Ally's Note: Thank you so much, everyone who took the time to review the last chapter. I appreciate it a lot! That keeps me going on a daily basis.
The Daily Theme
Chapter 3: Light
Based upon your votes on the options I suggested for this theme and on DLillith21's suggestion. Thank you for sharing your preferences!
Brennan awoke to the sharp sound of an alarm clock ringing. Penetrating the depths of her sleep, she was startled at the realization that this alarm clock was not her own. She heard the grown of a tired body beside her and she sat up straight in shock, dragging the sheets all the way up to her chin. A sharp pain shot through her head as she did so and she closed her eyes in a vain effort to shut the sensation out. When she felt the person beside her move and smack the shrieking sound of the alarm off, she cracked a single eye open to look at him. "Booth?"
"Bones! Good morning!" He was then greeted by a hard punch against his right shoulder. "Ow! What the hell?" His surprised eyes met her flaring ones.
"You did it, didn't you?" When she took notice of the confused look on his face, she felt herself grow even more angry. "You had sex with me while I was in an intoxicated state! How could you take advantage of me like that?" She shifted her weight angrily.
Booth felt that she could launch herself at him again at any time, so he quickly kicked the sheets off of his legs and stepped out of bed. He felt dizzy when he stood up straight and steadied himself against the window sill in front of him. He turned back at the angry woman who was glaring daggers at him from his bed. "What? No, of course not! I would never do such a thing to you! You should know that by now!"
"Then how did I end up in your bed with my clothes nowhere to be found?" She cocked her head suspiciously, but she could practically feel her brain tilt to the side with it and she quickly sat up straight again.
Booth shook his head. "You're still wearing panties."
"But my bra is missing!"
Booth's eyes scanned the room, but it was yet too dark to see anything yet. "Nothing happened, don't you remember? Do you remember anything at all?" With one hand he grasped the curtain in front of his bedroom window and yanked it to the side. The almost blinding sunlight enveloped the both of them and lit every brain cell on fire.
Suddenly, all Brennan's modesty was forgotten as she hurriedly jumped out of bed and ran towards Booth's bathroom. With squinted eyes, Booth followed her sprint out of the room and he was soon alerted to the sound of her retching. He felt his own stomach turn, but he was unsure if it was because of his own hangover, or because he was feeling guilty for upsetting her. With a gentle tug, he closed the curtain again and he resorted to a small light on his night stand instead.
As Brennan emptied her stomach in Booth's toilet, she closed her eyes against the stinging tears. She had not felt sore or otherwise uncomfortable when she had leaped into the bathroom, so she could only conclude that Booth had been telling the truth and that they had not had sex with each other last night.
She felt a little startled when she felt someone covering her shoulders and her back with a robe. Her hair was pulled back from the sides of her face and gently tucked away on her back. When she had finally disposed of everything, she leaned back with her eyes closed and felt Booth hand her a warm, wet washcloth. She cleaned her face before handing it back and he offered her a pair of shades. They were his own, but he really needed to shield her from the light penetrating the bathroom. There were no curtains here.
Brennan accepted them and put them on after pulling the rope closed around her. She eyed him through the sunglasses and looked him up and down. He was only wearing his boxers. He did not look half as miserable as she did. "How come you're not hungover? You kept refilling both of our glasses at the bar last night. That, I do remember."
Booth flushed the toilet and filled a glass of water for her. "Oh, I am hungover. Just not as bad as you are."
"That must mean that I drank more than you did," she gratefully took a sip from the cold water and let it run down her burning throat. "I handle my liquor very well."
Booth groaned as he looked up and was again met by a sharp ray of damned sunshine. "Bones, it doesn't really matter. We both have a day off. I'll go fix us something sobering to drink and maybe some dry toast. Then you can go back to lying on the couch. That's where your clothes are. Your bra is hanging from the lamp next to your side of the bed." Wait, she had her own side on his bed, now? "I mean… Bones, I really didn't sleep with you. I mean yes, I slept with you, but I didn't actually—"
"Have intercourse," Brennan finished for him. "I know. I'm sorry, I woke in a slight panic. I've never woken up naked in your bed before." She finished her water and placed the cup down next to her. She wanted to stay here just a little while longer, just in case this liquid was going to make its way back up again. "So, what did happen?"
Booth sighed and decided to sit down next to her, leaning his back against his bathtub. "Oh well, where should I start?" Brennan raised a questioning eyebrow. "I went to the bar, after my break-up with Hannah. You came in to find me there, later. I told you to either drink with me or leave me alone. You chose to have a drink with me."
"I remember that," Brennan said, thinking back, suddenly feeling bad for having punched and accused him before. "But what happened after one drink turned into many more?"
Booth shrugged his shoulders. "I called a cab for the both of us. I had no intention of having sex with you, I promise. It's just that, you had already puked in the alley and I didn't have a good feeling about dropping you off alone in your apartment like that." Booth swallowed. "And I was intoxicated too and I appreciated your company, so I proposed I'd let you stay over at my apartment."
"Somewhere I must've said 'no'."
"Of course. You were bickering with me on how well you could deal with being drunk and hungover on your own, but when I said that I needed you…"
Brennan looked up at him. "You needed me?"
"Yes. You were the only reason why I was still keeping it together after another rejected proposal. So, I settled you down on the couch, because you didn't want to take my bed away from me because of my back and of course, some more feminist reasons. Then, later at night, you came to my bed, in your underwear and you laid down beside me. You took off the bra before you went to sleep, because you claimed it was uncomfortable."
Brennan's jaw dropped. "Why?"
"What?"
"Why did I suddenly decide to get into bed with you?" Brennan questioned, somehow having a bad feeling about what was to come.
Booth shrugged his shoulders, but Brennan noticed how he swallowed nervously before answering. "It doesn't really matter. You know, we were both drunk. It was just a spur of the moment thing."
Brennan shook her head. "I somehow find that hard to believe. Even intoxicated, I managed to think about your back. I was still reasoning with you about being independent. I must've had a reason to lie down next to you." Booth did not say anything and continued to stare down at his feet. Then suddenly, something clicked in Brennan's mind. "Wait, did I try to have sex with you?"
Booth shook his head. "No."
"Then what, Booth? You're stalling!" Even hangovers did not subdue her intelligence and reasoning skills and Booth knew there was no way out than admit the truth. Taking one last deep sigh, he took the plunge:
"You told me that you loved me," he spoke in a soft voice, watching her eyes widen in shock. "…and you said you'd make sure that I would never be alone again."
Ally's Note: Oh my God, that must be the meanest open ending/cliffhanger that I have ever written. This is why you should always drink responsibly, kids. Otherwise, you might say things you'd rather keep to yourself. I should know…
According to my doctor, my eye is going to take AT LEAST another whole week to recover. So, you'll have more short stories to look forward to in the next few days. Let me know if you like it!
Tomorrow: The theme will be 'dark'. I have an idea about a fluffier chapter (to make up for this one, haha!) where B&B are taking a 'therapeutic' emergency response course together. What do you think?
