Fanfiction: The Laughs in the Barrel (Part 1 of 2)
The Laughs in the Barrel (part 1 of 2)
Rating: T (Teen)
Disclaimer: I don’t own Bones, nor do I profit in anyway from this story. I’m just trying to keep busy during this never-ending hiatus. Song lyrics All We’d Ever Need belong to Lady Antebellum and their producers. If your preference is science-based fan fiction, then this is not the story for you.
Pairing: Hodgins/Angela and Booth/Brennan (Who else is there?)
Spoiler: Shipper alert! In their newest case, Booth must overcome many obstacles… clowns and another man attracted to Bones, to solve the murder of a rodeo clown. But before the case is solved he will be confronted with his greatest fear, a life without Bones.
Announcer: Welcome everyone to the 3rd annual Rodeo Roundup. You’re in for a real treat tonight. We have first up tonight the reigning champion, Rick Jameson, riding the orneriest bull this side of the Mason-Dixon, 2 second Tony. Most riders don’t last 2 seconds on Tony so good luck Rick. And watch out clowns, Tony seems extra agitated tonight.
The crowd almost holds their breath as Tony bucks and kicks while Rick tries to mount the massive beast. Soon the horn sounds and there off. Rick holds his own as the crowd counts away the seconds 4…5…6….7….8…..9. Rick is bucked from Tony but the crowd goes wild as he has seemingly tamed this goliath. Rick quickly climbs out of the arena into the safety of the sidelines. Now its time for the clowns to earn their keep and coral Tony out of the arena. Running left and right, Tony has his eyes set on Junior, the newest addition to the rodeo circuit. As Tony races towards Junior, he leaps out of the way and Tony’s deadly horns pierce the barrel. His horns are entangled in the plastic so he thrashes side to side to free himself. With a mighty jerk of his head, the barrel breaks free flying through the air when out of the barrel a clown slams into the gate. His lifeless body now lies on the ground as the crowd screams.
“I don’t see why you just won’t talk to Sweets,” says Dr. Temperance Brennan as she and her partner Special Agent Seeley Booth make their way down the road to their next crime scene. Usually, he was anxious to get to the scene. Bones was always worried someone would compromise the evidence and he must admit he loved to watch her work, to do what she loved. However, this case was different and even though the rodeo was 2 hours away, he still found himself driving a little slower than usual.
“There is nothing to talk about Bones.”
“I disagree, you obviously must of had some traumatic childhood experience for you to have such a fear of clowns,” she says.
Booth gives her that look, the one that says I can’t believe you just said that. “I am not afraid of clowns; I just do not like them. Remember the last clown we dealt with, he was a serial killer kidnapping young girls at Halloween. He didn’t really make me reevaluate my opinion of clowns,” says Booth.
“I just think there must be some deeper issues that you need to face. I hate psychology, but I’m only thinking of you and I know how hard this case is going to be for you. I don’t want you going on desk duty again because you shot another clown. You’re the only FBI agent I want to work with,” flashing a smile trying to lighten the mood.
“Don’t worry Bones, I’ll be just fine.” He gulps as they pull up to the rodeo and clowns are seen milling all along the grounds. As they exit the vehicle, he realizes this is going to be more difficult than he thought. They make there way through the arena to where a perimeter as already been secured around the body. 2 second Tony is in his pin, stomping his feet and ramming the rails. “Okay Bones, what we got?” says Booth a little distracted by this very large, very angry animal, as he begins to scribble on his notepad.
“Male, mid to late 30s. He appears to have been stabbed by a very large object. This could be cause of death but of course we’ll know more once we get him back to the lab. We’ll need soil samples, the barrel, and someone needs to swab the bull’s horn for particulates for Hodgins.”
Booth turns to look at this very large, very angry animal. “You’re kidding, right Bones? You want someone to try and wrangle that bull.”
She gives him that confused look and says “I don’t know what that means, but someone needs to swab the horns on that animal.” She turns back to the body. “Too much flesh for me, Cam is going to have to take charge on this one,” says Bones totally ignoring the seemingly killer animal only a few feet away.
“I might be able to help you out,” up walks Rick Jameson, a very tall, ruggedly handsome man. Bones takes notice of his strong features and Booth takes notice of her taking notice.
“And you are?” says Booth.
“Sorry, I’m Rick Jameson, champion bull rider. I was the last one to ride 2 second Tony (he motions towards the bull in his pin) before he killed this clown,” he says smiling at Bones.
“I’m Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan.”
He tips his cowboy hat at Booth and turns to Bones, removing his hat. He takes her hand, kissing the back and says, “Nice to meet you.”
Bones smiles and Booth clears his throat to interrupt, “So you were riding 2 second Tony, I guess he threw you off in what 2 seconds.”
Booth smirks but Rick is quick to correct. “No I rode him for the full 9 seconds, a record actually for anyone with this animal. I had jumped off and was watching from the sidelines when Tony tossed the barrel and the clown came flying out.” He smiles knowing he has impressed the lovely doctor.
“Any idea who he might be?” asks Bones.
“No, I’m not really familiar with the clowns; never see any of them without all their makeup. May I show you to the dressing area? Most of the clowns should be back there getting ready for tonight’s show,” says Rick as he extends his arm to Bones. She takes his arm as he leads her and Booth across the arena.
Booth, a few steps behind, is currently more focused on this cowboy than on the case. He, however, is quickly snapped back to reality when they enter the dressing room and he is suddenly surrounded by about 10 clowns. Men and women, dressed in clown attire from head to toe. Booth is clearly uncomfortable and Rick is quick to take notice.
“Don’t worry man, lots of people are afraid of clowns, I don’t know why, but its okay.”
Bones takes charge, “Okay everyone, I need to speak to your leader, who’s the head nacho?” “Head honcho, Bones,” Booth corrects her. Up walks a small petite woman, “I guess I’m the head honcho. Name’s Lucy. I’ve been with this group the longest. How can I help you?” Rick introduces the duo.
Booth clears his throat, “We need to know if any of your clowns are missing or if you know who the victim is.”
Lucy responds, “Nope far as I know we’re all here. Everyone is accounted for.”
“Thanks for your help, we’ll be in touch if we have any other questions,” says Bones.
“Well Bones, time to get you back to the lab,” says Booth but as he turns Bones is already walking away with Rick.
Back in the car she says “Have you ever been to a rodeo?”
“No Bones, why?” as he turns to look at her.
“Well Rick invited me to come back tonight to watch the show. He says he’ll be riding and that maybe he can teach me how to ride a horse. I’ve always thought it would be exhilarating to have the wind whip through your hair as you relinquish control to such a beautiful creature,” she says with a smile on her face. Booth is obviously irritated, that yet again a potential suspect is making a play for his partner, his Bones. He twists his mouth, as if biting his tongue, and glances out the window instead of at Bones while she is talking. “Maybe Angela will come with me tonight. Since there is so much flesh, you probably won’t need me much on this case so I should be able to skip out early. He’s obviously the alpha male of the group. Oh, and did you see his belt buckle? It’s his championship buckle, very impressive.” Booth glances down at his cocky belt buckle and shakes his head.
At the lab, the squints are examining the body. Booth, Cam, Hodgins, and Fisher are on the platform. Fisher says, “I’m guessing this very large hole caused by the horn of a 1000 pound bull would be the cause of death.”
“You better be glad Dr. B didn’t just hear you say that,” says Hodgins. “We never guess about cause of death.”
Booth is obviously agitated. Cam pulls him to the side. “What’s up big man? Those clowns really got you worked up.”
“Not the clowns. A certain cowboy casanova.”
“Oh, I see,” says Cam as she smiles, shaking her head. “What happened? It’s been months since you told me you were in love with Dr. Brennan. Did you change your mind? I know how private you are about these things so I didn’t want to pry.”
“I don’t know Cam, it’s all so complicated,” says Booth. “When I told you and Sweets, you both had the same reaction. Be sure of your feelings, be sure, or you’ll crush her. That’s a lot of pressure and the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt Bones. I’m still trying to get myself back. There are lots of things I’m still unsure of but every time I’m with her” he pauses…. “I’m sure of my feelings. I’m just not sure of hers. I actually told her I loved her once and you should have seen the look on her face. Like a deer in headlights.”
“Really, Seeley, what did she say?”
“Well after that response, I covered by telling her it was in a professional, atta-girl kinda way. I need Bones to find her way to me. If I push too fast, she’ll run. Then I’ll not only lose the woman I love, I will lose my partner and my best friend. I can wait, I’ve been waiting, I just can’t watch her with someone else.”
“Trust me Booth, she cares for you deeply. I was here when you were kidnapped by the gravedigger and she risked it all to find you. Even though she won’t admit it, I saw the way she looked at me, at us, when we were together. She was jealous. She’s got a tough shell, but if I had to bet, I’d say you’ve put a crack in that shell, a very large crack that just needs a little more time for it to split open.” “Dr. Saroyan,”
Hodgins interrupts their conversation. “I’ve collected all the particulates. He’s all yours.”
She looks to Booth who nods that its okay, “Thank you Dr. Hodgins,” says Cam. “Give me an update as soon as you can.”
“Cam, I’m heading back to the bureau,” Booth says. “Call me when you have anything.”
Meanwhile, Bones and Angela are having some quality girl time in Bone’s office. “It’s nice when everyone else has all the work to do isn’t it sweetie. Too much flesh and he still has his face so I guess we’re both off the hook on this one. Sweetie?”
Bones is obviously distracted. “Sorry Ange, what were you saying?”
“Okay, spill. What has gotten you so distracted?” says Angela as she scoots to the edge of her seat.
“I’m sorry Ange. I was thinking about my next book. I met a very interesting man today, a cowboy. I was trying to decide if he would work as one of the characters.”
Angela smiles, “You plan on doing anymore research?”
“Why yes I was” Bones smiles back. “I actually was going to mention that to you. Rick, that’s the cowboy, asked me to come back to the rodeo tonight. I thought maybe you could join me.”
“Sure, if you want me to. I need to check this guy out anyway. Just let me know when you’re ready to leave.”
Next Day-the Lab
“Morning Cam. What you got for me?”
“Hey Booth, well I’ve determined that being impaled by the bull was not the cause of death. No hemorrhagic tissue on the flesh surrounding the wound meaning he was already dead before he was gouged by the bull. There were significant amounts of alcohol in his system along with various drugs. It appears he overdosed which wouldn’t mean murder except someone stuffed him into that barrel. And get this, dentals came back and he worked for the rodeo. But not as a clown, he was a cowboy. Second runner-up in the last finals. Name is Jimmy Burns.”
“Thanks, Cam. I’ll go fill Bones in on the latest developments. No reason she can’t help out. Have you seen her this morning,” says Booth.
“I think she’s in her office. You can’t stand not working a case with her can you” replies Cam jokingly as Booth walks away.
“Hey Bones.”
“Oh, hey Booth.”
“I know that look,” he says strolling across her office over to the couch, “you’re working on another book. So what exciting adventure will I, oh I mean Andy, be having this time?”
“As a matter of fact, I am. Angela and I went to the rodeo last night and after talking with Rick again I became inspired.” Those words were a stab to his heart however, he mustered a response.
“Really, I didn’t think you would be into all that dirt and …..”
“I’m actually going back over this afternoon. Rick is going to take me horseback riding,” she says.
“Okay, you seem busy and I’ve got work to do on the case.” He really didn’t want to sit around listening to her talk about another man. “See you later Bones.” Booth turns to leave knowing he will be seeing her soon. Sooner than she thinks. He has a few questions for Rick, seeing as how his rival is now dead. But he doesn’t want to upset Bones by making accusations that she will say have no basis in actual facts. He’ll get the facts first.
That afternoon, Bones makes her way back to the rodeo. As she walks over to the stables, she sees Rick talking with Lucy. As she approaches there conversation stops and Lucy walks away. Rick is almost shocked as he turns and sees Dr. Brennan approaching. “Ready for your lesson?”
“Yes I….”
“Yes we are,” Booth says as he walks up.
Bones is shocked to see her partner. “What are you doing here Booth?”
“Well I have a few questions for Rick and I’ve always wanted to learn to ride a horse.” Bones is obviously agitated but Rick agrees with a smile.
“Alright let’s get saddled up. Let me check the stables to see if I can find a horse for you Agent Booth” says Rick.
Next scene - Rick and Bones are walking slowly down the trail on 2 beautiful horses. Booth is trailing slightly behind on a small pony. “Sorry Agent Booth,” says Rick, “if I had known earlier you wanted a lesson I could have gotten you a better horse.” Booth cringes his face as he tries to adjust himself on the saddle. The pony is moving very slowly and soon he is being left behind. No matter how much he urges, the pony does not pick up its pace. Up ahead, Bones and Rick are enjoying pleasant conversation as he leads her horse by the reigns. “You are doing very well Dr. Brennan.”
“Please, call me Temperance,” she says smiling.
“I looked you up last night. You’re a famous author and there were several stories where you and Agent Booth had solved a murder,” says Rick.
“Yes, we make a very good team,” she says as she stares ahead at the beautiful sunset they have stopped to admire. “He uses his gut and I use my brain and in the end we always come to the same conclusion and a murderer is captured.” As she turns to face Rick, instinctively she raises her hand in defense, but everything goes black.
Suddenly, Booth hears the horses and Rick trying to calm them. ‘Forget this’ he thinks as he jumps off his pony and runs up the path. Rick has her horse by the reigns trying to calm it down. There on the ground is Bones. He rushes to her side but she is unconscious and as he pushes the hair back from her face, his hand is now covered with blood. Bones’ blood. “What happened?” he yells at Rick.
“I don’t know, something must have spooked the horse. It bucked her off before I knew what happened,” says Rick as Booth quickly dials 911.
Hospital
Booth is by her side. Holding her hand, praying. He smiles to himself thinking how Bones would surely have something to say about him praying, especially for her. She is still unconscious, severe trauma to her occipital lobe and trauma to her right transverse abdominal from the fall. Thanks to her, he actually knew what that meant when the doctor used those terms. She made him smarter, heck, she made him a better man. As Booth stared at the monitors, he flashed back to when he was the one lying there. He doesn’t remember much but he knows she was there for him. Constantly for 4 days, talking to him, reading him her latest novel. He wanted to be there for her like she was for him. And he would be, but first he had to talk to Rick. He had to solve this murder but primarily he had to find out what happened to his Bones. As he closed his hands over hers and closed his eyes for another prayer, Cam, Hodgins, and Angela enter. Angela is distraught being consoled by Hodgins and Cam is the one to keep everyone focused.
“Booth, I know you don’t want to leave but tonight’s the last show before the rodeo moves on to another town. Tell us what to do. How can we help you?” says Cam.
Booth wipes a tear from his cheek, takes a deep breath, and says “Angela, I need you to stay with Bones. Don’t leave her for a second. Cam, I need you with me to help question the suspects, especially the clowns.” They exchange a half-hearted smile.
“What about me?” says Hodgins.
Booth turns and looks at this man, he doesn’t have many, but he knows he can consider this man a friend. “Hodgins, I need you to come with us and work as quickly as possible to find some kind of link to those particulates found on the victim. We need to solve this one quick, people.”
As they turn to leave, Booth leans over and places a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back soon Bones. I promise.” Angela touches his arm hoping to provide some comfort, he touches her hand and smiles as he leaves.
“Come on big man, you’re exhausted. I’ll drive so you can get some rest,” says Cam.
Angela takes a seat and slides it as close to the bed as possible. She holds her friend’s hand. A friend that is more like a sister. She can’t believe how much she cares for this woman, a woman who is so completely different than herself. “Sweetie, I know you can hear me. I want you to know how much you mean to me. You provide balance to my life. You do your best to keep me grounded so I don’t fly away and for that I love you.” She chokes back tears and tries to regain her composure. She shakes her head, thinking that is enough of that. Brennan wouldn’t like such a display of emotion. “Ok, since you are unable to argue at the present moment, I’m going to take this opportunity to tell you exactly what I think. I think you are in love with Booth and sweetie I know he loves you too. When, not if, but when you wake up you need to do something about that. You’re wasting so much time that you could be having fun, enjoying life by keeping your defenses up. Take a chance and cross that line, I promise you he will meet you halfway. I know you and you say you’re not scared of anything. But I believe because of all that has happened to you, you are scared of happiness. You’re scared that you don’t deserve to be loved. But don’t let it stop you from experiencing life, sweetie.” She pauses, looking at her friend connected to so many different monitors. “Okay, that’s enough of that, I think I’ve made my point,” she smiles. “Now let’s talk about me and Hodgins…….” Angela starts talking about her first date with Hodgins, all the wonderful things he has done for her and how she is so happy that they decided to give it another try. She talks about how he makes her feel safe, beautiful, and special. Angela goes on and on knowing that if Brennan was awake she wouldn’t have time to discuss such irrational feelings.
Scene: At the rodeo, Booth, Cam and Hodgins are seen working frantically. They are seen talking to Lucy and Rick. No words are heard, only the beeping of the machines connected to Bones. The screen flashes between the rodeo and Angela talking to Bones, reading to her out of a bridal magazine, describing in detail each dress and all the arrangements. Booth is aggressively interrogating Rick, Hodgins is looking through a bag of makeup, while Cam has discovered liquor and prescription bottles buried in the stable. The scene fades as Lucy and Rick are lead off in handcuffs to the awaiting agents. Booth reaches up and loosens his tie then makes his way over to Cam’s car. Flash to hospital. Angela has nodded off. Bones is still unconscious but her brain is trying to process what is going on. Trying to process everything Angela has been telling her. In her vision, she is a teenager again. She sees her parents driving away and then her brother. She sees her garbage bag of clothes and her shoes with the names of her foster families. Then she is an adult. She’s buried alive with Hodgins then she’s with Zack in the hospital as he confesses to helping Gormagon. Angela walking away from her as they disagree and then Sully riding off on his boat. Then she is standing in a wedding dress looking around, looking for her groom. Her father walks up to lead her down the aisle. As they walk up the aisle, she sees a man in a tuxedo. She cannot see his face but as she approaches he disappears. Then she turns to her father for answers, but he too is gone. She feels alone, she is alone. Everyone in her life has hurt her at one point or another, walked away from her. In her vision, her eyes slowly close. The monitors start beeping faster and faster and we hear Angela saying “Brennan, Brennan …….oh my gosh.”
Meanwhile, Booth is on his way back to the hospital. It’s a long drive and even though he appreciated the offer, Booth insisted Cam go home and Hodgins had gladly given her a ride. The rain and fog aren’t allowing him to drive as fast as he would like. At this moment, he wished he had not agreed to let Cam drive because he really would run his sirens if he was in his car. Trying to distract himself from his thoughts, he turns on the radio. Rap… he laughs to himself remembering back to one of their first cases together. A DJ murdered, and they had to question a rapper. Bones really seemed to enjoy the music, even daring to change the radio in his car. She never ceased to amaze him. Turning the station, it lands on a country. This is more like it, calm and relaxing, just what I need he thinks. As he stares at the headlights of the oncoming traffic, the words of the song start sinking in. I should’ve been chasing you. I should’ve been trying to prove that you were all that mattered to me. I should of said all the things that I kept inside of me then maybe I could of made you believe that what we have is all we’d ever need. Booth commits to himself that that is what he will do. No more waiting around, no more questioning everything. I’m going to tell her how I feel. No more doubts. I love her. Scene flashes to the hospital where doctors are working franticly to revive Bones. Angela is seen in the corner, hand over mouth, crying. Scene ends with a close-up of Bones and the sound of the heart monitor flat-lining.
Its 1am. Booth had finally made it back to the hospital. He is holding her hand, looking back and forth between the monitors and his Bones.
A nurse enters the room. “Sir, it’s well past visiting hours. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to leave.”
Booth stands to approach the woman who is standing just inside the door, hoping his size may offer some intimidation. “I’m not going anywhere. I promised her I would not leave her. She stayed with me while I was in the hospital and I plan on doing the same for her.”
“Sir, unless you are family, you cannot stay overnight.”
“Listen, I’m FBI Special Agent Booth and this is my partner. Tell the doctors whatever you have to but I’m not leaving her side. I will not break that promise.” Booth walks back towards the bed and takes hold of Bones’ hand.
Her doctor enters the room and is shocked to see Booth. “Sir, what relation are you to the patient, only family is allowed to stay overnight.” He flips through her chart. “Her chart indicates that she is unmarried so…..”
The nurse is sympathetic to Booth and a sucker for a love story. She can see he obviously cares deeply for this woman. “Doctor, this is her fiancé. Agent Booth of the FBI.” He turns with a shocked expression on his face. The nurse nods her head indicating this is the story they should go with.
“Yes, doctor, I’m her fiancé.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I just need to check her vitals and do a few tests.”
Booth steps to the side, offering a ‘thank you’ to the nurse for her help. The doctor works quickly and soon completes his examination. “Well, her brain functions appear normal and the swelling in her brain is subsiding. I’m hopeful that she will regain consciousness very soon. The best thing you can do for her now is talk to her. Encourage her to wake up. The science isn’t definitive on the matter but I believe a patient, even in a coma, is still aware of their surroundings.”
“Thank you, doctor. That is wonderful news,” replies Booth as he extends his hand to the doctor. The doctor leaves the room followed by the nurse who quickly returns with a blanket and pillow. “Thank you, mam, for everything.”
“You are very welcome sir.”
Booth returns to Bones’ side. “I hear you gave Angela quite a scare earlier. I’m sorry. I should have been here. I should have never left you. I….” Booth clears his throat as he does when he is uncomfortable. He wants to tell her he loves her but not this way. He wants to look into those beautiful blue eyes and tell her all the things he has wanted to say for so long. Hopefully, she will return his feelings.
“We’ll Bones, with the help of Cam and Hodgins we were able to catch another murderer. I’ll give you a hard time about this when you wake up but it appears your cowboy friend wasn’t the perfect gentleman after all. See he was sabotaging the other riders with the help of Lucy. She caught him one day loosening the ropes on the bulls and to keep her quiet he offered her a percentage of his winnings. Seems our victim figured out what Rick was doing so Lucy used her womanly charms to get him drunk while she served a lethal mixture of drugs. They dressed him as a clown hoping it would appear he had been killed by the bull and no one would ever know. Rick panicked when he thought you would figure everything out and hit you in the head with a rock.” His face goes stern thinking of someone hurting her.
“Believe me, I was very persuasive when I got him to confess. I’m sorry Bones, I would give you a guy hug if I could. I know how hurt you feel when you’ve misread another man. You need to wake up soon Bones because I decided I don’t like crime solving much without you. You’re the only squint I want to work with. I’m still working on my cosmic balance sheet and you did promise you would help me with that.” “Enough about work,” he says as he settles against the pillow and pulls the blanket up under his chin. “What should we talk about? The doctors say its best for me to keep talking to you. Stimulating the neurons in your brain. Well since I’m not a renowned author with my latest novel to read, I’ll just talk about what I know.”
Booth begins talking about hockey and Parker, how they first met, their first case, and their worst cases- Gormagon and the Gravedigger. He recounts to Bones everything that happened and how terrified he was when he thought he would never see her again when she was buried alive. He said it was strange but he had the same fear when he was abducted, not that he might die, but that he might not ever see her again. A serious, loving look comes over his face as he leans closer to her. “What I know is that you’ve changed my life. I know we have our disagreements over brain versus heart but deep down we are the same. We’re both scared. Scared of life, scared of love. I’m tired of being scared Bones. How many more chances do we have? We’ve both been abducted and left for dead, threatened and shot at, and now this. I came out of my coma because of you. The life you painted in my head from your story. A life full of hope and love. We are the center Bones, remember, and the center must hold. Without you, the rest of us will just spin out of control, especially me. I need for you to wake up. Wake up and tell me that I’m not wrong. That you believe risking it all is worth it. I need you, I need my best friend.” Exhausted after having talked for several hours, he lays his head down on her bed.
Images are flashing in her mind. Her father then Booth. Russ then Booth. Sully then Booth. Booth is the one constant, the one man that has never left her. The one man who has always been there for her, never betrayed her. Then flashes of her and Booth on a swing in the park and a wedding dress. Her hand begins to twitch as she struggles to open her eyes. Still holding her hand, he feels it move and slowly raises his head.
“Come on Bones, come back to me. Come on, you’re stubborn Bones, fight. Open those beautiful blue eyes.” He is standing now, leaning over her bed. Prompting her, begging her to fight. Slowly her eyes begin to open as she blinks at the bright light. For a moment, she is speechless. Looking around the room, she turns to him. He holds his breath. Is she alright? Does she know who I am?
He starts to speak and she presses her hand to his lips. “Shush,” she says. “You’ve been talking too much.” He has to smile as a tear rolls down his cheek. She could hear him. Did she understand what he was saying? She grabs his tie and pulls him down to her for a soft gentle kiss. Booth is flustered as he pulls away and she says, “Sweetie, I’m fine. Wow my head hurts. What happened?”
Booth is about to respond when the doctors walk in. Seeing she is awake, they begin an examination. Booth excuses himself but Bones calls out, “Hurry back, honey.”
Booth crinkles his head in confusement as he walks out into the hallway. He blinks himself at the bright sunrise shining in through the windows. He calls the lab to tell the squints the good news. He asks for Angela but she is not there. Hodgins tells Booth that she took the morning off, still a little shaken from the episode with Brennan the night before. Booth makes a call to Angela’s cell. He hears her say hello but as he turns around she is getting off the elevator. “Angela, thank goodness you’re here. Bones just woke up but I’m sensing something different about her.”
“What’s wrong?” Angela asks.
“Well I’m not sure, she has only said about 3 sentences to me but during those brief statements she has already called me sweetie and honey, oh and she kissed me right after she woke up.”
Angela is staring at him in disbelief. It all seemed so out of character for Brennan. She understood why she would kiss Booth but the fact that she did and called him by pet names seemed very odd. “I’ll go in and check on her as soon as the doctors finish their examination. If she’s different I’ll know. Why don’t you head home and grab a shower and rest. I’ll stay here until you get back. If anything happens I promise I will call you.”
At Booth’s, he has just emerged from his bathroom. He wanted to head back to the hospital but he was exhausted. Bones is awake now, she’s going to be fine. I’ll just stretch out here on my couch for a little while. Soon he is asleep. Meanwhile, back at the hospital, the doctors are still conducting their examination and tests. Angela, exhausted, sits in the waiting room and quickly falls asleep. About an hour later, a nurse awakens her to let her know that the doctors have completed their examination and that she can now go in to see her friend.
Angela enters the room and Brennan is sitting up. When she sees her friend, Brennan begins to pat the bed for Angela to come sit down. “Come here, give me a hug,” says Bones. It’s a simple request, but not typical Bones behavior. No big deal, Angela thinks, until Bones starts talking. “Angela, I really need to get out of here. This is really cramping my style. Do you think you can talk them into springing me out of here?”
Angela looks at her friend in disbelief. “Sweetie, what is wrong?”
“Nothing Ange, why do you ask?”
“You are not acting like yourself,” says Angela.
Bones says, “I’m fine. The doctors said I’m fine. I may even get out of here tomorrow. They said I just have to stay with someone for a few days. But I figure that shouldn’t be an issue since I have such a hot fiancé.”
“Is there something you haven’t told me Brennan?”
“What are you talking about Ange, Booth, he’s my boyfriend, my fiancé actually? At that moment, Booth walks back in and pauses as he hears her remarks. Angela walks toward Booth and pushes him out the door.
“What did she say?” he asks.
“Booth you were right. There is definitely something wrong with her. Let’s talk to the doctors.” The doctors explain that all her brain functions appear normal but that sometimes the patient can be a little fuzzy on the details of their life when they first wake up. After a few days, things should be back to normal. They caution them not to push her but to let her return to reality at her own pace.
Booth turns to Angela. “What are we going to do?”
“Well we just need to do what the doctor said. Be there for her and let her come around on her own.” Angela then turns to Booth and smiles. “I guess you’re getting a roommate.” Booth is speechless. He slowly walks back into the room. Bones smiles at him and he can’t help but flash his charming smile. Looking at these two, her friends that she knows should be together, Angela smiles herself and thinks this is going to be a very interesting few days.
Next Day
“You ready to go, Bones?” asks Booth as she slips into the wheelchair that the hospital insisted she use.
“Yes, I can’t wait to get out of here and back to your place. I just want to kick off my shoes and lounge on the couch with you.” Booth gulps as they make their way to the elevator. As the doors close, she reaches over and takes his hand.
The car ride over was silent. Her behavior is more Bones-like today where as yesterday she definitely sounded more like Angela when she talked. The bright sun was giving Bones a headache and Booth’s mind was racing with so many thoughts that he couldn’t organize any of it into sentences. When they reach his apartment, Bones decides that she just needs to lie down and rest. She pauses in the living room, not sure where the bedroom is located. She turns to him, “That’s funny. I don’t know where your bedroom is. But we’ve been together for 5 years so surely I’ve stayed over before.” He leads her down the hallway. He points out the bathroom and tells her that he’ll be in the other room if she needs anything. “Thanks,” she smiles, placing a kiss on his cheek as he turns to leave. Booth returns to the living room. He tries watching tv but he is too distracted. He lays on the couch but can’t seem to fall asleep. He calls into the office to check in. It had been a few days since he had turned in his paperwork on the clown case and he still had a few more days left on the leave he requested when Bones got hurt.
A couple hours later he has watched a few mindless tv shows and flipped through all the sports magazines on his side table. His stomach growls and he realizes he hasn’t eaten in several hours and that it’s almost dinner time. I’ll just fix something to eat, its better than pacing the floor, he thinks. He searches the refrigerator and cabinets without much luck. He’s able to scrape up a few things, good thing Bones is a vegetarian. He decides to place an order at their favorite Chinese place, just in case. As he places the rolls and drinks on the table, Bones emerges from his room. He turns to ask how she is feeling but is unable to speak. He had seen Bones at her best, all dressed up for award ceremonies and at her worst, bleeding after being attacked or covered in dirt from being buried alive. But in this moment, she had never looked more beautiful. Dressed in one of his old hockey t-shirts, her hair was tussled and he could tell she still had a headache. He clears his throat, “Feeling any better.”
“Yeah a little.” She notices his stare and says,” I hope it’s okay that I borrowed one of your shirts. I feel like I’ve had the same clothes on for days. I’ve asked Angela to bring over a few of my things later.”
“Sure Bones, it’s fine. That shirt looks much better on you than it ever did on me.”
She smiles, “something sure smells good, I’m starving.”
“It’s not much, if you want something else Chinese is on the way” he says.
“No this is just fine. I want to eat then curl up on the couch with you. I’ll even watch a hockey game if you want. I just know what could of happened to me so I just want, need to be here with you, close to you,” says Bones.
Booth is torn. The things she is saying to him he has dreamed of, but he has to remember. This is not Bones, not his Bones anyway and soon she’ll be back to normal. The rest of the meal passes in silence. He tells Bones to go ahead and relax while he cleans the dishes. Usually, he’s not so quick to clean up but he’s actually stalling. He cares for her deeply and he can not think of a better place to be than holding her while they lay on his couch watching hockey. But, he’s a gentleman and he will not take advantage of the situation.
“Booth, you about done with those dishes?” she calls to him from the living room.
“I….” There’s a at the door. Booth breathes a sigh of relief. “I’ll get it Bones, it’s probably Chinese.”
Booth opens the door and much to his surprise there stands not only Angela but Hodgins, Cam, and Sweets. Stunned, he just stands there until.. “May we come in, I brought Brennan some of her things,” says Angela, “or are we interrupting something?”
“Sorry, yeah, come on in. We just finished dinner and Bones is relaxing on the couch.”
“Oh, here’s your Chinese. It smells great and by the way, you owe me 10 bucks dude,” says Hodgins.
Cam interjects, “We won’t stay long we just wanted to check in. Angela filled us in on what was going on. Has Brennan’s persona returned?”
As they walk into the living room, they see Bones lying on the couch, wearing only Booth’s shirt. A glance is exchanged between the new guests who then automatically turn to Booth. “Hey babe, that the Chinese?” she says looking at the tv then turns her head. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here. I’ll be right back.” She stands up and makes her way back to the bedroom.
“So what’s been going on?” says Sweets.
“Nothing,” replies Booth in a stern voice. “I need some help here guys. She thinks we’re a couple, that we’ve been a couple for years. Sweets, what am I supposed to do? How can I get Bones back without putting too much pressure on her?”
“I think the best thing you can do is just talk to her. Talk to her about your partnership, about your cases. Talk to her like you always have in the past.”
Angela speaks up, “Let me go talk to her in private for a minute. Let me see if I can figure out how all of this started.” Angela walks down the hall as Booth offers everyone else a beer. The girls return in a few minutes as Angela announces that its time for them to leave. Booth glances at Angela who only shrugs her shoulders as if she didn’t learn anything from their conversation.
“Don’t worry about anything Dr. B we have everything under control,” says Hodgins.
Cam chimes in with “Take as much time as you need to recover.”
“Oh, I’ll be in the office tomorrow, Cam. There are 200 year old remains waiting for me to identify.” Booth looks at his partner in disbelief and before he can say anything Bones turns to him and says, “No arguments. I’m going in tomorrow, at least for a little while.”
Booth steps toward her and they stand there toe to toe. “Bones, you just got out of the hospital. You need to rest.”
“I’m fine Booth. I’ll get a good night’s sleep and tomorrow I’ll be ready to go.”
“I don’t think so Bones.”
“We’ll I do.”
“Then I’m going with you and I say when its time to leave.”
“Fine.”
The others smile. This surely seems normal. The banter back and forth, neither backing down.
“Thanks for stopping by everyone. I guess WE will see you tomorrow. Have a good night,” says Booth.
“You too,” says Angela with a smile.
Booth closes the door behind their friends and locks it up for the night.
Bones is taking her medication. “Is it okay if I take a rain check on the hockey game? I’m still kinda tired and tomorrow is a work day,” says Bones as she flashes him a smile as she walks toward the bedroom.
“Sure Bones. You need your rest. Goodnight, I’ll see you in the morning.” He turns toward the couch and grabs the blanket off his chair.
“Booth, what do you think you’re doing?”
“What do you mean Bones?”
“Are you not coming to bed?”
Booth stands looking at her, his beautiful partner. The woman he would do anything for. The woman he loves. “I’m just going to stay out here on the couch, give you some space. I’ll be fine. Just call if you need anything.”
She walks up to him and takes his hand then places a soft kiss on his lips. “I don’t think so mister. I want you in here with me. I need you to hold me. For some reason it seems like forever since we had some quality time.” She leads him down the hall as he starts reciting saints in his mind.
“I need to change. I’ll be right back,” says Booth as he retreats to the bathroom. He takes his time changing into a t-shirt and lounge pants hoping that she will fall asleep and he can sneak back to the couch in the living room. He looks into the mirror, looks himself right in the eyes as if he has to convince himself to go back out there. He tiptoes out of the bathroom and relaxes when he sees her eyes are closed but before he can reach the door…
“Booth, what took you so long?”
“Sorry, go back to sleep.”
She reaches back and pats the sheets. “Time to get some rest.”
He pauses, looking at her. He’ll stay just long enough for her to fall asleep. He takes a deep breath and climbs into bed.
She pulls his arm across her waist, “goodnight Seeley, I love you.”
His eyes open wide. Did he just hear that? He had wanted to hear those words from her for so long. She’s not herself remember that Seeley but…. “Goodnight Temperance, I love you.” He smiles. I’ve said it. She may not remember it when everything is normal again, but he said it and it felt right. Someday soon, I’ll say it again.
I hope you enjoyed the first half of the story. Look below for part 2 of 2.
Rating: T (Teen)
Disclaimer: I don’t own Bones, nor do I profit in anyway from this story. I’m just trying to keep busy during this never-ending hiatus. Song lyrics All We’d Ever Need belong to Lady Antebellum and their producers. If your preference is science-based fan fiction, then this is not the story for you.
Pairing: Hodgins/Angela and Booth/Brennan (Who else is there?)
Spoiler: Shipper alert! In their newest case, Booth must overcome many obstacles… clowns and another man attracted to Bones, to solve the murder of a rodeo clown. But before the case is solved he will be confronted with his greatest fear, a life without Bones.
Announcer: Welcome everyone to the 3rd annual Rodeo Roundup. You’re in for a real treat tonight. We have first up tonight the reigning champion, Rick Jameson, riding the orneriest bull this side of the Mason-Dixon, 2 second Tony. Most riders don’t last 2 seconds on Tony so good luck Rick. And watch out clowns, Tony seems extra agitated tonight.
The crowd almost holds their breath as Tony bucks and kicks while Rick tries to mount the massive beast. Soon the horn sounds and there off. Rick holds his own as the crowd counts away the seconds 4…5…6….7….8…..9. Rick is bucked from Tony but the crowd goes wild as he has seemingly tamed this goliath. Rick quickly climbs out of the arena into the safety of the sidelines. Now its time for the clowns to earn their keep and coral Tony out of the arena. Running left and right, Tony has his eyes set on Junior, the newest addition to the rodeo circuit. As Tony races towards Junior, he leaps out of the way and Tony’s deadly horns pierce the barrel. His horns are entangled in the plastic so he thrashes side to side to free himself. With a mighty jerk of his head, the barrel breaks free flying through the air when out of the barrel a clown slams into the gate. His lifeless body now lies on the ground as the crowd screams.
“I don’t see why you just won’t talk to Sweets,” says Dr. Temperance Brennan as she and her partner Special Agent Seeley Booth make their way down the road to their next crime scene. Usually, he was anxious to get to the scene. Bones was always worried someone would compromise the evidence and he must admit he loved to watch her work, to do what she loved. However, this case was different and even though the rodeo was 2 hours away, he still found himself driving a little slower than usual.
“There is nothing to talk about Bones.”
“I disagree, you obviously must of had some traumatic childhood experience for you to have such a fear of clowns,” she says.
Booth gives her that look, the one that says I can’t believe you just said that. “I am not afraid of clowns; I just do not like them. Remember the last clown we dealt with, he was a serial killer kidnapping young girls at Halloween. He didn’t really make me reevaluate my opinion of clowns,” says Booth.
“I just think there must be some deeper issues that you need to face. I hate psychology, but I’m only thinking of you and I know how hard this case is going to be for you. I don’t want you going on desk duty again because you shot another clown. You’re the only FBI agent I want to work with,” flashing a smile trying to lighten the mood.
“Don’t worry Bones, I’ll be just fine.” He gulps as they pull up to the rodeo and clowns are seen milling all along the grounds. As they exit the vehicle, he realizes this is going to be more difficult than he thought. They make there way through the arena to where a perimeter as already been secured around the body. 2 second Tony is in his pin, stomping his feet and ramming the rails. “Okay Bones, what we got?” says Booth a little distracted by this very large, very angry animal, as he begins to scribble on his notepad.
“Male, mid to late 30s. He appears to have been stabbed by a very large object. This could be cause of death but of course we’ll know more once we get him back to the lab. We’ll need soil samples, the barrel, and someone needs to swab the bull’s horn for particulates for Hodgins.”
Booth turns to look at this very large, very angry animal. “You’re kidding, right Bones? You want someone to try and wrangle that bull.”
She gives him that confused look and says “I don’t know what that means, but someone needs to swab the horns on that animal.” She turns back to the body. “Too much flesh for me, Cam is going to have to take charge on this one,” says Bones totally ignoring the seemingly killer animal only a few feet away.
“I might be able to help you out,” up walks Rick Jameson, a very tall, ruggedly handsome man. Bones takes notice of his strong features and Booth takes notice of her taking notice.
“And you are?” says Booth.
“Sorry, I’m Rick Jameson, champion bull rider. I was the last one to ride 2 second Tony (he motions towards the bull in his pin) before he killed this clown,” he says smiling at Bones.
“I’m Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan.”
He tips his cowboy hat at Booth and turns to Bones, removing his hat. He takes her hand, kissing the back and says, “Nice to meet you.”
Bones smiles and Booth clears his throat to interrupt, “So you were riding 2 second Tony, I guess he threw you off in what 2 seconds.”
Booth smirks but Rick is quick to correct. “No I rode him for the full 9 seconds, a record actually for anyone with this animal. I had jumped off and was watching from the sidelines when Tony tossed the barrel and the clown came flying out.” He smiles knowing he has impressed the lovely doctor.
“Any idea who he might be?” asks Bones.
“No, I’m not really familiar with the clowns; never see any of them without all their makeup. May I show you to the dressing area? Most of the clowns should be back there getting ready for tonight’s show,” says Rick as he extends his arm to Bones. She takes his arm as he leads her and Booth across the arena.
Booth, a few steps behind, is currently more focused on this cowboy than on the case. He, however, is quickly snapped back to reality when they enter the dressing room and he is suddenly surrounded by about 10 clowns. Men and women, dressed in clown attire from head to toe. Booth is clearly uncomfortable and Rick is quick to take notice.
“Don’t worry man, lots of people are afraid of clowns, I don’t know why, but its okay.”
Bones takes charge, “Okay everyone, I need to speak to your leader, who’s the head nacho?” “Head honcho, Bones,” Booth corrects her. Up walks a small petite woman, “I guess I’m the head honcho. Name’s Lucy. I’ve been with this group the longest. How can I help you?” Rick introduces the duo.
Booth clears his throat, “We need to know if any of your clowns are missing or if you know who the victim is.”
Lucy responds, “Nope far as I know we’re all here. Everyone is accounted for.”
“Thanks for your help, we’ll be in touch if we have any other questions,” says Bones.
“Well Bones, time to get you back to the lab,” says Booth but as he turns Bones is already walking away with Rick.
Back in the car she says “Have you ever been to a rodeo?”
“No Bones, why?” as he turns to look at her.
“Well Rick invited me to come back tonight to watch the show. He says he’ll be riding and that maybe he can teach me how to ride a horse. I’ve always thought it would be exhilarating to have the wind whip through your hair as you relinquish control to such a beautiful creature,” she says with a smile on her face. Booth is obviously irritated, that yet again a potential suspect is making a play for his partner, his Bones. He twists his mouth, as if biting his tongue, and glances out the window instead of at Bones while she is talking. “Maybe Angela will come with me tonight. Since there is so much flesh, you probably won’t need me much on this case so I should be able to skip out early. He’s obviously the alpha male of the group. Oh, and did you see his belt buckle? It’s his championship buckle, very impressive.” Booth glances down at his cocky belt buckle and shakes his head.
At the lab, the squints are examining the body. Booth, Cam, Hodgins, and Fisher are on the platform. Fisher says, “I’m guessing this very large hole caused by the horn of a 1000 pound bull would be the cause of death.”
“You better be glad Dr. B didn’t just hear you say that,” says Hodgins. “We never guess about cause of death.”
Booth is obviously agitated. Cam pulls him to the side. “What’s up big man? Those clowns really got you worked up.”
“Not the clowns. A certain cowboy casanova.”
“Oh, I see,” says Cam as she smiles, shaking her head. “What happened? It’s been months since you told me you were in love with Dr. Brennan. Did you change your mind? I know how private you are about these things so I didn’t want to pry.”
“I don’t know Cam, it’s all so complicated,” says Booth. “When I told you and Sweets, you both had the same reaction. Be sure of your feelings, be sure, or you’ll crush her. That’s a lot of pressure and the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt Bones. I’m still trying to get myself back. There are lots of things I’m still unsure of but every time I’m with her” he pauses…. “I’m sure of my feelings. I’m just not sure of hers. I actually told her I loved her once and you should have seen the look on her face. Like a deer in headlights.”
“Really, Seeley, what did she say?”
“Well after that response, I covered by telling her it was in a professional, atta-girl kinda way. I need Bones to find her way to me. If I push too fast, she’ll run. Then I’ll not only lose the woman I love, I will lose my partner and my best friend. I can wait, I’ve been waiting, I just can’t watch her with someone else.”
“Trust me Booth, she cares for you deeply. I was here when you were kidnapped by the gravedigger and she risked it all to find you. Even though she won’t admit it, I saw the way she looked at me, at us, when we were together. She was jealous. She’s got a tough shell, but if I had to bet, I’d say you’ve put a crack in that shell, a very large crack that just needs a little more time for it to split open.” “Dr. Saroyan,”
Hodgins interrupts their conversation. “I’ve collected all the particulates. He’s all yours.”
She looks to Booth who nods that its okay, “Thank you Dr. Hodgins,” says Cam. “Give me an update as soon as you can.”
“Cam, I’m heading back to the bureau,” Booth says. “Call me when you have anything.”
Meanwhile, Bones and Angela are having some quality girl time in Bone’s office. “It’s nice when everyone else has all the work to do isn’t it sweetie. Too much flesh and he still has his face so I guess we’re both off the hook on this one. Sweetie?”
Bones is obviously distracted. “Sorry Ange, what were you saying?”
“Okay, spill. What has gotten you so distracted?” says Angela as she scoots to the edge of her seat.
“I’m sorry Ange. I was thinking about my next book. I met a very interesting man today, a cowboy. I was trying to decide if he would work as one of the characters.”
Angela smiles, “You plan on doing anymore research?”
“Why yes I was” Bones smiles back. “I actually was going to mention that to you. Rick, that’s the cowboy, asked me to come back to the rodeo tonight. I thought maybe you could join me.”
“Sure, if you want me to. I need to check this guy out anyway. Just let me know when you’re ready to leave.”
Next Day-the Lab
“Morning Cam. What you got for me?”
“Hey Booth, well I’ve determined that being impaled by the bull was not the cause of death. No hemorrhagic tissue on the flesh surrounding the wound meaning he was already dead before he was gouged by the bull. There were significant amounts of alcohol in his system along with various drugs. It appears he overdosed which wouldn’t mean murder except someone stuffed him into that barrel. And get this, dentals came back and he worked for the rodeo. But not as a clown, he was a cowboy. Second runner-up in the last finals. Name is Jimmy Burns.”
“Thanks, Cam. I’ll go fill Bones in on the latest developments. No reason she can’t help out. Have you seen her this morning,” says Booth.
“I think she’s in her office. You can’t stand not working a case with her can you” replies Cam jokingly as Booth walks away.
“Hey Bones.”
“Oh, hey Booth.”
“I know that look,” he says strolling across her office over to the couch, “you’re working on another book. So what exciting adventure will I, oh I mean Andy, be having this time?”
“As a matter of fact, I am. Angela and I went to the rodeo last night and after talking with Rick again I became inspired.” Those words were a stab to his heart however, he mustered a response.
“Really, I didn’t think you would be into all that dirt and …..”
“I’m actually going back over this afternoon. Rick is going to take me horseback riding,” she says.
“Okay, you seem busy and I’ve got work to do on the case.” He really didn’t want to sit around listening to her talk about another man. “See you later Bones.” Booth turns to leave knowing he will be seeing her soon. Sooner than she thinks. He has a few questions for Rick, seeing as how his rival is now dead. But he doesn’t want to upset Bones by making accusations that she will say have no basis in actual facts. He’ll get the facts first.
That afternoon, Bones makes her way back to the rodeo. As she walks over to the stables, she sees Rick talking with Lucy. As she approaches there conversation stops and Lucy walks away. Rick is almost shocked as he turns and sees Dr. Brennan approaching. “Ready for your lesson?”
“Yes I….”
“Yes we are,” Booth says as he walks up.
Bones is shocked to see her partner. “What are you doing here Booth?”
“Well I have a few questions for Rick and I’ve always wanted to learn to ride a horse.” Bones is obviously agitated but Rick agrees with a smile.
“Alright let’s get saddled up. Let me check the stables to see if I can find a horse for you Agent Booth” says Rick.
Next scene - Rick and Bones are walking slowly down the trail on 2 beautiful horses. Booth is trailing slightly behind on a small pony. “Sorry Agent Booth,” says Rick, “if I had known earlier you wanted a lesson I could have gotten you a better horse.” Booth cringes his face as he tries to adjust himself on the saddle. The pony is moving very slowly and soon he is being left behind. No matter how much he urges, the pony does not pick up its pace. Up ahead, Bones and Rick are enjoying pleasant conversation as he leads her horse by the reigns. “You are doing very well Dr. Brennan.”
“Please, call me Temperance,” she says smiling.
“I looked you up last night. You’re a famous author and there were several stories where you and Agent Booth had solved a murder,” says Rick.
“Yes, we make a very good team,” she says as she stares ahead at the beautiful sunset they have stopped to admire. “He uses his gut and I use my brain and in the end we always come to the same conclusion and a murderer is captured.” As she turns to face Rick, instinctively she raises her hand in defense, but everything goes black.
Suddenly, Booth hears the horses and Rick trying to calm them. ‘Forget this’ he thinks as he jumps off his pony and runs up the path. Rick has her horse by the reigns trying to calm it down. There on the ground is Bones. He rushes to her side but she is unconscious and as he pushes the hair back from her face, his hand is now covered with blood. Bones’ blood. “What happened?” he yells at Rick.
“I don’t know, something must have spooked the horse. It bucked her off before I knew what happened,” says Rick as Booth quickly dials 911.
Hospital
Booth is by her side. Holding her hand, praying. He smiles to himself thinking how Bones would surely have something to say about him praying, especially for her. She is still unconscious, severe trauma to her occipital lobe and trauma to her right transverse abdominal from the fall. Thanks to her, he actually knew what that meant when the doctor used those terms. She made him smarter, heck, she made him a better man. As Booth stared at the monitors, he flashed back to when he was the one lying there. He doesn’t remember much but he knows she was there for him. Constantly for 4 days, talking to him, reading him her latest novel. He wanted to be there for her like she was for him. And he would be, but first he had to talk to Rick. He had to solve this murder but primarily he had to find out what happened to his Bones. As he closed his hands over hers and closed his eyes for another prayer, Cam, Hodgins, and Angela enter. Angela is distraught being consoled by Hodgins and Cam is the one to keep everyone focused.
“Booth, I know you don’t want to leave but tonight’s the last show before the rodeo moves on to another town. Tell us what to do. How can we help you?” says Cam.
Booth wipes a tear from his cheek, takes a deep breath, and says “Angela, I need you to stay with Bones. Don’t leave her for a second. Cam, I need you with me to help question the suspects, especially the clowns.” They exchange a half-hearted smile.
“What about me?” says Hodgins.
Booth turns and looks at this man, he doesn’t have many, but he knows he can consider this man a friend. “Hodgins, I need you to come with us and work as quickly as possible to find some kind of link to those particulates found on the victim. We need to solve this one quick, people.”
As they turn to leave, Booth leans over and places a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be back soon Bones. I promise.” Angela touches his arm hoping to provide some comfort, he touches her hand and smiles as he leaves.
“Come on big man, you’re exhausted. I’ll drive so you can get some rest,” says Cam.
Angela takes a seat and slides it as close to the bed as possible. She holds her friend’s hand. A friend that is more like a sister. She can’t believe how much she cares for this woman, a woman who is so completely different than herself. “Sweetie, I know you can hear me. I want you to know how much you mean to me. You provide balance to my life. You do your best to keep me grounded so I don’t fly away and for that I love you.” She chokes back tears and tries to regain her composure. She shakes her head, thinking that is enough of that. Brennan wouldn’t like such a display of emotion. “Ok, since you are unable to argue at the present moment, I’m going to take this opportunity to tell you exactly what I think. I think you are in love with Booth and sweetie I know he loves you too. When, not if, but when you wake up you need to do something about that. You’re wasting so much time that you could be having fun, enjoying life by keeping your defenses up. Take a chance and cross that line, I promise you he will meet you halfway. I know you and you say you’re not scared of anything. But I believe because of all that has happened to you, you are scared of happiness. You’re scared that you don’t deserve to be loved. But don’t let it stop you from experiencing life, sweetie.” She pauses, looking at her friend connected to so many different monitors. “Okay, that’s enough of that, I think I’ve made my point,” she smiles. “Now let’s talk about me and Hodgins…….” Angela starts talking about her first date with Hodgins, all the wonderful things he has done for her and how she is so happy that they decided to give it another try. She talks about how he makes her feel safe, beautiful, and special. Angela goes on and on knowing that if Brennan was awake she wouldn’t have time to discuss such irrational feelings.
Scene: At the rodeo, Booth, Cam and Hodgins are seen working frantically. They are seen talking to Lucy and Rick. No words are heard, only the beeping of the machines connected to Bones. The screen flashes between the rodeo and Angela talking to Bones, reading to her out of a bridal magazine, describing in detail each dress and all the arrangements. Booth is aggressively interrogating Rick, Hodgins is looking through a bag of makeup, while Cam has discovered liquor and prescription bottles buried in the stable. The scene fades as Lucy and Rick are lead off in handcuffs to the awaiting agents. Booth reaches up and loosens his tie then makes his way over to Cam’s car. Flash to hospital. Angela has nodded off. Bones is still unconscious but her brain is trying to process what is going on. Trying to process everything Angela has been telling her. In her vision, she is a teenager again. She sees her parents driving away and then her brother. She sees her garbage bag of clothes and her shoes with the names of her foster families. Then she is an adult. She’s buried alive with Hodgins then she’s with Zack in the hospital as he confesses to helping Gormagon. Angela walking away from her as they disagree and then Sully riding off on his boat. Then she is standing in a wedding dress looking around, looking for her groom. Her father walks up to lead her down the aisle. As they walk up the aisle, she sees a man in a tuxedo. She cannot see his face but as she approaches he disappears. Then she turns to her father for answers, but he too is gone. She feels alone, she is alone. Everyone in her life has hurt her at one point or another, walked away from her. In her vision, her eyes slowly close. The monitors start beeping faster and faster and we hear Angela saying “Brennan, Brennan …….oh my gosh.”
Meanwhile, Booth is on his way back to the hospital. It’s a long drive and even though he appreciated the offer, Booth insisted Cam go home and Hodgins had gladly given her a ride. The rain and fog aren’t allowing him to drive as fast as he would like. At this moment, he wished he had not agreed to let Cam drive because he really would run his sirens if he was in his car. Trying to distract himself from his thoughts, he turns on the radio. Rap… he laughs to himself remembering back to one of their first cases together. A DJ murdered, and they had to question a rapper. Bones really seemed to enjoy the music, even daring to change the radio in his car. She never ceased to amaze him. Turning the station, it lands on a country. This is more like it, calm and relaxing, just what I need he thinks. As he stares at the headlights of the oncoming traffic, the words of the song start sinking in. I should’ve been chasing you. I should’ve been trying to prove that you were all that mattered to me. I should of said all the things that I kept inside of me then maybe I could of made you believe that what we have is all we’d ever need. Booth commits to himself that that is what he will do. No more waiting around, no more questioning everything. I’m going to tell her how I feel. No more doubts. I love her. Scene flashes to the hospital where doctors are working franticly to revive Bones. Angela is seen in the corner, hand over mouth, crying. Scene ends with a close-up of Bones and the sound of the heart monitor flat-lining.
Its 1am. Booth had finally made it back to the hospital. He is holding her hand, looking back and forth between the monitors and his Bones.
A nurse enters the room. “Sir, it’s well past visiting hours. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to leave.”
Booth stands to approach the woman who is standing just inside the door, hoping his size may offer some intimidation. “I’m not going anywhere. I promised her I would not leave her. She stayed with me while I was in the hospital and I plan on doing the same for her.”
“Sir, unless you are family, you cannot stay overnight.”
“Listen, I’m FBI Special Agent Booth and this is my partner. Tell the doctors whatever you have to but I’m not leaving her side. I will not break that promise.” Booth walks back towards the bed and takes hold of Bones’ hand.
Her doctor enters the room and is shocked to see Booth. “Sir, what relation are you to the patient, only family is allowed to stay overnight.” He flips through her chart. “Her chart indicates that she is unmarried so…..”
The nurse is sympathetic to Booth and a sucker for a love story. She can see he obviously cares deeply for this woman. “Doctor, this is her fiancé. Agent Booth of the FBI.” He turns with a shocked expression on his face. The nurse nods her head indicating this is the story they should go with.
“Yes, doctor, I’m her fiancé.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I just need to check her vitals and do a few tests.”
Booth steps to the side, offering a ‘thank you’ to the nurse for her help. The doctor works quickly and soon completes his examination. “Well, her brain functions appear normal and the swelling in her brain is subsiding. I’m hopeful that she will regain consciousness very soon. The best thing you can do for her now is talk to her. Encourage her to wake up. The science isn’t definitive on the matter but I believe a patient, even in a coma, is still aware of their surroundings.”
“Thank you, doctor. That is wonderful news,” replies Booth as he extends his hand to the doctor. The doctor leaves the room followed by the nurse who quickly returns with a blanket and pillow. “Thank you, mam, for everything.”
“You are very welcome sir.”
Booth returns to Bones’ side. “I hear you gave Angela quite a scare earlier. I’m sorry. I should have been here. I should have never left you. I….” Booth clears his throat as he does when he is uncomfortable. He wants to tell her he loves her but not this way. He wants to look into those beautiful blue eyes and tell her all the things he has wanted to say for so long. Hopefully, she will return his feelings.
“We’ll Bones, with the help of Cam and Hodgins we were able to catch another murderer. I’ll give you a hard time about this when you wake up but it appears your cowboy friend wasn’t the perfect gentleman after all. See he was sabotaging the other riders with the help of Lucy. She caught him one day loosening the ropes on the bulls and to keep her quiet he offered her a percentage of his winnings. Seems our victim figured out what Rick was doing so Lucy used her womanly charms to get him drunk while she served a lethal mixture of drugs. They dressed him as a clown hoping it would appear he had been killed by the bull and no one would ever know. Rick panicked when he thought you would figure everything out and hit you in the head with a rock.” His face goes stern thinking of someone hurting her.
“Believe me, I was very persuasive when I got him to confess. I’m sorry Bones, I would give you a guy hug if I could. I know how hurt you feel when you’ve misread another man. You need to wake up soon Bones because I decided I don’t like crime solving much without you. You’re the only squint I want to work with. I’m still working on my cosmic balance sheet and you did promise you would help me with that.” “Enough about work,” he says as he settles against the pillow and pulls the blanket up under his chin. “What should we talk about? The doctors say its best for me to keep talking to you. Stimulating the neurons in your brain. Well since I’m not a renowned author with my latest novel to read, I’ll just talk about what I know.”
Booth begins talking about hockey and Parker, how they first met, their first case, and their worst cases- Gormagon and the Gravedigger. He recounts to Bones everything that happened and how terrified he was when he thought he would never see her again when she was buried alive. He said it was strange but he had the same fear when he was abducted, not that he might die, but that he might not ever see her again. A serious, loving look comes over his face as he leans closer to her. “What I know is that you’ve changed my life. I know we have our disagreements over brain versus heart but deep down we are the same. We’re both scared. Scared of life, scared of love. I’m tired of being scared Bones. How many more chances do we have? We’ve both been abducted and left for dead, threatened and shot at, and now this. I came out of my coma because of you. The life you painted in my head from your story. A life full of hope and love. We are the center Bones, remember, and the center must hold. Without you, the rest of us will just spin out of control, especially me. I need for you to wake up. Wake up and tell me that I’m not wrong. That you believe risking it all is worth it. I need you, I need my best friend.” Exhausted after having talked for several hours, he lays his head down on her bed.
Images are flashing in her mind. Her father then Booth. Russ then Booth. Sully then Booth. Booth is the one constant, the one man that has never left her. The one man who has always been there for her, never betrayed her. Then flashes of her and Booth on a swing in the park and a wedding dress. Her hand begins to twitch as she struggles to open her eyes. Still holding her hand, he feels it move and slowly raises his head.
“Come on Bones, come back to me. Come on, you’re stubborn Bones, fight. Open those beautiful blue eyes.” He is standing now, leaning over her bed. Prompting her, begging her to fight. Slowly her eyes begin to open as she blinks at the bright light. For a moment, she is speechless. Looking around the room, she turns to him. He holds his breath. Is she alright? Does she know who I am?
He starts to speak and she presses her hand to his lips. “Shush,” she says. “You’ve been talking too much.” He has to smile as a tear rolls down his cheek. She could hear him. Did she understand what he was saying? She grabs his tie and pulls him down to her for a soft gentle kiss. Booth is flustered as he pulls away and she says, “Sweetie, I’m fine. Wow my head hurts. What happened?”
Booth is about to respond when the doctors walk in. Seeing she is awake, they begin an examination. Booth excuses himself but Bones calls out, “Hurry back, honey.”
Booth crinkles his head in confusement as he walks out into the hallway. He blinks himself at the bright sunrise shining in through the windows. He calls the lab to tell the squints the good news. He asks for Angela but she is not there. Hodgins tells Booth that she took the morning off, still a little shaken from the episode with Brennan the night before. Booth makes a call to Angela’s cell. He hears her say hello but as he turns around she is getting off the elevator. “Angela, thank goodness you’re here. Bones just woke up but I’m sensing something different about her.”
“What’s wrong?” Angela asks.
“Well I’m not sure, she has only said about 3 sentences to me but during those brief statements she has already called me sweetie and honey, oh and she kissed me right after she woke up.”
Angela is staring at him in disbelief. It all seemed so out of character for Brennan. She understood why she would kiss Booth but the fact that she did and called him by pet names seemed very odd. “I’ll go in and check on her as soon as the doctors finish their examination. If she’s different I’ll know. Why don’t you head home and grab a shower and rest. I’ll stay here until you get back. If anything happens I promise I will call you.”
At Booth’s, he has just emerged from his bathroom. He wanted to head back to the hospital but he was exhausted. Bones is awake now, she’s going to be fine. I’ll just stretch out here on my couch for a little while. Soon he is asleep. Meanwhile, back at the hospital, the doctors are still conducting their examination and tests. Angela, exhausted, sits in the waiting room and quickly falls asleep. About an hour later, a nurse awakens her to let her know that the doctors have completed their examination and that she can now go in to see her friend.
Angela enters the room and Brennan is sitting up. When she sees her friend, Brennan begins to pat the bed for Angela to come sit down. “Come here, give me a hug,” says Bones. It’s a simple request, but not typical Bones behavior. No big deal, Angela thinks, until Bones starts talking. “Angela, I really need to get out of here. This is really cramping my style. Do you think you can talk them into springing me out of here?”
Angela looks at her friend in disbelief. “Sweetie, what is wrong?”
“Nothing Ange, why do you ask?”
“You are not acting like yourself,” says Angela.
Bones says, “I’m fine. The doctors said I’m fine. I may even get out of here tomorrow. They said I just have to stay with someone for a few days. But I figure that shouldn’t be an issue since I have such a hot fiancé.”
“Is there something you haven’t told me Brennan?”
“What are you talking about Ange, Booth, he’s my boyfriend, my fiancé actually? At that moment, Booth walks back in and pauses as he hears her remarks. Angela walks toward Booth and pushes him out the door.
“What did she say?” he asks.
“Booth you were right. There is definitely something wrong with her. Let’s talk to the doctors.” The doctors explain that all her brain functions appear normal but that sometimes the patient can be a little fuzzy on the details of their life when they first wake up. After a few days, things should be back to normal. They caution them not to push her but to let her return to reality at her own pace.
Booth turns to Angela. “What are we going to do?”
“Well we just need to do what the doctor said. Be there for her and let her come around on her own.” Angela then turns to Booth and smiles. “I guess you’re getting a roommate.” Booth is speechless. He slowly walks back into the room. Bones smiles at him and he can’t help but flash his charming smile. Looking at these two, her friends that she knows should be together, Angela smiles herself and thinks this is going to be a very interesting few days.
Next Day
“You ready to go, Bones?” asks Booth as she slips into the wheelchair that the hospital insisted she use.
“Yes, I can’t wait to get out of here and back to your place. I just want to kick off my shoes and lounge on the couch with you.” Booth gulps as they make their way to the elevator. As the doors close, she reaches over and takes his hand.
The car ride over was silent. Her behavior is more Bones-like today where as yesterday she definitely sounded more like Angela when she talked. The bright sun was giving Bones a headache and Booth’s mind was racing with so many thoughts that he couldn’t organize any of it into sentences. When they reach his apartment, Bones decides that she just needs to lie down and rest. She pauses in the living room, not sure where the bedroom is located. She turns to him, “That’s funny. I don’t know where your bedroom is. But we’ve been together for 5 years so surely I’ve stayed over before.” He leads her down the hallway. He points out the bathroom and tells her that he’ll be in the other room if she needs anything. “Thanks,” she smiles, placing a kiss on his cheek as he turns to leave. Booth returns to the living room. He tries watching tv but he is too distracted. He lays on the couch but can’t seem to fall asleep. He calls into the office to check in. It had been a few days since he had turned in his paperwork on the clown case and he still had a few more days left on the leave he requested when Bones got hurt.
A couple hours later he has watched a few mindless tv shows and flipped through all the sports magazines on his side table. His stomach growls and he realizes he hasn’t eaten in several hours and that it’s almost dinner time. I’ll just fix something to eat, its better than pacing the floor, he thinks. He searches the refrigerator and cabinets without much luck. He’s able to scrape up a few things, good thing Bones is a vegetarian. He decides to place an order at their favorite Chinese place, just in case. As he places the rolls and drinks on the table, Bones emerges from his room. He turns to ask how she is feeling but is unable to speak. He had seen Bones at her best, all dressed up for award ceremonies and at her worst, bleeding after being attacked or covered in dirt from being buried alive. But in this moment, she had never looked more beautiful. Dressed in one of his old hockey t-shirts, her hair was tussled and he could tell she still had a headache. He clears his throat, “Feeling any better.”
“Yeah a little.” She notices his stare and says,” I hope it’s okay that I borrowed one of your shirts. I feel like I’ve had the same clothes on for days. I’ve asked Angela to bring over a few of my things later.”
“Sure Bones, it’s fine. That shirt looks much better on you than it ever did on me.”
She smiles, “something sure smells good, I’m starving.”
“It’s not much, if you want something else Chinese is on the way” he says.
“No this is just fine. I want to eat then curl up on the couch with you. I’ll even watch a hockey game if you want. I just know what could of happened to me so I just want, need to be here with you, close to you,” says Bones.
Booth is torn. The things she is saying to him he has dreamed of, but he has to remember. This is not Bones, not his Bones anyway and soon she’ll be back to normal. The rest of the meal passes in silence. He tells Bones to go ahead and relax while he cleans the dishes. Usually, he’s not so quick to clean up but he’s actually stalling. He cares for her deeply and he can not think of a better place to be than holding her while they lay on his couch watching hockey. But, he’s a gentleman and he will not take advantage of the situation.
“Booth, you about done with those dishes?” she calls to him from the living room.
“I….” There’s a at the door. Booth breathes a sigh of relief. “I’ll get it Bones, it’s probably Chinese.”
Booth opens the door and much to his surprise there stands not only Angela but Hodgins, Cam, and Sweets. Stunned, he just stands there until.. “May we come in, I brought Brennan some of her things,” says Angela, “or are we interrupting something?”
“Sorry, yeah, come on in. We just finished dinner and Bones is relaxing on the couch.”
“Oh, here’s your Chinese. It smells great and by the way, you owe me 10 bucks dude,” says Hodgins.
Cam interjects, “We won’t stay long we just wanted to check in. Angela filled us in on what was going on. Has Brennan’s persona returned?”
As they walk into the living room, they see Bones lying on the couch, wearing only Booth’s shirt. A glance is exchanged between the new guests who then automatically turn to Booth. “Hey babe, that the Chinese?” she says looking at the tv then turns her head. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here. I’ll be right back.” She stands up and makes her way back to the bedroom.
“So what’s been going on?” says Sweets.
“Nothing,” replies Booth in a stern voice. “I need some help here guys. She thinks we’re a couple, that we’ve been a couple for years. Sweets, what am I supposed to do? How can I get Bones back without putting too much pressure on her?”
“I think the best thing you can do is just talk to her. Talk to her about your partnership, about your cases. Talk to her like you always have in the past.”
Angela speaks up, “Let me go talk to her in private for a minute. Let me see if I can figure out how all of this started.” Angela walks down the hall as Booth offers everyone else a beer. The girls return in a few minutes as Angela announces that its time for them to leave. Booth glances at Angela who only shrugs her shoulders as if she didn’t learn anything from their conversation.
“Don’t worry about anything Dr. B we have everything under control,” says Hodgins.
Cam chimes in with “Take as much time as you need to recover.”
“Oh, I’ll be in the office tomorrow, Cam. There are 200 year old remains waiting for me to identify.” Booth looks at his partner in disbelief and before he can say anything Bones turns to him and says, “No arguments. I’m going in tomorrow, at least for a little while.”
Booth steps toward her and they stand there toe to toe. “Bones, you just got out of the hospital. You need to rest.”
“I’m fine Booth. I’ll get a good night’s sleep and tomorrow I’ll be ready to go.”
“I don’t think so Bones.”
“We’ll I do.”
“Then I’m going with you and I say when its time to leave.”
“Fine.”
The others smile. This surely seems normal. The banter back and forth, neither backing down.
“Thanks for stopping by everyone. I guess WE will see you tomorrow. Have a good night,” says Booth.
“You too,” says Angela with a smile.
Booth closes the door behind their friends and locks it up for the night.
Bones is taking her medication. “Is it okay if I take a rain check on the hockey game? I’m still kinda tired and tomorrow is a work day,” says Bones as she flashes him a smile as she walks toward the bedroom.
“Sure Bones. You need your rest. Goodnight, I’ll see you in the morning.” He turns toward the couch and grabs the blanket off his chair.
“Booth, what do you think you’re doing?”
“What do you mean Bones?”
“Are you not coming to bed?”
Booth stands looking at her, his beautiful partner. The woman he would do anything for. The woman he loves. “I’m just going to stay out here on the couch, give you some space. I’ll be fine. Just call if you need anything.”
She walks up to him and takes his hand then places a soft kiss on his lips. “I don’t think so mister. I want you in here with me. I need you to hold me. For some reason it seems like forever since we had some quality time.” She leads him down the hall as he starts reciting saints in his mind.
“I need to change. I’ll be right back,” says Booth as he retreats to the bathroom. He takes his time changing into a t-shirt and lounge pants hoping that she will fall asleep and he can sneak back to the couch in the living room. He looks into the mirror, looks himself right in the eyes as if he has to convince himself to go back out there. He tiptoes out of the bathroom and relaxes when he sees her eyes are closed but before he can reach the door…
“Booth, what took you so long?”
“Sorry, go back to sleep.”
She reaches back and pats the sheets. “Time to get some rest.”
He pauses, looking at her. He’ll stay just long enough for her to fall asleep. He takes a deep breath and climbs into bed.
She pulls his arm across her waist, “goodnight Seeley, I love you.”
His eyes open wide. Did he just hear that? He had wanted to hear those words from her for so long. She’s not herself remember that Seeley but…. “Goodnight Temperance, I love you.” He smiles. I’ve said it. She may not remember it when everything is normal again, but he said it and it felt right. Someday soon, I’ll say it again.
I hope you enjoyed the first half of the story. Look below for part 2 of 2.