Author's Note: So I'm not sure where this idea came from, and I honestly couldn't come up with a much better title. Basically, it's a collection of oneshots that will somehow be related. Will be for BB, but with some of the squints thrown in every now and then for good measure. They're standalones, but will all be interrelated. So, with that said, I hope you'll stick with me. They've decided to hold Bones episodes off until the end of April, so we've gotta keep something going, right?
Reviews are welcome, so please feel free. They're very much appreciated.:)
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Bones. Do you honestly think I'd spend time on here writing pointlessness if I did? (though technically with this strike going, the idea isn't too far fetched.);)
One: The Delayed Flight
The tinny sound of a woman announcing the arrival of the International flight from Peru to Washingston D.C. was enough to send Booth into an awful wave of anticipation. He hadn't seen her in weeks. Two weeks actually, but it felt like longer to him. She'd actually stayed longer than necessary, per request of the local government. Though annoyed, Booth knew it was ultimately her decision.
Sometime later, he spotted her heading toward him, bag on her shoulder and suitcase rolling behind her. He'd been a bit surprised at Brennan's advance in suitable travel necessities, but remained silent until she reached him. She smiled, unsure of what to say. "You're late."
"What? The...plane-" Brennan stopped, smiling a little. "Was that supposed to be a joke?"
Booth nodded with a grin, gratefully wrapping her in a hug. "Yeah." He said, hugging her tightly. "Welcome back to America, Bones."
"Technically Booth, you should have said welcome back to-" Brennan's words were put to a stop when Booth pressed a finger to her lips. She eyed him warily, unsure of what to say. They'd hardly spoken since he'd packed up the Christmas tree and left her with her family at the prison. Despite that, she couldn't help but feel that there was something bothering him.
"Come on, let's get you home, Bones." Booth said, moving to grab her suitcase.
"I'm fully capable of handling my things, Booth." Brennan defended. "Just because I was away for so long does not mean I don't remember my way around."
Booth sighed, hoping that her irritation was due to the long flight. "Whatever you say, Bones." He muttered before slinging an arm around her shoulder. Though he wouldn't admit it, he was happy when she didn't pull away. They remained quiet until they reached the SUV in the parking lot, and after getting her baggage settled, they quickly climbed in. "Didn't realize you brought so much down there. I think I pulled a muscle lifting that into the backseat."
"Then why did you offer to help me out with it before? If you've been lacking in the exercise department, I'd strongly suggest that you don't try lifting heavy items, Booth." Brennan took on a scolding tone, but her eyes told a different tale. Settling upon his face, Brennan was observamt enough to notice the sleep the was evident in his eyes. "I'm sorry I was late, Booth. If I had known my flight would be delayed I could have called Angela or someone else. I wasn't trying to make you wait any longer than you should have."
"It's fine, don't worry about it." Booth said as he turned the key in the ingnition, grateful when he heard it start.
"But today is Saturday, you're supposed to watch Parker in just a few hours. Assuming that he'll be full of energy, it's likely that you'll need more sleep than the next few hours would provide."
Booth glanced away from the road long enough to shoot her a smile. Even after coming back from another country, Brennan had still remembered the schedule he'd had, though she had no real reason to. "Like I said, it's nothing to worry about. That, and-" His grip tightened on the wheel as he tried his best to remain calm. "-Rebecca's parents came to town yesterday, and made all of these plans to spend the weekend with him because they're leaving next Friday."
"I'm sorry, I know how much you look forward to spending time with him." Brennan said, sending an apologetic look in his direction. Music drifted softly from the radio, and while she heard it, there was no reason to pay much attention to it. "Regardless of that, I'm sure there's something you would have looked forward to more than sitting there waiting for my flight to arrive."
"Why do you do that, Bones?" Booth asked, not taking his eyes away from the road. "You assume things without knowing the real answer. I told you it was fine, and yet you keep trying to downplay it."
Brennan was quiet for a moment, unsure of how to react. She'd been gone long enough to realize enough that she missed him, but not long enough to miss the way that he'd often go on tangents like the one she knew he was about to embark on. "I'm sorry. I just assumed that logically there were better things to do as opposed to waiting for an hour and a half longer than necessary in an effort to get me home."
"I was there because I wanted to be, you know?" Booth said, thinking back to the time before she'd left. There wasn't much different, though neither one had directly mentioned the kiss that took place in her office. In that moment though, it occured to him that no one bothered to take the mistletoe down from its place on her ceiling.
"What are you thinking?" Brennan asked, arms crossed. Her eyes darted forward at a passing car, then returned to his face. It was lit up by cars going in the opposite direction, so she could see the stubble that framed his jaw. It was clenched for the moment, but as her gaze lifted, she saw that he didn't appear angry. Booth was evidently deep in thought, and she wondered why she'd ever even asked at all.
He turned his head in time to catch her staring, and offered a grin. "Apparently something different than you were. Hey, are you hungry?"
"No, and even if I were, it's almost midnight. I highly doubt that any place we'd go would even be open." Brennan said, getting the feeling that there was something Booth wasn't saying. Not sure of how to address it, she decided it was best if she just let it go.
"Well, I guess you've got a point." Booth said, sighing. "But if you were to get home and...I don't know, find that your fridge was restocked while you were gone...would you agree to a little midnight snack?"
Brennan stared at him blankly, slowly trying to process what he said. "You...broke into my apartment to fill my fridge?"
"I didn't break in Bones, I had a key." Booth said, offering a sheepish grin. "So, what do you say?"
While she wanted to ask why he'd used his emergency key, her mouth refused to cooperate. "I don't have a sweet tongue, Booth. But thanks for the offer."
Booth bit his tongue, his memory going back to the kiss they shared under the mistletoe, his shock as he felt her tongue wrapping itself around his. If anything, it had been the gum she'd inadvertantly placed there. He shook his head. "It's sweet tooth, Bones."
"But that doesn't make sense." She cried. "Your teeth can't actually taste anything, the tongue is the one with receptors for-" She watched him tense up beside her. "Why do you seem so uncomfortable?"
Knowing she wouldn't understand, Booth shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm just tired."
"I told you that you should have let me call a cab, or Ange...if anything even-"
"Do we have to go over this, again, Bones?" Booth sighed, exasperated. "We're here."
Brennan had been too distracted to realize that the SUV had pulled to a stop in front of her building. Slowly climbing out, she didn't bother to object when Booth offered to take up her luggage. If anything, he needed it to appease whatever it was that was battling with his conscience. Opening her door, she set her bag on the table, and reached to take her suitcase from him only to find that he'd already made his way into the kitchen. "What are you doing?"
"I was waiting at the airport for almost three hours, and the cheapest food they had was stale and came from a vending machine. Even if you're not hungry, I am." He said, leaning against the doorframe. Booth's eyes sparkled, and his lips formed a grin. "That, and you just spent hours upon hours on an airplane. You're jetlagged, and will probably be awake for the next few hours. Someone's gotta keep you company."
Noticing the way he hadn't bothered to ask, simply offered to stay, Brennan felt a small smile escape her lips. He was the one who always showed up, who was always there. Even when she hadn't really wanted him to be, Booth was always there with open arms. She shivered at that revelation, remembering how tight he'd held her when she met him at the airport. Wanting to believe it was just because he missed his friend, but her mind trying to calculate the ideas of so many other possibilities, Brennan wrapped an an arm around herself.
"Cold?" Booth asked, frowning.
"I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself comfortable, I guess." Brennan said as she headed for the hallway. She stopped halfway, calling out his name. "Booth?"
He watched her gaze, a bit puzzled by the look that lay there. Booth knew enough about her to realize that the wheels in her head were turning. "Yeah, Bones?"
Her mouth hung open as she tried to come up with what she'd intended to say. "Thank You."
The shower had given Brennan enough time to relax and think about everything that was going on. She planned on going to the Jeffersonian the next morning to assist Zack in identifying a set of remains that the lab had been given, and then planned on going to visit her father. Booth would probably refuse, telling her she should spend her first day back relaxing, and that seeing it was a Saturday, the case could wait.
While she wanted it to, Brennan had been told that the case was high priority. Drying her hair with a towel, she made her way out into the living room. She wasn't that surprised to find that Booth had fallen asleep, a toasted panini sandwhich sitting in front of him on the table. Smiling, she reached for the blanket that sat on the back of her couch and used it to cover him. She shook her head, trying to convince herself it was only because she didn't want him to be cold.
Grabbing his plate from the coffee table, she wrapped it and left it for him in the fridge. Brennan then went to her bookcase and chose a book she'd purchased just before she left for Peru. Feeling anything but tired, Brennan turned to the hall, planning to do some reading before sleep. "Goodnight, Booth." She called, knowing that he wouldn't hear her. She felt guilty for asking him to come pick her up after such a long day.
Booth stirred, stretching his leg out on the couch. He wasn't sure when exactly he'd woken up, but he suspected in was around the time he felt Brennan hovering over him as she placed the blanket over his sleeping form. He watched her steady retreat, offering a nod. They'd talk about what was happening eventually, but for the moment he was content in knowing that she'd be awake right down the hall. "Night, Bones."