Author's note: I know, I know, the last story I posted was a wee sad… well, horribly sad. So, when KKcoolKat mentioned a happy FF, I got thinking and I remembered this little one I had saved up…
Now, here's the deal: this was originally meant to be a one shot, but I have since written a follow up to it. I am not so happy with that I'll risk posting it. It needs a little bit of work… so… if you want it enough, I may just give a bit of a polish and post. Let me know!
Jane
Booth had been drinking steadily for the past three hours. He had started slowly, with a beer and every intention of stopping at the third. But after the second, he started feeling comfortable with the level of testosterone around the table of old army brothers. After the second beer, he had deemed his decision to leave futile. In fact, after the third beer, he had decided that an evening among people with the same IQ, interests and sensibilities as his own beat the hell out of going home alone and brooding about what his life was doing to him. He was among the only people who did not need to be told what war was really like, what it did to you, what it robbed you of. He was among blood brothers- men who had bled for each other, kept each other alive without needing any further reason other than that was the proper thing to do. That, above all else, had brought together men of different backgrounds and persuasions in a bond that time could not erase.
When conversation veered towards fallen brothers, Booth had changed from beer to whiskey. Jack was running freely from a bottle sitting on the table. The four men drank to the ones who were not sitting at that table, told stories that honoured them, fought furtive tears, laughed at old jokes.
Then, they celebrated what life had given them in return. They drank to their wives, their kids. Jack ran so freely they even drank to their mothers in law. Booth toasted every single one of them but his heart was breaking slowly at thoughts of what he did not have- his son full time, all to himself, a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, a wife and a dog running in the yard.
"Sh!, Booth, you want to be your granddaddy!", Ted Travis slurred in his Texan drawl.
"Nothin' wrong with that!" Booth felt defensive.
"Nothin' at all, Booth" Miguel Gutierrez appeased him, a hand in Booth's arm. "Nothin' at all. Any candidates to the position of Mrs Booth, though? Shame that blond one did not work out… Rebecca, her name was. She did a number on you, man!" Booth closed his eyes, leaned his head backwards and slouched on his chair.
"She just didn't want me… she was pregnant but didn't want me around… now, I get my kid every other weekend when she's in a good mood…"
"Man, that sucks!" Karl Dawson chimed in.
"Jeez, you think!" Obviously Booth was not in the mood for sympathy. But that fact was lost on Karl who valiantly ploughed on
"Yeah! But you shouldn't let one blond babe kill your mojo, Boothie boy! If I were you, I'd get out there, play the field, get myself a pretty brunette and get her a couple kids…"
"Yeah.. truth is… oh man…!" Three pairs of eyes zoomed in on him, albeit slightly out of focus.
"Yeah?!" They chorused. To hell with it, Booth thought, if he couldn't talk to these guys, he couldn't talk to anyone.
"Truth is, there's this girl… woman... she's… I mean… we're partners so… what I mean is… nothing can happen. Just too bloody dangerous…" They all leaned forward, conspiringly. "thing is… she's got these blue eyes and… she does this thing with her eyebrows when she's thinking and she never knows what anything means… man, she drives me crazy. Most of the time I don' know if I wanna wrestle her or kiss her… and she's smart and generous and sweet… and she doesn't have anyone. Just me. She trusts me! Me!" he emphasized with his fist hitting his chest twice. "I can't screw it up for her"
"Man, you and your saviour complex!" Karl put his two cents in, "Always rushing to save someone. Did you ask her if she needs any saving? "
"Cut it out, Karl!" Ted interrupted. "God, the clarity of the drunkards, ha?!" and turning to Booth "Man, you were always the poet!", sarcasm, Ted knew, would snap Booth out of it. Booth downed one more shot of Jack. "Does she know all of this?" Booth merely shook his head in negative.
"You gotta tell her!" was the unanimous decision.
"I can't. You just don't know Bones… she's not your average girl… she doesn't want kids, marriage… and I can't settle for just a few nights here and there… I want the whole enchilada…"
"Well," Miguel's Spanish accent had more than doubled with the drink "let's go get your enchilada mamacita, then…"
"And how do you suppose we do that?" Karl's eyes were dangerously red but still managed to twinkle at the thought of jumping into action. "We could kidnap her, you could save her and she'd be real thankful. I'm betting all that adrenaline and the danger would do the rest…"
"Well, Ted" Both sounded dejected, "been there, done that, my friend… argh, this is hopeless" he rubbed his eyes in an attempt to clear his blurred vision.
They looked at each other, poured themselves one more shot of liquid courage and Miguel had a sudden flash of inspiration.
"You know, My Grandpa chased my Abuelita for ages. She rejected him every time" They all looked at him, unsure where that was going. "You know how he finally got her to pay attention? He sang!" and in his enthusiasm, the word came out in a shower of saliva. Miguel was feeling righteous now and ploughed on despite the looks of shock and horror. "He actually serenaded the woman"
"Did it work, Miguel?" Ted was having great difficulty in following anything but his glass of Jack. The others burst out in a fit of laughter.
"He's
standing right here, man! What do you reckon?" Ted shrugged,
already lost in other thoughts. "I think you should sing to
her!"
"Not sing! Serenade. Serenade her" Miguel
corrected "There's a big difference. But yeah, you should
serenade her…"
It was a drunken idea, but an idea none the less.
"And what if she beats the crap out f me?" Booth asked, but he was already sold on the whole serenade thing. "She's well capable of going all kung fu on me…"
"Well, she's a girl, man. We would have to let her. I wouldn't fight a woman… not even for you, man!" They all seemed to find the thought of Booth beat up by a girl hilarious.
"I don't sing… don't even know a song…"
"Booth,
stop whining! You can't go wrong with The King and we'll sing back
up. We'll sing acappella. Remember when we used to sing girls up in
training? Same thing. We had our old classics…"
"Yeah…
you can't go wrong with The King! Not ever!" And Karl suddenly
jumped into his baritone rendition of "Fools rush in" Ted
and Miguel joined and, in Booth's head, the hope that it might not be
all bad flourished.
So they marched towards Brennan's apartment rehearsing the song with Miguel coming up with a surprising falsetto voice.
By the time they reached their destination, Booth was beginning to wonder if this was indeed a wise course of action.
"How do I call her? Do I ring the bell? BONES! BONES! BOOOOOOOOOONES!" Nothing stirred on the second floor. Her balcony door was open so she HAD to be home. With more courage than wisdom, he hit the first note
Wise Men say
And the others joined in
only fools rush in
but I cant help
lowering the volume so that they only echoed Booth when he rendered the final line
falling in love with you
They were huddling together in the middle of the street and the cars passing by were slowing down to observe the show. Booth continued undeterred, the others softly humming the next stanza
Shall
I stay
would it be a sin
if I can't help falling in love with
you...
And heads were staring to
come to windows. Temperance's window remained pitch black.
"Stay strong, man. The moment she comes to that window you're home safe!", Miguel whispered in Booth's ear. Sadly, Miguel chose the next stanza to practise his falsetto:
Like
a river flows, surely to the sea Like a river flows,
surely to the sea
Darlin so it goes, some things
are meant to be..
Take my hand, take my whole life too
for I
can't help falling in love with you...
Darlin so it goes, some things are meant to
be..
"Go home, you fools! People are trying to sleep here. It's 3 am!"
Booth looked at Temperance's window. It was still black, still open. No way she could have slept through all the commotion. The only explanation was that she did not want to see him. He turned to go, water dripping from his hair, his white shirt soaked to a see through point. The other three congregated around him, hugging him while walking way.
"She has no heart man!" Miguel tried to console Booth.
"I think you should finish the song, Booth!" a voice said from behind them. Booth's head snapped to attention but it took him a second to turn around, trying to erase the smile from his face. Temperance was standing at the entrance to the building, in her pyjamas and barefoot.
With renewed vigour, Booth finished his serenade walking to where she stood:
Take
my hand take my whole life too for I can't help
falling in love
with you
Ted was wiping a tear from his eye. Miguel, Ted and Karl attacked the final verse together in extra loud voices:
for I can't help falling in love with... you.
The
disembodied voice came again:
"Shut up!"
But they were on a mission and while Temperance and Booth kissed in the steps of the building, the hit the same final verse over and over again, louder each time. Until they got tired and realizing they were on their own for the rest of the evening, walked away.
"See ya 'round, Boothie boy!"
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