The Morning After
I know it has been done hundreds of times before, but I am binging Bones again and I had to write this so it would get out of my head. I always wondered what the morning after would have looked like for Brennan and Booth.
Temperance Brennan slowly opened her eyes. For a moment, she was confused as to why she wasn't in her own bed, but the scent of Seeley Booth's cologne on the pillowcase jogged her memory. Her eyes were puffy and sore from crying, and just the thought of Vincet Nigel-Murray brought her on the brink of tears again. She wished that part was just a terrible nightmare, but it wasn't.
She shifted her position slightly and smiled when she felt Booth tighten his arms around her. She peered over her shoulder and was convinced he was still sleeping, so she rationalized that it must have just been a reflex, but it made her feel so safe that she wanted to believe that even in his sleep he knew what she needed.
She placed her hand over his, and carefully kissed his palm before she rolled herself over so they were face-to-face. Their bare skin touching caused her heartbeat to quicken, her body already responding. She knew it was a biological urge, but there was something different with Booth that she couldn't quite explain. It had been a really long time since she had been with a man, and an even longer time since she had woken up next to one in bed. Usually, they would just leave after intercourse or in the middle of the night. She knew Booth would never leave in the middle of the night. Granted, they were in his bed, in his apartment, but she knew Booth was a good man. If he had regrets or thought last night was a mistake, she knew he would tell her to her face.
Brennan repositioned herself once again and rested her head on his chest, taking comfort in the steady beating of his heart that was reminding her he was there. He was a live. He could fight another day. He still had a chance to make Brodsky pay for what he did to Vincent.
Booth smiled and tightened his hold on her again as the gentle puffs of Brennan's breath on his skin woke him up. "G'morning," he mumbled, traces a sleep still evident.
"Morning," she replied, suddenly apprehensive about how the conversation may unfold.
"Cold?" he asked.
"Just a bit," she replied, and Booth reached down to pull the comforter over the thin sheet that was covering their naked and entwined bodies.
"Better?" he asked.
"Yes."
He paused for a moment before he spoke again. "Listen, Bones...about last night..."
"Here it comes," she thought. "He's going to let me down gently." Flashes of the night she told him she was in love with him played throughout her mind.
"I want you to understand something. Something important." He said as he traced random patterns over her arm with his fingers.
"I'm listening," she offered.
"I hope you don't think I took advantage of you...of your grief."
"That's preposterous; if anything, you could argue that I took advantage of you. And I don't think anyone was taking advantage of anyone. Much like we predicted before, we are two mutually compatible mates, which made our coitus quite enjoyable for both of us – assuming I read your cues correctly last night -which I think I did, but sometimes I'm not good at reading people."
He found great amusement in her idea of pillow talk. "I can assure you that I was very satisfied last night. But do me a favor, huh? Please don't use words like "mates" and "coitus," Bones. Please."
"Well, what words should I use?" she asked, puzzled.
"Lovers and making love for starters."
"I see." She paused for a moment, "Is that what we are? Lovers?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think so. Listen, I know we talked about it before and we go back and forth on it, but this can't be a one-time thing for me, Bones. It can't be. I never stopped loving you, Bones. Never. Maybe I thought I did, but I didn't. It was always you. Always. You are the one for me."
She sighed in relief. "Remember when you told me there is only one person you love the most, and I asked what happened if you let the person get away?" He nodded and she continued. "You said – that person's not going anywhere. You were referring to yourself as "that person" weren't you?"
"Yes."
She nodded, not entirely sure of what she wanted to say next. "Um, you know, Booth, I realized something last night."
"Oh, really? And what was that?" he asked, intrigued, wondering just what exactly this brilliant scientist realized last night that she hadn't realized before.
She blushed, almost afraid to voice her thoughts out loud, before reminding herself that she had nothing to be embarrassed about. This was Booth, her best friend, her partner, her hopefully always lover. This was the man that has literally seen her at her best and worst and everything in between. There was no need to be embarrassed. "For the first time ever in my life, I can now understand what you were talking about when you talk about "making love." I can understand know how two people break the law of physics. It's different than a really good orgasm, but I'm not entirely sure how to describe it."
He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face, his ego definitely soaring high, as he remembered that conversation from so long ago. It meant the world to him that Bones would consider their union as "making love." "How two people can become one – is that how you would describe it?"
"Yes," she said simply, she could feel tears pooling in her eyes, the past sixteen or so hours certainly took a toll on her emotional state. "We became one last night, Booth. I can't go back to how it was before, either. I can't. Together we can break the laws of physics. Hell, maybe I can even go as far as calling it a miracle...but that's going to require that we test this theory over and over again to see if we get the same results."
"I hate when you cry," he said softly as he used the pads of his thumbs to brush away her tears. "And yes, we can conduct this so-called experiment many, many times. But, rest assured, I love you and that's not going to change. Our souls connected and there's no going back."
"I love you, too."
"No matter what happens, Bones, we're going to be okay. We are going to make it. Together. You and me. Forever."
"You sound so certain."
"I know it in my gut, Bones."
"Gut instincts are merely highly-developed observational powers."
"Enough science talk," he said as he flipped them over so he was above her. She was about to protest, but he silenced her with a kiss. "Let's test your theory and make love again, huh?" He buried his face into her neck and placed a few featherlike kisses there.
His early morning stubble caused her to giggle. "Hey, that tickles!"
He smiled against her skin. "I don't know if I've ever heard you giggle before. I like it."
"Oh, yeah?" she smirked, as she pulled him closer and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Then you better get to work and find out what else you can do to make me giggle."
"You don't have to tell me twice," he mumbled into her skin as he continued a trail of kisses along her body.
There was more for them to discuss about their future, more tears to shed while they grieved Vincent Nigel-Murray, and a plan needed to be put into place to take down Brodsky, but for now, none of that mattered. What mattered was that after six years of dancing around their feelings they were on the same page at the same time – it was their moment. The two of them became one and there was no going back – together in every way now - they would be stronger than anything life could throw at them.