Post Judas on a Pole - Chapter 4
I've been trying to post this for about 4 hours now, but my computer has been "...doing the wacky!"
Title: undetermined (Post Judas on a Pole)
Author: tracgyrl
Category: Bones Season 2Pairing: B/B, H/A, B/C friendship
Genre: Angst, Romance
Rating: This chapter is rated R just to be safe
Summary: This picks up at the very end of the Season 2 episode Judas on a Pole as Booth and Brennan walk into the Diner.
Spoilers: Everything up until this episode
Disclaimer: The characters in Bones were created by Kathy Reichs and Hart Hanson and are the property of Josephson Entertainment and 20th Century FOX. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
A/N: Booth and Brennan do not have a part together in this chapter, but they are thinking ::and talking:: about each other. I've taken some liberties with the canon for Jack Hodgins character and introduced a couple of new characters that tie into him. Let me know if you feel that I've overdeveloped them. Also Talon sent me an IM about the small mention of Cam's ex Danny and I never got to reply. No Danny is not from Bones, however he is a crossover character (from another show) that I will be using for another part of the fic. That's all you're getting out of me about that. lol
Chapter 4.
The next morning Brennan's loft
Brennan's mind slowly awakened from a restful sleep. She felt something secure around her waist and gentle breathing against her neck. Booth's legs were entangled with Brennan's as he spooned her in his sleep. His left arm rested under her head and his left hand clasped hers, their fingers intertwined in sleep. His right arm secured around her waist with her hand grasping his. As Brennan stirred awake Booth's embrace tightened. She slid her hand down his vise-like arm and pulled it free from around her. Moving slowly she turned on the bed to sit up, the sheet falling to her lap, revealing her naked form. Their clothes lay in an unforgotten heap on the side of the bed. The white down comforter that usually graced the top of her king sized bed was so far removed it threatened to join them. Brennan glanced at the clock atop her nightstand and it read 4:00 AM. A deep sigh escaped her body as she ran her hand absently through her hair. One of Booth's legs moved under the cover and she glanced down at it, her mind drifting back to the night before.
Booth's strong, spartan like, legs supported her as she moved atop of his body. His hands, fastened to her waist, guided her movements. He bent his knees bringing her agile upper body closer to his unyielding chest. She opened her eyes and looked down at him. His eyes, black with passion, pierced her like a knife. Her breath stole from her by his gaze, she inhaled sharply as her body continued to move...up...down....up.....down....
"You're so beautiful.....Temperance.....Ahhhh....."
"Seeley......." She threw her head back arching her body, her hair caressing the top of his knees......
Brennan shook her head and looked down at Booth's sleeping face. He seemed so relaxed, like he didn't have a care in the world. His hair disheveled and his chin full of stubble. Her hands twisted against the sheet across her lap with the need to touch him. Brennan entertained the impulse and tentatively stroked her fingertips across his cheek. The stubburn little hairs tickled and she snatched her hand away causing his pillow to move. She didn't want to wake him, but was now fascinated with the shock of hair at his crown. She reached back across and ran her hand through his hair, across his forehead and down the side of his face. Booth unconsciously turned his face into her timid caress.
"Temperance...." He whispered unknowingly, still asleep.
Brennan pulled her hand away guiltily. "What have I done? This is not good.....Oh this bad...very, very bad" Brennan counseled herself as she slid from her bed. She began to walk towards her closet, her hips and legs sore in delicate places never worked out by regular exercise. In the darkness one of her feet landed on Booth's jeans. She picked them up along with his t-shirt and grabbed her robe slung aross the back of the chaise lounge in her room.
His clothes were damp and she walked them to the dryer in the main hallway of her loft. Trying to be as quiet as possible Brennan padded back into her bedroom. Booth still lay engrossed in sleep, his body now sprawled haphazardly across the middle of her bed. She pulled out the gym bag she kept packed with exercise clothes and gym shoes along with a change of work clothes. She quietly went into her bathroom and closed the door behind her.
Brennan showered and dressed quickly in the blue yoga pants and blue sleeveless sport shirt from her bag. After she put her hair in a sloppy ponytail she rubbed some moisturizer on her face and walked back to the dryer to retrieve Booth's clothes. Brennan had removed Booth's wallet from his jeans before drying them and placed it on a shelf in her laundry room. As she grabbed it to put back in his jeans, it slipped from her fingers and plopped open onto the floor. She kneeled to pick up the money and a few pictures that spilled out. The handwriting on one of the pictrues caught her eye. It was her mothers faded script. She turned the picture over to look into the image of her 15 yr. old self "Where did he get this and what is it doing in his wallet?" Brennan wondered to herself. She pushed the picture back into his wallet and began to absently flip through the other photos. There was a recent picture of Booth's son, Parker, and a family photo of a man that looked remarkably like Parker with an attractive petite brunette and a small boy that looked like a mixture of Booth and the woman in the picture. "This must be Booth's brother Jared." She surmised grabbing a laundry bag before turning back into her bedroom.
Booth was still sound asleep now laying on his stomach with his hands under the pillow beneath his head. Brennan placed his now dry clothes at the foot of her bed then walked over to her still wet and scattered clothes and dumped them in the laundry bag. She heard Booth's body stir in his sleep and looked up at her bed to make sure she hadn't awakened him. Brennan padded softly to the edge of the bed nearest her alarm clock to set it for him. While she pressed the buttons on the clock, Booth turned again in his sleep, this time toward her. His arm landed unknowingly across her thigh. Brennan glanced down at it noting the firmness of it. "This is all my fault." She thought to herself. Booth's hand absently closed around her thigh and his thumb began to stroke the inside of it through her yoga pants. Her body began to stir at the simple sensation, her nipples peaked through her sport shirt in recognition of his touch and she inhaled sharply. "Oh no, this has to stop." She silently told herself. Brennan deftly removed Booth's hand from her thigh and lightly lifted herself from the bed. She stood at her bedroom door and looked at his sleeping form one last time before she left her loft.
Angela's House 5:30 AM
Jack untangled Angela's shapely legs from around his body and clumbered sleepily from her toasty bed. He crinkled his face in confusion, wondering what had awakened him. Pulling on his clothes and shoes quickly, he heard the sound again, the buzzer from Angela's doorbell.
"What time is it?" He groggily wondered aloud, glancing at the black and white clock hanging sleekly on the wall.
Jack ran his fingers through his curly brown hair as he peered into the peephole. Brennan was standing nervously in front of the door. He rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat.
"Brennan?" Jack opened the door hurriedly. Brennan just stood there expressionless for a moment before it registered why Jack would be opening Angela's door.
"Hodgins.........this is a bad time, isn't it? I'll just......see Angela at work." Brennan rushed, still not understanding how she ended up on her best friend's doorstep. She turned around quickly before Jack grabbed her arm.
"Brennan, It's 5:30 in the morning. If you really wanted to talk to Angela at work, I'm sure you would've done just that. Besides, I know Angela wants to see you and if I let you leave without the big BFF session I know you're going to have, she'd kill me." Jack pulled Brennan into the house and closed the door.
"I don't know what that means." Brennan blinked, her forehead wrinkling in confusion.
"BFF...... Best Friend Forever..." Jack explained laughing a little to himself.
Brennan followed Jack into Angela's living room and sat down on the couch. She began to quietly study one her favorite paintings by Angela of a white wolf that hang on the opposite wall. She sighed heavily and covered her face with her hands.
Jack noticed Brennan's disheartened sigh and sat on the ottoman facing her. He pulled Brennan's hands down from her face and began to speak quietly. "I know you didn't want to talk to Angela last night, but it may do you some good now."
"Jack......is everything OK?" Angela mumbled sleepily as she walked out of her bedroom in her plush violet robe.
Brennan's eyes widened in embarassment and she mouthed "I'm sorry." to Angela silently. It hadn't even occured to her that Jack would have still been with Angela this morning.
"Don't worry about it, we were going to get up soon anyway." Jack got up as Angela walked into the room, her hair in disarray.
"Morning...." Angela yawned and stretched cat-like as she made her way over to Jack.
Angela and Jack walked hand in hand to her door and he looked encouragingly back to where Brennan sat staring absently. "I think she's ready to talk now."
"I hope so....." Angela sighed heavily.
"Well, she's here now. If anyone can get her to talk, you can." Jack smiled teasingly at Angela and pulled her into an embrace.
"You're right." Angela smiled playfully in return and grabbed his face between her hands.
She softly kissed him and felt his arms go around her waist. His soft lips gently plied hers apart and deepened the kiss. Angela trembled snaking her arms around his neck. The passion igniting between them quickly. Jack forced himself to pull back from the kiss and Angela shuddered.
"We'll finish this later." He whispered the promise before leaving Angela's house.
Angela walked into her kitchen and started her coffee maker, then made her way over to her couch where Brennan was. She resumed Jack's seat on the ottoman in front of Brennan and placed a hand on her knee.
"Sweetie?" Angela attempted to break the silence.
Brennan opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She wanted to confide in Angela, but was finding it hard to give voice to her percieved despicable actions. Her eyes began to water and she sighed heavily burdened with guilt.
Angela was unnerved by her silence, determined to get Brennan to open up. She scooted closer to her on the ottoman and grabbed both her hands. "Brennan, you can talk to me honey..."
"I slept wth Booth..." Brennan spilled before Angela could finish and closed her eyes tightly.
"...and I promise I won't...." Angela stopped as Brennan's words finally registered and her eyes widened in shock, then she exclaimed "WHAT?"
Brennan's Bedroom
Booth's entire body shot up as Brennan's alarm clock went off at 6:00AM. He rubbed his face absently while his eyes searched the room for any sign of Brennan. He listened for her moving about her loft, then noticed a glow under the bedroom door from the light in the main hall and thought "Brennan must be in the bathroom." His eyes landed on his clothes laying neatly on the opposite end of her bed. "Where are my boxers?" He had 3 hours before he was due in his office and still needed to go to his apartment to shower and change. He shifted his foot and felt something tangled around his ankle. He reached down under the sheet and his fingers gripped something lacy, he threw the sheet back to reveal a pale pink scrap of lace, Brennan's panties that he'd pulled from her body the previous night. "GOD, what did I do?" Booth thought harshly clenching his eyes tightly as his mind reeled in rememberance.
He settled his body on top of her bracing himself to look down into the ocean of her eyes. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled his mouth to hers. Her legs firmly around his waist, she began to writhe underneath him driving him beyond his threshold of restraint. She captured his mouth again dueling her tongue with his. He was poised at her entrance barely holding on, his body felt like embers before a flame. A small whimper escaped her throat and she pulled away from the kiss. Her lips caressed his ear, her warm breath eliciting uncontrollable shivers in response. She tightened her legs encouraging him forward and whispered to him.
"I need you inside me....please..."
He was lost, then. He plunged into her welcoming heat, devouring the feast that was her body, unable to control his thrusts. She was like nothing he'd ever felt, hotter... tighter... wetter...surreal...
Booth's eyes snapped open and he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He glanced down at the sheet still covering his lap, hiding his body's reaction to the memory. "I can't believe I took advantage of her like that. What was I thinking? I need to talk to her about what happened, explain .......that I wanted to comfort her, not be a selfish prick!" Stepping out of the warmth of her bed he found his boxers sticking out from underneath. He pulled them on, then dressed quickly and left the bedroom in search of Brennan.
When he reached the kitchen, he noticed her keys and purse absent from their usual perch atop her counter. The coffee pot, set to brew at 5:30AM, had filled the kitchen with a strong hazelnut aroma. "She didn't even have a cup of her favorite coffee......and that means she left before this even had a chance to brew."
"Damnit Brennan, where are you?" He wondered aloud.
Grabbing his coat from the chair at her kitchen table, he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and flipped it open. He pressed 2 on the keypad and waited to be automatically connected with her cell phone. "You've reached Dr. Temperance Brennan........" Her voicemail came on without ringing and he knew she had her phone turned off. "Maybe she just went back to the Jeffersonian, she's usually in her office by 7 AM...I should go over there before I go to work......" Booth reached into Brennan's cabinet and grabbed the mug she'd bought from the novelty shop in his building. "Worlds Greatest FBI Agent" He poured the steaming liquid into the cup and grabbed his coat and keys, turning the inside lock on her door as he pulled it closed behind him.
Back to Angela's house
Angela was still trying to process Brennan's statement, her mouth still hanging open aghast. Her hand clenched tightly around Brennan's as she waited for her to speak.
"I said...." Brennan paused to clear her throat.
"Sweetie?" Angela was waiting expectantly.
"Ange....you're hurting me." Brennan tried to pull her hand from Angela's. "I said...I slept with Booth." Brennan pulled all the way back from the edge of Angela's couch and let her hand go.
"I'm sorry sweetie." Angela apologized, then continued, "Now get back to the part where you slept with Booth."
"He was trying......to comfort me.......and I....I.....kissed him." Brennan sighed heavily, her eyes welling with tears once again. "I ruined everything, I knew how he felt about casual sex and I never should have.......uuuugggghhhh......came onto him like that. This is all my fault!"
"How is this all your fault? Booth is a grown man, you didn't do anything wrong." Angela reasoned.
"Well, he's in a relationship.....with our boss......and I came onto him. He's never.... cheated on anyone, ever. I did that to him!"
Angela was at a loss for words. She knew that this was bound to happen between them eventually, but this is definitely not how she pictured Brennan afterwards. She looked at her best friend, cowering guiltily on her sofa, tears brimming her forlorn sea colored eyes and began to grow ever increasingly angry with the hunky FBI agent she'd deemed as Brennan's protector.
"What am I going to do?" Brennan asked despondently twisting her lips anxiously then residing to bite on her bottom one.
"You aren't going to do anything." Angela finally reasoned. "This is not your fault. None of this is your fault. I was there last night, remember. I saw how distraught you were after talking to Russ. I was so worried when you didn't return from the bathroom. When Booth called to check on you, I thought..... he might be what you needed and I trusted him. I shouldn't have left you alone with him! What was he thinking taking advantage of you like that?
"NO.... Ange, he was trying to comfort me, I kissed him. This is my fault!" Brennan flushed as the scene of them in the bathroom flashed briefly in her mind.
"So, you reached out to him in a moment of emotional upheaval and what does he do......add to that emotional distress by taking you to bed." Angela asked incredulously.
"Ange....PLEASE, don't blame him. He was so......." Brennan inhaled sharply. "gentle....with me....and so ....attentive, It wasn't like that. So, please, please don't blame him."
Angela grabbed Brennan's hand and looked her in the eyes their gazes locking for a long minute. Then she put her arms around Brennan's shoulders and embraced her.
"OK, I won't blame him." Angela promised, then continued with a stipulation. "On one condition, you have to STOP blaming yourself."
Brennan laid her head on Angela's shoulder as fresh tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them back and took a deep breath then promised Angela in return. "I'll try."
The Hodgins' Estate
Booth cut the engine in his FBI issued SUV and leaned against his headrest. Parked in the visitor alcove outside the palatial Hodgins estate, he wondered if anyone was awake inside. He didn't know how he'd ended up outside Jack's home, after his search for Brennan at the Jeffersonian came up empty. He'd been on his way to his apartment, his mind wandering aimlessly until he realized he was driving down the street leading to the Hodgins estate. Booth stirred as he noticed a light flicker in the foyer behind the massive 9 ft tall oak doors. He climbed out of his truck and made his way toward the imposing structure.
"Agent Booth?" Came the stodgy British accented Rolf. Jack's estate keeper, Rolf, had opened the doors before he could even ring the doorbell.
"Rolf, I was uhhh wondering if Jack...." Booth tried to think of a reason he was at Jack's home so early.
"Master Jack just arrived home. He is in the shower, I will show you to his study." Rolf supplied.
Booth stepped into the lavish foyer and followed Rolf past the opulent main floor morning room and up the staircase. He let his fingers glide along the mahogany banister and marveled at the plethora of original artwork displayed along the walls. As he followed Rolf down an eastern corridor he noticed a striking painting of a desert landscape with a cerulean sky so expressive it seemed to be weeping over the dried earth. He studied the painting a moment while Rolf opened the door to Jack's suite, noting how the sky in the painting was the exact shade of Brennan's eyes.
"Master Jack should be out momentarily." Rolf interrupted Booth's perusal as he walked into the study and turned on the lamp by the settee. "May I send you some breakfast along with Master Jack's?"
"Ahh, no thank you Rolf, I won't be staying long enough for that." Booth still hadn't come up with a reason he was actually at Jack's house and now he needed a reason not to eat breakfast.
"Of course he'll be staying for breakfast Rolf." A voice called from the hallway just outside Jack's suite.
"Ahh NO, I really wouldn't want to impose, please don't go to any extra trouble for me." Booth recognized the voice as Jack's grandfather before he entered the study.
Booth had met the shrewd retired businessman after he'd given Jack a "special" assignment to get him out of going to a Jeffersonian charity benefit. Booth and Jack had been in Jack's office at the Jeffersonian "analyzing" a specimen of Catnip masquerading as "Marijuana." Jack's grandfather had come by his office to see just what this "special" assignment was that kept his grandson from his social obligations.
"Are you sure Sir? It is no trouble at all." Rolf pushed the issue of breakast on Booth. "I will just send up a standard breakfast along with Mr. Hodgins' and Master Jack's for you then."
"Agent Booth, It's a bit early to be calling on my grandson, is everything OK?" Jack's grandfather, the elder Jack Hodgins, stood in the doorway of his grandson's suite, his short Napoleon like form clad in navy silk pajamas and a navy robe with matching slippers. He held a pipe in his hand with a copy of the latest Jeffersonian Gazette tucked under his arm. His round spectacles slid precariously down his nose and he raised his eyebrows in question piercing him with the same intense blue-eyed stare as his grandson's while Booth stood silently.
"I...I.... just needed to...speak with Jack briefly. It's not about work Sir." Booth finally offered, hoping that would get him out of breakfast with family Hodgins'
"Rolf, do wake Ethan would you, I need to speak with him before he leaves for school." Jack's grandfather halted Rolf before he exited.
"Yes, Mr. Hodgins." Rolf said before he made his way out of the room.
"And if you can have a car pulled around for that...that.... boy." Mr. Hodgins called to Rolf as the door closed, his face wrinkled in vexation as he continued. "I don't know what sort of man of means there is that doesn't possess a drivers license these days."
Booth realized that Mr. Hodgins was referring to Zach's non-driving status.
"So, this is a personal visit, is it Agent Booth?" Jack's grandfather sat down on the plush maroon velvet settee with accented pillows, opened his Jeffersonian Gazette and motioned for Booth to join him.
"Uhh you can just call me Booth, Sir." Booth sat down opposite Mr. Hodgins and swallowed as he ran his hand across his increasingly stubbled chin. He wished he could avoid the required exchange of pleasantries with Mr. Hodgins, he really just wanted to speak with Jack briefly and get this visit over with.
"Well, Booth, how have you been?" Mr. Hodgins raised his eyebrows across the top of his newspaper as he looked knowingly at Booth.
"I've been fine Sir, absolutely fine." Booth answered tightly.
Mr. Hodgins carried on. "I've read quite a bit about your field work with your brilliant partner, the resplendent Dr. Brennan, I must say you two seem to work seamlessly together."
"Yes, we do.....thank you. It's the best partnership I've ever had." Booth reflected on his answer, wondering when his relationship with Brennan began to outrank even those forged in the throes of war between his Ranger comrades. "Our relationship has become the one thing I can count on now days. I can't even count on spending time with Parker, even that's out of my hands and up to Rebecca's whims....."
Mr. Hodgins noticed that Booth's mind seemed to be elsewhere and wondered if he'd heard his last question. He cleared his throat to get his attention and then asked again.
"Booth, I said speaking of Dr. Brennan, how is she these days?"
"Bones.... Brennan.... she’s fine, great in fact...." Booth was growing exasperated with all the questions about Brennan. He was teetering on the edge of rudeness, trying to think of a way to tactfully excuse himself and catch-up with Jack later, once he made his way back to the Jeffersonian.
Mr. Hodgins studied Booth for a moment wondering about why his posture stiffened at the subject of his partner. Booth sat on the settee with his right leg shaking in anticipation and his eyes darting to the inner door of the suite looking for any sign of Jack's emergence. He assessed Booth's appearance noting how his morning beard seemed to make him look worried. He decided not to press too much about whatever personal matters Jack's friend may be having with the Jeffersonian's favorite anthropologist.
"Well, I'm a big admirer of her work, as a scientist and as an author." Jack's grandfather continued. "Congratulations on her book dedication."
"Oh.... thank You." Booth's mind traveled to when he'd spied the dedication page of her last manuscript shortly before he overheard her father's voice on her answering machine. His brow creased in anger and he shook it off as Jack's grandfather continued his praise of Brennan. Mr. Hodgins continued unintentionally provoking Booth's growing ire, talking about an article written about their last public case in the Jeffersonian Gazette. His commentary on their successful work only proved to grade Booth's already sensitive psyche and Booth clenched his jaw in response.
Just as he finally decided to hurriedly excuse himself and raised up from the comfortable settee, a light tapping at the door of Jack's suite stopped Mr. Hodgins' review and Booth looked to the door as two maids, dressed formally in black and white uniforms, pushed a rolling servants cart into the room. The older one went to the closet and pulled out two round breakfast tables and set them up before him. She unfolded two white serving cloths and placed them on top of the tables as the other maid began to arrange the food in front of Booth. The standard breakfast that Rolf mentioned was anything but. There were scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, waffles, muffins, assorted fruits, juice, coffee and tea. Then she set up a third table in front of Mr. Hodgins. Booth settled himself once again, thinking breakfast might assuage the gnawing headache forming in his temples. He pulled his jacket off just as the maid, that had been arranging the separate plates in front of him, took a long white linen napkin and proceeded to tuck it into the collar of his shirt.
"Thank you..." Booth was startled at the attention.
The maids nodded at both of them and then silently left the room. Booth was staring at the abundance of choices, his mind quickly processing the hunger that now stabbed his empty stomach.
"Well, eat up..." Mr. Hodgins announced pulling the sterling silver cover from atop his platter of poached eggs and grilled salmon with hollandaise sauce.
Just as Booth's fingers grasped some crispy bacon, the door separating Jack's bedroom from his study opened and a freshly showered and dressed Jack Hodgins entered. Jack's crisp blue eyes startled by the scene of his grandfather and Booth sharing breakfast, quickly narrowed in question.
"Booth...Hey man, I wasn't expecting you?" Jack sauntered barefoot over to the separate table with his breakfast encased in it's own sterling silver plate cover then greeted his grandfather.
"Good morning Jack." Mr. Hodgins smiled warmly to his grandson and raised his cup of tea in greeting.
Jack sat down and revealed his breakfast. He was also having the minimal poached eggs and salmon that his grandfather was now devouring.
"So, Booth, do we have a new case?” Jack inquired as he took in Booth’s deportment. He was still clad in his clothes from yesterday. His beard displayed a telling growth and his hair was bed ridden.
“Booth tells me he's here for a personal visit, possibly to talk to you about his “woman troubles”, son.” Jack’s grandfather answered for Booth after taking his last bite of salmon.
“HEY, I never said I was having “woman troubles.” Booth scowled at Mr. Hodgins.
“Oh, you didn't have to say anything. A man doesn’t darken another man’s doorstep in the dead of morning if he’s not having “woman troubles.” Mr. Hodgins teasingly returned Booth’s scowl, then looked amusingly at Jack as he continued. "My Jack is quite the ladies man, I'm sure he can help. Although I hope he's serious about this latest one. Ms. Montenegro is quite the match for him, I suspect. She's such a beautiful woman and a gifted artist."
"That's enough about Angela." Jack smiled at his grandfather's approval, then offered laughingly. "Well, grandfather, there is another reason a man would darken another man's doorstep in the dead of morning....."
"Oh, like if he was having "back" problems." Mr. Hodgins whispered the joke for effect.
"Back problems?" Booth wondered aloud walking right into the joke.
"Broke-back problems...." Jack finished the joke and Mr. Hodgins laughed heartily at the shocked and still amused look on Booth's face.
"Ah yes, that one never gets old, does it Jack?" Mr Hodgins' laughter quieted and he continued. "But Booth here isn't gay, is he.......not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's his preference...."
“I'm not gay......I just needed to talk to Jack that’s all.” Booth looked to Jack with pleading eyes, imploring him to end his grandfather’s teasing.
“OK, so what’s up man?” Jack asked after finishing off his orange juice.
Booth remained silent. He really did want to talk to Jack, but didn’t know how to broach the subject of what happened with Brennan and he definitely didn’t want to do it with an audience.
Jack looked to his grandfather in a silent request for him to leave the room, so he and Booth could speak alone. Mr. Hodgins was enjoying himself a little too much at Booth’s expense. Jack’s eyes crinkled in amusement and he rolled them at his grandfather and then addressed Booth’s continued silence.
“You and Brennan act more alike everyday, what with the before dawn visits….” Jack started.
“You’ve seen Brennan…..this morning?” Booth looked hopefully to Jack.
“She showed up at Angela’s this morning before we woke up “to talk.” Jack supplied.
“Was she alright? I mean, did she seem….upset?” Booth’s brow furrowed forgetting that Jack’s grandfather was still sitting there, silently listening.
Before Jack could answer a knock sounded at the door to his suite, interrupting their conversation. Jack raised his hand to Booth to turn his attention to the door.
A tall lanky boy with wavy shoulder-length sandy brown hair entered the room and stood shyly next to Mr. Hodgins. He had on a prep school uniform. His khaki pants were a little big around his waist. His school-blue dress shirt, that remained unbuttoned, intensified the color of his trade mark "Hodgins" blue eyes. His crisp white T-Shirt emblazoned his school logo “George Washington Academy” in navy blue lettering.
Booth appraised the handsome youngest Hodgins from head to toe and noticed he was wearing a pair of red “Boston Red Sox” socks. He liked the kid immediately.
Jack proceeded to introduce them. “Ethan, this is my friend Special Agent Seeley Booth. He works with Dr. Brennan at the Jeffersonian.”
Booth backed away from his breakfast table and extended his hand to the kid.
“Booth this is my other grandson, Ethan. “ Mr. Hodgins proudly finished the introduction as Ethan shook Booth’s hand.
“Well, Booth, it was nice having breakfast with you. You must come back for dinner sometime. Perhaps the next time Jack brings Ms. Montenegro over. Yes, that would be splendid. I’ll have Rolf plan something formal. Oh and make sure you bring Dr. Brennan.” Mr. Hodgins conspired as he grasped Ethan’s arm and proceeded to walk out of Jack’s suite.
“It was nice to have met you Booth.” Ethan smiled revealing two dimples that made him look even more bashful, before following his grandfather out into the hall.
“Same here Ethan.” Booth replied.
Jack closed the door behind his cousin and grandfather, and then turned around suspiciously toward Booth. He put his hands deep into the pockets of the black cargo pants he wore causing his cream sweater to pull tight across his shoulders.
“Nice looking kid.” Booth complimented Ethan, then he teased. “Tall for a Hodgins, and surprisingly well-mannered.”
Jack smiled at the quips as he resumed his seat in front of his breakfast table and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee.
“So, Booth, you’re having “woman troubles?” Hodgins quipped right back at Booth, pursing his lips so he wouldn’t smile.
Just as Booth was about to challenge, a light scratching sounded at the door to Jack's suite. Jack went to reopen the door and a small Beagle entered and looked up at Jack expectantly.
"Monroe, Ethan's gone with grandfather. They're probably in the kitchen." Jack relayed to the dog.
Monroe, seeming to understand what Jack relayed, gave a sharp bark and ran from the room. Jack closed the door behind him and turned to face Booth again.
"My cousin's dog, he's a riot." Jack explained, then smiling, returned to their previous conversation. "So, what's the trouble, Booth?"
“I never told your grandfather that I was having “woman troubles.” Booth exasperated. Now that he was faced with the prospect of talking to Jack about what happened with Brennan. He felt the need to stall.
“Well, as much as I enjoy spending time with you, man. If you’re not here about “woman troubles” I think you may have the wrong idea about our relationship. I mean it’s one thing to ask me what I’m doing after work, but to show up at my house without calling and before dawn too…”
“Jack…” Booth tried to interrupt Jack’s teasing.
“I surely never meant to lead you on….”
“Jack….” Booth tried again.
“As flattering as this is, I’m just not like that…”
“JACK!” Booth exclaimed.
“Hey man, lighten up, I was only kidding.” Jack smiled as he got up and pushed his breakfast table toward the door. He noticed the sullen expression resume Booth’s features and decided to cut him some slack.
Booth took a deep breath and ran his hand across his morning beard again then exhaled.
“I just needed to talk to you about…..” Booth started then grew silent once more.
“About Brennan?” Jack surmised from how concerned Booth seemed that he’d seen her this morning.
"You said she showed up at Angela's house this morning?" Booth resumed.
"Yeah, I got the impression that she was ready to talk to Angela about what happened with Russ and her father." Jack recounted, then asked. "Was she OK when you left her house last night?"
Booth didn't know how to answer that question, because he never left Brennan's house last night. He'd held her in his arms all night in her bed while she sporadically cried in her sleep. He sank down into the settee and closed his eyes tightly, then brought a hand up to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Jack noticed the myriad of emotions flicker across Booth's face before he closed his eyes and it dawned on him. "Wait....You didn't leave Brennan's house last night, did you?"
Booth's head snapped up and his eyes opened as a guilty expression settled across his mouth. He opened his mouth to speak, but still couldn't conjure up any words to describe what happened.
"You spent the night at Brennan's. That's why you look like hell this morning in the same clothes you had on last night. What happened Booth?" Jack implored Booth to confide in him.
"I....I was trying to comfort her. I swear......I never meant to h-hurt her." Booth stammered as he stood and walked over to the window of Jack's study. He peered out the sheer curtain lining covering the window toward the greenhouse on the Hodgins property.
"What makes you think that you hurt her?" Jack noticed Booth's shoulders tense and his fist clench still facing the window.
"She was gone this morning Jack. I've called her...to...to apologize. I went by her office......She must be hurt." Booth offered guiltily.
"Apologize for what Booth? For spending the night with her after she'd been put through a horrible ordeal with her family." Jack scoffed. "Am I missing something here? What are you leaving out?" Jack continued as he stood up and walked over to the window to stand next to Booth.
Booth hung his head in shame and hunched his shoulders in defeat. "What have I done? She probably won't even want to talk to me. I can't believe I treated her like that. I can't believe I treated her like that." Booth walked away from the window and walked back over to the settee. He sank back down onto the plush surface and rasied his weary eyes to Jack, an ominous frown creased his forehead.
Jack turned toward the settee where Booth had once again settled and realized that Brennan had behaved in much the same manner when he encountered her earlier. GUILTY. He wondered silently to himself how the guilt had manifested between them.
Booth groaned under Jack's pensive stare and rested his elbows on his knees. He covered his face with his hands and let out a long labored sigh, then confessed.
"I messed up Jack. Bad, really bad....." Booth started then hesitated, but as Jack's raised eyesbrows implored him to finish, he continued on a huff. "I slept with Brennan."
“Whoa……whoa…wait a minute… Did you just say?” Jack stammered, then resumed his seat in front of Booth.
Booth’s mouth tightened and he wrung his hands together, then he broke.
“GOD Jack, how could I do that? How could I take advantage of her like that?”
“Hey, wait a minute. You would never hurt Brennan like that, so whatever happened between you, I would bet Ethan, it was consensual.” Booth looked at Jack strangely so he offered. “I wouldn’t really bet Ethan. I just said that for effect.....to convey how sure I am that you wouldn’t hurt Brennan that way.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Booth said dejectedly standing up once again.
“It isn’t a vote of confidence. It’s what I know to be true. I’ve witnessed how far you’re willing to go to protect her, and I’ve got to tell to you man, you’re not giving Brennan enough credit by taking the blame for whatever happened.” Jack began to argue his point.
“It’s certainly not her fault. I mean she did kiss me, but it wasn’t like that, she didn’t really mean it, she couldn’t have known what she was doing, she wasn’t herself…..” Booth began to paint a verbal picture for Jack to play out in his mind.
“So let me get this straight; Brennan was upset, you were trying to “comfort” her, she kissed you and somehow that transitioned into you two sleeping together…” Jack surmised.
Booth silently nodded his head in agreement.
“Now let’s just keep in mind that Brennan is a borderline feminist, that literally cringes at the very notion that a situation would occur where she wouldn’t be in charge of her own actions. Yet you really believe that she didn’t mean to kiss you and that you alone are solely responsible for that kiss resulting in the two of you in bed together. “ Jack continued.
Booth’s eyebrows gathered in a frown as Jack’s words began to penetrate his guilty fog.
Jack quickly defended. “Look man, I’m not trying to totally absolve you of any responsibility, I’m not saying that your obvious attraction to Brennan didn’t come into play. I’m just saying that the responsibility is shared between the two of you and that Brennan wouldn’t want it to be any other way.”
Booth began to feel slightly better about the state of his relationship with Brennan. He could feel his nerves slowing backing away from the edge and he let out a breath he’d been holding since Jack started talking. Then his mind locked onto part of what Jack said.
“I’m not obviously attracted to Brennan.” Booth stressed.
“Man, you are SO obviously attracted to her, and that's an understatement” Jack accused laughingly.
“That’s completely ridiculous, It’s obvious, that she’s a beautiful woman. I mean come on, I’m not blind, but I’m not attracted to her, in that way.” Booth uncomfortably denied.
“CLEARLY, you’re attracted to her “in that way,” you know, “sexually…” Jack was now growing exasperated by this turn in the conversation given the reason for Booth’s impromptu visit. “You don’t have to play that “she’s just my partner” role with me. I’m a great study of behavior and I see the way you look at her sometimes man. And the whole “touching” thing really is gay if you’re not attracted to her.
“What “touching” thing?” Booth’s eyes narrowed as Jack continued.
“Oh man, you don’t even realize you’re doing it.” Jack smiled as he theorized. “You’re always touching her. Whether it’s holding her hand, or arranging her hair when you’re helping her put her coat on. You’ve always got your arm around her or your hand at the small of her back. It’s very…spouse-like.”
Booth ingested Jack’s observations and kicked into detective mode. He squared his shoulders and clenched his jaw then stepped forward intimidatingly toward Jack.
“So, who else has noticed this?” He asked seemingly innocent.
“Oh man, lots of people…” Jack confessed not noticing he was now being interrogated and continued. “ Angela and I talk about it all the time. Peter and Warren, two Brennanites from Pure Research, were just talking about how you had your arm around her waist possessively in that new photo on her webpage from her book signing and they asked me when I thought you two would “go public” with your relationship.
“WOW, SO, you were gossiping about me and Brennan? And who the HELL are Peter and Warren?” Booth was growing irritated and practically growled the last part.
“First of all, I wasn’t gossiping, OK. I was asked a question about my knowledge on the romantic involvement of two people I happen to be close friends with. A discussion which I did not take part in.” Jack refuted.
Booth smiled in spite of himself at Jack’s lengthy answer to his simple accusation. Then he repeated the 2nd part of his question. “Who the hell are Peter and Warren?”
“Peter Hagen and Warren Finckbohm are scientist from the Pure Research department. They're like........ Jeffersonian paparazzi where Brennan is concerned. Peter heads the DC area Brennanites chapter and Warren, also a member.....is the guy that she went on one date with when we she first started working there, but they didn't really connect. He's been kind of holding a torch for her ever since. " Jack's diatribe slowed as Booth began to glower at him.
"I can't believe there are people working with her on a daily basis that are actually apart of that...that...group!" Booth was incensed at the revelation.
"It's the offical name of her fan club, Booth, you can't go around referring to them as "that....that....group." Besides Pete and Warren have little to no professional contact with Brennan, so don't worry." Jack could tell that this direction of their conversation was only proving to bring out Booth's protectiveness.
Booth calmed back down a little and added. "It's just that Oliver Laurier is a part of that group and he really is a stalker....I swear I would......."
Booth's entire body seemed to tense just at the thought that Laurier was somewhere watching Brennan's every move, stalking her, the same way Kirby had been hunting Russ. Although Laurier's motives were different, that only proved to anger him more. His eyes seemed to squint of their own accord and he flexed his jaw to keep from verbalizing that he would literally kill Oliver Laurier or anyone else that threatened his family and that's what Brennan was to him now, a part of his family and he needed to make sure she was safe and see for himself that she wasn't hurt by his actions.
Booth looked at his watch and realized he was going to be late for work, but figured he had some personal time he could take for the first part of the morning because this was important.
"Jack, thanks for the talk, I'm gonna head out." Booth grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
"I'll see you later." Jack called to Booth's back knowingly as he walked down the hall.
Title: undetermined (Post Judas on a Pole)
Author: tracgyrl
Category: Bones Season 2Pairing: B/B, H/A, B/C friendship
Genre: Angst, Romance
Rating: This chapter is rated R just to be safe
Summary: This picks up at the very end of the Season 2 episode Judas on a Pole as Booth and Brennan walk into the Diner.
Spoilers: Everything up until this episode
Disclaimer: The characters in Bones were created by Kathy Reichs and Hart Hanson and are the property of Josephson Entertainment and 20th Century FOX. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
A/N: Booth and Brennan do not have a part together in this chapter, but they are thinking ::and talking:: about each other. I've taken some liberties with the canon for Jack Hodgins character and introduced a couple of new characters that tie into him. Let me know if you feel that I've overdeveloped them. Also Talon sent me an IM about the small mention of Cam's ex Danny and I never got to reply. No Danny is not from Bones, however he is a crossover character (from another show) that I will be using for another part of the fic. That's all you're getting out of me about that. lol
Chapter 4.
The next morning Brennan's loft
Brennan's mind slowly awakened from a restful sleep. She felt something secure around her waist and gentle breathing against her neck. Booth's legs were entangled with Brennan's as he spooned her in his sleep. His left arm rested under her head and his left hand clasped hers, their fingers intertwined in sleep. His right arm secured around her waist with her hand grasping his. As Brennan stirred awake Booth's embrace tightened. She slid her hand down his vise-like arm and pulled it free from around her. Moving slowly she turned on the bed to sit up, the sheet falling to her lap, revealing her naked form. Their clothes lay in an unforgotten heap on the side of the bed. The white down comforter that usually graced the top of her king sized bed was so far removed it threatened to join them. Brennan glanced at the clock atop her nightstand and it read 4:00 AM. A deep sigh escaped her body as she ran her hand absently through her hair. One of Booth's legs moved under the cover and she glanced down at it, her mind drifting back to the night before.
Booth's strong, spartan like, legs supported her as she moved atop of his body. His hands, fastened to her waist, guided her movements. He bent his knees bringing her agile upper body closer to his unyielding chest. She opened her eyes and looked down at him. His eyes, black with passion, pierced her like a knife. Her breath stole from her by his gaze, she inhaled sharply as her body continued to move...up...down....up.....down....
"You're so beautiful.....Temperance.....Ahhhh....."
"Seeley......." She threw her head back arching her body, her hair caressing the top of his knees......
Brennan shook her head and looked down at Booth's sleeping face. He seemed so relaxed, like he didn't have a care in the world. His hair disheveled and his chin full of stubble. Her hands twisted against the sheet across her lap with the need to touch him. Brennan entertained the impulse and tentatively stroked her fingertips across his cheek. The stubburn little hairs tickled and she snatched her hand away causing his pillow to move. She didn't want to wake him, but was now fascinated with the shock of hair at his crown. She reached back across and ran her hand through his hair, across his forehead and down the side of his face. Booth unconsciously turned his face into her timid caress.
"Temperance...." He whispered unknowingly, still asleep.
Brennan pulled her hand away guiltily. "What have I done? This is not good.....Oh this bad...very, very bad" Brennan counseled herself as she slid from her bed. She began to walk towards her closet, her hips and legs sore in delicate places never worked out by regular exercise. In the darkness one of her feet landed on Booth's jeans. She picked them up along with his t-shirt and grabbed her robe slung aross the back of the chaise lounge in her room.
His clothes were damp and she walked them to the dryer in the main hallway of her loft. Trying to be as quiet as possible Brennan padded back into her bedroom. Booth still lay engrossed in sleep, his body now sprawled haphazardly across the middle of her bed. She pulled out the gym bag she kept packed with exercise clothes and gym shoes along with a change of work clothes. She quietly went into her bathroom and closed the door behind her.
Brennan showered and dressed quickly in the blue yoga pants and blue sleeveless sport shirt from her bag. After she put her hair in a sloppy ponytail she rubbed some moisturizer on her face and walked back to the dryer to retrieve Booth's clothes. Brennan had removed Booth's wallet from his jeans before drying them and placed it on a shelf in her laundry room. As she grabbed it to put back in his jeans, it slipped from her fingers and plopped open onto the floor. She kneeled to pick up the money and a few pictures that spilled out. The handwriting on one of the pictrues caught her eye. It was her mothers faded script. She turned the picture over to look into the image of her 15 yr. old self "Where did he get this and what is it doing in his wallet?" Brennan wondered to herself. She pushed the picture back into his wallet and began to absently flip through the other photos. There was a recent picture of Booth's son, Parker, and a family photo of a man that looked remarkably like Parker with an attractive petite brunette and a small boy that looked like a mixture of Booth and the woman in the picture. "This must be Booth's brother Jared." She surmised grabbing a laundry bag before turning back into her bedroom.
Booth was still sound asleep now laying on his stomach with his hands under the pillow beneath his head. Brennan placed his now dry clothes at the foot of her bed then walked over to her still wet and scattered clothes and dumped them in the laundry bag. She heard Booth's body stir in his sleep and looked up at her bed to make sure she hadn't awakened him. Brennan padded softly to the edge of the bed nearest her alarm clock to set it for him. While she pressed the buttons on the clock, Booth turned again in his sleep, this time toward her. His arm landed unknowingly across her thigh. Brennan glanced down at it noting the firmness of it. "This is all my fault." She thought to herself. Booth's hand absently closed around her thigh and his thumb began to stroke the inside of it through her yoga pants. Her body began to stir at the simple sensation, her nipples peaked through her sport shirt in recognition of his touch and she inhaled sharply. "Oh no, this has to stop." She silently told herself. Brennan deftly removed Booth's hand from her thigh and lightly lifted herself from the bed. She stood at her bedroom door and looked at his sleeping form one last time before she left her loft.
Angela's House 5:30 AM
Jack untangled Angela's shapely legs from around his body and clumbered sleepily from her toasty bed. He crinkled his face in confusion, wondering what had awakened him. Pulling on his clothes and shoes quickly, he heard the sound again, the buzzer from Angela's doorbell.
"What time is it?" He groggily wondered aloud, glancing at the black and white clock hanging sleekly on the wall.
Jack ran his fingers through his curly brown hair as he peered into the peephole. Brennan was standing nervously in front of the door. He rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat.
"Brennan?" Jack opened the door hurriedly. Brennan just stood there expressionless for a moment before it registered why Jack would be opening Angela's door.
"Hodgins.........this is a bad time, isn't it? I'll just......see Angela at work." Brennan rushed, still not understanding how she ended up on her best friend's doorstep. She turned around quickly before Jack grabbed her arm.
"Brennan, It's 5:30 in the morning. If you really wanted to talk to Angela at work, I'm sure you would've done just that. Besides, I know Angela wants to see you and if I let you leave without the big BFF session I know you're going to have, she'd kill me." Jack pulled Brennan into the house and closed the door.
"I don't know what that means." Brennan blinked, her forehead wrinkling in confusion.
"BFF...... Best Friend Forever..." Jack explained laughing a little to himself.
Brennan followed Jack into Angela's living room and sat down on the couch. She began to quietly study one her favorite paintings by Angela of a white wolf that hang on the opposite wall. She sighed heavily and covered her face with her hands.
Jack noticed Brennan's disheartened sigh and sat on the ottoman facing her. He pulled Brennan's hands down from her face and began to speak quietly. "I know you didn't want to talk to Angela last night, but it may do you some good now."
"Jack......is everything OK?" Angela mumbled sleepily as she walked out of her bedroom in her plush violet robe.
Brennan's eyes widened in embarassment and she mouthed "I'm sorry." to Angela silently. It hadn't even occured to her that Jack would have still been with Angela this morning.
"Don't worry about it, we were going to get up soon anyway." Jack got up as Angela walked into the room, her hair in disarray.
"Morning...." Angela yawned and stretched cat-like as she made her way over to Jack.
Angela and Jack walked hand in hand to her door and he looked encouragingly back to where Brennan sat staring absently. "I think she's ready to talk now."
"I hope so....." Angela sighed heavily.
"Well, she's here now. If anyone can get her to talk, you can." Jack smiled teasingly at Angela and pulled her into an embrace.
"You're right." Angela smiled playfully in return and grabbed his face between her hands.
She softly kissed him and felt his arms go around her waist. His soft lips gently plied hers apart and deepened the kiss. Angela trembled snaking her arms around his neck. The passion igniting between them quickly. Jack forced himself to pull back from the kiss and Angela shuddered.
"We'll finish this later." He whispered the promise before leaving Angela's house.
Angela walked into her kitchen and started her coffee maker, then made her way over to her couch where Brennan was. She resumed Jack's seat on the ottoman in front of Brennan and placed a hand on her knee.
"Sweetie?" Angela attempted to break the silence.
Brennan opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She wanted to confide in Angela, but was finding it hard to give voice to her percieved despicable actions. Her eyes began to water and she sighed heavily burdened with guilt.
Angela was unnerved by her silence, determined to get Brennan to open up. She scooted closer to her on the ottoman and grabbed both her hands. "Brennan, you can talk to me honey..."
"I slept wth Booth..." Brennan spilled before Angela could finish and closed her eyes tightly.
"...and I promise I won't...." Angela stopped as Brennan's words finally registered and her eyes widened in shock, then she exclaimed "WHAT?"
Brennan's Bedroom
Booth's entire body shot up as Brennan's alarm clock went off at 6:00AM. He rubbed his face absently while his eyes searched the room for any sign of Brennan. He listened for her moving about her loft, then noticed a glow under the bedroom door from the light in the main hall and thought "Brennan must be in the bathroom." His eyes landed on his clothes laying neatly on the opposite end of her bed. "Where are my boxers?" He had 3 hours before he was due in his office and still needed to go to his apartment to shower and change. He shifted his foot and felt something tangled around his ankle. He reached down under the sheet and his fingers gripped something lacy, he threw the sheet back to reveal a pale pink scrap of lace, Brennan's panties that he'd pulled from her body the previous night. "GOD, what did I do?" Booth thought harshly clenching his eyes tightly as his mind reeled in rememberance.
He settled his body on top of her bracing himself to look down into the ocean of her eyes. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled his mouth to hers. Her legs firmly around his waist, she began to writhe underneath him driving him beyond his threshold of restraint. She captured his mouth again dueling her tongue with his. He was poised at her entrance barely holding on, his body felt like embers before a flame. A small whimper escaped her throat and she pulled away from the kiss. Her lips caressed his ear, her warm breath eliciting uncontrollable shivers in response. She tightened her legs encouraging him forward and whispered to him.
"I need you inside me....please..."
He was lost, then. He plunged into her welcoming heat, devouring the feast that was her body, unable to control his thrusts. She was like nothing he'd ever felt, hotter... tighter... wetter...surreal...
Booth's eyes snapped open and he swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. He glanced down at the sheet still covering his lap, hiding his body's reaction to the memory. "I can't believe I took advantage of her like that. What was I thinking? I need to talk to her about what happened, explain .......that I wanted to comfort her, not be a selfish prick!" Stepping out of the warmth of her bed he found his boxers sticking out from underneath. He pulled them on, then dressed quickly and left the bedroom in search of Brennan.
When he reached the kitchen, he noticed her keys and purse absent from their usual perch atop her counter. The coffee pot, set to brew at 5:30AM, had filled the kitchen with a strong hazelnut aroma. "She didn't even have a cup of her favorite coffee......and that means she left before this even had a chance to brew."
"Damnit Brennan, where are you?" He wondered aloud.
Grabbing his coat from the chair at her kitchen table, he pulled his cellphone from his pocket and flipped it open. He pressed 2 on the keypad and waited to be automatically connected with her cell phone. "You've reached Dr. Temperance Brennan........" Her voicemail came on without ringing and he knew she had her phone turned off. "Maybe she just went back to the Jeffersonian, she's usually in her office by 7 AM...I should go over there before I go to work......" Booth reached into Brennan's cabinet and grabbed the mug she'd bought from the novelty shop in his building. "Worlds Greatest FBI Agent" He poured the steaming liquid into the cup and grabbed his coat and keys, turning the inside lock on her door as he pulled it closed behind him.
Back to Angela's house
Angela was still trying to process Brennan's statement, her mouth still hanging open aghast. Her hand clenched tightly around Brennan's as she waited for her to speak.
"I said...." Brennan paused to clear her throat.
"Sweetie?" Angela was waiting expectantly.
"Ange....you're hurting me." Brennan tried to pull her hand from Angela's. "I said...I slept with Booth." Brennan pulled all the way back from the edge of Angela's couch and let her hand go.
"I'm sorry sweetie." Angela apologized, then continued, "Now get back to the part where you slept with Booth."
"He was trying......to comfort me.......and I....I.....kissed him." Brennan sighed heavily, her eyes welling with tears once again. "I ruined everything, I knew how he felt about casual sex and I never should have.......uuuugggghhhh......came onto him like that. This is all my fault!"
"How is this all your fault? Booth is a grown man, you didn't do anything wrong." Angela reasoned.
"Well, he's in a relationship.....with our boss......and I came onto him. He's never.... cheated on anyone, ever. I did that to him!"
Angela was at a loss for words. She knew that this was bound to happen between them eventually, but this is definitely not how she pictured Brennan afterwards. She looked at her best friend, cowering guiltily on her sofa, tears brimming her forlorn sea colored eyes and began to grow ever increasingly angry with the hunky FBI agent she'd deemed as Brennan's protector.
"What am I going to do?" Brennan asked despondently twisting her lips anxiously then residing to bite on her bottom one.
"You aren't going to do anything." Angela finally reasoned. "This is not your fault. None of this is your fault. I was there last night, remember. I saw how distraught you were after talking to Russ. I was so worried when you didn't return from the bathroom. When Booth called to check on you, I thought..... he might be what you needed and I trusted him. I shouldn't have left you alone with him! What was he thinking taking advantage of you like that?
"NO.... Ange, he was trying to comfort me, I kissed him. This is my fault!" Brennan flushed as the scene of them in the bathroom flashed briefly in her mind.
"So, you reached out to him in a moment of emotional upheaval and what does he do......add to that emotional distress by taking you to bed." Angela asked incredulously.
"Ange....PLEASE, don't blame him. He was so......." Brennan inhaled sharply. "gentle....with me....and so ....attentive, It wasn't like that. So, please, please don't blame him."
Angela grabbed Brennan's hand and looked her in the eyes their gazes locking for a long minute. Then she put her arms around Brennan's shoulders and embraced her.
"OK, I won't blame him." Angela promised, then continued with a stipulation. "On one condition, you have to STOP blaming yourself."
Brennan laid her head on Angela's shoulder as fresh tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them back and took a deep breath then promised Angela in return. "I'll try."
The Hodgins' Estate
Booth cut the engine in his FBI issued SUV and leaned against his headrest. Parked in the visitor alcove outside the palatial Hodgins estate, he wondered if anyone was awake inside. He didn't know how he'd ended up outside Jack's home, after his search for Brennan at the Jeffersonian came up empty. He'd been on his way to his apartment, his mind wandering aimlessly until he realized he was driving down the street leading to the Hodgins estate. Booth stirred as he noticed a light flicker in the foyer behind the massive 9 ft tall oak doors. He climbed out of his truck and made his way toward the imposing structure.
"Agent Booth?" Came the stodgy British accented Rolf. Jack's estate keeper, Rolf, had opened the doors before he could even ring the doorbell.
"Rolf, I was uhhh wondering if Jack...." Booth tried to think of a reason he was at Jack's home so early.
"Master Jack just arrived home. He is in the shower, I will show you to his study." Rolf supplied.
Booth stepped into the lavish foyer and followed Rolf past the opulent main floor morning room and up the staircase. He let his fingers glide along the mahogany banister and marveled at the plethora of original artwork displayed along the walls. As he followed Rolf down an eastern corridor he noticed a striking painting of a desert landscape with a cerulean sky so expressive it seemed to be weeping over the dried earth. He studied the painting a moment while Rolf opened the door to Jack's suite, noting how the sky in the painting was the exact shade of Brennan's eyes.
"Master Jack should be out momentarily." Rolf interrupted Booth's perusal as he walked into the study and turned on the lamp by the settee. "May I send you some breakfast along with Master Jack's?"
"Ahh, no thank you Rolf, I won't be staying long enough for that." Booth still hadn't come up with a reason he was actually at Jack's house and now he needed a reason not to eat breakfast.
"Of course he'll be staying for breakfast Rolf." A voice called from the hallway just outside Jack's suite.
"Ahh NO, I really wouldn't want to impose, please don't go to any extra trouble for me." Booth recognized the voice as Jack's grandfather before he entered the study.
Booth had met the shrewd retired businessman after he'd given Jack a "special" assignment to get him out of going to a Jeffersonian charity benefit. Booth and Jack had been in Jack's office at the Jeffersonian "analyzing" a specimen of Catnip masquerading as "Marijuana." Jack's grandfather had come by his office to see just what this "special" assignment was that kept his grandson from his social obligations.
"Are you sure Sir? It is no trouble at all." Rolf pushed the issue of breakast on Booth. "I will just send up a standard breakfast along with Mr. Hodgins' and Master Jack's for you then."
"Agent Booth, It's a bit early to be calling on my grandson, is everything OK?" Jack's grandfather, the elder Jack Hodgins, stood in the doorway of his grandson's suite, his short Napoleon like form clad in navy silk pajamas and a navy robe with matching slippers. He held a pipe in his hand with a copy of the latest Jeffersonian Gazette tucked under his arm. His round spectacles slid precariously down his nose and he raised his eyebrows in question piercing him with the same intense blue-eyed stare as his grandson's while Booth stood silently.
"I...I.... just needed to...speak with Jack briefly. It's not about work Sir." Booth finally offered, hoping that would get him out of breakfast with family Hodgins'
"Rolf, do wake Ethan would you, I need to speak with him before he leaves for school." Jack's grandfather halted Rolf before he exited.
"Yes, Mr. Hodgins." Rolf said before he made his way out of the room.
"And if you can have a car pulled around for that...that.... boy." Mr. Hodgins called to Rolf as the door closed, his face wrinkled in vexation as he continued. "I don't know what sort of man of means there is that doesn't possess a drivers license these days."
Booth realized that Mr. Hodgins was referring to Zach's non-driving status.
"So, this is a personal visit, is it Agent Booth?" Jack's grandfather sat down on the plush maroon velvet settee with accented pillows, opened his Jeffersonian Gazette and motioned for Booth to join him.
"Uhh you can just call me Booth, Sir." Booth sat down opposite Mr. Hodgins and swallowed as he ran his hand across his increasingly stubbled chin. He wished he could avoid the required exchange of pleasantries with Mr. Hodgins, he really just wanted to speak with Jack briefly and get this visit over with.
"Well, Booth, how have you been?" Mr. Hodgins raised his eyebrows across the top of his newspaper as he looked knowingly at Booth.
"I've been fine Sir, absolutely fine." Booth answered tightly.
Mr. Hodgins carried on. "I've read quite a bit about your field work with your brilliant partner, the resplendent Dr. Brennan, I must say you two seem to work seamlessly together."
"Yes, we do.....thank you. It's the best partnership I've ever had." Booth reflected on his answer, wondering when his relationship with Brennan began to outrank even those forged in the throes of war between his Ranger comrades. "Our relationship has become the one thing I can count on now days. I can't even count on spending time with Parker, even that's out of my hands and up to Rebecca's whims....."
Mr. Hodgins noticed that Booth's mind seemed to be elsewhere and wondered if he'd heard his last question. He cleared his throat to get his attention and then asked again.
"Booth, I said speaking of Dr. Brennan, how is she these days?"
"Bones.... Brennan.... she’s fine, great in fact...." Booth was growing exasperated with all the questions about Brennan. He was teetering on the edge of rudeness, trying to think of a way to tactfully excuse himself and catch-up with Jack later, once he made his way back to the Jeffersonian.
Mr. Hodgins studied Booth for a moment wondering about why his posture stiffened at the subject of his partner. Booth sat on the settee with his right leg shaking in anticipation and his eyes darting to the inner door of the suite looking for any sign of Jack's emergence. He assessed Booth's appearance noting how his morning beard seemed to make him look worried. He decided not to press too much about whatever personal matters Jack's friend may be having with the Jeffersonian's favorite anthropologist.
"Well, I'm a big admirer of her work, as a scientist and as an author." Jack's grandfather continued. "Congratulations on her book dedication."
"Oh.... thank You." Booth's mind traveled to when he'd spied the dedication page of her last manuscript shortly before he overheard her father's voice on her answering machine. His brow creased in anger and he shook it off as Jack's grandfather continued his praise of Brennan. Mr. Hodgins continued unintentionally provoking Booth's growing ire, talking about an article written about their last public case in the Jeffersonian Gazette. His commentary on their successful work only proved to grade Booth's already sensitive psyche and Booth clenched his jaw in response.
Just as he finally decided to hurriedly excuse himself and raised up from the comfortable settee, a light tapping at the door of Jack's suite stopped Mr. Hodgins' review and Booth looked to the door as two maids, dressed formally in black and white uniforms, pushed a rolling servants cart into the room. The older one went to the closet and pulled out two round breakfast tables and set them up before him. She unfolded two white serving cloths and placed them on top of the tables as the other maid began to arrange the food in front of Booth. The standard breakfast that Rolf mentioned was anything but. There were scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, waffles, muffins, assorted fruits, juice, coffee and tea. Then she set up a third table in front of Mr. Hodgins. Booth settled himself once again, thinking breakfast might assuage the gnawing headache forming in his temples. He pulled his jacket off just as the maid, that had been arranging the separate plates in front of him, took a long white linen napkin and proceeded to tuck it into the collar of his shirt.
"Thank you..." Booth was startled at the attention.
The maids nodded at both of them and then silently left the room. Booth was staring at the abundance of choices, his mind quickly processing the hunger that now stabbed his empty stomach.
"Well, eat up..." Mr. Hodgins announced pulling the sterling silver cover from atop his platter of poached eggs and grilled salmon with hollandaise sauce.
Just as Booth's fingers grasped some crispy bacon, the door separating Jack's bedroom from his study opened and a freshly showered and dressed Jack Hodgins entered. Jack's crisp blue eyes startled by the scene of his grandfather and Booth sharing breakfast, quickly narrowed in question.
"Booth...Hey man, I wasn't expecting you?" Jack sauntered barefoot over to the separate table with his breakfast encased in it's own sterling silver plate cover then greeted his grandfather.
"Good morning Jack." Mr. Hodgins smiled warmly to his grandson and raised his cup of tea in greeting.
Jack sat down and revealed his breakfast. He was also having the minimal poached eggs and salmon that his grandfather was now devouring.
"So, Booth, do we have a new case?” Jack inquired as he took in Booth’s deportment. He was still clad in his clothes from yesterday. His beard displayed a telling growth and his hair was bed ridden.
“Booth tells me he's here for a personal visit, possibly to talk to you about his “woman troubles”, son.” Jack’s grandfather answered for Booth after taking his last bite of salmon.
“HEY, I never said I was having “woman troubles.” Booth scowled at Mr. Hodgins.
“Oh, you didn't have to say anything. A man doesn’t darken another man’s doorstep in the dead of morning if he’s not having “woman troubles.” Mr. Hodgins teasingly returned Booth’s scowl, then looked amusingly at Jack as he continued. "My Jack is quite the ladies man, I'm sure he can help. Although I hope he's serious about this latest one. Ms. Montenegro is quite the match for him, I suspect. She's such a beautiful woman and a gifted artist."
"That's enough about Angela." Jack smiled at his grandfather's approval, then offered laughingly. "Well, grandfather, there is another reason a man would darken another man's doorstep in the dead of morning....."
"Oh, like if he was having "back" problems." Mr. Hodgins whispered the joke for effect.
"Back problems?" Booth wondered aloud walking right into the joke.
"Broke-back problems...." Jack finished the joke and Mr. Hodgins laughed heartily at the shocked and still amused look on Booth's face.
"Ah yes, that one never gets old, does it Jack?" Mr Hodgins' laughter quieted and he continued. "But Booth here isn't gay, is he.......not that there's anything wrong with that, if that's his preference...."
“I'm not gay......I just needed to talk to Jack that’s all.” Booth looked to Jack with pleading eyes, imploring him to end his grandfather’s teasing.
“OK, so what’s up man?” Jack asked after finishing off his orange juice.
Booth remained silent. He really did want to talk to Jack, but didn’t know how to broach the subject of what happened with Brennan and he definitely didn’t want to do it with an audience.
Jack looked to his grandfather in a silent request for him to leave the room, so he and Booth could speak alone. Mr. Hodgins was enjoying himself a little too much at Booth’s expense. Jack’s eyes crinkled in amusement and he rolled them at his grandfather and then addressed Booth’s continued silence.
“You and Brennan act more alike everyday, what with the before dawn visits….” Jack started.
“You’ve seen Brennan…..this morning?” Booth looked hopefully to Jack.
“She showed up at Angela’s this morning before we woke up “to talk.” Jack supplied.
“Was she alright? I mean, did she seem….upset?” Booth’s brow furrowed forgetting that Jack’s grandfather was still sitting there, silently listening.
Before Jack could answer a knock sounded at the door to his suite, interrupting their conversation. Jack raised his hand to Booth to turn his attention to the door.
A tall lanky boy with wavy shoulder-length sandy brown hair entered the room and stood shyly next to Mr. Hodgins. He had on a prep school uniform. His khaki pants were a little big around his waist. His school-blue dress shirt, that remained unbuttoned, intensified the color of his trade mark "Hodgins" blue eyes. His crisp white T-Shirt emblazoned his school logo “George Washington Academy” in navy blue lettering.
Booth appraised the handsome youngest Hodgins from head to toe and noticed he was wearing a pair of red “Boston Red Sox” socks. He liked the kid immediately.
Jack proceeded to introduce them. “Ethan, this is my friend Special Agent Seeley Booth. He works with Dr. Brennan at the Jeffersonian.”
Booth backed away from his breakfast table and extended his hand to the kid.
“Booth this is my other grandson, Ethan. “ Mr. Hodgins proudly finished the introduction as Ethan shook Booth’s hand.
“Well, Booth, it was nice having breakfast with you. You must come back for dinner sometime. Perhaps the next time Jack brings Ms. Montenegro over. Yes, that would be splendid. I’ll have Rolf plan something formal. Oh and make sure you bring Dr. Brennan.” Mr. Hodgins conspired as he grasped Ethan’s arm and proceeded to walk out of Jack’s suite.
“It was nice to have met you Booth.” Ethan smiled revealing two dimples that made him look even more bashful, before following his grandfather out into the hall.
“Same here Ethan.” Booth replied.
Jack closed the door behind his cousin and grandfather, and then turned around suspiciously toward Booth. He put his hands deep into the pockets of the black cargo pants he wore causing his cream sweater to pull tight across his shoulders.
“Nice looking kid.” Booth complimented Ethan, then he teased. “Tall for a Hodgins, and surprisingly well-mannered.”
Jack smiled at the quips as he resumed his seat in front of his breakfast table and poured himself a fresh cup of coffee.
“So, Booth, you’re having “woman troubles?” Hodgins quipped right back at Booth, pursing his lips so he wouldn’t smile.
Just as Booth was about to challenge, a light scratching sounded at the door to Jack's suite. Jack went to reopen the door and a small Beagle entered and looked up at Jack expectantly.
"Monroe, Ethan's gone with grandfather. They're probably in the kitchen." Jack relayed to the dog.
Monroe, seeming to understand what Jack relayed, gave a sharp bark and ran from the room. Jack closed the door behind him and turned to face Booth again.
"My cousin's dog, he's a riot." Jack explained, then smiling, returned to their previous conversation. "So, what's the trouble, Booth?"
“I never told your grandfather that I was having “woman troubles.” Booth exasperated. Now that he was faced with the prospect of talking to Jack about what happened with Brennan. He felt the need to stall.
“Well, as much as I enjoy spending time with you, man. If you’re not here about “woman troubles” I think you may have the wrong idea about our relationship. I mean it’s one thing to ask me what I’m doing after work, but to show up at my house without calling and before dawn too…”
“Jack…” Booth tried to interrupt Jack’s teasing.
“I surely never meant to lead you on….”
“Jack….” Booth tried again.
“As flattering as this is, I’m just not like that…”
“JACK!” Booth exclaimed.
“Hey man, lighten up, I was only kidding.” Jack smiled as he got up and pushed his breakfast table toward the door. He noticed the sullen expression resume Booth’s features and decided to cut him some slack.
Booth took a deep breath and ran his hand across his morning beard again then exhaled.
“I just needed to talk to you about…..” Booth started then grew silent once more.
“About Brennan?” Jack surmised from how concerned Booth seemed that he’d seen her this morning.
"You said she showed up at Angela's house this morning?" Booth resumed.
"Yeah, I got the impression that she was ready to talk to Angela about what happened with Russ and her father." Jack recounted, then asked. "Was she OK when you left her house last night?"
Booth didn't know how to answer that question, because he never left Brennan's house last night. He'd held her in his arms all night in her bed while she sporadically cried in her sleep. He sank down into the settee and closed his eyes tightly, then brought a hand up to his face to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Jack noticed the myriad of emotions flicker across Booth's face before he closed his eyes and it dawned on him. "Wait....You didn't leave Brennan's house last night, did you?"
Booth's head snapped up and his eyes opened as a guilty expression settled across his mouth. He opened his mouth to speak, but still couldn't conjure up any words to describe what happened.
"You spent the night at Brennan's. That's why you look like hell this morning in the same clothes you had on last night. What happened Booth?" Jack implored Booth to confide in him.
"I....I was trying to comfort her. I swear......I never meant to h-hurt her." Booth stammered as he stood and walked over to the window of Jack's study. He peered out the sheer curtain lining covering the window toward the greenhouse on the Hodgins property.
"What makes you think that you hurt her?" Jack noticed Booth's shoulders tense and his fist clench still facing the window.
"She was gone this morning Jack. I've called her...to...to apologize. I went by her office......She must be hurt." Booth offered guiltily.
"Apologize for what Booth? For spending the night with her after she'd been put through a horrible ordeal with her family." Jack scoffed. "Am I missing something here? What are you leaving out?" Jack continued as he stood up and walked over to the window to stand next to Booth.
Booth hung his head in shame and hunched his shoulders in defeat. "What have I done? She probably won't even want to talk to me. I can't believe I treated her like that. I can't believe I treated her like that." Booth walked away from the window and walked back over to the settee. He sank back down onto the plush surface and rasied his weary eyes to Jack, an ominous frown creased his forehead.
Jack turned toward the settee where Booth had once again settled and realized that Brennan had behaved in much the same manner when he encountered her earlier. GUILTY. He wondered silently to himself how the guilt had manifested between them.
Booth groaned under Jack's pensive stare and rested his elbows on his knees. He covered his face with his hands and let out a long labored sigh, then confessed.
"I messed up Jack. Bad, really bad....." Booth started then hesitated, but as Jack's raised eyesbrows implored him to finish, he continued on a huff. "I slept with Brennan."
“Whoa……whoa…wait a minute… Did you just say?” Jack stammered, then resumed his seat in front of Booth.
Booth’s mouth tightened and he wrung his hands together, then he broke.
“GOD Jack, how could I do that? How could I take advantage of her like that?”
“Hey, wait a minute. You would never hurt Brennan like that, so whatever happened between you, I would bet Ethan, it was consensual.” Booth looked at Jack strangely so he offered. “I wouldn’t really bet Ethan. I just said that for effect.....to convey how sure I am that you wouldn’t hurt Brennan that way.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Booth said dejectedly standing up once again.
“It isn’t a vote of confidence. It’s what I know to be true. I’ve witnessed how far you’re willing to go to protect her, and I’ve got to tell to you man, you’re not giving Brennan enough credit by taking the blame for whatever happened.” Jack began to argue his point.
“It’s certainly not her fault. I mean she did kiss me, but it wasn’t like that, she didn’t really mean it, she couldn’t have known what she was doing, she wasn’t herself…..” Booth began to paint a verbal picture for Jack to play out in his mind.
“So let me get this straight; Brennan was upset, you were trying to “comfort” her, she kissed you and somehow that transitioned into you two sleeping together…” Jack surmised.
Booth silently nodded his head in agreement.
“Now let’s just keep in mind that Brennan is a borderline feminist, that literally cringes at the very notion that a situation would occur where she wouldn’t be in charge of her own actions. Yet you really believe that she didn’t mean to kiss you and that you alone are solely responsible for that kiss resulting in the two of you in bed together. “ Jack continued.
Booth’s eyebrows gathered in a frown as Jack’s words began to penetrate his guilty fog.
Jack quickly defended. “Look man, I’m not trying to totally absolve you of any responsibility, I’m not saying that your obvious attraction to Brennan didn’t come into play. I’m just saying that the responsibility is shared between the two of you and that Brennan wouldn’t want it to be any other way.”
Booth began to feel slightly better about the state of his relationship with Brennan. He could feel his nerves slowing backing away from the edge and he let out a breath he’d been holding since Jack started talking. Then his mind locked onto part of what Jack said.
“I’m not obviously attracted to Brennan.” Booth stressed.
“Man, you are SO obviously attracted to her, and that's an understatement” Jack accused laughingly.
“That’s completely ridiculous, It’s obvious, that she’s a beautiful woman. I mean come on, I’m not blind, but I’m not attracted to her, in that way.” Booth uncomfortably denied.
“CLEARLY, you’re attracted to her “in that way,” you know, “sexually…” Jack was now growing exasperated by this turn in the conversation given the reason for Booth’s impromptu visit. “You don’t have to play that “she’s just my partner” role with me. I’m a great study of behavior and I see the way you look at her sometimes man. And the whole “touching” thing really is gay if you’re not attracted to her.
“What “touching” thing?” Booth’s eyes narrowed as Jack continued.
“Oh man, you don’t even realize you’re doing it.” Jack smiled as he theorized. “You’re always touching her. Whether it’s holding her hand, or arranging her hair when you’re helping her put her coat on. You’ve always got your arm around her or your hand at the small of her back. It’s very…spouse-like.”
Booth ingested Jack’s observations and kicked into detective mode. He squared his shoulders and clenched his jaw then stepped forward intimidatingly toward Jack.
“So, who else has noticed this?” He asked seemingly innocent.
“Oh man, lots of people…” Jack confessed not noticing he was now being interrogated and continued. “ Angela and I talk about it all the time. Peter and Warren, two Brennanites from Pure Research, were just talking about how you had your arm around her waist possessively in that new photo on her webpage from her book signing and they asked me when I thought you two would “go public” with your relationship.
“WOW, SO, you were gossiping about me and Brennan? And who the HELL are Peter and Warren?” Booth was growing irritated and practically growled the last part.
“First of all, I wasn’t gossiping, OK. I was asked a question about my knowledge on the romantic involvement of two people I happen to be close friends with. A discussion which I did not take part in.” Jack refuted.
Booth smiled in spite of himself at Jack’s lengthy answer to his simple accusation. Then he repeated the 2nd part of his question. “Who the hell are Peter and Warren?”
“Peter Hagen and Warren Finckbohm are scientist from the Pure Research department. They're like........ Jeffersonian paparazzi where Brennan is concerned. Peter heads the DC area Brennanites chapter and Warren, also a member.....is the guy that she went on one date with when we she first started working there, but they didn't really connect. He's been kind of holding a torch for her ever since. " Jack's diatribe slowed as Booth began to glower at him.
"I can't believe there are people working with her on a daily basis that are actually apart of that...that...group!" Booth was incensed at the revelation.
"It's the offical name of her fan club, Booth, you can't go around referring to them as "that....that....group." Besides Pete and Warren have little to no professional contact with Brennan, so don't worry." Jack could tell that this direction of their conversation was only proving to bring out Booth's protectiveness.
Booth calmed back down a little and added. "It's just that Oliver Laurier is a part of that group and he really is a stalker....I swear I would......."
Booth's entire body seemed to tense just at the thought that Laurier was somewhere watching Brennan's every move, stalking her, the same way Kirby had been hunting Russ. Although Laurier's motives were different, that only proved to anger him more. His eyes seemed to squint of their own accord and he flexed his jaw to keep from verbalizing that he would literally kill Oliver Laurier or anyone else that threatened his family and that's what Brennan was to him now, a part of his family and he needed to make sure she was safe and see for himself that she wasn't hurt by his actions.
Booth looked at his watch and realized he was going to be late for work, but figured he had some personal time he could take for the first part of the morning because this was important.
"Jack, thanks for the talk, I'm gonna head out." Booth grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
"I'll see you later." Jack called to Booth's back knowingly as he walked down the hall.