Special thanks to: Lauwy, Phyllis, kareneb(were you referring to this series of stories?), Nelapl, ZinaR, LoveShipper, RobinAngelena, GalaxieGurl (haha yes if that really happened at a crimes scene, I think you described the other characters witnessing it accurately), mendenbar, jsboneslover, hushedgreylily, 554Laura, BonesfanJD (I miss them a lot too), FaithinBones, regbride12, yoshimi0701, grc73(Happy Belated Birthday!) and other guests who reviewed.

Who could forget that scene from Season 3, where Brennan burst in on Booth in the tub? If you need a quick recap, I suggest you go check out FaithinBones' latest chapter to her story Day After Day before reading this. I was just about to post this chapter, when I read her chapter. Great minds!

Anyway, the story idea for this came from me re-watching "The Pain in the Heart". I was thinking to myself, if they were a couple she would never tolerate that. And so here's that thought in a one-shot.

This is set in Season 11, after "The Brother in the Basement".

Beer Hat

It had been a week after Booth had been released from the hospital. His wound was healing well and the injury though initially life-threatening had now become another scar to add to his battered body. He was due to return to work as an FBI Agent once he was cleared by the doctors to return to active field duty. An event which his physicians had postulated would take at least another four more weeks. Brennan under his prompting and satisfied that her husband was no longer in mortal danger had returned to work.

It was a hot summer afternoon and Booth was starting to feel very bored. The kids were with Max and he was alone at home. Channel surfing had lost its charm after lunch and his thoughts began to wander to Jared and how he could've done things differently to prevent his brother's untimely demise. He knew it was futile thinking and he tried hard to find something to do to occupy his mind and time until his wife and children got home.

He remembered the leaky faucet that needed fixing in the childrens' bathroom. The wound from his surgery still stung and it reminded him of its existence with an angry jolt of pain as he rose from the couch.

Wincing, Booth decided that fixing a leaky faucet would have to wait until his wound hurt less. He gingerly walked towards the kitchen, intending to pour himself a glass of water. As he opened the fridge his gaze fell on the six-pack of beer in the corner. Since he was currently on medication, he wasn't allowed any alcoholic beverages. He knew Brennan would kill him if she found out he had a drink. Grabbing a bottle of water he shut the fridge before he could be tempted any further.

As he drank from the bottle, his eyes swept the room. His gaze landed on his beer hat. His aching body reminded him that he had been stuck in a basement, bleeding to death two weeks ago. His muscles ached. How good would a soak in the tub feel?

He remembered his still healing surgical wound. Soaking in a tub was unfortunately also prohibited. An idea suddenly sparked in his head. Carefully he lifted his t-shirt, studying the water-proof bandage that covered the surgical wound. Brennan had been diligent to change his dressing for him nightly after his shower. He remembered that she had informed him that the wound didn't look infected and was healing nicely the night before. He figured that if he filled the tub to a water level that didn't reach his abdominal wound it wouldn't count as soaking in the tub. Not in the way that his surgeon had cautioned against anyway.

His gaze fell on the beer hat again. He turned to look at his closed fridge. His brain tried to remind him not to incur the wrath of his wife but to no avail. Booth glanced at the clock on the wall. It was two-thirty in the afternoon. Plenty of time before his wife got home from work. What Bones doesn't know won't hurt her. He grinned to himself, pleased that he had come up with the idea.

…

Brennan gently turned the keys to her front door. She knew Booth could very well be asleep on the couch and she didn't want to wake him. Carefully she shut the door behind her. Turning she expected to see Booth snoring on the couch. Instead the family room was empty and the television off.

"Booth?"

He was not in the kitchen either. She figured he might have fallen asleep in their bedroom. She knew that this particular injury had taken a toll on his body and he had been more fatigued than usual. She dropped her messenger bag on the couch and strode into their bedroom.

"Booth?"

Their bed was empty. She heard the sounds of rock music blaring from their bathroom. Foreigner. Her brilliant mind put two and two together and her blood boiled. Throwing their bathroom door open she was confronted by a sight she knew she would see. Her husband was soaking blissfully in their tub, beer hat on his head, enjoying a drink with a comic in hand. At least he wasn't smoking a cigar this time she thought sarcastically.

"Booth!" She hit the stop button on the mp3 player.

"Bones! What the hell?! What are you doing home?"

"What the hell?! I should be asking you that! You know you're not supposed to be soaking in a bathtub. And you're drinking beer?! Did you forget that you're still on antibiotics and pain medications? Did you even take them today?!"

"First of all, I did take my antibiotics. I skipped my pain meds cause I wasn't hurting all that much today."

"You should not be soaking in the tub with water that might cause your wound to become infected! How could you be so callous with your life given what you've just been through?!"

"I'm not callous with my life okay?! Take a closer look. I filled the tub with water so that it wouldn't reach my wound. And I figured half a can of beer wouldn't hurt."

"I came home to check on you and this is what I find?! This isn't the first time you've done this, is it?! That's why you were so eager to get me to go back to work!"

Furious, Brennan stormed out of the bathroom.

Enraged as well, Booth rose from the tub, his swift action causing him pain. "Damn it!" He cursed under his breath. He grabbed his side, grimacing, his other hand braced against the tiled wall.

"Booth! Are you okay?" Brennan reappeared in the bathroom.

"I'm okay." He groaned. "Just got up too fast."

"Oh Booth." Seeing him in distress, her anger dissipated. She held out her hand and Booth grudgingly took it, allowing her to help him out of the tub. She grabbed a towel, knowing how much it still hurt for him to bend down to dry himself, she crouched down, helping to dry the lower half of his body. She watched as he gingerly walked to their bed and sat down, removing his beer hat.

She handed him a pair of boxers and waited as he slowly pulled them on.

He looked at her and sighed. "You can say it."

"Say what?"

"I told you so."

Despite her anger, Brennan smiled. "I do not intend to gloat over your current situation but… I told you so."

"Happy now?" He glared at her.

"No. I'm not happy. I'm worried about you. Although your bandage is waterproof, I'd still like to change it. We shouldn't take the risk that water from the tub hadn't seeped in."

"Okay." Booth grimaced as he lay down on their bed. He knew the drill. Brennan washed her hands, pulled on a pair of latex gloves then proceeded to check on his stitches and cover it with a fresh bandage. Under her scrutinizing eyes, he felt like a skeleton on her light table.

"It looks clean and dry." Brennan said as Booth slowly sat up. She pulled off the gloves.

She waited as he let the pain from the movement pass. He glanced at her guiltily. "Look Bones, I'm sorry."

"There's a reason why you should always follow the advice of medical professionals Booth."

"I know. I was bored. It's a hot day. I haven't had a beer in a long time. And then I saw my beer hat. My body ached. I figured I could fill the tub so the water wouldn't reach my bandage. I hadn't had my pain meds and I figured a little beer couldn't hurt. I'm not an alcoholic like my Dad. I'm sorry."

Brennan sat down on the bed next to her husband. "I know you're not like your father, but did you forget you almost died? If we didn't find you in time…"

She closed her eyes, blowing out a breath. "I almost lost you Booth. For a time I was led to believe you were dead!"

Booth took her hand. "I didn't forget. To be honest, I figured I'd be out of the tub before you got home. I didn't mean to make you upset. But I also shouldn't be keeping things from you. I swear, this is the first time I've done this."

"Do you have any idea how mortified I was to come home and see you doing the very things your surgeon told you not to?"

Although it hurt, he turned, brushing his lips against her cheek. "I know what I put you through. I'm so sorry Bones. I didn't think things out properly."

She nodded.

"And I won't soak in the tub again. Not until I can do it with you." He gently nudged her shoulder cheekily.

Her gaze swept his form. The whole episode with his current injury had caused Booth to lose some weight but his physique was still arousing. "You look very alluring."

"I know." He flashed her his charm smile.

"Despite the fact that you've not been able to keep up with your fitness regimen, your physique is still very impressive. If you weren't recovering from surgery, I'd make love to you right now."

"Bones…" Booth groaned. "You're getting me turned on knowing there's nothing I can do about it."

"Take it as pay back for worrying me."

"That's just mean."

Brennan stood with a smile. She picked up his beer hat. "I'll keep this with me for now. This way you won't be tempted into indulging in a drink as well."

"Fine. But you're not getting rid of it."

"I won't."

"Now how about my pain meds?"

"What about them?"

"I think I need them now."

Brennan shook her head. "You just had beer. You'll have to wait at least four hours after."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I'm very serious."

Booth sighed, his wound burning.

Her turn to grin cheekily, Brennan remarked, "Told you so."

"You're not gonna let this one go, are you Bones?"

"Nope."