Brennan slid out of her car and slowly walked up to her apartment. Could it be true that she and Booth were more than just partners? Brennan walked into her apartment and picked up the newspaper from the door step. There was an article about the war in the Middle East and how the hope for peace was near. Brennan set down the paper and recalled one night with Booth…
War and Peace
Brennan walked over to her partner sitting on the curb. The bust had gone down perfectly and there were no more casualties. The man they arrested would be spending the rest of his life in jail, for murdering four soldiers from his unit.
Booth stared out into the night sky as the red and blue police lights flashed in his eyes.
Brennan knew that this case was rough on her partner, as all of the cases dealing with soldiers had been served with him in the past. She walked over and sat down next to him.
"Are you okay?" Brennan leaned forward to try and get his attention.
Booth didn't respond aloud, just slowly nodding his head.
Brennan knew that this nod was not the truth so, she slowly stood up and walked in front of him. She gently knelt down and looked him square in the eyes.
"Walk with me." It wasn't a question, a command, or a request. Brennan reached her warm hand out and offered it to her partner.
Booth hesitated for a moment and slowly took his partners hand. She gently pulled him up and walked across the street over to a small park, away from the chaos.
They walked silently around the kids play area over to a pond. The water was so still you could see the moons reflection right on the water's surface. Booth walked over and sat down on a bench.
Brennan followed him and sat there, waiting.
Booth knew that this case was going to be hard for him. He had been through so much in his time as a ranger and he never got the chance to talk to anyone about what it had done to him emotionally. Booth had been using his time in the FBI to make up for all the lives he took, but until very recently, this was not enough.
Brennan stared at her partner and wondered what was going through his head. She looked up at the stars and smiled.
Booth looked over and watched his partner star gaze. He watched as she studied and observed the wondrous sight above her. He joined her staring at the constellations, searching inside for the peace that he desired.
"Sometimes, the stars were all I had." Booth spoke very quietly.
Brennan turned to listen to her partner speak.
"I would lay, out of sight, sometimes for days, waiting for my target, to complete my mission." Booth looked down at the ground. "The only thing I could count on were the stars at night and the sun the next morning. They never left me, they never let me down." Tears formed in his eyes as he recalled how many lonely nights he spent, dreading to take the next life he had been ordered to.
It was for his county.
It was for the good of everyone.
Brennan looked at her partner and didn't know what to say. She had no idea what Booth had been through.
Booth stood up with a bit of rage and walked over to the pond in front of him.
The water was too still, too peaceful.
He picked up rocks and began throwing them into the calm water. With each stone tossed, the water became more angry and violent, just as the internal turmoil was raging within Booth's soul.
Booth couldn't pick up rocks fast enough and he knelt down, throwing whatever he could into the water. Tiny sounds escaped from his lips as he ripped the grass from its roots and dug at the dirt with his hands.
With frustration and nothing else to throw Booth heaved his tired body to the ground.
The flashbacks ransacked his brain and the loneliness rolled in like a storm.
The war inside of Booth was finally resurfacing; escaping like it should have years ago. For the first time since Booth was a small child being beaten by his dad, he sobbed.
Brennan was not really sure what was going on. She had never seen her partner act in this manner. Standing up quietly, she went and knelt next to him in the grass.
Booth lay curled on his knees with his arms covering his face. Brennan very gently put her hand on Booth's shoulder. He continued to cry, unaffected by her touch.
She moved her hand to the back of his neck. Making tiny motions at first, she rubbed the back of his neck and head.
As time passed and the sobs became a more relaxed heavy breathing, Brennan saw her partner have a new calmness that he had not had before.
Booth sat up and looked his partner in the eyes.
"Bones, I-" Booth didn't know how to express his gratitude for his best friend and partner.
Brennan smiled and scooted a little closer to her partner. She put one hand on his arm and spoke very tenderly.
"Booth, I know this case was extremely rough for you, but I do not know what to do to help you." Brennan looked out at the water. "I know you have been through many traumatic situations and I have no idea what they were, But I need you to know this." Brennan looked back at her partner and smiled.
"I will be your stars and sun. I will never let you down."
With those words Booth pulled his partner into the biggest hug possible. He grabbed and rubbed her back as if he could somehow meld the two of them right there and then. After a few minutes in a tight embrace Booth pulled away and looked Brennan in the eyes.
"I know you will never let me down Temperance." Booth used the side of his fingers to caress her cheek.
They sat there for a moment with their eyes locked, both searching for something more. Booth leaned back and rested his weight on his hands.
They both stared quietly up at the night sky above them.
"I guess we should get back to the scene. We have some work to do." Brennan spoke quietly as her partner nodded.
Booth stood up and offered his hand to the beautiful woman in front of him. They walked arm in arm back to the crime scene.
Booth took on last look back at the pond they had been sitting at and smiled.
The water stood completely still, at peace, as it had before.
Feeling peace within himself, he walked with the woman who made it possible.
His Bones, his peace.