I don't own them. Wish I did. Love the fan-fic. Thought I'd give it a try.
~Abbigale (bones_)
Season 6 spoilers. If you haven't seen it do not read this.
Summary: My take on the in-betweens of the end of the 6th season.
~ How it All Came to Be ~
Chapter 1
Vincent's death had hit everyone hard. Sweets had made a good point. With Booth gone, they would be next: Broadsky's team against Booth's team. As far as Broadsky knew, Booth was gone. Booth figured that Bones would be next so since Broadsky wouldn't be watching his apartment, Bones was staying there. No questions about it. Not taking no for an answer. She would only be going by her apartment tomorrow to grab a change of clothes and that was only if she absolutely had to.
He stopped her from leaving after his "team" had met and discussed what had happened. He waited till everyone was out of earshot. He didn't need anyone getting in the way of him protecting his Bones. "You're staying at my apartment tonight." It wasn't a question. It was how it was going to be and that was the end of it. She said "ok."
Later that evening, after he had left her to sleep on the couch, she started thinking. She couldn't help it. She couldn't understand why Vincent thought that it was her making him leave. It made no sense. Had she not been successful in showing her approval of him? Secretly, she even liked his endless random facts. Maybe it was her. Maybe she really was too cold to understand. Booth is always good at understanding things. She decided to ask him.
She walked to his door. She hesitated. Was she ready to go in there? That was the one room she kept herself from. That was his personal space. They had decided that they wanted to be together but they had yet to venture into that territory. She felt so bad for Vincent. She was confused. She needed help. She needed his help. She needed him.
She didn't knock. She just opened the door and walked it. She stopped. He was sleep but the click of the door opening woke him. Being a well-trained sniper will do that for you. He woke up, sat up, grabbed the gun and aimed as one movement. She put her hands up "I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Did you… did you hear something?"
"No… no."
"Do you want me to put the gun away?"
"Yes."
"Ok… What's wrong?"
"He kept saying 'Don't make me go.'"
"What?"
"Vincent… He was looking at me and he was saying, 'Don't make me leave.' … He said that he … that he loved being there. … Why would he think that I'm the one making him leave? … What kind of person am I?"
He reached out for her.
"No, come here. No, no, no Bones. You've got that all wrong, alright." She took his hand and sat down on the bed beside him. "You've got it all wrong."
"No, I… I heard him. You did, too. … 'Don't make me leave.' That's what he said."
"He wasn't talking to you."
"I was the only one there… and you. He wasn't… He wasn't talking to you."
"He was talking to God. He didn't want to die."
"No, Vincent was like me, Booth. He was an atheist."
"Ok. Then he was talking to the Universe then. He didn't want to go. He wasn't ready, Bones. He wanted to stay."
"Well if there was a God then he would have let Vincent stay here with us."
"It's not how it works."
She started crying, again. "Can I just…" She leaned into him.
"Yeah, that's why I'm here." They lay back on the bed. "I'm right here. I know it's hard."
He held her while she cried. He held her to him till the tears stopped and he breathe stilled. He thought she had fallen asleep. He raised his head to look down at her only to find she was raising her head to look up at him.
She scooted up his body so that they were face to face. She needed him. She had never needed anyone. She knew it was time. She was ready to give up that last bit of imperviousness. She just hoped that he wasn't angry any longer.
He was staring into her eyes. He wasn't angry. He was sad, nervous, scared, anxious, and completely in love… but not angry.
She leaned down to kiss him but he met her half way. It was just a soft, quick kiss, but it was followed by another, and yet another, each more passionate. The kissed until she had made her way on top of him and he had both of his arms holding her tight to him.
He pulled back, looking deep into her eyes, deep into her soul.
"Are you sure?"
"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't still be here."
"Before we go any further here, you need to understand something. I'm not angry anymore. I haven't been for a while. I want to be with you as more than just partners, more than just this. I want us to be together, as a couple. I'm ready to be together."
"I… I am ready. I know this seems like a bad time to be ready, but I saw a life end today. It could have been you. I don't know what I would do if it had been you. It could have been me. I don't want to die with regrets."
He kissed her. That was all he needed. He knew he was ready. He just needed to know she was ready, to be sure she was ready and to be absolutely, positively sure that they wanted the same thing.
And that is when it happened. She had never experienced anything like that before. She had had sex. She had spent the night with a man. She had even lived with a man. But this… this was different. This was better. This was right. This was something she didn't even know could exist.
It wasn't sex. He didn't even make love to her. He made love with her. He had explained that it had to be equal, 50/50 with this. He wanted to show her what love was. He wanted to show her how love felt. He did that. She finally knew what love was and she shared that with him, too.
She knew he needed his sleep. He had to be 100% on top of his game tomorrow. He was going after Broadsky. He was metaphorically painting a big red target on his chest and he needed to be alert enough to find Broadsky's target before he could find his.
He did need sleep. But what he needed more than sleep was her. He needed to finally be with her. Not just sexually with her, but emotionally with her. He needed to show her the love he felt for her. If tomorrow was going to be his last day on earth he was going out happy. He would have no regrets.
They lay there, in his bed, holding each other, neither wanting to move. What they had just shared that last piece of themselves with each other. It was like a dream… a really good dream. They were both, as irrational as it was, afraid to move, afraid to talk. What if it had been a dream? Could either of them wake and deal with the loneliness? Booth knew for sure that he couldn't. He had done it before and it had nearly killed him.
It was Brennan who finally moved. She had been lying on her side, as close to him as she could possibly get. Actually, she was halfway on top of him. Her head laid on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart and the calm sounds of his breath. She couldn't stand the thought of being apart from him. She needed to say something, though. She lifted her head to look at him.
"Booth…"
"Mmm… yeah?" He was almost asleep.
"I need ask you something."
He slowly sat up, pulling her with him. He didn't want to be apart, either. He held her close. "What is it?"
"Do you remember after your surgery, the talk we had? The one before you laughed at the clown."
"Yeah…"
"You said that you loved me, but in an atta-girl kind of way."
"Umm, yeah… about that. I was scared. I had built the courage to tell you how I felt, how I really felt. I thought I was back but then the clown made me laugh. I was afraid that what I was feeling wasn't real and I didn't want to hurt you. It was silly, really. I knew how I felt. I don't know why I questioned it."
"So you really did love me back then?"
"Yes…" he said, before kidding her. "I really loved you back then. I loved you before then."
"Do you love me now?"
"Yes. I. Do." He kissed her once, lightly. "More than I can say." Then again. "I think I can show you better than I can tell you." And again. "But first, I have one question for you. Do you love me?"
"Yes I do love you, Booth. I know everyone has been telling me that for quite some time now but it was only recently that I was able to admit it to myself. I knew I loved you but I just couldn't bring myself to say it. That day we were stuck in the elevator. I was forced to think about it. That night, when I saw you had the courage to talk about it, I knew it was ok to feel that way."
She kissed his chest. "I never knew I could feel that way about another person." She kissed her way up to his shoulder. "I never knew I could feel like I feel now." She kissed his neck. "I never knew I could be so close to another person." She kissed his jaw. "And do you want to know what else?"
He had no words. She was being more open than he thought she was ready for. He was, by no means, complaining. He was surprised, shocked even, but happy… definitely happy. He just reached out, placing his hand on her cheek, and stared deep into her eyes.
"I never knew I could be loved. Wanted it, yes, but never thought it could actually happen. You showed me I could be loved, that I am loved, and I love you for that."
He leaned in, though there was not much space left for leaning. As she had been talking, he had been leaning in, closer and closer. He kissed her, though much harder than his previous kisses. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and pulled her down so that they were lying again. They continued kissing till oxygen was an issue. He pulled back. She still had her eyes closed. He wanted to start kissing her again, but he only had a few hours left before he had to be up and getting ready to take down Broadsky.
"We need sleep. We both have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."
She laughed. "A busy day? Is that what you're calling it?"
"Ha, yeah. A busy day."
They laughed together. He settled down into the bed. She climbed off of him, only to tuck herself into his side. He was amazed at how nicely she fit there. She was amazed that she had never tried this before.
They slept more peacefully than either of them knew possible.
Chapter 2
They awoke to the sound of his alarm. She was closer so she shut it off.
"You know… I think I could get use to that."
"What?" She asked, laughing as he pulled her back down to him.
"Seeing you, naked, reaching over to turn of the alarm. It's the little things in life."
"I'd be happier if there wasn't alarm."
That made him laugh. He was glad that she didn't run. To be honest, he was half expecting to wake up and she be gone.
"Hey…"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for not running away."
"I'm not going to run away. I told you, I am ready. I want this, whatever this is… me and you, together. I am ready."
"Good, because I am ready, too. I really wish we didn't have to get up. I promise you, after this mess is all over, me and you are taking some time off, just for the two of us."
"I agree," she said as she leaned down to kiss him. "and I think I could definitely get used to this."
He laughed again. "Umm… do you want to shower here then go to your place and change or do you want me to just take you there and wait while you shower and change?"
"How about I shower here, we make a quick stop at my place, then get some breakfast before you have to go."
"That sounds great."
"You joining me?"
He again had no words. When she opens up, she really lets it fly. "Umm… sure. Yes, definitely. I mean, if you're sure."
"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have asked. I've told you before, I don't do anything without thinking about it first."
"So does that mean you thought about what we did last night before we did it."
"Yes, now come on. We need to get going or we'll both be late."
They showered together nicely. There was no awkwardness about fitting in the shower. There was no problem sharing the water. It was almost as if they had been doing this for years. They both realized that something was definitely right.
Booth got dressed for the day as Brennan finished up in the bathroom. He dug through his closet and all of his drawers till he found what he was after. He had been looking for his old FBI issue shorts from the Academy. They had long since grown too small for him but he thought they might do for her. He also pulled out a t-shirt that he thought would work. He met her coming out of the bathroom.
"Here… I pulled these out for you. I think they'll fit… should be ok at least till we can get you to your place to change."
"Thanks Booth. You didn't have to do that."
"I wanted to. Plus, seeing you walking around my apartment, wearing my clothes… definitely something else I could get used to."
That made her laugh. She decided to give him something else he could get used to. She just dropped her towel… the one that had been wrapped around her body… right there in front of him. He gasped.
"Now, that," she said, pointing to the shocked expression on his face, "is something I could definitely get used to!" She laughed as she took the clothes from the man in shock and sat down on the bed to get dressed.
They didn't talk much on the way to her apartment… just held hands the whole way, stealing glances here and there. Once there, safely in her parking garage, he spoke.
"Let's make this quick, just in case we are being watched."
"Ok." She opened her door and before she could step out, he was there, by her side. He reached not for the small of her back as he so often did, but for her hand. He intertwined their fingers and pulled her hand up for a kiss. She smiled. She could definitely get used to this.
They made it to her apartment, she changed, and they were back on the road, headed to the Jeffersonian in ten minutes.
They pulled into the Jeffersonian parking garage. They got out as they had done at her apartment.
"You are being awfully protective."
"I can't help it. I've finally got you. I don't want to let you go."
"I'm not going anywhere. You just go take care of Broadsky and then you and I will take some time and you can be as protective as you want."
That was not like her… at all… he thought. She actually wants me to be protective. What has come over this woman? Maybe she was right. Maybe she really has never felt love. Maybe that is what she needed to be able to let someone care for her. He was just happy, no he was ecstatic, to be the one allowed to do that.
He walked her to the lab but they said their goodbyes in the hall. No need to go causing everyone to play twenty questions without him there to defend her, no need in making Angela squeal this early in the morning, and definitely no need in a heart-felt public display of affection possibly scaring her away from wanting a relationship.
Chapter 3
He made his way to the Hoover building and luckily made it to his office without having to talk to anyone. He was definitely not in the mood to talk to Sweets, Caroline or most definitely not Hacker. That would be a bad conversation and he wasn't going there today. He had business to take care of.
Once in his office, he made his way to his desk but stopped. Something outside caught his attention. Something, but nothing in particular. It was just a beautiful day. He stared out the window, thinking of his Bones and what they had become. He couldn't believe it had finally happened… not the sex, the relationship. Ok, the sex, too… but the relationship, 6 years in the making and it finally happened and he couldn't be happier.
The young agent, Agent Shaw, interrupted his thoughts. It was time to get this show on the road.
Back at the Jeffersonian, Brennan was examining Lysinger's skull… actually she was still examining. Angela walked in, trying and failing to lighten the mood that had been darkened by Vincent's death. She knew something was wrong with her best friend. She assumed it was about Vincent but she needed to ask anyway. You don't just assume you know something about Brennan. Angela soon found out why.
"The mastoid process is generally not a target in close-quarter combat. Perhaps I should examine it microscopically."
"Hey, you told me that an hour ago. What is going on? Is this about Vincent?"
"Yes."
"Yeah."
"And…"
Long pause…
Confused stare…
"I got into bed with Booth last night."
It was Angela's turn for the long pause. Her mouth was hanging open.
I was Brennan's turn for the confused look. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Because I.. I don't want to yell hallelujah so close to losing Vincent!"
"I think I did it because of Vincent."
"Wait… whoa… ah… what exactly happened after you… after you crawled into bed with Booth?"
There was no response. Brennan waited, then there it was. The smile.
Angela heard Hodgins something, thought she wasn't sure what. Her best friend had just told her that she had finally slept with Booth, not in so many words. Actually, not in any words. She didn't need words. The smile said it all. Angela thought quickly, "Wait! No, there are details, I need details!"
"Honey, no. Not right now. I'm sorry, I love you but go tell Cam. … Go…. Away."
He was confused, but did as he was ordered. He paused at the door, "Away!"
"Ok… spill! Details, I need details."
"First, you can't tell anyone. He doesn't even know I'm telling you."
"Oh come one, he knows you tell me everything. But anyway, I swear I will not tell a soul and especially not Hodgins because he interrupted us. So, go on… details… please."
"I went home with him after we all talked. He insisted. I was just going to sleep on the couch. I was ok with that, because we weren't to that stage in our relationship…"
"Wait… what stage were you at? I didn't know you were even on stage one."
"During the blizzard we talked and we decided that we both wanted a relationship but that we were waiting till be both felt it was right. Wait, no, we knew it was right, it was just a matter of time."
"Wow… ok, so go on."
"I was trying to sleep on the couch but something Vincent said wouldn't go away. He kept saying, 'Don't make me go,' and I thought he was talking to me. I went into Booth's bedroom to talk to him about it. I asked him what kind of person I was. He told me that I had it all wrong. He explained everything to me and just held me while I cried."
"I swear I love that man! He is so sweet!"
"He must have thought I was asleep. He looked down at me but I was looking up at him. Our eyes met. It was…"
"Magic?"
"I don't believe in magic but I think that is the right word here. We kissed. It was amazing. I mean, I've kissed men. Booth and I have even kissed before, three times actually, but this was different."
"Wow…"
"He pulled back and asked me if I was sure. I told him that if I wasn't sure I wouldn't have still been there. He told me he was ready for us to be together, not just sex, but in a relationship. I told him I was ready, also. It could have been him that died up on that platform. It could have been me. I told him I didn't want any regrets. I guess that was all he needed."
"So you guys… umm…"
"Yes, and it was wonderful. It wasn't just sex. Booth says there is crappy sex and making love and he wanted to show me what making love was all about. It was so… so… different. I… I know what love is now."
"Oh my God, sweetie!" She squealed as was trying to give her best friend a hug. Her huge pregnant belly was getting in the way. "This is so great! I am so happy for you, for the both of you."
Angela had to go leave… it was time for yet another trip to the restroom. She was more than ready to get that baby out of her.
After telling Angela enough of the details to satisfy her, Brennan felt oddly at easy. It was nice to share something so life-changing and exciting with her best friend. It was nice to have a best friend, well, a best girlfriend, to share it all with. It was nice to have something to share. I wasn't till she realized how at easy she was, how happy she was… at work… that she realized what was so important about Lysinger's skull.
Hodgins was there. He had just told her about his revelation about the bullet. She was explaining to him that the mastoid was bruised and she knew what caused it. She had to call Booth. This was important.
"Booth?" "He's there but he's not answering."
"Maybe He can't."
"Ok, single click yes, double click no. Is this Booth?"
~click~
"Are you in danger?"
~click~
"Are you after Broadsky?"
~click~
"I have information for him."
"Hold on…"
"Booth, the two bruises on the mastoid process were inflicted by two knuckles on Broadsky's right fist. Do you understand what that means?"
~click click~
"Dr. Brennan, listen if he is playing dueling snipers with Broadsky you gotta get to the point real fast."
"Ok. He struck the mastoid which is nearly 44 millimeters thick."
He got it! "Ah… yes…. Yes… " He grabbed the phone from her "Broadsky's right hand is broken."
"You may have just saved my life."
It was a while before anyone had heard from him. They had all decided to wait in the lounge together. They were worried about Booth. He was good but so was Broadsky. Brennan sat nervously staring at her phone. Then, it rang.
"Brennan." It was Agent Shaw.
"Agent Booth asked me to contact you. He apprehended Broadsky. He said to tell you he is personally escorting him to the hospital and then to lock up. He said he would meet you at the Jeffersonian soon."
"Yes, I understand. Thank you."
"Booth got Broadsky."
Cheers and laughter and hugs all around, except for Brennan. She just sat there, smiling back at Angela's knowing looks. She wasn't sure how to react around everyone and not show something she wasn't ready to share, at least not by herself. Now that this whole mess was over, they had some serious talking to do.
Chapter 4
Now that the case was over, they were ready to release Vincent's body to his family. They all met out back, behind the Jeffersonian with the hearse, all except for Brennan. Booth had spoken to her earlier about meeting there instead of showing up together.
"I'm finished with Broadsky and I'm headed to the Jeffersonian."
"Why don't you pick me up and we can go together."
"I'm not ready to play 20 questions."
"I don't know what that means."
"It means, that is she sees us together she is going to want to talk about us and I'm not ready to do that in front of everyone just yet."
"Oh, that makes sense. She was extremely excited when I told her."
"Why don't you go pick up some flowers for Vincent and meet me there."
"Right, flowers. Ok, I'll see you there."
"Hey, Bones…"
"Yeah?"
"Ah, nothing. We'll talk later."
"Yes, we should. I'll see you soon."
"Ok, bye."
Some of the group was starting to doubt her showing up. Booth knew she would be here. They were going to do this together. Sweets started on with his psycho-mumbo-jumbo. Booth had had enough.
"Alright guys, Bones said she'll come, she will definitely be here."
They got the hint.
That's when some of the other employees wheeled Vincent out. They were getting ready to load him into the car, but Hodgins stopped them. They would be taking care of that. He was one of them. They wanted to be the ones to send him home.
Brennan finally showed. She was carrying a potted plant. She knew Booth meant flowers, but and bundled but it just didn't see right. They would be dead before they reached England. She wanted to send something with life.
They all talked, sharing things that Vincent shared with them. He could be annoying but secretly they all loved him. It wasn't a secret any more. Brennan noticed how no one ever mentioned to Vincent how they felt, not until he was dead. She didn't want to be like that. She made her mind up. She knew what she had to do.
They loaded Vincent into the back of the car and sang him on his way. It was not a rest-in-peace song but it was fitting. As silly of a song as it was, it made them all feel connected. That's what they needed.
They, one by one, filed back into the building, Booth and Brennan holding back, just for a moment. She needed to feel him, but she still wasn't ready to deal with the looks and the questions. She looped her arm around his and hugged him to her. He looked down, at the connection and smiled. She was coming around. She was finally his. They definitely had to talk!
Back in the Jeffersonian, everyone was packing up their things to leave. He still had that silly grin on his face. Brennan let his arm go, slowly, not really wanting to. They said their goodbyes and made their way to her office. They would not be having that talk here. She wanted to be home, or at his apartment, somewhere, anywhere but here but first she needed him.
She walked in first, but he was not far behind. As soon as they were both inside, she turned around. She only paused for a moment, looking him in the eyes. She smiled. That was all he needed. He was there, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked at him. She knew what she had to do, what she wanted to do.
She leaned in, slowly, their faces getting closer and closer together. She was the one to initiate the kiss. He still wasn't sure about how much affection she was ready for. He, on the other hand, was ready for it all. It was a light kiss, gentle. At first. She needed more. She finally knew what she wanted and it felt good. She deepened the kiss. He held her closer. Finally, he had to do it. He didn't want to, but they had a long night ahead of them. He broke the kiss, only to hear her moan in protest. He reached for her face, cupping his hands on either side.
"Can we get out of here?"
"Yeah, I think we need to. We need to talk and I have no intentions of doing that here."
"Do you want to go to your place or mine?"
"Let's go to your place. I… I like it there."
"My place is it. Oh… it's Friday. Do you want to take both cars so we have them or do you want to leave one of them here?"
Courage, that's what she needed. She was ready for this. Now was the time to do what she had been wanting to do for a while now. "Um… Ok, so I'm just going to say it. I'm taking my car back to my place and leaving it, you're following me there, I'm going to get some stuff and we're going to your place."
"Does that mean…?"
She back away from him, only to reach out and take his hand. She pulled him towards the door. "It means that I have no need for my car this weekend because I plan on staying with you … at your place… all weekend."
"Well, ok then. Let's get out of here!"
Chapter 5
She made quick work of packing her overnight bag. She was in and out of her apartment in 10 minutes. She had never been so nervous and excited about anything in her life. What was is about this man? Sometimes she knew the answer to that but then he would do something that made her feel so much more. She planned on getting that answer this weekend.
He was waiting in his SUV by her building. He was ecstatic, worried and nervous all at the same time. Ecstatic he could definitely explain. Who wouldn't be? Nervous, well, he was about to dive head first in the relationship that he's be dying to have for 6 years now. But, worried? Why was he worried? He was afraid she was jumping into this for the wrong reason. Wait, what was her reason? Just then, he saw her coming out of her building and he remembered. She loved him. She had said it, actually said the words "I love you" to him, verbally, and even at that distance and in the dark you could see it written all over her face. That woman was in love.
She climbed into the SUV, "You ready to go?"
"Sure. Do you want to stop for food on the way?"
"Umm… yeah, call Sid. We'll pick it up."
"Perfect, just what I was thinking."
He made the call and they were on their way. Sid's was a quick stop. He ran in, got the food and was out. He knew tonight was important. This whole weekend was important and there was no need in keeping her waiting.
"Ok, we're all set." He said, getting back in his seat.
She was still looking at him. She had watched him come out of Sid's, cross the road, and climb into the SUV. She couldn't take her eyes off of him. This was going to be a wonderful weekend.
They drove in silence, holding hands the whole way. I was nice to be moving forward in the relationship. It was nice to finally be in that relationship. And it was even better to know that they were still as comfortable around each other as always. This was definitely a good sign.
TO BE CONTINUED…