Hypothermic - B&B (w/some Ang) - Flangst - M – By Meegs Posted 17/12/2007 01:16:26 AM

Hey everyone! I just finished up this fic, so I will post in chaps. Please read and review and enjoy!
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CHAPTER 1

“It’s freezing. Can’t you turn the car on for a few minutes?” Brennan whined, her voice muffled as she spoke through her scarf, huddling in the passenger seat of the SUV.

“This is a stakeout, Bones. Turning the car on is completely counterintuitive,” Booth replied, looking to her and then past her as he raised a pair of binoculars to his face.

Brennan rolled her eyes and clasped her gloved hands together. “How long have we been here anyway?” she inquired, holding her watch up to somehow try to read the numbers. She reached for the light above her, but Booth swatted her hand away.

“What did I just say?” Booth asked, staring at her in disbelief.

Brennan’s face contorted and she snarled. “You sure are…bossy,” she replied, unintelligently.

“I’m in charge of this stakeout, so I’ll be bossy if I want to,” Booth replied, emphatically.

Brennan continued to sneer at him, her eyes narrowed and her lips slightly scrunched together. But she didn’t speak and instead, leaned back in the seat as she wrapped her scarf more tightly around her.

And so they sat, silent, for the next 10 minutes. They were somewhere between Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, out in the middle of nowhere. A single farm house was the only structure for miles. The SUV was parked at a safe distance so as not to arouse suspicion. Brennan sat, freezing, as she kept her eyes on the house. A small, frozen lake stretched out to the side of the house, a stone bridge spreading across it. It seemed to be the only way from the house to reach the pastures where (from what Brennan could make out in the dark) several dark figures shifted. She could only assume that the figures were cattle.

Another 10 minutes passed and still nothing. Brennan’s scarf was now wrapped securely around her head and her rather red nose poked out from just beneath it.

“How is it that you aren’t cold?” Brennan asked Booth, this time nearly inaudible.

“Blah, blah, blah, what?” Booth asked, his face scrunched.

Brennan pulled the scarf down as she rolled her eyes. “Why aren’t you cold?” she asked again, her eyes wide in irritation at having to repeat herself.

“I am cold, Bones, I’m just not as vocal about it as you are…clearly,” Booth replied, bringing the binoculars back to his eyes.

Brennan sighed. “How do we even know that this guy is going to come back here tonight?” Brennan asked, pursing her lips in annoyance.

“Because, if he returns to the scene of the crime before that check is deposited, then we’ll know it’s him. He has to come back before 7 in the morning or else he’s not our guy…and that’s nearly impossible since all of the evidence points to him,” Booth explained as though Brennan hadn’t the faintest idea what their current case entailed.

Brennan stared at him for a moment. “You could have at least brought a portable generator,” she responded, irritated.

It was now Booth’s turn to roll his eyes. “Why do I have to think of everything? Why didn’t you bring one?” he retorted, looking directly at her.

“Because *I* had no idea we were going to be sitting in your car for 4 hours at 5 degree temperatures!” Brennan replied, her eyes widening and her voice rising.

“It’s not 5 degrees-“ Booth began.

“Yes, it is! I looked at the car’s temperature gauge before you turned it off,” she shot back.

“Bones, it’s not like you’re going to freeze to death,” Booth replied, smirking slightly. “You’re the scientist, you should know that,” he added, smugly.

“Yes, Booth, I know that. But feel my hands,” Brennan replied as she ripped off one glove and placed it against Booth’s cheek.

Booth jerked at her touch. “Geez, Bones, are your hands like…dead?” Booth asked, his face scrunched again as he smacked her hand away for the second time.

“That’s not even scientifically possible,” she replied, putting her glove back on.

“Obviously, Bones, I just meant…no, you know what, nevermind,” Booth replied as the binoculars returned to their previous spot.

Brennan didn’t reply. Instead, she leaned forward slowly and tilted her head so that she was in Booth’s direct eyeline.

Brennan’s face appeared suddenly and Booth was taken aback at the intense magnification as he pulled his head away from the binoculars.

“What, are you trying to ruin this?” Booth inquired, his jaw clenched and his eyes set intensely on Brennan.

She glared at him without uttering a word. Her face did all the talking.

“Fine, I get it. You’re cold and you’re miserable. Yeah well, me too. Here, feel MY hands,” Booth shot back as both of his hands flew to her cheek.

She too jerked away from his touch. “Okay, okay, I take your point. We’re both cold and we’re both miserable. So, why don’t we stop talking about it, right?” Brennan replied, looking to Booth for approval of her perception of the situation.

“Exactly. See, Bones, you ARE intuitive,” Booth replied, smiling sarcastically as he raised the binoculars. Before he could reach his eyes, Brennan snatched them away. “Hey!”

“What, I don’t get to look too?” she asked, looking to him and then back through the binoculars. She could see the farm house up closely now. There was a front porch light on, but the rest of the house was dark. She could see the lake and the bridge better from the illumination.

Just as she was about to give the binoculars back to Booth, she saw a pair of headlights.

“Booth! Someone’s coming!” she exclaimed as she hit Booth on the knee.

Booth grabbed the binoculars from her. He could make out a car pulling into the gravel driveway.

“That’s the Jeep,” Booth informed her as he watched a rather tall and gangly man step out of the car. “And that’s Johansson. He’s back. Told ya, Bones,” Booth said with an all-knowing smirk. He still had the binoculars glued to his face, which was clearly irritating Brennan.

“Booth, let me see,” she said, reaching for the binoculars.

“Hang on a second, Bones,” he replied, pushing her hand away as he continued to stare at “Johansson.” “He’s getting something out of the back. Wait…it’s a rifle. Same one police released from evidence. Alright, listen,” Booth began as he pulled the binoculars away. “You stay here-“

“Are you kidding? You really expect me to-“ she began to protest, her eyes wide.

“Just stay here until you see me take him down. Then, you can move in as my backup,” Booth instructed as he reached for his gun.

“Booth! Why would I-“

“Because we know how he works! If he sees both of us, he will shoot you! He strikes by taking the most important things from his victims. Since I have the gun, he’ll aim at you,” Booth yelled, nearly losing his temper out right.

Brennan stared wide-eyed at Booth for a long moment. She understood. “Okay,” she replied, simply.

Booth stared at her intently as he opened the door. “Not a single movement until he is down,” Booth reiterated, a severe and concerned look on his face.

Brennan nodded.

Booth took another look at her and then left the car, shutting the door gently behind him.

She watched him scurry across the deserted 2-lane highway, gun in hand. She picked up the binoculars and looked for Johansson, who was just shutting the tailgate to the Jeep. She watched his body turn suddenly towards Booth and she knew that Booth must have said something to him. The two men were still approximately 20 yards apart and she glanced back and forth between them with the binoculars. She could not, for the life of her, tell what was going on. They were obviously talking, but Johansson was not relinquishing his rifle as Booth closed in on him.

“Come on, Booth. Take him down,” Brennan said aloud, the binoculars still attached to her face.

Booth was now a mere 12 or so yards from Johansson. Brennan felt helpless. She had to do something. *I should have brought my gun* was all she could think. Then this situation would be much different. But no, she had listened to Booth who had told her that she wouldn’t need it.

A split second later, Johansson took off towards the pastures and Booth took off after him.

That was it, Brennan could NOT just sit there. She dropped the binoculars and hurried out of the car and across the highway. She tried to keep an eye on Johansson and on Booth, but the night was deeply dark and it was difficult. She followed in the general direction of where she had seen the two men disappear, but it wasn’t until she heard a loud noise that she stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes, squinting to see where the noise had come from. It had almost sounded like…water? The lake? In the distance along the horizon, she could make out a tall figure running in the opposite direction. But there was only one tall figure and it was far too gangly to be Booth’s.

A horrible feeling overcame her and suddenly, she yelled, “Booth!” And there was no answer. She could barely see 5 feet in front of her, but she continued walking and she yelled again, “Booth!” After a few more seconds, she could see the stone bridge. It was a few yards in front of her and she hurried to it. She stood in the middle of the bridge and glanced below her on one side.

Frantically, she looked and listened, but didn’t see or hear anything. She turned to the other side and it was then and there that she saw what she had been afraid of seeing: a hole in the ice.

“Booth!” she yelled again as she hurried, nearly slipping, off the bridge and to the edge of the lake. She stared anxiously at the hole in the ice. The water was rippling, but nothing was re-surfacing. She knew she only had a matter of seconds to pull him out. She knelt on the snowy bank and threw her arms into the water, reaching as far down as she could, hoping to grasp hold of him. But she felt nothing but cold water.

Tears began forming in her eyes as she tried frantically to reach him. There was only one thing left to do and before she could even blink back the tears, she plunged into the icy water, sending all of her nerve endings a dangerous message. She opened her eyes and looked below her to see his face, his eyes closed. Within a millisecond, she had him in her grasp and she pulled him to the surface.

She gasped as she came out of the water, the iciness taking her breath away. She was drenched and freezing, but she didn’t care. She was able to pull Booth out of the water and heave him up onto the bank after 2 tries. He lay there, limp, not moving a muscle.

“Booth! Come on, Booth!” she yelled, tears now flowing freely as she leaned over him and pressed her index and middle fingers against his jugular. Nothing. She knew she couldn’t start CPR until she was absolutely certain that he did or didn’t have a pulse. Otherwise, his heart could stop from the chest compressions. As she went to check again, she noticed the snow beneath him was beginning to turn red.

“Oh God…” Brennan whispered above the tears as she shifted Booth’s head slightly to the side only to reveal blood stained hair. She pressed against the back of his head to see how quickly the blood was flowing. To her relief, the blood merely trickled from the site of the gash and she concluded that the wound was superficial.

Shivering, she returned to the more immediate issue. She pressed on his neck once again. After a couple of seconds, she felt a pulse. It was slow and faint, but it was there. Upon the realization of the fact that he was in fact alive, Brennan immediately began chest compressions.

“1…2…3…” Brennan counted aloud, the salty tears spilling as she pushed on his chest. After a count of three, she leaned in, pinched his nose, and touched her lips to his, blowing air into his windpipe. She then leaned her ear to his mouth to listen for breath sounds…and she heard nothing.

“1…2…3…” she repeated her counting and her actions again…and again, there was nothing. He lay there, motionless. She knew that he was hypothermic and she knew that if she didn’t get him out of his wet clothes soon, his body temperature could reach critical levels. But she had to get him to breathe first.

“1…2…3…” she cried as she blew warm breath into his mouth. “Please, Booth…” she whispered, pressing against his chest again.

“Please…you can’t leave…”
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All for now!

CheeseBK

Posted 17/12/2007 03:10:47 AM

oh my god..... save booth, come on.... that's not the kind of liplock we want!!!

it's very well written!!!!

TemperTemper

Posted 17/12/2007 05:10:00 AM


Great writing! More!

space

Posted 17/12/2007 04:33:30 PM


Wow! Loving this - so intense! More soon please!

Posted 17/12/2007 10:52:47 PM

Thanks for the reviews, you all! Here we go with the next chap:
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CHAPTER 2

She felt like she was pounding on his chest. It had been maybe 3 minutes, but it felt like an eternity. Her fingers were like icicles and she yanked her gloves off. The tears and despair threatened to overtake her senses, but she pushed them back, knowing full well that she couldn’t break down…not now. He needed her. He had never let her down and she was not about to let HIM down.

After a 5 second break from administering CPR, Brennan resumed compressions and after another 5 seconds, Booth’s eyes flew open as he gasped for air.

“Booth!” Brennan cried as she pressed gently against him. “You shouldn’t get up quickly. Your body needs to be rewarmed. Can you feel your legs?” Brennan asked.

Booth’s eyes fluttered shut and then open again as he attempted to comprehend what his partner had just said to him. Something about his legs?

“Yeah…” he replied weakly.

“Okay, I need for you to try to stand. I’m going to help you, but you are going to have to try as hard as you can. Can you understand me, Booth?” Brennan asked, leaning over him.

“Yeah…warm…” he began to say.

“What?” Brennan asked.

“Warm. I feel…warm,” Booth repeated.

Brennan’s face fell. She had revived him, but if he was feeling warm, then it could only mean that his body temperature was dropping as he slipped into the second stage of hypothermia. She had to get him out of the cold…and fast.

“We need to get you inside. Are you ready? On three,” Brennan held onto his left arm as she bent over him. “1…2…3,” Brennan said as she and Booth both pushed off the ground. Brennan took the brunt of his weight as they staggered towards the house.

After a few steps, Booth began to shiver and he stumbled to the ground bringing Brennan down with him. As he hit the snow, his body began to shudder violently. He tried to speak, but his teeth were chattering so much that it was useless.

Brennan rolled over and picked herself up. She too was shivering, but not nearly to the extent that Booth was.

“Booth, we have to keep moving. You have to get out of those wet clothes and get dry. Otherwise you could slip into a coma,” Brennan explained as she tried to grab hold of him and pull him up. “Please, Booth,” Brennan pleaded as the tears returned. Desperately, she did what she could to make things easier as she began removing his heavy coat. She maneuvered him to each side as she pulled his arms out of the sleeves. After the coat was off, she stared down at his convulsing body and she felt like her world was being taken away from her. No, she couldn’t let him go. Her lips pursed together and suddenly, she slapped him across the face.

He flinched and tried to speak again, “Wha…?”

“Get up! I am not leaving you here! Get up!” Brennan demanded as she leaned down again to hoist him up, the tears nearly choking her.

Booth wasn’t cold, but he couldn’t stop shivering. And he couldn’t help but think that this was it, he was going to die. He was going to die and Bones was going to see it. As the thought sunk in, his resolve returned. No way was he going to let that happen.

“O-o-k-a-a-y, B-b-b-o-n-n-e-s,” Booth chattered.

A small, strained smile found its way to Brennan’s tear stained face. And with another count of three, the two of them hoisted Booth back up on his feet. They staggered the remaining 10 yards and Brennan found the doorknob and turned, both relieved and surprised that it was unlocked.

With Booth resting on her, Brennan found the light switch in the entryway. The illumination revealed a hall and an open arch to a den, complete with sofa and chairs.

“In here,” Brennan said as she guided Booth towards the small den.

They stumbled to the sofa and Brennan let him flop to the cushions. He was still shaking just as violently and as Brennan looked at him, she noticed that his lips were pale and puffy.

“We need to rewarm your body, but gradually. You need to get out of your clothes, the wetness is only making it worse,” Brennan informed him.

He looked at her as his body continued to tremble. He could barely move, let alone use any kind of muscle power to remove his clothing.

Brennan was fully aware of this as she kneeled on the floor next to him and first reached down to the bottom of his cotton sweater. Since they had been on a stakeout, he had not worn a suit. Hastily, but gently, she pulled the sweater and his undershirt up towards his head as he continued to quiver and shake. She guided each arm out of each sleeve and then pulled the sweater and undershirt over his head and threw it to the floor, leaving him bare-chested. As he lay there, she looked at him, not thinking twice about what she was about to do because it was necessary to save his life. She found the button to his pants and undid it before unzipping them. They clung to his legs and she struggled to get them off. She pulled his boxers off with the pants and then removed his socks.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “I’m going to find some blankets, hopefully a sleeping bag, that would be best. Are you okay?” Brennan asked.

Booth managed to nod through his convulsions.

Brennan stood, still shivering herself, and glanced around the room. There wasn’t a blanket in sight. She kept an eye on Booth as she walked into the entryway. There was a closet to the right of the front door. She opened it quickly and looked inside. Nothing. There was a set of stairs just through the entryway and she ran up them, opening the first closet she came across at the top of the stairs. Winter coats and snow boots were in abundance and she looked up high and found 2 blankets and the best part, a sleeping bag. She grabbed 1 of the blankets and the sleeping bag and headed back downstairs.

Booth had curled up into a fetal position when she returned.

“Okay, I found them,” Brennan announced. She first placed the blanket on top of Booth. “Here. This will help,” she said as she wrapped him up, tucking the edges around him. She then grabbed the sleeping bag and unzipped it completely, laying it out on the floor. “Booth, I need you to move to the floor. Here, I’ll help,” she instructed gently as Booth tried to move on his own. But she was right there beside him and she took his arm and helped lower him to the floor and on top of the sleeping bag. The blanket slipped as he moved and he tried to grab onto it, but his fingers would not work. He could barely move them, they were so numb. Brennan took the blanket and returned it to his fingers and he slowly grasped on.

“Just lie there, okay? This is the best way to return your body to normal temperature,” Brennan explained as she discarded her coat and scarf on the floor. She quickly removed her shirt and bra and then unclasped her necklace and dropped it. Her pants and underwear followed.

Booth laid there, his eyes half closed as he shivered. He didn’t know what to feel, he was so…he couldn’t even begin to think about how he felt. He wasn’t cold and he wasn’t warm…he was just shaking and unable to stop.

Brennan knelt on top of the sleeping bag and reached down to the bottom and began zipping it. As she reached her side of the bag, she crawled in next to Booth, removing the blanket and tossing it aside. She finished zipping the bag and turned to him, her eyes wet with tears.

As she slid in and pressed her body against his, he felt a tingling sensation. He didn’t know if it was from the feeling of her skin on his or from his uncontrollable tremors, but something about it felt good. He knew that he was safe and he knew that she was there for him and now he could feel the warmth of her body.

“Here, put your arms around me,” she whispered gently as she helped him place his left arm in the small of her back. “Squeeze, Booth. It will help with circulation,” she instructed him softly.

He squeezed ever so slightly and she knew that that was all his muscles were capable of. But at least they were capable of something. That meant that his brain hadn’t been affected.

“H-h-e-a-d-d…h-h-u-r-t-s-s,” Booth stammered as if just now realizing it.

“I know, you have a gash, but it’s superficial. No time to clean it. It knocked you unconscious,” Brennan replied.

Their noses were touching and her breath was warm on his face. He continued to squeeze her as much as he could as she wrapped her right leg around his hips and thighs, pressing up against him to give him as much of her body heat as possible. She snaked her right arm around his midsection and pressed down on his back, pulling him closer to her.

“You’re going to be fine, okay? You just need to…rewarm. Booth, do you hear me?” she asked, a quiver in her voice.

Booth looked into her eyes as he shook and he nodded.

A tear streamed down her cheek. She looked at his lips again. They were still puffy and were now a faint tinge of blue.

“Can you feel your lips?” she asked.

He shook his head, but with the rest of his body shaking, it didn’t make a difference. So, he spoke, “N-n-o.”

She looked into his eyes for a moment before turning her gaze on his lips.

“This will help,” she said as she closed the millimeter gap between them and pressed her lips gently against his. Her eyes closed as she kissed him.

His eyes closed too and he tried to kiss her back. But his lips wouldn’t work, so he let her kiss him and as he focused on how soft her lips were, his body began to calm a bit.

After a long while, she pulled away and opened her eyes. “Better?” she asked.

Booth’s eyes opened again and he nodded. “Y-y-e-a-h,” he replied.
END OF PART I

PART II

Posted 17/12/2007 10:52:47 PM
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“Your body is calming down. That’s a good sign. I’m fairly sure you are in stage 2 hypothermia, but now that your trembling is letting up-“ but she couldn’t finish.

Booth regained use of his lips as they brushed against hers tenderly. Her eyes fluttered shut and she pressed herself into him, her heart beating against his. Slowly, Booth moved his lips to kiss her deeper and a surge of electricity went coursing through her body, causing her to tremble now. He pressed his hand against her back and pulled her closer to him and her breath caught in her throat. Now he knew that the tingling sensation hadn’t been due to his hypothermia. It was all her.

Booth continued to quiver slightly as the need for oxygen became too great and he broke away from her lips. He opened his eyes only to see her eyes still closed and her lips reaching for more.

Her eyes fluttered open when she didn’t feel his lips. She found him staring at her and she felt his hand stroking her back. Muscle control…that was a good thing. She felt his body continue to calm and he appeared to become more alert as he blinked a few times without keeping his eyes shut for too long. She was unable to take her eyes off of him. His eyes were always comforting and as they lay, he gazed at her and she felt an overwhelming sense of belonging. She had never really felt that before…at least not for a long long time. She had been on her own for 16 years and she had never considered that she belonged anywhere…except maybe for the Jeffersonian. But right here and right now, she felt that she belonged in his arms…she belonged to him. It had crossed her mind in the recent months that her feelings for him had changed, but it hadn’t been confirmed until this moment. All of her senses were overtaken and her mind finally caught up with her heart…and it scared her.

Her eyes darted away from Booth’s, but she did not pull away because quite frankly, she couldn’t move.

“I need to check your pulse,” Brennan said as she removed her arm from his midsection and placed her index and middle fingers on his neck. He lay there, just gazing at her as she felt for his jugular. “It’s still slow, but that’s normal. It’s a good sign that your heart rate isn’t rapid,” she explained, only glancing at him for a moment, yet returning her arm to his back to continue to warm his body.

He felt warm. But this warm was different from any other warm he had experienced before. This was the most wonderful warm and he knew it was all because of her. She had just saved his life without a second thought. He was alive because of her and now as she lay there, wrapped in his arms, all he wanted to do was hold on forever. The warmth of her breath blew across his face as she glanced away from his eyes yet again. He could feel her hesitation in looking at him and he wanted to fix it, so he said the only thing that he could think of.

“I l-l-ove you,” he whispered, still shaking slightly as he resumed the stroking of her back.

Her eyes immediately met his. But instead of happiness or even confusion, a look of worry covered her face.

“Oh, no. Delirium…that’s stage 3 of hypothermia. But I don’t understand, your tremors are lessening and your body is warming. Your lips have returned to normal and-“

His now normal lips were on hers once again. With a soft brush, he left her speechless and as he broke away, her lips remained parted and she looked stunned.

“N-n-o, Bones. I’m n-n-ot d-d-elirious…I’m in love w-with you,” he told her, a soft look on his face. “Have b-b-een for a w-while.”

She stared at him, unsure of what to say. She was flustered and normally, when she was flustered, she brushed him off and retreated to her office. But she couldn’t escape this. She was literally nose to nose with him and she couldn’t move…she didn’t really WANT to move.

“I-I don’t…understand,” Brennan stuttered as she evaded his eye contact.

“Y-y-es you do, Bones. You just p-p-retend not to,” Booth said softly so as not to offend her. That was the last thing he wanted.

She brought her eyes back to his and the classic Brennan look that Booth knew and loved blanketed her face. She was deep in thought and he could tell.

“H-how do you know?” she asked, her heart now beating more rapidly.

“Because…I’ve been d-doing it, t-t-oo,” he revealed, still not taking his eyes off of her.

She stared at him, a battle dwelling within her. Did she really know how she truly felt? Yes, she did. Was she able to admit it? No, she wasn’t. It was brand new territory for her…love…and she had no idea how to handle it. Right now was not the best time to start to understand, either, seeing as how they were lying naked in a sleeping bag together…and that was too much in itself. She glanced away as she loosened her grip on him, not letting go completely.

“You should rest, try to get some sleep. In a couple of hours, we can get you to a hospital,” Brennan replied, her jaw shifting and her eyes darting.

Booth simply smiled softly. He had tried and he could see that she wasn’t ready. He hadn’t known that he was ready to fess up, but apparently, a near-death experience had confirmed it for him. He could wait…and he had a feeling that it wouldn’t be too long.

“Okay, B-bones,” and with that, he kissed her softly on the tip of the nose and squeezed her gently, closing his eyes as he did.

Brennan’s first thought was that people really do kiss on the nose. She re-tightened her grip as she gazed at him. Part of her wanted to flee, run to her office. She couldn’t deal with being this close to him, she just didn’t know how to do it. What she didn’t truly realize was that she had been that close to him for a while now. And so she lay, immersed in her own thought process as she felt Booth’s breathing change and she knew he was asleep. She didn’t care if she didn’t sleep, he was what was important.

She tried once again to blame his comments on delirium, but she realized quickly that that was not rational. His argument had been, quite frankly, crystal clear. And it was this that kept her awake for the next few hours…
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Let me know what you all think!

CheeseBK

Posted 18/12/2007 02:25:16 AM


oh wow.... booth is safe and they are NAKED in one sleeping bag.... yummy

fanofbones

Posted 18/12/2007 11:00:45 PM


Ok meegs...this is wonderful...
and whooooooooohoooooooooooooo for being naked in a sleeping bag and the I love you..

more please
hugs
fab

Posted 19/12/2007 01:53:21 AM

Here is a quick chapter. Thanks again for reading!
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CHAPTER 3

Booth awoke to the sound of a car engine and no Brennan next to him. It took him a moment to get oriented, but once he was, he was back in FBI mode. He grabbed the blanket and jumped out of the sleeping bag, wrapping the blanket around him. He saw that it was still dark outside and the headlights from the car were peeking in through the windows. He slowly headed toward the door, not knowing quite what to do since he was in fact, naked. But there was no sign of Bones and there was a mysterious car outside and his instincts went into overdrive. As he was nearing the front door, the engine was cut and the lights went out. He crept behind a wall, out of sight of the entryway. He heard footsteps approach and then the door opened.

He jumped out from behind the wall and yelled, hoping to scare the intruder.

Brennan’s heart jumped out of her chest and she nearly fell back.

“Booth! What are you doing?” she asked as she shut the door.

Booth smiled awkwardly. “Sorry. Didn’t know where you were and…thought you might be Johansson,” he replied, grasping onto the blanket which was covering only his bottom half. He smiled crookedly once more.

Brennan sighed. “You scared me. I was bringing the car up. I was getting ready to wake you, we need to get you to a hospital,” Brennan replied as she walked past him and to the sofa. “Here, I found some clothes upstairs for you to put on,” she said as she picked up a folded pair of khakis, a sweater, and a pair of boxers and attempted to hand them to Booth, who couldn’t quite grip them seeing as how he was holding a blanket over his…well, he didn’t want to drop it.

Brennan glanced at him awkwardly. “Right, well, I’ll leave them here,” she said, setting the clothes back down on the couch. “How do you feel?” she asked, walking to him and taking hold of his head to get a better look at the gash.

“Ow! Geez, Bones, easy there. I feel fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital, we have to try and find Johansson,” Booth replied, attempting to duck out from her grasp, but she tried harder and grabbed him once more.

“Yes, you do. You may feel fine, but your vitals need to be monitored for the next 6 hours or so,” Brennan replied, letting go of his head and taking a step away.

“What time is it, anyway?” Booth asked as he gently touched the back of his head, at which point he grimaced in pain.

“It’s just after 5:00 am,” Brennan replied. “You slept for nearly 4 hours, which is good.”

“Good, I got some sleep, so why do I need to go to a hospital?” Booth inquired, still standing with his hand on the blanket.

Brennan rolled her eyes. “Will you just trust me? Get dressed, we need to go,” Brennan demanded as she folded her arms across her chest.

Considering she had just saved his life, Booth decided not to argue. “Yeah, okay,” he replied as he stepped to the couch and grabbed the pair of boxers, still clutching to the blanket.

Brennan stayed in her place, arms still crossed.

Booth looked to her. “Do you mind?” he asked, indicating the blanket and the clothes.

“Right, sorry,” Brennan replied as she turned around with her back to him, sighing and rolling her eyes at herself as she did so.

“Thank you,” Booth said.

A few moments passed in silence before Brennan spoke.

“So, do you…uh, what all do you…remember. I mean, before and after you fell…in the…lake,” Brennan sputtered, her back still turned. She wanted to know if he remembered what he had said. Even though she didn’t truly believe he had been delirious, it was still possible that he didn’t remember. Hypothermic victims quite often forget certain moments…she was hoping that “the moment” was one of them.

Booth half-smiled to himself as he pulled the sweater over his head. He paused a moment before deciding to go easy on her…she still needed time.

“Not much, actually. I mean, I remember slipping on the ice and hitting my head…but everything after that is kind of a blur,” he lied through his teeth, smiling at her back.

Brennan let out her breath. “Oh, okay. I just…need to gauge your…mental status. It will help the doctors, so…that’s why I asked,” Brennan stammered, her back still to him.

“Right, I understand,” Booth replied. He was now fully dressed, but he didn’t let her know that and he continued to watch her.

After about 10 silent seconds, Brennan spoke. “Are you ready yet?” she asked, irritated.

“Yeah, all dressed,” he replied.

Brennan spun around. “Good. Let’s go,” she replied as she started for the door.

Booth watched her without moving and another small smile found its way to his lips. She sure was cute when she was flustered. He followed her to the car and got in the passenger seat without a fuss. She clearly wanted to drive and he still felt a little dizzy. He reveled in the silence that engulfed the SUV and simply sat, thinking about all of the things he could now do that would drive her crazy…ways to let her know he truly did remember, but without actually telling her. Oh, this was going to be fun.
*****************************************************************
More soon!

CheeseBK

Posted 19/12/2007 03:25:05 AM

yay.... loved it!!!!!

TemperTemper

Posted 19/12/2007 06:15:59 AM



Ooh, missed the second chappie going up so got a double update - lucky me! Wow, totally awesome 2nd chapter. Shivering Booth so cute and I loved the 'I love you' moment, it felt right. Looking forward to seeing what ways Booth comes up with to freak Brennan out about it.

space

Posted 19/12/2007 10:44:58 AM



Never gonna look at sleeping bags the same way again... can't wait for more!

mereva

Posted 19/12/2007 01:15:44 PM

The "I love you" moment was priceles... Very romantic and tender.
Can't wait for the next chapter (hopefully a fluffy and smutty one, too).

fanofbones

Posted 19/12/2007 05:58:32 PM

you could have let him drop the towel!!!!!
Oh well....I sure the smut will come soon....
loved this chapter...
and Booth shouldn't be too hard on her...but I do love to watch her squirm.....

fab

magicstar

Posted 19/12/2007 08:48:53 PM



wow i am loving this story, hurry with the next chapter please x x