I promised you some fluffy and smutty fun. Here it comes.
Story was previously known as "A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING", I renamed it somewhere around chapter 10.
THE PAST IN THE PRESENT
I. First an Idea
The cake had been bunny-shaped and sugar-free, one precious candle in the middle of it. There had been balloons, there had been friends. Some very tall, others barely able to toddle. All in all, it had been a very successful first birthday party, Brennan mused with pride, as she put the remaining cake into plastic boxes and the boxes in the fridge.
One year ago, she had come home in the evening with her little girl in her arms; one year ago she had experienced the worst pain and the brightest joy in that damn stable. One year.
Adjusting to motherhood hadn't been easy, and Brennan knew that it had been her. Christine was an easygoing baby, Booth a wonderful father, but becoming a mother had opened some old wounds Brennan hadn't been very keen to deal with. One year later, most of them were healed, though, finally healed, and if it hadn't been for the moths apart, the past year would have been perfect, just perfect.
It still was, somehow, but... the three months on the run had been hard, professionally but most of all personally. Long days had been followed by dark nights, and they all had been saturated with the feeling of utmost helplessness, loneliness and, yes, guilt. Even after she had come back, the darkness had needed some time to vanish completely, and her chest still ached when she recalled Booth's haunted expression, the caution in his eyes. Barriers that hadn't been between them in a long time, barriers she had never wanted to see again.
She had done it her parents' way, but she had not abandoned her child. (No, you have abandoned him, Tempe...) And she had come back, come back as soon as possible. (I came back, I would always come back!)
And he had forgiven her; had probably done it long before Brennan herself had been able to.
Unbeknownst to her, Booth had come back downstairs, wrapping two arms around her from behind. She startled, but only briefly, before relaxing into the familiarity of his embrace.
"She went out like a light," he murmured while brushing Brennan's hair away, dropping a kiss onto her neck.
She smiled.
"That was quite an excellent party."
"It was. Our baby has gotten so big."
"30 inches."
A chuckle behind her.
"One year ago..."
Her hands found his on her belly, squeezing them.
"I know."
"Best year of my life. Well, minus a few months."
"I know..."
"That reminds me-"
One strong arm spun her around and before her surprised yelp had subsided, he had lifted her onto the kitchen counter, leaning in for a quick kiss.
"Stay put."
Her puzzled eyes followed him on his way to the living room, but some moments later he came back, a wrapped little something in his hand.
"What is that?"
He stepped between her thighs, and her feet dangled somewhere around his shins. Taking her hand, he placed the box onto her palm, grinning almost foolishly happy.
"Happy first birthday of our baby, Baby."
Her eyes widened.
"You have a present for me?"
"Yup."
"I didn't know that we were supposed to get presents for each other. I'm sorry, Booth."
He kissed her nose lovingly.
"You already gave me the best present ever."
"I assume you're talking about Christine, but she is hardly a gift and since your sperm was an important factor in the process of creating-"
"Bones... getting my stuff inside of you was a lot more fun than pressing the whole baby out. Nah, this is just for you."
Brennan didn't look overly convinced.
"There is no super-secret relationship rule about this, Bones, I promise. You didn't miss something. Seriously, it's just me having a gift for you."
She finally decided to believe him, and her eyes lit up, as she toyed with the little gift.
"What is it?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out."
Fairly certain that he didn't have X-rays in mind, Brennan unwrapped the box. His hands braced on her thighs, he watched her intently, and then she gasped, as she opened the lid. Swallowing once. Blinking twice.
The ring was beautiful, silver or white gold with an emerald stone embedded. The ring was... a ring! Her eyes flew to his.
"Is this-"
"Not an engagement ring," he cut her off.
The breath whooshed out of her lungs in a strange mixture of relief and disappointment.
"Nope, Bones, I already told you that you will be the one asking me. One day. This is just a ring. Because of our daughter. And because I love you. You're wearing your mother's ring. Bones, do me the honor and wear mine as well, will you?"
Warmth flooded her entire being, and she gave him the box, outstretching her hand.
"I'd love to."
He slipped the ring onto her finger and stepped closer between her thighs, pressing his mouth onto hers for a sweet kiss. Her hand, the one wearing the ring, came around his back, cupping his nape, and she parted her lips, caressing his tongue with hers, swallowing his soft moan. He smelled like baby powder, organic detergent and him, and his scent was as familiar as his taste, as familiar as the shape of his body so close to hers. As it had been for one year and forty weeks.
"I love my gift, thank you," she finally whispered, her lips still damp from his kiss, his breath on her face.
His fingers trailed down her spine, and he nuzzled her neck with his nose, enjoying the softness of her skin.
"You're very welcome, Bones."
One peck later, he lifted his head again, looking around.
"Do you need some help?"
"No, I'm done. The dishwasher will do the rest."
"In that case, what do you think about a glass of wine and making out on the couch?"
"I think it sounds very promising."
He grinned.
"I'll get the wine."
-BONES-
The taste of red wine mingled with the taste of her, and between kisses they shared stories, shared memories.
If, at the faraway end of his life, some kind of angel would ask him about the best thing on earth... to him, it was this. Having her in his life every hour of the day, walking down the path of time beside her, being her partner in every sense of the word.
Ever since Booth had first met Temperance Brennan, he had fantasized about her, had pictured her in random moments of his life. In his bed, hell yes, of course, but also at his breakfast table, next to a Christmas tree, with him in a grocery store... the list was long, and a finger poking his ribcage brought him back to reality.
"What were you thinking?"
He chuckled. The question would be a cliché, but his Bones didn't do clichés, and so it was just a question.
"About angels and the path of time."
A frown appeared on her face.
"Booth, sometimes you're a very strange man."
Laughter rumbled deep in his chest, and he pulled her halfway onto his lap, hugging her close.
"I was thinking that I used to have a lot of fantasies about you."
Her eyebrows arched up.
"Sexually motivated? That's okay, Booth, I thought about you as well while masturbating."
Unfortunately, he had chosen that moment to sip at his wine glass, and so her blunt confession was followed by some snorting and coughing on his side.
"You did?" he finally choked out, and she hummed in agreement, her fingers tracing his abs.
"Of course. You are a very attractive man."
"Just for the record, I had innocent fantasies as well, but let's go back to yours."
She settled into his arms with a smile.
"Well, I thought how of first time together might be. Especially after that talk in the elevator."
His palm stroking her back, he could almost smell the burning paper sheets again.
"Yeah, me too. I never thought it would be like it turned out to be."
"Me neither."
"You know, I felt kind of guilty, like taking advantage of a weak moment."
A soft kiss landed on his collarbone.
"From what I remember, I started it," she reassured him.
"I thought for a while that I should have stopped it. But I just couldn't. You were so warm, so alive, and I needed you so damn much."
"Thanks for not stopping. Rationally, I would have understood it, but..."
Her voice trailed off.
"One way or another, this would have happened, you know that, right?"
He could feel her smile once more.
"I know. If only that elevator had had walls."
"Bones!"
She shrugged in his arms and continued.
"If only you hadn't come back with Hannah."
He went rigid, but only for a moment. Those months couldn't hurt them anymore.
"If only you hadn't had too much Tequila," he jumped in.
"If only that arrest hadn't distracted Tony and Roxy. Watching you fight like that... I was so aroused," she admitted, and something deep down in his belly stirred.
"If only Sweets hadn't convinced me that being in love with you was a dysfunction of my brain. If only I hadn't listened to him."
An idea formed in her mind.
"Booth, this might sound crazy, but I'd like to suggest something. What do you think about reenacting the first times we could have had?"
He wrinkled his nose.
"Like role play, Bones?"
She pondered his question for a moment.
"Yes and no, since we wouldn't play roles but our former selves."
"Does our normal sex life already bore you?"
Covered by his playful tone was a hunch of something insecure, but the smile that curved up her lips was nothing but sincere.
"I believe the appropriate answer would be, 'You rock my world.'"
"Aw, Babe."
Ignoring the pet name, she met his kiss halfway, something hot unfurling between her legs.
"Let me think about it, okay? And, in the meantime, I can rock your world a little bit more."
He flipped her around in one swift move, and soon the throaty sound of her laughter was replaced by breathless kisses and moans.
As worlds were rocked.
To be continued.
