Minutes in Time

by BonesEsq

A story that takes place the day that Booth is released. No real spoilers. Just a speculation of thoughts and how it might go. Booth's thoughts and feelings and his reunion with Bones. The rating is for Chapter 3 and likely will be between T/M but as it was my first story, I didn't want to offend anyone. Obviously, I don't own the characters... Just borrowing them! :-)

1. 10 Minutes

Minutes in Time

A/N:

Hello! This is my first attempt at writing of any kind… Long time Bones FanFiction reader. After reading all of these great stories, I had an idea pop in my head and thought I would give it a whirl. This will be three parts. First two are introduction, all thought, no dialogue pieces. The third one is where the rating applies. Happy Reading! I hope it's not awful!

10 minutes.

Compared to the last 4 months, he knew that the next ten minutes were nothing. By his calculation it would take him ten minutes to walk from the door of the prison to the cab that he knew was waiting for him. Yet as he stood their waiting for his personal affects, it felt like a lifetime.

Once the truth had been revealed, thanks to his wife and his squints, the FBI, the Department of Corrections and about a dozen other government agencies had offered him whatever sort of fanfare he wanted when he was released. His name had been cleared and he was a free man.

In true Seeley Booth fashion, he wanted it done at midnight. When everyone was asleep. The press was told it would be occurring the next morning.

He just wanted to get to her.

Her. The last four months, he had spent every walking moment measuring his time, his day, his life in moments until he would see her. 3 days since he had seen her. 2 hours until she would arrive. 3 months since he had held his baby girl. As every second, every minute had gone by, his thoughts were with her.

The clerk at the prison entrance handed over his personal belongings that had been wrongfully taken from him 122 days ago and wished him a good evening. In his head, he scoffed. That was all she had to say. Good evening? Like it was just another day. Like he wasn't robbed, yet again, of four months with his wife and his daughter, his friends, his family. He pushed the negative thoughts out of his head and began the countdown.

10 minutes until he would round the corner and the prison would disappear from sight. 10 minutes and he would be in a cab for the first time in 4 months and headed to her.

No more fear of a fight with the wrong inmate, no more fear of ridicule at the hands of the guards who thought they had a leg up on him. No more fear that something would happen to her or their daughter and he would not be there to protect them. No more agony in the evenings, when all he could think of was them. He had been able to speak with Parker and due to him still being in Europe, he was able to save his boy from much of the happenings in DC. Yet Parker knew something was array and had promised to come and see him and soon as he could. It was all Booth had spent the last 4 months thinking about. Them. His life. His world. His son. His daughter. And his wife. His amazing, unbelievable wife.

It always came back to her. Her hair, her hands, her brain, her heart. The way she whispered "Seeley" when they were together, the way she bounced when she cooked, the way she held their daughter, the way she cared for him in her own Bones was. He had spent the last 4 months living with an ache that he had never experienced.

Just as he had spent the last 4 months doing, living in his own head with thoughts of her, by the time he came back to reality he had rounded the corner and the yellow cab was there; just as she had promised.

They had agreed that in order to reduce the attention around his release, they would arrange for it to happen this way. He would leave in the cloak of darkness. She would arrange for a cab to be at a specific location and he would come and meet her at a hotel.

Due to the showdown at the Mighty Hut, she had to choose a new dwelling for them, as she so accurately stated it. She said it was beautiful. A new fresh start… New life, new memories; just as he had promised her years ago. He was anxious to get to that life. Yet, neither of them wanted the memories of what had occurred that evening nor the excitement of showing him around to interfere with their reunion. So, according to plan, he arrived at the predetermined location, the cab was there, and he got in and started the drive to her.

He was dressed in his standard issue FBI uniform, complete with his cocky belt buckle and when he got in, it was clear that the cab driver assumed he had a bad night. Perhaps his partner had gone ahead or car trouble, whatever the reason, it was not assumed that he was a man that had just been released from prison. All is going well, he thought as he got settled in the back of the cab.

With a nod of his head, Booth got in, directed the cab driver where to go, and laid his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.

Just as he had spent the last 4 months doing, he counted the minutes again.

By his calculation, he had 38 minutes, until he got to her.

A/N:

Well, there you have it. Reviews and thoughts would be greatly appreciated.