CHAPTER 6: WAITING FOR SUPERMAN
The nights turned into weeks and weeks turned into a month. Booth had left that night happy that it would never happen again; getting a job and moving on was (in his mind) the best thing that had happened to him since returning home. He had acquired work, checked out some schools, and even gone on a few dates, but even good things have to a dark lining. The nightmares started on a regular basis resulting in very little sleep the last week or two.
"Fuck", Booth hissed being rocked awake for the second time this week. Rubbing the sweat from his face, he looked around trying to see his alarm clock : 2:45 am . Realizing that he more than likely would not be getting any more sleep booth stumbled out of his bed and headed towards the kitchen to get a glass of a water. Listening to the cold September rain pelter the windows he recalled the dream he had been having.
The sound of bombs blowing in the background had become the normal these days, but tonight they had gotten worse. Booth could hear Teddy making some rude Joke about the girls back home for probably the tenth time that day. It was his way of coping; booth this because when things got rough he let his mind slip to better times with his friends and Rebecca( Even though he knew he shouldn't) but luckily for Teddy parker he had a women who loved him to the moon and back and was waiting to be his wife.
"Shut up already" Booth fidget nervously as he perched down into position. He had to be sure about this for one wrong move could mean death for him and his friends. Steadying his hand on the trigger, he squinted through the eye piece hoping Teddy was following lead.
" Hey, Bossman do you think I should have a summer or spring wedding?" Teddy joked clearly not noting the seriousness of the situation .
"GET DOWN" Booth barked as the bullets began flying at him and his unit. BANG BANG BANG! The shots flew through the air relentlessly. Looking up above him he froze, Teddy had taken several bullets .
"I TOLD YOU TO GET DOWN", Booth cried out he ducked beneath the cover placing his hands on the young man's bleeding chest. "PLEASE STAY WITH ME!." Booth called to Teddy again, but the blood kept coming now escaping out his nose and crawling up through, his mouth .
"Tell her I love her" Teddy begged as his short life began to slip away into the darkness.
Snapping back to reality Booth felt the warm tears run over his cheek, he had to stop doing this. Repeating the same scene over and over again, it wasn't his fault, and he knew that but he couldn't get over the fact that a man he had known since he was 7 years old could die. Taking the glass to his lips, he drank the water quickly, steadying his nerves when his thoughts were rudely interrupted.
"Heyyyyyyy Brooo" Jared booth stumbled in the back door into the kitchen, reeking of alcohol. Booth cringed at his little brother; he had surely inherited some of the uglier traits of their father.
"Isn't it a school night Jared?" His voice crisp,calm and collected. He had learned how to keep his anger intact with his baby brother over the last month mostly because Jared didn't care about his or pops feelings.
"Shut up old man" Jared snarled. He had enough of living in Booth's shadow and was bout ready to prove it. Poking his brother violently in the chest, he stumbled back into the table . "You think you can tell me what to do?!." He challenged his voice raising laying it all on the line.
"YOUR NOTHING, just some have been army whore who fucks little girls" That was the last straw; The breaking point.
"What the fuck did you say to me? YOUR THE DRUNK IDIOT" Eyes flaring dangerously he dared the next sentence. "JUST LIKE OUR SPIRM DONER" Booth watched the words hit Jared like a slap in the face; he didn't need physical violence to win this fight.
"SHUT UP!" Jared roared as he pounced sending Booth crashing back into the table making both boys crash heavily onto the tile. "FUCK YOU!" Striking booth in the jaw one last time.
"Arrrrrge" Booth growled blood squirting from his lip he threw Jared off of himself preparing to strike when both boys were interrupted. Pops had come barreling down the stairs dressed in his robe.
"WHATS GOING ON!" Pops roared as he stood between both boys, visibly angry . "Do either of you have any. idea of what time it was?" He took turns between glaring at both grandchildren. "Why is my table broken? I swear I would think you both are still toddlers!" At this, both boys went silent staring at the ground.
"Hes drunk again" Booth finally spoke up. "I came down to get some water and this asshole comes stumbling in attacking me." Rolling his eyes Booth immediately went into attack mode.
"Yea…I heard you had nightmares again..." Pops softened slightly giving Booth a small smile.
"Pussy" Jarred snarled.
"That's enough out of you. To bed, don't think your sleeping in either. You will be up and ready for school on time" The elder ordered watching Jared stumble upstairs, keeping his attention on the elder of his grandchildren.
"Shrimp…Maybe its time to consider getting help." Watching for Booth's reaction he wrapped his arms around him. "I hear you at night..." Not letting ago he felt Seeley flinch underneath him., "Now get some sleep"
"Sure pops" Booth gave in, realizing just how tired and sore he was.
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Early the next day over in the Brennan house Tempy paced the kitchen waiting for the coffee pot to finish brewing. It was senior year and over the last three weeks she had learned to love the beverage. Hearing the click of the pot finishing she grabbed the thermos from the cupboard and finished preparing for her day .
"Morning." Russ mumbled as he sleepily dragged himself into the kitchen, sitting at the table. "How the hell do you wake up every day at this time?" Russ had always been horrible with morning, and that had increased drastically the older he got and the weird different shifts he had between deployment. It was rare to see him up before noon these days .
"Easy, I want the best grades I can get this year. This year is the year that counts" She explained as she threw on her a simple sweater and rummaged around her pack; it wasn't cold enough yet for a full jacket.
"You say that every year" He quipped, in truth she had said that every year until their father had disappeared.
"Yah, well I want to get into the best school possible. I cant wait to leave this hole"
"Its not a hole! Its our home." Russ snapped back .
"Whatever, Russ. You are my family… Mom isn't herself anymore, and dad is gone. I need to leave too." She answered as simply as possible; Brennan was done with this conversation. Truthfully she wanted to escape everything from this town and everyone in it. Things at home had taken a turn for the worse in the last month. Their mother now fully refusing to leave her room when she came home from work and barely spoke to either children.
"And I think you wouldn't care, you're leaving again pretty soon" Russ Brennan had been set to be deployed again, this time much longer than his last stint.
" Oh, don't use that. " Russ rolled his eyes at his baby sister watching her heading to the front door.
"Have a good day" She tossed over her shoulder on the way out not catching his way wave. Picking up speed, she walked over to the buss stop down the street.
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Sometime later that morning Brennan arrived at the front entrance to the school and quickly looked around for Angela who was supposed to meet her at exactly 7:45am to study for the math chapter final. Not seeing her she entered the main lobby taking a deep breath; it was always hard to be in this building.
"Morning ." She smiled at the secretary as she passed. The elderly woman had been good friends with her father, who previously worked here before his disappearance and no matter how tired she was of the sad looks she received from them she still said a polite greeting to them every time she came to the school .
" Sweetie!" Angelas shrill voice called out threw the hallway, voice unmistakable.
"Hello?" Brennan answered, wondering how Angela beat her to the school before enjoyed being first, and it slightly annoyed her that Angela had beaten her to the punch. "Your early?" Brennan commented taking in her friends tired appearance.
"Yea..Well Jared drove me; his Grandpa made him come extra early because he caught him sneaking in." Angela blushed, giggling slightly.
"I see… Well lets go." Brennan frowned part of her hated the fact that Angela was still dating Jared Booth because he was nothing but trouble. Angela had often tried to argue that she hated Jared because he was related to Seeley Booth, who had broken her heart in the summer, but every time Brennan shot that down claiming the summer was an experiment, and she felt nothing towards Booth. A blatant lie, but it was the only thing that kept her going.
"Buzz kill" Angela rolled her eyes as she joined Brennan in the library. Both girls quickly pulled out the books and began studying and soon the focus was far away from boys and home drama.
"So whens Russ leaving?" Angela dared to ask after an hour of studying.
"I don't know. Within a month" Tempy shrugged not bothering to look up at her,it was a sensitive subject with her, and she was too emotionally drained to discuss it this morning. Snapping her book closed she leaned back in her chair realising that they weren't going to get any more done today when Angela had changed the subject from math.
"Well that sucks…" Angela bit her lip trying to not to fantasize about Brennan's hot older brother again. "Why don't you come stay with me while he's gone?" She had been thinking about that a lot lately since her dad was often on the road, and Brennan's had been as good as gone.
"You know I cant. I need to make sure eats and that the house get cleaned." Cutting Angela short she stood up quickly done with this conversation. "Lets go to class..." She smiled gently.
Somewhere off in the distance the bell rung signaling them it was time to head up to class, both girls gathered their stuff up as fast as possible and headed in the respectable directions promising to meet at lunch.
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The rest of the day passed pleasantly quickly like most days this year. Every day was full of so much school work it allowed it to escape into a world she understood, for this one was too confusing for her liking. In her school reality, it was full of science and exact measures that didn't change without rules and the exact opposite of her life the last two years. She could never wrap her mind around how her Dad could leave without a word to her, or better yet how the boy she had fallen for be so incredibly wrong for her and leave her just like her father had without even a phone call.
Temperance walked home slower than usual this day studying every crack that had been left on the pavement from time, avoiding her home at all costs. She had been particularly depressed today and wanted some space to herself before she dealt with the house. She had been so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice an older male watching her from the ravine across the street.
"RUN." The older man whispered trying to get Brennan's attention, but she hadn't heard him having her Walkman blasting in her ears. Walking straight past him, she turned the corner onto her home street she froze in place. Cops cars had littered her driveway; front porch had police tape blocking off the porch.
"NO!" She tossed the Walkman on the cement and rushed to get as close as she could heart moving into her throat. She could see the blood all over the door handle.
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A/n : Dun dun dun. Cliff hanger ;) I hope you guys like this installment… mean aren't i?