A/N: Hello, people! So this is just a little one shot I wrote after watching Bruce Almighty. Hope you enjoy it! I'll be MIA for a week or so 'cause my computer went nuts and they are trading it for a new one. That means no fics, reading or writing, for a while. I know, I'm very sad about that, but hopefully I'll write something in those days, even if I have to do it the old way, by hand.
Thank you, bertie, for beta-ing this for me, and so quickly!!! You are the best beta in the world!!!
Disclaimer: Don't own Bones.
"He was hitting on you!" Booth yelled as they crossed the living room of her apartment. Brennan's purse was thrown over the couch as she passed quickly by it, scowling as he followed her every step. She continued walking through the hall to her bedroom, wanting nothing more than to be out of her floor-length gown and high heels.
"We were just talking!" she yelled back, reaching behind her to pull the zipper down, and letting the dress pool at her feet. She noticed his hungry look as she stood before him in her black lacy underwear, but her expression told him to stay away.
"Oh, please! The guy was practically drooling over you, and you let him!" Each remark he made only served to fuel her anger further. Booth had punched a respectable scientist at the Jeffersonian ball whom he claimed was hitting on her, and she wasn't about to let him get away with it.
"He was not drooling, he was simply commenting on my abilities as a forensic anthropologist. Besides, I always told you to wait until all the evidence is in before jumping to conclusions," she said, reaching over her bed to retrieve her pajamas as she kicked her shoes off.
"Yeah? What about when he was whispering in your ear?" he questioned with a triumphant grin on his lips as he pointed a finger at her. She slapped his hand away, her lethal stare threatening to burn a hole in his forehead.
"For your information, he was asking me about you," she said as she straightened her t-shirt before walking over to the headboard, retrieving one of the big, fluffy pillows.
"Asking what? If I would mind him making a move on my girlfriend?" Booth spat, instinctively clenching his fists at the thought of the athletic blond rival. Didn't he know she was taken?
"He wanted to know if you were available," she said, and watched as he frowned for a few seconds before finally widening his eyes in understanding.
"No way! He was gay?" he asked in disbelief before realization dawned on him. Boy, was he in trouble now… She didn't say anything, simply shoved the pillow at him before pushing him out and slamming the door in his shocked face.
"You can sleep on the couch," she said through the closed door, annoyance audible in her voice.
"Come on, Bones. I'm sorry, okay? Please forgive me," he whined, folding his arms around the pillow as he waited for her to open the door. He should've known the chances of that happening were slim. "Please, Bones?"
A few sounds could be heard inside her room as he distinguished her footsteps over the carpeted floor. "Come on, Temperance," he pleaded again, figuring that she would cave eventually. A grin spread across his face as he heard the lock turning, followed by the sight of her beautiful face. "I knew you would-" He was cut off as she threw a sheet and his pajama pants at him and slammed the door again.
"Bones?" he called, but she didn't respond. He only heard her movement on the bed combined with the sound of the sheets being adjusted over her. A few seconds later, he heard the click of the lights going off, indicating that she was intent on sleeping, and probably ignoring him till morning. Possibly even beyond that.
With a defeated sigh, he walked back to the living room, knowing a night on the couch was not the ideal end to a long day, especially when his gorgeous girlfriend was sleeping a few feet away. Cursing his own short temper, he adjusted the pillow on the armrest before stripping down and pulling on his pajama pant, his pout never leaving his lips.
Lying down, he tossed and turned for a few minutes before finally finding the least uncomfortable position he could manage. 'Torture device' was a very appropriate description for her couch. His back would be sore in the morning, but he knew he'd had it coming. Now, if only he could figure out a way to get back in Brennan's good graces…
Through her sleep-shrouded mind, she could hear a distinctive beep. It was persistent, like a baby's cry, and just as piercing. She stretched like a cat as her eyelids opened, slowly adjusting to the light as she enjoyed the song that was now softly playing after superseding the beep.
The last chorus of the song playing on the radio finished and the deep voice of a man took over. "Good morning, DC. It is now seven in the morning and we have a beautiful, sunny day ahead of us, perfect for Temperance to forgive Booth." Her eyes widened as she sat bolt upright in bed, staring at the radio as if it were about to explode. She must have imagined that…
The man didn't say anything else, and another song began to play. You have got to be kidding me, she thought, laughing at the absurdity of the idea. He wouldn't go that far… But her thoughts were interrupted as the man's voice unexpectedly returned in the middle of the song, "Come on, Temperance. Forgive him."
Irritated, she slammed her hand on the radio, silencing it. He was gravely mistaken if he thought he could charm his way out of this. Turning on her bed, she was met with a small daisy in the empty space his body would normally occupy. Great, she thought sarcastically, realizing this situation was worse than she had expected. However, that didn't stop her from taking the flower with her as she left the bed.
A quick shower was a blessing for her aching muscles since the evening ball had drained her of energy. With all the talking and dancing in heels, she'd had no time to rest, and the brief night's sleep wasn't enough. Smiling, she reached for her towel, happy to have a better start to her day.
As she stepped out of the shower, a small gasp escaped her lips as her eyes trailed over the message that appeared on the mirror. 'FORGIVE ME, PLEASE' was written on it, and it only appeared after the steam from the shower had fogged the surface. Nice trick. With a smirk, she wiped the message away with the palm of her hand before leaving the bathroom.
Once dressed, she walked to the kitchen to make some coffee, but her attention was distracted from her coffeemaker by a small paper cup on her counter with a brown paper bag perched next to it.
Picking up the cup, she recognized the familiar Starbucks symbol on the side of it, and felt that the coffee inside was still hot, proving he hadn't left long before she'd woken up. A note was attached to the paper bag; 'Please, don't waste me' written in what she knew was his best attempt at neat handwriting. She took a sip of coffee before opening the bag, surprised to find two blueberry muffins inside. When did he have time to do all this?
Deciding to follow the note's advice, she quickly ate one of the breakfast muffins before sprinting out of the door to her beloved lab, where she would be safe from all pleas of forgiveness for the day.
The lab was already bustling with squints when she finally made her way into to her office that morning. Despite her previous confidence in the Display-of-Affection-Free Zone, as she entered her office, Brennan was greeted by a big red balloon tied to her desk, the word 'sorry' written on it in white.
With a frustrated sigh she approached her desk, and for a second had the malicious idea of poking the balloon with a needle before deciding against it. Reaching for the string, she let the balloon loose and watched in float upward to bump against the ceiling, confident that it couldn't disturb her from up there.
Sitting on her chair, she turned her computer on, stacking the files on her desk as she made a mental list of everything that needed to be done that day. As she piled all her lab reports in one corner, the familiar click of heels called her attention to the door as Angela walked in.
"Hey, Ange," she greeted as the artist sat in front of her desk.
"Good morning," she replied cheerfully, eyeing Brennan for a few seconds before continuing, "Honey, I'm not sure how much I drank last night, but I think my radio was talking to you when I woke up this morning."
Brennan tried to sound more frustrated than she felt, but the amusement was evident in her voice as she explained the events of the previous night to her best friend, while Angela listened with a grin on her face before inquiring, "So the G-man is trying to make amends?"
"He said he was sorry about hitting Dr Leffers but I'm still not forgiving him. He can't just go punching every guy he thinks is trying to make a move on me," she said, annoyance mixed with a hint of frustration. They had talked about that countless times when they'd first become a couple, but Booth's temper was still a little out of control when dealing with things he viewed as a threat to Brennan.
"So you're torturing him for a while before forgiving him?" Angela asked between laughs. Brennan could be oblivious sometimes, but she was a woman like any other, and Booth was bound to figure that out the hard way.
"It's not torturing, but I can't just forgive him every time he does something like this. I need him to understand that I can take care of myself when necessary," she said, eyes darting to the computer screen as she checked her e-mail.
"Well, it's not a bad idea to let him stew for a while. Men need that sometimes," Angela said, yawning sleepily. She let her head fall back again the chair, her eyes focusing on the ceiling, and a smile spread over her features. "Bren, did you know there's a balloon on the ceiling?" Her friend's glare was enough of an answer, and the artist's laughter carried through the lab as she left the office.
Turning her attention back to the computer, Brennan spotted her partner's email address on one of the messages. Opening it, a small pink pig began to dance on the screen while the words 'forgive me' bounced up and down to the rhythm of the music. Sighing, she closed the screen before turning her attention to another task. Call Leffers.
Checking her address book, she dialed his number but was surprised when he picked up after just three rings, answering cheerfully, "Hello?"
"Matthew? It's me, Temperance," she replied, embarrassment evident in her voice as she searched for a suitable excuse to give him about her boyfriend's behavior.
"What a pleasant surprise. How can I help you?" he inquired in a genuinely friendly tone which confused her slightly, expecting him to be angry at the events of the previous night.
"I was just calling to explain what happened yesterday. I-"
She was cut off as he interrupted smoothly, "It's not a problem. Your boyfriend called and explained the misunderstanding, so it's fine."
Her brow furrowed as she listened to him talk about how Booth had apologized to him that morning, before stammering, "Oh… okay then." Not knowing what else to say, she added apologetically, "Thanks, Matthew."
"No problem." He hung up before she could say anything else, and she was left staring at her phone for a while. Had Booth, her hard-headed boyfriend, really called him?
The rest of her day passed quickly and quietly, and excluding the box of Chinese food that was delivered to her office around lunch time, she was left undisturbed for the rest of her day. Around 7pm, she was still in her office, trying to finish some paperwork, when suddenly her phone beeped.
Taking the blackberry in her hands, she saw the new message simply read 'Come home' with Booth's name under it. What other tricks did he have planned for her? The curious part of Brennan won out, and she quickly gathered her things and left the office.
The first thing she saw when she reached her apartment was the note attached to the door instructing her to 'Follow the light'. She wondered what he was up to as she pushed the door open. Immediately Brennan understood what he meant as she saw the path of the light created by dozens of small white candles leading from the door to the living room and disappearing down the hall to her bedroom.
Okay, I'll bite. With a smile she followed the trail, her eyes searching for him in the relatively dark apartment, lit only by the flames of the candles. The trail continued through her bedroom and into her bathroom, and as she pushed the door open, a little gasp escaped her lips. The room was lit with many candles, and the bathtub was filled and ready for her, the bubbles looking inviting and soothing.
Looking around, she saw no sign of Booth anywhere, but knew he was close by, somewhere. Taking her clothes off and tying her hair up, she stepped into the tub, lowering herself into the water and sighing as its warmth enveloped her. She had to admit, Booth was pretty good at this. She felt her muscles relaxing, all the tension ebbing from her body as she closed her eyes, dropping her head back against the porcelain rim of her tub.
She sensed him near her, but dared not to acknowledge his presence. With her eyes still closed, she felt his nimble fingers on her shoulders, massaging her slowly and softly. She didn't want him to know she was enjoying it but was helpless to stop the moan that left her lips.
"Does that mean you're feeling forgiving tonight?" he asked teasingly, his voice low and husky and his breath tickling the skin on her neck.
"Not really," she said with a smirk, turning round to see his pleading look combined with his patented charm smile. "Don't even think about it, that smile won't get you anywhere," she added, settling back in the tub with her back to him.
"Come on, Bones; I'm really sorry. I even called the guy and apologized," he whined, leaning his forehead against her shoulder. She smiled, knowing he was being sincere, but now rather enjoying torturing him.
"I don't know…" she pondered, and he knew she was no longer mad but just refusing to give in. Running his lips over her neck, he trailed slow, teasing kisses up the white column of her neck, paying particular attention her pulse point and the soft erogenous spot behind her ear.
"Come on, Bones," he pleaded, kissing her earlobe before lightly biting it and watching goosebumps spread over her skin as she gasped. "Bo-ones," he said, dragging out her nickname as he nipped at her skin. She didn't say anything, just reached behind her to pull him to face her.
"Am I forgiven?" he asked as he bent over her, their lips almost touching.
"Only if you promise to never do that again," she said, closing her eyes as he kissed her slowly, his hand cupping the back of her head gently.
"I promise," he murmured between further kisses and she smiled.
"You're forgiven," she whispered against his lips, and grabbed the front of his tee with a wicked smile, tugging him off balance and almost into the tub with her. He followed willingly, letting her pull him on top of her and unconcerned that he was soaked through; all he could think of was her soft and demanding lips against his own as his hands sought her bare skin.
And between touches and tastes, they found their harmony, which once again would reign happily over their relationship. At least until the next time Booth caught a man ogling his Bones.
I hope you enjoyed this fluffy fic. Leave me a review if you can, I'll be very happy to know what you think!!! Now I'm off to my forced vacation from the computer, but hopefully when I get back, more chapters will be ready for posting!