A/N: Hey guys! So, this is a one shot from the view of a Barista on Brennan and Booth's relationship. It's pure fluff, the only action coming at the end. It spans through several events, including " Two Bodies in the Lab and " The Baby in the Bough". Other events are ones I made up.
Merci to anyone who presses that little blue button on the bottom!
DISCLAIMER: Will you look at that, I STILL don't own Bones..
WHAT'S IT GONNA TAKE, HART HANSON?
Kathy had been a Barista for five years, working to support medical school. After a while, you knew who was the regulars, who were the ones just dropping in before work. You knew what the regulars wanted. You learned to read their emotions. An extra shot of caffeine for the exhausted mother. A dollop more whip cream for the worn out intern. You learned to know who was with who, who was married, who had gotten divorced. And who was in love with who, regardless of their status as single or together.
So the first time Kathy saw them, she knew.
A beautiful tall woman with eyes like the ocean and brown, nearly auburn hair pulled into a ponytail. A muscled man with warm brown eyes and light brown hair that stood up on end as though he just ran his hand through it. The came through the door bickering about something, his hand on the small of her back, guiding her through the cafe.
" Booth, I told you I was right!" The woman said with an air of satisfaction. The man, whose name was evidently Booth, shot her an annoyed, yet somehow affectionate look.
" I know that, Bones." He grumbled. " You've only rubbed it in every other minute for the past minute."
Kathy smiled as they came up to the desk. It wasn't often she saw couples who weren't all lovey-dovey. It was a refreshing change.
" What can I do for you, today?" She asked them brightly. The man named Booth opened his mouth to respond, but was silenced by a look from the woman named Bones. Odd, but maybe a nick-name.
" We'll have a two decafs please, and organic milk in mine." She told Kathy matter-of-factly.
" Bones!" The man protested. " We have to get our notes together! We'll be up all night! Why can't at least I get regular?"
They were such an old married couple.
" Because, Booth. Caffeine is not good for you! Now stop it. We can pick up some Thai on the way back to lab. "
" Fine." He allowed. " As long as you don't eat all the Mee Krob like you did last time." Kathy suppressed a grin as she shut the lid on the not-wanted decaf.
" I didn't eat it all last time!' She shot back. " I thought you were finished!"
" Well, I wasn't!I was taking a break so I could review the notes!"
" Well, it certainly was a very long break. The Mee Krob was cold." The woman said superiorly.
" It was five minutes! Jeez, Bones! Oh, and will you tell Zack to please translate his squint speak into English for the jury? Nobody understands him."
" You are underestimating the jury's intelligence, Booth. Like they are just people off the street!"
Kathy tried not to laugh. Perhaps these two were from the lab across the street?
" They are just people off the street, Bones. Not everyone has an IQ of 160."The man named Booth muttered. Wow. Yeah, they were from across the street.
" My IQ is much higher then that, Booth." the woman named Bones confirmed.
Kathy couldn't help it. She brought the two coffees over, suppressing her laugh at the two's expression and posture. She was leaning into him unconsciously, as she argued with him. Her expression was set, but still showed how much she loved the man next to her. He still had his hand on the small of her back protectively. He was annoyed with the woman next to him, but Kathy could tell that this was a daily occurrence, that they bickered affectionately almost every hour of every day.
" There are your coffees. And sir, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you two been together? It's been a while since I saw a couple like you two. It's a refreshing change." Kathy told them cheerfully. The man froze, expression regretful, hand tightening over her back. The woman was expression went stoic, and she turned away.
" We're not together!' The man said. She could hear the longing in his voice.
" No," the woman agreed reluctantly. " Most definitely not. We're just partners."
" Just partners." The man confirmed a bit wistfully.
Oh. Whoops. Well, they would not stay 'just partners' for long. Those two loved each other. A whole lot.
" Sorry!" Kathy said. She was most definitely not sorry.
Kathy did not see the two for a few months. When the came back, she was working the late shift. It was nearly three in the morning, and no one was there except for a half-asleep night-nurse from Walter Reed. He still had his hand on her back. She was still leaning into him. They were still bickering. But he was beat up, his arm in a cast, and his face covered with stitches and bruises. She was pale, with a large bandage over her forehead.
" Don't you dare scare me like that ever again, Bones." The man muttered. The woman leaned a bit more in, so her head was resting on his shoulders.
" What was I supposed to do, jump out of a car on the highway? It's your fault; the FBI really needs to stop producing corrupt agents." She mumbled.
Oh ho ho ho. FBI agent, was he? Made sense. The man scowled, but didn't protest.
" And anyways, Booth. You really need to stop this pattern of nearly dying once a year. It's really getting on my nerves. First the bullet, now the bomb. It was meant for me. You should have let me take it. " She mumbled sleepily. She closed her eyes. The man smiled affectionately at her, readjusting himself so that she was more comfortable.
" Not in a million years, Bones." he said quietly.
Kathy smiled sweetly at the two.
" What can I get you two tonight?" She asked. The man frowned at the menu.
" Can I get a large black tea and a coffee?" he asked.
" Sure, hon." She swirled around the black tea, adding Sugar in the Raw and organic milk.
" Booth," She heard the woman whine tiredly. " I want coffee."
" Nuh uh, Bones. You need real sleep tonight. No writing, no paperwork, no calls to or from the lab. No caffeine. " The man reprimanded gently. " You've been sleeping on a hospital bed for over a week. So, no coffee. It'll wake you up. I got you tea."
" I hope you remembered organic milk, Booth." She managed to mumble before her eyes fluttered closed.
The man gave a slight chuckle, and pushed the auburn hair from her forehead gently.
" Yeah, I remembered, Bones."
She didn't see them for about six months. But she didn't forget them. It wasn't easy to forget the bickering 'just' partners. But the next time she did see them, it was a warm afternoon in May. Kathy was swamped with orders from harried office workers, but she didn't miss the little couple coming in. They were in the same position as always. Him protecting her with his hand, she rolling her eyes as she argued with him. But there was one difference. A beautiful baby was cradled in her arms. He had sandy hair and sparkling brown eyes, and he was cooing happily, grabbing hold of his sleeve and stuffing it in his mouth.
Wow. She was not pregnant when she first came in here.
" Andy needs real baby food, not that gross organic stuff you feed him." The man told her. She rolled her eyes and hitched the baby up gently.
" Andy is not allowed that baby food, Booth. His medicine would react to anything besides organic." The woman told her matter-of-factly.
Kathy frowned. The kid was sick? The man raised his brows at her, but leaned into the baby and gave him his finger.
" Wow, Andy has a tough grip!" he said happily. He put on that special voice that adults use with babies. " I think our little tiger's meds are working just fine!Tiger, tiger, tiger!" He tickled the baby's roly-poly stomach, causing the baby to shriek with laughter. The man chuckled and the woman gave a rare smile.
" Yes," She said as her partner took the baby from her and blew raspberries onto his stomach. " I'm quite happy with Andy's doctor. He only has to be admitted once a week. It was much better then the clinic he was at."
Yep, the poor kid was sick. Well, he had the best parents to care for him. Kathy turned at just the right moment, carrying a tall order of coffee, to see the man lean in and give the woman a butterfly kiss on the forehead. Kathy grinned. Not much, but progress. The woman blushed.
" What was that for, Booth?"
The man grinned a charming smile.
"For being such a great mom, Bones." The woman smiled again, and didn't protest.
" What can I get you today?" Kathy asked the two. The man tickled the baby, while staring at the menu.
" Can I get a decaf for that one,"He pointed to the woman, who was rolling her eyes. " A regular for me, and a would you do me favor and heat up some organic milk for that one?" He pointed to the baby he was carrying, tickling his belly once more.
Kathy smiled and went around getting it together.
The woman glanced at her watch, frowning slightly.
" Booth, Andy's appointment is in twenty minutes." She said.
" Relax, Bones, we have plenty of time to get there and get admitted." The man said. He hitched the baby higher onto his chest. Kathy frowned as she heard that, and hurried to get the order done.
" Here you go," Kathy handed over the coffee and heated milk to the woman, who smiled and gave her a twenty. As she got change for them, she made silly faces at the baby, earning a high pitched squeal of laughter from him. " That's a beautiful baby you have there." She told them as she handed over some bills. The woman opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the man.
" Thank you," he said, his charm smile on his face again. They turned and left the shop, the man swinging the baby up and down. The door swung shut, but not before Kathy heard the two start to bicker of the fastest way to get to Children's hospital.
It was a cool September evening when they entered the shop again. They were in posture as before, but it was different. His hand was tightened over her back much more protectively then before. His face was worried, and he glanced around the shop before ushering her in. She, too, seemed worried. She was clutching her purse tightly, her eyes scanning the tables and bar, even glancing over her shoulder through the darkened window. Kathy raised her eyebrows at the two. Paranoid much?
" Bones, you better have some blankets in your office, 'cause I'm camping on your couch tonight." He muttered to her as they got in the long line. Kathy strained to hear her response as she poured whip cream on top of a mocha.
" That's unnecessary, Booth." She protested weakly, looking reassured all the same at his declaration.
" The Jeffersonian has very strict security, we'll be fine."
The man shook his head.
" Bones, there's no way I'm leaving your side when a psychotic murderer is after you and the squint squad." He told her.
Well. Some people lead exciting lives.
" He's after you, too." The woman mumbled. Kathy could hear a note of anxiety for her 'just' partner in her voice.
" Yes, but I'm an FBI agent. I have a gun, and I was supposed to be moved to a safe house tonight, but I refused to go until you guys were moved, too."
They moved up in line. Kathy turned to see the woman roll her eyes at the agitated man.
" You are overly protective, Booth." She told him. The man shook his head, but didn't argue.
" What can I do for you two today?" Kathy asked them. The man bit his lip, eyes scanning over the menu. The woman glanced at him.
" I know you'd forget, so Angela wanted a large decaf with plenty of whipped cream. Apparently, the fetus is keeping her up all night with its kicking."
The man chuckled slightly, stealing a quick glance at the woman.
" It's a baby, Bones, not a fetus. " The woman opened her mouth to argue, and the man cut her off quickly. " What did everyone else want?"
She scowled.
" Hodgins wants a regular and he said to get sugar in the raw. Cam wants regular black. Zack wanted a mocha. And I want a caramel mocha." She recited easily. The man gaped at her for a few seconds before shaking his head and looking forward.
" Did you get that?" He asked Kathy. She grinned at him and nodded. " Oh, and a another black." He added quickly. Kathy got a hold of the six coffee cups and started to make the orders, careful to listen closely to their conversation.
" Bones, we need to get back to the lab. First, we have exactly twenty minutes before Cam calls lock down until FBI can get a safe house ready." He groaned. " This is going to be worse then that Christmas when Hodgins got us locked down with his stupid eggnog."
That sounded interesting.
" Second,I need to get you out of public. Creep could be anywhere. "
The woman rolled her eyes.
" Booth, we're perfectly safe. It's a cafe. What's he going to do here? And, we both have our guns. I am a perfectly good shot."
" Yeah. Thanks, Bones. That really helped my worrying." The man groaned sarcastically.
" I'm glad it-sarcasm?"The woman caught on only after a few seconds.
" Yes, Bones. The last time you shot someone, I nearly had to arrest you. Now let's get out of here, you need to be in the lab."
Kathy grinned into the coffee machine. He was so overly protective, it was cute. She was so oblivious to him, it was frustrating. And they were both so in love with each other that Kathy could label them
" Star Crossed Lovers." as easily she could Romeo and Juliet.
Then it happened.
Two loud bangs of gunshot, a deafening shatter. A chorus of terrified screams. A rough yell of:
" Everybody get down!"
A crash as Kathy dropped the coffee pot, her hands shaking, and dropped behind the counter. An anguished, agonized scream.
" Booth!"
A despairing roar that was above the rest of background sound.
" BONES!"
And it happened in less then ten seconds. There was a screech. Kathy shakily go to her feet, one thing running through her adrenaline-pumped mind.
There was a hit and run in my shop.
Energy surged through her,and she quickly left the counter.
The first thing she saw made her stop.
The glass window shattered completely. Her customers sitting in shocked silence, no one moving a muscle.
The second thing she saw made her want to burst into tears, start screaming for help, and faint, all at the same time.
There was a pool of blood right beside her counter, trailing darkly. She was slumped against the counter, blood pouring freely from her chest. She was deathly pale,and her eyes were fluttering closed.
" Booth.."
He was cradling her, one hand attempting to staunch the flow, the other clutching her hand tightly. He was hurt himself, his shoulder bleeding profusely, adding to the mess, but he didn't seem to realize or care.
" Stay with me, baby, I'm right here, stay with me." He muttered words to her, his eyes never leaving her face. Her eyes closed, and she went ashen. Kathy swayed for a moment. The man tore his eyes from her long enough to roar through the shop:
" SOMEONE CALL 911!"
But there was no need. Sirens wailed in the distance. EMTs loaded her onto a waiting ambulance. He yelled until they let him on her ambulance, not caring when they pointed out his shoulder. Then they left, and customers filed out, looking shell shocked. Kathy was left leaning against her counter, staring listlessly at the large puddles of blood on her floor. She wouldn't clean it up. No-she couldn't clean it up. Not after tonight. Kathy left the destroyed cafe, and went home.
And she thought she had an exciting life.
'Kay, guys, if you have any particular event you'd like me to add on to this, just leave it in reviews.
Thanks for reading!