Hey! Well, so I didn't quite make it to posting this on the 4th of July.
Ironic, since the title is Never Too Late.
Haha, oh well. I hope you enjoy!
This is set after a presumed one year apart. It's set on July 4th, after Booth and Brennan have returned and fallen back into their 'normal' partnerly patterns.
-b&b-
"Ah," the man spoke up, breaking Brennan's silent thoughts. "I thought I might find you here."
Brennan turned from her solitary corner along the rooftop of the Jeffersonian. "Dr. Hodgins." She forced a smile and didn't make any sign to discourage him from walking closer.
Hodgins handed her a glass of lemonade and leaned against the railing, looking out over the city. "It really is beautiful."
Brennan smiled sadly and also took note. "Yes, it is. I admit that in the year I was away, I often missed the landmarks and city life."
Hodgins nodded and spared a glance in her direction. "But now you're back…"
"Yes," Brennan acknowledged. When Hodgins didn't reply, she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Where's Angela?" she asked, making it clear that she figured her artistic friend would have been the one to seek her out.
Hodgins smiled to himself, and then at Brennan, also making it clear that he knew what she wasn't saying. But he didn't exactly answer and just shrugged a shoulder. "We both missed you."
Their eyes met and Brennan nodded. "I missed you both, too." She turned toward the entrance to the Jeffersonian. She could hear the rest of their party laughing and enjoying the fireworks, even though she couldn't see them. "I missed a lot of things."
There was silence for a moment, and then Hodgins took a sip of his lemonade. "Do you have regrets?"
Brennan blinked quickly, shaking her head and then sipping her own drink to hide her frown. "No. I don't have regrets."
"Cool," Hodgins shrugged, leaning back against the railing again. He tilted his head up to watch the fireworks. "This is just a primo spot."
Brennan sighed and nodded. "Yes it is. Our department was quite fortunate to have won the Jeffersonian raffle this year to watch the fireworks on the roof."
They stood in silence for a few more moments until Hodgins cleared his throat. Brennan looked toward him quickly, almost having forgotten he was standing there. She'd been so entranced by the bright colors and designs of the fireworks displays as well as the resounding booms that seemed to reverberate in the air around her. Fireworks always looked, sounded, and felt so electric to her, and were one of the things that still amazed her in design.
"Well," Hodgins was saying, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "So…um…how are things going with Booth?"
Brennan frowned, "Things are fine. I don't understand why you are asking me about it."
He tilted his head to the side, almost begging her to just understand why he was bringing it up. Brennan flushed and then looked away before meeting Hodgins' eyes again.
"My partnership with Booth is the same as it's always been. We've fallen into our regular pattern of working together. Quite well, I might add, based on the increased case completion rate."
Hodgins nodded. "Yep." He heard some commotion from the other side and pushed off from the railing. "Well, I'm glad to hear everything is back to normal. That's good. Really good."
Brennan's eyebrows rose as she watched him walk away. With a sigh, she placed her almost empty paper cup on the small bench beside her and then turned back toward the city view. It really was beautiful, seeing the fireworks over the city streets. She knew she needed to return to the group. Her brother and his family were there as well as her father, Cam, Paul and Michelle, Angela and Hodgins, Sweets and his new girlfriend and Booth with Parker. But she just wanted a few more moments to herself. Being back in town had brought on an incredibly busy schedule. Book signings, lectures, wrapping up site research, catching up on sets of remains, and getting back to work with Booth…all of it combined meant she barely had time to herself. And as she reflected now, she realized that perhaps it was best she hadn't had time to herself. Otherwise, she might be tempted to think about how…nothing had changed.
She'd presented it to Hodgins as if that was a good thing, but she knew that wasn't true.
The truth was…
The truth was that she'd missed Booth. She'd missed him more than she'd thought possible, and she'd thought she'd prepared for the level she'd miss him. She'd considered the fact that she would miss eating meals with him, she'd considered the fact that she would miss having him near to…what was it he called it? Bounce ideas from? She was pretty sure that was right.
But what she hadn't counted on was how much she'd just missed…him. His smile. The way he smelled in the mornings. The way he blushed when someone pretty noticed him at the diner. The way the possibility of kissing him would arc between them sometimes. And she'd told herself that when she saw him again, she was going to tell him. Tell him how she felt. Even if it wasn't perfectly right, she was still going to do it. She…she wanted him. She'd always wanted him. But now she knew that she didn't want to just want him. She wanted to be with him.
The exact moment she'd seen him for the first time, she'd wondered what it would be like to kiss him.
Rather, "I imagine he's an excellent kisser" was her exact thought. At the time, it seemed as if it had taken forever to prove her hypothesis true. But now, years later, those couple of days seemed like seconds.
She was not used to waiting when she wanted a man. Not at all. And yet at this point, she now felt as if she might be waiting for nothing. It had been years since she'd been intimate with a man.
Perhaps if she'd known that taking back her own offer of sex that night would result in years of waiting, she might have welcomed him into her cab, into her apartment, into her body. And for that first year, that was her most common fantasy of him. Once they were inside her apartment, he took her in different ways, but when she was alone at night and the room was dark, she'd imagine his wide shoulders blocking out the streetlight just an instant and then his wide smile coming closer toward her as he slid into the seat next to her. He'd keep his eyes on her and pat the back of the front seat of the cab, murmuring her address to the driver. It would be in the back of her mind to ask him how he knew it. But she'd be distracted by the desperate need to taste him again.
In the daylight, when she walked outside of her apartment, she'd convince herself that he couldn't possibly be as handsome as she remembered. Nor as kind. Nor his words so painful, nor hers to him.
But when she'd seen him in the airport a year later, she could see he was as handsome. And their argument still felt as painful.
For the first year of their partnership, her fantasies centered more toward catching him off guard. What would he do if she opened her door in a satin slip one morning before a case? What would he do if she reached across the console in the SUV and stroked her long fingers against his firm thigh? What would it take to make him lose his FBI-issued control? Would she ever feel his lips against hers again?
The next year, her mind ached over and over in a desperate quest, wondering what it would feel like the first time he slid into her. And over that time and the next year, other men did slip in, but still, she wondered. Would it be different? When she kissed him under the mistletoe, it felt warm and good. And deliciously contradictory. It was different than any other man, but he tasted the same as she remembered.
And the next year, she wondered if it was possible that there really was someone for everyone. And she wondered if that someone could be Booth. And so her fantasies began to center on him. Not just sex. Him. What would the outside of his hips feel like pressed between her inner thighs? What would his hands feel like when they cupped her bottom? Was it possible that when they were both lying down their eyes could meet and their feet could tangle, lining up every inch in between?
But how long should a possibility remain open? And what happened when it centered all on Booth, sometimes not about sex at all? The next year, she couldn't stop thinking about him. Life with him. What would it be like to wake up next to him? What would it be like to rub his back when it was sore? What would it be like to hold hands with him?
And when he'd kissed her, it felt the same, but also strangely sad. She didn't want him to look sad because it meant he was feeling the same way she was.
So during their year apart, she'd wondered if it was possible that she'd never know Booth intimately. Was it possible she would never feel the rough slide of his warm palms over her belly? Was it possible she would never hear the slight hitch in his breath before he lost control? She had no proof his breath would hitch, but based on her experience, it would happen. He was the best man she knew, but he was still a man. Being away from him only reinforced that other men failed to hold her interest, a simultaneously disappointing and reassuring feeling. Her awareness of her feelings gave her the courage she'd wanted, and she'd planned it all out, everything she wanted to say about taking chances and partnerships and…and love.
And so they met where they said they would, but she'd been so taken back by his face that she'd missed the moment. He'd smiled and taken her hand again and hugged her, and things went back to normal. Which was supposed to be a good thing. Except it wasn't.
That's not to say it wasn't good. It was good. But all of a sudden…good wasn't good enough.
There was a sound of footsteps behind her, and she sighed. "Hodgins, I really don't want to talk about Booth anymore-"
The moment the words left her mouth, she knew it wasn't Hodgins approaching. She turned, and sure enough, her partner was walking her way.
-b&b-
Booth paused but then stepped closer to his partner, the side of his mouth curving up a bit as he leaned back against the railing. "So…you and Hodgins talk about me, eh?" He tried for a joke, and it worked. She tilted her head to the side and then smiled and looked away, blushing.
Feeling confident, he sidled just a bit closer toward her and nudged her arm with his. "Everyone is wondering what you're up to. They sent me to find out. Let me guess…" he rolled his shoulders back and grinned. "You're up here, thinking about the year 1776…" he mused with a serious face. He arched an eyebrow in her direction, daring her to argue. "You're thinking that independence is a pretty darn good thing."
Brennan followed his gaze out over the city lights, realizing that she'd never seen the city like this with Booth before. She turned and smiled at him, and the backdrop of fireworks against his smiling eyes made her feel very warm, despite the slight chill from being higher up at night.
He clicked his tongue against his teeth and nodded, "I'm thinking that the only way independence worked for the founding fathers is that they immediately swore their allegiance to one another." His eyes narrowed as if it was an incredibly deep thought, and he nodded again. "Yep, that's the secret. Being independent with someone else."
Brennan's brow furrowed slightly as she thought of contradicting him, but in the end, it didn't feel worth it. She just shrugged a shoulder. "I can see that."
There was silence between them, and then he nudged her arm once again. "Everything okay, there, Bones?"
She met his eyes and saw him blink in surprise at the emotion she knew he could probably see in hers. Her chest felt tight and pained as she crossed her arms over it, trying to figure out a way to make her feelings for him go away. She'd figured that if he'd still wanted to take a chance romantically with her, that he would have done it by now. His silence seemed to speak for him, and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable, especially since they'd fallen back into such a comfortable routine.
"Bones?" he whispered, and she couldn't look away.
Pulling in a deep breath, she looked down and then back out to the city. "I…I find that…" She cleared her throat to try again, not meeting his eyes.
"I find that while I thought I'd enjoy my time away and come back refreshed, my research and my work here are not completely satisfying to me any longer."
Booth felt his stomach clench. He supposed he'd always known this moment was coming, and he was surprised that it had taken this long to get here. Once he'd seen her near the coffee cart, he'd felt a leap in his chest and had to tamper down the fire of emotions that hadn't banked one iota. But he'd had a sense that she wasn't completely back. He didn't know how to explain it, except that he'd noticed her fingers fidgeting at her sides at times, and he'd noticed that sometimes he had to repeat things he'd said to her while they were driving through the city.
"I see," was all he answered, trying to be encouraging. "Well, that…" His throat closed up around the words he didn't mean. "It's important for you to feel satisfied with your work."
Her nostrils flared slightly as she looked up at him, and he couldn't help but step closer to her, his instinctive nature to protect her rising up. Even if it was to protect her from her own sad feelings.
But when she swallowed hard and let her arms fall to her sides, he watched as she frowned and looked away again. "I find…" she continued. "I find that even our partnership isn't completely satisfying to me either."
It hurt. It physically hurt to hear her say those words. For the entire time he'd known her, he'd been plagued by this underlying desire to measure up. Hell, he'd faked it many times in the beginning until she'd trusted him enough…until he'd trusted her enough to let her in and see that he had some pain in his past. She'd taken it all in stride. But to hear it…it hurt.
"And…" she continued, but he'd heard enough, and he forced a smile.
"Look, Bones," he leaned his hip against the rail. "You're tired. It's been a long week. It's late…maybe you don't want to say anything you'll regret."
-b&b-
Brennan felt her cheeks flush with shame. Obviously, he'd seen her desire for him in her eyes and wanted to prevent her from embarrassing herself…from embarrassing them both by dragging up the past. No, he was right. It was best to just leave that all alone.
Forcing a quick smile to her lips, she tried to step around him. "You're right. And I also suppose that I should go back to the party. It has been rather rude of me to be absent for so long."
She'd almost made it past him when she felt his hand on her bare arm. A lightning bolt of electricity shot through her limbs at his touch, and she felt her entire body clench. They hadn't touched much since they'd been back, and she stared at his hand before meeting his eyes. His were pained, but then he swallowed.
"Look, Bones. I'm…I'm your friend, and…whatever you want to say," he swallowed hard again. "Whatever you say, I want to hear it."
By this point, they were standing very close, almost nose to nose. The feeling of almost 365 lonely nights swept over her, soothed in an instant by his proximity. She'd never been the kind of woman to need a man, but…she needed Booth.
And now she just needed to say the words. Her lips parted and she tried to speak. "Booth…I've just…"
Her eyes swept over the clean line of his jaw and up to where his eyes were marked with deeper stress lines and life creases. His neck was strong and his shoulders encased in soft dark gray cotton, his casual t-shirt snug against his dark skin. His shirt ran against his torso and before she knew it, she was pressing her fingertips to his stomach, curling her hands in his shirt, leaning in toward his neck to get that much closer to him. He gasped and his stomach muscles contracted beneath her touch. Her eyes flew up and she saw genuine surprise in his gaze, combined with instant desire.
"Bones…" he began, and she blinked.
"Dad!" Parker's voice called out from somewhere nearby, and Brennan flinched. She could see Booth's emotions warring on his face. She knew he always wanted Parker to know how much he cared about him, but she could see that he knew this was an important moment between them too.
"Just…just a minute, buddy." He called out softly, never taking his eyes away from hers.
Brennan flushed in surprise. Just as she leaned closer, feeling wrapped in the warm embrace of his gaze and soft scent, she heard quick footsteps.
"Dad, come quick! It's the finale! We always watch the finale together!"
Booth inhaled sharply and took a step back, his jaw incredibly tight as he turned toward his son. "Awesome!" His voice was hoarse, but Parker never noticed, and Brennan watched as her partner followed the boy toward the rest of the group.
She hadn't even noticed that the fireworks had been increasing in frequency and number, but now, she felt as if the sharp bursts of light and sound were falling all around her, mirroring her intense mood and reaction.
What had just happened? Had she conveyed her emotion? Had Booth felt the same? It was impossible to tell. And all of a sudden, everything was too intense.
She turned suddenly, almost bumping her knee on the nearby bench. Quickly grabbing her discarded cup, she walked quickly toward the rest of the group. There was a lot of laughter and loud noise and lifted heads, and she moved toward her father, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek, begging him to tell everyone else that she had to leave, but not to worry about her, she'd see them the next day.
He'd stood up and hugged her and whispered in her ear that it was fine and she should still be careful. Brennan pulled back quickly and stepped back, making it all the way to the industrial elevator and inside the closed doors before she pressed her hands to her cheeks, feeling adrenaline course through her body.
-b&b-
Two hours later, Brennan still felt almost out of touch with her body. She'd taken a cab home and rushed up to her apartment, hoping to feel some comfort in her surroundings. But she couldn't shake the feel of Booth underneath her palms, nor the sound of his voice when he'd said her name. And over top of that was the look in his eyes.
There was a soft knock on the door. Only two raps. The kind of knock that says It's me. You were expecting me.
Brennan walked to her door and opened it. And Booth was on the other side.
She let him in, but when she closed the door, he was between her and the door, her arm on the handle near his hip. Immediately, she was absorbed once again in the emotion between them. It was impossible to tell how it happened, but suddenly, they were kissing, their arms wrapped around one another. Words weren't necessary at this point. They both knew. They knew how the other felt and that they felt the same way at the exact same moment. Years of waiting and feelings settled down to the press of his back against her door and her body against his.
Her hands once again found their way to his stomach, this time, her quick fingertips sneaking under his shirt to his warm bare skin. He gasped and pressed his face to her neck as she lifted his shirt over his chest. With a small groan, he reached behind him with one hand and in that sexy way a man can do, pulled his shirt over his head.
Brennan's lips parted on a soft whispered, "Oh," as her fingers traced over his skin. He stared at her face while she studied him. She skimmed her hands over his body, noting what seemed like new muscles.
"You're stronger," she stated, meeting his eyes.
He flushed slightly. "I had more time on my hands. I mostly worked out."
If she were the type of woman to flirt well, she would have made some easy quip. As it was, she could only lean close and follow the flow of his body with her lips. He groaned and pulled her close, capturing her mouth with his. His hands caressed over her back, his fingers toying with the straps of her sundress.
In the back of his mind, he knew that he was getting naked with his partner up against her front door, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. Nothing he wanted to do to stop it. He just needed her skin under his hands, and he let his touch roam over her body until he felt more of her soft skin under his palms. His hands settled against her thighs under the hem of her dress, and she lifted onto her tiptoes in encouragement, her hands moving up his body to wrap around his neck.
Booth clasped one arm around her waist to steady her as he leaned fully against her door, and let his other hand drift further up until it settled on her upper thigh, lightly caressing, even as he felt her release the button of his shorts. He felt them fall to the floor and just as his fingertips snuggled beneath the hem of her lacy panties, he felt the smooth draw of her fingers inching the waistband of his boxers down his hips.
Her lips parted in a gasp as he slipped his fingers over her wet and tight curls, and he returned her gasp when her soft fingertips smoothed over the head of his straining shaft. Damn…it felt good. Better than good, it was…
Brennan knew she was about to have an orgasm, and she intended to pull back and slow down, but she couldn't. She just couldn't. Booth's hand between her legs felt so good. His arm around her waist felt amazing as well.
Booth felt his own fluid slipping from the tip of him and about lost his footing at the way her fingers only touched him there. The rest of his penis practically throbbed for her touch, but the way she was touching him was beyond belief. He could feel the way her fingers were growing slick with how much he wanted her and it just made the sweet friction all the more incredible.
"Bones," he managed to rasp, and she arched closer.
And that's how they came together for the first time. Her, with one hand palming the head of his penis, and her other hand tangled in the hair at the back of his neck. Him with one arm wrapped around her waist and his other hand pressing gently between her legs.
She shuddered violently and pressed her face to his neck as he tensed all over and pressed his face to her shoulder, their gasping breaths syncing up with each other's.
"Bones," he gasped, pulling her into a fierce hug. "Invite…"
His stomach muscles worked against her hand as she rested her fingers there, and he nuzzled her neck. "Invite me to your bed," he whispered. "Please."
Brennan kissed along his shoulder and chest before pulling back. She met his eyes and felt almost as if she was in a dream.
But it was a beautiful reality when as she took a step back, he took one forward and they made their way back to her bedroom together. Just at the door, he paused, and she took his hand in hers and opened the door, pausing just inside as she closed it. When she turned around, he was looking at her.
"Booth…" she began, slipping down the straps to her dress. His eyes stayed on her face as she spoke and lowered her dress to her waist. "Booth…I want you to know that my job, science, and our partnership…they aren't enough for me. I need more…I need…" She pulled in a shuddered breath. "I need you."
Booth's throat worked up and down as if he were swallowing the words he'd heard, and his eyes moved down to her bare breasts, now exposed in the gentle moonlight. "Bones…"
His words seemed to escape him as he stepped toward her, placing his hands on her waist, pressing soft kisses on her bare shoulders and neck. Brennan tilted her head to allow him access and ran her hands down his back and rear end, pulling his boxers all the way down his hips so they fell on her bedroom floor. She gently pushed him away enough to step around him, letting her dress fall to the floor as she led him toward her bed. As she reached the side, she turned and met his eyes. "Join me?"
Booth pulled her hands into his and leaned in to kiss her lips. "I love you, Bones. I…I need you too. God, Bones, I missed you so much."
"I know," she nodded rapidly, so glad to hear the words from him. "I missed you too. I…I have even missed you since we've been back. It…it hasn't been enough. I…"
"I know," he repeated her words. "Bones, Bones…"
She hugged him to her and they fell against her mattress as he peeled her underwear from her body. Soon they were lying side by side, their limbs tangled. It was too early for him to be able to enter her again, but she loved the soft kisses and touches they were sharing.
"I thought about you all the time, Booth. Even before this past year. I've wanted you for years," Brennan confessed. "I just can't imagine life without you."
He groaned and hitched her leg over his hip, rubbing his lips against hers and letting his tongue tangle with hers. Keeping her in his hands, he lowered his lips to finally kiss her breasts, smiling to himself when she cried out as he gently tugged one of her nipples between his lips. She tasted better than a dream, warm and soft and gorgeous against his tongue. Her knee rubbed against his back as he mouthed her breasts, sucking and kissing all over her soft skin.
He felt how wet she still was, her soft core pressed warm and willing against his hard stomach. His penis began to lengthen, and he moved further down the bed, kissing his way against her stomach and thighs.
Brennan tangled her fingers in Booth's hair, loving the softness of his lips in contrast to the gentle scrape of his cheeks against her body. "I love this…" she admitted on a moan when he parted her thighs and kissed her sensitive flesh.
"Mmmmm…" he agreed, lazily licking her until he could tell he was ready to be inside her again. He thought maybe he could do this forever. Her sheets were silky and dark, a deep red that contrasted with her pale skin. He learned the rhythm of her hips as he sucked her into his mouth, enjoying the soft panting noises escaping her lips.
"Booth…Booth…Booth," she pleaded, and then she needed him near her. Brennan clasped onto his shoulders and pulled him up so they were face to face. She rolled him under her and with a hand at the base of his penis, she lowered her body onto his, arching her neck at the feel of him finally sliding deep into her.
The friction created was more than just the primal combination of man and woman. It was more…it was them. It was Booth, in her.
His cheeks reddened with arousal, and she clasped his hips between her thighs, leaning forward as much as she could, almost crying with how good it felt to finally feel him embedded inside of her. Their eyes met and locked and no words were needed.
She was amazed at how…easy this part was. And perhaps they had both known it would be good between them. But with him snugged between her thighs and his stomach against hers, she felt more connected to him than anyone ever.
Booth placed his hands on her hips, gently moving her forward and back and he groaned, feeling his neck muscles tighten with the strain it took not to rock harder into her. He nearly had to gasp for breath when she rested her elbows on either side of him and let her breasts hover just over his chest. Her perfect nipples brushed against him over and over and from the look on her face, he knew this was her way of getting pleasure for herself. An image of her in this bed, thinking of him and wishing she could be stimulated like this coursed through his mind, and he arched up, thankful it was finally happening.
"Booth," she swallowed around his name, locking eyes with him. Her forehead was almost pressed against his, her eyes growing dark as she continued to ride him. Forward and back, forward and back, his shaft sliding in and out of her at her control. Her nipples hardened further and she began to swivel her hips in small circles, signaling to him that her orgasm was close.
"Come," he begged in a soft command. "Please come for me, Bones."
"Booth…yes…" she nodded, almost incoherent. "For you. Booth…"
Her fingers gripped the sheet on either side of his shoulders and she increased her pace once again, and then he felt her relax before her warm and wet body shuddered around him, completely enveloping him in the most intense orgasm he'd ever felt a woman have.
"Yes…" she panted, collapsing against him, her hips still moving on his, even as her breath tried to even out against his chest. "Oh, yes…mmmmm…"
Booth strained to keep his own climax at bay as he stroked her back and thighs, murmuring soothing sounds in her ear and along her neck and throat. After a couple of minutes, she stretched out over him, her warm skin seeming to almost wrap around him. With a sigh, she rolled to the side, encouraging him with her arms and tight thighs to follow her.
Booth sank even deeper into her, once he was on top. His naked body stretched out over her, and he couldn't help but plunge into her. She arched her back and clasped her legs around his waist. "Bones…oh, baby. Baby, I need to move."
"Yes…" she nodded, nipping at his neck and throat. Her hands rubbed all over his chest and back, and she met his rhythm.
With long, smooth thrusts, he entered her over and over. His eyes never left hers as they connected. It didn't take long until he was shuddering in her arms, "Bones…" escaping his lips as his seed escaped his shaft into her body.
For long moments, they hugged each other, panting gently and fighting off sleep, until Booth rolled to his side, tugging her with him until she was draped over him.
"Everything okay?" he asked, caressing her back with a hand.
She nodded against his chest, using her own hand to rub gently over his chest and stomach. "Yes. I'm just so…"
Brennan felt tears well up in her eyes, and she tucked in closer to Booth's side, anxious not to let him see her crying. "I'm just so glad I wasn't too late. I'm so glad…"
Booth inhaled deeply and then Brennan felt a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Not too late, Bones. Not late at all. It was perfect. We both waited at some point, and now…now we're good. Right?"
She heard the emotion in his voice and knew she was doing him a disservice by not allowing him to see her feelings. With an elbow on the mattress, she leaned up to meet his eyes, letting him see her reaction to their experience. "Right, Booth." She admitted. He lifted a hand and brushed away the solitary tear left on her cheek. "Never too late."
He smiled, and then she smiled, and then he chuckled, and then she did. And she met his smiling lips with hers as he leaned up to pull the bedspread over them, and they fell asleep together.
-b&b—
~~The End!~~
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