A Pain That I'm Used To—Chapter 18
Disclaimer: I don't own anything associated with BONES….at least until the DVDs come out in November here in the U.S. Yay!
Author's notes: Thanks again to all of you who are reading and special thanks to those of you who are reviewing. It seems my author's notes are becoming longer and longer with each chapter! (LOL) I had this chapter ready on Sunday morning but the Document Manager was being snarky all day and would not allow me to upload the document and post it! ACK!
To the-tangoing-mango-addict—(looks around at the messy room) Yeah, go ahead and blame that on me…other reviewers have accused me of torturing them and trying to kill them (looks pointedly at WOATCAPIITON and BonesDBchippie) so adding a messy room to my conscience is not a big deal. Thanks for going out on a limb and reading this angst-fest of a fic. I hope you enjoy the rest of it.
To jaed621—You're just a regular little investigator aren't you? (grin) Keep your eyes open for more clues…sometimes I just subconsciously throw them into the mix.
And of course to elliot02uk—I wrote that line "constitutes as a federal crime" without and with the 'as' since it sounded funny to me both ways. I finally gave up and stuck with the 'as'…hmmm….anyway, now thanks to you I'm also seeing Booth as a "high stepping horse". (LOL) Oh and stop going through my rough drafts! (takes papers away) Great, now I can't include the axe-wielding Natalie scene! (big grin)
Okay everyone, I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you do…well press the little button and let me know. Go ahead, it won't hurt you…Booth promises! (hangs head in shame…yes, I just played the Booth card)
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"Would you like something to drink?" Brennan asked as she and Booth entered her apartment.
"Yeah, whatever you got," he answered as he removed his jacket and placed it on the back of one of the bar stools at her kitchen counter. "You know I was surprised that you didn't want to go back to the lab."
After handing him a bottle of water, she opened her own. "It's late plus there's not really anything else we can do on this case until your Ballistics team sends you the reports on the remaining firearms."
He sipped his water and sighed as he took a seat on her couch. "You didn't have any beer?" He looked up at her with brown puppy dog eyes.
Taking a seat beside him, Brennan smiled. "I can't mix alcohol with the medication for the panic attacks…"
"But I'm not taking any medication," Booth whined.
"True, but I'm not going to sit here and watch you enjoy one of my nice cold beers when I can't indulge in one myself." She grinned at her partner's crestfallen expression.
Booth rolled his eyes and leaned forward to grab the remote control to the television from the coffee table. After flipping through a few channels, he settled on ESPN, removed his shoes and propped his feet on the area of the table where he had picked up the remote. "Let's see some football scores," he requested of the sportscasters.
"Um, what are you doing?" Brennan turned her body on the couch so that she was facing him with her left leg tucked under her, touching Booth's right leg.
"Checking out football scores Bones…oh come on, what's with Florida State losing to…"
"No Booth, I mean….well, I mean what are you doing?" She propped her left elbow on the back of the couch and ran her hand through her long hair. Booth sat mesmerized momentarily by the sight.
"Booth?"
"Oh I…uh, do you want me to go?" He moved his feet from the coffee table and leaned forward to grab his shoes.
Brennan placed her right hand on his chest and pushed him back against the couch. "I didn't say that I wanted you to go. You've been acting a little weird…"
"No I haven't."
"What exactly did Vince McVicar say to you today Booth?" She watched as he averted his gaze from her and reached for his bottle of water.
"You sure I can't have a beer?" He glanced over at her and grinned.
"Tell me what happened and I'll consider it."
"That's blackmail. Besides Bones, if I really want a beer I can walk into your kitchen and get one," he stated in a triumphant tone.
Shaking her head, Brennan smiled at him. "Booth I'm fairly certain that you will never open the refrigerator in my apartment again. It took you a whole month before you would even walk into the kitchen."
"You noticed that, huh?" he asked sheepishly.
"Yes, just as I noticed that your behavior has been a little weird today." Brennan extended her right hand placing it under his chin and turned his face toward her. "Tell me."
A jolt of electricity passed through his body as she touched his face. He found himself wanting to tell her everything…but none of it was about her mother's killer. Booth removed her hand from his face and held it in his own.
"I told you, Bones, he gave me the name Patrick Kava and I'm tracking that information down."
She narrowed her eyes at him slightly. "There's something else."
Booth squeezed her hand as he ran his other hand through his dark hair. "Bones…"
"I deserve to know Booth. I deserve to know all of the facts and even the conjecture, good or bad," she stated in a firm tone as she squeezed his hand in return.
"He said…he said that we needed to stop looking into this matter or…" Booth closed his eyes, feeling sick at the thought of Brennan in danger.
"Or what Booth?"
"Or…your blood would be on my hands," he answered softly.
Brennan stared at the man she trusted more than anyone else in the world. He appeared shaken by McVicar's words and she couldn't decipher whether it was because Booth believed the hit man or if it was something more. "Booth, you said yourself that he's a pathological liar. Why would believe anything he has to say now?"
"I don't know Bones. I just don't want to take any chances." The concern for her was more than evident in his dark brown eyes as he turned his gaze to her.
"So you decided to take up residence on my couch and check out football scores in order to keep an eye on me?" she joked.
He chuckled as he watched a smile play upon her lips. "Well that and your television is much better than mine."
Brennan's gaze traveled to their hands still clasped together in Booth's lap. "How did you get the information from him Booth? I know he didn't volunteer it out of the goodness of his heart."
Booth watched her for a moment and then he too looked down at their hands intertwined with each other. "I kind of broke his nose," he replied softly.
"Is that the same way I 'kind of' broke my television?" she asked with a smirk.
"Depends. Did you feel pretty damn good about breaking your television?"
"Definitely."
Booth gave her his full charm smile making her heart flutter. "Then it was definitely the same 'kind of'."
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Flipping the poker chip in the air and catching it as he walked down one of the corridors of the lab, Booth glanced around attempting to locate Brennan. He entered her office and found it empty and strangely silent. As he exited the office to continue his search, he noticed that the eerie silence was present throughout the lab.
Scanning his id card, Booth took the stairs to the platform area two at a time. He found Brennan's team gathered around one of the examination tables, a sheet covering a set of remains in front of them. He noticed that the squints were staring forlornly at him.
"Hey Ange, Hodgins…kid…where's Bones?" He looked around the area waiting for their leader to appear.
"You should know Booth," Angela replied as she started crying. "It's your fault. You should know."
"What the hell are you talking about? What should I know?" Booth looked from one squint to the next.
"We should have known better than to trust you man," Hodgins said heatedly as he turned to leave the platform.
"What?" Booth turned toward Zach who was now staring at the sheet covered remains with tears streaming down his face.
Zach lifted the sheet, revealing Brennan's lifeless body lying on the table, her lab coat covered with blood. "Her blood is on your hands Agent Booth."
Staring down at his hands, Booth discovered they were covered with a crimson red liquid. "No," he shouted as he collapsed against the examination table. "NO!"
Booth sat up, shaking, his face covered with a sheer layer of perspiration. His eyes darted around the room and he realized that he was in Brennan's apartment, lying on her couch.
"Temperance," he muttered, still slightly panic-stricken by the nightmare. Booth shoved himself off the couch and quickly but quietly made his way down the hall to Brennan's bedroom.
As he slowly opened the door, he saw her lying on her left side, her left hand tucked under her pillow and a serene expression on her face. He slowly let out the breath he'd been holding before he entered the room. She could be mad at him all she wanted but Booth decided that he would sleep better knowing for a fact that she was safe. And what better way to ensure her safety than by sleeping in the same bed, he reasoned.
Walking around to the other side of the bed, Booth pulled back the covers and laid down. He gradually made his way over to Brennan's side of the bed, careful not to disturb her. He placed his right hand on her hip and settled his head onto the pillow. The remainder of the night was nightmare free for the special agent.
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The sound of rain pounding against the windows caused Brennan's eyes to flutter open. Dark clouds rolled past the windows and thunder could be heard in the distance. She groaned slightly at the thought of a messy rainy day. Snuggling deeper into the warmth of the bed, her mind suddenly registered that she was not the only person in her bed. As if in response to her sudden realization, Brennan felt someone's warm breath on the back of her neck as she heard Booth mumble in his sleep.
She then felt the strong well muscled arm that lying across her waist pull her closer to him. Brennan relaxed against him, allowing the rain and Booth's presence to lull her back to sleep.
"Temperance," he mumbled as he nuzzled his face closer to the nape of her neck.
She smiled as she placed her hand over the top of his where it rested against her abdomen. "This is definitely becoming a nice habit," she muttered as she drifted back to sleep.
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A clap of thunder startled Booth into consciousness. He yawned as he stretched and then realized that Brennan was no longer lying in bed beside him. Recalling his nightmare, he jumped off the bed and began searching for her.
"Bones," he called, attempting to keep the panic out of his voice.
"In here Booth." He found her standing in the kitchen pouring a bowl of cereal. "Cornflakes?" She shook the box at him as she took in his disheveled appearance. A little bit of stubble and mussed hair did not take away from Seeley Booth's looks at all.
"Uh, sure. What time is it?" He yawned again and took a seat at the kitchen counter.
"Eight o'clock. I decided to let you sleep for a little while." She placed a bowl of cornflakes in front of him as she took the seat beside him. "You seemed pretty tired."
"Yeah, I guess I was." He watched her for a moment, waiting for her to ask why he had been in her bed.
"I guess you can drop me at the lab before you go home to change," she said as she picked up her glass of orange juice. "Ballistics should have the remaining results for you today, right?"
He nodded his head slowly. Apparently she intended to ignore his presence in her bed. "Yes Bones, they should. I can probably have that stuff to your office early this afternoon."
"Good." She stood and walked back into the kitchen, placing her empty bowl in the sink. "I'm ready to go when you are."
Taking the hint, Booth slid off the stool and ambled down the hallway to retrieve his dress shirt and splash cold water on his face.
"Booth?"
He turned around to find her smiling at him, her hands shoved into the pockets of her blue jeans.
"Yeah Bones."
"Did you sleep well last night?" He saw the light dancing in her bright blue eyes as she stared at him.
Grinning sheepishly, he averted his gaze briefly to the hardwood floor. "Um, yeah…Temperance…I did."
As he raised his head to look at her again, he noticed that her smile had not disappeared. "Good. So did I."
Author's notes: I decided that since I've thrown so much angst into this story, you all deserved a little more B/B fluff. Hope you enjoyed it!