Sabbaticals - 28 weeks
On Friday evening, after their long afternoon seeing the sights, and the vigorous activity after barely making it into the room, they got dressed up to have a romantic Parisian dinner. The concierge had given them a recommendation for a place along the Champs-Elysées. He highly recommended it as a perfect spot for a couple on their honeymoon, and it was a night scene not to be missed at Christmastime. They took a cab there and had about 20 minutes before their reservation, so they found a bench to sit and enjoy the view. The wide avenue was stunning, with white lights covering every tree on either side all the way down the long road. And just a few blocks west of their location, centered between the lighted trees, sat the massive Arc de Triomphe.
When they arrived at their table, Brennan found that Booth had arranged to have a very expensive bottle of champagne waiting for them. They were in a horseshoe shaped booth, so they were able to sit close together and there were a lot of stolen kisses throughout the meal. The meal itself was just as fabulous as they had hoped, and, as they walked out of the restaurant, Brennan decided that Booth's romantic meter had gone to 120%. She would have normally chided him that there is no more than 100%, but as they walked back out into the Christmas fairyland, she was considering that she might need to rethink her grading scale.
He reached out to take her hand and smiled. "Let's walk?" She nodded and they began walking in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe. When they reached the huge traffic circle surrounding the monument, everything was a blur of light and sound. It was a busy Friday night just before Christmas, and there were throngs of people on the sidewalks speaking every language imaginable. There were so many cars that they mostly crawled along the avenue and the circle, and they were rounding the circle three deep. Looking back down the wide avenue, there were the white lights in the trees on both sides as far as the eye could see. And in between, three lanes in each direction were packed with cars - red lights on the cars headed away, and white lights on the cars approaching the circle. And a lot of horn honking.
Booth stepped behind Brennan on the sidewalk looking across at the brightly lit monument and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned her head back to look up at him. "I love this. The lights. The noise. Unforgettable." She turned in his arms and her arms went around his neck. "We've had two unforgettable days now. Will it always be like this?" He brought his hands up and smoothed her hair back from her face. "I can't promise you noise, and fairy lights, and champagne, and Paris - every day. But I promise to love you, and do everything in my power to make you happy, every day for the rest of our lives. Will that do?" She sighed. "And I promise you the same. We can't be in Paris every day, but we'll just have to make our own little Paris. Even if it has to be through a computer screen for the next few months."
Booth looked at her intently. "Bones. That is the most romantic thing I've ever heard you say. I guess I must be rubbing off on you." She brought her hands down and boldly cupped his ass, bringing their bodies together. "You can rub on me anytime you'd like." And with a shy smile, she brought her face up to his and they shared their most romantic kiss yet. For a few minutes, the lights, the noise - they neither saw nor heard any of it.
Later that night, back in the room, their lovemaking was back to slow and sensuous - as befitted their incredibly romantic evening. They reveled once more in cuddling together naked, to fall asleep in each other's arms. The next morning, she decided she needed to assist him with his morning wood situation once again. So this time she laid him out and rode him, giving him the real life view of her hands on her own breasts, pinching her nipples. Just seeing her pleasuring herself right in front of him, while she rode him to orgasm? They weren't 48 hours into this, and he realized that none of his fantasies had prepared him for the real Bones. The private Bones. He always thought there was a tiger inside of her, and so far she was blowing the doors off of his expectations.
They were walking hand in hand toward the restaurant to meet Angela and Hodgins for lunch. It was a bright, sunny day and they had left the hotel with plenty of time to spare, so they took their time ambling along the Seine. They weren't paying much attention to the sights around them because they were so focused on each other. They kept stopping and just leaning into each other or exchanging soft kisses. Brennan was thinking to herself that she had never felt so in tune with another person. It really did feel like a honeymoon.
Angela and Hodgins were sitting on a bench outside the restaurant waiting for them and she spotted them almost a block away. She bumped shoulders with her husband. "Look! Look! There they are!" They sat there and watched the pair as they made their way toward them. Angela kept letting out little squeals as she saw the way they looked at each other. The little kisses. She had been waiting for this for so many years, and seeing the way they were together made her heart soar. "Hodgy. They are absolutely smitten. I don't know if my heart can take it." He put his arm around her and squeezed. "Yeah. They look pretty good together, don't they? I've never seen Dr B look so happy."
When she spotted Angela, she squealed, dropped Booth's hand, and the two besties ran to each other, colliding in a big hug. Booth smiled seeing the joy on both of their faces and walked over to Hodgins. They shook hands and gave each other a guy half hug. Hodgins leered at him. "So how are you enjoying Paris? You guys look good together." Booth smiled back at him. "Nothing has ever felt so right as being here with her. I'm an incredibly lucky - and grateful - man." Hodgins nodded. "She's a good one Booth. And so are you. Angela and I are really happy for you both."
Angela grabbed Booth in a bear hug and whispered in his ear. "I'm so glad you two finally figured it all out. Now don't you dare screw it up, or I'll shoot you with your own gun." Booth laughed and kissed her on the cheek. "Not a chance Angela." He looked over at Brennan, who was hugging Hodgins. "I've never been so sure of anything in my whole life. I would be a fool to ever do anything to jeopardize what we have." She hugged him harder. "Good!"
They had a lovely lunch in the restaurant atop a barge on the riverbank. The new couple were the recipients of a lot of teasing about the past few days, but they took it in stride. Brennan and Angela were just so happy to be together that they chatted nonstop throughout the meal. Their escorts smiled seeing such happiness on the faces of the women they loved. They tried to follow the conversation, but mostly just sat back and enjoyed their meals.
Booth brought up the subject of Avalon. They both took turns telling Angela and Hodgins about all of the things Avalon said her cards told her about them. Of course, Angela knew some of this because she was there when Avalon told Brennan about the sick man who was in the hospital. She was excited to hear about the other card readings that Avalon had done when she wasn't present. All of this was new to Hodgins and he was fascinated. Angela got a kick out of Avalon telling Brennan that underneath she was just as crazy as she was. Booth followed up with the comment from Avalon that it was all going to work out in the end. Brennan looked at Angela. "She knew Angela. She knew." Angela was matter of fact. "I tried to tell you. She's good. I talked to her a few months ago and told her that you two were finally together. Her response? 'Of course, they're together'." Angela just shook her head slowly and smiled.
When they finished up, they headed over to the Eiffel Tower and got in line for the elevators to the top. Hodgins told them that the lines in the summer were endless, so they were there at just the right time. He expected that they would start to get longer the following week as they approached Christmas, and then through the New Year. When the four of them reached the top, Booth and Brennan were blown away by the way the entire city was just laid out in front of them. They hadn't paid attention before this, but now they realized that most of the city had fairly low rise buildings and all of the taller buildings were bunched in an area west of the central city. Hodgins explained that they have height limits in the central areas of Paris.
They pointed out their hotel to Angela and Hodgins, and even found their terrace. Then they showed them the places where they had walked the previous afternoon. Booth excitedly told them about the visit to Notre Dame Cathedral, and how much it meant to him. Hodgins pointed out the Arc de Triomphe where they were the previous evening. Booth pulled Brennan in front of him and wrapped his arms around her and they began to point out different sites to each other. This had quickly become a favorite way for them to be together - their bodies held close, and their heads together cheek to cheek. Angela and Hodgins were standing a few feet away just watching them. Angela's heart was bursting to see how physically comfortable they were with each other, and how they communicated as if they were the only people in the world. Just then, they turned their faces to each other and shared a long kiss. And then went right back to enjoying the view.
Angel and Hodgins walked over to them. "Okay, you two lovebirds. There are actually other directions to view. She led them over to the left and began to point out places of interest that they all might explore when they returned to the ground. After walking all the way around the summit, they had developed a plan for the next two hours, and Angela and Hodgins proved to be excellent tour guides. They ended the tour by walking them to their hotel and Brennan insisted they come up to see their room.
They were both very impressed with the honeymoon suite, and razzed the couple over how they had pulled it off. When it was time for them to leave, Angela and Brennan shared a tight hug and they both began crying. "It's just five months Angela. We'll be back at the Jeffersonian, and it will be like we never left." Angela sniffed and looked at her friend. "It will be different." She looked over at Booth and smiled. "But a good different." Brennan wiped the tears from her face. "Angela, Booth and I would not be where we are if it hadn't been for your encouragement. And I'm not talking just these last few months. You've been a cheerleader for us for years." Angela smiled through her tears. "You bet I was. And I always will be. I've threatened Booth with his own gun if he doesn't do right by you!" That made all four of them laugh.
After the final goodbyes, Booth closed the suite door and walked over to Brennan, pulling her into a tight hug. "You'll see her soon. And you have the video calls, and email." He pulled back to look at her. "I bet you two email every day." She chuckled. "Just about every day." He tried to look hurt. "You talk to her more than you talk to me!" She reached up and kissed his cheek. "Whole different conversations Booth. Whole different conversations. And, once we're home, you will have the lion's share of my time." He kissed her cheek. "Okay. I'll take that."
They hadn't made any reservations for dinner for their last night in Paris, and decided they didn't want to go far since they had an early flight the next morning. Booth called down to the concierge to inquire about dining option in the hotel itself. There were several options, and the recommendation was that they would probably prefer the less fussy brasserie. That suited them since they hadn't packed formal wear.
They enjoyed the tasty French cuisine and, upon returning to their room, they enjoyed each other. The next morning, they packed up and prepared to leave the honeymoon suite that now held such fond memories. As much as they hated leaving their cocoon of Paris, they were anxious to be going home. To Parker, who Brennan was starting to think of as her son, and to the city they both loved so much. As the flight climbed over the city, they vowed to return and settled in for the long flight home.