Disclaimer: See other chapters.
Author's Notes: YAY! More generic, cliched BB fluff! You know you love it.
Also, this one's kinda long because I actually took the time to introduce a plot. XD
And major apologies for the blatant "Lie To Me" reference at the end. It just seemed so fitting. :p
UNTOUCHED
It was well into the early hours of the morning, but Temperance Brennan was anything but aware of this fact. She had been sitting at her desk for hours, ignoring the steady rhythm of the clock that ticked the seconds away. All of her attention was focused on the case notes that lay in front of her. Booth had helped her put them together for a while, but when even a cup of coffee failed to keep his eyelids open enough for him to read the words on the pages, she had suggested that he go home—a proposition well-received by the FBI agent. She wondered vaguely if he had made it home, or if he had fallen asleep at the wheel and crashed his car. She yawned without thinking, then recognized the heavy feeling that drifted over her. She was tired, she realized, and if she wanted to get a good day of work in tomorrow she should probably go home.
But on the other hand, she was almost finished here, and there was something about the solitude of the empty building that she enjoyed. There were no outside noises, no random interruptions by Booth or Angela, no…anything. She smiled slightly. Brennan liked being alone. She wondered idly what time it was, but afraid to know the answer, she instead looked down at the file that she held in front of her, intent on reading its contents. However, the letters no longer seemed like words, they seemed like foreign symbols that blurred together. The words she read didn't appear to be in English, and they floated around in her head in different arrangements, confusing her. Sighing, she piled the various papers that were scattered around her desk into a single stack and put them aside. Booth could help her finish them tomorrow. She sat for a moment, enjoying the silence, trying to force all thoughts of work-related issues from her mind.
And then the phone rang. It was loud, piercing, and the cause of Brennan's six-inch jump out of her seat. It took her a few seconds to fully register. For a moment she thought that she had been asleep in her bed, and it was her alarm clock. But no. She blinked at the black device that still emitted its loud ringing noise. Phone, she thought. A phone, ringing, she realized. That would mean that someone was calling her. Why would someone be calling her at—She glanced at the clock absent-mindedly, getting a shock when she read the time indicated on it—2 AM? 2 AM was generally a time when people were asleep—normal people, that didn't have an overload of paperwork to go over. In her confusion, Brennan almost forgot to answer the phone. She reached a out a hand and grasped the receiver, bringing it slowly to her ear.
"Hello?" she answered groggily. She heard breathing on the other end.
"Temperance?" a voice asked. She frowned, trying to identify it. She couldn't seem to.
"Who is this?" she asked. More breathing. Then a click, the sound of the phone being hung up. Brennan frowned, staring at the receiver in her hand. She contemplated this incident for a few seconds, wondering who it was, but as a familiar feeling of lethargy overtook her, she gave in and rested her head on the desk. She would only sleep for a few minutes, she reasoned, and then go back to her apartment.
---
It was 8:30 AM when Brennan woke up from her "short nap". She realized in horror that she had never gone home that night. She rubbed her eyes, hoping that maybe she could pretend she had, so that Booth wouldn't annoy her about not getting enough rest.
"Bones!" Booth seemed to materialize at the door of her office. "I was hoping I could get here before you, but as usual, you're here early." He froze, realizing something. "Or…late…" He took a few steps toward her desk. "Did you go home last night?" Brennan rolled her eyes.
"Booth, of course I—" Booth raised his eyebrows skeptically, and she sighed, knowing that her lie was easier to see through than an open window. She closed her eyes briefly. "No, I didn't," she said.
"Bones, when I left your office, it was 11 o'clock and I practically had desk imprints on my cheek from falling asleep so many times. You're telling me you stayed here all night?" Brennan nodded.
"Time kind of…flew."
"When you're having fun," Booth muttered under his breath. Brennan looked up.
"What?" Booth shook his head.
"Nevermind. Listen, Bones…are you okay?" She looked up, surprised by his inquiry. "I know this case kind of got to you." Brennan smiled faintly.
"I'm okay." She was glad that he noticed and that he cared. Over the past few months, she and Booth had become closer. She realized that they trusted each other with their lives, and she was happy spending time with him, although occasionally they annoyed the hell out of each other.
"Good," said Booth, smiling. Brennan remembered something.
"Did you call me last night?" she asked. "Or…this morning? Around 2." Booth shook his head.
"I was sound asleep, Bones."
"Yeah…" Brennan mused. "Someone called me, and I don't know who it was."
"Eh, if it was important they'll call back," said Booth. "Did you end up finishing that paperwork?"
"No," said Brennan. "I…fell asleep," she added sheepishly. Booth chuckled.
"I knew you were normal somewhere inside there. C'mon, let's get some breakfast, and we'll finish it up later."
---
A few hours later, both Brennan and Booth had had their fill of pancakes—and paperwork. The last of the case notes were neatly filed away, and Booth had gone to a briefing at the FBI office. This left Brennan sitting at her desk, attempting to write the next chapter of her book. The steadily blinking cursor waited for her to type words onto the blank document, but nothing came to her. She sighed, switching off the monitor, and leaned back.
The phone rang again. This time, it didn't take Brennan by surprise as much, since it had practically been ringing off the hook all day. She picked it up.
"Brennan," she answered brusquely.
"Is this Dr. Temperance Brennan?" A male voice sounded from the other end of the line.
"Yes," said Brennan. "Can I help you?"
"You're Max Keenan's daughter?" Brennan frowned at this question, wondering where exactly these inquiries were going.
"Yes," she repeated.
"This is Agent Richard Farrell from the FBI. Our field teams, we, uh…found your father…" The agent paused. "He's dead." Brennan froze, her hand gripping the receiver tightly.
"What?" she asked after a few seconds of silence. "…How?"
"It, uh, appears to be a homicide," answered Farrell.
"Does Booth know?" whispered Brennan.
"Agent Booth is in a field briefing right now," came the reply. "He will be informed of the situation when he's let out."
"Thank you," whispered Brennan. The agent hung up, leaving Brennan listening to a dial tone. She was unaware of the fact that her hands were shaking until she dropped the phone. It clattered to the floor, and she stared at it for a while before resting her head in her hands, trying to make any sense of what had just happened.
---
It was two hours later when Booth finally showed up. Brennan was still at her desk, staring intently at the polished wood. He entered her office carefully.
"Bones," he said softly. She looked up.
"You heard what happened?" He nodded.
"I'm sorry I'm late, I—I would have gotten here sooner, but there was…a development in the case." Brennan frowned, standing up from her chair.
"In my father's murder?" Booth nodded again, taking a few steps closer so he stood in front of her.
"Bones, uh…someone…" He paused. "There was a confession. To his murder. And from what we can discern…they're telling the truth."
"Who?" Brennan asked. Booth paused again, considering what Brennan's reaction to this news would be. He took a deep breath.
"Your brother," he said. Brennan's eyes widened, and she took a few steps back. She shook her head violently.
"No," she said simply. "No." Booth's gaze softened.
"Bones, I'm…" He couldn't find the right words to say. She was still shaking her head.
"No." She looked up at him. "You're lying to me, Booth!" Booth stepped towards her.
"I'm not lying." He tried to take ahold of her arm, but she fought him off, hitting his hand away.
"No!" she shouted. "You…" She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're lying. That's—that's impossible. It can't…You're lying. It's not true."
Booth looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. She shook her head again.
"Just go," she said coldly. He frowned.
"What?"
"Go!" she shouted. "You're just going to leave me anyway. Like every other man I've known. So do it now and I'll get over it that much faster!" Booth stared at her, shocked by her words.
"Bones," he said softly. She didn't listen. "TEMPERANCE!" Booth yelled. Brennan froze, stopping her tirade at his use of her given name, and looked up at him.
"Just—go," she said quietly, her voice quavering. She was cut off by Booth wrapping his arms around her suddenly, cradling her small frame back and forth. She tried to fight him off by hitting his chest, but she didn't do much damage and deep down, she didn't want to. She finally let herself hug him back, as tightly as she could, crying into his shoulder. Glad that she had let herself be reached, Booth held her close.
"I am not going to leave you," he said into her ear. His tone was harsh, but he was only hurt by the fact that she thought he would abandon her. He pulled away and held her at arm's length so he could look into her eyes. "Do you understand me? I will never leave you." She nodded, and he hugged her again tightly. They both collapsed onto her couch, Brennan resting her head against Booth's chest. He stroked her hair soothingly.
"Tell me what happened," she whispered after a few minutes. Booth looked down at her.
"About an hour and a half after we found your father's body, Russ showed up at the FBI. He just…turned himself in. I didn't find out exactly what happened, I came straight here. They're interrogating him now, you'll get to see him tomorrow." Brennan nodded.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking again. Booth kissed the top of her head softly, then laid his cheek where his lips had just been.
"Shh, it's okay," he said. "It's okay." Her head still leaning against Booth's chest, Brennan drew a deep breath. Tears stung the back of her eyes as she thought about what was to come, and what she faced.
"It's not going to be easy, is it?" she said quietly, more of a statement than a question. Booth closed his eyes briefly, not sure of what to say.
"What do you want me to say?" She looked up at him, eyes brimming with tears.
"Lie to me," she answered. Booth looked at her sadly.
"It's going to be simple, Bones. Because everything's black and white. The answer's always clear, and you'll know exactly what to do." He smoothed her hair back from her forehead absent-mindedly. "And nothing ever clouds your better judgement. But you know that." Brennan tilted her head up to look at him.
"Liar," she said.
So now you've gotten the R part of the R&R done... ;)
