A/N: What could have happened if the Gravedigger had not kidnapped Booth. Set instead of "The Hero in the Hold".
I know it's been a while since I've posted. Things have been up/down, back and forth so much the last several months and, hopefully, I'm back on track at this time. This is something that came to me one night while rewatching Season 4, so I decided to put it out there.
Disclaimer: I don't own "Bones". I'm just playing with for now and will return this to Hart Hanson and Fox when I'm done.
The Beauty at the Banquet
She had agreed to meet Angela, Cam, and Dr. Sweets at the lab at so they could all ride together to the ceremony for the American Association for the Advancement of Science awards dinner. Dr. Temperance Brennan was to collect the top award for a series of articles that had been published in 'American Anthropology' and Booth had agreed to arrive two hours earlier than anyone else in order to watch and approve the tribute video the Association had compiled for Dr. Brennan since she was the only person to ever win the prestigious award four years in a row.
The hallway was silent except the click-clack of Brennan's heels on the Formica flooring that lined the Jeffersonian. She entered the lab quickly, agitated at being late. When the doors swished open at her presence, Brennan could see her two co-workers and Sweets talking near the platform.
"You're late," Cam said.
"I know. It took me longer to get dressed than I thought. But don't worry. My GPS will get us there on time." Brennan's reply was quick and direct as the group turned to exit the lab.
"It's not a time machine, sweetie," Angela laughed as Sweets mumbled something about riding shotgun. Cam responded to Sweets' request with a stern 'No' as they exited to Medico-Legal Lab.
When the foursome arrived at Brennan's car, the first thing they noticed was that the front right-side tire was completely flat. "Um … Dr. Brennan?" Sweets said cautiously. "Do you happen to have a spare?"
Brennan sighed, frustrated at how the evening was turning out. It was supposed to be a great evening and, since meeting with the federal judge earlier in the evening about the Gravedigger, things had started to spiral downward slowly.
"No, Dr. Sweets. I currently do not have an emergency inflated device for my vehicle. My dad borrowed the car last weekend and he also had a flat tire. I was inefficient in replacing the full size emergency tire," Brennan replied tersely, rubbing her temples, trying to fight off a headache that was beginning to form due to stress.
"It's fine, Sweetie." Angela rubbed her friend's shoulder, seeing the defeat creeping in at the edges. "We'll just take my van. I have a GPS, too."
"I know that, Angela, but my GPS has several languages."
Angela looked at Brennan with a look of disbelief. "That's great, Sweetie, but I only speak English. So let's just go."
Once they had arrived at the National Museum of American History, Brennan began to relax. As soon as she entered the hall, her eyes gravitated to Booth's form sitting at the bar, conversing with an elderly gentleman. At the site of Booth in the tuxedo he had rented specifically for tonight, her heart rate increased and she could feel the weight resting on her shoulders begin to fall away.
She had always found Booth to be an attractive man, but recently she had begun to entertain thoughts of a more personal nature where he was concerned. She was not unaware of the way his hand gravitated towards the small of her back when they walked together, nor had she missed the glances and little looks that he threw her way when he thought she wasn't looking. Since seeing him nude when she barged into his bathroom a couple of months earlier, she realized more and more that there were times when her own glances had lingered longer than necessary.
Like a moth to a flame, she made her way over to where Booth was seated. His back was to her as she approached, but his companion saw her coming and smiled at Booth. "Looks like your girlfriend found you," he said to Booth with a knowing smile in his eyes. Booth turned to see Brennan close the last little distance between them and stood to greet her, her smile brightening when he stood.
"Wow, Bones! Don't you look amazing?" he said, ignoring the old man's previous 'girlfriend' comment as he placed a chaste kiss on her temple as his arm slid to the small of her back on instinct. She looked absolutely amazing in the knee-length, sleeveless black dress, her hair pulled into a French twist, revealing her slender neck.
In some part of his mind, he knew he should clarify that they were just partners and friends, but a little part of his brain wanted to hold onto the idea that the man beside him thought the beautiful scientist was more than just a friend. He decided, subconsciously, that if the man thought they were together, he wasn't going to correct him.
"So do you, Booth. You look very nice in a tuxedo," she replied, smiling a full Temperance Brennan smile at the way the suit hugged his form as if it had been tailor-made for him.
"Bones? What kind of an affectionate moniker is that for such a lovely young woman?" The old man perked up when he heard the nickname, thinking it was very inappropriate for the beautiful woman. While being in her presence for only seconds, the older gentleman was already intrigued by the woman standing before him.
"I'm Doctor Temperance Brennan." She reached her hand out, introducing herself to the man as Booth handed her a glass of wine from the bartender. "I'm a Forensic Anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institution. I work with bones and ancient remains, so Booth calls me 'Bones'. It is an apropos designation considering my occupation."
The man was taken aback slightly at the forthright explanation, but smiled at the two. "Well, then, who am I to disagree," he said. "I'm Maxwell Grant III. It is a pleasure meeting you, Dr. Brennan. Mr. Booth, I enjoyed our conversation, but seeing as you are now otherwise occupied, I will leave the two of you in the hopes of finding my dear wife." Booth reached out to shake the man's hand before he left the partners alone.
They made their way to the large table near the front of the hall where the rest of their Jeffersonian friends had already gathered to their seats. It was nearly time for the awards ceremony to start and, although Booth wanted to do nothing more than take her to the nearest closet and have his way with her, he pushed those thoughts from his mind and led her to her seat.
The ceremony had gone well with all winners graciously accepting their rewards and giving their speeches, the spectators clapping enthusiastically after each one. The Association had shown the tribute video and presented Brennan with her award. Booth watched with pride as she accepted her award and gave her own speech, smiling at her words. Brennan was sure to thank the appropriate people at the Jeffersonian and had, at the last minute, added a special thank you to Booth, much to his own surprise.
After the speeches, everyone began milling around, talking with one another; some were dancing; scientists and researchers introducing themselves to various movers and shakers, hoping to garner donations for new research and various studies. Booth had not left Brennan's side since she returned from her acceptance.
There had been several benefactors who spoke with Dr. Brennan and she reacted cordially to each one and whatever date or spouse was also in attendance, making sure each person was also introduced to Booth. She spoke openly of her research at the Jeffersonian, one or two projects that were upcoming and still in need of funding, but also spoke in depth with each benefactor of the work she did with Booth on a daily basis, being sure to include him in the conversations.
"Want to dance, Bones?" he asked after the latest philanthropist had finally left them alone. He could tell she was getting tired of schmoozing and wanted to help her alleviate some of the stress.
"That would be nice, Booth. I would love to." She smiled, making Booth go weak in the knees. He took their glasses and set them at the table, noting that both Cam and Sweets had already left the banquet. One of the benefactors had taken a liking to Angela and she was currently on the dance floor with him.
Booth took Brennan by the hand and led her to the corner of the dance floor, pulling her close as the music began on a new song. Her arm rested on his shoulder as his own arm encircled her waist, filling the spot in which it had been resting most of the evening. Normally, Booth was careful when it came to touching his partner, but this night, it was if the two had silently agreed that it was okay to move beyond the boundary, even if only for a time.
He clasped her other hand in his, noting how good it felt to have her in his arms. She looked up at him, the smile still on her face reaching up to her eyes. It was quite rare that she smiled at him – or anyone – with her full smile, and Booth felt privileged to see it aimed at him. He smiled back, keeping her pulled close to him, their entwined hands resting against his chest. Brennan thought that if she concentrated just enough, she could feel his heart beating beneath their joined hands.
"Thank you, Booth," she spoke silently after a couple of turns around the dance floor. She looked up at him again, catching his eye. She could see they looked a bit darker than normal and also seemed to contain a sparkle that had not been there earlier in the evening. "I appreciate you being here this evening. I appreciate your support. It means a lot to me that you were here tonight." She blushed a little on the last statement, wanting to express to him how much she really enjoyed having him near her throughout the banquet. His mere presence had calmed her in a way that she was unfamiliar with, but was quickly becoming accustomed to.
Booth lowered his forehead to hers, looking down at her face, her eyes dropped in what he thought was a mixture of slight shame and, perhaps, mild embarrassment. "There's no need to thank me, Bones. There's no other place I would rather be tonight."
At his words, Brennan lifted her head, again meeting his eyes. She was taken aback at what she saw looking back at her. A mixture of comfort, appreciation, care, and something that reminded her of desire was looking back at her. Her hand moved to cup the back of his neck as her breathing suddenly became shallow.
There was a small tightening in her stomach as she felt a long-forgotten pulling in her midsection. Somewhere her mind registered the feeling as nervousness associated with attraction. As her brain processed the feelings and the accompanying information, Brennan found she had leaned in closer to Booth.
"I think I'm ready to leave, now, Booth." As she pulled back from him, she noted his eyes were now so dark she would have guaranteed they were black. Still trained on her, he nodded and led her toward the exit, stopping only to grab their coats from the coat check.
So? What'd you think? Feel free to share any thoughts or suggestions you may have. As I said before, there's more to come, so hang in there! But before you run off, don't forget to press that little 'Review' button down there!