RobinAngelena, ZinaR, topaz270, 554Laura (thanks!), kareneb (it's always been about trust for her), GalaxieGurl (good analogy), aadams00, FaithinBones (she will soon), bookwormlady (Max as a father had to deliver on his promise yet he sympathises with Booth), regbride12, thank you each and everyone who read, reviewed.
This is a shorter chapter but hopefully it would put a smile on your face.
When Brennan woke the next morning, she found breakfast in the kitchen. Toast and oatmeal for her and pancakes for Christine. True to his word, Booth had left before they had woken up. Brennan munched on her toast, watching Christine happily tucking into her pancakes. She was reminded of what a good man Booth was. She knew he was trying hard to make things right. He didn't even retaliate or complain when her father confronted him the night before.
At work, Brennan found herself less productive than usual. The team at the Jeffersonian had provided Booth and Aubrey with sufficient evidence to make an arrest for their current case. She knew both agents were out apprehending the suspect that afternoon. While upset with the possibility of Max's past catching up to him, her thoughts constantly wandered to Booth. She realized that while he had been gambling, he had also to carry Russ's burden and the worry of an old associate of Max's being on parole. She knew he continued to shoulder those burdens as he fought his addiction. He was a strong man and she knew his childhood and experiences in the Army made him even more so. But she also knew there was only so much a man could take. Within that one year, he had been wrongly incarcerated and suffered a major loss in the death of Sweets. A tinge of guilt assaulted her. She was his wife and she knew he needed her.
Her cellphone beeped. It was Booth informing her that the arrest had been successfully made. It was a simple text, all professional. He had not asked if he could go over that night. She remembered that Booth mentioned he would be moving out of Aubrey's. She wondered where he would spend the night.
The memory of the time when Pelant had blackmailed Booth into rejecting her marriage proposal came to mind. Aldo had told her how much it affected him to keep the fact from her. Their relationship, much like now, had been in jeopardy then. She remembered arriving at the conclusion then that she had faith in him and that despite all that was going on between them, she had been confident things would work out. It was that faith that kept her from breaking up with him.
Her gaze fell on the wedding ring on her finger. Her mind was made up, she knew what she had to do.
…
That evening, Brennan cautiously made her way down the stairs leading to the basement of the church building. As she approached the entrance of the small room, she could hear a voice that distinctly belonged to Booth.
"Addictions are toxic. It could be to alcohol, drugs or for us… gambling."
Brennan stopped at the doorway, watching him from the back of the room. She saw a look of surprise on his face when he noticed her there. She offered him an encouraging smile as he continued to speak.
"When I started gambling again, it didn't feel like a big deal. It was just one harmless bet on a hockey game. But I was wrong. The wins started coming and I got braver. Raised the stakes, bet more. Then I started losing. And I should've gotten out then but I think I lost my intelligence along with my money."
The audience laughed at his joke and Brennan grinned. He always had a way with people.
"I told myself I'd stop once I won the money back. But we've all been there. Fooled ourselves into thinking 'just one more'. But it's never that one more. I just got deeper and deeper into this pit I was digging myself into. I knew I had to call my sponsor but I was too proud. I tried to blame it on my old man, but it was never about anyone else but me. See addictions are like that. It makes us selfish. All we think about is me, me and me, chasing that high we all get from a win. I was a selfish bastard."
He locked eyes with Brennan.
"I let a lot of people down. People I love, people who care about me. I made the one person who means the most to me think that my addiction was more important than my love for her. What I did, I can't undo, but I sure as hell can try to make up for it. I'm here today because I wanna make things right. I wanna get my life, my marriage back. I'm here because I can't do this alone. And neither can you. The first couple of days were the hardest for me. But I had help. My mistake was thinking I could handle this alone. Truth is, we can't. So don't go it alone."
Booth stopped, as Gavin took his place at the podium.
"Thanks for sharing Seeley. Now there's coffee and donuts at the back and if any of you need anything, I'm here just to talk."
Booth approached Brennan cautiously. He pointed to the pot of coffee. "I wouldn't drink that, it tastes really bad."
"Hey I'm offended." Gavin approached them.
"Gavin, meet my wife. Dr Temperance Brennan."
Gavin stretched out a hand and Brennan shook it. "It means a lot to him, you being here. He talks about how he has to make it up to you all the time."
"Thank you for helping Booth through this."
"He's one of my success stories. Years ago, when he stopped, it was also because of you."
Booth ducked his head, slightly embarrassed.
"You two look like you have some catching up to do. I'll leave you to it." Gavin made his way across the room to another group of men.
Now left to themselves, Brennan asked, "Years ago?"
Booth offered her a sheepish smile. "Back then, what I did was gamble every night, playing pool. That night when we kissed in the rain… I knew I had to stop. I had to be a better man if I wanted a chance with you. That was when I started attending GA, met Gavin."
"You never told me that."
"Didn't think it was important. That… was a really long time ago."
"It is important to me. I think, I'm the one who owes you an apology."
"What? Why?"
"Your actions caused me pain. However, I abandoned you when you needed me the most. I'm your wife, I'm supposed to stand by you, support you. You were right in going to Aubrey first."
Booth shook his head. "You did nothing wrong Bones. I went to Aubrey because I was scared of losing you. I didn't want to see that look on your face when you found out I'd let you down. I just thought I'd just come to GA, get Aubrey's help, get this whole thing over with and you didn't even have to know. But I knew I couldn't keep this a secret from you. And I shouldn't have kept that stuff about Russ and Max from you too. I know trust is important to you. I messed that up."
"You had a difficult year Booth. You just got out of jail, you weren't sleeping well, Sweets died. Then there's Russ and my Dad."
"Those are just excuses. Nobody made me do what I did but me."
"A lesser man would not have admitted that. I'm proud of you. You were not afraid to reveal your weaknesses. What you said to the group took courage. Deciding to tell me took courage. You're a good man, a good father. It's my job to be here for you. I want to be here for you. Like you said, one should not fight this addiction alone. Let me help you fight this."
Booth blinked, wondering if he had heard her right.
He didn't respond, so she palmed his cheek in her hand. He enjoyed the feel of her hand on him. He closed his eyes and turned his head, the stubble on his chin tickling her palm. He pressed a kiss to her palm. She tugged at his other hand, pulling him closer, she pressed her lips against his.
"Come home Booth."
She watched as Booth blinked back happy tears then break into a wide smile. The grin on Booth's face told her how much this all meant to him and she couldn't help but smile back. "I'm here for you. We'll do this together. We'll beat this."
