AN: I cannot say thank you enough for all of the reviews and story alerts. Like I said this is my first fan fic, so I'm really excited y'all are into it :) In fact, when I saw that I had a total of 4 reviews, I ran through the house doing a happy dance and singing "I got 4 reviews! I got 4 reviews" over and over again. It really confused my roommates ;)
Chapter 4:
"Booth, wait!" He paused at the end of the hallway, just short of the elevator doors. He turned around just in time to see tears threatening to fall from Brennan's eyes.
Booth turned around at the sound of her voice. She sounded scared, vulnerable. He locked eyes with her and saw that her beautiful blue eyes were full of tears. He couldn't stand seeing her in pain. Wordlessly, he walked toward Brennan, his eyes never leaving hers. It seemed as if everything was happening in slow motion. He couldn't get back to her fast enough.
As soon as the words had left her mouth, she regretted them. She was on the verge of tears, torn by the decision about whether or not to tell Booth about her feelings. She stood there, frozen as she waited for a reaction from Booth. When Booth merely stood at the end of the hallway, she started to panic. But moments later, he started walking toward her. As soon as he got to her, he took her in an embrace. Taking comfort in the safety she felt with his arms wrapped around her, she let a few tears fall down her face. He whispered soothing words into her ear as he held her close. For the first time in a while, she felt peaceful. Almost like things were finally exactly how they were supposed to be. She couldn't explain it, but somehow time stood still.
A few minutes later, she pulled back from the embrace. Booth's eyes met her own, and they had an understanding. She wasn't quite sure what that understanding was, but whatever it was, it meant that Booth wasn't leaving her tonight. Without either of them saying a word, Booth followed Brennan into the house and shut the door behind them. Placing his hand on the small of her back, he guided her over to the sofa. After she sat down, he walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.
"Here," Booth said, handing Brennan the glass of water when he re-entered the living room, effectively breaking the silence. "Drink up."
She took the glass from him, without saying a word. The nerves had her so shook up, she wasn't able to form any coherent thoughts, let alone be able to have a conversation. Booth sat down on the couch next to her, watching as she took a big drink. She set the glass down on the coffee table before turning to him.
The minute she looked him in they eyes, she could see his concern. She saw something more, but wasn't quite sure what it was. She hoped it was love, but how could it be. He had told her that he wanted to give them a try, and she had turned him down. He moved on with Ava. How on earth could he possibly be in love with someone who was too scared to take a chance.
So they just sat there on the couch watching each other, neither saying a word. Subconsciously, their bodies were inching closer to each other. Neither realizing what was happening until it was too late. She didn't know who made the first move. Perhaps it was her, but it could just have easily been him. Their lips met, hesitant at first, but then moving into a passion that built quickly. His tongue asked for entrance into her mouth, which she granted immediately. He put his hand in her hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss. She grabbed the collar of his suit jacket, pulling their bodies close together as they fell backwards, so they were laying on the couch.
They stayed that way for a while, him on top of her, letting their passion take control. It wasn't until they needed air that they finally broke apart. Once again, they made eye contact. She saw the desire in his eyes, the same concern from earlier, and that other thing she still wasn't quite sure of. He saw it in her eyes the minute she processed what happened between them, the panic entering every fiber of her being.
"B..Booth," Brennan said. Her voice was weak and shaky. "I...I can't do this."
"Bones..." Booth pleaded. "Please don't shut me out."
"I...I...I can't," she replied. "Not now. I shouldn't have asked you stay."
"You didn't," Booth reminded her. "I wanted to stay here, to be here for you." He knew everything she had wanted to say to him the minute he looked in her eyes tonight. He saw the vulnerability and the fear. But most importantly, he saw the love. The same love that he felt for her. It had been an emotional day, so he didn't want to pressure her into having this conversation tonight. He didn't want her to close up and run away the minute she regained control of her emotions.
"Listen," he started, "It's been a long, stressful day. Why don't you go shower and then try to get some sleep. I'll be right here on this couch if you need anything."
She let out a small laugh at this. "You shouldn't sleep on the couch, Booth. It's bad for your back."
"I'm sure I can handle it for one night, Bones. I'll be fine. Now go get some rest."
She did as he instructed her to do. It really had been a long day. And frankly, she was glad he hadn't pressured her into having the one conversation she was not quite ready to have. The one conversation she didn't think she'd ever be ready to have. So, here she was, walking down the hallway and into the bathroom to take a shower in the hopes of washing away all the emotions that have reared their ugly heads during the course of this stressful day. She quickly finished her nightly routine, and as soon as she laid on her bed, exhaustion took over her body. She was sound asleep in a matter of minutes.
Booth made himself at home on the sofa. Brennan still didn't have a TV, so he was left with just his thoughts. And Lord, were they good thoughts. Just a few feet away, Brennan was in the shower. He had dreamt of her in the shower many times before, fantasized really. The water running down her porcelain skin. The soap leaving a pleasing scent on her body. Her wet hair sticking to her face. The feel of her lips as she kissed him passionately.
Booth was startled out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of the water shutting off. He let his thoughts dwell on her wet, porcelain skin just few moments longer. He swallowed hard at the thought of Bones in the shower as he felt a tightness down in his pants. He decided that he was not going to let himself think about that any more tonight. He didn't want to risk Bones walking in and seeing little Booth standing at the ready.
A few minutes later, he heard Brennan come out of the bathroom and enter her bedroom. Once again, his thoughts drifted off to Brennan, specifically Brennan in her bed. God, he wished he was in there with her. He wanted to know what if felt like to have her in his arms as they drifted off into sleep after a very satisfying go-around in the sack. He let himself fall asleep with those very happy thoughts running through his mind.
oOo
Sometime after drifting off into a peaceful sleep, he was awakened by a strangled cry. He was disoriented the first few moments after opening his eyes. But the cries for help coming from the other room quickly brought him crashing back to reality. He jumped up off the couch and ran towards Brennan's bedroom.
When he opened the door and threw on the light, the sight he saw scared the living daylights out of him. Brennan's expression was one of pure pain. She had tears streaming down her face and was thrashing about her bed. Both of her hands were clenched into fists. Her knuckles were white from how tightly they were closed. He heard her her scream again, the words unrecognizable, but full of fear.
Booth ran over to Brennan's bed and tried to wake her. He sat down next to her, resting his hands on her shoulders, occasionally bringing them up to touch her face. "Bones, Bones, it's me. Wake up. It's just a dream, wake up," he pleaded. Tears were beginning to form in his own eyes at the sight of his Bones in such pain. "Bones, please. Wake up."
He felt Brennan began to stir under his hands. She opened her eyes, looked at him with a startled expression. Realizing where she was and that she wasn't actually being tortured (as she was in her nightmare), she let herself lean into Booth for a hug. He held her close, whispering calming words into her ear as he ran his fingers through her hair. For the second time that night, Brennan let herself cry in his arms.
"It's okay, baby, I'm here," Booth was whispering into her ear. "I'm no going anywhere. I'm right here, baby." He placed a soft kiss into her hair, neither of them commenting on either the terms of endearment he was using or the kiss.
When she was finally able to compose herself, or at least stop most of the tears, she pulled away from Booth. The two of them sat there looking into each other's eyes, neither wanting to break the silence, but both eager to say something.
Booth was the first to speak. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Brennan let her gaze fall slightly, then shook her head. "I'm fine, Booth."
"No, you're not, Bones," Booth said. "Or at least you weren't. I've never seen you so scared before."
"Ugh, I'm fine, Booth," Brennan stated, her voice raising from irritation. "It was just a nightmare."
"Well, do you want to talk about it?"
"No," Brennan said as she shook her head, her voice a little softer.
"Okay." Booth said, not pushing the matter. Looking at the clock, he realized that it was only 3 am. "Why don't you try to fall back asleep. We've still got a few hours until we need to be up."
Booth stood up from his spot on the bed and started to walk towards the door. When he reached the door, he heard her softly say something. He turned back quickly, eyeing her suspiciously. "What did you say?"
"Booth, stay," she said, her voice slightly stronger. "Please?"
One look into her eyes and he knew he was a goner. Once again he saw the fear and vulnerability. There was no way he would be leaving Temperance Brennan's bedroom tonight.
It was then that he realized he'd never really been inside her bedroom before. It was exactly how he'd pictured it. The brick walls were painted in warm shade of brown. Her king sized bed had a black headboard and was decorated with white sheets and big, fluffy pillows. There were knick-knacks, which most likely held some sort of anthropological significance, on display throughout the room. He didn't fail to notice a picture of Bones, Parker, and himself sitting on her nightstand.
He slowly walked back towards her bed, pulled the covers down, and slid in next to her. Only then did he realize he only wearing his pants. He had stripped out of his shirt before falling asleep on the couch. He looked at his partner and realized that she didn't have on much of anything either. Apparently she likes to sleep in a tiny tank top and very short shorts.
He let himself settle in next to her. He laid on his back, while Brennan was laying on her left side, facing him. The tears were still slowly leaking from her eyes. As soon as he laid his head down, Brennan shifted closer to him, resting her head on his right shoulder while she draped her right arm over his bare abdomen. He let his arm wrap around her. His breathing hitched as he felt her start to draw circles across his stomach.
After a few moments, she backed away slightly, lifting her head up. "Booth?" she spoke, the silence broken once more.
"mmhmm," he mumbled.
"Thank you," she said, moving herself back to her previous position.
Instead of answering, he let his arm wrap around her more securely. He turned his head a laid a quick kiss into her hair, once more. Enjoying the warmth of her body next to his, he silently recited the names of saints as a means to keep himself from getting a little too happy from the feeling of her body pressing into his. 'Yeah, it was definitely a good night,' he thought. For a while they lay there in companionable silence, just listening to each other breathing. It wasn't long before they both slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
AN: This chapter didn't go quite the way I had planned, so I was a little reluctant to post it tonight. But I hoped it lived up to your expectations. I couldn't get this chapter to be exactly how I wanted it to be, so I settled for this (after rewriting it several times). The next chapter will most likely be a little shorter, but will pick up the following morning. I hope to have it up really soon. I work at an Animal Sanctuary up in LA every Sunday, so it probably won't be up til late Sunday night!
