Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, and I'm not planning to anytime soon.

Author's Note: March entry for the CBPC - a scene from Casino Royale.


THE SECOND TIME

Booth walked into the hotel room, pulling off his suit jacket and draping it over a chair. He hadn't seen Brennan since…well, since the fight. They had been on a stakeout outside of a suspect's hotel room, but somehow the suspect had known they were there.

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It had all happened so quickly. Two shots were fired, both at Booth's head, and he and Brennan ducked into the stairwell. The man followed suit. Booth kicked the gun out of his hand, but in the fight that ensued, they both tumbled down onto the next landing, the suspect landing on top of Booth. Booth lifted up, trying to push him off, but the man had a switchblade in his pocket, and he pulled it out, holding it to Booth's throat. That's when the third shot was fired. It lodged immediately in the suspect's back, and the knife clattered to the bottom of the stairwell. Booth finally pushed the man off and looked up, to see Brennan holding the gun with an expression of shock on her face.

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Booth noticed a broken wine glass lying on a table in the hotel room, and he sighed. Bones…He walked over to the bathroom, where he could hear the shower water running. He hesitatated outside the bathroom door for a moment, but then opened it. Through the clear glass door of the shower he could see Brennan, sitting fully clothed against the wall with her arms wrapped around her knees. She barely even acknowledged him as he entered the room and opened the shower door. She stared intently at the water, mixing with the blood, that ran down into the drain. He sat down next to her, ignoring the water that was pouring down on them from above. His elbow rested on her shoulder, and she put her hand on his arm and leaned her head on it.

"It's like there's blood on my hands," she whispered, her voice quavering. "It's not coming off."

"Here, let's see," said Booth. He gently reached down and took her hand in his, rubbing it softly as the water continued to pour down. "That's better," he said. She nodded, her head still resting against his shoulder. He didn't let go of her hand. "You cold?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"Here." Booth reached up to the shower tap, turning the water warmer. As his arm came down from above, he wrapped it around her shoulder and she leaned into his chest. His hand moved up to her head, stroking her wet hair gently. His other hand still held hers tightly. They stayed like that for the rest of the night.

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From the moment that Brennan took her first life, she had always told herself that it was hard because it was the first time. She had repeated it to herself over and over again. I saved Booth's life. I saved Booth's life. I saved Booth's life. She never told Booth that she really was upset because she took a human life, but she had guessed that he knew anyway. She had always thought the second time—if it ever came—would be easier. Now that it had come, it wasn't. It was just as hard, if not harder, than the first. And she wasn't sure if it would ever be easy.


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