FaithinBones,
You have brought so much joy to your readers for so many years. In my darkest days of health problems sometimes I'd be up all night in pain. Knowing that a chapter would be posted at 3:00 am my time like clockwork kept me going and distracted, adding relief to my life.
I am sorry you're having health problems right now but happy to hopefully give a little back to someone who's given so much to me and others.
Feel better, my friend.
Love and hugs
DG Schneider
This story is set after The Finder episode in Season 6. I'll let the rest speak for itself. Enjoy.
Me, You, and Wong Fu's
"Bones." Booth stood to greet his partner. He'd looked up to find her standing in the doorway of his office holding a large box of what was surely some kind of Chinese food. He hadn't moved in what felt like hours, his Friday night completely consumed by paperwork. "God, how long have you been standing there?"
She shrugged, shifting her weight but not saying a word.
Glancing between her and the clock on his desk he quickly grew concerned. "It's really late. Is everything okay?" Already rounding the corner of his desk, he reached to take the box from her pausing to take her in. Her eyes were wide as she glanced away momentarily, hesitating before answering, which worried him.
Things had been getting back to normal between them since Hannah left. Not as fast as he'd like in some ways but Sweets said that was to be expected. Now she was standing in the doorway to his office looking … looking uncharacteristically nervous.
"I was driving by," she sucked in a sharp breath and spoke deliberately, "and I saw your lights and thought -" Booth tilted his head slightly and looked quizzically at her. She felt self-conscious, questioning every thought and decision that led to this somewhat impulsive act. "I thought you might like some Wong Fu's." Pulling her lip between her teeth, she closed her eyes and waited for his response.
"No way. Really?" Booth took the box. "Wong Fu's?" She opened her eyes to the broadest smile she'd seen from him in months. Probably since she surprised him with the Tommy guns on Valentine's Day.
"Sid says hello." Her shoulders dropped and her eyes danced with excitement. "He misses you and Parker."
"You drove all the way out there?"
"The new restaurant is quite nice."
"Yeah, God, it's been since before Afghanistan -" He was staring down at the box. "I always mean to go, you know, and take Parker but -" his thoughts drifted for a moment and silence filled the room.
"He sent pie too. Your favorite, he said."
"I can't believe you -" Booth shook his head in delightful disbelief. "Come on, let's go." Nodding in the direction of the break room he led the way out of his office.
The bullpen was empty, not an agent in sight, and the lights in the breakroom were off when they entered. Bumping them on with his elbow the fluorescent lights flickered to life. He set the box of food down on the table and started rummaging through it only to realize she'd thought of everything. He looked up to find her wiggling herself into a comfortable spot in a chair on the other side of the table.
"Hey, no, let's not eat in here. Follow me." They were in the elevator and Booth had pushed the roof button before he said anything else. "So, you saw the lights of my office on, huh?"
"Yes."
"From the street?" He responded before she could say anything - cutting off her thought.
"From the street, yes. You … you pushed the roof button." She added, pointing to the control panel.
"You know which office is mine … from the street?"
"Of course." She answered flatly. "We've been partners for five years, Booth, I know which office is yours." She was more interested in where they were going. "Why are we going to the roof?"
"You saw my office lights on from the street and just happened to have a box full of Wong Fu's in your car or did you see my office lights and then go an hour out of your way to get food? Seems like you, maybe, I don't know, planned to come by."
"I already had the food." It wasn't a lie. He'd said he'd be working late. She'd planned on seeing if he was still at work. If not she would've gone by his apartment. "What's on the roof? Most roofs are unsuitable for eating."
"I mean, Wong Fu's isn't exactly on your way home. It's not on the way anywhere anymore."
"How're we going to eat up there?"
"And the pie, it's almost, you know, like it was just for me."
"Won't it be dirty?" Her pinched expression made him chuckle, he'd always loved her expressions and this was one of his favorites.
"Nah, some agents got together and made like a sitting area up there." The elevator dinged and the doors opened almost on cue. Booth stepped out leaning against the elevator doors to hold them open until she was out before leading the way through a small corridor. The heavy metal door made a loud thunking noise that echoed through the hall as he backed up against it pushing it open with his back. 'Be careful walking, the roof's uneven. I don't want you to fall." She could see it. Across the barren rooftop was a small container garden with benches, chairs, and a couple patio tables. "It's nice, right?" She only nodded, watching intently as he set the box of food down and started unloading it onto the small table.
"It is nice." Her answer was late but appreciated and he smiled softly at her across the table until she laughed nervously. "Oh, I almost forgot." Reaching for her purse, she pulled out a couple of cold drinks she'd picked up at a convenience store close to the Hoover.
"So, what's the occasion, Bones?" For some reason, she hadn't expected him to ask so directly. Looking up over a container of Kung Pao Tofu she's just opened, she handed Booth chopsticks, holding on briefly when he took them.
There was a reason, multiple actually, but she wasn't sure she was as ready to talk about them as she thought she was. Maybe she would stick to her excuse versus her reason. It felt safer. Taking a deep breath she looked up at him with a beautiful, soft look.
"I told you, Booth, I saw your lights on and thought you might like some Wong Fu's."
"That's some kind of a hint isn't it?" She smiled and popped a bite of broccoli in her mouth rendering her unable to answer. "Okay, okay, let's see." It had to have been something from their early partnership if it involved Wong Fu's. Sid had moved his business years ago to a posh location almost an hour away from the heart of the District. Brennan waited, chewing slowly, a spark in her eye.
Angela had told her she needed to speak Booth's language. At first, that seemed easy. They were both fluent English speakers but when she expressed that to Angels she laughed and told her that was not what she meant. Love languages, she spent the better part of an hour telling her about love languages. That only seemed to complicate her thoughts.
In the end, she decided that among the many things that Booth loved, food held great significance for him, certainly eating meals together. It was a hallmark of their partnership and friendship. He liked spending time together and the marking of time or events seemed to hold great importance also. Food didn't necessarily hold the same significance for her but there was an occasion where food and Booth and an event all intersected for her. And while it might not seem significant to him, it was one of the most significant and meaningful moments of her life to date. She smiled across the table at Booth.
"I don't know exactly what Sid included. I told him what I was planning and he just waved his hand and told me he had it under control."
Her low laugh warmed his heart and he couldn't help note how beautiful she was in the dim light the city and the moon provided. She always seemed to know exactly what he needed, even when she didn't realize it. This time in his life, healing from Hannah, letting himself feel those feelings for Bones again which he'd fought for so long, it was hard. He didn't know how to move forward with her. It seemed to him that one step in that direction, one date, one kiss, and they'd end up going from nothing to in a deeply committed relationship. How could it happen any other way? They'd been dancing this dance for so long. Sweets' was right, he was sure of it, the dam would break.
He turned his attention back to the food. There was fried dumplings, some tempura vegetables and shrimp, mushroom chicken, lo mein, sweet and sour, Kung Pao Tofu, and his pie of course. Popping a fried dumpling in his mouth, his eyes closed and he hummed at the deliciousness.
"God, I didn't realize how much I missed this." He mumbled, his mouth still full.
"Really?"
Opening his eyes, he held her gaze. "Really," he affirmed. "Sid always knows." And then it dawned on him. He'd uttered those same words to her over late-night meals when they'd found the remains of her mother. She saw it, when his memory kicked in and it clicked.
"He really does." She whispered. "You told me once you were sure his food had healing properties."
"I did." Leaning forward, he pointed at her with his chopsticks for emphasis. "It's true too."
"It's been five years since -" She paused, five years since he brought her Wong Fu's in the middle of the night to check on her. Five years since he made sure she knew she wasn't alone. Five years since he made sure she knew that someone cared enough to want to know where she was and what she was doing and whether she'd eaten or slept or had someone to talk to in the middle of the night when her world spun out of control. "I mean, not exactly five years. I am not sure of the exact -"
"It's okay. I get it." He reached for her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. "Thank you, Temperance. Thank you."
Time froze for that moment.
She sucked in a sharp breath, holding it. Temperance. A wave of emotion rolled over her and she struggled to fight back tears. He had no idea what hearing her name fall from his lips did to her.
The stars twinkled, the breeze blew, wisps of her hair fluttered around her face. She was perfection and Booth wanted nothing more than to reach over and give her a kiss but he couldn't. He wasn't ready and the last thing she needed was for him to start something and then back away because he wasn't ready. He squeezed her hand again before letting go and pulling back.
"So, five years, huh? I can't believe it." He remembered worrying about her those first few nights, and really he was right to. She was up every one of those nights, a small box of keepsakes on her table that she covered quickly before answering the door. If he was honest with himself, he was a little confused as to why she was celebrating that. Identifying the remains of your own mother seemed like a morbid thing to celebrate, but this was Bones and she had a whole different worldview. "So, we're celebrating finding your mom then?"
She looked confused and hesitated, she didn't know how to answer that. Technically, it made sense that he would think that was what they were celebrating, and one reason she picked it was because it could be considered an anniversary.
"It's okay, Bones, it doesn't matter what we're celebrating, just that we're enjoying each other's company." He gave a nod to her before taking another bite of shrimp.
"That's a love language." He looked surprised. "Angela was telling me about love languages and one of them is quality time together."
"She was?" Now she felt like she'd revealed too much, certainly enough for her handsome investigator to latch on and not let go. "Why were you talking about love languages?" He'd grabbed a container of lo mein and was stirring it with his chopsticks.
She froze.
She'd gone to Angela because she didn't understand what was happening to her, plopping down on the couch in her office in pure frustration. She'd always been adept at compartmentalizing but for some reason she couldn't seem to stop herself from obsessively hyperfocusing on this one thought. It was a silly offhand remark Booth had made when they were in Florida for a case, seeking the help of a man he called the Finder. After asking if she and Booth were sleeping together Mr. Walter Sherman asked if she would sleep with him. Booth answered, saying maybe if he found the map they were looking for, which wasn't actually a map but rather a chart fragment. She was horrified even though he'd immediately mouthed to her that he was just joking. That should have been it. She should've never given it a second thought. But for days she couldn't help herself.
Did he really think that she'd do that? He said it was a joke but was it really? He knew she had a hard time understanding jokes. Why would he joke about that so soon after they had talked about one day trying to have a relationship together? Had he not noticed that she hadn't dated or talked about men or relationships in a very long time? It hurt in a way she didn't understand. The endless barrage of unanswerable questions drove her to seek Angela's help.
He must have seen her growing discomfort because he grabbed a scoop of lo mein and held out his chopsticks toward her.
"Booth," she protested but took the bite after a little cajoling from him. It was a big, messy bite and she struggled as noodles, cabbage, and bean sprouts threatened to fall. Booth was no help as he sat back and watched, laughing.
"Here," leaning forward he reached for her, "you've got a little right -" he didn't finish. His thumb brushed her chin, then her lips, hesitating before a soft second pass. Her heart pounded wildly, her eyes locked with his, and it felt like forever before he pulled his hand back.
"I wouldn't have slept with Mr. Sherman." She blurted it out before she could stop herself, then cringed, peeking at Booth. "I'm not that person anymore." She tried to explain. "I haven't, I haven't done that in a long time." It just kept coming even though she wasn't sure she wanted it to.
"Bones, I never thought … it was just a joke. It was stupid and I shouldn't have -"
"I haven't slept with anyone, not for a long -"
"I, it was wrong of me. I'm -
"Not since before Maluku."
"What? Really?" His reaction was visceral, redirecting his thoughts completely. "Why?" He shouldn't have asked, he thought, but, God, it brought back the same question that had plagued him since that fateful night that spun their lives out of control, why?
She couldn't answer, not at first, and he wasn't sure but he thought she maybe had tears welling in her eyes as they glistened in the dim light. But, at the same time, how could she not be honest with him if they were going to try to build a relationship together in the near future.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yeah, I mean, yes, of course." He looked down at his hands and then back up at her. "If you want to tell me."
"At first, it was because I was busy. We spent most of our time together and when I wasn't in the lab I was with you, working a case or meeting you for lunch or dinner. I told myself that I was just too busy for a relationship but I had one. I had one with you. Like Sweets used to say, a surrogate relationship. I didn't want to be with other men." It felt like she was talking and talking with no interruption and she was starting to feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. Pausing, she locked eyes with Booth and then looked down at her hands.
"And then I realized that I didn't want to be with other men because … because I wanted to be with you." Their eyes caught and she looked away almost instantly. "But that scared me." She picked up a piece of tempura sweet potato, playing nervously with it. It kept her hands busy and gave her something besides Booth to look at. "It terrified me actually." She looked up catching his gaze. "I remember almost losing you, so many times in so many ways. I couldn't do that. I couldn't. And you waking up from the coma and not remembering me, it was one of the most painful experiences of my life." The memory was still vivid, and she sucked in a painful breath as she remembered the devastating feeling.
"Bones, I -" She held up a hand, she wasn't done and she needed to finish.
"Maluku was a mistake and I knew it right away," her voice got quiet, "in the airport. I was determined to tell you when we got back but, but -"
"Hannah."
"Yes, Hannah." She let out a long sigh followed by a slow, deep breath. "I was in love with you, I knew it by then, but I … I didn't know what to do with what I was feeling and when I did tell you -"
"I was an ass."
"No, no you were you. You were… Boothy." He missed her sweet smile as his shoulder immediately slumped and his head fell to his chest. "You were with someone and you were dedicated to her as I would expect you to be. It's a good quality." He felt her hand come to rest on his forearm and looked up at her. "I should have never told you like that, it wasn't fair to you." Placing his hand over hers, he let his thumb gently stroke back and forth. She needed that simple contact, craved the comfort it brought her.
"I needed to hear it, Bones, I wanted to hear it." There was a long pause before he broke the silence between them. "Is that why you brought the Wong Fu's tonight, to talk?" She shrugged.
"I, yes, but more. I wanted -" She was having the hardest time articulating everything that was on her mind. "When you showed up at my door in the middle of the night, that first night after finding my mother, I was in a very dark place. I was alone. I mean I'd been alone for a long time, but this, this felt so different to me, devastatingly different. Nothing had changed but somehow everything had changed and I just couldn't get my bearings. It's not like I hadn't been without a mother for years, I had, but somehow I felt even more alone than I ever had. I'm not, I'm not explaining this very well." Letting out a shuddered breath she looked up into her partner's warm brown eyes. "Knowing she was dead just made it all -"
"Harder." she nodded, doing her best to choke down her emotions.
"I needed that, Booth, I needed you and you were there. Like you always have been, like you always are." His heart swelled. "No one had ever been there for me like that before. Not in my entire life."
A knowing look spread across his face. "That's what we're celebrating, not finding your mom. Us. We're celebrating us." He always had a way of understanding her and most of the time, like this time, he helped her understand herself. "And Wong Fu's was a part of that."
Booth stood and reached out a hand to her. Taking it, she found herself pulled up and wrapped in his embrace. She'd missed guy hugs, she couldn't remember having one since they met by the coffee cart that first night back in D.C.. What had followed hurt so deeply there was a time she thought they'd never recover, but here they were. She pulled him in tighter and hung on for what felt like dear life. He curled around her. This is all he'd ever wanted. Her. Just her in all her beautiful complicatedness.
They held each other tight, unwilling to let go. Her eyes fell shut and she hummed as he nuzzled down into the crook of her neck and breathed her in. Her hair tickled his face as her cheek brushed against his evening stubble making this long-awaited moment powerfully real. He wanted more, he wanted it all and his rising desire sobered him.
"I'm not ready." He whispered, his voice shaking.
"I know." She answered. "I know." There was a whisper of sadness in her tone as she started to pull back, but he didn't want to let her go, he wasn't ready for that either.
"Don't," he whispered against her ear. "I just - Can I hold you just a little longer?" She stepped back in, nodding, unable to speak.
He held her looser but more intimately as one of his hands journeyed up to gently caress her cheek. They were so close, their hearts beating wildly out of control, desire pushing against every line and boundary they'd ever set for themselves. This was not a guy hug, not even remotely. It was so much more. They both felt it.
"Not long," he promised. "I'll be ready soon." Cradling her face in his strong hands, he laid a line of lingering kisses along her forehead down to her ear as they swayed to the rhythm of the city below them. "Soon."