Work Text:
THE HEART IN THE TRAGEDY
Seeley and Temperance fell to the bed, Seeley’s arms instinctively wrapping tightly around her. Her sobs against his neck were quiet, making them all the more intense as her entire body shook with each one. His heart ached for her—he knew this woman so well; understood that she struggled with her emotions on a regular basis. She was remarkably adept at bottling them up and hiding them from everyone, even herself. The fact that she wasn’t able to in this moment spoke volumes as to how much Vincent Nigel-Murray death had affected her.
Temperance Brennan was falling apart—and she was doing it in Seeley Booth’s arms.
A quick glance at the alarm clock showed Seeley it was almost five in the morning—Temperance had been able to hold off the emotional turmoil remarkably well. But even a woman who hid behind cold logic could hide from heartache for only so long. And Temperance . . . she’d been hiding a lot of pain for a very, very long time. Seeley’s arms tightened around her and he closed his eyes. He couldn’t deny having a part in hurting her over the past few months.
But Temperance hadn’t wanted to give love a shot and he so desperately did. Always had. Then when she’d finally told him she was ready . . . Well. He’d been with Hannah, damn it. Someone he thought did love him. His own pain overcame him—Hanna had loved him, just not enough to marry him.
He felt tears come to his own eyes, unsure just what he was mourning—the dead squintern, Hannah’s rejection, or something else entirely.
Temperance shifted against him, bringing the top of her head directly beneath his chin. A part of him that had quietly wanted this for years now dropped his head, burying his nose in her hair. He inhaled, taking in the scent of her shampoo, of her, and the pain in his heart blossomed into something softer, more light.
It was an inexplicable hope he’d felt a time or two before and when his lips formed a kiss against her hair he knew he was probably making a mistake. He couldn’t help himself though. He stayed like that, face buried in her hair, waiting to feel her push him away. Again.
Except, for some reason he couldn’t fathom, she didn’t.
Rather, for a moment, her sobs ceased, and she lay against his side, face hidden in his chest, one hand bunched in his shirt, her breaths evening out, slowing down. It was as if she was accepting the comfort he was offering. A new feeling stirred in Seeley—or rather, an old one.
God, he loved this woman. He’d loved her for a long time. He’d been able to forget it for a while, but those feelings had never really gone away. His heart had expanded for some time, love for Hannah eclipsing what he felt for Temperance. And then Hannah had rejected his offer of a lifetime of commitment and the only thing he had been able to feel was the anger and hurt.
But this . . .
This had always been there. He couldn’t deny that.
Hell, even Temperance couldn’t deny it anymore.
An image flashed through Seeley’s mind. Temperance crying in the SUV, street lights illuminating her raw pain as she accepted that she’d lost her chance with him. And she had—accepted it, that is. It had hurt her, most definitely. But she’d taken him at his word and quietly adjusted her feelings.
She had, hadn’t she?
And hadn’t he too?
Seeley was so comfortable in his partnership with Temperance. He understood it. Accepted it as a necessity. There were defining lines that neither one crossed, and because of that there was never a risk of either one leaving the other. So long as there were murders to solve, Special Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan got to work together solving crimes and bickering like an old married couple. It was safe and it gave him an excuse to see his favourite person almost every single day. There was no risk.
But why . . . ? Why was he keeping those dividers up? Because he didn’t want to get hurt by yet another strong-willed, confident, and oh-so-sexy woman? What a stupid reason, he realized. If anyone had a right to be worried about having their heart broken, it was Temperance. And here she was, in his arms and in his bed, showing him just how cracked her heart really was.
God, Seeley was being an outright idiot. A coward.
He shouldn’t just be hugging her, he should be consoling her—all of her. Showing her that the people in her life did know that she cared for them, that she knew how to love.
Knowing it would have to be up to him to make that first move, he shifted the two of them so that they were each lying on their sides, facing each other. His pulse raced as she opened her grey-blue eyes, her gaze seeking his out in the dim light. Her eyes were just so sad, so lost and alone.
He wasn’t quite sure if it was comfort he was offering her or perhaps his heart as he ducked his head and kissed her, but when she once again didn’t push him away, he deepened the kiss. His hand slid through her hair then down her arm to fall comfortably against her hip, and just that simple touch seemed to make his own heart sing. How long had he wanted to do that?
When Temperance leaned into the touch, her hand that had been clenching his shirt splaying out across his chest, Seeley nearly lost himself, his shock was so profound. This was not at all what he’d expected in return. The kisses turned heated and he wasn’t imagining it—she was responding. He delved further, his tongue asking for entrance—and God yes—Temperance replied, yielding to him.
It was becoming quite clear to him that Temperance wasn’t going to shy away from this. She wanted this too. He didn’t know if it was the comfort of the act that she actually wanted or him, and he was too afraid to ask. But when he broke the kiss to take a breath, it was Temperance who pulled him back down, her lips seeking his with an intensity borne of high emotions.
When his hand felt the bare skin between the sweatshirt and her pants, a fire seemed to ignite—in his heart, in his loins, did it really matter? Calloused fingers couldn’t help themselves as they snuck under the shirt—his shirt, damn it, she was wearing his shirt—and for the first time in their non-relationship he truly gave in to temptation and let his hand explore. Her skin was as soft as he’d always imagined, and a low groan escaped him at just this one simple act. He’d imagined this hundreds, if not thousands, of times. Touching her. Loving her. Experiencing her.
Temperance shivered under his touch as his fingers traced her spine. She arched her back, a silent request for more from him, and he was only too happy to oblige. He broke their kiss, moving his head to the crook of her neck, tasting her skin there. His hand came around her body, seeking her curves, and he felt Temperance’s fingers in his hair, soft as they tugged through it.
Seeley’s hand found what it had been looking for under her shirt, and he felt rather successful when Temperance gave a small gasp. His tongue slipped to her collarbone, and he let his teeth graze across her skin. She was divine, just as he always knew she would be.
Temperance froze, her hands still in his hair. “Booth,” she said, her voice quiet but worried.
Seeley’s heart clenched at her voice. He felt the rejection coming; she’d finally let her friggin’ logic win out over her heart. His lips left her skin, her perfectly soft skin, but he didn’t look at her. He couldn’t meet her eyes if she was going to break his damn heart. It was going to hurt too much. He couldn’t look at her or he might break down.
“Seeley,” she said, a desperate note to her voice as she said his first name.
Steeling himself for the worst, he finally made eye contact. What he saw there was worry, fear. What did she have to worry about?
“Are you sure?” she asked. “Because . . .” she trailed off, leaving everything unspoken.
He had told her he had moved on, after all. And when Hannah had dropped him, he’d given Temperance an ultimatum to be his partner or be out of his life completely. Full stop. There’d been no room for negotiations and they’d avoided the topic ever since. Or he had, anyway.
Temperance was laying her emotions out for him to see. All of them. She was vulnerable in this moment, he could see that. And it wasn’t just about Vincent. It was everything. She was showing him everything in her heart, even the things she hid from herself.
She gave him this sad look when he didn’t say anything. “I don’t want you regretting this.”
“Bones,” he started, but then stopped. She wasn’t his partner right now. She was more. “Temperance.” Perhaps she’d end up breaking his heart—but he had to try. After all this time, he had to try. And those big eyes of hers, they were so raw right now. More than he’d ever seen her willingly display before. He needed to be here with her right now. He wasn’t going to just abandon her in her time of need. “I’m not going anywhere,” he told her, his voice cracking on the last word. God, how he wanted to keep her in his arms right now.
Fresh tears filled her eyes and he reached up, planting a kiss on each one, trying to kiss away the pain. He desperately needed her to understand—she was worth loving.
He knew she had put up walls at a very young age. She said she didn’t believe in love, but really she was afraid of the hurt that comes with love, the threat of abandonment. He’d seen the cold hurt in her eyes so many times when they talked about family, about her years in the foster system. And damn it, he would do anything to show her he would never leave her. Never.
He found her lips again, and he tried to pour as much love into the kiss as he could. To let her know she was safe. That her heart would always be safe with him.
There was a new urgency in the kisses now. Not just Seeley, but Temperance too. Clothes were discarded in a desperate haze and Seeley soon found himself under the covers with a very naked, very beautiful, very eager Temperance. It was all he could do just to stop himself from losing control and wasting this special moment by taking it too fast. Rather, he wanted to stretch it out, sleep be damned. If he could stop time he would do it in a heartbeat, to keep them here for eternity.
She, on the other hand, seemed just as eager to finally do this. To be together.
He wasn’t an idiot. He knew she didn’t regard sex as love. But in this moment, in this bed, her eyes were full of passion, whether she knew it or not. And it was for him. Seeley’s heart was full as he gathered her close to him, pressing skin against skin. Her fingers were hot against him, absolutely devilish in their knowledge of what would set him off. When she fastened on his ear, her teeth nipping at the sensitive skin, he couldn’t wait any longer.
Temperance suddenly found herself flipped onto the mattress, Seeley above her. He leaned down, kissed her deep, and moved over her. Her hands on his backside guided him, showing him what she wanted without words. He sank down, easing himself into her—losing himself to her utterly. His eyes closed so he could bask in the sensation, of being held by her, surrounded by her.
They moved together, still learning each other as they reached out for that ecstasy they both craved in the moment. Their breath mingled, fingers twined together, and for just one moment, as Seeley reached that heady climax and Temperance whimpered a tiny “please,” he imagined their hearts met between them. He didn’t stop his movement, didn’t collapse onto the bed, until Temperance arched beneath him, calling out—his name, she called out his damn name—as she also found the bliss of release.
Too soon they both lay on the mattress, sheets tangled between them, catching their breath. Seeley moved his head to see the time, and knowing the alarm would be going off soon, he rolled to the middle of the bed and pulled Temperance into his arms. He wrapped himself around her, buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes. He wouldn’t say it. He wouldn’t tell her that he loved her, had always loved her, had been waiting to love her, this whole time.
He knew it would ruin the moment.
She would hear that word, get scared, and run away.
So he simply held her, stroked her hair, and thought it instead. Thought it as hard as he could and wished to God that for once, just for once he could keep this. Let all the pain and rejection he’d dealt with in his life lead to keeping this one woman for the rest of his life. Let this one stick, damn it. Just this once.
He held her close and he hoped beyond all hope that he could help her heal—not just from yesterday’s tragedy, but from every single fucking thing that had hurt her in her life. If he could just help her heal, then perhaps she could learn to love—and love him back.
He closed his eyes and he breathed her in. He felt her fingers slide between his own, and he squeezed them.
Temperance Brennan. His partner. His best friend. The smartest, strongest person he knew. Bones.
He was head over heels in love with her.
There was no going back.
Because she had him, all of him. Mind, body, soul. He vowed to show her why he was worth keeping.
No matter how long it took.
“Booth,” Temperance’s voice was quiet in the stillness. “I’m not going anywhere either.”
Seeley snuggled closer to her, a smile on his lips as he drifted off to sleep. His tiny spark of hope began to blossom into a full fire.
Loved. Seeley felt loved.
