Well this is almost finished. I can't find my notes for this one so I'm flying blind on what I was steering towards last year. So I tried my best. If something needs to be fixed, or seems utterly ridiculous, please let me know and I'll try to fix this.
I made up a story for Booth, It most certainly isn't real and could be inaccurate, but hey what fun is it knowing everything about him, eh?
Chapter 6
Angela and Hodgins worked together to carry Zack off to his bedroom. When they cleared the room, Brennan hobbled to the porch where she thought Booth was. She was surprised to see that he was out on the beach, near the dark water. She was lucky that the clouds had cleared and the near full moon was able to light the beach. Walking in the sand proved to be a bigger challenge, but she was able to make it to Booth's position. He didn't even turn his head when she stepped up beside him, instead keeping his distant gaze focused on some point past the horizon.
They stood like that for a few minutes taking in the salty air and the cool breeze. Finally, Booth made a sound that sounded like something between a cough and sigh. He sat down in the sand, or more collapsed, thought Brennan, judging on the way that he fell. She quickly sat beside him in the sand and reached for his hand.
"I'm really sorry for the way that I've treated you and everyone else this weekend. I… I originally didn't want to go on the trip, but I had Parker. I thought that being away from work would be a good change for this coming week, but the lack of distraction has made it worse. I… it hasn't been this bad in years."
Brennan chewed her lips, contemplating on whether she should ask him to elaborate. Instead, he went on. "Ten years ago, a few months before I lost Teddy, I was on a black ops mission. It was me, a spotter, and another commando deep within enemy territory. Our mission was to take out a mercenary leader that was terrorizing villages in Eastern Europe. They would rape women and children and kill for fun all to get valuable objects and food. It was disgusting what these guys would do. One night we were watching a village from a spot on a ridgeline. We received the news that our target was going to move in on the village the next day and that we were to put ourselves in a position to take this man out and his top two guys."
Booth sucked in a sharp breath and wiped his eyes; Brennan realized that tears were streaming down his face. She was surprised that his voice didn't betray his emotions. "Well the bad guy entered the village the day earlier. I wanted to take out the guy then, but we would have been seen. Our commanding officer was scouting the village on the opposite side and was out of radio contact. It was up to me to take the shot. I thought that we could do it and I wanted to just stop the mad man. I was about to take the shot when a few shots were fired on the other side of the village. My commanding officer was captured and brought to the village. Before I could move to get a clear shot, they had already beat him up and shot him in the back of the head. Enraged, I acted with my heart and shot at the man. His team wasn't stupid though and knew that there would be others. Within minutes, before me and my spotter could escape we were caught. I watched them torture my spotter, Tommy Richards. As he cried for his mother and wife with blood pouring from his face, they shot him in the back of the head."
He was crying now and Brennan pulled him closer, squeezing him as his body shook. She wasn't surprised to find that she too was crying. "They… they beat me for days. Thought that maybe they could get ransom or money or something for me. Instead I was rescued by a NATO team in the area when I didn't arrive at the evac area. I recovered and went back in trying to get back at the jerk. I got him, but lost Teddy at the same time. After that I was done. I couldn't stand to lose anyone else. I left the Army and came here." He sniffled a few times and swiped at his eyes.
"But every year at this time, it's like my body knows that it's that time, when I was getting beat up. Everything hurts and I feel like I'm going to fall apart. I started taking some medication a couple years ago that helps calm me down, but it still happens."
Brennan had no clue what to say; she didn't know much about his time as a sniper, nor all the people he lost or even killed. She was truly at a loss of words. Instead she held him tighter as the waves crashed on the beach. Eventually she found her voice. "I'm sorry for everything that happened to you Booth. I know you don't tell many people about your service, but thanks for sharing it. You shouldn't have to feel that pain by yourself."
"Yeah Bones, but you shouldn't either. You didn't do anything to have to hear that story."
"I'm your friend Booth. Friends should share things, to understand them, to trust them." Booth gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. They sat in silence to soak in the landscape before them, the moonlit waves crashing into the shore. Finally Booth stood and offered his hand to her.
"Come on Bones, before people wonder where we've been."
…
The house was quiet; after Booth ran off and Zack was put to bed it seemed that Angela and Hodgins did as well. Brennan had gone to the bathroom when they got back. She passed her makeshift bedroom on the way and found Booth standing in the doorway, a smile on his face as he looked at his son.
"Booth, he can sleep there tonight," she whispered to him. "I don't sleep well with the ankle anyway. You guys can take the bed tonight."
Booth shook his head. "I'm not tired right now." He nodded his head towards the living room. "Come on. Let's go see if Scooby-Doo is still on."
…
It was late and the Scooby-Doo marathon was far over. The show on the television didn't appeal to Brennan at all. It didn't matter though, for her attention was on the man sleeping on the couch across from her. Booth had fallen asleep first, not long after the last Scooby-Doo episode had ended. His sleep was not fitful though and he spent more than half the time rolling over with a pained look on his face.
It hurt Brennan to watch him like that. It wasn't because of pity though, but because of understanding. She remembered the sleepless nights wondering where her parents had gone when she was a teenager, to the nights when she remembered the horrors of her trips to Central America. She knew what he needed; it was the one thing that she never allowed herself to have. She stood and hobbled to Booth. She sat on the edge of his couch, just near his waist. Brennan shook his shoulder gingerly, careful not to jolt him awake.
"Booth," she whispered lightly. His eyes opened first, then he inhaled quickly as he sat up quickly. Brennan was prepared and had her arm out to stop the motion lest they headbutt each other.
"Bones, are you okay?" he asked quickly. His head turned so fast to check the room; Brennan thought his head was on a swivel.
"Shh," she said soothingly and pushed him back down. "You were having a bad dream."
He wiped his eyes and pushed himself into sitting position. "I'm sorry. Was I keeping you up?"
"No. I just… I just know the feeling." She pushed him back down on the couch. "Roll over towards the edge." Lucky for her, the couches were comfortably roomy and there was enough room that she could lay beside him. She didn't know what compelled her to do so. It was only that she kept thinking that it was the one thing she had wanted at the time. She took the throw blanket that was laying on the top of the couch and draped it over them. She snuggled up against him, comfortably warm inside and out.
"Bones, what are you doing?" Booth finally asked when she started to stroke his hair.
"Is it bothering you?" she asked, her warm breath tickling his neck.
"No, keep going." They lay in silence for some time. In the distance was low rumbles of thunder and she could hear the wind pick up again outside.
"Booth?" she whispered. He was out cold though, asleep and not making a peep. Brennan smiled, glad that she was able to help him. She stopped stroking his hair, instead resting her hand on his arm. Yawning quietly, she found herself getting very sleepy very quickly.
