Thanks to woatcapiiton for the beta again!!!! Legend!
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"Just because I want someone when I'm alone,
Doesn't mean I'm helpless,
That I can't stand on my own."
I awoke slowly from a deep sleep and stretched my legs out, before realizing I was laying on something hard, and warm. It was breathing, had a heart beat - which I could clearly hear, and half of my body draped over it. An arm was protectively snaked around my middle.
Before I willed my eyes to open, I thought back to last night. Booth came over, insisted on staying and had a shower. I re-read my final chapter, and... Oh my goodness…
I opened my eyes cautiously, seeing a nicely sculptured chest, which my upper torso was comfortably splayed on. I carefully drew my arm away from his chest. I looked up to see Booth's face. Disorientation was soon replaced with a fevered annoyance; all in an alarmingly fast pace.
I kicked the blankets back and disentangled myself with Booth.
I looked down at his still sleeping form with a huff. What had happened? I wracked my brain, but nothing of substance came. I remembered setting the bed up, getting my manuscript, Booth being in the shower, then... nothing. I still had my clothes on, so that ruled out sex... I hope. We hadn't drunk anything. Had we?!
I poked at Booth's shoulder. Then, prodded. Then pushed harder. "Booth, wake up." He wasn't budging. This man was infuriating even in his sleep! "Booth! Wake Up!" I hissed into his ear.
He woke with a start.
"Bones, what the hell are you doing? It's, like..." He reached for his watch on the floor, "Ten past six in the morning! What the hell are you doing waking me up at ridiculous o'clock?!" He huffed, and then threw the blanket over his head.
"Booth, I am going to kick your butt if you don't get out of that bed right now!" I warned, my tone dropping to a dangerously low level.
"Geez, Bones. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" He said grumpily, sitting upright.
"It is an absolute impossibility to "wake up on the wrong side of a bed"; there is no possible way to prove that theory. I hate when people say those sort of idioms. And, speaking of beds, what were you and I doing sleeping in the same bed? I don't seem to remember extending that invitation last night." I said bitterly.
"Whoa, Bones! It's ok. Nothing happened." He said defensively.
"Yeah, well me waking up splayed all over your chest and your arm around my waist, kinda indicates otherwise." I said heatedly.
Even in my head my words seemed unfair and unreasonable. But I wasn't letting go. Not just yet. He had some explaining to do.
"Bones, listen to me." He said patiently, like I was a child or something. "I got out of the shower, and found you asleep on the sofa bed. I didn't have the heart to wake you, so decided to let you sleep here." His eyes were probing mine, like he was willing me to see his side of things.
What he said made sense, since I didn't remember anything after him being in the shower. But, still, the stubborn independence inside me wasn't ready to let up.
"Ok, so back to my question: where did you sleeping in the same bed as me come into the picture?" I threw at him weakly, but still.
"Well, I had thoughts of sleeping in your bed, but then thought you probably would like that a lot less than the current situation."
Ok, he may have a point there. I wouldn't have liked him sleeping in my bed. It would have been, well, weird.
"Also, I thought with you not sleeping and all, if you woke in the middle of the night, another presence may be comforting for you. Make you feel not so alone." He looked up at me sheepishly, as though he was afraid of what my reaction would be.
The last comment softened my resolve a bit. He risked me getting angry with him just in case I woke up from a nightmare during the night. He knew I would be angry and confused, but he'd still done it.
It wasn't logical for Booth to act how he had. Self preservation was supposed to run higher than any other emotion. I didn't quite understand it, but it somehow was, well, Booth I guess. He was an anomaly to the species at times. He kept proving that.
"I guess I did sleep well last night. For the first time in…since Hodgins and I were buried. I actually slept through the night." I started in amazement. "Which, is a very reasonable reaction to the trauma we went through. Even though psychology is a soft science, I do think it probably has its believable points to it. As an example, Hodgins and I, both haven't slept properly since. Which can both be explained and reasoned. Even though there is no threat of danger..."
"Bones, you're rambling. And you're welcome." Smiling, he got out of bed, grabbed his towel, and staggered to the bathroom.
I felt a flush creep up into my cheeks. Ok, so that was the best apology he was going to get. He knew that, and accepted it for what it was. One of the reasons he... got so under my skin, as the saying goes, I guess. Not that I entirely got what that meant. There was nothing but muscle, fat, blood, ligaments, veins and bones under my skin.
Maybe it was all psychobabble again…
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"Be my illusion and I'll be your distraction
I'll take you on"
She had tossed around a bit during the night. At one point she had cried out in her sleep, the contended look on her face, replaced with a mask of fear. The monster within, it seemed, was desperately clawing to escape. I reached out to her and attempted to roll her over onto her side. I always had nightmares when I slept on my back. Maybe it was the same for her.
As soon as I had her on her side, she scooted closer to me, like she was freezing, craving the warmth from my body. She got herself comfortable on my chest, throwing her arm over me. The crying out had ceased, her furrowed brow smoothed out.
"Great. There goes my sleeping for the rest of the night." I grumbled softly, though I was hardly put out. I could catch up on sleep later.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew it was sunrise. I looked down to find Bones still sleeping. I'd shifted onto my side during the night, but her head was still resting in the crook of my shoulder, and her arm still resting on my torso.
She looked so contented in her sleep, so at peace with the world. I knew as soon as she woke up, the storm would start brewing. And I had a feeling it would be a big one. I enjoyed the peace while it lasted.
I felt Bones begin to stir as her body clock started to wake her. Here it comes...
Her hand crept back against my chest. Her head shifted slightly. I guessed she was looking up to see who she was lying on. I couldn't open my eyes just yet. Best to pretend to be asleep. She can come to her own conclusions, and we'll take it from there.
I felt her kick the blankets back and get out of the bed. I could hear her huffing. I bet she's going over "everything" and wanting to know what, why and how. I've definitely gotta stay "asleep" as long as I can.
Although, Bones being cranky is always a bit of fun to watch.
I felt a poke at my shoulder. Another poke. "Booth, wake up." Nope still staying asleep.
Then a shove! A shove accompanied with a "Booth! Wake up!" Being hissed right into my ear.
I cracked an eye open, and looked wearily into her flushed face. "Bones, what the hell are you doing? It's, like..." I reached for my watch, "Ten past six in the morning! What the hell are you doing waking me up at ridiculous o'clock?" I huffed dramatically to make it seem real, then threw the blanket back over my head.
She yanked it right off the bed. "Booth, I am going to kick your butt if you don't get out of that bed right now!" She growled at me. I had to bite my lip to stop myself laughing at her. She was so angry. I wonder what scene she had conjured up in her mind...
"Geez, Bones. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?!" I said, sitting up against the pillows, grumpily.
Then she went on about some sort of idiom or something... Squints and their big words. Why can't they just use normal words? Her voice filtered back through to me again... "What were you and I doing sleeping in the same bed? I don't seem to remember extending that invitation last night." Whoa, was she upset... Over nothing!
"Whoa, Bones! It's ok. Nothing happened." I said defensively.
"Yeah, well me waking up splayed all over your chest and your arm around my waist, kind of indicates otherwise." She sounded like she was about to pounce on a bad guy.
Ok, damage control time...
"Bones, listen to me." I said patiently, "I got out of the shower, and found you asleep on the sofa bed. I didn't have the heart to wake you, so decided to let you sleep here." I was willing her to see it how I did. The evidence showed we'd slept together, but that was it. Sleep.
"Ok, so back to my question, where did you sleeping in the same bed as me come into the picture?" She said, kind of half-heartedly. I was breaking her down a bit... Ok logic, go with logic, Booth.
"Well, I had thoughts of sleeping in your bed, but then thought you probably would like that a lot less than the current situation. Also, I thought with you not sleeping and all, if you woke in the middle of the night, another presence may be comforting for you. Make you feel not so alone." I looked up at her, hoping this had gotten through to her, but still not wanting to hear her next argument.
She looked at me thoughtfully, mulling over her thoughts. I felt as though I was a set of bones to be identified.
"I guess I did sleep well last night. For the first time in…since Hodgins and I were buried. I actually slept through the night. Which, is a very reasonable reaction to the trauma we went through. Even though psychology..."
I smiled. She was trying to rationalize everything again. Not being a normal female and breaking down, or whatever. Bones was different. Bones, was…Bones. You couldn't characterize her. Not really.
"Bones, you're rambling. And you're welcome." I said as I picked up my towel from the night before and stalked into the bathroom for a shower.
I chuckled to myself. Today was gonna be a good day.