Title: Missed Chances
Author: skagengiirl
Rating: K+
Spoilers: Warning for S6 spoilers. That said, it also means that, if you haven't seen the 100th episode through the season finale of S5, you should stay away.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I'm sure that, if I did, the show would be ruined and would've been cancelled a long time ago.
Summary: Tired of watching her friend morph into her old self, Angela takes action the only way she knows how.
A/N: This has been a long time coming. I started this in… September, I think, but I never really got the inspiration to finish it, so I've just been writing small bits for it at various places and then just kind of gathered them all together.
I apologize for any mistakes. My eyes are too tired to read it through and actually notice mistakes – however big or small they are.
It was inspired by an article with a bunch of spoilers for season 6. It mentioned that Brennan would approach Booth in a whole different way (hinting at The Doctor In the Photo ep) and that made me theorize and think of this.
I hope you like it :) Enjoy!
From her office, Angela saw her best friend's angry glare as she was talking – probably more like fighting – with Booth in her own office. Angela knew they didn't have a case, so it couldn't be a disagreement of that kind. And having Brennan as her best friend, she knew not to jump to conclusions, but this fight? It seemed personal. She didn't think she'd ever seen Brennan this pissed Not even when Brennan had come back to the lab after finishing their very first case with Booth.
Had something happened? Angela knew Brennan was jealous of Hannah, whether she admitted it or not, but she never thought she'd confront Booth about it. If that was even the case.
Finally she noticed that they had both stopped moving their lips. Brennan still looked pissed, but Booth… His expression had changed from anger to hurt, but he still looked confused. Angela looked around the lab to see if anyone had heard what Brennan had said. Her luck was favored when she saw her husband standing not too far from the office with a stunned look on his face. It was obvious to Angela that he was looking at Brennan and Booth.
Dropping her sketch pad and pencil, she quickly made her way over to him, dragging him aside as she saw Booth leave with his head hung low.
"What happened?" She asked as she noted that Brennan had sat back down behind her desk and gone back to work.
Hodgins was still somewhat in shock. "She called him Agent Booth."
She was turning back to her old self. The emotionally distant and cold Brennan, who rarely warmed up. The Brennan she used to be before Booth came into their lives.
"She told him to call her Dr. Brennan," he paused, then added: "and she called him Agent Booth."
Hearing this, Angela took off in the direction of Brennan's office.
Brennan had never told Booth to call her Dr. Brennan and she had never called him Agent Booth.
"Brennan." Angela said as she stepped into her friend's office. Brennan looked up at her best friend, who had a very concerned look on her face. "What just happened between you and Booth?"
Brennan looked down at her work again. "He was just being an idiot." She said and didn't offer any explanation as to why.
Angela sat down on the chair on the other side of Brennan's desk. "You called him Agent Booth."
"Yes." She said, before adding: "I don't see any reason to continue our friendship."
Angela was horrified to hear this. "Why?" She practically screamed.
"We've barely seen each other outside cases, much less work." She said. "Today was the first time in a week that I've seen him." She continued. "Sweets told us that we had a surrogate relationship. Now that he has a real relationship, there's no reason for Booth and I to be anything more than partners."
"You're crazy to think that he's going to stay with Hannah."
Brennan looked at Angela with an annoyed expression on her face. Who was she to give her false hope? She went back to work, but heard Angela sigh before starting to say something – to present her case. Brennan, however, interrupted her.
"He asked her to move in with him. He told me that he loves her, that they're 'serious as a heart attack'." Brennan said, quoting what Booth had said the night they'd come home. "He sounds serious to me."
This tipped Angela off. What had Booth done to her best friend? She used to think that Booth might have been the best thing that had happened to Brennan, but the way he's been treating her… Sure, he was in a relationship now, but so was Angela. Angela was married – and pregnant – and she still made time to spend with her best friend. If Booth still cared about Brennan, he should've done the same.
Angela had had enough of Brennan's negativity and hopelessness, so she stood from the chair she'd been vacating and walked around to the other side of Brennan's desk. She dragged Brennan up from her chair, causing her to drop her work, and over to the couch, gently pushing her down on it. Then she sat down on it as well.
"Angela, I have work." Brennan just said.
"Screw work!" She practically screamed. "Your well-being is much more important that your work. Now, you're going to tell me what happened during our first case and what happened last year that caused both of you to run off to opposite ends of the world."
Brennan closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest while sighing, but finally relented in the end. Angela had been kept in the dark for far too long. Especially when you think about the fact that she was her best friend.
So, she told her what happened between her and Booth almost 8 years ago. And she told her what happened last year, on the steps of the Hoover building. She also added what she'd figured out whilst in Maluku – what she'd thought about and most importantly… who.
Line.
Brennan was sitting on her couch with an almost empty glass of wine in her hand and the bottle standing on the table in front of her. She had intended to start writing some more for her next book, but she found that she couldn't concentrate.
She'd caught herself staring at the door a few times, daring it to give sound of someone knocking. To give sound of Booth's knocking.
She felt like a silly teenage girl wishing that the boy she had a crush on would come by and ask her to the prom. That wasn't what she was hoping – wishing – for at the moment, though. And no matter how irrational or illogical it was to make wishes, she found it difficult not to.
Yes, he'd told her he had to move on, but who the hell went to a warzone and fell in love? It was all her fault. She knew that, but she just couldn't let go of him. He had been such a big part of her life for 7 years! How was she ever going to move on from losing him?
When she caught herself staring at the door for the fifth time, she was startled when heard soft knocking. Not his trademark knock, but she could hope. Hope that his knocks had changed. Along with him. Couldn't she?
She stood up and opened the door to reveal her best friend…
"Angela." She said surprised to see her, but let her in instantly anyways. "What are you doing here?" She said as she pushed the door closed.
"I talked to Booth." Angela said.
Knowing what that meant, Brennan closed her eyes and sighed in frustration. "Why did you do that?" She asked and then opened her eyes. "I was fine keeping him from knowing about my feelings!"
"You were most certainly not fine, Brennan!" Now Angela was frustrated with her, too. "It's part of my job as your best friend to do what I can so that you're happy."
"It was not yours to share with Booth. My feelings are my business and I didn't want him knowing about it, so it could ruin his relationship with Hannah!"
Angela took a couple of steps forward and took Brennan's hands in hers. "Brennan, just listen to me." She said more calmly. "I told Booth that the woman who's been in his life for less than a year shouldn't mean more to him than the one who's had his heart for almost 8 years." She said, then added: "I could tell by the look on his face that he was definitely thinking about what I said."
Brennan was silent for a while giving Angela some time to breathe and take in her best friend's appearance…
"Whose shirt is that?" She said, looking at the blue sweatshirt Brennan was wearing.
Brennan looked down unnecessarily – she knew what she was wearing. "It's Booth's. He lent it to me one day it was raining." She started. "We got soaked, we were working a case and we were closest to his apartment, so he lent me his sweatshirt." She finished.
"And you kept it?"
Brennan put her hands in the pockets of the sweatshirt and avoided her best friend's glare. "Well, he never asked me to give it back to him." She explained.
Angela had her usual "uh-huh" look on, but then she decided to move along and sighed. "Look, Brennan. I didn't tell him about it to hurt you." Brennan nodded. "I told him for your own good." She nodded again.
Brennan wasn't angry with her. She was angry with herself, because she rejected him last year and thereby missed her chance with him. And now it seemed like he didn't care about her anymore. Did she hurt him so badly? She thought he knew that she's always wanted to be with him, but she was just so goddamned scared. Afraid of losing him. Which she now had anyway.
"Look, Angela." She sighed. "He didn't come by after you'd talked to him. He hasn't called or made any kind of contact with me since he left the lab, so please stop hoping that we'll get together. Your hope gives me false hope and I can't deal with that anymore." She said. "I just really need to be alone right now and start the process of moving on." She stepped away from Angela and grabbed her keys, walking to the door.
"You can stay for as long as you'd like, but I'm going for a walk. I need to clear my mind and I can't do that here."
Brennan then fled from the apartment in an attempt to run away from her feelings again. But unfortunately for her plans, she ran into Booth outside her apartment complex. He was by the fountain on his way up to her apartment, but he stopped when he saw her. Brennan stopped dead in her tracks, when she looked ahead and her eyes landed on him.
"What, she told you to come here to stop me from 'running away' in case I did?" She asked getting angry again.
"Well, you are, aren't you?" Booth said and received and evil glare. "No. I came here on my own."
"Why?" Brennan asked more softly.
Booth frowned. "Why?" Brennan raised her eyebrows indicating she was serious and wanted an answer. "I just found out that you regret your decision to reject me last year and you ask why I came here?"
"You're happy. You're in love-"
"-with you, Bones." He said cutting her off before she could finish and taking a step forward. "I'm still in love with you. That hasn't changed."
Brennan wasn't exactly surprised to hear this. Angela had told her that falling out of love is one of the hardest things to accomplish. Especially if it was someone you thought you were going to spend the rest of your life with. She was actually happy to hear Booth say he still loved her, but she felt bad for Hannah.
Brennan looked down. "So, what now?"
Booth took a step closer. "Hannah and I had a mutual break-up last night. She couldn't stay here anymore and I can't be in a long-distance relationship. I can't put my life on hold for her. The same reason why I told you I had to move on last year." He told her. "It just so happens that I can't move on from you."
"I almost felt like a consolation prize for a minute there." Brennan said.
Booth took a hold of both her hands and dragged her a little bit closer. "You could never be a consolation prize. You're too important to me." He assured her. "I just couldn't sit around and wait for you to be ready."
She looked down again. "I'm sor-"
Booth interrupted her by putting a finger to her lips, making her stop talking. She lifted her head up to look at him again and felt him remove his finger, before covering her lips softly with his own. The kiss was short and tongues weren't involved, but it was still everything that a first kiss should be. Even if it wasn't their first kiss. He pulled away and brushed some hair away from her face.
"Stop apologizing." He said with a small smile.
"Okay." She agreed and then grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled his mouth down on hers.
This kiss was nothing like the kiss they'd just shared. And it wasn't anything like their blackmailed, mistletoe kiss or even their actual first kiss. There was a lot more feeling in this kiss – a lot more love. Though their love still remained unsaid, there was no doubt between them.
It didn't take long for Booth to start sucking on Brennan's lower lip, which encouraged Brennan to take his upper lip between her lips, before slipping her tongue inside his mouth. Their tongues had barely touched, when Brennan realized that they most likely had an audience.
She pushed Booth away. "Booth, stop. Stop." She said.
"Why?"
"Because I'm pretty sure Angela is watching from my window."
They both looked up to see Angela standing by the window with a smile on her face, before disappearing from the window.
Booth and Brennan looked back at each other and smiled, leaning their foreheads over to meet the other's. His hands travelled from her face, down her arms and met her hands, where he intertwined his fingers with hers.
"You know, we can either face the tones or run for now and deal with Angela on Monday." Brennan said, leaning back to look at her new lover.
Booth chuckled again. "'Face the music', Bones – not tones." He said, causing Brennan's mouth to form an 'oh'. "I think we should be careful of hurting her pregnant feelings." He said. "I wouldn't want an angry Hodgins on my back all weekend. Especially when it's time to make up for lost time. With you."
Brennan smiled. "That's true." She said and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
They heard a door slam in the background and looked behind them to see Angela driving away in Hodgins' car. She waved at the new pair who both looked dumbfounded. They were so sure that their friend was going to attack them with questions the second she was in the same place as them. Then they heard Brennan's phone beep, letting them know she's received a text message.
She let go of Booth's hands and reached for her phone to read the message.
"I'm leaving you alone for the weekend. Figured you need the time to yourselves. But I want details first thing on Monday! ;)"
Brennan clicked her phone locked and wrapped her arms around his torso, kissing him again with her phone still in her hands.
"Why did you have to be so stubborn?" Booth asked when they pulled away. He cradled her face in his hands with his forehead leant over to touch hers. "You could've saved us both a lot of heart ache, if you'd just gambled with me last year."
"I don't want to gamble with you." She said, causing her partner to frown. "You're too important to me for me to gamble with what we have. This is a sure thing. It'll be like it's always been, right? Just… more intimate."
"I love you even more just for saying that."
He spoke his love for the first time and didn't even realize that he'd never told her before. Except for the time, when he chickened out at the very last second and added "professional" and "atta girl". He remembered spending the first few months in Afghanistan replaying their conversation outside the Hoover building after meeting with Sweets and realized he'd never given her the most tangible evidence. He loved her.
Brennan smiled softly. "I love you, too."
She gave him a short, tender kiss, before pulling away and pushing at him. "Please go home, before I drag you upstairs." She said.
He chuckled. "Alright. I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow." He let go of her hand and started backing away.
"For what?" She asked puzzled.
He winked. "Our first date."
The end.
A/N: Who am I to beg you to review, when I don't even always review all the fics I read? I'm just saying that I like feedback – good or bad, constructive or not.