As the morning rays slowly cascade in the dimly lit room I am suddenly jerked from my dreams into a head pounding nightmare. How much alcohol did I have last night? Oh yeah, a lot. No wonder Booth never lets me drink as much as I did. Breakfast fills my senses and I smile, pancakes just how I like it. I hope he remembered the chocolate chips.
"You made me breakfast…" I slowly roll over and fall into a heap on the floor, "Oomph, Booth the breakfast may not be worth the abuse you put me through." I giggle as I sit up, trying to keep the room from spinning.
"Seeley, Seeley, Seeley, will you just shut up about him, please? I try to be the good guy and take you in, and what do I get? First you throw up on my bushes then you spend the night rambling on and on about how much you love my brother. Normally I would find that whole screwed ex-lover bit hot but he is my brother! There are some things a man can get over due to your hotness but screwing my brother is not one of them."
My eyes suddenly jerk open and I gasp. This is not the last place I remember. Cam was leaving to take care of Michelle and I drank… oh… I knew I shouldn't have had that scotch.
"Now sit, eat and shut up." He places a plate of eggs on my lap then glares, "Don't get any on my carpet."
"But what about the pancakes?" I whine. "Booth would have made me pancakes."
"Well I ain't my brother and I had to sleep alone… listening to you ramble about that idiot brother of mine so you get eggs. I get the pancakes."
"But Booth would…"
"Booth at least gets to bang you, Tempe. I know men and the only reason he did those things for you was in his eyes he was getting some tail."
"You have no manners, Jared. None at all." I begin to lightly sob, "The least you can do is at least give me one. All I ask for is something that resembles food."
"Tempe you got a great rack but I…"
"So I see you brought another one of your special friends for a night of Booth lovin'… please tell me she is dressed this time Jar." Booth chuckles, barreling in the apartment carrying a paper bag, "Pops wanted you to have some stuff and since I was in the area…"
"Booth." My voice is a mere broken whisper but within seconds he is at my side.
"Jared if you laid a hand on her I swear…"
"Ha, funny one bro. Why don't you tell him what you were doing all night last night, Tempe."
"I think I drank…" I press my hands to my head to stop the thumping, "I think I drank too much."
"Jared! You know she cannot handle her liquor. Any hard liquor and she is toast." He cups my face, running his thumb over the red streaked covering my face, "Did he hurt you baby?"
"Ha! I told you, you two where hitting the sheets!"
"Jared!" He turns and glares, refusing to relent his grip on my face, "We are just partners."
"I may be a drunk but I do know that 'baby' does not count as a partner term. You love her, admit it Seeley. You want to at least bang her." He holds up his glass, taking a big swig before slamming it back down, "At least one of us can get their hands on her tight little…"
"Jared!" He instantly drops his hands and storms over to his brother, "Is that..." He takes the glass and sniffs it then glares. "You're drinking at nine a.m.! Did you even try to feed her or have you lost any sense of being a gentleman?"
"I let her sleep on the couch! Got her a blanket too!"
"Ohhh big man. Couldn't even give up your bed for one night." He clenches his fists and glares, "Better yet, she didn't even want to sleep on your bed… who knows what diseases she could catch."
"Maybe I shouldn't have given her breakfast then." He prods the eggs still in the pan and grins, "Just called you to come fix her mess. What is she gonna do when you are gone, Seel? You better save up all those frequent flyer miles now if you are going to come to her rescue every time she does something stupid. She may be a genius but that woman is really, really dumb."
Before anyone knows it Booth is holding Jared but the hem of his shirt, dangling him over the hot coils of the stove.
"That is not eggs, that is garbage." He drops Jared in a heap on the ground then storms back over to my pitiful mound. "Are you ready to go, Bones or do I need to get your things?"
My eyes slowly roll back in my head at his touch. His rough yet delicate fingers dance across my shoulder, drawing me back to a fantasy where it was just him and I, merely lovers on the road of life.
"Bones… Bones…" He shakes me lightly, waking me from my stupor.
"Yes, honey?" I beam, "You have really pretty eyes…"
"Oh God." He places his hand on his forehead and sighs, "I don't know what you did to her Jared but when I find out and if you hurt her, that stove will be the least of your worries."
I giggle as his grabs me, throwing him over his shoulder and carrying me out of the room.
"That tickles… Booth…" I laugh, "Stop!" I thrash my body against his back but am soon pacified by his strong arms clenching me tighter.
"See ya Jared… we will talk about this later." He turns and glares then continues his march down the hall.
"She loves you Seel. Honest to God she does. She wouldn't shut up about it all night." Jared yells and Booth instantly stops, turning to face his brother. "That is what I thought." He smirks, "Why do you think she has been getting plastered every night since you sent her that official notice? She loves you and can't imagine… no… can't bare a day without you. This is the real deal dude. She. Loves. You."
And in that second my heart drops into my stomach and I feel the bile begin to rise up. My secret is reveled. As the butterflies begin to slow, I feel somehow relieved.
"It's true…" I slur, "I love you… I… I want to marry you." I blurt out before my fear takes hold of me and everything I have eaten in the last twenty four hours splatters across the kitchen tile.
"Oh great," Jared groans, "Seeley you are cleaning that up!"