A/N: My one person that I love the most is my BFF Sunsetdreamer and guess what? It's her birthday! I had several plans (including things I promised her I would write) but then I remembered that I had this idea saved from way back in April and it makes me happiest. She and I never have a RL playtime without playing the Bones drinking game. It's our thing. So, in honor of that tradition, the "Drink til you squint" Bones drinking game is inside this fic! You can find a link to the game on my profile page. Play (and pour) on!
OOOOO
"Bones!" Booth yelled from the floor of the lab. Everyone turned to see the disruption, some in annoyance and some in interest. Brennan poked her head over the railing of the catwalk. "You're supposed to be in court in twenty minutes and you're taking a coffee break?!" He spread his arms out incredulously.
"I'm coming." She called as she disappeared back over the railing. Booth paced a circle at the foot of the stairs. The sound of access cards chirping echoed throughout the lab in unison as everyone decided to go back to work. He didn't mean to sound demanding or put on a show but this was a case he had worked hard on. When the defense attorney had asked Dr. Brennan to be the expert to refute the prosecution's work, the entire FBI had nearly had a stroke. Everyone knew that she was the best, and even worse than that: impartial. Booth knew all too well that she could easily destroy their entire case. Still, here he was, fetching her for the job.
"Let me just get…" Her foot didn't even touch the floor before he grabbed her hand and swept her out the door. His car was waiting, parked at a horrible angle, and even short of the door being open and the sirens on, somebody would probably assume that there was an emergency going on at the Jeffersonian. Brennan wrenched herself from his grasp long enough to make her way to the other side of the vehicle and get in. Just like that, they were racing through the streets of DC.
"It's a seven minute drive." She reminded him quietly. "Even if you drove the acceptable speed limit…" He flashed a glare her way and she got quiet again. He looked over at her, probably longer than he should have considering his speed, and suddenly felt apologetic. It wasn't her fault that he was tense over this case.
"I'm sorry." He muttered.
"You're worried. It's understandable given my expertise in the field." She said simply.
"We shouldn't talk about the case." He reminded her, letting the car fall into silence again. As they pulled up to the courthouse, Brennan took one last look in the sun visor and for the first time, Booth saw that she was anxious too. They hadn't been on opposite sides of a case since her father's murder trial and neither one felt comfortable.
"You look beautiful." He said sincerely. She turned in surprise at his sudden kindness. "And just so you know, if you screw this up for us, you're going to have to find your own way home." He added as he got out of the car.
"You shouldn't tempt me, Booth. It'd probably be safer for everyone involved if you lost." She shot back as she slammed her own car door.
"Hey, have I ever gotten us into an accident?" He asked.
"Aside from the taxi you rolled?" She asked bluntly.
"Hey, I saved your life by rolling that taxi." Booth replied. "Besides, the taxis in this town have it coming." He added. Brennan gave him a curious look but didn't have time to question his statement.
"Alright you two, save it for the court room." Caroline said as she separated the pair and pushed Booth towards a door on the right. Brennan was following behind before she heard the defense attorney call her name.
"Dr. Brennan?" She turned around. "We're on this side." He reminded her, his tone of exasperation not lost on her.
"Oh." She realized as she looked back at the door where she usually entered the courtroom. "Habit." She shrugged as she made her way through the correct door. The attorney simply held the door, waited for her to pass through, and then looked up at the ceiling, silently begging for his gamble to pay off.
OOOOO
Meanwhile, back at the lab, the squints were left to their own devices working on the next case.
"Hodgins, what has gotten into you?" Angela asked as he pulled her into her own office. He glanced around furtively before lowering his voice.
"It's not outside the realm of possibility that this was handed down from the top." Hodgins whispered as he looked down at the case file in her hands again. "It just seems too perfect, too open and shut. It's never been this easy to solve a murder."
"And why would they do that?" Angela asked dubiously.
"To watch us. To see how much we know. I don't know. I just…I know that there is more to this than what meets the eye."
"Cheri, have you lost your mind?" Caroline asked as she entered the room. Both Hodgins and Angela jumped a mile at the intrusion.
"Caroline, you're back." Angela said, less than thrilled. "How was court?" Caroline gave them an unimpressed stare as she grabbed the file out of Angela's hands.
"Who told you that you could play with my things?" She asked the pair.
"We were just…" Hodgins started.
"Investigating. You were trying to be on the wrong side of the crime-solving equation. Again." She sassed the pair. "All this time working for the FBI and you still think that you can be of more assistance investigating than actually doing what you're here to do. Be an expert! Look at dirt!" Hodgins opened his mouth to voice his irritation at the term but Caroline just pointed a finger. She waited a few beats to make sure her point was made.
"Fine! We're just lab rats." Hodgins relented under protest. "Here to provide you with empirical data."
"You better believe it." Caroline reprimanded. She was just about out of the office when Wendell came in holding a notebook.
"Guys, I was just thinking about the suspect…" He stopped short as he saw Hodgins and Angela wildly waving over Miss Julian's head.
"I don't suppose you have anything actually useful and scientific to share about my case?" Caroline asked. Wendell gave a confused look towards Hodgins and Angela who were now leaning nonchalantly against Angela's desk but giving him meaningful looks to not screw this answer up. Luckily for everyone, he was an intern under Dr. Brennan and was used to the pressure.
"…the suspected projection of the murder weapon. That's what I needed Angela for. She's the expert." He covered with a weak smile as he held up his notebook. Caroline walked out of the lab without a single word.
"Nice work, Sweetie." Angela said gratefully as she took the notebook from him.
"So, what did you actually find?" Hodgins asked with a conspiratorial whisper.
OOOOO
Twenty minutes later, they stood around the body, wondering if they were being played for fools by the American government yet again.
"If it is true, especially if it is true, we're going to have to do this one by the book." Cam said. "It looks suspicious to waste time. Just do your jobs and do them well. The truth will come out. It always does." She encouraged as she headed back to her office with a small smile. Sometimes, their paranoia helped her get home early and she had no problems playing into it to get what she needed out of them.
"What did you do?" Booth demanded as he walked onto the lab platform without his card, sending alarms screeching. His tone of authority made everyone jump in surprise but they all knew that nobody was actually afraid of him. Cam turned around and swiped her card in the platform to silence the alarms.
"Lower your voice, please." Cam requested as she walked up the steps of the platform. "People are trying to work here." But she went unnoticed by everyone, including Booth.
"We haven't done anything." Wendell said quickly.
"Oh really, then why did I get hit in the arm repeatedly and told that something was 'All. My. Fault.' by a federal prosecutor?" He asked, his hands were on his hips and he meant business. "Somebody better spill or I'm going to have to start breaking beakers and you know, those chemical alarms are pretty sensitive these days."
"Hodgins had a theory." Angela tried to roll her eyes as if she were on Booth's side. Booth glared at Hodgins.
"I'm babysitting Bones in court for two hours and suddenly, my services are no longer needed? Why is everyone always trying to kick me off this team?" He asked.
"No, I just…" Hodgins started.
"Look," Booth interjected, "first of all, let me remind you that we contract out to you. They are our cases and we're just letting you help. Secondly, how would you feel if I just walked in and started labeling all of your specimens as "Bug 1, Bug 2, Bottle of dirt, Smelly flower…"
"Okay!" Hodgins said as he waved his hands. "Okay, okay, I get it. There's no need to bring the specimens into this." He said defensively.
"No more playing a game of Clue with my federal cases, alright Hodgins?" Booth repeated with an angry finger pointed his direction. "That goes for all of you." He added.
"What about Dr. Brennan?" Wendell asked. Booth just flashed a death glare at Wendell before walking out of the office.
"Ooh, I think you just got knocked down the list." Hodgins whispered.
"What list?" Wendell asked, confused once more.
OOOOO
"Sorry I'm late. I got stuck in court." Brennan said as she set down her purse and settled into Sweets' couch.
"How did your testimony go?" Sweets asked.
"Fine." Brennan replied as she folded her hands neatly in her lap.
"And how did Booth handle your work for the defense today?" Sweets probed.
"He was anxious, which is understandable given my refusal to cover up the truth, even when it's inconvenient for him." She replied. "Was this why you wanted to speak with me?" She asked, hoping to get to the point.
"Dr. Brennan, why did you agree to work for the defense in this case?"
"Because they requested me. They needed my assistance." She said simply. Sweets shook his head.
"No. At the bare minimum, you knew that Booth would feel insecure about the arrangement. At most? It could have been considered a sign of betrayal. But you still agreed. I'd like to know why."
"That is highly hyperbolic." She chastised. "What is this about?" She asked, unable to see what it was exactly that he wanted her to confess.
"Booth likes the chase." Sweets said simply. "His gambling addiction, his hunting instincts as a sniper, his investigative work as an FBI agent, even his taste in women, all prove that."
"Anthropologically speaking, it's natural for men to be hunters, even now when society has made it unnecessary for survival."
"This case was you putting a toe out the door, making Booth uncomfortable with the thought that you might not always be there." Sweets said knowingly. "Do you want Booth to chase you?"
"Chase me? He drove me to the courthouse." She reminded him.
"After he was forced to come find you." Sweets pointed out. Brennan didn't respond, simply furrowed her brow in confusion. "It's natural. You see that Booth's healing from his break-up with Hannah, he's getting ready to move on, and you want to make sure he's moving in your direction."
"You're being ridiculous. Even if I was that manipulative, which I'm not, Booth is perfectly capable of making his own choices."
"I never said you were doing it on purpose." Sweets said. "Quite the contrary, I don't think you notice your own actions at all."
"Maybe because they don't exist." She suggested bluntly.
"Look, Booth does like the chase but he's getting tired of running." Sweets hinted. "This unspoken thing between you two cannot keep going on and on, forever and ever, like the Energizer Bunny." Brennan didn't bother asking about his ridiculous reference. Given Sweets' age, she assumed it must be a cartoon.
"While I don't understand the rabbit reference, this "thing between us" that you are referencing is no longer unspoken. Booth knows how I feel. If and when he feels the same way, he will act."
"What if he's waiting for you to make the first move?" Sweets asked. Brennan shook her head.
"No. Booth is the traditional alpha-male. He is the one who needs to act. You got that part right once, just in the wrong way." She said, simultaneously giving him credit and tearing him down. Sweets stared at her for a moment and sighed, knowing there would be no convincing her of his theory. "Until then, I'm perfectly capable of waiting." Brennan added seriously.
If only we were all so patient, Sweets thought with a sigh. A knock disrupted his thoughts as Booth walked right in.
"Bones, we got a second body. This one's in a landfill. Hey, Sweets." He acknowledged as Brennan stood up. Sweets didn't even bother responding as the door closed behind them. They were already gone.
OOOOO
"Oh my…" Booth took a step back and covered his nose as he started choking on the smell. "What did that used to be?" He asked with a cough.
"Oh man." Hodgins said as he set down his kit. "Christmas came early." He grinned happily as he began investigating the rotting corpse in front of him.
"In the 100 degree heat." Cam winced as she took a step back. "Hodgins, you can play with the dead body back at the lab. Just get the essentials and move along. I want to get out of here and back to my ventilated autopsy table."
"Jesus, do you need me here for this?" Booth asked from behind his hand.
"I thought you were the investigator." Hodgins reminded him.
"I'm going to go investigate somewhere where my eyes don't water." Booth coughed again.
"Up wind is that way!" Hodgins called and pointed to the west but Booth had already turned his back and was walking away.
OOOOO
"Tell me again why I work homicides?" Booth begged as he sat down at the bar beside her for a late dinner.
"Because you find the work fulfilling and you want to avoid eternal damnation." Brennan said simply. Booth stared at her for a second before continuing.
"I shampooed my hair three times in the shower and it still smells like dead bodies." He lamented. Brennan smirked at his pouty face.
"You know, it was the Hindis who first created the idea of shampoo." She informed him. "And in Hindi culture, followers are required to bath after visiting the home of someone who has died recently." Brennan informed him. Booth stared blankly at her, unaware at how that helped him. "Besides, shouldn't you be used to the smell by now?" She continued unfazed. "You're around corpses almost as much as I am."
"None that have ever smelled that badly. Ever. And Hodgins…"
"Hodgins was quite excited." Brennan agreed. "His talents will be quite useful on this case. You should be nicer to him." She pointed out as she took a sip of her wine.
"He was grinning." Booth pointed out. "I couldn't even breathe and he was grinning." He repeated, as if she hadn't heard him the first time.
"He also eliminated a suspect before we even got back to the lab." She reminded him. "Let's order something. You're always irritable when you're hungry." She said as she headed towards a real table and Booth waved down a waitress.
"Parker calls it being 'hangry'." Booth informed her.
"Oh. I see, like being both hungry and angry." Brennan chuckled and her whole face lit up. ""He is quite clever." She loved that boy like he was her own; Booth could see it in her eyes and it made him love her even more. The smile on his face faltered as he realized what he had just thought. Luckily, his beer arrived and distracted them both from the topic. Booth turned to the waitress. "We'll have two burgers, one veggie, one medium rare with bacon and cheddar, both with fries." He said quickly, wanting to turn his attention back on his partner. When he did, Brennan was staring at him. "What?"
"Nothing, it's just, you haven't ordered for me in a very, very long time." She said as she tried to remember the last time.
"Really?" He said, not certain that was true.
"Really." She nodded.
"Oh well, you had mentioned it earlier today, but if it's not what you want, I can…"
"No. That's what I wanted." She said, still eyeing him.
"Okay then." He said. "So, how is your book coming along?" He asked, changing the subject.
"It's…coming along." She rolled her eyes. "This is the hardest one I've had to write." She admitted.
"Why?" He asked.
"At some point, the characters need to develop more, which requires me to imagine a new future for them. I'm just not sure which direction I want to take them."
"You're going to kill someone off." Booth said knowingly. "It better not be me. Kill off Angela or somebody."
"I think it's a sad testament to the both of you that I've stopped trying to convince you both that you are not the same as the characters in my book." Booth grinned at the accusation.
"So, are you going to kill me off or not?"
"The jury's still out." She smirked just to tease him. "Perhaps you should be nicer to me as well as to Hodgins." She suggested.
"That's blackmail."
"Yes it is." She said agreed.
"You are always trying to blackmail me!" He claimed with a wide grin.
"You're always trying to charm me." She argued.
"That's not true!" He defended.
"Yes. It is." She grinned. "But that's okay. We each have our own cards to play." She suggested slyly, and Booth's eyes went a bit darker at the gambling reference and her less than innocent flirting.
"Hey, after this, do you want to come back to my place for a nightcap?" Booth offered casually.
"Sure." Brennan smiled softly.
OOOOO
Booth and Brennan stood in the elevator as others joined them. They stood close and Booth wrapped an arm around Brennan's waist to make more room as they were jostled into the small space. Brennan glanced down at the hand on her waist but didn't say anything.
"Agent Booth." An older gentleman nodded as the door closed.
"Mr. Parks." He acknowledged.
"Glad to see you're back with the original one." He commented dryly, obviously judging the man for his ever-changing taste in women. Booth was too shocked to comment as he glanced towards Brennan. She was sporting a smirk at the bold comment. Mr. Parks got off the elevator first and she managed to wait until he closed his door before laughing out loud.
"I'm so sorry for that." Booth said as they walked into his apartment.
"Oh don't be. It was funny. People used to assume that we were a couple all of the time." Brennan said. "I guess it's just been a while. It caught me off guard."
"The original…" Booth tsked at the words and shook his head.
"You called me the standard once. It's sort of the same thing." She teased.
"Mm, if the shoe fits..." Booth threw the phrase out there casually but the air in the room changed somehow at his words. The sexual tension that was normally playful and light was suddenly thick and heavy in the air between them. Brennan glanced over to see if Booth felt it too. His eyes were getting darker by the second. "You're still the standard, Bones." He assured her.
"I am?" She asked. He nodded once before reducing the distance between them.
"Absolutely." He added as he looked her body over. Her eyes searched his before flicking down to his lips and back again. She knew that look. They had been here several times before but something usually stopped the event from occurring. Now, all alone in his apartment, there would be no distractions.
"Is this why you invited me over here tonight?" She asked hesitantly. He couldn't help but chuckle at her question.
"Bones, it's always been the reason." He said honestly. She smiled and bit her lip in anticipation.
"Well, I'm here now." She reminded him.
"Yes you are." He looked her up and down and his hand tentatively came to rest on her waist.
"Are you going to kiss me?" She recited his old line to him with another glance towards his lips.
"In a minute." He acknowledged, the tiniest fleck of mockery in his eye. He let the anticipation build before placing his free hand on her cheek and leaning in slowly and capturing her mouth with his. Brennan felt adrenaline pour into her veins as she tasted him again. She had forgotten just how good kissing him felt and she had pretty strong memories of it being excellent. He pressed her against the kitchen island and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, not breaking the kiss until he did.
"Are you still feeling impervious?" He asked with a pant as he caught his breath. She shook her head.
"Are you still feeling angry?" She asked in return. Booth shook his head slowly. "Then keep kissing me." She requested as she leaned in and started the whirlwind again.
The scraping of a bar stool being shoved across the floor was the only sound in the kitchen as she gladly pushed herself up onto the counter. Booth's slender hips fit neatly between her thighs. Her hands tugged at the hem of his t-shirt as he kissed her neck but she couldn't move at this close of a distance.
"Booth." She breathlessly requested help. He pulled away and lost his t-shirt in one seamless move before returning to his onslaught of kisses. The first few buttons on her blouse popping open only faintly registered in the back of her mind as Booth's mouth moved to her breasts. An aching pull tugged at her core and she hissed at the sensation. God, was it possible that he could get her off from just sucking her breasts? She pulled him back and looked into his eyes. They were black and clouded with lust and Brennan's blood abandoned her brain at the sight.
"Oh God." She murmured as she realized he could probably get her off just by staring at her right now. "Bedroom. Now." She begged before she lost her mind. Booth nodded and lifted her off the counter. She pressed herself against him and he wrapped his arms around her back and kept kissing her as he guided them through the living room and back to his bedroom.
"Ow. Bed." Booth mumbled against her mouth as the back of his legs hit his footboard. Brennan reached down and unclasped his Cocky belt buckle and slid his belt cleanly out of his jeans.
"That's just as hot as I remember it being." He informed her. She grinned and dropped his belt to the floor before undressing him completely. He murmured something incoherent as she distributed warm kisses all over his pecs. She kicked off her jeans and he undressed her quickly, unable to resist seeing what lay underneath. As soon as she was naked, Booth stepped back and stilled. She looked up to see his eyes washing over her and she felt her skin prickle under his gaze.
"You were worth the wait." He said as he looked up into her eyes again. Her entire body flushed at his words and he grinned at the unexpected and certainly uncharacteristic reaction. Feeling the need to one-up him, she reigned herself in and took control, pushing him down onto the mattress.
"You should never come to conclusions before all the evidence is in." She scolded as she climbed over top of him. Booth felt himself grow harder at her stern teacher voice and he groaned as he tucked a new fantasy away for another day. She smirked at the needy sound and rubbed herself against his erection, egging him on.
"You do not fight fair." He informed her seriously as he gritted his teeth at the sensation.
"I could stop." She offered as she mocked getting off him.
"Don't you dare." He growled as his hands found her hips and slammed her back down over his waist.
OOOOO
When Booth woke up, Brennan was still curled up against him like a kitten. He glanced down at her mess of hair scattered over his chest and smiled like a fool. His heart started beating wildly at just the thought of getting to wake up to her like this again. She stirred and he pulled her a little tighter against his chest.
"Mmm." She hummed. "You're so fidgety." She whined as she tried to find the same spot back.
"I can't tell. My arm is numb." He informed her.
"That's because I'm laying on it." She acknowledged, making no attempts to move. He wasn't going to be the first to suggest it. They could cut it off if it were up to him.
"It's just my shooting arm. I'm sure it'll be fine." He said seriously. She laughed a low, drowsy laugh that rumbled throughout her body and Booth felt it all the way to his toes.
"Fine." She rolled on top of him. Pinned beneath her and his mattress, he reached up and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I couldn't deny the world your talents." She informed him. "That would be selfish."
"Such a martyr." He clicked his tongue and she giggled again at the noise. "Your laugh is stellar." He grinned.
"It is?" She catalogued the new information.
"Mmhm. You laugh with your whole body. It's real."
"I am very happy." She agreed.
"Me too." He said as he ran a hand up her thigh. "We haven't said that a lot lately, have we?" He hadn't realized how broken he had been until he felt whole again. No, he actually felt beyond whole. He was bursting at the seams with joy.
"It was a long year." She finally spoke, not voicing her opinion one way or the other. "I made mistakes." She confessed quietly.
"I made more." He replied. She opened her mouth to object but he placed his finger over her lips. She nipped at it playfully. "Oh, thanks for that." He said as he wiped her saliva on the sheet beneath him. "As I was about to say, I've made some mistakes but I plan on spending the rest of my life making it up to you." He promised her.
"The rest of your life?" She arched her eyebrow. Booth smiled at the face.
"What, too soon?" He asked.
"Why don't we start with breakfast and see how that goes?" She suggested.
"Okay." He nodded with a smile. "Breakfast sounds good."