Voyeur - Angst, rated M for Mature Themes

AN: You can pretty much predict what I'll say, right? So there's no need for me to type it again, is there? Didn't think so.

Chapter 16: Glue
Booth and Brennan sat in the waiting room of the doctor's office. While he idly flipped through a magazine, she could no longer avoid thoughts of pregnancy. She wondered what it would be like to give birth and how many changes she'd have to make to accommodate a child.

The voice of a nurse distracted her from her rising panic. "Temperance Brennan."

As she stood, Booth asked, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"I'll be fine, Booth."

She followed the nurse through the door and the usual weight, temperature and blood pressure procedures. Then the nurse left her to change into a thin hospital gown.

A few minutes later, Dr. Georgia Spencer, her gynecologist for the past eight years, arrived and began the exam.

Straightening up, Dr. Spencer removed the surgical gloves and tossed them in the trashcan. "Physically, you have recovered well from the 'overly vigorous sexual activity' described by the doctor at the hospital."

'I knew that. Get to the rest of it,' Brennan thought.

"You don't appear to be pregnant from the pelvic exam, but it's too early for that to be a reliable indicator. After you get dressed, the nurse will direct you the lab area. They'll draw some blood. We should have the results sometime in the next day or two."

"You'll call me immediately when you get the results? The past couple of weeks have been… difficult, and knowing one way or the other would go a long way to settling my mind."

Pushing away curiosity at her patient's unusual behavior, she answered, "Someone will contact you the day we get it."

The doctor left and Brennan sighed heavily as she dressed. She'd known she would have to wait for the test results, but she was surprised at how much she wanted the answer now.

The ride to the Jeffersonian passed in silence. Booth glanced at her from time to time as she stared out the window. From her expression, she was deep in thought.

As he pulled into the parking garage, he said, "Penny for your thoughts."

She gave him a weak smile. "I'm not ready to talk about it yet."

"Okay. I'm here when you are."

He leaned over and kissed her good-bye. It wasn't a particularly long or passionate kiss, but the flash of a camera indicated that at least one pesky paparazzo was watching them.

Brennan silently exited the car and headed toward the normal elevator, ignoring the intrusive questions of the photographer and fighting the desire break his camera and lay him flat on his pack with a martial-arts move.

Angela was waiting for her when she arrived in her office, but she was too preoccupied with her thought to notice.

"Sweetie, you're finally here! I hope it's because you and your man candy spent a few extra minutes in bed."

Brennan jumped a little at her friend's voice. "I had a doctor's appointment this morning."

She shrugged out of her coat and purse, dropped into her chair, and booted up her computer. She stared at the computer deep in thought as the bootup sequence began, momentarily forgetting Angela's presence. The loud sound of a clearing throat brought her back to reality.

"Did you need something, Angela?"

"I finished the facial reconstructions on the latest two bodies from Limbo."

"Thanks, Ange. I'll read my e-mail and then head over to your office."

Noticing Brennan's distraction, she left quietly.

An hour later, Brennan was hunched over another skeleton from Limbo, having completely forgotten to visit Angela. She was trying to concentrate on the abnormal markings on the manubrium, but her thoughts kept straying. She sighed. At least no one had noticed.

"Bren, did you want to see the 3D reconstructions now?"

"Coming." She snapped off her gloves.

Angela touched a few buttons on her pad and the female face appeared on the Angelator. The anthropologist looked at it and compared it to the file.

"Nice work. Did you compare this against the missing persons' database?"

"No hits."

She made a note in the file. "Hodgins can do a strontium isotope analysis on the teeth to narrow down the person's origin."

Angela put the second reconstruction up on the screen, but she no longer had Brennan's attention.

She turned off the Angelator and closed the door.

"You wanna tell me what's going on in that brain of yours?" the artist asked.

"The doctor's appointment today was to try and determine if I'm pregnant. I won't have the results for a day or two probably."

"And?"

"And what, Ange? I just have to wait for the results."

"Sure, but that alone wouldn't be enough to distract you this badly. You're very good at compartmentalizing."

"I… I've always said I never wanted children and objectively speaking, none of my reasoning has changed."

"And non-objectively?" Angela prompted.

"Things are so messed up right now, and I'm afraid that my relationship with Booth might fall apart. People that say they love me tend to leave. I know it's not logical, but I can't get the thought out of my head. But Booth would never leave his child."

"So if you were pregnant, then you know he'd always be around." She finished the thought, hugging her best friend. "Oh, Sweetie. Booth would never leave over something like this. He waited so long for the two of you to be together. That amazing Sunday you decided to start dating, what did he tell you?"

Brennan answered hesitantly, "He said he wanted forever."

"He decided that long before any of this happened. I doubt this is likely to change his mind. He can hardly go two hours without calling you to make sure you're okay."

Nodding, she stood. "Thanks, Ange. I told you it was illogical, but fears are rarely rational. I think I'm ready to see that second reconstruction now."

"Okay, but you should tell Booth what you've been thinking."

"I'll consider it, but I feel like I've been dumping all my emotions on him lately and he's dealing with just as much as I am."

Several hours and several interruptions later, she was back on the platform examining the manubrium again, this time under a high-powered microscope. Neither she nor Zach had been able to determine what made the marks. Carefully, Brennan transferred several particulates from the bone to a slide and set them aside for Hodgins.

As she replaced the bone on the examination table, she heard the beep indicating someone had swiped a card for access to the platform. A moment later, she identified Booth by the sound his shoes made on the stairs.

A large smile covered his face and there was a manila folder and a large envelope in his hand.

"Do we have a case?" she asked eagerly.

He shook his head, offering her the envelope and folder. "But it's the next best thing, a consult."

She snapped off her gloves, threw them in the trash, and grabbed the envelope. She pulled out the first x-ray and held it up to the light, then the rest one by one.

"Male, between thirty and forty years of age. I'm unable to estimate time of death, but he was a golfer and appears to have died from sharp force trauma to the frontal bone. Markings on the carpal bones indicate he saw the blow coming and tried to defend himself. Without seeing the remains, I can't be certain, but the weapon appears to be some kind of a chisel with a narrow blade."

She looked up. "Why exactly did they want me to look at these?"

"You could have looked at the file, Bones."

"You know that I prefer my examinations untainted by outside influence." She carefully put the x-rays replaced in the envelope and placed it on the empty table to her right.

"Well, the coroner identified the body and the cause of death, but couldn't narrow down the specific weapon used so they called me." He smiled broadly, pride clearly evident in his posture. "You really are the best, Bones. You can tell from x-rays what he couldn't figure it out with the whole body in front of him."

She smiled back at him. She should be used to such praise by now, but at this particular moment, coming from this particular man, it meant a lot. She hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Booth."

"Um… you're welcome, but what are you thanking me for?"

"For, you know, just being you."

"Okay." The answer didn't really clear up his confusion. With a mental shrug, he returned to business. "I'm gonna call the agent in charge of this case and let him know, and then we can get out of here."

"Booth, it's only four. I can't leave yet."

Waving her to silence, he spoke into the phone. "Look for a chisel with a narrow blade. I'll get the file and x-rays back to you tomorrow."

He turned his attention back to his partner and smiled his charm smile. "A little birdie told me that you were having a hard time concentrating."

Brennan sighed. "Angela called you, didn't she?"

He shrugged.

"She should mind her own business. What else did she tell you?" This last was more of a demand than a question.

"Nothing, why?"

It was her turn to shrug. His compliment a few minutes before had settled her fears for the moment.

He carefully searched her expression. Finding nothing wrong, he decided to let it go.

"Anyhow, there's pizza and a movie with your name on it. Let's blow this joint."

"I don't know what that means," she replied as she headed toward the stairs.

As they headed toward his car, he explained the expression. They talked about what they'd gotten done at work that day (neither had been very productive) before she remembered to ask about how things had gone with Sam.

"It was okay. Lunch was good and we had an intense game of one on one," he answered carefully.

Brennan forced herself to ask. "And Celia?"

"No change since yesterday."

After that, oppressive silence reigned in the car, and both were glad when the drive ended. Soon they were settled on her couch, pizza and coke in front of them. He pushed the button on the remote and the movie began to play. When the food was gone, they paused the movie to clean up, then snuggled up together to finish the rest of the movie.

"I get it!" Brennan exclaimed interrupting the movie. "This is what you meant that day at Hodgins' house. Darcy climbs out of the pond and surprises Elizabeth."

He smiled fondly at her. "Exactly. That was almost two months ago though. I'm surprised you remember it."

"I have an excellent memory!"

"For things you consider important, but it was a single comment and a movie reference."

"The things you say to me are important." She smiled at him, before turning back to the screen.

He hugged her a bit closer and resisted the urge to kiss her. She was enjoying the movie and he didn't want to distract her.

It was late when the movie finished. Ten minutes later, Brennan had brushed her teeth, washed her face, and was settling between cool sheets. He slid into bed next to her and she was glad of his warmth.

"You're going to sleep with a shirt tonight?" she asked in surprise. They hadn't been sharing a bed for long, but this was the first time he'd worn a T-shirt to bed.

He shrugged casually, but she knew him well enough to know he was hiding something.

"What's going on, Booth?"

He pursed his lips and then slowly removed the T-shirt. His abdomen and chest were covered in bruises.

She examined them for a moment and then met his eyes.

"Sam needed to let off some steam," he answered her unspoken question.

"And he thought this was an appropriate way to do it?!?"

He shrugged.

"And you just let him?"

He shrugged again.

"I think you'd better tell me exactly what happened."

He really didn't want to repeat the other man's words to her. "Bones, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

She glared at him fiercely until he gave in. "He asked me how my girlfriend could do that kind of thing to his girlfriend, and then he started pummeling me."

"And you let him hit you." When she didn't receive a response, she continued, "He shouldn't blame you. You have absolutely no responsibility for the situation and certainly no control over my actions."

She saw guilt in his eyes in the short moment before he looked away.

"Booth?"

The concern in her voice nearly undid him.

"If I'd just found you sooner…" His voice was hoarse with suppressed emotion.

Her voice was firm and her words rang with conviction. "I looked at the file, Booth. You did absolutely everything you could have. There just wasn't any evidence. You are not responsible for what happened to us and there was nothing you could have done to change it."

"But I didn't protect you." His words were so quiet that she almost missed them.

"You look out for me, but you can't protect me from everything. That's simply impossible. Remember what I told you on Sunday? We can't change what's already happened, only continue to move forward. We have to figure out a way to let go of our guilt."

As her fingers danced carefully across the bruises, he noticed that she'd switched from talking about him to talking about both of them.

"And these are not your fault. Sam just needed to work out his anger with someone who understands. I told him that you were doing what it took to survive."

"Do you think that Sam and Celia will stay together?" She wanted to ask if they would survive this, but she didn't have the guts.

"If she stops fighting Sam and the therapy and starts letting them help her, definitely."

"Really?" This time he heard the poorly disguised uncertainty.

"We will get through this together and be stronger for it. Neither of us are quitters and I'm not leaving just because things are difficult right now." He scooted close to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. He looked her straight in the eye. "I am committed to you and to our relationship. I'd marry you tomorrow if you want proof. But you've never wanted to get married, and it's probably a bit premature, and not a good idea right now." He paused for a moment, stunned by an idea. "You remember back in the basement? You designed that shield for us. We could get matching tattoos in that design with the word 'Forever' underneath."

His words sent her brain and emotions spinning. Once again he had managed to say exactly what she needed to hear. She hadn't even told him about her conversation with Angela or about the fears she just couldn't seem to banish. Pushing away tears, she said the first thing that came to mind. "But you hated the idea."

"What you were suggesting and getting tattoos are totally different."

"That makes sense."

"It's too late to make decisions about this kind of thing tonight. Let's sleep on it."

Then he distracted her with kisses. "I love you, Temperance."

She smiled at him, a sleepy smile he thought was totally adorable, and then her eyelids slipped shut as she fell asleep.

Booth letting Sam wail on him like that?? This Sam guy must have been a pretty big guy to even feel like he could take a swing at Booth, let alone go to town on him.

I don't know what I'm hoping for with Brennan's pregnancy test? But I'm glad that they're sticking to each other like glue.

Moremore moremoremormeomreomreomroermomermore! (see, i can't even spell the word more i am so excited ! I read the WHOLEEEE thing today I read your fanfic, please dont feel fanless, think of me as the equivalent of ten fans

I don't feel fanless... I know there are people read but don't review. I even do that sometimes. *slaps wrist* I'll try to get the next chapter up in the next few days.

Thanks for the review, and the enthusiasm. :-)

Aaahhh! It's Sunday and you had posted so I thought it was Chapter 17! Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait a little longer.

Sorry I didn't intend to deceive you. I have my computer set to dual boot and I usually spend the weekends on the OS which doesn't have the story files on it (but it does play my video game). I may get it posted Monday, when I'm back on the OS. Depends on how long things take this afternoon, cause I've got guests this evening.

saraluvzbonz wrote:Sorry I didn't intend to deceive you. I have my computer set to dual boot and I usually spend the weekends on the OS which doesn't have the story files on it (but it does play my video game). I may get it posted Monday, when I'm back on the OS. Depends on how long things take this afternoon, cause I've got guests this evening.

I didn't think you'd meant to, sometimes that sort of thing just happens.

And you spend your weekends without your stories?? Sara, does this mean that you write your stories when you're at work?? Whenever you get around to posting, we'll be here waiting.

lol... of course I don't write when I'm at work. Just evenings or weekends. It's one of the problems with having one computer for both work and personal use.

If I feel like writing and I'm on the OS I use for my game (read Windows) I just start writing there and then transfer the file later. But I can't read the OS I work on from Windows (but the other OS reads the Windows file system). It also partly has to do with which version of my office software I have on which OS... I said it was complicated.

AN: Here's the next part as promised. Enjoy.

Chapter 17: Faces To The Sun
Brennan stared at the phone as she slowly replaced it in the cradle. She'd known the instant the phone had rung that morning that it was the doctor's office.

"Bones? Was that the phone?" Booth's voice came from the master bathroom.

"Yeah. It was the doctor's office."

"And?"

"And I'm not sure if I feel relieved or what."

Upon hearing the uncertainty in her voice, he immediately went to her. Sinking onto the bed beside her, he asked, "What did they say?"

"We're not pregnant and I can go back on the pill."

Suddenly he understood her comment. He was glad that the kidnapping would eventually be completely over without daily reminders. On the other hand, he loved the idea of having a child with her.

"I think it's normal to have mixed emotions in this situation." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently. "I know I do."

She sniffed, trying to hold back tears. "I'm so tired of not knowing how I feel and my moods changing on a dime. And I hate crying so much."

"It will all get better. It just takes time."

The certainty in his voice reassured her. They'd been through traumatic events, individually and together, and they'd emerged stronger afterward. There was no reason to believe that this would be any different than any of those times.

She nodded decisively and stood. "I'm going to take a shower."

Twenty minutes later, she found Booth seated at her kitchen table reading the sports page and drinking coffee. She grabbed a cup of coffee and put some bread in the toaster. Then she sat down next to him and reached for the front page. It felt so domestic, so normal, that she could resist a smile. She could get use to seeing him every morning like this.

The headline read "Mystery man identified as partner." It was accompanied by a picture of them kissing, which she immediately recognized as the one taken yesterday. She snorted.

"You read the headline."

It was more of a statement than a question, but she answered anyway. "Yes. I wish they'd go bother somebody else."

"It was bound to happen soon. Actually I'm kind of surprised we managed to keep my name out of the press this long."

"Doesn't this bother you?"

"Not particularly. But I hate to imagine what Cullen will say about the picture. I should have known better. Instead I added fuel to the fire."

Brennan glanced at the clock. "If we don't get out of here, we'll both be late for work."

Ten minutes later, the media mobbed the SUV as Booth pulled into the Jeffersonian. He slowed the car to a crawl as he attempted to navigate the parking lot without hurting anyone. After what seemed like hours, he finally pulled into the handicapped parking spot closest to the employee entrance. Sometimes being an FBI agent had its perks. He would never consider doing this on a normal day, but today was anything but normal. He would get somebody to re-park it for him later.

While a woman in a business suit unsuccessfully tried to open one the locked doors, Booth glanced at the crowd trying to figure out the best way to get Brennan into the building. A knocking on the glass caught his attention. He sighed with relief to see the two security guards at Brennan's door.

"I'm going to get out and come around to your door. Once I get there, we'll escort you into the building," he told Brennan. To his relief she nodded and didn't argue.

He put on his game face, then unlocked his door and opened it. Immediately, a forest of microphones was thrust at him and people began calling questions. He closed the door behind him, locking it with the remote.

"Seeley Booth, how do you feel about the video?"

"What kind of relationship do you and your partner have?"

"How long have the two of you been together?"

He ignored the questions and let them see the forbidding face of the army sniper he had been. Those nearest him took a step back, but were pushed toward him again as the crowd surged in his direction.

He focused on the first person in his path and barked, "Move." Immediately, the reporter scrambled out of his way, seeing potential violence in his expression; one after the other they moved out of his way. When he reached Brennan's door, he nodded to her and hit the unlock button on the remote. She slipped out of the door and into the protective circle of Booth and the security guards. Media personnel scurried to get in front of them.

Although it was only a few yards from the parking spot to the entrance of the Jeffersonian, they had to force their way through. The Jeffersonian security guards did their best, but the crowd soon forced them away from Booth and Brennan. The partners ignored the questions and plowed toward the door.

Frustrated by their lack of response, a tall blond-haired reporter tugged on Brennan's arm trying to get her attention. Her reaction was instantaneous. With two perfectly executed karate moves, he was on his back on the ground.

"Don't touch me," she snarled at him.

For a moment, stunned silence reigned and then the babble of voices began again as reporters demanded if their cameramen had gotten it on tape.

Booth's expression changed from blank and somewhat forbidding to downright murderous and the ranks opened before him like Moses parting the Red Sea. Two seconds later they were within the safety of the Jeffersonian's walls and moving toward Brennan's office.

"Sweetie, you're here!" Angela called, striding up to them. "Was it horrible? I knew it would be when I saw all those reporters." Then she got a good look at Booth. "Nice game face, G-man. I promise to be good."

He let out a deep sigh and then his face relaxed into a more normal expression. "Hi, Angela. Be glad it isn't you."

Her laugh echoed down the hallway. "You've forgotten who my father is. Believe me, I've been there."

Brennan placed her purse in her desk and allowed Booth to help her out of her coat. She flopped into her chair and booted up her computer.

He sat down on her couch. "I'm going to need a few minutes before I'm ready to brave that circus to get to my car."

His phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and sighed when he saw the Caller ID.

"Good morning, sir," he greeted his boss.

As Brennan worked her way through her inbox, she heard his occasional "Yes, sirs" and "Uh huhs."

By the time his call was done, lines had settled into his forehead and his shoulders drooped.

She got up from her desk and sat next to him, reaching out to take his hand in hers. "His opinion on the photo in the paper?"

"Yep, and on your taking out that guy. It made the morning talk shows."

She wanted to say the right thing to make him feel better, but she didn't know what that was. Instead she scooted closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. Maybe this was one of those times when a touch was enough. They remained that way for a long moment.

Then Cam knocked on the door to announce her presence and then took a seat opposite them. Immediately she homed in on Booth's expression. "Having a bad day, Seeley?"

"You have no idea. And don't call me Seeley, Camille."

She frowned at him and then turned to Brennan. "Nice moves, Dr. Brennan. I knew you were trained in martial arts, but I had no idea you were that good."

The anthropologist frowned in confusion, so Cam elaborated. "The Jeffersonian's publicity department sent me a video of your tussle with that reporter. I called the lawyers. Unfortunately, since this is a publicly funded institution we can't kick them off the premises."

She paused a moment, knowing what needed to be said next would be difficult for them to hear. "I met with the Board of Directors earlier this morning. They're unhappy about the publicity. The minute after I found out about the meeting I called Caroline. She came to the meeting with me to remind them of the legalities. She gave them a general summary of what happened, and then outlined what would happen if anybody messed with her case or your jobs."

The partners looked at each other for a minute and then Booth spoke for both of them. "It's wrong that our private lives are splashed across the front pages and TVs of the whole country." He put his arm around Brennan. "How can we move on when they remind us about it every time we take a step outside?"

"The media storm is terrible right now," Cam sympathized, "but it will blow over when another big story comes along. You two are strong enough to get through this."

"And we'll be right back in the news when the trial starts," Brennan said bitterly. "The worst part is that it gets in the way of us doing our jobs."

"We're all supporting you. You survived foster care, you'll survive this too," Cam said as she rose. "I have an autopsy I need to start."

"I should head to work," Booth said a few minutes later. "Meet me tonight at the Lincoln Memorial at 7:15. I'm sure Angela would love to help you with a disguise." He winked at her.

At seven that night, Brennan walked out of a side door of the Jeffersonian in Angela's coat, a scarf tied around her head. She took a roundabout route to the Lincoln Memorial and sat on the top step. As she waited, she remembered the evening a drunk Booth told her that he'd have rounded up the Boston tea-partiers and thrown them in prison. The memory made her smile.

She surveyed the people around the memorial, hoping Booth would arrive soon. For the most part the crowd was business people hurrying home from a late night at the office. There were a few couples out for a moonlight stroll. A guy wearing a baseball cap and an old sweatshirt caught her attention and she smiled as she recognized her partner.

She smiled at him as he climbed the last few steps. He offered her a cup of coffee. "Bones, you made it. Sorry I'm late. I had to lose a couple of reporters, but I brought us dinner and a surprise."

They opened the takeout boxes and dug into the Thai food.

"I thought this was your weekend with Parker," she commented.

"It is. I'll be picking him up in an hour or so. I thought maybe we'd stay with you." He paused trying to gauge her reaction. "Or you can stay with us."

"I don't want to be in the way."

"Trust me, Bones, you won't be."

She looked a bit skeptical, but took him at his word. "Okay. I think your place would be better. Mine doesn’t have a lot for a child."

"How did your meeting with Gordon-Gordon go?" he asked. "I'm still stuck mostly doing paperwork." He'd been told that he could work in the field as much as she was allowed to, but he didn't want to get her hopes up.

Her smile was huge. "I've been partly released for field work. I can go to the sites and collect remains. Of course I still have to meet with him, but he's not so bad as psychologists go."

He smiled back before eating the last of the Pad Thai. "Well, I'm allowed to go with you to those crime scenes and to liaise with the Jeffersonian, but we won't be getting any full-fledged cases just yet."

During a lull in the conversation, he handed her a plain white envelope. She pulled out a photocopy of the shield she'd designed for them in the basement, a homemade certificate for two tattoos, and a hand-written note. "Anytime, anywhere, whenever you're ready. I'll be waiting," was scrawled in Booth's handwriting across a single post-it.

She turned to him, tears in her eyes. He pulled her into his arms and looked her straight in the eye. "I love you, Temperance. As long as I have breath I will choose to stay with you. Our life may not be easy, but I will always be yours."

Her heart overflowed at his words. He knew her so well, her flaws and her insecurities, and yet he still wanted to be with her. She knew he wasn't perfect, but she loved him anyway, not in spite of his imperfections but because of them.

She spoke honestly and from her heart without qualification. "I love you, Seeley. You're the first person I've said that to in more than fifteen years and I've never meant it as much as I do now."

She kissed him, a serious kiss, almost as if she was making a promise, and he knew she meant every word because she'd made room in her life for him and what was important to him. He kissed her back, mentally promising her that he would protect her forever.

I'm glad that they'll end up getting to make that baby on their own terms, not some psycho's. And I'm glad that Booth promised her the tattooes, whenever she's ready. They're both perfect for each other!

lol... actually I don't htink they're perfect for each other, but I think they're great together. :-)

YAY! super duper fantabulous. When wiil you post next.a nd I agree with the baby on their own terms thingamajig, much better to have on eon their own terma then el psychos. Keep up the good work!
Sunnie.

saraluvzbonz wrote:lol... actually I don't htink they're perfect for each other, but I think they're great together. :-)

LOL In my itty bitty brain those two things are one in the same!

DBCrazy wrote:

saraluvzbonz wrote:lol... actually I don't htink they're perfect for each other, but I think they're great together. :-)

LOL In my itty bitty brain those two things are one in the same!

I get the distinction, I mean Jack and Angela are great together but they aren't perfect for one another. Jack needs a forever kind of woman, Angela needs a man who can live in the moment and let her be a free spirit the rest of the time (Kirk was perfect for her). But I agree with Sherry, Booth and Brennan are perfect for each other. She needs someone like him, someone strong enough to stand up to her and secure enough in himself to admit when he's wrong and let her lead from time to time. He needs someone like her, a stong and independent woman who can be his partner in all things, someone who's as dedicated as he is, brilliant, someone who can push him to excell. Just my .02

RM

BTW Sherry, I LOVE your sig! That's my favorite scene from the whole episode, and you know that's probably the most watchable episode of the season so far? Even with Captain Forehead. Anyway, great sig.

THX1138 wrote:

DBCrazy wrote:

saraluvzbonz wrote:lol... actually I don't htink they're perfect for each other, but I think they're great together. :-)

LOL In my itty bitty brain those two things are one in the same!

I get the distinction, I mean Jack and Angela are great together but they aren't perfect for one another. Jack needs a forever kind of woman, Angela needs a man who can live in the moment and let her be a free spirit the rest of the time (Kirk was perfect for her). But I agree with Sherry, Booth and Brennan are perfect for each other. She needs someone like him, someone strong enough to stand up to her and secure enough in himself to admit when he's wrong and let her lead from time to time. He needs someone like her, a stong and independent woman who can be his partner in all things, someone who's as dedicated as he is, brilliant, someone who can push him to excell. Just my .02

RM

BTW Sherry, I LOVE your sig! That's my favorite scene from the whole episode, and you know that's probably the most watchable episode of the season so far? Even with Captain Forehead. Anyway, great sig.

Now I see, and I wholeheartedly agree with what you said I said. And at .02 it's cheaper than trying to look it up on Google!

Thank you! It seemed apropos for Halloween. I loved that scene too, because I felt she must have spent time alone in her room as a girl acting out her favorite scenes just like I did. And she has that period style acting down wonderfully! She almost looks like she's gonna dance.

DBCrazy wrote:

THX1138 wrote:BTW Sherry, I LOVE your sig! That's my favorite scene from the whole episode, and you know that's probably the most watchable episode of the season so far? Even with Captain Forehead. Anyway, great sig.

Thank you! It seemed apropos for Halloween. I loved that scene too, because I felt she must have spent time alone in her room as a girl acting out her favorite scenes just like I did. And she has that period style acting down wonderfully! She almost looks like she's gonna dance.

I agree, I can totally see a young Temperance sitting by herself, up late at night on a Friday or Saturday night, watching the 'Creature Feature' and memorizing those old 30's and 40's style horror movies. Thank GOD she didn't get hooked on the Bowery Boys, I don't think I could handle Brennan doing Slip Mahoney.

RM

Chapter 18: Ink

Six Months Later

Brennan and Booth sat in the courtroom as the jury reentered the room. Celia sat on the opposite side of Booth. She had declined to testify, but with the video evidence and Brennan's testimony she hadn't really needed to. Last week, Pitts had been convicted of conspiracy to kidnap a federal agent and kidnapping a federal agent.

During the trial Brennan had been so sure that Fitzhugh, the mastermind behind their kidnapping, would be found guilty of multiple counts of kidnapping and false imprisonment charges, as well as multiple counts of sexual assault and rape and attempted murder

But now doubt assailed her. Had the testimony been enough? She'd had enough experience with juries to know that they didn't always see things as clearly as she did. She pushed her doubt away. Pitts had been found guilty, Fitzhugh would too. The evidence was clear.

Everything happened in slow motion. She watched as the foreman deliberately handed the verdict to the bailiff. The judge accepted the verdict from the bailiff, read it slowly, ordered the defendant to stand, and handed it to the clerk.

"We find the defendant guilty on all counts."

Booth wanted to whoop and shout and take Brennan in his arms and twirl her around, but aware of their location, he simply leaned over and gave her a hug. They would have time to celebrate later.

The last of the formalities finally finished, they left the courtroom.

"Temperance, I want to thank you," Celia said hesitantly. "I don't think I could have gotten on that stand and say what needed to be said."

This was the first time that Celia had voluntarily addressed her since that day at the hospital. She smiled. "You're welcome. Are you sure you and Sam don't want to come to the celebration?"

"Yes. You're an amazing person, but after everything that happened I just can't..."

"I understand," Brennan replied softly, watching as the other woman walked out of her life. They had done what was necessary to survive physically but destroyed their budding friendship in the process.

Booth slung an arm around her shoulder and distracted his partner from her sadness. "So, you ready to face the pack of hyenas?"

Two minutes later, they were standing in front of a bank of microphones.

"Our job is to bring justice to those who have been murdered. Although this wasn't a murder, it was a situation where justice needed to be done. We should never shrink from the truth, no matter how unpleasant, and we should always wait for the evidence before jumping to conclusions. We did what was necessary for justice and to prevent others from suffering a similar fate at the hands of the defendant."

Booth smiled wondering if the media personnel had caught her subtle rebuke. She grabbed his hand as he led her away from the crowd.

Half an hour and a change of clothes later, the two strode into the diner. Brennan sported a modest tank top and her usual chunky necklace. Booth wore an unbuttoned white shirt over his wife-beater.

Angela wolf-whistled. "Looking good."

As he slid after her into the booth where their friends were waiting, Booth glanced at Brennan and she gave him a small nod. He slipped off his shirt and tossed it across the back of the seat.

Turning to the waitress, he said, "Two iced teas, please."

He tossed a charm smile to everybody, pleased to be in out of the heat. Everyone was similarly attired in clothing designed to stay cool. Now he just had to wait.

The conversation started with the trial and everyone clinked their glasses together in celebration. Then it wandered from topic to topic, lighter and freer than it had been in months.

Angela was sitting beside Brennan, which was probably why it took her so long to notice, but when Booth leaned half way across the table to disagree with Jack about one of his conspiracies, she could hardly miss it.

"Sweetie, is that a new tattoo? Let me see!"

He smirked as he sat back. He pulled aside the fabric of his shirt so everyone could see it. Brennan watched the scene with amusement.

Jack took a quick look and said, "Cool dude."

Angela looked more closely. "It has some similarities with heraldry, but I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Bones designed it."

All eyes swung to her and she shrugged. "It’s represents us."

Angela's eyes bored into hers. Brennan stared back for a minute and then nudged Booth. She followed him out of the booth. He stood back from the end of the table and she stepped in front of him, her back toward her friends. When he reached his arms around to slip her shirt up a bit and expose the tattoo on her lower back, she rested her head on chest just where his tattoo was.

"You've been holding out on me! When did you two get this done?"

Brennan and Booth glanced at each other and answered together. "January."

"And his over his heart symbolizing his love and yours on your back where he always rests his hand!" Angela announced.

Everyone except the two partners were surprised at what she'd figured out. They were wrapped up in thoughts of the weekend they'd stolen to be together before the trial began, when they'd gotten the tattoos. Although it hadn't been their first time together, she'd let him be as romantic as he wanted and they had made some fabulous memories together.

He slowly leaned down and kissed her in full view of their friends and everyone else in the diner. Laughs started when the kiss lasted longer than a few seconds, and as it continued, applause broke out around the diner.

THE END

AN: I apologize for waiting so long to post this. We have a week of meetings for work and I had a lot of preparation to do. Thanks to everyone who read the story and put up with the strange posting schedule after I promised a regular one. Double thanks to everyone who reviewed. Special thanks to TotallyHonestReviewer1 for helping me keep it real and to redrider6612 and FauxMaven for their editing expertise.

i think this is my favourite B&B fanfic ever! amazing. thats the sweetest ending.
my fave part

"And his over his heart symbolizing his love and yours on your back where he always rests his hand!"

you are a very talented writer...cant wait to read another fic

Bonesbabe,

Thanks. I debated the location of their tattoos until I came up with this and thought it was perfect. I'll continue writing, but I don't have anything long anywhere near ready to post. So keep an eye out for oneshots and short stories. (If you're also an ff.net person, you can find me there as saragillie.)

:-)

it was perfect. will go and check out your stuff on fanfic now

That was a perfect ending, Sara. When I realized where they'd put the tattooes I got goosebumps! Soo romantic! Thank you.

I'm glad you like the ending. I was afraid that some would be upset that I didn't cover the trial...