Author's Note: This chapter is for mature audiences. That's all I'm going to say :-D
Booth couldn't tear his eyes away from the red car at the opposite end of the parking lot. His gaze was still fixed on it even as he climbed into the passenger seat of Brennan's car. He twisted around to keep looking. Was someone in it? It looked just like… had she found him? The hair on both the back of his neck and his arms stood on end. His instincts were screaming foul.
"Booth?" Brennan questioned. His behavior was troubling. This was the first time he'd been out of the apartment since he'd come home. Was it too soon? Was she making a wise decision in taking him out?
Last night he'd had difficulty sleeping. He'd woken shivering and surprised them both by reaching for her. Brennan had stunned herself by wiggling her body next to his. Together they'd fallen back asleep in one another's arms. All morning she'd been trying not to dwell on it. Booth was in pain. He'd needed comfort, and she was there. But it felt like more than that. Like their friendship had taken a new turn.
He flicked his sight to her for a moment before returning it to the car. She tried to follow him. "What is it?"
"That car," he breathed. "It looks just like hers."
Brennan did a double take. She, of course, had no idea what "her" car had looked like. Now she didn't know whether to trust Booth's intuition or chalk it up to his paranoia. "It's the same?"
"I only saw a red fender when I was-" he broke himself off. "But I swear, Bones, it's the same car."
"Booth, there's at least five red cars in this lot. Two of them are even the same model. There's no way she could find you," she tried to soothe him. "No one knows where you are."
Her words didn't seem to penetrate his mind. For an added effect she touched his shoulder. "You're safe." If it took till the end of time to convince him of it, she would repeat it over and over for him.
She could tell he was still bothered. But he let it go. Turning around, he slumped back down into his seat. "I want to drive eventually, you know."
Brennan couldn't help but to smile.
Sometime later they pulled up in front of a house. Brennan parked her car up against the curb. Booth said nothing as he tilted his head and looked up at the building. "Why'd you bring me here?" He asked quietly.
"To remind you. To show you what you'd be leaving behind if you give up." She exited the car. After a few minutes he did as well.
The two had barely started up the walk when the front door opened. A boy came barreling out of the house. "Dad!" Parker cried. He ran straight up to his father and locked his arms around him.
Booth forced a smile on his face. "Hey, buddy," he hugged his son close.
"Where have you been? Why were you gone so long?" Parker fired off questions. "Are you here to stay? Do you want to go swimming? Can we play?"
He felt a little overwhelmed. But at the same time happy. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed his son until the boy was right there in front of him. "How about we throw around the football?"
"Cool!" Parker raced back inside to get it.
Brennan stood back and watched the family interact. Rebecca had come to stand in the doorway and watch. The two women looked at one another. Brennan had called Rebecca and cleared the visit first. And so far, it seemed to be working.
By the time they finished up at Rebecca's and came home Booth was in a much better mood. He drank a milk shake in one sitting. After which he showered, then crawled into Brennan's bed alone. Despite feeling good the field trip had left him exhausted. It was early, but he planned on nodding off.
Brennan joined him. He eyed her as she let herself into the opposite side of bed besides him. Now that he wasn't in the grips of an attack or seeking comfort his initial instinct was to flee. It's just Bones, he reminded himself. Everything's fine. Only for some real it felt like it wasn't. He felt a tension between them that he couldn't identify. But it was a familiar tension.
Brennan pulled the sheets up over herself. Her eyes ran over the length of his body critically. His muscles were tense. He was mentally battling himself. He's still nervous around me. She tried not to take it as an insult. Booth was still much more laid back around her than anybody else. But it still bothered her. It's time we work on this.
"What?" Booth asked as she continued to gaze at him.
"We need to get you used to human interaction again."
"Now?"
"Yes. We should kiss."
"What?" He stammered.
"It's just a form of therapy, Booth. It means nothing other than to get you used to being touched in a sensual manner once again."
"Right. I mean, yeah." Only… no. Booth had always had feelings for her. He wondered if he was really ready for this. But he trusted her. So he allowed it.
She dove right in fearlessly. Tenderly she pressed her lips to his. He jerked slightly at the contact. But he didn't completely withdraw from her. His breathing hitched as he kissed her back much deeper than he intended. It was as if this idea of "therapy" was forgotten before it even began. They melted into one another. He unconsciously parted his lips and let her tongue into his mouth. His own mingled with hers. They tempted and tasted one another. Booth found that he was enjoying himself. Kissing her felt natural. It felt right. Which was why he wondered if they should stop.
Brennan too, was losing herself in him. She took a firm hold of the shirt he was wearing and pulled him closer to her body. Her hand rested on his cheek.
With a gasp he pulled away. Regret filled his eyes once he realized what he'd done. "Sorry."
It wasn't his fault. It was all imprinted on his memory now. This she knew. "She" had brain washed him. The damage needed to be undone. She didn't break eye contact as she slid her hand down his neck. She smoothed her fingers over his chest. Beneath her palm she could feel his racing heart beat. The action was so simple. And yet for the two of them, it was almost seductive. Sexy. Booth was the first one to continue their kiss where it had ended, pleasing her.
She caressed down around his stomach. Him allowing her touch sparked a surge of bravery. Underneath his shirt she slipped her hand. She retraced everywhere she'd been, only with skin on skin contact. He trembled, but never stopped her. Their kissing intensified.
Brennan thought out her next move very carefully. Booth was pent up. It'd been quite some time she was sure since he'd truly been able to relax. He needed it. For once he needed his own good release. But she had to be cautious in her actions. Anything sudden could trigger a frightened response; perhaps a meltdown. So she moved slowly. Her hand drifted down to his waist. After a minute she slid it underneath the waist band of his pajama pants.
He rolled himself away from her. "What are you doing?" He asked anxiously.
She shrugged nonchalantly. Maybe if she acted as though it were no big deal he'd go with it. "Therapy. You need to learn that all sexual encounters aren't bad."
He was breathing heavily. "And you want to be the one to teach me that?"
"Yes. It's merely a teaching purpose."
Uncertainty was written all over his face as he laid back down. It took him a moment of thought before he gave permission. Both of them knew they were getting in over their heads. Feelings were going to get messy; get in the way. But neither of them were willing to stop.
Brennan pushed her hand into his pajama pants again. She resumed kissing him as her hand dipped lower and took a hold of him. His reaction was worse than she anticipated. His body grew rigid. He stopped kissing her. His head dropped down to his chest as he heaved.
Brennan frowned. Her partner looked purely broken. Was she doing the right thing? Did he think she was taking advantage of him? The thought scared her. Was she behaving just like "her?" No, Brennan decided after thinking about it. "She" had violated him in an act of domination. She wanted to strip him of power. While Brennan's motivation was love. Love made her want to erase the evil associations in his life.
"Booth," she whispered.
He looked up at her, quivering.
"It's just me."
Swallowing, he nodded. Affectionately she kissed him again in hopes of distraction as she glided her hand over him with a feather light touch. At first he writhed, but then hardened. Slowly she moved her hand over him in a repeated motion.
Some time passed before he was even semi comfortable. A reddish tinge had appeared on his cheeks. He was embarrassed by himself. By her. "She" had turned what should have been something pleasurable into something terrible. He closed his eyes against the darkened image of her. Instead he tried to focus on the beautiful woman next to him. This was something he would have dreamed of once. Then again that had all been before.
Brennan never allowed her eyes to stray away from his face. At the first sign of trouble she was ready to back off. The last thing she wanted was to make anything worse for him. This was to be enjoyable and nothing more or less.
When she increased the tempo in her motion he shifted his hips to match underneath her. He groaned out loud. His breathing grew to be faster and faster. Brennan watched as he grew closer and closer. But nothing happened. He was stopping himself.
"Let go," she whispered in his ear. "It's just me. You're safe."
He released. His hips bucked underneath her hand. Not long after he began to come down off the wave of ecstasy. Tiredly he opened his eyes and looked at her. Just seeing Brennan and not "her" was enough to make him come again.
She smiled, kissing him.
"Bones, I-"
She stopped him. Wordlessly she stretched her body out besides his. The two drifted off to sleep cuddled close together.