The Way I Loved You, a bones fanfic

Hello peoples of Earth, or wherever you may be :)

If you know me at all, you know that my three favorite things in this world are 'Bones', Taylor Swift and writing songfics, so it's kind of surprising that it's taken me until now to write a 'Bones' songfic using a Taylor Swift song. I've had this story in my head since I got 'Fearless' and I finally stopped to write it :) This is 'The Way I Loved You' and it is one of my favorite songs on the CD because of the story it tells. I love Taylor Swift and her music.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Bones' though I do own a pair of silly socks. I also don't own Taylor Swift. And though I do own this song on CD, I do not own the rights to it :)

I hope you like it!

He is sensible and so incredible
And all my single friends are jealous
He says everything I need to hear and it's like
I couldn't ask for anything better
He opens up my door and I get into his car
And he says you look beautiful tonight
And I feel perfectly fine

Brennan sat quietly in her office, typing up her new book. Andy and Kathy were finally, fearlessly, jumping head-first into a relationship. Though she denied it to the point of almost believing it herself, she was getting her inspiration from her life. And just like her life, Kathy and Andy were going to find that they argued more as a couple then they ever did as just partners. They were going to break up within a month, severing their partnership and friendship along with it. She sighed. This was not the irrational fairytale 'happily ever after' that she longed for as a child after listening to her mother and father tell her bedtime stories. She had found her 'prince charming', or more like 'prince charm-smile', but every boyfriend she had ever had had broken up with her and apparently, even he didn't have a chance of breaking her streak. It had been three weeks. Three weeks without him in her life. After the first week she had forced herself to go out with Angela and that was when she met him, Derek the accountant, or as Angela had called him, 'the perfect rebound guy'. Or at least he had started as the rebound guy. Brennan had been planning on breaking up with him as soon as Booth was forgotten, but that seemed to be taking longer than the two or three days she had thought it would, so she had kept him around. And now two weeks had gone by and they were still together. She didn't mind though. He was a good man. Sensible, logical, kind, a vegetarian like herself.

A knock on her office door stopped her mid-type and she looked up to see Derek with a smile on his face. His emerald green eyes sparkled with adoration for girlfriend.

"Ready to go, Tempe?" he asked.

"Yes, just let me save this," she said as she finished the sentence she had been on and saved the program, shutting down the computer.

She stood and he grabbed her jacket off the coat rack, helping her into it. It bothered a small part of her knowing that she was going to turn around and it wouldn't be Booth who had helped her into her jacket as he had since the beginning of their partnership and friendship.

He put his arm around her waist, resting his hand on her hip as they walked out into the main lab of the Jeffersonian. Cam and Angela were standing on the platform talking, but stopped as soon as they saw Brennan and Derek, a small pang of jealousy in their chests. Though they were happy for their friend, they knew that she was only using him to try to forget about Booth and nothing more to Brennan.

When they reached his black sports car, he held the door open for her as she got into the passenger seat, then went around to the driver's side and got in.

"You look beautiful, Tempe," he said with a warm smile.

"Thank you. You look quite attractive yourself," she said, it coming out as more of a fact than a compliment.

"Thank you...?" he said, raising one eyebrow as he started the car.

But I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain
And it's 2am and I'm cursing your name
You're so in love that you act insane
And that's the way I loved you
Breakin' down and coming undone
It's a roller coaster kinda rush
And I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you

As they drove toward her father's apartment, she stared out the window, watching the dark clouds come together and block out the moon, making the 7:30pm darkness even darker. A flash of lightning followed by a clap of thunder announced the storm that was sure to hit tonight. Her thoughts wandered from the storm to one of the fights that had lead to her breakup with Booth. This particular fight had given her such a rush of adrenaline. She had never known you could feel love and anger towards someone at the same time. She had never felt as much as she had with him. She still felt it. The love anyway.

"You ok, Tempe?" asked Derek, noticing her unusual silence.

"I'm fine," she said, wiping the single tear off her cheek.

"Ok," he nodded, and that was it.

He respects my space
And never makes me wait
And he calls exactly when he says he will
He's close to my mother
Talks business with my father
He's charming and endearing
And I'm comfortable

That was another thing that Derek did that she liked about him; he didn't pry. He wasn't trying to break down her walls like Booth had. He let her keep her feelings to herself, let her keep a distance between them.

Before she realized it they had stopped outside her father's apartment building.

"I can't wait to meet your father," he said happily, cutting the engine.

"I wish he hadn't insisted on this dinner," she said.

He's trying to make up for lost time said the voice inside her head that sounded freakishly like Booth because, she knew, that that was what he would have said.

She shook the thoughts out of her head as her door opened, Derek holding his hand out to help her out of the car. Taking his hand, she got out and followed him to the door where they hit the button for Max's intercom.

"Dad, it's me," she said into the microphone.

There was a loud buzz followed by her father's voice. "Come on in, sweetheart," he said.

They made their way up the stairs to Max's front door. When they knocked, the door almost immediately swung open.

"Hello, Tempie," said her father, kissing her on the cheek as she entered the foyer. He turned to the man who followed her in. "This must be Derek," he said, extending his hand to him.

"Yes, dad, this is Derek Clark. Derek, this is my father, Max Keenan," she said as the men shook hands. "Please don't ask about the different last names."

"Ok," Derek said with a nervous laugh.

They sat down to dinner and Brennan just sat there, silently listening to the conversation between her father and Derek. They seemed to be hitting it off, talking about work and other conversational topics. He seemed to get along with everyone. She supposed that was because of his charm.

"Are you alright, Tempe?" asked Derek, rubbing her back when he noticed her silence once again.

"Yes, fine," she said with a forced smile that didn't go unnoticed by Max.

Brennan was beginning to realize something. She missed Booth. She missed talking to him, she missed their 'guy hugs' and their not-so 'guy' hugs, she missed the diner, since she hadn't been there since their fall-out. But surprisingly, she also missed their fights, though mostly the makeups followed. She missed how crazy he could be just to have fun like making her dance around in the rain with him, laughing hysterically. But most of all, she missed the medley of emotions that she had never felt before, burning in her chest all at the same time. That was what he had described as love, and now she didn't doubt that that was exactly what she felt for him.

Love.

He can't see the smile I'm faking
And my heart's not breaking
Cause I'm not feeling anything at all
And you were wild and crazy
Just so frustrating intoxicating
Complicated, got away by some mistake and now

As they finished dinner, Max moved to clear the table, then looked at his daughter, the smile she was faking for Derek's cheesy joke, the pain in her eyes that apparently, Derek didn't notice. He knew what she was thinking about. Booth.

"Tempie, would you help me in the kitchen for a moment?" he asked, gaining a curious look from her.

"Sure," she stood. "I'll be right back, Derek."

Max lead his daughter into the kitchen, made sure the swinging door was shut, then turned to face the icy-blue eyes that seemed clouded over.

"What's wrong, Tempe?" he asked. It was obvious where Brennan got her directness.

"Nothing's wrong, Dad," she crossed her arms defensively.

"He can't see that you're faking your smile, or that your heart is broken, but I can," he said, again blunt and to the point.

She just stared at him, wide-eyed for a moment.

"Booth would have noticed. You know he would have. he added. "Because he loves you."

"Loved, Dad. He loved me, meaning he doesn't anymore."

"Do you love Derek?"

Silent for a moment, she shook her head. "I don't feel anything toward him," she said in a small, quiet voice.

"Do you still love Booth?"

Again, silence took her over as she thought for a moment then, taking a deep breath, she started. "Booth...Booth was...infuriating, frustrating, annoying, childish...crazy...fun, kind, loving, amazing...and..."

"And?" he prodded.

"And I loved...love...him for every one of those descriptions of him and so much more..." tears began to sparkle in her eyes.

"Then why are you with him," he gestured towards the door, indicating Derek, "instead of Booth?"

"Because we're not together anymore, Dad. I can't change the fact that Booth doesn't love me anymore."

"Tempie, I've seen the way he looks at you. That kind of love, you can't just stop feeling it," he said, taking her hands in his. "Take my word for it. She's been gone over fifteen years and I still love your mother more than words can say. I want you to be loved like that."

She nodded and smiled sadly, letting the tears come.

"Now I want you to do something for me," Max put one hand on his daughter's face and wiped her tears away with his thumb. "I want you to use that courage that I know you have," he smiled, "and go to Booth. Find him, and talk this out."

"Dad, I can't -"

"Yes, you can. You're as brave as your mother. You can face a serial killer, you can face the man who loves you."

She hugged him and he squeezed her as tight as he did when she was a little girl.

"Thank you," she whispered.

They broke apart and left the kitchen to see Derek was standing there outside the door with a confused look on his face.

"What's wrong, Tempe?" he asked.

Brennan opened her mouth to say something, but her father beat her to it.

"Derek, son. I'm sorry, but Tempie has somewhere to be," he turned to Brennan. "Sweetheart, take my car and bring it back whenever. The keys are on a hook by the door," he said with a smile.

"Thanks, Dad," she returned his smile, then looked at Derek. "I suggest you ask out Dr. Saroyan, she seems smitten with you," she said as she passed him on her way to the door, leaving with a gentle slam.

"What...just happened?" Derek's eyes were wide. He looked slightly like a lost puppy.

"I'll explain everything," Max said. "Would you like some pie?"

I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain
It's 2am and I'm cursing your name
I'm so in love that I acted insane
And that's the way I loved you
Breaking down and coming undone
It's a roller coaster kinda rush
And I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you oh, oh

As she parked in front of Booth's apartment, she started to feel a flutter in her stomach. It was something she hadn't felt since the last time he had kissed her.

She looked around the parking lot and noticed that his SUV wasn't there. The rain had started to pour harder as she had left her father's apartment, and hadn't let up at all. Regardless, she got out of the car, walked up to the door leading inside, and sat down on the step. She was soaked the moment she got out of the car, but she didn't care. She didn't want to risk missing him and knew that this was the only way she was going to get his attention.

Ten minutes later, she saw headlights pulling in and, realizing that it was him, stood to wait. He was walking up, holding an umbrella and looking at his keys in his hand as he fiddled through them to find his door key. When he looked up, he stopped in his tracks at the sight of her. Her hair was wet and stuck to her face in places, her clothes were soaked through and clung to her body, and her eyes, even in the rain and dim street light, shined with tears.

Shaking off the shock of seeing her after three long weeks, he jogged up to her, putting the umbrella above her. "Bones? What's wrong?" he asked, concern filling his eyes as if he had forgotten completely about being mad at her because she seemed like she was in trouble.

Everything she had confessed to herself and her father sped through her mind as she tried to think of the best way to confess it all to him. Her mouth opened, then closed, then opened again as if she was about to say it, then closed again.

"Tell me what's wrong so I can help you, Bones," he said, laying his hand on her shoulder. "How long have you been out here?"

She looked at him bewildered, then his hand where it rested, then back to him. "How can you do that?"

"Do what?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Care. How can you still care about me?"

Quiet for a moment, he looked her in the eyes. "Because you can't just stop loving someone," he said in a low voice.

"I concur."

"What?"

"I love you," it slipped before she had the chance to build up to it. "We fought, I know, but we made up every time. It was a metaphoric roller coaster and that's the way I loved it. That's the way I loved you. I have never felt so much before in my life, so many emotions all at once. You helped me do that. You taught me how to feel again. And I love you so much for that. That, and so much more. Every little infuriating, annoying, wonderful, amazing thing you do."

He just stared at her, silent.

"Say something," she said.

"You are the most exhausting, stubborn, argumentative..." he started with a slightly sharp voice and she looked down at her feet, not wanting to look at him as he told her off. "...caring, intelligent, beautiful woman I have ever met." he finished, much softer than when he began.

She looked back up, tears in her eyes as she took in the smirk on his lips and smiled.

"And that's the way I love you," he added, dropping the umbrella and cupping her face in his hands as he kissed her, the rain pouring down and soaking him as much as it had her. She brought her arms up around his neck, deepening the kiss.

And that's the way I loved you oh, oh
Never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you

They broke away, smiles on both their faces.

"Why don't we get inside before we catch a cold?" he suggested.

"It'd be worth it for the movie-like romance of this," she said and he let out a soft chuckle as she kissed him again.

Maybe prince charmings and 'happily ever afters' don't exist, but prince charm-smiles and romantic kisses in the rain do.

Let me know what you think, please :3