Bits and Pieces
A Bones Fanfic
By Amanda
Sequel to Falling to Pieces, Picking up the Pieces, and
Putting the Pieces Back Together
Spoilers for all four seasons (I think), but most are vague.
No copyright infringement intended. I only own the story line.
Warning: the end is very fluffy. I couldn't help myself.
*~BONES~*
Once they reached the car, Bones turned to Booth a silent question in her eyes. Before she could vocalize it he answered her. "Let's go to the Hoover building and see Sweets."
She nodded and started the car, turning it towards the Hoover building. On the way there they discussed some of the things he had recalled at the diner and their expectations for the visit with Sweets.
*~BONES~*
The first stop they made was at Cullen's office. As they approached, his secretary looked up surprised. "Agent Booth! It's good to see you. I'll just let the director know you're here."
"Thanks" he replied. When Bones noticed the brief hesitation while saying that one word she whispered the woman's name to him. He quickly tacked "Celia" onto the end of the statement seamlessly. Bones marveled at how easily he seemed to pass off the amnesia without detection.
"You can go right in Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan" Celia announced a minute later.
Both nodded their appreciation as they walked through the door into the office. They were greeted by the voice of Sam Cullen. "Booth, Brennan, to what do I owe this visit?"
"I just felt that I should check in while I was in the building" Booth announced, "We're here to see Sweets. He thinks he knows how to help me regain my memories quicker."
"How is that coming?"
"Pretty well Sir. I'm getting it back in bits and pieces at the moment, but the docs think it should only be a matter of a couple of weeks at the most."
"Good, good. So when will you be returning to duty?"
"That's kind of up to you Sir. The doctor said that I'll be physically ready to return to work by the end of next week."
"Well, we'll wait and see how it goes. I'll think about it and let you know."
"Yes Sir."
"Dr. Brennan, until Booth is cleared to get back to work, you will be working with Agent Perotta. I assume that won't be a problem?"
"No, that should be fine. It's better than trying to break in a new agent at least" she responded, the second part more to herself than the men in the room. Booth smiled at his partner while Cullen looked a little annoyed.
"If we're done, I have a meeting" Cullen announced.
"Of course Sir" Booth said turning on his heel and leaving the office with Bones on his tail.
*~BONES~*
On the way to his office, Booth passed many faces that were familiar but he couldn't find names to go to any of them. The more nameless faces he saw the more frustrated he got. Bones noticed the extra burst of speed Booth put on as his office came into view and the tension in his shoulders.
One face he saw, right before entering his office stopped him in his tracks causing Bones to almost run into him. In his mind, he was on his way to the funeral for the Vargas's when he was stopped in the hall by a fellow agent and handed a piece of paper sent to him by the gang task force. The agent informed him that the Mala Muerte gang had put a hit out on "your lady scientist". Booth remembered his blood running cold and his chest tightening in a fear he had only felt a couple of times before, usually associated with Parker being in danger. After telling the agent to send his thanks to the others he had stood in the hall a moment longer before he made up his mind, he would deal with this now. The rest of the afternoon played through his head in fast forward: tracking down the leader of the gang and threatening him, driving to the cemetery and trying to decide just what he would tell Bones, asking Angela if he was in trouble, passing off him being late as doing something that needed to be done (no details), walking off with Bones.
Brennan was shocked at the emotions she saw cross her partner's face. Shock, horror, and hatred passed by in quick succession followed by a very threatening mask and burning eyes, this faded almost as quickly as it had come to contrition without a hint of regret and finally a small smile graced his lips. She looked around, discretely, desperate to find the cause of this added tension in her partner. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she became concerned. "Booth?" she called softly not wanting to startle him or draw unwanted attention. When she got no response, she placed a hand in his back and led him the six or seven steps into his office.
Once they were safely in, she closed the door behind her and turned once again to Booth. Touching his shoulder lightly she once again called his name. Still he seemed lost in the confines of his mind. Tightening her grip a little and shaking him she called louder this time, "Booth, what's wrong?"
Coming back to the present, Booth was surprised to find himself in his office with his partner looking at him with concern. "I'm fine Bones. I just remembered something that's all" he tried to assure her.
"What did you remember?"
"It's not important. When are we supposed to see Sweets?"
"Later, and stop trying to change the subject. Whatever it was that you remembered was important! It was written all over your face. You even paled. Now, what did you remember?" she demanded.
Booth took a moment to consider his options. He could stall further and probably end up hurt. He could tell her in front of Sweets and thus avoid hurt now, but then Sweets would want to dig into why he had handled it the way he had. He could lie and make something up, but she would probably know he was lying. Or he could tell her the truth, in the privacy of his office, and hope like hell she didn't get too made at his 'alpha male tendencies'. Deciding the last was probably the lesser of the evils he motioned for her to sit. He took up residence leaning against his desk facing her.
Taking a deep breath he began, "Bones, you remember the case we worked, the one with the Vargas's?"
"Of course I remember Booth. You are the one with amnesia, not me" she responded trying to figure out where he was going.
He gave her a brief smile before the seriousness returned to his features. "Well, I never really told you why I was late to the funeral. As I was leaving to meet you at the cemetery, I got a note from the gang task force. The note said that the Mala Muertes put out a hit on you. I had to handle that" he said in a rush hoping against hope that she would let him leave it at that.
She however was oblivious to his desire to drop it or didn't care because she pressed for more details. "How did you 'handle it' Booth? And why didn't you tell me that there was a hit out on me. I can look out for myself you know!?
"Yes, I know you can. I didn't tell you because I had already dealt with it and the hit was canceled and I didn't want you to worry over nothing."
"But how did you handle it?" she pressed.
Sighing he decided to tell her outright. "I tracked down the leader of the gang, the one you beat up, the one who had ordered the hit, and told him that if anything happened to you I would kill him" he said, deciding to leave out the part about putting the gun in his mouth.
"And he agreed just like that?" she asked skeptically. "All you had to do was tell him to back off?"
"Well no, not only that" he admitted.
"Then what else did you do?"
"I may have shoved my gun in his mouth and threatened to blow his head off right there" he confessed quietly. It wasn't that he was ashamed. He would do it again in a heartbeat if he needed to, but he had hoped that she would never have to know about it.
She sat quietly for a couple of moments just watching him. She remembered the case well. They had only been working together for about four months. She was surprised that he would be willing to risk everything like that, so early in their partnership, for her. Then again a few months later he had risked his career again by removing evidence, her mother's ear ring, from a crime scene. At the time he had made a comment about how he would risk everything for her and quietly added that he already had. At the time she thought he was just talking about the one incident, but now she knew better. It made her wonder how many times he had saved her without her even knowing it.
"Bones?" he asked hesitantly when she had been quiet for an unnervingly long time.
She didn't answer with words, instead she threw herself at him and hugged him tight, surprising both of them. "Thank you for always saving me" she whispered into his ear.
"Hey, that's what partners do" he replied just as quietly pulling her a little closer. When she pulled back, he added "What, no lecture about alpha male tendencies?" to lighten the mood.
She laughed. "No, not now. Sometimes your alpha male tendencies work in my favor."
*~BONES~*
'Hiya Sweets. What's up?" Booth asked as he threw the door to the office open.
Sweets jumped a little at the entrance, but recovered well and motioned for the partners to take their usual seats as he moved around to his leather chair. "How are you feeling today Booth?"
"Just dandy thanks" was the smart reply.
"Booth, behave. He just wants to help" Brennan hissed from her place next to him.
Sweets watched on with amusement and awe as Booth turned to Brennan and the two held a silent conversation. Looking at them in this moment, one would never be able to tell that less than a week before, he had woken up and not had any idea who she was. It only proved to the young psychologist that the bond these two had was stronger than any he had ever seen. Even when common sense would suggest that the two should be uncomfortable or reserved with each other, something in their subconscious told them to trust and rely on the other. Finally Brennan seemed to win the silent debate and they once again returned their attention to the doctor before them.
"So, Bones says you think you know how to help me."
"That's correct. How have your memories been coming back? What triggers them?"
"I don't know really. Sometimes it's something I hear. Sometimes it's something I see."
"Can you give me an example of the first trigger?" Sweets asked.
"Well, the day I woke up, Bones was telling me about our first Christmas together, and I got these mental images, like I was looking at pictures from that day" Booth explained somewhat self-consciously.
Sweets looked thoughtful for a moment. He took special note of the way Booth referred to the event. He didn't say it was the first Christmas they worked together or his first with the team. Instead he referred to it as "our first Christmas together". There was something innately personal in the phrasing, but Sweets simply jotted down a quick note to discuss that later, and focused his attention on the matter immediately at hand. "Ok, and how about the second?" he asked.
Booth had not missed the way Sweets seemed to contemplate the previous admission too long and had gone over his answer in his mind. At first he could find nothing that would grab Sweets' attention like that, then it hit him, "our first … together". He mentally slapped himself for being so careless. But he had a plan to get back at Sweets. He knew, or at least had a pretty good idea of what the next question would be and he knew the perfect answer to embarrass the young psychologist.
After the question had been asked, Booth took a moment like he was trying to pick an example, but Bones saw the look in his eye and worried about what he was going to reveal. Before she could ponder it though, he answered.
"Well, when Bones and I went to the diner for lunch earlier, I remembered you there with an elf hat on" Booth answered just shy of cheekily. Brennan couldn't quite hide her smirk at the answer and the resulting redness of Sweet's face and ears. The next thing any of them knew, Booth and Brennan had broken out in laughter both at the memory and the look on Sweets' face.
After composing himself, Sweets squared his shoulders and responded, "Very funny Agent Booth. Now which trigger seems to be more effective?"
Booth thought for a minute before answering "Seeing things and being places."
Sweets simply nodded his head taking in the information. "What are most of your memories like?" Receiving blank looks from both Booth and Brennan he clarified, "Are they mostly like pictures, video clips? Do they come with sound? Are they full memories or only partial?"
"Well they are mostly like watching previews or a trailer" he answered.
"What does a trailer have to do with anything?" Bones asked confused.
"A movie trailer Bones" Booth explained smiling when realization dawned on her face. "Anyway, it's like I see fractions of what happened. I hear parts of a conversation. I see highlights of an event or day or case but miss a lot of the in between stuff."
"Ok, so let's try something. I'm going to mention an event or case and I want you to tell me what if anything you remember." Receiving a nod of acknowledgement he began. "So, how about Christmas last year?"
The room was silent as Booth pulled his thoughts together as best he could before asking, "The case or the actual day?"
"The actual day."
"Well, we solved the case … I went to Bones' office … we kissed under the mistletoe … I went back to my office … Parker showed up … I called Bones and told her to look outside and she and her family saw the Christmas tree Parker and I had set up outside the trailer at the prison … and then it started to snow."
"Wait a second, you and Dr, Brennan kissed!?" was the first thing out of Sweet's mouth. He was a little too excited for his own good.
"Yes" Brennan answered. "Caroline said she would arrange for us to have the trailer for Christmas and make it look like Russ was visiting, not in jail, if Booth and I kissed under the mistletoe for five steamboats" she answered matter of factly and almost managed to keep the blush off her face.
Next Sweets consulted his notebook again before moving on to the next item. "What do you remember about your trip to LA?"
"Which trip?" Booth asked.
"The one where I made you let me drive" Bones supplied helpfully.
"Oh, that one!" Booth said with a smile. "That was a great car!"
"Yes, and it was fun to drive" Bones agreed.
"So other than the car, what do you remember?" Sweets interrupted.
"Well, there was a body at the airport that was dismembered by coyotes, there was a very pretty but incompetent FBI agent in charge out there, she was more interested in Bones' book becoming a movie than the case, … we had trouble getting an ID because of all the plastic surgery she had had … Bones got mad and told off a plastic surgeon … Zach figured out the murder weapon, kind of … we figured out who did it based on the fingernail and then we came home."
"What do you have against plastic sur-"
"You do not want to get her started." Booth interrupted.
"It is barbaric and wrong! Alison Holmes was a beautiful girl, but we almost couldn't find out who she was because she had taken every original and individual thing that made her, her away. We are made beautiful and different and plastic surgery takes away what makes us individuals" Bones ranted.
"I told you not to ask."
"When we were in LA you said you agreed with me Booth!" she accused.
"And I do, Bones, I just didn't think Sweets really wanted to hear your rant. Besides, I didn't want you all upset."
That seemed to pacify the anthropologist, because she sat back in the couch and turned back to Sweets, waiting for him to move on.
"What about the name Andy?" Sweets asked at length.
A smile lit up Brennan's face at the sound of the child's name. She was still in contact with Carol and Jimmy Grant and kept up with how baby Andy was doing. She even went to visit every couple of months. She still couldn't get over how much he had grown.
Meanwhile, Booth tried desperately to place the name. It was familiar, that much he knew. Looking at Bones, the smile on her face told him that this Andy was special to her too. So he closed his eyes and tried to remember, saying the name over and over in his mind. Random words spring to mind in connection with the name: key, elephant, cabin, Hunt-something, rubber. Frustrated, he pulls his poker chip out and starts flipping it in the air. He could hear a baby crying in the middle of the night, but they were at a crime scene. Watching the chip he remembers looking up to the tree and seeing a baby. Andy! With the realization of who Andy is, other things begin to fall into place. He remembered how scary it was that it felt normal, good to be arguing with Bones over who was going to go get the baby. He had to admit she was great with him. As the memories started flowing easier, a smile lit his face. The smile was dampened a bit when the reason they had even had Andy in the first place found its way to the light. Felling Bones' hand on his arm he remembered what it was he was supposed to be doing.
Sweets watched both partners as he mentioned the infant. Brennan was instantly a little happier. A loving smile, one he didn't remember ever seeing on her face, broke free and she seemed carefree for a few moments. Booth on the other hand had a look of utter concentration on his face. Sweets noticed as Bones looked to Booth, noting the expression on his face, simply nodded and left him to sort it out. She didn't seem concerned or surprised that recognition didn't seem to be coming easily. In fact, she seemed to be content in the knowledge that he could work it out. Secretly Sweets wondered just how much time the two had been spending together since this whole thing began. He also inwardly laughed at the fact that for someone who had such difficulties interpreting emotions from other people; she could read Booth as easily as a book or her bones.
The longer the silence went on, the more frustrated Booth seemed to become. Brennan simply watched and kept her distance. Soon Sweets realized that she was watching for an indication that Booth wanted her help. She would respect his need for independence and not interfere unless asked. A slight frown formed on her face as she watched Booth start to flip a poker chip. I had seen him do this out of boredom, but got the feeling that it was also somewhat cathartic for him. He watched the chip flip through the air and his eyes seemed to dull a little. This concerned Sweets a little. Looking to Brennan he noticed that this reaction actually seemed to make her happy. Now he was just confused, but the frustration and confusion eased away from the agent's face and a smile began to form. Watching his face, Brennan apparently saw whatever she had been waiting for, because she reached across and touched his arm. Sweets watched in amazement as his eyes cleared then turned to Brennan with a look of almost shame in them. It surprised him a little that the first words spoken in close to fifteen minutes were a barely audible, "It's ok Booth. It's not your fault."
A few more seconds of silence passed before the partners turned as one to the psychologist and Booth began to speak. "We were at a crime scene, a burned car that had gone off the road. Andy had been thrown free of the car and into a tree. We, Bones and I, had custody of him for a few days because he had swallowed a key that was evidence." A smile once again came across his face and he hesitated. This time however, he seemed to be trying to edit what was told, shorten it, not grasping for thoughts. "We took him out in the field with us, and at one point Angela threatened to sue us for custody if one of us didn't make him stop crying." They shared a laugh over this, and not for the first time Sweets felt like he was intruding. "We found his father, but he was no good. We, uh, solved his mother's murder and that led us to another at the rubber factory Meg worked at. We caught the bad guy and found a letter essentially giving custody of Andy to Meg's friends. The adoption papers were signed. We shared a coffee, which Bones spilled all over me" he summed up.
"You caused me to spill it!" she retorted.
Booth simply scoffed before turning his attention back to Sweets who was sufficiently impressed. "Well that's good for now I think. Is there anything the two of you want to talk about? Any difficulties or problems or stress since this started?"
"Of course there is stress, Sweets! He lost the last five years of his memory" Brennan answered.
"What about you Dr. Brennan?" Sweets asked.
"What about me?"
"How have you been doing?"
"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? This isn't about me" she insisted echoing her words from before the surgery.
"You just seem a little on edge is all" he placated.
"Maybe I am a little agitated that I will have to work with Agent Perotta until Booth returns to work" she conceded. There were other reasons she was still feeling a little off balance, but she didn't want to discuss those in front of Booth. He was after all the reason for the feeling.
"Why are you bothered by that?" Sweets asked, although he had a healthy suspicion jealousy, unwarranted or not, had a lot to do with it.
"Because she is not my partner, Booth is. Booth and I work well together and we have a … a system. She doesn't know the system. And she doesn't treat me like a partner."
Booth was unsure how he had felt about this Agent Perotta before, but now he got the distinct impression that he wouldn't like her. Bones was generally a good judge of character and didn't often dislike someone without just cause. But from the sound of it, Perotta had worked with Bones before. This made him wonder, he was Bones' partner, why would she be working with another agent? He decided that he would ask while it was on his mind. "Hey Bones? Why did you have to work with Perotta before?"
She stopped in the middle of whatever she was explaining to Sweets, Booth hadn't been paying attention, and looked him over appraisingly. "I have worked with her twice before this year. The first was when you were a suspect in the case and the second was when you … injured your back" she responded carefully. He had noticed that she seemed to do that when discussing things she felt he should remember on his own. He wasn't sure if it was because she didn't really want him to remember them or if those things were significant and she wanted him to remember without prompting.
Then his mind processed the content of what she had said. He had been a suspect? Why? He stared over her shoulder for a moment as a memory floated just out of reach. He grasped desperately at the scraps: a body found under ice, a hockey stick necklace, a messy apartment, his arm in a cast, Wendell, Lucky Luc, a pretty blonde. For now it wasn't making sense. Was the blonde Perotta? He still couldn't remember why he was a suspect even.
Deciding to let that one simmer for a bit he focused on the second time. He had injured his back? How had he done that? And why hadn't Bones just fixed it like the time before? He remembered vaguely being doped up on painkillers. Wait, when was the 'last time' Bones had fixed his back? Sometimes not really remembering drove him half crazy. This time the half memory led him away from what he had been trying to remember. His back had bothered him so bad he had let her drive. She had offered to fix it but he refused. Finally he gave in and she stood behind him with her arms up and around under his arms and back behind his head. She had rotated their bodies around then snapped whatever it was back into place. His mind flitted back to its original thought. Why hadn't Bones just fixed it again? Then he realized she had, kind of. He had begged her to fix it again and instead of making it feel better, it had actually made it worse. Most of the time between then and dinner, alone a couple of nights later was a little fuzzy. He remembered a reluctant Bones doing the thing for his back again and the blonde walked in with food. A short conversation he couldn't remember took place before both women ended up leaving.
Sweets and Bones had continued to have a conversation while Booth sorted through his thoughts and memories. He resurfaced just in time to hear them making plans for the next session. "Don't I get a say?" he asked.
"No. Until the doctor clears you, you have very little say in anything because I will be driving you around" she told him matter of factly.
Resigning himself to that fact, Booth simply rolled his eyes and sat back again. Sometimes it felt like they were married, not just partners.
*~BONES~*
As the two neared Booth's office once again the blonde woman Booth had assumed was Perotta walked out. Seeing him she smiled brightly. The smile dimmed a bit when she noticed Bones. This was enough to confirm his suspicions that he wouldn't like her. Sure she was pretty and leggy and blonde, but she had nothing on his Bones. He stopped that thought in its tracks and smiled back at the blonde.
"Hello Agent Perotta. Is there something my partner and I can help you with?" Bones asked, with a barely distinguishable emphasis on 'my', gesturing to the recently vacated office.
"Hi Dr. Brennan. No I had just heard that Booth was here and I stopped by to say 'hello'." Turning to Booth she continued, "So how are you doing Booth?"
"I'm doing fine. Bones is taking good care of me. I hear you two will be working together again until I return to work."
"Yes, I can't wait" she answered with false enthusiasm.
"Hopefully Cullen will approve your return after next week" Bones directed at him.
"We'll see."
"Well, I should probably get going. It was good to see you back around Booth. You too Dr, Brennan" she added almost as an afterthought.
After the interaction another memory surfaced. It must have been after Bones had worked with Agent Perotta the first time. They were alone on a skating rink with the disco ball going. She had made a comment about Perotta and he assured her that they would always be partners. She had laughed and told him that everything changes; it's a fact of nature, of her precious science. To him science didn't matter at that point. All that mattered was that they would always be partners if he had anything to say about it. No one could come between the two of them. They had skated holding hands or with him holding her waist. She had laughingly said he would make her fall. His heartfelt "I'll never make you fall Bones. I'll always catch you" rang through his head.
He hadn't realized that he had said the last part until he saw her face. She was standing about a foot away from him, facing him. The look on her face was somewhere between overjoyed and curious. He loved the way her brow crinkled just a little when she didn't understand something. Once again he ran scenarios through his head. He could pass it off as just having another memory. He could take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. He could repeat what he had said and wait for her reaction. He could pour out his heart to her right here and now. Somehow though, none of those options felt right. Instead he looked her straight in the eye and asked a question that had plagued his mind for days. "How on earth could I have ever forgotten you?"
She was taken aback. That was not what she had been expecting. She had recognized the words he practically whispered as what he had said that night at the skating ring. Hearing them surprised her, more because she didn't know the trigger than the memory itself. When she looked up at him, she hadn't really expected a response. At the most she had expected him to tell her what she already knew, he regained another memory. The question he asked threw her for a loop. What was she supposed to say? Rationally she knew that it was a result of the coma and brain surgery. Logically she knew it would be practically unheard of for him to lose everything from a year before he met her and still remember her. Emotionally though, she had been asking the same question. Him waking up and not remembering her had broken her in a way she didn't know was possible. The connection they had was stronger than anything she had ever felt.
Before she could formulate an answer though, he had crossed the small space between them and dropped a quick, gentle kiss to her lips. It happened so fast that she almost thought she had imagined it. Pulling back a little he said, "Come on Bones, let's go home." Placing a hand at the small of her back he led her through the building, neither commenting on the kiss or the reference to 'home'. Internally however, that's all either thought about.
Booth worried that he had pushed it too far, crossed that damned line he had set up, and damaged what they had. She didn't seem uncomfortable though. There was still a tension to her shoulders, but she had a lot to deal with at the moment. At least she didn't seem more tense. She hadn't told him never to do that again or slapped him. Ok, she would probably flip him onto his back. Regardless, she hadn't reacted negatively and it had felt like the right thing to do. There was no awkwardness or whatnot. Instead, it felt like he had kissed her every day of his life. Likewise there was something so natural about refer to 'home' as if they both lived there together. He realized that that was what he really wanted, now he just had to convince her.
Brennan overanalyzed as usual. Was he just doing this because he didn't remember everything? When he regained his full memory and the knowledge of all her faults and their differences and … and well everything, would he decide it was all a mistake? She didn't think she could handle that. And what about the line? He was the one who put it there. What if them being together romantically meant the end of their partnership? What if she allowed herself to admit that she was in love with him and he left like everyone else in her life had? But he seemed confident and sure and comfortable. And the kiss, brief as it was, had been perfect. Not earth shattering, and there were no fireworks as Angela would say, but it had felt right. As far as him referring to going home, it was a natural slip. She had stayed with him since before he was released it was his home. Secretly though, thinking about the possibility of 'home' belonging to the two of them warmed her from deep within.
*~BONES~*
Author's Note: Thanks for continuing to read and review this series. Thank you also for the suggestions and constructive criticism. I hope everyone enjoyed this. Unfortunately there aren't too many coworkers that I am aware of for him to interact with. Coming up in future installments will be more Parker, contact with Jared, Brennan returning to work (though I warn you I'm not making this a case oriented story so don't ask), a celebratory party, and the budding relationship. Although not necessarily in that order. As always, feel free to ask questions or give suggestions.