Chapter Four

Booth's father just stood there shaking his hand; obviously it had stung to take the shot. His other hand was in a cast, and his nose was bandaged, two black eyes looked at Brennan, smirking. Brennan looked at him, absolutely speechless. Her instincts failed her, and she had no reaction as to what to do. She smelled the booze on him almost instantly.

"Kid's still got a glass jaw," he looked down at the unconscious man on the floor, nudging him with his foot, "Get up Seeley, we're even now."

Brennan recovered from her shock and pushed the older man away from her partner. She knelt down beside him and put her hand on his forehead. Booth stirred a bit, but didn't wake up. She looked up to see two doctors and at least three police officers rushing down the hallway. The cops immediately took senior Booth away, they had been having trouble with this guy all morning, and now they had the excuse to take him downtown. Sure, his son had been killed, but it was no excuse to be assaulting random people, verbally, and now physically. They would be sympathetic, but he obviously needed to be detained for everyone's safety.

Temperance moved away from Booth to let the doctors do their job. She stood up and brushed off her hands. The floor was not as clean as it seemed. One of the doctors asked her what had happened.

"That man," she pointed down the hallway to where the cops were leading the grief-stricken man away, "Punched my partner, Agent Booth. He didn't even see it coming. He never had a chance to defend himself."

"Why would he blind-side him like that?" The doctor enquired, not really understanding what had happened. He was flashing a light in Booth's eyes, and prodding various spots on his skull.

"That's his father. I don't really understand their relationship." Brennan shook her head and looked down at Booth again. His eyes were finally open, but there was not a lot of focus in them. The other doctor had gone down the hall a bit, and was on his way back with a gurney.

They loaded a very stunned Booth onto the bed and wheeled him down to the emergency room. He was set up in a curtain surrounded space, and the doctor did another quick examination of him. "Agent Booth, do you know where you are?" Booth mumbled something.

"You said he was your partner?" The doctor was looking at her now.

"Well, we're more than partners I guess. I think." She didn't sound very confident.

"Okay. Well, I think your 'partner' here is going to be fine. We've just got to observe him for a little while. Don't go anywhere." With that, the doctor left behind the curtain, and Temperance was alone with Seeley.

"I heard that Bones." A voice came at her from below and she was startled out of her musings. "Are we really more than partners now?" His eyes stayed closed, but a grin that revealed his dimples shone through.

"Well, I suppose technically we haven't consummated the relationship yet, but we're as close as we've ever been."

He laughed and reached his arm up towards her, "That's my girl!" She actually laughed.

She took a hold of his hand, and brushed his hair back from his forehead.

"How's your head now?"

"My headache does not seem to be improving as the day goes on." He tried to sit up, but groaned loudly and lay back down. "Where's my dad?"

"The police took him somewhere, I'm not sure exactly where though. I didn't ask. Would you like me to find out?"

"No, Bones just stay here with me for a little bit. I just need a minute until I am only seeing two of you." He tried to laugh but it morphed into a groan. His other hand, the one that was not being held by her, went up to his jaw and poked tentatively. "I really thought that man had gotten over his need to punish me."

Brennan didn't know what to say. She was unsure how to approach the conversation. She stayed quiet.

"Don't worry, someday, I'll tell you all about my relationship with my father. It's not a happy story though, and frankly, I don't really want to get into it right now."

"It's okay Booth. When you're ready, I'm here."

"Thanks Temperance. For everything. I truly mean that. If you weren't spinning around so fast, I would kiss you right now." She helped him out by leaning over him and pressing her lips against his. The kiss became quite a bit more passionate than she had originally intended. Behind the curtain that separated them from the rest of the patients, her inhibitions were void. He seemed okay with that.

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By late afternoon Booth was up and about and annoying the nurses badly enough that they were ready to discharge him. He only flashed a couple of nurses the charm smile, and he had everything he needed. Brennan was amazed at how he manipulated the people around him to get whatever he wanted. She was truly starting to appreciate his gift. She had been a victim of that manipulation once or twice, which she knew of anyway.

The doctor who had treated Jared came down at one point and had Booth sign the papers, releasing his brother to the funeral home. No autopsy was performed, the fact Jared had gone through the windshield, into the lamp post was a pretty obvious cause of death. Booth tried to remain detached while the papers were being signed and witnessed, but Brennan could see through his facade that he was on the brink. She wasn't sure how much more he could handle. She offered him no verbal comfort, only the comfort of her presence, and the occasional light touch. When the doctor was done, and Seeley had shaken his hand, Brennan felt her stomach drop when she saw the look on her partners face. It was a combination of a lost little boy and a man trying not to cry. She sat beside him on the hospital bed, and laid her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her shoulders, and just held her close.

"Are you ready to go home there Bones?" He asked eventually.

"Will you come over to my place?" She turned her head to look at his face, he looked terrible. He was so pale, and the bruises and scrapes from the day before had all made their presence known.

"I would like that very much Temperance. After all this crying today, I really need to prove that my alpha male tendencies are still intact." He rubbed her thigh, close to her knee. A small smile crept across her lips and he had a crazy desire to kiss it out of her. He realized that he could now, his desires no longer needed to be checked. He took her face in his hand and turned her head slightly more towards himself. Booth looked her in the eye, making sure he had made contact before he moved in for the kiss.

"Thank you." Booth whispered in her ear when their lips parted.

Brennan knew that she was in deep with this man. She couldn't support him through this, the most difficult crisis he had faced for a long time and walk away afterwards. She was in deep for sure, and so far, she felt okay with that. She really wished it was under better circumstances, she would miss Jared, but his death opened up a vulnerability in Booth that she may never have been able to crack. He needed her now. He had said so. She was there.

They were back on the road by early evening, heading back to her apartment. Booth was very quiet, and Brennan struggled to think of something to say. Something that would ease his mind and take his thoughts off the events of the last forty-eight hours. His brother was dead, his father was blaming him, they had almost made love to each other and then his father knocked him unconscious in a very public place. No wonder his head was bobbing on his chest by the time she pulled into her parking garage.

She put her hand on his leg, and he instantly snapped awake. Years as a Ranger had fine tuned his reflexes to razor sharp precision, and now, her touch sparked something more in him. He shuddered, in a good way, and looked at her with tired eyes.

"We're here." Brennan said.

"Oh, good." It was all he said.

As they walked up the steps to her apartment, he grabbed her hand and held it tightly. It felt so comfortable, the gentle affection they were showing each other. It was baby steps to the solid relationship he dreamed they would build together. They were so close. So close he could feel it happening, but he wasn't going to rush her. He would follow her pace until she was where she needed to be. Once she realized that he was there for her, no matter what, all would be well with him again.

When they entered her apartment, the couch where they had come so close made him smile. He took off his jacket and threw it on the arm chair, and settled himself on her very, very comfortable couch. She had gone to her bedroom; he didn't ask her for the reason. She didn't need his permission to do anything, and they both knew it. His phone rang at the exact same moment hers did. He answered his, and she came flying down the hallway to answer hers.

"Booth." His classic answer.

"Brennan." Her classic answer. He heard her voice fading as she went back down the hallway to give them both privacy to take their calls.

"Oh yeah... hey Gramps." He had totally forgotten to return the phone call of his grandfather. The events of the day, had taken precedence over everything, and he explained the story to his grandfather. Everything that had happened and everyone who was involved. The Older Booth seemed particularly interested in the woman who had answered his phone that morning. He said she sounded nice. Booth agreed. 'Gramps' told Seeley that he could be in D.C. in two days to help with any arrangements, and he would personally solve the issue with Booth's father once and for all. When he ended the call, he was surprised to find tears falling from his eyes, unchecked. Brennan came back into the living room just at that moment and he tried to get control of himself before she noticed. Too late.

"Seeley..." She didn't have words, so instead she sat beside him on the couch and put her hand on his knee. Words came finally, "It's going to be okay."

"I know Bones; it just sucks royally right now. Everything is all messed up."

"Not everything, I think we're finally okay. If nothing else, this situation has brought us out of hiding, with respect to our feelings for each other anyway." A rare occurrence, she had said exactly the right thing.

He took her hand and pressed it to his chest, against his heart, and leaned back on the couch, forcing her to follow. She was turned sideways and looking at him. He was facing straight ahead, but eventually he turned to look at her. She was beautiful in the evening light; her eyes were the shade of blue that he loved the most. Those eyes that bore straight into his soul.

"What do you want to do tonight Bones?"

"You."

For the second time in a short while, she said exactly the right thing.