Author's Note: I told you I'd get the new chapter up quickly, didn't I? I want to try sending out personal reviews again, but I have been so bogged down lately I have been unable to. Please suffice it to say I am genuinely appreciative of each review I receive. If you even read at all I am thankful, but those who review hold a special place with me, because as any writer knows, feedback is crucial to the creative process. Letting me know what you liked is great and does a fine job of inspiring me to continue. I do realize this is a bit of a cliche' idea, but my hope is I have taken a typically cliche' idea and turned it into something different, because in original story discussion with fellow writers, that was their original suggestion for this piece.
Anyway, I swear I did not start out to post this on 9/19 (aka, their anniversary in this story) on purpose, and I guess it doesn't matter. Also, while it is nearly 1:30 am on the east coast it is still technically Saturday elsewhere in the US. So to those that asked, yes it still counts. :-P.
Booth waved at the security guard as he walked into the Jeffersonian. He shifted the two styrofoam cups he had filled to the brim with coffee as he thought carefully about what he was planning to do. It had been nearly two weeks since he'd seen or even heard from her, but it was to be her first official day back, and he wanted to offer his own version of a peace offering. While Booth felt the argument between them wasn't his fault he also knew he'd overlooked things as well. Who Brennan was prior to them getting together was in some ways different than who she grew into afterward. That wasn't to say she was for the better or worse, but there were details he couldn't possibly take into account without being in her position; memories held the key, but accepting what they entailed without any prior knowledge was hard. "Morning, Cam." He said as he made his way through the lab, pausing as she did.
"Morning. Zack's in with Angela, they're sorting through something on the program she's running." Cam offered as a means of greeting. She eyed the two cups he held in his hands. "That's not for him though, is it?"
He'd had an actual reason other than seeing Brennan when he came to the lab. Despite her coming back to work, part-time at first, Zack would still be the one he worked with primarily. What Brennan's purpose in the lab was he wasn't completely certain, just that she'd be working more on the backlog from limbo and special cases the museum itself needed assistance on. Booth held Cam's gaze for a moment before glancing in the direction of her-Zack's really, despite his never using it-office. "I figured she'd already be here. God, I'm pathetic."
"No, you're not." Cam replied as she shook her head. "Just...go easy on her, okay? I know you feel bad about whatever it was that happened...and no, I don't know what, just that it was something. I'm not saying you two shouldn't patch it up seeing as you'll be seeing each other every day, but you can't expect anything magical to happen just because today-"
"I know what today is." Booth confirmed. He sighed and shook his head, feeling a bit guilty for cutting her off. "I'm sorry, I just...I want this to work." He caught a glimpse of Brennan sliding into her seat behind the desk. "I should probably-" Booth gestured to the coffee in his hands.
"Right, of course." Cam nodded. "Seeley?" She called after him. She gave him a smile as she nodded, hoping he'd take what she said to heart. "For what it's worth? We're all rooting for you."
Booth nodded with a slight smile before making his way to Brennan's office. He thought it was kind of funny how he'd always thought of it that way, even when she was in the coma and Zack became her official replacement. It was technically his space even if he never really used it. Booth figured it was Zack showing his allegiance and hope for Brennan's safe return, even if it was in his own odd way. Taking a deep breath in the doorway, he tried to mentally prepare himself for whatever was to coming. "Good morning, Bones. How's the first day back so far?"
"Busy," Brennan replied, not glancing up from the file she was reading over. Her body stilled upon realizing who it was. Of course he would show up, Brennan mused. It wasn't a particularly bad thing either, but thinking he was there to see Zack, she hadn't yet made a move to greet him. A cup of coffee was placed in her line of vision. "Oh. I thought..."
"Yeah, I'm actually here to pick up Zack," Booth shrugged, trying so strongly to keep his cool. "but I wanted to bring that to you. I'm sorry that I couldn't do more."
His words sounded in her ears, latching on to the myriad of things she had gained since leaving their house the last time she saw him. Their house. Brennan reached out to grab the cup and lifted it to her lips. She could feel his eyes honing in on her, watching her. "Thank you for the coffee, Booth. I believe Zack is in Angela's office going over particulars on a new program they've collaborated on."
Should he really have expected more of her? She'd never been particularly sentimental even in their happier times together, even if she had remembered back then. "Right," Booth nodded, noting the way Brennan quickly turned back to working in her file. "I'll...see you later then. Welcome back."
She wasn't spying. There was a perfectly logical reason she happened to be walking by when she saw Booth leave, looking more dejected than when he entered. Cam sighed and shook her head. Knocking on the door of Brennan's office, she waited a second before entering. "Busy already I see?"
Brennan nodded before taking another sip from the coffee Booth brought. "I'm working on an identification for the upcoming Jeffersonian Egyptian exhibit, but some of the details in the original report here do not match up with my findings."
Cam hesitated by the edge of Brennan's desk, observing the other woman for a moment before deciding how to best approach the subject. While she was normally one to frown upon discussing personal issues during a typically busy part of the day, she was also one to make sure those around her worked effectively, and to do so required they were at least partially content themselves. "Brennan, could I talk to you for a second about something? It's kind of important."
"What is it?" Brennan asked, her interest piqued. While her attention was needed on the verification, there was also the matter of trying to maintain a workable relationship with those at the lab. She had been separate from that environment for so long she had almost forgotten what it was like.
There was any number of ways to actually approach the subject, but Cam could only choose one. "You-" She paused, drawing in a deep breath. "Brennan, you don't remember what today is, do you? Considering the way Booth just walked out of here, I'm guessing probably not."
Brennan frowned, her eyebrows knitting together as she stole a glance at her calendar. It hit her like the proverbial light bulb turning on. Oh. She supposed that would explain the way Booth lingered for a second prior to leaving the office, and the way he'd...he'd apologized, Brennan thought. While it was something in character for him, she couldn't help but realize afterward how sad he'd kind of sounded. "I neglected to remember, so no. Today's..."
"Your anniversary, yes. I know you don't put much stock in frivolous things such as remembering dates of certain events outside of your frame of work, but Booth does." Cam watched as Brennan opened her mouth to protest, but she held up a hand to stop her. "I'm not asking you to make any rash decisions, all I am asking you to do is just let him do the nice things today, okay? If he comes back to the lab later when Zack brings the remains, don't be so completely buried in the identification to not say hello. Take it easy, I guess that is what I'm saying."
She could have refused. Telling her that she had no business suggesting proper behavior crossed Brennan's mind, but she knew Cam was probably right. While she had yet to tell him everything she remembered, let alone the fact she hadn't made any attempts at all to contacting him after he dropped her off at Angela's, he was there to welcome her back to the lab, just as he had always been there even if she didn't want or feel she needed him to be during her recovery. In fact, there wasn't a time she could recall past or present that he hadn't at least tried to be there for her when she needed him, regardless of whether or not she wanted his assistance. Brennan watched as Zack entered the office to collect his kit and as Booth hovered carefully just outside the door, but she waited until after they left to say anything more. "You're right, Cam. Thank you for your assistance."
"You're welcome." Cam replied instantly, before she'd really let it register what Brennan said. Not wanting to get too wrapped into a conversation about details when there was a case on the way, she offered a smile and headed for her own office, thoughts rummaging around her head as to just what Brennan was thanking her for.
Brennan's hands hovered over the file she had been reading before carefully shutting it. Work was important, especially on her first day back, but there was something she needed to do. Whether it was guilt or the reality that for the first time in months she felt free simply because she remembered, Brennan realized there was still a choice she had to make.
"Are you sure this is what you want, honey?" Max asked as he eyed his daughter from across the table. He saw something on her face that had been missing for quite a while, and even if she wasn't completely certain he could tell it was something she wanted to do.
Brennan considered his question as she stabbed a piece of lettuce from her salad. She worked the entirety of the morning before calling and inviting him to lunch. In order to carry out her plan she would need a little help, and while normally she would have asked Angela, there was the new case and she was needed at the lab. Was she sure? There were no guarantees in life, and she was aware of just how her gesture would be taken. The question remained as to whether or not she wanted it to be interpreted that way. "I have to admit there are some concerns."
"Such as?" Max asked. It wasn't the answer he had wanted, but he reminded himself that Brennan thought differently than most people.
"Such as the fact that...it would not be temporary. It would be permanent, or at least have some semblance of that attribute." Brennan replied. She felt guilty for not telling anyone yet that the majority of the past few years had returned, and that with it she'd begun to realize how much she had been overlooking. "Dad, I'm-" A smile graced her face, but inside she was clamoring for the right thing to say. "I don't know how to describe it, but after speaking with Cam this morning, I knew I needed to do something. "
"Tempe, could I ask you a question?" Max asked, setting his fork down and folding his hands on the table.
"Technically, that was a question." Brennan remarked, but she nodded upon hearing him laugh. "Yes, I suppose you could."
"It's back, isn't it? Your memory, I mean?" Max asked. He watched as the look of shock and surprise flashed across her face. Something stirred inside him, and he hoped against it that he was right.
Brennan didn't know how he could have guessed it. "How does my wanting to do something as a means of thanking Booth translate to my memory returning?"
"Probably because of the fact that ever since you woke up from the coma you've been treating him like an old friend from college, completely ignoring any feelings you two shared together and treating the fact that you two are married like fiction rather than truth. I get you want to be nice considering what today is, but the fact you're trying to do this just feels like maybe something's happened." Max replied. He watched her eyes dart away as she looked out onto the street outside the diner, and he wanted to know what was running through her head. "Am I right?"
"When you and mom were on the run, I always wondered what you were doing. I wondered if you were safe or even alive, but more than that I wanted to know why. I wanted to know why you had left, and I wanted to know why I couldn't separate myself from you despite any physical distance. You and mom were and always will be a part of me due to biology, but the way Booth described it once..." Brennan's eyes misted over, due in part to the emotions of remembering her mother but also because she remembered the conversation she had with Booth at all. "He said that it was because we were connected, despite the horrible things that happened. I didn't understand him at the time and I don't think I completely do now, but the way he's been there for me throughout my recovery even if I didn't particularly ask or need it..."
"You should be telling him this, not just sitting here over lunch telling me." Max replied after she'd apparently gotten lost mid-sentence in her thoughts.
"I know it's not the same thing, but even when I was unwilling to accept the reality we were married, Booth was still a good friend to me. I don't deserve that, not after the way I treated him." Brennan shook her head, watching as two friends paused on the sidewalk across the street and linked their arms together to stand close for a photograph. It was how she felt before in her own life; separate from those closest to her, despite being physically close. "Which is exactly why I have to do this."
Booth juggled the pizza box in one hand as he reached to unlock the front door with the other. He laughed at something Parker said before holding the door open. "Really?"
Parker dropped his overnight back just inside the door. "Uh-huh, Jason brought in his snake for show and tell, and Dad...it was so huge. His Dad was there to help and take her home, but since Jason and me are friends I got to hold it while some of the other kids were speaking."
"Huh, really? Sounds like a good-" Booth paused with a frown. Something was wrong. He heard the sound of something-someone, he corrected himself-moving around inside the house. He heard the sound of something dropping on the floor, but as he waited he didn't hear signs indicating it had broken.
Parker sighed in annoyance as his father placed an arm in front of him, effectively pushing him against the wall. "What, Dad?"
Booth turned to his son with a finger against his lips. "Until I tell you, I need you to stay right here, do you understand?"
"Is something wrong, Dad?" Parker asked, suddenly worried about there being someone in the house that shouldn't be. "Is it a robber? Jason's house was broken into a couple weeks ago, and he told me they took his X-Box. Dad, I don't want them to take my-"
"Shh." Booth ordered before reiterating the fact his son needed to stay put. He turned, cursing himself for changing into jeans and a T-shirt before going to pick up Parker, because if he hadn't he would've had his gun. As he walked further into the house he realized the sound was coming from the kitchen, and slowly the sound starting coming into focus. Chop. Sizzle. Booth scowled in frustration, because who had the nerve to break into someone's home and actually make food for themselves while stealing things? "What the-" Booth rounded the wall into the kitchen and froze. Of all the scenarios his mind ran through, it was not one he had even considered a remote possibility. "Bones?"