"Hey Jack, we need to talk," Booth called up the stairs, two hours later.
"What about?" Brennan asked as she came down the stairs.
"Uh, well last night, this morning. Our um, sleeping arrangements," Booth stammered, blushing slightly.
Brennan cocked her head to the side.
"You're really cute when you blush," she said nonchalantly causing Booth to blush more.
"But I don't get why you want to talk about sleeping arrangements," Brennan continued. "It's only been two nights. If it's the whole sleeping in the same bed thing then talk to me about it. You were the one that said we were engaged. Engaged people sleep in the same bed," Brennan finished whispering in his ear as she walked past him.
"I know that Bo…Jack, but I mean, do you think we should share a bed?" Booth asked following her into the kitchen.
"It doesn't really register as important in my books. I've slept with you for the last two nights and its not like we're gonna do anything inappropriate, but then what's inappropriate for an engaged couple?" Brennan asked sarcastically. "Plus after last night..."
"Ok then, so we share a bed to make our story more valid," Booth said.
"Whatever, the drawers on the far side of the room are empty," Brennan replied to him as she grabbed a glass of orange juice and walked past him out onto the veranda to sit in the chair.
---------------------------------------
Booth spent the afternoon moving his clothes into the spare drawers in Brennan's room. After changing the sheets on the bed in his old room, he went in search of Brennan.
"Hey," he said taking a seat next to her on the veranda.
"Hey," Brennan said turning to face him.
"Last night," Booth started.
"Could we just not…" Brennan said.
"Bones," Booth growled. "Don't make me call you that just to get your attention. It was…"
"Pleasurable," Brennan cut him off poking out her tongue.
Booth laughed.
"Nice to know I can please," he said relaxing into the seat.
"Do you regret it? I mean we drunk a hell of a lot," Brennan said moving in the seat to be facing him directly.
Booth chuckled and looked at Brennan, the dark look in his eyes startling her.
"How could I regret something that I've wanted to do to you for so long?" he whispered.
Brennan shifted uncomfortably.
Booth moved and kissed Brennan on her cheek.
"Plus, I enjoyed hearing you moan," he said standing.
"Ritchie," Brennan called and watched as Booth turned and faced her. "That can't happen again, I mean it was... but we can't just..." Brennan blushed. "Oh and I sorted out the job," she said.
Booth nodded and smiled at her.
"Let's just keep the option of a repeat performance of last night open," He said winking. "What do you want for dinner?" he asked.
"Food," Brennan shot back.
"Funny stuff Jack," Booth said rolling his eyes and going in search of something to cook for dinner.
-------------------------------
Six months later
Booth paced backwards and forwards along the veranda. Brennan was late home. This was the twelfth time in the past month and last week he had caught a guy dropping her off home. Something was up and he was worried.
They were getting along so well. Booth was educating her in the vast world of pop culture and she was slowly adjusting to touching him more in a way that showed that they were a couple, well sort of.
Booth thought that it had been going great until the first time he had come home and she wasn't there.
He rang her and she said she was on her way home, she was just picking up some milk.
The sixth time it happened, Booth had checked the fridge and found they had plenty of milk.
He didn't know what to think when he had seen the man drop her off last week, but this week, he wanted answers.
Booth watched as the same car stopped at the bottom of their drive and Brennan hopped out of the car.
She was smiling as she made her way up the drive and his anger grew. When she finally looked up and saw Booth standing on the veranda with his hands on his hips looking royally pissed off, she stopped not wanting to confront him.
"Inside," Booth growled turning on his heel and marching through the door.
"Why are you angry?" Brennan asked as she followed him into the lounge.
"Why am I angry?" Booth scoffed. "Where should I start?"
"At the beginning," Brennan said sliding off her jacket.
They were interrupted as Brennan's phone went off. Scooping it up and glaring at Booth, who had also tried to grab it, she flicked it open.
"Hello," pause. "Oh God, is she…I'll be right there," Brennan said before closing the phone with a snap and grabbing her jacket.
"Get in the car and I'll answer all of your questions but I need to get to the hospital right now," she said to Booth who was standing there looking stunned.
He nodded and fished the keys out of his pocket and followed Brennan out to the car.
Five minutes into the journey he finally spoke.
"Where have you been on the nights that you come home late," he almost whispered afraid of the answer.
Brennan squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them slowly and turned to Booth.
"Promise not to get mad at me, I never wanted to lie to you," she replied.
Booth clenched his jaw and nodded his head.
"I've been working at the church," she whispered.
Booth slammed on the brakes and turned to her.
"You what?" he asked.
"Father Pritchard asked me to help him with the children's support program for foster children that he runs there and I agreed because I've had experience in the system and I wanted to help and I knew that it would be a safe enough job. I didn't tell you because it involves talking to the kids and it's practically psychology and I knew that you'd make fun of me coz I hate psychology and I'm sorry," Brennan replied.
"Who's been dropping you off?" he asked turning back towards the road and moving out into the traffic.
"Ted Lawson, he's got three foster kids. One of them hasn't been adjusting well to living with him and it seems that I'm the only one she talks to," Brennan said, staring at her hands. "He was the one that rang me, her name is Lilly, she's three and fell off their swing set and broke her arm. She's not letting anyone near her at the hospital and Ted asked if I could come down and help," Brennan said looking at Booth who just nodded as he pulled up outside the hospital.
Brennan slowly climbed out of the car and closed her door.
When she realized Booth wasn't making any move to get out, she turned and headed into the hospital.
-----------------------------------
Booth watched as Brennan talked to a small girl, with auburn colored hair.
"You must be Ritchie," a man said coming to stand next to Booth.
"Yea that's me," Booth said turning to face the man.
"Ted Lawson, Jacqui talks about you all the time," the man said.
Booth nodded.
"She wanted to tell you, you know," Ted said after a while. "She could just never find the right time to let you in on it. She was always guilty that you wouldn't understand what great stuff she does with the kids. Said that you would be proud of how much she's changed her mind on the whole 'happy family' picture though."
"Hey," a woman, Booth assumed was Ted's wife, interrupted. "She's ready to go home now," the woman said taking Ted's hand and squeezing it.
"It was nice chatting to ya Ritchie, don't go too hard on her," Ted said walking away.
Brennan walked towards Ted and the woman and smiled at them. Booth watched as they exchanged a few words and Brennan looked up at him, surprised to see him standing there.
She said good-bye to the family and walked over to where Booth was standing.
Without saying anything, she walked past him and out towards the car.
When they arrived home, Brennan walked up the stairs silently and changed into her pajamas before hopping into bed.
She turned and faced away from the door and let the few tears that she had been holding in, slide down her cheeks.
A short time later she heard Booth enter the room. The bed moved under his weight as he moved and lay down next to her.
Brennan didn't bother turning over, she just closed her eyes and willed sleep to take her.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the whole 'what-happened-last-night' thing, well i thought i'd leave that for your kinky imaginations..and i'm not sure how Booth would react to Brennan lying to him but i promise i'll explain why i think why in the next chapter..
Thanks for reviewing too.. ;o)
Rocky
