A/N: thanks for the kind response to my chapters. I appreciate it.
The holidays mentioned in this chapter are weird, but real...who knew?
This chapter is set in season 2. I may have bent the show's time line a little bit, but I think we all know that Bones time is magical...
It was after 9 o'clock on a Friday evening as Booth jogged up the stairs to Brennan's apartment carrying a large cardboard box. Balancing it in one hand, he rang the doorbell and waited, impatiently tapping his foot as he wondered if he was doing the right thing.
She'd been moody and more irritable than normal all week, and he thought he knew why, but he was pretty sure she hadn't a clue about what was causing her to be even more overbearing than normal. Trying to look past her domineering behavior, he'd hoped to ignore it, but multiple complaints from the FBI forensic techs as well as the staff at the Jeffersonian had made it clear that something needed to be done before she alienated everyone she worked with.
Ringing the doorbell again, he fretted a bit, wondering if she was even home. Surely she wasn't still at work, right? He shook his head as he shifted the box so he could check his watch. Even if she'd lost track of time, she should be home by now…
He sighed with relief as he heard her moving around in her living room. He'd made this trip on the spur of the moment. An idea had seized him and he couldn't shake it, so he had to go through with it...he had to see her...and it had to be tonight, or there'd be hell to pay from the Assistant Director next week. I need to get this straightened out...
After checking the peephole, she cautiously opened the door. Dressed in her robe and pajamas and with her hair wrapped in a towel, she looked both surprised and curious. "Booth? What are you doing here? I just got out of the shower…do we have a case?"
"Nope, nothing like that. It's just that I've got something for you...a surprise. Mind if I come in?" Seeing her hesitation, he shamelessly deployed his sad puppy eyes. "Please? I won't stay long…and I think you'll like what I brought for you..."
"Oh, alright." Moving out of the way, she let him enter, closing the door as he sauntered through her living room to the kitchen. She threw the damp towel aside, shaking out her hair as she followed him. "What's in the box?"
Pulling the flaps back, he revealed several take out containers of Chinese food. "It's from that new place over on Grant...the Bamboo Palace." He grinned sheepishly as he unloaded the box. "I don't like Wong Fu's as much since Sid isn't there any more." He arranged the containers on Brennan's kitchen counter. "Chicken chow mein, sweet-sour shrimp, vegetable lo mein, moo goo gai pan, cashew chicken, vegetable fried rice with no meat or egg, General Tso's tofu…fortune cookies...and a six pack of cold beer."
"Do you really expect us to be able to eat all of this food when it's this late at night? That doesn't seem like a good idea." She sniffed the pleasant aroma wistfully as she peered into one of the cartons. "I was getting ready to go to bed, but…maybe..."
"But nothing. C'mon...tomorrow's Saturday, so we can stay up for a while and enjoy a feast, okay? And if you have leftovers, you can finish them this weekend." He gave her a somewhat stern look as he handed her another container. As they sat down on, he tapped the counter in front of her with his fingertips. "I happen to know that you only had a small salad for lunch today, and I'm pretty sure you didn't eat any dinner tonight. You gotta eat, Bones...you can't go starving yourself. It's not good for you."
"I was busy..." She shrugged, avoiding his disapproving glare. "I was too busy to eat, and I wasn't really hungry anyway." Looking over the vast array of food, she picked up a set of chopsticks and opened the fried rice. "So is there some special occasion we're celebrating with this big meal?"
"It's not like I need an excuse to eat..." Booth took a big bite of cashew chicken. "...but we're celebrating Chinese New Year."
"Booth, that was two weeks ago.", she giggled. "Remember? We went to the Dragon Parade..."
"Oh, yeah. How could I forget all of the firecrackers?" He chuckled as she rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, then we're gonna celebrate National Chopsticks Day." He grinned as he tore the cellophane away from the bamboo implements. "That's right…"
Her eyebrow arched in surprise. "Is there really a day for celebrating chopsticks? That's odd…"
"That's what the cashier at the restaurant said when I paid...Happy National Chopsticks Day." Booth laughed at Brennan's crooked smile. "Okay, maybe that wasn't what she said...I couldn't really understand her. I think she was speaking Mandarin or something..."
Seeing that Brennan was unconvinced, he took off his jacket and cast it aside before pointing to his shirt. "Would you believe it's National White Tee Shirt Day? Or maybe National Polar Bear Day?"
"Well, I see that you're wearing a white shirt." She licked her lips slightly as she appreciated how well it accentuated his physique. "But National Polar Bear Day? I never heard of that..."
"Yeah, you know...people swim in ice cold water for some sort of good cause, which is just crazy if you ask me." Hearing her scoff, he narrowed his eyes at her. "Okay, how about this? It's Do a Grouch a Favor Day…"
Giggling softly, Brennan playfully stabbed at his box with her chopsticks, stealing a cashew from him. "I am not a grouch…"
"But I am, and you're doing me a favor by sharing a meal with me." Winking at her, he gave her a big grin as he crooked an eyebrow at her. "Thanks, by the way…"
His warm smile made Brennan blush slightly. "I don't think you're a grouch, Booth. After all, you've put up with me this last week, when I was feeling somewhat unsettled…"
"Listen, Bones…" Booth reached over to take her hand in his. "It's okay that you were feeling upset this week. It's perfectly normal…although maybe yelling at Marcus in front of everybody because he missed a tiny sliver of bone wasn't the best way to handle the situation. The guy does a good job, you know? It wasn't his fault the place was covered in mud. Anyone could've missed that little piece of skull..."
"I know. I regret that." She ate another bite of rice, contemplating what had happened at the crime scene. "I've been extremely unhappy this week, and I know I've probably acted in an unprofessional manner at the lab as well as in the field. Even Angela said something about it. She told me to get over myself…"
"Everyone's entitled to some bad days, Bones…", Booth said quietly. "Even you…"
"I realize that, but I should still be able to maintain my professional demeanor no matter how I feel personally. I don't know why I've been so emotionally overwrought this week. It doesn't make sense to me. It's just a date on a calendar, and anyway, I should be over it by now. It's been a year…"
"I know that you feel that way...that you don't understand why you're still unhappy." Taking a sip of his beer, he nodded thoughtfully. "And you're right...it's been a year since you identified your mother's remains. I get that." Poking a piece of chicken with his chopsticks, he sighed quietly. "But one thing I've learned over the years is that grieving doesn't really follow a set timeline, okay? I mean, you may think you're finally over something or someone, and then you hear a song, or smell a flower, or somebody says something, and it's like it begins all over again."
"But my mother was out of my life for so many years, Booth, and I'd already grieved for her...having to do this all over again seems...unfair. I don't want to feel this way every year on around this date." Brennan stared at an empty food container as it rested on the counter. "Am I ever going to get over feeling sad whenever I think about my mother? I know we had some happy times together, but all I seem to remember about her is that she made me unhappy when she left me to fend for myself…"
"Well, truthfully, you may never completely get over it, Bones. C'mere. Let's talk for a minute." He took her hand and led her over to the sofa, where they sat down together. Putting his arm around her gently, Booth tried to comfort his partner. "Here's all I'm saying, okay? First off, none of what happened was your fault…"
"I know that…" Brennan grimaced slightly, brushing away a tear before continuing. "It was my parents' fault. I firmly believe that. No matter what Max says, they abandoned me...but not because of anything I did. It was their own issues that led to their leaving me behind when they ran away, not mine."
"Good. I'm glad you feel that way. Now that you know that, you've got to give yourself permission to feel what you're feeling right now, be it anger...pain...frustration… or sadness. All of those feelings are perfectly normal in situations like this. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way to feel those things, and there is no time limit...and you don't have any deadline to meet. You just have to do what's right for you, no matter what anybody else says. So even though a year has gone by, you may still have strong feelings about all of those things. It may take several years to work through them."
"The problem is that I don't want to feel those things any more, Booth." Brennan exhaled slowly, staring at the ceiling before turning to the man next to her. "How long? How long until it stops? I have work to do. I can't spend one week a year moping around because it's the anniversary of the week my mother's remains were discovered. I need get over it."
"I don't know how long, Bones. I wish could tell you, but it doesn't work that way." Seeing the tears in her eyes, he sighed softly. "Finding out those were your mother's remains was a traumatic event that brought a lot of bad memories to the surface for you, and it may take a long time until you're finally over it." Smiling tenderly, he handed her a box of tissues. "I tell you what, though...you don't have to deal with it by yourself, okay? No matter how long it takes, I'm gonna be here to help you. You can yell at me...you can cuss at me...you can throw things at me...you can tell me anything you want about how you're feeling, and it'll be okay. I can take it."
"Thank you." Sniffling softly, she stared at him for a minute before a small smile began to form on her lips. "You didn't come over here to celebrate some weird holiday with me, did you, Booth? You came over here because you thought I might need a friend this evening…"
"You caught me." He chuckled softly as he sat back on the couch. "Like I said...I've been there, losing someone...and it takes a while to deal with it...but having someone to talk to helped me a lot…"
"And that's what partners do for each other...they lend an ear...they don't judge…"
"Yeah, I suppose so, but I was thinking that it's more like what family members do, okay? Remember how I told you that there's more than one kind of family? Well, this is me, being like a family for you…" He hesitated, wondering if she could hear everything he was feeling for her in his voice. "So...what do you say...wanna have your fortune cookie now?"
She rolled her eyes as he got up and retrieved them from the counter. "What a silly custom...there are literally millions of those little slips printed, all with the same saying on them...it's just random chance…there is no 'luck' involved..."
"Maybe so, but it's still fun...here, I'll go first." Unwrapping the cookie, he snapped it open. "Good things come to those who wait. Not very original, is it? What does yours say, Bones?"
"Of all possessions, a friend is the most precious." Running her finger across the slip of paper, she tilted her head to one side. "Hmm...interesting."
"What?", Booth asked as he began to clear away the empty food boxes from the counter.
"This fortune...is most appropriate considering our discussion this evening." Brennan paused as she put the leftovers in the refrigerator. Turning to her partner, she smiled. "I am one of the most fortunate people in the world because I have a friend as steadfast and loyal as you are, Booth. I want you to know how much I appreciate you. You truly are precious to me."
"Yeah, well...you've been there for me, too. You were right, you know...that's what friends and partners...and family members...do for each other." Feeling somewhat embarrassed at her intense gaze, he picked up the remote control for the television and sat back down the sofa. "Hey, maybe there's an old movie on tonight...wanna see? I mean, why not, right? We've got the rest of the evening…"
"That sounds intriguing." Handing Booth a beer, she held up her bottle so they could clink them together. "Here's to our friendship, Booth…", she said softly.
Nodding in agreement as held up his bottle, he smiled back at her. "To our friendship...for now, and for many years to come…"
