We're nearing the end of season one folks! This chapter was fun to write. . .until I hit a writers block that is. But I easily managed to get through it thanks to the Fray's "She Is" (the official song for this chapter).
"You know Bones, all those things that Carolyn mentioned, the martial arts, the shooting, the. . .ah. . .assaults. It's just. . .you're the type of woman who fights back. Maybe they didn't expect that, or maybe they thought their magic could hold you.." Her response, as always, to that is automatic.
"I don't believe in magic." He gives her a crooked smile. "Exactly. You're a surprising woman. Sometimes that's enough to get away." She smiles back, and then shakes her head and chuckles. "Why are you being so nice to me?" He holds up a finger and wiggles it.
"Two reasons. One --" "You're only holding up one finger." She points out. This time he's the one who shakes his head and laughs, but he dutifully raises a second finger.
"Reason number one: I want to be more than your partner." She's about to interrupt him again but he stops her. "Let me finish first. I'm not saying let's go back to your hotel room and do the horizontal mambo." She raises an eyebrow at the phrase, but remains silent. "I just want more out of our marriage. I already have a wonderful daughter, but I also want a wife who's more than civil to me, I want you to be my friend. Some one who will always be there for me."
"Oh." He crooked an eyebrow, "I bare my heart to you and all you can say is 'oh'?" She shakes her head, "I don't know what to say Booth." That gets her the full Seeley Booth smile. "That's all you need to say Temperance."
"What's your second reason?" He looks confused for a moment. "What? OH. My second reason is: because they think they can get away with it." She stares at him blankly, "what?"
"They burn their victims, blow 'em up, toss 'em into the ocean, they bury 'em in the desert, they throw 'em into wood chippers. Sometimes years go by. They start to relax, living their lives like they didn't do anything wrong, like they didn't take somebody's life in order to get what they got. They think they're safe. But you, you make those bastards unsafe." She smiles softly at him, "I couldn't do it without you Seeley."
He gives her a little boy smile in return. "So. . .uh. . .maybe you should be a little nicer to me?" Her smile turns into a teasing grin, "I should, shouldn't I." He laughs. And she thinks that maybe this time around things will be better.
End Note: The Next chapter is not going to be "The Graft in the Girl" because I couldn't find any scenes in that episode that needed to be changed. . .so let us bow our heads in silent mourning for Season 1 Episode 20.