Brotherly Love?
By wired2damoon
Chapter 14: Blood and Heart
A/N: Well I'm finally finished! Final Exams and Secondary (High) School is over! FOREVER! I'm now officially, the happiest person alive!! -Beams widely- So, to celebrate I have written another REALLY RIDICULOUSLY LONG chapter (6759 words), full to the brim with just about everything, a little romance, jealously, angst, action (both kinds lol), and a good ol' heart to heart with Booth and Bones! So enjoy!
"Booth?" Temperance Brennan asked her partner as they got ready to go out.
"Yeah Bones?" her partner replied, as he straightened out his shirt.
"You grew up in Pittsburgh, right?"
"Yeah…" he mumbled suspiciously, his back still turned away from her.
"And we're in Pittsburgh now…" she trailed off.
"Bones, are you going somewhere with this?" Booth asked turning around finally to look at her, already knowing where the conversation was leading.
"Well…yes, I was just wondering…do your parents know?" Brennan asked attentively, looking a little nervous as he began to stare at her.
Booth's eyes shown with something Brennan couldn't quite comprehend before mumbling something incoherent.
"Sorry Booth I didn't catch that…"
Booth sighed, his eyes downcast to the floor. Taking a deep breath his spoke louder, "I said, no they don't…"
Brennan let his words sink in. There were a few moments silence, where Temperance stared at Booth, whilst he stared at the ground.
Finally Brennan spoke, "so you didn't tell them?"
"No."
"And the Bureau didn't either?"
"No."
Temperance nodded, trying to make sense of what her partner was telling her.
"So they still think he's visiting you in Washington and-"
"GOD BONES! YES! OKAY? THEY KNOW NOTHING AND THAT'S THE WAY ITS GONNA STAY UNTIL I GET HIM BACK! ALRIGHT?" Booth suddenly roared, storming across the room, away from Brennan.
Temperance stood there, utterly stunned by her partner's outburst. She had never seen him lose control like that. She thought she would be angry at him for shouting at her in such a manner but she didn't. She felt sorry for him…
"Booth look I…I'm sorry I really didn't mean to upset you, I-" she stopped abruptly as she saw Booth's shoulders (under his crisp, new black shirt) slump considerably.
She frowned as she heard him inhale deeply. He really was upset.
"This…t-this is all my fault…" he mumbled, so softly that Brennan almost didn't hear him.
In two, large strides, she was over to him and laying her hand on his shoulder gently, as his back was still turned from her.
As her palm connected with the soft fabric of his shirt, she felt him tense a little, as if he was unsure of her actions.
Biting her lip nervously, but keeping her hand firmly stationary, she whispered, "Booth…this isn't your fault…you can't blame yourself…"
Booth continued to take deep breaths and he tried to control his emotions.
Brennan could tell that he was trying to stop himself from crying in front of her and was deeply saddened by it.
So she did the first thing that came to mind.
She moved her palm that lay rested on his shoulder and pushed him gently around to face her.
Booth complied, but stared deeply into her eyes, confused at her actions.
Without saying a word Brennan took one last look into his eyes and stepped forward, standing on her tip-toes and wrapping her long, slender arms around his neck in what she hoped was a comforting manner.
Booth stood still for a moment as he felt his beautiful partner wrap her arms around him. He was shocked but extremely grateful at her attempts to comfort him.
Booth brought his arms to rest around her waist as he began to hug her back.
"Bones…I-I'm sorry I shouted at you, I didn't mean-"
"-Booth its okay, I understand…" Brennan whispered, her lips a milometer away from his ear.
They stood like that for several minutes, Brennan just hugging him tightly, wishing for his pain to go away.
"You told me once Booth…that if you ever got scared that you would hug me. I decided to hug you instead, since you're too proud", she smirked, a hint of laughter in her voice.
Booth chuckled a little as she said this.
"Thanks Bones," he murmured as she released him, and stood back to look at him.
His heart panged softly as he felt the warmth of her leave his shoulders. No matter how much he tried to deny it to himself, he missed her being that close to him.
"No problem Booth, you looked like you needed a guy-hug", Brennan almost cringed as she said it.
The two regarded each other for a moment. Their eyes lingering a little too long…both knowing well that that was so much more then just a guy hug…
"So…ready Tony?" Brennan asked, breaking the spell between them.
As she turned away from him, Booth shook his head irritably.
"Ready when you are Roxie…"
"Knock, knock", came the voice of the young, Dr. Lance Sweets as he stood at the door to the office of Ms Angela Montenegro.
Angela glanced up from her work and saw the young man standing there, looking a little lost.
"Hey Dr. Sweets, something I can help you with?" Angela asked helpfully, ushering him into her office to sit down.
"Hey thanks Angela, um…I was just wondering if you saw Dr. Brennan or Agent Booth around. They were supposed to stop by my office before they went today…" he mumbled as he took a seat opposite her.
Angela frowned and put down her sketch book.
"Oh sweetie, did Bren or Booth not tell you? They had to leave early for Pittsburgh, Booth's brother Jared's gone missing and they think it has something to do with the case…"
Lance nodded as her words sank in. He blushed slightly as he heard her call him 'sweetie'.
"No they didn't notify me…"
"Well I wouldn't worry about it, it is pretty confidential, the way I hear it is that only Cullen knows, and well…us…"
"Us?" Lance asked curiously, his voice growing a little higher.
"Well me and you, Cam and well…Hodgins…"
"You told Hodgins?"
"Oh sweetie I had to! C'mon even under the circumstances, Bren and Booth going away for a weekend together is still worth talking about!" Angela exclaimed excitedly.
Lance regarded her slightly for a moment. A small smile graced his young face as he came to a realization. This was a woman he could definitely confide in, whether she knew it or not…
"Angela…can I ask you something?"
Angela's head tilted to the side considering his question.
"Depends on what it is…" she murmured suspiciously.
"It's about Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth."
A smirk broke out on the beautiful artist's face.
"Well in that case, go right ahead…"
"Hey Charlie, a package came for Agent Booth, do you know where he is?" asked Agent Fields, approaching his friend's office.
Charlie looked up from his desk. He spotted the package in a large, brown envelop in his friend's hand.
"I haven't seen Agent Booth today Ryan, but Cullen will know where he is".
Ryan Fields nodded, waved in thanks and made his way to his boss's office.
Approaching the door, Ryan took a deep breath and knocked firmly, twice.
"Come in", came the gruff voice of Sam Cullen from within.
"Sir, there's a package here for Agent Booth, but I can't seem to locate him", Fields spoke politely, handing him the package.
Cullen stared at the package in his hands for a moment before thanking Fields with a dismissive "good, that'll be all Fields".
As the agent left, Cullen weighed the item in his hands before making a split decision.
Grabbing his coat and car-keys, Cullen sped out of his office and out of the building.
After a few moments, he found himself out at the entrance to The Jeffersonian.
Heaving a deep sigh, he reached out and pushed open the door, stepping into 'Squint-City' and making his way towards the Medio-Legal Lab.
Dr. Camille Saroyan stood on the platform, talking adamantly to Dr. Hodgins who was rambling about particulates.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a man approach.
"Dr. Saroyan?" the man called.
Camille looked down and was shocked at who she saw.
"Deputy Director Cullen?" she turned and walked down the steps to greet him.
He looked grim as she approached him, holding out what appeared to be a large, brown envelop.
"What-" she began to ask, but he cut her off.
"It came for Agent Booth".
The two looked at each other for a moment and a look of understanding passed over Cam's eyes.
Oh this can't be good…
"So its safe to say that you find Agent Booth sexually attractive?" Dr. Sweets asked the artist with interest.
Angela folded her arms and rolled her eyes to the ceiling.
"Sweetie, I can safely say for all the women and gay men in America that there's not one person on this earth who doesn't find Booth totally sexy!"
Sweets grinned as she said this.
"And this too goes for Dr. Brennan?"
"Oh yeah, she's totally on the Booth band wagon", Angela rambled happily.
Lance sat back on the seat and smirked gently at this new information.
Angela, who was now only realising what she had just said, smiled gently.
"Wow…you really are good at getting information out of people…" she mumbled, realising her mistake.
Lance just smirked in reply, but his smirk soon faded as he saw Angela rise out of her chair, walk agonisingly slow over to him, lean down and look him menacingly in the eyes.
"But I don't like being manipulated. So don't do it again", she said dangerously soft, before exiting the room, a large grin on her face as the image of the frightened, young doctor was etched into her mind.
Lance gasped as he heard the artist leave.
What was it with the women around here?
"Okay so just act…act like you belong in the place alright Bones? Try not to be all uptight and-"
"-Booth are you forgetting we've done this before? I'll be okay!" snapped Brennan, getting extremely agitated as her partner had not stopped nagging her since they got into the car.
Booth rolled his eyes and he could not refrain himself from mumbling, "yeah well the last time you tried acting, it ended getting us blown up!"
Brennan, having heard what he said, scowled, "Booth! It had nothing to do with my acting! It was because I was riding up front, you don't ride up front in a Taxi and-"
"Okay, okay I take it back, just please, remember, we're in a club. A private function. There's probably gonna be people doing drugs, getting lap-dances so just act like its natural to you…"
Brennan glared at her partner. Booth could see her out of the corner of his eye as he drove.
They were engulfed in a stony silence.
"Isn't it illegal to open other people's mail?" Dr. Sweets asked as Dr. Saroyan ripped open the brown envelop.
"Well I'm sure seen as this is stained with what's possibly blood, Booth will forgive us and will find it in his heart to not press charges", Camille remarked sarcastically, rolling her eyes as she withdrew what looked like a large white cloth.
"What the?" questioned Deputy Director Cullen as he saw what Cam retrieved.
Cullen, the squints and Sweets all made their way over to Cam and watched in awe as she laid out the material on the decontamination table.
"It's…it's a shirt…" Cam mumbled, her heart wrenching when she realized what it could mean.
"And I bet if we check it the blood, the DNA will be Jared's…" she finished softly.
Cullen shook his head sadly and looked around himself, suddenly feeling as if he intruded on a private moment.
Clearing his throat he muttered, "well…doctor… let me know what the results are and I'll notify Agent Booth".
Cam nodded as she watched Cullen walk away. She turned to find Hodgins, Angela and Sweets gawking at her.
"Do…do you really think the blood is Jared's?" Angela asked in a quiet voice.
"Dr. Brennan always tells us never to jump to conclusions but I think I can almost be certain yes," Cam mumbled in reply.
"Hey wait-there's something else here…" Dr. Hodgins suddenly exclaimed as he too examined the contents of the envelop.
Everyone leaned forward, each holding their breath as Hodgins retrieved a small piece of paper from the bottom of the envelop with a forceps.
"There's writing on it…what does it say Hodgins?" asked Sweets, peering at the paper with interest.
Hodgins turned it over carefully, his eyes squinting as he struggled to read the note.
Drawing a breath he read aloud:
"DEAR SPECIAL AGENT SEELEY BOOTH,
WE HAVE YOUR BROTHER JARED AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW NOW IF YOUR SQUINTS ARE ANYWAY DECENT. HE'S SAFE, FOR NOW. HE WILL NOT BE FOR LONG HOWEVER, IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY TO THE FOLLOWING INTRUCTIONS:
ONE, YOU ARE TO ANSWER YOUR CELL PHONE WHEN IT RINGS EXACTLY AT ONE THIRTY TOMORROW AFTERNOON. HERE YOU WILL BE GIVEN THE NEXT STEP.
TWO, WHEN YOU ARE GIVEN THE INSTRUCTIONS OVER THE PHONE YOU ARE TO CONTINUE ALONE. NO FBI, OR THERE WILL BE SOME CONSEQUENCES. YOU UNDERSTAND?
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR VISIT AGENT BOOTH.
UNTIL NEXT WE COMMUNICATE."
Hodgins stopped reading abruptly and heaved a deep sigh. When he looked at his companions, he saw the expressions he knew he too had.
Shock, fear, anger, and utter unease.
"It's all typed in capital writing and there's no signature at the bottom…" he trailed off, feeling drained when he thought about what would be Booth's reaction to this.
They all seemed to be letting the situation sink in.
"Well…I'm going to test the blood anyway, just to be sure…" mumbled Cam taking smearing a sample of the blood on a slide, before walking off.
"I'll check the shirt for any particulates, see if it can give us a location…" muttered Hodgins before giving Angela a kiss and darting over to his microscope.
Angela and Sweets were left standing motionless on the platform.
Sweets rubbed his neck under the scrutiny of the artist's gaze.
"Uh…I-I'll go and see if I can start a profile on-on whoever could have done this…" he stuttered before departing also.
Angela was left alone now. All she wanted to do was get in touch with Brennan and see how she was and see how Booth was and to tell him what was going on but she knew she couldn't until at least midnight.
Heaving a deep sigh, she threw her fiancé a small smile before walking slowly back to her office.
She glanced at her watch before sitting down at her desk.
7:30. She couldn't help but wonder what her friend was up to, knowing well that the rest of the Squints were going to work a lot later into the night, no matter what it took.
"Booth, why are we here so early?" Brennan asked as the 1969 blue mustang pulled up to the "The Blackened Heart". She tilted her head to one side as she read the name.
"We're here early because we're going to scope out the place before we go into the party", Booth explained as he adjusted the small head-gun that was strapped around his ankle.
"Don't I get a gun?"
"Bones! Not this again!"
"I'm serious Booth! It could be dangerous, I might need one for protection".
"For the last time Bones, I'm your gun…"
"But Booth I-"
"-Where would you ever put a gun Bones? There's no hidden compartment in that dress is there?" Booth asked teasingly, smirking devilishly at his partner.
Brennan rolled her eyes at his joke.
"Well, let's go!" Booth said suddenly, jumping into action.
Huffing angrily Brennan stepped out of the car and stood waiting on Booth to lock it.
When they were ready, Brennan entwined their arms and they set off, across the road and towards the club.
"Who calls a club the Blackened Heart?" Brennan murmured sceptically as they approached.
Booth just shook his head at her as they walked up to a large, bald man who was obviously head of security.
"Names?" he asked gruffly, staring shamelessly down at Brennan's cleavage.
Booth gripped her tighter as if to stop her from suddenly lunging forward and attacking him, but it was really to vent out his annoyance at the man ogling her, but he'd never admit that to her obviously.
"Tony Scallion, and my fiancé Roxie Bledel", smirked Booth, putting extra emphasis on the word fiancé.
Brennan rolled her eyes at Booth's tone but remained silent as the security guard checked the big clip-board he had filled with lines and lines of names.
"Tony Scallion's here but there ain't no Roxie Bledel…" the guy informed them, with a slight smirk on his face.
Booth glared at him with piercing eyes.
"Are you sure? Check again!"
"Hey man don't tell me how to do my job or I won't let no one in at all!"
Brennan gripped Booth's arm tightly and whispered so low that the guard couldn't hear.
"Booth…be nice…you won't get anywhere by aggravating or intimating this man, he's bigger then you!" she hissed.
This, it seemed, was not what Booth wanted to hear.
Suddenly he was standing up a lot straighter, and Brennan could feel him flexing his muscles under his shirt.
He turned away from her and stood (as straight and tall as he could) up to the guy.
"Look man, maybe it say Tony Scallion plus one, huh? Does it say that?" he asked, in what Brennan thought was quite a condescending tone.
The security guy, obviously depicted some sort of belittling tone and glared at Booth, but checked nonetheless.
After a moment he shook his head and said loudly, imitating Booth's early condescending tone, "no it just says Tony Scallion. No plus one, no Roxie Bledel."
Booth rolled his eyes and huffed angrily.
"Look, can't you just let her in-"
"-Is there a problem?" a quiet, drawling tone asked, as a man stepped out of the shadows.
Booth and Brennan looked up with interest.
A man, in his mid-thirties, stood before them.
Brennan could tell that he was a very wealthy man. He wore an expensive-looking black suit, with crisp white shirt that was open at the top. He was tall, around the same height as Booth, with light brown hair and piercing green eyes. She could tell that he was extremely well built as his Pectoral and Deltoid muscles were clearly visible even under two layers of clothing.
Overall, Brennan had to admit that she found his appearance quite sexually stimulating.
Booth looked from Brennan to the suit-wearing man and back to Brennan.
He wrapped his arms tighter around her as if to remind her that he was still there.
Brennan, suddenly shook out of her reverie by Booth pulling her closer to him, merely smiled softly at their new arrival, not glancing at her partner once.
When neither of them answered, the man shook his head and said, "hi, I'm Luke Piscotti," outstretching his hand for Booth to shake.
"Tony, Tony Scallion", Booth grumbled, shaking his head firmly in the tightest grip he could manage.
If Booth had hurt Piscotti, he certainly didn't show it.
"And this beautiful woman is…?" he asked, in a suave tone, addressing Brennan.
Temperance fought the urge to yell at him for addressing her in such a manner, but instead flirtatiously replied, "Roxie, Roxie Bledel", sliding her arm off Booth to shake his hand.
She didn't replace it.
Booth twitched suddenly as he felt the warmth of her arms leave him for the second time that night, but desperately tried to ignore it, as he took his arm off from around her waist.
"Well, I am the proud owner of this place Roxie and I hereby say that its fine for you and your…friend…to join us at our little get-together", Luke smiled, "care to join me?" he asked, extended his arm for Brennan to loop her's through.
Brennan willed herself not to look at Booth as she graciously accepted Luke's arm and began to make her way into the club.
Booth watched them go for a moment, trying to control his raging temper and rapid breathing before gritting his teeth and following them.
Looks like they wouldn't be able to 'scope' out the place after all.
It was going to be a long night…
When they entered the club, Booth instantly lost his partner, which unnerved him a little. He searched desperately for her, remaining silent, not wanting to draw attention to himself but she was nowhere to be seen.
After about a half an hour, Booth decided to get a beer, for something to do he told himself, but it was more to calm his nerves at the thought of his partner with some stranger.
He had to keep telling himself that she could handle herself.
He trotted over to the bar and ordered a beer.
It was after his second when he heard a familiar tone.
"Well hello again", the honey-laced voice of Ella Banks floated over to the ears of Seeley Booth from behind as he stood at the bar in the private function room.
"Well hello to you too…" Booth replied, just as flirtatiously, trying to put the thoughts of his partner to the back of his mind.
"I see you got in okay…I can invite anyone you want you see…" she murmured, walking straight over to him and placing her arm on his shoulder.
It was now he realised that she wasn't wearing her bar-tender's uniform.
She was wearing a very sexy black dress.
"Oh really…and why is that?" he asked, trying desperately to pretend he was interested in what she had to say.
"Well…Luke Piscotti owns this joint, and he's an old friend so…he let's me have gentlemen friends visit…" she cooed, her hand rubbing up and down his shoulder gently.
Like Mike Johnston? Booth couldn't help but wonder.
"Am I the first?" he smirked, leaning closer to her.
Ella leaned forward too, bringing her lips a mere inch away from his ear.
"No…but you might be the last…if you play your cards right…" she giggled, putting the palm on his hands on his chest.
Booth flashed her his award-winning charm smile as he heard her words.
It might be worth talking to her after all…
"So…Roxie…won't your friend mind you dancing with me?" Luke Piscotti asked Brennan after taking about himself for almost two hours, and boring her to the tears.
Brennan wrapped her arms tighter around his neck completely ignoring the part of her brain that told her to run and run quickly, and murmured seductively, "well…what he doesn't know won't hurt him…right?"
Luke laughed heartily at her answer. "I like your way of thinking…come with me…I wanna show you something…"
Brennan allowed herself to be led off the dance-floor, feeling an odd déjà vu wash over her as she thought about the night before with Steve.
Did they want to show her the same thing?
Or was it just some Pittsburgh sexual innuendo?
And where the hell was Booth?
Piscotti led Brennan off the dance-floor and across the room, through a large oak door and down a long, narrow corridor.
Brennan was beginning to grow uneasy as they wound further and further away from the exit.
"Where are we going?" she managed to ask, trying to imitate a sound of excitement rather than unease.
Luke just glanced back at her and even in the dim lighting, Brennan managed to still see his flashing, 'you-wait-and-see' smile.
Finally, the two stopped at a large, golden door.
Brennan squinted her eyes as the door gave off such a glare even in the gloomy lit room.
"This, Foxy Roxie is our VIP room…for only the most special people…" murmured Luke, reaching forward and stroking Brennan's neck lightly with the back of his index finger, and all the way down her arm.
Brennan forced herself not to shiver at his touch. Suddenly she no longer found him sexually alluring, she just found him, for lack of a better word, creepy.
She merely nodded, finding she was unable to speak.
Luke took his hands off her for a moment and entered a code into a little electronic devise on the door.
After a moment it clicked and the golden door swung open slowly.
Brennan gasped as she saw what was inside.
There were beautiful, coloured flowers lining dozens of tables, a massive dance-floor that could comfortably fit a hundred people lay in the middle of the room, there was a bar measuring about twenty-five meters long lining the back of the room with hundreds of exotic looking bottles on the shelves and finally, at the end of the room, there was a huge stage that stood a band playing really tasteful music.
"You like it?" asked Luke as one of the few waiters walked by with a tray of champagne.
Grabbing two glasses, he handed Brennan one and held his up.
"A toast, to new friends…"
Brennan clinked her glass with his and drank deeply from it, her eyes scanning the room attentively.
There were only a few lingering people throughout the room, maybe eighty in total. Brennan's eyes passed them uninterestedly before suddenly, she spotted a familiar figure, standing at the bar, with a small, blond-haired woman hanging out of him.
Booth.
Brennan gripped her glass tighter at the sight of them.
The blonde, it seemed, had had a little too much too drink and was laughing a little too loudly at whatever Booth had said to her. Her hands were a little too low and under the bottom of his shirt as she talked, and she stood a little too close to him, her hips grinding into his and her's lips a centimetre away from his…
Luke followed Brennan's gaze towards the bar and rolled his eyes.
Suddenly he stormed over towards the couple, dragging Brennan with him.
"Ella!" he scolded, "what have I told you about your behaviour, god I could-"
"Oh shut up Luke you don't own me!"
"I'm your husband-"
"-Oh don't spring that on me you ass! You're my ex-husband!"
Booth frowned. Old friend my ass!
The couple fought relentlessly, screaming at each other as Brennan and Booth just watched on.
No one else seemed to be paying the slightest bit of attention to them however, this seemed to be a regular occurrence.
Booth stepped quietly over to his partner, willing not to be noticed by the screaming pair.
"Well…you think its time to blow this joint? Its getting late…" he murmured to her.
Brennan looked at her watch, it was eleven already.
She nearly gasped in surprise. Luke had been talking longer then she thought.
"Should we announce our departure?" Brennan asked quietly, stepping closer to Booth.
"The way they're goin' at it, I doubt they'll even notice…c'mon…" he mumbled, striding past her quickly.
Brennan frowned as she saw this. Usually he was the one to usher her, placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her, but not tonight…
Seeley Booth walked into the large hotel room and sat down on the couch heavily.
He was not looking forward to sleeping on it again tonight.
His partner, Temperance Brennan, was in the bathroom, getting changed out of her fancy dark-blue dress.
The two had sat in a odd silence coming back in the car.
Brennan was confused at Booth's reluctance to make conversation and Booth was puzzled at why he himself was reluctant to talk.
Now that they were back though, it seemed they were obliged to talk, at least Temperance thought so anyway.
"So…what did you find out from the drunk blonde?" she asked, trying not to sound bitter as she walked out of the bathroom and sat on the bed.
Booth turned his head to glance at her. It had been the first night were he had properly seen her in her pyjamas. She always sped straight from the bed to the bathroom and back under the covers before he could really see her.
Now that he did he could only draw one conclusion.
She was cute and beautiful in no matter what she wore…or didn't wear for that matter.
Shaking his head he willed himself to listen to what she just asked him and form an appropriate response.
"Oh yeah she sang like a bird once she got some white wine spritzers down her."
"So you didn't need to sleep with her?" Brennan asked cheekily.
Booth made a face at her and continued, "no, I didn't. Her fondness of alcohol did that for me. Long story short, Mike was her newest boyfriend. She had a lot over the years… he had a fight with Piscotti who I know now is Ella's ex-husband so it was more then likely about her-"
"-You can't prove that Booth," Brennan interjected.
Booth rolled his eyes.
"Oh c'mon Bones! A man is going out with someone's ex-wife, flaunts it in the ex-husband's face…things are bound to get heated!"
Brennan stood up and stormed over to him, she didn't know why but Booth's tone was making her extremely angry.
"Damn it Booth! You can't just say these things without any proof! There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that tells us that they were fighting over that blonde!" she spat, glaring down at him, her hands on her hips.
Booth's eyes drank in his partner's appearance.
Her hair was scraped back into a pony-tail, some of it coming down as she yelled at him, her baggy sweatpants and camisole t-shirt had matching designs making her look about twelve…and yet why was it that Booth never found her to be more sexy?
It suddenly felt wrong. So…instead of continuing his inner-appreciation of his partner, Booth did what he did best with his partner and bickered.
Booth stood up slowly from the couch, bringing his face down so close to his partner's he could count her eyelashes.
" It's like I told you before Bones, it's called positing a scenario! It's what FBI agents do…" he said in a argumentative tone, speaking to Brennan as if she were a child.
This seemed to only anger her more.
Standing up on her tip-toes (as she hated when he towered over her) she glared right up into his face.
"Don't you dare talk to me as if I were a child! Why you-"
She was cut off suddenly by the sound of her cell phone ringing.
The two partners glared at each other for a moment, each one both nervous at their proximity but both too angered to care.
After a moment Brennan got irritated and stormed away to answer her phone.
Snatching it up angrily, she opened it and snapped "Brennan!"
"Sweetie, it's me are you okay?" asked the soft, worried tone of her best friend, Angela Montenegro.
Brennan instantly calmed upon hearing her friend's voice.
"Oh yes Angela, I'm fine, what's up?"
Booth watched with a suspicious expression as Brennan listened quietly.
She had begun frowning in the middle of the conversation and was now only uttering, "yes" and "umm…" every so often.
Just when he was about to ask her what was wrong, Brennan snapped her phone shut and silently made her way over to her bed-side table, took out her laptop, turned it on and connected to the internet.
Instantly, the image of Angela filled the screen and Brennan turned to usher Booth to sit beside her on the bed.
"Hey Booth…" Angela cooed gently.
Seeley could tell instantly that there was something wrong.
"Angela, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice warning her not to mess with him.
She seemed unsurprised at him sensing trouble and just took a deep breath, "sweetie, something came for you today…"
Throughout the whole ordeal, Brennan found herself staring at Booth.
When Angela explained to him that he got a package in the mail and Cullen brought it personally to the Jeffersonian.
When Cam came into view and told him that she opened it, what she found inside, instantly testing the blood and coming back with a positive match.
When Hodgins appeared and read out the note that was attached, telling him that he found no trace of particulates, and finally when Sweets filled the screen and told them the little bits of profile he managed to gain on the kidnapper.
The whole time, Brennan watched her partner silently, as he processed the information.
After everyone was finished Booth just hung his head low, thanked the squinted for everything they found out, assured them that he would keep them updated and stood up off the bed and away from Brennan.
Temperance watched him go silently, her heart breaking at the sight of him.
He looked so lost, so defeated, so broken.
She wished the gang back in Washington goodnight, promising Angela she would call her in the morning, closed down the laptop, walked over to where Booth sat on the couch, sat down and put her hand on his shoulder.
After a moment, she felt his head rest on her shoulder.
"My brother is perfect, always has been, never made a mistake in his whole life. I am the disappointment in the family. I'm the one with the gambling problem, I'm the one who had a child out of wedlock, I'm the one who's killed people…and now I've screwed up again!" he spat bitterly, his voice barely above a whisper as he and his partner sat thigh-to-thigh in the dimly lit room.
Brennan rested her hand on his arm gently, wishing she knew just what to say to make everything better.
"Booth…you aren't a disappointment. You are a wonderful man, yes you've had your problems but who hasn't? Yes, you had a son out of wedlock but you're the best father I've ever known. Parker loves you just the way you are, whether you're married to his mother or not. And as for killing people well…you were ending the lives of bad people who hurt innocent people, children. You were just a man doing his best to make the world a better place, you still are…" Brennan mumbled, her hold on his arm growing tighter as she talked.
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the noise of the cars on the street outside.
"How am I going to tell my parents that their over-achieving, perfect son is missing and might end up dead all because of me?" he croaked, and Brennan could feel him shake softly.
Brennan turned herself around to look at him, bringing her palm out to cup his cheek like he had done with her on many occasion, forcing him to look at her.
"I'll be there to help Booth…whatever you need…I'll be there…" she mumbled, hoping that it was enough.
A small smile graced his lips as said this, and before either of them knew what was happening, Brennan had leant forward and kissed his cheek softly, her lips connecting with his skin for a few moments.
As she withdrew she saw that Booth seemed a little shocked and was trying to recover.
She stood up suddenly and looked down at him before gathering up his blanket and pillow.
"Bones? What are you-"
"-C'mon you better help me."
"Help you with what?"
"You're not sleeping on that couch another night Booth. I heard you tossing and turning the whole night last night, and you need your sleep. So c'mon help me get your stuff to the bed…"
Booth merely gaped at her as she began to throw pillows onto the left side of her bed and fix the duvet.
She couldn't be serious.
"Bones I-"
"-Booth it is not up for discussion. We are two grown adults and I refuse to take no for an answer. Now go and get changed and be back here in five minutes!" she demanded, firmly planting her hands on her waist as if silently daring him to disobey her.
Seeley Booth was stubborn, not stupid.
He never got changed so fast in his entire life…
Brennan was already in bed, sitting up, reading a book with her bed-side lamp on when he returned from the bathroom.
He wore just a baggy pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt but he felt as if he were naked.
Not that it mattered, she had already seen him naked, he remembered with a grimace.
He walked around the side of the bed nervously, and without looking at her climbed into the bed quickly and tried to scoot as far away from her as humanly possible without falling out.
Brennan, upon seeing that he was ready, lay down her book onto the table and reached up to turn off the light.
As she scooted down the bed and got comfortable she mumbled quietly, "goodnight Booth…"
Booth bit his lip for a moment as he lay staring at the ceiling.
"Goodnight Bones…" he replied, hoping that he didn't hear the strain in his voice.
Yes, sleeping on the hotel couch was difficult, but sleeping in a bed, (comfortable or not) with Temperance Brennan was damn right impossible!
He was going to be one tired man in the morning, that's for sure!
Mike Johnston smiled wickedly as he thought to himself.
Seeley Booth had received his package by now, he was sure of it.
Leaning forward he beamed at the man that sat opposite him tied to a chair, barely conscious, dripping blood.
"Now boys…" he began, addressing his two minions, "we have successfully attacked Seeley's Booth's blood. Jared here has been extremely useful for that. But you know what really breaks a man down?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.
When he got none, he just huffed and lunged forward, clutching his former-friend by the jaw, making him yell out painfully as he was forced to look him in the eye.
"We attack his heart!" Mike spat, as Jared looked on fearfully.
"And you know how we do that?" he asked, his nose a mere inch away from Jared's, his cold, grey eyes boring into his.
Jared shook his head, although he thought he already knew the answer.
"We go after the one he loves!" Mike yelled in triumph.
Shifting closer to him, his hissed quietly to the fearful man, "now Jared man, tell me all about this partner of Seeley's, Temperance Brennan…"
A/N: OMFG! That was one LONG chapter! I think my fingers are going to fall off from all the typing! Thank god that's over… Okay, I know its asking a lot, after you guys just read so much but please leave me a review if you have the time. I really wouldn't want to have wasted hours of my time for nothing… Thankies xx