A/N OK, I know that I have a whole load of things I should be working on but OS's still seem to be the way for me at the moment. I will update one of my fics soon...I promise! (Admittedly, I have no idea how soon 'soon' actually is!)
This is a very very very very very very belated birthday present for one of my all time favourite people, Angie aka angiebc. She's phenomanal...and if you haven't read her fics you should check her out. Love this girl! So happy belated birthday...and i'll try and get your present this year to you on time!
Reviews always appreaciated if you have the time :)
"Booth, you need to drag your fine self to the Jeffersonian right now."
Seeley Booth sat up in bed, his phone clutched to his ear as he glanced blearily at the clock on his bedside.
"It's 7am Angela." He said on a groan. "It's a Saturday. And it's my…"
"Cam called us all in." She cut across him, the words coming thick and fast. "It's for some authentication for this mummy thing that came in. They did tell me but I wasn't paying much attention. I'm only here because Jack came and I didn't want to be alone but now I wish I'd stayed at home because this is NOT going to end…"
"Angela!" Booths sharp yell stemmed her flow and when he was sure she was going to stay quiet he continued. "As fascinating as this all is, why are you calling me on my day off to tell me? Mummies are a little bit beyond FBI territory." He added sarcastically, his frustration with being disturbed coming through loud and clear. He leant back, head resting on his wall as his eyes fell shut. "It's 7am Angela." He repeated tiredly.
"It's Brennan." Angela burst out.
Booths eyes shot open. "What's wrong with Bones?" He asked quickly, already half out of his bed before he finished. "You know what, it doesn't matter. I'll be there in twenty minutes." He scrabbled around for some clothes, his phone held between his ear and shoulder as he pulled on some pants. "I'll see you soon. And Angela?" He stood up straight, a pair of socks now adorning his feet. "Next time lead with 'It's Brennan', ok?" At the sound of her swift agreement he hung up the phone, reaching for a shirt and pulling it on haphazardly as he left his room, his mind full of one thing and one thing only. Bones.
Booth burst into the Lab, his strides long and sure as he headed for his partners office. He spotted Cam loitering a few feet away and he made a swift detour, coming to a stop just beside her.
"What's happened Cam?" He said without preamble.
She barely spared him a look before she returned to her vigil of watching Brennans office door.
"I have no idea. I called her in this morning for an authentication that the powers that be need done yesterday and everything was fine. Then the interns showed up to assist and she…god, she just lost it Seeley. Or came as close to losing it as she can." She dragged her eyes away from the door to look at him. "She informed them that there services were no longer needed, that they wouldn't need to return and…she apologised to them." The disbelief shone on Cams face at that, her confusion evident. "She apologised for making them go before abandoning them on the platform and shutting herself in her office. And she's been there ever since…and that was an hour and a half ago!"
Booth listened to her explain, his exterior calm as his mind raced. By the end his heart was aching for his partner, her actions were becoming clear to him and the need to comfort her was nearly overwhelming him.
"Where are the Squinterns now?" He asked as he glanced at Brennans closed door.
"My office." Cam said on a sigh. "I swear, I've never seen a group of people look so crushed. At one point I thought Wendell was going to cry and Daisy…god, I've had to call Sweets. She's a blubbering wreck." Silence fell between the two friends for a beat before Cam whispered softly. "I'm worried about her."
"I know." Booth smiled softly at the concern coming from the woman beside him. "Don't worry…I've got this." He said with a confidence he didn't really feel.
Cam took him at face value however, and she couldn't prevent a small smirk from flitting across her face.
"You've got this huh? What exactly happened between you two?" She prodded gently, expecting no response but unable to resist the question. She was pleasantly surprised, however, when he chose to answer her.
"Just enough Camille. Just enough." A small smile graced his lips at the words, his eyes taking on a faraway look before he forced himself to focus on the present. "Keep the interns in your office for now. OK?" At her small nod he took a small step away from her. "And keep Sweets around to. He may come in handy."
Booth knocked on Brennans door softly before poking his head around the corner.
"Bones?" He called. "Can I come in?"
She looked up from where she was sat at her desk, her computer on and her fingers typing swiftly.
"Since when have you asked to come in Booth?" She questioned before looking back down at her computer.
"Good point." Booth said lightly before stepping all the way into her office, shutting the door behind him. He walked to her desk, loitering behind her in silence as she continued to work. "New book Bones?" He asked curiously. He knew her well enough by now to do this dance, making polite conversation until they could begin the real discussion.
"Yes. My publisher has been pushing for another book and I've kept putting it off. But now I realise I can't keep avoiding my responsibilities and, with recent events, I've found it a useful tool. I can lose myself in a book…and I really think it's some of my best work so she'll be happy." She added on a small shrug, her fingers still moving like lightening as she raced to rid her mind of the images it was clinging too.
Booths eyes narrowed at her choice of words but he chose to ignore them for now, choosing to lean down towards her instead.
"Can I read this one Bones?" He asked softly, his lips brushing against her ear as he leant his head towards her screen.
Brennan tensed at the feel of him so close even as she closed her word document.
"You can read it when it's released Booth. As always." She added firmly.
At the expected announcement Booth smothered a grin. Some things never change, he thought to himself, finding himself surprisingly comforted by that fact. He pulled back from her, allowing her the opportunity to turn to face him.
"It was worth a shot!" He said with a smile as she finally faced him, his grin widening as her own lips twitched in response to his teasing. They stared at one another for a moment, a comfortable silence falling around them before Booths smile began to fade. He opened his mouth to start the conversation he had come in for but she beat him to it.
"Why are you here Booth?" She asked in confusion. "I know it's your day off and it's too early for to be up voluntarily so…" She trailed off, a bemused smile on her face as she waited for his explanation.
"Angela called me." He watched as his words caused the small smile on her face to fade, and he could see the moment her walls started to come back up. Booth pushed on, refusing to give her the time to close herself off from him. Never again. "She's worried. Cam's worried. I'm worried."
Brennan stood up from her chair quickly and walked around him, moving to the other side of her desk before facing him again.
"Well you don't need to." She said, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm fine."
Booth turned and walked towards her, his movements slow as his gaze stayed on hers.
"You're not fine." He said quietly. "Cam's not fine. Angela's not fine. Jack's not fine." He came to a stop in front of her. "And I'm not fine. None of us are, and we won't be for a long time." His gaze turned earnest as he looked into her eyes, trying to convey his meaning in a way she couldn't help but understand. "We lost someone Bones." He whispered softly. "We lost a member of our team. Of our dysfunctional family." She opened her mouth to rebut him but he stifled any reply she was going to make, one hand rising as he lay a finger on her lips. "You can deny it all you want but your interns…they are part of your family. You care for them…and you see them as your responsibility, don't you?" He asked her gently.
Brennan shook her head desperately, the tears that had gathered at his words beginning to fall. She stopped denying the truth and looked at him with saddened eyes.
"It's my job to protect them Booth. I'm supposed to keep them safe and…" She took a deep breath before forcing herself to continue. "And the best way to do that is to get them as far away from here as possible. I can't protect them Booth…they're so young and I can't…" What little composure she had gathered began to fray at the edges once more. "I can't lose another person. I won't!"
Booths heart broke at the sight of her pain, finding himself at a loss as he watched her fall apart. Nothing he could say or do would make that go away for her, he knew that, and yet with everything he was he wished he could bundle her up and ferry her far away, where the darkness in the world couldn't touch her.
Booth moved one hand up to cup her cheek in his hand, his fingers brushing against her cheek as he sought to comfort her.
"We can't always protect the people we love Bones." As he tears continued to fall his other hand moved to cup her remaining cheek, his hands now framing her face. "We can try. We do try." He added. "But in the end we can only do so much. We can't send them away from us, in the hopes they'll be safe. We can't cut them from our lives in some misguided attempt to protect them from things that can do them harm. Because no one is truly safe in this world, Bones. People get hit by a car as they cross the road. They get hit by a truck as they drive to the shops. They get diagnosed with Cancer. They get shot." He lay his head gently against hers as he finished, drawing his own comfort from her proximity. "If anything we need to keep the people we care about closer…so that no matter how long we have together, be it six months or sixty years, we can enjoy the time we have."
Brennan listened to him as he spoke, the sound of his husky voice comforting her even as her tears continued to fall. She shifted slightly to free her arms, before moving them to wrap around the man in front of her. She felt him stiffen slightly at her touch before he relaxed, his own hands moving from her face to wrap around her. They stood like that together, neither one willing to break the moment between them. Five minutes or five hours could have passed, but eventually Booth began to move. He pulled back from her to glance down, relieved to see that when she looked up at him her tears had stopped.
"Bones…?" He questioned quietly.
"I'm ok." At his doubtful look she smiled. "Honestly Booth. I….understand what you mean. And you're right…I know you're right."
Booth sighed in relief, pulling her back to him for one last hug. He lay a gentle kiss on the top of her head before pulling back and letting her go. He watched as she took a fortifying breath, obviously bracing herself for something. She looked torn, her gaze flitting between Booth and her door.
"I guess I should….talk to them. Let them know that I want them to stay."
"Probably a good idea." He agreed with a small nod. "Just remember…" He waited for her to look at him before continuing. "They need you as much as you need them."
Brennan nodded gratefully before turning to walk away, straightening her body and lengthening her strides as she once again became the Dr Temperance Brennan her interns knew and loved. At her door she paused, glancing behind her for one last look at her partner.
"Will you be here when I get back? I know it's your day off but…"
"Of course I will Bones." Booth cut across her with a grin. "Don't you remember? I need you too."
A/N The line breaks won't work :( I hope it makes sense!