I hope you guys are pleased with this chapter. I know it's going to little slow right now but they need this time. Thanks so much to everyone who is taken the time to review and please continue. Thanks, T.
Disclaimer: They do not belong to me which makes me very, very sad.
Booth paced the surveillance room at the embassy impatiently, running an agitated hand through his hair repeatedly. Even though the room was fairly large, it was quite crowded at the moment with him, Garrett, Gavin, Grant, Alex, General Hood, the ambassador, two generals he didn't know and a couple of guards all viewing surveillance tapes from different parts of the embassy, trying to figure out where the hell his wife was. She had appeared to have vanished into thin air outside the gym on the lower floor and, as luck would have it, that area wasn't covered by security cameras. Where the hell was she? Booth asked himself for the thousandth time, checking his watch and seeing that she had been missing for an hour and forty-five minutes.
She hadn't left the premises; they had checked the tapes from all the exits already and not spotted her. Conversely, she also didn't appear to be on the premises. General Hood had instituted a lockdown no more than 15 minutes after they realized she was missing and he assured Booth that every inch of the embassy had been searched with no sign of the missing anthropologist. Booth refused to entertain the possibility that something bad could have happened to her, but he was barely holding it together and he needed to find her fast. After the events of the last few days, he needed to see for himself that she was safe and whole. He also refused to think that she had run or that she was hiding and pouting somewhere because they were having problems, he just instinctively knew she wouldn't do that, she valued their relationship too much to just walk away from it and him. She would never purposely leave him or their relationship. This thought almost brought him to his knees and seemed to siphon off the anger he had been holding onto with both hands for the last couple of days. He was so filled with anxiety and fear over what his wife had gotten herself into this time that he just didn't have any room left over for anger.
"I'm going to check our room again," he said suddenly and started out of the room to do just that for about the twentieth time. The others looked at him with varying degrees of pity and concern but no one tried to stop him. They even had the good sense not to remind him that there was a guard on their bedroom door and he would have radioed in if she had returned. He already knew that but they didn't need another set of eyes looking at the videos and he had to do something or he was going to lose it. He wasn't more than five feet down the hallway when he heard a mass exodus from the room behind him.
"We know where she is," Alex yelled as they all took off in the opposite direction from where Booth had been headed. Spinning on his heel, Booth plunged after them sending a prayer of thanks winging heavenward.
Miriam had only gotten two numbers punched on the phone when she heard what sounded like a herd of elephants approaching the door to her apartment. Startled, she replaced the phone receiver and started across the room. She had only taken four of five steps when the door swung open and she was invaded. With a gasp, her hand flew up to cover her mouth and she watched, wide eyed as her husband rushed into the room followed by several very attractive young men. There were more people behind them but her eyes were caught and held by the one young man in the group that she wasn't acquainted with. This could be none other than Temperence's young man, Seeley Booth.
Miriam could see why Brennan was attracted to him. Tall, dark and very handsome and the way he filled out the sleeveless t-shirt probably didn't hurt, either. On a purely physical level, he was pretty damn yummy (hey, she was older and married, not dead, so can the judgment). He looked absolutely frantic as he pushed rudely past the ambassador and his eyes scanned the room for Brennan. The look of relief that crossed his face when he spotted her sitting on the sofa, still staring at the ceiling told Miriam everything she needed to know about how he felt about Brennan. Pulling her attention back to the group still coming into the room, she belatedly wondered what the hell was going on.
"Is something wrong, Herbert?" she asked her husband. He simply looked at her and gave an exasperated shake of his head.
"We thought Dr. Brennan was missing, Miriam. The embassy has been on lockdown for the last hour and a half while we searched for her," he told her chidingly. Miriam winced a little at her husband's exasperation. There was an alarm that was supposed to go off in their apartment when the embassy went on lockdown but it had kept malfunctioning and she had disconnected it without his knowledge or consent. She figured if something major happened, someone would come to find her and the damned thing kept going off at night and waking her up but she thought that was a conversation best saved for another time.
"Well, she's not missing, she's right here," Miriam returned brightly, pointing toward the sofa then turning her attention back to Booth as he strode toward Brennan. Miriam could clearly see that he had been terrified that something bad had happened to her. After hearing Brennan's version of her latest adventures, Miriam could understand that and he obviously loved her friend very much to invoke such a strong reaction. Suddenly realizing that Brennan might not wish anyone else to witness this little reunion in her present condition, Miriam went into action, shooing the others toward the door.
Manners, of lack thereof, never crossed Booth's mind as he pushed past the ambassador and entered his private apartment. He had to stop for an instant to make sure his knees weren't going to give out on him in his relief when he spotted Brennan safe and sound. He barely glanced at the older woman in the room and was only vaguely aware that she was having a conversation with the ambassador as he approached the sofa. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the way Brennan was sprawled against the back of the sofa, her arms spread wide and her eyes darting over the ceiling, apparently oblivious to his approach.
"Bones?" he asked softly, squatting beside the arm of the sofa. No answer. "Baby, are you ok?" he asked a little more loudly, reaching out to stroke her cheek. She jumped and let out a garbled scream that almost knocked him on his ass. When he regained his balance, he looked back to find her chin now resting atop her folded hands on the arm of the sofa as she beamed at him. What the hell?
"Hiya, Booth," she greeted, her voice cheerful and slurred at the same time. With those clues and the smell of alcohol on her breath, he didn't have to ask what she had been doing while he had been going out of his mind with worry for her. She had, apparently, been partying. He would not let this upset him, he would not let this upset him, he would not let this upset him. The hell he wouldn't.
"Are you drunk?" he demanded incredulously. Miriam flinched at the quiet roar from behind her, determinedly urging everyone, including her husband out the door. It sounded like Brennan's husband might be just a tad upset with her and Miriam thought she needed to explain since she was technically the one who had gotten her drunk. Quickly whispering that she would explain later to her husband, she shut the door in his face and turned toward her guests with a smile. Neither one of her guests paid her the least amount of attention.
"Mmmaayybbee," Brennan purred, one hand reaching out to languidly stroke Booth's cheek.
"Dammit, Bones, I was worried about you. The embassy was on lockdown and we've been looking for you for almost two hours." Booth was having trouble hanging on to his irritation in his relief at finding her unharmed. It didn't help that she started tracing his lips with her index finger and gave him a wickedly suggestive smile. A loudly clearing throat finally tore his attention away from his inebriated wife and had him glancing up at his hostess. Grabbing Brennan's hand and quickly placing a kiss in its palm, he rose to his feet and faced the older woman, quickly taking stock of her and getting the impression of a well put together politician's wife.
"Agent Booth, I'm Miriam Whitehouse," she held out her hand and Booth was surprised by the firmness of her handshake.
"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Whitehouse," he returned, ducking his head in embarrassment when he remembered his entrance into this apartment. "I apologize for my rudeness when I arrived." Miriam could definitely see why Brennan was smitten when he flashed her a charm smile.
"I'm afraid it is I who owe you an apology. It's my fault that you searched so long." Seeing his quizzical look, she quickly explained about the dismantled alarm and was relieved to see Booth looking mollified. "Won't you have a seat?" she indicated the sofa with a smile and took a seat in a nearby armchair. She could tell that Booth was eager to grab his wife and get her out of here but she thought he needed to hear a couple of things before he did.
Booth gingerly sat down beside Brennan but was perched on the edge of the sofa until she leaned forward and pulled him back until they were touching from shoulder to thigh. With a sigh, she settled her head on his shoulder and snuggled into his side, closing her eyes. Booth put his arm around Brennan's shoulders, pulled her closer and gently smoothed the hair back from her forehead as Miriam watched. She saw the tender smile on his face as he looked down at his almost sleeping wife and knew that these two would be fine. They might have big troubles now and then but they simply loved each other too much not to work it out. Miriam sat patiently until Booth turned his attention back to her.
"Did you want to talk to me about something, Mrs. Whitehouse?" he inquired politely. Miriam nodded in approval. She liked the direct approach and she was willing to bet that came in useful with Brennan.
"As a matter of fact, I did," she laughed, "but please call me Miriam. I'm afraid that I'm also to blame for Temperence's current condition, so please don't be angry with her."
"So you held her down and forced her to get drunk, did you?" Booth asked with a raised brow, humor glinting in his eyes. Miriam liked this young man more by the second.
"Something like that," she grinned. "Actually, she was telling me about what's been going on with her recently and I sure as hell needed a drink listening to it so I was certain she could benefit from a few after having lived through it." Miriam was a little surprised when Booth threw back his head and laughed at that one. She hadn't been kidding. Brennan jumped at Booth's laughter then snuggled closer and Booth immediately quietened so as not to disturb her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.
Looking at Booth closely, Miriam could see that he was just as physically exhausted as his wife. She knew it was none of her business and he might not appreciate her interference or advice quite as much as Brennan but she thought he wouldn't have a problem telling her to butt out if he didn't want her help. And maybe, just maybe she could help them breach this misunderstanding that was causing Brennan and, no doubt, Booth so much emotional trauma. God knew, with the kind of luck they appeared to have, they could use all the help they could get so she went for it.
"Temperence tells me that tomorrow will be the two week anniversary of your marriage," Miriam said conversationally. Booth's eyes narrowed and he stiffened slightly. Their marriage was a very personal subject to Brennan, one that she would never discuss with strangers or casual acquaintances. Yes, she introduced him as her husband. Sometimes. But her telling this woman any details at all, like tomorrow was their two week anniversary could only mean they were good friends. Nodding his agreement, he took a closer look at this other friend of his wife's that he hadn't known existed. Surprisingly, he felt no resentment over that fact, just a sort of general curiosity about her agenda. Miriam waited for several seconds but Booth didn't respond verbally, he just sat studying her patiently. Damn, it was just her luck that he would be as taciturn as Brennan but Miriam had many years of communicating with reticent people and this was important to her so she pasted a smile on her face and forged ahead.
"I was appalled to hear everything that has happened to the two of you in such a short time," she offered but, again, Booth said nothing. But to be fair, Miriam wasn't entirely sure that he had heard the comment since his attention was focused elsewhere. Brennan was awake and whispering something loudly in her husband's ear. Miriam couldn't quite make out the words but she could guess the content from the way Booth was blushing and avoiding her eyes. With a sigh, she realized that the time for tact and diplomacy was over.
"Agent Booth, I know that you don't know me and, therefore, consider your relationship with Temperance none of my business and normally I would agree with that. But Temperance has become a very dear friend over the past several years. I have seen her after events that would send most people to the loony bin but she was never anything but strong and in control. But today I saw my friend so upset that she was almost completely out of control and I know that is something that she would find intolerable." Miriam saw that she had his full attention now. He held up a finger indicating that he needed a minute, leaned down and said something softly to Brennan who gave him a radiant smile and snuggled her head back into his shoulder, closing her eyes once again.
"So you want to tell me how it's my fault that she's upset?" Booth asked and Miriam was startled to note the resignation in his voice and the weariness that seemed to be increasing by the second in those watchful brown eyes.
Puzzled, Miriam paused to wonder exactly why he was expecting to be blamed for Brennan's upset. After all, in her opinion it was circumstances and general weariness and stress that was more responsible for this situation than anything. Suddenly it hit her why he expected to be blamed and she silently winced in sympathy. She could see this thing from both sides but she seriously doubted that the group of soldiers who considered Brennan their personal property had even attempted to see things from Booth's point of view. She shuddered to think of how that group had treated this young man whom they, no doubt, saw as an interloper and someone less able to protect someone they cared about than they, themselves, were. Oh, she doubted that it had been done with malicious intent, they would simply attack anything they saw as a threat to Brennan and consider it weeding out the weak. But, apparently, Seeley Booth wasn't weak. After everything that he had been through, he was still standing. Well, good for him, Miriam thought with a soft inner smile, her respect for Brennan's husband raising several notches.
"No, Agent Booth, I want to tell you that Temperance asked me for some advice and I feel that it's only fair that you know what I told her." Miriam assured him and Booth's eyes narrowed suspiciously. In his experience, one friend didn't offer to tell the object of a private discussion between themselves and another friend exactly what had been discussed. So, what was this woman up to? Not that he wasn't interested in what she had to say, he was very interested. He just didn't want to give Brennan a reason to be even more upset by making her feel like he had stepped over a line with her friend so better not. He knew that he was so tired and stressed out that he wasn't even thinking straight anymore and might regret the decision later but, right now, it made perfect sense.
"Look, Miriam, I really appreciate the fact that you're concerned about Bones' welfare but I'm not certain that she would want me to know what you two talked about so I'm going to have to say no thanks." Miriam was left speechless, a rare state of affairs for her, by his softly spoken refusal but Booth didn't notice. His attention was grabbed by a soft hand cupping his jaw and tilting his head down to look into his wife's sleepy blue eyes.
"S'ok, Booth, she can tell you," she slurred barely able to hold her eyes open.
"Are you sure, Baby?" He asked softly, his hand gently stroking her cheek.
"Mmm," she sighed as her eyes fluttered closed. She slowly relaxed against him and Booth knew she was out for the count.
Miriam watched the tender exchange and almost felt like a voyeur. She didn't think she had ever seen two people look at each other in quite that way in all her years. Oh, she and her husband loved each other very, very much and they looked at each other with love, respect and even lust but these two people looked at each other as if no one else in the entire world was necessary, as if each was all the other needed to make them complete. Miriam felt tears stinging her eyes because that was something you just didn't see every day. Surreptitiously wiping her eyes, she looked back up to find Booth's gaze now focused on her. She could tell that he desperately wanted to know what she had been going to say but he had made his position clear and if he wanted to know now, he was going to have to ask for it.
Booth looked at the older woman in indecision. Even though Brennan had technically given him permission to hear whatever Miriam apparently wanted to say, he couldn't be sure that she would feel the same way when she sobered up. So he studied the other woman trying to figure out what her motivation was. He was a little surprised when she met his eyes squarely and he saw none of the avid curiosity that would have been present in Angela's eyes, he saw only calmness. When Miriam glanced at his now sleeping wife, he saw only respect and caring in her eyes. In fact, there was nothing about the other woman that would make him think she was interested in anything other than offering assistance to a friend in need. He was beginning to like this woman. Relaxing and shifting Brennan into a more comfortable position against him, he made his decision.
"What is it that you would like to tell me, Miriam?" He asked with more warmth and had to give the woman credit when she didn't gloat but simply gave him an approving look.
"It might make you feel better, Agent Booth, to know that I would never break the confidence of a friend. I have no intention of telling you what Temperence shared with me, but I thought you might like to hear the advice that I gave her." Booth thought that over, it actually did make him feel better. Nodding, he gave her a genuine smile and waited for her to continue.
Miriam blinked at the warmth and charm behind that smile. She would be willing to bet that Brennan would have one hell of a lot of women hating her guts when they found out that Booth was permanently off the market. She had to wonder how her outspoken, brutally honest friend would handle another woman making a pass at her husband because she could see that Brennan was extremely possessive and she couldn't imagine the other woman just letting something like that pass without retaliation. Damn, she thought, she would pay good money to be in the general vicinity when that happened and witness the fallout. She was so distracted by her thoughts, that it took a moment for her to realize that Booth was speaking to her and focus her attention back on him.
"What advice did you give my life?" he asked, laughter lurking in his eyes. Miriam found herself hoping that hadn't been able to read her mind and she actually blushed at the thought. Booth had no idea what the older woman had been thinking about that she had been chuckling quietly to herself so it must have been good.
"I told her to go to bed and stay there for 24 hours. In fact, I threatened to put a guard on her bedroom door to make sure she does just that. And now, I'm afraid, that I must threaten you with the same thing, Agent Booth," Miriam said calmly.
Booth wasn't entirely sure what he had expected to hear, maybe some sort of female epiphany of wisdom but he certainly hadn't expected the advice to be so mundane. And absolutely right on the money, he realized. He and Brennan were physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. Their tempers were running high and there was no way they could expect to work things out with them both in this kind of shape. He just couldn't believe it taken an outsider to have the sense to tell them to get some rest.
"You're right," he admitted, giving Miriam a look of respect. He felt the need to talk to someone as much as Brennan apparently had but he just didn't know this woman well enough to open up to her and Miriam could easily see this.
"I also told her that maintaining a marriage is not always about who's in the right and who's in the wrong," she said with intensity. If they were going to be on enforced bed rest for 24 hours and have time to think, they might as well be thinking about the same things. "It's not always even about whether you love someone or not." Booth stiffened as if Miriam was questioning his love for Brennan but the look she shot him assured him that this was not the case and he relaxed and paid attention to her words. "It's about genuinely caring about the other person and respecting them enough to at least try to see things from their perspective and not expecting them to always come around to your way of seeing things. In short, Agent Booth, it's about compromise. You have to decide what things in your life are too important to compromise on and build from there." Booth heard the words and knew they were good advice but he was just too tired to think about it right now. Miriam could see that but the seeds have been planted and she had no doubt they would find fertile soil when the couple was more rested.
"Thank you," he told Miriam gratefully, meaning for the advice as well as being available to Brennan when she had badly needed someone to talk to. Looking down and Brennan as she mumbled in her sleep and wiggled into a more comfortable position, he couldn't help but smile. A few hours ago, he had been ready to slay dragons for his princess but, right now, it looked like he needed to put Sleeping Beauty to bed.
"You're welcome. And, Agent Booth, I'm always around if you decide that you need to talk to someone," she offered softly as he stood up. Noting his injured arm and that he was obviously leaving, Miriam got to her feet and started toward the phone. "I'll call one of the guards to carry Temperence back to your room," she offered briskly only to be stopped by what sounded like a growl coming from behind her. She swung around in surprise.
"No!" Booth almost snapped, scooping Brennan up and holding her tightly against his chest. Well, well, well, it would appear that Brennan wasn't the only possessive one in that relationship, Miriam thought with amusement. "I've got her," he said more softly and Miriam nodded biting her lip to keep from laughing. Seconds later, she had opened the door and he was striding down the hall, his entire attention focused on the sleeping woman in his arms as if she were awake and they were having a stimulating conversation. It was no wonder they brought such intensity and passion into even their disagreements, Miriam thought, closing the door behind her departing guests. Those two would still be looking at each other like that when they were ninety because once a bond that strong had been established no one and nothing could break it unless they let it and she was sure that those two were smart enough to never let it something like that happen.