(no subject)
Title: The Foreplay Series #4: The Not Date
Author: BamaElroy
Rating: PG-13/T
Genre: Romance
Characters: Booth/Brennan
Status: In progress
Synopsis: Another random Season 5 wish list scene. Brennan and Booth's first 'official' date doesn't go quite as either would hope.
Author note: Sorry so long again. I'll do another shorter one soon. I just couldn't stop writing. : )
********************
It felt like a date.
And to be honest, it was a sort of date.
Before their latest case had fallen into his lap, and he and Bones had gotten so busy with it, the memo had come across his desk.
Chief Robert Lancaster, SAC and his lovely wife Cynthia cordially invite the Special Cases Unit Agents and their dates to a very special evening of fun, food and entertainment at their home for their 2nd Annual Barbecue.
Chief Robert F. Lancaster, Special Cases Unit Director
1224 Monte Pino Drive
Annandale, Virginia
August 26th 7-10 p.m.
He had intended to ignore it and just sort of forget about it. He hated these smoozy bureau affairs where he had to laugh at stupid jokes and play nice and drink beer with people that had the authority to tattle on him or fire him. Last year, he and Bones had been in London when the date had arrived so he had been able to skip it with no repercussions other than a couple of 'Hate you missed the great time Seeley' sort of rah-rah stuff upon his return home. But this year, he hadn't been so lucky. He had just happened to be filing paperwork in the division chief's office suite when the head guy himself was returning from lunch. And the Big Cheese had oh so helpfully reminded him of the upcoming affair.
"We look forward to seeing you there Saturday Booth!"
The Chief hadn't made it sound 'optional'.
And then, the director had to go and make it worse.
"Oh, And I expect you'll be bringing that lovely scientist of yours with you."
The guy had made it sound like he and Bones were a serious couple. Did he suspect something?
When Booth had mumbled something about his 'lovely scientist' perhaps having already made other plans, the Chief had promptly nudged him strongly to bring her along again saying that his wife was a "huge fan" of the famous Dr. Brennan and her novels and "will be very excited to meet her in person".
So, he was stuck.
You did not piss off the Head Chief of your Bureau Division by slighting him and skipping a party he had personally invited you to. Well, not unless you wanted your balls busted at the next available opportunity. Which he certainly did not.
So, he'd been forced to ask Bones to go with him to this event he really didn't want at all to go to.
And here he was, in front of her door, knocking and waiting and as nervous as a 16 year old pimply faced virgin picking up his first prom date.
What the hell was wrong with him?
He heard her familiar footsteps across the floor and the door opened to reveal her with her arms pulled up and her hands at her ear trying to get an earring to slide in.
"Hey, Sorry...I'm running a little late." The earring slid into place and she turned and hastily walked over to a pair of leather sandals and twisted her feet into them.
"I had a 3 p.m. appointment at the stylist today and then I got called back to the lab for a few minutes and so..."
She trailed off as she picked up a small gold chain from her dining table and began to put it around her neck.
Booth could only stare at her.
She was... gorgeous. She looked...
Wow.
It was the only word that came to mind.
She had on a strapless white and yellow floral sundress that he had never seen her in. The brief length of it highlighted her long, slender legs which seemed to go on forever in the thing. And he couldn't take his eyes off of them.
"Booth?"
He jerked his head upward.
"Huh? Yeah? What?"
She had a grimace on her face. "Come here and help me with this. I can't seem to get it on."
It took him a moment to realize she was referring to the necklace she was trying to fasten. He crossed over to where she stood. She held her hair up with one hand and the necklace in place with the other. Turning around, she waited on him to assist her.
He was suddenly looking at the slender, soft column of her neck and his hands had turned to jelly.
He lifted them slowly to where her hand held the necklace at her neck and then somehow took it from her fingers. He felt like a clumsy oaf.
"I don't know if I can get this hook. It's pretty small." He noticed his breath fanned her hair. And her neck looked so soft and inviting to his eyes.
Focus.
He made himself concentrate on getting the necklace clasped and finally was able to hook it.
She straightened it and turned to face him. "Thanks."
Was it just his imagination or did she too seem a little nervous?
Bones? Nervous?
Probably just his imagination.
He clapped his hands together and tried to regain some sense of normalcy for his own sanity.
"Well...Bones...Let's go do some Bureau mandated sucking up." He walked over to her door, opened it and stood and waited as she grabbed her purse.
As she passed him, he caught a whiff of her sultry perfume. Not only did she look delicious, she smelled so as well.
Yeah, it definitely felt like a real date.
***************************************
Booth made his way around the pool area to stand at the bar and wait to pick up a couple of drinks. He had left his 'date' standing with her latest new admirer to talk and glancing over toward them, he wasn't sure if it was a mistake or not.
The chief's wife was smiling and animatedly talking with her hands while Bones nodded at whatever she was saying. Presumably, they were talking about Bone's latest novel. The chief hadn't been lying when he had said his wife was a big fan of Bones. The woman had almost squealed in delight when the Chief had steered them over to her for an introduction. And then Mrs. Lancaster had insisted that he go get his "beautiful young woman" a drink while the two of them talked.
So, here he stood, waiting at the busy bar.
"What will you have Sir?" The bartender finally finished with other and turned his attention to Booth.
"One Guinness and one glass of Perrier."
Booth looked around while he waited on the bartender to get the drinks. He recognized many of the agents and yet there were many others he had never laid eyes on. It looked like the Chief had invited half the Bureau to his extravagant home so Booth wasn't surprised.
Behind him, he caught a voice mention a familiar name.
"...Temperance Brennan...She's that hot scientist chick from the Jeffersonian. Helps Booth up in SC do some I.D. field work.."
Booth turned his head slightly to look over at the two men who were staring lustily at his partner as they discussed her. One of the men Booth vaguely recognized as a decent field unit guy he'd worked with before. He instantly felt his body stiffen at the mention of Bones. He did not like other men talking about her. Especially other agents he worked with.
Unaware of her partner's rising ire, they continued their observations.
"She is a smokin piece though for a brainiac isn't she? Wonder if that lucky bastard that works with her gets a share of that fine ass?"
Booth's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses as he gripped the bar in front of him. They were both out of line.
"You better watch your mouth Fletcher. I'd say from what I've seen that Booth has already claimed that one."
"If he doesn't, he's an idiot...a woman like that worked for me, I find her a permanent spot behind my desk for her knees." They both laughed at the dirty innuendo. Booth turned from the bar and jerked his sunglasses off. That was it.
Walking over to stand in front of them both, Booth and index finger against each of the men's chests and leaned close. Their eyes opened wide in surprise.
"Look, you two worthless pricks...I can't stop you from talking about women but I sure as hell won't put up with you talking about my partner like she's a piece of trash." He shoved his fingers ever so slightly to emphasize his point. "I will rip both your balls off if I hear either of you even breathe her name again. Got it?"
Both men nodded slowly as he pulled his hand down, whipped his sunglasses back on and walked back to the bar where he retrieved his drinks. As he made his way away from the men, they let out simultaneous hisses.
"Man...you didn't tell me he was freaking married to her!"
The other man shook his head in amazement. "I didn't know myself until now."
*************************
By the time he let himself cool down a little and return with the drinks, there was another man standing at her side.
Booth approached with more than a little irritation as he handed her the drink which she took from him without so much as a 'Thank you'.
Before he could say anything, the man reached his hand out and offered it to Booth. Booth sat his drink on the nearby table, removed his shades and shook it warily.
"You must be this lovely lady's partner...Agent Booth is it?"
Booth nodded. "Yeah."
The man gave a small smile. "I am Robert Lancaster Jr...Rob..." When Booth didn't respond, he prodded further. "Your boss's son."
Oh. Great.
"Mom had to run off and play hostess-which she does quite well I might add- which left me delighted to keep your date company."
He just bet.
"Rob is a communications director at WNBC television." Brennan supplied helpfully.
Just great. Wonderful. Who the hell cared? He just wanted to the guy to scram. Now preferably.
Junior smiled at Bones and Booth felt it to the core. He was already pissed and this guy just wasn't helping his mood.
"Yes, I was just telling your lovely partner that she should come into the studio one day next week and let us get an interview with her."
Yeah, he'd bet the guy wanted just an 'interview'. He could smell this guy's type at a hundred yards. He was no different than the two pricks he'd just threatened-just in better clothing.
Booth narrowed his eyes and gave a slight nod but said nothing.
Behind them, the musicians began to play the first song of the evening on the stage. All three of them looked up in that direction.
Rob turned to Bones with a smile. Then he looked up at Booth.
" Agent Booth, would you mind if I asked your beautiful date to share a dance with me this evening?"
Booth wanted to laugh at this rich little wimp.
Way to blow your shot dude. Asking me if she can dance with you.
Booth raised his eyebrows. "I don't speak for my...date."
He and Bones made eye contact at that point and held it for an awkward moment. He didn't know what she could see in his but she had an odd look on her face.
"Dr. Brennan...would you give me the honor of a dance?" Rob held out his arm, waiting on her to take it.
Her eyes continued to hold his for a moment after Rob asked the question. Finally, she turned her attention to the other man with a small smile.
"I'd love to Rob."
She handed the near empty wine glass to Booth who watched them walk away in amazement.
I'd love to Rob?
What the hell had just happened?
*****************
Why hadn't he asked her to dance?
She didn't want to be here with this guy listening to him talk about some local television programming she knew nothing about. She barely even watched television and when she did it was usually with Booth and she usually let him decide what to watch.
Rob was nice enough she supposed and he was obviously interested.
But she wasn't.
She had wanted to dance with Booth and she was a little hurt that he hadn't made more effort to take the first dance of the evening with her rather than surrendering her to another man. The look on his face had given nothing away even as she had desperately tried to read him. It was yet another futile effort. She just wasn't very good at it. Maybe he just wanted to make his boss happy and he reasoned that letting their son dance with the famous novelist and scientist would be a way to do that.
She sighed. Why could she never figure Booth out?
"Something wrong Temperance?"
She looked up to see Rob's face and realized she hadn't been paying any attention to what he'd been saying. She had to admit that though he was good-looking, there was something that irritated her about the way the man took liberties with her first name without asking. And his hand was a bit too comfortable on her hip for a first dance.
"Um, no." She couldn't very well tell him what was on her mind. Her eyes wandered over to where Booth was now talking with a couple of other men, smiling and laughing. Obviously he wasn't too concerned that 'his date' was in the arms of another man.
"Are you and Agent Booth serious?"
She looked up into his eyes, surprised at the question. She and Booth? Serious? As in a relationship?
"Um, this is sort of our first date..." As soon as it was out, she wished she hadn't said it. There was no way this man would understand what she and Booth were. She didn't even understand it herself.
His face lit up into a smile and he pulled her closer to him. "Ahhh...wonderful! I just assumed by the possessive way he was with you and the way he responded to me..."
She leaned her head back wondering what he was babbling about. "Booth is an alpha male."
She wanted the man to understand that. And she pulled back a little from him as the song ended.
Rob knitted his eyebrows together, not understanding the comment but still undeterred.
We really should do this by ourselves someplace else sometime Temperance."
She took a step back. "Thanks for the dance Rob but I'm sure Booth is looking for me."
Rob smirked and pointed over her shoulder as the next song began.
"Well...it appears he found himself another dance partner."
Brennan turned in the direction Rob was pointing.
Booth was leading a woman into his arms.
Agent Perotta.
****************************************
She had never felt this way. She wanted to yell. To scream. To curse. And cry.
And she just wanted more than anything to go home.
She had been there for almost two hours at a party she had been invited to by her partner and not once had he asked her to dance. Instead, he'd left her to accept or rebuff advances from various FBI agents all evening. She hadn't wanted for dance requests. She'd accepted a few at first just to pass the time while Booth had talked and danced with a few other women at the party, including his boss's wife.
But he had hardly spoken two words to her since leaving her in the arms of another man.
What the hell was wrong with him?
She hadn't seen him in the last thirty minutes. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Agent Perotta either.
Good. Maybe the two of them had gone off together and were having a wonderful time somewhere.
She wiped at her eyes.
Damn it. This wasn't like her.
At all.
Taking a deep breath, she leaned back against the wrought iron lawn chair and closed her eyes.
"I thought you might want something to eat."
Opening her eyes, she could see Booth standing in front of her in the twilight. He had pushed up the sleeves of his red polo shirt and his tan arms bulged as he held two plates filled with food. When she didn't answer him, he placed one in front of her with a veggie kabob, grilled pineapple and fresh fruit. It looked fabulous.
She gave him a nod and he sat next to her and began eating from his own plate.
For a few moments, they ate in silence as neither seemed to know quite what to say.
"Bones..."
"Booth..."
They both stopped and looked at each other. Neither smiled.
Booth was about to say something, about to try and apologize but didn't get the chance.
"Hey! Booth! We thought you'd gotten lost buddy!"
Two men wearing huge grins on their faces sat down at their table.
They were speaking to him but now looking at her. Bones wasn't in the mood to meet any more new people and she did her best to ignore them.
"Hey! You must be Booth's partner that we hear so much about...He's always telling stories about how smart you are."
Her eyes shot up toward the Agent. Booth bragged about her to his Bureau friends?
The other man chimed in. "But he didn't tell us you were so pretty! Now we all see why he's kept you to himself for so long."
Booth cleared his throat. These drunken dolts were just making things worse. He pushed back his chair, leaving his plate unfinished.
"Guys, you caught us at a bad time. We were just about to dance."
Her eyes shot up toward him. "We were?"
He reached down and pulled her up. "We were. Chop Chop Bones...Let's show em what we've got."
A couple of cat-calls followed them but neither paid any attention to the men now as Booth half carried her to the dance floor with him.
Once there, he turned her loose and she wheeled on him.
"What if I don't feel like dancing any more Booth?"
He pulled her into his arms with a frustrated sigh.
"I wouldn't doubt that."
She narrowed her eyes and looked up at him.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged. "After dancing with half the Agents here, I would imagine you are tired."
She leaned her head back to look at him. "At least they asked me!" She was fairly hissing at him now but she didn't care.
"I might have too if you'd given me a chance!"
What? She was trying to blame him for her flirtations?
"You found find time to dance with Agent Perotta."
He bit his jaw.
"She asked me Bones."
That she could believe.
He blew out a breath as he spun her to the music. What was wrong with her? She was acting strange. Almost as if she were...
"I would have asked my own date if she'd hadn't been so...occupied."
She didn't like the way he made the word sound. As if she wanted to be with those men.
She hadn't.
"Oh, so now I'm your 'date'?"
He bit his jaw again and stared into her eyes which were not two inches from his own.
"You were always my date."
She blinked, fighting the tears that threatened again.
"I want you to take me home Booth."
"Now?"
"Now."
*********************
They didn't speak during the short drive back to her apartment. Booth turned the music in the vehicle up loud and that seemed to suit them both.
Each was angry still and lost in thought. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, set his jaw and scowled at every car he passed on the beltway while she stared out the window into the inky blackness.
Had they ever had an argument quite like this one?
They both were very aware they had not. This wasn't about a case point or even about how to deal with one of their problem family members. Nope.
This was about them.
And they both knew it.
But neither really knew how to begin dealing with a relationship issue such as this when their personal relationship wasn't defined.
But maybe this was part of it. Maybe going through these sort of things were all a part of finally defining it.
It could have been worse. And both knew that too.
At least they were thinking about it and still together. That was something. Something important.
Booth wheeled into a parking spot in front of her building and cut the engine.
They were here and still, neither said anything as they sat in silence.
And that very silence between them was threatening to drive both of them crazy.
Finally, she undid her seat belt and reached for the door handle.
"Don't Bones."
She stopped her hand as his quiet command reverberated through the interior of the vehicle.
"Please."
She shut her eyes a moment and willed her own courage.
Raising her head, she turned to look into his soulful brown eyes. He looked as upset as she felt.
"What happened tonight Booth?"
He shrugged.
"I think we did Bones."
She shook her head. "That makes no sense Booth."
He snorted in agreement. "I know."
Giving a sigh, he undid his seat belt and turned to face her.
Staring at her, he knew it was past time for them to both talk about this. Really talk about it. And where they were going. He had always lead and right now she looked so confused and so lost and he couldn't stand it. She was driving him crazy and he had to make her see...Had to make her understand. He took a deep breath and dove in.
"I was jealous Bones."
She stared at him a long moment and then slowly nodded.
"I think I accept that Booth but..." She shook her head in confusion. "Why?"
He couldn't believe she was asking that! Why?
"Well, shall we start with Junior?"
"Junior?"
"Robbie."
She tossed him a chastising glare. "His name was Rob Booth."
And that small defense of that little twerp angered him a bit.
"Well...Rob was hot on your scent."
"I have no idea what that means." She crossed her arms defensively.
He rolled his eyes, feeling his blood pressure beginning to rise once more.
"The guy wanted in your pants Bones!"
"I'm not wearing pants Booth."
"Well, then he wanted in ...YOU...Got it Bones?"
His outburst was full of anger and frustration.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "I am not listening to this."
Jerking the door open, she pushed out of the door and slammed it. Before she could get around the vehicle, Booth met her.
Putting both of his hands on her upper arms, he halted her.
"We need to talk Bones!"
Fire sparked in her eyes as she glared up at him.
"No. I am through talking tonight."
She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her go. "Let go of me Booth." She barked it with fury in her voice.
He glared at her a long moment.
"No."
She dropped her jaw. "No?"
He shook his head. "I'm through talking too Bones."
The agreement was spoken quietly as his mouth began its descent toward hers.
She opened her mouth to protest, to stop him, to keep him from doing this very thing she feared - and wanted- the most.
And then, she couldn't. His hot mouth opened over her own with a need so consuming she could do nothing but give back to him.
He kissed her like a man possessed, like a man dying of thirst for her. And she closed her eyes to it and let herself fall, let herself give in to the emotions she had held in check for so long. Too long. She gasped as he opened her mouth wider and she felt his tongue slide inside and caress her. Her body vibrated with the feel of it. She pushed back upward into him, meeting him as he assaulted her mouth so brutally and yet so gently.
He pulled at her lower lip with his teeth and then soothed the ache he'd caused with his wet, delicious tongue. Her arms wrapped around his solid back and her hands scratched gently at his shirt. So much frustration...so much...need between them. They continued to eat at each other's mouths, not able to get enough. Never enough.
Booth knew it would feel this way with her. Knew he would never get enough of her once he started kissing her. She was so passionate. So damn passionate and hot and right now, she was his.
And he wanted her to know it.
Wanted it to stay that way.
He growled deeply and used his hands to pull her head back and lick his way down the delicious length of her soft throat. She didn't fight but willingly allowed him access to her neck as he used his teeth there to kiss and to mark her as his own.
He let his hands slide up her sides to the edges of her breasts and linger where she was softest. Oh god. It was going to be so good between them. He lapped his way down to her collarbone and still she let him. Trusted him so much. Too damn much. When all he wanted to do right now was bend her back onto the hood of his car, hell, anywhere and undress her and take her.
And then she whimpered. When nothing else on Earth would have calmed him down, the sound of her own feminine need and vulnerability to him slowed him and made him remember who she was to him and where they were and where they were going.
He didn't dare mess this up. She was too precious to him. He could not lose her. Could not.
He eased his assault on her mouth and slowed the kisses until both their breathing became a bit more normal. He allowed himself the pleasure of kissing her jawline softly and then her nose and her eyes and forehead. She sighed as she gave into the tenderness and he raised his head to look down at her with a small smile.
"Wow."
She exhaled and released a small shudder with a tiny smile of her own. "Yeah..."
"Still want me to let you go?"
She laughed softly, so feminine sounding. "I think I might fall if you do."
He liked that. He liked it a lot. Laughing more heartily, he pulled her into a comfortable embrace and they held each other there at the side of his vehicle for long moments.
Finally, she raised her head and he hesitantly let her go.
She said nothing more but turned to walk up to her apartment as he followed.
They walked in companionable silence to her door.
She put her key into the lock and turned it. When the door gave, she turned to face him.
"What does this mean Booth?"
Her bright blue eyes had never been more serious or determined to know an answer.
He brought a finger up to shove a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"I think...I think it means we both need to stay away from other people until we figure out what is between us exactly."
She nodded. She knew that was true.
"Rob asked me out Booth...I turned him down."
He smiled as he played with the ends of her hair.
"Perotta invited me over to her place...I told her no."
That caught her off-guard and her mouth formed a small 'O'.
"You mean tonight?...She was going to...After...She offered to...Tonight?"
He nodded.
"That must have been somewhat difficult for you to say no to..."
He let her hair go and grazed a finger down her cheek lightly as he watched it's progress. He wanted to take away the faint look of hurt in her eyes.
"Nah...not so difficult at all."
She gave him a smile that made him feel warm all over. Then, she shifted her feet and bit her lip as his hand fell away. Her eyes shifted downward and then back up toward his.
"I was a little jealous too Booth."
There. She'd admitted it. She held her breath feeling as if she'd just driven off a cliff.
His eyes twinkled slightly but his expression remained carefully neutral. He knew what the admission had cost her.
"I know Bones." He whispered it. "And I'm flattered that you were."
She nodded and continued to worry that bottom lip making him want it all over again.
He knew he needed to leave before things got out of control all over again. Her bed wasn't more than thirty feet away and he wasn't sure if they kissed again that he could walk away.
Giving in just a bit, he brought a thumb up to her chin and let it slide ever so briefly to her bottom lip and lightly caress. When she closed her eyes at the sensation, he felt the sight of her in his groin and he knew it was time to go. Now.
"Good-night Bones."
She opened her eyes and was disappointed that he had stepped back a step. Then two.
"Goodnight Booth."
He turned to walk away and then, suddenly snapped his fingers and turned back.
"Oh, and Bones...Next time, we're only spending time on our second date with each other. Deal?"
She grinned at him.
"Deal." She whispered.
As she watched him walk away, she contemplated the meaning of his words.
And she knew exactly what he meant. He'd left her no room for confusion.
Next time.
*********
Finis.
Author notes: Everyone always has their first 'real' date be so wonderful...I thought...'hey, what if it didn't go quite so well..?...'
Let me hear from you! Like? Hate? Lukewarm? Ridiculous? Possible? Insanity?
I'm enjoying this series! Hope you are too! : )