Title: Crack My Back
Characters/Pairings: canon couples
Genre: Drama/Romance/ Humor
Warnings: none
Episode: post 6x12 Sin in Sisterhood
Rating: T
Chapters: 3/3
Status: complete
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones nor the characters. Just playing with them.
Summary: Hannah makes Booth sleep on the couch aggravating his back in the process. Needless to say neither Booth nor Brennan are happy with her. Or how Thai Massage fixed season six. Inspired by FaithinBones' Hannah Stories. Complete.
AN Thank you again for the wonderful reviews and alerts! I'm happy you've enjoyed this so much!
Here is the last part. Enjoy!
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Part Three
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The silence in the Booth's bedroom was overwhelming. Neither Brennan nor Booth looked at the other ever since they had heard the click of the front doors shutting behind Hannah. Brennan was standing next to Booth's bed while the man himself was still lying on top of it.
It was the ring of the phone that finally broke them out of their uncomfortable situation.
"It's yours." Brennan said. "I'll get it." And without waiting for his reply she marched out of his bedroom.
Booth groaned. This was just not his day.
"It's Caroline." She said giving him the phone.
"Shit." He said before he could stop himself. Why him?
"Booth." He replied, already dreading the conversation.
"Were the hell are you?" came the flippant demand.
"I-"
"I've been waiting for you for the past fifteen minutes! You'd better be on your way here, Cher, with that partner of yours! You don't want to make me any more cranky!"
"I… Listen Caroline, I hurt my back today." He said, trying not to wince.
"Well I be damn, are you in hospital incapacitated?" the prosecutor shot back.
"Well, no." he replied.
"Then why are you not here?"
"I-I can't move." He admitted reluctantly.
"I see, and Dr. Brennan? Where is that squint of yours?" she interrogated him more.
"She's here."
"Is she now? What about that blonde doll you have now?"
"Ah, she…" he wracked his brain for something to say.
"Yes, Cher?" Caroline was not in a patient mood. But it was not her business what was going on in his private life.
"Listen, Caroline, we're sorry, but we can't come today. I'm not able to move right now." He told her firmly.
"Yes, yes, don't mind my case load. Really." She grumbled at him, but he ignored her.
"I'll call you later to schedule another meeting, ok?"
"You'd better!" She threatened. "And make sure that that partner of yours cracks your back just like the last time. I want your both cute tushes in my office as soon as possible."
"Ok. Thanks Caroline." He replied with relief.
"Yes." She huffed at him.
"Bye." He disconnected the call before she changed her mind.
He looked up at Bones. She was standing near the door of his bedroom and watching him.
"Caroline won't see us today."
She nodded and bit her lip.
"I-I better go." She said point toward the rest of his apartment.
"Um, Bones?" he called after her uncertainly before she could really leave.
"Yeah?" she looked back at him.
"Can you… Can you help me with my back before you go?" he asked. "Since you're already here, and I still can't really move…"
"Oh, of course."
She walked toward him, but stopped at the feet of his bed, unsure. He looked at her. The tension was overwhelming.
"I-" / "Well-"
They started at the same time and laughed nervously.
"Listen, Bones-" he started but Brennan interrupted him.
"I'm sorry."
"What?" he looked up at her.
"I'm sorry for how things have turned out." She stared down at him, her eyes open and full of compassion. "If I hadn't insisted on the Thai massage…"
"It was not your fault." He reassured her.
"But Hannah-"
"No, I… I think we would have broken up anyway." He admitted reluctantly.
"You do?" she asked surprised.
"Yeah, I didn't want to see the signs, but they were there. Hannah was …restless for a time now." He looked away from her. "I guess in the end we wanted different things from each other."
"Oh." She nodded. "I'm still sorry, though."
Are you? He wanted to ask, but chastised himself. This was Bones, she always said what she meant. "Ah, well."
Another pause followed, both of them lost in their own thoughts for a moment.
"Is it true?" Brennan asked him softly, hesitantly.
"Huh?" he startled.
"Is it true? What Hannah said? That my confession affected you?" she looked at him, her big eyes focused on his.
"Well. I…" he sighed. "Of course it did." He replied softly.
"Did it affect our working relationship?" she asked him.
"You know it didn't." he replied. He really wanted to get up but his back still hurt like hell.
"And our friendship?" she asked, this time tentatively.
"No, Bones. My confession hadn't affected it earlier, and neither did yours now." Lair! A voice whispered at him, but he tried to ignore it.
"But we ended up on two different sides of the world." She said, her voice cracking suddenly. "Are we going to end up on the opposite sides of the world again?"
This broke his heart. He wished he could take her in his arms. "Come here." He said exchanging his hand toward her.
She stared at it for a moment and he wiggled his fingers a little. "Come on, Bones."
She took it tentatively and allowed him to pull her toward him.
Of course both of them forgot about his back. He whimpered painfully.
"Booth! Your back!" she rushed toward him sitting down and touching his shoulders gently.
"Doesn't matter." He hissed through his teeth.
"Of course it does!" she shot back, angrily.
"Bones."
She opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her. "Bones."
She closed her mouth, as he took her hands in his and looked deeply into her eyes.
"We're not going to end up on the opposite sides of the world. Ok?"
"How do you know that?" she asked him in a small voice.
"Because we are not running anymore."
They stared at each other for a while, their eyes locked, searching, hoping. Their souls reaching and relearning- and finally, finally, accepting the truth.
It was Brennan who spoke first. "So, what's next?"
He sighed. "Look, I… just broke up with a serious girlfriend."
"One you loved." She nodded, looking away.
"I… yeah, part of me loved her." He could never lie to Bones, even if he wanted.
"Part of?" she looked back at him.
"Yeah, I told you a few days ago you can love many people but there is only one you love the most."
"And that person never goes away." She nodded.
He looked into her eyes, making sure he has her sole attention. "You never did."
They stared at each other for long while. Finally, she squeezed his hand.
"I'm not scared anymore." She told him.
"I know." He nodded slightly, ignoring the sear of pain in his back.
"And I don't want to have any regrets." She repeated what she has told him a couple of weeks ago.
"I know." He said. "Neither do I."
"Then can we…?" she asked in such a soft hopeful voice that it made his heart clench.
"Look, like I said, I just broke up." He told her gently and hurt with her seeing the flinch his words brought up. He tightened his grip on her hand. "I… I don't want you to be a rebound girl." He said seriously. "I… need some time. Can you give me that?"
She stared at him, her eyes big and vulnerable and all he wanted to do was to take her in his arms and kiss her. But… it was too soon yet. Finally she nodded.
"I can. I can live with that." She smiled at him with that small enigmatic smile of hers.
"Good." He nodded, a smile of his own forming on his lips. "Good." He repeated. "And when I'm ready…"
"We'll be both ready." She finished.
"Yeah…" he smiled widely, a feeling of pleasant expectation spreading in his heart. The time for them was near; he could feel it in his gut.
"Now, can we finish the massage?" she asked him.
He looked into her expectant and mischievous eyes, noticing the smile dancing on her lips. Oh, yes, their time was near, after all he would not be able to resist the little vixen for long.
"Sure, Bones. Use your magic knuckles and crack my back!"
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End
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AN Cheesy ending, but hey, it's a happy one! ;)
And here ends the story of how Thai massage fixed season 6 :P
Thank you for all the reviews and let me know what you think of the last part :)
