The Greatest Gift Chapter 2: A Song Says a Million Words, a bones fanfic

Chapter Two of: The Greatest Gift

Rating: T near the end of the chapter.

Summary: Sometimes, music conveys what our own words cannot.

Don' t own nothing. Not Bones, the song I've used, Princess Bride, The Encyclopedia, or even this computer I am using. It's a sad life, isn't it?

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Chapter Two

"And that is the last time I've ever gone on a camping trip."

Booth laughed as he stuck the last piece of chicken into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "I don't think that I would want to ever grace a camping sight with my presence either after seeing that."

Brennan shrugged as she took a sip of her wine. "I've also been slightly afraid around raccoons. It is an irrational fear, I admit that, but it is difficult to grow out of something that has been developing since childhood." She sighed and set her wine glass down. "So now it's your turn. What will you never, ever do again and why?"

Booth let out a deep breath and leaned back into his chair comfortably. "That would definitely be watching every single extended version of the Lord of the Rings back to back with no breaks." He mock-shuddered before grinning at Brennan. "Do you even know what that is?"

"Of course!" she sounded indignant. I've read each and every one of Tolkein's books and they were absolutely enthralling."

"Ah," Booth pointed his fork at her. "But have you seen the movies?"

"No. No, I have not seen the movies. I wasn't even aware that there were any movies based on the books. Are they any good?"

"Well they definitely aren't as good as the books were but they are extremely well-written."

"Okay, time for another question."

"How about music? What kind do you listen to?"

"I don't know," Brennan shrugged as she took a sip from her wine. "I like instrumental. And I like music from other countries."

"What about stuff that was made in the great US of A and has words to it?"

"I like music where the lyrics mean something. Like if they tell a story. I like to be able to get something out of it. I hate it when you know that the story is supposed to be melancholy but it doesn't say why. I guess it's like when you read a book. And what about you?"

"I guess it's the same for me. I love listening to the kind of music that sets a mood and that can be used to convey a message. Like whenever I was ticked off at my parents I would play something blaring loud that basically said I didn't want them in my life. Immature but I've been doing things like that my whole life. But I'd have to say my favorite is Foreigner." He grinned teasingly and winked.

"Hmm. Here's a new question: What is your favorite movie?"

"Booth!" Brennan laughed. "I don't know much about movies. How about you answer that one while I think of my answer. This may take a while."

"You have to ask the question, then," Booth said, laughing with her.

"Okay. What's your favorite movie, Booth?"

"Oh, gosh. I don't know. I really like the original Romeo and Juliet—was it 1969? I've always loved the simple but classic romance of that story. But if you asked me next week it might be something different like The Ring. I don't have a steady favorite."

Brennan nodded. "I've seen Romeo and Juliet. I enjoyed it. But I think that Romeo is a ridiculously fickle man."

"How do you mean?"

"He goes to a party in what he calls complete and irrevocable love with the woman Rosalie and then in less than thirty minutes he falls in love with another woman. What would have happened if Rosalie noticed him that night? Would he still have fallen in love with Juliet? Would she have gone on to marry Paris if he hadn't? There are just so many horrid coincidences that destroyed so many lives."

Booth chuckled and shook his head with humor. "You over-analyze, Bones. But you're right. It could have been a much different story and definitely wouldn't have been nearly as popular if those things hadn't happened. It's supposed to be a tragedy."

"Hmm. Maybe."

"Now what is your favorite movie?"

"I don't really watch TV, Booth. You should know that by now."

"But that doesn't mean that you haven't seen any that you liked."

"Well…" Brennan propped her head up on her hand and thought. "I would have to say Princess Bride."

"HA!" Booth laughed loudly. "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father..."

"Prepare to die." They finished the line together, both smiling widely.

"I grew up on that movie, Booth," Brennan said with a small laugh. "It was Russ' favorite and he convinced me to watch it one morning when it was raining too hard and I was out of books to read. I actually own it."

"Wow, Bones," Booth said with a chuckle. "I didn't think that you actually owned a move."

"Of course I own a movie. I own five, actually. And I have a TV, too."

"I thought you said it was broken."

"That was the one in my living room. I have one in my bedroom for those days that I am a too sick to get out of bed and don't have anything to read."

"Well," Booth, leaned forward and speared a piece of her chicken before popping into his mouth, ignoring her feeble arguments, "we've been here for almost three hours. How about we get out of here?"

Brennan raised an eyebrow but nodded in agreement. Booth had already paid the bill a while back. "What is it now? Ten thirty?"

Booth looked at his watch and his eyes widened. "It's eleven." Looking up, he gave her his copyrighted grin. "I really should get you home before curfew. What do you say?" He stood from the table and pulled Brennan's chair back so that she could stand up. Reaching for her hand absent-mindedly, he turned to the kitchen and waved. "Thanks again, guys!"

"Any time, Seeley! And don't forget to come and visit sometimes, Dr. Bones!" Lily's voice came from somewhere far into the back of the kitchen.

Brennan smiled and walked out with Booth, savoring the feel of his hand clasping hers. The night had gone by so fast and she felt an urge to stay with him. The conversation at dinner had gone all over the spectrum, covering everything from most traumatic thing ever to happen at work with coworkers (Booth's story of walking in on one of his past partners in flagrante dilecto took the cake) to favorite foods. It had been wonderful to feel her inhibitions fall away as he teased her gently about some of her little quirks and mad constant movie references that she never understood. Maybe the wine had helped a little, its gentle taste loosening her tongue more than would be usual but she didn't feel as if any of the conversation had been awkward or forced. It had been genuine.

"Hey, Bones! You still there?"

Brennan looked up in surprise to find that she was standing next to the open car passenger door, with Booth pointing in a gesture for her to get in. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I must have zoned out for a moment, there." She smiled softly as she slid into the dark car and watched as Booth walked around to get in on the other side. When he was buckled in and had the keys in the ignition, Booth turned to look at Brennan with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Do you want to know something, Bones?"

Cocking her head, Brennan looked over at him. "Sure."

"I've wanted to ask you out for a long time now."

Eyes widened, Brennan's lips parted slightly. "What?"

Booth nodded slowly and leaned in closer so there were only a few inches from their faces. "Yep. I've wanted to get you out of the lab for ages now."

"Why?" Brennan seemed flustered as she stared up at the man's face.

Booth scoffed and leaned even closer. Brennan felt her face grow warmer when his breath brushed her face. Her eyes widened even more as she stared into his eyes, trying to understand this sudden proximity as her mind tripped over herself. Her heart sped up as the smell of his subtle cologne overcame her.

"Sometimes it amazes me, Bones, how smart you can be and yet how little you understand about the world or its inhabitants." Booth's voice was rough with some emotion that Brennan could not pinpoint as she tried to understand his comment. "Anyway," Booth sighed as he leaned back into his chair and shifted gears and backed out of the parking lot, "my point was that I really enjoyed this evening. It was fun, being able to talk to you like that."

Brennan blinked as her usually-fast mind sluggishly tried to understand the sudden rush of emotions that she was experiencing. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I enjoyed it too, Booth." Reclining back into her chair, she stared out the front window and smiled to herself. They rode in silence for a few blocks until her apartment came into view and they hit a red light.

"Hey, I have something to give you, Bones. It's your birthday next week, isn't it?"

"What? How did you know?"

Booth shrugged. "Angela told me. But I wanted to give it to you in advance. Do you mind?"

"You didn't have to get me anything, Booth," Brennan sighed as the car pulled into the apartment parking lot. "Angela shouldn't have told anyone that it was my birthday. I haven't really celebrated it with anyone for at least two or three years."

"Why is that, Bones? And why does it mean that I can't celebrate with you now?" He parked the car and turned the key in the ignition. "It doesn't matter, anyway. I'm going to give this to you whether you like it or not, Bones." He turned to her again and smiled softly before reaching into the back of the car and pulling out a large gift bag and placing it on Brennan's lap. "You can open it now or later, it doesn't matter, but I just wanted to give you something seeing as how I didn't know it was your birthday last year."

Brennan closed her hands around the edges of the bag and sighed softly. "I'm going to open it in my apartment, Booth."

Disappointment clouded Booth's eyes but he nodded. "Okay. Do you want me to walk you up to your apartment?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Oh." Booth looked out the window and bit his lip.

"But would you like to come up for a beer?"

Looking over in surprise, he chuckled darkly before nodding and pulling the keys out of the ignition and sticking them into his pocket before opening the door. Brennan smiled back and opened her own door, sliding out of her seat and into the cool autumn air. Together, they walked into the building and up the stairs to her floor.

When they got into her apartment and Brennan had retrieved two beers they sat down on the couch, Brennan sitting cross-legged and Booth with his feet propped on the small table in front of them. "So are you going to open it?" he asked, pointing at the bag with his beer bottle.

Brennan nodded and stuck her hand into the bag, pushing the tissue paper aside and pulled out a small wrapped package. Eyeing it curiously, she looked up at Booth before slipping her finger under the tape and slipped it out of the wrapping paper. Her eyes widened in puzzlement before a look of revelation crossed her features followed by a rare grin.

"The Encyclopedia of Pop Culture in the Twentieth Century?" she read, running her fingers over the colorful cover. "Booth that's just mean."

Booth laughed and shook his head before taking a sip of his beer. "Nah, it's not mean. It was just something that had to be done. Maybe you'll learn a few things."

Flipping the book over to scan the back, her eyebrows lifted briefly. "Booth, you are spending far too much on me. I don't like that."

"Well then maybe you'll just have to take me on a date next time, won't you?" He gave her a sidelong glance as she took a long sip of her beer. "That is if you want to go out again, of course."

"Of course," murmured Brennan as she bit her lip. Looking up, she stared at the man next to her and sighed, trying to sort out her thoughts. Did she want to go out with him again? She'd had fun—more fun than she'd had in ages with anyone but Angela—but was she ready for another relationship? She had just recently broken up with David and wasn't overly sure that she wanted to make yet another risk. Granted: There was less of a chance that Booth would ask her to marry him since he knew her standing and knew what had happened when David had asked her but what if he got too attached? What if she got too attached and, when the time came, she wouldn't be able to move on with her life? Sighing heavily, she stood from the couch and walked over to the large collection of CDs. Running her fingers over it, she turned slowly back to face Booth. "Do you want to listen to something?"

Booth smiled and stood, walking over to stand behind her. Leaning over to stare at the CDs, he pulled one out of a small bag that he'd carried discreetly under his coat. "Why don't we listen to this? It's a CD that I made for you a few weeks ago."

Cocking her head, Brennan looked at Booth curiously and took the CD from his fingers. Opening the case she slipped the disc into the stereo system. "What's on it?"

"Just a few songs that I thought you might like." Booth smiled at her as he pressed the large circular play button. Soft guitar music filled the room through the surround sound. Brennan looked at Booth with increasing confusion as he extended his right hand. Smiling shyly, she put her smaller hand in his large one and let him lead her into the center of the room. He pulled her against him and rested his free hand on the small of her back. When the lyrics began Brennan lowered her eyes self-consciously as they began swaying to the music.

Watch my life,
Pass me by,
In the rear view mirror
Pictures frozen in time
Are becoming clearer
I don't wanna waste another day
Stuck in the shadow of my mistakes

Yeah...

Booth could tell that she was listening to the lyrics by the intense look in her eyes. He watched as the blush spread further over her face and he felt her hand on his shoulder tighten and loosen as the one in his hand trembled.

Cause I want you,
And I feel you,
Crawling underneath my skin
Like a hunger,
Like a burning,
To find a place I've never been
Now I'm broken,
And I'm faded,
I'm half the man I thought I would be:
But you can have what's left of me

Slowly; carefully, Booth moved his right hand to his shoulder, letting Brennan's hand go so that it rested there. Moving his hand to her waist, he pulled her close, looking down and watching her eyes attentively for any sign that she wanted him to stop. But her shining eyes continued to rest on his chest and, if anything, she seemed to welcome the increased proximity.

I've been dying inside,
Little by little,
No where to go,
But going out of my mind
In endless circles,
Running from my self until,
You gave me a reason for standing still

As the chorus began again, Booth reached up with his left hand and put his index finger under her chin. Softly he lifted her face so that he could look her in the eyes. He smiled gently as her eyes flicked over his face and she swallowed hard.

She seemed to be leaning into him now. Her eyes were locked on his and her fingers dug into the fabric of his shirt.

It's falling faster,
Barely breathing,
Give me something,
To believe in
Tell me: It's not all in my head

Brennan knew the insinuation of the song. She knew what the singer was trying to portray to the listeners but her mind raced to find a logical explanation for why Booth was directing it at her.

Take what's left
Of this man
Make me whole
Once again

She could feel her heart thudding against her chest as she felt herself rising slightly onto her toes. His face was lowering to meet her and she felt her ragged breath pass her lips. Her fingers moved from his shoulders to rest on his chest. Her mind couldn't find a reasonable explanation but her body seemed to scream to her the most illogical thing that could be motivating him. Her body cried for her to touch him but there was something else there, too. Something she wasn't used to feeling. Something that she couldn't define.

Their foreheads were touching and their breath mingled. They'd stopped dancing and they stood still in the middle of the room, each thinking about the song and what it meant. Booth's hands was cupping her face and he slowly closed some of the space between them. He watched her eyes widen as his lips whispered over hers. He pulled away to gauge her reaction. He smiled tenderly at the sight of her eyes half-closed and her face inclined to meet his. Leaning forward again, he pressed his lips against hers. And this time she rose to meet him.

I've been dying inside you see
I'm going out of my mind
Out of my mind
I'm just running in circles all the time
Will you take what's left
Will you take what's left
Will you take what's left of me?
Just running in circles in my mind
Will you take what's left
Will you take what's left
Will you take what's left of me?

Her face was pressed delicately against his as his lips covered hers. Her hands on his chest collected the fabric around them in a bunch as she moaned quietly. When he finally pulled away for air, he smiled down at her with that familiarly coy smile as his thumb brushed against her cheek. "You didn't jump-kick me," he whispered, his voice hoarse as he leaned back in to rest his forehead against hers again.

Brennan felt a bubble of laughter escape her lips and she returned the smile. "Nah. I've decided on using The Pain."

Booth pretended to cringe in pain as he ran his hands down her neck and to her shoulders before slipping down her arms to wrap around her wrists. "I hope I didn't leave too much for interpretation there," he murmured.

She shook her head and the flush on her cheeks increased once again. "No. No, you didn't."

"Good." And he pressed forward once again and captured her lips with his. This time their kiss was less timid and Brennan felt the heat racing through her veins as she squeezed his large hands. Her eyes closed and she saw red spots on the inside of her lids as the pressure intensified and he breath came in short, shallow gasps.

When he pulled away, Booth was smiling again. Pressing his lips against her cheek, he loosened his hold on her hands. "I should go. Before…" The both knew what he meant as he left the statement unfinished.

"Yeah." Brennan sighed as she pulled away. The song had changed but neither heard the words as the couple separated. Her fingers released the shirt and smoothed it out gently. Her eyes looked back up at Booth and she smiled shyly.

Booth chuckled softly and his hands covered hers. "Do you want to go somewhere tomorrow? Together, I mean."

She nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."

"I'll pick you up at noon tomorrow, all right?" She nodded before he leaned forward and pressed his lips gently against hers. They lingered for a moment before he stepped back and retreated through the front door.

- - -

Brennan stood still for a long minute before taking a long shaky breath and reaching for the stereo and pressing the STOP button. Her heart was hammering against her chest and her face was warm. Her skin tingled and her lips felt prickled with the memory of the feel of him against her. Turning, she walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling the large book into her lap. She smiled again at the title before opening it. Flipping the pages, she scanned the smooth pages before her eyes caught a small slip of paper poking from near the back of the book. Frowning, she opened it to the page and read the heading.

The X-Files (1993-2002)

A small passage was colored with a highlighter and Brennan's eyes fell to that, reading slowly and carefully.

This show was successful for many reasons but one of the main reasons was the continuous relationship between the two main characters, Special Agent Fox Mulder and Special Agent Dana Scully. Soon after their joining as partners on the notorious X-Files (Mulder's life-calling) they developed a trust that was extremely strong and soon this trust developed to friendship and finally to a romance.

Below it, there was a sort sentence written in a familiar scrawl.

The Mulder to your Scully.

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Thank you for reading. And I want to acknowledge the following people:

Acerbond - for being the first person to comment. Thanx!

Mendenbar - I will SO use that info about Booth in later works. I am keeping it!

ShizueAoki - although I can't get a username for you, your review was very fun to read. :D

And, of course, to my muses Kyree and Micheal. I love you two. Really, I do. :-)

Disclaimer: I do not own the song Take What's Left of this Man, Bones, or any of the characters in Bones. I do own Maurice and his wife. They are pawns in my little games. Mwahahaha.

One more thing: "I want to be the Mulder to your Scully" is THE best pick-up line ever. And I do mean that. LOL

THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE PUSH THE BUTTON! (you all know which one I mean.) O.O