Celebration
Brennan did what she did best. She suppressed the pain she felt that first night. She decided if he could love her as Brennan, woman from the hospital. She could love him as Booth, man without a past. They could be strangers who fell victim to love, or at least interest, at first sight. A cliché but at least it put her in Booth's arms. She had to let go of the past, of his past specifically, if they were going to move forward. Rationally she knew that her former partner and current lover were one in the same man, but he didn't. Maybe she needed to compartmentalize these two halves of the same man. But was it possible to truly love one half while mourning the loss of their other?
Booth no longer kept the spare bedroom. It had been turned back into an office. It was their office. He no longer needed it as he had taken up permanent residence in her room. After that first night things had quickly progressed and now they were now in every sense of the word, living together. They had told no one, yet everyone knew. To everyone that cared about them their life was an open book. Cautiously optimistic was the phrase the squints decided to use. They had always belonged together but relationships based on traumatic experiences have a tough go of it.
It was reason to celebrate in their little family when Director Cullen felt that with close examination Booth could return to limited duty. While he might not remember his time with the FBI he still had all of the skills that got him hired in the first place. Agent Perotta would remain as the interim liaison to the Jeffersonian, but she promised to relinquish the title when Booth felt prepared to return.
Brennan invited all of their friends to her house for an impromptu dinner party. She decided to make her macaroni and cheese, it was his favorite, or was his favorite.
That night felt almost like old times; Angela, Hodgins, Cam, Sweets, Daisy, Wendell even Dr. Gordon all came to wish their beloved friend the very best. The casual effortless friendship seemed to have returned for the little group giving the evening even more special meaning. Her heart felt like it would burst, she was so happy for him, and yet part of her was paralyzed. What if once he left the safety of their little nest, he would decide he didn't need her, he didn't really love her?
He could see the worry on her face, the past eight weeks he had become something of an expert on the face of his mystery woman. The concern was for him, that much he knew. But the source of her anxiety was another matter. She wouldn't want to talk about it; she wasn't always comfortable with words. Somewhere inside he knew that this had always their way. So that night he did everything he could to allay her fears….twice.
His office was just as he left it, or so he was told, minus a few files that had been reassigned to other agents. He spent the first day getting acclimated to his 'new' surroundings. There was a picture of Parker taken several years earlier and one of his brother and the team from the Jeffersonian crowded around a cake that said "Happy Birthday Booth." There was a bobble head doll of an English Bobby; he would have to ask someone what that was all about. There was hockey memorabilia, some of which he actually recognized! Commendations and awards covered the walls. He studied each one, desperately wishing that he could remember the events that earned them. He felt like he lived in a fishbowl as every agent in the building came by to see the prodigal son return.
It felt good to be useful, to leave the apartment. He reviewed the two files that Director Cullen left on his desk. They were old cases where he had to review notes to create a final file. It was weird looking at his own handwriting and finding the words completely foreign. Fortunately these files were of lower level criminals and the files weren't elaborate. At lunch the other agents had pizza brought in a sort of "Welcome Back Party." While he didn't recognize anyone, except for a few agents that had come by to visit a time or two, he found that he enjoyed the company. Any fear that he had about making this step began to evaporate. He could do this. Despite all the warm wishes, the joy of being back to work and the general comfort he felt in his office, he still counted down the hours till he could go home to Brennan.
Across town at the Jeffersonian Brennan was preoccupied with thoughts of Booth at work. Was he alright? Was all the attention bothering him? Was he overwhelmed? When Agent Perotta arrived with a new set of remains that afternoon Brennan released a sea of questions. Perotta did her best to assure everyone that Seeley was doing just fine and was actually acclimating very well back at work. Something that wasn't a surprise, he always had a knack for dealing with new situations. But still she counted down the hours till she could go home to Booth.
Trying to ignore the churning at the pit of her stomach Brennan threw herself into work. It wasn't hard, with her reduced hours and everyone being so preoccupied the backlog in limbo was getting overwhelming. One skeleton reconstruction gave way to another, and she was quite successful in getting time to evaporate. Suddenly she heard her cell phone buzz. She saw the time and was surprised that it was already so late; she had meant to leave an hour ago. The waiting message could only be from one person. It was simple yet said volumes…. "Come home to me." She didn't have to be asked twice.