Thank you for your reviews! Here's the next chapter. Just a head's up, I will be incorporating either the ending or beginning of an episode along the way instead of re-doing all the episodes like I did with the first episode of season 4 except for the Hero in the Hold for sure and potentially the second last episode of season 4 and the first episode of season 5. Sorry if that's confusing. Expect some twists!
Booth awoke the next morning alone. He sat up quickly, looking around. Had she left? Was he abandoned in England? Then he heard the shower, and he relaxed fully. He wondered why his mind would even go there. He made a mental note to ask Sweets, but then he remembered the secrecy he had sworn about their relationship. This was going to be tough.
"Good morning," Brennan said. She was standing in front of him wrapped in a towel.
"You're not wet," Booth said stupidly. She tilted her head at him, smirking a little.
"Very good observation, Booth," she said.
"It's just I heard the shower, and I assumed..." he trailed off.
"You are correct in that the shower is running, but you assumed wrong," Brennan said.
"But I...ohhh," he said, finally getting it. He chased her, making her laugh.
"Have I mentioned how good you are?" Brennan asked afterwards.
"Yes, but I still like hearing it," he grinned. He finished toweling himself dry as she got dressed.
"We'll have a quick breakfast downstairs then I guess we head home," Brennan said, clipping her earrings on.
"I'm gonna miss this place," Booth said, sighing.
"Why? Because this is where we first had sex?" Brennan asked.
"No. Not this place as in this hotel, although yes, I will miss it just as much. I meant the country itself," Booth corrected.
"Maybe we can come back one day," she suggested.
"I'd like that," Booth said, catching her by the cheek and kissing her again. Truth be told, he was worried that once they returned home, Brennan wouldn't want to keep having this type of interaction with him. He knew they couldn't stay here forever, no matter how great his worry was.
D.C.
Brennan was walking up to her apartment with Booth, both laughing about something when they stumbled across Angela sitting outside of Brennan's door.
"Angela," Brennan said, surprised. She had really wanted to spend the night with Booth, but then she remembered the phone call Angela had made to her last night. She hadn't even checked it.
"Hi, sweetie," Angela said, sniffing hard. She wiped some tears away. Booth hesitated in the hall. "Did I interrupt something?"
"N-no, no," Booth answered quickly. "I was just making sure Bones got home safely. I'll be on my way now."
"Oh, okay," Angela said, looking disappointed. Brennan unlocked her door and let Angela in. Booth stole one last kiss from her before disappearing down the stairs. Brennan closed the door behind her, feeling guilty for not even looking at Angela's voicemail. She saw her friend sitting on the couch holding her head.
"I just have to..." Brennan said, gesturing to the bathroom.
"Go ahead. Me and my problems will still be here when you come back," Angela said. Brennan hurried inside and locked the door. She checked her voicemail, hearing Angela's teary voice explaining how she and Hodgins had broken up.
"Oh my God," Brennan said, vaulting herself out of the bathroom. Angela was crying now. Brennan sat beside her and pulled her into an embrace.
"What am I going to do?" Angela asked, sobbing.
"I...I'm not sure," Brennan said. "Want me to fire him?" Angela choked out a laugh.
"No, you can't do that. We'll have to figure it out. It's just going to be really awkward in the process," Angela said.
"I'm not the greatest at this type of thing, as you know," Brennan said. "But I do have ice cream in my freezer. I have heard that in times like this, ice cream is the comfort food women will turn to. That and chocolate, which I unfortunately do not have."
"Oh, Brennan," Angela said, wiping her face with a kleenex. "You are great, and yes, I'd love some." Brennan went to dish it for them while Angela had a second thought about why Booth had been with her tonight.
"Here," Brennan said, handing the bowl over.
"So, why was Booth really here?" Angela asked. "Did you two hook up in London?" Brennan choked on the spoonful she had put in her mouth.
"Absolutely not! We're partners. Why does everyone keep thinking we should be sleeping together?" she demanded.
"Because it'd be great. It'd be fun, and you two are totally meant to be together," Angela replied.
"I'm sorry, Ang, but we're not," Brennan lied. She wondered if it showed on her face because Angela kept looking at her skeptically.
"Please spare me the reasons why people aren't meant to be together," she said instead. Brennan felt great relief.
"I will," she promised. Angela gave a wry smile and ate her ice cream. Brennan was thinking about Booth and what he would be doing at this moment. After a few hours, Angela went home. Brennan was tidying up and unpacking when the soft knocking came on her door. Thinking it was Angela having changed her mind about staying, she answered.
"Hi," she said, pleasantly surprised.
"Hey," Booth said.
"Did you wait outside this whole time?" she asked.
"No. I drove around the block a few times. Went for a beer. Unpacked. I just couldn't stop thinking about you, and I didn't want to stay at my place alone all night," he replied.
"I'm glad," Brennan said, pulling him inside and kissing him soundly.
"Is Angela okay?" Booth asked after. He followed her to the bedroom. She was shutting lights out along the way.
"She's very heartbroken as she and Hodgins broke up," Brennan explained. "We had ice cream."
"Ah. Every woman's breakup go-to food," Booth said, nodding.
"Men know about that?" Brennan asked. "I barely know about it."
"We know a lot more than you think," Booth grinned. He flopped down onto her bed.
"Hmm," Brennan mused. Booth watched her undress.
"Don't bother with those," he said when she reached for her pajamas.
"Why ever not?" she teased.
"You won't be needing them," he said. He pulled her down on top of him. He never tired of kissing her. He never tired of being like this with her even though they'd only been together twice. He knew he never would.
"Work again tomorrow," Brennan said sleepily afterwards.
"Yup."
"We have to be careful not to let on..."
"I know, I know. I promised. I keep my word," Booth cut her off.
"...that we have chosen sides between Angela and Hodgins after their breakup," Brennan finished.
"Oh. Right," Booth said, feeling stupid again. "I don't really know Hodgins that well or Angela for that matter. It won't be a problem."
"Good," Brennan said. "And thank you for reassuring me about our deal." She patted his chest.
"You're welcome," Booth replied. They fell asleep in each other's arms. Booth's last thoughts were of how much he was enjoying being here with her, and he hoped she wouldn't change her mind.
Two Weeks Later
They had just wrapped up the dog fighting case, and Booth found her in her office. Brennan was finishing up her report so they could head out to dinner.
"What's this?" Booth asked, nudging the bag by her feet. Brennan glanced down to what he was pointing at.
"It's some stuff for Ripley," she said, smiling. "I'm adopting him." She pulled out the leash and collar. Booth saw it read Ripley Brennan on it.
"Bones..."
"I've got it all arranged with dog sitters and my Dad to look after him when I'm not around," she went on.
"They had to put him down," Booth said quickly, feeling incredibly bad for having to tell her. Brennan's face fell.
"But it wasn't his fault..."
"I know, I know. It's...protocol. I'm so sorry," he said. She stood stock still.
"His remains?" she asked.
"I can get them," he replied quietly. She struggled not to cry. Nodding, she followed Booth to claim her lost dog. When they arrived to the place she had chosen to bury him at, Booth started digging the hole. He laid Ripley's body down into it and started to bury it when Brennan reached for the shovel.
"May I?"
"Okay."
She finished burying Ripley and patted the surface. Booth took the shovel from her.
"You want to say anything?" he asked. She looked at him.
"I don't believe in God," she said.
"I know."
"And Ripley is dead. He can't hear me."
"I know that too. Just...talk," Booth suggested. He turned her to face the grave.
"This whole chain of events was unfair to Ripley," she started. "He was an innocent dog forced to do what his master wanted. He only did what he did to please his master. He was a good, loving dog who wound up in the wrong home. He only saw the good in humans. We should take a lesson from that."
"That was nice," Booth said, rubbing her shoulder. Brennan put the dog tag down on top of the grave. She started to cry then, allowing Booth to pull her in close and hold her.
"I know you wanted him," Booth said.
"I really did," she sobbed. She clung to him until she was done crying. Sniffing, she wiped at her face.
"You wanna hang out with me and Parker tonight?" he asked.
"Is he okay? After the whole finger incident?" she asked back.
"Yea. Apparently he's having issues because a girl keeps picking him up and carrying him around. Boy did I mess up telling him to stand up for others and walk away when it involved just himself," Booth sighed.
"You didn't mess up. You're a great father," Brennan said, squeezing his hand. "And yes, I'd love to hang out with you two." Booth grinned at her. Ever since they had started being intimate with one another, he found she was changing a little. For the better, he wasn't sure, but he knew she was becoming less at arm's length with him for certain things. He was hanging on to hope, and he knew that hope would save the day.
Later
"I think Hodgins hates me," Angela said over the phone. Brennan was sitting beside Booth while he and Parker were giggling about something.
"Why do you say that?" Brennan asked. She smiled at the two. She really did enjoy watching them interact.
"Because he won't even look at me? Because he keeps crossing lines with Cam? I don't know. I listened to Sweets, and I lost Hodgins. I feel like this is all my fault," Angela rambled.
"I don't hold much stock in psychology," Brennan said absently.
"I know you don't. Look, if you're busy, can you just tell me? I don't want to waste your time," Angela said, annoyed.
"I'm sorry, Ang, I'm just finishing up some notes, and they're distracting me," Brennan said.
"I just went by your office...you're not here," Angela said, confused.
"Oh, I'm at home," Brennan corrected. Booth looked over at her now. He raised a brow at her.
"Okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Angela sighed. Brennan said goodbye and hung up.
"What?" she asked Booth.
"Lying to your best friend? That's a new one," he smirked.
"I'm not lying. I was just...improvising," Brennan said.
"Totally lying," he laughed. Parker rushed back from the counter, having gotten another doughnut.
"Here," Parker said, handing it to Brennan. "You looked kind of sad."
"Thank you, Parker," Brennan said, taking it from him.
"That's my boy," Booth said, tussling Parker's hair. "Looking after the ladies."
Brennan just shook her head at him, smiling. Taking a bite, she thought about how things had changed lately. She was noticing how much she wanted to tell Booth things about her past and her life. This was new to her. She usually kept things locked in a box. She met his eyes briefly. Maybe he knew all along that his influence would help her. She pondered this as she sat there watching the two of them play thumb wars. In this moment, she was happy.
A Week Later
"Everything in this place adds up to twelve," Zack said, showing Hodgins on the pictures.
"Dude, you're so right," Hodgins said, examining it more closely. Zack was only a few weeks away from returning to work. He hoped he hadn't been replaced. He heard all about Daisy from Hodgins and how she got fired. The intern this week was Wendell, and according to Angela, he thought Brennan wanted to have sex with him in order for him to keep his job. Zack found this amusing.
"Hey, Booth," Hodgins said into his phone. "We've figured it out."
"Figured what out?" Booth asked. He was in the SUV with Brennan.
"The entire house is arranged into twelve," Zack said, taking over. "The shoes, the pencils, the action figures, the books...it gets more in depth with the street name, the number of letters used to spell the street name. Jared Addison's name is twelve letters. Even the yard...it all comes to twelve except..." Zack trailed off.
"Except what?" Booth asked, impatient.
"The birdbath," Zack finished. Booth looked over to Brennan.
"Thanks," Booth said, hanging up.
"The mother," Brennan confirmed for him.
"Yup. Let's go," he said, turning the sirens on.
"Good job, Zack," Zack muttered. "Great work cracking the code!"
"He's not great with compliments," Hodgins said, nodding.
"I noticed," Zack said.
The Founding Fathers
"I don't get it," Booth said as they walked into the bar. "I mean, she was twelve all the way, so why break it for her son?"
"I figured you would know better about that than me," Brennan said.
"How so?"
"You're the one into love and what it means," she shrugged.
"Oh, so I can relate to a psycho then?" Booth asked. "Nuh uh. No way." They sat down in front of the bartender.
"Well, I don't have an anthropological reason for it, so it must be because of love," Brennan argued.
"Love doesn't make you kill your loved one because they were excelling in life then chop off their head and bury it in your front yard," Booth grimaced.
"Like I said, your territory, not mine," Brennan said. They reached for the beers that had been placed in front of them.
"Can we talk about something...I dunno...cheery?" Booth asked.
"Okay. I'd like to have sex now," Brennan said. Booth choked on his beer.
"Right here?" he asked, astonished.
"Not here," she replied, "why would you think here?"
"Because you said now. We're here now, thus you want to do it here," Booth answered.
"You're putting words into my mouth," Brennan said defensively. Booth started chugging his beer. "What are you doing?"
"Giving you what you want," Booth said, tugging her off the stool.
"But..." she said, gazing at her still full beer.
"Come on," he teased.
"Not here," she hissed.
"Live on the edge a little," he grinned. He pulled her into a janitor's closet and locked the door, propping the wet floor sign against it for good measure.
"You're serious," Brennan said. He waggled his eyebrows at her. She started to laugh.
"Not so loud," he told her.
"Now I know how Angela used to feel," Brennan said, snorting with laughter still.
"You are killing the mood here," Booth said.
"Sorry," Brennan replied, getting serious. He kissed her gently. Then it became heated.
"Living on the edge is more fun that I thought," Brennan said afterwards, sitting on his lap.
"Told you," he winked. They fixed themselves up, and Booth checked the hallway before hopping out with Brennan following them.
"Have fun?" the bartender asked.
"W-hat do you mean?" Brennan asked.
"You're not the first and certainly won't be the last. Here's your beer," the bartender said, passing it back to her. He winked before leaving to attend to his other customers.
"Wow, he's good," Booth said, awed.
"Your tie is all...mangled," Brennan said, pointing to it. He looked down at it.
"Huh," he said. She raised her brows at him and then swigged her beer. Her phone jingled.
"Angela again," Brennan said. "She's really struggling."
"I think Hodgins is too. He's more cantankerous than usual," Booth added.
"I wish I could help somehow," Brennan said.
"I don't think we can. It's something they've got to figure out together," Booth told her. He tucked her hair behind her ear.
"Like we did?" she asked.
"What did we figure out?"
"That by denying the type of relationship we're in would have been ridiculous?" she offered.
"Ah, see that? You just said we were in a relationship," Booth pointed out, grinning.
"I said it was a type of relationship. I didn't say it was a 'relationship,'" she corrected him.
"No, no, no you can't take that one back," he said. "We're in a relationship and you know it."
"Booth, stop it," she ordered.
"To answer your question, yes. We did figure it out because if we kept ignoring it, we would have missed out on this great thing we've got going right now."
"So you think Angela and Hodgins should be together?" Brennan asked.
"Yes. They're meant for each other. There are people out there that you're meant to be with, and they got lucky," Booth answered.
"Are we meant to be together?" Brennan asked, cocking her head at him. He regarded her carefully.
"We are meant to be doing what we're doing at this moment in time," he replied cautiously.
"That's not answering my question," Brennan said.
"Well, do you think we are?" he asked her.
"I'll get back to you on that," Brennan said thoughtfully. Booth chuckled. Neither of them wanted to voice the answer for fear of being incorrect. He would accept that they wouldn't say it out loud for now. He was happy with the way things were.