Thanks to my wonderful beta, Eternal Destiny 304, and to those who reviewed Gunshy and the last chapter of this story. This is the end of this story, I think. There could be more, but this works in my head, as 1000% OOC as it probably is.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Brennan stared down at the completed puzzle, her eyes focused on the lone empty space. For a change, she drew no satisfaction from the physical evidence that one of her carefully reasoned hypotheses had turned out to be correct. She shifted her gaze to the rest of the picture.
The depiction of ocean surf barely lapping at white, sandy beach was inaccurate, given the position of the full moon. So late in the evening, the tide would have been several feet higher. The angle of the red and white lighthouse in the background was impractical; ships would have benefited from its beam much more readily if the building had been set higher on a promontory, rather than so low to the ground.
She traced the ridges of the puzzle, pressing pieces more firmly into place, smoothing edges where the poorly made cardboard was already fraying. Russ' puzzle was of much higher quality, but Brennan found herself thinking of framing this one instead. The notion confused her. It was an overly romanticized picture, down to the crabs scuttling along the shore which would have been swept away if the tide had been at the appropriate height.
"Hey, look at that." A steaming cup of coffee slid onto the table, followed by Booth's large hand on her shoulder. "You finished it."
She wrapped her hands around the mug and tilted her head to look up at him. He had scoured her place for the missing piece, and then tried to help Brennan assemble the picture before she banished him to the couch. His well-meaning efforts had only slowed her pace and she'd hoped he would get a few hours rest while waiting for her to finish. Clearly, that had not been the case. Her partner was every bit as vain about as his appearance as she was, and his rumpled hair and clothing spoke volumes for how tired he was. He was wearing a pair of sweats, minus the shirt, and all that heavy, broad upper musculature was on display for her to appreciate up close.
Brennan reached up and trailed a finger down the center of his sternum. "Why didn't you sleep?"
"I like watching you work." Booth placed his hand over hers, lifting it to his lips. The brief, gentle touch sent an improbable shock of electricity through Brennan. Tired as they both were, she wanted him again, and that same desire was mirrored in his eyes as he kissed her knuckles lightly.
She pulled free and slid her hand to the nape of his neck, drawing his head down towards her. Booth's mouth closed over hers, his lips brushing back and forth over hers in a tender, unhurried caress. His broad, bare shoulders leaned in to frame her body in a similar manner to the way his warm hands framed the sides of her face. Brennan dug her fingers into his deltoids and held on tight, anchoring herself to that solid physical wall in ways she'd never allowed herself with anybody else. He was her metaphorical mooring in so many ways. She wasn't a needy person by nature, but the realization of how much she needed this man in her life as a permanent presence—needed his laughter, his moodiness, his bizarre combination of prudish and daring, his steadfast loyalty and irrational faith—overwhelmed her usual emotional reticence.
"Don't leave me." The words slipped out of her before she even realized she was thinking them.
Before she had a chance to feel embarrassed, Booth chuckled. "Not unless you check me into some kind of a clinic." His low voice whispered over her skin as he pressed a series of small kisses along her jawline. "Are there Twelve Step meetings for addictions to sexy squints?"
He was letting her off the hook and Brennan knew it and was grateful.
She caught his face in her hands and turned it so she could see his face as she mulled over the right words to thank him. 'I love you' wasn't her way. Brennan offered him the next best thing in her mind. "Booth … you are, in a different way from Angela, my best friend."
He smiled just a little, more in his eyes than in his lips, and she knew she'd gotten it right for a change.
"Just make sure it's a way different kind of best friendship, huh, Bones? Defending you from a jealous bug guy isn't on my list of sworn duties."
Brennan felt some of the tiredness lift as Booth waggled his eyebrows at her. He wasn't pushing for more. They both knew they had taken some kind of unspoken first step, and that was enough for today.
"Angela is extremely beautiful and I know that she finds me attractive as well." She grinned at Booth's mildly alarmed look. Teasing him was a source of endless entertainment for her. Brennan looked him up and down deliberately, before coyly running her finger just along the top of the waistband of his sweats. "However, your physique appeals much more to me."
Booth batted her hands away. "Laugh it up all you want. I wouldn't put it past Hodgins to poison me with maggots in order to get back at you and Angela for two-timing him."
She stood up, smirking. "Given your fastidious food preferences, it's unlikely Hodgins could ever come up with a poisoned meal that you would actually eat."
Booth made a gagging sound as he followed her toward the bedroom. "I wouldn't put it past him. He'd probably sneak them into my coffee."
"It would take minimal thought on the part of one who knows you so well to realize that apple pie would be the best delivery mechanism for a deadly toxin."
"Poisoned pie." They paused at the threshold to her bedroom and Booth shuddered visibly. "That's just low, Bones. Way low. How much lower can you even get?"
"Much lower." Brennan tugged at his sweatpants suggestively.
Instead of following her playful lead, Booth reached around her and plucked a piece of paper from her bedside table. "Here. Just so you know me leaving isn't happening anytime in the next century."
Curious, Brennan took the paper and scanned it. It took her a moment to realize she was looking at her 'bucket list.'
"I don't under—" she trailed off as she spotted the Relationships column. Beside 'Sleep with Booth', a red notation now declared 'x 10,000.'
She looked up at Booth and he shrugged sheepishly, rubbing a hand across his stubbled jawline.
"I fixed it. Now you can't ever scratch me off your list."
Booth's eyes darted back and forth, warning her that he needed the same leeway Brennan had been afforded a few minutes earlier with her best friend comment.
She pursed her lips and casually mused, "It will take us far longer than a century to have intercourse 10,000 times."
Looking distinctly relieved, Booth retorted, "Not at the rate we're going. Three times a day for the next ten years will put us over the line pretty quickly."
Brennan laughed. "Our current pace will be unsustainable when we go back to work and require stamina for our professional duties." She peeled off her sweat pants and sat down on the edge of the mattress, then looked up at him mischievously as Booth's eyes hungrily roamed her naked lower half. "But. Hypothetically speaking, what would happen if we did reach 10,000 times?"
"Then I'll add another zero," he replied. "And another when we hit that target."
She watched Booth balance on one leg to remove a sock, then on the other to remove its mate, before shucking his own pants. The casual comfort with which he discarded each garment, as though they'd always been this intimate, gave her an unfamiliar pang of realization. Booth didn't do this with just anybody. He'd chosen her.
As he moved purposefully toward the bed, Brennan got to her feet and reached for the hem of her shirt. Deliberately avoiding looking at Booth, she pulled the blouse over her head and tossed it aside before reaching back to unsnap her bra. She was unaccustomed to being self-conscious about her body and the urge to cross her arms unnerved her. Halfway defiant, she met Booth's gaze head-on, challenging him to find her lacking because of the white bandage marring her left breast. She wasn't sure what would be worse—revulsion or pity.
"Whoa. Bones." The softness in his eyes dismantled part of Brennan's armor. The tenderness in his voice knocked aside the remainder of her defenses, leaving her feeling even more exposed as he approached her, looking not at her breasts, but at her face.
Brennan pressed her face into his shoulder and let him enfold her against his hard, warm body. Tears stung her eyes and she blinked them back in frustration. Typically Booth, he picked up on her feelings even when Brennan was sure she hadn't made a sound. He nudged her chin up. This time, his voice was firm.
"Temperance. You're beautiful." Very gently, he ran a finger across the curve of her injured breast, never breaking eye contact with her. "You couldn't not be." With infinite care, he leaned in and pressed his lips just above the bandage, sending pinions of heat through her.
Booth carefully pressed her back onto the bed and continued kissing her, always keeping his weight from reclining against her body. She stroked his dark head as he began to kiss her softly, whispering things she'd heard so many times but never before believed like this.
He would love her tonight. He would love her tomorrow. In sickness, in health, and death would not part them because in Seeley Booth's eyes a grave was no impediment to loving.
.
Brennan's diagnosis was uncertain, but one thing was clear and she clung to the awareness that this rock would never be washed away by high tides.
The scientist had long-held views, but, given sufficient concrete evidence, she was open-minded and willing to think differently. The realization was as immutable as the bones in her body. He would love her and she would love him. Always. To think otherwise was to refute seven years of hard evidence. So, why not? Like they always did, they would work through all the problems bound to arise. Together. It wasn't a ball and chain if they both had keys.
She opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. To give him something he wanted so much—it made her smile imagining his reaction.
"Booth. Let's get married."
o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Open. Ambiguous. I could take it further, but this way the ending is left up to your imaginations. There's no pat resolution or tragic finale. Just Booth and Brennan facing the future together, whatever it may bring. If you really want more, let me know and I'll consider adding to it.
That said, unless I get a specific request for more, I'm going to take an extended break from posting. (Extended meaning at least a month, probably.) I've posted almost every Thursday for a fully year and now want to concentrate for a bit on my original novel. School is also starting back shortly. I'm not leaving FF, just recharging my batteries. Thanks so much to all those who followed my weekly postings. Your comments meant a lot to me. I have all kinds of fanfic ideas still simmering, so I'll definitely be back sooner rather than later. =) ~Margarita