AN: OK. Author's note time. If you don't care feel free to move along to the story. I have had this chapter finished for a while but I had to get a new computer since my last one crapped out on me then I found it only had wordpad and notepad so that doesn't translate well to , I finally downloaded OpenOffice so now here we are. I think I have 1 chapter left of this because I'm working on something else and want to focus my attention. So... Back to the story...
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters or places are not mine.
When Butterflies Die: Chapter 14
Temperance stood awkwardly inside of his back door. She wasn't used to visiting other people's houses, she wasn't often invited. It was obvious that it was a house that belonged to men. The decorations were dark and masculine and there were areas of clutter but it wasn't dirty. She looked over to her right where he had run off to to try and find some snacks for them. He told her on the way here that he wasn't used to company.
Seeley came back around the corner then. "Hey, you ok? You haven't moved an inch."
She nodded "I'm fine. Your house is nice." She said sincerely but also in an attempt to deflect attention off of her.
He accepted her compliment but still looked skeptical of her answer about herself. "Okay. If you want to you can put your things in my room while I make us a snack. It's up the stairs the first door on your right."
She nodded and re-situated her pack on her shoulder and grabbing the things they'd need for their science project. She couldn't say she was shocked when he picked her to be his partner over his other friends in the classed but she was pleasantly startled when he sat next to her.
They had become pretty much inseparable. Every spare moment they had they tended to find each other, intentional or not. She found solace in knowing that she had a friend though. Seeley knew that being her friend wasn't his most sound choice being high-school-royalty but she was grateful he stuck it out with her. It made it much easier not to run when the girls prodded her in the locker room. And it always turned to them, they wanted all the information they could get and underneath the sweet voices and forced compliments were viscous girls out for blood. Hers specifically. Some days she would lay in her bed and cry quietly and breath deeply but the butterflies were always on her wrist and they always had his name in them now. When it got to be too much she'd just hold her hand above her face and stare at the drawing and wait for the feeling to pass.
She came to the top of the stairs turning to her right. It really was a beautiful house. Dark wood floor surrounded the hole in the floor where the stairs were 2 doors on each side of the railing and a large window on the back wall. She stopped in front of Seeley's room opening the door. She walked into the room throwing her things by the dresser that was just inside the door. She looked around his room, there was a lot of sports memorabilia and a few pictures, and a few clothes strewn about. She went and sat on his bed to wait for him to wait for him the smell of him wafting around her making her smile until an odd feeling tightened her gut. Her smile dropped and a confused look came over her features. She knew the feeling. It was the same feeling she got when they got lost in one of their moments and they leaned into each other just a little too much, only this time it wasn't as intense or accompanied my the unusually pulsating pressure that made her cross her legs as tightly as possible.
He walked in with a plate of food setting it down between them on the bed as he sat next to her. "Hey. scuse the mess. I'm not used to... well you know." He said smiling and trying not to sound like a broken record as he picked up his clothes and threw them in a hamper.
"Yeah." She replied around some of the food in her mouth. "
Pops and Jared are excited to meet you. Pops thinks it's 'interesting' you're the first of my friends that I've incited over" He laughed.
"Should I be honored by that or are you up to something?" She asked laughing herself and Seeley smiled then chuckled before growing serious. He had been wanting to tell her about his childhood for a while. He had never met someone who he'd feel would understand and not treat any differently once they found out because she understood. And she needed to know there was some one who understood her. He cleared his throat and Temperance must have felt the mood shift because her smile faded too.
"When I was younger... my dad. He uh... He would drink. A lot. and sometimes, you know, he got so drunk he wouldn't care. He'd come home and find any excuse, any reason, and one of us would get hit. Mostly me and my mom, we protected Jared as much as possible but sometimes..." He still felt guilty about the times he couldn't protect them. "My mom, I tried to protect her too but she tried to be strong for me, but after a while it really broke her down and after my dad left she couldn't really be there for us anymore because she wasn't whole anymore." He knew she had trouble with metaphor. He asked her for her understanding and when he got an affirmative he continued. "She thought Pops would be better for us because she couldn't do it anymore." He finished his story and kept his eyes away from hers, in case he was wrong about her understanding him.
He felt his hand on his arm and he looked up to her eyes and beyond the sheen of tears was an understanding and an acceptance. He smiled at her then said softly. "So in answer to your question. No. I'm up to something. You're just the only person I've trusted enough." How her eyes filled with more tears without them actually falling over was beyond him but they did. She pulled her hand back in an attempt to remove it from his arm but his hand was faster and held her there without ever breaking eye contact. She resigned her hand to staying there. She didn't know what to say to that. Someone having that much trust in her was new. And scary. But he had just told her something he had never told anyone.
"I'm honored." She said just as quietly as he had been taking. It turned into another one of those moments. Seeley knew she would pull back, she always did. The fear of what would happen next always paralyzed her and she never took the plunge. He hoped one day she would. He could see the exact moment every time it happened.
"You know, Jared thinks you're my girlfriend. And unless you want to give him some good news we should get to work." He said with a smirk. Whether it was her not backing down from a challenge or genuine curiosity he didn't know but her next question surprised him a little.
"Would it be good news." He was setting up the utensils for them to begin their project stopping very briefly as he heard the question.
"Yes, of course." He said without looking up from what he was doing until he was finished asking "Shall wee get started?" She nodded and sat but not before she could hide the smile she was donning.
Seeley and Temperance were startled to silence when his bedroom door flew open and Seeley's little brother ran in. "Seeley!" Jared yelled jumping over the two teenagers laying on the floor recover from their laughing fit. Booth sighed as his brother jumped on his bed "Your girlfriend is pretty." Temperance turned a deep shade of red at the compliment.
"Yes, she is. But she's not my girlfriend Jared. You know that." He didn't know if denying that made this more or less awkward. For about 7 minutes Jared made sure everything he said included "Your girlfriend" someway or another. Booth was just about to lose it on his brother especially when he started on with "Seeley and Temperance sittin' in a tree." But lucky for him Pops took that moment to come in.
"Jared." He said. The 11 year old's song wilted and a look of shame crossed his face, but both older Booth boys knew it was just to escape trouble.
"I just remembered I have homework." Jared said walking past his grandfather standing in the door before poking his head back through. "Seeley, you'll remember to bring your girlfriend to say goodbye to me before you take her home, right?" Seeley's face tightened in frustration.
"Jared. Out!" He said in a commanding tone and Seeley shook his head as he heard him laughing all the way to his bedroom before shutting the door. Temperance had stood up and was standing slightly behnd. Seeley, nervous of meeting his grandfather, but when his eyes met hers she stood stood firmly extending her hand to his.
"Hi, Mr. Booth. My name is Temperance." She introduced herself.
"I know, Seeley's told me a bit about you. You can call me Hank, sweetheart. Jared's right. You are quite the looker." She turned red again. At the compliment and the fact Seeley talked to his grandfather about her.
"Thank you... Hank." She said coyly.
"Well if you two are there's food downstairs on the table." Booth looked at her in askance. In her slight nervousness she looked around, her eye catching the window and realizing that it was much later than she had realized.
"I'm sorry. I can't. I have to get home." Seeley looked out the window and automatically understood. He nodded turning back to his grandfather.
"Pops, can I borrow the car?" The sooner he got her home the better. Pops nodded 'yes' looking a little perplexed at the hurry. Temperance thanked him and said her farewells as Booth led her down the stairs and grabbing the keys off the hook. Jared ran up to them.
"You're leaving already?" He said in a weirdly sad tone
"She's gotta get home, buddy." He explained as Temperance nodded her head.
"But I just got here. Is it 'cause of me?" He asked sincerely hoping he hadn't scared of his brother's friend.
"No, Jared, I just have to be home at a certain time." She told him. Not really a lie. Jared nodded.
"Will you come back?"
"I hope so." She had never been good with people younger than her but when Jared perked up at her answer she felt a sense of an odd sort of pride washing through her.
She gave him a hug, smiling as she waved goodbye to him. She missed the coziness of their home as soon as the thought of going back to hers hit her. Seeley threw his arm around her shoulders pulling her into his side. The cool springy air did nothing to combat the warmth she felt then.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it.