A/N: This is my contribution to the Conversing Hart's Challenge. Fair warning, there is some Brennan OOC behavior near the end, but hopefully not so extreme it bothers anyone too much.
A Train Car Called Desire
The train was rolling along at a brisk speed. Brennan turned the page on the forensics journal she was reading, trying to ignore Booth who was fidgeting beside her. His leg was shaking and he was humming something under his breath and it was really getting on her nerves. Finally, she couldn't take any more.
"Booth, didn't you bring anything to read?" she asked tiredly. It was like sitting next to Parker.
Booth looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Just that Hot Rod magazine, but I already finished reading all the articles." He leaned over to see what she was reading, only to be disappointed at the subject matter. "Jeez, Bones, don't you ever read anything fun?"
Brennan frowned at him. "I happen to find this very stimulating," she informed him.
Booth shook his head. "You know, you really ought to try reading something fun."
"Like what? " she asked, at a loss. She didn't see anything wrong with her choice of reading material.
Booth grinned. "You know, like a romance novel with some guy in the buff pawing some hot babe on the cover.," he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, just to see her reaction.
Brennan rolled her eyes. "You've got to be kidding! What an absolute waste of time. The plots of those novels are so trite and unrealistic. And the characters have sex every fifty pages or so."
"That's the point," he replied patiently. "They're intended to be total escapist entertainment." Suddenly something occurred to him. "Wait, you talk like you've read some—have you?" he asked, surprised. He'd only been teasing.
Brennan blushed a little. "When I was in college, I had a roommate who was addicted to them and she talked me into reading a few. They were okay, but I really didn't enjoy them."
"What about magazines? Like 'People' or 'Us'? Or 'Entertainment Weekly'? You know, something you can read to learn about the real world."
"I really don't care to read about celebrities' lives and I'm not interested in TV or movies. I subscribe to several well written forensics and anthropological periodicals. I find them fascinating." Brennan came up with an idea to give him something to do and give her some peace and quiet. "Why don't you go get some dinner from the dining car? It's nearly seven."
Booth smiled. "Great idea! Something nice and greasy would really hit the spot right now. But you have to come along." She looked like she was about to argue, but Booth cut her off. "C'mon, I don't want to eat alone. And you need to eat too," he argued.
She sighed and closed her book after marking her place. "Okay, but nothing greasy for me. My stomach can't take it."
Booth laughed as they got up and started down the aisle. "I've seen you process some pretty grisly crime scenes without batting an eye, and you're telling me greasy food makes you queasy?"
"What's so strange about that? My stomach just happens to be sensitive to greasy foods. Crime scenes are different. By looking at things clinically, and breathing through my mouth, I'm able to control the urge to vomit," she explained.
Booth glared at her. "Can we not talk about vomiting while we're on our way to eat? I don't wanna lose my appetite."
Brennan chuckled. "You're very susceptible to suggestion. One mention of vomiting and your appetite is gone."
Brennan slammed into his back as he stopped suddenly in the aisle. He turned to scowl at her. "Two. Now, can we change the subject?" he demanded.
She shrugged. "Sure. You're the one who brought it up. Maybe you need to be more careful what subject you choose for conversation. I was just following your lead."
He sighed and continued on down the aisle. "It doesn't seem to matter what subject I choose, you usually manage to turn it into something gross or embarrassing." Mercifully, they arrived at the dining car and sat down to peruse the menu. Booth ordered a cheeseburger and fries, while Brennan chose a cobb salad with some nice crusty French bread. They watched the sunset as they waited for their meals. Dinner passed amicably enough and they managed to avoid any further gross subject matter.
Heading back to their seats, Brennan was dreading a replay of earlier and hoped Booth would find something to occupy his time. She wanted to finish the chapter she'd been reading. She picked up her book and settled in, but it wasn't to be. There was a loud rattle and groan and the train came to a shuddering stop as the lights went out. Emergency lighting came on and they looked around apprehensively.
"This is just great," Booth muttered.
"I wonder what happened?" Brennan asked, mildly alarmed.
"Sit tight, I'll go see what I can find out," Booth said, and then he was gone. Brennan sat looking around at the other passengers. They were murmuring amongst themselves, craning their necks to try to see what was going on. Booth was back very quickly.
"The porter says something's wrong with the engine. They have a mechanic working on it. We should be moving again soon." Brennan sighed and nodded, but he could tell she was starting to get agitated. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said firmly. "I'm fine, I just—" suddenly the emergency lighting went out and they were plunged into total darkness. Several people gasped and there was a startled scream from a lady toward the back of the car. Brennan grabbed Booth's hand. "Booth?" she whispered, and he was shocked at the fear he could hear in her voice.
He pulled her into his arms and started rubbing circles on her back. "Shhh, it's okay, I'm here," he whispered, surprised to find she was trembling. She snuggled her face into his neck.
"I—I'm sorry, I just don't like the dark," she confessed quietly. He pulled her closer. His Bones was afraid of the dark. Who'd have guessed? He tried to think of something to take her mind off the situation. And his too. Having her in his arms was doing things to his body that he didn't want to acknowledge. Then her arms stole up around his neck and she clutched him like her life depended on it and he was lost.
Pulling back a little, his lips unerringly found hers in spite of the utter darkness. She inhaled sharply, startled, and then her mouth opened and she was kissing him hungrily. Booth smothered a groan as the most incredible pleasure took over his senses. His heart was racing as her tongue curled around his and she moaned breathlessly, straining to get closer to him. His hands stroked up her back to tangle in her hair and his mouth moved up her cheek to her ear. She clutched his shoulders as his tongue swirled in her ear and he nibbled at her earlobe.
Suddenly the lights came back on and it was like someone had doused them with ice water. They sprang apart guiltily and looked around at the interested passengers around them. Straightening their clothes, they turned away from each other, trying to act like nothing had happened. Booth wished nothing had. Things were about to get real complicated.
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So, tell me, was that too over the top? Did you like it? Click the little blue button and let me know what you thought so musie will stop pestering me. Thanks for reading!
