Random Bits of Fluff Chapter 4: Hold Her Closer, a bones fanfic

A/N: So I haven't updated in a while, and I'm sorry... but we had a snow day today, so bam, here you get some happy fluff:-) Also my first attempt at a songfic... review and let me know if you loved it or hated it or anything in between... pretty please with Booth on top! Song is Hold Her Closer, by Blessed Union of Souls. A gorgeous song and very fitting for B/B, in my opinion.

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Temperance Brennan couldn't sleep.

She lay in bed in the dead of winter, blankets pulled up tight around her neck, sweating bullets, panting as if she had just run a marathon. She closed her eyes, even for a moment, and it would come back. They were flashes, really. Unconnected moments that scared her more than she thought possible, or even understood. Booth. A gunshot. Searing red light. A scream. And then, darkness.

It had been going on for a while, now that she thought about it. Too long. All she wanted was a good night's sleep, just once. But the images haunted her. It's okay, Brennan, she reminded herself, he's safe. Nothing happened. He was her partner, her best friend. She loved him. She loved him more than she had ever let herself love anyone, and that scared her.

When you see love
And you don't know what it is
You might find yourself in fear
To show your heart

She didn't know what she would do if anything had happened to him. If she hadn't gotten to him in time. Without even consciously knowing what she was doing, she got out of bed. Her hair was a mess, brown locks mussed and out of place, her usual bright, steel blue eyes seemed dim and clouded with grey. She dragged on a pair of loose sweatpants and pulled her softest red sweater over her head, letting the fabric drape her with comfort. Irrational, she knew, but she needed to see him. Needed to know he was still there, with her.

But when you feel it
And it's oh, so wonderful
You might find yourself in fear
To let it part, in fear to let it part

Seeley Booth did not know whether he dreamed it or not. A soft knock on his door stirred him from sleep, but the ensuing silence made him question whether or not he had really heard anything. A few beats passed. Nothing. Flopping back down on his feather bed, he shook his head, trying to get back into his peaceful slumber. But then there it was again. The knocking. This time, he had heard it for sure. He walked lazily to the door, rubbing his eyes as he opened it, completely unprepared for the sight in front of him.

The door opened, and there he stood. Alive, whole, and right in front of her. He was safe; it had only been a nightmare. She couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes, emotion coursing through her body. She didn't even know what she felt—so many feelings were bouncing around in her oversized brain. Relief. Fear. Contentment. She had never felt this way, and didn't understand it. Temperance Brennan could tell you how a soldier died two hundred years ago, what sport a victim had played when they were six, the derivation of the word for every bone in the human body. But if you asked, she could not for the life of her describe how she was feeling right now, standing in front of the man she loved.

Booth didn't know why she came or why she was crying, but he did know he couldn't stand to see her like this. It ripped him apart, brought tears to his own eyes to see her like this. So he did the only thing he could: he stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and swept her into a hug. He rubbed soothing circles on her back with his thumb, stroked her hair with his large hand. It wasn't a guy hug, it was a real hug.

So hold her closer when she cries
Hold her closer when she feels
She needs a hand to hold
Someone who'll never let her go again
And hold him closer when he tries
To hold the tears back from his eyes
Don't say goodbye

When her tears had subsided, he pulled her inside, sitting her down on his couch as he stirred about in the kitchen, making her hot chocolate. Brennan gazed around his apartment, lazily fingering the worn brown fabric of Booth's couch. He handed her a steaming mug of hot chocolate and she sipped it, thankfully. Minutes passed slowly, achingly for Booth. He needed to know what was bothering her. Needed to fix it.

He spoke softly, a hoarse whisper. "Bones?" Her head snapped up, blue eyes round and wondering as they met brown. "Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

She looked away, almost ashamed. She took another sip of her hot chocolate and set it carefully down on the wooden coffee table before them, pulled her knees up to her chin, and turned to face Booth. "I just… I, I can't sleep," she confessed. He didn't speak, simply nodded, motioning for her to continue. "Every time I close my eyes, it' like…it's like you're back there again. You're tied to that chair and he's pointing a gun at your head, and I just, I can't…I can't get there. I can't save you." A tear rolled down her cheek. His lips turned up in a half smile as he brushed it away with the pad of his thumb.

"Bones, I'm right here. I wouldn't leave you, okay? What kind of partner would I be if I did?" He smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Brennan smiled too, a small smile, but she looked away, her eyes still heavy with tears.

When your heart decides
That it's time to let it through
There's no reason to be scared
To open up

He turned her chin towards him, made him look at her. He repeated himself, wanting to let her know how much he meant his words. "I would never leave you. I couldn't."

Cause love may be blind
But all of us don't see it

Her eyes met his once again and he saw the emotion etched in them. He saw fear, he saw caring, but behind it all… he saw love. The same love he knew was reflected in his own, the same love he had felt for years now. Deep breath, Seel. It's now or never. "Because I love you."

So just once in your life
If you hear the knock of love
Just let it in

He held his breath, waiting, waiting for her reaction. Their faces were close now, inches apart, his hand still grazing her chin. So many thoughts were running through her head—He's your partner. You could get separated. He could leave you, like everybody else. But right now… right now, Temperance Brennan really didn't want to think. She didn't want to think about whether what they were doing was rational or not. Right now, all she knew was that he had said the words that she had felt for years now.

She leaned toward him, their foreheads touching now. Both partners had closed their eyes, relishing in the warmth of their mixed breaths on each other's faces. And finally, finally, Seeley Booth captured her lips with his in the softest, sweetest of kisses.

Hold her closer when she cries
Hold her closer when you know it's time to say goodbye
You hurry back to see her smile again
And hold him closer when he's down
When his world is upside down
Turn it around

Never in her life had Temperance Brennan felt safe from kissing a man. But that's how it was with Booth. With his arms protectively around her, Brennan felt safe, wanted—needed.They poured their heart and souls into that kiss, speaking with their lips everything they couldn't say with their voice. His hands were wound in her hair; hers, playing easily with the short wisps along his neck. It felt so natural, so right. When Booth finally pulled back, he leaned his head against hers, both greedily taking in air. With a smile on her face, Brennan turned to lie on the couch, Booth's arms wrapped tightly around her. He kissed the top of her head and there, snuggled up on the raggedy brown couch in Booth's apartment, Temperance Brennan finally fell asleep, in the arms of the man she loved.

So hold her closer when she cries
Hold her closer when she feels
She needs a hand to hold
Someone who'll never let her go
And hold her closer when she's down
When her world is upside down
Turn it around
Hold her close

A/N: So, whatdidya think? Should I never, ever attempt to write a songfic again? Review review review, they make my day!