A/N - This isn't the fluffy kind of update you've been seeing in this story lately. I had a completely different idea when I started writing, but this is where it ended up. Funny how some things just happen on their own...
Disclaimer - I don't own Bones.
Equilibrium
It's been over six months since Booth and Hannah's relationship ended. It wasn't anything either of them said or did. Brennan's confession played no part in it. They merely drifted apart, and one day Hannah was gone. Back to Afghanistan where she belonged.
To her credit, Brennan noticed the change in Booth immediately. She was like that now. More in-tuned with his little tells. Able to recognize a deeper level of emotion. Able to feel rather than just observe. But she didn't question him. She didn't comment on Hannah's absence. She didn't ask if he needed time and space. She merely gave him both.
Somewhere along the way they'd forgotten all the hurt they'd caused each other. They'd gotten back in sync with one another. Renewed their friendship. They'd moved on. Moved on and, in a way, back to the dynamic duo they used to be. Before Hannah. Before the careless admissions and separation.
Tonight, they sit on Brennan's couch. Boxes of Thai food litter the coffee table. It's not the first time. Nor is it the second. Meals together have become frequent again. It's familiar, but different.
He teases her about the sauce that runs down her chin. They talk about Parker and Max. They talk about their godson and his developments.
What they don't talk about is work. It's not because they no longer work together. They do. It's not because there isn't a case to discuss. There is. And it's definitely not because there aren't any suspects. They've got one in lock-up.
It's that they've found balance. They've learned that there's more to life than just work. That friends and laughter make the job - and life - bearable. They've learned that you have to get lost in order to find your way home.
They're no longer teetering on the precipice of something. Because that 'something' happened a minute and a half ago. It happened when their eyes met and he smiled at her. When she leaned into his chest. When he felt her breath on his mouth just before her lips closed over his.
She shivers now as his hand finds its way into her hair. Using the hold, he angles her mouth beneath his. The kiss is thorough. A tender exploration. There's no one watching. No reason to rush. It's about learning. Feeling.
There's no fight for control. There aren't any questions or doubts. They're equals now. Finally, they've come together; two halves of the same whole. Yin and yang. A perfect balance.
And that line? The one he drew years ago? It's more than crossed. It's obliterated.