Created April 2013 - I don't own these characters as made famous by the TV show, Bones. Love them anyway. All the rest that follows is my feeble attempt to keep time in between broadcasts and Razztaztic and Threesquares postings.
BOOTH's POV
"Can I just…?" she pleaded as she leaned into me for comforting.
"Yeah, that's why I'm here." I whispered softly to my partner. My partner.
I eased us both back onto the bed. I could feel Bones shake as her tears consumed her. I felt my heart squeeze with every tear, shudder and hiccup that Bones emitted.
We had lost one of our own. We were in hiding. I couldn't call my son or Pops until we finished this case. As much as I was exhausted and on edge about Broadsky and worried about the entire squint squad, right now - at this moment - nothing mattered but Bones. It scared me how much I loved this beautiful, brilliant, awkward woman, and she was in pain.
As I held my partner in my arms, my emotions were like popcorn kernels right before the first pop. She curled closer into me as if she was trying to share my skin.
Jesus, all of the emotions that this situation had conjured up; if Bones wasn't bawling into my chest right now, I'd be losing it as equally as she was. But Bones needed me. Nobody else can be this for her but me. She is my partner, she's my best friend. She's The One…not only The One Who Has My Heart, but The One I Failed.
I will do EVERYTHING to make this right. Me being with Hannah hurt her and I wasn't who she needed me, deserved me to be, I'm not going to fuck this up. She's in pain because a prick from my past tried to take me from her but instead took out Vincent – a kid. A quirky, creepy, funny kid, but a good kid. An innocent. Christ, that cocksucker could have hit my girl. There is no fucking way I'm not killing this son of a bitch the first instance that I can. My heart's beating a thousand miles a minute thinking about Broadsky. Broadsky.
It's not about him or me right now. She needs me.
"I've got you Bones. I've got you. It's alright. Go ahead and let it out. I'm not letting you go. That's my girl. I've got you, Baby."
I peppered these comments as I hugged her into me. Her face lay on my chest as she struggled with her emotions.
I rubbed my right hand up and down her back to soothe her crying. When I called her "Baby", she seemed to still. She didn't recoil - thank God - but instead seemed to calm down. Her breathing began to match my own. I tempted fate again.
"Baby, I'm going to make this right. I'll take care of you…." She snuggled in closer to me. I took a deep breath and squeezed her back. Oh, this woman belongs with me. If this is the only time that I'll ever get to hold her, I'm going to make it count. I kissed her forehead, then into her hair. She smelled amazing – vanilla. I could hold her forever. "We're going to handle this bastard tomorrow Bones, but for now, I'm just gonna hold you, Bones. Let me take care of you."
I felt her nod her agreement into my chest, but as I bent to kiss her forehead again, she was gone from my arms. Bones was sitting up in my bed, her hands on my chest, but seemingly ready to bolt.
Pop, pop, pop went my kernels.
She was pulling away and I wasn't sure that I was ready to not keep it together. I couldn't let her go. "No, Bones. Stay with me. Don't go. Let me hold you. Please" I hadn't pleaded with her so desperately since trying to protect her from herself in New Orleans.
The side table lamp was still on in the room. She had crinkled her face in confusion, and then like quicksilver, caught up to my assumption. "No, Booth…I'm a warm sleeper. If I'm laying here with you, I have to remove this sweatshirt." I smiled weakly at her, hopefully conveying my apologies for my neediness. She drew her right hand up my chest to my cheek, but said nothing.
God I loved this woman.
Pop, pop, pop.
Swiftly she leaned back and pulled at the ends of the sweatshirt to remove it. As she did, her camisole-thingy pulled up slightly, peeking to me her taught little belly button. My eyes continued up the reveal of Bones' body, and I grinned as I watched the sweatshirt vacuum her head and hair before its final removal.
So. Fucking. Beautiful. She had been my partner for almost seven years, but her form always caught my breath, as if I was seeing her for the first time. Every curve she had was – perfect. Bones threw the sweatshirt onto the edge of the bed. By the glow of the nightlight, I feasted my attention on her creamy white skin and the cling of the delicate camisole to her torso.
Pop, pop, pop.
She looked blankly at me, but like always it was if she was staring through to my soul. I needed to touch her. I reached out to examine a scar on her left arm. Immediately, I realized that the scar was from the teeth shrapnel in the bomb that Gormogon tossed at us. Gormogon. Zach. Zach. Vincent. I locked eyes with Bones, fearful that the connection would trigger a new round of tears. I was right. Her eyes began to well up. "Oh Baby, no I'm sorry to remind you about Zach."
"Causality, Booth. If I had paid more attention to Zach, then I wouldn't have needed a rotation of interns. If Zach were still at the Jeffersonian, then Vincent might still be alive."
I took a breath. No way was I going to let her blame herself "None of us would have had to deal with Gormogon if I hadn't pursued you to be my partner. Broadsky wouldn't have had the Jeffersonian as a target if you did work with me."
I was trying to get her to blame me. If she needed to rage against me to feel better, I was going to let her.
As intended, my comment was like a smack across her face. She grabbed at my shirt as if to regain her balance. God forgive me, even with red, puffy eyes and a tear and snot stained face – she was the most gorgeous creature ever. The pain her lovely face was expressing was killing me. I waited for her to yell or scream or, something. To my surprise, I watched her eyes dilate as she leaned down and pressed her lips furiously against mine.
Pop, pop, pop.
I was a full bowl.
I moaned against her sweet lips as we settled into a desperate kiss. I felt the warmth and saltiness of her new tears mix between our tongues. Her breath was stunted between her crying hiccups and her words. "I can't imagine not having you in my life, Booth."
"Oh Bones. I'm not going anywhere, Baby" I whispered against her lips. I cupped the back of her neck as I fought to gain control of our kiss to slow her down. "Shhhh, slow down, I'm here, okay? I'm not going anywhere." She buried her head in my neck, sobbing. We laid there for a few minutes as she stilled. I felt her take a deep breath against my neck and then she began to pull my shirt off.
"Uh, wha-, what are you doing, Bones?" I stammered, halting her action at my underarms. I looked up at her, shocked while she looked down on me impatiently.
"I have secreted copious amounts of mucus and lacrimal gland fluid onto your shirt, Booth. As I want to sleep…as we just were…I'd rather not sleep in a wet spot."
I chuckled. "Remind me to explain to you why that's funny once we've had more rest, Bones." She crinkled her adorable nose at me and turned to shut off the light.
To her satisfaction, I allowed her to proceed with actions, and let her continue to pull my shirt off me. Her palms pushed the shirt up my chest and back. I felt the soft hair of her arms brushing up against my underarm hair as she shifted to pull the shirt past my shoulders. I raised my arms slowly, not really conscious to the fact that this was extending the time that her breasts were pressed to my chest.
With my right arm freed first, I wrapped my arm around her torso while she simultaneously pulled the sleeve from my left arm. She shimmied slightly down my left side as she tossed the t-shirt to the end of the bed. I could feel that her camisole had ridden up slightly, pressing a part of her naked belly against the side of mine. Shifting until she was again comfortable, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding as she nuzzled her head and hands onto my chest. We laid there in silence for a few minutes, but I knew that Bones' mind was racing as equally as was mine.
"Booth?"
"Yeah, Bones?"
"I am no longer impervious to my feelings about you."
"I know Bones. I'm not angry anymore either."
"Oh….Good." I felt her tilt her head up to mine. Her lips sought mine for a brief reassuring kiss. I pulled her hair back behind her ears as she resumed her previous position. "I seem to have replaced my imperviousness with fear" she sighed heavily. "Of losing you."
I understood her pain. I knew it was the thing that had been holding her back for years. Abandonment. She loved her parents and her brother and they abandoned her. She loved Sully who made her choose between loves, him and me. I knew she loved me the, fuck what Gordon Gordon had said. She loved us both, but she loved me the most. But that she had to choose hurt her.
Fucking Sully.
Well shit, I couldn't demonize him. Hell, I basically "Sullied" Bones with Hannah. I put her in a position where she made me choose and unlike her I chose wrong. "I'm done hurting you Bones. I'm not going anywhere. I'm yours."
The words seem to soother her. Her breathing began to pattern. "Booth?"
"Yeah?"
"I find that I enjoy being in your arms tremendously."
I pull her in closer. She threads her left leg in between mine and strokes her hand across my chest, landing on my Checkerbox scar. In the dark, she fingers the scar, both of us silent to the significance of the scar. Afraid that it may reignite her pain, I kissed into her hair again. "Let's get some rest, Baby, okay? She nodded her satisfaction. No more than another minute passed.
"Booth?"
"Mmmmm?"
"You've called me 'Baby' a significant number of times tonight. Significant in comparison to the number of times that you've called me 'Baby' in proportion to the length of our partnership. Seven times. In total, you've said it to me ten times that I can recollect. The first time you said it, you meant it in a derogatory way. But since then, you've used it as a term of endearment or as a means to soothe me…"
"I'm sorry Bones, I know that you don't…."
She cuts me off, burying her face a little deeper into my chest as she says "I like it when you call me Baby. It's ours."
I feel her smile into my chest. I grab her left hand with my right, and I kiss the palm of her hand, then return her hand over my chest while I slide my hand onto her exposed back. "Go to sleep, Baby" I whisper into her hair. I think she brushes her lips against my chest. We lay like that until our exhaustion finally catches up to us.
