Author's Note: A little more than two months, and we'll be getting season four. Until then, fanfic will have to do.
This didn't turn out as angsty as I'd originally planned, but I'd like to think it turned out okay. It's set in the future, maybe sometime next season. Reviews are welcome as always.
He could hear the phone ringing through the front door, and knew that she was probably on the other side screening the call. He heard a beep, and then the muffled sound of his partner's voice on her answering machine, coupled with a much clearer version in the phone pressed to his ear.
"Dr.Temperance Brennan. I'm currently unavailable, but leave a message and I will try to contact you..."
Grumbling, Booth adjusted the bag of take-out that hung from his arm. "Bones, I know you're there. I've been to the lab, and I called Angela. Bones, just answer the phone." He wasn't sure he was ready for her to actually put up the effort of opening the door.
It was partially his fault his partner was ignoring him, and Booth was aware of that fact. Though Brennan insisted that they weren't 'dating', they'd been spending nights at one another's places and sharing intimate looks across tables as they ate dinner. That pattern had been going on for nearly three months, and neither seemed to complain. That is, neither did until the morning Booth woke up, and thinking she was still sleeping, nestled his face against her and whispered something kin to "God, I love you."
Brennan had been awake, and the discussion that followed hadn't been exactly what either had bargained for. She'd explained that there was no need for such a thing, and that in the end, what he called love was merely a chemical reaction in the brain. She tried telling him that if he thought about it rationally, he'd realize that he couldn't love her.
On his worst day, Booth still considered himself an understanding person. But after hearing her try explaining away what he'd already known he felt, he wasn't sure that he understood. Booth told her that he'd understand it if she didn't yet feel the same. Brennan told him that she didn't see why it had to be so important. Minutes later, Booth knew that if he wouldn't leave, he would probably end up saying something neither of them would like to hear. Instead, he collected his things and told her he'd meet her at the lab.
The week that followed consisted of little field work, though they both participated in screening suspects. They'd been able to identify the killer in their latest case, and Booth made the arrest. They should have gone out; he'd even suggested going for coffee to celebrate another success. Brennan politely declined, and it was then Booth knew he couldn't take her stubborn silence any longer. It was what led him to buying an insane amount of food for only two people, as he knew that neither had eaten all day.
"Look, you don't have to talk to me, okay? Just-" Booth winced as he felt the plastic of the bag their food was in begin to cut into his wrist. "I bought food. Take-out. And, uh...well, I was kind of hoping we could eat it together, but you won't answer the door, so-"
Brennan had heard enough, and she knew that if she didn't answer Booth would simply find an alternative way to get in her apartment. She stared at him, already knowing that the food wasn't the real reason he had come. "You can close your mouth, Booth. I wouldn't want any dragonflies to get in there."
Booth stared back, momentarily frozen. "Flies, Bones. Just...flies."
Ignoring him, Brennan eyed the bag he was carrying. "The food's getting cold."
Booth took it as an invitation and followed her inside. He started setting food on the coffee table, and turned to see her coming from the kitchen with a beer for him. "Thanks."
They sat eating in silence for a few minutes, neither willing to make the first step. Brennan would glance at him only to catch him looking at her. Booth would look away already knowing he'd been caught. The silence was enough to drive him crazy.
"So, I wanted to thank you." Booth said, setting his beer bottle down on the table.
"For?" Brennan raised an eyebrow and her chopsticks hung in midair.
Booth shrugged because he figured she would have known. "Today. The case. If it weren't for you and the squints, I don't know if I would have been able to arrest Blenner."
"You've never really thanked them before, Booth. Why is it that you have trouble expressing gratitude to them?" Brennan asked, continuing her interrogation with an inquisitive stare.
"It's not like that, Bones." Booth picked up a white carton and shoved his chopsticks in, not even bothering to see what it was. "Besides, you can try and reroute this conversation, but you know eventually you're going to face it."
"Are you talking about the fact that you didn't just come today to bring me food?" Brennan asked over her bottle. Simple and direct, but she knew he'd take it.
"Well if I wouldn't have, who knows when you would have eaten?" It was a rhetorical question on Booth's part, but one Brennan felt she had to answer.
"That is a completely ridiculous assumption, Booth! You can't honestly think that my sole source of consumption comes from you. In fact, I went to the market the other day and re-stocked my fridge." Brennan replied, her voice sounding defensive.
Booth nodded as he took it into consideration. "Maybe that's because I haven't exactly been around here to make sure it was."
"How can you even say that?" She adjusted her position, a mere foot away from him, and her body tensed. "Did you come here to criticize me, or did you have another reason?"
Booth's jaw muscles tightened, and her cursed himself. In all the ways he had pictured the night, having a fight with her wasn't how any of them went. Brennan needed time to process things and she dealt with facts. He understood that. If anything, Booth was frustrated with himself. "I'm sorry."
Beside him, Brennan sighed and settled against the couch cushions. She waited until he joined her to speak. "I understand that you worry, but you have to realize-" She focused on her bottles label, and pressed her fingernail underneath its edge.
"Realize what?" Booth asked. He watched as she focused so intently on pulling the label from her bottle, and he found himself concerned by the sudden mundane-ness of it all. "Hey-" He brushed her cheek with his hand, urging her to look at him. "Bones?"
"It's nothing." Brennan replied as she spotted the only carton that they hadn't gotten into. "What's in there?"
Booth sighed and shook his head. She had a way of changing subjects, but he wasn't about to let her slip away. "Doesn't matter. Now come on, talk to me here."
She blinked back tears, all the while puzzled by the fact they were even there. She didn't cry, and if she did, it was under extreme circumstances. "I'm perfectly fine, Booth. I was just going to tell you that yes, we're partners. But that doesn't mean that we have to forge such a relationship in which you consistently worry about my well-being. I would understand it if we were in the field, but this-"
"When are you gonna get it?" It came out sounding more angry than he'd intended, but as soon as the words left Booth's mouth, he knew he couldn't take them back. Gesturing to the small distance between them, he cleared his throat. "This isn't just a partnership anymore, Bones. At least on a completely professional level. You can deny it all you want, but we passed professional a long time ago."
"And whose fault is that? I seem to remember that it was you who practically jumped on me in the middle of my office." Brennan countered.
"I didn't jump on you, Bones. And it wasn't like you refused." Booth replied.
"Well, that's..." Brennan paused as she was momentarily distracted from her line of thought. "I just think that there are other factors to consider here. We work in a stressful environment, and what we're doing could hinder our ability to perform."
"Our ability to perform?" Booth echoed. "If you were really worried about our 'ability to perform', you would've said something a couple months ago, Temperance."
He rarely said her first name, and when he did, Brennan knew he was being serious. Swallowing, Brennan set her drink on the table before walking to the window.
She was shutting him out. The thought alone scared him, but as Booth caught sight of her reflection on the glass, he knew he couldn't just sit there. "Hey." He whispered as he rested his hands against her waist and pulled her to him. "I get that you're worried, okay? I don't blame you."
Brennan brought her right hand over, worrying with the hem of her left sleeve. "I'm not worried. It's just-" She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. On impulse she turned to face him. "You meant it."
It wasn't a question, but Booth felt he had to answer. "Yeah, I did."
For one brief moment, a look of uncertainty flashed across her face. The second she heard him say the words, any doubt she might have had was washed away. It was impulsive. Had she thought about it, Brennan would have one a different route, but she slowly leaned forward and kissed him. Soft and quick, but it was an effective enough answer. "Thank You, Booth. For everything."
Had it come from anyone else, Booth probably would have felt offended. He might not have left, but somewhere inside he would feel like something was missing. Somehow, hearing Brennan say the simple phrase was well worth the hours of worrying and separation he'd spent. "You're welcome, Bones. And just so you know...this-" Booth cleared his throat as he gestured between them. "I know what I want here. But if you're ever uncomfortable, or something isn't going the way you'd like it to...just let me know, okay?"
Wordlessly, Brennan nodded and pulled him close. Her head found solace resting against his shoulder; Her heart in simply feeling him there. She wasn't sure if she'd actually ever say the words, but it was something they'd both grown good at-the communicating silently. She could feel his hands rubbing circles against her back and feel his breath in her ear. In all her life, Brennan wasn't sure that she'd found so much comfort in such a simple thing.