The Alpha Male on the Bench - ONE-SHOT - post Conman in Methlab

ATTENTION: Takes place during / after The con man in the meth lab (the final scene + more)!!!!! So there are spoilers for this epi in here!!!

If you haven’t seen the epi, better not read this one-shot.

Enough said…..here we go.


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The alpha male on the bench

I sink on the bench, not sure how to deal with my problems. Jared is my brother and I love him. But I hate what he is doing… drinking, grinning into my face while he is on his way to becoming something so similar to our father I want to gag. Granted, I’m convinced he wouldn’t hurt children, but how can he drink like that, remembering how our childhood had been? Maybe, he doesn’t remember it as clearly as I do, though. It had always been me, protecting my little brother. Maybe dear old Daddy only haunts my dreams and not his.

I sense her even before I hear her heels clicking on the pavement or the sound of her voice, asking me if I want to come back in for cake. “I need time.” I inform her, my voice a little rough. And Bones asks what only Bones can ask, in her blunt but understanding way. “Time and space?”

A little bit of the chill inside me fades upon hearing her soft inquiry and I answer with a smile. “Just time.”

She sits down beside me, balancing a plate with a piece of cake on her upper thigh, handing me a fork. And as we share a piece of my birthday cake, sitting on a bench outside the bar where people who I work with, who are my friends laugh and drink, I realise I need to tell her. Because sometimes talking helps…and I make her talk to me all the time. It’s only fair to tell her about me and my childhood, right? After all, she had handed me the file on her parents years back. Essentially, the file on her childhood.

I swallow hard as I remember that my childhood has a file too. No, many files. Complaints of neighbours because of the noise, for instance. The noise that occurs when a notorious booze hound slaps around his wife and kids. Of course the neighbours never thought of reporting the black bruises on my face. They were far more concerned about the noise.

“My Dad drank.” I say softly. She pauses for a moment, then tries to scoop up another forkful of cake, but the plate, balancing on her thigh nearly slides off. I catch it, because she can’t, not with her injured arm.

“Let me hold it.” I offer and she nods mutely. We finish off the cake and I set the empty plate aside, placing the forks atop. “I never told you about my childhood.” I say slowly.

“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” She answers, her voice soft but with concern edged in it. “I have to confess that I already know a little bit.”

I stare at her and it takes a moment until the pieces fall into place. “Cam?” I ask, though I already know the answer.

She nods. “I’m sorry. I didn’t ask for it.” She sounds guilty, but there’s no reason for it.

“It’s okay.” I hurry to answer. “I would have told you eventually. I know a lot about your childhood, right?”

“Yes, but….this isn’t about … balance.” She whispers.

“No, Bones. That’s exactly what this is about.” I straighten a little. Somehow now it is easier. I know I’m going to tell her about my childhood and it’s okay. BECAUSE she never asked for it.

“I always push you until you tell me about you, but you don’t get anything back. It’s not fair.”

“It doesn’t have to be fair, Booth. I’m sorry that I ever even listened to Jared…. I don’t know why….” She starts to ramble, apologising. As if she’d done anything wrong. I shake my head and interrupt her. “Don’t apologise. Jared didn’t lie to you.”

“You’re NOT a loser, Booth.” Bones says quickly and vehemently and I smile upon hearing the words I had wanted to hear after our argument. But somehow, now they mean even more.

I smile. “Thanks, Bones. I didn’t mean that, but thanks anyway. Jared didn’t lie, but he told you his version of the truth.”

“I… don’t understand.” She frowns at me, confusion in her eyes.

“You were right about me protecting him and shielding him…. I always did that. Maybe that’s why he never learned to face the consequences of what he’s doing. But…. I’m his big brother. I had to look out for him…. or I would have lost him. You can’t just turn that off, even if you know it would be the right thing to do. ” I sigh and avert my gaze, stare at the empty street. “My father…. He was violent, when he was drunk. In the beginning, he would slap my mother occasionally, then apologise. He didn’t hurt me, or Jared, who was just a baby. But it got worse. Especially after I started to go to school and had more contact with other kids. I learned that not all Daddy’s drink, yell and insult their family. He knew that I started to understand that…. and tried to beat ‘some sense in me’. Tried to break me.” I use air-quotes to emphasize the sarcasm, then I rub my hands together, remembering how both of them had been in a cast at some point. I snort. “He broke something occasionally. But not me. Because I had a little brother to protect.”

Her hand suddenly covers mine, steadying them, a warm, comforting feeling. I takes me a moment to understand that the position has to be uncomfortable for her, since the arm near to me is in a sling, carefully kept at distance from my shoulder and she has to reach over with her left hand. I free my hands carefully, than rise. She gives me a startled look and there’s a hint of hurt in all the confusion. “Scoot over.” I say and motion for her to take my place. “I don’t want to hurt your arm.” She looks at me for a moment, processing the fact that I’m not leaving now, as she surely had thought.

“Okay.” She says and I sit down beside her again. I reach for her hand, needing the connection and she seems to have no problem offering me that small comfort. She had done it before, I remember. At the graveyard.

“I shielded Jared. Always.” I sigh.

“It’s what you do. You protect.” She comments and I glance up, see the honesty of her words mirrored in her eyes.

“I try.” Then I look at the black sling holding her injured arm in place. “Sometimes I fail.”

She follows my gaze and rolls her eyes. “This is not your fault, Booth. Not everything is your fault.” She is adamant and I know there is no way I get her to agree that I should have protected her.

“That Jared doesn’t accept reality is MY fault.” I say, switching back to the initial topic.

“I don’t think so. You did your best. It’s not your fault your father was abusive and Jared is an adult now. He chooses what he does with his life.” She says and her words make me snort.

“I made a lot of choices for him. Maybe that’s why he’s always in trouble.” I suck in a deep breath. “I told him he should watch it. Stop drinking.”

“What did he say?” Bones asks.

“Basically? That it’s none of my damn business.” I force out. “But when it gets him in trouble, it’s my business.”

“No.” She shakes her head. “It’s not. The next time he gets in trouble, you have to let him face the consequences. He’s got to learn to be responsible.”

“Aren’t we fucked up? My Dad drank and beat us, my brother is on his best way to becoming an alcoholic too and I had a major gambling problem.” I force out.

“Had.” She repeats one word. “You had a problem. You fought it and you succeeded. That’s what makes you different. You realised you had a problem, accepted the truth and tried to solve it. And you made it. Jared doesn’t accept that there might be a problem. As long as he doesn’t take the responsibility for his mistakes, he won’t ever learn.”

I glance at her, surprised by her insight both in me, my family …. and well, psychology in general.

“That’s kind of creepy.” I say, trying for humour.

“What?” She frowns a little.

“You doing the shrink thing on me.” I grin and wink at her, clarifying that I’m joking, to make sure she won’t be offended.

“Ah. “ She nods. “I thought I was doing the friend thing, though.”

Her words get to me, just like they so often do. She can be so painfully honest sometimes, it’s amazing.

“You’re the best friend I could wish for, Bones, really.” The words pour out of me, but they are true and heart-felt, so it doesn’t matter.

Her eyes widen and she stares at me. “How can you say that? I believed the things your brother told me instead of just… trusting what I knew about you myself.”

I wave her words off. “Real friends are honest and question each other at some point. You told me about it, you were totally honest about it, that means more than blind trust. Blind trust is not healthy anyway.”

She blinks, clearly not understanding what I want to tell her. “Look, Bones…. I trust you. Here and here.” I pat my chest, indicating my heart and then tip my forehead. “If there’s only one of the two, it’s not the whole thing. But I feel that I can trust you and I know it. That’s …. how it should be.”

“Then why did Jared manage to make me doubt what I should have known?” She asks barely audible.

I look at her and take in a deep breath. “I guess…. Because I didn’t tell you enough about me. So you had to take his version to fill in the blanks.” I shrug.

She bites her lower lip and I know she’s thinking about something that’s been eating at her for some time. She gets that look, an expression I can not quite describe, but I know there’s hurt and doubt somewhere playing a part.

“Does that mean you didn’t trust me enough?” She finally blurts out and I need a moment to process her words.

“No!” I shake my head and squeeze her hand gently. “Bones…. There is nobody I trust more. I didn’t trust myself. I wasn’t sure if telling you about my past, reliving it all…. would not …throw me back into my old habits. Make me lose myself.”

Her brow furrows for a moment. “I wouldn’t have let you.” She announces.

And it’s as simple as that. God, she is a genius. I should have known, I should have trusted that she wasn’t going to let me make the same mistakes again. The woman is just so damn stubborn and so damn perfect for me. Not that I deserve it.

“I don’t deserve you.” I whisper and her eyes widen at my words, then a small smile creeps on her face. “You deserve to celebrate your birthday on Hawaii.”

I blink. What is she talking about?

“If you still want to go… it would be my birthday present to you. A ticket for you to Hawaii.” She says, almost shy now. “And back, of course.” She adds after a moment.

I look at her, and shake my head. “That’s way too expensive, Bones. Very generous and a thoughtful, but….”

She gives me a long look. “I’ve got enough money. But you didn’t get what you deserve, right? Besides haven’t you told Parker to accept gifts and say thank you instead of arguing?”

I laugh. “Bones, I told him that after he got the UGLIEST sweater in the whole wide world from my senile aunt. That was a lesson in being polite for a six-year-old…. It doesn’t apply here.”

“Let me do this for you, Booth. Please.” She says. I suck in a deep breath. How often have I heard her using the word please? Not very often, so maybe this is why it has such an impact on me now.

My thoughts are racing, but I make up my mind soon enough for her not to just go and leave me sitting on that bench.

“It would have to be a ticket for two.” I answer after a pause.

She seems surprised and maybe a little hurt. “Oh. Of course. You wouldn’t want to go alone.” She nods thoughtfully. “You’ll just have to tell me the name of…. Well, I need the complete name to make the reservations.” I hear the pause, the hesitation before saying of …‘her’. She’s so adorably clueless sometimes.

(part 2 - the message was too long)


“As long as you haven’t forgotten how to spell your own name, it’s fine.” I answer, watching her.

Her brow furrows again. “OF COURSE I do know how to spell my name, but what has that to do with the….” Then realisation hits and I see surprise on her face. Or shock, maybe. “Me? You want me to come with you?”

She stammers. “Why?”

I give her one long look and decide to finally just go with the flow and try my luck. I kiss her softly on the lips, a chaste brush of lips only. “That’s why.” I whisper and pull back.

The expression on her face is unreadable, which is not encouraging. She seems shocked and surprised ….again. Or still. But there are so many other emotions flickering over her face I can‘t name them.

“Because you want to kiss me?” She breathes after what seems an eternity, her eyes fixed on mine.

“That too.” I say, thinking that honesty is probably the best way to approach this topic.

“What else?” She asks breathlessly.

I swallow hard. “I want to spend time with you. I want to show you that a real vacation means to leave anything work-related at home.” My voice is rough.

She blinks and suddenly an amused smile creeps on her face. “You can’t take me then. I’m work-related, too.”

“We wouldn’t be partners during a vacation.” I say and I know I’m provoking her next question.

“What would we be?” She asks after a moment, her voice a hoarse whisper, uncertainty in her eyes… all traces of the earlier smile erased.

“First of all, friends.” I answer and swallow, knowing that I have to finally admit it, god damn it. I had kissed her already, now I just gotta say the words. “And if you want to, Temperance…even more.” More! Coward. Say it!!!

Obviously she is not thrilled with the word, either. “More?” She just repeats.

Ah, well. She hadn’t slugged me after kissing her so she is not going to punch me in the face now, especially not on my birthday, right? God, I hope I’m right.

“I don’t know when it happened…. I honestly can’t say WHEN I fell in love with you, but I know why.” I whisper, gazing into her blue eyes. Blue eyes that widen even more the same time I hear her gasp. But despite her obvious confusion she’s got spine enough to ask. “Why?”

“Because you’re fascinating, smart, beautiful… stubborn, too.” I wink at her, but then I’m serious again. “Because you’re you.”

She blinks, then her lips part and she struggles to say something…. it takes a moment but finally she forces out a few words, laced with amazement and suspicion. “You love me?”

“I love you.” I say and squeeze her hand gently.

She takes in the information, processes it…. tortures me with the time she takes, but I understand it’s necessary for her. My heart beats fast as I’m nervously awaiting her reaction.

“You never… said anything. Why?” Her words surprise me a little. But only for a moment. After all, this is Bones, she needs to ask questions. Needs explanations.

“I was afraid I’d lose you. Thought you’d run. Hide.” I say. I can hear the hoarseness in my voice, proof of how nervous I am.

She looks up into my eyes and nods slowly. I’m not sure what it means, but her words make me smile softly. “So there ARE things you’re afraid of besides clowns.”

“Plenty.” I admit. I do not even object to being afraid of clowns. It’s not completely wrong anyway. They creep me out.

“I thought you…. just wanted to be friends.” She says, her voice sounding odd.

“We ARE friends. Whatever you…. decide, I want to be your friend, Bones.” I whisper, knowing that being ‘just’ friends would never be enough, but had to be, if she said so. Because losing her altogether… I just couldn’t bear it.

I watch her as she’s biting her lower lip, then she finally opens her mouth to say something. “I think we need to go back in.”

Her words slide in like a knife. That’s it. My chest suddenly feels a little too tight and I swallow hard. Being friends it is, then. I barely hear the next sentences.

“I need to inform Cam. I have enough vacation time, but she needs to reschedule with the grad students…. So it might take a few days until everything is settled.” She says matter-of-factly.

I blink, stare at her, trying to comprehend what her words have to mean. To make sure, I ask. “You…. you’re going on vacation?”

She arches a brow at me. “We’re going on vacation.” She informs me and understanding begins to dawn. I guess I look as - positively – shocked as I am, because she gives me a long, intense look. “I’m not going to run.”

“Thank God!” I breath and I move near her just as she is leaning in towards me. We meet halfway and kiss. Kiss deeply, promising, passionately. Not a trace of chasteness there.

It takes some time, but I remember that we’re sitting on a damn bench in front of a bar, where everybody can see us. And her arm is injured too. So I pull back, though it takes considerable effort to do so.

“No digging up and examining bodies in Hawaii.” I warn her and she laughs, mischief glinting in her eyes. “The only body I plan on examining is yours.” She says huskily. Breath whooshes out of me and I gape at her.

“What?” She asks, feigning innocence.

“You…” I stop and shake my head, not knowing what to say.

She narrows her eyes a little. “You said you loved me. I assumed you’d want to have sex, too.”

Her bluntness is so refreshing, she makes me grin and forget about my initial shock. “You assume right.” I brush another quick kiss over her lips. “But can we not talk about this now? Making out on a bench in front of a bar is for teenagers. Somebody could see us.”

“Booth.” She shakes her head. “They’ve been watching for ten minutes now.”

I practically feel the color drain of my face and I turn around, my gaze swivelling to the windows of the bar. Sure enough, Angela, Cam, Hodgins and Sweets are beaming at me. I blink.

“You knew they were watching?” I whisper.

She shrugs and winces a little, obviously getting a painful reminder of her injured arm. “It’s not as if we could keep it a secret, you know.”

“In that case….” I cup her face and kiss her passionately again. Might as well give the gawkers a show. And damn, isn’t she a responsive kisser.

She pulls back after some time, a dreamy look on her face. “You kiss way better than your brother.”

A feeling of cold fury suddenly overwhelms me. “He kissed you?” I press through gritted teeth.

“Relax. It was nothing. No feelings on either side. He just wanted to prove a point.” She says and gives me a very intense look. “He said you’d never take the risk to kiss me. But you did. Proved him wrong again.” She winks at me. “I’m glad you did. Now… I think we should go back in. It’s YOUR birthday party after all, and you haven’t even opened your gifts.”

She rises and I do too, but I hold her back from walking inside yet. “I got my best gift already.” I say.

She gives me a questioning look. “Hawaii?” She guesses.

“You.” I answer and press a kiss to her forehead.

An amused smile appears on her face. “You assume I belong to you now? Typical alpha-male.”

She shakes her head in mock disbelief, but I notice the lack of REAL objection.

And we start to bicker as we always do. With the one difference that I now know she loves me too. She hasn’t spoken the words yet, but actions can say as much. For Temperance Brennan to sacrifice vacation time she could spend with decomposing bodies for ME?

It’s got to be love.


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Well, what do you say? Did you like it? I know it’s quite long for a one-shot, so I hope you made it through the whole thing

REVIEWS WOULD BE AWESOME!

awwww cheese, that was so sweet more importantly, I could see the scene playing out in my head and I can tell you it was a good show, true to characters, both emotional and funny... good job!

THANK YOU, kat. So glad you liked it

of course I did, I really enjoy all your fics

Yey, CHeese. I loved it. You have good abilities to portrait these characters I love it
Thanks

That was so sweet, I loved it very much!

CHEESE!!

OMG,OMG,OMG,OMG that was...........PERFECTION!! Oh so cute, and I love how you just extended the scene. You didn't add anything that was unneccessary, you just extended it a bit, and added some thoughts. I thought it was great, and I could totally believe everything you wrote about Booth's childhood. I love that Bones got him a trip to Hawaii, I thought that was brilliant too.

OH it was just so sweet, and heartwrenching(a little bit) and kind, and lovely, and oh who am I kidding, just fluffy enough to gag a bunny, but I wouldn't take it any other way!! Great job Cheese, it was beautiful!

Bella

great job, loved it.

Bella Loony wrote:CHEESE!!

OMG,OMG,OMG,OMG that was...........PERFECTION!! Oh so cute, and I love how you just extended the scene. You didn't add anything that was unneccessary, you just extended it a bit, and added some thoughts. I thought it was great, and I could totally believe everything you wrote about Booth's childhood. I love that Bones got him a trip to Hawaii, I thought that was brilliant too.

OH it was just so sweet, and heartwrenching(a little bit) and kind, and lovely, and oh who am I kidding, just fluffy enough to gag a bunny, but I wouldn't take it any other way!! Great job Cheese, it was beautiful!

Bella

what more could I possibly say?
it was just a perfect, really fluffy story!

Oh my gosh it was absolutely perfect!!!!!!!!! It was so perfect that I really really REALLY wish that this was on the show. And now I'm certain that they cut it in the editing room! lol

And I'm grinning like an idiot! Bravo!!!

felt very organic, like a natural extention of the scene.

cheese....that was wonderawesome.........fantabulous........i so loved it........oh can you just imagine if that really did happen............omg...........and they are going to hawaii.........its so beautiful there...........and romantic................so of course sex on the beach is in...........whooooo hoooooooooo and not just the drink.........oh now............booth on the beach.........alright......i have to stop imagining these things..........will have to go take a cold shower soon.................again cheese......that was perfect..............

How cute! Is cute a bad word in fanfiction? I hope not, I loved it. Thanks for posting.

oh, sweeties!!! Thank you so much for your wonderful words.... bella, hope the bunny you gagged didn't choke you

thank you all!

No Cheese, the bunnies love it when they gag, it just means it's SUPER FLUFFY, which is my favorite!!

Bella

oh my god, that was PERFECT. absolutely perfect.

i could practically see them sitting on that bench together... all the nuances, the gestures, their choice of words... you capture them so well.

and that would definitely have been the perfect ending for that episode... if they had chosen it to be the one where they finally get together.

but since that's not going to happen anytime soon, i'm really really glad there's talented fan fic writers like you.