Alright folks, here's a long awaited update. As I stated in the first chapter of my latest story Band Tees, the muses for this story have left me hanging. With this chapter, I'm going to change the status of this story to complete until I can come up with a more proper and fitting ending for these two. I never intended for this story to be more than 10 chapters so to get to 7 is a big thing as I'm not a big fan of writing multi-chapter stories because I have the attention span of a squirrel. What other things should I let you guys know about? This chapter wasn't read by my beta, so any weird grammar and punctuation and what not is of my own doing and trying to edit my own work which is laughable because I suck at it. Anyway... Yeah. Enjoy.

Chapter 7: The Bond

The energy in The Menace was buzzing as usual, but something about this night in particular felt somewhat offsetting and suffocating to Brennan. She hadn't had a particularly hard or grueling day at work like her friends and boyfriend had. She had slept relatively well the night prior. Something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on the feeling that was settling deep in her stomach.

"Hey, are you alright?" Tommy asked as he lightly nudged her back into reality in the booth they had taken residence in.

A soft smile touched her lips, "I'm fine. I just zoned out for a little bit."

He stared at her, searching her face briefly.

She turned slightly, "I swear, Bear. I'm fine." She spoke as she nudged him back. She leaned up slightly and pecked him on his cheek. He didn't quite believe her, but dropped the subject.

"Brennan! Let's go get some drinks." Bayley spoke as she grabbed the taller woman's wrist.

"Not so fast." Tommy spoke as he turned Brennan's face slightly to capture her lips in a brief kiss.

"I liked it better when you guys didn't do that." Corey spoke up as he approached the booth.

"Shut up, Corey."

"Oh, look, they even speak in unison now." Corey rolled his eyes as he joked.

"You do the same thing with your wife, dickhead. Don't make fun of us."

"He's got you there." Bayley chuckled as she pulled Brennan from the booth.

"Whose side are you on, Bay?"

"Mine! Come on, Brennan. Lex is already at the bar." Bayley spoke quickly as she all but yanked Brennan from the booth.

Tommy slid out as well, his eyes on Brennan's ass. She had on black denim shorts that just barely covered her backside, so she snagged Tommy's red and black plaid shirt to tie around her hips to cover her butt better. Her thigh tattoos were on full display, as were all her tattoos on her arms. Her torso was covered in an old band tee she had cut the sleeves off of. She had her braids hanging free and loose and down her back and she dawned black studded biker boots on her feet. She wasn't wearing much makeup on her face either; she knew exactly how to make her eyes look bright and her skin fresh and glowing.

'Holy shit.' Tommy smiled inwardly. She was beautiful. He thought that before they were ever involved, but now it was on a whole new level. He was in love with the woman with the blue braids. He wasn't entirely sure when it happened, but that was the only way he could explain how he felt about her.

Brennan looked over her shoulder at Tommy and winked at him before she smiled. A slight blush crept into his cheeks. He bit his lip before turning his attention back to Corey and the rest of their friends. Brennan shook her head slightly. She was in love with Thomas Pestock. She knew she loved him when they reconciled that night in her bed. Since then, her love for him had grown exponentially. She smiled to herself thinking about how far they had come since then. Neither of them were big fans of large displays of affection, but the small touches and kisses kept their spark alive. Neither of them were domineering or overly possessive of the other. There was a good balance between them and that set her heart and mind at ease.

"You okay over there?" Alexa teased as she nudged Brennan.

"I'm good." Brennan smiled before taking a sip from her Bloody Mary.

Alexa quirked her eyebrow at the expression on her friend's face. She turned slightly to tap Bayley to get her attention.

"You're all heart eye emoji over something. Spill it, chica or we'll be forced to liquor you up until you can't hold anything back." Alexa spoke as Bayley nodded in agreement.

Brennan narrowed her eyes at her friends. "Terrible examples of friends, I swear to God."

"Come on! Just tell us. You've been acting so weird all day." Bayley noted.

"I've felt weird all day."

"Are you pregnant?" Alexa questioned, raising her eyebrow and reaching for Brennan's abdomen.

She swatted Alexa's hand away, "What? No! Are you crazy?" Brennan exclaimed. "It's nothing like that. It probably could lead to that one day, but it's not that."

"Cryptic, much?" Alexa snorted.

"I'm in love with your big dumb friend." Brennan teased.

"That's it?"

Brennan looked on confused. "Yeah, that's it."

"Well hell, we could've told you that."

"Really? It's that obvious?"

"No shit. The real question is, have you told Tom?"

Brennan went to speak, but closed her mouth.

"You haven't told him?"

"No, not yet." Brennan admitted.

Alexa and Bayley looked on as Brennan looked over to the pool tables where Tommy was bending to take a shot. Brennan turned her attention back to her friends.

"It doesn't feel right to just blurt it out. Besides, what if he doesn't feel the same?"

Alexa tried to hold back her laughter, but failed. She laughed heartily until she noticed neither Brennan nor Bayley were laughing.

"Oh for fucks sake," Alexa jokingly rolled her eyes. "He's probably more in love with you than you are with him. He's been smitten with you since forever. Bite the bullet, B. With the two of you, there's nowhere to go but up."

"Lex is right. It's just in the little things he does. Actually, the little things the both of you do. When you guys are around each other, you're relaxed and comfortable and playful and everything most people strive for, but it's so effortless. You're good for him and he's good for you. And that's coming from two outsiders looking in." Bayley added before she took a sip of her drink.

Brennan took a deep breath before looking back over her shoulder to look at Tommy, but her view was slightly obstructed by a petite blonde body. She narrowed her hazel eyes at the situation in front of her.

"Who the hell is that?" Alexa asked getting annoyed for Brennan.

Brennan shook her head turning back to face the bar.

"Aren't you going to do anything?"

"You bet your pretty asses, I am. I'm just buying my time."

"Again with the cryptic shit." Alexa mumbled into her cup.

Brennan knew exactly who was standing perpendicular to her boyfriend and she'd be damned if she let that woman put on another show like the one she did the first time she encountered her.

"Thomas."

Tommy turned mid laugh when his eyes landed on his sort of kind of ex, Roxanne. His eyes quickly darted from Roxanne to Brennan and back.

"What the hell do you want?" His voice was instantly annoyed.

"I want to talk."

Tommy rolled his eyes. Clearly she didn't get it after the last time he told her off. He tipped his chin up at Cass getting his attention to take his spot in the pool game.

"There's nothing to talk about, Roxy." He spoke as he folded his arms over his chest.

"I think there is."

"For fucks sake, woman. I have a girlfriend. I'm happy. What part of that don't you understand?"

"You have a girlfriend? Where is she?" She looked around dramatically.

Tommy glared at the woman with nothing but air between her ears. "She's at the bar with her friends."

Roxy looked over her shoulder nonchalantly. "That's clever. There are a lot of ladies at that bar, Tom."

Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose. He was trying to keep his temper in check before he exploded on the woman in front him. He looked up in time to catch Brennan eying him. She just licked her lips and watched him. Was she not going to come over and help him diffuse the situation? He couldn't read the look that graced her face. He watched his woman so intently he didn't realize that Roxy had been speaking the entire time.

"I don't think you have a girlfriend. I think you're making her up to get me to leave you alone."

'That wouldn't even stop you, you psycho.'

"Why the hell would I do that? I'm not a pathological liar like you, Rox. I have a girlfriend whom I love dearly and she's watching you make an ass of yourself right now."

"Then where is she? Why isn't she over here making sure no other women make a move on you?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? I don't even know why I'm entertaining a conversation with you. She's not up my ass because she trusts me because she's secure in our relationship… And because she loves me, Roxy, that's why."

Was he entirely sure of the last bit of his statement? Not 100% because she had never actually said the words to him, but he was fairly certain of it. Even though he hadn't spoken the words to her either.

"And you love her?"

"Yes, I absolutely do."

"Well, if she loves you, she's got some way of showing it; letting you carry on just talking to another woman." She spoke as she touched his folded arms.

Brennan stood by the bar watching until she noticed Roxy moving closer to Tommy, touching him.

'You've crossed the line, bitch.' Brennan left her drink on the bar and her friends standing there as she made a beeline for Tommy only to be stopped in her tracks by someone grabbing her arm.

"Get your hand off of me." Brennan spoke, yanking her arm out of the person's hand. "You've got a lot of fucking nerve, you know that?"

"You won't fucking talk to me any other way."

"That's because I don't have shit to say to you, Dennis."

"Look, I just want to fix things between us."

"What the hell are you talking about? Us? There is no us. And as far as I'm concerned, there never was an 'us' considering you were married the entire time."

"I wasn't and I'm still not happy in my marriage."

"That's not my problem." She glanced over her shoulder briefly to still see Tommy still arguing with Roxy. She jutted her thumb behind her over her left shoulder as she spoke, "That's my problem."

"Brennan…" He reached out to grab her arm again.

"Don't fucking touch me, Dennis. Do not."

"I don't like seeing you with him."

Brennan blinked slowly at Dennis before she shook her head, "That sucks doesn't it? Seeing someone you care about love someone else." It was a low blow, but a well deserved one. She had to witness him with his wife while he was supposedly falling for her. She felt like the biggest idiot back then.

Dennis glowered at Brennan. It was time to break out the big guns in his opinion. If he couldn't have her, at least he wouldn't have to constantly see her while she was falling in love with someone else.

"I didn't want to have to do this."

"Do what?"

"I'm going to have to ban you from the bar."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No, I'm not. I can't stand around here and watch you with him when it should be me."

Brennan exhaled a small puff of breath, smiling and nodding her head, "Fine by me."

She turned and walked away from Dennis and made her way over to Tommy and Roxanne. She never got to see how Dennis' face fell from the incredible amount of nonchalance she showed him at his declaration.

'Finally.' He thought as he watched Brennan's five foot ten inch frame make her way through the crowd. He was still visibly tense noticing who she was walking away from. 'What the hell did I just miss? Why can't that fucker take a hint?'

Brennan stood behind Roxy and took a steadying breath before tapping Roxy on the shoulder.

"Excuse me." Brennan spoke as she stepped around Roxy and into Tommy's arms. She put her arms loosely around his neck before she planted her lips against his. His left hand was splayed across Brennan's lower back while his right hand was higher up almost between her shoulder blades.

The kiss was hot. It was taking everything in him not to grip Brennan by her ass and hoist her up to wrap her thighs around his narrow waist. He settled for anchoring her to his body as she kissed him deeply. Without either of them really realizing it, their tongues began a brief dual. His hand slowly descended down to rest on her ass. He tapped her ass playfully making her smile against his lips.

"Hey." She whispered.

"Hey yourself." He whispered back before he pecked her lips again.

"Excuse me, who the hell are you?" Roxy voice was only a few levels below a screech.

Brennan laughed into Tommy's shoulder. She glanced up at Tommy, noticing his hand was still on her ass. Brennan looked over her shoulder at Roxy. "Girlfriend." She stated simply.

"Excuse us." Tommy spoke as he adjusted his hands to hoist Brennan over his shoulder.

"Goddammit, Tommy." Brennan giggled.

"You guys, enjoy the rest of your evening. I'm taking this one home." Tommy spoke as Brennan's butt faced their friends.

"Bye guys!" She laughed as he turned to walk out of The Menace with his woman over his shoulder.

Once outside the bar, Tommy placed Brennan on her feet then grabbed her hand as they walked towards his truck. That unsettled feeling was back in the pit of her stomach. They had just shared probably their biggest public display of affection since they had been together and now things seemed tense. The previous jovial mood seemed to dissipate and was replaced with this heavier, more pensive feeling in the air.

"Everything OK?" Brennan asked once they were in the truck and on the road.

Tommy stayed quiet, as if to gather his thoughts. His mind was running a mile a minute. He had seen Brennan leave a dumbfounded looking Dennis, but he didn't know why she was speaking to him at all. That man still drove him out of his mind when it came to Brennan; and this time was no different.

"I saw you walking away from Dennis in there. Anything you want to tell me?" He was trying like hell to keep his temper in check.

'Oh, here we go.' Brennan rolled her eyes, "Don't start this shit again. Please." Her voice was calm, but edging on being annoyed.

Tommy gave her a brief sideways glance, narrowing his eyes slightly, before turning his attention back to the road. "Excuse the fuck out of me," He grumbled, "I can't question you about talking to him?" His temper had slipped as his voice raised slightly.

"No. Why the fuck does it matter? I'm not sitting here questioning you about what the fuck that was Roxy, am I?" Her voice rose as she questioned him.

"I don't fucking trust him, Brennan." His voice lowered considerably; his jaw was ticking after he spoke.

She turned in her seat to fully glare at the side of his face, "Is it him or me you don't trust?"

"What?" He was caught completely off guard by that question.

"Do you trust me?" She folded her arms waiting for his response.

He was quiet. Of course he trusted her. She had to know that. He was in love with her.

"You don't fucking act like you do." She mumbled as she turned away from him, looking out of the passenger side window.

"What the fuck do you mean by that?" His voice was raised again.

'Great, another shouting match between us over my ex. This is fucking fantastic.'

"I mean that whenever Dennis is even in my vicinity, it's a big fucking deal; and I still, to this day, don't understand why."

"I just wanna know what that fucking creep still has to say to you after all this time. He can't seem to take a fucking hint."

She was beyond frustrated with the whole situation. On the one hand, what did it matter if Tommy knew what Dennis said? But on the other hand, her business was her business and Tommy didn't need to know every little thing.

However, Dennis was a special circumstance.

"He banned me from his bar, OK? That's what he fucking said."

"What?" His brow was creased in confusion.

"He banned me from the bar. He said he couldn't stand to see me there with you."

"So, you're just going to not come to the bar because he asked you not to?"

She nodded her head slowly.

"It's a free fucking country, B. You can do what you want. You don't have to listen to him."

With her frustration boiling over, her voice rose again, "It's not about the stupid bar. I'm sick of all this stupid ass childish drama. If he doesn't want me there, that's fine. I'd rather be at home sitting my lazy ass on my couch instead of having to break up a potential fight between you two idiots."

"And you're doing it because he asked you to?"

"See, this is what I meant about you trusting me. I'm trying to make the best decisions I possibly can for our relationship; to cut out the bullshit that's been going on and all you can fucking focus on is the fact that Dennis suggested it and I'm jumping at the chance."

She was right. It would almost completely eliminate the biggest hurdle in their relationship. He did trust her, but when it came to Dennis, something came over him. Maybe it was the fact that he had tried to play Brennan before and he felt that he had to protect her. Maybe it was the fact that he had grown to hate the guy for hurting Brennan. He couldn't exactly put his finger on it. He just knew he didn't like Dennis and he disliked him even more when it came to Brennan.

If he were being completely honest with himself, he'd say he never has a problem with other men when it comes to Brennan. He knows her attitude towards other men; they essentially don't exist. And he should know her attitude towards Dennis by now too. There was literally no way in hell he had a chance to find his way back into her life after what he did to her. He, Thomas Pestock, was her one and only and the only people that could change that was the two of them; Tommy and Brennan

He took a deep breath, "Fuck, you're right, B. I do trust you. I fucking love you. It's just something about that asshole that gets under my skin; especially when it comes to you. I'm sorry. I'm overreacting."

The world stopped momentarily for Brennan. She had definitely heard him say the words she was so anxious to hear from him. Finally hearing him say those words got her riled up and also settled her mind. Even under the tension of their argument, she felt relief and was suddenly overjoyed with the fact that the man she had just admitted to her friends that she was in love with was in love with her too. But she had to make sure…

"You love me?"

He glanced over at her. She was staring at him with that same oddly familiar look she had in her eyes the same night they reconciled in her bed.

He smiled before he spoke promptly and concisely, "Abso-fucking-lutely."

She chuckled, "That's good; really good." She reached out to grab his right hand.

"Why's that?" He intertwined their fingers.

"Because I love you too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Why else would I put up with the shit you pull sometimes?" Her voice held a teasing lilt before she smirked at him.

He sighed, "I guess that is love."

She leaned over the console and kissed him on the cheek. He turned slightly to kiss her softly.

"Fuck him." They spoke in unison before smiling at each other.

"Fuck them both actually." Brennan clarified. "They wish they had it this good."

Cool? Not cool? Sweet? Sour? Let me know. Leave ideas. Leave something to bitch slap my muses.