A/N: Happy 16th birthday Bryn Elizabeth! This is what…our fourth year writing these to each other? It's officially a tradition and I wish you a very, very happy birthday! I had no idea, no plot, no expectations for this, I just hit shuffle on my playlist called: and let the words flow out.
It was true that Lily Catherine Brennan-Booth sang. The thing was that she only sang when she was alone at work/home or in "Limbo". Nobody but Wendell Bray has ever heard her sing and he heard by simply passing by one night. So when Lily mentioned that she wanted to learn how to play guitar Wendell went straight to Booth. The guitar showed up on the platform a month before her birthday and the smile on her face was one that could haunt anyone's dreams. Over the next month her fingers bled and became calloused from playing on the guitar so much.
When Brennan mentioned having a sweet sixteen Lily burst out crying and fled from the room. Wendell saw the tears streaming down her cheeks, shoved the file he was holding into Hodgins, and sprinted after her. She ran all the way to bone storage. He found her wandering among the aisles and the look she gave him read 'leave me alone for a while.'
And on her birthday when the guitar and case were missing from Brennan's office and her iPod was nowhere in sight…Wendell knew she had wandered down to bone storage again. He passed Hodgins on the way.
"Wendell, she's not there. Ange thinks that she's in the room where all the Egyptology stuff is being stored," Hodgins said passing by. Wendell turned on his heel and headed in the opposite directions.
He wandered down into the storage room and heard the familiar strum of her guitar. He held back and listened to her.
"This night is flawless, don't you let it go. I'm wonder-struck, dancing around all alone. I'll spend forever wondering if you know I was enchanted to meet you. Please don't be in love with someone else. Please don't have somebody waiting on you…" her voice broke at the end and a sob ripped through her body. Wendell watched as she set her guitar in its case and then curled up on the bed that was in the middle of storage.
Her body shook with sobs. He sprung into action and walked up to her. "Leave," she whispered, her voice shaking.
"Not again," he replied sitting down next to her.
"Haven't you ever heard the phrase it's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to?"
"Haven't you ever heard of you're my best friend and I'll take care of you? Come here Lils." He opened his arms and she walked into them. He began to sway them back and forth while murmuring words of comfort into her hair.
"You don't even know why I'm crying, how could you say that everything is going to be okay?" she cried.
"I don't know why you're crying because you keep pushing me away! Tell me what's wrong Lily and I'll fix it, I promise."
"If I tell you what's wrong you're just going to yell at me or walk away."
"I promise that I won't yell or walk away from you." She looked up into icy blue eyes and even more tears spilled down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs and his eyes were laced with the upmost concern. "Lily, baby, please talk to me."
"You…you called me baby…" she stuttered. His eyes widened at the slip up. "Take away the pain," she whispered.
"It's just wrong enough to make it feel right," he murmured. "Stupid Taylor Swift songs."
"Wendell. Bray. Kiss. Me. Right. Now."
"I-I…oh damn it all to hell!" he said attacking her lips roughly. Her knees buckled and she began to go down. He pulled her flush against him. Their kiss was broken when the need for air burned in their lungs. Their foreheads rested against each other while their chests heaved trying to regain a proper heart rate and breathing pattern.
"I'm in love with you," she whispered.
"Good, because I'm in love with you too," he murmured kissing her forehead. "Why did you run off crying so many times?"
"Because the only thing I wanted for my birthday was you to notice me and I was hurting and I thought I had no chance."
"Oh baby, I've always noticed you from how you wear your hair a certain way for a while then change the style because you get lazy and how your eyes have little golden specks in them. Don't you ever feel like I never notice you."
"I'm stupid, I'm sorry."
"No you're not stupid, you're just a teenager."
"I should probably get back to work."
"Its your birthday just stay here for a while or go home, you're tired."
"Drive me home?"
"Gather up your things, I'm going to go talk to Brennan." He started walking away but stopped short and turned towards her. "Oh and you might not want to leave this just lying around," he said pulling a folded piece of paper from his pocket. He tossed it over to her.
"Where did you find this?" she questioned.
"My station, you must've left it there after a late night working on homework."
"It's been refolded like a ton of times the edges are all soft."
"I know, I've held onto it and read it a thousand times." Lily blushed scarlet. "Hope your birthday kiss was like how you wanted it to be."
"I'm sorry!"
"No reason to be sorry, happy birthday Lils," he replied. "Now come on let's get you home."