BETA READ by The Imperfectionist
"Thank you for your attention," the old grey haired and bearded man said, finishing his lecture and picking up his papers before walking out.
A hubbub started in the giant hall, and slowly everyone started making their way out of the building. Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan slowly followed their example and mingled with the rest of the crowd on their way out.
"Hey Bones, what do you think about having a drink somewhere? I'm a bit thirsty after two hours of just sitting and listening."
Brennan looked up at him. "Listening? I bet you didn't hear half of what Professor Sanchez said."
"Heh, come on… Bones, he used a lot of squint words that I didn't understand," Booth defended himself, then continued a bit softer, so that only she would hear it, "I bet I only understood the definite articles of some sentences."
Bones smiled faintly to herself. "Okay," she said, "I guess I could do with something to drink as well."
"I'm almost sure the street lights stay red longer here than in D.C.!" Booth exclaimed, tapping his fingers on the top of the steering wheel as he brought their rented vehicle to a halt again. If he'd thought Washington D.C. was a busy city… Maybe the fact he actually did know his way there, unlike here, had something to do with it.
"At least it's not like in London," Bones chuckled, slightly amused as she thought back at Booth trying to drive the mini-car there.
"London? What do you mean?" Booth asked, looking confused. She – or maybe someone else, he didn't quite remember – had told him that he'd been to London with her last year, but he seriously could not understand why she'd connect it with car driving.
Bones swallowed. "Don't you remember the small car we'd rented over there, and how you had difficulties with driving it?" The FBI agent's face became even more confused. "I guess not," Bones sighed. She'd gotten a letter about attending a crime convention in Chicago a few weeks back, and it had said that they could bring a colleague or partner. Dr. Brennan had thought maybe the travelling would bring some lost memories back, as she and Booth had travelled a lot together. Besides, it had been a logical decision to bring Booth. She couldn't have thought of anyone else.
She looked out of the window as the car started driving again, wondering about how many memories still were lost.
Booth and Bones were sitting in a quiet, regular bar in the middle of Chicago called the Blue Moon. Suddenly the music swelled and everyone around them turned around to look at the stage. Bones instinctively followed their example and turned around on her stool, Booth only merely turning his head to have a better view. A guy in his mid-twenties was standing at a microphone, when a somewhat familiar melody came from the boxes on each side of him.
This reminded Bones quite a bit of the time where Booth had put her on the list of karaoke singers and she'd gone up the stage, singing 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.' She'd always liked singing, and standing on the stage had been simply wonderful. It sure was something she wanted to do again. Unfortunately the incident with Booth's fake death had happened right after as well, and she'd never really thought about it again, but now the memories came back almost immediately.
She sighed and looked at Booth sideways. She breathed out heavily once more, thinking that perhaps he wouldn't remember anyways. And then suddenly he said, "Hey Bones, do you remember…?"
She slowly turned to him and raised her eyebrows slightly to emphasize her surprise. Did he…? "What do you mean?" She wondered.
Booth slightly rolled his eyes at her and said, "You know… 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?'"
Bones sighed, looking down as she realized he really did remember. She smiled weakly at herself. He remembered. Yet, at the same time this made her sad, because of several reasons. Most importantly, this may be one thing he remembered, but there were still numerous ones that he didn't.
She painfully remembered how he hadn't known who she was when he woke up out of his comatose condition.
Then, she looked up at him and said, "Of course I do."
He gave her one of her favorite crooked smiles and nodded towards the stage where the young guy with long hair in a ponytail had now started to sing 'St. Elmo's Fire'. A classic. "Do you wanna try again?"
Bones's forehead crinkled. She shook her head at him, taking a long gulp of white wine to mask the emotions behind it. Temperance Brennan was not good with feelings.
"Ah, come on, Bones. You're a really good singer."
"Are you guessing well, or do you really remember?" Bones had blurted out before she knew, putting down her glass. Then she noticed Booth's face and realized her mistake. "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, "I didn't mean to…"
"I really do remember, if you wondered about that," Booth replied, taking a gulp of his beer. He knew that there were still holes in his memory after the surgery, but that was something he remembered vividly: Bones singing.
Bones reached out to put her hand on his upper arm. It really was frustrating not to know what he did or didn't remember. Sometimes, if she made small comments about the car in London, for example, he'd not remember. He'd just looked at her as if she was talking in Japanese. And now, he appeared to remember the singing. Bones's brow crinkled. Maybe the similar environment helped to jog his memory. They'd been in a bar much like this one at the time.
He put his hand on hers briefly before turning back to his beer and the stage, where an old red haired lady was now standing, trying to sing something from Blondie. She got a lot of yelling from the crowd, and did not even finish the song. It was torture to listen to. The worst thing was that some people simply didn't realize they had a horrible singing voice, and on top of that even thought they were good…
Bones, however, knew she was good. She got up, saying, "I'm doing it," when the red haired woman had cleared the stage. She took a deep breath before stepping on there and asking the band if they maybe knew 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', leaving Booth wide-eyed behind. Maybe it was a bit old and predictable, but she was positive that this was one of the songs she could imitate best.
She smiled when she got a positive reply from the guitarist and picked up the microphone, winking at Booth before jumping into the song like only she could. He kept staring at her all the time, thinking she sure was one of a kind. Temperance Brennan. Bones. His Bones.
"Bones, I'm afraid we are having a problem here," Booth said almost immediately after turning on the light in their hotel room and noticing the double bed instead of the two single ones they had requested.
Brennan closed the door behind her and looked over his shoulder to see the problem. "I clearly asked for two single beds. And they said it wouldn't be a problem. I'll go ask if maybe there was a mistake," she said, opening the door and leaving Booth behind.
It was only a few minutes later that Brennan walked back in the room, sighing. "This was the only room still available."
"I noticed there is a bath," Booth said. He wouldn't mind sharing the bed with her, even if that meant staying on his side of the bed.
Bones looked at him in thought. "No, you don't have to do that. I guess it's all right. We're two grown-ups." However, maybe the fact they both weregrown-ups, was one of the reasons why they shouldn't…
As Bones woke up early, she found herself pinned to her bed, and soon discovered the reason for that. She looked down at her middle, over which Booth's arm was protectively draped. She hadn't slept this good in ages, and maybe his presence, his protection, had had something to do with it. No, Temperance, you don't love him that way. It's only the change of environment and bed.
The anthropologist slowly shook her partner's arm, hearing waking up sounds behind her. "Mmm? What?" Booth said, instinctively pulling back his arm and stretching, Bones's delicious smell washing over him
"Time to get up… Breakfast is only available until ten o'clock, and it's past nine already."
Booth groaned. He hated getting up early, especially after such good night's sleep.
When Booth and Bones returned to their room, the cleaning staff appeared to have done their job already. The bed, which hadn't been made before they'd left, now was, and Christmas ornaments had been added here and there, including mistletoe on the light. "That's soon, isn't it?" Bones said, pointing at the mistletoe. "It's only the first week of December."
Booth just started laughing, causing Bones to turn around and ask, "What are you laughing about?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, Booth, I know it's not nothing."
"I was only remembering last year's Christmas with mistletoe. Remember?"
"I do," Temperance said, smiling as he actually seemed to remember more than she thought. She wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug, but Booth seemed to have other intentions. His lips found hers and they started kissing.
Bones's mind kept saying it was not a smart thing to do, while her heart and senses kept on screaming 'Yes!'
"When is the lecture today?" Booth asked, eagerly starting to go on to her neck.
"Two," Dr. Brennan answered between moans, as she let herself lead towards the bed. It maybe hadn't been such bad thing to have a double bed. Maybe she'd been right about bringing him for that one purpose as well. Maybe she'd soon have the old Booth back, and more.