The Beginning (Part B)

Life rarely ever plays out in the way we envision it; especially when it comes to matters of the heart, because there is one factor we always overlook: the human factor. To his utter astonishment, Booth had gone from starting to believe that Bones and he had started an amazing relationship to feeling like his heart had been stomped on and marked "Return to Sender." He tried not to think about it too much, but as the day wore on- and especially when he went to pick up Parker and Pops who both asked about her- he had to admit that it hurt.

The one shred of hope that he clung to was that she'd gone home to make mac and cheese so she'd be coming back. Sure enough, at six o'clock sharp, she led the parade of guests into his apartment for dinner. Food was laid out on the table that Parker had painstakingly set that afternoon and the kid was in seventh heaven when they all complimented him on the hand-written place cards he'd made in school.

Booth's hurt and confusion softened when she'd thanked Parker with a hug, not once commenting that he had placed "Dr. Bones" between himself and his dad. It gave Booth pause to think, though, when he realized how easily she was compartmentalizing her own emotions and how skillfully she pretended that nothing was wrong between the two of them. For his own part, he was his normal cheerful and friendly self on the outside, while inside he was wondering if he'd finally pushed her too far. He was fairly sure too that he hadn't been this uncomfortable in his own skin since Rebecca had dragged him home with her to tell her parents that she was pregnant.

As he waited on the turkey in the kitchen her laughter filtered back to him above Cam and Hodgins yelling at the football game, reminding him of all the laughs they'd shared and the topics they'd discussed while eating everything from beer to banana splits in this room. How stupid had he been not to realize that the smartest woman he knew had been filing away every word he had spoken? That when she had nursed his scotch bottle on the same couch where she now sat, surrounded by their makeshift family, she'd been feeling him out; not looking for his advice? And how dumb had he been to push her just when things were starting to gel for the first time in five years?

As the night wore on, he realized just how right she felt beside him and how wrong it felt knowing that if it weren't for the company, she might not be there at all. He also realized that Max and Pops- the two men who would definitely kick his arse if they knew how dense he'd been- were getting along well; too well, in fact. Pops opened the meal with a short prayer, taking Booth back to his boyhood days. Afterwards, Booth gave a brief toast about being thankful for friends and family and Max threw in an extra toast to families past, present, and future and Pops seconded the motion.

Bones glared daggers at Max, but turned and covertly rolled her eyes at Booth.

"Dr. Bones," Parker tapped her arm, diverting her attention, "what's that weird looking turkey you brought?"

She flipped immediately into teacher mode, "That, Parker, is a vegetarian alternative to turkey called 'tofurkey' and consists mainly of tofu."

At the word, "tofurkey," though, the little boy began to giggle.

"That's a funny name," he told her.

"It's a logical combination of the words 'turkey' and tofu,'" she explained.

Parker accepted that and dug back into his food, though he turned down Bones' offer to try a bite of tofurkey. Angela ate some, though, and seemed just as happy as Bones that there was a meat alternative. Conversation around the table flowed easily, emphasizing how much of a family the squints and Booth had become over the years.

When the desserts were pulled out, Bones lived up to her promise and took the small slice of pumpkin pie- drowned in Cool Whip- that Parker got for her. Booth couldn't resist teasing her about ruining her reputation and she stuck her tongue out at him good-naturedly before digging in.

At the end of the night, Booth collapsed back on one of his kitchen stools, thankful for once that Rebecca had insisted on picking Parker up and that Max had offered to drive Pops back to Willow River. Cam, Angela, and Bones had supervised the clean-up effort after dinner, and Hodgins and Russ had helped him tear down the large, hand-crafted table that Sully had made for him and put it back in storage. One by one the guests had trickled out, until only Bones remained.

He could hear her out in the living room running a vacuum cleaner. Eventually, she appeared in the kitchen doorway, wisps escaping from her once-elaborate hairdo but a wide smile on her face. Without hesitation she crossed the kitchen, caught his face in her hands, and proceeded to kiss him with reckless abandon.

Shock ran up every nerve ending and his body reacted before his brain could register what he was doing. A weight landed squarely on his lap as she hoisted herself up on to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. His hands spanned her back, roving up and down and itching to move to the front as well.

"Um, Bones," he managed when they broke for air, "not that I'm complaining too loudly but…what are you doing?"

"The guests are gone," she hitched a shoulder, bringing her hand down to smooth out his rumpled dress shirt, "therefore the need for subterfuge is as well."

"Subterfuge?" his brain was whirling to keep up with hers and he stopped her from picking up where they'd left off.

"Yes," she gave him a confused look. "What's ours stays between us; isn't that what we agreed upon this morning?"

He flashed back to breakfast, nodding while he mentally reviewed the night's events.

"So you were just…" he trailed off, still sorting through things.

"Just what?" she asked, curious.

"This afternoon you left here like a bat outta hell," he accused, facing her.

"I left to make my part of the meal," she answered slowly.

"Right after I'd finished spilling my guts about how serious this thing with us is to me," he pointed out. "Convenient timing, there, Bones."

"It was convenient," she nodded, missing his point, "time was beginning to run short and I still need to prepare the food and dress appropriately for the evening."

"You wouldn't even let me take you home," he countered. "You called a cab!"

"It was the most practical mode of transportation given I had no car of my own and you were cooking the turkey," if she hadn't been upset with him before she was quickly getting there now and she abandoned his lap, arms crossing her chest defensively as she stood in front of him.

Seeing her get defensive raised his hackles, "Don't try and deny it, Bones, you heard what I had to say and you ran; maybe not to Guatemala this time, but you ran."

She frowned at that, uncrossing her arms and moving to the empty stool across from him, brow furrowed in thought.

"That," she said after a few long moments, "would be a logical given my past actions, however, I can assure you that your conclusion is incorrect."

"It is?"

Her head bobbed up and down earnestly and her mouth opened, then closed as she hopped off the stool.

"Come on," she beckoned, holding out her hand to him.

"Where?" he asked warily.

"To the living room," she explained as he got down and took her hand. "It could take a while to resolve this misunderstanding and these chairs are not conducive to long conversations for your back."

Weaving her fingers with his she gently tugged him through his apartment until they were sitting on the couch.

"Now," she brushed her hair back with one hand and became serious, "ask me about my actions following your surgery. This-" she hesitated for a fraction of a second before plowing ahead. "As I said yesterday, there are topics we deliberately avoid and obviously we have with this one, so go ahead."

He wondered briefly how they'd jumped from talking about what happened this afternoon to the whole coma fiasco but she was right about him having questions and who knew if she'd ever give him that chance again.

Searching her face to make sure she knew what she was asking for he began slowly, picking up steam as he went. "Why, Bones? Why did you leave once I woke up? Why didn't anyone- especially me- hear from you for six weeks? Did I mean that little to you?"

She flinched a little, but held her gaze steady and waited to make sure he had finished for the time being before gripping his hand with both of hers and answering.

"I was in the operating room with you just as you requested," she lifted a hand to where his scar lay hidden by his hair. "I listened to the surgical saw cut into your skull; watched on the monitor as they excised the tumor and eventually closed the area back up as you lay there, unmoving through it all. The doctors allowed me to sit in the recovery room with you, holding your hand even though there was no chance that you would regain consciousness for some time."

Her narrative halted as she struggled to control her emotions, hand desperately wiping away the tears forming in her eyes.

"Hey," he said softly, gathering her into his embrace, "it's okay. You don't have to explain any more."

"I do," she insisted, pulling back slightly, resuming her side of the story. "For the first several hours, I was relieved. Dr. Jursik believed that the surgery had been an overwhelming success and no malignancy was found. When the time came and passed for you to wake up and you didn't, however, my concern elevated." She smirked, "I believe I offended more than one nurse on your ward with my insistence that you be seen by a doctor and I was forceful with the doctors as well."

"Of course you were," he teased softly. "They didn't stand a chance against you."

"I was frightened," she said bluntly. "Less than a year ago I had barely managed to maintain my emotional equilibrium when coping with your supposed death and while every test they ran said that you should be fine, you were not and you slipped into a coma. What I did not anticipate was how confused you would be when you finally emerged and how that would affect me. It was as if…"

She struggled for words and he rescued her, "I was there, but I wasn't."

"The reality that you recalled was so similar to my book it was striking, though not fully surprising given scientific research in that field; however, you were rather insistent that I was your wife rather than your partner," she smiled sadly.

"Even now," he admitted, "I can remember how real it felt."

"Coping with change has never been my forte," she said ruefully, "and this was a rather large shift. You had emotionally crossed every boundary that you'd laid out and the intimate way that you interacted with me was disconcerting. That discomfort was only exacerbated when our co-workers became aware of the situation and reacted not with the concern I had, but with barely veiled amusement; as if the fact that you had forgotten everything about the past five years and saw me rather as your wife and business partner was humorous."

"So you left to get away from them," he said gently, understanding now what it looked like from her side.

"Angela especially," she nodded, "though I left for your benefit as well. I thought perhaps you could regain your sense of what was true and what was imagined if I was not present to confuse the issue. You would be forced to recognize that we were not married. The doctors assured me that you would recover quickly and that there was nothing to be concerned about. I was stunned to find you had only just been restored to active duty upon my arrival home."

"Guess I'm a slow learner," he gave her half a smile. "I missed you, though, Bones."

"And I you," she acknowledged. "Though it forced me to admit how truly emotionally invested in you and your well-being I have become. I've been well aware of my emotions concerning you for quite some time now; thus my reasoning for exploring certain options in my book."

"But you thought I wasn't interested in you that way?"

She shrugged, "You are quick to tell others that we are 'just partners,' you were quite adamant that relationships could not exist between people in high-risk positions such as we hold, and you told me you loved me in a professional capacity; that seemed clear enough."

"What about the stuff I told you this afternoon?" he had to know.

"It was no less than I would have expected," she smiled. "It's not as if you haven't made your position on lifelong monogamy within the context of marriage well-known over the past five years. I might not have associated it with the sexual component of the relationship but that does not mean I wasn't expecting a similar speech as some point."

"And you're okay with that?" he asked. "No arguments about how sex is all about biological urges and that marriage is some antiquated ritual?"

"A component of sexual intercourse is biological," she insisted, "though I am very intrigued to see what impact a deep emotional connection has on the experience. And the institute of marriage is very old, however, my views on the subject have been modified and my love for you is such that I am willing to forego any remaining concerns."

"Whoa! Wait! What did you say?" he felt a goofy grin growing.

"I said I am willing to for-"

"No, no," he interrupted, "Before that."

A grin spread across her face now and color crept up her cheeks as she repeated softly, "I love you, Booth and have for quite some time now."

"I love you too, Bones," he grinned back.

Once again, neither one could be sure who made the first move, but their lips still met in the middle so it didn't matter.

The make-out session was long and tender and followed by a discussion on how well she'd managed to fool everyone including him during dinner. He even managed to charm her into letting him feed her a second piece of pumpkin pie; though halfway through she grabbed the fork and fed him. It was well after midnight before they reluctantly agreed it was time for her to leave. He was surprised, and very pleased, to discover she'd gotten a ride to his place with Max so that Booth could escort her home.

They spent the drive making plans to go out on "Black Friday" – a concept she was unfamiliar with but that she readily agreed to- and bickering about the best malls in DC. When they finally got to her place, he boldly wrapped his arm around her waist, enjoying the feeling of her leaning into him against the cold night air as they walked to the building.

"Just do me one favor," she asked as he stood at her doorway, the taste of her good-bye kiss lingering on his lips.

"Anything," he promised.

"Don't wait five more years to propose."

FIN.

Thanks for journeying with me on this one. I think with Goop now out, we've seen how possible it is that Brennan is GG's "one" and that she's starting to put it all out there in hopes that Booth will notice. Meanwhile, Booth's waiting in the wings with hope and patience, so really they're passing like ships in the night.

Two telling scenes: Brennan in the diner w/Margret- her marriage views have definitely shifted dramatically!! And Booth in the car, speaking her language to help her through her emotions over the mother's dilema- he SOOO gets Brennan, even when others don't. I was also touched by her inviting Booth for dinner right after Max had told her that being alone for Christmas is tantamount to not being loved- she wants Booth to know he's loved!

Ok, 'nough said. Can't wait to hear what you thought of my itty bitty love story. Thanks so much for the reviews and for bearing with me ditching Blue Eyes temporarily.

Now, back to that serial killer....

Gum :)