Bed of Fire

Chapter 3

Seeley Booth slammed into Temperance Brennan's apartment, tie askew, shirt rumpled, and looking very upset. He kicked the door shut and strode purposefully towards his startled partner, who was in the midst of working on a jigsaw puzzle of the great pyramids of Egypt. A cup of tea sat on the edge of the table, tea bag floating in the dark brew, steam drifting upwards, scented with peppermint and chamomile.

He had a little trouble getting from his office at the FBI to her apartment after opening the envelope with the picture, and traffic on the beltway was a bitch. He was glad she'd decided to take this week off to work on her book, and to just relax without leaving the country to work on some mass grave. He was grateful he had no case he needed her assistance on, so he didn't have to pull her off of her vacation.

"Booth, come in" she said sarcastically, her gaze dropping back down to the puzzle. Her brown was creased in a frown of concentration; however a look of irritation flickered across her features briefly, as her eyes lifted to meet his.

"Bones, how many times have I told you and told you, you HAVE TO LOCK YOUR DOORS" he nearly shouted at her, his hands on his hips, brown eyes blazing with anger.

He puffed out a sigh, and paced around her apartment.

She blinked at him, unfazed, and went on with her puzzle. "I guess I was distracted when I got home. Sorry Booth" she said absently. She tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear, and straightened up from her bent position.

She set the small piece of puzzle down, and very deliberately walked past Booth, and locked the deadbolt. Glancing at him pointedly, she went to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and after a moment of clinking, withdrew a bottle of beer, which she offered to Booth.

"The pitcher of ice and water is over there on the counter. I didn't touch it. You seem really upset. Are you sure this isn't just some kind of joke?" she asked him quietly. He hadn't drunk from the beer bottle she'd offered him. He was still holding it in his hand, but staring at her intently.

"There was no sign of break in Booth, or that anyone had been here" she assured him. She watched him closely.

"Bones. This wasn't a joke. The back of the picture said the same thing the first picture said when I got it."

He set the beer bottle down, and approached where she stood a few feet away. He placed his hands on her shoulders, and looked down into her clear blue eyes.

"Bones. Listen to me. This is serious. I am not going to go through again what Jenny put me through last year when I almost lost you. I want you to pack your bag, and come stay with me until this is cleared up, okay?" he said, his eyes boring into her own, telling her he was not going to take no for an answer without a fight.

She pulled away, and crossed her arms over her chest "Booth! I am fine here. Look, I'm sorry I forgot to lock my door, but I don't want some lunatic forcing me out of my own home!" she said and turned away from him, running her fingers through her auburn hair. She hated it when he got all alpha male on her.

Forcing her to face him, he reached out and turned her towards him. "How do you think I felt when the paramedics said you were gone? Huh? That you were dead? I hadn't even had a chance to tell you how I….how I felt about you. I had to point a gun at them to continue their efforts to revive you." Tears were shimmering in his eyes; hurt was evident across his face.

He pulled her into his arms, feeling her relax into him. She signed and agreed sullenly "I will come stay with you Booth. Let me get some things together. Don't worry. We'll figure this out, just like we always do" she said, and pulled back, and offered him a smile.

His eyes met hers, yet he wasn't comforted. If anything, he felt even worse. They'd been seeing each other for nearly a year now, and he'd be damned if he was going to lose her now.

End this chapter