Home, a Oneshot

Okay, so honestly I don't know why I never posted anything here, but this was bugging me. Also, FFN is being annoying and not letting me post. I'll put it here and hope it does at least kind of well, and then maybe post if it does when FFN decides to work again.

Spoilers through the s4 finale, but everything else is kind of up in the air. Just sort of a moment I would like to see happen. Apologies on the title, but I couldn't think of something anymore fitting. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, yada yada yada...


Home, a Oneshot

Brennan clutched the paper bag close to her chest, almost as if it were a piece of her finely polished armor. Out of courtesy she knocked at his door. She knew where the hidden key was, even had a copy on her own key ring he insisted she have, but felt the need to knock instead.

When Booth answered he tried to mask his surprise, but catching the slightest hint of hurt flash across Brennan's face, he knew he had failed. "Come in," He gestured to the living room.

Brennan nodded and walked past him. She could hear him shutting the door and locking it shut again. Maybe it was a good thing, she thought, or at the least it meant he felt safe and content with her there.

"What's in the bag?" Booth asked. He scratched his stubbled chin and frowned. Things had been awkward between them since his surgery; even he was able to tell the way they were wasn't considered normal. When he called her Brennan a few days before he'd actually seen her wince. It was her name, yes, but it still didn't fit.

Brennan felt her throat swell tight before nodding at the couch. "Can we sit?" Her voice came out more like a whisper than anything else. Weakness was something she hated to portray, no matter who she was with. This was Booth, she reminded herself, and she'd come her to try and help him. He would understand, wouldn't he? Either that or she would come off looking like a pathetic and crazy woman, desperate to get something back she'd never really had to begin with.

Booth sat on the cushion next to her, the distance between them weighing heavy on his shoulders. This was different. He remembered times before when they were so close their knees and arms were touching, warmth radiating from them both in waves. The space between them felt colder now, and his mouth tasted like ash, though he couldn't really say the reason why. "Are you okay?"

"Are you?" Brennan snapped back. Her thin frame remained completely still, her spine perfectly straight, as she clutched the bag tight in her lap. "Sorry."

The scent of a spice all too familiar wafted in his direction. "You brought food?" Booth asked. He saw something spark in her eyes, a light from deep within. There was no way he could possibly tell her he'd already eaten now. Whatever she was doing, he was willing to wait it out.

"Thai. Is that okay?" Brennan asked. She opened the bag carefully before setting the cartons out like tiny soldiers, mending something that shouldn't have ever needed fixing.

Booth reached for a carton without thinking, meeting her halfway. "We'll split it." He offered. A means of compromise was necessary, he thought. There was something in her eyes that he couldn't quite place, but he knew it's name. Pain. He passed her a paper plate he grabbed from the kitchen, along with a beer, and they settled back in silence.

Except it wasn't comfortable. Brennan nearly cried out in frustration. This is not how things between us should be... A hockey game played out on the television screen but as Brennan honed her eyes in on the bites she took, she could practically feel Booth's eyes burning into her, searching for an answer she thought she'd hidden well.

There was one thing Booth knew, or at least he felt fairly certain about, and that was to let Brennan stir her thoughts properly before prodding her along. "Thanks," He said, referring to the food once they'd eaten. "I know we...used to do this. All the time. We really should-"

"I don't want to become "just coffee"." Brennan blurted. There it was, hanging between them like a heavy curtain of smoke. The reason she had come. The reason she'd barely been able to sleep, choosing instead to work in Limbo when they didn't have a case or make sure he had everything he needed before heading out for a run. She'd taken up running and had even mentioned it to him, hoping he'd say something about being safe or letting him go with her. He didn't.

Booth carefully set down his plate on the coffee table. He watched her ring her hands tight together in her lap. This was difficult for her, he realized, but he was at a loss not knowing how to make it better. They were partners and friends, but there was a rift between them now that was clearly hurting her. "We have food too, Bren. We're okay."

"That's not-" Brennan paused, biting her tongue hard until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Of course it was her name. Coming from his lips however, it sounded completely wrong. "I wanted to bring this as a peace gesture. I realize I have not been completely forthcoming with any information in regards to the details you seem to be missing. I thought this would help."

She wasn't just talking about the take-out they'd eaten. He realized this as she picked up the bag she carried from the floor. Booth watched as she pulled a pair of rather garish socks from the bag, blue and green, along with several other items. A tie, a belt buckle, and a bottle of aftershave; completely innocent items, except the fact he realized while looking at her that they belonged to him.

"You left these at my apartment the last time you stayed there." Brennan offered as an explanation. She blushed a light shade of crimson. "We had a case that was out of town; we needed to drive out early, so we just decided to-"

"I remember." Booth replied. She was surprised, and rightfully so, but he offered a smile. "I'm not completely stupid. I just...I have difficulty. Still, those?" He pointed to the socks. "Those aren't professional, are they?" He laughed, hoping to God that she'd join in, but felt his heart sink when she didn't.

She wanted to scream, to push him, maybe even run away from it all if she could. This was so completely not the way she wanted things to go. It was irrational, Brennan realized, but that thought didn't stop her as she started sobbing. "Booth, tell-" She coughed and wrapped an arm around her middle, holding herself so tight she thought it was the only thing keeping her together. "You were supposed to remember. You were supposed to look, and you were supposed to remember. I didn't-"

Booth watched as the woman sitting next to him slowly began to fall apart. It scared him more than he wanted to admit, but a feeling of anger at the situation at hand as well as at himself flooded his senses. I did this to her. He reached a hand out to brush against her shoulders. He wanted to make her pain go away.

Before she could rationalize what was happening, Brennan realized Booth had his arms wrapped around her, a fact which made her cry even harder. "You were supposed to remember..."

"I know," Booth whispered as he planted a kiss against her forehead. "Believe me, Bones, I know."

Her body stilled. She choked through a few more sobs, feeling embarrassed that she'd ever gotten that emotional in the first place. She pulled back to look him in the eye. Schooling her face into a look of composure, Brennan still wasn't able to hide the look of excitement in her eyes. "You just called me Bones."

Booth nodded as he framed her face, cupping a cheek in both of his hands. He leaned forward slowly, his breath darting out and licking her skin like flames. They were close now, closer than before, and he couldn't help but think it was how things were supposed to be. He kissed her cheek slowly, letting his lips linger longer than he probably should have, before slowly pressing them to her own. "I remember, Bones. I do. You've gotta believe me, but some things-" He shook his head as he pulled back to look at her. "Some things are just a little hard to process, to get back."

Brennan reached up and pulled one of his hands away, linking their fingers together like the tumblers in a lock; safe and secure. She settled their hands against her leg, reveling in the feeling as he stroked a thumb slowly over her wrist. The air around them felt warmer now, and they gelled together in a way she hadn't felt in weeks.

She wasn't speaking. Booth wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. "I need you with me on this, Bones. I don't know if I can do it all alone."

He sounded vulnerable but sure at the same time, and Brennan wanted nothing more than to feel the same. "You can," She assured him after giving his hand a squeeze. Her teeth left imprints on her bottom lip, turning the pink skin a bright shade of white, as the seconds ticked by. Slowly, she leaned into him, kissing him gently on the lips. It wasn't much, and she realized fully well they'd probably have to be having that conversation sooner or later, but it was a fact she could deal with. "but you won't have to."

Nice, I like it. Exploring what his 'confusion' is going to mean to them and seeing how Brennan takes the steps to try and 'fix' them. Still, when she shows him the socks...man that was heart breaking, just heart breaking. Great job MLG, our brain always does work better when you are in control.

RM

Thanks, Rob. It was just something that kind of grabbed hold and refused to let go. Glad you liked it.

You 2 may share a brain, but obviously Rob's tuned to part of mine--'cause he summed up (and nicely, too) what I was thinking. Esp about the socks.

Hey, I consider you both geniuses when it comes to ficdom, so I'm more than happy to share the brain with either of you.

RM

I haven't been on but a second earlier today, and then I came in tonight and there's stories galore. "Home" sounded like a great place to start!

Gardenias! How you captured Brennan's fear was amazing right from the very start. She had a key, she knew where the extra was, but that would have been banking on an old relationship that currently didn't exist between them. Remedying that was her mission, and how you exposed them for us was quite an emotional read. Thank you!

And thanks for giving our Fanfiction forum a try. I think of posting at FF.net as posting for the world, and posting here as more like sharing with family.

DBCrazy wrote:And thanks for giving our Fanfiction forum a try. I think of posting at FF.net as posting for the world, and posting here as more like sharing with family.

That's the way I see it too. I just wish we could post more words per shot - I tend to write long chapters normally.

RM