Contentment
By NerdofManyTalents
She offers the plate to me, a ghost of her "I'm so good," smile on her face. Not the one she gets when she's figured out the murder weapon, or made that case-solving connection. The one that she gets when she realizes she's figured out the right thing to say, the heart thing. When she's figured out me.
She balances the plate on her knee, and I grab the extra fork, scooping a bite of cake. I wish I'd been in the mood to appreciate her minor struggle using her left hand to eat. I breath deeply, feeling heavy as I go over the botched confrontation with Jared in my head. Ultimately, I don't know what to do any more.
"My dad drank."
The words leave my lips before I've acknowledged their heaviness in my heart, and I eat the cake as I feel her eyes on me. She sits still, and I'm sure she's thinking my words over. We sit in a comfortable silence, and I'm grateful to realize she knows I don't want to dwell on it. That I need time, and that her in this space, can make it better. After a minute, she takes up her fork again, trying to get more cake. I watch out of the corner of my eye, a smirk growing on my face as the chunk of chocolate confectionery falls off the fork for the third time and she growls in frustration.
"Having a little trouble there, Bones?"
She looks up, exasperation clear on her face.
"I'm not accustomed to primarily using my left hand to eat, Booth. It's common knowledge that the majority of the population is right handed, and that not many are truly ambidextrous."
I reach over as she speaks and snatch the piece that fell off her fork, sticking it in my mouth just as she makes a noise of protest.
"You snooze, you lose, Bones."
"I don't know what that means."
I can't help but grin as she once again gives her attention to the cake. She drops the new piece twice before actually getting it in her mouth with a sound of triumph. After that, the cake steadily disappears between the two of us. I should have guessed it'd only take her a minute to get the hang of the left handed thing. What can't she do?
She sets the plate down on the bench next to her, and I lean back with a heavy sigh. We sit quietly, listening to the noises inside the bar. I feel a tick of annoyance as I hear Jared's loud guffaws. I'm surprised when Bones lets out what sounds like a frustrated sigh.
"I shoved him off a bar stool."
I look at her incredulously, completely confused.
"What?"
"Your brother. This afternoon, I asked him if he knew about you losing the Rico case, and he basically told me it wasn't my business. I got mad when I realized how he was taking advantage of you, and I shoved him off a bar stool."
The image of it goes through my head—a pissed Bones shoving my arrogant little brother off the stools against the bar, maybe some glasses flying off the counter—and I can't stop the laugh. I look over at her, her blue eyes wide as she tries to figure out why I'm laughing. I sigh contently, wrapping my arm over her shoulders.
"Thanks Bones."
She glances at me, a questioning look on her face. I shake my head, sighing again and feeling easier than I've felt in days. Everything still isn't clear or easy again. But with Bones around, I think everything's going to be right in the end.
My first Bones fic--any constructive crit would be AMAZING!
Much thanks to the BEAUTIFUL RoxanneJ, who helped with editing, despite her unfamiliarity with the genre.
Written Dec. 2008