The Second Year: The Healing Power in the Pudding

"How did you get out of the hospital?"

The flickering images on the TV screen bathed the hospital room in annoying blue light, but Booth didn't really care. He had stopped watching half an hour ago, and he had just stopped pretending to watch because next to his bed Temperance Brennan had fallen asleep. Being kidnapped and almost killed was too much for one day, even for her.

She had stayed.

Had murmured something about a headache, but in her crystal clear eyes he had found the truth. She had wanted to stay. Booth didn't know if her motivation had been more than mere gratitude, but it didn't really matter. All that mattered was that she was here. Safe and sound.

Tonight he had almost lost her, but only a patch on her forehead reminded of it – this and the picture that would be burned into his retina for the rest of his life. Her teary eyes wide open in shock, her mouth gagged, her wrists bound, her body – usually so graceful – dangling way too fragile on a hook.

A hook!

That bastard had dared to tie his wonderful partner to a hook.

And the worst thing was: Booth himself had entrusted him with her. If he hadn't found her in time... he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself that one.

Since their partnership had started a few months ago, Booth had learned to trust her, to rely on her. It wasn't always easy with her, but it was worth it because together they were better than he had ever been alone. Stronger. Smarter. Faster.

The kiss in the rain and the possibilities that had marked their beginning were almost forgotten, buried deep in a distant corner of their memories, and neither of them had mentioned it ever since. It was safer this way, easier. Fighting back the electricity that cracked in the air between them every once in a while was hard enough.

Booth looked at her sleeping face unguardedly. She had shifted in slumber, and right now her head was resting on her fist next to him on the bed, so close that her soft tresses tickled his skin. Earlier tonight her shimmering hair had cascaded onto her shoulder blades freely; now it was framing her angelic face like a curtain of silk.

The black dress she wore looked expensive, and the alabaster tone of her skin was a touching contrast to the dark shade.

Usually he was pretty successful in fighting back the attraction, but the vulnerability of the day had cracked open his shell. He couldn't forget the tears pooling in her big blue eyes, the way she had clung to his body in utter despair.

It was the first time that he had held her after the night that may not be named, but today it had been different because their bond was none of sexual temptation but one of respect and – yes – friendship.

He hadn't wanted to kiss her breathless; his desire had been to hold her, to protect her.

Today he had saved her, but in doing so he had saved himself as well.

A soft curl had fallen into her face, and every time Brennan exhaled, it fluttered like a feather in the wind. If he had been able to move his left arm, he would have brushed it away tenderly, but with his cast that chivalry gesture wasn't an option. 'Maybe it is for the best,' he mused, touching her could be dangerous tonight.

With a sigh Booth shifted in an attempt to find a comfortable position, and it didn't take long until the events of the day took a toll on him – or maybe it was the effect of the painkillers, but suddenly his eyelids were very, very heavy, and accompanied by her even breaths, he fell asleep.

-BONES-

Brennan awoke with a jolt, blinking against the unfamiliar surroundings. The confusion didn't linger, though, and after a few seconds everything came back with a rush, and she gasped. The warehouse, the dogs, the fear. Booth.

He had rescued her.

Lifting her head, Brennan found his sleeping face very close to her own. He looked battered and bruised, but to her he was nothing but a hero. Tonight she had learned about the healed fractures in his feet, and the images her mind had created might be worse than the truth.

Seeley Booth was a strong man. His years in the army had broken him as little as his gambling problem – it seemed as if all the bad things he had suffered in his life had only made him more honest. More the man he was.

As ridiculous as it might sound, she was glad that he had arrested her on the airport. She didn't know if she had ever found the courage or the will to talk to him again. He had annoyed her beyond belief, but that was only part of it. If she was honest with herself, she had ignored his calls because he had simply irritated her too much. In bad and in good ways.

And now she was his partner, and somehow her perspective had changed. She had even given him her parents' file. Had revealed her big secret. She had been very insecure about sharing her past with him, but he had only given her a reassuring smile. Well, not only.

I'm proud you asked, Temperance.

Even now she felt a shiver, as she recalled his words. Maybe it was the rare sound of her first name spoken in his low voice or the fact that he had been proud, but somehow he had made her bigger with his remark.

She wanted him to be proud of her.

That was new as well, usually she didn't care what people thought of her, but... Booth wasn't "people". He was her partner. Maybe even her friend.

With this man she had been walking on foreign ground right from the beginning, and it still scared her sometimes, but Brennan didn't want to give it up anymore. Him.

A low growl interrupted her thoughts. Booth was tossing around, a slight sheen of sweat covered his convulsed brow. A nightmare?

Unsure what to do, Brennan bent over his agonized frame.

"Booth?"

Her voice didn't startle him at all, and so she placed a tentative hand on his cheek.

"Booth... wake up."

A muffled cry was her answer, and then his eyes snapped open, and his hand flew to hers on his face, clutching it.

Shocked brown orbs bore into equally wide blue ones, as he tried to control his ragged breath.

"Bones... Temperance..."

"It's okay, Booth, you had a nightmare."

'Genius, he had probably realized that by himself.'

Both of them noticed at the same moment that he was still squeezing her hand, and short of a reason to maintain the contact, he loosened his vice-like grip on her. Sensing his reluctance, she let it on its place on his cheek one more moment, stroking the stubbly skin in a gentle and soothing caress. 'A partner thing, not more,' she reassured herself.

"You want to tell me about it?" she finally asked hesitantly.

He tried to shrug, but soon his face was a grimace of pain, as his injuries screamed in protest.

"It was nothing."

"Oh. Okay."

Her shoulders slumped at his dismissal, and one more time her vulnerability crushed his unguarded heart. Taking a deep breath, Booth searched for the right words.

"You in the warehouse. The hook. That bastard. And... the old stuff as well. The perfect ingredients for a nightmare. I told you to go with him, Bones."

"Booth... it's not your fault. Thanks to you I didn't end up being dog food."

"Still, I should have known that something wasn't right. I endangered you."

"You did not. It's not your responsibility to protect me," she tried to rationalize.

"It is, Bones," he whispered sharply, "you are my partner, my... friend, and I care about you."

"This is our job endangering me, not you. Regardless of what you might think, I didn't stumble into this partnership with blind eyes. It was my choice to work with you again. Besides, he shouldn't have been able to overpower me that easily, I'm very adept in martial arts. He surprised me."

"You forgive me then?" he had to ask, and she suppressed a snort as she registered the earnest expression on his face, the pleading look in his deep eyes. Something inside of her softened.

"There is nothing to forgive, Booth. You saved me, that's the way I look at it."

She gave him a weak smile, and finally he accepted it.

"Can I do something to express my infinite gratitude? I could feed you a pudding or some more sedatives."

He chuckled.

"Nah, I'm fine. I should probably try to go back to sleep."

She nodded.

"Okay. I suppose I'm leaving, then."

"You have to?"

She stilled for a moment, a puzzled look on her face. Truth be told, she didn't want to leave that badly, but her arms hurt from their unwilling stretching exercise earlier that day, and the chair wasn't that comfortable after all.

"Well, not necessarily, but I'm pretty tired as well..."

He looked at her silently for a few heartbeats, and suddenly she wasn't able to read his eyes at all.

"You're right, you shouldn't be forced to sleep on that chair. Maybe you could... come back tomorrow? Do the feeding thing?"

A smile split her exhausted face, and for a moment it dazzled him.

"Of course. After all, you're my partner, and I have to take care of you, right?"

"Damn right, Bones. See you tomorrow."

She rose from her chair with a last smile, but before she stepped out of his room, she turned around one more time, waving her hand in an adorable gesture.

"Goodnight, Booth, and don't dream."

He smiled wistfully, but nodded.

"The same goes for you. Sleep tight."

Then she was gone, and as soon as the clacking of her heels wasn't audible anymore, Booth switched off the TV and closed his eyes in the dark room.

Going back to sleep was significantly harder without her soft breaths next to him.

To be continued...