Thank you very very very much to all of you that review and subscribed to my story. Again thank you. Here is the next installment. I had quite a few problems with this chapter. I wasn't sure how i wanted it to come out or how i wanted to develop B&B's relationship. So the ending of this chapter (the last Lines) are highly inspired by alias and were said in the show. So to you all alias lover out there make not. ;)...again thanks and enjoy.
"Bones what did I always tell you about not locking your door?" he inquired with a grin on his lips.
"Seeley," was all that came from her mouth.
"Bro..." was all Matt could say.
Still in awe the two friends remained glued to the couch silent, glancing at a taller, muscular Seeley not in his army uniform. He was in civilian clothes. Rather recent Tempe noted and that didn't escape Matt's eyes either. He was dressed casually, simple pair of faded blue jeans, but the shirt was what stuck a nerve with Matt. It was a present-day black t-shirt with a calligraphic letters forming the words "Led Zeppelin". Tempe had to admit he looked good. The look he was wearing mirrored the old Seeley; the cocky charm smile on lips, his defined jaw line, perfect abdomen and not to mention the say warm brown eyes. He was still the same Seeley, casual scruffy yet handsome. Her Seeley was back.
"Seeley…Bro is all I get?" he said and he started to advance into Tempe's apartment, "I mean you would think after two years you guys would e jumping into my arms," he finished with a touch of annoyance tied in with sarcasm.
"You're back?," Tempe managed to chock out.
"Last time I checked. I'm bac…," his smirk grew but was cut short when Matt started an interrogation colder than Tempe's.
"How? I mean how did how did you get here?" Matt asked still in the chair.
"Well I got a ride from…." Before he could finish Camille Sorayan entered the apartment.
"Cam…" he finished, only to get a response of silence from both Seeley and Tempe.
"Hello," she said in the same icy polite voice Tempe had heard over the phone 2 years ago.
Time stood still in the apartment. Silence started to fill the small interior space. All Matt could think about was how dare Seeley bring Camille over Tempe's house. Of all the people he could bring he chose Cam. Similar to Matt, Tempe was struck hard on the chest by Seeley's boldness of bringing Camille over to her house.
"You all know Camille right?" Seeley said in attempt of breaking silence. Again his words were welcomed by another sound of deafening silence. He turned to Camille who was not standing in close proximity he him a whispered words that didn't go unheard by Temperance and Matt.
"Sorry," he apologized, "Last time I checked Bones had a bigger vocabulary that 'Seeley' and he couldn't shut his mouth. I think it's my starry presence is making them mute," he concluded.
"Sorry Cam," Matt started as he stealthily grabbed the Ziploc bag with the pregnancy test and stuffed in his back pocket.
"We truly are star struck by my brother's presence. You know since he didn't tell us he was coming after he left us without saying goodbye," he addressed Seeley.
"It's alright," she replied softly still in close proximity to Seeley, something that struck a nerve with Tempe.
"Hey bro," Seeley said as he embraced his brother into a tight hug, leaving the two women in yet another uncomfortable situation.
"Hey," Matt reluctantly answered back. He got out of the hug before he could do some damage to Seeley.
Another silence filled the room. This wasn't the reunion Tempe and Matt were expecting. They were expecting to Seeley at the airport preferably without Camille's presence. On the contrary, Camille was there, and they weren't at the airport, but rather in Tempe's small apartment. Tired and sick of his brother, Camille, and the awkward reunion, Matt walked into the kitchen to grab his jacket. But instead of grabbing his jacket he found himself clutching the railing on the kitchen chair asking him "fight or flight". He heard some words being exchanged in the other room but were muffled. They were muffled by anger, resentment, and pure madness towards his brother.
Meanwhile in the dining room.
"I'll go check on him," Tempe offered after Matt's flee.
"No. It's okay …" Seeley began.
"I want to," she said attempting to be civil towards him.
"Okay," he sighed.
"It's good to have you back Seeley," she managed to say, "Make yourself at home." She couldn't muster up an "I missed you," or "I really happy you're back" or the speech she had been practicing for the past two years, she ended up choosing the first professional welcome home that came into her mind. With her eyes closed refraining the burning tears from escaping she followed Matt to the kitchen.
Matt flinched when he felt a hand touch his shoulders, thinking it was Seeley he grabbed the hand tightly and was about to rip it off his body when he saw the glistening blue eyes of Temperance.
"Sorry," he muttered.
She simply nodded deciding against words. Uttering words would mean tear and she didn't want to tear up again.
"Can you believe him," Matt hissed, still clutching the railing on the chair and his knuckles where already snow white.
"I…", Tempe said but couldn't finish her words.
"I swear to God…" he said now pacing in the kitchen.
"Matt," Tempe stopped him. But he refused to look at him.
"Look at me," she commanded.
"What?" he said feeling as if he was reliving two years ago when Seeley left and Jessica his then girl friend was commanding him to look at her.
"Let's just get through this okay. As hard as it maybe…" she paused, "as hard as this may be…please just be a civilized human being tonight," she finished in a whisper.
"Why," he said, "I mean he left you, me everyone. Asked you to wait for him and here he is showing up with Ca…"
"I know what he to me. But he is you brother," she finished firmly only to be interrupted by Cam who cleared her throat.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said oblivious to the words being shared between the two friends.
"No problem," she replied curtly.
"I was wondering where your bathroom was," she asked shyly.
"Down the hall third door to your right."
"Thanks," and with that she left.
"I'm sorry Tempe, but I've to go," not waiting for a response Matt exited Temperance's apartment leaving her with Booth and Cam alone.
'So much for being a friend,' Tempe thought exiting the kitchen about to face the music.
"Where is Matt going?" Seeley asked nonchalantly.
"I'm guessing home," she replied. She was back there again. Back to the place were she is closed off, cold, and far from sentimental.
"Oh," he said, "I thought we were all gonna go out and celebrate my home coming but…"
"I guess you thought wrong," was her curt interruption.
They stood like that looking at each other…well…Booth looked her and she took sudden interest on an antique vase from Peru in the corner of the room. Seeley lingered his eyes on her and observed. He noticed she hadn't changed on bit. However, something was different. She was looking extremely vulnerable and detached from him, something he wasn't accustomed to. Her skin was pale. Her checks didn't have the warm natural pink blush. It had escaped her face and Seeley wondered why. He moved on to her lips. They were smaller that he recalled because they were pressed together tightly that no air particle could enter or leave. They weren't wearing the red lip stick he loved, or any lip balm or gloss of any kind. They were merely their original color and where thinner thus connoting to Seeley, Tempe was in a bad mood. 'About what?' He oblivious asked himself. Her stance was firm, strong and blatantly territorial.
Despite being cold and rigid to others Tempe always showed some affection to Seeley. She let loose around him and showed him vulnerability and warmth in her blue eyes. On the contrary today was different, confirming to Seeley that his 'Bones' was indeed a changed woman. He felt the nervous vibes in her aura and her eyes were filled with uncertainty. The look Seeley imagined to be given by Temperance was far from this. Though he would never admit, he expected her to be thrilled non the less. He expected a smile, a hug, a kiss on the check, or even better an answer about their fragmented friendship. Nothing. He got nothing.
Seeley and Tempe, snapped out their thoughts as they heard the bathroom door open signaling the unwanted presence of Camille. Cam reentered the living room and couldn't help but notice the tension in the air, Matt's absence and the wide open door.
"Umm," she began, "I love your apartment Tempe," trying to lighten the morgue mirroring environment.
"Thank you." Another curt professional reply.
"Well, umm Booth I think its better if I leave…" she paused wanting to Seeley to give her a green light, not that she needed it. Cam just hoped that he would say okay post noting the hostility leading her to conclude there were some unresolved issues.
Seeley dismissed her hesitantly, "I'll meet you in the car."
"Okay. It was nice seeing again Tempe," with that she turned her heels, slipped out of the apartment and closed the open door behind her without waiting for Tempe's answer.
"So you moved," Seeley said immediately after the closed door in accusatory tone. It pained him that Tempe hadn't disclosed the details of her new apartment to her in the few letters she had written him.
"Yes," she answered professionally. 'AGH, this going all wrong' she thought.
"I thought you liked your old apartment," he offered.
"I did," she replied with hostility applying emphasis on did, "It wasn't big enough."
"Oh. Well next time would you care to inform me when you move?"
Why was he being so accusing. He had no right to come a barge into her life announced but here he was demanding information about why she chose to move.
"It's not like I could call you and…"
"You could have written me," he interrupted with a double meaning statement indirectly stating he missed her and need her letters to keep him going through his time in war.
"Didn't think it mattered," she defended. She sure wasn't to going stand there like a mute while he attacked her.
"Whatever Bones…" was all he said. Seeley was clearly mad about her new apartment but all that anger was fueled by the time he spent sleepless nights thinking of her not knowing whether she was in another mans bed or not. It also angered him that she hadn't said anything about his wait for him.
In hopes of speeding their combative conversation, Tempe moved away from his briskly towards the table. She picked up her purse seating on a table next to the door, and forced her hand through it until she found cold pieces of metal linked with a silver ring. With her back at him she unzipped her jacket, leaving Seeley in with questions formulating in his head.
'Is she taking her clothes off," was thought that immediately occupied his mind, but he discarded it quickly. Last thing he needed was to be sleeping with her again thus repeating the acts of more that two years ago.
Oblivious to Seeley's bulging eyes, she let her fingers touch the moderately cool metal zipper of her jacket. Despite her shacking fingers, nervous mind, and the knowledge of Seeley's eyes on her, she managed to take the jacket of and placed it on the table. She remained turned, giving Seeley the view of her perfect figure and then took a deep breath to calm herself down, but with Seeley Booth in the room the task become difficult.
Temperance turned around fighting tears nested in her eyes, and stretched out her hands towards Seeley. Unsure of the contents in her hands Seeley took her hand in his. His thumb grazed on her knuckles but immediately, he felt a set of cold keys in his hands and the absence of her warm hand. Her hands were even tender than before he noticed. Her skin was now more tender, soft than before and generated an electric field that surpassed the ordinary, leaving him wanting more. He wanted to grab her hand again, touch it, massage it, wrap it with his own fingers and place butterfly kissed on each at every single finger, at every joint, inside the ridges created by her knuckle and then finally her palm. At this moment Seeley realized that the he truly missed her. Not matter how many wh0res, sluts or 'conquests' as Tempe called them he had slept with, kissed or performed ungodly things with he wanted to trade all those memories so he could touch her hand again. Kiss her hand like before, hold it the way he dreamed of in the past two years, and just smell it inhaling her rare scent.
Not being the only one who felt the connection Tempe took a step back and recalled that this is the reason she desperately needed to stay away from him; the 'sexual tension that can light up a small city in the mid west' as Ange had described it. Stubbornly she didn't look at him. He moved her hands to her neck and removed a silver necklace and at its lowest point it revealed two military dog tags with the name "Booth, Seeley" imprinted into the metal along with other details. In between the two silver dog tags was some thing Seeley never expected to see, the cross from his rosary. Temperance Brennan the adamant believer of the inexistence of God had been wearing Seeley's rosary along with the two dog tags he had given her days before he left for Afghanistan faithfully for the past two years. Seeley Booth didn't know what to think. He remained standing, unable to move as if his legs were nailed to the floor. Without moving towards him she stretched her hand to his and reluctantly she dropped his belongings into his large hand.
"That's your rosary, two dog tags and your car keys," she informed him as if it weren't obvious.
Again he stood there and said nothing.
"Your car is in the parking lot right up front. I haven't changed the paint, so you will recognize it. Also I haven't scratched it, just added a miles to the millage," she stated coldly again.
"Temperance," he use her name, "I didn't come for the car and I don't want the rosary and the dog t…"
"Booth," she addressed him professionally, "your car is in the parking lot and you don't want to keep Cam waiting."
It was crystal clear to Seeley that Temperance wanted him to leave. Without another word he walked towards the door, and the awkward movements of his soles didn't escape Tempe. He reached for the door knob, hesitated to touch it contemplating whether he should leave in his Camaro, or leave with Cam or rather stay here with the woman who had bewitched his head and soul. Feeling defeated by the continued silence Seeley turned the door knob ready to finally leave but he heard a faint "Seeley" escape Tempe's throat.
He stopped on his tracks and couldn't muster all the strength in him to turn around and face her. He knew she was crying, and wanted to embrace and kiss her tears always however, he just stood by the door and mimicked her tender faint cry with, "Yes."
"Wh…" her tongue couldn't deliver the words.
"Wh.." she attempted again and this time she succeeded, "Why did you come to me?"
Silence.
"Did you," she hesitated, "…Did you come for me or for you?"
Seeley knew exactly what she meant. She was vulnerably asking him if he came to see her with no plan intended or if he came for his answer. The answer to the question he posed to her before he left; "Wait for me?" Not wanting to answer her question because he himself didn't know why he had come to see her in an immature manner.
"Did you?" is the question he finally breathed out, now with his head supported by the wooden door and fingers sucking the life out of the door knob he brace himself for her answer.
Temperance nodded her heard yes but Seeley couldn't see her. Opposing her yes nod, she answered audibly, "No"
A dagger to his heart was the pain he felt. With so much pain mounting up in his body, and anger slowly generating in his body, the adrenalin prompted by her refusal gave him the strength to turn around. He looked and her flushed tear streaked face and said, "You want to know the truth," he said as a statement not question.
Silence. Nothing but silence could her heard. Not from the out side word or the ticking clock or the fresh tears sliding down Tempe's face. She was hoping he would confess his love to her again but no. He uttered words that made her wish she wasn't on alive.
"I feel horrible! I am ripped apart!" he hissed releasing the anger that h invaded his body, "And not because…" he paused. He looked up and into her eyes for the first time that day and Tempe saw the welling tears, "and not because you said 'no' but because if it had been me. If it had been me Temperance I would have waited. I would have waited for you but now…now I realize what an absolute waste that would have been."
Time stood still and freely his tears fell. Without another word he twisted the door knob and slammed to door behind him.
Thanks for reading. PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT MY DEVELOPMENT OF B&B...also if you like the chapter ;)