Chapter Text
Seeley Booth shut the door of his locker and looked down at his schedule for the year. It was finally his last year of high school and while a lot of his classmates were excited to go off to college, Booth found himself more nervous than anything else. This year would be even more important for him than the others because as an athlete as he needed to secure a scholarship if he wanted to be able to afford college. He knew that scouts already had an eye on him in the last few years, but he had to make sure he kept performing as well as he had since the beginning of high school if he wanted offers from the schools he actually wanted to play for.
“Hey Booth!”
Booth looked up and smiled at his friend as he jogged over to him. “Hey Sully, what’s up man? How was sailing with your parents?”
“It was nice, but man am I happy to be back home.” Tim Sullivan was one of Booth’s best friend and team mate on the hockey team
“What did you do all summer?”
“Oh you know, the usual. I helped my pops and worked. Who do you have for homeroom?” The bell should be ringing soon and he was not about to start the new school year with being late to class.
“I think I have Miss Anderson?” Tim look down at his own schedule for a second to confirm. “Yeah then I have English.”
“Nice, we have the same homeroom, but I have History after that.” Booth started walking towards his class with Tim and their group grew as more of their friends spotted them.
When they got to the classroom, Booth sat with his friends at the back of the class as usual. It wasn’t the best thing for him if he wanted to stay concentrated in class, but he had no intentions of being the only one not sitting with his teammates. He took off his varsity jacket and put it on the back of his chair since the summer heat still hadn’t dissipated and kept the classroom a bit too warm for a jacket.
Booth was listening to Sully tell their other friends about some cliff diving he did in Panama when he saw Miss Anderson enter the classroom. He would have turned back to his friend if their Algebra teacher hadn’t been accompanied by a girl he didn’t recognize. There weren’t a lot of new faces in their school, especially not in the last year so she really stood out and he couldn’t help but stare just a little. The new student sat in the first row, just in front of the teacher’s desk which meant that all he could look at was her auburn hair.
The sound of the bell broke his focus and Booth hushed his talkative friends so they wouldn’t get disciplined on the first day of class. As usual, the teacher went over the school rules, what her expectations for her class was for the year and of course she talked about all the activities they could anticipate for their senior year. What Booth found weird is that Miss Anderson didn’t introduce the new student to the class like usual and he was very sure he had never seen her in the school before.
The bell rang and most student filled out while chatting on their way to their next class. Booth stayed behind a little bit, telling his friends that he would join them in a few, stating that he had a few questions for the teacher.
Truth be told, something in his gut was telling him that he needed to introduce himself to the new girl. She was still sitting down at her desk, looking at her class schedule when Booth walked up to her. He took a quick look at the sheet she was holding and mentally cheered when he saw that they had the same class after this.
“Hey, I have History too after this if you want me to walk you to class.”
The girl looked up at him, surprised to see him standing next to her. She didn’t say anything to him, just looked at his face with a confused expression.
“You’re new right?” Booth questioned, hoping he hadn’t made a real bad move and assumed she was new because he didn’t know her specifically. That would certainly make him look like an absolute asshole.
“That would be accurate, it is my first day at this school.” She’d answered his question in such a particular way and Booth was surprised that he found it endearing, not that he would admit it out loud.
“I’m Seeley Booth.” Booth waited to for her to offer her own name, but realized he was waiting for nothing. “And you are?”
“Temperance Brennan.” She was still looking up at him, maybe waiting for him to keep the conversation going or for him to leave her alone, Booth couldn’t tell.
Miss Anderson, who was watching the whole interaction with curiosity from her desk, finally spoke. “Temperance, you should take up Mister Booth’s offer to walk you to class, he knows his away around the school. You know what, considering you are both in my home room, Seeley would you mind helping Temperance settling in?” Truth be told, out of all of her student athletes, she like Booth the most. He always tried his hardest in class, even if he didn’t get the best results and as the captain of the hockey team, he kept the other boys in line.
“I do not need a chaperone to find my way,” Temperance answered quickly and stood up.
Booth held both of his hands up. “Hey I won’t follow you everywhere, I was just offering to show you around today.”
“What do you want in exchange?” Temperance knew from the varsity jacket that he was an athlete and those kind of boys were usually not very nice with her. She had no intention of having one follow her around to make fun of her on her first day at a new school. If he was making this offer, surely he wanted something from her.
“A thank you would be nice, but I’m not a very demanding person,” Booth countered, not knowing why the new girl was being so cold to him as if he had done something to her personally. “But I won’t impose my help, if you have any questions come see me.” Booth felt slightly awkward in the moment and figured he should leave before he somehow offended the new girl even more. “Have a nice day Miss Anderson.”
“You too Seeley, thank you for offering your help.”
Booth pivoted on his feet and put his hands in the pocket of his jacket, meaning to leave the classroom when Temperance’s voice stopped him.
“I’ll take you up on your offer for English class, but nothing more.”
Booth turned to look at her, wondering how his offer had suddenly turned into a negotiation. By the way she was looking at him, he could tell that pointing it out would make him lose what little trust he had managed to build in the last two minutes, so decided against it. “Great, I accept your terms. If you are ready to go, we have five minutes until the bell rings and we have a sea eight graders to get through to reach that class.”
“Sure, I don’t know what that means, but it seems important.”
“Oh I meant that the English class is next to the nine grader’s locker hall so there’s always a bunch of them blocking the hall,” Booth explained as Temperance picked up her bag to follow him.
“That makes more sense,” she told him in the hallway. Booth looked at her properly for the first time, nothing how her green eyes were staring back at him. “Do you dislike younger students?”
“What? No, I don’t. Why would you ask that?” Booth realized that he felt more confusion talking with her than he had felt talking with anyone. He was usually pretty good in casual conversation and would consider himself good with people.
“It’s just you seemed angry that the ninth grade students assemble in the hallway in front of the English class.” She worded her question very specifically while keeping up with Booth’s quick walking pace.
“Oh no, it’s more annoyed than anything else. My brother’s in middle school so I’m used to having to babysit younger students. They get annoying after a while and can be little monsters, but that doesn’t mean I hate them. I’d do anything for my little brother. You’ll see what I mean by annoying when we turn the corner.”
Temperance did in fact stop in her track when they turned, seeing what her new classmate had explained to her. There was maybe fifty students, talking loudly and pushing each other around, seemingly unaware of their surroundings. “How are we going to get to class?”
“Luckily for you, you are accompanied by the captain of the hockey team.”
“How does that make me lucky?”
“It means they’ll move if I ask.” She seemed slightly uncomfortable with his statement which made Booth rethink his approach one more. “I’ll ask nicely, I’m not a bully.” The last thing he wanted to be in life was a bully that hurt smaller people.
“Oh, I wasn’t implying you were.” Temperance comprehended, even with her difficulty to read people, that she had misread her new classmate. Most of the times, she didn’t care about offending people, but the boy walking next to her gave her the feeling that she should try to be nice. In her mind, he crossed off every box of what a high school bully was, but somehow he showed behaviours representing the opposite.
“Just stay behind me and I’ll find us a safe path through this.”
Temperance Brennan core values were against letting a man be in charge of her protection, but she figured doing it once wouldn’t be too bad.
Chapter 2
Notes:
Hello! Here is chapter 2! We get to know a little bit more about Bones and why she's now in Philadelphia.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Once they walked through the door, Brennan went straight for a desk in the front row of the class just like she had done for the first class of the day.
“You’re welcome,” Booth mumbled to himself and shook his head. He was usually very good at conversing with people and making new friends, but clearly he was doing something wrong with her. The bell rang and he figured he should sit down instead of musing about his sudden inability to make a new friend.
He walked to the back of the class and sat down at the desk Sully had kindly kept for him.
“Why were you with the new girl?” Sully whispered. “She’s kinda hot.”
“Shut up Sully, I was just showing her around the school.”
The conversation ended when their history teacher asked for silence and jumped right into the curriculum for the year. Booth listened as much as he could manage, his concentration slipping as he stared at the back of Temperance’s head.
At the front of the classroom, on the other hand, Temperance sat completely unaware that she had captivated his attention and jotted down a few notes of what the teacher was explaining. Truth be told, she already knew the information and she was ready to bet that she knew even more than her own teacher when it came to history. In fact, she was pretty convinced she knew more than the entirety of her teachers. She had already skipped a grade and wanted to skip more, but her mother had said no, insisting that she experienced high school like any teenager would.
At least she had managed to convince her parents to let her take college and university classes in the evenings, but with the sudden move to Philadelphia she still hadn’t had the time to sign up for those meaning all she had for now were good old high school level classes.
Temperance didn’t exactly know what to think of Philadelphia yet, her older brother seemed to like it and had already made friends at a college party he went to. Her dad had taken up a job as the ninth grade science teacher at the same high school she was now going to. They had moved to Philly because her mom was offered a position as the main accountant for the company she works for, but at the Philadelphia branch and her parents figured it was a perfect opportunity for a fresh start.
Temperance had spent a few hours looking up what she could enjoy in the city and was relieved to see that there were good museums and free college classes at Temple University which she could go by taking the bus.
Her mother had still asked her to attempt to do activities at the high school and Temperance had an appointment at with the guidance counsellor at lunch time to see if anything would capture her attention. She doubted it, but she had promised to at least try.
Her attention went back to the class when she heard her peers laugh. She wasn’t sure what was going on as she had clearly missed whatever was so funny.
“Very funny Jonathan, if you don’t mind I’m going to go back to the subject now,” the teacher, Mister Jackson, said and Temperance turned in her seat to look towards the disturbance. She had no clue who the Jonathan was and she stopped caring when she noticed that Booth was staring at her.
When he realized that she was onto him he stopped dropped his gaze to his desk and pretended to take down some notes as he turned slightly red.
Temperance had a hard time understanding why he seemed so interested in her, she wasn’t the type of girl captains of sports teams liked to go after. She wasn’t sure she wanted the attention either if it meant having more eyes on her.
Although, she had to admit he was traditionally very attractive. He had a strong jaw, symmetrical face and he was obviously in great shape from his athletic activities. He seemed kind too, they way he had simply walked her to class and talked about his brother meant showed he cared for his family.
Temperance started to wonder if it would be that bad to be his acquaintance.
As scheduled, the bell rang and Temperance stood up as she gathered her things back into her bag. She had AP biology after lunch break which meant that she would have about twenty minutes after her meeting to find the classroom. As she moved to walk out of the class her teacher called her over.
“You’re the new student, Temperance Brennan?”
“Yes.” Brennan said simply standing in front of her teacher.
“You weren’t paying attention in class today.”
Temperance was surprised that he had noticed, as teachers usually left her to her own. “I already know the material for the curriculum so I was simply drawing to keep myself entertained.” There was no point in lying, she truly wasn’t paying attention.
“I see, I met your father in the teacher’s lounge, he told me you liked History so assumed you would like my class.”
“I love History, I simply already know about the evolution of the Inca Empire when I took a class at the University of Illinois last year.”
“I’m the coach of the Academic Decathlon team, so if you are interested there’s a spot open on the honours team. I’m sure you would like it and maybe it could keep you more entertained.”
Temperance was shocked to get invited so quickly to a club, but was pleased that it meant she would keep her promise to her mother and get involved with normal high school activities. She had a feeling her father had meddled a little bit, but she was more grateful than anything else.
“We meet around two times a week, more if it’s a competition week and I think you would get along with the other kids on the team.”
“I think I would enjoy that, yes.”
“Great! The team usually eats in our training room so I can walk with you there and introduce you.”
“You have a training room?”
“Well, it’s one of the group work rooms in the library that we have taken over, but it’s better than a storage closet somewhere or an empty classroom.”
“That would be pleasant. I do have meeting with the guidance councillor in twenty minutes.”
“No problem, you can join them at the library after. I’ll be in meetings for the rest of lunch, but I promise the team members are nice.”
“Thank you. I will be there.” Brennan didn’t know what else to say so she walked out of the classroom. When she saw the mass of ninth graders grouped around the lockers, she suddenly wished that she still had Booth to accompany her.
Notes:
I'm sorry this is late, I was enjoying the long weekend and then Ao3 was down so I couldn't post. I how everyone has a nice week, I'm starting university classes again this week, but I have chapter's pre-written so I can post weekly at least until Christmas so no worries about the schedule for now.
Thanks for reading!
Chapter 3
Notes:
Happy Sunday everyone! In this chapter, we get to meet some familiar faces!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Booth poked at his food with his fork absently while his friends talked enthusiastically about the party later tonight.
“Hey Booth!”
“What?” Booth looked up, surprised at the tone his friend Charlie used to get his attention.
“I asked if you were coming to the party tonight?”
“I don’t know, I’m coaching Jared’s baseball team after school.”
“Come on Booth, practice will end at what? Eight? The party isn’t until ten.”
“I don’t know if my Pops will want me out on a Monday Charlie,” Booth continued on, hoping that his friend would drop it.
“It’s Senior year, there’s no way you are skipping parties like last year again. Do you know how bad it looks for the rest of the hockey team when our captain doesn’t show up?”
“Well some of us are trying to get into college with good grades and a scholarship.” Booth stood up, grabbed his stuff and left his friends behind, irritated that he always needed to explain in detail his reasons to avoid partying.
“What’s up with him today?” Charlie said, looking around at the rest of his teammates. Their captain was known for his brooding moments, so it wasn’t entirely out of the norm for him to be in one of his moods as his friends would call. Although, Booth was usually in his bad moods for an entire day and he had been pretty normal before first period. “Sully? Do you have any ideas?”
“Nope, no idea.” Sully replied between bites of his sandwich. Seeley Booth was a mystery for most of the people in his life and he had no intentions of making it easy for anyone.
***
At the other end of the cafeteria, Booth threw away the rest of his lunch and took one last look at the table where his friends were sitting before leaving. He hadn’t meant to snap at his friends, but he had been feeling a bit annoyed.
It was nothing that a good run around the track couldn’t fix for him and he did have practice during third period so he could stay outside even after the bell rang. Deciding that it was the best idea for him, Booth left his friends behind.
Booth went to his locker and traded his backpack for his gym bag. While walking to the hockey team changing rooms, he spotted Temperance Brennan walking into the library. He stopped in his track and stayed in the blindspot of the hallway to watch her for a moment through the ceiling to floor glass walls of the library. She seemed to be looking for someone, walking slowly and checking every single work room until her demeanour changed.
Booth realized she was meeting the Academic Decathlon team, which he thought made sense considering he could tell just from the minimal conversations he had with her that she was beyond smart.
After standing in his spot for a minute Booth started to question why he was so invested in the new student once more. Temperance Brennan wasn’t particularly nice to him, nor did she seem interested in him at all. Also, she wasn’t even his type if he really thought about it. All of his girl friends in the place were blondes, usually on the cheer team and so obviously into him that he didn’t need to make much effort for himself to get a date. Working to be liked was a challenge he had rarely had to face since starting high school.
Now, he really need to go train and get his brain on the right track again. He breezed through the rest of the hallway and down the stairs to the changing rooms were he reclaimed his usual locker. He threw on a pair of shorts and a running tee branded with this team’s name. As soon as his laces were done he immediately headed outside and started running laps around the track. With his earphones in playing some classic rock, he could almost focus only on his breathing and get some good cardio in.
***
Back inside the library, Temperance knocked hesitantly on the door which had a Philly Brainiacs sign on it. She waited for a few seconds until a guy with curly hair opened the door.
“Hey it’s the new girl Mister J said would come! Come on in.” The guy bowed dramatically and opened the door wider to invite her in. “Welcome to the Lab.” There were three other kids in the room, all eating the lunch while surrounded by books and different knick knacks.
“This isn’t the science lab,” Brennan responded simply and stared at all the boys.
“It isn’t but that’s what Hodgins likes to call it. I was also confused at first,” The youngest looking guy cut in.
“It’s just our nick name for the place. This is Zack by the way and I’m Jack Hodgins.”
“I’m Lance Sweets,” the other guy said.
“I’m Temperance Brennan.” She was still standing awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of what she should do next.
“Yeah! Come on in, chose a spot and sit down.” The curly haired guy, Jack, pushed a stack of books, opening up a place for her to sit down.
There was a few seconds of awkward silence until Zack spoke up. “We haven’t had a girl on the team in a long time. They usually don’t stay for extended periods of time.”
“Why is that?” Temperance started unpacking her lunch. She already liked how direct these new people were.
“We are what most people qualify as the weird geeks squad.” Lance said from his spot.
“How does that make girls leave? I don’t understand the correlation between both statements.”
“I already like you,” Zack said bluntly. “I like her.”
“I haven’t fully formed an opinion yet, but you all seem to be academically inclined from the books I’m seeing on the table. How much time do you spend in here?”
“Oh we’re the Honors team, we get to have the room most of the week, sometimes the younger kids will come by to avoid bullying. Same for us, this is our safe place from the jocks.” Jack explained, cringing a little. “We all skipped grades so mix being overly smart with being young and bullying is the package deal.”
“I have had similar experiences, no need to explain.” Temperance cut her off. “Although the athletes in this school do not seem to be all prone to bullying.”
“They lull you into a false sense of security and then strike, trust me.” This time it was Sweets that joined into the conversation. “I know from experience sadly.”
“Oh, that’s disappointing then.” Temperance thought it made sense, there was no way Seeley Booth was actually being kind with her out of the goodness of his heart. She had probably read there interaction wrong, as she tended to do a lot of the time.
“We were working on languages if you would like to participate.” Zack picked up some cue cards from a binder.
“I already speak five languages, I’m working on my sixth.” Temperance told them and took a sip from her water bottle.
“Oh you are going to fit right into our group.” Jack had a pretty excited look on his face, the expression mirrored by the other boys.
Temperance had a feeling she was going to fit right into a group for once in her life. Maybe Philadelphia wasn’t going to be too unpleasant after all.
Notes:
See you next week!
Chapter 4
Notes:
I am back with a very Booth centric chapter which will provide a bit of background for him and his family for this fic.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Booth was sitting in his old beat up car, parked in front of Jared’s middle school and waiting. His little brother should be coming out soon and they could head to the baseball field for practice. Being an assistant coach was one of the few miscellaneous jobs Booth had to help his grandparents pay for stuff for Jared and him. It also provided a discount for Jared’s baseball classes which was great.
Booth finally spotted his little brother and started up the engine. Jared said goodbye to his friends and ran to the car.
“Jared how many times do I have to tell you to be careful in parking lots, you ran across without looking.”
“Calm down Seel, I’m fine. I’m not going to get hit by a car in the school parking.” Jared said with all the sass that an eleven years old boy can have.
“Yeah well, you never know. How was your first day?” Booth backed out of his parking lot and pulled out onto the street.
“Pretty good, I almost got kicked out of second period.” His little brother said casually.
“Jared, it’s the first day, how did you manage that?” Booth wanted to slam the break and stare down his trouble-maker of a little brother. Sometimes he didn’t know what to do with Jared. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to go apologize to his little brother’s teachers a bunch of times this year again. “I swear, if you get into a bunch of trouble again this year, I’m enrolling you in after school community service at the church.” He noticed that his brother had gone quiet which made him realize that he had taken an angry tone, similar to what their father used to do. “I’m sorry Jared, I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I’m just worried about you. You need to keep your grades up and be good at practice if you want a scholarship for college.”
“Seeley, I’m only in middle school, I’m not going to get scouted this year.”
“Yeah but if you keep up your bad habits, you are going to drag them into high school. I won’t always be there to get you out of trouble.”
“I know and I’ll try this year, I promise.” Booth didn’t know if he could trust his brother’s statement, but he liked to believe in the best of people. “Can we have ice cream after practice?” Jared seemed to have moved on fairly quickly.
“It depends on how well you play tonight. If you hit a home run and run the drills perfectly, we can get milkshakes and burgers.” It would be a hole in his wallet, but Booth felt he needed to apologize for raising his tone at his little brother. He hated himself every single time he behaved slightly like his father, it made him feel disgusting.
“You’re the best brother!” It seemed like Jared had already forgiven him, so Booth decided to at least attempt to do the same for himself.
They made it to the baseball field twenty minutes early, leaving enough time for Booth to get the gear ready and for Jared to socialize with his teammates a little bit.
***
Jared did end up deserving burgers and milkshakes which meant they arrived back home later than Booth had planned. He parked his own car next to his grandfather’s truck and helped Jared to get all their bags into the house.
“Go take a shower first and brush your teeth, then you can ask Grams if you can watch TV before bed.” Booth instructed Jared and decided to ignore how he rolled his eyes at him.
While his brother took over the bathroom, Booth went into the laundry room and took care of both of their sports clothing.
“You know Shrimp, you could let me do some of the discipline.” His grandfather’s voice made him jump. “And I’m sure your grandmother wouldn’t mind helping with the laundry.”
“Pops! You scared me.” Booth shoved all the coloured clothing into the washer, leaving Jared’s white baseball pants in the hamper so he could wash it with other whites. “I know I don’t have to do it, but I want to.”
Hank Booth watched his grandson go through his task with curiosity. His oldest grandson loves being helpful and being a provider, but Hank was concerned that he never let anyone take care of him.
“How was your first day of senior year? I heard there’s a big party tonight are you going?”
“It was good, I had practice too and the boys seem to be pretty committed this year.” Booth’s tone was dismissive and Hank picked up on it.
“And the party?”
“I’m not going. I want to go on a run in the morning before having to drop off Jared at school.” Booth shut the machine’s door and turned it on before leaning against it. If he had a feeling the new student would show up at the party he would consider going, but something in his guts told him Temperance Brennan was not a party girl.
“Is there something bothering you Shrimp?”
“Nope, I’m just tired. I’m getting back into my school schedule and with my own practice and coaching, I just want to go to bed.” Hank kept staring at him and Booth felt like he had done something wrong. “What? I had a normal day at school I swear. Nothing new to report.”
“Sure, if you want, I’m sure your grandmother would lend her ear.” Hank knew there was something up now, but also knew that pushing his oldest grandson to talk was a waste of time.
“If I have something to talk about I will. Goodnight Pops.”
“Give your grandmother a kiss before going to bed!” Hank told Booth as he watched him climb up the stairs quickly. Hank shook his head, wondering what he could do to help his grandson open up about his feelings. “Good night Seeley!”
Booth carefully opened the door to his grandparents room and smiled when he saw his grandmother sitting in her rocking chair and working in her knitting.
“Hey Grams, how are you feeling tonight?”
“I’m okay Seeley, you need to stop worrying so much.” His grandmother has been battling cancer for the last two years and he felt like it was his job to make everything as easy as possible for her while she was going through her treatment.
“We both know that’s never going to happen.” Booth kissed his grandmother’s cheek.
“How was Jared’s baseball practice?” Alice Booth put down her knitting needles and looked at her grandson. “You look tired Seeley and it’s only the first day of school.” Booth wanted to roll his eyes, annoyed that both his grandparents called him out on being tired.
“Most of my friends are also in my classes so senior year should be fun. I’m excited to get back on the ice soon, we’re doing only conditioning for the first month of school.” Booth sat at the end of his grandparents bed. “But yeah, Jared did good tonight at practice and so did the rest of the team. Hopefully they play as good once we start competition season like last year.”
“That sounds like fun. What about school? Is there anything exciting going on apart from hockey?”
Booth looked at his grandmother, wondering how she was always so good at asking the right questions. “I’m guessing there’s going to be a bunch of parties this year, tailgates as usual and senior year stuff. I don’t have a lot of expectations you know. I just want to have a good hockey season and keep my grades good enough.”
“Hank thought you would go to a party tonight, but I can tell that will not be the case.”
“I don’t feel like it. I’d just be making sure the guys didn’t get into trouble and I’ve already done enough babysitting for one evening,” Booth sighed and stretched his arms over his head. “I’m sure I’ll get all the details tomorrow morning.”
“What about the girls? I’m sure you could have a bit of fun if you went.” Alice had a smug look on her face, clearly pleased with her comment.
“Grams! I’m not looking for a girlfriend, you know that. Besides, you don’t find girlfriends at those types of parties. At least I don’t and it’s not like they want what I’m offering apparently.”
Last year, two months before summer break, his long time girlfriend Rebecca had broken up with him, stating that he was too intense and not enough fun to be with which was just profoundly confusing to him. He had been with her for over two years and if you would have asked him, he had thought they would get married and everything. That was until he realized that wasn’t what Rebecca was looking for and that what she wanted was the wild senior year experience before college. Since then, he hadn’t found the motivation to get back out there and date, not that he didn’t have the opportunity to. He had a lot of things to take care of back home and then there was Jared.
“I’m sure you will find the right girl one day, you just have to know where to look. Now go get some rest Seeley.”
“Goodnight Grams.” Booth kissed his grandmother on the cheek one last time and went into his bedroom. Thankfully, he didn’t have any homework yet so all he had to do was wait for Jared to be done with the bathroom so he could get cleaned up for bed.
As he laid in bed later, Booth thought about his grandmother’s words, making his mind drift to sleep.
Notes:
Thank you to everyone that's reading this!
Chapter 5
Notes:
Good evening! This chapter is a bit of a reflection of the last one, so you get to learn a bit more about Bones life at home.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Temperance waited for her father by the car with a book in hand. As soon as the last period’s bell had rang, she had exited the school and gone to the car hoping that her father wouldn’t take too long to join her. When she looked up from her book, she spotted Seeley Booth running across the parking lot and getting into a beat up car. She watched him drive away wondering why he was in such a hurry to leave the school.
She didn’t have the time to think much longer about it as her father made her jump slightly by unlocking the car.
“Tempie how was your day!” Her father asked enthusiastically.
“It was fine, how are you finding your new job,” she changed the subject quickly, disliking casual conversations.
“It was good! The kids are pretty smart this year I can tell.”
“You say that every single year.” Max Brennan has been a science and maths teacher for over twenty years and had seen many classes of students in his career. Yet, he still went to work with as much pleasure and enthusiasm as he did in his first year of teaching.
“Enough about me, I want to hear about you!”
“If I tell you everything now, I will simply have to repeat myself at dinner for mom which would not be an efficient use of our time.” Her father’s face fell a little, but he knew his daughter enough to know that she wasn’t being mean, simply logical with her time.
“Well I’ll look forward to it then. Speaking of your mother, she wants us to stop by the grocery store to buy a few things she forgot yesterday.” Max told his daughter as he got into the car. “I think your brother has another party tonight, so it will probably just be the three of us again tonight…”
Temperance could tell her father had not finished talking so she stayed quiet in her seat and opened up her book again. She could read and listen at the same time, optimizing her productivity.
“Unless you want to go to the seniors’ party I heard about. You know your mother and I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to go out tonight.”
“I have no intentions on participating in the party culture this year either. I promised to join a club, which I have already done by the way. The deal we made did not mention social events outside of the club I joined.”
“You had that all rehearsed in advance didn’t you?,” Max laughed out loud. “And you already found an activity? You know that we just want you to have some fun and make the most of your high school years?”
“I know that, I just don’t see what would be pleasant about being in a room filled with drunk teenagers while loud music is playing.”
“You could be surprised how fun it can be when you are with the right people Temperance. Look at Russ, he has fun at parties.”
“That’s because Russ enjoys drinking illegally,” Temperance replied dismissively. “I didn’t think mom and you wanted me to break the law too.”
Max didn’t feel like starting an argument he knew he had more chances of losing than winning so he simply turned on the radio and let his daughter focus on her book for the drive home.
***
A few hours later, the entire family, minus Russ, were sitting at the table and eating. While both adults were having chicken with a salad, Temperance was eating a variation with chickpeas instead as she had decided to be vegetarian years ago after seeing a documentary about the meat industries.
“So, Temperance tell us about your day.” Christine Brennan asked her daughter.
“Classes, as usual are going to be overly easy and mostly uninteresting, but I did join the Academic Decathlon team after my history teacher suggested it.”
“That’s amazing sweetie! I’m sure you could still find some classes interesting, you never know.” Temperance looked at her mother with a look of disbelief, clearly indicating that she doubted that. “And did you meet any new people?”
“Everyone I met today were new people, so of course.”
“You know that’s not what I meant. Did you make friends then?” Christine specified her question.
“I spent lunch break with three other members of the team, Jack, Lance and Zack. They all skipped grades like I did and are also on track to get full scholarships. They are pleasant to have conversations with. Today we practiced Latin with cue cards, I found it much more fun than I thought I would. Jack also talked about a biology club that seems interesting.”
“Now that really does sound nice!” Christine said before taking a sip of her water. She looked at her husband discretely, hoping that he would keep the conversation going.
“I heard about those three in the teachers lounge, especially Jack. That boy has a problem with authority I heard.”
“Jack doesn’t believe in traditional authority, if you listen to his arguments, he makes fair points.”
“Does that mean I’m going to have to bail you out of detention this year?” Max teased, fully knowing that there was no way his daughter ended up in detention.
“Of course not, I was simply explaining a diverging opinion on authority.”
“Did you speak with anyone in your classes? How about home room? You should at least make a friend in there.”
“I only spoke with one other student as he volunteered to show me around. His name is Seeley Booth, he is the captain of the hockey team.” She spoke to her parents as if it was casual for her to spend time with captains of sports team.
“The captain of the hockey team? You hung out with him?” Christine Brennan asked for clarification, not completely believing what she heard her daughter say.
“We didn’t hang out, I said he walked me to class. He seemed to be more tolerable than other student athletes usually are.”
“Now that’s high compliments coming from you, Tempie!” Max made the mental note to ask around about this student, wanting to know more about the guy that had seemingly deserved the high praise of being tolerable from his daughter.
Temperance, on the other hand ignored her father’s comments. “Can I be excused? I want to research the classes offered by the university.”
Both parents agreed to excuse her from the table and stayed silent while they watched her clean off her plate and leave the dinner room.
“I’m a bit concerned for her Max, she keeps closing up. I wish I knew what to say to her.”
“Maybe she just needs a bit more time to settle in. At least she’s making friends and I’ll look into the Seeley Booth to make sure he’s not one of those dumb jock that’s looking for another notch in his bedpost.”
“We should probably be worrying more about our kid that spends most of his time partying than the one researching schools shouldn’t we?”
Philadelphia was going to be a new start or all of them, they just needed to take it one step at a time and see where it led them.
Notes:
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'll see everyone next week!
Chapter 6
Notes:
Hello! Sorry for the late upload, I totally forgot to update this un sunday so I'll take the blame entirely. Also my account did a weird thing and I'm not exactly sure chapter 5 was posted either? Anyway, it should be fixed now and you get a chapter where Booth and Bones actually interact!
Chapter Text
Temperance walked onto the school property early since her father had a meeting with other faculty members before first period. Since the library didn’t open until 7:30 AM, that meant she had thirty minutes to waste before that. Instead of waiting inside, she decided to make the most out of the nice September morning weather and chose to sit down at one of the picnic tables next to the school. She pulled out her notebook and the advance algebra textbook she had borrowed at the library so she could work on some problems.
It really was nice outside and she wasn’t cold at all even if she was only wearing a thin sweater. She really did enjoy the weather in autumn, especially in the morning when the birds were the only noises to be heard and the sun was just warm enough to make it comfortable. In her opinion, it was the perfect time to work on some math problems.
Her peace and quiet was broken when she heard a car drive into the student parking. She put down her pen and watched Seeley Booth get out of his car dressed in athletic wear. He seemed to be headed straight for the track until he spotted her sitting at her table. Temperance kept looking at him, wondering if he what he was doing at school so early in the morning. Booth looked at the track once and then back at her. After a couple of seconds he seemed to make up his mind and changed his direction to walked towards her instead.
Booth stopped a couple meters from her table. “Hi, what are you doing?”
“Working on math problems,” Temperance said simply. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going for a run. You got math homework after the first day of school? AP math is rough.”
“This isn’t for any of my classes, this is simply for fun.”
Booth looked surprised at her statement, but not weirded out. “I wish I liked math like that, I bet it would help me get my grades up.”
“You are struggling with math classes?”
“My grades aren’t that bad, but I wish I didn’t struggle as much during the exams you know.” Booth replied and decided to sit down in front of her.
“I do not know, I don’t struggle with school.”
While most people could have been insulted by her statement, Booth found it more endearing than anything else.
“I just meant that I wished I was better at school,” Booth explained and peered at her notebook.
“Oh, that makes sense, a lot of people want to have better grades at school.” She thought that he was being nice to her again and she hadn’t expected it at all. “Why are you running before school, don’t you have practice in the afternoon?”
“I run to burn off some energy before class or else it’s hard for me to concentrate.” Booth explained and kept trying to understand the math problem in front of him. “That looks hard.”
“It’s complicated and challenging, but that’s what I find appealing about it.” She observed the way he was staring at her notebook and turned it so he could look at it in the right direction. “Do you want me to explain it to you?”
“You can try, but I can’t promise I’ll understand,” Booth looked surprised at her offer, but took it anyway.
She then started explaining the equation and Booth listened carefully as he tried to understand it. In the end, he didn’t think he could actually solve it on his own, but he did get how she got to the answer with her explanations.
“I think I sorta get it. You’re a good teacher by the way,” Booth told her with a smile.
“I enjoy sharing knowledge. I think I’ll become a university professor one day.” Brennan slid her notebook closer to her and closed it. Sh didn’t want to share what she wanted to do yet as it tended to disgust people more than anything else. “What about you? Is there a profession you are interested in?”
“I don’t know if you’ll consider it a real career, but I’m hoping to be a professional hockey player.” Booth thought it sounded silly when compared to being a professor, but he also wasn’t ashamed of wanting to be a professional athlete.
“It is a career as it does involve financial compensation,” Brennan told him confused. “However, if you mean that you assumed that I thought that athletic careers aren’t valid because of my preference of academics, you would be wrong. I can see the benefits of multiple types careers.”
“I’m sorry that I assumed then.” Booth smiled at her and Brennan found herself pleased that she could be the reason for it.
“I’d love to play for the Flyers one day,” Booth added.
“What are the Flyers?”
“You don’t know who the Flyers are?” Brennan shook her head and Booth couldn’t believe it. The girl in front of him was probably the smartest person he had ever met, yet she had no knowledge of hockey. “They’re the NHL team based out of Philadelphia. The best team in the league.”
“Statistically or is that a personal opinion?”
Booth looked at her for a moment, considering how he would answer her question. “I think you would qualify it as a personal opinion, but I’ll hold my ground if anyone wants to argue about it.” His tone of voice was teasing, clearly finding the situation amusing.
“I do not have the knowledge to properly debate the subject with you.”
“Hey, it’s okay, you can’t know everything.” He was still teasing her a little bit, enjoying the way she reacted to it.
Temperance didn’t answer back as she did agree that it was impossible for one person to know every single fact in the world. Then she looked at her watch and was shocked to see how much time had passed since he had sat down with her.
In fact, when she looked at the student parking, she saw that a lot more cars were now there and that there was now more students on the school grounds. Booth was still sitting in front of her and she remembered that he had told her he was there to go on a run.
“I apologize for taking up your time, I know you wanted to run before class.” She apologized and put her books back in her bag.
“Hey, don’t apologize for that. I sat down without asking you if it was okay in the first place. Homeroom starts in ten minutes, can I walk you to class again?”
Temperance remembered what Lance had told her yesterday about the jocks playing with people like them just to make fun and considered his warning for a few seconds before making her decision. The boy in front of her would not have sat with her and listened to a math problem for ever twenty minutes just to make fun of her afterwards.
“Okay, but don’t you have to change?” Booth was still wearing his running gear and she wondered if he would want to wear more casual clothing to class.
“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll be ready for practice later.” Booth pulled out his varsity jacket from his bag and slipped it on. “Do you have to drop by your locker or can we head straight to class?”
“I have my books for all morning classes in my bag,” Temperance confirmed as she stood up.
Booth walked in step with her as they entered the school. There shoulders bumped together while the navigated the crowded hallways of the school. Normally, having her personal space invaded by someone she barely knew, but she found that she didn’t mind it at all for once.
Chapter 7
Notes:
It's update time! and it's early in the night for once!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Booth let Brennan walk into the classroom first and followed her in. He didn’t know what he expected from her, but seeing her leave him behind and go straight for her desk in the front row of the class without saying anything stung a bit more than he had expected. She didn’t seem to think twice about it and completely fine with not saying anything more to him.
Booth didn’t want to make a fool of himself and look like a lost puppy trailing after the new girl so he walked to the back of the class where is friends were already sitting.
“Booth, where were you this morning?” Sully asked when he noticed his friend coming to sit down. “We were waiting for you at the lockers.”
“I got caught up speaking with someone at the field,” Booth said vaguely. It was not the first time people would chat him up randomly, he was fairly popular in the school, so his friend believed him easily. Also, he wasn’t technically lying, simply omitting some specific details.
“You don’t look like a guy that just went on a run,” Charlie accused him.
“I didn’t have time to go on my run, I ended up talking with someone. Why am I the one being interrogated this morning when you all look like you were ran over by a truck this morning?” Clearly most of his teammates had enjoyed the big party last night. “Some of you even look like you didn’t go home at all.” Booth stared down Hayes Flynn particularly since he was clearly wearing the same things as yesterday accessorized with his greenish complexion.
Some of the guys shifted uncomfortably in their chair, knowing that their captain didn’t like it when they showed up to practice hung over and tired. What standards he had for himself, he imposed on the rest of the team when they were training.
“If you had been there you could have slowed us down Booth, that’s on you,” Sully pointed out and leaned back in his chair. He was still a bit bitter that his best friend had blown him off on the first party night of Senior year.
“Yeah ‘cause babysitting you guys is my idea of good time,” Booth replied with sarcasm. “Y’all better be ready to run a 10k at fourth period, I’m in the mood for a long one.”
His friend’s groaned in annoyance, realizing that trying to interrogate their captain had been the wrong idea. They all knew Booth would keep his promise of making them run for the entire practice.
***
As the bell rang in the distance, the hockey team all groaned in relief. They were certainly paying the price of going out to party all night on a Monday and then teasing their captain for not showing up.
Most of them sat down in the grass while their coach walked to them from the spot he had been supervising the team.
“Well boys, I have a feeling we are going to be in shape for when it’s time to hit the ice.” Coach Cullen looked at his team sitting on the ground, some boys with the head between their knees as they attempted to get their breathing under control. The coach knew his boys had been out partying for the entire night and had assumed that he was going to have to lay some discipline down, but when he had walked out to the field, his captain had already gotten started with stretching and informed him the team was going to run a 10k. Cullen knew he had gotten lucky when Seeley Booth was named Captain in the first year of high school, but every single time the younger boy stepped up, it hit him how lucky he was.
Booth, on the other hand was happily standing with both hands on his hips. He really did have a lot of energy to burn off after sitting in class for the whole day. “We are going to have to make up the missing 1.3k, but it was decent enough coach.”
“I think they had enough Booth,” Cullen laughed. “Alright, get your asses moving, I don’t want any of you to miss your buses.” The boys helped each other to their feet and limped back to the school while Booth stayed behind with his coach. “That was a bit mean, you know,” Cullen told Booth.
“Yeah well that’s what they get for partying on a Monday,” Booth answered simply with a shrug. He didn’t understand why every adult in his life wanted him to go party suddenly.
“Why didn’t you go?” Cullen was happy that at least one of his boys wasn’t participating in underage drinking, but was also concerned that Booth wasn’t having a lot of fun. He knew the boy had had a rough childhood before moving in with his grandparents and that he had a lot of responsibilities now, but really wished he could see the young man have fun.
“I had to coach Jared’s baseball practice and then stuff to do back home. Speaking of which, Jared’s school is out in thirty minutes and I don’t want him to wait for me.”
“Okay Booth, have a nice evening then.”
“You too coach!” With that, Booth jogged off the field.
***
Temperance was walking to her father’s car when she spotted Booth running in the direction of the school. He stopped by one of the benches to grabs his bag and she hesitated to go see him. He made the choice for her as when he saw her, he went to see her.
“Hey! How was fourth period?” Booth dug his towel out of his bag and wiped the sweat off of his face before wrapping it around his neck.
“It was okay. How was your practice, I see you have perspired profusely? Your friends showed sign of alcohol poisoning this morning, I’m assuming they did not enjoy it as much as you did.”
“Oh I made sure they worked it out of their system, don’t worry about them,” Booth laughed. “This is your car?” Booth asked seeing the nice silver SUV she was leaning against.
“This is my father’s car, he teaches ninth grade science,” Brennan replied.
“Your dad’s a teacher? That’s nice, so does he drive you to school every day?”
“Of course, it’s more efficient that way.” Brennan said as of it was obvious.
“So do you always come to school early?”
“Yes, why are you asking me about my schedule?”
“It’s just that I’m usually here early too. So I guess we’ll see each other before homeroom often.”
“It would seem so,” Temperance retorted simply.
Booth didn’t know how she actually felt happy about this revelation, but on his end, it was an opportunity to learn more about her. “I have to go pick up my little brother, so I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
Temperance watched him get into his car, wondering if she should be excited at the prospect of spending her mornings with Seeley Booth.
Notes:
Booth and Brennan are obviously going to interact more and more in this fic. That being said this is an AU and they are teenagers and not adults so obviously the relationship is going to be different than in the show. Brennan also has her entire family and hasn't lived through major trauma so she is different. I just hope I didn't make them too OOC, but this is my AU after all so my sandbox to play in.
I hope everyone is still enjoying this story.
Chapter 8
Notes:
Slightly late, I know, I'm studying for my midterms and attempting to juggle my schedule lol.
As an apology, Angela is here!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The next morning, Booth arrived at his usual hour and was a bit disappointed to see that Temperance wasn’t at the picnic table like she had been the day before. He threw on his earbuds, tightened his laces and started his morning run anyway.
***
Max Brennan parked his car and watched his daughter get out immediately. She had always loved school, so he wasn’t particularly surprised. However, he was surprised to see her head for the field and not inside to the library.
“I’ll see you after school Tempie!” The weather was nice again this morning, so maybe she wanted to optimize her time in the sun before the seasons changed. Max was happy to see that his daughter was acting like a typical teenager in some aspects, but was also still such a unique person. The new school environment was clearly doing her some good.
Temperance turned around, waved at her father and went on her way. She saw Booth’s bags at the table where she had sat yesterday and claimed it once more to read.
About a minute later, she spied Booth coming up on the track. He also saw her and waved at her, but didn’t stop his training. Temperance also went back to the equation she had started solving figuring that he would come see her once he was done.
After a while Booth came around and grabbed his water bottle from his bag. “Still working on math problems?” He asked her as she kept writing.
Temperance nodded quietly, keeping her focus on what she was doing. Booth sat on the table, which she found a bit obnoxious in all honesty, but did’t call him out on it. At the same time, he wasn’t talking to distract her and letting her finish her work which she appreciated.
“I’m done now.” Temperance put down her pen and looked up at Booth. “Good morning.” He was all sweaty in his training gear and clearly worked up from running.
“Good morning to you too,” Booth answered back. “Was it a hard problem?” He took the notebook and started looking at the equations she had been jotting down on the paper.
“Do you want me to explain this one to you?”
“Sure why not.”
Brennan gave him a five minute simplified explanation of the problem she had just solved and Booth listened to every single word again. He understood a bit more than yesterday, but still not much of it made sense to him.
“Do you run every morning?” Brennan changed the subject, noticing that Booth was now half-listening to her words. She didn’t blame him, she knew that listening to math problems before 8 AM wasn’t the most interesting subject conversation for most people.
“Sometimes I run on lunch break. I’ll run outside while the weather is nice. When it get’s cold, I’ll go to the gym.”
“You train every day? You have great discipline Booth.” Brennan really did admire people that stuck to their schedule and had plans for their lives.
“I try to keep it in my schedule.” Booth shrugged as he didn’t find it extraordinary that he was keeping a strict training schedule. “I’m going to hit the showers, I’ll see you in homeroom.”
“Okay.”
***
Temperance did see Seeley in homeroom when he walked in barely a minute before the bell rang with his hair still wet from what she assumed was a shower. He looked at her and smiled, but didn’t say anything before walking to the back of the classroom. Miss Anderson handed out some documents concerning some museum visit they were going to in a month and gave out the announcement for the day. After that, they all had the time to do some personal work.
On second period, Brennan had her first art class of the year. She had picked the class not because she wanted to learn to be an artist, but because there was also a portion of the class dedicated to art history which she really enjoyed.
There didn’t seem to be a seating chart in this class either so Brennan sat down at one of the large tables in the front of the class. She wasn’t too excited about having to sit with other people, but figured it couldn’t be too bad. A couple of minutes later, someone sat down next to her, dropping a large canvas bag filled with art supplies on the table.
“Hi! I’m Angela Montenegro. You’re the new girl right?” Brennan turned in her seat to look at the new person speaking to her. A quick look at the girl told Temperance that she was clearly an artist. Her hair was held up in a bun by a pencil, she was wearing paint-stained overalls that she accessorized with a large flannel shirt. The first thought that popped in her mind was that she looked kind.
“I’m Temperance Brennan,” she offered the artist her hand and was pleased that she took it.
“This seems a bit official for a high school meeting, but I kinda dig it,” Angela replied with a smile. “So where are you from mysterious new girl?”
“I’m from Illinois, specifically Chicago.”
“I love Chicago, the art scene is great over there. So what made you move to the great city of Philadelphia?”
“My mother got a new job and decided to move our entire family here.” There wasn’t much else to say about her move, especially not to a person she had just met, even if Temperance had a feeling the could be friends.
“That sounds fun, I didn’t see you at the party Monday night, I hope someone thought of inviting you.” Angela was pulling out some of her supplies from her bag and started setting up her workplace.
“I heard of the party, but I had no interest to go,”Brennan replied simply as she pulled out her own art supplies, which if she compared to the amount her new classmate used, looked a bit funny. “I don’t think it would have been the best place for me to make new friends.”
“Well, I think you could have had fun. I’ll be your friend Bren.”
“Bren?” Temperance repeated her new nickname, unsure if she liked it or not.
“It’s your new nickname. Don’t get me wrong, Temperance is a beautiful name, but a mouthful. Bren fits you well, it matches your aura.”
Brennan didn’t know how a person could see an aura or what to think about the fact that the person next to her believed in them, but she did realize that she had the opportunity to make a new friend that was a girl and not because they were in the same academic groups.
“I believe I could get used to the new nickname.” Temperance looked over at her new friend’s sketchpad and was surprised at how beautiful the drawings were. They were abstract, but not the kind of abstract to you question if it’s art or not. They were the kind of drawings that you could stare at for hours and still find new details. “Your art is very beautiful, I can see why you carry so many supplies with you.”
“Thank you Bren! I want to be an artist someday. I’m planning to go to art school after I graduate.” Angela turned her sketchbook to a blank page and selected a pencil from her pencil case. “Why did you pick art class, from what I can tell you are more a brainy type?”
“I enjoy drawing and the module on art history picked my interest,” Brennan explained as she watched Angela start her new sketch.
“What do you usually draw?” Angela was suddenly interested in Temperance’s sketchbook.
Temperance hesitated a bit, suddenly a bit shy at showing her art considering how good her new friend was. Still, she slid her own book over to her and let Angela flip through the book.
“Oh wow, these are very detailed,” Angela said as she looked through her many sketches of skeletons and bones. “The proportions are perfect and everything. Do you want to be a doctor or something?”
“Forensic Anthropologist actually.” She took back her sketchbook and also turned to a new page. Her new friend was looking at her with a question in her eyes. “ When human remains or a suspected burial are found, forensic anthropologists use their knowledge of the human skeleton to gather information from the bones and their recovery context to determine who died, how they died, and how long ago they died.” It was a very simple explanation of what her dream career entailed, but it was concise.
“Personally, I think that sounds like a slightly depressing job, but if it’s what you want to do, I’m sure you will be able to make it.”
The class finally started and Brennan spent most of the period listening to Angela talk which was fine with her. She surprisingly enjoyed the girl’s bubbly personality and her unique perspective on life.
“So do you have a lunch bag to grab at your locker or can we head directly to the cafeteria?” Angela inquired after the bell rang.
“Why?”
“So we can eat together, duh.” Angela looped her arm into Brennan’s arm and let her out of the classroom.
Temperance let herself be led out, showed by the invitation. “I need to stop by my locker to grab my lunch, I’m vegetarian.”
“Cool, let’s go.”
A while later, Brennan was sitting next to Angela in the crowded cafeteria as they ate their lunches. They were talking when Booth walked in front of their table and smiled at her.
“Wait, why is Seeley Booth smiling at you like that?” Angela whispered, shocked at what she had just witnessed.
“He’s being polite, we have homeroom together,” Brennan explained.
“I would agree if it wasn’t Seeley Booth we are talking about.” Angela sounded way more excited about her social interactions than she was.
“What do you mean? Is he usually mean?”
“Never, not him. He’s like mister good guy, everyone knows that.”
“So why are you so shocked that he’s being polite?”
“Come on Bren, that was not a polite smile, that was a hey I’m interested in you smile.” Angela took her hand and leaned forward a bit. “He was in a super long relationship with a girl until she broke it off last year. Since then, he hasn’t even gotten back to the dating scene and trust me, every single girl is waiting for him to get back in the game. Like he hasn’t looked at a single girl, trust me, we would know if he had.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because he’s prime real estate and clearly interested in you.”
“He is a human, not a piece of property to purchase.” She was a bit offended for Booth, not understanding how Angela was talking about him. It felt wrong to reduce human relationships to a simple transaction like that.
“I mean if he’s interested, you should go for it.” Angela seemed to be very excited. “Girl he’s the captain of the hockey team, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“I don’t date, I have no time for it.” Brennan looked across the cafeteria and saw Booth sitting at a table, surrounded by a large group of people including a few girls in cheerleading outfits. “I do not think I am his type of girl considering his social standings.” She didn’t understand why she was suddenly so disappointed at her observations, she’s never cared about what people think of her and wasn’t about to start now.
“Hey you never know, he’s one of the nice ones. I know I would go for it if I had the chance.” Angela went back to her sandwich, confused at how anyone could refuse a chance to be with Seeley Booth.
Temperance did agree that she didn’t really know as her social skills were objectively bad and when Booth made eye contact, she wondered if she should take her friend’s advice and see where it could go.
Notes:
I kept the desire for Brennan to become a forensic anthropologist even though her parents are still with her just because I felt it was important for it to be included.
Thank you for reading!
Chapter 9
Notes:
So, this is late, but I have the most Ao3 excuse of all time. I was at the ER Sunday and I hadn't programmed this update yet.
So here is a fairly longer chapter than usual in an apology.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
What started off as simply arriving to school at the same time transformed into a daily ritual for Seeley and Temperance. Usually, when Temperance arrived at school, Booth would already be running on the track while his bags would be on their usual picnic table. She would sit down and either work on her own homework or do personal work while he finished up his training session. Then, he would sit on the table while drinking water and she would tell him all about what she had been doing wether that was math or the book she was reading.
After a few weeks, Booth started running a little less and spending more time talking with her. Their talks about random academics subjects turned into talking about their personal lives. Booth told her more about the Flyers and she talked about how she wished she could be in university. At some point they even talked about their favourite meals when Temperance had mentioned she was vegetarian. Neither of them wanted to think about the fact that if they weren’t at school, their little talks could be considered dates.
One of those mornings, Brennan had been working on one of her skeleton sketches when Booth joined her after a quick run. She hadn’t heard him sit down in front of her as she was focused on drawing the left femur properly. When she did look up, Booth was staring at her drawing and for a moment, she had a small moment of fear when she thought he was freaked out by her art like a lot of people were.
However, he slid the sketch book closer to him and flipped through the pages containing hundreds of little sketches of skeletons and bones. “These are really beautiful, I didn’t know you liked to draw.”
“I’m fascinated with the human skeleton, it’s what I want to study in University,” she admitted to him, figuring that she would have that conversation with him at some point. If he was weirded out and didn’t want to talk with her anymore, that was his lost. “I want to study Forensic Anthropology.”
“I finally have a nickname for you!”
“You could just call me Brenn like Angela does, I don’t need another nickname,” Temperance told him, unsure about how her drawings and her career choice made him think of a nickname.
“Yeah but that’s like your common nickname, I want to give you a special nickname,” Booth replied quickly.
“I don’t even like nicknames, my parents already gave me a name. I simply agreed when Angela gave me one to follow the social norms.”
“Give me a chance, if you don’t like it, I’ll never use it.”
He looked so proud of himself that she decided to at least let him try to convince her that she needed another nickname. “Okay what is it?”
“Bones,” Booth announced proudly.
“You want to call me Bones?” Brennan asked, unbelieving what he had just said to her.
“You hate it,” Booth realized with disappointment.
“I don’t really like it, if I’m honest.”
“I’ll never use it again, I’m sorry,” Booth told her, giving her back her notebook.
“You can use it, but only when it’s just the both of us,” Brennan quickly added, hating the look of sadness on his face. “I don’t want people laughing at me because of it.”
“I’d never let people laugh at you,” Booth told her quickly, already feeling angry at the simple idea of someone making fun of her.
“You don’t have to defend me, I can take care of myself,” she argued back.
“Maybe I want to,” Booth knew this was dangerous territory, but said it anyway.
From that day on, her secret nickname stuck and Booth took up the habit of calling her Bones when it was just the two of them and as the days went by, Brennan found herself liking it more and more.
On some days they would walk to home room together and other days Booth would hurry to take a quick shower before class. It was a nice routine that they had settled into, yet they didn’t talk much during the school day. They did exchange looks from time to time across the cafeteria and it was like the rest of the world faded for those few seconds. Still, they didn’t really talk much except for their morning rendez-vous.
Things started to get awkward when people began to notice that they were spending more time together. Booth was hanging out in the locker rooms with the rest of his team when it first came up.
“So Booth, when were you going to tell me about the new girl?” Sully asked his best friend. “You know, the one you spend all of your mornings with instead of us?”
“I spend my mornings running Sully, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Booth wasn’t stupid, he had heard some of the gossip going around the school about his new habit of spending time with Temperance. Truth be told, if he knew how, he would ask her out, but even after spending so much time with her, he didn’t know how to. He was particularly afraid of screwing up their friendship as he enjoyed spending time with her as a friend so much that he didn’t want to lose everything simply because he was catching feelings.
“Booth, you do remember that there are big windows next to the field? And you do know that the field is next to the student parking so like, everyone sees both of you every morning?” Sully had a proud smirk on his face that set Booth on edge. “If Seeley Booth is back in the dating game, then that means more fun for all of us.”
Booth threw on his shirt and stood up from the bench. “You know maybe if I wanted to talk about it, I would talk about it.” His tone of voice was short and slightly laced with anger. He despised it when people tried to meddle with his personal life. He grabbed his bag, slammed his locker shut and left the locker rooms without thinking twice about it.
***
Temperance had a similar experience at her Academic Decathlon practice a few days later. They were supposed to be working on their essays, but it had quickly turned into a free for all session where they talked about everything and nothing at the same time.
“I have been observing your socializing sessions with Seeley Booth every morning,” Zach said out of nowhere, entirely diverging off of their already off topic subject.
Temperance didn’t know what to answer to that, especially since everyone else in the room was now also staring at her including the ninth graders that were attending their practice.
“You’re hanging out with Seeley Booth?” Hodgins had asked, not believing what he had just heard. “How the hell did you manage to do that?”
“I do not have to explain every friendship that I have formed to any of you.” Brennan fell on the defensive immediately. “Would you like it if I questioned every single one of your relationships?”
“Well for us it’s the people that are in this room so,” Sweets cut in. He seemed more curious than judgmental compared to the rest of the other students. “It’s interesting that he didn’t lose interest after getting nowhere with you, the guys on the teams tend to get bored if they get anything in exchange.”
“For people who have been subjected to unfair judgements, you seem to have many yourselves.” Temperance had enough of being interrogated so she left practice early. After all, they hadn’t be studying seriously for the past twenty minutes.
***
Booth turned off the lawnmower and looked at his work. The lines in the grass were straight and even. He knew his grandfather would be mad that he did it before he had the time to do it himself, but it was worth it. He dragged the lawnmower back to the shed in the backyard and sat down on one of the deck chairs. He had had the time to repair and repaint the entire deck over the summer so that his grandmother could enjoy the sun comfortably in the yard.
Since being confronted by Sully in the locker room, Booth had been conflicted with what to do with Temperance. He still sat with her every morning and talked with her. However he was a lot more conscious of the eyes on them while they hung out. He knew he was acting more reserved around her now, from what he could tell she hadn’t noticed anything at all, but he hated that he had modified his behaviour to keep up an image. He already felt a bit of shame about the fact that he never talked to her anywhere else than at their picnic table. It has been weeks since the beginning of school, yet they hadn’t done anything more than that.
Booth wanted to ask her out, he really did. If it had been him from four years ago, he would have asked her out on day one. He just needed to figure out what to do and how to do it now.
“Seeley, why are you out here alone again?” Booth looked up at the sound of his grandmother’s voice. “You think too much.”
“Yet not hard enough it seems,” Booth mumbled under his breath.
“Here have some lemonade.” Alice handed him a cold glass of her homemade lemonade and sat down in her cushioned chair her grandson had also made for her.
“Thank you Grams.” Booth took a sip and had to admit that he had been thirsty.
“So what’s on your mind my boy?” Alice knew her grandson so well after so many years of him being in her care. He was so alike her own son in some ways, he was stubborn and kept everything on the inside until it hurt him to his core. However, he was so different in the ways that mattered. Seeley profoundly cared about everyone around him, he was a protector. He cared more about the people around him and about their happiness than his own to a point that he was ready to be miserable for others. “You can talk to me Seeley, you know that.”
“It’s complicated Grams. I’m just stuck in my head.”
“About what? Jared tells me the baseball team is doing great and Mrs. Burns tells me your hockey team is also doing good off the ice. Is this about Rebecca?” Something was definitely bothering him and she really hoped it wasn’t Rebecca. The state that Seeley had been in for months after his breakup was not one Alice wanted to witness again.
“This has nothing to do about Rebecca, trust me,” Booth cut off his grandmother quickly. He never wanted to talk about his ex with his grandparents ever again. Some things they really didn’t have to know and one of those was why Rebecca had left him.
“Is it your grades?” Alice knew her grandson was nervous that his grades wouldn’t be good enough to get into a nice college if he didn’t get a sports scholarship.
“I’m actually doing pretty good in class. My math grade is higher that it has ever been.” Booth told his grandmother proudly and then he realized he might have to explain why he’s getting better at math. He probably had the best tutor in the world at the moment even if she didn’t know she was helping him. She made everything more enjoyable to him. A year ago, he wouldn’t have endured hearing about the different metals used in roman coins, but yesterday he had spent thirty minutes doing it and he had enjoyed it. They way she speaks made everything so much more fun and easy to remember.
“So it is a girl that has you feeling like this,” his grandmother said knowingly.
“Where did you get that idea?” Booth closed up immediately.
“You have that look on your face.” Booth looked at his grandmother, confused at her statement. “It’s the same one your grandfather has when he looks at me.” She wanted to tell him that his father had looked at his mother the same way before it all went bad, but she knew Seeley would not appreciate that. “What’s her name?”
“Temperance.” There was no use in denying it anymore, his grandmother was clearly onto him and not letting go. If there was someone that would keep is secret and help him work through his problem, it was his grandmother.
“What is she like?” Alice knew she had won the moment her grandson said the girl’s name.
“She crazy smart. Like she could already be in university if her parents let her skip ahead. I’m telling you, she’s good at everything, it’s amazing. She a vegetarian, she watched a documentary years ago and swore to never eat meat again. She loves history and science.”
“Why hadn’t you talked to her before this year?”
“She just moved to Philly, her mom got a new job and her dad teaches science at our high school. She has an older brother, he’s already in college. From what she tells me, he’s like Jared in some ways. They’re from Chicago actually.”
“She seems nice Seeley.”
“Do you want to know the craziest thing about her?” His grandmother shook her head, happy that Seeley was offering so much information without being forced. “She knows nothing about hockey. She even asked me what the Flyers are. Not who they are, but what they are. Crazy right?”
“That is crazy.” Seeley had a wide grin on his face, one that Alice had not seen in months. “So why haven’t you asked her out on a date?”
“I don’t think I can just ask her out like that, she’s not that type of girl trust me.”
“And what type of girl would you say she is then?”
“Too good for me,” Booth replied quickly. “Definitely too smart for me.”
“Don’t sell yourself so short, you’re a good boy. Ask her out on a nice date, one that you know she’ll like. Impress the girl. Take a chance.” Alice encouraged her grandson to make a move, her gut telling her that he was simply scared of rejection again. “Anyone that spends enough time with you sees how worth it you are.”
Seeley thought about it for a moment and realized that his grandmother was right. He has always been a gambler on the ice and off the ice, it made him unpredictable, but also incredibly good. He could take a gamble with this too. Best case scenario, he was going to have a date with the girl that has been stuck in his brain for the last weeks. Worst case scenario, he loses a friendship he really cares about and goes back to his old ways. He needed to do some research and figure out a plan.
“I need to think about it.”
Alice smiled and leaned back in her chair. Now that she had put the idea in her grandson’s head, she could enjoy the sun on her skin, knowing that it would become rarer with winter arriving quickly. She hoped she would get to meet this Temperance before it was too late.
Notes:
Also as an extra little story I'll post an extra one-shot today.
Chapter Text
Temperance was huddled up on the couch with her copy of Wuthering Heights in her lap. Russ was on his Playstation playing some car game that she couldn’t care less for, but at least he was wearing a headset so the noise wasn’t disturbing her. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon for the Brennan family as their parents had done the grocery shopping early in the morning and had spent the rest of the day working in their yard.
Russ pulled of his headset and went into the kitchen to get himself a snack in the kitchen. When he walked into the kitchen holding a big bowl of chips, his sister stared at him with a slightly disgusted look on her face.
“Don’t you have an exam to study for Russ?” Temperance asked when her brother sat back down on the couch.
“Tempie, don’t you have an exam to study for?”
“I am rereading Withering Heights for the seventh time. I am confident my knowledge of this book will be sufficient for a high school level English test.” Temperance pointed out to her brother. She didn’t really have to reread it honestly, she knew the book by heart and just enjoyed going through it once more. “You should be more focused on your studies Russ.”
“Are you going to do like Mom and Dad and give me a long speech about how I am wasting my potential.”
“Of course not, I just don’t understand why you are not applying yourself more. If you don’t like college, why are you still attending it?” Temperance really didn’t know why her brother was forcing himself to go to college, he could find another career that pleased him instead.
“Tempie, I love you, you’re my sister and I would die for you, but sometimes you really are a pain in my ass,” Russ finally said out loud.
“What do I have to do with anything?” She truly didn’t get why her brother was suddenly angry at her. She thought she had been supportive of him with what she had said.
“Do you really think I can make the decision to not get a college degree when you’re my sister? Everyone knows you are going to get a full ride to college or university and become one of those smart people that give Ted Talks all the time.”
“That doesn’t mean that you have to be. We are all individual people Russ.” Temperance closed her book and put it down on the small table next to her couch.
“I envy you Sis, you’ve always been better than me. I’m supposed to be your big brother yet you’re the one helping me all the time.”
“I envy you too Russ. I wish I was able to have fun and go to parties. You made friends on our first week here. It took me until the first week of school to talk to someone my age.”
“You just need to take more chances Tempie. I know you didn’t have it easy when we were in Chicago. I wish you would have told me when I was at school with you that you were getting bullied. You are going to tell me if it happens here right? Even if I’m not there, I can still try to help.”
“Thank you Russ, but I think I’m doing a decent job at integrating my new school. There has been no bullying yet.” She was touched that her brother wanted to protect her so much.
“Do you think mom and dad will be mad if I drop out of college?”
“I think you should still attempt to finish the semester while looking for a different career path. I can help you with the research if you want to. I can also help you find a rational explanation to tell mom and dad that you wish to stop college.”
“That would be great, I’m going to owe you a big one if this works. You’re the best sister Tempie.”
“You have no way to verify that statement Russ,” Temperance corrected her brother. “I also have a situation that you could help me with.”
“What can I help you with?” Russ was immediately curious to know what his fiercely independent sister needed his help with.
“If you had a feeling someone was going to ask you on a date, how would you react?”
“Tempie are you seeing someone?” Russ had not expected his little sister to ask a question about dating. Temperance had never even shown an interest in boys or going out. Truth be told, he was excited for her, he always thought that his sister needed to get out there more, but still wanted to protect her.
“Not yet, I don’t think so. He’s just showing all the signs that he will ask me out according to the research I’ve done.”
“You’ve researched dating?” Russ couldn’t believe that his sister decided to find a book or something about dating to navigate her new social interactions. When she suddenly looked at her lap, Russ realized that he shouldn’t act like this was funny. His sister was making a big step asking him about it. “So do you want to go on a date with the guy or are you not interested? That’s your first step.”
“It depends, I’m still unsure about what it would imply.”
In Russ’s head, he imagined another nervous nerd, like his sister, hesitating to ask her out to some weird science convention, so he couldn’t see why she was hesitating so much. “I think you should say yes and see how it turns out then.” Russ decided that his sister needed to get out there at some point. “If you are even talking about it with me, it’s because a part of you really wants to go.”
“That is a big assumption that you are making, but I think I’ll follow your advice Russ. Thank you.”
With that, Temperance picked up her book again and Russ realized she was done with the conversation so he went back to his game knowing that if she was done with the conversation, they were done.
***
When Temperance arrived at school this morning, she spotted Booth sitting at their table from the car. Usually, he would still be on the track at this time which raised some flags in her mind.
“Sweetheart are you getting out of the car?” Her father was already out of the vehicle and standing next to it. Max turned around and followed her line of sight to see what his daughter was staring at. He’d like to say that he was surprise to see Seeley Booth sitting there, but he was a curious guy and had chased down the rumours concerning his daughter weeks ago. He’d even talked with Coach Cullen to know what kind of person the boy was.
When he had heard that his daughter was hanging out with the captain of the hockey team, his first reaction had been to put an end to it, scared that some jock was taking advantage of her.
However, every single thing he heard about the kid was that he was a really good one. He took care of his little brother, helped his grandparents all the time, volunteered at the community centre and even went to church every Sunday. There was little for him to be opposed to if he really thought about it. He still hadn’t talked to his wife about it knowing that she would be way too excited and probably try to interfere.
“Well, Tempie are you getting out or not?”
“Sorry dad, I was just thinking about my English literature test. Temperance got out of the car and grabbed her bag from the backseat. “I’ll see you after school dad.”
Temperance walked to their picnic table quickly so she could join Booth. “Good morning, you aren’t running this morning,” she stated the obvious.
“Yeah, no running for me this morning. Good morning to you too, you can sit down.” Booth cringed at how nervous he sounded.
Temperance sat down and put her bag on the table next to Booth’s one. She stayed quiet, not sure if he was waiting for her to talk first and she was quite comfortable doing so.
“So are you ready for the English test?” Booth asked awkwardly. He kept on picking at the wood splinters on the table and avoiding to look at her.
“Of course I am and so should you be. I’ve reviewed every chapter and important literary devices over the past 3 weeks with you,” she replied with confidence.
“Thank you again for helping with that, I really appreciate it,” Booth didn’t know why he had asked the question in the first place. He should have stuck to his initial plan instead of wearing off. “Bones, do you have any plans on Friday night?” There, he’d said it out loud, there was no going back now.
“Why?” Temperance panicked for a moment. She had deduced that he would ask her out at some point, but she had not been that ready for it to actually happen.
“Huh, I was walking around the community centre yesterday and saw a poster for an event at the Science History Institute on Friday night. There’s a conference on the impact of cellphones on learning patterns by a sociologist. I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go with me?” Booth finally looked at her in the eyes and smiled nervously.
Temperance had not expected him to come up with a date idea specifically pandering to her taste. She was sure he was going to ask her to a fast food restaurant or something about sports like most boy his age tended to do. She had been asked out before, sometimes it was to make fun of her, other times it was serious, but she always turned them down. She never saw the appeal of spending hours with a guy, eating burgers and wasting time, but now a nice guy who she enjoyed spending time with was offering to bring her to a museum and she finally saw the appeal.
“How did you get an invitation to the conference?”
It wasn’t a rejection yet and he had anticipated that she would have more questions. “One of the organizers attends the same church as I do, I asked if he could get both of us into the event and he said yes. So here I am asking you if you want to go with me.”
“I think I would be interested in going with you,” Temperance finally said.
“Yeah?” Booth smiled with bright eyes, elated that she had accepted his offer. “Would it be asking for too much if I also wanted to take you to a restaurant before the conference? I found this place that does decent vegetarian meals close to the institute.”
Now, he was offering to bring her not to a fast food place, but a restaurant that accommodated her dietary preferences. Seeley Booth really was a paradox when she thought about it. In some ways, he was stereotypically a jock and in other’s he was entirely the opposite. She remembered her talk with her brother and made a decision.
“Will you consider it a date if I say yes?” However, her mind still needed more reassurance and details before she truly accepted his offer.
“Do you want to consider it a date, because I’m okay with whatever you want.” Booth replied quickly. He personally really wanted it to be a date, but he cared more about their friendship so if she wanted to go as friends, he was okay with it.
“Then I say we call it a date.”
“I can pick you up at your place at 5? I’ll make a reservation for dinner so we make it to the conference at 8?”
“That sounds like a decent plan.” Temperance already felt the anticipation of going on her first date. “Now, we still have some time before the bell rings so we should review the book.”
Notes:
They have a date!!!!
Chapter 11
Notes:
I'm literally the worst and I have no excuses, this fic is basically all written and I just have to post it so my apologies.
Chapter Text
Thursday night rolled in and Temperance still hadn’t told her parents or her brother that she had a date tomorrow night. The only person she had talked to was Angela and they had spent their lunch breaks talking about her upcoming date. She was sitting at the table with the rest of the family when she decided to bring it up.
“I will not be eating dinner with you tomorrow evening,” she stated after her father was done telling an anecdote about what happened in his classroom during the day.
“Why is that? Do you have a late practice with your Academic Decathlon team?” Her mother asked and only her brother seemed to have an idea about what was going on.
“Actually, I have a date.” Temperance took another bite of her pasta while the rest of her family simply stared back at her.
“That sounds great sweetheart, where are you going?” Max asked the first question, wanting his daughter to know that he was happy for her.
“We’re going to Science History Institute to see a conference,” Temperance explained. “He’ll pick me up here and we are going to the restaurant before.”
“So one of the boys on your team asked you out?” Christine was suddenly very excited about her daughters first date.
“No he’s not, it’s just a boy from homeroom. His name his Seeley Booth.”
“Well I’m sure you are going to have a good time Tempie.” Max took his wife’s hand and squeezed it, telling her that he would give her more details later.
“I bet you are going to have so much fun.” Christine Brennan was very happy for her daughter and she couldn’t wait to meet the young man tomorrow night.
***
Booth debated between wearing a one of his suit jacket that he usually used for hockey tournaments or one of his nice church cardigan over his white dress shirt. He didn’t want to be overdressed, but he certainly didn’t want to be underdressed. After trying both options five times, he decided to get a second opinion. He opened his bedroom door, looked out and spotted his grandfather in the bathroom at the end of the hallway. “Hey Pops can you come see me please?”
“Of course Shrimp, give me a moment,” Hank answered immediately. He knew his grandson was nervous about his date and was more than willing to help him get ready. When he peeked into his grandson’s bedroom, Booth had the suit jacket on. “You look a bit serious for a casual Friday night conference Seel.”
“I knew it! I’ll do the cardigan then. Thanks for the help pops.” Booth threw on his maroon cardigan, grabbed his wallet and checked his hair one last time before bounding down the stairs.
“Why are you dressed like you’re going to church bro?” Jared asked from the couch with his cellphone in hand.
“I’m going out Jared.” Booth was sitting down and tying his shoes when his brother noticed that his older brother wasn’t joking.
“You’re going to a party dressed like that? Is there some humiliation ritual going on with the hockey team?” Jared laughed.
“I’m going to a museum, so I have to be well dressed. You should try it some times.” Seeley grabbed his car keys and he wanted to get out of the house before his little brother could make him doubt himself.
“Why the hell are you going to a museum on a Friday night?”
“Jared! Watch your language and leave your brother alone.” This time, it was Alice that put an end to the conversation. “I hope you enjoy your evening Seeley.”
“Thank you Grams, I think I’ll be back toward 11, but I’ll try to not wake any of you up.”
“Be careful and have fun!” Hank said from the top of the staircase.
***
Booth carefully parked the car in front of Temperance’s house and stayed in his seat for a moment to prepare himself. There was no way he was doing the honk and wait technic tonight, but he also wasn’t exactly ready to meet her parents either. He hoped he would just have to shake a hand or two and then they would be on the their way to the restaurant.
Booth dried his clammy palms on his pants and walked up the path up to her front door. He knocked three times on the door and took a look at his wrist watch. He was about five minutes early, but figured that it shouldn’t be an issue. The door was opened by who Booth assumed was Temperances brother, Russ.
Both boys stood on each side of the door for a moment, staring down each other. Booth decided to make the first move and offered his hand. “Hi, I’m Seeley Booth. I’m here to pick up Temperance.”
Russ looked over his shoulder and yelled, “Dad! Tempie’s date is here!” He then looked back at the boy standing in front of him and moved sideways. “You should come in.”
“Sure, why not,” Booth said simply stepped inside and stood awkwardly in the entry what while Russ sat back down on the couch. “So you’re Russ, her older brother.” Booth shoved his hands in his pockets and looked around the living room. There were floor to ceiling bookshelves covering an entire wall of the room, filled with books and various trinkets. There was a big couch placed in front of a large TV where Russ was already sitting. The other seat on the couch hand a carefully folded knitted blanket thrown over the back. It was exactly how he had imagined her living room would look like.
An older man finally entered the living room and Booth recognized him from the science department at school. “Good evening sir,”Seeley made the first move again and offered his hand. Unlike his son, Max accepted the handshake and maybe he squeezed a little harder than necessary, but he was meeting his daughter’s potential boyfriend after all.
“Nice of you to be on time, you should know my daughter hates tardiness.”
“It’s the polite thing to do sir. So where is Temperance?”
“You did say you were going to be there at five, so she was expecting you at five and not before,” Max teased the boy a little, just for fun.
“I didn’t think of that, should I have thought of that?”
“So a date at a museum? Who came up with that idea?”
“I did sir,” Booth was slightly insulted that Max didn’t believe he could have come up with the date. “I know she likes museum so I figured it would be a good idea.”
“You’re not wrong, I’m just surprised that’s all.” Max looked out of the window and looked at the old car parked in front of his home. “Is that yours?”
“Yes, fixed it up myself actually.” Booth said proudly. He’d poured time and love into fixing that car when he was sixteen, using a lot of his extra pocket money to get parts.
“Are you a good driver?”
“I passed my test with flying colours and haven’t had a complain, so I would say yes.”
“Good, I can trust you to be careful tonight?”
“Of course sir, I will drive her back home before eleven, I promise.”
“That’s good I’ll hold you to that, but between you and me, it’s Friday night and you are both old enough to come back later if you want.”
“That’s kind sir, but I don’t want to be home too late either. I don’t want to wake up my grandparents and my brother has baseball practice in the morning which I coach.”
“You seem like a very busy guy Seeley.” Max leaned against the wall, his feet crossed at the ankles and his arms against his chest.
“I try to keep busy,” Booth replied simply. He couldn’t tell if either of the men in the room with him liked or disliked him. He hoped it was the first one considering he had every intention of going on more dates with Temperance after tonight.
“Booth you’re here early,” Temperance’s voice came from behind him, making him jump slightly. He turned on his feet and saw her standing behind him, dressed and ready to head out. She had a nice dark green knee length dress with a brown knitted sweater tied around her shoulders.
“You look pretty,” Booth told her as he took in her appearance.
“Thank you, should we leave for the restaurant?”
“Sure, I don’t think there will be too much traffic so we’ll be fine for our reservation if we leave now.”
An older woman that looked exactly like Temperance, only older walked into the room with a wide smile on her face. “You must be Seeley, I’m Christine.”
“That would be me, it’s nice to meet you ma’am.” Booth shook another hand happily. Her family seemed nice, he thought, even if her had had limited interactions with them. He had a feeling he would have to work a little extra hard to get to know her brother more, but he wasn’t as nervous as before. “So are you ready to go?”
“Yes, I just need to put my boots on and we can go,” Temperance answered and looked into the entry way closet for her brown boots. She found them in the bag of the closet and quickly zipped it them up her calves. “We can go now.”
“Well I hope you two have a good evening together,” Christine told them as they walked out the door. “I really hope this goes well for her, he seems kind.”
“Well if it doesn’t we’ll be there for her,” Max replies, hugging his wife.
Chapter 12
Notes:
As an apology, have a second chapter so you can actually read the whole date!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Once the front door of the house was closed, they silently walked to Booth’s car. He opened the door for her before getting in himself and he pulled onto the road. “If you want to play some music, I have some tapes in the glove compartment.”
“You’re very traditional.” Brennan noted as she inspected the inside of his car. She had seen the old 1985 Toyota Corolla GT-S from the outside many times, but it was the first time she actually got to sit inside it. For an older car, it was very clean and she could tell that some of the parts were new by how pristine they were.
“This used to be my Pops’ car, he kept it in his garage for years and he gave it to me when I was thirteen. Told me if I could fix it, it was mine. I worked on it for years and had find all the parts I needed. I used most of my coaching money to buy some of them, other’s I found in junk yards.”
“That must have been a lot of work, I didn’t know you were interested in mechanics.”
“It’s a hobby, my grandmother got me books for my birthday and my grandfather helped me at first. The cassettes also belonged to my grandparents but they gave them to me.”
Temperance opened the glove compartment and pulled out a box of cassettes combed through them while Booth kept his eyes on the road. She saw the usual hit artists like Marvin Gaye and the Bee Gees, but settled on the Rod Stewart one.
Once the music started playing, Booth recognized the album immediately. “Nice pick, the old audio system does limit my music to certain eras but hey it’s where the good stuff is anyway.”
They didn’t get stuck in any traffic and since the restaurant had a parking lot, they ended up waiting a little bit until they were seated down, but neither of them minded.
“So what do you want to eat?” Booth asked over his menu. Temperance had been quietly reading hers for the last five minutes. He was nervous that she wasn’t finding anything to eat which made no sense since he had looked up the menu online before offering to bring her.
“I don’t know yet, a lot of them sound delicious.” He was relieved that it wasn’t because of lack of choice that she hadn’t picked yet. “I think I’m going to have the mushroom risotto, what about you?”
“I swear I’m not picky, but I think I’m going to go for the mac and cheese,” Booth laughed.
“It does seem like a good choice too.”
The waiter came and took their order. While this was technically their first official date, they quickly realized that the usual small talk had already been done during their mornings together.
“So do you think Jared’s team will win next week.” The competition season was starting soon and Booth had been keeping her updated on the teams progress.
“I think we have a good chance of winning actually. We beat the other team last year by a lot, but you never know how they will play this year either. You could come if you want you know. My grandparents will be there if my grandmother feels good enough.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose,” she answered back. Also, she was nervous that she wouldn’t fit into the kid sports scene. She also wondered if he would consider that another date which meant he was already enjoying himself. She hoped he wouldn’t change his mind after spending time at the museum.
“You wouldn’t be Bones, I promise.” Booth really hoped she would say yes and they could spend their Saturday morning together. “If you want, I could pick you up and we could all go together, I’d have Jared with me.”
“If it’s not an inconvenience for you, I think I could attend if you drive me.”
Booth was elated that she accepted his offer. “Great, I mean we have the whole week at school to talk more about it, but maybe we could also have lunch after?”
“You are very confident that I will say yes to a second date even before we finish the first one.” Truth be told, she was ready to say yes again and she liked how confident he was, even if there were signs that he was nervous. She still felt like playing a bit with him first and by how startled he looked, she could tell it was working.
“I making the same offer as the first time, it can be a date if you want it to be, or not. I just like spending time with you.”
“I enjoy spending time with you too and I appreciate your offer, it can be our second date.”
The rest of the meal went well apart for a small argument about who was going to pay which ended with them splitting the bill. They talked about school and both of their practices. Brennan told him that about the different programs she found for her brother and Booth told her about why Jared was in detention this week. It didn’t feel any different than the mornings they spent together, only this time they were in a nice restaurant.
They made it to the museum without any issues and Booth made sure to go thank his friend from church for letting them in. They were sitting in the back and most of the rest of the people in attendee were either professors or students, yet Booth thought that Temperance fit right into the crowd as she pulled out a pen and a notepad.
While Temperance paid attention to every single word the speaker said and took some note, Booth spent most of his time looking at her, finding it much more interesting. He had been so focused on her that he hadn’t realized the conference was done and everyone was clapping.
“So what did you think?” Booth looked at her with a confused look on his face. “About the conference,” she specified.
“Oh, I mean it was interesting,” Booth replied as they walked out of the amphitheatre.
“You didn’t really listen, did you?”
He knew he had been made and hoped she wasn’t angry at him. “I swear I had every intention of listening, my brain just switched off.”
“A brain cannot be shut off Booth.”
“It’s an expression, it just mean I lost my attention span.” He was used to her not understanding some of his idioms and never minded explaining them to her. “Can I assume that you liked your evening?”
“I did, the meal was good and the conference fascinating.” They were outside now, walking to the car and it was a lot colder than when they arrived. Brennan pulled her knitted sweater over her head to fight off some of the cold. “You do know that I appreciate you getting us into this conference? You didn’t even have to attend if you didn’t want to.”
“I just wanted to spend time with you not at school, I don’t mind what we do.” Booth said simply, but more importantly, honestly.
His answer suddenly made her remember a question she had for him, one that had been occupying her mind for a while. They spent a lot of time together and she could tell that both of them were enjoying it, yet their time together was limited to their morning talks until today. They would look at each other during the day, but would never have more interactions when they were both with their friends.
While Temperance believed that Seeley was genuine in his interest in her, she had asked Angela a bit more information about him when she realized he was going to ask her out. All of his other girlfriends had been girl’s from the cheerleading team, blonde and much more interested in partying. In other words, they were the total opposite of her so she had a nagging thought that he didn’t want to be seen with her. She didn’t want to be a secret girlfriend if she was going to be a girlfriend in the first place.
“I know you have already invited me to your brother’s baseball game next Saturday and that I have already said yes, but I actually have a question before I truly confirm my attendance.”
“Shoot,” he had already used that one and explained it to her before.
“Why don’t you talk to me when we are at school?”
“What do you mean, we talk every morning?” They were by his car now, but didn’t get in yet.
“You never talk to me once school starts. You’ll look at me but never come to see me.”
“Bones, I thought you didn’t want me to talk to you when the day starts,” Booth countered.
“Why would you think that?” Now it was her turn to be stumped, she didn’t know what she could have done to give him that idea.
“Well you never say anything to me when we get to home room, not even a have a good day or anything. You stick with Angela during lunch time or one of the other guys from your Academic Decathlon team. So I just assumed you didn’t want me around you know. I get it, I don’t particularly fit into your group. I know I’m not the smartest guy and I’m okay with that.”
Temperance realized that she had completely missed the social cues once again. “Well, you always sit at the back of the class with your team and sports team are usually closed groups. So I assume it’s not socially conventional to just go talk to you there. As for the reason I do not say goodbye or anything similar is because it’s not the end of the day and we often have other classes together. Although, I know that some of those norms would be different if I was your girlfriend.”
Booth looked at her with wide eyes, as if he was a deer caught in headlights. She kept staring at him, waiting for an answer back. She really was the most exceptional person he had ever met, she saw everything as a set of rules and norms to follow and when things didn’t go to plan, she didn’t know what to do he realized. Since meeting her, he had realized that their relationship worked because they explained things to each other, they talked and discussed different things, except they had never talked about what they were to each other.
“I love spending time with you, I want to spend more time with you and that does include at school too Temperance. I wasn’t sure you were interested in me that way, but I would really like it if you wanted to be my girlfriend.”
“I would also like that.” Her hands were clasped in front of her and she stood still. “I don’t have much experience with dating, but I’m a quick learner as you know.”
Booth took her hands in his and tugged her a little closer to him. “I know you are, you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met. I want you to know that I’ve never been ashamed of spending time with you in public, it never even popped into my mind that you could think that and I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, I could have asked you.” She liked the feel of his hand on hers. “There’s a chance I’m going to have a lot of questions.”
“Just like I’m always going to have questions for you. I’ll answer them like you answer mine.” He felt so relieved that he’d managed to clear things up for both of them so quickly. “I really should get you home now.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
Booth carefully drove to her place and was pleased when she let him hold her hand over the console the car. He sneaked a couple of looks at her and she was smiling.
The drive home was over far too quickly, both of them thought. He was a gentleman and walked her up to the front door while holding her hand. He had a feeling that now he had touched her once, he would want to do it all the time.
“So I guess this is goodnight?” Temperance asked as she fished out her keys from her purse.
“Yeah, this is goodnight.” Booth was still holding onto her hand and stepped closer. “You know, if your dad didn’t teach at our school I would offer to pick you up Monday morning and drive you to school.”
“I would have said yes if it wasn’t so impractical.”
“That’s good to know.”
They stayed in the same spot for a few moments, neither really wanting the night to end, but knowing it had to.
“Are you going to kiss me?” Temperance mustered up the courage to ask him. God the woman standing in front of her kept him on his toes. “We’re at my door after our first date, kissing me would be typical.”
“It would be, wouldn’t it.” Booth leaned in, but instead of kissing her on the lips, he pressed his lips to her cheek. “But I don’t think we’re anything about us is typical.” He took a step down the first step leading to her front door. “I’ll see you Monday morning, our spot?”
“I’ll be there,” she whispered, smiling at him.
Booth walked back to his car, looking over his shoulder once to make sure she had gotten into her house safely, only to find her watching him.
Notes:
They are on track to becoming the hit couple at school for sure.
Chapter Text
Temperance closed the front door once Booth had driven off. She pulled off her boots while attempting too make the least noise as possible. The living room lights switched on and she jumped out of her skin, only to notice that it was her father sitting in his recliner.
“Dad, you scared me!” Temperance put her things away and locked the front door. “Why are you not in bed with mom?”
“Did you really think I would go to sleep while my daughter was out on her first date?” Max looked proud of himself, sitting with his cup of coffee in the living room. “Speaking of it, how was your date?”
“It was very enjoyable, the restaurant he picked was perfect and the conference very interesting.”
“That’s great, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. He even got you home exactly at the time he said he would.”
“Yes he did, he keeps his word.” She yawned, finally realizing that she was tired. “I’m going to go to bed now, I’ll see you tomorrow morning dad.”
“Goodnight sweetheart,” Max replied. He was also feeling the need to go to sleep soon, even after having had a cup of coffee to help him stay awake until his daughter was home.
***
Temperance laid in her bed, comfortably tucked underneath her blankets, with her eyes opened. She often had difficulty going to sleep, her mind going a thousand miles an hour as she thought of everything she had learned or read that day. However, tonight, she was focused on the feeling of Booth’s lips on her cheek.
She had enjoyed her evening. In fact she had really loved it. Since she had been a little girl, she had loved reading books and not just science or history books. She also enjoyed the classic romance authors like Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters and Margaret Mitchell. For the longest period of time, romance to her was limited to books and the old movies her father watched with her and seemed so unattainable to her. It’s not that she didn’t want to experience it, she simply always felt too awkward or uninteresting. That and the only other time she had said yes to a date, it had actually been a prank to make fun of her so she had sworn off of dating since then.
With Booth, it was entirely different. He never made her feel weird or awkward when she asked him to explain things to her. He always looked at her like she was the most interesting thing in the room. She still didn’t understand how the captain of the hockey team found her so appealing or how she found him to be the same way, but she wanted to see and experience how their relationship would grow.
Temperance rolled to her side and looked at her clock on her bedside table and saw that it was already one in the morning. At least it was officially Saturday so she could sleep in a little. She hoped that Booth was able to fall asleep quicker so that he wasn’t exhausted for baseball practice.
***
In another part of town, Booth was standing at his kitchen sink with a glass of water in his hand. He had taken off his cardigan once he had gotten back and unbuttoned his dress shirt since the house felt quite warm. His grandmother tended to feel cold quicker with her cancer treatments so they kept the house warm for her.
Booth whipped around when he felt someone watching him, his body defaulting to a defence position, only to see his grandfather at the edge of the kitchen.
“Jeez Pops,” Booth put a hand over his heart, feeling the thump of it as he took deep breaths.
“Sorry Seeley, you didn’t wake me, don’t worry.”
“Good, I was just grabbing some water before bed.” Booth finished the glass with one bi gulp and washed his glass. “Is Jared in bed?”
“Don’t worry about your brother, how was your date?”
“It was really nice. I didn’t understand any of the conference, but Temperance seemed to enjoy it a lot so that’s all that matters. It’s weird, I was so nervous about tonight but as soon as we started talking it all went away.” Booth leaned against the counter and looked up at the ceiling. “Who would have thought that a museum date night would be one of the best dates I’ve ever been on?”
“I hope we get to meet this young lady soon then.” Hank was delighted that his grandson had such a good night. He always thought the younger boy had too much weight on his shoulders and deserved to have some fun.
“Actually, she’s coming to Jared’s baseball game next week so you could meet her there,” Booth replied cheerfully. He knew his grandparents would love Temperance as soon as they met her, just like he did.
“That’s good news son, I’ll make sure your grandmother and I go then. Now go to bed young man, you’ll need your sleep for tomorrow.”
“I’ll make sure I locked up properly, goodnight pops.”
“Good night Shrimp.”
***
Booth arrived at school after dropping Jared off, excited to see his girlfriend. She wasn’t the biggest fan of texting so they hadn’t talked since Friday night and he’d actually had to resist going to see her after baseball practice.
He arrived at his usual time, but had no intention of going on a run before class for once. He sat down at their table and pulled out his physics homework. He had meant to do it yesterday, but science things made him think of her and suddenly the assignment wasn’t really in his mind anymore and he just wanted to listen to her explain it to him.
He actually managed to finish most of it when he spotted her walking towards him.
“You’re not running this morning?” She sat down in front of him, confused that he wasn’t on the track.
“Didn’t feel like it, I would rather spend my time with you,” he told her.
“And your physics homework apparently.” She looked at his open textbook to see what he was working on. They didn’t have the same physics class as she was in an advanced one.
“I’m almost done, I just have this last number to do,” he replied and picked his pencil back up.
She was pleased that he didn’t ask her to do it for him, as that had happened to her before. She watched him scribble down his answers, finding that he looked particularly attractive when he was deep in thought.
“I think this is it,” he mumbled as he wrote down his final answer.
“Do you want me to check your answers?” She had looked at the questions while he was finishing up.
“You don’t have to,” Booth replied, but still let her slide his paper towards herself.
“I know, but I want to do it.” She smiled and worked through his answers only finding a few mistakes. She explained them to him and he corrected his answers happily.
“How was your weekend?” Booth inquired while putting his books back in his bag.
“I went to the library to get new books and went shopping with my mom, nothing too exciting I’m afraid. What about you?”
“The usual, baseball practice with Jared on Saturday, church on Sunday morning and then I helped my grandparents around the house. I think we set our expectations too high for our weekends Friday night.”
“We might have,” she agreed and made the first move to take his hand across the table. “I have a few questions for today, about our situation.”
“Okay, maybe I have a few answers for you.” Booth enjoyed the way she approached life, it kept him on his toes and surprised.
“Do you want me to sit in the back of the class with you in home room?”
“I would like that if you’re comfortable with it,” he told her and rubbed tiny circles on the back of her hand with his thumb.
“I have Academic Decathlon practice at lunch, but I usually eat with Angela before.”
“If you want, you could come eat at my table with Angela,” Booth offered.
“All these actions would solidify the social norms identifying us as a couple from what I understand.”
“In a way yes, I guess.” Booth used to love the whole gimmick, the way he would basically lay a claim on his girlfriend, until Rebecca broke up with him and made him realize she was with him because of that, the status it gave her inside the school until she got tired of how boring he was. “I mean even if we didn’t do that, I’d still call you my girl you know.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“No, that’s just me being a decent boyfriend,” he countered simply. Grey clouds were starting to roll in and he started to be concerned that it was going to rain soon like the morning forecast had said on the radio. “Do you want to head in? I know it’s earlier than usual, but I think it’s going to rain.”
“Sure, it is looking like there will be precipitations,” she replied as she looked up at the sky. In that moment, Booth decided that one day he would take her out on a picnic knowing that it was going to rain so he could kiss her in it. He didn’t know when, but he was going to make sure they did that one day.
When a couple of drops started falling, they stood up and grabbed their school bags. “Do you have to stop by your locker?” Brennan eyed his equipment bag as she asked her question.
“No, I’ll keep it with me and drop it off between periods,” he responded as they started walking towards the school. He intertwined their fingers and pulled her a little closer to him.
Immediately, there were a lot of pairs of eyes on them and whispers surrounding their arrival into the school together. Booth didn’t mind it at all, he even thrived on the attention if he was being honest. However, Brennan was more used to being a wallflower and found it a lot more disconcerting to be the centre of attention. She didn’t particularly like it, but at the same time, walking in the student filled halls meant that they had to step closer to each other to avoid bumping into people which she enjoyed more that she liked to admit.
Some people stopped them to talk to Booth on their way to homeroom and he stopped every time to say say something even if he didn’t really know them. She was fascinated by his ease in social interactions, something she knew she would never excel at. He didn’t let go of her hand for a second, even squeezing it from time to time when he noticed she was starting to get on edge from people, especially the girls staring at her.
It took them a while to make it to homeroom, but once they did, Temperance sat in the back of a classroom for the first time. There were already a few people in class, including some of Booth’s hockey team mates who were shocked to see their captain walking to the back of the class with the girl he had been obsessing over.
Thankfully there were no assigned places in this class just common courtesy and Booth was sure none of his boys would say anything if Temperance took a spot. He dropped his bags by the back wall so no one would trip on them. She sat down at the desk next to the one he had claimed and pulled out her planner so she would be ready to take down notes if ever Miss Anderson asked.
They still had a fair amount of time before the bell rang so Booth sat down on her desk so they could keep talking while being close to each other.
“Why do you like sitting on desks and tables so much?” She was looking up at him, with that inquisitive look on her face, like she was trying to make sense of him.
“I don’t know, maybe I just like the view,” he teased her.
It took her a few seconds to get what he meant and she grinned. “I see what you mean.”
“Look who’s here early,” Sully’s loud voice interrupted their moment. “The one and only Seeley Booth himself.” He stopped talking when he spotted Temperance behind Seeley. “And finally we have a guest!”
“Sully don’t be a prick,” Booth warned his friend.
“Hey, you know me Booth, I love guests.” Sully had not intentions of pissing off his best friend as he was happy that he had finally brought his girl into their group. “I’m Tim Sullivan, but everyone calls me Sully.”
“I know,” Temperance replied as Booth had told her all about his team mates. She then realized that her answer could have been considered as rude. “I’m Temperance Brennan, I don’t have a nickname other than Brenn.” Booth’s nickname for her was exclusive to him, no one else could use it.
“Nice to meet you then, I hope this means we get our captain back in the mornings now.”
“I don’t control Booth’s schedule, how he spends his morning is up to him,” she replied, wondering if Booth’s friend was mad at her since Booth had spent pretty much every morning with her since the first day of school.
“I like her, she’s nice,” Sully told Booth and dumped his stuff on the desk in front of Booth’s one. More people arrived to class, including other members of the hockey team with their own girlfriends and Booth stayed in his spot, perched on Temperance’s desk. He talked with his boys, knowing that his girlfriend was more than okay with observing the conversations.
“Okay everyone to their seats.” Miss Anderson said from the front of the class, clapping her hand a couple of times to get everyones attention. “Come on guys, I need to take attendance.”
Booth finally moved off the desk and onto his own chair next to Temperance. Some people kept mumbling while the teacher went through the attendance list and smiled when she noticed that one of her student had changed place. “I have a couple of announcements for today so I need some silence please.” It took a couple of seconds for her students to comply. “So considering that you are all in your senior year and I know that a lot of you are looking at colleges and the school decided to organize a trip to the University of Pennsylvania just to give you an idea of what those types of campuses look like. I’m going to hand out permission slips for your parents to sign. I don’t want to hear everyone whine about it, it’s just a piece of paper that I need for Friday.” It was a reality check for a lot of students on the class, reminding them that they did have to start working on applications soon. “Apart from that, Halloween is coming up soon and I’m not going to read you the rules about the costumes again, you know them. As usual, you guys can talk for the rest of the period, just keep the volume reasonable for the people that actually want to get work done.”
Most students huddled into groups, while others took out headphones to focus properly on what they wanted to work on. Temperance wasn’t sure what to do at first, she wanted to read her book, but also didn’t want to look rude by ignoring everyone.
Booth dragged his chair closer to her and picked up the permission slip. “This is like a good school right?” He asked her, knowing that if someone knew university rankings by heart, it would be her.
“Yes, it is one of the best school in the country,” she told him and looked at the permission slip herself. She had already been on the campus a couple of time, specifically the library.
“Is it one of the schools you’re interested in?”
“Yes, it has a very good Anthropology program, I am applying to it. It has a nice library.”
“Cool, the visit could be interesting,” he added.
“It will be a waste of time for you,” she replied.
“Damn, Booth your girlfriend is calling you stupid,” Hayes laughed.
“I am not saying that at all, the University of Pennsylvania has no D1 hockey team so there’s no point in him applying. Unless you are thinking of applying to a university that only has a D2 team.” She looked at Booth who was already smiling at her.
“You checked which schools had D1 teams for me?” Booth would be annoyed at his friend if it hadn’t been for Temperance surprising him with her answer.
“I looked at those close those in Pennsylvania yes.”
“Thank you.” Booth was touched by her actions, she hadn’t told him that she had done that at all. “I mean the visit is not going to be a waste of time since you want to go there.”
“Most of my applications are ready to send in and I finished my essays during the summer break.”
The conversation ended there for now and moved on to party plans for Halloween, which Temperance didn’t care much for so she pulled out her book. Booth stayed close to her, but joined his friends conversations. It was simply nice to be able to be together, yet doing their normal activities.
Notes:
Next chapter: more reactions and a spontaneous date!
Chapter 14
Notes:
Look at me, keeping up with my posting schedule. In this chapter: more reactions at school and more B&B discussions!
Chapter Text
Lunch time arrived with nothing much out of the norm for either of them. They didn’t have second period together this time so Temperance went to Angela’s locker first to go get her friend.
The artist spotted her friend leaning against her locker and hurried to join her. “I’m surprised to see you here! You won’t believe what today’s hot topic is.”
“I have a feeling I already know what you are talking about Angela,” Temperance replied with a sigh. She really disliked being the centre of gossip.
“I’m guessing this means your date went well!”
“It did go very well, in fact I am here to pick you up so we can go eat at his table for lunch.”
“I will totally owe you for the rest of the year for this oh my god!” Angela looped their arms together and pulled her friend along the halls to the cafeteria. “We need to have a girls night soon so you can tell me all about it.”
“That sounds like a fun idea,” Brennan agreed. She had never had the chance of having such a night with a girl friend. “I am not the biggest fan of shopping, but we could also do that if you want.”
“You know me so well sweetie. Now let’s go see that boy of yours.”
Booth had been waiting for them to show up with his usual spot. He was a bit concerned that she wasn’t going to come after all, the attention they were getting clearly wasn’t her cup of tea.
“Hey, Angela right?” Booth greeted the artist.
“That would be me,” Angela sat down in front of him, while Brennan walked around the table to be next to him. He took her hand, brought it up to his lips and kissed it out of habit. “You guys really are cute,” Angela said with a smirk.
Temperance ignored her comment while Booth’s cheeks heated up a little bit. They didn’t have much time before she had to leave for practice soon so she ate her lunch while Angela talked up the boys.
“I have to go,” Temperance stood up after checking her watch.
“You want me to walk you?” Booth asked her, always the gentleman.
“No, I will be fine.” She was fiercely independent and he loved that about her. He didn’t take it as her not wanting him to be with her, but as her being practical.
“I have photography club today, I’ll walk with you,” Angela cut and grabbed her stuff too.
“I’ll see you after school?” He didn’t want to sound so needy, but getting to spend so much time with her today had made him feel a little greedy.
“Of course, you know where I’ll be.”
“Okay, have a good practice.”
Booth watched his girlfriend walk out of the cafeteria until she was out of sight and when he turned back, all of his friends were looking at him. “What? What did I do now?”
“Nothing, it’s just she’s not your usual type?” Sully said. “I like her, I don’t know about the rest of the guys, but I do.”
“I’m not looking for your approval Sully, but thank you. And I don’t have a type.”
“So now that you are all happy again, are you going to start going to parties with us again?” Sully changed the subject, not wanting to get into an argument on wether his best friend had a type or not.
Booth thought about it for a moment, realizing that he had skipped out on a lot of activities with his friends in the last months. Even if he hadn’t met Temperance, he didn’t think he would have attended any of them anyway so he didn’t want anyone to put the blame on her. He hadn’t been in the mood to party for a while now, ever since his grandmother got diagnosed with cancer. He used to go because Rebecca liked them and it felt wrong to let his girlfriend go to them alone. Although, he had to admit that he had been quite the party animal in his first years of high school.
“I’ll go to your Halloween party Sully, I won’t make you beg,” Booth promised his friend.
The rest of the table cheered loudly, making the rest of the cafeteria turn in their direction.
***
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Hodgins said with an accusing tone.
“Why? We have practice,” Temperance replied, confused.
“I heard you joined the bourgeoisie today, so I assumed you would be done with us.”
“I find that comparing a hockey team to the French bourgeoisie particularly childish. My association with Booth will not change my attendance to practice.”
“Okay, we don’t have time to waste on your personal lives, I want us to do a complete run of every category to make sure we’re ready to compete Thursday night.” Mr. Jackson cut of their bickering. “I know we have a strong enough team to win this year’s nationals, we just have to get there.”
“I would like to win this year,” Zach said, which made Hodgins stand down a little.
Practice went smoothly after that, ending barely five minutes before the third period bell.
***
Temperance was waiting for her father by their car while looking for Booth. A lot of people that she didn’t know were looking at her a whispering to their friends which she didn’t like at all, but could easily ignore at least. Her boyfriend finally showed up, bracketed by Sully and another one of their friends.
“Yeah, I’ll text you the details tonight Booth, see you tomorrow!” Sully headed for his own car with their friend.
Temperance straightened up when he approached her and made the first move to step closer to him. “Hi.”
“Hi,” he said back simply. The sun had come out at some point during the afternoon and he thought that her auburn hair looked particularly pretty today. He didn’t want their day to end just yet. “I know you usually go home with your dad, but maybe we could go out tonight, just the two of us? Grab something to eat and then go somewhere?”
“What about Jared? Don’t you need to pick him up?”
Booth sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I would love to pick him up, but he got suspended today so Pops had to bail him out in the afternoon.” School had barely started two months ago and his brother had managed to get suspended after promising he would do better.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she was disappointed for him, she knew how much he beat himself up for every wrong thing his brother did. She wasn’t good at discerning emotions or how to act when people got sad, but she knew Booth liked to take her hand when she was uncomfortable. She decided to go one step further and wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Booth reacted immediately and put his own arms around her waist.
“Is this a yes for tonight?” Booth was surprised by her reaction, but man did he like it. Her face was tucked into his neck and he could smell her shampoo. Her body against his was one of the most comforting feeling he had had in a long time.
“I can’t just disappear with you, I need to ask my father,” her voice was muffled and her breath warm against his neck. He was enjoying their position a little too much.
“Ask your father what exactly?” Max Brennan’s voice made them jump apart slightly. He had not expected to walk out to his car and see his daughter hugging a boy.
“Can I go out tonight?”
“You want to go out on a Monday night?” Max’s eyebrows were raised and if they weren’t in public he would put a hand to his daughter’s forehead to check her temperature. “What time are you bringing her back?” He turned to look at the young hockey player.
“We’re just going for dinner so I swear it won’t be late, I know it’s a school night,” Booth said quickly.
“Maybe we could go on a walk after eating? Angela told me walking along the Schuylkill Banks was pleasant to see the Philadelphia skyline.” Temperance looked at her father in the exact same way she used to as a child to get exactly what she wanted.
“I haven’t been there in a while, but yeah it’s nice.” Booth really hoped Mr.Brennan would say yes now. Walking along the river at night with her seemed like the perfect way to spend his evening.
“Just be home before 10 Tempie, okay?”
“Thank you dad!” She grabbed Booth’s hand and dragged him towards his car.
“I’ll make sure she’s home by ten, I promise!” Booth said over his shoulder, pleased that the older man simply waved him off. He fished out his keys from the pocket of his jeans so he could unlock the car doors. “So what do you want to eat?”
“You picked a restaurant for me last time, so pick one you like,” Temperance replied as she got into his car.
“Yeah but what if you don’t have any vegetarian option?” Booth turned on the engine and pulled out his phone to quickly google restaurants.
“I can always find something to eat on the menu, don’t worry,” she reassured him, really not minding it. There was usually a salad on the menu or soup that she could eat and worst case scenario, she would get fries. Booth was still scrolling on his phone for a place to eat while she picked the cassette from his glove box. When she looked up, she saw that a group of girls were looking at them, one of them even pointing.
“Booth?”
“Mmmh,” he hummed beside her, his eyes still casted down on his phone.
“There’s a group of girls pointing at us.”
“What?” Booth quickly looked up only to see his ex with her group of friends. “Oh, that’s… well that’s Rebecca.”
“Your ex-girlfriend,” Temperance stated. Booth had told her his ex’s name and that was it and she never felt the need to push for more information.
“That would be her, yes.” Booth didn’t like the way his ex was looking at them with her friends. Just by their expressions he knew that the discussion going on was far from a kind one. “I found a dinner close to the paths, is that okay?” He just wanted to get away from the school now and hoped it would do .
“I’m sure it will be.”
“Perfect,” Booth put the car into drive and drove off, revving the engine of his car a little louder than usual.
***
Max Brennan opened his front door, dropped his briefcase on the floor and walked to the kitchen where he could hear his wife singing to herself.
“Hey there beautiful.” Max kissed his wife on the cheek and hugged her from behind. “How was work today?”
“The usual, meetings and other meetings,” Christine answered her husband. “Where’s Temperance?” Usually her daughter would come and sit in the kitchen while her mother finished cooking dinner.
“Would you believe me if I said our daughter left school to go on a date with her boyfriend?”
“She did? On a school night? I hope we get to spend more time with the young man then.”
“Yes well, here I thought we wouldn’t have to deal with the teenage phase with her.”
“Max, you and I both know our daughter is not going to suddenly become a rebellious teenager because she has a boyfriend. You even told me that Seeley was an exemplary student.”
“He is, I did tell you that.” Max agreed with his wife. “Now where is that son of ours?”
“Russ apparently decided to stay at the library late to study, which means he’s going to a party,” Christine replied.
“Mrs. Brennan does that mean I have you all to myself tonight.”
“It would seem so Mr. Brennan.”
Maybe having both of their kids out of the house for once wasn’t so bad.
Chapter 15
Notes:
Happy Sunday! It's time of B&B's second date!
Chapter Text
“I don’t think people like that I am your girlfriend,” Temperance told Booth in between bites of her salad. The restaurant he had found was actually a little dinner with a limited menu, but there had been like she had expected, a salad on the menu.
“Why do you say that? The guys liked you, Sully even said so.” He put down his hamburger back on his plate and put both of his elbows on the table.
“People were staring at us all day, even when I wasn’t with you,” she specified. “The staring has been going on since the first week of school, but at least most of them were attempting to hide it before today.”
“I don’t think they don’t like that we’re together, I think the word you are looking for would be jealous.”
“I see, you are quite high in the school hierarchy and I am not.”
“That shouldn’t matter, I don’t care about it and if people start being assholes with you when I’m not there, just tell me and I’ll take care of it.” He really didn’t like that she had felt that way all day.
“I can take care of myself.”
“I wasn’t implying that you can’t, I just want you to know that I’m there if you want me to do something about it.” They were holding hands on the table while they ate.
“Do you want to talk about Jared?”
“I don’t know,” Booth said truthfully, still angry at his little brother for pulling their grandfather out of work to get him. He hadn’t even called his grandpa to ask why Jared had gotten suspended and not just put into detention. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He has all the attention he could need back home, he gets his energy out at baseball, he has decent friends and he’s good at school.”
“But he still exhibits problematic behaviours in school?”
“He even promised me he wouldn’t be a problem this year, yet I’ve had to talk the principle out of giving him detention four times this year and that’s just the ones I know about. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to help him out.”
“You take on a lot of responsibilities for a teenager Booth.” In all of their early morning talks, Booth had never mentioned why he was living with his grandparents now and she had never pushed for more information out of respect. “Have you talked about it with your grandparents?”
“They already have so much on their plates with my gram’s treatment and I don’t want Jared and I to become another problem for them.”
“I’m sure they would never think of you as problems Booth.” She squeezed his hand in hand in support. His eyes were sad, as if he was remembering something awful that had happened to him. “I’m here for you if you ever want to talk about it.”
“Thank you, maybe one day I’ll take you up on that offer.” Every single conversation he had with her, he felt a little bit more in love with her. He hoped that one day he would be ready to talk about what had happened to him before he moved in with his grandparents, but for now he just wanted to change the subject. “Now I’ve had a question for you since homeroom.”
“Shoot,” she smirked and he laughed at her slightly awkward use of his usual idiom.
“When did you decide to look up which schools have a D1 hockey program?”
“I was finishing up one of my applications a few weeks ago and I ended up on the scholarship page. I was curious so I read about the sports ones. I also verified your statistics and saw that you would qualify as a D1 athlete.”
“Okay, but then you checked every single school in Pennsylvania?”
“My hand slipped and I decided to look. You do know that with your current grades and hockey statistics you could qualify for many scholarships.”
“I’m counting more on the scouts giving me an offer, but I still want to get a degree you know? I hope I’ll get to be an NHL player one day, but if that doesn’t work out, I want to have something to fall back on. I looked at a lot of scholarships, last year when a bunch of scouts were at the games to see what were my options.”
“Have you started your applications?” She hoped he had considering a lot of colleges and universities started accepting applications in November.
“Technically I already got offers last year after the hockey season, but I haven’t accepted any yet.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“With my grandma’s situation, I just wasn’t in the right headspace to accept any offers. Considering I’m the best player nation-wide in my category at the moment, most scouts understood why. I lost a couple of offers, but it’s okay.”
“What about this year?”
“I’m going to keep playing as well as I did and then in January I’ll see what offers I get. If I get something more interesting than those I already have then that’s great.”
“When do you start playing in matches?” Temperance realized she was going to be the girlfriend of the hockey captain, she had to be at those games. The team had started practicing on the ice on the second week of September and she still hadn’t seen him skate once.
“First week of November actually, home game too since we won the nationals last year.”
“Can I come and watch you?”
“Of course you can, I would love to have you in the stands,” Booth smiled at her. “I mean you don’t have to come to every match considering we play out of states often, but the ones here I’m hoping to see you there.”
“I’ll try to come to as many as possible then.” Temperance smiled at him and made a mental note to check online what was typical of girlfriends at those hockey matches.
“I think you’ll like them, there’s a lot of people watching to do there, social behaviours and all that. It could be an interesting study case for you.”
“Fascinating.” She would check that out online too then.
They had been at the dinner for a while now and the sun was starting to set outside. “Do you want to go for our walk before it’s too dark outside?”
“That’s a good idea.”
They left the car at one of the many parkings along the trail and started walking along the path hand in hand. Booth pointed out some of the sights and she listen to him attentively. They walked by the museum of art and Booth told her that they could check it out together at some point.
Temperance had been indifferent about Philadelphia since moving, but hearing Booth tell her about all these places he loved so much made her see the city in a different light. It also made her see him in a different way.
“You love it here don’t you?”
“I haven’t travelled much, but I know Philly is the best city in the world.”
If it had been anyone else but Booth saying it, she would have argued that such a statement was impossible to verify and invalid, but he looked so much more carefree than at the dinner. She didn’t want to ruin his mood simply because of her need for accuracy. There were a lot of things that she was suddenly able to let go of because of him.
“How do you like the city?” Booth asked her as they sat down on a bench overlooking the Schuylkill River.
“I think I like it better now.”
Booth turned to look at her only to realize that she was looking at him. He’d barely know her for over a month, yet he knew that he would do everything to keep her in his life. A sudden need took over him and he cupped the back of her had with one hand. Her hair was soft under his fingers, just like he knew it would be.
Booth was afraid that he had moved too fast, but then she was looking at him expectantly and he knew he had made the right decision. He pressed his lips to her soft ones, intending to for the kiss to last only for a few seconds, but when he felt her mouth open against his, he went all in. Her hands gripped his varsity jacket, making sure that he stayed close to her.
After a while, the intensity of the kiss slowed down and she leaned back to look at him in the eyes. “That was nice.” She sounded shy and Booth wanted her to know that she didn’t have to be so he kissed her one more time.
“I’d say that it was more than nice, that was amazing.” Booth put an arm around her shoulders and held her tightly to his side. “I wish we could stay here for longer, but I did promise your dad that I would get you home at ten.”
“We can stay for a few more minutes,” she told him, somehow tucking herself closer to him.
***
Booth walked her to her door once more, but with a little more pep in his step.
“This is goodnight again.” Booth was standing very close to her, their noses almost touching.
“It is,” she said back. “Goodnight then.”
Booth grabbed her by the hips and their lips met again as this time he wasn’t leaving her just with a kiss on the cheek. He could almost forget the fact that they were at her front door and that one of her family members could walk out at any moment.
They finally parted and a soft sigh escaped her lips as she looked at him. “I really should go inside now.”
“You should, I’ll see you tomorrow morning okay?”
He stayed in his spot as she opened the door and walked inside, already excited at the prospect of kissing her again tomorrow morning.
***
When Temperance walked by her parents room to get to her own, both of them were sitting in bed with books in their laps. She had gotten her love of reading from her parents after all.
“9:55, just on time,” Max said after checking his clock. “How was your evening?”
“My friend was right, the path along the river is very convenient to see the city.” Temperance shifted her weight from feet to feet and stared at the foot of the bed.
“Maybe your father and I will go there too then,” Christine was looking at her daughter with a knowing eye. Something had happened tonight she was sure of it. While her husband was usually the one to talk with their daughter, she was the one that could usually tell well something was different. “It’s nice that you are going on more, I’m happy for you Tempie. I know I was pushing you a lot when we moved, but I just want the best for you.”
“I know mom, it’s easier than I thought it would be. I believe I needed the fresh start.” Even Temperance had to admit that just being slightly more outgoing had changed her school experience a lot. “It is slightly perplexing at how easy it is for me here.”
“I’m sure it has nothing to do with that boy of yours,” Max mumbled under his breath. Christine softly kicked her husband’s shin from underneath the blankets. “As long as you don’t pull disappearing acts like your brother, who am I to complain.” Max joked and smiled at his youngest child.
“I will be off to bed now, goodnight.”
Both parents bid her goodnight and waited to hear the sound of her bedroom door closing before closing their own lights.
Chapter 16
Notes:
Just popping in with a short update this week! I hope you all still enjoy this story!
Chapter Text
Booth unlocked the front door and was surprised to see that the lights were still on inside the house.
“Where were you?” His grandfather’s concerned voice greeted him immediately.
“Pops, I was just out,” Booth defended himself, confused as to why his absence tonight was such a problem.
“Why didn’t you tell us you weren’t coming home? Last time I spoke to you was at lunch time and since then nothing else. Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
“What? I didn’t even get a call?” Booth pulled out his phone from his pocket only to see about twenty missed calls from his grandparents. “I forgot I put it on silent, I’m sorry.”
“Your grandmother and I were wondering if we’d have to call the police to find you. Where did you go?” Hank’s mind had gone to a dark place while waiting for his grandson. The number of nights he had waited for his own teenage son, only for him to come home high or drunk had marked him in a way he didn’t like to admit.
“I swear I was just with Temperance, we went to eat and then walked along the river. I just dropped her off at her place.” Booth’s heart was beating fast in his chest, his old fight or flight instincts putting him on edge. “I should’ve called, but I totally forgot.” His back was now touching the front door as he put some distance between him and his grandfather.
Hank’s anger dissipated as soon as he noticed how panicked his grandson looked. “It’s okay Seeley, I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have raised my voice at you, I was just worried.”
“It’s okay pops, I’ll make sure to call next time. I’m just going to go to bed now.” Booth quickly went to his room and shut the door behind him. He took deep breaths to calm himself down, hating the way he had reacted moments earlier.
Even if he knew she hated texting, Booth pulled out his phone and sent Temperance a quick message.
I hope you sleep well, I really loved spending time with you tonight.
A few seconds later her answer popped up, making him smile. Tonight was very enjoyable, I hope we can do it again.
Now that he was slightly calmer, Booth got ready for bed knowing that the sooner he fell asleep, the sooner he would see her.
***
Booth had made the decision to go on his run since he had had a particularly restless night. He had spotted Temperance sitting at their table on one of his laps and she had waved at him. He had almost stopped running the moment he had seen her, but he knew he needed to get his energy out before class if he wanted to be able to focus properly.
Booth was covered in sweat when he sat down on the table with her and she had never considered a sweaty man an attractive sight before today.
“You look a bit tired,” Temperance noted without judgement.
“I didn’t sleep that well,” Booth admitted and took a couple gulps of water. “Running helps.”
“I’m glad it does, it is a healthy way for you to spend your energy.” Her comment makes him feel better in a way that he doesn’t truly comprehend, but he decides that it doesn’t really matter.
“How did you sleep?”
“I had a hard time falling asleep, but for good reasons,” she said cryptically.
“Something on your mind?”
“Someone, yes.”
“I’d kiss you if I wasn’t so sweaty and gross.”
“I wouldn’t say gross.” She looked at him up and down and he shivered a little bit under the weight of her gaze. “Sweat is a normal bodily function after all.”
Temperance Brennan was unaware of how good she could be at flirting before that moment. They stared at each other for a few moments and Booth almost threw all decency away, but remembered exactly where they were.
“I’m going to go shower quickly, I’ll meet you in homeroom.”
Booth got up from the table quickly, determined to go take the coldest shower possible.
***
Temperance realized she didn’t know if she should sit at the front of the class now that Booth wasn’t with her. She had stopped by Angela’s locker and talked a little bit about the previous night. Her friend had made her promise that they would talk more in art class in the afternoon, wanting more of the details. At least, she had bought some time to figure out what to do about her seating situation and hesitated slightly until Sully spotted her.
“Hey, there she is! Come here, we kept your place next to Booth!”
His friends weren’t so bad, at least she thought that Sully was tolerable compared to some others. She thanked him and sat down at the desk.
“Where is Booth by the way?”
“He went to take a shower, he ran this morning again.” She explained. “Why don’t any of you run with him?”
“That’s his therapy time, we don’t disturb him when he’s out there, it’s like rule number one.” Sully told her.
“But he doesn’t mind it when I’m there, at least I don’t think he does.” She really hoped that was the case.
“Trust me he doesn’t, if you were annoying him, you would know. His ex hated that he wasn’t with her before class and even when she tried to sit in the bleachers with her friends to watch him, it annoyed him.”
Booth walked into the class, clearly in a hurry even if he still had some time before the bell rang. He walked up to her desk and kissed her, clearly not thinking twice about it and sat on her desk.
“That was very public,” she said simply.
“Sorry, I said I was going to kiss you earlier but I was all sweaty and now I’m not.” He realized that they hadn’t really talked about PDA since everything was pretty new, but he really had to kiss her.
“No, it’s okay, I was just making the remark that we were in a very public setting.” She hadn’t minded the kiss at all, she had just been surprised by how sudden it was. “I did imply that you could kiss me before showering.” Her voice was playful and Booth didn’t exactly know how he was so lucky this morning.
“You did, so I owe you a second one” Considering he was sitting on her desk, he had to bend down slightly to reach her while she had to look up. Their second kiss was as quick at as the first once, but they both enjoyed it very much.
“The two of you are disgustingly adorable and I’m terribly single,” Sully announced beside them. “So Temperance, since Booth is coming to my Halloween party, can I assume you’ll be there too? Your friend Angela can come too if she wants.”
“I’m sure Angela will take you up on your invitation, but I’ll see.” It would be the first real high school party she attends and to start off with the senior year halloween party felt like it could be overwhelming.
“I’m going to arrive a bit late, I volunteered at my church to chaperone trick-or-treaters again. I can pick you up after if you want and we go there together?” She looked like she was considering his offer, but still didn’t accept it for now.
“Booth if you drive, you won’t drink at the party.” Charlie inserted himself into the conversation.
“Isn’t that a shame?” Booth said sarcastically, really not caring that he wouldn’t be drinking. He’d done enough of that during junior year anyway. “I said I was going to come, not that I was going to get wasted.”
“A win is a win,” Sully said, not wanting an argument to break out. Compared to most of their friends, Sully knew more about Booth’s life before he had moved to Philadelphia, which meant he was less pushy than most of their group. “Anyway one of us has to be sober just in case, we should be thankful our dear captain volunteers every time.”
The boys agreed and Booth was thankful that his friend had his back. Now they just had to get through the week and Temperance would officially meet his grandparents on Saturday. If he was lucky, she’d agree to come with him and they could just make an appearance at the party.
Chapter 17
Notes:
This week, Temperance goes to a baseball game!
Chapter Text
The rest of the week was pretty uneventful, even Temperance’s Academic Decathlon competition on Thursday night went smoothly and the team won with a fair gap in points. Booth would have attended if he hadn’t had hockey practice that night, leading him to apologize at least twice during the school day and once per text just before her competition started. Her parents did attend to support her and were pleased to see her perform so well with her new friends.
Apart from that competition, the week was highlighted by a math test for Booth and a chemistry one for Brennan. That and a lot of making out in Booth’s car at lunch break.
Saturday morning rolled in and Temperance got out of bed early so she would be ready for when Booth picked her up with Jared to go to the game. She picked out one of her blue pairs of jeans and a warm purple sweater. The October weather was in full force which meant she needed a windbreaker to keep out most of the chill.
Since it was early, she walked down the hall quietly so that she wouldn’t wake up her brother. When she entered the kitchen, both of her parents were already having their morning cup of coffee.
“Morning,” Temperance said as she opened the cupboards to make herself a thermos of tea to bring to the game.
“It’s a nice day to spend the morning outside, you’re lucky Tempie.” Max said to her and folded the newspaper back on the table. “What are your plan’s for today again?”
“Booth is picking me up in fifteen minutes and we’re going to Jared’s baseball game. I don’t really know how long the game will last, but his grandparent’s will be there too and they want to have me over for lunch. After that I think we’ll study a little and then he’ll drop me back home for super.”
“Can you just send us a couple of updates throughout the day? Just so we know you’re okay.” Christine asked her daughter as while she was happy that Temperance was spending time away from her books and studies, that came with some normal parent worries.
“Of course, I’ll message you periodically.” It took a few minutes for the water meant for her tea to get up to the right temperature so she could prep her thermos, but once it was done, she prepared it to her exact preference. Her parents talked about their plans for the day while she leaned against the counter and listened. She loved listening to her parents banter and tease each other, it always made her feel at home. She really hoped she could have a similar relationship one day and while she doesn’t believe in gut feelings, something inside of her told her that her relationship with Booth could lead to something more.
Booth would be there soon so she put on one of her warmer pair of boots and waited for him outside after kissing her parents goodbye. Booth pulled up in front of her house barely a minute later and she got inside his car. Jared was siting in the backseat for once and not looking too happy to be demoted from shotgun position.
“Hey, Jared this is Temperance, Temperance this is Jared,” Booth introduced them quickly and once that was done, he kissed her. “Good morning. You looks cute in your raincoat.” Booth thumbed the collar of her maroon raincoat.
From the backseat, Jared watched the interaction curiously. The girl that had just gotten into the car was not what he expected. He knew his brother’s new girlfriend was very smart, but he still somehow had the image of the typical cheerleader in his head when his older brother had told him they were picking up his girlfriend. His older brother was clearly over the moon about the girl, he reminded Jared of the way their grandfather looked at their grandmother. He even had to promise his older brother to be on his best behaviour at least four time since Friday and that was without the last time he had to do so just before Temperance got into the car.
“Hello, Jared,” Temperance twisted in her car seat to look at the younger boy.
“Hey,” Jared wasn’t feeling too talkative and went back to scrolling his phone.
When they arrived at the baseball field, Jared got his gear out of the car while Booth only had a small bag. He then handed her a thick beach blanket that was neatly folded up.
“What is this for?” She asked him, but still took it from his hands.
“The stands here are metal and it’s cold outside, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. When my grandparents get here they’ll sit in camping chairs in front of the stands so you should sit in the first row if you want to be next to them.”
“Okay, thank you for the towel, I didn’t think that it would be an issue.”
“I know my baseball fields,” he told her with a shrug. “I have to go and coach, but I’ll come see you when my grandparents get here.” The people that were already in the stands were mostly parents of kids on Jared’s team, but usually more people arrived a few minutes before the game actually started.
“I hope the team as a good game,” she told him. “What about a kiss for good luck?.” The amount of times that she had read that line in one of her books was fairly high and she had always wanted to try it for herself.
“I wouldn’t mind some extra luck.” He was starting to realize how teasing and playful she really was when she felt comfortable. It made him feel all warm inside, happy that she seemed to be as attached to him as he was to her. She held onto the lapels of his jacket and kissed him twice quickly before walking towards the stands. He watched her walk away from him, thinking about how everything felt genuine with her. She wasn’t kissing him in front of everyone because she wanted to be seen with him, she was doing it because she wanted to be close to him.
Booth knew he had to join his players and the coach so they could get the team ready to play so he walked onto the pitch. The kids warmed up and stretched while they did their pre-match debrief, all while discussing strategy for today. Temperance sat down on the first row of the stands, glad that Booth had given her a towel after touching the cold metal with her hands. She watched with a curious eye the pre-match rituals and used the opportunity to listen to the parents talk around her.
They all had opinions about what the players should do, what could go wrong today and Temperance didn’t know if they were so opinionated because they had knowledge or because they thought they did. She found the whole situation to be fascinating. She observed that the parents were also sitting in specific groups, indicating that there was some kind of hierarchy even between the parents. It was entertaining for her to build that social pyramid in her mind while waiting for the match to begin.
After a while, Booth walked towards her and Temperance looked over her shoulder and saw an old couple walking towards the stands. She stood up just before Booth reached her, ready to meet the them.
“Pops, Grams, this is Temperance. Temperance this is Hank, my grandfather and Alice, my grandmother.”
“I’m happy to finally meet you,” Temperance greeted them with a smile. She offered her hand, intending to shake their hands, but Alice let go of her husband’s arm to wrap her in a tight hug. Temperance was frozen in her spot, shocked at the sudden affection from a stranger. When the older woman let go of her, Hank took his wife’s spot and hugged the girl that had captured his grandson’s attention.
“It’s good to finally meet you, Seeley talks about you all the time,” Alice told her, wanting to know more from the girl herself.
“Booth talks about both of you quite often too,” she replied kindly and let Alice hold on to her arm while Booth helped his grandfather set up the camping chairs right next to the spot that Brennan had chosen for herself. Alice sat down and Hank tucked a thick blanket onto her lap before settling himself.
“If you need anything, just tell me between innings and I’ll take care of it,” Booth told him and checked his phone for the time. The other team had slowly started to arrive and the game would be starting to soon.
“Shrimp, you can leave us with your girl, we won’t bite,” Hank teased his grandson. Seeley stayed in his spot, with both hands on his hips as he looked at his grandparents sitting with the girl he loves. “Go, on and make sure your team plays well,” he added shooing him away with a wave of his hand.
“Yeah, I’ll go do that, you guys have fun then,” Seeley replied and ran back to his team.
“So Temperance, Seeley told us you just moved to Philadelphia,” Hank initiated the conversation and Temperance which lasted for much of the game. It was a casual conversation which she didn’t think she was particularly good at, but Booth’s grandparents were very nice and made it easy for her.
Hank even helped her understand the rules of the game and explained the decisions taken by the umpire. She still didn’t understand why people enjoyed watching sports so much if it made them so angry and figured the experience must be different once you get more invested in the game. Clearly the dads that were standing up and yelling every single time something happened had very strong opinions and were profoundly invested in the games.
The match ended and Jared’s team once by two points thanks to a very good hit by Jared’s best friend. Temperance cheered with the rest of the stands and stayed seated as most kids joined their parents and left the field. Jared had joined them at some point to chug his sports drink while Hank gave him pointers about how he had played. Booth was helping the coach put away the equipment and discussing the game, which left her alone with the rest of his family.
“It’s not the most fun activity to do right?” Alice leaned and whispered to her.
“Oh I don’t mind it at all.” Temperance didn’t want her to think she hadn’t enjoyed herself.
“It took me years to enjoy going to games with Hank when we were young. Between you and me, I enjoy hockey more, but going to Jared’s games is the exception. Don’t tell any of the boys that.”
“I haven’t seen Booth play hockey yet so I can’t form an opinion yet, but I can see why people would enjoy watching baseball.”
“You haven’t seen Seeley play yet?” The older woman was surprised to hear that. “Why not?”
“I think he didn’t want to force me to sit in an arena just to watch him, but I wouldn’t have minded. I’m supposed to go see the first game after Halloween.”
“Well, going to a game first and not a practice is going to be a treat, let me tell you.” Alice told her about some of the things she could experience at a hockey game.
“I look forward to it.” Temperance really liked the older woman, she was easy to talk to and seemed very kind. “From what I understand he is very good, so I am sure I will enjoy watching him play.”
“Watch who play?” Booth was now standing in front of them with Jared’s bag thrown over his shoulder.
“I was telling your grandmother that I haven’t seen you play yet.” Booth sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders.
“I’m excited for the game, first one of the season too. What did you think of baseball?”
“I found it interesting, especially how the crowd has such strong opinions about the game,” she told him and he laughed. He had been at the end of some of that yelling many times as a coach.
“It was a good game today, you played well Jared.”
“Thanks Seel,” Jared was already mindlessly scrolling on his phone. “Are we getting brunch or not?”
“Don’t be rude Jared,” Hank cut the youngest boy off, annoyed at his lack of manners. “You will ride with us Jared so your brother can have some time with Temperance.”
“We’ll meet you at the dinner then,” he was happy that his grandfather thought of letting them spend some time together, albeit a little embarrassed. “Do you need me to help you with the chairs?”
“Jared can help us, you two go ahead.”
Booth grabbed her by the hand and dragged her back to the car, not needing to be told twice. Temperance thought he wanted her to get into the car, but before she could open the door, he had her pressed up against it. “I could get used to seeing you in the stands,” he told her just before pressing his lips to hers. Her hands found their way to his chest, underneath his unzipped team jacket he wore when he coached.
“We’re supposed to be driving to the restaurant, not making out against your car.” She leaned back slightly and he chased her lips with his once more. She let him catch them and laughed against his, enjoying the way he felt so warm underneath her hands compared to the cold wind outside. His whole body was pushed up against hers in a way that felt a bit inappropriate for a public setting, but she found that she didn’t really mind.
Booth seemed to catch up with what she was thinking and stepped back slightly, leaning his forehead against hers. “I think I’m obsessed with you,” he admitted with a sigh.
“I hope your grandparents liked me,” she told him, ignoring his statement. She didn’t know what to do with that information yet or how she felt about it so she simply filed it away with the many information stored in her brain.
“I’m sure they did, anyone that doesn’t is crazy,” he replied quickly, wanting to reassure her. “They liked you before they met you, I promise.”
“You need to have dinner with my parents soon,” she told him, which made him sober up quickly. He had quickly met her family when he picked her up for their first date and he did see her father at school from time to time, but having dinner at her house was something else. “My brother wants to get to know you.” Then there was the older brother that he needed to win over too.
“Okay, you just tell me when and I’ll make sure I’m free,” he told her, really meaning it. He knew that a lot of guys his age avoided meeting the parents until it was truly necessary and did it reluctantly, but he wanted this relationship to work and wanted to be apart of her life.
“Let’s get to the restaurant then, I don’t want them to wait for us. Your brother seemed impatient to eat.”
“Let’s hit the road then.”
Chapter 18
Notes:
New chapter alert! And also GO BIRDS. I hope David is having a great time at the Super Bowl after parties right now lol.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Temperance walked off the school bus, followed closely by Booth, as one of the teachers split up all the students into groups. They were lucky enough that the weather was particularly nice for their visit of the University of Pennsylvania. Some of the other kids were clearly not interested in the actual visit, but were simply happy that they weren’t in class for once. Other’s were simply passive and waiting to follow which ever teacher they were assigned too. Then, there were student’s who had a lists with specific questions they wanted to ask and things they wanted to see.
Booth fell in the simply passive category, while Brennan didn’t know what category she fell in. The University of Pennsylvania has one of the best Anthropology program in the country and she had already applied to it, but that meant that she had already done a lot of research and had visited the campus with her parents a few weeks ago. They waited next to the bus with the other students while the teachers figure out how they wanted to do things. In the end, their campus guides suggested to split up according to the students interests so that the kids could see what they wanted.
Temperance decided to stay with Booth with the other student-athletes, realizing that she had never seen any of the sports infrastructures in her personal visits of the campus. Her choice surprised a few people, especially the guidance counsellor, Mrs Harris, that came over to talk to her.
“Miss Brennan, I thought you would be joining the group going to Humanities building.” Booth felt the older woman’s judgement a lot more than his girlfriend did. “I didn’t know you were interested in the sports programs? Wouldn’t it be better for you to go with Mr. Jackson?”
“I am not personally interested in any of the athletics, but I’ve already visited the campus and applied so there is no point in me revisiting the same places,” Temperance replied, clearly not catching onto the subliminal message the woman was telling her.
It wasn’t exactly a secret that some of their teachers had opinions about them dating. He had been the party boy, captain of the Hockey team and cocky student at the beginning of his high school career and he had not been the most model student back then. The only place he had always behaved was at hockey practice. Even if he had drastically changed in the last two years, some teachers still had that image of him and that included the guidance councillor. It didn’t help that as the star athlete student, Booth never went to see her and decided to deal with the offers from universities and colleges himself and with the help of his coaches.
Then there was Temperance, who was easily the smartest person, not just student, to ever walk into their high school and somehow, in the eyes of a lot of teachers, they were dating. Hell, even he didn’t know what she saw in him so he couldn’t blame them for judging.
“You didn’t tell me you were applying here?” Mrs Harris looked offended that she hadn’t been informed.
“I didn’t need any help with my applications, I saw no need to bother you while your time could be spent helping students who need it.” Booth cringed internally a bit at the slightly condescending tone that his girlfriend had used, but he knew that she hadn’t meant to be mean. She truly did think that the guidance councillor’s time would be better used on other students.
“Of course, maybe you can help Mister Booth then, considering I haven’t seen him in my office this year.” Mrs. Harris looked at him directly this time and Booth just smiled awkwardly while Brennan clearly didn’t catch onto the comment.
“We should follow Coach Cullen, we don’t want to lose our group,” Brennan said as she noticed the rest of the group pulling away. “If you would like me to give you the list of schools I applied to, I can provide it to you Mrs. Harris.”
“If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t,” Temperance answered back and dragged Booth away. “I don’t believe she appreciates me much,” she told him once they were far away enough so that they wouldn’t be heard.
“She doesn’t like to be useless, don’t take it personal. You know that you could have gone with another group if you wanted,” Booth told her as he intertwined their fingers together.
“I’m truly curious to see the other facilities Booth.”
“There’s no way I’m getting into this university,” Booth told her as they followed the group. “I mean I would need a hockey scholarship that’s for sure. I know the guy who scouts for the program and he did seem a bit interested, but yeah. No way.”
“You never know Booth, maybe you will get an offer. Any school would be lucky to have you on their team.”
They visited a couple different facilities with their guide who gave them a summary of every sport program. Booth’s favourite was of course the Penn Ice rink where the hockey players train. There were no players on the ice, but the coach actually came out to talk to them.
Temperance thought the man knew a bit too much about the people visiting his hockey rink to be a coincidence. Her suspicions were confirmed when the university coach came over to talk to Coach Cullen. After a couple of minutes both men came over to talk to Booth and she stood back for a while as she listened. His other team mates were also attempting to listen into the conversation.
Booth stayed silent for the rest of the visit and she decided to let him be with his thoughts for a while. The visit ended late in the afternoon and the students all got back onto the buses.
“What did the coach talk about with you?” Brennan asked him once they were seated at the back of the bus.
“He asked if I wanted to come skate with his boys next week,” Booth finally told her.
“It’s not a D1 school, what did you say?”
‘I said I’d think about it to be polite, but I don’t think I’ll go. I know it’s a great school, but I want to play hockey professionally so there’s no point in me going there.”
“Of course, it is still nice that he offered.”
“Yes it is.”
“How are you feeling about tonight?”
“I’m good. I talk with your dad sometimes and he doesn’t seem to hate me. I’ll do my best to impress your mom and brother.”
“I’m sure my mother will like you and Russ will pretend not too, but he will.”
“Pops should have picked up Jared from school a while ago, so as soon as we get to school we’ll drive to your place.”
“I wonder what my mom will have prepared for dinner.”
“I’m sure I’ll like it, I’m not difficult.”
***
Booth parked his car in front of Brennan’s house and turned the engine off. They grabbed their bags from the backseat and walked up to the house. Brennan used her keys to unlock the door and once it was open, both of them could smell the delicious aromas coming from the kitchen.
“I’m home,” Brennan called out as she set her bag down in the mud room. Booth did the same and also removed her shoes like she did. Her father appeared from the kitchen with a smile on his face.
“Kids! How was the university visit?”
“It was decent enough, I followed Booth as he visited the sports facilities.”
“Is Temperance home?” Her mother came out of the kitchen quickly and smile brightly when she spotted the two teenagers in the living room. “Seeley, it’s nice you again.” Christine wrapped Booth in a quick welcome hug. She then kissed her daughter quickly on the cheek. “Dinner is almost ready, Russ is already sitting at the table if you want to go sit down and join him.”
“Thank you for having me over Mr and Mrs Brennan.”
“It’s no problem, I’ve wanted to invite you over for weeks.”
“Lets go sit down with Russ, Booth.”
Booth followed her into the dinning room and sat down next to her at the table.
“Hey Tempie and it’s Seeley right?” Russ said as they sat down.
“Yeah, but you can just call me Booth.”
There’s a few minutes of awkward silence while waiting for the parents to come in with a lasagna and a bowl of salad.
“It’s vegetarian, I hope you don’t mind the lack of meat,” Max says and Booth could tell that it was a test, albeit a weird one.
“It’s great, I don’t mind vegetarian food,” Booth said with a smile. Christine served everyone a plate before sitting down with all of them. “This looks amazing Mrs Brennan.”
“So how was school and the visit?” Christine asked both teenagers.
Temperance explained everything to her family while Booth simply listened and enjoyed the food. Then the conversation was steered back in his direction and they asked him about where he grew up. Booth skated around most of the story, simply saying that his grandparent took him in since his parents couldn’t take care of him.
“So Seeley, what schools are you applying to?” Max asked.
“Well, I’m not sure, since I’m hoping to get scouted as an athlete. I’ve gotten a couple of offers already just because of my junior year, but I didn’t accept any of them yet. The hockey season is going to start soon and I’m probably going to get new ones.”
“What academic program are you going to do when you pick?” Christine asked as she plated herself another portion of lasagna.
“I’m interested in Criminology and I swear I’m actually going to make an effort to get good grades even if I get in with an athletics scholarship. I’m hoping to go pro, but if that doesn’t work out, I want a degree.”
“That’s very mature of you,” Christine answered back, surprised.
“While I used to think that all athletes were less intelligent, I understand now that it was a misconception.”
“Temperance, that’s not nice,” Christine admonished her, a stern look on her face.
“She didn’t mean it that way,” Booth cut in, to the surprise of everyone at the table. “I know what she meant, it’s okay.”
“When do you start playing?” Russ asked his first question of the night.
“First week of November, we’re playing locally too since we won last season,” Booth answered easily. “We’re playing another Philly school, it’s a good one but I’m confident we’ll win.”
“I’m going to attend the match,” Temperance added. “I’m interested to see firsthand the hockey culture.”
“I hope you enjoy it. Pops should attend like usual so you’ll be able to sit with him if you want. Angela said she would come too right?”
“Yes Angela has confirmed that she will attend with me,” she confirmed with her boyfriend.
The rest of the dinner went well and Booth ended up staying over a bit later that he had planned initially. The kids had moved to the living room while the parent’s teamed up to get the dishes cleaned up.
Booth was sitting next to Temperance on the couch, a good foot of distance separating them, which she found a bit confusing. Booth never left a lot of distance between them. Since they had officially gotten together she had realized how tactile he was. He loved to always have some type of contact with her wether that was simply touching her foot with his own under a desk or even having her sit in his lap when their weren’t enough seats for everyone in their group. He wasn’t even holding her hand at the moment.
“Why aren’t you touching me?” Temperance finally decided to ask.
Booth’s face heated up as he almost choked on the sip of water he had just taken. “What? Why would you say that?” He looked nervously at his girlfriend’s older brother who was now very interested in the conversation.
“You are sitting really far from me compared to usual,” she pointed out, looking at the space in between them. “Can I hold your hand?”
“Oh, yeah sure,” Booth held up his hand and she took it happily. As she scooted over on the couch so she could be closer to him. He was glad that she had clarified her inquiry. “There’s a lot of books in here,” he changed the subject and looked at the many floor to ceiling bookshelves in the room so he could avoid making eye contact with Russ.
“This is our family collection. The books belong to all of us,” Temperance started explaining. “My mother and father started it with their books from university and personal novels and when Russ was born, they added a lot of children’s book. Russ reads a lot of fantasy novels now or historical novels.” Her older brother stayed quiet in his spot and Booth realized that he was still being evaluated by Russ.
“What about you?”
“I love my father’s science textbooks and my mother’s math ones, but in the last few years I’ve started reading a lot of mystery novels and adding them to our shelves.” She pointed to a specific section of their home library.
Booth was able to spot a couple of names he recognized on the spines of the books like Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and Wilkie Collins.
“What do you like to read?” Russ asked him, finally involving himself in the conversation.
“When I do have some time, I like biographies or history books about athletes or teams.” He didn’t specify that he mostly reads when he is accompanying his grandmother to her chemotherapy treatments. “I don’t read that much though.”
“We have a few biographies, but I don’t think we have any of athletes. Could I borrow one of yours? Maybe about your Flyers?” Temperance asked, happy at the prospect of getting some new ready materials.
“Sure, I’ll bring you one on Monday. Are you still hanging out with Angela on Sunday?”
“Yes, I’m going to her house and we are supposed to spend the day together. She’s going to show me her art studio that her father built for her.”
“She’s a really good artist, do you think she’d be down to paint our banner this year for the championship?”
“I can ask, but I’m sure she will be excited at the idea.”
Max and Christine walked into the living room at that moment and they sat down next to their son on the other couch.
“Well Seeley, it was nice to formally meet you,” Christine announced. “I hope you know you are welcome to come over when you want to for dinner.”
“Thank you Mrs. Brennan, I’m sure I’ll take you up on that offer.” Booth looked to the side and saw that Temperance was smiling softly at him. “This was a really nice evening, but I should head back home before my grandparents start looking for me.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Temperance said as she stood up, their hands still linked.
Everyone said their goodbyes and soon enough, they were standing next to his car. They were still holding hands, neither of them making a move to let go. Booth leaned against his car door while Temperance stood in front of him.
“I had a really nice day, thank you for coming over,” she told him and took a small step forward. Booth let go of her hand only to move his to her hips. Her shirt had ridden up slightly and his thumbs touched the soft skin of her hip bones. It was a risky move considering they were standing in front of her house and her parents could just look outside the window and see them, but they did have the car blocking most of the view.
“Thank you for inviting me, your family is really nice,” Booth told her. He really did need to leave, but he truly didn’t want to. He wanted to spend the night with her and hear her talk about all the different books on her bookshelf. Maybe they would fall asleep on her couch while talking and he could spend the night holding her.
“I’ll see you Monday morning,” Brennan told him and inched slightly closer to him. Booth nodded, knowing that he would in fact see her then, but wishing he wouldn’t have to wait two days to see her again. She seemed to be in the same wavelength as him, in no hurry to go back inside her house.
Booth squeezed her hips and pulled her even closer to him, making their thighs touch. Temperance bridged the last of the distance by bringing her hands to his shoulders and pressed her lip to his. Their mouths parted slightly, allowing Booth to kiss her deeply. They had both wanted to do that for the entire evening, but didn’t want to give a show to her parents.
“I really need to go now,” Booth mumbled between kisses. “And you’ve been walking me to my car for a bit too long.”
Brennan nibbled on his bottom lips before finally taking a step back to both of their disappointment. “Have a good night Booth.”
“You too Bones.” Booth watched her walk back inside her house and waited until she was safe inside to drive away.
Notes:
Ps. I tried to make the whole college application thing work, I researched like D1 teams and how athletes get offers and came to the conclusion that this is a fic so I will be making the rules because my Canadian self does not understand how the American system work and I wasted like a good 2 weeks trying to figure it out lol. So if it's not accurate I apologize but also, this is a fic lmao
Have a nice week!
Chapter 19
Notes:
Sorry for the slight delay, here is the new chapter!
Chapter Text
“So, how was dinner with your parents and Booth?” Angela asked her friend and they entered her bedroom. There were posters on covering most of the walls, some from bands and others painted by the young artist herself. The large desk in the corner of her room was covered with notebooks and sketchbooks. Temperance thought the room fit perfectly with her friends personality. She had arrived around noon and ate a quick lunch before touring the large house her friend shared with her music producer dad.
Both girls toed off their shoes and jumped up on the large bed so they could get comfortable. They messed around with the pillows for a moment and soon enough they were ready to have their girl talk.
“I think it went well enough,” Temperance finally told her friend. “I’m convinced my parents like Booth, but Russ seems to be more cautious.”
“He’s your older brother Bren, there’s like a law preventing him from liking your boyfriend.”
“I’ve never heard of a law like that,” Brennan retorted, looking at Angela cautiously.
“It’s just an expression, it just means that older brothers hate their sister’s boyfriend by default.”
“But Russ has to give him a chance at least.” Brennan looked angry and Angela thought it was adorable for her to be so defensive of Booth.
“He’ll come around like all of them do Bren, don’t worry.” Angela sat up against the pillow a little bit and a mischievous smile etched itself onto her face. “Now, we have to talk about the Halloween party. I know it’s not your scene, but you really have to come. Your boyfriend will be there and it’s the first one he’s attending in so long.”
“What does Booth’s lack of attendance at parties have to do with my need to be there?”
“You remember how I said he was prime real estate and you got angry at me for implying he was property?” Temperance nodded, curious to see how that had anything to do with the Halloween party. “Well, excuse my wording again, you have technically claimed that property, but if he shows up alone without you it won’t look like you did,” Angela explained simply.
Temperance had been under the impression that she was getting better at being a girlfriend, but she found herself confused again. “You are saying I need to go to the party to prove that I have claimed Booth as a social ritual?”
“Sweetie, you make it seem so creepy when you say things like that, but that’s pretty much what I’m saying,” Angela laughed at her friend’s slightly disgusted facial expressions. “You have to look hot too, like sexy costume and everything to really make a statement.”
“I’m not sure I want to do that Angie. I will attend the party, but I want to talk about it with him first,” Brennan asserted her opinion on the subject.
“You are going to talk to your boyfriend on wether you should wear a sexy costume or not?” Angela loved her friend so much, but sometime she really didn’t understand her that well.
“I forgot to ask you, but Booth wanted to know if you were interested in designing the banners for the hockey team this year?” Brennan changed the subject, not really wanting to discuss sexy costumes.
“Oh my god! I would love too! I already have so many ideas,” Angela started rambling about design ideas until she suddenly stopped. “Wait you completely changed the subject again, I want to know more about Booth.”
Brennan groaned internally, but still decided to humour her friend with a sprinkle of details about her boyfriend. She knew he was a private person and had no intention of revealing anything that could be considered too personal, but they were teenage girls after all and gossiping was fun with the right people. They talked about school, but also their plans for university and more.
Temperance realized she loved having a girl friend to talk with and discuss every single trivial detail in their lives, which was something she had never had before moving to Philadelphia. Angela was a good friend and always took the time to include her in discussions. Similarly to Booth, she would always explain things to her when she didn’t catch onto something without judgement.
They spent the entire afternoon chatting and finishing up their homework for Monday, until Brennan had to go home.
***
For late October, the sun was fairly warm which meant their group of friends decided to have their lunch break outside. They were all sitting in a circle in the grass a few yards from the football field chatting away. There was a big history exam coming up soon and the group was debating the best way to study the material.
“I’m going to go with my raw academic talent,” Sully announced proudly.
“I’m just going to review my notes,” Charlie said, also sounding confident in his method.
The group kept arguing for a while until they realized that Booth wasn’t participating in their debate. “What about you Booth?” Charlie asked.
Booth, who was leaning back on his forearms, sat up a little. “A little bit of everything I guess. I’m rereading my notes and the chapters in the textbook. Also, I just listen to Bren talk about it, it’s easier to pay attention.”
“The material isn’t particularly difficult anyway,” Temperance added from her spot next to him. “I have no need to study.” She suddenly realized that she sounded a little bit full of herself with her statement. “However, I do understand that not everyone has ease with studying history.”
“You say that, but I think you review while explaining stuff to me,” Booth told her with a smile and took her hand. “I swear I read somewhere that it counts as reviewing.”
Temperance looked at him like she couldn’t believe what he had said that, but then she laughed. He was completely right with his statement. “You might have a point there.”
The group enjoyed the rest of their break outside before having to head back to class.
***
“Booth?”
“Yeah?”
They were currently sitting together in the library for a study period. There was only fifteen minutes left to the period, so the teacher had decided to let them chat a little bit as long as no one got too loud.
“I was thinking of going to the party with you after all,” she told him and he looked up from his notebook where he had been scribbling down hockey plays.
“Great! I’ll pick you up after I’m done with chaperoning for church.” He sounded so happy and Temperance realized she had made the right choice by attending.
“I just have a quick question.” She sat back in her and thought about how to formulate her question without it sounding weird. “What costume will you wear?”
“Oh nothing too complicated considering the chaperoning thing. I’m probably going to pull out my pirate costume, it’s easy to wear and the kids usually like it.”
“I see…”
“What’s wrong?” Booth could tell there was something else on her mind.
“It’s just Angela told me I needed to wear a sexy costume, but I don’t think I see the point.”
“Bones, just wear what you want, some people literally show up not in costume and just get drunk,” Booth told her. Honestly, he would die to see her in a sexy Halloween costume, but not at the expense of her personal comfort.
Brennan took in the information Booth gave her and made a decision which would require a quick stop at a costume store to get a few things.
***
Brennan added the final touch to her costume, a scarlet lipstick to her lips that tied in perfectly with her chosen costume. In truth it had been easy for her to chose once she knew what Booth was going to be dressed up as. She didn’t even have to buy a lot of things since she had almost everything she needed to dress up as a pirate from all of her outfits that she had for when she went to Renaissance fairs.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, she noted that most of it was absolutely not historically accurate, but that was not the point of a Halloween costume.
Her pirate costume consisted of a green, knee-length dress with a jagged hemline, which was perfect for the popularly accepted image of a pirate and featured a fitted bodice with lace-up detailing in the front. The sleeves are puffed and three-quarter length, ending in ruffled cuffs. Over the dress, she wore a black, faux leather vest that adds a bit of ruggedness to the ensemble.
To complete the look, she had added a black sash tied around her waist that tied her costume together. She chose to wear her black, knee-high boots that fitted the look, but were also very comfortable considering she was going to a party. A matching green bandana was holding her hair back, and she accessorized herself with a pair of gold hoop earrings, one of her chunky necklace and a toy cutlass tucked into her sash to complete her look.
Once she was satisfied with her look, she grabbed her leather purse and checked to make sure that she had everything she would need for the night. Booth would be here to pick her up soon so she went to the kitchen to grab one last glass of water and to say goodbye to her parents.
“So do you know when you will come back home?” Christine asked her daughter. Both parents were sitting in the living room with bowls of candy, waiting for trick-or-treaters to ring the doorbell. While Christine had been very in favour of her daughter socializing at her new school, she realized that she now she actually had to worry about her youngest child going to a party with her boyfriend.
“Knowing Booth, we are probably not going to stay at the party that long. I’ll send you updates throughout the night, don’t worry,” Temperance answered and checked her phone to see if Angela had updated her. Her friend was already at the party and enjoying herself and Brennan was eager to join her. “Also Booth will not be drinking as he is driving which should lessen your anxieties about this evening.”
“If you decide to drink, drink responsibly Tempie,” Max cut into the conversation after handing out candy to a group of children. There was no point in banning her from drinking, he was a teacher after all and knew that it barely work, so it was better to educate her on being careful. “If there’s anything, you can call us and we’ll come and pick you up.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m certain I will be fine.” In that moment, her phone buzzed and she looked at it to see a message from Booth telling her that he was there. “I will see you later tonight.” Temperance kissed both of her parents on their cheeks and left the house.
Brennan carefully weaved through a group of kids dressed as ghosts that were coming up the small path to her front door. Booth had parked his Corolla in front of her house as usual and was sitting in it as he waited for her to come out. She opened the passenger side door and got in, laughing when she saw the little skeleton Booth had hung on his rearview mirror.
“That thing is not anatomically accurate at all,” she told him as she poked the little toy with a finger.
“Hey Bones,” Booth put a lot more emphasis on her nickname which did manage to make her giggle a little. “I see you followed my pirate theme then, you look really pretty.” He leaned over the console to kiss her, but she stoped him by putting a hand to his chest.
“Don’t ruin my lipstick before we get to the party,” she told him and the way he pouted almost made her want to reconsider her decision. It didn’t help that his costume, which was obviously similar to hers, made him look particularly attractive to look at.
The base of his costume was an oversized billowy white shirt that he had found years ago in his grandparent’s stuff. The shirt had a loose fit with long sleeves that his grandmother had modified with elastics at the wrists so that the fabric would gather there. Around his waist he had tied a piece of navy fabric in a simple knot so that he could carry his toy sword.
For the pants, he chose to wear one of his pairs of yard work shorts that were brown and frayed enough to fit the look properly. It also had pockets with buttons so that he could carry his phone, keys and wallet without fearing that he would lose them while partying. To finish his costume, he had a pirate with a skull effigy on it, which was currently on the back seat as he drove.
“Do I get to ruin your lipstick after?” Booth teased as he sat back and put the car in drive.
“You are feeling quite cocky tonight,” she pointed out as he put his hand on her upper thigh, in the spot where her dressed had ridden up slightly as she sat in her seat.
“Is that a good thing or not?” Booth drew circles with his thumb on her soft skin. It was a bit more forward of him than what he would usually do, but he was in a very good mood tonight. How could he not be? He was going out to party with his beautiful girlfriend and his friends for the first time in a while.
“It is certainly very attractive,” she answered and looked at her phone again as if she hadn’t said something that absolutely made him want to pull over and make out with her. “Angela texted me that that party is very fun. Sully is living up to his reputation it seems.”
“He sure knows how to party,” Booth agreed and turned onto Sully’s street. As the got closer to his friend’s house, they started to hear the music coming from the party.
“What are the chances that the police will show up?” Brennan asked as the parked a few houses away. She had heard many stories of police breaking up parties when she was in Chicago, not that she attended any of them. That and her parents had had to pick up Russ a few times from those types of parties.
“His neighbours are pretty chill, they’ve never called the cops on us before. He throws like two big parties a year so it’s usually fine. We’ll leave before it could get too crazy anyway, not that I think it will.” Booth grabbed his pirate hat from the backseat and they both got out of the car.
Once they were on the sidewalk, their hands naturally met in the middle and they made their way to Sully’s house. There were people in the front yard chasing each other with cans of silly string. They narrowly avoided being sprayed and went into the backyard were Booth assumed most people would be.
Rule number one at Sully’s parties was that nobody went inside the house unless Sully was with them which meant that everyone should be either in the backyard or the front yard as usual.
When the couple finally made their arrival and Sully and the rest of the boys spotted them, they all started cheering loudly.
“The man of the hour is here!” Sully yelled, a can of beer in hand and standing up on a chair.
Booth bowed down dramatically to please the crowd while Brennan stood awkwardly next to him. That sent his friends into another round of cheering. People around them were all different levels of drunk, which meant it was a risky adventure to cross the yard to reach Sully.
“You actually came! Both of you!” Sully hugged his friend quickly and sat back down in his chair.
“You did make me promise, so here I am,” Booth replied loudly so his voice could be heard over the music.
“Well everyone say thank you to Temperance for bringing our dear Booth!” The group cheered again and Brennan stayed next to her boyfriend, slightly embarrassed at all the attention they were getting at the moment.
“I didn’t do that much to be honest,” she said only loud enough for the people immediately next to them to hear.
“Here we have one chair left,” Charlie dragged the last patio chair that was hidden in behind the shed and set it next to the other ones.
Booth sat down immediately, still holding onto Brennan’s hand, when he realized they had two options if they also wanted her to be seated. Either he gets up and lets her have the chair or she sits in his lap and they share it like a lot of the other couples were doing.
Brennan took the decision herself and settled down on his lap comfortably. Booth wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her tightly against his chest so she didn’t have to bother holding herself up too much.
“You two want anything to drink?” Sully asked and pulled open the cooler that was under his chair.
“I’ll take a soda,” Booth told his friend and was pleased when a cold can of Coca-Cola was pressed into his hand.
“I’ll take a beer,” Brennan surprised everyone with her answer, even Booth since he hadn’t expected her to participate in underage drinking. Sully pulled one out of the cooler and handed it to her. “I find it slightly humorous that you are all surprised that I drink,” she said after thanking Sully. She had no intention on intoxicating herself, but she had enjoyed a glass of wine occasionally with her parents.
Booth simply laughed and too a sip of his own drink.
“Bren! There you are!” Angela joined their group happily dressed as what Brennan could only describe as a sexy angel, which fitted her name in a very comical way. “This is such a great party!” Her friend had clearly been enjoying the beverages and the occasion to party. The artist sat down on the arm rest of the chair next to her friends chair.
The two girls chatted together and Booth talked to his friends for a while. It was a bit hard to properly hear what the others were saying with the music, but they were still enjoying themselves.
At one point, Brennan could feel a pair of eyes on her and she scanned the people in front of her until she spotted Rebecca standing with her group of friends, staring straight at her. Brennan glared back at the girls, unwilling to let herself be intimidated by her boyfriends ex-girlfriend.
It took a moment for Booth to notice that his girlfriend wasn’t talking anymore considering the blaring music. He followed her line of sight until her realized what she was looking at and he had to hold back a groan. Booth held his girlfriend even tighter so she wouldn’t fall from his lap and leaned over so her could talk to Sully without too many people hearing.
“Why did you invite Rebecca?” He asked his best friend, trying to understand the logic behind that decision.
Sully looked confused and even a bit offended at his question. “I didn’t she must have invited herself since she always came to these. I didn’t invite her, I promise I would never do that to you. I can go and ask her to leave if you want.”
Brennan had heard Sully’s answer and took it upon herself to solve the situation. She twisted slightly in Booth’s lap so they were facing each other better and kissed him hard. Booth was surprised by her action, but that didn’t stop him from taking it up a notch and he stated kissing her back with has much passion that was appropriate for a public setting. His hand came up and cradled the back of her neck and tangled with her hair, figuring that if they were going to give the people a show, it should be a good one
After they separated, Brennan used her thumb to attempt to wipe away some of the red lipstick that had transferred to his lips when they were making out. “See this is why I said you couldn’t kiss me in the car.” Booth kissed her thumb quickly as she tried to get the last of the makeup off his top lip. “You would have looked like a clown pirate instead.”
“Why did you kiss me like that, not that I’m complaining?” Booth asked as he raised his hand to fix her smudged makeup as much as possible. He had a feeling about what the reason was, but he also wanted to hear it from her.
“Angela said that I needed to claim my prime real estate or else people wouldn’t believe we are together,” Brennan explained and put her hands on his chest. “That and I enjoy kissing you a lot.”
Booth laughed at her answer and looked over her shoulder to see if Rebecca had left. The group of girls was out of sights, but it seemed that their decision to invite themselves had inspired other people from school to do the same.
The backyard was starting to get pretty crowded and even Sully could tell his party was about to get out of hand if he didn’t intervene soon.
“We’re going to have to go kick some people out boys,” Sully heaved himself of the chair, swaying on his feet a little bit considering the copious amounts of alcohol he had been drinking.
“And that’s our sign to head out,” Booth announced, waiting for Temperance to get off his lap. They had been at the party for a little over two hours which was more than enough in his mind. Maybe if he had been drinking as much as his friends he would probably have wanted to stay a bit longer, but the prospect of the party getting out of hand was enough to convince him that he was done for the night.
Temperance had drunk two or three beer, but Booth realized she had a much higher tolerance to alcohol than he had assumed and he could barely tell she had any in the first place. Angela decided to stick around as the party spiralled so Brennan wished her goodnight and followed her boyfriend.
“You all better be fine for our first match Monday night,” Booth called out to his teammates just before leaving the yard. He put an arm around Brennan’s shoulders and tucked her against his side as they walked down the sidewalk to his car.
“So, where are we going?” Temperance asked him. She didn’t have to talk as loudly considering they were far away from the house and the music was no longer drowning out their voices.
“What do you mean? I was going to drive you back home,” Booth told her as he fished out his car keys from his pockets.
“It’s still pretty early and I don’t have a curfew tonight,” Temperance waited until Booth unlocked the car doors and got in. “I thought we could keep the night going.”
Booth was surprised at her suggestion, but pleased all the same. “Well there’s a couple of things we could do.” Booth mused as he turned on the car engine.
“Like what?” Temperance switched on the heating to warm herself up a little. She had been warm enough all wrapped up in Booth’s arms back at the party, but the late autumn air had cooled her down on their short walk.
“I know a good park close by.”
Chapter 20
Notes:
Here's a really long chapter of a hockey game, very descriptive to the point I almost cut it, but it's still fun lol!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“We’ll see you later tonight Tempie!” Max called out just before his daughter closed the front door of the house. They had just finished dinner and Temperance didn’t want to be late for Booth’s first hockey game of the season. She left just after she was done doing the dishes with Russ, taking her mom’s car to drive herself to the arena.
While Booth was usually the driver on all of their outings, he had important pre-game rituals that he wasn’t going to break, even for his girlfriend that he adored so much, that included spending most of his day with his team especially the hours before a match.
That meant that Temperance drove herself to the arena so that she could meet up with Angela to watch the game.
Initially, she had wanted to sit with Hank and Alice, but Booth had told her she would have a lot more fun sitting with the other students than with the parents. She would be going to Booth’s place after the match and would see the older couple there anyway.
Temperance checked her phone to see if Angela had arrived yet before getting out of her car. Her friend would be there in a couple of minutes so she stated walking towards the entrance.
Five minutes later, both girls were waiting in the concession stand line to get their game snacks.
“I’m going to get some cotton candy and a cherry coke,” Angela told her friend as she fished out a couple of bills out of her wallet. “Is there anything that tickles your fancy Bren?”
Brennan looked up at the menu that was displayed above the register. There wasn’t too many things that she could eat as a vegetarian, but cheap popcorn was always a sure choice. She wasn’t exactly in the mood for a soft drink, but quickly found her choice in the form of a lemon flavoured slushy. None of her choices were healthy, but she knew what to expect at a sporting event. She wanted to experience the culture anyway.
“I’ll take a slushy and popcorn I think.” It was going to be chilly in the arena for her to drink such a cold drink, but she had stuffed a pair of gloves in her handbag in preparation. She also took out the required amount of money to pay for her snacks.
As she was putting the change into her wallet, her phone buzzed in her back pocket. Brennan looked at it, happy to see a message from Booth asking her to come see him quickly at the players entrance. “Booth wants me to go see him quickly before the match,” she told her friend when she came back from grabbing their straws.
“A little meet up before the big match, how romantic,” Angela commented. “I’ll go and grab us a spot in the stands, I’ll text you where I am.”
“Thanks Ange, I’ll hurry.” Brennan quickly followed Booth’s instructions to the players’ entrance until she spotted him leaning against a wall. He was wearing all black compression garments and looking particularly dashing if you asked her.
His eyes brightened up when he saw her and he quickly met her in the middle. “Hey Bones.” Booth cupped her cheek with his hand and kissed her.
“Did you want a kiss for good luck?” Brennan asked him when he took a step back.
Booth laughed a little at her question and kissed again. “I can’t lose now, that’s for sure.”
“Your superstitions always feel particularly funny to me,” Temperance laughed.
“Actually, I wanted to give you this.” Booth handed her a light blue jersey that she hadn’t noticed he had been holding before.
Temperance took it from her hands and unfolded it to reveal the his team logo on the front and the number twenty-four in large lettering on the back just bellow Booth’s name in bold letters. It was a bit small for her boyfriend, so she realized it was most likely one of his old jerseys.
“It’s one of my old jerseys,” Booth confirmed nervously as he took her snacks so she could put it on. “I thought you could put it on you know, for good luck.”
“For good luck or is this your way of claiming me like I did at the party?”
“A little bit of both,” Booth answered honestly as he watched her put his jersey over her head. It was still big on her even if it was his gear from a couple years ago, but he thought she looked absolutely perfect wearing it. He gently reached over and brushed a few strands of her hair out of the collar, his fingers lingering for a moment as he tucked them back into place behind her ears. “I need to head back to get ready and you should get to your seat,” Booth said and kissed her on the cheek one last time. “It looks great on you by the way.”
“I hope you have a good game,” Temperance replied and held onto his hand for a moment longer before leaving her boyfriend so he could get ready.
It took her a couple of minutes to find and reach Angela who had somehow charmed her way into getting them two seats next to the boards, close to the penalty box.
“Nice shirt,” Angela told her friend with a smirk as she sat down.
“Do you know the rules?”
“Of hockey? I mean yeah most of them, but it’s not like I play or anything,” Angela answered and took a sip of her coke.
“I tried to read about the rules, but I found it incredibly dull,”Temperance admitted, a bit of guilt lacing her voice.
“Hockey on paper is boring Bren, but watching a bunch of boys fight on the ice is where the fun is, trust me.”
Before they had more time to discuss their knowledge of hockey, the lights started flashing and loud music came out of the speakers. The crowd started buzzing in excitement, cheers ringing out of all of the arena. People were clad in shirts representing both teams as they stood up to watch the players file out and get onto the ice. People were clearly excited for the opening match of the season, applauding for all the players no matter the team.
Finally it was the time for their school’s team to get onto the ice and both girls stood up to cheer for them. They were particularly loud for Booth, who skated on first as the team captain.
Both teams hurried to line up on the blue lines and took off their helmets so that they could get ready for the national anthem. The people in the crowds also took off their hats and put their hands on their heart with their head bowed as the anthem rang out into the arena.
Once it was over, the teams put their helmets back on and Brennan watched Booth as he did the sign of the cross before doing so himself. Everyone sat down in anticipation as the referees took their positions at centre ice, the puck clutched in one’s hand, ready for the drop. The starting lineups for both teams skated to the centre as the rest of the players lined up in their positions. The referee raised his hand, signalling that the game was about to start and the noise in the arena reached a fever pitch. Brennan found the noise slightly obnoxious, but had to admit that even she was excited to see the game. With a sharp whistle blow, the puck dropped and the game erupted into action.
Brennan struggled to decide what she should pay attention too as every player precisely skated into their position as the puck was quickly passed between them. She finally decided that following the puck was probably the best course of action if she wanted to understand the game.
The puck skidded across the ice, and in a swift, practiced motion, Booth quickly lunged and snatched it with precision from the other player. Now that he had the puck, Booth only had one objective in mind, he darted up the ice, his eyes locked on the opposing goal, but still staying aware of the other players chasing him down and those in front of him.
Booth weaved through the opposing players with a combination of agility and finesse and Brennan suddenly realized what Alice meant when she said that watching him skate was something special. While she always noticed that Booth was hyper aware of everyone around him, on the ice, it was like he could see everything.
One defender lunged at him, but he deftly dodged, slipping past the player like it was just a normal, casual thing he did on the daily. There was another attempt to stop is advance, but once again Booth cleverly avoided the other player which sent their home crowd into a roar. Brennan knew there and then that her boyfriend was a very good player.
Obviously, Booth couldn’t do it all by himself and his team mates all made sure they were properly blocking anyone that could stop their captain as he lined up for the perfect shot.
Brennan watched Booth pick up a final burst of speed just before he closed in on the goalie who braced for the impending shot. Everyone in the arena knew there was little they could do to stop him, but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to try.
Booth’s eyes narrowed and he stayed completely focused on his target. While a lot of players would wait until they were closer to the net, but he was fairly confident in his long distance shots. He shifted his weight, faked a shot to the left, and then, with a swift flick of his wrist, sent the puck sailing to the right with an impressive speed. The goalie lunged, but it was too late. Booth’s shot was perfectly aimed and the puck found the back of the net with a resounding thud without delay, and the red light behind the goal flashed brightly.
The home crowd exploded in celebration and leapt to their feet, chanting Booth’s name. His teammates rushed to him, slapping his back and helmet in congratulations. Booth allowed himself a brief smile, his heart pounding with the thrill of the game. This was exactly why he loved hockey, if he didn’t know any better he would say he was addicted to the rush of adrenaline a goal gave him. Especially when it was the first of the season and within five minutes of the match starting.
The referee called it and Brennan looked up to see the scoreboard change, giving a point to their team. She cheered with the rest of the people around her and hugged Angela tightly. When she looked back at the ice, Booth was slowly skating back to his position clearly getting ready for another go.
Brennan stayed on the edge of her seat for the entire first period as the two teams fought for dominance on the ice. It became clear to her that their team was superior early in the game, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous watching.
The opposite team scored a point during the second period, but was quickly knocked back when Sully scored a goal followed by another one by Booth. They went into the second intermission three to one and both team went back to their benches to discuss the strategy for the last period.
“This is a lot more fun than I expected,” Brennan leaned over to tell Angela as the music playing drowned out most of her voice. “Although I don’t think watching it television would be as fun.”
“It helps when your hot boyfriend is on the ice,” Angela told her. “There’s no way we lose now.”
As the last period started, it seemed that the opposite team also realized there was no way they were winning the match and started playing particularly dirty. Booth kept on skating with sharp focus, knowing that there were probably a couple of scouts watching and his eyes scanned the ice for any threat as Charlie and Hayes handled the puck. Suddenly, a brutal check against the boards sent Wendell crashing to the ice with a particularly loud crunch. Booth saw red, angry that their opponents had decided to play so dirty considering it was still mathematically possible for them to win even if they got their shit together, not that Booth would allow it. He quickly reached his fallen friend who was groaning on his back.
“Are you okay Wendell?” Booth grabbed his forearm to help him get back onto his feet.
“Yeah, asshole hit me in the back with his stick,” Wendell answered, thankful for the help.
The player responsible, a hulking defenseman that Booth barely remembers ever playing against, skated away with a smug grin, clearly proud of himself. Booth waited for the referee to call a penalty, but none came and the rest of the opposite team seemed to find the situation funny.
The match was resumed and Booths's vision narrowed, his protective instincts flaring and he skated up to the defenseman, his expression darkening with every stride. While it took a couple of seconds for Brennan the crowd sensed what was probably going to happen and stood up in excitement.
Booth slammed particularly hard into the guilty defensemen, sending the larger boy tumbling onto the ice in a similar fashion to what happened to Wendell. Booth waited for the boy to stand back up, never one to hit an already fallen opponent.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” The defensemen yelled back and pushed Booth with both hands on his chest.
“You hit my boys, I hit back asshole,” Booth answered as he slid back a bit from the push.
The defensemen was clearly some new kid that had never faced Booth or his team which was probably why he was the one to do the dirty hit. He seemed to find Booth’s answer funny and chuckled as he threw off his gloves and helmet.
Booth did the same, a clear challenge that couldn't be ignored. The defenseman turned to face him, a sneer spreading across his face. They circled each other for a moment, the tension on the ice palpable to the spectators, before the defensemen made the first move, attempting to land a hook on Booth’s jaw which he avoided quickly.
Temperance gasped as Booth hurried to get back to his adversary, crowding him. She hadn’t expected the game to get so violent considering this was a high school game and not a professional one.
“Is that the best you’ve got?” Booth yelled, sending the crowd into a loud cheer. Brennan was confused as to why none of the referees were intervening yet.
The fight suddenly erupted into a flurry of punches, both players grappling for dominance. Booth's anger fuelled his strength, each punch thrown with a fierce protectiveness for his teammate, just like he would do to anyone that would hurt someone else for the hell of hit. The defenseman landed a few blows, but Booth barely felt them, sadly used to getting hit harder on and off the ice.
The referees blew their whistles, finally rushing in to break up the fight, but Booth didn't back down until he felt the defenseman stumble back, dazed and fall on his ass.
The crowd roared, some cheering, others shouting in disapproval. Booth's teammates watched him with a mixture of respect and concern, knowing their captain would do the same for any of them, but also knowing that their best player was about to end up in the penalty box for them.
As the referees finally put themselves in between the players, Booth's eyes remained locked on the defenseman for a second before looking at all the other opposing players, a silent promise that he wouldn't tolerate any more dirty plays.
He skated to the penalty box with one of the referees, the crowd's noise washing over him, and took a deep breath to allow some of the anger to seep out of his body. He hated it when his anger took control of him, reminding him too much of his father for his liking, but he also knew that being an enforcer and a superior player was what made him such a good draft.
Temperance watched him skate to the penalty box a couple of his knuckled bleeding from the impacts on the other players face. A part of her was concerned at the blatant display of violence she had just watched, but an another part was completely turned on by the display of masculinity she had just witnessed.
Booth sat down in the penalty box and put his helmet back on before wiping his bleeding knuckles on his shorts. He flexed his hands, glad the the asshole had taken off his helmet before starting the fight so neither of them broke their hands at the beginning of the season. He was happy to take the five minutes penalty if it meant that none of his guys were going to get hit again.
Brennan watched in concern as Booth held his head down, in the penalty box for a few moments until he finally looked up, feeling a pair of eyes on him.
Brennan waved at him quickly and mouthed a “Hi” and Booth waved back and looked back down at his skates for a quick second, allowing the last of his anger to leave him. The he looked back at her and smiled, happy to see her sitting there in the crowd. She pointed to her own knuckles, concern written on her face.
Booth realized she was worried about his hands and he simply did a thumbs up to indicate that it was fine. She still didn’t look completely satisfied with his physical answer, but there wasn’t much they could do while the match was still happening. Soon enough, his penalty was over and he was back on the ice with only a few minutes left on the clock.
The game was firmly in their control, the scoreboard showing a comfortable lead for their team, but that didn’t mean that Brennan wasn’t nervous that their would be some kind of retribution against Booth for embarrassing another player.
With the outcome all but decided, the pressure eased for Booth and his boys, they began enjoying themselves while their opponents seemed to accept their fate.
Booth, still riding the high from his earlier fight and knowing that his girlfriend was carefully watching him, felt a surge of playful confidence overcome his body. With only a minute left on the clock, he decided to give her one more show to watch for her first ever hockey game.
He waited for Hayes to get possession of the puck in their zone, Booth called for the pass, which was received positively by his team. The puck slid smoothly across the ice to his stick, and he took off, his skates gliding effortlessly. He dodged a defender with a skillful move, then another, his movements graceful and precise as if he was born for this. In a way, Booth figured that he was.
The crowd sensed what he was up to and began to cheer, a collective roar of anticipation. Booth slowed down a bit when he was far enough from the net as if he was going to do the same as he did for his first goal. He faked a shot, drawing the goalie out of his position, then pulled the puck back so he could quickly stride forward and flick the puck as hard as he could.
The puck sailed through the air and hit the back of the net with another satisfying thud. The red light flared as the buzzer sounded, marking the final seconds of the game. The arena erupted in applause and cheers, the fans on their feet, celebrating not just the victory, but the show Booth had just put on for all of them.
Booth's teammates rushed to him, laughing and cheering, their sticks clattering on the ice as if the were applauding. Booth grinned, feeling a rush of pure joy. It wasn't about the score or the win for him, it was making other people proud that was worth it for him
As he skated back to the bench, soaking in the applause, Booth felt a deep sense of pride for winning the first game of the season. However, there was one specific person that he wanted to see and it was Temperance. He saw her standing next to the boards, clad in his jersey and cheering and he could help but blow her a kiss.
The opposing team, even if they were slightly pissed at the embarrassment they were just subjected to, skated over for the post-game handshake. Booth exchanged firm handshakes, especially with the defensemen that had hurt Wendell and said all the polite necessities to the other captain. Then he did a last lap of the ice to shake hands with the referees before following the rest of his boys off the ice.
The celebration finished in the locker rooms where Booth’s three points were celebrated thoroughly.
***
Back at the rink, Brennan was still with Angela talking with some of their classmates that had also shown up in support of their home team. They spent a while chatting with everyone at least enough time for Booth to change out if his hockey gear. Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted Hank and Alice walking out of the rink.
“Temperance, why don’t you come with us, we’re going to pick up our boys.” Hayes girlfriend, Chelsea, offered.
Temperance looked at Angela next to her with a silent question. While the rest of the team girlfriends were nice to her, a part of her knew it was only because of Booth and not because they actually wanted to be her friend. There would be no way, she would drop her actual friend to go with them instead.
“I have to go Bren, my dad is picking me up to head to the studio anyway.” Angela kissed her friend on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow, have a good night!”
Temperance followed Chelsea and the rest of the girls to the same spot she had met up with Booth before the game. Now that the game was over and the adrenaline was wearing off, she was particularly worried about the state of Booth’s hand and jaw after his fight. Most of the girls had joined their boyfriends parents and she did the same when she saw Alice and Hank standing by the wall.
“Hello,” Temperance greeted them and Alice hugged her tightly.
“What did you think Temperance?” Alice asked her while Hank kept on talking with with another dad.
“It was an interesting display of physical strength, quite entertaining. Booth is particularly fascinating to watch on the ice, very unpredictable from what I can tell.”
“He is pretty unpredictable, that’s for sure,” Alice laughed. Brennan thought she looked particularly well today considering she had a chemo treatment a few days ago. She had a thicker coat on that most to fight off the cold, but still her spirits were clearly high. “I do hate to see him fight however, it makes him feel bad.”
“I see that Jared didn’t come after all,” Brennan noted sadly as she knew Booth really wanted his brother to come.
“He wanted to stay at home and play his games,” Alice confirmed with a frown. “It’s a shame, Seeley goes to all his things.”
“It’s disappointing to see for sure,” Brennan confirmed.
Coach Cullen came out of the locker rooms and the dads all hurried to pat him on the back. Brennan played with the elastic around her wrist as she waited for the actual players to come out.
Finally some guys started coming out and joining their parents, but Temperance was left waiting for a few more minutes until Booth came out with Wendell and Sully close behind. They all had their large gear bag with them, carrying their sticks in one hand.
People applauded Booth as he came out for his three goals and he allowed himself to bask in the attention for a few seconds before quickly making his way to his grandparents and girlfriend.
“That was a good game Booth,” Temperance told him as he wrapped an arm around her waist to hug her. His skin was wet, but from the quick shower he had taken and not sweat she realized. She put a gentle hand on his jaw and turned his head slightly so she could take a better look at his injury properly.
“You liked it?” Booth was looking at her lips and she could tell it was taking him all of his self control to not kiss her in front of everyone. Her warm hand on his skin and the concerned look in her eyes made him feel so cared for in that moment.
“It was a fun experience,” she replied simply. His jaw was already pretty red and she could tell that in the next few days it would turn different shades of blues and purples. He stood still as she examined the bruise, his arm still around her waist and wondering how long it would take her to be satisfied that he was fine. “Your grandmother did tell me you would be impressive to watch and she was correct in her statement.”
Booth had somehow forgotten that his grandparents were also there in the heat of the moment and turned around to see them standing there with proud smiles on their faces.
“Grams!” Booth temporarily let go of Temperance and kissed his grandmother on the cheek.
“Good playing out there Shrimp,” Hank lovingly patted his grandson’s shoulder. “What a way to start the season!”
“Thanks, it was a fun game,” Booth told them. “I mean Wendell getting slammed into the ice on our first game isn’t ideal, but he’s fine.”
“You showed them who owns that ice Booth,” Sully cut in and playfully punched his friend in the arm.
“I had to show them not to mess with my team,” Booth replied truthfully. “Everyone did their job today and that’s what matters to me. If we keep playing like we did today, I know we have a good chance for the championship.”
Booth’s words seemed to encourage even more his team after their win and even the adults standing there seemed to be impressed with him. Everyone said their goodbyes and considering they were seeing each other at school the next day, it was short and sweet.
“Do you want to come with me?” Temperance asked Booth as they were walking out of the arena. She was going to drive over to his house anyway so she figured they could have some alone time in the car.
“Yes, that’s a good idea,” Booth answered. His grandparents heard the entire conversation so they simply waved both teenagers off with knowing smiles.
Notes:
I wanted to show a bit more how Booth is a great hockey player and also incorporate some of the shows elements into it. I hope it showed!
Chapter 21
Notes:
Heads up for this chapter, Booth tells Brennan the reason why he lives with his grand parents. I kept Booth's original back story, so his father is abusive and an alcoholic. I don't go into details, but if you want to skip, I completely understand!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
As soon as Booth was in the car, Brennan grabbed his right hand, the one he had hit the opposite player with, and started carefully examining every knuckle individually, giving it a proper examination. He had used soap and washed the broken skin on his hand as well as he could before walking out. He wasn’t bleeding anymore which was good and he could flex his hand without feeling more pain that what he would consider normal after landing a couple of good punches. Coach Cullen had looked at it and given him the okay.
However, Booth let himself be thoroughly examined by Temperance knowing it would probably make her feel better. Not to mention that he kind of found it a bit attractive. After a couple of minutes of silent examination, she seemed satisfied by what she had seen and looked up at him.
“When we get home, you need to ice your jaw and your hand to prevent swelling and bruising,” she instructed methodically, still cradling his injured hand. “Nothing in your hand is broken at least.”
“Thank you for making sure I’m fine,” Booth said lovingly. “This isn’t my first fight, I’ll be okay.”
“I will still be worried about you,” she retorted.
It left them at a stalemate, but not one that he hated and neither did she.
“It feels weird that you are driving,” Booth changed the subject completely.
“What do you mean?” Brennan pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road as she asked her question. “I didn’t think you would adhere to sexist thinkings as such.”
“Wait! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s just I usually drive us around and I’m not used to being in the passenger seat,” Booth corrected quickly.
“Well now you can see that I am an excellent driver and you do not need to always be the one driving.”
“But I like driving us around,” Booth protested. “I never doubted that you could drive well, you’re amazing at everything.”
“Thank you.” Brennan smiled at him and he realized he had told her exactly what she had wanted to hear. “I have a few question about the game.”
They spent the rest of the ride discussing all of the little details about the game and Booth answered every single one of her questions happily.
When they got to Booth’s house, Hank and Alice were already inside. Temperance carried Booth’s hockey stick inside while he hauled his gear bag over his shoulder. He toed of his shoes and dragged him bag into the laundry room, deciding that he would deal with all of his dirty equipment later tonight.
Jared was sitting on the couch playing on his X-Box, seemingly content to have had so much time alone at home. “Hey Tempie,” he greeted her casually.
“Hello Jared, it’s a shame you didn’t see your brother play today, you missed quite the match,” Brennan told him dismissively. It’s not that she dislike Jared, she simply believes he makes Booth’s life a bit more difficult that it should be and doesn’t really show any gratefulness.
“Yeah, I’ll see him at another one of his games.” The younger boy didn’t seem to catch on to what she meant, but Brennan decided that it was not worth her time arguing with him.
“I’m going to go take a real shower quickly,” Booth announced as he bounded up the stairs.
“Hank, would you like me to help you with lunch?” Brennan offered when she saw the older man getting some ingredients out of the fridge.
“It’s fine dear, just sit down with Alice while I whip us up a quick meal,” Hank answered happily. “You don’t eat meat right?
“I do not,” she confirmed just before sitting next to Alice.
***
When Booth came back from his shower, Temperance and his grandmother were sitting next to each other and to his horror, they were looking at photo albums. Then he realized that there weren’t many pictures of him as a child so whatever his grandmother was showing her couldn’t embarrass him too much.
“What are the two of you up to?” He still asked them before sitting on the arm of the couch. The page they were looking at wasn’t actually about him, but about his grandparents wedding. “You both looked great on that day.”
Alice closed the album and smiled at her grandson who she knew loved hearing about his grandparents story. “Thank you Seeley, one of these days you will also have one of these I am sure of it.” Booth looked down at his lap, unsure of what he could reply at the moment.
Temperance took the awkwardness of the situation away when she suddenly remembered that Booth still hadn’t iced his injuries yet.
“You need to take care of your injuries properly,” she told him as she stood up from the couch. She made sure to take his uninjured hand and dragged him to the kitchen.
“Our first aid kid is just in the cupboard over there,” Hank instructed her and pointed to a cabinet in the corner of the kitchen.
“I can just put some ice on it,” Booth complained, but still let her push him into a chair.
“Don’t be a baby Booth, I’ve taken care of worst injuries on my brother when he fell on his skateboard,” Brennan admonished him as she rummaged around the first aid kit. She could tell from how recent the things were inside that they had just stocked up for the season. She grabbed some of the alcohol wipes and the antibiotic ointment. “It’s not because your injuries are small that we shouldn’t take care of them Booth.”
Hank watched the scene with amusement, touched by how much Temperance cared for his grandson. He left the stove for moment, leaving the grilled cheese sandwiches in the pan to cook, so that he could grab two ice packs from the freezer and wrap them in clean towels.
“There you go Shrimp.” Hank handed them to Booth who put one on the table and held the other one on his jaw with his uninjured hand. He hated to see any of his grandsons injured, but seeing Seeley with bruises stung particularly. With what Temperance was saying, Hank wondered if his grandson had told her about his childhood.
Booth didn’t even flinch when Brennan swiped his knuckles with the alcohol wipes or when she put the ointment on his skin. “We should let it air dry for a while, but you can still ice the top of your hand.”
“Thank you,” Booth mumbled, deep in his thoughts. He has a lot of memories of sitting at this table and icing his injuries from hockey while his grandparents fussed over him, but it was the first time a girlfriend had done so.
Rebecca used to say he looked hot when he was all bruised up from a fight on the ice and he would simply shrug it off. He didn’t think it was attractive to be marked in a fight, but he would never tell her so, not wanting to get into the details too much. As he looked at Temperance as she put away her medical supplies, he realized that he needed to tell her about his childhood if he wanted to keep her in his life. She deserved to know all parts of him, even the bad ones, for their relationship to work.
“Lunch is ready!” Hank called out into the living room, as he plated five sandwiches. Jared quickly came into the kitchen and sat down at the table just as his plate was placed in front of him. “My world famous grilled cheese sandwiches,” Hank told Temperance proudly.
“Thank you Hank,” she answered gratefully, waiting until everyone was seated to take a bite of it. After tasting it, she understood why Hank had called it world famous. It was a fantastic sandwich. “This is delicious Hank.”
“Thank you Temperance.”
They ate their meal while talking about their plans for the week which was nice and casual. Booth wanted to do the dishes, but Alice stopped him stating that he needed to keep his hand dry.
“Dear, we should go and do the grocery shopping for the week. Jared can come and help us,” Hank announced as he grabbed the list from the refrigerator.
Alice looked at her husband, wondering why he wanted to go now considering they were planing to go tomorrow, but didn’t ask any questions knowing that he had his reasons. “Why not, go put you shoes on Jared.”
“What? Why do I have to go help you?”
“Because your brother does it almost every week and it’s your turn now,” Hank cut in quickly. “Now go and do as your grandmother asked.”
Jared didn’t complain more and quickly left the room to get ready. Booth watched his grandparents get ready quickly with a curious eye. He had a feeling there was a reason for the sudden change of plan which was confirmed when his grandfather squeezed his shoulder and gave him a comforting nod of his head.
Just as his grandparents left the house, Booth stood up from the table to put the ice pack back in the freezer. “Why don’t we go relax on the couch?”
“That’s a good idea.”
They sat down next to each other on the couch in a comfortable silence. At least Booth thought it was comfortable, but beside him, Temperance was deep in thoughts wondering what to say.
Even though she wasn’t the most adept in social interactions, she knew since the moment she met Booth that there was something important about himself that he was hiding.
Temperance knew that he was fiercely protective of others and hated it when people picked on the people he held close. By his reaction to the fight on the ice, she knew that he was used to fighting, but that he disliked it. Pain was not a stranger to him at all and he didn’t seem to react as much as others.
Then there was the fact that he had moved in with his grandparents at a young age, but he hadn’t told her why yet. Then, as she was looking at the photo album with Alice, she had noticed that the older woman would always skip pictures that included her child. Temperance didn’t exactly know if it was okay for her to ask about it, but something told her that she just needed to wait a little bit longer and Booth would tell her himself.
Booth took a deep breath and sighed, preparing himself for what he was about to say.
“My grandparents saved my life five years ago,” Booth said, his voice trembling a little. He shifted on the couch slightly, but still kept on staring at the turned off TV in front of them. It was the first time in his life that he was telling one of his girlfriend what had happened to him. “If it wasn’t for them I probably would have died.”
Temperance took a deep breath, shocked at his confession, but still stayed quiet so that he would continue. To show her support, she took his hand and squeezed it.
“My dad was an alcoholic… he was a mean drunk… he was violent,” Booth continued. “I don’t know when it started, I can’t remember, but it was my mom that took most of it.”
“I’m so sorry Booth,” Temperance couldn’t help but at least attempt to comfort him even if she knew that no words could make it better.
“I think my mom couldn’t take it anymore and one night, after my dad threw her down a flight of stairs, she just left and never came back.” Tears were welling up in his eyes as he thought about that night. He had sat by the front door for the whole night waiting for his mom to come back from the hospital, but she never came back. His father had only stopped drinking while looking for his wife for maybe a week and then everything went to hell. “After she was gone, he needed a new main punching bag.”
Temperance was smart enough to know exactly where his story was going and her heart broke for the man she cared so much about.
“I couldn’t let him hurt Jared, he’s my baby brother,” Booth said simply and finally turned to look at her and a tear slid down his cheek. “I tried to take most of the hits, but he’d knock me out sometimes. Jared would be next after that.”
“Booth you never should have had to live through that.”
“I got so sick of it, I was so tired and one day my Pops showed up as he was beating me. I think they had tried to call a lot and my dad would never answer the phone or let us answer so Pops decided to come to Pittsburgh himself to check up on us.” Booth wiped at his cheek with the back of his hand to dry his tears.
It was hard telling anyone about what had happened to him, even after years of counselling and living in a loving home with his grandparents. “Pops had to knock my dad out and then haul me off the floor. He found Jared hiding underneath his bed and he left with us.”
“Then Hank and Alice got custody of both of you?” Temperance asked after Booth had been quiet for a few seconds.
“Yes, I haven’t seen my father since that day and I never want to again. He had to bring me to the hospital that day and child services got involved.”
“You were brave Booth, you didn’t deserve to have your childhood stolen from you.” So many things about Booth made sense now that she knew more about him. “I’m proud of you, you have made a new life for yourself, you are a leader at our school, you take care of your family and you are a very attentive boyfriend even though you’ve lived through a lot of trauma.”
“I need you to know that I’ll never be like him, I’ll never let myself be someone that hurts his family.” Booth was now staring directly into her eyes.
“I believe you.” Brennan wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly. He crumbled against her and allowed himself to be comforted by her. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“I just want to hold you now,” Booth admitted and shifted so that they were laying together on the couch. He was tired, tired from playing hockey, but also emotionally. With the comfort of Brennan’s weight on top of him, it was easy to close his eyes and let himself relax.
***
When Hank opened the front door, he was greeted by the sight of the two teenagers, wrapped in each others arms as they slept on the couch. He looked over his shoulder and put a finger to his lips so that Alice and Jared would try to be as quiet as possible.
The three of them attempted to tiptoe through the living room carrying the grocery bags as quietly as possible. Even with their best attempt at being quiet, Booth startled awake as they were halfway through the living room. His hand came up and cradled the back of Temperance’s head, who was currently sleeping with her head on his chest. He relaxed when he realized it was only his family and put his head back where it had been pillowed on the arm rest.
“Pops? What time is it?” Booth whispered, hoping that he wouldn’t wake up Temperance up.
“It’s just a little after four,” Hank replied with a quiet voice. “She has to go home soon.”
“I know, just a few more minutes.” Booth hadn’t realized that they had taken such a long nap, but he had been tired after his game and telling Brennan about his childhood.
As soon as Jared was done bringing the grocery bags into the kitchen, he went upstairs to his bedroom. Alice and Hank had started to put away the contents of the bags, their voices becoming background noise as Booth tried to convince himself to wake his girlfriend up.
“Bones?” He rubbed her back, hoping that the pressure would pull her from her sleep. “You have to wake up.” Temperance burrowed deeper into his chest and he felt bad trying to wake her up. “Your dad is going to hate me if you don’t come home before dinner.” That seemed to do the trick and her eyes cracked open.
“He wouldn’t hate you for that,” she countered and Booth rolled his eyes because of course she only woke up to contradict him. “You’re a comfortable pillow.”
“Thank you, you’re a comfortable blanket.” Booth kept rubbing her back until she chose to sit up and slid off his lap. Booth also sat up so that they were sitting side by side. “Thank you for coming today and not just for the hockey game.”
Temperance knew exactly what he meant and kissed him softly. “Thank you for inviting me Booth and for opening up.”
“I wish you could spend the night,” Booth told her, unable to stop himself. He had slept so well with her in his lap for just a few hours and he couldn’t imagine how perfect it would be to spend a whole night with her.
“I’m sure that will be the case one day,” Brennan said with a small smile. “I’ll just go thank your grandparents for lunch.”
Temperance said her goodbyes and Booth walked her to her car after kissing her goodbye one last time. He watched her drive away safely and turn the corner before running back to the house where his grandfather was waiting for him.
“Are you okay Seeley?” His grandfather looked concerned for him.
“I’m better Pops, everything is good,” Booth asserted, feeling like some of the weight on his shoulder had lifted in some way.
“I’m glad.” Hank couldn’t help but hug his grandson tightly.
“Me too.”
His life had not always been easy and he had to work hard to get better. He knew that a lot of things were out of his control and that things could change quickly, but as long as he kept working hard and being a good person, he knew everything would be alright.
Notes:
Thank you for reading and hello to all the new people, I've noticed an increase in hits and more Bones tiktoks on my FYP so I'm going to assume people are doing a rewatch lol.
I'll see y'all next week!
Chapter 22
Notes:
Hello everyone! New chapter time: Angela and Brennan have a date night and the crew goes on a school trip.
Also, there is discussion of sex in this chapter (like girl talk) , but nothing graphic or really detailed.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Temperance was sitting in art class next to Angela, as usual, painting flowers like their teacher had assigned them to do. She had picked daffodils as they are her favourite flowers while Angela had chosen to paint dahlias since she enjoyed the challenge.
“Are you going to Booth’s practice after school?” Angela asked her as she worked on mixing the next shade of orange that would be necessary for her painting.
“I don’t know, I haven’t confirmed anything with him yet. We’re going to the Benjamin Franklin Museum on Saturday,” Temperance told her friend, changing the subject with no second thoughts. Things had been going even better between Booth and her since he had told her about his childhood. He was even more tactile with her now than before, always finding a way to touch some part of her and their make out sessions in the back of his car were getting more and more heated. She had always assumed that it would be annoying to have always someone in her personal bubble, but she realized that she enjoyed having Booth in hers.
“The fact that that boy follows you around museums without complaining is a sign that he’s the one,” Angela said jokingly, not realizing that it had been the exact words her friend had needed to hear.
“You know what? Why don’t you come over to my place tonight and we can have a girls night,” Temperance offered Angela, an idea suddenly popping into her mind.
“Am I going to have to pretend that we are studying?” Angela didn’t even attempt to sound annoyed at the prospect of having play a charade.
Temperance laughed at her friend. “No, don’t worry, we can just watch movies and talk. Unless you want to review the material for the English exam?.”
“Movies sound good to me Bren,” Angela quickly replied as she switched paint brush to work on the finer details of the flower petals.
The bell rang and both girls brought their unfinished painting to the storage room where it would dry with the others until the next period. It was lunchtime which meant they would have to hurry to their lockers, grab their lunchboxes and then get to the cafeteria before there was too many people in the halls.
They were some of the firsts to arrive at their unofficially assigned table, as was usual, and they started eating the lunch. Angela was listing movies that could be fun to watch when the hockey team arrived.
“Hey,” Booth sat down beside her, leaned towards her and she met him halfway so they could kiss. “How was art class?”
“Our projects are getting along quite well,” she told him with a smile.
“So are you coming to my practice tonight?”
“Actually, Angela and I are having are going to my place to watch movies tonight.”
“Oh, okay,” Booth realized that he sounded a bit too disappointed and didn’t want her to think he was against her spending time with her friend. “That sounds like fun.” He almost sounded like he meant it.
“Angela has already made a list of all movies that we could watch.”
“I’ll call you after practice?”
“Okay,” Temperance said, happy to keep one eating her lunch.
***
“Okay so we have our pyjamas on and our snacks, now what movie do you want to watch?” Angela grabbed her computer and prompted it up on a pillow at the end of Brennan’s bed. They had stopped at her house to grab her stuff for an overnight stay and movie night.
“From the synopsis you gave me, I think that The Princess Bride will be enjoyable,” Temperance settled herself into the mountain of pillows that they had assembled on her bed after closing her bedroom lights.
“Good choice.” Angela cued up the movie and burrowed herself underneath the blankets.
After about twenty minutes of watching the movie, Temperance shifted on the bed so she could look at her friend. “Ange? Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” Angela lowered the volume of the movie so they could talk properly.
“I think Booth wants to have sex,” Temperance said bluntly.
Angela hit the spacebar, pausing the movie. “Bren that’s not a question,” she laughed.
“I know I was just giving you the context for my question,” Brennan specified. “I do not have questions about the act itself, but more about when, if that makes sense.”
“You don’t know if you’re ready to sleep with Booth?” Angela actually formulated her friends question.
“That would be my question. Reading love stories and watching romantic movies did not give me the appropriate knowledge.” She sat up and thought a bit more about the situation. A part of her wanted to take that important step with Booth while the other was more unsure. When she had started dating him, she had assumed because of his religious beliefs that he wouldn’t be interested in intimacy to respect it, but she had realized she had been wrong with her assumptions.
Booth rarely spoke about his past relationships with her, not that she wanted to know all about them in the first place, but she had understood that he had been intimate with his ex through those conversations.
“Bren, you can’t learn how to do that kind of stuff, you have to feel it,” Angela explained. The artist was touched that her friend trusted her enough to talk about her questions with her.
“Feel it?”
“When you are ready, you’ll know trust me.”
“That makes little sense to me, but I believe you.” Temperance hadn’t gotten the answer she wanted, as she had always been more of a theory before practice kinda person.
“I have to say, when it does happen I need to know all the details,”
“I will not be sharing any of the specific details,” Temperance countered, knowing that Booth was a very private person. She also felt like those details would be very personal to her.
“Sometimes, you are no fun,” Angela told her friend without any bite.
“I didn’t say you would have no details, just not the specifics,” Brennan teased her friend.
“Now that’s more like it.” Angela restarted the movie and both girls brought their focus back to the story.
***
Snow had started covering the city of Philadelphia and has they school year advanced, so did the hockey season. Booth’s team performed well in the league, not losing a single game and avoiding any fight penalties. There had been scouts at a couple of those games, some that Booth recognized himself and others he learnt about while talking with the parents after the games.
Temperance had attended most of his games, at least those that didn’t fall on days she had an Academic Decathlon match or practice considering they were soon going to the state competition. The team was confident that it things would swing their way, but all the members wanted to get as many hours in as possible just in case.
Temperance even had the time to help Russ find an apprenticeship program to become an electrician that he could start in January. Her brother planned to tell their parents around Christmas, which she personally disagreed with, but respected her brother’s wishes.
***
“I can’t believe I agreed to coming on this field trip,” Temperance muttered, making Booth laugh. He himself couldn’t believe he had managed to convince her to come, but there was no going back now.
“Come on, it’s not going to be that bad, I’ll hold you the whole time, I promise.” He already had an arm around her shoulders considering they were squeezed together on the bench of the school bus, but still somehow managed to shift even closer to her. “I’m sure you are going to have fun.”
The bus finally turned into the parking lot of Blue Cross RiverRink , situated next to the Delaware River and offering one of best outdoor skating rink the city had. It was part of the Senior students traditional activities to go ice skating which was particularly popular with the athlete students. Other’s came to enjoy the fire pits and hot chocolate, but skating was the main attraction.
“You better not let me fall and get a concussion,” she warned him, her eyes telling him that she wasn’t kidding.
“I won’t let you get hurt, just give it a chance,” Booth grabbed their bags that they had stuffed under their seat. Their conversation was cut short by Coach Cullen who was standing at the front of the bus. It wasn’t just the hockey team in the bus, but considering the students were going to be skating, the principal insisted Coach Cullen accompanied the group. Booth was pretty sure it was also to make sure the team didn’t get into too much trouble.
“Now, there’s a few rules. First one, everyone has to stay on the site and if any of you try to leave, say goodbye to prom. Second one, and I’m looking at you boys, be polite on the ice and no playing hockey. Last rule, everyone has to be back in the bus at three. Am I clear?” Agreements were heard throughout the bus and then one by one the students filed off the bus.
It was softly snowing outside and with Booth’s warm hand in hers, Brennan started to think that maybe she should be more open to the possibility of having fun. They went into the little cabin by the rink to change into their skate. Booth expertly laced up one of his pairs of skates while Temperance got her own feet into the one her mother had given her. Thankfully, both her and her mother wore the same size in shoes which meant that she could borrow her mother’s old pair of skates.
Booth pulled on his knitted Flyers beanie that his grandmother had made for him a couple of winters ago and put on his pair of gloves before offering his hand to Temperance.
“I can’t believe you are from Chicago and you’ve never skated before,” Booth teased her as they walked down the rubber mats that led to the rink.
“I never saw the point in risking my personal safety for such an activity before I met you,” she replied, gripping his arms so she didn’t roll an ankle before even making it onto the ice.
“I’m honoured then,” Booth stepped onto the ice as if there wasn’t a difference between the solid ground and it. “Now keep your knees slightly bent and your shoulders over your hips. Your weight has to be distributed evenly on both your legs.” He knew it was slightly useless to describe the act and that most people learn by feeling, but he knew that his girlfriend would needed to know the theory.
Temperance followed his instructions and yet she almost fell immediately as she was on the ice, but Booth’s strong hands on her forearms kept her upright. “I’m going to break a bone Booth!”
“No you’re not,” Booth countered, trying to sound supportive. “Now just focus on standing upright. I’ll pull you and you can just get used to being on the ice.” He held onto both of her hands and started slowly skating backwards, dragging her along the ice.
After thirty minutes of careful instruction by Booth, Temperance was feeling more confident and they were now skating side by side, with Booth only holding onto one of her hands. She wouldn’t say that she was having fun, but it wasn’t awful as she had expected.
Booth, on the other hand, was having the time of his life doing his favourite activity with one of his favourite person. They were even laughing as they slowly skated around the rink together and a small part of him was holding onto the hope that his girlfriend was enjoying the activity just enough to do it again someday. She was still unsteady on her feet, but she was improving by the minute.
“My feet are sore already, I think I want to get off the ice,” Brennan told him after they had been skating for just over an hour.
“Okay, let’s go then,” Booth replied happily, surprised that she had lasted that long on the ice in the first place.
“You can go skate with your friends if you want, I’ll go get us some hot chocolate,” Brennan dismissed his offer, wanting him to enjoy skating casually with his friends for once. “It’s okay, Angela told me she was going to check out the artisan’s lane. I’m going to go join her a little.”
“Okay, if you are sure.” Booth led her off the ice, making sure she was safely inside before quickly joining his friends. They enjoyed the field trip with the rest of their classmates, thankful for the break in college applications and studying for exams.
Notes:
So we have a little time skip in this chapter. My goal is to move towards Christmas time and progress in their relationship more. I am always a bit concerned they are being a little bit too much out of character, but it is the nature of an AU. I do try to include some scenes from the show, like B&B going to an ice rink and moments like that.
There will be some smut adjacent content in the next few chapters, but for now I will not be changing the rating since I don't describe anything. I will say in which chapter in happens in the author's note and I am very open to changing it if people think I should!
With that, I hope everyone has a great week!
Chapter 23
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“I can’t believe you are letting Tempie spend Thanksgiving somewhere else this year,” Russ whined as he helped his father lift the couch so his mother could hoover underneath it. “Also, who do you think is going to check under here for dust.”
“You never know Russ,” Max answered. It was early in the morning and the whole family were working together to make sure the house was spotless. “Also we should be doing this at least once a year so why not now.” Christine finished cleaning the spot and signalled to the boys that they could let go.
“This is our first time hosting in our new home so everything has to be perfect,” Christine told her son. “And your sister is spending Thanksgiving dinner with her boyfriend and she will be here for most of the day.”
“Mom, I have finished preparing the guest rooms,” Temperance walked into the living room. She had been in charge of preparing the bedrooms for her aunt and her family, while the rest of the family had been cleaning while some of the food was cooking.
“Good honey, I think your dad still has stuff you can help with, right Max?”
“You could help me with the Mac and cheese, you make the best one.”
“Sure, I’ll make it,” Temperance agreed and went into the kitchen.
***
Just around lunchtime, Temperance’s aunt arrived with her family, ready to celebrate the holiday. It was a bit hectic for a while as everyone settled and her father gave a tour of the house, but then the adults were sitting in the living room catching up while the kids were sitting in the basement lounge.
Temperance didn’t hate her cousin Margaret, but they certainly didn’t get along that well. Russ was a good buffer and skillful at making conversation that wouldn’t lead to an argument. She would never say it out loud since she wanted to be polite, but she was glad to be spending most of the day at Booth’s place.
Speaking of Booth, he was supposed to arrive at any moment to eat a light lunch before they would both leave to go watch the football game with his family.
The doorbell rang and Temperance bounded up the stairs to answer the door. She opened the door, smiling when she saw Booth standing holding a bouquet of daisies. “Happy Thanksgiving!”
“Happy Thanksgiving to you too Booth, come in.” He was dressed in one of his nice dress shirts with a tie, his hair was gelled back and Temperance thought he looked handsome.
“I know your favourite flowers are daffodils, but I thought you would like daisies too.” He handed her the bouquet and was pleased when she smiled softly.
“How did you know my second favourite flowers are daisies?”
“Just a hunch, but I’m glad I was right.” Booth took off his coat and hung it in the mudroom before removing his boots. “Happy Thanksgiving to you to Mr and Mrs Brennan.”
“Thank you Seeley, those are beautiful flowers,” Christine got up from the couch and hugged him. “This is my sister Edith and her husband Charles.”
“Hello, it’s nice to meet you,” Booth said politely, but he barely had the time to say anything else before Temperance took his and dragged him down the stairs. Russ was speaking with an older boy, but Booth’s eyes immediately landed on the younger girl that looked so similar to his girlfriend.
“This is my cousin Margaret and Samuel,” Temperance explained as she wrapped her arms around Booth’s waist possessively. “And this is my boyfriend Seeley.” Booth waved awkwardly at the two other people.
“Hey Russ,” Booth greeted the older boy.
They spent some time in the basement lounge talking and Booth realized after a while that Temperance didn’t particularly get along with his cousin, but it was pleasant none the less. They ate a light lunch with the rest of the adults and soon enough it was time for Booth and Brennan to leave if they wanted to make it in time for the football game.
***
Temperance sat comfortably on the couch next to Booth and listened as he debated playfully with Jared about what the players on screen should have done. Hank and Alice were in the kitchen, working on the meal for tonight. Temperance had brought a tray of her Mac and cheese as she still wanted to contribute. There was a variety of snacks on the low table in front of her, including some vegetarian options for them to eat while the turkey was in the oven.
They were also watching the Dallas Cowboys game, which Booth had explained was a traditional game for Thanksgiving. Every single time she sat down to watch a sport it only confirmed to her that she only found them actually interesting when Booth was playing or coaching. Booth, however, was particularly focused on the screen as he ate nachos.
“Am I supposed to cheer for this team too? I thought we supported the Eagles?” Temperance finally mustered the courage to ask. She had never seen her boyfriend wear other football jerseys than Eagles ones or really mention any other team as positively as the Philadelphia team.
“We don’t cheer for the Cowboys, we just watch the game,” Booth told her, as if it made sense. “The Eagles are playing tonight’s game.” Booth rubbed his hands together, excited that his team was playing one of the Thanksgiving games this year. “Speaking of, I have something for you.” He reached behind the couch and pulled out a bag.
“I didn’t know we were exchanging gifts.”
“We aren’t, it’s for the game.”
Temperance wasn’t satisfied by his answer, but still opened the bag to find an a midnight green Eagles jersey. She realized it was one of Booth’s old jerseys and looked at her boyfriend. “You shouldn’t have given me a gift, especially not one of your own shirts. I have nothing for you.”
“I don’t need anything, you’re here and that’s more than enough.” He put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head.
“Seel, you are disgustingly romantic, you know right?,” Jared cut in from the other side of the couch.
“And you are annoying,” Booth retorted, turning on the couch to stare at his little brother. Sometimes, he couldn’t stand his brother at all and would love to not feel so responsible for him, but then again caring about the people around him was an integral part of his personality.
“I’m just saying there’s three of us on this couch, maybe you should be more considerate,” Jared added.
“You’re calling me inconsiderate?”
“Boys, it’s Thanksgiving, you aren’t supposed to be fighting,” Alice called out from the kitchen, effectively stopping the discussion. “Since you are so uncomfortable being on the couch Jared, why don’t you come set the table?”
Booth tried to not look to smug as his brother got up from the couch with his head hung low. With the disturbance gone, Booth settled back onto the couch so he could continue his conversation with Brennan. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable by giving you a gift Bones. I didn’t spend any money, it’s one of mine.”
Brennan cupped his cheek, running her thumb on his cheekbone softly. “You are a very thoughtful man Booth, it is one of your many qualities. I’m not good at romantic gestures like you are.”
“You are better at it than you realize.”
They watched the end of the game cuddled up on the couch before joining the rest of the family in the dining room. Booth helped his grandfather take the turkey out of the oven while his grandmother plated the side dishes. Everyone took their place at the table and Brennan accepted Booth and Jared’s hands even if she wasn’t going to pray with the rest of the family as they said grace.
There was an abundance of dishes on the table, Hank and Alice had gone all out as it was the first time in a while that they had a guest over for Thanksgiving. While Temperance was not going to eat any of the meat based dishes like the sage and chestnut stuffed turkey, but her plate was filled with different sides. From the sweet potatoes to the green bean casserole and her Mac and cheese, she had more than enough food. Not to mention that everything tasted amazing. Conversation was easy between all of them, the discussion flowing from what was going on at school to what aired on television.
“So, let’s go around the table and say what we are thankful for,” Hank announced as they finished eating the main course, wanting to stick to traditions. Both Jared and Seeley groaned, wether that was from eating too much or what their grandfather asked, Temperance couldn’t tell.
“I’ll go first then,” Alice announced as she folded her table napkin next to her empty plate. “I’m thankful for everyone that is sitting around this table. I’m happy that I got another year with my wonderful husband and for both of you boys for helping around the house as much as possible.” Her voice was laced with a slight touch of sadness, the thoughts of her cancer still lingering even if it wasn’t mentioned out loud.
Jared went after his grandmother, saying that he was thankful for the food and his grandparents for always being there for him.
“I can go next. I’m thankful for the guys at the VA for helping us out this year,” Hank told everyone and took his wife’s hand. While they weren’t necessarily struggling financially, paying for Alice’s chemotherapy treatments had made things a bit more tighter lately. Thankfully, they had the support of a lot of men at the VA with whom Hank at served with. “Why don’t you go next Shrimp?”
“Okay… I guess I have a lot of things to be thankful about this year. I’m thankful for the boys on the team for working so hard in the championship. I’m also thankful to both of you Pops and Grams for giving us a home and taking care of us.” It’s something he says every year. Booth stopped talking and looked at Brennan next to him. “Lastly, I’m thankful for you Temperance for being there for me. It means a lot.”
“Booth…” It was hard for her to put into words how she felt as most of the times, it took her while to know herself, but she was determined to at least try. “Well, I’m thankful for all of the people I’ve met since moving to Philadelphia and for them being my friends. Of course, I’m also very thankful for you Booth, for showing me what it means to have a partner.”
After putting away the left overs and all helping with cleaning the dishes, Alice took out all of the pies she had baked from the refrigerator and put them on the table so that everyone could pick what they wanted. She had obviously made the traditional pumpkin pie, but also pecan and apple pie. She had also prepared a Philadelphia Butter Cake so that Temperance could taste, one of Philly’s speciality.
“The food was delicious, thank you for inviting me,” Temperance told Alice as she helped the older woman put the special dinnerware and silverware away after it was washed and dried properly. The Booths also insisted she bring some of cake home for her family to taste, a request she had agreed with without any resistance. The boys were already in the living room getting ready for the big Eagles game.
“I’m happy to have you here with us Temperance,” Alice replied with a gentle voice. “Seeley is a special boy. I know all grandmothers say that about their grandkids, but I really mean it. He loves fiercely and gives himself entirely to the people he cares about. I don’t know exactly what he’s told you, but you know that he didn’t have the easiest childhood.”
Temperance nodded, knowing what Alice meant. While Booth had not told her what had happened to him in details, she knew it must have been pretty bad. “If you ask me how I would describe him, I would say that he is a devoted man,” Temperance told Alice kindly. The more she thought about it, the word devoted described her boyfriend perfectly. He was devoted to his family, to helping his grandparents and his brother. He was a dedicated hockey captain, always there for his teammates on and off the ice. While she doesn’t personally believe in God, she knew that Booth was devoted to his religion and that his faith was important to him.
“Bones! The game is starting, get over here!” Booth disrupted the conversation and Alice looked at Temperance with an inquiring look, clearly wondering where the nickname had come from. Temperance just laughed, shaking her head and joined the boys in the living room.
There was a place next to Booth on the couch and Temperance slipped on her new jersey before sitting down which made him smile brightly. The game started and Temperance witnessed a new side to her boyfriend that she hadn’t seen before as he cheered loudly for his team. Thankfully for everyone, the Eagles won the game and the mood was high in the house.
“Well, I think it’s time for us to go to bed dear,” Alice patted her husband on the thigh. The old couple kissed all the kids goodnight before making Booth promise to be careful when he would drive Temperance home later tonight. Jared left soon after his grandparents to go to his room, citing that he wanted to go to bed, which left the couple alone downstairs.
Since they had the whole couch to themselves, Booth shifted them so they were sitting sideways on it. Brennan leaned back against his chest and his arms wrapped securely around her waist, making sure that they were as close as possible to each other. His hands rested on her stomach and she placed her own over his, intertwining their fingers.
The volume of the TV was lowered as the post game commentary was playing, not that Booth was really watching it for once. The quiet was comfortable after spending the last few hours cheering at the game. He put his chin on her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. He didn’t think there was a better feeling than being wrapped around her.
“I’m so happy we got to spend Thanksgiving together,” Booth whispered to her. She sank deeper into him, enjoying how warm he felt behind her.
“Me too Booth,” Temperance turned slightly in his arms so she could press her lips to his. She leaned back a bit, still looking at him as his feature softened. “What?” She asked him twisting her body so she was sitting sideways in his lap, allowing her to look at him properly.
“I love you,” Booth said and it was the easiest confession he’s ever had to make. “I really love you.”
“Booth…”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to say it back right now,” he cut in nervously. The last thing he wanted to do was pressure her into anything, even if he wanted to hear it back from her more than anything. He looked down at their intertwined hands in her lap, afraid to see rejection on her face.
“I’m not good with feelings and I don’t have your open heart Booth.”Temperance wished he would look up at her as she spoke, but understood that it was hard to do so without encouragement so she cupped the side of his face and made him look at her in the eyes. It was hard to put into words how she felt, but she knew that she was ready to share everything with him. “But if I know one thing, it’s that I love you too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” she confirmed for him and before she could do anything else, she was laying on her back with Booth on top of her, kissing her as if his life depended on it.
“God I love you,” he mumbled against her lips in between kisses. She couldn’t help but laugh, her happiness becoming almost too much to contain. “What’s so funny?” He tucked himself between the back of the couch and his girlfriend so he wouldn’t crush her with his weight.
“Nothing, I’m just happy.” She could fall asleep in this exact position if it wasn’t for the fact that her parent’s were waiting for her at home in the next hour. “You have to drive me home soon.”
“I know,” Booth answered, but still didn’t move an inch from his position.
That night, he brought her back home late for the first time since they started dating, even if it was just by five minutes. The goodbye kiss they shared that night was filled with a little more need than usual.
Notes:
Omg they said I love you!!!
Things are moving along nicely for B&B!
Thank you all for your comments on the last chapters, I truly appreciate them!
Chapter 24
Notes:
Hello everyone! This chapter: B&B find a way to have some alone time together with the help of Angela!
Chapter Text
The cafeteria was filled with over excited teens dressed in different shades of green and red enjoying their last lunch before Christmas break. The hockey team was huddled around their usual tables, talking about their winter break plans. The noise was starting to get a bit overwhelming to Brennan, more than it usually was and she resisted the urge to head to the library for a break.
Booth seemed to notice after a while and squeezed her hand. He was about to offer her to head outside for the remaining lunch break, but then a fight broke out a few tables away from them.
“Okay, let’s head out boys,” Booth called out before any of his team mates had the bright idea of joining in. He took Brennan’s hand and put her in front of him so he could protect her from being pushed as other people quickly exited the cafeteria to avoid the fight. He made sure Angela was following closely behind too, not wanting her to get pushed either. They made it out fine and Brennan was thankful for the relative quietness of the halls.
“Why do imbeciles always start fights in cafeterias?” Brennan asked as they walked hand in hand to Booth’s locker. It was a question that Booth didn’t have an answer to, so he simply shrugged. They didn’t have any classes together in the afternoon so they were both cherishing the last few moments before they would have to split up. Booth leaned against his locker, keeping his hold on both her hands. “I’ll meet you at your car as soon as class is over?”
“Yep, I have to swing by my locker to grab my hockey gear, but I’ll hurry so we don’t get stuck at the back of the line to pick up Jared.” Neither of them were actually going home after school as there was a small Christmas get together at Charlie’s house, however, Booth still had to pick up and drop off his little brother beforehand.
“I need to go, I don’t want to be late to class,” Brennan said just before she leaned in and kissed him. She then looped her arm through Angela’s one and waved at him one last time before turning the corner of the hall.
***
After attending two very unproductive classes, getting Jared and dropping him off, Booth and Brennan were sitting in the basement of Charlie’s home. They had ordered pizza and were simply having a good time with their friends.
Angela had come over too and the three of them were huddled together. “So how are the two of you doing Christmas this year,” she asked her friends.
“What do you mean? Is there something that I should be changing in my Holiday schedule?” Brennan questioned her friend. Truth be told, since that Thanksgiving dinner and Booth telling her that she loved her, Temperance had been hoping to find a way to spend a night with Booth, but she couldn’t find a way to make it happen.
“We aren’t spending Christmas Day together if that’s your question Ange,” Booth replied instead. “I’m going to church for Midnight Mass and I’m volunteering with Jared in the morning to give out free Christmas morning meals.”
“But we are having dinner together later that week at Booth’s place and he is spending new year eve’s with my family,” Brennan specified before taking a bite if her pizza. Then, she had an idea and hoped Booth wouldn’t be too shocked or mad at her for including Angela. “Booth, are your grandparents and Jared still going out of town for a few days next week?”
“Yes?” Booth twisted on the couch to look at his girlfriend, wondering where the hell his question was coming from. She never forgets anything so he was convince she had ulterior motives for her line of questioning. “They are leaving Friday morning and coming back Monday. They have some friends in Pittsburgh that they are going to visit. Why are you asking, I’ve already told you this?”
“So you are going to be home alone for a few days?” She answered his own question with another one instead. Now, Booth was entirely confused with her line of questioning since it was entirely out of character for her.
“Bones, what are you trying to say, I’m confused.”
“I think your girlfriend is asking if she can spend those days with you big man,” Angela spelled it out for him with a laugh, enjoying the way he quickly turned red. The artist was maybe having a little bit too much fun at the moment, but even she was wondering what the questions were going to lead to.
“I would love that, but we did try to see if your parents would be okay with you spending the night a couple weeks ago and it didn’t exactly work.” Booth looked at Brennan and then at Angela, trying to figure our why the artist was being included in the conversation. Brennan had tried to ask her parents about spending a night at Booth’s, telling her parents that they could call Booth’s grandparents if they needed reassurance, but the answer had still been a no.
Then they had tried to figure out when they could potentially have some time alone at one of their houses during Christmas break, but since Max was also on break at the same time and his grandmother was always home, there was no way for that to happen.
“What if I told them I was spending the weekend at Angela’s?” Both her friend and her boyfriend looked at her for a moment wondering where she was going with her idea. “But I would be with you Booth instead,” Brennan finished her proposition proudly.
Booth wasn’t an idiot, but he did sometimes have difficulty understanding exactly what Temperance meant sometimes. Her plan could mean she wanted a couple of different things. They had been busy with applications and exams for the last month so maybe she just wanted some time off and wanted to hide out at his place and relax.
He had also been spending a lot of time at hockey practice and games, meaning that he had had less free time with her to go on their usual museum and dinner dates so another option, one that made him feel quite happy, was that she wanted to spend some time with him.
The third option, which Booth had a feeling was the most probable one, but couldn’t really ask her to confirm in public, was that she wanted to spend the night with him so they could sleep together. Considering how heated their make out session were getting, they had been close to crossing that line already.
“You want to lie to your parents so we can spend the weekend together?” Booth asked her, deciding the could iron out the details when they were in private.
“And you want me to be part of your lie?” Angela was catching on quickly. “We say that we are having a girls weekend since my dad is out of town for a gig and you don’t want me to be alone for the beginning of the holidays. They drop you off at my place and then Booth picks you up later, you get to spend the weekend together. We just have to make sure Booth gets you home early enough on Monday so your parents have no clue what actually happen.” Angela sat back and crossed her arms, proud of her quick plan making.
“That is an ingenious plan Ange, what do you think Booth?” Brennan was clearly ecstatic that her best friend was more than happy to help her pull off her plan.
Booth looked at both of the girls and then realized he hadn’t given an answer. “I want to spend a weekend just with you more than anything and I think the plan will work, but if it doesn’t and your parents or my grandparents find out, we are going to be in so much trouble.”
“They won’t find out,” Brennan asserted, confident that it would work. “I spent the weekend at Angela’s two weeks ago and my parents only called me once to check up, we’ll be fine.”
“Then we’re spending four days just the two of us next weekend.”
***
“You are totally going to have sex with him aren’t you?” Angela asked Brennan as soon as her front door was closed. Brennan’s parent had dropped her off, but Booth would only be there in an hour or so, meaning the girls had time to talk and make sure that their elaborate plan wouldn’t fall to pieces.
“We’ll see how it goes, but yes, that is my plan for the weekend,” Brennan replied, making her friend squeal. “Considering his religious tendencies, I was surprised to realize he wasn’t against premarital sex.”
Angela didn’t really have answer to that statement so she simply shrugged. “You are going to have such a good weekend, if I wasn’t so happy for you, I’d be jealous.”
“Yes, I would be jealous too if I was not myself,” Brennan replied, making Angela laugh. “Now, you said that you have prepared a plan in case my parents ask for details?”
“Yes, we need to get into our pyjamas and take candid pictures as if we’re just watching movies together.” Angela looked very determined to make sure that the weekend would be perfect.
They spent the next hour changing pyjamas and taking random pictures so that Brennan would have something to show her parents and Angela sent her a couple of pictures of food that she had cooked in the last week. Basically, everything was set to keep up the charade that Brennan had spent the weekend at Angela’s.
When Booth arrived, Temperance was getting changed in the bathroom. Angela opened the front door and let him into the house. “Thank you for doing this Angela, I’m really grateful,” Booth told her, handing her a neatly wrapped gift. “It’s just a little gift for this weekend.”
“You didn’t have to do that Booth,” Angela replied, but still took the gift in her hands. She unwrapped it quickly to find a tasting box of different kind of hot chocolates. “This is great Booth, thanks.”
“So where is she?” Booth didn’t want to sound too impatient, but he was really excited to have his girlfriend all to himself for the next four days.
“I’m here, I was just in the bathroom,” Brennan’s voice made him turn around and he smiled at the sight of his girlfriend wearing maroon sweatpants with comfortable hoodie. He was concerned that she would feel some pressure to dress in a particular way for him, which he would have obviously like either way, but he didn’t want her to change at all for him. “Did you give Angela our gift?”
“Yes he did, now you two love birds need to go,” Angela almost pushed them out of her house, barely leaving them enough time to put their coats on. “Have a good weekend!” The door slammed shut as soon as they were on the front porch.
Booth insisted on carrying her bag to the car, which Brennan only let him do because she knew how happy it would make him. When they pulled into the parking of his house, Brennan felt some slight nerves in the pit of her stomach, but when she turned to look at Booth, they dissipated as quickly as they had appeared. She could tell that he would never pressure her into doing anything.
Booth unlocked the front door and let her in first. It obviously wasn’t her first time at his home, but it was going to be the first time she spent the night here. They put their coats and boots away, leaving both of them awkwardly standing in the entry way.
“So… I went grocery shopping to make sure that we have enough food to last us the entire weekend,” Booth didn’t know why he was acting so weird. “Do you want to go put your stuff in my room?”
“Yes, that would be a good idea.” She had never seen his bedroom in all the times that she had been over. Brennan followed him upstairs, letting him lead her until they arrived at his door.
“So this is it,” Booth said simply as the stood in his bedroom. Her boyfriend’s room was exactly how she had imagined it. It was clean overall, but there was sport paraphernalia all over the place. The walls had many posters on it, all representing players that she knew Booth loved. In one of the corners, there was a bunch of hockey sticks staked in a basket, some of them looking very worn. There was also some shelves containing dozens of trophy and medals that he had won in his hockey career.
Brennan then looked at Booth’s bed, which was in the middle of the room, before deciding to place her bag at the end of it. “What did you have planned for us today?” She turned around to face Booth who was leaning against the door frame.
“I didn’t have much planned to be honest, but I set up the couch for us to watch Christmas movies.” Booth was more concentrated on the sight of her next to his bed than their schedule, but still managed to answer.
“Do you want to get changed?” While she was comfortably dressed, Booth was wearing the jeans he had picked to quickly go grocery shopping in the morning.
“Yeah, I probably should.”
They both stood there for a moment, staring at each other, waiting to see what the other would do. Booth wondered if she was going to stay as he was getting changed to look at him while Brennan wondered if he wanted her to stay and watch. The stalemate was broken a few seconds later when Brennan made a decision.
“I’m going to make us some popcorn while you do that,” she told him, slipping past Booth and into the hallway.
A couple of hours later, they were both half asleep on the couch as Serendipity played on the television. At some point, Temperance tucked herself against his chest with a leg thrown over his. They had a thick blanket thrown over them, making the whole situation even more cozy and comfortable. That was until Booth’s stomach growled, making Brennan giggle. “Lets take a break from the movie and make dinner,” she suggested and Booth’s stomach agreed with her.
They made dinner together, something simple and quick that they ate while bickering about how they thought the movie was going to end. They brought their plates into the living room and continued their movie, only to realize that they had been way too creative with their predictions and than neither of them had been right.
After they had finished the movie, they cleaned up the kitchen and the living room, before deciding that it was late enough and that they should go to bed. While Booth closed up the house, Brennan grabbed her toiletry bag and got ready for bed. She braided her hair so it wouldn’t get too tangled up as she slept, if they did go to sleep immediately and went back to Booth’s bedroom where she changed to a pair of sleep shorts and grabbed the shirt that Booth had left out for himself, stealing it as it looked too soft to resist and she had a feeling her boyfriend would appreciate seeing her in it. She wasn’t sure if she should get into the bed yet so she sat crosslegged on it while she listened to Booth rummage around the bathroom. She could also hear the wind howling outside, which wasn’t surprising considering the forecast indicated that it would snow all night.
***
Booth stayed in the bathroom a lot longer than was necessary, wondering why he was so nervous to go into his own bedroom. He cursed himself internally for leaving his pyjamas in his room which meant he would have to go back in his briefs. It wasn’t the first time he would be having sex, that was if they were going to have sex which he didn’t want to assume. He checked himself out in the mirror one last time before heading back to his room deciding that it was ridiculous for him to act this way.
Brennan smiled when he walked it and Booth’s stress melted away as he saw her wearing his shirt. “You stole my shirt,” Booth pointed out standing at the foot of the bed.
“Do you want it back?” Brennan teased him, her hands playing with the edge of the shirt.
Booth looked his closet, wondering if he should just get a new one, but decided otherwise. The shirt was way too big in her, one of her shoulders was peaking out which matched perfectly with how she had braided her hair down her back to keep it out of her face. “No you can keep it, it looks good on you.” Booth kneeled on the mattress and crawled next to her on the bed. He laid down on his side next to her and looked at his girlfriend for a while.
Brennan was still sitting crosslegged next to Booth, wondering what was going on in that head of his. He looked perfectly content to be next to her on the bed and didn’t seem to be planning to do anything other than that. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be doing at the moment, she had been ready for him to get into bed with her and then, in her mind, everything would just happen. She had even offered to take off her shirt and he hadn’t jumped on that opportunity like she had assumed he would.
The one thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to spend her night in bed with Booth more than anything, wether that was simply sleeping or doing more.
“What are we doing?” Brennan finally had the courage to ask Booth. She realized that her voice had trembled slightly, betraying her confidence that she had put up initially.
Booth was taken back by her question, surprised that he didn’t even have an answer for her himself. He had no clue what they were doing, as far as he knew they were just currently in the same bed and boy was he was enjoying it. That was until he realized Temperance was too stressed out to be enjoying it as much as he was.
“We’re doing what we want, I guess,” Booth told her softly, putting a hand on her bare thigh. “I love you.”
It was a simple answer to her question, but more than enough for her to understand what he meant. Brennan knew that Booth would never do anything that she didn’t want, but to hear him say it was comforting. “What if I just want you to hold me?”
“That’s what I’m here for,” Booth replied as he held up the covers, inviting her to slide in next to him. “Come here.”
Brennan accepted his offer and got under the blankets, laying his head on Booth’s bare chest. His skin was warm, but she felt even warmer when she sensed him press a kiss to the crown of her hair. He blindly reached to switch the lights off and his arms then wrapped around her, one of his hand went to the small of her back pressing her closer to him.
“I love you too Booth,” Temperance told him, tangling their legs together as she burrowed deeper into his chest.
For both of them, it was more than easy to fall asleep in each other’s arms.
Chapter 25
Notes:
Hello! This is the smut adjacent chapter I talked about a few weeks ago. I think my rating is alright but if anyone thinks I should change it, just tell me I will not be offended or anything.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Booth was waken up by sound of the snow plow going down the street, clearing the streets of the snow that had fallen through the night. After a few seconds, he realized that the weight on his chest wasn’t just covers, but a blanket in the shape of his girlfriend. Even if he had been awake enough to get out of bed, nothing in this world could have dragged him away from her. He did try to carefully shift them a bit, trying to get some numbness out of the arm that Temperance was using as her pillow.
It had the unwanted effect of stirring her awake slightly and she rolled off of him, turning so her back was to him. Booth followed her movement, draping himself over her back and tucking his forehead against her nape. Brennan mumbled something intelligible and for a moment he thought that he had waken her up completely, but he was relieved when she simply took his hand, held it up to her chest and fell back asleep.
Booth stayed as still as possible until he was sure her breath was even again. He was about to join her in slumber once more when he relized how lucky he was.
In that exact moment, he just felt like a teenager in bed with the girl he loved, free of all the responsibility he had been putting on himself in the last few years. Comforted by the warmth of Brennan’s body against him, he let himself fall asleep once more.
***
A few hours later, Brennan woke up slightly disoriented as her eyes adjusted to the low light of the room. It took her a moment to remember she was in Booth’s room, in his bed and that she had spent the night with him. As she became more aware, she realized Booth’s hand was splayed on her rib, just underneath her breasts. She couldn’t see his face, so she had no way to know if he was awake yet. She also had no clue what time it was and Booth’s blackout blinds prevented her from guessing by using the light outside.
Brennan certainly felt like she had slept longer than usual and her stomach was starting to make grumbling sounds. She slowly twisted in Booth’s arm so she was facing him. He was still sleeping with his mouth slightly open as he took in some deep breaths. She used the tip of her index finger to trace the slope of his noise. Booth’s eyes blinked open a few time as he regained consciousness.
“Good morning Booth,” she whispered, her voice still thick with sleep.
“Morning Bones,” Booth replied and smiled at her. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know.”
Booth reached behind him and grabbed his phone. “It’s already eleven in the morning,” he laughed in disbelief.
“That would explain why I am so hungry,” Brennan told him as she cupped the back of his neck with her hand.
“We should get out of bed and make some breakfast.” Booth was a bit distracted by how close her lips was to his.
“What do we have in the kitchen?” She leaned forward until her lips were millimetres from his.
“I can make what you want,” Booth breathed out before bridging the gap between them. She tasted sweeter than anything he could have cooked up for breakfast and he couldn’t help but push her onto her back. Her fingers weaved themselves into his hair, encouraging him to move on top of her. His hands were pushing his stolen shirt up her body when his stomach growled loudly. “We should really eat breakfast.” Booth pressed their foreheads together and kissed her one more time.
Twenty minutes later, they were both rummaging around the kitchen as they attempted to whip up some pancakes. Booth had plugged in his phone into the speaker and put in a Christmas playlist and mixed with the snow falling outside, it created the perfect cozy morning. When the rich baritone voice of Bing Crosby singing I’ll Be Home for Christmas came out of the speaker, Booth couldn’t help but grab Temperance by the hips, drag her to the middle of the kitchen so he could sway her around to the music.
Brennan protested for a moment, saying that the pancakes were going to burn, but Booth simply switched the cooktop off and wrapped her in his arms once more. She put both her hands on his chest and laughed as he spun her around the kitchen. “Booth you are distracting us from actually eating, which you dragged us out of bed to do.”
“I dragged us out of bed?” Booth replied, faking offence at her implications. “I don’t remember you resisting much.” He dipped her with a romantic flourish, making her grip his shirt in surprise.
“I was hungry too,” she defended herself. “And I still am so will you let me finish?”
Booth dramatically kissed her hand and let her go back to the stove so she could flip the slightly burnt pancakes. “If you insist. I’ll make us some hot chocolate.” He kept his eyes on her as he waited for the milk to warm up in the microwave. While he had put on some pyjamas to head downstairs, Brennan had been content with only his shirt and her sleep shorts. She fit in perfectly in his kitchen, as she fit in perfectly in his life.
“What do you want on yours?” Brennan asked after stacking all the pancakes on a plate.
“Just some maple syrup, there should be some in the refrigerator,” Booth told her as he mixed the chocolate powder in the warm milk. “There should be some fruit jam too.”
They ate their breakfast quickly and Booth did the dishes while Brennan talked on the phone with her mom. It was easy to stick with her story and say that she had watched movies all day as that was not a complete lie. She had done exactly that, just not with Angela like her mother thought.
“Yes mom, I will call you tomorrow don’t worry,” Booth heard Brennan say from the kitchen table as he finished drying the last mug. He dried his hand with the kitchen rag, hung it back on the cabinet door and when he turned away from the sink, Temperance was standing a few feet away from him. “Are we still going to the market today?”
“It’s not snowing too much anymore, but there might be a lot of people. We had planed on going in the morning, but that place is going to be packed on a Saturday afternoon.”
“We can still go, I don’t mind if there’s a lot of people. I want to see the Christmas Village, you told me it was a Christmas staple for Philadelphia. ”
“I know you are going to love it, let’s get dressed then.”
***
The weather had calmed down even more when they got to the park where the city had built the Christmas Village. The park, was completely transformed from what it was from the rest of the year and made to look like a traditional German Christmas market.
“This does not look like Germany at all Booth,” Brennan pointed out as they entered the site.
The market's heart was lined with rows of small wooden chalets, that were adorned with evergreen garlands and twinkling fairy lights. The garlands, thick and lush, were woven with crimson ribbons and sparkling ornaments, not to mention even more strings of light. Each chalet were in fact stalls where different artisans had put their work on display.
“However it is quite charming I have to agree,” Brennan mused as they looked at the different shops.
“I knew you would like it. I never said it was a hundred percent authentic, just that it was fun,” Booth countered as they weaved through the crowd. Just like he had expected the market was packed with people who had had the same idea as them, but it was still enjoyable.
Booth’s favourite part of the village was the towering Christmas trees that stood tall throughout the entire village, each one decorated differently. From glass baubles, handcrafted trinkets, and shimmering tinsel and strings of light, some trees followed traditional themes, while others were unconventional. Booth’s favourite one was the orange and white tree decorated for the Flyers. It looked slightly obnoxious, but he couldn’t help but love anything related to his beloved hockey team.
Brennan spotted a stall selling nutcrackers and dragged Booth towards it. “I want to get one!” She looked at all of them, struggling to choose which one she wanted to buy. “I’ve collected them since I was a child,” she told Booth as she picked up one of the wooden soldiers to look at the details more closely. “I’m having a hard time picking one.”
“What about this one?” Booth picked up a shimmering red one that was holding a flag with the words Welcome to Philadelphia written on it. “It’s perfect to remember your first Christmas in Philly.”
“It’s perfect,” Brennan agreed and handed the vendor the money who neatly wrapped the nutcracker in paper to protect it before putting it in a bag. “Thank you,” she thanked the man before leaving.
Brennan took Booth’s hand again as they kept on walking past the shops and into the area where the food and drink stalls were and they shared a pretzel and a cup of mulled cider considering they had eaten breakfast not too long before. They found a spot where they could sit down and listen to the live choir that was performing some Christmas carols in the middle of the village.
Brennan layed her head on Booth’s shoulder as they listened to the music and she realized why he had wanted them to come here. The overall ambiance of the market was enchanting. Christmas carols played softly in the background and the scent of spiced cookies, roasted nuts and all the sugary snack added to the festive atmosphere. Even the other people in market all seemed to be in the festive spirits and enjoying the market.
“Every time you show me more of Philadelphia, I understand why you adore this city so much,” Brennan told Booth after a few songs.
“I’m glad you like Philly so much,” Booth replied, smiling softly at his girlfriend.
“I think a lot of it has to do with you, you know.” She kissed his cheek softly and laid her head back on his shoulder.
“I love you Bones.”
“I love you too Booth.”
***
After a few hours in the market, they made their way back to Booth’s house. Brennan was quiet the entire car ride home, but he wasn’t worried and kept on whistling along to the music playing on the radio. Temperance used that time to reflect on everything that had happened in the last few months. When her parents had told her that they were going to move from Chicago, she had been so angry that they were taking her away from a place where she had managed to build a routine, from classes she had found a way to enjoy and what fragments of a social life she had made for herself.
Now, as she was driven through the streets of Philadelphia by Booth, she realized that she had been wrong to be so scared of change. Without even realizing, she had adapted even better than she had imagined. Some part of her was still scared that she had changed too much, that she wasn’t the same person that she was in Chicago, but as she stared at Booth, she recognized that she was still the same person and that she didn’t to change to be loved.
The car came to a stop which broke her out of her thoughts. Booth was already grabbing the bags containing their purchases when she got out herself and they hurried back inside the house as the wind and snow were picking up again.
As Booth started to unzip his winter coat, Brennan’s hands took over and pushed it off his shoulders. Booth let it fall to the floor, completely mesmerized by how she was staring at him with her mouth half-opened. He did the same to her coat and slid her beanie off her head. Her hair was messed up and Booth tucked it back behind her ears. She smiled brightly at him, then hesitated for a moment before rising on her toes to gently kiss him.
Booth grabbed her by the hips and pulled her towards him, pressing their fronts together. Brennan moaned against his lips and Booth knew they had to move this somewhere else before it went too far. She seemed to come to the same conclusion as him and they both started toeing off their boots.
It almost hurt to let go of each other so that they could run upstairs to Booth’s bedroom. Brennan almost pushed him into his own room, while Booth laughed, shrugging off his shirt and tossing it onto the floor. Brennan stopped for a moment, looking with appreciation at her boyfriend before she took a step forward and started unbuckling his belt. Booth used the proximity to leave a trail of kiss down her neck.
When Booth was only in his underwear, he took a small step back, allowing both of them to catch their breath for a moment. Temperance suddenly felt overdressed and she centred herself before taking off her sweater. She held it in her hands for a moment before dropping it with Booth’s clothing on the ground.
“Hey, we can stop if you want,” Booth whispered in a reassuring voice.
“I don’t want to stop,” she replied quickly as she pushed her jeans down her legs. Both of them were in the same state of undress now, standing at the foot of Booth’s bed.
“It’s okay, we can take it slow,” he sat down on his bed and looked up at her. He held out his hands and Brennan took them without hesitating, climbing onto his lap. Booth kissed her sternum just over the centre gore of her bra. “You are so beautiful.”
Brennan kissed his forehead and shifted slightly on his lap, making him moan. Her mind was going a million miles an hour thinking of all the details and variables that were now in motion. She kissed Booth one more time and settled her hands on his bare shoulders.
“We have to talk first,” Brennan said as she took in a deep breath.
While this could have sounded ominous to others, Booth knew this was just her way of starting a conversation. “No problem, what do you want to talk about?”
“I’m on the birth control pill,” Brennan told Booth and he nodded.
“That’s good to know.” Booth had assumed that she was as he had seen the package in her toiletry bag yesterday, but he would still have asked her before they did anything. “I’m still going to wear a condom. I’m clean, but we can never be too careful.”
“That is a good idea.” Temperance shifted a bit on his lap and Booth held in a moan. “I’ve never done this before,” she admitted nervously, hoping that Booth wouldn’t change his mind going forward.
Booth had assumed that it was the case considering that he was her first boyfriend, but having her trust him with that information and trusting him to be her first meant everything to him. “We can do whatever you want Bones. You lead and I’ll follow, okay?” He kissed her again, his lips lingering against her soft ones in hope of giving her a bit of comfort.
“I trust you Booth.” Brennan pushed him down on the mattress and they started kissing again. Booth’s hands were stroking her back until they stopped at the fastenings of her bra. Brennan nodded, letting Booth know that he could keep going. He unhooked the garment and threw it with the rest of their clothing. A few moments later, they were both naked and laying next to each other under the covers.
***
Every single muscle in her body were sore, but as Temperance Brennan laid in Seeley Booth’s arms after experiencing what Booth had insisted was making love and not just sex, she felt amazing. They were both still awake and naked in bed, quietly soaking in the moment. It was close to dinner time, but neither of them really felt like getting out of bed or hungry for that matter. At least not for food.
Her finger was tracing patterns on Booth’s chest and she enjoyed how reactive he was to her touch. “You’re tickling me baby, stop it,” Booth chuckled and rolled them so he was on top of her. He kept his weight off of her by leaning on his forearms.
“I think I need to go to the bathroom,” Brennan said with a bit of regret, not wanting to leave the bed. Booth still fell to his side so she could get up. She sat on the edge of the bed and Booth couldn’t help both touch her bare lower back. His entire body felt languid and he didn’t know if he had ever felt so relaxed in his entire life. “I might take a shower,” Brennan said as she stretched her hands above her head, giving Booth the perfect view of her ass. She grabbed his shirt from the floor and slipped it on as the thought of walking naked down the hall to the bathroom just seemed wrong.
“Sure, the towels are in the linen closet on the right of the bathroom,” Booth told her, slightly distracted by the sight of his girlfriend standing next to his bed only wearing his shirt.
“You can join me if you want.” Brennan was done being shy and after witnessing Booth react to her in bed, any self-consciousness she’d had vanished.
Booth perked up at that suggestion, clearly interested in accepting her offer. He leaned down and grabbed his boxers from the floor. “I’ll go downstairs and clean up our mess, grab us a snack and lock up the house. I’ll join you after?”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Brennan agreed with his plan and left the bedroom.
Booth laid back down for a moment, a contented smile spreading across his face as he rubbed his hands over it. “I’m the luckiest guy on the planet,” he said out loud to himself.
Notes:
PS: I'm not doing a teen pregnancy plot to make Christine happen this early on to parallel the show.
Chapter 26
Notes:
Happy Sunday! here is some domestic B&B to start or end your week depending on how you look at it!
Chapter Text
Brennan put her hand under the spray of water, testing the temperature before stepping in. She wanted the water to be as scalding as she could handle to soothe her sore muscles. While her mind refused to agree with the concept that losing your virginity changes you, she still felt like the same person she had been this morning, even she had to admit that she was a bit sore even with how gentle Booth had been with her the first time. And the second time.
The bathroom mirror had started to fog up so she stepped under the spray, looking up at the shower head and allowing the water to slide down her body and her hair. The sound of the water hitting the tile mixed with the heat was so relaxing that she could have fallen asleep if she didn’t have to stay upright. Her small moment of peace was disturbed when the shower door slid open, letting a draft of cool air in. The sudden change in temperature made her jump slightly, but Booth’s warm hands on her hips steadied her immediately as he stepped in behind her.
“Sorry, I should have knocked,” Booth apologized and kissed her shoulder.
“You didn’t surprise me, it was the cold air,” Temperance rectified and leaned back against his chest and his arms wrapped around her waist. He felt warm and strong behind her, but what she wanted to know what was going on in that head of his. He had been very vocal in bed, telling her sweet words the entire time, but after that he had been quiet as they had just laid together.
“Baby the water is so hot, you’re going to cook us like lobsters,” Booth complained after a minute of standing under the near scalding water. He tried taking step back to get away from the spray of water, figuring that the steam was going to be enough to keep him warm, but he was stopped before he had the chance.
“The temperature is perfectly adequate Booth.” She turned so she was facing him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing their naked bodies together. “It feels nice.” The water was now cascading down her back and her legs which she thought felt wonderful. If she wasn’t aware of the environmental impact of showers, she would take three a day just to enjoy herself.
Booth pressed his lips to hers, unable to resist such a tempting treat. She responded immediately allowing him access to her mouth and tightening her hold on him. Booth took a few steps forward, pushing her against the tiled wall of the shower. One of his hands left her hip and slid down to the back of her thigh, just above her knee. He kneaded the skin there until he used the leverage on her leg to lift it up and hook it over his own hip.
Booth stopped immediately when Brennan hissed quietly, as if she hadn’t wanted him to hear her. “Are you okay, did I hurt you?” He panicked and carefully let her put both of her feet on the ground before cupping both of her cheeks in his hands.
“I’m fine Booth, just a little bit sore that’s all.” She didn’t let him back away from her, wanting to make sure he felt no guilt. “I’m not hurt at all, I enjoyed myself greatly.” She wasn’t exaggerating at all, she had enjoyed herself and was still experiencing pleasure.
Booth could help but smirk, proud that he had brought her pleasure back in his bed, but he still had a few tricks up his sleeve. He sank to his knees to Temperance’s surprise who had to steady herself on his shoulders and barely had the time to react before he showed her another way.
***
After getting washed and using up all of the hot water, they had gotten out of the shower and dried off before going back to Booth’s bedroom.
Booth watched with amusement as Brennan looked through his drawers for the perfect shirt to steal. “What percentage of your shirts are sports related? I’ve counted at least fourteen Flyers shirts and seven Eagles one. Not to mention the ones belonging to our school’s team.”
“Some say I have an addiction, I say I have taste,” Booth defended his fashion choices. He had stacked all of his pillows against his headboard and sat against them as he waited for her to make a choice. His preferred choice would have been no shirt at all, but since they were about to eat, he could understand why she wanted one. “That one is really soft,” he commented when he saw her pick up one of his older hockey team t-shirts.
Brennan looked over her shoulder and smiled at him before slipping the dark grey shirt on. She climbed back in bed and crawled up until she was next to him. “So what did you make us to eat?”
“Make is not the word I would use. I just grabbed the rest of our pretzel from the market and made you some tea,” Booth handed her the thermos he had prepared and let her rip a piece of the pretzel. There would probably be crumbs on the sheets, but at this point he was going to have to change the sheets anyway. “Maybe I should go downstairs and actually cook us something instead.”
Brennan took a sip of her warm mint tea, enjoying how Booth had perfectly brewed it. “It’s perfect, I’m not that hungry anyway.” They had eaten a lot of different foods at the Christmas market in the late afternoon, so it’s not like they had planned to make a complicated dinner before their plans had suddenly changed.
It was still early in the evening, but both of them were more than happy to stay in bed. Booth was lounging on top of the covers wearing only his boxers and Brennan found another reason to appreciate hockey. She’d obviously known that Booth was in good shape considering how much he trained to perform so well during matches, but she hadn’t had the opportunity to stare at him for prolonged period of time when he was wearing barely anything.
“What are you looking at with that much concentration?” Booth snapped her out of her thoughts when he noticed she was staring at his midsection.
“You have very well defined abdominal muscles.” She trailed her finger down his stomach, leaving behind some goosebumps across his skin.
“Thanks, I work hard to keep them defined,” Booth laughed and took the thermos of tea from her hands so he could put it back on his night table. “You have well defined everything. God you are so beautiful,” he told her as he leaned over and pressed his lips hers for what felt like the thousand time that day, not that either of them felt like it was getting old. “What do you want to do tonight?” He asked when he pulled away from her, plopping back into his pillows.
“I did promise I would watch the 1974 Stanley cup final game with you,” Brennan said to Booth’s absolute pleasure and surprise. He hadn’t expected her to bring up the promise she had made a few weeks ago in this moment. Temperance Brennan was singlehandedly the most beautiful and perfect person he had met in his entire life, but rewatching the game that happened on May 19 1974 on which the Flyers won their first Stanley cup was probably in his top ten activities of all time.
“You can’t just tell me that and not go through with it. There’s no backing out.” Booth pointed an accusing finger at his girlfriend as he jumped out of bed and almost tripped on their discarded bath towels to get to his computer. Temperance laughed at his antics, amused by how quickly the mood had changed with the single mention of a hockey game. “When you see how Bernie Parent tended that net, you’ll understand why it’s such an amazing game.”
“You don’t have to convince me, I already said I was going to watch it with you,” she teased him and held the covers so he could get back in bed. Booth propped up his laptop on a pillow and opened the game. He was almost vibrating with excitement beside her and she laid her head on his shoulder as the game started. “How long is this game?”
“About two and a half hour, so one hour of actual gameplay the intermissions and the post game coverage,” Booth said, already distracted by the game he had seen at least a hundred time. He blindly reached for her hand and intertwined their fingers together. Brennan sighed contentedly and fixed her eyes on the screen.
***
Two hour later, Booth closed the computer screen as the post game commentary started, judging that it wasn’t necessary considering that he had seen it often himself and he didn’t think it would actually interest Temperance. “So, what did you think?”
“I see now why you find it to be such an interesting game, not to mention how important that match was for your favourite team,” Brennan answered as she had actually enjoyed watching the game more than she had anticipated. “I wonder what it was like in that arena on that day.”
“Me too Bones. One day I’m going to be on the ice when the Flyers win the Cup, then I’ll know what it felt like.”
“I’m sure it’s going to happen one day Booth.”
“Yeah?”
“You are a great player, but more importantly, you are dedicated to seeing in through.” It had taken her a while to wrap her mind around the fact that someone could desire a career in athletics as much as she desired one in academics, but then she realized she had just been small-minded. “You have the will to make it and the talent to reach your goals. That and you have the support of the people who love you. I love you Booth.”
Booth dropped his laptop on the floor, not caring if it was damaged in the fall, and quickly straddled Brennan. “Do you know how much I love you? Because I don’t think I have the words for it.”
Brennan looked up at him, comfortably bracketed by his strong arms and pinned to the mattress by his hips. “While I do enjoy discussing vocabulary, I am in the mood for something else at the moment.”
Booth smirked and trailed kisses down her neck to her collarbone, his five o’clock shadow scratching her skin as he moved. While they might have made plans for the next two days, both of them knew they weren’t getting out of bed for a while.
***
“How are we supposed to go back to normal after this weekend?” Brennan mumbled, half asleep on Booth’s chest with the bedsheets pooled around their waists. It was strange to feel so comfortable naked in the arms of a boy she had met a little over four months ago, but in the grand scale of thing she knew she never did anything without thinking it through. She had known love from her family, but the kind of love she felt for Booth was entirely different than that. It felt like she had discovered a part of herself that she hadn’t even known existed before coming to Philadelphia. “I’m not saying that what we’ve been doing is abnormal, simply that we have taken a new step in our relationship that we clearly both enjoyed, but requires some planning to make happen again,” she explained herself, not wanting him to think that she thought what they did was wrong.
“We’ll find a way, with that big brain of yours will come up with a plan just like you came up with this weekend,” Booth replied confidently as his fingers worked out the knots in her hair. He wondered if he should suggest another shower, but the thought of getting out of bed was uninteresting. Maybe he could try to braid her hair, not that he actually knew how to do it, he simply wanted to take care of her. “Although I thought you loved me for being me, not my body,” Booth joked, using a strand of her own hair to tickle her nose.
Temperance giggled and half attempted to get away from him, but even if she had made a real attempt, one of Booth’s arm was securely wrapped around her waist and holding her tightly against his own body. “Your amazingly proportioned body is just a perk of spending time with you,” she replied, playing along with his joke. They were both satiated and pleasantly tired out and Brennan was struggling to stay awake, not wanting the day to end yet. “I know having sex in the backseat of a car is a particularly popular activity for teenagers. You could even say it’s a milestone moment.”
“We are sooo having sex in my car,” Booth agreed enthusiastically, already imagining what it would be like. It almost hyped him up enough to go another round, but when he looked down, he saw that Brennan’s eyes were closed and that her breathing had evened out. He reached for the covers and hiked them up their bodies, making sure Brennan’s naked shoulders were properly covered so that she wouldn’t get cold throughout the night. When he was sure she was fine, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
Chapter 27
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Hank turned onto their street, relieved to finally be back home. They had headed home two days earlier than they had planed, but Alice had been feeling more tired than usual and they had taken the decision to return back where she could rest in her own space instead of a hotel room.
“Hey Seeley’s car is still in the driveway, he didn’t go to church this morning,” Jared pointed out when he spotted his brother’s car in its spot, with a good inch or two of snow accumulated on the roof.
“Maybe he was just tired, you know how he gets after the final week of school before Christmas. He’s been studying and training hard so that he can get scholarships,” Alice told her youngest grandson as Hank pulled into the driveway, also hoping that he would get the message. Seeley was probably just taking some time for himself, watching old games on television to relax.
“I’ll get our bags out of the trunk, why don’t you help your grandmother into the house Jared.” Hank asked the younger boy and switched off the engine.
A minute later, the three of them were inside the house. As expected, the living room was spotless and there was no dishes piled up in the kitchen sink, but their oldest grandson was nowhere to be seen. It was late in the morning and Seeley would rarely stay in bed so late unless he was ill or very tired after a hockey game.
“It looks like Shrimp is still in bed,” Hank noted as he turned on the coffee machine. “It’s still early enough for breakfast. Dear, why don’t you go relax in your recliner while I make us something to eat. I’ll go wake up Seeley.”
“I can do it Pops, I’ll bring our bags upstairs too,” Jared interrupted as he was hungry and wanted his grandfather to get started on the food as quickly as possible.
Jared grabbed all of their bags and went upstairs, stopping by his grandparents’ room and his room, before reaching for his brother’s doorknob. However, the door was already cracked opened and he just needed to softly push it opened more so he could take a peak inside.
Out of everything Jared had expected to see in his brother’s room, being greeted by the sight of his brother’s girlfriend’s bare back was not a the top of the list. Thankfully, the sheets were pulled up high enough that he could only see her shoulder blades and his brother’s arm thrown over her waist.
Jared panicked for a moment, unsure of what he should do. On one hand, he wondered if his brother would be thankful if he woke him up so he could smuggle his girlfriend out of the house, but Temperance would have to walk through both the kitchen and living room to get to the front door which meant she would get spotted either way. So he simply walked backwards as quietly as possible and back downstairs where his grandparents were waiting.
“So we might have a problem, unless you are both suddenly very cool grandparents,” Jared announced, picking the curiosity of both adults. Their parenting methods weren’t the most strict and Seeley had not been a problem for a few years compared to his younger brother even with all the partying he had done at the beginning of high school. However, a problem could still mean anything when it came to teenage boys.
“What kind of problem are you talking about son?” Hank asked, his mind going through the worst case scenarios. He didn’t know if he could handle the situation if Jared was about to tell him that Seeley was doing drugs or drunk this early in the morning.
Jared shifted his weight form foot to foot and looked between his grandparents, wondering if his brother would forgive him of things went sideways. “Temperance is upstairs.”
Hank turned away from the stove to look at his youngest boy and Alice dropped the newspaper that she had been looking at in her lap.
“Temperance is upstairs as in she’s with Seeley,” Hank asked for confirmation, even though he had a pretty good idea what Jared meant. He might be an old man now, but he had been young at some point.
“Yes and they’re naked,” Jared didn’t know why he had added that part, but if Seeley asked him, he’d say it was because he had made him promise to be truthful to their grandparents. “They’re still sleeping,” Jared specified, assuming the details could make things easier for Seeley.
Hank and Alice looked at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation, until they agreed. “Well, I’ll make more pancake mix then,” Hank decided and went back to the stove. “They’ll wake up eventually.” They decided that they would discuss the decision when they didn’t have an audience.
***
Brennan woke up first, the smell of fresh pancakes and noise coming from downstairs rousing her from her sleep. It took her a moment get her gatherings and realize that it’s wasn’t Booth cooking considering she could still feel him wrapped around her. She quickly sat up in panic, holding the covers to her chest and poked Booth repeatedly on the shoulder in an attempt to wake him.
“What?” Booth, swatted her hand away and woke up even more confused than Brennan had a few moments ago. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s somebody in the house.” As soon as the words had left her mouth, Booth heard the sounds coming from the downstairs and got up quickly before he recognized his grandmother’s voice.
“Shit, why are they home two days early?” Booth panicked and got out of bed, looking for his underwear until he simply grabbed a new pair from his drawers. He looked out the window to confirm that it was his grandfather’s car in the driveway, cringing at how bright the sun was reflecting on the snow and into his eyes. “What time is it?” There was no way in they had slept through an entire night and day which meant his family had come back early.
“Just a little pass ten,” Temperance informed him, wondering if she should get out of bed or do something to somehow help. “How much trouble are we in?”
Booth looked at his girlfriend, unsure if he had an actual answer to her question. “I have no clue, they might be very cool about it.” He was being hopeful, but he knew his grandparents really liked Temperance. “We need to get dressed,” Booth sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Pyjamas or really dressed?” Temperance requested more details before getting out of bed.
Booth hesitated for a moment and then shrugged. “Pyjamas, I don’t think a pair of jeans is going to convince them you came over this morning.”
They both hurried around the bedroom and put clothing on before mustering up the courage to go downstairs. Booth walked down the stairs first and was greeted by the sight of his grand parents and Jared sitting at the dinning room table with a huge stack of pancakes stacked in front of them. There was already two other places set at the table which meant that they had already known that Brennan was upstairs with him. Booth hoped it was because they had spotted her coat and boots in the mudroom, but by the way his little brother was looking at him, he knew that it wasn’t the case.
“Good morning?” Booth said as he stepped down the last step with Temperance behind him. “You’re home early.”
“You’re not at church,” Jared replied before either of his grandparents could say anything. His big brother had walked straight into that one.
“I am not at church,” Booth repeated as he stood awkwardly next to Brennan. He cringed internally at his answer because not only he wasn’t at church on Sunday morning, he wasn’t there because he was in bed with his girlfriend. “Bones is here.”
“We can see that,” Hank replied with a smile. “Good morning Temperance. Why don’t you both sit down and have breakfast with us.”
“Good morning Hank,” she waved awkwardly at the older man. Both teens sat down at the table next to each other.
“Did you two have a nice weekend?” Alice asked, hiding her smirk behind her coffee mug. She wasn’t actually angry, neither was her husband, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have to have a serious conversation with their grandson.
Booth knew his face was red, his cheeks felt warm and that he was probably sweating a little, but as three pairs of eyes stared at him, he knew he had to come up with an answer. “It was nice, we went to the Christmas Village in the city and watched some movies.”
“We also watched the 1974 Stanley Cup final game,” Brennan added as she spread some butter on her pancakes.
“I’m sure Shrimp enjoyed that a lot,” Hank said with a knowing smile and having a little bit of fun teasing his grandson.
“It’s one of the best game of all time, I obviously enjoyed it,” Booth defended himself, shocked that his grandfather was making innuendos. “Enough about our weekend, why are you back early?” Booth was desperate to change the subject and get the attention off of them.
“I was a little bit tired and wanted to come home early, there’s noting to worry about Seeley,” Alice told her grandson and pated him on the hand reassuringly. Booth wanted to ask for more information, but knew he wasn’t in the position to argue.
They ate the rest of the meal while Jared told his older brother about what they did while they were in Pittsburgh and Booth listened even though he didn’t have the fondest memories of that city. It was important to his brother so it was important to him.
“Jared, why don’t you go unpack your bags?” Alice told the youngest Booth in a not so discrete way. Jared didn’t argue at all, glad to escape having to do the dishes and bounded up the stairs to step at a time.
“I can do the dishes Pop,” Booth volunteered himself in a poor attempt of avoiding any discussion.
“You can do them after we talk Shrimp, stay at the table,” Hank stopped him and Booth obeyed without resisting. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Temperance’s parents don’t know she’s here.”
“No they do not, but you can’t blame Booth for that as this was my idea,” Brennan defended him before he even had the chance to say anything for himself. “They believe I’m at my best friend’s house.”
“I see. Now you are both grown and I know you are both very mature, but I do remember hearing Seeley complain that your parents didn’t want you spending the night,” Hank added, hoping that both teens would understand what was the actual issue with the situation.
“Which is why they don’t know,” Brennan confirmed, missing the point entirely, amusing everyone around the table even if the situation was far from funny.
“Dear, I think what Hank is trying to say is that you’ve both put us in a complicated situation,” Alice explained kindly. “I’m going to assume your parent’s are expecting to pick you up at your friend’s house on Monday?” As much as she wanted to reprimand them for lying, the only thing she saw in front of her was two young people in love.
“I was going to drop her off on Monday,” Booth replied, wanting to actually contribute to the conversation. “She might have had the idea, but I was on board as soon as she told me.”
After so many years of marriage, Hank and Alice were more than able to take decisions together without even talking. They also weren’t blind and were very observant of their grandchildren’s lives. They knew Seeley had been intimate with his former girlfriend, they had even had The Talk with him a few years ago, but that that didn’t mean they weren’t concerned about the lying.
Mainly, they wanted to raise the boys right and make sure they became good men, but a part of them were terrified that the boys would turn out like their own son. They carried the guilt of their son’s action every day even though they knew deep down they weren’t responsible for his actions.
As they looked at their eldest grandson sitting in front of them, holding the hand of the girl he loved under the table, they knew their fears shouldn’t dictate how his life went. Seeley hadn’t lied about going to parties or doing drugs or anything wrong. He had simply wanted to spend some time alone with the girl he loved.
“We don’t appreciate that you are forcing us to be part of your lie, but we will go along with it,” Alice told them and immediately saw they nerves leaving their bodies. “That being said, the two of you need to be careful and use protection.”
While they had been relieved a second ago, Booth and Brennan were back to being embarrassed. Booth cleared his throat and avoided eye contact with his grandparents at all cost. “We’re careful grandma, you don’t have to worry about that.”
“I think we are going to worry about that for a few more years Shrimp,” Hank added, making Booth blush even more. “Obviously, there’s going to be a few more rules for the next two days, but I’m sure we will have a fun and family oriented end of weekend.”
“How about we play some board games when Jared comes back downstairs?” Alice offered as she hoped that a fun activity would set a good mood.
***
After playing at least three rounds of Clues and a never ending game of Monopoly, everyone was tired of board games. Jared went back upstairs to his room, finally getting some time on his own after spending the last few days in the constant company of his grand parents.
Booth was a bit jealous of his brother, but he knew that it wasn’t an option for Brennan and him to follow suit and hole up in his bedroom for the rest of the day. Instead, they picked another Christmas movie and sat at a respectful distance on the couch. Alice had the time to knit Temperance a thick pair of socks while they all sat together in the living room. There was some remaining awkwardness and Booth knew that once Brennan was home, he would probably get an earful about how it was wrong for him to lie, but he couldn’t really bring himself to care about that in the moment. Dinner was a similar affair and then it was time for bed which meant figuring out what the rules for night time were going to be.
The Booth’s home didn’t have a guest room anymore, as Hank and Alice had changed the guest room and the office into bedrooms when they had taken in the boys. There was no way Booth was letting his girlfriend sleep on the couch while he got to stay in his warm and comfortable bed.
“I’ll take the couch, you can take my bed Bones,” Booth told Temperance as they helped pick up the snack bowls that had piled up during the movie. “I’ll just grab my pillow and a blanket and I’ll be fine.”
“Oh, I’m smaller, I should take the couch. Considering I am not even supposed to be here, it makes more sense that I take the couch.” Brennan leaned against the kitchen counter as Booth rinsed their cups.
“Absolutely not. You are not sleeping on the couch, we aren’t even discussing this,” Booth retorted immediately.
“Why not? Logically, this isn’t my house and I am smaller than you so it is normal that I would sleep on the couch,” she insisted and handed Booth a hand towel.
“We are not taking this decision according to logic,” Booth laughed, shaking his head.
“Why shouldn’t we take this decision using logic?”
“Bones, come on I said we weren’t debating this. I’m fine on the couch.”
In the living room, both Hank and Alice were listening to the two teens argue about their sleeping arrangements with knowing smiles on their face.
“Why don’t you go tell them dear?” Alice lovingly patted her husband on the forearm before heading upstairs.
“I have a solution for both of you,” Hank said as he walked into the kitchen were the two teens were. “You can both sleep in Shrimp’s room as long as the door stays open. No funny business.”
“Why would there be humour?” Brennan inquired in confusion, not understanding what the elder man meant. “I don’t understand.”
“I’ll explain it to you later,” Booth cut her off quickly. “We’ll leave the door wide open, no funny business we promise. Thank you Pops.”
“Thank your grandmother, it was her idea,” Hank informed them before following his wife upstairs.
“This is a way better outcome that I thought we were going to get,” Booth said, ecstatic that he was getting one more night of sleeping with Brennan.
“I wasn’t expecting this either.” Brennan was as surprised as her boyfriend and they didn’t wait for his grandparents to change their minds. They hurried up the stairs and got ready for bed as quickly as they could. Booth went to see his grandmother and kissed her on the cheek to thank her for allowing them to spend the night together.
“See Pops, the door is wide open,” Booth called out from the doorway of his bedroom.
“Goodnight Temperance,” Hank replied with an amused voice, completely ignoring his grandson.
Booth pivoted on his feet and turned the lights off before joining Temperance in the bed. It felt slightly weird to do so with his grand parents sleeping in the next room, but at the same time, nothing felt more right than wrapping Temperance in his arms.
“Goodnight Bones,” Booth whispered before tempting his chances and pressing a quick kiss to Brennan’s lips.
“Goodnight Booth,” she replied as she tucked her head underneath his chin. With the blankets wrapped tightly around their bodies it was easy to fall asleep.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Notes:
...and they got caught lol. Shout out to Booth's grandparents for being so chill.
Chapter 28
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Their last morning together was a whirlwind. Booth was dropping her off at Angela early and then going to the gym so he could catch up on his training after spending almost a week off. Brennan had thanked Alice and Hank profusely for allowing them to finish their long weekend together and promised to host them with her parents for a Christmas dinner.
“I’ll call you later?” Booth said as they stood next to his car in the middle of Angela’s driveway. He was loosely holding onto her hands, rubbing circles into her skin with his thumbs as he tried to convince himself he actually wanted to leave. He felt particularly needy in the moment and he wasn’t sure why.
“I’ll wait for your call,” Temperance replied, also feeling the urge to remain in her spot.
“Text me when your parents pick you up okay?”
“You sound a bit too worried about me considering I’m simply going home,” Brennan pointed out as she brushed some snowflakes off his shoulder.
Booth realized how damn needy he must looked and cringed internally. “No, I’m not worried at all. It’s just I was getting used to having you all to myself and I’m going to miss you.”
“I love you too Booth,” she told him, understanding exactly what he meant. “I’ll tell you when I’m home, don’t worry.” She made the first move and kissed him. “Now I need to go inside before Angela comes out to drag me back and you need to get to the gym so Sully doesn’t wait for you for too long.”
“You’re right. I love you too.” Booth kissed her twice, once on the lips and one on her forehead before getting back in his car and driving away.
Before Temperance could knock on the door, Angela threw it open and wrapped her in a tight hug. “You have to tell me everything!”
“Can we at least have this conversation inside?” Brennan laughed as she awkwardly tried to hug back her friend as well as manage her bag.
“Yes!” Angela dragged her to the couch and they sat face to face. “Now how was it? Is he as good as the rumour say?”
“That’s an inappropriate question Angela,” Brennan admonished her friend. “The only thing I will say is that yes I enjoyed it and so did he.” She felt the tip of her ears heat up a little and she avoided eye contact with Angela as much as possible. It wasn’t exactly embarrassment per say, but she also wasn’t that comfortable sharing this very part of her life, even with her best friend.
“Damn, that means it was really good then,” Angela deduced using her friends body language. “Don’t worry I’m not going to ask any other questions, I’m just glad I could contribute.”
“Yes well Booth was very thankful for your contribution,” Brennan added with a knowing smile.
“Oh my god I hate that you are both so private, but I get it,” Angela laughed, happy for her friends. “Now we need to get our story straight before your parents get here.”
***
Brennan was unpacking her bag in her bedroom when her mom knocked on her open door.
“So, how was your weekend with Angela?” Christine asked her daughter as it was Max that had picked her up at her friend’s place.
“Very enjoyable, we watched movies and played games,” Temperance said vaguely as she threw a pair of pyjamas into the hamper in the corner of her room.
“Where did you get this?” Christine picked up the nutcracker Brennan had gotten at the market.
Brennan whipped around and looked at her mother. “Oh we also went to the Christmas Village and I bought it to add to my collection,” Brennan replied quickly and took the trinket from her mother.
“Oh that must have been nice. Your father and I wanted to go Saturday, but we didn’t have the time in the end.”
Brennan’s eyes widened hearing that, glad that her parents schedule hadn’t allowed them to go because Booth and her would certainly have gotten caught there and then. “It’s open until Christmas Day, you still have time. I could go back with you and Russ, we didn’t have the time to see everything.”
“That’s a good idea Tempie.” There was an awkward pause, where both women didn’t exactly know what to say. “So you just watched movies for the whole weekend and went to the market, nothing else?” Christine knew that her husband had an easier time reading their daughter, but something in the back of her mind told her there was more to the story.
“No, not really,” Brennan answered curtly and took the nutcracker from her mother’s hands. “It was just a simple weekend.”
“Okay, I’ll get started on dinner then.” Christine left her daughter to do her things and went to the kitchen where her husband was already getting started cooking. “Did you notice something strange about Temperance when you picked her up?”
“Not particularly,” Max told his wife, going through the conversation he had with his daughter back in the car. “She was happy, relaxed even. I really think we made the right choice to move here honey.”
“I think so too, that’s not it.”
“Russ is still finding his footing for sure, but I still think he’s going to be okay.” Max moved to the fridge and grabbed a bunch of green beans. “She’s definitely different though, but a good different.”
“I know she’s almost eighteen, but I still see her as our little girl Max.”
“She’ll always be our little girl.” Max leaned against the counter and looked at his wife. “I was going to wait until tonight, but since you brought it up, I don’t think she spent the weekend at Angela’s.”
His wife’s interest was peaked by that statement. “What makes you say that?”
“There were tyre marks in the snow in Angela’s drive way. They were fresh,” Max specified.
“So I’m not imagining things? Also since when are you such a detective?”
“You know how I love my crime novels,” Max joked. “And I think we both have an idea who could have dropped Tempie off this morning.”
For a moment neither parents said anything, both of them silently agreeing on the fact that their daughter had spent the weekend with her boyfriend. “Well, we did do worst things than that together when we were younger than her,” Christine pointed out.
“We did and we also lied about it,” Max added as snapped the ends of the green beans.
“And we were younger than she is,” Christine acknowledged. “As long as her grade stays the same and she stays safe, let’s just let her be a teenager.”
“I agree. I’m just wondering how long she’ll manage to hide it from us. She’s never been a good liar,” Max laughed as he handed his wife the pot with the beans so she could bring it over to the stove.
“We’ll see.” Christine took the pot from him and placed it next to the other ones on the stove.
***
During dinner, Brennan brought up the promise she had made earlier. “So I was wondering if it would be possible to invite Booth’s family and host them for a Christmas dinner.”
Max and Christine gave each other a knowing look. “Did you have a date in mind?” The father of the family asked his daughter.
“Well, Booth’s family has more free time in between Christmas and New Year which is similar to us,” Brennan explained before taking a sip of water. “I’ll even cook the whole meal.”
“We are going to say yes even before you offered that,” Christine told her daughter. “It’ll be nice, we can finally meet Seeley’s little brother.”
“Thank you, I’m sure you will all like Jared.” Temperance went back to her meal, happy that her parents had accepted her offer.
***
Max hurried to answer the door when the doorbell rang, inviting the Booth family inside and out of the snowy weather. “Come on in,” Max waved them in and offered to take their winter coats.
Booth walked through the door last, already looking for his girlfriend. They had seen each other a few days ago on a quick coffee date, but with both of their Christmas schedules, it had been hard to spend more than a few hours together. He finally heard her voice coming from the back of the house.
“You look so dumb right now,” Jared whispered in his big brother’s ear.
“Shut up Jared and be polite,” Booth snapped back quickly before anyone could hear them. “Good evening Mr. Brennan, thank you for inviting us,” he said as he turned to the older man.
“She’s in the kitchen,” Max replied with a knowing smile and watched as Booth turned red, but still quickly went to the kitchen.
“Hey Bones,” Booth announced his presence as he entered the kitchen. Temperance was wearing a deep red knitted dress and her hair was tieback in a pony tail.
“Booth!” Brennan wiped the flour from her hands on a kitchen rag before coming over to greet her boyfriend. She looked over her shoulder and saw that her mother was still checking the potatoes in the oven. She used that opportunity to quickly kiss Booth, surprising him with her spontaneity.
What are you doing? Booth mouthed at her, looking side to side to make sure no one had seen them. She looked way to satisfied with herself so Booth took a step back so she wouldn’t get them into trouble.
“I was just finishing putting the biscuits on the baking tray,” Brennan told him before also taking a step back. “I’ll put them in the oven and join you in the living room.”
“Sure, I’ll get out of your hair.” It’s not like he had thought they would actually have some time alone together, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to.
“What? You aren’t in my hair.” Brennan turned to look at him, holding the tray in her hands.
“It’s an idiom Bones,” Booth told her as he stepped out of the kitchen. “Oh and good evening Mrs Brennan.”
“Hello Seeley, we’ll join all of you in a few.”
***
Dinner was a success as everyone enjoyed the meal and the company. The party was moved from the dining room to the living room and Booth ended up squeezed in between Jared and Temperance on the couch.
“So Seeley, what colleges are you applying to?” Max asked.
“It’s complicated for me.” Booth absolutely didn’t expect being asked that question and more importantly he wasn’t sure he wanted to answer in the first place. “I’ve gotten a few verbal offers from coaches, but I haven’t actually signed any letters of intent. I’m absolutely going to college though, don’t worry.”
“I forgot you had a weird process as an athlete.” Max realized that Seeley was going to have a completely different path to higher education compared to his own children. “Don’t worry, I know Tempie wouldn’t be interested in a guy that doesn’t go to school.”
“No need to worry about that, I need to go to college if I want to make it to the NHL,” Booth added to prove his point. “I still have no clue what I’ll actually be studying, because I do intend on getting a degree, but it’ll depend what school I end up that.”
“He’s interested in Criminal justice,” Brennan proudly said for him.
“You are?” Alice interjected as it was the first time she had heard about her grandson’s intention.
“I’m looking, that’s all,” Booth said quickly. “I mean Temperance has so much information on every school in the country and she could get into any of them.” He tried to get the attention off of him.
“Yes well that also means I need to make a choice once I get offers and a lot of Anthropology programs are interesting. There are now other factors too I want to consider.”
“I’m dropping out of college,” Russ announced from the end of the other couch. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at him. “There’s an electrician apprenticeship program and I want to do that instead.”
Max and Christine were still in shock, they weren’t angry just confused.
“Well that sounds like a good plan to me,” Hank said, breaking the awkward silence. “There’s a lot of work in that field.”
“We can talk about this later Russ,” Max cut it. “It’s good that you have a plan, but we can do this later.”
***
After the adults had gone to the kitchen to what the kids assumed was talking, Booth spoke up. “Thanks for doing that Russ, you didn’t have to do that.”
“I mean I had to tell them before January, but you’re welcome. You both needed out of that conversation let’s be honest,” Russ said casually. “It just gave me motivation to do it.”
“Still thank you,” Booth repeated.
“Don’t thank me yet, our parents absolutely know Tempie helped me find the program.”
“Yes well they can’t be mad because I helped you stay in school,” Temperance argued.
“I don’t know why picking colleges is so important,” Jared said, uninvolved in the entire situation.
“What?” Booth and Brennan said at the same time. “School is very important Jared,” she finished for both of them.
“The two of you sound like parents now,” Jared retorted.
“Why would you say that?” Booth snapped angrily which probably made the situation worse.
“Yeah, why would he say that?” Russ asked, suddenly realizing there was something much more interesting to talk about.
“Absolutely no reasons that are worth talking about,” Brennan diffused the situation as quickly as she could.
“Sure…” Russ wasn’t convinced, but decided to let it go.
***
“We’re sorry about Russ,” Christine said as she handed Alice her cup of tea.
“They’re children, don’t worry about it,” Alice dismissed the younger woman’s apology. “Jared and Seeley keep us both on our feet.”
“Well from what we can tell, you’ve raised two great young men,” Max said as he took a sip of his tea.
“Seeley was a handful for a few years, but hockey gave him something to focus on. Jared is getting there, we hope high school will do the same for him,” Hank told them honestly. Both couple turned to look into the living room where Jared was more focused on his phone than anything else. Russ and Temperance were talking while Seeley was simply gazing at her lovingly while fiddling with Temperance’s new bracelet, which had been his Christmas gift to her.
“Why doesn’t Seeley stay over for the night? He can borrow pyjamas from Russ,” Christine offered to everyone’s surprise. “I can drop him back home tomorrow morning when I go grocery shopping.”
“Temperance has been asking us for a while, but we obviously wanted to ask both of you before offering,” Max added.
Hank and Alice looked at each other and decided that it was okay with a simple shrug. “I’m sure Seeley and Temperance would like that. He can spend the night,” Alice decided even though she felt slightly guilty having the knowledge that it wouldn’t be the first time both teens spent a night with each other.
“We shouldn’t leave too late either considering the weather,” Hank decided after looking at his wrist watch. They all put down their mugs on the kitchen counter and went back to the living room.
“We are going to go back home before the weather gets too bad,” Hank said and noticed how disappointed the young couple on the couch was. “Seeley, Mrs. Brennan has offered to let you spend the night if you want to.”
“Really?” Temperance turned to look at her mother. “He can?”
“It’s Christmas, why not? You’ve asked a few times and since the both you did good in school we figured it was a good idea.”
Temperance shot up from the couch and wrapped her mom in a tight hug. “Thank you!”
Booth gave his grandparents a goodbye hug just before they left with Jared, leaving him with the Brennan family. Seeley and Temperance volunteered to do the dishes as a simple way to thank her parents. They worked quickly in tandem and it didn’t take too long before they were ready to go upstairs to bed.
“These should fit you since they are way too big on me,” Russ handed Booth a neatly folded pile of clothing.
“Thanks,” Booth replied as he took them.
“I share a wall with Tempie by the way,” Russ told Booth before closing his bedroom’s door.
Booth didn’t need to ask what he meant by that and hurried back to Brennan’s room. He was going to just walk in, but then made eye contact with Hank and decided to knock for appearance.
“Come in.” He heard her say through the door and twisted the door handle. Brennan was wearing the shirt she had stolen from him.
“This is really not subtle Bones,” he told her in a low voice.
“You need to leave the door open,” she informed him as she piled her hair on top of her head into a messy bun.
“I’ll go change in the bathroom.”
“I left you a new toothbrush on the counter. The toothpaste is in the first drawer on the left next to the sink.”
Booth quickly changed and got ready before slipping back into his girlfriend’s bedroom.
“I was thinking we could watch a movie,” Brennan opened her computer and set it on the covers of her bed.
Booth made sure that the door was fully opened, a fun little call back to their night together at his house, and then got on the bed next to her. “Home Alone?”
“It was on the list of movies you said I needed to watch.”
“I did say that, it’s a really good movie.”
They both got under the covers and Brennan tucked herself into his side. Booth kissed the side of her head, just above her temple and hit the spacebar so the movie would start playing.
***
Christine and Max’s entertainment for the night turned out to be listening to the two teenagers watch the movie.
“Why would he do that, he must have known it was going to sting?” They heard their daughter ask in disbelief.
“He’s like seven years old, how was he supposed to know about aftershave?” Seeley told her. “I didn’t know what aftershave did at that age.”
A little later, they heard laughter coming out of their daughter’s bedroom.
“Booth, the physics of that scene make no sense. He should be dead after getting hit in the face with paint cans and falling down the stairs.”
“It’s not supposed to be realistic, just funny,” Booth laughed even though he had seen the movie a dozen times. He couldn’t decide what was funnier, the movie or his girlfriend’s reaction to it.
“I don’t see what is so funny about unrealistic injuries as such.”
“Am I going to have to tickle you every single time there’s a funny scene so you laugh? This is a classic movie baby.”
“Don’t you dare tickle me,” Brennan warned him and caught his wrist before his hands could reach her sides. “Booth!”
“Okay, I won’t tickle you as long as you promise to turn your brain off and just watch the movie,” Booth dared her.
“I can’t turn my brain off, it’s not a computer.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I do, but maybe I just want to argue with you.”
“You think this is funny, but not the movie?” Booth said in disbelief. “This is so not the time or place.”
“Why not?”
“Now you are definitely doing it on purpose.”
The two parents listened to the bickering for a few minutes, finding it absolutely comforting that their daughter had found something so similar to what they had.
Notes:
I decided that Max and Christine are really chill parents because this Brennan is getting a really good childhood and her parents trust her to make good decisions. Seeing her happy and finally having fun is more important than some rules, especially considering how happy they see their daughter is.
Thank you all and I'll see everyone next sunday!
Chapter 29
Notes:
Hello! We are moving along the timeline a little, getting closer and closer to the end of the school year. By the way, I did do some research on how US college/university applications work especially with sports programs and after spending way too much time on it, I decided to just write it so it works with my story. So it's probably somewhat inaccurate lmao.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When the school bell rang, Booth was more than thankful to hear it. He has been having a hard time getting back into the school schedule after being ono Christmas break, not to mention that the weather outside hadn’t been the best for running in the morning. He found himself a lot more restless in class than usual with the added stress of all the talks with coach Cullen about picking a college or university. He even had an appointment with coach Cullen and the guidance counsellor after school to his annoyance.
It’s not that he didn’t want to pick, because he really wants to be drafted to a D1 hockey team, it’s just that his grandmother hasn’t been doing so well and the thought of not staying in Philadelphia was scaring him a lot more than he wanted to admit. The chemo treatments seemed to have lost a lot of their effects and while Alice had managed to hide a lot of the symptoms for Christmas, Booth had finally noticed how truly tired his grandmother was. That had let to have a hard conversation where she had admitted to her grandson that they were trying one last type of treatment and if that didn’t work, she was done. She’s reached her limit. It was hard words to hear, but Booth understood.
Then there was the fact that he was waiting to see which schools Temperance was going to get offers from and which one she was going to accept. He would never say it to her because he knew she would be angry at him for delaying accepting an offer. Normally, everyone should be receiving their offers in the next two weeks and then they would be forced to pick and chose what their lives would look like for the next few years.
“Hey Booth, do you still want to go to the gym after fourth period?” Sully asked his friend as they walked to their next class.
“I’ll join you guys after my meeting with Coach Cullen,” Booth reminded his friend.
“I can’t believe you still haven’t told us which schools have given you an offer,” Sully lamented.
“You’ll all know when I pick, I’ve said this like ten times.”
“Does Temperance know?”
Booth gave his friend a long look, giving the clear message to let it go. His girlfriend was smart enough to know that he had gotten offers, but also smart enough to know he didn’t really want to talk about it. She was currently at her own practice, the first one since Christmas break so at least she wasn’t there to contribute to the interrogation. He decided to stop thinking too much about it and let his brain take a break before the next period started.
***
Booth picked up his phone as it rang, discarding the hockey magazine he had been reading to kill some time. He smiled when he saw his girlfriend’s caller ID. “Hey Bones.”
“I got the notification emails from a few universities,” she blurted out, her voice tinged with excitement. “Can you come over early?”
Booth was already getting out of his bed and walking to his closet so he could get dressed. “Yeah, I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” He held his phone against his shoulder so he could slip into his jeans. “Do you want me to stop and get something to celebrate?”
“Booth, we don’t know if we are going to want to celebrate after,” Brennan said on the other end of the line.
“Baby, there’s no way you didn’t get into the schools you want, you’re the smartest person I know.” He grabbed his navy sweater that his grandmother had knitted for him and threw it on.
“ - know that for sure.” Booth had missed the beginning of her sentence, but knew what she meant.
“I do know that for sure, but okay.” He found a thick pair of socks, grabbed his wallet and headed downstairs. “I have to get in my car, I’ll be there soon okay?” She agreed and he hung up the phone.
His grandmother and grandfather looked at him as he looked for his coat, confused as to why he was such in a hurry. “Bones, got her admittance notifications and she asked me to be there,” he explained as he realized he must have looked crazy storming through the house. “I know I said I was only heading over there in the afternoon, but I’ll make it up to both of you.”
“Don’t worry Shrimp, go support your lady,” Hank said proudly. A part of him hoped that it would also motivate his grandson to make a pick of his own.
***
Fifteen minutes later, Booth knocked on her front door as promised. She answered it and grabbed him by the hand so she could drag him inside.
“Let me take off my boots,” Booth laughed as he toed off his shoes all the while being pulled in the direction of the dinning room by his girlfriend.
“I wanted to wait for you,” she told him as she forced him into a chair, where her computer was already set up and ready to go. Her parents were also already there as was Russ.
“Do you know which schools have sent in their offers?”
“I believe I saw Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Columbia in my inbox,” she replied.
“So the Ivy Leagues?”
“Yes the ones that I applied to.”
“What order do you want to do this Tempie?” Max asked his daughter.
“Let’s start with Princeton, it has the better ranking than the others.”
Brennan opened Princeton University’s online portal and entered her password. All five of them waited in anticipation as the page loaded, excited and nervous to see the offer.
“Congratulations! We are delighted to inform you that you have been admitted at Princeton University. Your application stood out among a highly competitive pool of candidates, and we are thrilled to offer you a place in our community,” Temperance read out.
The other four of them applauded and cheered at the positive offer. “Congrats honey,” Christine squeezed her daughters hand.
She opened Yale next, to which she got accepted too and then Columbia that rejected her. However her mood wasn’t too down as she still had been accepted at at least two schools.
The one that made her more nervous was the last one, Harvard, as it was the one she really wanted to go considering the professor she wanted to study under was there.
Temperance would never admit it, but her hand was slightly trembling as she signed into the Harvard portal.
“Whatever happens, you are still going to a top school,” Max said, hopefully encouraging his daughter.
“Congratulations! We are delighted to inform you that you have been admitted to Harvard University. Your application stood out among a highly competitive pool of candidates, and we are ecstatic to offer you a place in our community,” she said excitedly and everyone erupted into cheers. Booth could help but kiss her in his excitement for her, but pulled back quickly so her family could congratulate her.
While Brennan was receiving hugs from her family members, Booth grabbed the computed and scrolled down the letter a bit, his eyes widening at the lines he read.
“Bones, you have to read this.” He touched her arm to get her attention.
“What?”
“Read this out loud.” He pointed to a paragraph of text on the screen.
“Congratulations on being selected as a recipient of the The Summit Award for Academic Brilliance Scholarship! This scholarship covers the full cost of tuition, room, board, and fees for all four years of your study at Harvard.” Temperance remembered applying for the scholarship, but for some reason she hadn’t thought she would get it. “I got a full ride?”
“You got a full ride!” Booth repeated happily. He knew she would be able to get full rides, but reading it on paper was something else entirely. “You should have let me go buy us something to celebrate!”
“I can’t believe it!”
Max and Christine couldn’t believe it either. Technically they could have helped her pay part of tuition especially now that Russ was no longer going to college, but a full ride was a major relief. “That’s a good idea Seeley, I’m going to go get us treat at the grocery store to celebrate,” Max said, clapping his hands together.
***
After eating cake in the middle of the afternoon, the family had split up and everything went mostly back to their scheduled activities. Booth and Brennan were sitting at the dinning room table studying for their English exam on Monday while Russ was up in the living room playing video games. Max and Christine were both in their home offices working and the house was calm.
“You are not taking this story as seriously as you should. We have an essay to write in two days about it,” she chastised him when she noticed he was staring at the wall in front of him and not the reading the booklet in front of him.
“How you can focus on it after getting such good news is beyond me,” Booth told her and stopped spinning his highlighter on the table.
“I need to keep my GPA if I actually want to go to Harvard,” she explained as if it was obvious. Her document was completely annotated with comments in the margins as it was far from the first time she read through the short story. “Although I do not find it interesting at all, the faster we are done with studying, the faster we can do something else.”
Booth knew she had made a good point, but that didn’t mean he suddenly cared about the text in front of him. His grades have been better than they’ve ever been, a fact he could attribute to spending so many study sessions with her instead of waisting time doing nothing at home or going to parties he didn’t even want to go in the first place. “I say we do another 25 minutes of studying and then we find something else to do.”
“I accept your terms,” Temperance said to Booth’s relief. “Now, how did you annotate line twenty-seven?”
***
As expected, Booth’s team made it to the final match of the season and would be playing to defend their title as champions again. The team was ready to play and very excited about it especially since it would be played out of state this year which meant a team road trip. This year the host school and their opponents would be a high school in Albany New York. They had played that team a few years ago and beat them, but that didn’t mean they shouldn’t be on their guards.
“My dad heard there’s going to be a bunch of scouts at the match,” Charlie said as they all sat around the cafeteria. “It might be the chance for some of us who didn’t get an offer to get one.”
“I know it’s important for everyone to get promises, but we need to focus on the game. If you guys are too stressed about it, you aren’t going to play your best game,” Booth reminded his friends.
“Maybe I could ask my parents if I could come? I’ll have to ask if I can take one of the cars for a few days,” Temperance said. They had no school the Friday before the game so she wouldn’t miss any of her classes. “It’s the last time I can attend one of you matches for the year and it’s the most important one.”
“You could take my car, I’ll be on the team bus anyway,” Booth offered excited at the prospect of having her in the stands while he played his last hockey game of his high school career.
“I’d have to figure out the accommodations, but I’m sure it would be doable,” Temperance mused.
“You could stay with us,” Charlie’s girlfriend, Maya, said. “Olivia, Chloe and I are going to go too so there’s a place for you in our room. You could ride with us too if you want.”
Temperance wouldn’t say that she was good friends with the girls, more that they hung out because they were all dating a player on the team, but she got along relatively well with them. She couldn’t exactly tell if they were nice with her because she was dating the captain of the team, but if that allowed her to go see the game, she was fine with it.
“Thank you for your offer, if my parents agree I will certainly take you up on your offer.”
“It would be so nice to have you there, I’d have someone in the stands,” Booth told her just loud enough for her to hear. Even if his grandparents had wanted to come, his grandmother wasn’t doing well enough to endure a four hour drive only to sit in a cold arena for a few hours. Booth understood why they couldn’t be there, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t made him sad when his grandfather had told him.
A part of him was also cynical enough to think that it might be the last game of his that she gets to see for a while if they don’t go to colleges that are close to each other enough so it meant even more to him that she could attend.
“I’ll ask when I get home tonight and call you after that?”
“That’d be nice,” Booth replied before kissing her on the cheek. It was hard to focus on anything else but his grandmother at the moment, but at least he had her to ground him.
Notes:
Thank you so much to everyone that is still following this story, it really means a lot!
Chapter 30
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Booth couldn’t believe that it was finally the last match of his high school career. The last game he would play with his team, his best friends in the world. It felt a bit weird as he laced up his skates, the sound of whatever pump up song that was blasting out of the speakers not reaching his ears. His mind strayed to his grandparents, who were sitting in the living room back home and watching the livestream on Youtube since Alice really couldn’t travel much anymore. He thought of his mom, wherever she was and hoped she was happy even if it meant he had had to be alone for so long.
Booth thought of Bones, sitting in the crowd and waiting to watch him play. He thought of how she had kissed him good luck so sweetly before he’d gone into the locker rooms with the rest of team. He’s going to play a hell of a game, not only because it was his last game, but also because she was watching him and he never wanted to disappoint her in any way.
“You good cap?” Sully asked, dropping down moon the bench next to him. “Nervous?”
“I’m good Sully, just thinking about all of it you know.”
“Hey, I’m sure that whatever school you pick, you’ll be playing great there anyway.”
“Yeah, for sure,” Booth replied dismissively. “As long as I get to play right?”
“Exactly,” Sully agreed, offering Booth a supportive smile. No one on the team quite understood why he hadn’t picked a school yet.
Booth stood up, shook his head a bit and took a deep breath. “Okay boys, gather around!” He called out, glad that Charlie turned off the music the moment he did.
“I know it’s the last game of hockey for a lot of you and that you’re going to go off to college or university. We’re going to play our asses off for you, give you the best game to remember. And to those of you, just like me, that are hoping to go play at a higher level, I’m going to give you the best opportunity to get scouted and to get some good plays in. We’re a team and we’ll always be. If you’re struggling with school or exams after this, as usual don’t hesitate to come see me and we’ll figure something out together. Now I want everyone’s head to be in the game and let’s bring this championship home again!”
The boys all cheered, clapping each other on the backs and hyping each other up for the game. Booth took a step back to take everything in, to memorize how good he felt playing hokey and prayed that he would get to experience this again, not matter where he ended up.
“You’re good at this Booth, you’re easily the best player I’ve ever coached and probably the best I ever will. You just have to make a choice and when you do, you know I’ll be right there to support you alright?” Coach Cullen said, putting a hand on Booth’s shoulder.
“Thanks Coach, I don’t think I would be here if it wasn’t for you.”
“I’m always there for my boys Seeley.”
***
The arena lights dimmed slightly as the announcer’s voice echoed through the rafters, calling for everyone to rise. Booth stood tall at the blue line with his helmet tucked under his arm, gloves clenched tightly at his sides. His team lined up beside him for the last time, shoulder to shoulder, faces solemn beneath the bright white lights. He could tell a lot of them were nervous and he couldn’t blame them, he could feel his own nerves in the pit of his stomach.
Across the ice, the opposing team mirrored them, their jerseys crisp and similarly nervous. That’s good, he thought. If everyone’s was nervous then they were all on the same playing field.
A hush fell over the crowd. The flag was lowered from the rafters, illuminated by a single spotlight. A local student stepped up to the microphone at centre ice, her voice clear and steady as she began to sing.
"Oh, say can you see…"
The words rang out over the arena, met with silence and stillness. Booth swallowed hard, adrenaline and pride curling together in his chest. He shifted his gaze to the flag. He’d thought about joining the military once, wanting to serve his country like his grandfather had. He wondered where that life would have brought him, where he would have ended up in if he had joined up.
Booth spotted Temperance in the crowd and wondered if they would have somehow met if her parents hadn’t decided to move to Philadelphia, how different his life would have been this year without her steady presence. He doesn’t like to imagine a life without her anymore and likes to think that, yes, even if he had joined the military, God would have found a way for them to meet in the end.
As the final notes of the anthem echoed through the arena, the crowd erupted into cheers and Booth realized it was time for him to get his head in the game. All of his questions could wait for later, he had a championship to win.
***
The scoreboard showed fifteen seconds left in the third period and they were tied 3-3. Booth isn’t exactly surprised, the other team was in the championship too for a reason, he’s just a bit angry that it’s close. Neither team had scored yet in the third period and he could tell the boys were starting to get tired.
The crowd was on its feet, screaming, stomping, living on the edge of breath. Booth’s lungs burned, his legs were lead and a part of him felt like if he was hit a bit too hard he would struggle to get up, but he just couldn’t give up. Not today.
The puck bounced loose at centre ice after a brutal check by his teammate. Booth saw it first, lunged, and took off down the rink. His stick met the puck cleanly, and he tucked it close, weaving through two defenders easily. He didn’t have a lot of time, there was only fifteen second left on the clock.
He crossed the blue line, eyes locked on the goalie. The defence closed in, sticks slashing, skates cutting hard. Booth ducked to the left, then right, shifting his weight just enough to keep the puck on his stick.
This were the moments in which he usually shined, where when the pressure comes down on his shoulder, he pushes even harder to succeed.
He dropped his shoulder, faked the shot, and the goalie bit, just slightly, just enough and probably because of how tired he also is. Booth pulled the puck to his backhand and flicked it.
It flew.
The red light flashed. The arena exploded.
Booth didn’t hear the horn, didn’t feel the ice beneath him as his teammates mobbed him, screaming his name. He’d scored the last goal of their high school career. With five seconds to spare. He’d done it.
They were champions again.
For the last time.
***
Brennan cheered loudly with the rest of the girls, smiling brightly as she watched Booth be swarmed by his team mates and parents hugging each other. She quickly snapped a picture of it with her phone and sent it to Hank, giving them a view from the crowd of their grandson celebrating. She felt so proud of her boyfriend, how he’d managed to keep his cool for the entire game and pulled one last play to win the whole thing for his team.
The ceremony was short and the whole team takes a picture with the trophy and banner before skating off the ice and down the tunnel. The crowd stayed in their seats to talk a little bit more and Brennan found herself a bit out of her dept for a moment, still a bit clumsy when it came to social interaction.
Brennan left the arena with everyone and stayed in the sort of foyer while waiting for the boys to come out. Even though she felt out of her depts, she still took pictures with the girls, happy to have been included in the proceedings.
She was looking at her phone after sending a few pictures to her parents and the Booth’s grandparents when a voice made her jump. “You’re wearing Seeley’s jersey.”
Brennan looked up at the man, frowning a bit. She didn’t recognize him and she never forgets a face. “I am,” she replied simply.
“You his girlfriend?” The man asked, his voice slightly slurred.
Brennan looked up and down at him, noting the disheveled clothing and the pungent smell of alcohol coming off of him. His jaw and eyes felt familiar, like she had seen them somewhere else, but not exactly. She took a small step back, glad that there were other people around her if she needed. She didn’t feel particularly in danger, but also not completely safe.
Brennan was about to answer when Booth suddenly appeared out of nowhere, throwing himself between the man and her.
“Stay the fuck away from her!” Booth growled, pushing the older man back. “Don’t even look at her!”
Brennan’s brain brain finally made the connection. The man had the same jaw and eyes as Hank has. This is Edwin Booth standing in front of her.
“How did you even find out I was going to be here?” Booth said, his voice tight.
“I can read a paper Seeley,” Edwin said simply and almost with disgust.
“Yeah well I need you to leave and never do this shit again,” Booth insisted, moving with his father to keep on blocking Temperance out of his line of sight.
“I can’t come watch my boy win a championship now?”
“You know you can’t,” Booth continued, suddenly conscious that people were staring at them. “I’ll call you a taxi to drive you to your motel or I’m calling the cops. Last chance Edwin, you know you’re not supposed to be within a five hundred feet of me or Jared.”
In the end it was Coach Cullen, who had been informed of Booth’s situation all those years ago, who dragged Edwin out of the arena while the other parents watched curiously.
Booth took a moment for himself, taking in deep breaths just like his therapist thought him to do all those years ago, while Brennan rubbed his back. It was always hard to ignore the looks he got when his father showed up, it’s why they pushed to have a restraining order. He hates how angry he got at the sight of his father, he tries to stay calmer, but he just had to get in between Edwin and Brennan. He couldn’t stand to see his father even remotely close to the girl he loves.
“I’m sorry, he shouldn’t even have been able to look at you,” Booth finally told Brennan, clearly feeling guilt over a situation he didn’t have any control over. “And I’m sorry for getting so angry in front of you.”
“Booth, it’s okay, everyone is alright,” Brennan reassured him, taking his hand and squeezing it. “Let’s put this behind us okay? He’s gone and we’re okay.”
“I know, I just hate that he’s seen you. He should have never seen you,” he insisted, wrapping his arms around her waist.
Coach Cullen eventually came back to see them. “He’s gone Seeley, put him the taxi myself with another warning.”
“Thanks coach,” Booth said, relieved that even though he still felt a bit like shit, it was over. His father was gone and he and Brennan were safe now.
“Don’t let this take away from your celebration alright, you deserve to be happy tonight,” Cullen insisted, putting his hand on his shoulder and squeezing it. “You were amazing on the ice and off the ice. Enjoy the victory."
It was going to be hard, but Booth would try.
***
“Did you know that it’s the first time I’ve seen him since my grandparents took me in?” Booth told Brennan. They were sitting in the trunk of the caravan the girls had used to drive up while the rest of the team is celebrating in the parking lot of the motel.
“I didn’t know that,” Brennan answered truthfully. “I think you handled that as well as possible Booth.”
“I’m just glad Jared wasn’t there, he was too young to remember most of it and I want it to remain that way.”
Brennan snuggled closer into his side and played her head properly on his shoulder. His arm around her waist tightened a bit and he sighed.
“It was a good game wasn’t it?” Booth finally asked her.
“It was a great game Booth, you played beautifully,” Brennan confirmed, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “You’re a champion.”
“I am, Bones.”
It might not have been exactly how he had anticipated celebrating his last game, but sitting cuddled up with his Bones in the back of car, he finds himself unable to be anything but happy.
When they get back home, he’s going to have a lot of important decisions to make. He’ll have to pick where he wants to go and who he wants to play for, but for now he let the sound of music and cheering wash over him.
Notes:
They won the championship! Now, we're going to move into the end of the school year, Booth has to pick a university, there's prom and graduation next!
I'm excited to move into the last big sequence of this fic <3
Chapter 31
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Booth finished spreading the stain remover on Jared’s baseball pants and set them aside so he could move on to his own gear. He liked Sundays, liked the rhythm of them as he worked around the house to get everything ready for the week. Going to church in the morning gave him some time for himself and allowed him to relax a bit.
He had already taken care of the grocery with his pops after coming back from church and he only had the laundry left to deal with before settling in his room to try to get some studying done.
“Seeley honey, can you come sit with me in the kitchen after you’re done?” Booth heard his grandmother ask.
“Yeah, I’ll be right there!” Booth called out, measuring the right amount of laundry detergent and throwing it in the machine.
Alice was sitting at the dinning table, nursing a cup of tea when Booth walked in.
“What’s up?” Booth asked as he washed his hands in the sink. “Do you need more water for your tea?”
“No, just come sit with me,” Alice insisted and Booth frowned, but still complied. He sat down in his usual spot, in front of his grandmother. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good grams,” Booth answered, looking down at his hands.
“Talk to me Seeley,” his grandmother said, seeing though him perfectly as she always did. “You look tired.”
“It’s alright, I’m just busy with my finals,” Booth dismissed her worries.
“And coaching Jared’s team, and doing a lot of the house chores, and volunteering at church, your job and taking care of me,” Alice compiled, giving Booth a knowing smile.
“It’s alright, it’s the least I can do,” he said. He was tired and could use a break, but there was just so much he had to do to keep things running properly and he just couldn’t afford to take some time off. “I’m okay.”
“What about Temperance, when do you have the to be with her?”
“We eat lunch together almost everyday when she doesn’t have Academic Decathlon and we have our date night on Fridays on top of our morning study sessions,” Booth explains.
“And that’s enough for her?”
“She likes her space and having a schedule,” Booth tells her knowing that Brennan really doesn’t mind not having him with her all the time. “It’s working for us.”
“What about when you pick a school?” Alice reached for his hand, her thin fingers wrapping around his. “She’s going to Harvard no?”
Booth swallowed thickly, looking up from their joined hands, the contrast between them making him remember how limited their time together might be.
“I… I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I have offers, you know that… but I just can’t pick,” Booth confessed, feeling like a little boy again.
“Where do you want to go Seeley, that’s what matters in the end? How do we get you in the NHL?”
The conflict he had been feeling for months now still ate at him, the idea of leaving Philadelphia versus going to a school outside of the city still nagged at him.
“I can’t make a decision, I know I need to make one but I can’t handle it.”
Alice took a deep breath, one that felt far too difficult and looked at her grandson with a fond look it her eyes. She knew what she had to say, but didn’t know if he was ready to hear the words.
“Seeley, my sweet boy,” Alice started, squeezing his hand with what strength she had. She was running out of time after all. “I am not your responsibility.”
“Grams…”
“No let me talk,” she cut him off. “You are so good Seeley, so selfless and dedicated to helping others. But you have to live for yourself.”
“I am, I’m doing what I feel is right,” Booth replied, feeling a bit desperate.
“I’m going to be gone soon,” Alice said, in the softest voice he could manage. She saw the fear in Booth’s eyes, the way he refused to believe she was going to leave them. “I know my darling, I know it’s hard for you to accept it, but we all know the treatments aren’t working anymore. I’ve accepted it, just like your grandfather has.”
“Don’t say that, we don’t know. The doctor might just be pessimistic and you’ll get better again,” Booth tried to say, but it came out more as a plea than anything else.
Alice stood up from her chair slowly and walked to Booth’s chair, wrapping her arms around her grandson’s shoulders just in time as they started to shake. “I’m not telling you to make a decision right now, but you have to live for yourself Seeley. Hank and Jared will be just fine, you don’t have to put that burden on your shoulders.”
They stayed that way for nearly fifteen minutes, Booth clinging to his grandmother as the weight of reality settled over him. He knew she was right, that their time together was drawing to a close. Still, some small, stubborn part of him held onto hope, wishing for a miracle, wishing that somehow she might defy the odds and stay with him just a little longer.
***
Booth was in a sort oof daze once on Monday morning, going through his running drills on the track without really thinking about anything. At least, that’s what he was trying to do, but the conversation with his grandmother kept playing on a loop in his head.
“Booth!”
He whipped around to see Temperance standing by the fence, pointing to her watch on her wrist. Booth changed direction, heading towards her.
“You ran 10 minutes more than usual, you will not have time to shower if you keep going,” Bones explained, handing him a towel.
"Sorry, I’ve been a little distracted," he said, briskly running the towel through his hair.
"I’ve noticed," she replied, her eyes flicking over him with quiet concern. She didn’t ask for more details, just let the quiet settle between them.
Booth loved her for it, for knowing that he might not be ready to talk just yet, but still let him have the opportunity to do so if he wanted.
“I need to make a decision, a really important one and I don’t feel ready to do so,” he told her earnestly. “I’m… running out of time.”
Brennan leaned forward on the fence, tilting her head as she took in his statement. “Is this something I can help with?”
“I wish you could, Bones. But I don’t think it’s the kinda problem anyone can help with.” He cupped the side of her face with one of his hands and pressed his lips to her forehead. “Thank you for offering.”
“I’m not particularly good at this, but it felt right to offer,” Brennan replied. “And I’m sure you will figure it out Booth.”
“You’re good at this, don’t worry about it Bones.”
“If you say so.”
***
Booth knocked on the door frame and ducked his head into the office. “Coach?”
“Booth! Come in,” Coach Cullen greeted him easily as he looked up from his computer. “Sit down.”
Booth dropped his bag next to the chair and sat in front of the desk.
“What can I do for you? Is everything okay with your studying?”
“Yeah, I’m pretty confident for the math exam tomorrow, I’ve been studying a lot with Temperance.”
“That’s good, you’re grades were already good last year, but they’ve been exemplary this year,” Coach Cullen praised him easily.
“I’ve been thinking about all the offers I’ve gotten. I was looking at my options and I think I’ve come to a conclusion. At least a partial one.”
Coach Cullen leaned back in desk chair and took off his reading glasses. Clearly the man had been waiting for this moment for a while and wanted to dedicate all of his attention to his athlete.
“I’m hesitating between Penn State and Boston College.”
Cullen gave him a quick nod, having clearly expected those to options. “It’s up to you Booth, both of them are D1 schools and I’m sure you’ll fit in perfectly into their programs.”
“But?” Booth asked, needing someone to tell him what to do.
“But one of them is a sure track towards the NHL. With your talent, I’m sure you’ll end up in the league no matter which one of the two you pick.”
“And which school would that be?” Booth pushed on.
“Kid, you and I both know you are smart enough to know which school I’m talking about,” Coach Culled sighed, leaning forward on his forearms.
Booth deflated in his chair, running a hand in his hair. “But I would have to leave them.”
“Booth, I’m going to be real honest with you because I know you already know this more than anyone.” Cullen took a deep breath and straightened in his chair. “People leave Seeley. That’s just how life is. It doesn’t mean you’ll love them any less and you’ll be able to come back home to help out with Jared. I’m sure your church group will be more than happy to pitch in when your grandparents need it with how much you’ve helped in the past years.”
Booth took in his coach’s words, trusting the man that has helped him become the hockey player he is to be telling him the truth. He thought of his grandmother, how she wanted him to seize every single opportunity that came his way. He thought about how much playing hockey in the NHL meant to him and how he knew he could make it if he didn’t stop himself from doing so.
Then he thought about Temperance, about how she’ll be at Harvard and chasing her own dreams of becoming and anthropologist. Thinking of her made him him think about what the logical choice for him would be.
Booth finally came to a conclusion.
“I want to accept Boston College’s offer.”
Notes:
Booth has picked a school!
Chapter 32
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Booth started, pushing up on his forearm to look at Brennan.
“About what, you’ve just said a pretty general statement Booth,” Brennan asked, her eyes leaving her novel to look at her boyfriend.
It’s a nice day out for once, the snow having pretty much all melted so they are spending the lunch break outside to soak up some much needed sun. Booth had been laying on his back, dozing off a little while Brennan was sitting next to him and reading.
Booth simply smiled at her answer, finding her way to approach his line of questioning endearing while other’s might have found it rude.
“Prom is coming up soon and I wanted to know your opinion on it,” Booth explained more, hoping that his girlfriend would not notice his nervousness.
“As a social event or wether or not I have a personal interest in it?” She closed her book and set it aside so she could give him the proper attention.
Booth smiled, he loved the way she always approached discussions with such an open mind, he figured it was probably why she decided to study anthropology. “Your personal interest in it. I want to know if you’d like to attend with me.”
Most boys had been throwing grand proposals since the beginning of the week. From large bouquets of flowers, to the marching band, the school had seen a lot of proposal that tried to outdo one another. There had been a moment where he had considered doing something big to ask Brennan out, but he knew his girl and knew she didn’t exactly love having a big spotlight on her. A quiet moment like this felt much more like something she would enjoy.
“I’ve never been to a school dance,” she said pensively and Booth’s heart hurt a bit for her. He knew she probably never really wanted to go to one, but what high school kid doesn’t want to participate in such a classic event at least once.
“It could be fun, the boys and I are renting a limousine as usual. We’ll probably going back to Sully’s place after for a little party, nothing too wild,” Booth kept on talking, hoping that giving her more details would entice her on going.
“I’d need a dress,” Brennan said.
“That would be something you would need,” Booth agreed, trying to not push her into a decision.
“I’m sure Angela would love to go shopping with me.”
“I’m sure she would. She has to get a dress too doesn’t she? Didn’t Hodgins ask her with some weird glowing plants on Tuesday?” Booth did try to get along with Brennan’s Academic Decathlon team, but they are so wildly different that it’s not the smoothest friendship he’s ever had, if it could even be called a friendship in the first place.
“Yes he did, it was pretty cool how he did that,” Brennan confirmed. “I think I would enjoy going to prom with you Booth.”
Booth smiled brightly at her and leaned up for a kiss which Brennan gave him easily. It was easy to forget that they were laying outside on the school property when kissing each other felt like this, but eventually they pulled back.
“You’ll have to tell me the colour of your dress so I can get a matching bowtie,” Booth told her happily, already trying to imagine what Brennan was going to look like in a prom dress. “I’ll get you a corsage too.”
“You’re excited for this aren’t you?” Brennan asked, her voice free of judgement.
“Of course I am, we’ll be with our friends, dressed up all fancy and going to a fun party,” Booth said, pulling Brennan down so she laid down on his chest. “One last big school event before we graduate.”
Brennan hummed in agreement and for a moment, Booth considered telling her that he’d accepted an offer for Boston College, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come out of his mouth. He still hadn’t talked to his grandparents about his choice either, scared that if he did, something would happen.
***
“You girls have a nice shopping trip!” Max called from his recliner as Temperance and Angela put their shoes on.
“Thank you for the breakfast Mr Brennan,” Angela told the older man as she tied her shoes.
They took the family car to drive to the mall, listening to one of Angela’s playlist that Brennan didn’t particularly care for, but didn’t really mind.
“So there are a few stores I want us to hit, including that thrift store. I might end up making my own dress after all, I think I like too many styles to just pick one,” Angela said as they walked across the parking lot towards one of the entrances of the mall.
“I’m sure you’d make something very nice Angie,” Temperance replied simply, truly convinced that her friend could manage it.
“Do you have an idea of what you want?” Angie asked as she looped her arm through Temperance’s one. “Colour or even style?”
“I don’t feel any particular pull towards anything to be honest,” Brennan replied, looking at the different stores on each side of her.
“Well that means we just have to try everything then!”
With that, Angela pulled her towards their first stop.
***
“What do you think about this one then?” Angela asked Brennan as the sales associate helped her step up in front of the mirror.
Temperance stood in front of the mirror, arms stiff at her sides, her brow slightly furrowed as she examined the dress with clinical detachment.
“The structural design is aesthetically pleasing,” she said, glancing at Angela, who was lounging nearby with an amused expression. “The proportions are balanced. The bodice provides adequate support and definition, and the skirt has a good sense of movement.”
She turned back to the mirror and adjusted the top of the gown with clear discomfort. “However, the lack of straps is impractical.”
“Yeah I can see that being a problem,” Angela agreed.
Her eyes narrowed slightly at the soft purple hue. “And I don’t prefer this colour. It’s overly pastel. It lacks depth. It doesn’t correspond with the tones I usually find most flattering against my complexion.”
“But how do you feel about it?” Angela insisted, leaning forward in her chair.
Brennan paused, then added with a faint shrug, “It’s not the right one.”
“Okay then, let’s get you out of it,” Angela said and Brennan agreed.
When they walked out of the store, they bumped some unexpected people.
“Oh Temperance right?” The blonde said as she looked up and down at her.
“You know her, come on Rebecca,” Angela countered, clearly feeling a lot more feisty than Temperance thought they should be.
“Oh you’re helping Angela shop for her dress? How kind of you,” Rebecca snarked right back.
“We are both shopping for dresses,” Brennan specified, clearly not catching onto the way Rebecca was trying to talk down to her.
“Oh, Seeley asked you to prom?” Rebecca asked her, a mix of disbelief and judgement tinging her voice.
“He has in fact asked me,” Brennan continued, finally catching onto Rebecca’s passive aggression. “He is my boyfriend after all. I’m sure someone would love to ask you out Rebecca, or maybe you would like to do the asking? You are a bit insistent from what I hear.”
Rebecca looked like she wanted to say something back, maybe argue, but her confidence had clearly plummeted the moment that Brennan had caught up up with the situation.
“Come on Angela, there’s still one more store we wanted to check out before leaving,” Brennan cut off any possibility of Rebecca retorting.
The two girls walked out of the store, leaving behind a very confused Rebecca with her entourage.
“What a bitch honestly,” Angela told her friend when they were far enough.
“I dislike using that kind of vocabulary, but I do see your point,” Brennan said. “Now let’s focus on finding both our dresses.”
***
“I ran into Rebecca on Saturday while I was dress shopping with Angela,” Brennan told Booth as they sat in the back of his car after a pretty intense make out session during lunch break.
Booth went from being pretty relaxed to being on edge a lot quicker than Brennan thought he was able to.
“You did?” He asked, taking her hand in his and playing with her fingers in a poor attempt to distract himself.
“I did. She didn’t seem to be particularly happy that you invited me to prom. Or at least that’s what Angela thought. I sometime find it difficult to discern people’s motivations as you know, but I do think she looked a bit angry.”
Booth frowned immediately, already feeling anger bubble in his chest. “I’m sorry she was rude to you, you didn’t deserve that. I’ll talk to her if you want, tell her to back off or something.”
“You don’t have to do that, I simply wanted to inform you that it happened. I asked Angela if it was a good idea to tell you and she said yes.”
“Thank you for telling me and I’m still sorry she did that.” Booth kissed her softly, letting his lips linger against hers for a few seconds. “Now, let’s talk about something more fun. Did you find your dress?”
“I did,” Brennan said, looking fondly at her boyfriend.
“What colour is it?”
“Blue, a nice navy blue with some silver,” she informed him.
“I’m sure you’ll look gorgeous in it Bones.”
Notes:
And we're getting closer to prom now! I will be wrapping up a lot of stuff in the next few chapters before moving into what I like to call the epilogue section of this fic. I have updated the tags a little so they reflected the fic better.
I hope y'all are still enjoying this fic <3
Chapter 33
Notes:
Hi! I'm so sorry about skipping two weeks! I injured my back at work and couldn't really sit down to write for a long period of time for a while. I'm finishing this story no matter what! I ran out of prewritten and fully edited chapters for this fic so that's why I couldn't update this specific story.
Thank you to everyone who is still sticking with this story and with me, I really appreciate it.
Chapter Text
The evening air felt warm for early April, but it was perfect for their usual Sunday date. They’ve been spending most of their Sundays together now, studying at the local library in the day after Booth leaves Mass and then finish their weekend by going to their usual diner to grab something to eat.
However, Booth suggested they walk around a bit before heading back home. There was something he needed to finally tell her, especially since he got an email in the morning confirming that Boston University was glad that he had accepted their offer.
He was a committed athlete now and would be moving to Boston during the summer, getting ready with a boot camp and then starting class in September on top of joining the D1 hockey team. He finally felt confident enough to tell Brennan that he would be following her to Boston.
“I can tell that there’s something on your mind,” Brennan said, squeezing Booth’s hand. “Should I be nervous?”
“No of course not,” Booth reassured her quickly, a bit surprised that she had caught on to his nervousness. “I got some news this morning that I wanted to tell you about and I’m probably irrationally nervous to do so.”
“Alright,” Brennan replied, letting the quiet settle around them, but also waiting for Booth to take initiative.
“I accepted an offer from Boston University,” Booth finally breathed out, turning to look at his girlfriend to see how she would react.
“You’re going to move to Boston?”
Out of all the reactions he had expected from Brennan, he had not seen that question coming. It felt almost too simple, too mundane for how smart she is.
“Yeah? I kinda have to move to Boston to go to that university…” Booth replied, unsure of what else he could say as an answer.
“Why did you pick that school specifically Booth?” Brennan stopped walking, tugging on Booths hand to also make him stop.
Booth knew her well enough to know that she was trying to ask him a very specific question, but couldn’t exactly find the words to do so.
“Bones, baby, I didn’t just pick Boston University because you’re going to Harvard. Yes, obviously, I’m very happy that we’ll be in the same city for school. I love it even and it did factor a bit in my decision, but that’s not all,” Booth started explaining himself.
Brennan looked immediately relieved at his words, but Booth wasn’t done. He wanted her to have all the facts, all the information so that she could properly understand why he made the decision to pick this school.
“Boston University has one of the best D1 hockey team. They train a lot of athletes that end up getting drafted for the NHL. Coach Cullen thinks it’s the best way for me to get to the League and I think so too. I want to be playing for the Flyers, I want to be a great athlete and that’s where I need to be to accomplish that.”
“You didn’t just pick this school because of me?” Brennan finally managed to formulate her question. “I would hate for you to make a decision that isn’t good for you.”
“I thought about staying here, especially because of my grandmother, but after talking to her and going over my options with coach Cullen, I know that the right thing for me to do for myself.”
Brennan looked at him for a few seconds, a million things clearly going through her mind, before she smiled. “Then I am very happy to know that we’ll be going to Boston together Booth.”
“It’s going to be great isn’t it? The two of us and a new city to explore,” Booth reacted, feeling all of the stress leave his body in an instant.
“I’m going to be studying a lot you know, I plan to get my doctorate,” Brennan added seriously, but Booth could tell she really was excited.
“I know, I know and I’ll be practicing a lot on top of trying to get my degree. We’re going to be so busy, it’s going to be a crazy few years, but we’ll be fine! We’ll have each other and it’ll be fun!”
It felt a bit crazy to have everything out there, to have a future beyond hockey, to have someone to share everything with and Booth felt pretty happy with himself.
“I love you so much and I’m so excited to do this with you,” Booth said, pulling Brennan by her hand so she’s standing in front of him.
“I love you too Booth,” Brennan said, pushing up on her toes to press her lips to his ones.
***
Brennan walked inside her house a bit later than planned, but Max simply put down his book and lifted a brow.
“Sorry I’m a bit late, Booth had some important news to share with me so we took a walk before coming home,” Brennan explained herself, preferring to be honest than to wait for her parents to ask her.
“Did he? What did Seeley have to tell you?” Christine asked from her spot on the couch.
“He accepted an offer from Boston University to play hockey for them,” Brennan announced to her parents as she took off her boots at the door.
“So you’ll both be going to Boston?” Her mother asked, looking very excited for her daughter.
“We are, that’s what I said,” Brennan replied sitting on the arm rest and looking at both of her parents. “It is quite exciting isn’t it?”
“I think it’s very excited darling!” Christine said. “Max! Isn’t it exciting?”
“No, it is, for sure. Isn’t it one of the best hockey program too? The one at Boston University?” Max seemed a bit more shocked at the news, which is something that Brennan is struggling to understand.
“Yes, exactly. Booth gave me a bit more information about the program, but I’ll be doing some research myself on it to properly understand everything it implies. Why are you confused? Did you not think Booth played well enough to be offered a scholarship in one of the best program?”
“Of course not, I know he’s a damn good player. I watched his last game and Cullen does like to talk about how good his players are. The man knows a lot more about statistics than I thought he would. It’s just I didn’t expect it you know? That not only you’d move out of our home to attend university, but that you’d go with your boyfriend.”
“I’ll be entirely honest, I did not anticipate this happening to me either, but I find myself to be very excited about it,” Brennan confesses with an almost childlike giddiness.
“Well, you have school tomorrow, so go take a shower and head to bed alright?” Max said, looking at his daughter fondly. This moment made him realize that he might not have a lot of opportunities left to tell his youngest child to go to bed. “I love you Tempie.”
“Love you too Dad,” Temperance reciprocated the feeling.
“Goodnight Temperance,” Christine said just before Temperance got up from her seat.
“Good night mom.”
***
Temperance walked back into her bedroom with her hair wrapped in a towel and sat down at her desk. She opened up her computer and typed in Boston University D1 hockey program, sitting back to wait for the results to come up. She clicked on the first page and scrolled until there was enough text for to read and picked up her hair brush while she started to read.
The program was clearly one of the best, at least according to the school’s website. Once her hair was detangled she switched pages again, reading more on the scholarship Booth told her he got. It’s definitely an impressive one, one that only top athletes get offered and Brennan can’t help but feel a bit of pride for her boyfriend.
Brennan braided her wet her as she listened to a short documentary about the program, not that she really knew any of the athletes being talked about in it, apart from a few names she knew Booth had talked about at some point.
Brennan leaned forward on her elbows after tying off her braid, thinking back on the last few months. She really hadn’t expected this, to be in love, to have that high school romance that she’s read about in books and that she thought was unattainable for her, yet here she was.
A few weeks away from her prom, where she’ll be going with her boyfriend. Then, they’ll graduate together and move to Boston together. She’s going to be studying in one of the best anthropology program in the country and she’ll be on track to have her dream job.
Brennan looked at the clock and saw that it was almost eleven and that she needed to get to bed if she wanted to get a decent amount of sleep before school tomorrow. There was still a few more weeks of school left and exams for her to study, she can start planing her future in detail later.
Chapter Text
The month of May came a lot quicker than both Booth and Bones anticipated. With so many exams coming up and the pressure to keep their grades up on, they spent a lot of time studying and making sure that they were properly ready for it.
Booth has also been working a lot, trying to put as much money into his saving account as possible so he can be prepared to move to Boston. Sadly, that also meant that he missed most of the Academic Decathlon regional final, barely making it to the auditorium for the last match just in time to see Brennan and her team win the whole thing.
“How close is it?” Booth asked to Angela in a low whisper.
“The next category is biology so it’s probably where they are going to make a lot of points,” Angela whispered back, keeping her focus on the stage.
“For the biology category, the theme will be Entomology,” the host said, picking up a new set of question cards.
On the stage, Hodgins lit up happily and next to Booth, Angela laughed.
“Oh, they’ve got this game for sure,” Angela announced confidently.
“Why?” Booth asked, a bit confused.
“Hodgins loooooves bugs,” she informed him.
“You and Hodgins hang out?”
“You know, I didn’t see it coming, he’s like the biggest science nerd ever and I’m all about being a free artist, but he is kinda really cute,” Angela told him. “He even asked me to prom by giving me photoshopped picture of some lovebugs placed to write Prom?. It was pretty romantic honestly.”
“Is that why Bones was looking up what bugs are symbols of romance the other day?” Booth thought out loud, remembering the weird google search Brennan had been doing on her phone while they were watching a movie.
“Yeah she helped Hodgins pick how to ask me,” Angela confirmed. “We really should pay attention now.”
The first question was a softball. "What order do butterflies and moths belong to?”
Hodgins’ buzzer sounded almost instantly.
“Lepidoptera,” he said, without blinking. The rest of the team sat back on their chair, knowing fully that Hodgins was about to win this whole thing for them.
“Correct.”
“What is the name of the hardened forewing found in beetles?”
“Elytra,” Jack answered.
From that moment on, it was a slaughter. Booth’s eyes weren’t on Hodgins though, he preferred to look at the way Bones was smiling happily on the stage, her smile becoming even brighter when she spotted him in the crowd. Booth waved at her and she waved back timidly before focusing the game again.
“Which insect is known for parthenogenesis?”
“Aptenodytes glaucus, the stick insect.”
“Which fly family is known for mimicking bees?”
“Syrphidae.”
“What is the main difference between damselflies and dragonflies in wing positioning?”
“Damselflies hold their wings together at rest; dragonflies hold them open.”
The rest of the game goes quickly and before Booth can even process the answer to the last question, their section of the audience is standing up and cheering. Booth joined in happily, glad that Brennan would always have her own great memory of winning her last high school game.
A few rows down he spotted Max and Christine standing up so he excused himself and hurried down the steps to meet up with them.
“Hey, sorry I didn’t come to sit down with you, I couldn’t spot you when I came in,” Booth apologized quickly.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about it too much, Temperance knew you had to work today and she understood why you couldn’t be here earlier,” Christine reassured him quickly. “She’s going to love those flowers,” she added, spotting the bouquet of tulips in his hands.
“Great, I’m just glad I made it in time to see the ending.”
“Booth!”
He turned around at the sound of Brennan’s voice just in time to see her running up to them with her medal around her neck.
“Congratulations baby!” Booth exclaimed catching her by the waist a pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.
“We’re both champions now,” Brennan announced proudly.
“Congrats Tempie you were great up there,” Max told his daughter as he wrapped her in a warm hug.
“What an end to a wonderful season,” Christine echoed the prideful statement. “Seeley, are you still coming back to have dinner with us?”
“Yep, I’ve got the rest of the evening off and even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t miss this celebration for the world.”
***
The dinner was really nice, a tasty vegetable curry that Christine made specifically in celebration of the night since it’s one of Brennan’s favourite dish. They ate coconut ice cream for dessert with some mangoes before deciding to go in the yard get a fire started.
“I’ve been looking at places in Boston,” Temperance said as Booth started stoking the fire with an iron poker. “Something close to Harvard.”
“You’re not going to live in the dorms?” Booth inquired, looking over his shoulder at his girlfriend.
“Since I have a full academic scholarship and most of the money my parents put aside won’t be used to pay my tuition, we decided I could probably get an apartment instead. I don’t particularly enjoy having people in my space either. Well most people.”
“My scholarship comes with a place in the dorms,” Booth told her her, sitting down on the camping chair next to her.
“I was thinking of getting a place half-way between Boston college and Harvard. That way our commute would be shorter.”
“Our?” Booth said, a bit confused.
“The two campus are very close, it shouldn’t be that hard to find something that is halfway. I have a few places bookmarked on my computer, I’ll send you the links so you can give me your opinion.”
“Bones, are you asking me to move in with you?” Booth asked for clarification, wondering if he’s imagining things.
“I was simply thinking that it would be more logical for both of us to be together. As an athlete, you need your rest to properly recover from your training and I don’t think dormitories would be the best place for you to do so. I am generally a quiet person so you wouldn’t be disturbed.”
“So we should move in together because it’s more convenient?” He didn’t mean to sound so disappointed, but the romantic in him couldn’t really help but be a bit sad that that’s the reason she wanted to live together was logistics.
“My father said you would be disappointed if I asked you like this, I should have listened,” Brennan said softly when she noticed how dismayed Booth was. “I don’t always find the right words to describe what I think.”
Booth looked up from the fire to stare at his girlfriend and saw the conflict on her face. “No, I should have let you explain yourself properly.”
“You don’t have to always let me off Booth, sometimes I do get it wrong and it’s important you tell me so. I want us to move in together and I made a list of reasons why we should do it. I should have simply asked you and then told you why I thought it was such a good idea.”
“Okay, thank you for explaining it better. I would love to move in with you, but I still have to look at my finances just to see if it’s doable for me,” Booth told her as he finally understood Brennan’s train of thoughts. As much as living with his girlfriend would be perfect, he really needs to make sure that it is possible for him to do so without compromising his bank account. “Also did you say you talked with your dad about this? And he agreed about us living together?”
Brennan laughed at how surprised Booth is. “I think he’s more happy that I won’t be alone in Boston and he’s accepted the fact that I am attached to you.”
“I’m quite attached to you too,” Booth quipped back, leaning to the side a pressing his lips to Brennan’s temple. “We’ll figure something out.”
They settled comfortably in their chairs as the fire crackled in front of them. It was starting to get cold now that the sun was down, so the fire kept them warm as they waited for Christine and Max to join them.
The logs hissed occasionally as the flames licked higher, casting flickering shadows across their faces. Eventually the adults came out and sat at the other side of the fire.
“You two kids ready for high school to end?” Max asked before he took a sip of his tea.
“I am excited to learn new things and tackle new challenges. The program is very intense, but it’s exactly what I want to do,” Brennan replied, already imagining what her day to day life will look like in September.
“Can’t wait to get on the ice again,” Booth confirmed. “Gonna miss Philly for sure, but I can handle it for a while.”
“I’m sure you two are going to do great things,” Christine said with a soft smile.
Notes:
Next chapter is prom night!
Chapter Text
Temperance Brennan was not nervous.
That was what she told herself as she smoothed the front of her dress for the third time in under five minutes. Her reflection in the mirror stared back with the same slightly wide-eyed as she had when preparing for her first date with Booth.
“Bren, if you mess with that dress any more, it’s going to turn on you,” Angela said from her perch on the bed, legs crossed, chin in hand. She’s already wearing her dress too and they’ve just finished doing their make up and hair together.
“I’m not messing with it,” Brennan replied. “I’m just feeling slightly nervous about this situation.
Angela raised an eyebrow. “You look amazing. Booth’s jaw is going to hit the floor.”
“I don’t want him to break his jaw Angie, that would ruin our night,” Brennan counters as she reaches for the final touch of her outfit, the little dolphin pendant that used to belong her grandmother.
“It just means that he’s going to be shocked, but in a really good way Bren,” Angela specifies.
“I simply want him to have a great night. Prom might not be such a big event for me, but I know it’s a very important rite of passage and that Booth cares for it a lot.”
“Bren,” Angela said softly. “It’s okay to be excited about frivolous things from time to time, it doesn’t make you seem any less smart. It would take a lot to make you seem average.”
“Well Angela, you look particularly stunning. Hodgins is very lucky to have you as his date.”
“Thank you Bren.”
A knock on the front door made both girls turn around.
“Tempie, your boyfriend is here!” Russ’s voice resonated down the hall.
“We’re coming!”
Brennan hurried down the stairs after grabbing a clutch that matched her dress perfectly, followed closely by Angela.
Booth was waiting for her in the entry way, talking with Max when Brennan came into view.
“Bones,” he said slowly, “you look… wow.”
She tilted her head. “Wow?”
He grinned brightly at her. “I mean that in the best way. You look gorgeous.”
“Statistically, I know that word is applied subjectively,” she began, but Booth just leaned in and kissed her cheek.
“Still true,” he said in a charming way that would be unbelievable if it wasn’t coming from him.
She smiled despite herself.She glanced at the object in his hands. “Is that… a plant?”
“Yeah. It’s for you,” he answered, blushing slightly.
Brennan looked at it for a moment, a bit perplexed. “It’s not a flower,” she finally told him
“Nope,” Booth said, now finding his footing again. “I figured everyone would show up with something that dies in two days and gets thrown out by Monday. You’re not a two-day kind of person.”
He shifted the pot into both hands and held it out to her properly.“It’s a cactus,” he continued, “a golden barrel, I think that’s what Hodgin’s told me. It doesn’t need much water, and it’ll last years if you take care of it. Figured it would look good in an apartment.”
Brennan stared at it, her expression unreadable for a moment. The cactus was a plump little thing in a matte black pot, its spines arranged in near-perfect symmetry.
It looked oddly elegant.
She reached out and accepted it without a word.
“I know it’s not… traditional,” he added, beginning to get a bit nervous about her reaction.
“It’s better,” she said softly. “It’s… enduring.”
Booth finally grinned. “See? I do listen to you when you go on about symbolism and anthropological stuff.”
“I know you do, even when you look a bit distracted, I know when you listen to me.”
“Alright Tempie, why don’t you give me your new cactus so your mother can take pictures of the two of you.” Max cuts in.
“I’ll see you at prom,” Angela says quickly as she sneaks out the door.
Christine pulled out her camera and snapped a couple of pictures in the front yard, but soon enough they had to leave if they wanted to be on time.
“You two be careful tonight okay? And if you decided to drink at the after party Seeley, just call us and we’ll come pick both of you up,” Max said kindly.
“Don’t worry Max, we’ll be home by two in the morning at most,” Booth told the older man.
They didn’t talk much on the drive to the hotel ballroom the school had rented for the event. Brennan stared out the window, watching familiar roads roll by under unfamiliar orange lights, her fingers loosely laced with Booth’s over the centre console. Philadelphia really became her home in the last months, yet, in a few weeks, she’ll be moving to Boston for a new beginning.
Well almost new, she’ll have Booth with her of course.
“I know you think prom is stupid,” Booth said eventually, his voice warm. “But I’m really glad you’re coming with me.”
“I think it’s performative,” she corrected gently. “And built on outdated social rituals.”
Booth laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Outdated and performative and also... kind of fun?”
She looked over at him and thought about it for a moment. “Maybe… But only because you’re there.”
That made him glance sideways at her, his expression soft.
“Same,” he said.
They pulled up to the hotel a few minutes later and walked hand in hand inside after parking the car.
The ballroom was exactly what Brennan had expected, too many balloons, too much perfume, music that felt a bit too loud for Brennan. The theme, “A Night Under the Stars,” had been chosen by the student council, and it showed in the abundance of glitter-covered cardboard moons and LED lights.
Booth guided her inside with a hand on the small of her back, comforting all while pushing her to make that last step over her usual line of comfort. A few people turned to look, mostly because it was still slightly surprising to see Seeley Booth, holding hands with Temperance Brennan.
But Brennan barely noticed. She was scanning the room, cataloguing behaviours, interpreting body language, doing what she always did, observe. It was pretty much the reason she wanted to come to prom apart from spending time with Booth of course.
“Okay,” Booth said. “Want to dance, or want to hide and complain about the music for a while?”
She smiled. “Let’s dance.”
It turned out she liked slow dancing more than she thought. There was structure to it—rules. A place for her hands, a rhythm to follow. Booth led gently, his grip steady and unhurried, like he knew she needed that second or two to adjust.
“You’re good at this,” she said as they swayed.
“I’ve had practice,” he admitted. “A lot of church dances.”
Brennan raised an eyebrow. “That’s oddly endearing.”
“You saying I’m charming?”
“I said no such thing.”
Booth leaned closer. “But you’re thinking it.”
She smiled, lips barely curved, but the light in her eyes gave her away.
***
They danced for a while and then sat down with the rest of the hockey team to talk. It was overwhelming, but in a good way. In a way that Brennan knew would be almost impossible to replicate in the future.
Finally the escaped to the hotel balcony that wrapped around the second floor. The air outside was cooler than inside, and much quieter. Booth tugged off his jacket and offered it to her without a word. She took it, draping it over her shoulders even though it wasn’t that cold outside.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” he asked, leaning on the railing beside her.
She hesitated. “More than I expected.”
He looked pleased with that. “You don’t have to like it for anyone but you, you know.”
“I know. But… I like you. So that affects the variables.”
Booth chuckled. “You just called me a variable.”
“You’re the most consistent one I have.”
That made him pause. His eyes searched hers, and his voice came quieter now. “Is that why you came tonight?”
She looked away briefly, then back. “Partly. And partly because I didn’t want to look back and regret it. Regret missing this with you.”
Booth reached over and took her hand.
“You won’t,” he said. “We make our own version of these things. We always have.”
She squeezed his hand. “Yes. We do.”
Back inside, Angela waved them down from the photo booth. “Come on! One picture! Just one!” she called.
Booth raised an eyebrow at Brennan, and she sighed, resigned. “Fine. But only one.”
They squeezed into the little booth, his arm wrapped around her waist, her chin tucked on his shoulder. The flash went off four times. Each photo got progressively less composed, as prom photo booths tend to do. The first one was serious, second one smiling, third one Booth making a ridiculous face that made her laugh, and the fourth one with her nose scrunched, mid-giggle.
She tucked the strip into her clutch. Booth had his copy sticking out of his jacket pocket.
“We can keep them somewhere in the apartment,” he said.
“That sounds like a great idea.”
By the time the night wound down, Brennan’s feet were sore and her cheeks ached from smiling more than usual. The DJ announced the final song, some sappy ballad she didn’t recognize, but Booth clearly did and offered her his hand.
“One last dance, Bones?”
She rolled her eyes, but her smile betrayed her. “Fine.”
He pulled her in close, and she rested her head on his shoulder without hesitation this time.
“You know,” he said into her hair, “for someone who thinks prom is simply a social event, you’re making this look pretty magical.”
She laughed. “I’m choosing to indulge the ritual for personal benefit.”
“That sounded way nerdier than ‘I’m having fun.’”
“Let me rephrase,” she said. “I’m happy. With you. Here.”
Booth pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “That’s all I wanted tonight.”
***
The afterparty was a bit too wild for Brennan, so after an hour, Booth suggested that they leave. They had both been up since early in the morning so they were pretty tired after so much social interaction that they both feel like they need to have a bit of peace and quiet.
Outside Brennan’s house, Booth walked her to the door.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For tonight.”
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “You don’t have to thank me. I just wanted to make sure you had something worth remembering.”
“You did,” she said. “I do.”
He kissed her then, slow and familiar, not new but somehow even sweeter in the hush of a night that already felt like memory. She always read about the romantic kiss on the porch after prom, but now she had one of her own.
When she pulled away, her voice was steady. “Maybe prom isn’t entirely pointless.”
Booth grinned. “Well, have a good night baby, I’ll see you Sunday?”
“Of course you will Booth, have a great night too.”
Tonight felt like a perfect moment to close this phase of her life. After today, they'll have a few exams left, then graduation. After that, they'll be on their way to Boston together.
Chapter Text
The sun was merciless.
Brennan squinted against it, one hand gripping the edge of her folding chair, the other flat on the program in her lap so it wouldn’t blow away. The school had set up the entire graduation on the football field, rows and rows of white chairs on the grass, surrounded by loud relatives in creaky bleachers and teachers doing their best not to melt in their regalia.
She shifted in her seat, already uncomfortable in the stiff polyester gown and the weird square hat that refused to stay centred on her head. Weirdly, she didn’t want to complain because this was one of the activities she always had been excited to attend when she was little. Graduation means you get a degree, checking off an item from her list of life goals.
Across the aisle, Booth gave her a look, part amusement, part sympathy. Thankfully, they are seated fairly close to one another since their last name starts with the same letter. He looked equally uncomfortable but maybe more used to it since he spent most of his high school carrier sweating in the school’s colours on the ice. His gown was half-zipped, and his cap already askew and Brennan thought he looked particularly dashing in his specific chaotic way. The only thing she was jealous about was that he thought of bringing himself a pair of sunglasses.
Booth grinned and gave her a quick thumbs-up.
She mouthed, your tassel’s backwards.
He frowned back and Brennan mimed herself moving the tassel. Booth finally understood and corrected his own with a smile.
Brennan rolled her eyes, but her smile lingered. She loved how he did things his own way, always letting his own personality shine through.
The ceremony was exactly what they expected. It was too long, too warm, and filled with speeches about growth and dreams and the future. She tuned out most of it, only half-listening as the valedictorian talked about how “our stories are just beginning.” She had been offered the role, but since she had only been at the school for a year, she thought someone else should do it instead.
Booth’s name was called first and he went up the stage, shaking the hand of the principle, but also hugging coach Cullen. Brennan could tell that getting that piece of paper meant a lot to her boyfriend, she knew that at some point, he didn’t think he would get one. That he had thought that his only path in life was to drop out of school and get to work so that his little brother had a better shot at life than him.
Brennan was proud of him, proud that he somehow managed to balance his job, his school work, playing hockey, coaching Jared’s team and taking care of his family. She finally convinced him to take it easier and stop working, doing the math with him and proving that with his scholarship and the coaching job, he would be more than fine financially to go to Boston.
Brennan watches Booth smile and wave towards the bleachers, spotting Alice and Hank sitting next to her parents.
She was glad to see Alice there, they hadn’t been too sure if she would be able to during the week. It was hard to see Booth try to make sense of it and for herself to see such a kind sweet person get sicker and sicker every single day.
After a few other people walk the stage, her name was called. She walked across the stage and took her diploma from the principal with a polite nod.
Booth cheered from his seat. Loudly as he stood up and applauded. Brennan didn’t look at him, but she felt the flush rise to her cheeks.
The rest of their classmates walked the stage too, leaving Brennan and Booth to sweat in their seat all while trying to pay attention. Then, the principal’s voice boomed across the football field, “Ladies and gentlemen… the graduating class!”
A beat of silence. Then—
The air exploded with cheers, whoops, and the collective shout of hundreds of students counting down.
“THREE… TWO… ONE—”
Caps flew into the sky like a flock of startled birds. Screams and laughter echoed from the bleachers, from the rows of chairs, from every corner of the field.
But Booth wasn’t looking up.
He was already moving.
As soon as his cap left his hand, launched somewhere vaguely toward the scoreboard, he turned and took off running. All those years on the ice prepared him to evade and avoid bumping into people, quickly snaking through the other students with one goal.
He didn’t stop until he reached her.
Brennan was standing near the end of the third row, her cap still in her hand, her brows slightly furrowed as she tried to track where it would land.
Booth didn’t say anything.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a full, breath-stealing, heart-knocking hug.
She gasped in surprise and instinctively wrapped her arms around his back, grounding herself against his chest, robe tangled between them.
They didn’t speak for a second.
She felt him breathe. Felt the adrenaline running through him, the energy humming in his arms like electricity.
One step closer to Boston.
Then, without pulling back, he muttered into her hair, “We did it, Bones.”
She nodded against him. “Yes. We did.”
***
The parking lot was chaos, cars honking, families taking final photos, people shouting across rows of minivans and sedans. Booth leaned against his car, the sleeves of his gown now tied around his waist, sunglasses on, diploma under his arm.
“You realize the next time we wear robes this ridiculous, it’ll be for like adult degrees,” he said, making Brennan roll her eyes.
Brennan adjusted the tassel on her cap. Well she isn’t sure it’s actually hers considering she lost track of hers during the cap throw, but it’s fine. “I hope the hoods are more historically accurate. These are wildly off center.”
Booth laughed. “Of course that’s your concern.”
“It’s not irrational. I value accurate traditions.”
He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Boston’s gonna be good, Bones.”
She nodded. “We’ll make it good.”
“New city. New campuses. Same us.”
And for all the things she didn’t know, how college would go, what classes she’d love, what new people she would meet
Brennan knew one thing for certain, they were going to do it together.
“I talked with my grandparents a bit more about the living situation,” Booth told her.
“Alright,” Brennan said simply, wanting him to take the lead a bit more in this discussion.
“And with all my savings and the scholarship I can afford living with you in the apartment,” he informed her.
“I told you I didn’t mind paying for it,” Brennan said without thinking.
“I know that and I appreciate it, but I need to contribute too. That’s a deal breaker for me,” Booth insisted.
“Okay… then we can find something that’s in both of our price range so we can split it evenly,” Brennan conceded. “We can find something closer to your campus considering you will have training sessions early in the morning and I do not mind a commute.”
“I know you sometime think you aren’t good at this baby, but you are far better than you give yourself credit for,” Booth thanked her, wrapping her in a warm hug.
“We should hurry and follow my parents,” Brennan said, watching her parents get in their car. “We don’t want to make them wait for us.”
***
Their two families sat around the table outside, eating the meal that Christine had prepared for everyone. It was easy to get lost in the moment, watching Russ interact with Hank or Christine with Jared, but Booth’s eyes were on his grandmother.
Even though it was warm outside, Alice kept a blanket on her lap and barely touched her plate. It was hard for Booth to let himself feel fully happy with the constant sense of a Damocles sword hanging above them.
“Hey, Grandma,” he said, nudging her shoulder gently. “You okay?”
She blinked and looked at him like she had to come back from somewhere far away. “Of course, dear.”
“You barely touched your food.”
“Not much of an appetite tonight.” Her smile was warm, but her skin was pale beneath it.
Booth swallowed. “Do you want something else? I can grab a slice of the cake.”
Alice patted his hand, slow and careful. “Don’t fuss.”
He didn’t say anything for a long beat. Then he looked down at the table, picked up a grape from the edge of his plate, and rolled it between his fingers. He wished he could change so many things in his life.
Wish he could have had a loving father, that his mother hadn’t abandoned them, but mostly, he wished he could make his grandmother healthy again.
Booth shook his head. “I’m just glad you came.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”
There was silence again.
Brennan watched them quietly, her heart breaking for the man she loves. She touched his knee under the table, squeezing it softly, just showing him that she was there for him no matter what.
He looked over at her, and for a moment, he didn’t have to say anything. She could read it all in his face: the pressure behind his eyes, the way his jaw tightened, how tired he looked under all the joy of the day.
“It’s okay to be happy,” she said softly. “Even now.”
Booth blinked. How Brennan knew they exact words Alice had told him all those weeks ago, he didn’t know. But he was glad to hear them anyway. His throat worked. He nodded once and allowed himself to smile softly.
This was a good day, he can be happy.
Notes:
I'm apologizing in advance for the next chapter, I'm not exactly being subtle with the foreshadowing.
See y'all soon!
Chapter 37
Notes:
This chapter is really sad, I cried the whole time I wrote it and then through the editing process too. There was a whole lot of foreshadowing, so this isn't a surprise.
TW: funeral and discussion of grief.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The funeral was on a Saturday morning.
Alice passed away two weeks after graduation, peacefully in the hospital and surrounded by those she loved and who loved her. The cancer was asking too much of her body, draining her energy day by day, leaving her tired and aching. But at least she saw one of her boys graduate.
She left her three boys in grief, but also relieved knowing that she was no longer in pain and now painless with her god in paradise. Hank, no matter how much he thought he was ready for it, especially after losing so many people during his years of military service, was left clueless about what he was supposed to do. He tried as much to stay strong, to keep everything as normal as he cold, but it also hit him square in the chest that he was now a single parent.
An elderly one for society’s standards and with his own health issues to manage. He didn’t know how he was going to do it, but he also didn’t know he could all those years ago when he was suddenly in charge of two traumatized kids. Yet they turned out more than fine.
But he had his boys and they came first especially with everything they had already been through in their lives.
So Hank made sure that the funeral would be the next Saturday, made sure that they would have the closure that they deserved.
After making grilled cheese sandwiches that neither Jared or Seeley ate, he made sure that their suits were wrinkle free, that their ties were straight and that their shoes were perfectly polished. Their hair was combed perfectly and they looked like two well taken care of boys.
Because they are.
They sat quietly in the car on their way to the church, feeling the absence of Alice even more now that Booth is sitting up front, in the seat that she usually sat in.
“I know today is going to be hard for all three of us and I want you to know that I’m here for both of you, no matter what you need,” Hank said after clearing his throat.
“We know Pops,” Seeley replied softly, looking up from his hands and at his grandfather. “We’re here for you too.”
Jared stayed quiet in the back seat, leaning with his chin in his hand and staring blankly out the window. Both Seeley and Hank were worried about him, he had been very quiet in the last two weeks, barely eating or doing much more than playing his video games.
***
The funeral was beautiful, achingly so. Their church community had poured their hearts into every detail, determined to honour Alice the way she deserved, with the youth choir singing the hymns she loved, and scripture readings pulled from the verses she returned to again and again. But even the beauty of it couldn’t soften the weight of the day.
Seeley’s hands trembled as he made his way to the microphone, his voice breaking as he spoke about the woman who had raised him, who had been his constant, his anchor. He said he didn’t know how to live in a world that didn’t have her in it, how he would carry the ache of her absence every single day.
Through it all, he kept his eyes locked on Temperance, who sat beside Hank and Jared, her expression steady, full of silent strength, the only thing holding him together in that moment.
After the service, they walked in heavy silence to the cemetery behind the church, the same one where generations of their family had been buried. The sky was blue with not a cloud in the sky to hide the sun, the summer air warm.
They lowered Alice into the earth with careful, reverent hands, placing her in the family plot, finally at rest after so many months of struggle. Even as the grief hung thick and unrelenting around them, they felt a certain form of relief wash over them.
No more pain.
No more chemo.
Just eternal peace.
“Why don’t you boys head back inside?” Hank said once it was just their closest friends and family left.
Seeley knew why he was telling them to leave and he wasn’t going to argue. With one hand in Temperance’s one and the other on Jared’s shoulder, they walked out the cemetery.
“Auntie, would you mind going inside with Jared? I forgot something in the car,” Seeley asked his grandmother’s youngest sister.
“Of course dear, come along Jared,” she said, pulling the younger boy along and back into the community centre where the reception was going to happen.
Seeley kept Temperance’s hand tightly in his as they walked back toward the parking lot, the weight of the day pressing heavily on his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hank still standing by the grave, his arm around Edwin’s shoulders. Even now, after everything, Hank was trying to hold their family together.
Or at least what was left of it.
Seeley didn’t want to see his father. Didn’t want to speak to him. The memories were too raw, too cruel to forgive. But he was decent enough, Alice had made sure of that, to understand that this wasn’t his call to make. He didn’t have the right to keep Edwin from saying goodbye to his own mother. As much as it turned his stomach, he knew he would have hated himself if he’d stood in the way of that.
It was Hank who had arranged everything, navigating the impossible. He’d made sure Edwin sat quietly at the back of the church, out of sight, far enough that neither of the boys would be forced into an encounter. Seeley didn’t look back again. He just held onto Temperance’s hand and kept walking, jaw clenched, heart aching, trying to focus on the fact that Alice had been honoured. That she was at peace. Even if none of them were for now.
“What can I do for you?” Brennan asked once they were standing in the shade of one of the trees of the parking lot, realizing that they were not actually going to the car.
Booth let out a shaky breath and reached into his suit jacket, pulling out an envelope. “She… uh… she left me this to open after the funeral. Pops gave it to me this morning.”
“Okay,” Brennan said, sitting down and patting the spot on the curb next to her as if they were on a couch. “Do you want to read it out loud or do you just need me to be next to you?”
“Just stay with me,” Booth confirmed, sitting down next to her. He slowly turned the envelope and carefully ripped it open.
He unfolded the paper and started reading.
My dearest Seeley,
As you are reading this, I’m finally at peace. I wish I could have spent more time on earth with you, to see you grow and thrive, but I want you to know that I left this world with my heart full of love and pride for you. I am with God now, at peace and painless.
I’ve watched you grow so much in the last few years, from the scared little boy that was ready to defend his little brother against anything. You’ve carried so much on your shoulder for such a young age, had to live through things that no one should ever experience, yet you are so kind. You chose to be kind, to help and to love. You’ve never let anything take your joy.
I don’t want you to start now.
You are a good man, from your fierce protective nature, to your gentleness and to your ability to love, I am so proud of you. Every single part of you is perfect.
I hope you chase your dreams in Boston. I hope that I can watch you from up there join the NHL and live out your passion to the fullest. I want you to win that Stanley Cup and bring it back to Philadelphia.
I want you to live.
To laugh.
To love.
And to be happy.
Hold on to Temperance. That girl is so special. I saw you change the moment you met her. How she made you believe that you deserved to take care for yourself and gave you that little push to do things for yourself and not just for others. Don’t let go of that beautiful thing you have together. Relationships can be hard, nothing is perfect, but as long as you work for it, it will be fine. Build a life together, make it beautiful and full of laughter and everything will happen perfectly, just as God plans.
I’m not worried about you my boy. Not really. You have good morale, strong will, an incredible work ethic and a whole lot ahead of you. Carry me with you, carry everyone you’ve ever lost, but don’t let us weight you down.
I love you and I’ll be cheering you on,
Grandma
Booth felt the weight of every single word in that letter, but in that moment, he made a promise to his grandmother. He was going to live his life to the fullest. He has so much to look forward to, things to accomplish.
In the envelope, he also found Alice’s wedding rings and he slid them out, holding them tightly in his palm. He’s going to use them one day to propose to the love of his life, the woman who is currently holding him together by rubbing his back and making sure he doesn’t crumble into pieces.
If Temperance saw the rings, she hasn’t shown it yet. But one day she will and Seeley will be on one knee in front of her, making a different kind of promise.
Notes:
Thank you for reading this chapter and I'm sorry for keeping this canon death while not doing it for Brennan's parents. I lost my own grandfather to cancer years ago, so this chapter means a lot to me. Grief is funny that way, it was a weird catharsis writing this for me.
I meant to post this on Sunday, but I spend last week running an event. But I didn't want to make everyone wait until next week.
Chapter 38: Epilogue - Part One
Chapter Text
Seeley put the last of his boxes in the back seat of his car, stretching his arms over his head before turning to look at his house. The house he spent so many years in, unlearning to be afraid and learning who he was. The house where he truly learned what love is and where he truly grew up in. The house where he spend Saturday afternoons with his grandmother putting groceries away, the house where he learned how to mow a lawn and fix up cars with his grandfather.
It felt hard to put most of his belonging in boxes, to pack up his life knowing that Jared wasn’t coming with him this time, but he knew he was making the right decision for himself and in the long run, for Jared and his grandfather too. He made sure that his grandmother letter was carefully tucked away in his backpack on the passenger seat and her rings on a chain around his neck. He was not going leave them behind.
“I packed you a a couple of snacks and drinks for the drive Shrimp,” Hank said, walking out of the house carrying a bag. “Make sure you take breaks if you need to.”
“You know I will Pops,” Booth replied, taking the bag happily. “And I’ll call you the moment I arrive at the apartment.”
“I’m so proud of you Seeley, I’m sure you’re going to do great. I’ll take the train with Jared to come and see your first game.”
“Thanks pops,” Booth said, but his eyes were on Jared, who was standing on the porch, looking like he wanted to vanish.
Booth silently walked up to the porch and wrapped Jared in a tight hug. “You’re going to be fine Jared, I know you are okay? If you need anything you just have to call and I’ll be right back. You have my word.”
“I’ll be good, I promise,” Jared said, looking up at his big brother with tears in his eyes.
“I know you will and even if you do mess up from time to time, you just have to apologize and you know Pops will never be mad at you.”
“I know, I just didn’t think you’d leave this soon,” Jared insisted, hugging his brother even tighter.
“Okay, I have to go now, but I promise we’ll figure something out so you can visit me once the apartment is set up,” Booth said, pressing one last kiss to his brother’s hair.
Booth hugged his grandfather one last time, allowed himself one last glance at the house and then got in his car. A chapter of his life was over and a new one was just beginning.
***
“Okay Tempie, I just finished setting up your dishwasher,” Max said, coming into the small bedroom where Brennan was making the bed with Christine. “Did Booth tell you how much time he has left to his drive?”
“He called a few minutes ago and he has about two hours left before he arrives,” Brennan answered, fluffing up a pillow.
Brennan ended up driving to Boston a day before Booth as someone needed to be there to meet their landlord and get the keys to the apartment. In the end, with all of the money Booth and Temperance had saved up on top of some financial help from her parents, they ended up finding a small apartment close enough to Boston college and with accessible public transportation that was perfect for them.
Booth couldn’t move that day since he had one last baseball game to coach at, but also because he wanted to see Jared play one more time before having to leave. That’s why the entire Brennan family drove up one day before Booth in the U-haul they rented and set up most of the apartment in one single day.
“He sounded very excited on the phone,” Christine said, walking to her husbands side. “I think he got over not being there to help with the furniture.”
“Yes he did,” Temperance confirmed, remembering how conflicted Booth had been when he learned that he couldn’t be there to help with most of the move. “We still have most of the office furniture to set up on top of his own belongings, so I’m sure he will find some satisfaction in setting that up.”
“We’re proud of you sweetheart, I hope you know that,” Max started. “You made it to the school you always wanted to attended, but you also grew so much in the last year.”
Brennan still struggled with these types of discussions, finding it difficult to apply social norms to herself. However, she was also aware of the significant changes she had made in the past year. She never thought she would be moving in with a partner, not this soon, but it felt right.
“My little girl is all grown up and ready to live on her own,” Christine said, hugging Temperance tightly.
“Well now that the appliances are set up, I think we’re good to go,” Max added, knowing that his daughter didn’t particularly enjoy this type of discussion. “You’ll call us if you need anything?”
“Of course I will dad,” Brennan confirmed, hugging her father.
In the coming weeks, she would encounter numerous new experiences. She was going to face a new campus, new people and a new schedule. However, if the past year had taught her anything, it was that she is more than capable of handling these changes. She hoped that they would be able to live together without many issues and that they would always find common grounds when they did argue, but she also knew that as long as they devoted themselves to each other, then everything would somehow be fine.
Brennan was never one to bet on feelings or even on hope, but the last year and the people she had met had shown her than sometimes it was okay to not know, to let yourself experience things as they happen.
Living with Booth was just one of those things that she didn’t know how it was going to go, but that she had to hope it would be good.
***
Two months later
The Charles River sparkled beneath the fading sun, the water catching streaks of orange and pink as Booth and Brennan walked slowly along the quiet path. The air was warm with the last touch of summer, and the sounds of the city faded the closer they got to the river, just the wind rustling the trees, the occasional cyclist passing, the world slowing down.
They’d been in Boston for exactly two months today. Two months of unpacking boxes and arguing about whether the coffee mugs should go in the top cabinet or the bottom one. Two months of navigating their overlapping schedules, Booth heading off to Boston College each morning with his hockey bag slung over his shoulder, Brennan walking the opposite direction toward Harvard with her bag full of textbooks. Two months of brushing their teeth side by side, falling asleep tangled together, and waking up in the same bed every single morning. Two months of laughing together while watching movies in their living room and of making meal plans.
Two months of pure and simple happiness.
It still didn’t feel real.
“This is the first time we’ve done something like this,” Brennan said as they walked, her hand nestled in his, fingers laced tight. “Like, gone on an actual date since we moved in.”
“I know,” Booth said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “I was starting to forget what fresh air felt like.”
She smiled. “That’s an exaggeration. You spent almost two hours throwing pucks at a net yesterday.”
“Still counts as inside,” he grinned.
They walked in silence for a moment, then stopped at a bench overlooking the water. It was set just off the path, shaded by an old tree. Booth sat first and pulled her gently down next to him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
The apartment they shared wasn’t big, just a small bedrooms and a window with a crooked screen that let in every sound from the street. But it was theirs.
“Do you like it so far?” Booth asked after a while. “Living together. Boston. Us.”
Brennan looked up at him, thoughtful. “I didn’t expect it to feel so natural.”
“Natural’s good,” he said. “I’ll take natural over chaos any day.”
“It’s not just natural,” she continued, her voice quieter now. “It feels… right. Like we were supposed to be here. Together.”
Booth blinked, caught off guard by the honesty in her tone. She didn’t say things like that easily. Temperance Brennan didn’t just go off of her feelings, no she needed facts and evidence. That made it mean more.
“I’ve wanted this for a long time,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Waking up next to you. Seeing you at the end of every day. Just living life with you.”
She rested her head on his shoulder. “We’re really doing it.”
“Yeah,” he said, kissing her hair. “We are.”
They sat there for a long time, watching the water ripple and catch the light. Booth pressed his cheek against Brennan’s temple and closed his eyes. It reminded him of one of their first date in Philadelphia, walking next to the river as he tried to figure out who this new girl was.
Now, here they were, a little over a year later, walking a path next to a river in an entire different city, but this time, he knew who Temperance was. She his Bones, his girlfriend and his best friend in world.
“Jared is still coming next weekend,” Booth said. “I talked to him during lunch break.”
“I do hope he doesn’t mind sleeping on a couch again, maybe we should have gotten a pull out instead,” Brennan answered.
Just the fact that Brennan not only never seemed to mind that Jared had plans to come visit them every few weeks, but also considered ways to make him more comfortable, meant everything to Booth.
“The couch will be fine, he was just whining last time because he’s a teen and they like to complain,” Booth insisted, but then realizing that he’s far too young to make these kind of statements. “If we find a pull out couch on sale, then maybe we can consider it.”
“That sounds like a decent plan,” Brennan concluded. “We should find somewhere to eat, or do you already have a plan?”
“I’ve got plans for us Bones, don’t worry.”
Boston held so many exciting things in store for Brennan and Booth, from their first hockey matches to classes. While Brennan preferred predictability and knowing exactly what to expect, Booth revelled in spontaneity and adaptability. Despite their differences, they discovered common ground and found a way to navigate life together.
Some nights, Booth allowed himself to read his grandmother’s letter, to let the words sink in when he felt guilty about not being back home in Philadelphia to help his grandfather and his brother. But then Brennan would smile at him, kiss him sweetly before going to bed and he knew that wherever his grandmother was, she had been right.
This was exactly where he was supposed to be.
Notes:
Thank you so much to everyone who is still reading this story, commenting and leaving kudos. This fic has been a challenge for me to write as I somehow decided in the first chapter to use a verb tense I rarely use. I was rereading some of the first chapters and noticed how much my style changed throughout this fic, but I guess that's what happens when you spend more than a year constantly working on a single wip.
So, yeah, it's almost over!
Chapter 39: Epilogue - Part Two
Notes:
A little time jump and more love <3
Chapter Text
Two years later
Booth folded the last shirt and put it back in the dresser before moving on to sorting the socks. It was one of his rare days off, no hockey practice, no studying, no real errand, which meant he had a bit of time to clean the apartment and do some chores. He’d already vacuumed and mopped the floors while the laundry was in the wash in the basement of the building, so now he had to put everything away.
He didn’t mind chores, on the contrary, he always enjoyed them in a way. He could just turn his brain off, put on some music or a game on and get stuff done. Sorting socks was probably his less favourite thing to do, as it did require some brain power to make sure the pairs were properly put together, but it was the last thing he really wanted to get done today.
As he was trying to figure out which black sock went with each other, the apartment door was unlocked.
“Hey Booth,” Brennan called out into the apartment and he heard her dropping her bag and toeing her shoes off.
“I’m in the bedroom!” He replied, looking around for his phone so he could lower the volume of the music.
Seconds later, Brennan walked into the room, a tired smile on her face.
“You managed to get the paper finished?” Booth asked, abandoning the socks to wrap his arms around his girlfriend.
“Almost, I will be reviewing it tomorrow again, but I can’t manage more writing for today,” she replied, melting into the hug.
“Yeah?” Booth rubbed circles into her lower back as he swayed her softly to the music.
“I don’t think that Hot Blooded is a slow dancing song Booth,” Brennan laughed, but still allowed her boyfriend to continue on dancing.
“Just go along with it Bones,” Booth insisted. “What do you want for dinner, I can make something or we can order take out?”
“Don’t you have practice tomorrow?” Brennan asked looking up at him.
“Well, you can get takeout and I’ll eat my chicken and rice while pretending I’m also having fun food,” Booth countered.
One of the downsides of dating a college athlete was the whole meal plan the trainers have the players on during the season. That meant that they pretty much always had to cook two meals every night or at least figure out a way to modify the meals to respect both of their dietary restrictions.
“I think I’ll just take some tofu to go with rice and vegetables, I’m too tired to wait for take out,” Brennan replied, pressing a kiss to Booth’s jaw.
“Okay, that’s easy. Why don’t you go take a shower while I make it?,” he offered, kissing the top of her hair.
“Sounds perfect,” Brennan agreed. “Thank you for cleaning the apartment today.”
“It’s nothing, it’s not like I’m gonna have much time to do a deep clean once the playoffs start,” Booth shrugged.
Soon, the regional playoffs would start which meant a whole lot of traveling for Booth if last year was an indicator. Especially since the team is still very good this year and the could have a shot at the league cup again.
They’ve somehow made it work, even with their very occupied schedules, their relationship is still as strong as it was when the left Philadelphia if not stronger. They still go on one date a week on their Sundays most of the time, their home schedule have been locked down for more than a year and they are still hopelessly in love with each other.
“Jared just called,” Booth told Brennan when she padded into the kitchen, her wet hair wrapped in a towel on her head. “Wants to know if he can come spend spring break with us.”
“Of course he can,” Brennan said quickly. “I have my conference to attend for two days during that week, so you will even have some time alone together.”
“I was thinking we could maybe drive him back at the end of the week, maybe spend a couple of days in Philly too?” Booth plated their meals and placed them on their small kitchen table.
“I think we can manage that, Jared should take the train after class on Friday and on Thursday after the conference we can drive him back to Philadelphia and spend some time with our family. That way we will maximize our time and be more efficient.”
They ate in a comfortable silence, Brennan clearly needed some peace and quiet after spending so much time finishing her paper. Booth offered to do the dishes, but Temperance insisted on washing while he dried them off.
Together, they managed to clean the kitchen and put away the leftovers in about ten minutes. Afterward, they settled on the couch, and Booth let her choose something to watch. She picked an old Hollywood movie in black and white that he was pretty sure he had seen before, but he didn’t mind.
With the knitted blanket Alice had made years ago draped over their laps, they settled to watch the movie in a warm cocoon. Booth noticed Brennan leaning more and more on him, her head resting on his shoulder and growing heavier. He could tell she was falling asleep and smiled to himself.
A lot of their nights looked like this now, a quiet night in together, either doing class work or watching a movie. It was nice, a small moment of peace in their busy weeks.
Brennan was getting ready to apply to her masters program, having taken an accelerated path to finish her bachelor’s degree and Booth was already getting approached by professional recruiters to potentially join the NHL in this years draft, which would mean that the moment he finished his college contract, he would go to a team.
It was a pretty stressful phase of their lives, one that meant a lot of phone calls, meetings with advisors and coaches on top dealing with their classes. Yet, it was something they were both happy to do since it meant that they were one more step closer to making their career goals their reality.
“Do you want to go to bed, Bones?” Booth whispered, squeezing her waist softly against the crown of her hair.
“Mmmh?” Brennan hummed, cracking her eyes open. “Don’t you want us to finish the movie?”
“No, it’s okay sweetheart.” Booth hadn’t even been watching it, not really, so he doesn’t mind not finishing the movie. “Lets just go to bed, we can finish it another night or something.”
Before going to bed, they quickly turn off the TV and shut off all the lights. They know their apartment perfectly, even in the dark. Brennan is running her fingers through her hair, which was still pretty humid after her shower.
“Let me help you with that,” Booth offered as he walked to the bed and sat just behind her.
Brennan handed him an elastic band wordlessly and happily waited for her boyfriend. Booth brushed through her hair, massaging her skull with the tips of his fingers. He then started braiding her hair, his hands weaving effortlessly. They had done this countless times, so it only took him about a minute to secure the elastic at the end.
Once was done, Booth pressed a kiss to her shoulder, letting his lips linger for a moment, before he started leaving a trail of kisses towards her cheek. Brennan twisted in his arm so she could kiss him back, her lips on his in an instant.
Booth let out a low moan against her mouth, caught off guard by her sudden boldness. But he recovered quickly, sliding his hand beneath the thin fabric of her pajama top to rest on the small of her back. With a gentle pull, he guided her closer, urging her to climb onto his lap.
Brennan smiled against his lips, putting her hands on his shoulders to keep her balance. She loved how Booth had changed since they arrived in Boston, how much muscle he had put on since being a full-time athlete, but how all the soft parts of him were still there. He was still the gentle man she had met on that first day of school, he still had all of his little quirks and habits, but he was also lighter. She noticed how he always made sure to enjoy every single new experience, how he made sure that everyone around him was doing okay, but not because he felt like it was his responsibility to do so. He did it because its the kind of man he his now, because he wants to be a helpful person that took care of the people around him.
As long as as they had this, as long as they had each other, they knew that they were going to be alright. They were partners in everything and wherever they end up, they knew it was going to be together.
Chapter 40: Epilogue - Part Three
Chapter Text
Four years after graduation
The press room smelled like cold coffee and cheap carpet. Booth had done this enough times now to know where to sit, how to answer questions without giving too much away, how to let the cameras flash without really looking at them. He adapted quickly, much quicker than was expected of him, but that just the kind of guy he is.
He’d made it.
Somehow, he got drafted to the Philadelphia Flyers, the first pick of the entire draft actually. His childhood dream came true so much earlier than he had expected, but he was more than ready to seize the opportunity and make sure he could stay in his dream team.
He didn’t love pressers. He didn’t hate them either, but they weren’t his thing. He’d rather be on the ice or in the gym or watching tapes in the quiet. But they were part of the job and he wanted to be the best at everything. Still, he understood the drill, especially after a good night like this one.
Another win. Two assists. A clean faceoff percentage. A lot of chatter already about him being a contender for rookie of the year. It made him uneasy, the way people always talked like he’d just appeared out of nowhere.
He hadn’t.
He’d clawed his way out of an abusive home, rebuilt his own confidence, busted his ass in high school to not only afford hockey, but to be good enough to get his scholarship to college. He made sure his family was well taken care of. Then he played hockey as best as he could, which was damn good by the way, he won MVP of the league for 3 college season in a row. He put in the work in class, in the gym, on the ice and at home to make sure that he was the best.
He sacrificed at lot of things to make sure he could be were he was.
When he got drafted, there had been a lot of discussions about what Brennan was going to do. Obviously, having finished her bachelors on a fast track, she wanted to quickly jump into a masters degree and there was never any question or discussion about her giving up school to follow Booth.
So they made it work. Phone calls, video chats in the last year and quick visit.
Now he was here.
“Seeley Booth,” a reporter started, “you’ve been building momentum all season, and tonight you really took control of the ice. What’s changed for you in the last few games?”
Booth leaned into the mic, voice low and even. “Nothing’s changed. I just stuck to what works. Systems are solid. My linemates are doing their jobs. I’m lucky to be playing with guys who know where to be and when to get there.”
Always start with the team. It was easy to compliment his team mates when they are this good. It’s why he loved his home team so much, they were the best.
A few more questions followed, his thoughts on the upcoming West Coast road trip, how it felt to go up against a former junior teammate, whether the coaching staff had talked to him about moving up in the line rotation.
He answered all of them calmly, making sure he was still charming, but didn’t sound like an asshole that thought he was better than everyone else. He was good at this at least, even if it wasn’t his favourite part of the job.
Then came a quieter voice from a smaller outlet in the back.
“You’ve talked a bit before about growing up around hockey, but not so much about life off the ice. What keeps you grounded through all this? Especially with the attention that comes from being a top rookie?”
Booth hesitated, not in a panicked way, but in that slight pause that meant he was choosing his words carefully. He didn’t like to talk about his private at all, he liked to keep his people safe and secure. The public, especially on social media was taking a lot of interest in him. He usually trended after matches on Twitter. He didn’t want anyone harassing his pops or Jared. Temperance deserved to be able to be on campus in peace and study without wondering if anyone was taking pictures of her.
Booth rubbed his thumb over the edge of the water bottle, a sponsor for the team, in front of him as he thought about what he wanted to say.
“I try not to get caught up in the noise,” he said finally. “This league moves fast. You let your ego get ahead of your game, and you lose your footing. I’ve seen it happen. We’ve all seen it.”
He let the silence stretch for half a beat before adding “And I’ve got people in my corner who keep me honest.”
The room leaned in a bit, just enough for Booth to notice.
“She’s not here tonight,” he went on. “She’s in Guatemala right now, volunteering on a dig. Forensic anthropology program.”
A few brows raised. People wondered about the elusive girlfriend that hasn’t been seen more than maybe three times.
“She’s working with a nonprofit helping identify remains in post-conflict zones. It’s something she’s passionate about, and I support it. Always have.”
He cleared his throat. His voice didn’t soften exactly, but it got quieter, more grounded.
“We’ve been together a long time. Engaged now actually.” He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of when he had proposed. He had gotten on one knee next to their picnic table next to the football field a few weeks ago.
“I don’t talk about my personal life a lot,” Booth said, glancing up briefly. “Not because I’m hiding anything, but because the people I care about deserve peace. Especially her. She keeps me honest, keeps me focused and gives me more than a reason to keep working hard.”
He sat back, signalling the end of the answer without saying so. The moderator nodded, moving on to the next question, something about penalty kill formations. Booth always knew there would be spotlights on him as a rising NHL player, but what surprised him was how prepared Brennan was for it. Before the season started, she gave him a detailed talk, backed by studies she’d read, about how athletes and their partners are perceived in media and society. It was her way of saying she was ready to face the attention with him, even if she hated the spotlight.
Booth finished the presser without much else of note. He thanked the media politely, gave a quick nod, and slipped out through the side door.
Outside, the Philadelphia night was cold and clean. Booth tugged his hoodie up and walked toward the players’ exit, checking his phone out of instinct.
He didn’t have any new messages from Brennan tonight. But earlier that week, Brennan had managed to send him a short voice note through a spotty Wi-Fi signal from a village whose name he couldn’t pronounce.
"We found six more sets of remains today. We’re making progress. I think about you when it gets quiet. I hope the ice has been good to you lately. I miss you.”
He’d listened to it at least ten times before bed, then again on the morning of the game. It was barely twenty seconds long, but it made him so happy to have a little piece of her. He just wanted her to come home safe.
Their lives weren’t exactly simple. Two wildly different paths, but always bending back toward each other. She hadn’t made it to a single game this season except his first professional match of his career. She couldn’t miss that one, nothing would have pulled her away from him.
Booth didn’t blame her for not being there like the other girlfriends were. The work she was doing was far too important to walk away from, and he’d never ask her to. But her absence was felt.
Still, when he thought about her, on digs, in dusty tents, sorting human history from fractured pieces, he felt like everything was exactly as it was meant to be. Like no matter how chaotic this world got, there was this one person who knew him perfectly.
He reached the parking garage and climbed into his car, the same one he had in high school. Before starting the engine, he pulled out his phone again. Might as well send the message at this time, it gave more time for Brennan to see it.
Booth opened their thread and typed, Won 3–1. Two assists. I miss you. Can’t wait to have you back in Philly.
Then he sat back, letting the message sit for a second before pressing send.
Some part of him knew she wouldn’t get it for hours. Maybe not even until tomorrow. But it didn’t matter.
Booth drove home in the quiet, the city flashing past the windows, his body sore, his mind still buzzing from the game. But underneath all of it was that same grounding thought: he’d made it. He was playing the sport he loved at the highest level. He had a home to return to. And he had her, half a world away, but never far from his thoughts.
***
Brennan stepped out into the arrivals terminal, pleased when she saw Angela waiting for her by a car. She assumed that the mini cooper was one of Hodgins cars that he collects. It was early in the morning, the terminal wasn’t that occupied and all she wanted was to see a familiar face, have breakfast and then go to bed for the next 48 hours.
“Bren! Oh my god you have such a tan!” Angela screeched when she spotted her best friend.
Brennan let herself be wrapped in a tight hug. “Hey Ange,” she said. “You look great.”
“I’ve been working really hard on the art exhibition, so I couldn’t be happier,” Angela replied.
“Well, I’m glad I’ve come back so I could attend it too,” Brennan stated. “Now I believe you said we would be having breakfast together.”
“Actually, plans have changed a little bit. Last minute.”
Angela tried to not laugh at how annoyed Brennan looked. Her friend never liked changes to her plans, but she knew this time she would appreciate it.
“Hey Bones!”
Temperance quickly turned around at the sound of her fiancé voice. “Booth? How are you here? You are supposed to be in Anaheim.”
“Beat the Ducks and got on a red eye immediately,” Booth quickly explained as he walked towards her. “I missed you too much.”
In a matter of seconds, they were wrapped in each other’s arms after spending so many weeks apart. After so many days in the field in Guatemala, not necessarily in the safest conditions, being in Booth’s arms was the exact thing she needed.
“I know Angela was supposed to pick you up, but I figured she could be both of our ride,” Booth told her, his arms still wrapped around her.
“Very pragmatic of you Booth, good for the environment.”
“What do you say, Bones? Let’s go home?”
“There’s no place I would rather be Booth.”
Home was now a nice little condo next to the river, close enough to campus and the Flyers training centre. Brennan had an office, a place where she could study, but also keep on working on her novel. Booth’s so proud of her, proud of how she managed to balance her academic endeavours, but keep some time for her passion of literature. He knows that one day, she’ll be a big author, he can feel it deep in his bones.
They had so much to look forward to, experience, and live.
Everywhere, everything, together.
That’s all that mattered.
Notes:
First of, I would like to thank every single person that has clicked on this story to give it a chance. Everyone that commented, left kudos or simply read gave me the motivation I needed to get this story finished. I learned multiple things writing this one (I still love high school AUS, I hate writing in the past tense and I really need to finish stories before I start posting) and I'm very proud of having finished it.
I'm probably going to take a hiatus, I think my brain is a bit fried when it comes to Bones. I'm going to do my annual rewatch at some point in fall and be back with new ideas as usual.
So thank you, I hope you all appreciated this story.
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