Title: Never Too Old

Author: SplishySplash, Ihave207Bones

Spoilers: Mayhem on a Cross, sorry I couldn't resist

Pairing: B/B

Summary: Its Brennan's birthday and the squint squad throw her a party.

Author's note: Okay, now you will see how this is backwards.

The room was surrounded with brightly colored streamers hanging from the walls and a decorated 'Happy Birthday, Sweetie!' in Angela's calligraphic scrawl. She was still slightly in shock, even after being in her apartment for longer than an hour, that her friends had taken time, during a very busy case, to steal her keys and get inside her apartment to decorate it. Wrapping paper was folded neatly on the floor and boxes filled with presents sitting on the end table and the partygoers floated around the dining room.

They cheered happily as Booth skillfully bounced the quarter into the glass and he again pointed at Sweets to drink from the glass. The young shrink downed his fifth shot glass full of the intoxicating liquid that he had long forgotten what he was drinking and he sway slightly on his feet. "This game isn't fun . . . hic . . . anymore." He slurred, with a content smile on his face.

Booth placed an arm on his shoulder. "You're just a lightweight trying to take on the world champion of Quarters." Booth said, placing a swig from the beer in his hand and wandering to his partner, who was sitting at her table, her head in her hand. He wrapped his arm around her should, pressing her back into his front. "Are you okay?"

She rested her head against him and smiled. "I'm alright, Booth." She said as Hodgins' quarter bounced in to the glass and he pointed to Sweets again, who groaned again as he drank his sixth shot glass. Before Brennan could say anything else Cam interrupted with an 'alright, leave Sweet's alone for awhile.'

"I'm bored with this game." Said Angela, looking expectantly at Hodgins for another idea.

"You know what I haven't played since college?" He answered as if reading her mind and wandered into Brennan's kitchen, rummaging through her cupboards. "Sweet, you do have plastic cups."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know where they came from." She said contently with Booth's arm around her, which probably had to do with the alcohol she had consumed. "What do you need them for?"

"Beer Pong."

Angela squealed and clapped her hands excitedly. "I'm good at this game." She said, taking half of the red plastic cups and placed a pyramid of cups on one side of the table as Hodgins did the same. When she finished, she looked at her work and then frowned. "You don't happen to have a ping pong ball do you?"

Hodgins frowned. "I don't have any." He said almost sadly. Brennan stood up and Booth's hand went back to his side, he followed her out of the sitting room down a hallway and placed a hand on the door that she opened as she rifled through her organized closet.

"I think I have. . ." She mumbled to herself as she reached up for the box on the top shelf that was almost out of reach, save for Booth reaching over her head to pull it down for her. She smiled her thanks brightly and searched through it with Booth looking over her shoulder. A surprised look came to his face when he saw the random art supplies and in the bottom was a small box of bright orange ping pong balls. "Found some."

Booth put the box back to the shelf and shut the door behind him. "Why do you have ping pong balls?" He asked, following her back down the hallway.

"It was for a project I did on molecular biology when I was in grad school." She answered, tossing the package to Hodgins.

"Sweet." Hodgins said, opening the packaging and sending the balls flying in all directions, save for one ball that landed near him. "We'll just play with one ball, I guess."

Sweets sat up from the couch that he was laying on. "What?" He asked in a drunk stupor before falling back onto the couch.

Everyone ignored him as they gathered around the table and Cam sat herself on the counter to watch, with an amused smile on her face. Booth pulled Brennan next him as Angela stood next to Hodgins in natural teams as the entomologist finished filling the cups with random cheap beer that he had picked up on the way to her apartment. Brennan looked at the set up, trying to determine what was to happen with the cups and ping pong ball.

"Do you know how to play?" Booth whispered in her ear.

She frowned and shook her head negatively, waiting for directions. "It's easy." Hodgins said with the ball in his hand, he tossed the ball and it bounced off the rim of a cup before rolling onto the floor. "I missed, it's your turn."

Booth picked up the ball and handed it to her. "Try to toss it into a cup, if you make it one of them has to drink it." He said motioning for her to take the shot and it landed in a middle cup. "Good job."

Angela downed the glass as Hodgins passed the ball back to Booth who tossed the ball back, bouncing off the lid of one cup and landing in another. Hodgins frowned as he drank the two cups bringing a laugh from the pathologist. "Looks like someone played a lot of this in college." She said.

The ball was passed back to them and Booth caught it with a laugh. "I was beer pong champion." He said, handing the ball to his partner. She tossed it and it missed, bouncing on the table into the entomologist's hand. It was Angela's turn and it landed in the tip of the pyramid, Booth reached for it and handed it to her.

"Bottoms up, Sweetie!" Angela said. She placed the cup to her mouth and drank it quickly before putting the glass back. Booth tossed the ball back and Hodgins tossed it, landing in cup in the far corner next to Brennan. Booth downed the beer and both stood waiting for Angela to toss it.

It missed.

Brennan picked the ball off the floor and carefully aimed the ball for the far left corner and it landed cleanly in the liquid. She jumped up and down excitedly clapping her hands as Angela drank the cup, leaving their team with two cups left.

It was Booth's turn next and it sank into another cup. Brennan held her hand up excitedly and he slapped it with a smile on his face. Hodgins passed the ball back and Brennan took her shot and it landed in the last cup. As Angela drank it with a frown on her face, Brennan jumped into Booth's arms excitedly, both with matching smiles.

"Congratulations." Hodgins said coming around the table to high five the partners as Angela folded her arms in a pout.

Booth placed Brennan back on to her feet and they high fived the losing team. "Can we play again?" Brennan asked.

"Only if I get Booth on my team." Angela said, grabbing the agents arm and walking him to the other side of the table.

"It's Dr. B's birthday, she should choose who is on her team." Hodgins said, pouring the cups full of beer again.

"Its okay, Jack." Brennan said, glaring playfully at the opposing team. "We'll just kick their collective asses." Hodgins stopped pouring long enough to high five her again with a smile on his face. Booth smiled as Angela pulled him down to whisper instructions in his ear, he nodded and gained a curious look from Brennan.

It had surprised him how competitive the artist could be as she plotted their attacks on getting the anthropologist drunk so that she . . . they could win the round by having Booth stand across from her and sink every cup, one after another.

"That's asking for a miracle, Angela." Booth said with a laugh, but her glare proved that she was determined to win the round. "Alright, I'll try."

Angela kissed him on the cheek and gave him a slap on the behind. "Don't try, do." She whispered with a plastered smile.

Brennan and Hodgins laughed as Booth looked at her wide eyed. "Don't mind her."Hodgins said with a laugh. "This is normal for her, just keep an eye on her octopus hands." Booth groaned as Hodgins handed him the ball.

He tossed it and it landed cleanly in a cup as Angela clapped excitedly. Brennan drank the cup and sat it back down with an amused smile on her face as Hodgins tossed the ball back.

The exchange went back and forth until both teams had one cup left as the laughter grew louder and the speech slurred. "You filled the cups too full." Booth said, setting down his last cup and tossed the ball back to Brennan, it bounced off her chest and landed in the cup.

He shrugged and handed the ball back to Brennan. She tossed it and before it could land squarely in the cup, Angela swatted the ball away and knocked the cup over.

Brennan frowned. "Hey! That's cheating!"

Hodgins raised his hands in victory. "We win, by default." He said loudly as both of his hands met the anthropologists' in an excited exchange of palms and pulled her into a hug. Booth watched with a smile as he tried to cheer up a nearly wasted Angela, who folded her arms and pouted.

"One more round!" Angela said excitedly. "This time I get Brennan."

Cam stood in between the teams and evaluated. "Wait, doesn't it count if it bounces off somebody and lands in the cup?" She asked with a smile. "That's how I used to play."

A very loud squeal let out from Angela as she jumped into Booths arms excitedly and Brennan conceded and drank the last cup. "We won? I knew you could do it!" Angela said, Cam grabbed her arm and pulled her off the agent. She led the artist to the couch and set her next down the sleeping psychologist's head, who was stretched out on the long sofa.

Brennan wandered into the kitchen to grab a towel to wipe up the beer that spilled onto the table and was quickly making its way towards the floor. She wiped up the mess and grabbed a plate that rested on her desk, before walking back into the kitchen.

Booth walked around and found the rest of the cake plates when a crash from the kitchen made him look up. His partner was kneeling down, picking up the pieces of the plate that was in her hands slowly with a shudder escaping her. It was only the other day that she had told him about her childhood and being locked in a trunk from two day because she dropped a plate.

He set the plates in his hand on the table and kneeled down to help picked up the pieces, assessing her condition. He took the pieces from her hand as a small sob escaped her lips he tossed the glass in the trash can and bundled her up in his arms, bringing them to full height. "I was trying to be careful. . ." She muttered in a whisper.

"Its okay, Bones." He said as she buried her head into his neck. Cam and Hodgins looked up, worried for their crying friend and took it as their cue to leave, gathering the shrink and the artist.

"I'm just so clumsy." She said, muffled by his chest. He tightened his grip on her and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"It was an accident, Bones." Booth cooed softly. He closed his eyes, wishing that the wounds hadn't been reopened for her, for them. He knew it was rough in the system, but he had no idea the abuse that she was exposed to his caring, loving partner didn't deserve any of it. She took a deep breath and collected herself enough to say a goodbye to their friends.

Her grip loosened on Booth and was immediately enveloped in Cam's arms tightly. "Happy Birthday, Doctor Brennan." The pathologist whispered into her ear. "If you need anything, I'm just a phone call away."

Brennan wiped her eyes and smiled weakly. "I think I will be okay." They both looked at Booth, whose arms were folded behind them, just out of earshot.

Hodgins kissed her on the cheek, dangerously close to her lips. "You were a good team mate, Doctor Brennan." He said with a bright smile. "Happy Birthday tomorrow!"

Angela kissed her sloppily on the forehead and Sweets smiled as they were dragged out of the apartment with the soft click of the latch. Brennan could feel Booths eyes on her as she closed her eyes, willing herself to stop crying, but failed miserably as Booth wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She turned around in his arms and laid her head on his chest. "I hate being like this." She whispered with her eyes closed. "It was a long time ago."

Booth placed a hand on her cheek and forced her to look at him gently. "It doesn't make it any less painful, it was an accident, Bones." He said softly, pressing his lips to her forehead. "No one should be exposed to that and I wish I could make it go away."

A lone tear escaped her eyes. "What about you Booth?" She asked in a whisper. He exhaled forcefully and tightened his grip on her. It was her turn to direct his gaze with her hand.

"What about me?" He asked modestly. He shifts uncomfortably and his gaze travels away, not wanting to open the wound any bigger.

It was also her turn to kiss him on the cheek, bringing his gaze back at her. "I want you to know that if you want to talk about it, I'm here for you." She said encouragingly.

"I know, Bones." He said, taking her hand and leading her to the couch, he took a seat and pulled her down next to him.

She hiccupped quietly as she grabbed a couple of tissues from the box on the end table, she handed him one and wiped her nose with the other one. "The amount of alcohol we've consumed doesn't help this situation."

Booth chuckled as he wiped his own eyes, not knowing that the tears had escaped before he wiped the mascara that had escaped her lashes off her cheek. After a long moment of silence her eyes grew heavy and her head rested on his shoulder that Booth reached over and turned off the lap.

With the darkness surrounding the room, Booth moved the sleeping woman so that she was lying on top of him and her face buried into his chest contently as he too drifted off to sleep, feeling a little lighter.