A/N: Hello again! Just wanted to give a bug thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or read this story! And a special thanks to those of you who reviewed and helped to make this chapter possible:) You guys all seriously rock. Here is the next chapter and possibly the last one, I've yet to decide. But before you guys go off and read- maybe even review :) I wanted to let you know that the inspiration for this chapter was the song "Delicate" by Damien Rice- an amazing song.
Disclaimer: Bones is the best show but sadly I do not nor will I ever own Bones, but a girl can dream and in my dreams there is Booth and me on a deserted island…enough said ;)
And now to the good stuff!
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Later on that morning, the sun streamed through the crevices in Booth's blinds. The light fell softly across the two sleeping participants in the bed, illuminating the tranquility of their resting bodies and the tenderness that the two managed to find in the night, as they shielded themselves from the world.
The room was completely silent save for the deep breathing, though like all good things, they must come to an end. The once gentle light that bestowed upon the two lost souls in the bed now seemed to be the stark reminder of the return of reality. One stream of light seemed particularly persistent to remind the sleeping companions of the world outside the sanctity of Booth's bedroom, by resting over Booth's eyes.
Not enjoying the harsh reality that the morning was sure to bring, Booth tried flipping over on his side and slipping further underneath the warm covers, but it was a losing cause. Admitting defeat Booth opened his eyes and was greeted by what could only be described as the morning after the storm. It's the feeling you get when you just you step out of your protective shelter and see if anything survived or if it all was completely destroyed. That was the feeling that Booth had in the pit of his stomach when he saw a still sleeping Brennan.
She looked so small and innocent, not plagued by the world of death and murder, or by her family problems, no in this moment she was not Dr. Temperance Brennan, world renowned forensic anthropologist. In this moment she was just Temperance Brennan, the woman who broke down her walls and invited into a place of her that he had never seen before. To him with her curly hair splayed all over the pillow, her makeup free face, and her full lips resting softly against one another, she was beautiful.
Booth fought the urge to kiss her full rose stained lips. He settled instead to just simply watch her for at least a few more minutes, embedding this childlike image of her into his memory.
His actions were brought to a halt when he saw her begin to stir not five minutes later. He briefly entertained the idea of faking asleep in an attempt to prolong the inevitable "conversation" they would have, but thought that it would be better to clear the air.
Brennan's eyes fluttered open and then shut fast as her face contorted with displeasure towards the now bright room. Finding it easier to peek one eye open she glanced around at her surroundings before gathering her bearings as she was greeted with snap shots of the prior evening's engagements-- crying at home--the rain as it pounded against her skin-- Booth's lips against hers.
"Mmmuh," moaned Brennan, shutting her eyes and preparing herself for what she was about to face.
Brennan thought of escaping the bed and just leaving Booth's apartment if he was still sleeping, but once she opened her eyes and came literally face to face with a wide eyed, tousled haired Booth, she realized her original plan was foiled.
"Hi," he said in a deep morning scratchy voice.
"Hi," she replied softly back, almost too afraid to speak in a voice louder than a whisper for fear of breaking the silence that laid over them.
Both stared into the other's eyes possibly trying to seize up what the other one was feeling or perhaps just trying to feel a connection. Whatever the reason for their lover's lock the fact that both were laying less than a foot apart naked underneath a thin coverlet did not register in either's mind at that moment.
A distinct shrill pierced the air, breaking the pair's locked eyes as they blushed and found specks of paint on the ceiling or lint on the coverlet suddenly fascinating. Then Booth became aware of shrill persistent alarm clock. He glanced at Brennan and cleared his throat "Um Bones?"
Brennan glanced up hesitantly at him "Yes, Booth?"
"Would you mind?" he said motioning with his head towards her.
"Mind what Booth?" she said as her forehead wrinkled with confusion.
"The alarm… you know what never mind" Booth said trailing off at the end of his sentence as he bridged the foot gap between them and leaned over Brennan.
Seeing Booth's body coming towards hers Brennan's breath caught in her throat, as her heartbeat speed up. He's going to try and kiss me, thought Brennan as her mind started to recall vivid images of his lips on hers.
But much to her surprise or possibly disappointment, she wasn't sure which; Booth bypassed her lips for turning off the alarm clock. Until just now she wasn't even aware it had been beeping, and with that being done Booth returned to his original spot.
Neither aware of the effects that that close encounter had on the other, Brennan's wasn't the only heartbeat to increase two fold.
"Bones…" Booth started to say.
"Booth…" Brennan began to say at the same time.
Booth chuckled at this and let a smile spread across his face as he said "You first Bones."
Normally not one to give in to his alpha male tendencies of showing dominance over her, Brennan decided to skip informing him of his tendencies and took the opportunity to speak.
"Booth, what time is it?" Brennan said as she pulled the coverlet around herself, just realizing her compromising state of undress.
At this question Booth's smile fell from his face as he let out a sigh "A little after 7."
"Right. Well I better get going to the lab," said Brennan as she shifted off the bed, but noticing that when she sat up Booth's eyes fell to the exposed porcelain skin off her back.
"Umm Booth? Would you mind turning around?" Brennan said as she unbeknownst to her blushed a little bit. Now, that's just stupid Brennan- it's not like he hasn't seen you naked already.
"Oh, yea Bones. Sure. Sorry" Booth said as he turned his back to her and shook his head to rid it of some very unorthodox thoughts about a certain partner of his that was currently sitting naked in his bed in nothing but a sheet. Partner, Booth that is the key word in that sentence of yours Buddy- I repeat she is your partner. Yeah the same partner that you slept with.
"Crap!"
"What's wrong?" Booth said as he began to turn towards Brennan.
"Don't turn around Booth," Brennan hissed.
"Oops, sorry I was just trying to..." he said as he turned a little red and faced away from her again.
"Have you seen my bra, I can't find it," a muffled Brennan said as she searched underneath the bed.
"Umm, your bra?" Booth said as he craned his neck a bit, searching "his" half of the room looking for said object. He spotted it right next to his boxers, so he leaned over and snatched both- pulling on his boxers before turning and placing the bra on the bed. "Yea, Bones here it is."
"Oh, thanks Booth," Brennan said as she picked it up and quickly put it on before slipping back into her dress, and then turning back around to face Booth.
"Well, umm I guess I better get going. So um, I'll see you later," she said as she gave a small wave and exited the bedroom.
She didn't get more than three feet from the bedroom door before she felt a rather firm grip on her arm. "Bones wait. Are you seriously just going to leave? Don't you think that, I don't know there are some things that need to be addressed?" Booth said with an incredulous look upon his face.
"What's there to discuss Booth? Last night was we had sex. It wasn't a big deal. It was simply a release of biological urges and given the stress of our jobs it was only a matter of time before we released said urges together. So I really fail to see the necessity of discussing our actions last night to any further extent," Brennan said in a neutral voice with a blank expression on her face as she pulled her arm out of Booth's grip.
"Nothing to discuss? Not a big deal?" Booth said as his voice raised an octave or two. "Are you kidding me Bones? We have sex and you don't think that there is anything to discuss? Bones I don't know who you think you're kidding, but this is you and me we are talking about. Nothing is simple when it comes to the two of us, and it sure as hell can't be boiled down to you're 'satisfying biological urges' mumbo jumbo crap." Booth said stepping a step closer to her as she took one back.
"I disagree Booth; anthropologically speaking it is natural for an alpha male to…" Brennan began to say before being quickly cut off by Booth.
"Bones come on! You cannot be serious- anthropologically speaking? Are you even going to acknowledge what we did last night?" Booth frustratingly said, as he advanced another step closer to her, continuing their little dance.
"I already did Booth- you and I had sex. And like I said earlier it wasn't…" Brennan said as she took one more step back before she bumped into the wall behind her.
"Sex? Is that all last night was-- just sex-- because call me crazy, but it sure as hell felt like a lot more than that to me." Booth said as he moved forward fully trapping Brennan against the wall.
"It sure as hell felt like more than sex when I took you into my arms last night when you were crying, or when you began to kiss me, or when…"
"I get it Booth! I get that you were there for me last night when I needed you and for that I am grateful. But I don't know what else you want from me Booth."
"How about an explanation for what made you show up at my door step to begin with Temperance?"
She stayed quiet.
"Well, Bones why did you come here?"
"Because I needed to…" she trailed off.
"Needed to what Temperance?!"
"Fine! I needed to see you because I had a rough night and I needed to see someone familiar."
"You could have gone to see Angela, she's familiar," he said knowing that he was being harsh right now and baiting her, but he needed to know why and she needed to admit it to herself.
Brennan shot him a deathly glare, as her blue eyes blazed with barely restrained anger.
"Come on Bones, why me? What could I possibly offer you that Angela couldn't? What happened that made you need to come and see me?"
"I don't know Booth."
"I think you do Bones. I think that you're just too afraid to admit it to yourself."
"No, I'm not," she gritted out.
"I don't believe you," he said narrowing his eyes and folding his arms.
"Well it's the truth and I'm sorry if you're too big of an ass to see that."
"I'm an ass? I'm there for you in your moment of need, no questions asked and when I simply ask why you needed me, I'm some how an ass?"
"Yes, because you're budding into something that is none of your business."
"You made it my business when you knocked on my door Bones. Now I don't care that you came to me for help, in fact I'm thrilled that you did, but I just need to know why Temperance," Booth pleaded.
"Because you make me feel safe," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Do you remember yesterday after we told that father that we caught his daughter's murderer? How he said that he tried to protect his daughter from the world and yet he still managed to fail her? Well I began thinking about my own father, and about all that he had done in his past and how he claims it was to protect me and Russ. And I couldn't help but wonder what my life would have been like if instead of trying to protect me by pushing me away, what my life would have been like if he hadn't done that."
"I mean would I still be Joy Keenan? Would my mother still be alive? Who knows? And then I went through some of the few things from my childhood, it all got to be too much for me to handle. So I tried taking a walk to calm my thoughts, but the rain didn't seem to quite them-- being alone only seemed to intensify them, until they were suffocating me. So I thought of the only person that could help to make sense of the mess of my life and make me feel cared for and safe. The next thing I knew I was standing outside on your door step," she said, with that little lost girl expression on her face that appears whenever she speaks about her father.
Booth was quiet for a moment before he leaned in and did the only thing he could think of to wipe away the tears that had begun to form in the corner of her eyes, he touched his lips softly to hers and enveloped her frame in his larger one.
His tongue gently prodded her lips, asking for entrance, which she slowly consented to, as their kiss intensified when their tongues connected. The kiss continued for a little bit longer until Brennan brought her hands down in between their chests, pushing Booth gently away from her. Brennan's actions caused a sadness to flicker briefly in his eyes before he let loose a sigh and the flicker was gone.
"I'm glad that you told me about why you came here last night, but Bones there still remains the matter of our actions to discuss."
And just when he thought that her speech from earlier had zapped all of her anger, it flared right back up again when he spoke. "Booth why can't you just accept that we slept together, it was nice and now it's over. So we can just move on from it or maybe even just forget it," she said with a defiant huff.
"Bones how can you say that? How can you believe that we can just move on or even forget that last night even happen? Can you forget? Really? Be honest with yourself about what last night really was."
"Don't fool yourself into thinking it was something else Bones, something that can be measured, dissected and analyzed in your sterile lab. Because let me tell you what last night was--last night we made love, there I said it, we made love. And you know what making love cannot be measured or dissected, because it is messy and it is raw and it is real. Last night you needed me and I got to be there for you in a way that was true and intimate-- so do yourself and me a favor and don't tarnish what happened last night," Booth said as he now was about half a foot from her face.
Listening to Booth's heart on the line speech, suddenly ended the inner battle she was having between her rational and irrational side, or as Angela liked to refer it them as her head versus her heart. "Booth, I… you're right," Brennan said as she lowered her head slightly in a defeated for a moment before lifting it back up again.
"What?" Booth said as he jerked his eyes to meet hers.
"Well ok then I guess," he said, completely stunned that he had just gotten Bones not only admit that he was right but to acknowledge that they'd made love.
"So what now Booth? Where does this leave us?" Brennan said with a little bit of apprehension in her voice.
"Now, we take things slow," Booth said with a smile on his face.
"Meaning in a romantic way?" Brennan said as her voice pitched with nervousness. "But what about the line that you said we couldn't cross?"
"News flash Bones, we crossed that line miles ago. And as for romantically speaking, well we'll see where things go, but for the time being I guess that you could say we are thinking," Booth said with a confident and reassuring smile on his face.
Brennan tipped her head to the side, "Thinking?"
"Yeah, Bones. Thinking," Booth said with lightness to his tone.
Brennan hesitantly nodded, but added on "Ok, but in order to make an informative decision from our 'thinking' we should make a list and weigh out the pros and cons of progressing our friendship and partnership into something more."
"Of course Bones, I'll even let you write the list, but first we have a more pressing issue to take care off."
"Oh, and what's that Booth?"
"Breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day. And we wouldn't want you starting work without it," Booth said smiling cheekily.
"Booth… I have to get to the lab, we have a skeleton from the Iron Age that needs authenticating, and not to mention the mountain of paper work on my desk that I don't think is going to just disappear and…" Brennan began to tick off on her fingers, but she was soon silenced by Booth's index finger pressing against her lips.
"After breakfast Bones. Now I'll pick you up in about half an hour at your place, that way you can change and do everything else," Booth said with a charm smile, which was sure to make her unable to resist his request.
"Fine," she said as Booth backed up enough to let her slip past him and head to the door. Just before opening it she tuned to Booth and said sweetly "Oh and Booth?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm 'thinking' that it is a good thing that you don't know what I am 'thinking' about right now," and with that she headed out the door pulling it shut behind her.
Booth shook his head letting out a straggled groan, before turning and heading for the shower. And I'm thinking that this will be a very interesting ride.