Man of his Word
Jul. 6th, 2008 02:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spankingfemme(This story is written by me (playing Temperance Brennan) and my friend, Nocturnal08 (playing Seeley Booth) It takes place at the end of seasons 3 where Seeley Booth had been shot and was believed to be dead. Temperance Brennan had attended his funeral and is still upset about the fact that Seeley didn’t personally tell her he was okay.)
Temperance wore a small frown as she collected her change from the man behind the counter. She grabbed her Starbuck’s coffee responding, “It doesn’t matter if Sweets didn’t tell me Booth, that reaction from him is logical. Like I said before, Sweets knew I could compartmentalize your death, and even though it was a really cruddy thing to do, it’s not out of character for him. You on the other hand,” She paused to take a drink of her coffee, “I expected more from.”
Booth rolled his eyes, impatiently collecting his coffee and hurrying after his partner. "I think your displeasure on that account was made perfectly clear. Look, it's not like I meant to hurt you! This is not my fault. I was just doing my job. I mean, seriously, Bones, can't you just forgive me already. This is getting awkward."
Bones eyebrows furrowed, “Awkward? What’s so awkward about me being upset about you leading me to believe you were dead? I know you were doing your job Booth, but we’re supposed to be partners, and more so, we are supposed to be friends; I should have known.”
"No, that's not... how are we supposed to work together if you're still pissed. Come on, Bones, lighten up on me, huh. I did save your life, you know." Booth looked over hopefully as he and Brennan climbed into the car, but he could tell she was still mad.
Temperance buckled her seatbelt as she responded, “And I’ve saved your life Booth, that’s what partners do. I find your comparison between the two events inconsequential. It doesn’t change a premeditated action. Right now you’re only justifying your actions to deflect blame from yourself.”
"First of all, it wasn't premeditated. They were supposed to tell you. Second of all, it would be nice if you could show a little relief. I mean, you are happy I'm alive, right? So let's just go with that. A new lease on life, whadda ya say? Let's just wipe the slates clean," Seeley suggested.
Booth had pulled up to the Jeffersonian and had parked in front of the building to let Brennan out. Bones opened the passenger door giving Seeley an enduring glare before responding, “Asking whether someone is happy whether you are alive or not is fishing for compliments. Of course I’m happy you’re alive and of course getting shot wasn’t premeditated, but your plan to catch that guy at your funeral? That was premeditated.” She didn’t give Booth a chance to counter as she exited his car; and as she closed the door, she added, “It can’t be a plan if it’s not premeditated. That’s kind of the point of a plan isn’t it?” She stated more than questioned as she pulled the strap of her purse that had fallen in her agitation back onto her shoulder and turned to leave.
Booth followed Brennan. "What do you want me to say, Bones? I already apologized! You want to smack me around some more? Maybe you want to spank me, teach me a lesson!" Booth said in exasperation, earning a few odd looks from passers by.
Before walking into the Jeffersonian, Temperance turned to face Booth with a tired expression, “Now is not the time to discuss this Booth. I’ve got a lot of work to do,” she pointed to his vehicle, “And you’re parked in a fire lane.”
"Now is not the time to discuss this," Booth mimicked childishly to himself, making a face at his retreating partner. "You're parked in a fire lane." He jogged back to the car and got in, driving away and trying to think of some way to placate his partner.
Brennan walked into her office and set her things down. She was always early, so she had a bit of time to herself to digest what Booth had said, and she decided that maybe Booth really did need to be taught a lesson. He was supposed to be the empathic one right? Then how come he’d taken her feelings for granted?
She was his partner, and he shouldn’t have left it up to Sweets to tell her his plan. He knew that she wouldn’t have told another living soul, but instead she’d suffered needlessly for almost a week. She had blamed herself at first, but the logical side of her brain realized the woman who had tried to shoot her was sick, and if it wasn’t Booth, it would have been some other poor man or woman unlucky enough to have stumbled across the obsessive woman’s path. But that woman was no longer a threat. Temperance had shot her down like a mad dog, and that had also amplified the grief she had felt at the so called knowledge of Seeley’s untimely demise.
Booth had been busy working with the downtown police department on a missing person’s case, and for Brennan, the day was over and done without much excitement other than Zack and Hodgins creating a big mess with one of their many experiments. The crew had packed up and headed to the house before five, and Temperance was heading out the door herself by six.
By six-thirty, Bones was knocking on Booth’s door. She knew he was home because she had seen his car in the driveway and could hear his music blaring through the wall. Since he had given her a key awhile back, she went ahead and entered his apartment to find him sitting back watching a football game bobbing his head to his music as he swallowed the last of the beer in the bottle he was currently holding.
Temperance called Booth’s name loudly enough to be heard and Booth glanced up, a look of shocked surprise washing over his face at the sight of her in his apartment. He immediately reached for the stereo’s remote and turned the blaring music down.
As soon as the music was turned down Brennan said, “I thought about what you suggested earlier, and I wanted to come over and tell you okay.”
She honestly wouldn’t have thought of a spanking, but Booth suggesting it made her consider it as a viable option. As an anthropologist major, she’d studied the family units of varying cultures and the fact spanking was a commonly unified practice of discipline. She figured if parents and teachers could use spanking as a learning tool, so could she.
"Okay?" Booth said, after collecting himself. He may have given Bones a key to his place, but it was damn unsettling the way she just barged in on him. Not that he had anything to be embarrassed of, but still. "You mean we're good?" He smiled. "Great. I knew you'd see it my way."
Temperance’s brow furrowed in confusion as she responded, “No Booth, we’re not ‘good’ that’s why I’m here because I want us to be good again.”
"Alright," said Booth, "Well, let's talk about it, then. Do you want a drink?" He switched off the music and turned his full attention to his partner, looking at her sincerely. There were few people in the world he cared about more than his partner and he wanted to make things right between them.
Brennan nodded yes, “Sure, coffee would be great.” She followed Seeley into the kitchen and as she watched him begin to prepare a pot of coffee she added; “Now I’m sure you can tell that I’ve never spanked anyone before Booth, so I guess this will be a learning experience for us both.”
Booth dropped the measuring spoon, spilling coffee grounds over the sink. "You've never WHAT?" He demanded, sure he hadn't heard her right. Brennan was pretty, uh, unique, but surely she wasn't suggesting... what he thought she just suggested.
Temperance arched an eyebrow at the spilled coffee grounds before looking back up into Booth’s astonished looking face and responding quite frankly, “I said I’ve never spanked anyone before, so it’ll be a learning experience for both of us.”
"You want to spank me?" Booth demanded, jaw dropping. The idea was preposterous. I mean, sure, he wasn't exactly a stranger to the idea, but that was years ago when he was young... and stupid. "You do realize that is crazy, don't you?"
Brennan replied in all confidence, “Spanking has been used throughout the centuries Booth, it’s the quickest way to settle this issue, so we can move on. Besides, you’re the one who suggested it this morning.”
"I suggested?" Booth said indignantly, "I never... wait, Bones, I was kidding!" He said, remembering his parting shot earlier that day. "I don't really think you sp--punishing me will solve anything. Plus, don't you think it's a little...inappropriate, given our relationship?"
Brennan countered, “Our relationship is based on utter trust; which you broke. You left me to think you were dead Booth. I killed someone on an instinctual impulse to protect and keep you safe. You of all people should know how hard that was to deal with. And not only did I have to deal with ending another person’s life, but I had to deal with… with losing you… even if it wasn’t real, the grief I felt was real to me for over a week. I assumed you of all people wouldn’t have left me to suffer like that, and I’m sorry if it sounds trite, but I don’t think that I can just forgive you and move on without you having to suffer a little to. Now if you can tell me in all honesty that you truly believed that Sweets would have told me, and that you had no other alternative means to notify me you were okay, then I can forgive you, and we can move on. But, if you had any doubt in your mind that Sweets would tell me, and you made no effort to contact me, then yes, I think you should be held accountable for your actions.”
Booth wasn't one to welch. The fact that Brennan felt he had betrayed her was enough to make him feel like manning up to his mistake. He had never wanted to hurt her. Still, he knew better than to underestimate the petite forensic anthropologist. Temperance was tough and she didn't go in by halves. "What kind of, uh, terms are we talking?" He asked, swallowing nervously.
Brennan shifted her bag around in front of her to gain access to the large paddle brush stored within. Within moments she had dug it up and pulled it out to examine it as she stated, “Well this will do for an implement. You’re a pretty tough man, and I don’t want to damage my wrist trying to give you a just spanking. As for terms…? I suffered for a little over a week; you’ll suffer for considerably less. I’m not exactly proficient on what the ratio of spanks to emotional pain would be to generate a number. I guess fifty swats will suffice.”
"Fifty!" Booth sputtered. "...it damn well will suffice. I know you're not a doctor of the flesh, Bones, but that things gonna bruise! Where the hell did you get it!"
Brennan’s eyes crinkled in confusion as she turned the brush over in her hand responding, “It’s just an every day wooden hairbrush Booth; I’ve had this for awhile. As for being a doctor of the flesh, I don’t see what that has to do with a spanking?”
"It has to do with you spanking MY flesh," Booth protested, "Just thought you might have a little compassion. I do have to use this thing, you know," he said, indicating his ass.
Temperance couldn’t help the small smile that formed at the corner of her lips at Booth’s reaction. She responded, “I’m sorry Booth; I didn’t quite relate your comparison at first. I do realize you’ll need to use your ‘posterior’ again afterwards; I will be mindful.” There was an awkward moment of silence between the two before she continued, “Unless you have any more questions, I guess we can get started. Let’s go into your bedroom to get this over with… or, would you rather use the couch out here?” Brennan pointed towards the living room.
Booth looked around his living room, his domain of manliness. No way was he going to let Brennan whack him in front of his TV and his leather couch. Reluctantly, he turned back to his bedroom, feeling a shiver down his spine as it started to sink in that Bones was serious. As serious as she was about anything she did... and that was saying a lot. He licked his lips, but he couldn't go back on the plan now. "Alright," he said, moving deliberately towards the bedroom.
Brennan watched Booth stride towards his bedroom in awe of the change in his demeanor. He seemed lost in thought like he was physically there, but mentally he was somewhere far away. She was curious as to how this whole scene would play out, and in some ways reluctant because she really didn’t want to hurt Booth.
As Booth made it to the bedroom and turned towards her with a forlorn glance, she hardened her resolve knowing that Booth had already agreed to go through with this, and there was no reason to waver now. To stop now would be a disservice to them both. She’d never done any such act in her life, but as with all things, she planned to give it her all. Booth would be repentant and would certainly not take her feelings so lightly again.
She walked straight to his bed and sat on it’s edge patting the empty space beside her, “I guess you bending over the bed here next to me would be the most ideal position to have you… oh wait,” she reached across the bed and grabbed a pillow, “Lay across this, it will give me a better angle to administer your spanking,” she added in all seriousness.
Booth couldn't help cringing at the statement. He didn't want to get spanked, but he doubted pointing that out would help the situation any. Steeling himself, he bent down over the pillow. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," he said tightly.
Temperance twisted her torso to face Booth and wrapped her free arm around his waist for leverage as she replied, “This isn’t about feelings Booth,” she brought the brush down with two resounding swats, “This is about trust. We put each other’s lives in one another’s hands on a daily basis,” She followed this statement with another three hard slaps before adding, “That’s a deeper insult than ‘hurting’ my feelings.”
Without any warning, Brennan stood up grasping Seeley’s waistband as she remarked, “I can’t judge what kind of damage I’m doing; these are getting in the way,” she gave the sweatpants a swift tug down to his knees revealing the poor man’s silk boxers which were also swiftly added to the pooling pile of clothing around his knees. She couldn’t help commenting in a slightly amused tone, “Interesting; I always pictured you were the type to wear tighty whiteys.”
Booth didn't make a sound beyond a few small gasps when Bones started smacking him. It hurt, but he figured he could deal. This was obviously important to his partner and he resolved to endure it without embarrassing himself.
He jerked in surprise when Temperance grabbed his pants and squeaked a little when he found himself bare-assed in front of the woman he respected more than anyone in the world who was about to paddle his butt like a naughty teenager. "Bones!" he yelped in dismay, but managed to smile as he looked over his shoulder. "You imagine me in my underwear?" he teased.
Temperance frowned as she gave Booth an extra hard swat stating, “I’m glad you think this is so funny; I guess I need to take this up a notch.”
Booth's smile dropped off his face as soon as the swat landed. It hurt a lot more without his sweats and boxers to add a layer of protection. He stared straight ahead, concentrating on not yelping or crying out.
Brennan didn’t sit instead opting to move up around to Booth’s side bracing her left hand on the small of his back to get better leverage with her swing; once situated, she began spanking again with a more concentrated effort. Each blow landed with preciseness from one cheek top to bottom to the next.
Booth was pretty sure she had no idea how much pain she was causing. He wished he could let her know, just to tell her, without sounding like he was whining. I mean, this was full on torture! He wasn't the kind of man who cried, he wouldn't cry. "Damn, Bones," he said quietly, proud that his voice didn't waver despite the fire on his butt.
Brennan didn’t stop her barrage of stinging slaps only replying with, “You’re up to twelve Booth, only thirty-eight more to go.”
Thirty EIGHT! Booth nearly groaned aloud, starting to unconsciously squirm away from the paddle. "Ouch!" he yelled when Bones smacked down in a particularly sensitive area.
Temperance paid no mind to Booth’s outburst, and when Booth started to thrash about she pushed down more firmly in the small of his back to keep his ass planted as a target for her steady rhythm of punishment. As she spanked, she commented, “You need to stop squirming Booth; if I can’t get a clear shot, it’s only going to make this take longer.”
"I'll stop squirming when you stop pounding on me with a hairbrush!" Booth said hotly, trying to stay a little more still. There was no way he wanted this to drag out longer than it had to.
Brennan gave him three quick swats bringing the count up to twenty-five. She landed all three on the underside of his sit spot as she responded, “I know it hurts. And I want you to know, I respect you for doing this for me.”
Booth choked back the whimpers that threatened to sneak out. He told himself he would be letting Brennan down if he cried out, told himself he'd be worthless if he let a little spanking get to him. "Just f-finish," he said, clamping his lips closed before his wavering voice could betray him.
Temperance could sense Booth was holding back with all his might by the small tremors that were working there way down Booth’s spine making his thighs and ass tighten and shake involuntarily. Booth was in great shape, and she couldn’t help admire the view as she brought the brush down in a faster tempo to get the punishment over more quickly for Booth. Although, she was unsure if her increasing the speed of the spanking would make the pain harder to deal with since Seeley wouldn’t have as long to mentally prepare for the blows.
A few tears trickled down Seeley's face and he immediately buried his head in the bedspread, hoping Brennan wouldn't see. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop the flow of tears, which kept falling, though he refused to make a sound.
Temperance frowned knowing how much pain Booth was in. She stopped in mid swing letting out the breath that she had not even realized she was holding. Her eyes extended out along her arm to the weapon she held in the palm of her hand. Her gaze then lowered to the shuddering form in front of her. He had covered his face, so that she could not see him cry. She didn’t have to see the tears to know this because she knew her partner.
Brennan gently sat down beside Seeley running her hand up his back soothingly. They still had thirteen to go, but she couldn’t bring herself to continue. Temperance spoke softly, “I know we’re not technically finished Booth, but I think you’ve had enough.”
"I can take it!" Booth said, voice muffled by bedding, but the tone was almost angry. He wasn't letting Brennan down again.
Brennan didn’t understand why Booth wouldn’t take her up on stopping early, so she stated, “Booth, it’s okay, you don’t have to act all manly for me. I am perfectly satisfied with the amount of suffering you’ve already endured.” She didn’t comprehend that Booth was a man of duty and would never be satisfied with being a quitter in any means of the word.
Booth stiffened. He took a breath, and lifted his face. He wasn't crying anymore. "We're not finished," he said.
Temperance let his words sink in as she replied evenly, “Okay Booth. I’ll finish.” She took in a deep breath re-gripping the brush that she had laid in her lap. She did not soften the blows now nor did she slow the pace from what she’d previously delivered knowing that Booth would not accept anything less than what he now felt was owed him.
When it was over, Booth let out a sigh. He hadn't started crying again and was trying to steady himself. He stayed in position until Brennan let him up, then he quickly pulled up his boxers and sweats. "Damn that smarts," he said sheepishly, swiping his eyes.
Temperance sat on the edge of his bed peering up at him curiously. When he had dressed she dropped the brush onto the bed and rose to stand next to him. When he turned around to face her, she reached out and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Well, hello, there," Booth said, not quite pulling off flippant as he returned the hug warmly. "I hope this means you forgive me?"
She slowly pulled out of the hug and gave him a blushing smile as she nodded, “Yes Booth, I forgive you.”
"Well, that's a relief, at least," Booth said, managing to really smile as he made his way out of the bedroom again, walking a little carefully because the fabric was not feeling all that soft against his sore ass. This was going to be a little difficult to explain at the office, he mused.
Brennan followed Booth out of his bedroom to the front door. She spun back around to face him and stated, “I know you probably want a little time to yourself, so I won’t stay. Goodnight Seeley.” She reached out and wrapped Booth in another hug to reassure herself as well as him that everything was going to be okay before she turned back to the door to leave. Her mind was racing not really sure how to process this new experience that they had just shared, and she assumed Booth was feeling similarly.
Booth let out a sigh as his partner left, feeling more than a little drained. He hadn't exactly enjoyed the experience, but he was feeling okay about it. That was until he tried to sit down. So not an option for him right now. Instead, he took a shower, checking out his bright red posterior in the mirror with a little awe. Brennan had done her duty alright. He smiled as he thought of her. Their partnership had just taken a pretty weird twist but when had things with Brennan ever been normal?
For once in Temperance’s life, she felt a little unsure of herself. Things seemed fine when she had left, but now as she drove down the highway towards home she started to wonder if she had broken any boundaries asking Booth to succumb to such a punishment, and even though he had willingly done so, was it right of her to take it upon herself to punish him? Would their relationship be awkward now? What if Booth decided what she had done was not okay after all, would he leave the Jeffersonian division to work elsewhere? Would he hate her? Sweets would have a field day with this, if he only knew! All these thoughts began to surface and by the time she reached home, she was almost tempted to call him but decided that it might be best to wait on that discussion for another day.
Booth woke up the next day feeling better. It wasn't guilt that made him buy Brennan some roses, it was just that he wanted to show her there were no hard feelings and that he really did appreciate her as a partner. Took guts for a girl to hand out that kind of punishment, he thought in admiration. But one thing was for sure, they were NOT going to be telling Sweets about their little trust exercise. He smiled as he filled out the card and sent them to the Jeffersonian.
When the roses had arrived, Brennan had been examining an x-ray of a possible murder victim. Angela had brought the roses into her beaming with pride as if they’d been sent to her. Temperance paused in her work momentarily to admire the roses and read the card. They were from Seeley, and even though such gestures she usually looked at as some type of cultural mating ritual, she saw this particular gesture quite touching. The card read, ‘A better shade of red for you to look at. Let’s do lunch; 1PM; your office.’ Seeley was good at diffusing a stressful situation with a little humor, and the roses made her feel more at ease her previous worries fading away. She would definitely like a chance to talk with Booth in a comfortable private setting and looked forward to their soon to be lunch.
Booth was more interested in comfortable private SEATING, because it was still painful to sit. Still, he was manning up and managed not to squirm too much as he slid in across from Brennan at lunch. "Hey there, partner," he said, smiling. "You have a chance to look at the case?"
Temperance handed Seeley a box of shrimp lo mein before sitting across from him with her own box as she replied, “From the fractures on the back of the victim’s spine I’m thinking the weapon was a bludgeoning tool like a meat tenderizer. Zack is running some tests this afternoon to see the direction of impact. The data should be able to confirm whether our assailant was right or left handed and about his or her height and weight.”
She blushed slightly as she added, “Are you doing alright?” She had noticed him shifting his weight since he’d sat down. He’d grimaced slightly and had lowered himself more strategically into his chair trying to look casual. Brennan was full aware of Booth’s body language by now though to be fooled by his attempts of disguising his pain.
"I'm fine," Booth said quickly, looking over in concern. "I mean, apart from the obvious," he added with a smile. Wouldn't want Brennan to think she hadn't made an impression. "Are you doing alright?"
Brennan grinned at Seeley’s subtlety, “I did a lot of thinking last night, and I wanted to say I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have asked that of you.”
"Well, you've certainly turned out to be a demanding partner, Bones, but you should know by now I wouldn't have it any other way. It's okay. We're okay. Right?"
She nodded slowly, “Yea Booth, I think so.” She shifted in her seat visibly relaxing as she picked up her box of sweet and sour chicken offering him some. “You know I’m not going to let you eat all that lo mein by yourself.” She gave him a big mischievous smile as she plucked her chopsticks into his box and pulled out a shrimp.
Seeing he was out outmaneuvered, Booth let the shrimp go and retaliated by plundering a pot sticker. He grinned triumphantly and bit in.
Temperance chuckled, “Touché!”
The two enjoyed their lunch moving on to talk about the current case they had started working on with an occasional interjection of small talk that lightened the weightiness of the subject of murder victims. It was a good feeling to be on the same page again and to know that everything was going to be alright.
Temperance wore a small frown as she collected her change from the man behind the counter. She grabbed her Starbuck’s coffee responding, “It doesn’t matter if Sweets didn’t tell me Booth, that reaction from him is logical. Like I said before, Sweets knew I could compartmentalize your death, and even though it was a really cruddy thing to do, it’s not out of character for him. You on the other hand,” She paused to take a drink of her coffee, “I expected more from.”
Booth rolled his eyes, impatiently collecting his coffee and hurrying after his partner. "I think your displeasure on that account was made perfectly clear. Look, it's not like I meant to hurt you! This is not my fault. I was just doing my job. I mean, seriously, Bones, can't you just forgive me already. This is getting awkward."
Bones eyebrows furrowed, “Awkward? What’s so awkward about me being upset about you leading me to believe you were dead? I know you were doing your job Booth, but we’re supposed to be partners, and more so, we are supposed to be friends; I should have known.”
"No, that's not... how are we supposed to work together if you're still pissed. Come on, Bones, lighten up on me, huh. I did save your life, you know." Booth looked over hopefully as he and Brennan climbed into the car, but he could tell she was still mad.
Temperance buckled her seatbelt as she responded, “And I’ve saved your life Booth, that’s what partners do. I find your comparison between the two events inconsequential. It doesn’t change a premeditated action. Right now you’re only justifying your actions to deflect blame from yourself.”
"First of all, it wasn't premeditated. They were supposed to tell you. Second of all, it would be nice if you could show a little relief. I mean, you are happy I'm alive, right? So let's just go with that. A new lease on life, whadda ya say? Let's just wipe the slates clean," Seeley suggested.
Booth had pulled up to the Jeffersonian and had parked in front of the building to let Brennan out. Bones opened the passenger door giving Seeley an enduring glare before responding, “Asking whether someone is happy whether you are alive or not is fishing for compliments. Of course I’m happy you’re alive and of course getting shot wasn’t premeditated, but your plan to catch that guy at your funeral? That was premeditated.” She didn’t give Booth a chance to counter as she exited his car; and as she closed the door, she added, “It can’t be a plan if it’s not premeditated. That’s kind of the point of a plan isn’t it?” She stated more than questioned as she pulled the strap of her purse that had fallen in her agitation back onto her shoulder and turned to leave.
Booth followed Brennan. "What do you want me to say, Bones? I already apologized! You want to smack me around some more? Maybe you want to spank me, teach me a lesson!" Booth said in exasperation, earning a few odd looks from passers by.
Before walking into the Jeffersonian, Temperance turned to face Booth with a tired expression, “Now is not the time to discuss this Booth. I’ve got a lot of work to do,” she pointed to his vehicle, “And you’re parked in a fire lane.”
"Now is not the time to discuss this," Booth mimicked childishly to himself, making a face at his retreating partner. "You're parked in a fire lane." He jogged back to the car and got in, driving away and trying to think of some way to placate his partner.
Brennan walked into her office and set her things down. She was always early, so she had a bit of time to herself to digest what Booth had said, and she decided that maybe Booth really did need to be taught a lesson. He was supposed to be the empathic one right? Then how come he’d taken her feelings for granted?
She was his partner, and he shouldn’t have left it up to Sweets to tell her his plan. He knew that she wouldn’t have told another living soul, but instead she’d suffered needlessly for almost a week. She had blamed herself at first, but the logical side of her brain realized the woman who had tried to shoot her was sick, and if it wasn’t Booth, it would have been some other poor man or woman unlucky enough to have stumbled across the obsessive woman’s path. But that woman was no longer a threat. Temperance had shot her down like a mad dog, and that had also amplified the grief she had felt at the so called knowledge of Seeley’s untimely demise.
Booth had been busy working with the downtown police department on a missing person’s case, and for Brennan, the day was over and done without much excitement other than Zack and Hodgins creating a big mess with one of their many experiments. The crew had packed up and headed to the house before five, and Temperance was heading out the door herself by six.
By six-thirty, Bones was knocking on Booth’s door. She knew he was home because she had seen his car in the driveway and could hear his music blaring through the wall. Since he had given her a key awhile back, she went ahead and entered his apartment to find him sitting back watching a football game bobbing his head to his music as he swallowed the last of the beer in the bottle he was currently holding.
Temperance called Booth’s name loudly enough to be heard and Booth glanced up, a look of shocked surprise washing over his face at the sight of her in his apartment. He immediately reached for the stereo’s remote and turned the blaring music down.
As soon as the music was turned down Brennan said, “I thought about what you suggested earlier, and I wanted to come over and tell you okay.”
She honestly wouldn’t have thought of a spanking, but Booth suggesting it made her consider it as a viable option. As an anthropologist major, she’d studied the family units of varying cultures and the fact spanking was a commonly unified practice of discipline. She figured if parents and teachers could use spanking as a learning tool, so could she.
"Okay?" Booth said, after collecting himself. He may have given Bones a key to his place, but it was damn unsettling the way she just barged in on him. Not that he had anything to be embarrassed of, but still. "You mean we're good?" He smiled. "Great. I knew you'd see it my way."
Temperance’s brow furrowed in confusion as she responded, “No Booth, we’re not ‘good’ that’s why I’m here because I want us to be good again.”
"Alright," said Booth, "Well, let's talk about it, then. Do you want a drink?" He switched off the music and turned his full attention to his partner, looking at her sincerely. There were few people in the world he cared about more than his partner and he wanted to make things right between them.
Brennan nodded yes, “Sure, coffee would be great.” She followed Seeley into the kitchen and as she watched him begin to prepare a pot of coffee she added; “Now I’m sure you can tell that I’ve never spanked anyone before Booth, so I guess this will be a learning experience for us both.”
Booth dropped the measuring spoon, spilling coffee grounds over the sink. "You've never WHAT?" He demanded, sure he hadn't heard her right. Brennan was pretty, uh, unique, but surely she wasn't suggesting... what he thought she just suggested.
Temperance arched an eyebrow at the spilled coffee grounds before looking back up into Booth’s astonished looking face and responding quite frankly, “I said I’ve never spanked anyone before, so it’ll be a learning experience for both of us.”
"You want to spank me?" Booth demanded, jaw dropping. The idea was preposterous. I mean, sure, he wasn't exactly a stranger to the idea, but that was years ago when he was young... and stupid. "You do realize that is crazy, don't you?"
Brennan replied in all confidence, “Spanking has been used throughout the centuries Booth, it’s the quickest way to settle this issue, so we can move on. Besides, you’re the one who suggested it this morning.”
"I suggested?" Booth said indignantly, "I never... wait, Bones, I was kidding!" He said, remembering his parting shot earlier that day. "I don't really think you sp--punishing me will solve anything. Plus, don't you think it's a little...inappropriate, given our relationship?"
Brennan countered, “Our relationship is based on utter trust; which you broke. You left me to think you were dead Booth. I killed someone on an instinctual impulse to protect and keep you safe. You of all people should know how hard that was to deal with. And not only did I have to deal with ending another person’s life, but I had to deal with… with losing you… even if it wasn’t real, the grief I felt was real to me for over a week. I assumed you of all people wouldn’t have left me to suffer like that, and I’m sorry if it sounds trite, but I don’t think that I can just forgive you and move on without you having to suffer a little to. Now if you can tell me in all honesty that you truly believed that Sweets would have told me, and that you had no other alternative means to notify me you were okay, then I can forgive you, and we can move on. But, if you had any doubt in your mind that Sweets would tell me, and you made no effort to contact me, then yes, I think you should be held accountable for your actions.”
Booth wasn't one to welch. The fact that Brennan felt he had betrayed her was enough to make him feel like manning up to his mistake. He had never wanted to hurt her. Still, he knew better than to underestimate the petite forensic anthropologist. Temperance was tough and she didn't go in by halves. "What kind of, uh, terms are we talking?" He asked, swallowing nervously.
Brennan shifted her bag around in front of her to gain access to the large paddle brush stored within. Within moments she had dug it up and pulled it out to examine it as she stated, “Well this will do for an implement. You’re a pretty tough man, and I don’t want to damage my wrist trying to give you a just spanking. As for terms…? I suffered for a little over a week; you’ll suffer for considerably less. I’m not exactly proficient on what the ratio of spanks to emotional pain would be to generate a number. I guess fifty swats will suffice.”
"Fifty!" Booth sputtered. "...it damn well will suffice. I know you're not a doctor of the flesh, Bones, but that things gonna bruise! Where the hell did you get it!"
Brennan’s eyes crinkled in confusion as she turned the brush over in her hand responding, “It’s just an every day wooden hairbrush Booth; I’ve had this for awhile. As for being a doctor of the flesh, I don’t see what that has to do with a spanking?”
"It has to do with you spanking MY flesh," Booth protested, "Just thought you might have a little compassion. I do have to use this thing, you know," he said, indicating his ass.
Temperance couldn’t help the small smile that formed at the corner of her lips at Booth’s reaction. She responded, “I’m sorry Booth; I didn’t quite relate your comparison at first. I do realize you’ll need to use your ‘posterior’ again afterwards; I will be mindful.” There was an awkward moment of silence between the two before she continued, “Unless you have any more questions, I guess we can get started. Let’s go into your bedroom to get this over with… or, would you rather use the couch out here?” Brennan pointed towards the living room.
Booth looked around his living room, his domain of manliness. No way was he going to let Brennan whack him in front of his TV and his leather couch. Reluctantly, he turned back to his bedroom, feeling a shiver down his spine as it started to sink in that Bones was serious. As serious as she was about anything she did... and that was saying a lot. He licked his lips, but he couldn't go back on the plan now. "Alright," he said, moving deliberately towards the bedroom.
Brennan watched Booth stride towards his bedroom in awe of the change in his demeanor. He seemed lost in thought like he was physically there, but mentally he was somewhere far away. She was curious as to how this whole scene would play out, and in some ways reluctant because she really didn’t want to hurt Booth.
As Booth made it to the bedroom and turned towards her with a forlorn glance, she hardened her resolve knowing that Booth had already agreed to go through with this, and there was no reason to waver now. To stop now would be a disservice to them both. She’d never done any such act in her life, but as with all things, she planned to give it her all. Booth would be repentant and would certainly not take her feelings so lightly again.
She walked straight to his bed and sat on it’s edge patting the empty space beside her, “I guess you bending over the bed here next to me would be the most ideal position to have you… oh wait,” she reached across the bed and grabbed a pillow, “Lay across this, it will give me a better angle to administer your spanking,” she added in all seriousness.
Booth couldn't help cringing at the statement. He didn't want to get spanked, but he doubted pointing that out would help the situation any. Steeling himself, he bent down over the pillow. "I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," he said tightly.
Temperance twisted her torso to face Booth and wrapped her free arm around his waist for leverage as she replied, “This isn’t about feelings Booth,” she brought the brush down with two resounding swats, “This is about trust. We put each other’s lives in one another’s hands on a daily basis,” She followed this statement with another three hard slaps before adding, “That’s a deeper insult than ‘hurting’ my feelings.”
Without any warning, Brennan stood up grasping Seeley’s waistband as she remarked, “I can’t judge what kind of damage I’m doing; these are getting in the way,” she gave the sweatpants a swift tug down to his knees revealing the poor man’s silk boxers which were also swiftly added to the pooling pile of clothing around his knees. She couldn’t help commenting in a slightly amused tone, “Interesting; I always pictured you were the type to wear tighty whiteys.”
Booth didn't make a sound beyond a few small gasps when Bones started smacking him. It hurt, but he figured he could deal. This was obviously important to his partner and he resolved to endure it without embarrassing himself.
He jerked in surprise when Temperance grabbed his pants and squeaked a little when he found himself bare-assed in front of the woman he respected more than anyone in the world who was about to paddle his butt like a naughty teenager. "Bones!" he yelped in dismay, but managed to smile as he looked over his shoulder. "You imagine me in my underwear?" he teased.
Temperance frowned as she gave Booth an extra hard swat stating, “I’m glad you think this is so funny; I guess I need to take this up a notch.”
Booth's smile dropped off his face as soon as the swat landed. It hurt a lot more without his sweats and boxers to add a layer of protection. He stared straight ahead, concentrating on not yelping or crying out.
Brennan didn’t sit instead opting to move up around to Booth’s side bracing her left hand on the small of his back to get better leverage with her swing; once situated, she began spanking again with a more concentrated effort. Each blow landed with preciseness from one cheek top to bottom to the next.
Booth was pretty sure she had no idea how much pain she was causing. He wished he could let her know, just to tell her, without sounding like he was whining. I mean, this was full on torture! He wasn't the kind of man who cried, he wouldn't cry. "Damn, Bones," he said quietly, proud that his voice didn't waver despite the fire on his butt.
Brennan didn’t stop her barrage of stinging slaps only replying with, “You’re up to twelve Booth, only thirty-eight more to go.”
Thirty EIGHT! Booth nearly groaned aloud, starting to unconsciously squirm away from the paddle. "Ouch!" he yelled when Bones smacked down in a particularly sensitive area.
Temperance paid no mind to Booth’s outburst, and when Booth started to thrash about she pushed down more firmly in the small of his back to keep his ass planted as a target for her steady rhythm of punishment. As she spanked, she commented, “You need to stop squirming Booth; if I can’t get a clear shot, it’s only going to make this take longer.”
"I'll stop squirming when you stop pounding on me with a hairbrush!" Booth said hotly, trying to stay a little more still. There was no way he wanted this to drag out longer than it had to.
Brennan gave him three quick swats bringing the count up to twenty-five. She landed all three on the underside of his sit spot as she responded, “I know it hurts. And I want you to know, I respect you for doing this for me.”
Booth choked back the whimpers that threatened to sneak out. He told himself he would be letting Brennan down if he cried out, told himself he'd be worthless if he let a little spanking get to him. "Just f-finish," he said, clamping his lips closed before his wavering voice could betray him.
Temperance could sense Booth was holding back with all his might by the small tremors that were working there way down Booth’s spine making his thighs and ass tighten and shake involuntarily. Booth was in great shape, and she couldn’t help admire the view as she brought the brush down in a faster tempo to get the punishment over more quickly for Booth. Although, she was unsure if her increasing the speed of the spanking would make the pain harder to deal with since Seeley wouldn’t have as long to mentally prepare for the blows.
A few tears trickled down Seeley's face and he immediately buried his head in the bedspread, hoping Brennan wouldn't see. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop the flow of tears, which kept falling, though he refused to make a sound.
Temperance frowned knowing how much pain Booth was in. She stopped in mid swing letting out the breath that she had not even realized she was holding. Her eyes extended out along her arm to the weapon she held in the palm of her hand. Her gaze then lowered to the shuddering form in front of her. He had covered his face, so that she could not see him cry. She didn’t have to see the tears to know this because she knew her partner.
Brennan gently sat down beside Seeley running her hand up his back soothingly. They still had thirteen to go, but she couldn’t bring herself to continue. Temperance spoke softly, “I know we’re not technically finished Booth, but I think you’ve had enough.”
"I can take it!" Booth said, voice muffled by bedding, but the tone was almost angry. He wasn't letting Brennan down again.
Brennan didn’t understand why Booth wouldn’t take her up on stopping early, so she stated, “Booth, it’s okay, you don’t have to act all manly for me. I am perfectly satisfied with the amount of suffering you’ve already endured.” She didn’t comprehend that Booth was a man of duty and would never be satisfied with being a quitter in any means of the word.
Booth stiffened. He took a breath, and lifted his face. He wasn't crying anymore. "We're not finished," he said.
Temperance let his words sink in as she replied evenly, “Okay Booth. I’ll finish.” She took in a deep breath re-gripping the brush that she had laid in her lap. She did not soften the blows now nor did she slow the pace from what she’d previously delivered knowing that Booth would not accept anything less than what he now felt was owed him.
When it was over, Booth let out a sigh. He hadn't started crying again and was trying to steady himself. He stayed in position until Brennan let him up, then he quickly pulled up his boxers and sweats. "Damn that smarts," he said sheepishly, swiping his eyes.
Temperance sat on the edge of his bed peering up at him curiously. When he had dressed she dropped the brush onto the bed and rose to stand next to him. When he turned around to face her, she reached out and pulled him into a tight hug.
"Well, hello, there," Booth said, not quite pulling off flippant as he returned the hug warmly. "I hope this means you forgive me?"
She slowly pulled out of the hug and gave him a blushing smile as she nodded, “Yes Booth, I forgive you.”
"Well, that's a relief, at least," Booth said, managing to really smile as he made his way out of the bedroom again, walking a little carefully because the fabric was not feeling all that soft against his sore ass. This was going to be a little difficult to explain at the office, he mused.
Brennan followed Booth out of his bedroom to the front door. She spun back around to face him and stated, “I know you probably want a little time to yourself, so I won’t stay. Goodnight Seeley.” She reached out and wrapped Booth in another hug to reassure herself as well as him that everything was going to be okay before she turned back to the door to leave. Her mind was racing not really sure how to process this new experience that they had just shared, and she assumed Booth was feeling similarly.
Booth let out a sigh as his partner left, feeling more than a little drained. He hadn't exactly enjoyed the experience, but he was feeling okay about it. That was until he tried to sit down. So not an option for him right now. Instead, he took a shower, checking out his bright red posterior in the mirror with a little awe. Brennan had done her duty alright. He smiled as he thought of her. Their partnership had just taken a pretty weird twist but when had things with Brennan ever been normal?
For once in Temperance’s life, she felt a little unsure of herself. Things seemed fine when she had left, but now as she drove down the highway towards home she started to wonder if she had broken any boundaries asking Booth to succumb to such a punishment, and even though he had willingly done so, was it right of her to take it upon herself to punish him? Would their relationship be awkward now? What if Booth decided what she had done was not okay after all, would he leave the Jeffersonian division to work elsewhere? Would he hate her? Sweets would have a field day with this, if he only knew! All these thoughts began to surface and by the time she reached home, she was almost tempted to call him but decided that it might be best to wait on that discussion for another day.
Booth woke up the next day feeling better. It wasn't guilt that made him buy Brennan some roses, it was just that he wanted to show her there were no hard feelings and that he really did appreciate her as a partner. Took guts for a girl to hand out that kind of punishment, he thought in admiration. But one thing was for sure, they were NOT going to be telling Sweets about their little trust exercise. He smiled as he filled out the card and sent them to the Jeffersonian.
When the roses had arrived, Brennan had been examining an x-ray of a possible murder victim. Angela had brought the roses into her beaming with pride as if they’d been sent to her. Temperance paused in her work momentarily to admire the roses and read the card. They were from Seeley, and even though such gestures she usually looked at as some type of cultural mating ritual, she saw this particular gesture quite touching. The card read, ‘A better shade of red for you to look at. Let’s do lunch; 1PM; your office.’ Seeley was good at diffusing a stressful situation with a little humor, and the roses made her feel more at ease her previous worries fading away. She would definitely like a chance to talk with Booth in a comfortable private setting and looked forward to their soon to be lunch.
Booth was more interested in comfortable private SEATING, because it was still painful to sit. Still, he was manning up and managed not to squirm too much as he slid in across from Brennan at lunch. "Hey there, partner," he said, smiling. "You have a chance to look at the case?"
Temperance handed Seeley a box of shrimp lo mein before sitting across from him with her own box as she replied, “From the fractures on the back of the victim’s spine I’m thinking the weapon was a bludgeoning tool like a meat tenderizer. Zack is running some tests this afternoon to see the direction of impact. The data should be able to confirm whether our assailant was right or left handed and about his or her height and weight.”
She blushed slightly as she added, “Are you doing alright?” She had noticed him shifting his weight since he’d sat down. He’d grimaced slightly and had lowered himself more strategically into his chair trying to look casual. Brennan was full aware of Booth’s body language by now though to be fooled by his attempts of disguising his pain.
"I'm fine," Booth said quickly, looking over in concern. "I mean, apart from the obvious," he added with a smile. Wouldn't want Brennan to think she hadn't made an impression. "Are you doing alright?"
Brennan grinned at Seeley’s subtlety, “I did a lot of thinking last night, and I wanted to say I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t have asked that of you.”
"Well, you've certainly turned out to be a demanding partner, Bones, but you should know by now I wouldn't have it any other way. It's okay. We're okay. Right?"
She nodded slowly, “Yea Booth, I think so.” She shifted in her seat visibly relaxing as she picked up her box of sweet and sour chicken offering him some. “You know I’m not going to let you eat all that lo mein by yourself.” She gave him a big mischievous smile as she plucked her chopsticks into his box and pulled out a shrimp.
Seeing he was out outmaneuvered, Booth let the shrimp go and retaliated by plundering a pot sticker. He grinned triumphantly and bit in.
Temperance chuckled, “Touché!”
The two enjoyed their lunch moving on to talk about the current case they had started working on with an occasional interjection of small talk that lightened the weightiness of the subject of murder victims. It was a good feeling to be on the same page again and to know that everything was going to be alright.
