A/N: Thank you for all of the feedback on the first two chapters! It was definitely what I need to motivate me to finish my outline. I have about 7 chapters completely written... four of them need a few tweaks, and I have outlined four more and an epilogue, so I mean... either I'm sorry or you're welcome, depending on how you feel about where I take this. *shrug*
By the time Bones arrived at the crime scene, Cam and Clark were finishing up and preparing the body for transport back to the lab. For all intents and purposes, she looked as put together as ever, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her Squint Suit zipped up. The sunglasses perched on her face despite the heavy clouds overhead were the only thing that could have been deemed out of place to the trained eye, but she was always harping about the UV index and cornea damage anyway, so it probably wasn't that out of place.
"Why did you come by and wake me up if you weren't going to wait for me?." Bones asked in annoyance as she approached where he'd been standing taking notes of what Clark and Cam rhymed off to him. "You didn't even tell me there was a case before you took off." She accused him, though she sounded more confused than anything else, and he felt Cam's very accusing eyes on him. She'd told him Brennan hadn't answered and asked if he could swing by for her. After he had done just that, he'd told Cam he couldn't get ahold of Bones and that she should just bring Clark.
"Yea, uh, you seemed preoccupied, so…" He stammered, remembering how she'd so brazenly walked past him with her breasts and ass on display.
"I could have been ready in under ten minutes." She countered, scowling at him, and he muttered under his breath that he stopped by over an hour ago and she was just arriving.. "You know I don't like anyone touching the remains before I arrive."
"It's perfectly fine, Dr. Brennan." Cam interrupted. "Dr. Edison wanted the extra practical experience." She told her, ever the peacekeeper.
"I did?" Clark asked, and Booth wanted to slap the kid across the back of the head. He was supposed to be one of the more socially adept ones, and he was missing all the damn subtext of the conversation.
"Well, perhaps his education would have benefitted from his teacher being present." Bones replied with a sarcastic lilt to her voice that he'd typically compliment her on if he hadn't just walked in on her fuck-fest with his boss.
"Yea, well, you looked pretty hungover there." He pointed out, hoping she'd just fucking drop it. He could probably be the one to drop it too by just telling her she was right and he was sorry, and god forbid he ever do it again, but he wasn't feeling charitable enough at that exact moment. Truth be told, he was feeling a little spiteful and bitter.
"I took an aspirin, and I adequately rehydrated." She countered angrily as Cam and Clark climbed out of the grave and began their trek back toward the Jeffersonian van. "I'm a genius. Even at my worst, I'm better than most of your FBI techs at their best." she snarked, and he was on the receiving end of several glares and scoffs from said FBI techs. They'd taken to just blaming him for not her outbursts over the years, claiming it was his job to handle her and tell her when she was out of line. It happened so often that they found being pissed off or offended too exhausting.
"Yes, well you know, you had company." He told her, unable to keep the bitterness out of his tone. She knew how he'd felt about her dating Hacker before. It should not have been a surprise to her that he still wasn't a fan.
"And that's a problem?" She asked, crossing her arms defiantly as she glared up at him, challenging him to tell her that he had any right to dictate who she brought to her bed. He knew he didn't. He wasn't her keeper, contrary to the FBI techs' belief.
"No, not all. I mean, our conversation last night seems like a lifetime ago now, doesn't it?" He asked her, crossing his arms to match her stance. She scoffed, as if dismissing him, though she looked hurt by the mere mention of it. He knew she didn't like being vulnerable and she had really opened up last night, letting it all out into the air in a very Un-Bonesy way. Knowing that, when she turned to stalk away, he should have just given it to her, the last word, or scoff as it were; he knew he should have kept his mouth shut, but he didn't, and the words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to filter them. "You know what they say, the best way to get over one guy is to get under another."
He heard the slap and the collective gasps before he actually felt the sting of her palm on his face and registered her expression, eyes wide and wild and chin trembling as if she was fighting tears. He had no idea where her sunglasses had gone, but he'd give anything not to see the betrayal in her eyes. Time stood frozen for a second time in the last 24 hours, agents and scientists all standing or crouching in place as if terrified to move or speak until Bones turned and stalked away from him, returning to her car and peeling away from the scene like she'd committed the crime herself.
He tried to ignore the sick feeling rising up in his chest and the stares and shaking heads as he walked back to his truck. He ignored Cam's voice calling his name as he climbed into his seat and slammed his fist against the steering wheel before pulling away. Had he really just said that to her? He knew it was because it was Hacker, as if she deliberately fucked the one guy one the planet that would piss him off because he didn't return her feelings anymore.
"Heard about the big event at the crime scene today." Angela commented as she strode into Bone Storage where Brennan had been working since she returned from the scene.
Brennan spared her friend a glance before returning to her task. "The one where I was deemed unnecessary for my job or the one where the man that I— where my friend and partner accused me of having spiteful intercourse?"
Ange shrugged, placing a cup of coffee down on the table next to Brennan's notepad. "Both I guess." She replied, taking a sip of her own coffee. "The more important question is this: do you remember the sex 'cause you sounded way out of it when he was in the shower."
"I did not have sexual intercourse with Andrew." She said simply, shaking her head. "He was in the shower because I threw up on him." She clarified with a cringe, feeling a renewed embarrassment bloom in her chest, and Angela released a cackling laugh. "It's not funny. I would have much preferred to satisfy my biological urges with someone I know and trust. Instead, I vomited all over him and became comatose in my underwear."
Angela shook her head, rubbing her swollen belly. "I'm sorry, Sweetie, but it's been a long time since I've seen Bren Gone Wild, and I'm sorry I missed it." Brennan rolled her eyes and couldn't help the small smile playing on her lips. "So, Booth called me last night, and I went by your place to check on you. He, uh, told me about your adventure to Woodland Park and the conversation you had in his car." Brennan's smile faded quickly and she nodded slowly. "You ok?" Ange asked, and she felt her resolve falter.
"I don't really know." She confessed. "I missed my chance. He— he offered himself to me and I ran away. I missed my chance because I wasn't ready, and by the time I realized that I didn't want to spend another moment not loving him, he— he had fallen in love with someone else." Brennan put the bone in her hand down, and lifted the coffee mug to her mouth. She needed to gather her thoughts and took a long sip, letting the hot liquid travel through her body and warm her insides, trying to banish the chill she'd felt since she was caught in the rain in Woodland Park.. "What do I do now? Part of me is hoping his relationship will fall apart, and I can have another chance, but another part of me wants nothing more than to see him happy, and Hannah makes him happy. Am I terrible?"
"Move on, Bren." Angela spoke bluntly without hesitation. "I mean it. Move on. You deserve to be happy too. Maybe… maybe you needed to open yourself to Booth, needed him to break open your tough little shell, so that when you meet the guy you're supposed to spend the rest of your life loving, you'll be ready for him." Angela's words sounded nice, but they seemed far too whimsical for Brennan's tastes. She nodded, nonetheless, letting the idea roll around in her head. "Maybe Booth was only meant to be a catalyst."
"I can't imagine opening myself to anyone else the way that I've opened up to Booth." She admitted. Booth was familiar, he knew her because he'd picked away at her shell and when peeked inside at all of metaphorical scars, they didn't scare him away.
Angela reached over and squeezed Brennan's hand. "That's because you haven't let anyone else in yet. There's always a first time for everything, and then… every time after that gets easier and easier." Brennan nodded. Angela made sense, and she seemed satisfied that her advice had been driven home because she took her coffee and headed for the door. "Maybe you should give Andrew a chance. If anything, you get laid and you get to piss Booth off a little for that comment at the crime scene." She said, leaving before Brennan had a chance to respond.
When Booth walked into Cam's office the next afternoon, having spent the previous evening ignoring her texts and phone calls, he knew to expect an epic inquisition, but figured he'd try to avoid it. "Got any updates from your squints?" He asked her, aiming for casualness, but she turned slowly, raising a brow at him.
"We're just going to pretend you didn't make a total ass of yourself at a crime scene yesterday?" She asked, crossing her arms expectantly. When he chose not to respond she continued. "Seeley, what the hell happened?" She demanded, though she sounded more like his life-long friend than the professional liaison, for which he was grateful.
Sighing, he sat down in front of her desk, recounting the events leading up to his and Bones' crime scene showdown. "Look, I don't even know why I said it. Of course, I want to see her happy, just not…" He sighed loudly, desperately wishing his words didn't sound so pathetic.
"Not with someone who isn't you." Cam finished his sentence, and he glared at her. That wasn't at all what he'd meant.
"No! I love Hannah. I'm happy with Hannah. I want Bones to be happy too, but… c'mon… Hacker? Hacker?" He asked emphatically. "He's my damn boss. She could screw every other guy in DC, and I'd be perfectly happy for her, but not Hacker." He shook his head, trying to clear it of the imagery again. "Isn't there a cooling off period after a woman tells you she's in love with you before she spends the night riding your coworker's dick?" he asked bitterly, cringing at the imagery he'd just put into his own head.
"You forfeited your right to decide who she sleeps with when you told her 'no'." Cam told him matter-of-factly. "Just like she did when she told you 'no'. You had the opportunity to choose someone who makes you happy and move on from your feelings for Brennan. Let her choose whoever makes her happy to move on from you. You don't have a say in the matter." she continued, and he knew she was right.
Would he be able to adjust to his boss screwing his best friend? Bones had befriended Hannah and invited her to all the girly shit she did with Ange and Cam, and that must have killed her. Would she expect him to get chummy with Hacker?
"If you don't change your tune, you could lose her entirely." Cam warned, as if she could read his thoughts. They'd already grown apart since they'd returned to DC, in part because much of his free time was spent with Hannah. What would happen when they were both settled down with significant others? Their only time together outside of work would be couple shit? He realized how selfish his thoughts were; trying to keep Bones at arm's length, but also ready and waiting for him when he found himself with free time. "You can't have your cake and eat it too, Seeley."
"I know." Booth agreed, nodding solemnly. "She in her office?" He asked, rising from the chair.
"She's been in Limbo. Pretty sure she spent the night there. She's not even working on this case. Probably out of spite to show us all how difficult life can be when we freeze her out." Cam told him, casting a knowing look at him, and he looked at her with horror. Maybe he'd already pushed her too far. Had she really been that upset about not being there to process the scene? She was probably more pissed off about his comment, maybe even a little embarrassed.
He strode purposefully toward Limbo, his heart hammering in his chest. He entered to find her standing at a table with a skeleton laid out before her, so he cleared his throat to make her aware of his presence. He spoke up finally when she didn't even bother to acknowledge him. "Bones…" He said quietly as if she would spook at the sound of his voice.
"Don't call me Bones." She muttered, her voice completely devoid of any emotion, and her attention remaining on the bone in her hand as she jotted something down on a notepad next to her. Was she serious? They were going to revert back to that?
"C'mon, Bo— Temperance." He caught himself. The last thing he wanted was a second argument before he smoothed over the first one.
"You may address me by my professional title." She told him, her voice cold and calm. He'd heard her speak to murderers with more emotion in her voice. "Dr. Brennan." she added slowly, glancing up at him only briefly with raised brows, as if she thought he was a moron who didn't know her title.
"Bones, we've been friends for years. You want me to call you Dr. Brennan now?" He asked her incredulously, approaching the table slowly, as if any sudden movements might result in another slap or a pen to carotid. He probably deserved both.
"The last time I checked, friends don't call each other whores." She seethed at him through clenched teeth, finally raising her furious gaze to his face. He almost regretted the eye contact upon seeing the hatred and hurt reflecting in hers.
"I didn't—"
"You did!" She shouted at him, placing the bone down and rounding the table. "You inferred it." She clarified, and he knew she was right. He had gone for the jugular with that comment. Leave it to her to finally be able to pick up the subcontext of what he'd said at the worst possible moment. "You spent YEARS picking away at me, breaking down my– my proverbial armour, making me FEEL things. You were relentless in your assault of my carefully built walls, never satisfied until you completely tore down every last bit of imperviousness I had." She accused him, poking her finger into his chest. "I am a rational person, Agent Booth." She spat his name like it was a foul taste in her mouth. "I understand that I took too long, I wasn't ready when you were, and you've moved on, I can accept and support that, but now I'm left here with all of these… these broken pieces, pieces that YOU broke. I was fine just the way I was, and YOU broke me. I was fine alone, and now I'm not. You don't get to judge me for doing whatever I feel is necessary to reclaim what you took." He stood silently, watching as she angrily swiped a tear from her cheek. "I owe you no explanations for my actions." He swallowed hard, allowing her words to sink in. Was that how she really felt? How she'd viewed their relationship?
"You're right." he nodded. "I am sorry. I had no right to say what I said to you." he told her, wondering what it was worth to her, but his friend had already disappeared before his eyes, and Dr. Brennan of seven years ago was standing in front of him, glaring at him like she'd done back then, when she'd called him a bully. He felt like a bully after that comment at the crime scene.
"I'm very busy. This area is restricted. Please find your forensics liaison and return to the main lab area." She spoke quietly, returning to the other side of the table and picking up the bone she'd been holding when he entered. Her mask was back in place. Her emotions were tucked away in a box at the back of her closet.
He lingered in the doorway for a moment, watching her as if it might be the last he'd ever see of her. "You know, I did those things, tried to show you there was more to the world than the walls of your lab, I—I did all of that because I loved you, and I wanted to share all those things with you." he spoke softly. "Not because I thought there was anything wrong with you. I– I just wanted to show you what else there was."
She was silent for a long moment, and he supposed he wasn't going to get a response from her. When he turned to walk away, he heard her scoff. "Loved." She said under her breath, and he paused only briefly before continuing his walk away from her.
Booth tried not to sigh audibly when Hacker entered his office. He hadn't thought the week could possibly get any worse, and low and behold— Andrew fucking Hacker.
"Agent Booth." Hacker spoke awkwardly. "Uh, listen." he chuckled, and Booth silently counted to ten, reminding himself that punching his boss could result in criminal charges, or worse, losing his job. "I imagine you're wondering why I was in Temperance's apartment the other day." Booth felt his fist clench under his desk. Was he serious right now? Just because he screwed Bones, didn't mean they were best buddies now, ready to spill the sordid details of her, no doubt creative and talented, techniques in the sack.
"Sir, no need to explain. Really." he said firmly, hoping this would be the end of the conversation. "It's none of my business." Booth assured him quickly before the other man could get into any details of what he did with or to Bones. Booth had actively made an effort to avoid Hacker, and he'd been successful for four whole days. He knew he couldn't avoid him forever, but enough time to wipe the memory of Hacker's frank and beans from his mind would have been nice.
"I was actually hoping to bump into Temperance here, to be honest." Hacker said, chuckling awkwardly. What a fucking clown.
"You could try calling her, or I don't know, checking her own office." Booth suggested. He hadn't spoken to Bones in two days either, but he wasn't going to give his boss any reason to worry about the status of their partnership. He was surprised Hacker hadn't already caught wind of their crime scene blowout, though, he was somewhat removed from the bullpen scuttlebut, and it wasn't entirely uncommon for the partners to rip into each other rather publicly. There wasn't anything to worry about anyway. Bones would calm down when she'd had a chance to process everything. Time. That's all she needed.
Hacker nodded, perching on the edge of Booth's desk and leaning in. "Yea, I wasn't sure if she'd want to hear from me after the other night." Fucking great. He wondered if this was Hell. "I sent her a text, but you know how she gets a little one-track-minded when she's working sometimes… Anyways, I am not the best at these sort of – these social situations, and I'm not sure if there is a polite way of saying 'I'd like to take you out sometime even though you vomited on my head.'"
Booth took a moment to absorb what Hacker had just told him and felt the laughter bubble up before he could stop it. "I'm sorry." He said schooling his features.
"Yea… she reacted that way when it happened too." He nodded thoughtfully, his face looking flushed.
"On… on your head." Booth asked, pointing to his own head as he pictured the scene. He would have paid good money to have been able to see that.
"Oh yea. Covered me…" Hacker cringed, looking somewhat horrified. "While I was trying to help her get her shoes off." he chuckled a little, looking like he was remembering something fondly, and Booth wondered what kind of man would be smiling and asking for tips for a follow up date with a drunk woman who'd puked all over him. Andrew fucking Hacker, that's who…
"So you two– you and Bones– you didn't…" Booth didn't know why he was asking this, maybe he was a glutton for punishment or maybe he just had to assuage his curiosity about what had actually happened that night.
"What?! God, no! I'm not a predator, Booth!" Hacker insisted vehemently. "She texted me by mistake. She'd had way too much to drink and was at some seedy nightclub. She could barely stand, let alone consent. I just wanted to make sure she was safe." he insisted, looking equal parts offended and concerned for his own safety. Good. Be afraid because if he hurts Bones… "She was upset about… something." he continued looking at Booth cautiously, and Booth wondered what Bones had told Hacker as that itching guilt creeped over him again. He had offered to call someone for her, so she would be alone and sad; she'd told him no, but a part of him wondered what he could have done differently.
Booth nodded, hearing Cam's words echoing in his head, and really not believing what he was about to say. "Look, Bones is… she's a little different. If she's embarrassed about it, and she's avoiding you, you can try taking the conversation to her own turf, to where she feels safe. Be direct. Don't beat around the bush with her." he told Hacker, inwardly rolling his eyes at himself for doing this. This was his Hail Marys for what he'd said to her at the crime scene.
"Thanks, Booth." Hacker clapped him on the shoulder and Booth sighed. Had he really just encouraged Hacker to go to the lab and woo Bones? Stupid fucking Hacker. Where was Gay Jason when you needed him? She could date Gay Jason all damn day and go to all the Coldplay concerts she wanted to. He'd be ok with that.
Brennan released an exaggerated sigh of exasperation at the sound of a throat clearing from the doorway of the Bone Room. She'd found the constant stream of disruptions this week to be more annoying than usual. In part, she was sure it was because she had declined to work on the murder case with the rest of the team and opted to work on the unidentified remains in Limbo, but she knew that the tension in her personal life was also to blame for her ire at minor inconveniences.
"Are you incapable of reading or are you incapable of following simple directions?" She asked the intruder without offering even a glance in their direction.
"Well, neither of those answers make me sound very competent, do they? Could I maybe phone a friend?"
Brennan's head whipped up and found Andrew standing in the doorway, looking amused and not at all perturbed by her confrontational comment about him ignoring the 'Do Not Disturb' sign she'd placed on the table at the very front of the bone room.
"Ah, sorry. I missed the, uh…" He stammered, pointing at the sign in question. "Since I've already disturbed you, would you mind if I took a few moments of your time?" He asked, and she smiled politely, removing her gloves. She knew this conversation would have to come eventually. One doesn't throw up on one's previous romantic … friend?… While simultaneously propositioning him and just go about pretending it never happened.
"Yes. We should talk." She agreed, pulling out a stool at an empty table and gesturing for him to have a seat too. "I find I should apologize, though it doesn't seem sufficient enough to simply say that I'm sorry." She started, trying to gauge his response. "For emptying the contents of my stomach onto your person." She clarified, ensuring she was being as direct as possible.
He nodded, looking somewhat flushed. "Yes, I—I assumed that was what you were apologizing for." He told her. "There is no need though. I assure you. I was happy to—- well I suppose I wasn't happy to be vomited on, but I— it was my pleas— You know what, it just wasn't such a big deal." He stammered through, and she felt embarrassed for both of them. "You had too much to drink, Temperance; we've all been there, and I don't mind being the friend you accidentally called for help after what was clearly a difficult night."
Brennan nodded thoughtfully. "I do appreciate you coming. As I mentioned the following morning, I had meant to send that message to Angela, and you— you dropped everything in the middle of the night to make sure I got home safely. Though I am quite capable in most cases, I did feel a certain sense of increased vulnerability, and I didn't trust my abilities to get home safely, nor did I truly desire to be alone…" she said, feeling compelled to reiterate her appreciation with body language and reaching out to squeeze his hand. He smiled, and she knew she'd done the right thing.
"I know things didn't really get too serious between us before you went to Indonesia, but I did very much enjoy the time we'd spent together. I would be remiss if I didn't take this as an opportunity to maybe explore that again." He told her, smiling nervously.
Brennan agreed, they had had some very nice times together. She did enjoy his company. He had good taste in music for the most part, was a gentleman, and he laughed at her jokes. Not many men found her as amusing as she knew that she was..
"I have to be honest, Andrew. I have recently admitted to myself and to Booth that I have very strong feelings for him, and I have for quite some time. He is with someone; however, and I've decided I should try to move forward from those feelings." She felt a tightness in her chest at the admission. "I just want you to understand that I'm not sure I'm ready to feel that way about anyone else yet." She explained, trying to articulate the turmoil she was feeling.
The concept of moving on sounded wonderful if it would mean the gut wrenching feeling every time she thought of Booth with Hannah would cease; however, the idea of giving the feelings she had for Booth to someone else just felt… equally gut wrenching. It had, however, been much easier than she'd expected, opening up to Andrew about her feelings. Perhaps, Angela had been correct.
Andrew nodded and smiled at her. It didn't seem disingenuous at all. "I can respect that, and understand completely the difficulty in moving on. To be completely frank, I haven't had much experience with relationships in the past, and I see no need to rush into labeling this as anything more than… two people who enjoy spending time together doing just that." Brennan released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and squeezed Andrew's hand again. Perhaps, he'd even be open to relieving some biological urges in a mutually satisfying way.
By the time Andrew had left, Brennan was feeling much better about their encounter and was actually looking forward to having dinner with him later.
