Chapter Three

They sat entwined on the couch their foreheads touching, his hands still around her waist, her hands unsure of what to do next. They trembled. He noticed.

"Bones, if you're not sure about this, let me know now, before it's too late." His eyes were closed, but he felt her eyelashes against his cheek, fluttering nervously.

"It's not that I'm not sure, it's just that, well, I never really pictured our first time being so, well, real." He could taste her breathe when she spoke. It was delicious.

He pulled his head back to look at her. There was a smile in his eyes for the first time that evening.

"You pictured our first time?" He laughed a little at the embarrassed expression on her face. She could be so unexpectedly cute sometimes. He held her tighter and they could get no closer. Not without occupying the same space.

"Of course I pictured our first time. Didn't you? The natural course of our relationship was leading here. I just hadn't actually envisioned it here tonight, under these circumstances."

"Yeah, me neither," Booth sighed. "I sort of pictured it after a huge fight, very passionate at first, then slowing right down, and lasting for a week." She smiled.

They were silent for some time. Neither one was in a hurry. Fruition had finally come, and the two of them sat on the couch. Their feelings exposed, but nothing else. It felt right.

"Booth?"

"Yeah, Temperance?" His voice sounded very weak and tired.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Her fingers had finally occupied themselves by tracing the line of stubble on his jaw. The last sweep of her fingers traced his lips. She felt them smile.

"You know, I'm pretty sure I'm not okay, but for this moment, this place right now, I feel good. I like this. I just want to live tonight. I'll worry about tomorrow then." He laid his head on her shoulder, his face pressed against her neck. He felt her pulse on his lips. It had quickened then slowed down. Without realizing his exhaustion, her pulse lulled him to sleep.

She sensed when he had fallen asleep, but she made no effort to move, afraid to disturb him. She looked at the window and saw dawn creeping over the sill. It had been a very, very long night. Eventually she dozed, the two of them so comfortable, neither stirred until her phone rang.

Booth shot up off the couch, scared by the disturbance. Brennan sat up groggy and disoriented. He found her phone on the coffee table and passed it to her. She answered classically, "Brennan."

He watched her face while the person on the other end, he could tell it was a woman, spewed something without pausing for breath, or a break between words. She looked at him and mouthed "Its Angela."

"Yes, I know. Yes, I have seen him. He's right here. Yes he spent the night. No, we didn't. NO, we didn't. No, I don't think I'll be into work today. He needs me. I will tell him that. Thanks Ange, I'll call you later."

Booth paced the living room while she had the conversation with Angela. He was nervous. He didn't know why. He thought he would be nervous after they had made love, but they hadn't and he was nervous anyway. Damn. He was in deep.

She hung up the phone and watched him pace for a while. She stood up and stepped in front of him so that he would have to stop. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him.

"That was Angela calling to tell you she was very sorry for about your brother. The FBI called the Jeffersonian and let them know the situation. Everyone there feels very badly for you."

"Well...that didn't take long did it?" He quickly changed the subject. "Bones...I am sooo sorry." He looked into her blue, blue eyes and saw the affection she had for him, affection that she had kept hidden better than he had. "I never meant to fall asleep on you."

"It's okay Seeley, there's always tonight, and if not then, there's tomorrow. I'm not going anywhere. I hope you know that. I'm here for you. In every way." It was so honest and true, that he felt tears forming in his eyes. He was unashamed as they fell down his face and landed on hers. She stood up straight and grabbed the collar of his shirt. They met each other half way as they finally shared their first true kiss. There was no puckish D.A. observing them, no one was going to walk in. It was just them, and the passion that lay hidden for too long was unleashed. They were finally interrupted by his cell phone ringing.

While he answered his phone, Temperance took the opportunity to go to the kitchen and make some coffee for them. It was going to be another long day, the first of many. When the coffee was brewed she walked back to the living room with a large cup for him. He was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He didn't look up when she approached so she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Are you okay?" She, again, really wanted to know.

"I just have this crazy head-ache right now. I might need something for it. The hospital just called, and because I'm the next of kin listed, not my dad, they can't release Jared's body until I sign some papers. My dad is flipping out on the nurses, and I really need to go back to the hospital now. Oh man, I don't want to face him. He's just going to convince me this was all my fault. As if I wouldn't be hard enough on myself, he's got to be there."

Brennan sat down beside him on the couch and took the hand that didn't have the coffee cup in it.

"Booth, this was not your fault, and frankly, I don't want to see you take some pity trip because you feel responsible. Jared was a grown man, and made his own decision to get behind the wheel of his car. This is not your doing. I don't want you to suffer any more than you already will over this. Will you promise me?"

He looked in her eyes for minutes. Not saying anything. He searched for some sign that she was not serious, but she was. He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the mouth. Now, that felt good.

"I promise Temperance. I promise whatever you want."

"Good, now I'm going to have quick shower, and then I'll drive you to the hospital. We'll deal with this together, Okay?"

"I should make some phone calls." He grabbed her hand and kissed it as she tried to get up, passing between him and the coffee table. "I promise I'll make it up to you about last night. It'll be worth the wait." He winked at her as she left the living room.

She looked back at him and said, "I'll look forward to it." She tried to wink back, but it was very awkward. He snickered as she went down the hallway, picking up his phone.

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They had driven to Booth's apartment to let him shower and get a change of clothes. While he was attending to his hygienic needs, his phone rang. Brennan answered it without thinking, "Agent Seeley Booth's phone, Dr. Temperance Brennan speaking."

"Who's this?" A masculine voice was on the other end.

"My name is Temperance Brennan; I'm Agent Booth's partner. "If I may ask, who is this??"

"Uh, I'm Seeley's grandfather. He left a message on my phone earlier, said he had some bad news for me."

Brennan was unsure if she should be the one to tell him that his grandson had passed away, but she knew he had to know.

"Well," she began, "I'm afraid your grandson, Jared, was killed in a vehicular accident last night. His injuries were too severe and there was nothing anyone could do. I'm very sorry."

There was silence on the other end, and Temperance wondered eventually if he was still there.

"Was he drinking?" The voice finally spoke through the phone. Brennan was a little shocked by this question.

"There's evidence that says he was, yes."

"Was anyone else hurt?"

"No, I believe that it was a single vehicle accident."

"Well, thank God for that. Say, I really need to go right now, this is um, a little bit much to digest, and can you have Seeley call me when he can?" The click on the line was audible as the caller hung up. Brennan sighed. There was so much about her partner that she did not know. So much he kept hidden, or tried to anyway. She sat on his couch and waited for him to be ready. She didn't wait long.

He was showered and changed and ready to go. She grabbed the keys and headed for the door, which he was holding open for her. He gestured that she should go first, but she stopped in front of him and kissed him gently and slowly on the lips. He smiled, but there was a brief grimace of pain on his face.

"Does your head still hurt?" Temperance asked him, with concern in her eyes. Her fingers grazed his hairline, and briefly stopped on the bruise that had formed near his eye.

"Yeah, a little. Seems the old man still has some power in those fists of his. Don't tell him I said that though..." He kissed her quickly on the forehead, and led her down the hall.

"I won't. By the way, your Grandfather called when you were in the shower. Booth, I didn't even know you had a grandfather. What else don't I know about you?" They were headed towards her car, and she stopped walking, waiting for his answer. He paused also and looked her in the eye. His warm chocolate eyes reflected apology.

"There's so much time Bones. I'll tell you everything about me if you want to know it all."

"Okay, start with your grandfather..."

The time during the ride to the hospital was passed by Booth telling stories about his grandfather. How as a child, when his father was having a particularly nasty bout with the bottle, his Grandfather would take him and Jared fishing, or anywhere out of the range of fire. He told her that he truly felt his grandfather was the reason he was alive today, and was the reason he was the man he was. Brennan's respect for the Eldest Booth was great and she had yet to meet the man.

The hospital was quite a bit busier in the daytime than it had been in the night. They wandered around aimlessly for a while, not sure who to talk to about Jared. They finally found a relatively helpful nurse, who had paged the doctor in charge of Jared's file. They waited, their backs to the hallway, standing close, wanting to touch but unsure of how far to push this thing when it was still so new. They never heard the man approach, and the last thing Seeley saw was his father's old Air Force ring, flashing in his peripheral vision. Brennan watched in horror as Booth hit the floor.

He didn't get up.