Note: This is less AU than the others. Also, this one is angry sex. This is not happy, and there is nothing soft and romantic here, so be warned.

Title: Kiss

Disclaimer: I don't own them


I knew it was him.

Of course it was. Who else would be pounding on my door at 11:37 pm. on December twenty-third? I set my armload of clothes beside the open suitcase on the bed and went to let him in.

I had no sooner unlocked the deadbolt than he was storming through the door. I shut the door behind him as he asked, his voice quiet and deadly, "What the fuck were you thinking, Bones?"

I didn't answer immediately, distracted by the barely-leashed power emanating from him. The sound of his fist slamming into the wall snapped me out of the trance I was in.

I turned my attention to his face, trying to focus on his question, before starting, "It was the only way Caroline would …"

Before I could complete my sentence, he interrupted me. "I told you I'd talk to her."

He stalked towards me and I instinctively backed up, trying to explain, "But … she was very clear. In order to make Christmas for my dad, I had to kiss you. It didn't mean anything." I stopped talking as I backed into a bookshelf.

He leaned in, his hands on either side of my arms. "It didn't mean anything?" I could see how angry he was. His face was grim and seemingly set in stone, except for a muscle beside his eye that twitched with tension.

There have been many times when I've deliberately tried to provoke him. For example, just recently I told him that I considered the story of Moses equivalent to the Santa myth. I suppose a psychologist might say that it was my way of staking my claim on him, of proving that even though he is in a long-term relationship with my boss, I can still get under his skin.

I hate psychology.

I didn't kiss him because I wanted to provoke him. Sure, Caroline demanded that I kiss him, on the lips, for five steamboats, but if I'm being honest with myself, I could have said no. My dad chose to be gone for fifteen family Christmases. If he didn't get one this year, it would be no more than he deserved.

If I'm being even more honest, I'd admit that I kissed him because I wanted to. Back when we first met, we kissed. We were very close to having sexual intercourse, but I backed down.

I thought I'd get another chance.

I didn't. Instead, we fought. We didn't speak for a year and when we did, it was different – we were different. It took us a long time to find our footing again. Over the next year, we grew closer – not as lovers, but as partners.

Sometimes, that seems like a more intimate relationship than any sexual relationship I've had.

That's when Cam arrived at the Jeffersonian. I've had my differences with her, but over time I've come to respect her as a scientist and a person. While I'm being honest, I might as well admit that part of my problem with her was jealousy – professional jealousy, as she had the job I wanted, and personal jealousy, as she had, well, Booth.

They had a past. Some time after she came back, they rekindled their relationship. They've been together for over a year now. Angela is speculating about whether they'll get married.

If they do, I'll never have the chance to kiss him again. Booth doesn't cheat.

When Caroline told me I had to kiss him, all I could think was that it was my last chance. I couldn't let it slip away.

It was a mistake. Not because it was bad, but because it was too good. How could I go the rest of my life without feeling his lips against mine?

I put those feelings in a box and steeled myself to answer his question. "We discussed this before, Booth. It was a kiss between colleagues. Like brother and sister."

"Oh, really?" He leaned even closer, clearly trying to prove his dominance. If anyone else tried that, they'd be lying on the floor before they knew what hit them – which would be me, of course. His warm breath blew into my ear as he rasped, "If I thought you kissed Russ like that, I'd have to kill him, Bones."

I squirmed a little, totally aware of him as not just my partner, but a man. I felt my body grow slick and wet, readying itself for intercourse that would never happen. I knew that after he went home to Cam, his name would again be the one I'd call as my own fingers brought me to orgasm.

As he moved his mouth to my other ear, I was sure he noticed my nipples, hardened and visible through my dress and bra. "You just had to push me, didn't you Bones?", he continued. "You couldn't leave well enough alone. It wasn't enough that Rebecca is taking Parker away for Christmas. No, you just had to see if I'd fall at your feet if I were allowed to kiss the great Dr. Temperance Brennan." His ran one hand over my body until it settled on my breast. I gasped as his thumb and forefinger pinched my nipple. "I wanted Christmas with my boy, Bones, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. At least I wasn't going to be alone. Cam and I had plans – midnight mass, followed by the rest of the whole damned day naked in bed."

The desire coursing through my body made it hard to focus on his words, but one thing stood out. "Had?"

He rocked his hips forward, letting me feel just how hard he was. "Had, Bones. Cam was outside your office when you pulled your little mistletoe trick. She saw how messed up I was afterward."

"Oh!" I wasn't sure whether I was responding to his words or to the feel of his body pressing mine against the bookshelf. "I can talk to Cam, I ..."

"She dumped me." Booth's hand reached behind my knee and pulled my leg up to his waist. My dress bunched around my waist has he settled himself between my thighs. "I'll be alone for Christmas – because of a kiss that didn't mean anything." Sarcasm dripped from his voice. "I hope you're happy, Bones."

I rolled my hips and pulled my leg tighter against his ass, trying to get more friction where I needed it most. It wasn't enough. "Please, Booth." I hated myself for begging, but I couldn't take any more of his teasing.

He raised one eyebrow at me. "Now you ask?" He moved his body back a few inches and I whimpered, desperate for contact. A hard smile spread across his face. "Don't worry, I'll fuck you, Bones." I heard the sound of a zipper as he released himself from his jeans, He pushed my panties to the side and I felt them rip. He slid home, saying, "It's the least I can do. You've certainly screwed me over."

He started to move, setting a furious, brutal pace. I responded in kind, our bodies reduced to the pounding of our hips. It only took a few thrusts before I was coming. He paused as I contracted around him, giving me only seconds before resuming his punishing pace. His relentless hips pounded into my over-stimulated body, driving me towards the peak again. It was only after I reached my second orgasm that he allowed himself to come, pulsing into me.

As our breathing slowed, I became aware of the books digging into my back. He pulled out of me and straightened his clothing, then turned to go, unable to meet my eyes.

As his hand reached the doorknob, I called his name. Without turning, he replied, "I don't really want to talk to you now, Bones. Have fun with your old bones. I'll see you when you get back from Peru."

I stood pressed against the bookcase for ten minutes before I was able to drag myself to the bedroom to finish packing.


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