Happy Mother's Day!
I own no characters, shows, books or songs.
Chapter 12
Temperance rolls over in bed, trying to keep herself asleep. Giving up, she reluctantly rises, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She heads downstairs, halfheartedly craving a bowl of cereal. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she glimpses the living room.
Slowly, she enters the room, her breathing fast and her heart beating wildly. She takes in everything, the brightly colored lights twinkling off the ornaments hanging cheerfully from the branches of the green tree. Underneath the tree are a handful of beautifully wrapped presents, just waiting to be ripped open. The two red stockings hanging from the mantle are bulking with sweets.
She stands still for what feels like hours, just staring. Her breathing begins to hitch, her eyes filling with tears. As she is filled with relief and happiness, her face breaks into a huge smile. She turns, and sprints back up the stairs to her parents' room.
"MOM! DAD!" she yells, throwing open the door. Her expression turns to confusion at the empty, still made, bed.
"Tempe?" a male voice calls from the kitchen. She runs to the kitchen as fast as she can.
"Daddy?" she says, stopping short. Russ is in the kitchen, making pancakes. He turns to her, wearing their father's apron.
"Merry Christmas Tempe," Russ says weakly.
"Where's Mom and Dad?" she demands. Russ shakes his head, his face full of pain. Heartbroken, Temperance begins crying uncontrollably. Russ steps forward to comfort her but she backs away.
"NO!" she screams at him. "I DON'T WANT YOU TO HOLD ME! I WANT MY MOM! I WANT MY DADDY! I WANT- I-"
Still sobbing, she runs from the kitchen. She speeds into her room, slamming the door and throwing herself down on her bed.
Suddenly it's night, the room illuminated by a single lamp. She sits up, her face now dry, apprehension filling her up. She hears footsteps outside her room, heavy staggered footsteps. She looks fearfully at the door as the handle turns.
"Get your ass down here now, cunt," says the booming male voice, slurring slightly. She quickly complies, not wanting to find out what the outcome of disobedience would be. As she passes by him, a hand swings out and slaps her butt, a slight grab added at the end.
"You wont get away from me tonight," the man whispers in her ear. She quickens her pace, not wanting to be alone with him again.
She enters the kitchen where a thin woman sits. A cigarette smolders in her fingers as he gulps down amber liquid. She turns blankly to Temperance, her eyes glassy from drugs.
"Wash the dishes," she says, tossing a hand in the vague direction of the sink.
"Don't you dare break a dish," the man says menancily, a predatory gleam in his eyes as he leers at her. "Those are Mary's favorite. Break one, and you'll pay for it."
Temperance goes to the sink and puts her hands in the water. She instantly pulls them back, stung by the near boiling heat. She glances back at the couple, perhaps to protest, but the complete lack of compassion that her greets changes her mind. She turns back around, her eyes closed as she once again dips her hands to the water.
Her face is contorted in silent pain as she washes two plates and a cup. She reaches in for the next plate, her hands bright red and shaking with pain. She brings the dish out of the water, using one hand to run the sponge across it. Just as the sponge touches the green surface, the hand holding the plate convulses so badly it slips. Her breath stops as she watches the dish fall. As it shatters in the sink, Brennan turns around slowly, her shaking hands held in front of her.
"I'm sorry," she whispers as the man rises from his chair. She tries to run past him; he grabs her arm, swinging her back around.
"Stupid bitch!" he yells as he backhands her face. Blood spurts from her nose and onto the kitchen floor. One of her arms is twisted behind her back as an arm wraps around her, picking her off the floor.
"Let me go!" she screams in fear and pain, kicking her legs and trying with all of her strength to get free.
"Shut the hell up!" he screams into her ear, squeezing the air out of her. "Yell again and I'll take you upstairs and give you a reason to yell. Do you understand?"
He continues to carry down the hall, grabbing his keys on the way. Temperance is sobbing with all her might, terrified at what awaits her. She barely registers that they are now outside until she hears the pop of the car trunk opening.
"What are you-" she tries to ask, but is cut off as she is dumped inside the trunk. She barely has time to turn around before the lid is closed, plunging her in complete darkness.
"NO!" Brennan screams as she jerks up in bed. She looks around wildly, her mind quickly assessing her surrounds. In relief she places her face in her hands and quietly sobs. She wishes with all of her heart that she would no longer be forced to relive her worst moments in her dreams.
Ten minutes later, she emerges from her room, her arms around her midriff in an attempt at self-comfort. She walks to Angela's room, cracking open the door. She sees her best friend sprawled on her bed, hair covering her face as she sleeps. Brennan smiles faintly, silently closing the door as she retreats. She wonders to the kitchen, keeping the Christmas tree out of her line of sight, wondering when Angela returned from her date with Hodgins.
She stops at the table, sinking into one of the chairs as images from her first date with Booth run through her mind. It was the first time in three years that she wasn't bothered or annoyed at the sight of holiday decorations. She smiles as she remembers the dances they shared, how he just laughed with her as she continually tried to lead. She feels a warmth at the certainty that he was laughing with her and not at her. The only other person in her live she could say did the same was Angela.
She chuckles as she remembers the look on his face as she closed the door on him after their kiss. She blushes, remembering the taste of him, and the feel of his tongue in her mouth. She can still smell him, can still feel his arms around her as he had held her close.
Brennan looks at the sky of early dawn, wondering if it is too early to make coffee. Not wanting to risk disturbing Angela, Brennan goes to quickly change, mentally debating the possible sources for coffee.
The air puffs out of Booth's mouth, his face set in a grimace of pain as he jogs in the early morning. It is the first time in months where he had a dreamless sleep; apparently the cure for nightmares is to kiss a beautiful woman after a fantastic first date. Now however, he curses the good mood that urged him to go out jogging; the repetitious pounding on the cement and the cold weather are aggravating his still healing feet.
To take his mind off the pain, he thinks back to the night before. He smirks at the memory, changing his direction so that he is heading towards the park with the amazing coffee cart. He can still feel her in his arms, can still smell the light powdery perfume that fit her perfectly. His breathing quickens slightly as he recalls the soft feel of her lips. And her taste, he knows he is now addicted to the sweetness of her mouth.
He frowns as he thinks back on the early part of their date. His heart aches at the remembrance of the sad look on her face as she talked about her family. At the same time he feels privileged, and slightly guilty, that she shared it with him, knowing himself how hard it is to talk about a painful past.
'Don't think about it. Just got to make sure nothing hurts her anymore, that's all. So, call her tonight and see when she wants to go out again. Or is tonight too soon, too needy? Maybe tomorrow. But what if she is expecting to hear from me today? I mean that was a pretty intense kiss. Damn it, what happened to my balls?'
He shakes his head as he rounds the corner that will take him to the coffee cart. He casually glances around the small clearing, his eyes widening as he spots a familiar figure. Distracted, his feet loose their rhythm and he stumbles, crashing into a trashcan to keep from falling on his face. As he rights himself, he hears her walk to him.
"Booth?" her face is a mixture of surprise and concern. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," his panting hides the hitch in his breath as he takes in the beauty of her unpainted face. "Just uh, just lost my rhythm is all."
She nods, her eyes looking him up and down. She notices he keeps shifting his weight from foot to foot. She looks at his face and behind the embarrassment, surprise and happiness at unexpectedly seeing her, is a look of pain. It crosses her mind that he is one of the few people she seems to be able to understand without words. Before she can further pursue the train of thought his voice interrupts her.
"What are you doing here?" Booth pants, still trying to catch his breath. He swipes his head with his right forearm to remove the sweat, placing both hands on his hips after.
"I wanted to try the coffee," she gestures over her shoulder, blushing slightly. She chose the coffee cart on the possibility that Booth would be there. She both intrigued and frustrated by the near craving she has for his company.
"Oh," Booth smiles cockily, sensing the truth behind her motive; Brennan rolls her eyes at the expression. He looks over to where the merchant is still setting up his cart. "I think we're a little too early."
"Yes, I figured that out," she says slightly testy.
"Tell you what, how about we go to the diner for breakfast?" As soon as the words leave his mouth, his stomach clenches in worry. What if she didn't enjoy their date as much as he did?
"Yes," Brennan is surprised but pleased. Booth relaxes with a smile at the way her face lit up. "Do you need a ride to your apartment to change? Or is your car near by?"
"Oh uh," Booth looks down at himself and chuckles self-consciously. The outcry of pain from his feet overrides the sting his pride. "No I don't have my car. I'd really appreciate a ride, thanks. It's only like five minutes from here."
Brennan nods and they start to walk away. Again needing a distraction from his feet, Booth turns curiosity to Brennan.
"So, Bones," his breath finally under control." what are you doing up so early?"
"I uh," Brennan hesitates for slightest moment, not wanting to divulge the details of her nightmare. "I'm an early duck."
"Bird. Its early bird," Booth says, his eyes narrowing. He can tell she is lying or at least hiding something from him. He looks at her face intently, noticing the slight circles under her eyes and the haunted look.
"Early bird," she says quietly, making a mental note to remember the saying. She looks at him, noticing the lettering on his sweatshirt. "I suppose you are accustomed to waking early from your time in the military." She tilts her head in curiosity. "What branch of the military were you in? What were you exactly?"
The mention of the army snaps him out of his study of her. He looks down at his feet, placing his hands in the pockets of the sweatpants.
"I was a Ranger in the army," he says quietly. He glances over at her and sees her confused expression. "The Rangers are an elite part of the army. I was, um a sniper."
Brennan studies him, noticing a difference in his manner. She is unable to define what he is feeling, but she knows she has made him uncomfortable and feels a pang of guilt. She doesn't know what the right thing to say is, not wanting to say the wrong thing and anger him. Remembering a conversation with Angela about a touch being enough, she entwines her arm around his, leaning into him.
He looks down at her, startled. He was expecting more questions, or for her to distance herself from him. He is filled with emotion at her touch, almost wanting to share the whole story with her. But he holds back, not quite ready to relive the memories himself. He wants to put his arm around her and hold her to him but is aware of the sweat covering his body. So he twines his fingers with hers, bring them up to his lips to quickly kiss her hand. They look at each other, sharing a small smile.
Booth digs his keys out of his pocket, hesitating to insert them into the lock for his apartment door. In the few seconds he stands there his mind panics, sorting through every corner of his apartment.
'Oh hell. This was so stupid! I put my clothes in the washer, right? Hell.'
After opening the door, he steps aside to let Brennan enter before him. He is relieved to find everything is neat. He glances at Brennan, wondering if she is as nervous as he is. However, she appears to be complete unfazed, just looking around absorbing her surroundings.
"Well, um, make yourself at home. The remote is on the couch, and the kitchen is over there. I'll be right back." At her nod, he slowly starts to head to his bedroom, glancing back to make sure she is comfortable before closing the door.
Brennan steps more fully into the apartment, taking off her jacket and placing it on the arm of the couch. She steps to the TV, noticing a trio of photos on top. The first is a picture of a younger Hank, and two boys she assumes are Booth and Jared. They are standing around a bar-be-que pit, Hank wearing an apron with a large fork in his hand. The second picture is of Hank, Lizzie, a young Jared and a teenage Booth all standing in front of a Christmas tree. She looks at his smile, wondering what he was like in high school, if he was that guy.
She looks at the last picture, picking it up. It is of a beautiful woman dark haired woman. She looks to be about twenty years old and in her arms is a three-year-old boy with very familiar brown eyes; a child Seeley Booth and his mother. The two don't particularly look alike, Booth apparently inherited most of his looks from the male line, but there is a gleam in their eyes that shows that they were close. Brennan gently runs her finger over the two faces, seeing the love between the two. She wonders what happened to Booth's parents, but won't ask until he brings it up, wanting to give him the same respect he had given her. Brennan holds back tears as she remember similar happy moments with her own mother, wishing she had a photo to look at.
She places the photo back on the TV, shaking off the melancholy feeling. She walks to the brown couch, picking up the remote as she sits. She turns on the television, flipping through the channels randomly. She doesn't usually watch television, so is unfamiliar with what channels show what. She pauses on one channel for a moment when she spots an actor that looks eerily like Booth. The character is standing in front of some windows at night, talking to a young blonde girl. They get closer together and start to kiss; Brennan tilts her head as she remembers her own passionate kiss with Booth, deciding hers was much better. She crinkles her brow when the man turns away suddenly as if in pain. When he turns back, his faced deformed, Brennan scoffs and presses the information button the remote, changing the channel when she reads the ridiculous title. After a few more moments, she finds a program that grabs her interest.
Booth buttons his pants, making sure the zipper is at the top. He hurriedly grabs a T-shirt out of his drawer and pulls it on, hoping that Brennan hasn't left, running his fingers through his hair to style it. He grabs a pair of socks and his shoes before exiting his bedroom. He silently enters the living room, his sniper training still second nature to him. He smiles at the sight of a shoe-less Brennan snuggled on the couch, completely focused on whatever program she is watching.
"Hey, Bones," Booth says, bringing Brennan's attention onto him.
"This show is very interesting," Brennan says animatedly, pointing at the screen. Booth moves to sit next to her on the couch, his eyebrows raising at the show.
"The First 48?" he asks. "You like this show?"
"This is the first time I have ever seen it. But I find it very intriguing and apparently they are having a marathon." Her eyes are glued to the screen, wanting to see if the interrogation methods will work.
"I watch it all the time, it's pretty interesting. If you want, we can eat here and watch the show, " Booth says as he puts on his bright green socks with the black leprechauns on them. Brennan smiles happily at him, not needing to give a verbal answer. Booth chuckles and gets up to enter the kitchen, holding in a groan at the pain in his feet.
"So what do you want, baby I can make something like eggs or pancakes or there's cereal or I got some granola bars." He is looking through his cupboards his voice raised to carry to Brennan.
"I'll take the granola bar and fruit if you have any." Brennan calls, not catching his unconscious endearment.
Pouring a bowl of cereal for himself, Booth returns to the couch with two granola bars, a bottled water and a banana for Brennan. The settle into the couch, watching the next episode as it starts.
"Frozen waffles or frozen French toast?" Angela asks herself, looking at the two boxes in distaste. She picks them up and throws them back in the freezer, deciding on a drive-thru breakfast. Just as she is about to walk to her bedroom, there is a knock on the door.
"Hey baby," Hodgins grins mischievously at her when she opens the door. He points to the plant above him. "Mistletoe. Gotta uphold the tradition."
Angela grins widely, placing her hands on his face to pull him to her lips. They share a short but passionate kiss, completely ignoring Zack. As they pull away from each other, Zack steps forward to also receive a kiss from Angela. Hodgins quickly yanks him back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I am also standing underneath the mistletoe, so logically should also receive a kiss," Zack says.
"No," Hodgins says firmly, missing Angela's raised eyebrow.
"I'm not anticipating an intimate kiss, as you are her boyfriend," Zack says, his face confused. "Why do you get kissed, but I do not?"
"Because you have arms like noodles, while I'm vigorous and burly," Hodgins says smugly.
Angela rolls her eyes, pushing Hodgins out of the way. She cups a surprised Zack's face, giving him a smacking kiss on the lips. She grabs the bags of food out of the boy's hands, giving her shocked and slightly jealous boyfriend a superior look before turning to the kitchen.
"Now what, burly boy?" Zack says, following Angela into the apartment. Hodgins scowls as he follows them, closing the door with a little more force than normal.
Feeling slightly bad for him, Angela sits on his lap as they eat breakfast, finding out the details of Zack's date. When he mentions about going that afternoon to see the next movie, Hodgins eagerly invites himself and Angela along. She rolls her eyes and sighs, rising to grab her phone. She figures she will invite Brennan, who in turn will hopefully invite Booth. As she has also been wondering where her friend has run off to, the phone call will kill two birds with one stone.
"Hello?" Brennan answers, but before Angela can say anything she hears Booth's voice in the background. "Jesus is not a zombie!"
"Bren!" Angela cries into the phone, horrified. "What are you doing?"
Hearing the distress in her voice, Brennan rises from where she was leaning on Booth's arm and walks into the kitchen.
"I ran into Booth this morning and we came back to his apartment for breakfast. We're watching a crime show and this episode mentioned Santeria. According to the narrator it is a mixture of Catholicism and voodoo mumbo jumbo, although I don't know what that means." She pauses and bites her lip in worry. "We were having a discussion. Did I do something wrong?"
"Sweetie," Angela says carefully, not sure how to explain it to her. "Didn't you tell me the Booths are Catholic?"
"Yes, they are," confirms Brennan.
"Well, honey, insulting a guy by disrespecting his religion isn't the get a second date."
"It was just a discussion, it wasn't meant to be insulting." Brennan's voice is slightly weak in worry. She crinkles her brow, uncomfortable with the idea that she may have hurt Booth. "I have a great deal of respect for Booth. How-how do I tell him what I really meant?"
"I already know Bones," Booth says from behind her. He had followed her into the kitchen when he saw the worried look on her face, scared that something had happened to upset her. He would have left her when he realized it was Angela on the other side but he heard the venerability in her voice when she asked if she did something wrong and was rooted to the spot.
Brennan's hand drops to her side as she quickly turns to face him. Her face is a mixture of guilt, embarrassment and apology.
"Booth," she begins but steps forward and cups her cheek, lowering his mouth to hers in a sweet kiss.
"Bones, it's alright," he says, keeping his face close to hers, their eyes locked. "I like our bickering. I know you respect me, just like you know I respect you too, right?"
She nods, and with a slight hesitation, wraps her arms around his neck.
"I truly enjoy the challenge of debating with you, but do you know what else I enjoy doing with you?" she says with a suggestive smile that almost stops his heart.
Although he knows the answer, he shakes his head, sending her a sexy smirk. She rises slightly on her toes to bring her lips to his. He wraps his arms around her tightly, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Unfortunately, they only kiss for a few moments until a faint squeal interrupts them.
"Oh my god, are you guys kissing!" Angela says over the phone. "Wait, did you say you're at Booth's apartment? Bren, talk to me!"
Chuckling with slight embarrassment, they pull away from each other. Booth returns to the living to clean up as Brennan finishes her talk with Angela.
"Yes, Ange, I promise," Brennan says as she walks back into the living room. "Alright. Bye."
"We missed the ending," Booth tells her as she sits next to him.
"Oh," she says disappointedly. "I was very curious to see if you're theory was correct."
"Come on Bones, of course it was." Booth leans back on the couch arrogantly. Brennan rolls her eyes, snatching the remote out of his hand and turning off the hockey game he had on. "Hey!"
"Zack is having another date with Sally," Brennan says. "Hodgins and Angela are going with them, and they invited us."
"What movie?" Booth is torn between his dislike of spending time with the kid, and the desire to sit in a dark theatre with Brennan.
"The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers," she tells him, excitement entering her voice. "I have read the books, but have never seen the movies. Have you?"
"Yeah." At the slight look of disappointment, Booth rushes on. "But I'd love to see it again."
He feels instantly rewarded when she gives him her brilliant smile. They put their shoes and jacket back on and leave the apartment. As they walk down the hall, a thought occurs to Booth.
"I am not sitting next to any squints though, babe," he says firmly, slashing his hand through the air. "No way. Not gonna happen."
Brennan laughs, feeling elated that she is doing something "normal". She bites her lip and decides to do a small experiment on him.
"That's too bad," she says. When he turns to look at her, she grabs his jacket and brings his face down to hers.
Using her steep learning curve, she gives him the most sensual kiss they have shared. She sucks and bites his lips, gliding her tongue across his, completely exploring his mouth. When she hears him moan, she pulls back, elated by the dazed look on his face.
She gives him a slight smirk, then turns to continue down the hall, blushing at her actions. Booth stares after, swearing that her hips have a little more sway than normal. He shakes his head with a light laugh, then jogs to catch up with her.
'She's going to kill me. But what a way to go.'
Thoughts? And just to remind you guys, I dont really know what is going on in the current season. I'm just living in my own world of denial, pretending that everthing from the 100 ep and after hasn't happened.