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The apartment was growing dark, and the space between them was growing smaller. Sweets and Wyatt had left hours before. A discarded wine bottle sat perched on the coffee table. Booth had finished putting away the remainder of evening's meal in the refrigerator, and turned off the kitchen light. He sat down on the couch, eyeing Brennan tentatively. Her bare feet were pulled under her body, resting on her left elbow. The heaviness of the wine whirling behind her eyes.
Somewhere the sound of an uneven mechanism broke the silence, the faint tumble of a new CD fell into place. The air was thick in the small apartment. Booth feared to speak; terrified his words would break her. She looked as if finally speaking those words of such a painful truth shattered her walls. Raw, unprotected, vulnerable; he could finally see her as she really was.
Her fragility made him love her more. It suddenly became too real as to why she couldn't love Sully or any man that came before him. 'She's broken' he thought, 'like me. She's survived abandonment, abuse at the hands of people she should have been able to trust, and a victim of torture.' Booth felt a deep sadness for her, wanting to take her pain away like poison from a snakebite. Finally, she could trust someone, and she began to feel something real for the first time in her life.
Even through a fog of alcohol, Brennan could see Booth for what he was. 'He is so loyal, he has shielded loved ones so devoutly that he has suffered incredible trauma.' 'Altruism,' she considered 'is thought to be truly an illusion, since it defies basic understanding of human nature. Philosophized by many, Booth represents the margin of error. He nearly let the darkness in his existence take his life.' A sharp pain caught her by the gut; she could have never known Seeley Booth. 'My life and my work wouldn't mean half as much.' There was only one conclusion, 'If he is truly altruistic to those he loves intensely, then…' Brennan caught off her own thought, fearful even to think the words.
For a long time they watched one another, taking an account body language and facial expressions. Even now, they sought further truth. He bathed in awe, she treading into dangerous territory. He wondered how he missed all of the cues before; she chided herself for not putting the clues together. The sound of a lonely guitar played in the late night air.
Brennan allowed self to think about the nights she laid in bed with different men, naked and empty, convincing herself it was all gratification; secretly wishing him to take her away. Booth wondered why she had finally let him in; the only man she had let in.
Her voice cracked through the space between them, like a flashing of lighting, "Booth, are you in love with me?" There is was; the question on which everything was impinged. His heart stopped and suddenly he couldn't draw a breath. It was like a slap in the face, 'how could she not know?' But she couldn't have known anymore than he knew of her love for him.
Must be your skin that I'm sinking in
Must be for real cause now I can feel
And I didn't mind
It's not my kind
Not my time to wonder why
Everything's gone white
and everything's grey
Now you're here now you're away
I don't want this
Remember that
I'll never forget where your at
Don't let the days go by
Glycerine
"Yes," the hiss of his whisper was spoken to her hands; Booth unable to look at her eyes. The world was no longer black and white; equal and opposing energies. Somewhere in the gray they were standing in the same place. 'Too much time has been wasted overcome by our pain,' he thought.
I'm never alone
I'm alone all the time
Are you at one
Or do you lie
we live in a wheel
Where everyone steals
But when we rise it's like strawberry fields
A soft hand came to rest beneath his jaw, gently pulling it upward. Looking directly into Brennan's eyes, he saw the most beautiful vulnerability, and Booth was overtaken by her love. He lips met her, firm and soft. They tasted of wine and heat. The passion of their affection filled the room, like the many glints of light reflecting off of the surface of a broken mirror. Even in the rubble love and hope can still grow.
If I treated you bad
You bruise my face
Couldn't love you more
You got a beautiful taste
Don't let the days go by
Could have been easier on you
I couldn't change though I wanted to
Could have been easier by three
Our old friend fear and you and me
Glycerine
Glycerine
Don't let the days go by
Glycerine
Brennan suddenly needed to take away his pain, strip him of his suffering. Grasping his shirt by the hem, she yanked it over his head. Pleased to find his smooth golden skin warm beneath the soft cotton, finding the connection to the something human she sought. He turned his attention to her dress, each zipper and clasp opened a step closer to salvation. Pulling Booth with her, Brennan laid back on the couch on her side, her eyes meeting his intently, peppering his face with soft kisses. Hungry hands peeled away the shrouds of who they supposed to be. Lying naked on Booth's couch, they found each other, beyond the barriers. The heat between them felt as though it would consume them, lulling them into a somber place. Barely moving, they looked deeply into each other. 'There is no need to hurry,' Booth thought.
I needed you more
When we wanted us less
I could not kiss just regress
It might just be
Clear simple and plain
That's just fine
That's just one of my names
Don't let the days go by
Could've been easier on you
Glycerine
Slipping her arms beneath his, Brennan pulled Booth close. She could feel the beating of her heart as it pounded in rhythm with the symphony of his. Hot, silent tears fell from her eyes. 'This is what it is to be in love, and to lose yourself in someone,' she conceded, giving herself to the swell of emotions inside of her.
The room was quiet, except for the sound of their soft kisses, both afraid to break the other. 'How can two people be so broken?' Booth thought quietly. He had been so isolated for so long, he never considered how lonely he has felt; unable to share his painful past. Brennan considered it as well, cognoscente for the first time how long she had lived just outside of humanity. No longer would they be alone, no longer strangers.
Draping her leg over his, Booth entered her. Two bodies melded into one, the shattered pieces of their lives coming together, their wounds healing over. His tears mingled with hers, clearing away the pain with each passionate thrust. Meeting his strokes, Brennan held him tight, trying to fill the empty voids that hurt had carved into his heart.
Satellite comes and goes
We give each other all we know
In silence we still talk
By the light of the stereo waltz
And will you rain down
In your cinematic love truck
I want to hold you like nothing's going to stop us
She come to take me away
It's all that I needed
I don't breathe another lover
"Bones" he whispered only a portion of the question softly in her ear, 'are you still with me?' She kisses Booth firmly, opening her mouth to his. Their pace hastens and she moans into his mouth. Brennan pulls her mouth away from his, their lips still grazing, "I want to lose myself in you." Her words rang in his head, like bells clanging loudly over a church courtyard. He gripped her hips, losing himself into her as well. Two outsiders found one another in their love, respect, fragility and passion; Eden unfolding before them.
Flicker on a T.V. screen
Everything's more than it seems
The mighty backward fall
Stare at the lights on the wall
I swear to this
She felt like velvet
Second blond child she meant it
She come to take me away
Its all that I needed
I don't breathe another lover
As the music swelled, they found their release. The bounds of their pasts slipping away in the waves of climax; in the still of Booth's apartment they found freedom. In each other, they found the courage to step into the daylight. Wrapped in the glow of their lovemaking, Brennan spoke the truth, "I love you, Booth." Even as he was drifting into sleep he knew truer words had never been spoken. Wrapped in his partner's arms, he knew they would never stand on the outside of life again. Life happened that night on his couch, and it was only the beginning.
I'm an alien
You're an alien
It's a beautiful rain
Beautiful rain
Beautiful rain