Five Things That Never Happened

Title: Five Things That Never Happened Between Booth and Bones
(A part of the "Five Things That Never Happened" challenge)
Author: Lerdo
Summary: Many fics in many fandoms have been written in response to the Five things that never happened challenge. This is just my small, Bones/Booth-centric contribution. Part I is set at the end of Two Bodies in the Lab Season 1, Episode 15.
Disclaimers: Please don't sue me; neither Bones nor the characters belong to me.
Feedback: Always appreciated.

Part I: Truth is a Whisper

The black and white movie they had been watching on tv had ended hours ago. They moved on to Superman after that. Booth insisted they watch all the way through after he learned she had never made it to the end. When she had peppered him with snide comments about the ridiculousness of no one being able to recognize that Superman and Clark Kent were the same person simply because one wore glasses and suits and the other wore a form-fitting blue and red costume and no glasses, he had muttered something about suspension of disbelief, rolled his eyes, and shoved a spoonful of chocolate pudding into her mouth. The cloying sweetness had made her teeth ache. A glance at the plastic hospital-issue pitcher had found it empty, so she left the room to get some water.

Booth was asleep when she returned. She tiptoed toward his hospital bed. "Booth," she whispered. No response but deep, even breathing. His eyes moved back and forth beneath the thin skin of his eyelids; he must be in REM sleep. She wondered what he was dreaming about. Her lips turned down in a frown as she looked over his face, neck, and bare chest. Cuts, contusions, and several burns -- all caused by the explosion in her kitchen.

His face should have been relaxed in sleep. Instead, fine lines bracketed his mouth, giving voice to pain he would never admit feeling while awake. She'd expect nothing less from an alpha male. She leaned forward but caught herself before she gave in to the irrational need to press her lips to the tiny spot of chocolate pudding by the left corner of his mouth. One quiet inhalation and she was surrounded by his scent. Chocolate, smoke, and the faded remnant of his cologne. The mixture of scents hit her hard, leaving her slightly dizzy. She felt as if she'd had several glasses of wine on an empty stomach. But she was completely sober. The stress of the past 24 hours must finally have caught up with her. Yes, that had to be it.

Temperance stifled a yawn and decided it was time to go home, even though she had the strangest urge to climb into the bed with Booth watch him sleep. She contented herself with a brief touch to his hair. It was mussed and ruffled instead of being carefully gelled in place as it usually was. The rough silk of his hair beneath her fingers reassured her somehow, just as his arms around her had reassured her that she was safe from Kenton and his slavering dogs. She backed away and turned to leave. One final glance over her shoulder confirmed that he was definitely asleep. A blush crept over her cheeks. If he woke to find her petting him like he was an overgrown cat, she'd never live it down.

She silently slipped out of the room, missing Booth's quiet sigh and the way his lips curved up in a tiny smile.