more than an hour, but neither saw the need to move.
Her right hand was clasped tightly with his left, she would squeeze it now and then, as if to be sure he was still there. And when she did, he would squeeze it right back, if just to assure her that he was.
When she finally lolled off to sleep, he carefully moved her in his arms so that he could shut off the light on the table beside him and pull her into his lap. Then, as quickly and smoothly as possible, he carried her to the bed, well aware that the slightest jolt could wake her and she wouldn't sleep again that night.
If she did wake she would spend the rest of the night bent over the oak desk in her office, wrapped in one of his sweatshirts and purple slippers. She would work endlessly on her manuscript or writing research reports. Whatever it took to escape the terrors inside her mind and the perfectly preserved images of, what he'd learned was, a photographic memory.
He lay down beside her in the bed and wrapped his arms tight around her, wishing to protect her from all the pain she had ever endured. And she, even in her sleep, clung to his warmth and alpha-male persona, wishing to be protected.
go on and lose it all
every doubt every fear
every worry every tear
I'm right here
baby fall
The bed shifted, that was probably what woke him. When he reached over and found her side of the bed empty, he was instantly alert. In seconds he'd left their messed sheets and gone to find her in the darkened apartment.
She was right where he expected, sitting alone in her office, her face bathed in the white glow of her laptop. Booth stepped inside and she looked up. She could see the concern once again being reflected in his eyes and he watched the battle playing in hers. A war between strength and weakness, holding it together verses falling apart.
And he waited for her choice.
forget about the world tonight
all thats wrong and all thats right
He didn't even have time to smile. She leapt up from her seat and crossed the room in long strides, instantly enveloped by his strong arms and calmed by the beat of his heart inside his chest. She covered her face with her hands and he bent his head to whisper in her ear, though neither were sure of what he said.
When the sobs came, the first time in months, he held her only tighter, until he was supporting both their weights. Until their shortened breath intermingled and her tears began to wash the pain away.
lay your head on my shoulder let it fade away
and if you wanna let go it's okay
Brennan clung to him for dear life. Her heart and mind were racing, and the sadness seemed to be winning. When she felt as if she would drown and her legs crumbled beneath her, his strong arms held her up and held her close, trying to give her some of his strength. For the first time in as long as she could remember, Brennan let go.
She let go of the hurt and the walls, if even for a moment. She squeezed shut her eyes and pressed her face into him, relishing in the stability only he could provide.
Maybe he wouldn't be there forever, maybe she just didn't belong in a family.
But maybe…she did.
For a moment she allowed herself to believe that love did really exist, and it's inevitable end didn't have to be pain and loneliness. For a moment she let herself feel his love as it radiated from him and spilled over her in his words. And for a moment she believed that he was the one.
Booth made her believe in those things.
Maybe only for a moment, but…maybe for forever.
hold on
hold on
hold on
to me