Ok... As a few readers have noticed, I have not updated this fic in over a year... This chapter is probably not going to make people happy. I have mulled over where to lead the story, and decided that the content in this chapter may be able to bring the fic a little more into character, though, I have not been watching reruns of the show too frequently lately, so that may not have been achieved... I am still fluffy, and, though it may not show here, it should eventually... I apologize for the hold up and any spelling/grammatical errors that may appear... If anyone seems too robotic or different, I apologize... I do not have anything to do with Bones...
Booth had ended up getting home at about one in the morning. He left the bag of gifts by the front door, turned his deadbolt into place, and crawled into bed. His vision had started to blurr, what with the few drinks and exhaustion that had both taken their toll on his body. He quickly turned off his lamp, and fell asleep.
He dreamed that night, not of good times, not of bad times, but about what consequences could toddle along from telling Bones how he felt about her. He first dreamed a little dream about the family with the house, the picket fence, the children, and the dog. He humoured himself at first, and then let the fantasy go, letting it slip back into his subconcious. Brennan was of course his wife in the dream; this, ironically, is what had always spoiled the dream for him. Though Brennan had admitted before to wanting kids, and had softened the slightest bit when conversation shifted to marriage, throughout their many talks at the diner, Booth had learned to accept the fact that Brennan would not give in to the exceedingly conventional and conservative lifestyle. She was different than most women. That last thought brought the negative consequence of his admissions to light. There was a pretty good chance that she would run away that night or in the morning. He knew, when in his dream he saw this, that the pain of losing her permanently would hurt more than never being able to take their relationship to the next level.
When Booth's alarm beeped in the morning, he woke up immediately, happy to escape from these worlds. He jumped in the shower, were he made one very important decision for the day. From that moment on, he was determined to talk to Bones about what had happened the night before.
Brennan arrived at the Jeffersonian early that morning, hoping to avoid those who had attended the party the night before. She was not comfortable with what had happened, and did not want to be around those who would question or applaud it.
She had just turned the corner that led to her office when she saw that Booth was waiting outside of it, two coffees in hand. She avoided eye contact as she walked towards both her office and Booth. She awkwardly unlocked the door to her office, and proceeded to set her belongings by her desk.
She sat down on her desk chair, Booth handed her a coffee, and he then took a seat in a chair accross from her.
"Thank you, Booth."
"Anytime, Bones." He then decided to start the unavoidable conversation,"I think we need to talk, Bones. About last night."
Brennan remained temporarily silent, and then started the speech she had planned out in her head that morning in the shower, "If you're referring to the ridiculous game last night in the closet, it was Angela's idea." Booth quietly laughed; everybody already knew this. Brennan continued, "We were drinking, which led to things that weren't necessarily meant to be said. We are both sexually heathly adults, and, since we consumed more alcohol last night that we usually do, I am nearly certain that we let hormones cloud our judgement. We should just try to forget the incident, to the best of our abilities."
Booth had expected an answer along these lines, but still ever so slightly twinged when it came out of Brennan's mouth. "Ok... I did mean what I said last night, Bones. I do love you. All of us love you... People often love their good friends... It doesnt' have to mean anything else... So, let's just resume being the best crime solving duo in the country, huh?" He finished off his sentence with a slight nudge of her arm and a charm smile.
Brennan formed a half-smile. "Thanks, Booth."
"No problem, Bones." He finished the remainder of his coffee, tossed it in the wastebasket, and jumped up from his seat. Since he heard the other squints making their way into the lab, he broke his secondary news to Brennan, which would surely make her smile. He made his way to the door, and then announced,"We have a case, Bones. Get your squints together, and let's get on the road!"
It was hard to put my thoughts for this chapter into words, and it probably suffered from the transfer from my brain to our word processing program. The chapter was somehow inspired by "Traveling Soldier." So, in a sense, but not really, it was supposed to parallel that. Booth's always going to love her, but it's not always going to be a storybook... I'll stop rambling... If there's any high or low that came to your attention during the chapter that you may like or have a problem with, or if it just isn't in character, feel free to review. They're appreciated... Hope you can endure the rest of the fic as it gets slowly uploaded. d-_-b
P.S. If anyone cares to know the gifts, they should be mentioned in the next chapter...