Author's Note: Here is the last chapter! I'm not sure if Cullen was still Booth's boss is Season 3, but as we weren't introduced to his replacement -Deputy Director Hacker- until Season 5, I am going to assume that Deputy Director Cullen is still Booth's boss.
FBI Deputy Director Sam Cullen was not happy. That much was obvious. He was unhappy at being kept late at work on a Friday and he was even more unhappy with the reason. He had just been getting ready to go home when he'd received a call from a very contrite sounding Agent Booth, requesting, no, begging Cullen to see him, saying he had an issue that simply couldn't wait. Cullen was unsure why he had agreed to the meeting, after all he is Booth's boss. It would have been well within reason for him to say no, it can wait until Monday. But he knew how persistent Booth could be, and now, his best agent was sitting at the other side of this desk, accompanied by his unconventional partner.
Neither of the pair had said a word yet, but they didn't have to. Cullen knew why they were here. Dr Sweets had paid him a visit just a couple of hours previously and had told him, among other things, exactly what the partners had been getting up to in secret. Cullen had been furious, but then the FBI psychologist had surprised him by pleading with him not to split them up. Sweets told him that in his professional opinion, Booth and Brennan were capable of keeping their relationship from affecting the success levels of their jobs and saw no reason why they shouldn't be allowed to continue to work together as partners.
Cullen had had to concede that Dr Sweets had a point. If Agent Booth and Dr Brennan had been romantically involved for the amount of time that Sweets alleged they had been, it certainly hadn't shown. Whilst Sam had always suspected there was something going on between the pair, they had always insisted they were 'just partners'. Now he knew otherwise, Cullen found he was mad that they kept it a secret from him, but also, not surprised in the slightest. Their solve rate had become one of the best in the country in the few short years that they had been working together, and from what he knew of the pair, they would avoid anything that might jeopardise either their partnership or that success. That obviously included keeping their relationship a secret from everyone, including the psychologist assigned to them to assess their effectiveness as partners. Cullen knew Dr Sweets quite well; in fact, he was the one who had appointed him to his position, and he knew he was a brilliant young psychologist. How the hell Booth and Brennan had managed to pull the wool over his eyes was a mystery.
Sweets had also informed Cullen about the error in judgement he'd made in not telling Dr Brennan that Agent Booth was alive when he'd had to go into hiding. It had actually been the purpose of the psychologist's visit to the Deputy Director; to admit his transgression and to offer his resignation. Cullen had been saddened and annoyed by Sweets' error but he refused to accept his resignation. Even though it was Cullen's opinion that Sweets should have told Dr Brennan the truth – regardless of the status of their personal relationship. He felt sorry for the kid. After all, he wasn't the only one Agent Booth and Dr Brennan had managed to deceive, and it was Cullen's opinion that the error didn't warrant a resignation. Instead, he decided to give Sweets a second chance. However, his misdemeanour was serious enough that a formal warning would be added to his record, but he could return to work on the condition that in no uncertain terms would anything like this ever happen again. If it did, he would be instantly dismissed. Dr Sweets had accepted the terms gratefully and promised he would be on his best behaviour.
Cullen had decided that instead of calling Agent Booth in, he would wait and see how long it would take him to come clean about what had been going on between him and Dr Brennan. Cullen had a wager with himself that it would take Booth at least a week before he decided to come clean, but he had been out by quite a wide margin, as it had taken Booth literally hours to come and make his confession which had only added to Sam's irritation. He couldn't believe his instincts had been so off. Sam Cullen had been an exceptional special agent in his time, as good as, if not better than his current best agent – one Seeley Booth, but he was wondering now if his years behind a desk instead of being out in the field had dulled his abilities.
Eager to get this done so he could go home to his wife and have dinner, he sat forward in his office chair and rested his elbows on the desk, his hands clasped together on the blotter.
"So, Agent Booth, Doctor Brennan. What is it you have come to see me about that is so urgent it couldn't wait until Monday?"
Agent Booth was usually unflappable, but he was clearly agitated as he kept tugging at the knot on his blue tie and shifting in his seat nervously. "Well, sir, it's like this. Erm… Dr Brennan and I…"
Irritated by Booth's indirect explanation, Brennan interjected. "Agent Booth and I have been engaging in sexual intercourse in the pursuit of a long-term monogamous relationship."
"BONES!" Booth scolded from behind clenched teeth. His face growing an increasingly deep shade of scarlet.
Cullen sat back in his chair. It was taking everything he had to supress an involuntary laugh that had threatened to break free in response to Dr Brennan's blunt explanation. There was a time when he couldn't stand the woman. She was brash, arrogant, dispassionate, and relied too much on science instead of the gut instincts that were an important attribute for anyone working with the FBI. However, she had grown on him over time, proving time and again that her skills far outweighed her shortcomings. Cullen had even caught a glimpse of a heart under her hard exterior once or twice. Never more so than when she had fought so hard to find who was responsible for allowing a cancerous bone graft to be transplanted into his beloved daughter, Amy. Amy had passed more than a year ago and Sam felt her loss every day but knowing that thanks to Dr Brennan and Booth that the person responsible for her death was now behind bars and that Amy's bravery allowed them to find other victims and save their lives gave him that small crumb of comfort he needed to continue his life without her.
Composing himself, Cullen leaned forward again and put on his sternest poker face. The decision to allow them to remain partners was a no-brainer, but that didn't mean Sam didn't want to toy with them a little bit as a small measure of payback for their deception and for making him stay at work late.
"I see. You are aware that it's against the rules to fraternise with other personnel within the FBI, don't you?"
"But I don't work within the FBI. I work for the Jeffersonian." Brennan protested.
"Bones, you are really not helping." Booth said to her with a look that was pleading with her to just keep quiet.
"Even so, you are partnered with an FBI agent and that is still against the rules."
Cullen waited and observed as his words sank in. The devastation on both their faces was plain to see.
"Sir-" Booth began in an attempt to try to rescue the situation.
"However," Cullen interrupted, feeling like he'd toyed with them enough and he really did want to go home sometime soon. "your success rate, the fact that Dr Brennan is a contractor and not an FBI employee and the fact that no one here had a god-damn clue about what was going on between you two, means that I'm willing to make an exception just this once."
"Thank you, Sir," Booth began to gush in relief, but Cullen held up a hand to stop him.
"On the condition that your work relationship continues to be professional and that whatever is going on between you doesn't have any impact on the quality of your work. Is that understood?"
Both partners nodded, looking a bit shell shocked at his about-face but at the same time looking incredibly relieved.
"I am also recommending an extension to your weekly partnership assessments with an FBI psychologist."
Brennan and Booth glanced at each other and awkwardly turned their heads back towards Cullen. He was about to warn them that seeing the FBI psychologist was non-negotiable when Brennan said "With Dr Sweets?"
"Yes, Dr Sweets. Why? Is that a problem?" Cullen would order them to do it if he had to. He knew both Booth and Dr Brennan could be stubborn, but he wasn't about to allow them to hold a grudge against Dr Sweets unnecessarily. It was time to be adults about the situation.
"No Sir." Booth said quickly. "It's just that we were under the impression that he'd quit. That was kinda the other thing we came here to talk to you about."
"You want him to quit?" Cullen asked, narrowing his eyes.
"No Sir!" Booth replied quickly. "I wanted to request that he not be fired. He made a mistake, but he didn't have all the information he required to make the correct decision. It wasn't entirely Sweets' fault, Sir."
"Knowing what I know now, I have to agree. This situation and his error could easily have been avoided." Cullen said harshly while staring pointedly at the partners.
Booth felt his cheeks reddening again. While he had anticipated being reprimanded for hiding their relationship, it didn't make it feel any less uncomfortable. "Bones and I, we should have told the truth from the beginning. We know that now, don't we, Bones?"
He looked at Brennan waiting for her agreement, but she looked decidedly cranky, prompting Booth to stare at her, trying to communicate with her in that unspoken language they seemed to have, warning her that she needed to agree.
Brennan's gaze grudgingly met Booth's and she knew she had to acquiesce. Even though they had discussed their plan on the way to the Hoover, Brennan still didn't want to accept any blame for Sweets' blunder. Their relationship was their own private business and no one else's. However, knowing that admitting blame made it more likely they would get the result they wanted made her nod her head in agreement and utter "Yes" through her teeth.
Cullen almost laughed again at Dr Brennan's reluctant agreement to Booth's subservient words. "Dr Sweets did offer his resignation, but I declined to accept it. He will be on probation for a while, but he will still be your assigned shrink." Cullen had expected a refusal from the pair and accordingly gave them a stare that dared them to argue. But, to his surprise, it was unnecessary as they both nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to go home."
Understanding it was a dismissal, Booth grabbed Brennan's hand as he got to his feet taking her with him. However just as they reached the office door, Cullen called after them.
"Agent Booth? Doctor Brennan?" They both turned in unison, their trepidation obvious. "I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you. Don't give me a reason to regret my decision to allow this."
"Yes Sir." Booth said before placing his hand on his partner's lower back, ushering her through the door. "Let's go, Bones."
Deputy Director Cullen leaned back in his chair and shook his head, smiling to himself. Life was certainly never dull with those two around. He slipped on his jacket and grabbed his briefcase before heading for the door, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and making a call.
"Hi Honey, listen have you started dinner yet? Good. How about I grab some take out on my way home instead. Hmmm, I don't know, I think I'm in the mood for Thai..."
0-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-0
Walking away from Cullen's office, Booth and Brennan couldn't help but feel a profound relief at how their impromptu meeting had just gone. Booth had known that they would have to come clean about their relationship, that Bones was now his partner in more than just a professional capacity, and also accept some blame for what had happened. What Booth hadn't anticipated though was the fact that Sweets had obviously already told Cullen before they had gotten the opportunity. Cullen's poker face was one of the best, but Booth thought he had taken their news too much in his stride, that he hadn't really seemed surprised. Angry? Sure. But not surprised. Meaning only one thing – that he already knew and the only person that could possibly have told him was Sweets. Booth was still uncertain if Sweets had done him a favour by telling Cullen before him or not. Had he taken some of the sting out of the revelation? Most likely. But Booth wondered if that hadn't been his motivation for doing it. He wondered if maybe he had done it to get Booth into trouble, but he thought that wasn't Sweets' style. Although, he had also thought it wouldn't have been his style to not tell Bones the truth, so clearly, Booth hadn't got Sweets sized up quite as well as he thought he had.
Both the partners were deep in thought, and not a single word had passed between them since they had left Cullen's office. They reached the elevator and when the doors eventually opened, they stepped inside the car, Booth's hand still resting on the small of Brennan's back, the navy-blue velvet fabric soft under his fingertips. It reminded him about how before they had gotten together, he would feel an almost overwhelming urge to hold her, be able to touch her in more ways than just his hand on her back. Then, they became a couple, but it was a secret, and he was still unable to touch her in case he gave away what they were hiding. Now though, it didn't matter if anyone knew about them. Their jobs and partnership were no longer at risk. He smiled and slipped his hand around Bones' waist and pulled her closer to him. He knew Cullen had told them they needed to keep it professional, but it was just them in the elevator for the time being, and it's not like they were making out. He just needed to have her close. A few short hours ago he had thought they were over. Now, she was here at his side again, and very irrationally, at that present moment, he felt like he would never be able to let her get further away than this ever again.
Brennan looked at him questioningly when she felt his hand at her waist but didn't object to his display of affection. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, subtly angling her body so she was pressed closer to him. When the elevator reached their floor and the doors slid open, Booth released her with a reluctant sigh and they exited the car.
Brennan stopped abruptly when she saw what floor they were on. She was expecting them to be in the parking lot, but they were still in the main building, on the third floor. She hadn't been paying attention as they had descended through the building. She had been enjoying the sensation of Booth holding her close but also, her mind had been whirring, replaying and processing everything that had just happened in Deputy Director Cullen's office and the last twenty-four hours.
"Booth, why are we stopping on this floor? I thought we were going home now."
"We are Bones, there's just something we need to do first."
He took her hand and led her down the corridor until they reached the door to Sweets' office.
"Sweets?" She asked, puzzled as to why Booth thought they needed to see him when Deputy Director Cullen had made it clear that their jobs and partnership were safe. She was still angry at the FBI psychologist, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to temper her reaction to him when her feelings about everything that had happened were still so raw.
"Yeah." Booth said as he opened the outer office door and knocked on the door that led to Sweets' inner office. He knew Bones was still angry and so was he, but he felt it was important to put it behind them, to forgive Sweets for his mistake.
There was no response to Booth's knocking, and he thought maybe the kid had gone home for the day but as he peeked through a tiny crack in the blinds, he could see him sat at his desk, his back to the door.
Booth opened the door and Sweets turned around in his seat, surprise and a little fear registering on his tired and drawn features.
"Agent Booth, Doctor Brennan." Sweets greeted them wondering what the partners wanted now. They had both made it startlingly clear that they were angry and didn't want to work with him anymore. Sweets quickly surmised nothing good was going to come from their spontaneous appearance at his office and he fervently wished he had gone home instead of staying to catch up on the work he had fallen behind with while he had been clearing up his mess earlier in the day.
"We just came to let you know, Sweets, that we've been to see Deputy Director Cullen and he has allowed us to continue with our partnership." Booth said in a carefully neutral tone, trying not to allow his remaining anger or the resentment he still felt become apparent in his voice.
Sweets smiled softly, secretly pleased that the deputy director had heeded his plea to allow Booth and Dr Brennan to continue working together. "That's… good to know. Is that all you came to see me about?"
"No. I also came to tell you that I know you told him about us."
"He did?" Brennan asked, surprised. Cullen had not mentioned anything about Sweets telling him and Brennan wondered how Booth knew.
Booth nodded at Bones and raised a brow at Sweets as he waited for his response. Eventually, the psychologist gathered enough courage to answer, realising at this point in their tumultuous relationship that the truth was best.
"Yes, I did. But only because I had to explain what I had done. I went to offer my resignation, but Cullen refused it."
"We know. He told us. Look Sweets, I want to apologise. I shouldn't have threatened you this morning, that was out of line and I'm sorry, ok?"
"Apology accepted, Agent Booth. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry about what I did to you both. Truly I am. If I'd have known…"
"We know, Sweets." Brennan said in a much gentler tone than the last time she had spoken to him. She could not easily forgive Sweets like Booth seemed to have done, but the fact that their situation had been resolved meant she no longer felt quite as much animosity towards him.
"Can I ask…" Sweets said tentatively. "Are you still together? Like romantically, not just as partners?"
The look that passed between Booth and Dr Brennan told Sweets everything he needed to know without them saying a word. He smiled again, a little broader this time and said as they both refocussed their attention on him, their hands linking together, "I'm glad. Really, I am."
"Look, Sweets." Booth said, offering his olive branch. "Cullen has told us we need to continue our sessions with you and your contributions to our cases have sometimes been valuable. I think we all could use a little time to cool off and to begin to trust each other again. Then, maybe, you can work with us on our cases again."
Sweets nodded "Yes, I'd like that, very much."
"On one condition though, Sweets. No more god-damn experiments. Do you hear me?"
Sweets nodded again and smiled, a moment of understanding passing between the special agent and the psychologist. The friendship and camaraderie that had been building between them had undoubtedly been damaged, but it wasn't beyond repair. Sweets knew he had a lot of work to do before the partners trusted him again, but he was prepared to put in the effort to salvage what was left of their relationship.
Booth turned his gaze to Brennan, expectantly, waiting to see if she was going to say anything else to Sweets. She had made her feelings about Booth's plan clear earlier on in the car on the way here. He didn't expect her to forgive Sweets straight away, but that didn't mean that he didn't hope that she would change her mind. He didn't want her to compartmentalise any resentment she might be harbouring. He knew how anger could eat you up inside if you didn't deal with it and he didn't want that for her. He wanted her to finally have some peace after everything she had been through and forgiving Sweets was one of the first steps to achieving that. Besides, they were still going to be working with him having therapy sessions, and for that to be successful, for them to remain partners, the relationship between the three of them had to be repaired.
Brennan knew why Booth was staring at her, brows raised, his chocolate brown eyes boring into her azure blues. The connection that had been forged between them early on in their partnership had only intensified after their relationship became more intimate. He was the only one she understood, and she knew what he was trying to communicate. He wanted her to say something to Sweets that would absolve him, to effectively unburden herself of the enmity she still felt towards him. But she couldn't manage it, she wasn't ready to release it. Despite how unhealthy Booth claimed it to be to hold onto it. After all, she still hated psychology, now more than ever.
When Booth realised Bones wasn't going to say anything, he sighed quietly. They were both tired and it was clearly a battle he wasn't going to win right then, that it was going to have to wait for another day.
He glanced back at Sweets before turning back to Brennan and said "Let's leave Sweets alone now, huh Bones? He's obviously got a lot of work to do."
Brennan nodded one curt nod and turned to smile politely at Sweets. "Goodnight, Sweets."
"Goodnight, Dr Brennan." He replied, sad with the knowledge that his relationship with her was going to be much more difficult to repair.
Booth threw his arm around Brennan's shoulder as they walked away from Sweets' office, pulling her close to him. After such a stressful day, he wanted to have her close and do something normal, something fun.
"Shall we get some dinner, Bones? I don't know about you, but it's been a long day and I'm starving."
Brennan, realising that she hadn't eaten anything all day quickly agreed. "Yes, that sounds wonderful."
"Take-out or diner?"
"Let's get take-out. I'm tired and would very much like to go to bed after we've eaten."
"Oh yeah?" Booth said, a flirty smile creeping across his face.
Brennan dug her elbow into his ribs and a small chuckle escaped her lips as Booth jumped to dodge her jab. "I meant to sleep, Booth." She said, teasing him.
"I don't care, Bones. We've got plenty of time for both. We've got all the time in the world."
0-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-0
A phone ringing roused Booth from sleep a few hours later. He automatically reached for his phone, but when he held it up in front of his bleary eyes, he discovered it wasn't his cell making the sound.
He gently nudged Bones' sleeping form beside him. She looked so peaceful that Booth felt bad for waking her, but he knew she needed to answer the phone. For somebody to be calling at this time of night it was bound to be important.
Getting no response from his sleeping partner, Booth reached over her body to the nightstand at her side of the bed to seize the still ringing phone. He thought twice about continuing trying to wake Bones when he saw Angela's name flashing at him on the caller ID. Bones needed to sleep. He knew she had barely gotten any sleep in the past few weeks, and he suspected that Angela was calling to simply gossip, but it wasn't beyond the bounds of possibility that it was something urgent or work related so he reluctantly tried to wake her again.
"Bones!" He said as he gently prodded at her shoulder. "Wake up, you've got a call."
Booth's words finally penetrated Brennan's unconsciousness. She opened her eyes and slid into an upright position, taking the phone from Booth's hand.
"Hello?" Brennan said into the phone groggily.
"Sorry Sweetie, did I wake you?"
"Yes, Angela." Brennan knew she sounded tetchy, but the couple of hours sleep she'd just had were some of the best she'd had in weeks and she was irritated at them being cut short.
"Sorry Honey, I know it's late, but I wanted to check on you, make sure you were ok. I didn't see you again after I spoke to you this afternoon and I've been worried about you."
"I'm fine, Angela."
"Sweetie, forgive me for not believing you, but you've told me several times recently that you're 'fine' and you weren't so I'm gonna need a bit more detail than that."
Brennan sighed. Her best friend was tenacious, and it often frustrated Brennan but she was extremely grateful to Angela for everything she had done for her, for being there when Brennan thought she had no one. "I'm at Booth's apartment, the FBI now know about us, I had pizza for dinner, and before we fell asleep we had very satisfying intercourse. Is that enough detail, Angela?"
Out of the corner of her eye, at the mention of the very satisfying intercourse, Brennan saw Booth sit bolt upright in bed and move within her line of sight, imploring her with wide, incredulous eyes to not talk anymore to Angela about sex. She rolled her eyes at him with a grin and swung her legs out of bed, picking up Booth's discarded white shirt with her free hand and slipping it on before walking out of the bedroom and heading towards to the kitchen to finish the phone call without Booth eavesdropping.
Angela's delighted chuckle sounded from the other end of the phone and Brennan felt an answering smile spread across her face.
"I'm so happy for you, Sweetie. So, everything is okay between you? And you can still work together?"
"Yes. We have to continue our partners therapy with Sweets, but otherwise Deputy Director Cullen has allowed us to continue with our partnership."
"So, it's not a secret anymore?"
Knowing where she was headed with this, Brennan pleaded with her best friend "No, it's not a secret, but please don't tell anyone, Ange. We want to tell people ourselves in our own time."
"Ok, Sweetie, I get it. Hey, maybe we could go on a double date! Sometime soon."
Brennan laughed. The differences between Brennan and Angela were numerous and people often wondered why they were friends, but Brennan loved Angela. She loved her exuberance, her passion for life and her carefree spirit. In many ways, she was an antithetical personality to Brennan and sometimes, that was exactly what she needed.
"Yes, Angela. That sounds nice. Can I go back to bed now?"
"Oh? For more of that satisfying sex you mentioned?" Angela teased and Brennan could almost hear the smile in her voice.
"No, for sleep! Goodnight, Ange."
"Night, Sweetie."
Brennan ended the call and placed her phone on the kitchen counter. She was just reaching for a glass from the cupboard above the sink when she felt a pair of strong arms slide around her waist and lips at her ear.
"Come back to bed, Bones." He whispered softly in her ear, his wandering hands making it obvious he didn't mean for sleep.
She filled the glass from the faucet and took a draft before placing the glass in the sink and leaning back into his firm chest. He tightened his arms around her as she laid her head back on his shoulder, allowing his lips better access to the spot on her neck that he knew drove her wild. "What happened to getting some sleep?" She asked with a soft moan.
"I've had enough sleep for now. But I'll never have enough of you."
Without warning, she spun around in his arms and pressed her lips to his, taking him by surprise. They kissed passionately, their tongues twisting together, filled with the promise of what was to come until Brennan abruptly pulled back.
"Booth…" She was still having to remind herself that he was really here with her. That she hadn't lost him, either through his needless death or her own stubbornness. She needed him to know exactly how she felt, and she could do that now. She had nothing left to lose. She had already lost everything and somehow miraculously found it again and she didn't want her inability to express her emotions to hold her back anymore. She thought the words she needed to say would be difficult, but to her surprise, they came easily. "…I used to think that my work was the most important thing in my life. It gave me reason and purpose, and I thought it was far more important than any one person. It is still important; our work is important. But I see now, nothing in my life is more important to me than you. You are my reason for living, Booth."
Booth felt tears welling in his eyes at her heartfelt confession. "Temperance…" He whispered, pausing to swallow the lump from his throat. "…and you are my reason. For everything."
A small laugh of amazement bubbled on Brennan's lips. She never, ever thought she would have this. Never mind accept it or feel so comfortable admitting it. She pressed her lips to his once again. Hard. As he scooped her up in his arms to carry her to the bedroom, to prove once and for all that they belonged to each other and that was exactly how it was supposed to be.
A/N: I hope you have enjoyed this story! Please leave me a review if you liked it and hopefully I will be back soon with another fic. Thank you for reading!