Inevitable

Chapter 3:

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It's a little after 5:30 in the morning. It's a summer morning too, which means Christine certainly has no reason in the world to be awake at this hour. But her brain won't shut up and let her sleep.

She is frustrated. In more ways than one, but she is starting to suspect that all her frustrations have a common source.

Stupid Michael.

What the hell has happened to their friendship lately?

Over the past month or so (especially after they had sex that first time), things between them have been getting progressively more and more uncomfortable and awkward. Christine has never felt awkward or uncomfortable around Michael in her life. They're best friends; nothing should be weird between them.

But, suddenly, everything is changing.

Michael looks at her differently…she can't quite figure out why though. And she catches herself looking at him more too. They stutter and blush around each other.

They never used to do that!

And the silences between them, which used to be as comfortable as sleep, are now deafeningly loud and make Christine feel uneasy.

Why did she have to tell him she wanted this because of peer pressure? That couldn't be farther from the truth. She doesn't care for one second what her peers think. She is confident enough to not succumb to peer pressure.

But she isn't confident enough to tell Michael her real reason for suggesting this plan.

She's scared.

Fucking scared. Like a child. Scared of losing her best friend as they grow up, graduate, and go their separate ways.

Which is why she came up with this stupid idea in the first place. Not because she's a heartless slut…her intentions weren't to seduce him. She was just trying to be logical about it. Her backwards logic thought that if they lost their virginities to each other, they would always have at least that to bond them together. So then when they drifted apart (something Christine thinks is inevitably going to happen after they graduate high school) they would always have that connection.

Part of her knows she is being irrational. But the other part can't help but think the worst.

She can't help but imagine her and Michael drifting apart. She can't stand the thought of losing him; he's her best friend. The bond they have is so strong…but what if the bond between them dissipates over time?

Christine imagines her and Michael going to separate colleges, starting new lives in different cities…or, she pales, different states! They fall out of touch. Suddenly, they go from seeing each other almost every day to only seeing each other at holidays and yearly Hodgins-Booth family summer vacations.

And maybe one year, he brings a girl home for the holidays.

Christine doesn't understand why, but the thought of Michael with another woman makes her stomach flip.

She sighs. This wasn't how she wanted this to happen. This wasn't her plan. Her plan was to have sex once, lose their virginities to each other, and then continue being best friends as they grew older.

She really didn't want this.

She didn't think they would actually go through with it. And she certainly didn't think they would do it more than once. She didn't anticipate the consequences of her actions; that they would spiral into a friends-with-benefits type of relationship with each other. That they would become addicted to each other, for lack of a better word.

And she certainly didn't think she was suddenly going to unearth hidden feelings for her best friend.

Can't her brain sort all the problems out while she's sleeping?

Oh, Michael.

He's so damn frustrating. And confusing. And lately her brain has forgotten how to function whenever she's around him.

What's the deal with that?

Michael is her best friend. That's it. He is definitely nothing more than a best friend.

I mean, come on, Christine thinks to herself, we took naps together and naked baths together and went to the same summer camps! I've seen him pick his nose, and he's seen me eat glue off my hand. Michael is my best friend, and that's it!

She has known him for as long as she can remember. They grew up together. They're best friends.

Why doesn't that feel like enough anymore?

Why does she suddenly think about him so often? Why does she catch herself looking at him when she has no reason to? Why does she lie awake at 5:30 in the morning thinking about the next time she will see him?

Michael is bound to pick her up to go to the Lab later today. They had developed a system of alternating who drove to the lab, since they both went so frequently (nearly every day during the summer) and it was pointless for them both to drive themselves. This week is Christine's turn to drive, but she rarely ends up driving. Michael usually offers to drive more than his share of the time. Christine knows he does this partly because he loves the control of being behind the wheel, and partly because she always drives at least 20 miles per hour over the legal speed limit, something she probably inherited from her father.

Oh God, the promise and threat of seeing him later that day nearly makes her want to shake out of her own skin. And Christine can't quite figure out why, but she feels like her whole body shakes and burns and…explodes when she sees him lately. But in less than 12 hours, he will be standing in the entryway of the house. And she can almost feel his presence on the Earth, and how it is slowly approaching towards her like a planet gravitates towards the sun.

That's it, Christine decides, I've clearly gone insane.

She shakes her head to try and clear her thoughts. Who the hell cares where he is now and where he will be in less than 12 hours! It's 5:37 in the morning! She should be fast asleep right now. He probably is asleep right now too! It's summer and she shouldn't even be awake any time before 9 am.

But how can she sleep when her brain keeps reminding her that he will be here soon.

Soon he will be in this house. He will walk through the doorway and into the house. His shoes will be touching the hardwood floor that she stands on, and his lungs will be breathing the same air as she is. He will stand in the entryway, right in front of her. He will make eye contact with her and he will greet her with a grin on his face.

And Christine doesn't know whether she will explode into a million pieces or melt into a puddle at his feet…seriously, why can't she seem to act normally around him anymore?

When she pictures him standing there, why does she suddenly get the urge to kiss him?

And really kiss him. Not those bullshit frantic kisses they exchange when they hook up. But a real, slow kiss with passion and feelings and emotions included.

Wait…feelings? She frowns as she thinks, I don't have feelings for Michael. He is my best friend, and that's all.

Christine sighs. Who is she trying to fool here? It's 5:41 in the morning, and she can't even attempt to lie to herself at such an ungodly hour.

Okay, so maybe she is starting to fall for Michael. But it will go away on its own, like all the other crushes she's had before.

Besides, Christine can't allow herself to think these thoughts about her best friend! They have a great friendship, and she doesn't want to ruin that with any complications. Whatever feelings she may or may not have, they aren't worth looking into. Figuring out her feelings will only cause problems in their friendship, and the last thing Christine wants to do is ruin her friendship with Michael.

She shrugs and decides it's best to leave them untouched, and maybe they will go away.

"Go to sleep," Christine groans out loud to her brain. She rolls over to try and find a different sleeping position.


Christine jolts awake as the alarm on her phone loudly goes off.

Damn, she groggily thinks, is it 9am already?

Her blankets are cocooned around her legs, which is evidence that she probably tossed around a lot in her sleep. She untangles herself from her blankets and reaches over to her phone on the bedside table. She turns off the alarm.

With a yawn, she opens an unread text from her mother.

Mom: Body found early this morning. On my way to the Lab. Dad should be leaving later too. You and Michael can come to the Lab if you want. Love you.

The text was sent at 4:02 that morning, during some of the short hours Christine actually fell asleep last night.

I wonder if Mikey is awake yet, Christine asks herself.

She decides against calling him in case he is still sleeping, so she opens her contact list and sends him a quick text.

u going to the lab today? :) wanna drive or should i?

Christine sends the message, and then places her phone back on her bedside table. She stretches as she gets out of bed. Maybe a shower will help wake her up. She is slipping on her robe when Michael's text comes through.

Michael: i'll drive. b there in 30 min.

Christine rolls her eyes at her phone as she ties her robe and walks out of her bedroom towards the bathroom down the hall.

A nice, hot shower will help put her mind at ease.


Michael knocks on the door as he lets himself in to the Booth house.

"Chris, I'm here!" He calls out into the house.

"Be right down!" Her voice echoes from somewhere upstairs.

"Sounds good!" He shouts back.

"Hey, kid," Booth's voice calls from the kitchen, "Come on in!"

Michael follows the sound and rounds the corner to walk into the kitchen. Agent Booth stands in the middle of the kitchen. He is pouring the last couple sips of his mug of coffee into his mouth. He is dressed for work, cocky belt buckle and all. His tie (a handsome maroon color today) is hanging un-tied from the collar of his light grey button-down shirt. Booth notices Michael walk into the kitchen. He swallows his final sip of coffee, and turns to smile at the boy.

"Hey there, Mikey. Good morning so far?"

Michael shrugs his response, "Yeah. Nothing to complain about so far, you?"

"Just murder," Booth turns to rinse his mug off in the sink. He continues to talk to Michael over his shoulder, "But that's fairly normal around this group, I suppose."

Michael nods, "Does it look like a difficult case?"

Booth opens the dishwasher to place his mug on the top shelf, "We aren't quite sure yet, since the body was only found early this morning."

Michael remembers his mom mentioned something similar when they spoke in the kitchen that morning.

"Ah, I see."

Booth closes the dishwasher and turns to face Michael with a smile, "Of course, Bones left early this morning so she could meet the body when it arrived at the Lab."

Michael chuckles, "That sound's about normal."

Booth shrugs, "Well, the sooner we identify the body, the sooner we can notify relatives and move forward with solving the case."

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Although Christine is only about average weight and height, she has the tendency to walk down stairs sounding like a stampede of elephants.

"Damn, Christine, walk softer!" Booth calls out as Christine rounds the corner and walks into the kitchen. She is wearing black yoga pant capris and a thin, oversized navy crew neck pullover.

Michael, always the artist, can't help but notice that the navy color of her sweatshirt contrasts perfectly with her strawberry blonde curly hair.

Christine shoots a playful smirk at her father, "Yeah, I'll try, Daddy."

She turns and her eyes meet Michael's. He has a soft smile on his lips, and his hands are tucked into the pockets of his beige cargo shorts.

Why does it suddenly feel like forever since I've seen him?

Her face splits into a grin as her eyes take in the sight of him, "Hey there, stranger."

His smile widens, "Hey, Stapes."

"Well I've gotta run," Booth's voice suddenly sounds a thousand miles away, "We have a murder to solve. See you both at the Lab soon, okay?"

Christine tears her eyes away from Michael's face to answer her father.

"See you soon, Dad," see calls after him as he walks out of the kitchen, "Love you!"

"Bye, Booth!" Michael calls out as well.

Michael and Christine hear Booth close the door. The lock slides into place.

Silence.

Christine is suddenly aware she is alone with Michael. Her palms start to sweat.

"Um, ready to go?" Michael asks, "You should grab your anatomy stuff, so we can work on homework while we're at the Lab."

Christine nods, "Um yeah, good idea..."

Michael is looking at her in that new way again; he has a slightly questioning look in his eyes as he tilts his head ever so slightly to one side. Like she's a painting he is trying to interpret the meaning of…or like she's a difficult math problem he can't quite figure out, and he is trying to see the missing pieces of the equation. But it's slightly deeper than that. He looks like he is trying to see through her.

And Christine would do anything to know what is running through his head right now. She thinks of all the times growing up when she was able to guess what he was thinking before he even had a chance to say it. He used to call her a mind reader. They used to be strong enough friends to always know what the other was thinking, but things have changed between them. Something is different, and Christine can't pinpoint what the cause of it is.

Suddenly, Christine's mind takes her back to that first time on the couch in her living room. It was Michael who leaned in and kissed her first. He wanted her. And she wanted him too.

Christine remembers asking herself what caused him to change his mind and agree to her plan…but soon her question was forgotten, and her brain had shut itself off. Their hands and lips were suddenly everywhere at once. Clothes fell to the floor in piles. Michael's hands were shaking and Christine couldn't stop blushing. The dialogue of The Big Bang Theory played in the background and the moment ended up feeling…rushed.

Christine can't help but wonder if they rushed the moment because they were both trying to complete the act before one of them came to their senses and stopped them.

But they didn't stop.

Christine becomes aware of the uncomfortable silence in the room, and realizes she should continue her sentence.

"…I'll run upstairs and get my stuff real quick," she turns on heel and walks out of the kitchen, "Be right back."

As she thunders back up the stairs, Michael sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

What the hell is happening to us?