Hi again, sweeties. Finally, my writer's block seems to be over and here is another one-shot!!! Wohoo….. Thank you for your reviews on the previous one-shots!!
Songs….
Seeley Booth was sitting alone in his apartment, his eyes fixed on nothing in particular. He heaved a deep sigh and took another sip of the whiskey he'd been drinking for the past few hours.
It was Christmas, still Christmas and he was alone... granted he had spent a wonderful time with Parker, since the boy had been stubborn enough to refuse to spend Christmas with Rebecca and her boyfriend. But he had driven his son to his mother this day and now he was alone again, on December 26th.
It was the first time since the one Christmas he had spent during his Army time he was alone, absolutely alone on December 26th. Not with Parker, not with his parents, not with friends. He briefly closed his eyes and thought of the person he would want to spend Christmas with. Bones.
She was not here, of course... she was not even in the United States, no, she rather spent Christmas in Peru, digging up some old and dirty bones. How someone could WANT to spend holidays like that eluded him... but of course, Christmas was Bones' least favourite holiday, it reminded her of the disappearance of her parents so many years back. On the other side, she had her father back and knew what had happened to her mother. Should that not be enough to make... peace with Christmas?
Well, her attitude towards Christmas had changed a bit, at least... she had exchanged gifts with the Squints, she had spent time with her father, her brother and his family. At a trailer, at jail... well, unusual was practically Brennan's second name, so that was more or less okay.
But he had thought she had enjoyed spending time with her family. He closed his eyes and recalled the slight tremor in her voice, when she had thanked him for his gift No, when she had said she loved the gift. His absolutely crazy gift. He was pretty sure bringing a tree for her and her family who were in jail qualified as a crazy idea... but when he heard her on the phone, the emotion in her voice, he had known it had been worth the effort. And he really had thought he had shown her a little bit of Christmas magic.
But still she had managed to get herself an assignment to a dig in Peru. Peru, my God. He took in a deep breath, wondering if people in Peru even celebrated Christmas. Probably. So, she would bury herself in work in Peru to distract herself from how other people spend that holiday, with family, with friends.
He swallowed hard, as he pictured her, bent over some remains, her hair maybe put up in a ponytail, her eyes focussed on her work, her hands dancing over the remains she was working with. Alone.
She loved her work and that was something he understood, he loved his work too, but why did she have to spend every single minute with work?
He shook his head briefly, deciding he could not understand her... as much as he wanted. He set the glass he'd been holding aside and reached for the remote control, switching the TV on, searching for distraction.
Music filled the room, something melancholic and he did not change the channel as he usually would... no, he listened, since the melancholic tune of the song seemed to match his mood so perfectly.
Then a man started to sing and Booth found himself listening intently.
When you love someone you'll do anything
You'll do all the crazy things that you can't explain
You'll shoot the moon - put out the sun
When you love someone
He closed his eyes, listening to the voice and a wry smile tugged on his lips when he realised, that he himself had labelled his gift to her as a crazy thing earlier.
You'll deny the truth - believe a lie
There'll be times that you'll believe
You can really fly
But your lonely nights have just begun
When you love someone
And there he was sitting alone and listening to melancholic music... he felt pathetic, but was not able to change the channel either... he just listened and let the music pour into him.
When you love someone you'll feel it deep inside
And nothin' else can ever change your mind
When you want someone - when you need someone
When you love someone
That moment he remembered the kiss... The kiss that had made meeting her family possible. Caroline's blackmail kiss. It had felt so absolutely right, the knowledge coming from somewhere deep inside.
When you love someone - you'll sacrifice
You'd give it everything you got and
you won't think twice
You'd risk it all - no matter what may come
When you love someone
He blinked and as if he had no control over his brain anymore it suddenly supplied him with impressions of the past few years... how he had risked his job, taking Bones' earring from a CRIME SCENE... he, a federal agent. How he had fled the hospital with Hodgins to save her from Kenton. How he had threatened a gang leader because he had put out a hit on her. How he had felt and reacted when she had been abducted by the Grave Digger.
You'll shoot the moon - put out the sun
When you love someone
And he knew, he simply knew, he would do anything for her... shoot the moon and put out the sun... if he could. For her. He closed his eyes and for the first time he realised, that in fact it was not only a feeling of loneliness that had brought him to drink this evening, but that he had tried to fight the lump in his throat, the burn in his chest.
His ache for her.
Booth shook his head, trying to banish his realisation about the depth of his feelings for her again. He desperately tried to hide the knowledge again, to keep it hidden somewhere, forget about it. What good would those feelings do, when she obviously did not return them?
But he did no succeed, now that he had had the revelation, had found out about his true feelings for his partners, he could not just lock them up somewhere. He had to live with it. But the fact that it was Christmas made it so much harder on him.
The song had stopped, but there was still the same singer on and Booth finally recognised him as Bryan Adams. Obviously the channel was showing a concert. A new one started and he shuddered, when he heard the lyrics of 'A little love'. Booth was not quite sure if it would be a good idea to watch the concert, listen to more love songs.
The decision was taken away from him, when he heard someone knocking on his door. He frowned, wondering who could be visiting him at this hour and day. Slowly he rose and made his way to his front door, not bothering to look through the spy hole... and that was why the sight of the person in front of him knocked the wind out of him.
"You always tell me to look through the spy hole." Temperance Brennan stated, looking into his eyes.
He looked at her, speechless for a moment until his brain had processed the information, that in fact the woman he had been thinking of , was standing in front of him instead of digging up bones in Peru.
"You're not in Peru." He finally choked out, stating the obvious.
Her eyebrow rose slightly at his words and she said: "Apparently not or I would not be standing here. Can I come in?"
Booth nodded quickly "Sure" He said, motioning for her to follow him inside his apartment.
Brennan gave him a questioning look, when she saw the bottle of whiskey on the couch table.
He shrugged and gave her a wry smile. "I had a private little party with myself." He tried to joke.
She just nodded, then frowned. "I thought Parker was staying with you."
He shook his head. "That was only yesterday... I drove him to his mother today. I am alone now."
"That's why you have been drinking." Brennan analysed.
"No, that's why I have been drinking all by myself... It's Christmas, so why not have a drink?" He corrected her and shrugged.
She only nodded, but it was that kind of acceptance that made obvious she did not believe his explanation.
He quickly changed the topic: "I thought you were at Peru. Why did you stay?"
Brennan's body stiffened for a moment, but then she just shrugged and said: "I did not want to go anymore." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. She remained silent after her short explanation and so did he.
Music filled the silence and Booth saw her shift uncomfortably, when she heard a passage of the song 'Back to you'
I've been down - I've been beat
I've been so tired - that I could not speak
I've been so lost that I could not see
I wanted things that were out of reach
Then I found you and you helped me through
yeah you showed me what to do
And that's why I'm comin' back to you... yeah
Like a star that guides a ship across the ocean
That's how your love will take me home back to you
And if I wish upon that star - someday I'll be where you are
I know that day is coming soon - yeah, I'm coming back to you.
She sighed and broke the silence, whispering: "I packed. I was at the airport... but I could'nt leave."
He looked at her, not knowing what he should make out of her words. Why, just why was it she had not been able to leave? "Why?" He managed to voice his question.
"I did not want to be with strangers at Christmas. I want to be with my family." She gave back, her eyes fixed on the whiskey bottle on the table.
"You spent an evening with them... I don't think Caroline can arrange another visit so soon." Booth said with audible regret in his voice.
"No" She shook her head. "Not everybody in my family is in jail, you know." She gave him a small smile and his breath hitched. "Bones? What do you mean?" He asked her, his voice a bit hoarse.
"You said, that there is more than one kind of family... and although I got part of my real family back... I want to spend time with my other family too. And you are part of it." Brennan answered, looking him straight into the eyes.
When she repeated the words to him, he had spoken to her so long ago, he had to smile. "Thank you. You are part of my family too. And Christmas is for families, right?"
Brennan smiled back at him and stepped a little closer. "Thank you again for the tree. The girls loved it... I loved it too... And Amy said... that it was a very special gift."
Booth snorted and muttered: "Some would say crazy." He cleared his throat. "But I am glad you liked it, Bones... and the girls of course."
"Booth... why did you bring the tree?" Brennan asked, her eyes fixed on him.
His eyes widened and he hesitated for a moment, but then he answered. "I wanted you to have real Christmas. And that requires a tree."
"But you had to drive out to the prison, you had to wire the lights to your car... you had to drag Parker out there." Brennan stated, confusion in her voice.
"It was not a big deal, Bones. And Parker had fun." He immediately tried to play it down.
She shook her head. "It was a big deal. Nobody ever did something like that for me before, Booth. And it was not the first time you did something ... so thoughtful. Jasper... the Smurf... when you came to New Orleans. Why, Booth... why do you do these things?"
Booth bit the inside of his bottom lip, fighting the urge to just blurt out what he had found out a few minutes before. That he loved her. He took in a deep breath and answered: "I want you to be happy. You deserve it."
She heard the emotion in his voice and nodded slowly. "You are good at that."
He frowned and shot her a confused look. "At what?"
"Making me happy." She breathed and watched his reaction to her words. His eyes widened even more and she was pretty sure she saw him shiver slightly. He looked at her, just looked at her for a moment and she felt as if his eyes could see deeper than anyone else could. Right to her heart.
He took a step towards her. "Bones... I so hoped you would spend Christmas with me... but ... you wanted to go to Peru."
She shook her head. "No... Peru was... a mistake... I want to be here. With you, Booth."
He felt a warm feeling spread inside him, and he closed the remaining distance between and pulled her in a gentle embrace. He burrowed his face in her hair, inhaling her scent, desperately hoping he was not just dreaming or hallucinating.
"I feared you would not be here…. That you would spend this day somewhere else, maybe with your parents….." She murmured against his chest and despite the seriousness in her voice he nearly laughed out loud, when he heard what Bryan Adams sang at that very moment:
I swear to you - I will always be there for you -
there's nothin' I won't do
I promise you - all my life I will live for you - we
will make it through
Forever - we will be
Together - you and me
Oh n' when I hold ya - nothin' can compare
With all of my heart - ya know I'll always be - right
there
I believe in us - nothin' else could ever mean so much
You're the one I trust our time has come - we're not two
people
Now - we are one - ya you're second to none
Forever - we will be
Together - a family
The more I get to know ya - nothin' can compare
With all of my heart - ya know I'll always be - right
there
"Temperance" He whispered in her ear. "I will always be there for you."
"Are you reciting the lyrics?" She asked, suspiciously.
He smiled, still holding her close. "Yeah. But that doesn't mean I am not serious, Bones. I mean it."
She snuggled into his embrace and sighed. "Good…. Then I'll keep coming 'Back to you'." He heard the humour in her voice, chuckled and held her close, just savouring the feeling to be able to spend this evening with her, not only physically close, but also emotionally.
And he suddenly knew, that everything was going to be alright…. That there was a future for him and her.
And Bryan Adams started to sing about Cloud Number 9. He smiled and held her close.
All lyrics are taken from Bryan Adams songs….. Just listened to "When you love someone" today and had the idea for this oneshot… please tell me what you think!
