(After The Bikini in the Soup)
Thank you for reviewing my story. I really do appreciate it.
I really don't own Bones.
Oooooooooooooooooooooo
After she had gone to Booth's apartment to check on him, Brennan had made sure he had plenty of food, his apartment was clean then she had left for home and tried to relax. Booth was in a bad place in his life and she couldn't get him out of it. She could back him up and help him if he needed it or wanted it, but he was the one that had to alter his attitude about what had happened.
She was furious about the letter though. Most people saw Booth as a snarky, gruff man with little patience. She knew he was a kind, considerate man who felt things too deeply. He led with his heart and he'd been hurt many times because of it. What amazed Brennan was the fact that Hannah had lived with the man for months and yet she didn't seem to understand who he was at all.
Sitting alone in her apartment, Brennan thought about it and came to the conclusion that one of the major reasons Booth's relationship failed with Hannah was the fact that he didn't share much of his past with her. The letter said as much. Hannah had no idea who Booth was and she blamed Booth for that. Perhaps if he had been open and honest with the reporter perhaps he would have had a successful relationship with Hannah, but Brennan couldn't be sure about that. There was too many random variables in the equation to be completely sure.
On the other hand, Hannah seemed to state in her letter that besides being against marriage she was worried about his brain tumor and his gambling addiction and how those things would affect her in the future. One of the reasons she turned him down was because she saw those as potential inconveniences that could damage her career or her future. Brennan found that disturbing. She felt that if Hannah had truly loved Booth she would have been more worried about what it would do to him if the tumor came back or if he fell off the gambling wagon not how it would affect her and this was why Brennan was so angry.
No matter how angry she got with Booth she never failed to remember that up until now he'd not had an easy life and that he was always fighting to be a good man. His constant fear that he would turn out to be like his father added to the problem and Brennan knew that. She knew that many people considered her clueless when it came to dealing with people and they were right when it came to strangers, but she was actually insightful when it came to people she knew and loved.
Booth was her favorite subject and she had studied him for a long time. His childhood had been horrifying and Brennan could relate to that since her childhood was hardly better. Her friend also carried around a certain amount of guilt from his army days when he'd killed 50 men as a sniper. He was cynical and most people had to earn his trust. Add to that, he'd had a brain tumor that frightened him, a gambling addiction that he battled with every day and these things just added to Booth's burdens in life. Brennan knew that and she took those factors into account whenever he made her angry and he did make her angry.
She also knew that she made him angry and that they bickered a lot. If anything this was just one more reason that she loved him. Yes she did love him. He was willing to argue with her about almost anything and she found that rare. Most people did not argue with her about anything. They either accepted what she said or they became impatient with her and cut off communication. Booth was honest and she valued that trait in him. He was her best friend and their past problems had done nothing to change that.
Ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Brennan had spent the next several days worrying about her partner. They'd had a case that was pretty straight forward. A skeleton had been found in an abandoned building, but they were able to identify the victim within two days. Booth had worked the case, but he'd been distant during their time together. Brennan wasn't sure if it was because she had invaded his apartment unasked, but she didn't ask him about it and he didn't mention it.
Determined to move Booth out of his current mood, Brennan had waited for her work day to finish and had left work at six. After a stop at a new Chinese restaurant, she drove over to Booth's apartment and carried a box filled with food up to his apartment. Waiting for him to come to the door after she knocked on it, she hoped she wasn't making a mistake. She didn't want to push him.
"Bones." Booth had opened the door in a pair of jogging pants, a ratty looking t-shirt and a wild pair of stripped socks. "Um, hi."
Not sure if she was welcome, Brennan held up the box for him to see. "I brought dinner if you're interested. There is a new restaurant open down the street from my apartment and I thought I would . . . ."
"Oh, yeah, okay." Booth had mixed feelings about Brennan showing up at his apartment. He was embarrassed about her finding him drunk and passed out the last time she was there, but on the other hand, he was lonely and he desperately needed the company. Especially since he'd just come back from a Gambler's Anonymous meeting and it hadn't seem to help him. He had been fighting with himself all day and he really wanted to gamble. Maybe her being with him would help, at least he hoped so. He stepped back and waved her in. "Thanks. Thanks for thinking about me. I appreciate that. Come in."
Surprised at the welcome and just a little nervous, she entered the apartment and walked into his living room. The stereo was playing some music that she recognized as Pearl Jam. Booth did love the classics. "Would you like to eat at the kitchen table?"
Leading the way, Booth moved into the kitchen. "Sure, we can do that." Grabbing two plates from a cabinet and two bottles of beer from his fridge, he placed them on the table.
Brennan place the box of food on the table and sat down. "I got a mixture of the things you like and dishes I like."
As he sat down, Booth smiled at her albeit nervously. "Sounds great. Thanks." Filled with nervous energy, Booth grabbed some chopsticks and a box of ribs. "They smell good."
Booth appeared to be almost manic and this worried her. "Are you alright? You seem . . . agitated."
He had been unaware that he was practically thrumming with energy, but her pointing it out caused him to pause and try to will himself to relax. "Yeah, I guess I'm just restless . . . I um . . . I'm having a bad day." Afraid to say anything else, he scooped some ribs on to his plate, placed the box down on the table and stared at the glistening meat.
Sad her friend was suffering, she placed her hand over his hand. "Can I help you?"
Exhaling deeply, Booth looked up and smiled a sad smile. "You already are by being here." He didn't really want to tell her about what was wrong with him, but he had to. Hannah's letter had hit him hard and the part of her letter where she'd accused him of keeping so many secrets from people he loved had made him realize that those secrets only caused him trouble. Bracing himself, Booth knew he would have to admit what was going on to Brennan. He just hoped she wouldn't walk away from him like so many other people had in the past. "I gambled yesterday . . . I . . . yeah." Ashamed, he turned his gaze back towards the food on his plate. The last thing he wanted to see was the disgust on her face.
"Oh Booth." Brennan was really worried now. "Perhaps you should go to one of your meetings." Afraid to fuss at him in case it might make things worse, Brennan held her breath without realizing she was doing it.
"I did." Booth wanted to be as honest as he could be. She was his friend even if they had been on rocky ground for the last year or so. "I went to a meeting this morning and one this evening. It's . . . It's not helping. I'm trying, but . . . God, I . . . I'm trying."
Brennan slipped off of her chair and walked around the table to stand next to him. After she placed her arms around him, she leaned her head against his head. "I won't let you fall, Booth. I'm here and I won't let you fall."
Oooooooooooooooooooo
Let me know what you think of my story. All reviews are welcome. Thank you.