Disclaimer: Do you want to hear something depressing? I do not own Bones, and I never will!
Note: A huge thank you to all of you who reviewed, you guys rock. A mini shout out to all of you who read chp1, didn't review, but enjoyed it anyway, you guys rock a close second. A mild thumbs up to those of you who just skimmed it and went meh, I respect indifference. Finally, a slight nod to those who didn't even read chp 1, I will eventually win you guys over if you ever read the story. :D Enjoy Chp 2!
Dr. Sweets sat, nervously waiting for the storm to arrive. His secretary had been slightly frantic with that intercom button, so he decided to bring them in before the arguing scared away his other patients. He had his note pad ready, and he even wore an extra bold tie hoping that Agent Booth would actually take him seriously for once.
Over the Christmas break Dr. Sweets found himself contemplating the relationship between Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan. The deep emotional connection that they shared started to manifest itself in various ways over the past few months. Dr. Sweets hoped that they had a chance to read the double copies of "The Manifestation of Sexual Tension in the Work place" he had placed in the waiting room, but since they had been arguing soon after they arrived, Dr. Sweets surmised that the article had remained unread. Since their conversation at the diner, Dr. Sweets knew it was only a matter of time before the kiss would cause tension. The kiss was definitely of symptom of something much more.
Just then the door to his office flew open and an angry looking Dr. Brennan came striding in with an even angrier looking Agent Booth hot on her heels. With out so much as a 'hey Dr. Sweets' they sat in their respective chairs glaring at each other. Dr. Brennan crossed her legs, her back went rigid and her chin went up a notch higher. Agent Booth crossed his own legs, showing off his wildly flashy socks. He also undid his jacket to reveal his very masculine and slightly outlandish belt buckle. This little show of silent aggression was a scene right out of an old western movie; however, instead of guns these two were using their stubborn pride as weapons. Any second now they should be sticking their tongues out at each other, or Agent Booth would start pulling Dr. Brennan's hair. Dr. Sweets took a deep breath and addressed the two before him.
"Well, Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, shall we start of with role playing today. I thought you could be the flight attendant Agent Booth, and you Dr. Brennan could be the pilot." Sweets reached down and place the role playing box on the table before them.
"Sweets," Upon hearing the nickname, Dr. Sweets inwardly cringed because his tie, apparently, was not bold enough, next time he would have to have a stronger belt buckle as well. "Role playing is for children, it's completely pointless, and there is no way I am pretending to serve cookies on a plane, while Bones is the pilot." Booth stated wishing he could take his gun and shoot the role playing box full of hats.
"Dr. Sweets, role playing is fine." Bones added just to aggravate her partner.
"What! You hate role playing just as much as I do Bones! You are just saying that because you are pissed off, oh no sorry, you are saying that because you are 'fine'"
"I am not being purposely contrary Booth and…"
"Yes you are."
"No I am not."
"Um, Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth, maybe we should talk this out…"
"Talk! Good luck trying get Bones to talk Sweets."
"Agent Booth I…"
"Come on Sweets, why don't you ask Bones why she isn't even talking to me!" Booth said in a mocking tone.
"What do you call this Booth?" Brennan asked as she waved her hand back and forth between the two of them, "This is us talking."
"You see, Sweets, this is what I have to put up with; a forensic anthropologist with a literal stick rammed so far up her…"
"Agent Booth! Maybe we should focus on…"
"Booth, why are you so acutely focused on my ass today?"
"What! I…I…I am not, not in the sense you mean. I mean you are well structured," a slight blush graced both Brennan and Booths' cheeks, "but I haven't looked, well not really, but there are times that I…"Booth stopped babbling, not wanting to actually confess to ogling his partner's fine derriere on a daily basis. He decided to get back to the topic at hand. "Oh why don't you put me out of my misery and tell me what is wrong!"
"We are engaged in a circular discussion Booth, there is no reason for us to continue."
"Oh if I could only read minds, then I wouldn't have to talk to you at all!" Booth cried out, even though he knew he could barely go a day with out talking to her.
"Booth don't be illogical, mind reading doesn't exist!" Brennan seethed as she crossed her arms in a defensive manner.
Dr. Sweets rubbed his temples with his fingers as he watched the arguing. These two were so finely tuned in their arguing that it was hard to keep track of what they were exactly arguing about. Before the name calling started, he decided her would step in and try and take control. "Ok you two. Why don't we get into the zone of truth here and try to figure this out like adults."
"Oh yeah, a 12 year old giving us advice on how to act like adults. Don't you have to go find you blanky or something Sweets?!" Booth stated condescendingly, as he slumped down in the chair.
"Booth, don't take your frustration out on him." Brennan stated. Sweets smiled at the compassion Dr. Brennan was showing him, only to have it be squashed a second later. "He is too young to know any better."
Choosing to ignore the slights against his age Sweets continued on with the session, "Ok, so Agent Booth, why don't you start and give your side of the story to all this arguing."
"We don't' argue. We have heated discussions." Dr. Brennan commented sternly.
"We have been over this before Sweets. We may bicker slightly, but that is it, there is no arguing, just bickering." Booth said as he demonstrated how little they bicker with his thumb and index finger while Dr. Brennan nodded in agreement.
"Fine then, Agent Booth why don't you start and give your side of the story to all this…bickering"
"Bones is upset…"
"I am NOT upset Booth!" Brennan exclaimed while whipping her head around towards Booth.
"Look Bones," He pointed to the spot between her eye brows, "You are upsetlook at that furrow between your eyes," He leaned over the arm of his chair, and poked his finger right between her eyes, causing her to slap his hand away. "If you keep looking like that, your face will stay that way."
"That is just a tale mothers told their children Booth, so they would behave. The facial muscles and skin are actually designed…."
"Ok, fine," He interrupted, not wanting a lecture about face muscles, "This is your last chance Bones, just tell me what is wrong!" Booth exclaimed as he reached his hands up towards the roof praying for patience of any sort.
The rage in side her was bubbling over. She opened her mouth a couple of times but on the third time something actually came out. "You didn't have to tell Angela, Booth! There was no logical reasoning behind you doing that." Brennan sniped while turning in her chair to face Booth.
It took a moment for Booth to recover from the fact that she actually told him what was bothering her. Then her words registered and he couldn't believe his ears. "You're mad because of that! Oh come on Bones, she would have found out anyway, it's Angela for crying out loud." Booth stated as he turned completely in his seat. Now their faces where inches apart in full 'bickering' mode yet again.
"So what?! You didn't have to tell her and in front of Hodgins, Zach and Cam!"
"When did you start caring about what people think Bones? They are our friends, and they didn't really seem to care."
"Oh right, and the squeal of joy that came out of Angela was just a normal human sound." Brennan retorted with a definite sarcastic huff mingled with an exasperated tone.
"I explained that it was just mistletoe." Booth responded clearly just as exasperated.
"You didn't tell them that I had to kiss you because of the deal I made with Caroline." Brennan said as she turned in her seat facing the forgotten therapist in the room once more.
"Bones, I didn't think…."
"Yeah that sounds about right Booth!" Brennan stated then quietly added, "You didn't stop and think for one second about me, or how I might have wanted to keep that kiss a secret, especially from Angela."
Booth studied her profile for a second. It is not like he walked into the Jeffersonian, and yelled it for everyone to hear (though a small part wanted him too). Angela had asked why Brennan had mistletoe in her office a few weeks ago, so Booth explained that they had kissed. Of course Angela reacted like well, Angela, and the others had slight smirks on their faces, except Zach, but he is always clueless. She never told him to keep it a secret. Booth still did not quite understand why the kiss was bothering her now.
"Why would you want to keep it a secret? Caroline witnessed it, and you even told Sweets at the diner. Hell, you even said that it was like kissing …" Booth dreaded saying this next part because he knew it was so far from the truth, "your brother, so what is the big deal?"
"That was before Booth." Brennan said quietly, unwilling to explain further.
Booth noticed her hesitation, but pressed on with his questioning anyway, "Before what Bones?"
"Before …" Brennan could not find the words; she couldn't take the risk, at least not now. The uncomfortable silence was deafening and it became clear that whatever Dr. Brennan was trying to keep hidden was something that was not going to surface at this particular moment. Sweets took this opportunity to actually step into the conversation once again.
"How about we talk about something else for a while and maybe come back to this at the end of the session?" Sweets received slight nods of approval from the two of them then continued, "Dr. Brennan what was your first holiday like with your reunited family?"
"It was fine, well actually it was wonderful. I would have to say that it was one of the better holidays that I have had in many years." Brennan stated as the ends of her mouth curled slightly upward. Booth immediately smiled to her reaction, reached over and squeezed her hand, rubbing his thumb against her soft skin. Dr. Sweets raised one of his eyebrows slightly as he noticed the gesture, so Booth quickly let go of her hand.
"Agent Booth, how was your Christmas?" Sweets asked, leaving Dr. Brennan in her memories for the moment.
"It was great. I actually got Parker for Christmas!" Booth's excitement was contagious and Brennan found herself revelling in the animated tone and facial expressions of her partner. She loved it when he talked about Parker; it always made her smile. Booth continued talking about how excited Parker was at the prospect of two Christmas trees. At this point Sweets notices Dr. Brennan look away suddenly.
"Two Christmas trees in one apartment Agent Booth, your son is lucky." Sweets interjected latching on to the aspect of the conversation that made Dr. Brennan's demeanour change so suddenly.
"Well no, not two trees in the same place Sweets. Parker and I took a Christmas tree to the jail and set it up so Bones and her family could have a Christmas tree. The jail would not allow Christmas trees because of shank material, so I thought it would be nice for Bones to have the full Christmas experience." Booth said as he turned to look at Brennan, who smiled warmly at Booth before looking away again.
Dr. Sweets smiled brightly, "So, you gave Dr. Brennan a tree, and essentially completed her Christmas wish?" To both Sweets and Booth's surprise Dr. Brennan answered the question.
"It was one of the best presents I have ever received, and it made everyone very happy. A person who believed in magic or faith might call it a Christmas miracle."
Dr. Sweets sat there and watched as Booth and Brennan shared a long knowing glance with one another. A slight blush tinged Dr. Brennan's cheeks; this reaction was then genuinely mimicked by Agent Booth. Dr. Sweets suddenly realized why Dr. Brennan wanted the kiss to remain a secret, especially from Angela Montenegro. The kiss combined with the Christmas tree equalled something much more for these two.
"That was an extremely romantic thing you did Agent Booth." Sweets commented.
Booths head shot forward. His eyes went wide. "Romantic?! Now wait a minute Sweets, it wasn't romantic…it was just a friendly gesture between partners." Brennan suddenly looked towards her lap. Maybe she had blown the whole situation out of proportion, stupid Angela and all her insights.
"Agent Booth, have you ever given a present of equal significance to any of your other partners?"
"What, of course. I gave my last partner a fine bottle of scotch." Booth added with a definite 'know it all' nod.
"I see, so you would give Dr. Brennan a bottle of scotch as well?"
"What! No, I gave her a tree. Sweets you really should pay attention to the conversation."
"So, the Christmas tree was just a friendly gift between deeply connected partners then?" Sweets inquired.
"Well Sweets that is what partners do for one another. She would have done the same thing for me."
Another long silence ensued while Dr. Sweets frantically wrote down on his pad. He could not believe how fast Agent Booth had backtracked. Clearly the kiss meant more to both of them and this manifested in Booth's extremely romantic gesture. Booth turned his gaze from Sweets' frantic pen, and regarded Brennan's profile. He still wondered why she would want to keep the kiss a secret. It did not make any sense, unless… Angela had said something to Brennan after Booth left that blew the kiss way out of proportion. The question left his mouth before he had time to think it over.
"What did Angela say to you after I told her about the kiss?" Booth watched as Bones' face went a deeper shade of red. Booth was certain that Angela had said something that made Brennan change her attitude about the kiss.
"She said that the kiss was… oh never mind Booth, it doesn't matter anymore." She proceeded to mumble something about mambos and drawing lines before going completely silent. She was looking intently at her hands, as if they were remains of some kind. Brennan did not want to address this issue anymore. Especially now when Angela's words replayed over and over again in Brennan's mind, confusing her all the more.
"It matters Bones because when I came to pick you up for our session you were distant, and then we started to argue…" Sweets eyebrows became elevated, but Booth quickly fixed the mistake, "…I mean bicker. Come on Bones, you can tell me." Booth tried to lighten the mood with one of his charming smiles, but Brennan just sat there lost in her thoughts. Booth watched her; the wheels were definitely turning in that brilliant mind of hers. Booth wanted to know, so he pushed on.
"I thought we were partners Bones. I mean I gave you a Christmas miracle and everything. Come on Bones, so what was it?" Booth grinned like a school boy causing Brennan to smile slightly. To both Booth and Dr. Sweets surprise she answered.
"Angela just said things that were, well, she made me think of a few things and… this wasn't the first time she said these particular things Booth." Brennan commented quietly while her vision was still directed at her hands. Brennan did not want to tell him because on some level she was starting to believe what Angela had been telling her all along. She tried to fight it, tried to tell Angela that her accusations had no real value, but there was no use. Brennan knew she was loosing the battle not only with Angela, but with herself. Brennan did not want things to change, but she new that maybe they already had in some way.
Booth watched as Brennan retreated back into her thoughts. He was beyond curious, but more concerned. Whatever was bothering her had been there for quite sometime. So, why didn't she tell me sooner? Then a flash of memory popped into his head. A couple of months ago Bones wanted to go back out into the field again and when Booth asked her why Bones indicated it was because Zach was back. Bones then asked if Booth had talked to Angela, but never told him why that was important. If Bones wasn't going to tell him then he would have to go to a different source, namely a certain artist with a meddlesome gift. Booth knew that was a slippery slope, but he would risk it if it meant that he could make Bones happy again.
Sweets looked up from his note pad and realized that he was out of time. He knew that Dr. Brennan's realization would have to wait a little while longer. Until she was ready to admit it to herself, he would have to wait to expand the issue.
"It looks like our time is up for today. I want to see you both next week at the same time. We can pick up where we left off." Sweets stood waiting for a response from the two people before him.
Having decided to drop the issue for now, Booth slapped his hands on the arms of the chair and stood. "Come on Bones, I smell a pie with my name on it."
Happy that Booth had dropped his incessant line of questioning, Brennan decided to give into the lighter mood. "Booth, it is physically impossible for you to smell a pie at the Diner from this distance, let alone knowing it has your name on it."
"It is an expression Bones, Geesh! You need to get out more." With a quick flash of his pearly whites he grabbed her arm, pulled her up out of her chair, and manoeuvred her towards the door.
"Booth I can walk on my own! You are so pushy." Brennan replied as she weakly tried to slap his hands away.
"Pie, Bones, is a powerful force." Brennan rolled her eyes at Booth before giving a quick wave to Sweets. She left the room mumbling something about Alpha male tendencies and pie.
"See you next time Sweets; make sure you are home before your bedtime, so your mommy can tuck you in with that blanky of yours." With that snide comment Booth left the room in hot pursuit of his lovely partner.
Sweets watched the ebbed storm leave, and a smile graced his face. Who knew that the breaking point for their repressed emotions and sexual tension would manifest itself in the forms of a mistletoe kiss and a Christmas tree? Sweets sighed and went to his desk. He may have his blanky tucked away in a box in his closet next to his action figures, but he was adept enough to know that things were about to get very interesting for those two and it was about time.
Well there it is folks, chapter 2 all wrapped up. It was long, but I had to set some things up, and well bickering is always good. If it seems like these two are moving slowly, well, I have never known Bones and Booth to move fast in regards to their relationship ever! What did you think? Good? Bad? Meh? Let me know because reviews are slightly addictive, so be the enablers people, support my addiction and review away. Next chapter: Booth talks to Angela (and it is a very slippery slope), Midwestern cities may loose their power source and Booth is slightly less clueless. :D