Fic: Stalemate (Ficlet #17)

Title: Stalemate
Rating: M or R for language
Spoilers: None
Word Count: 269
Story Notes: This is a dialog ficlet set in the future. Booth and Brennan are romantically involved.
Warning: This isn't pretty.
A/N: As always, I would love to hear your reactions.

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Click here to read the other drabbles in this series.

"I can't do this, Booth."

"Can't do what?"

"Feelings."

"Can't or won't, Bones?"

"Does the distinction matter?"

"Yeah, it does."

“Fine then. I can't give you what you want.”

“What do you think that is?”

“You know.”

“Say it.”

She stares at him in silence, her face a book he can no longer read.

“Jesus, you won't even say it. Love, Bones. Love.”

“Whatever. I can't give you that. Friendship. Sex. That's all I can give you.”

“I want more than that.”

“I know. But I can't be the one to give it to you.”

“Be honest, damn it. It's not that you can't love me; it's that you won't let yourself. Man up, Bones.” He knows he should be more gentle with her, but there's a burning in his gut, and he can't stop the words any more than he can stop what he feels for her. “Are you going to hide behind what your parents did to you for the rest of your fucking life?”

“This isn't about my parents—”

He barks a laugh. “Sure, and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.”

“What? I don't—”

He cuts her off. “It means you're full of shit.”

“This isn't productive,” she says, and turns to leave.

“God forbid we ever be anything less than productive and rational. Not everything fits into your fucking scientific framework,” he calls out to her retreating back.

“Go to hell, Booth.”

“Trust me, I'm already there.”

After his front door slams shut, Booth sits with his head in his hands—until the sunlight streaming in through his windows fades.

Tags: all that lies between us, bones, bones: fic, fic

43 comments — :

( 43 comments — Leave a comment )

last_archangel

2008-01-04 03:55 pm (UTC)

*shakes head* Oh man, poor Booth.

How did I get by before I found your Bones stories?

only_more_love

2008-01-10 07:51 pm (UTC)

*blushes and grins like an idiot*

Thank you!

a_mistletoe

2008-01-04 04:54 pm (UTC)

Don't stop. Whatever the source of your Muse let it gush because every one of these vignettes says something new about the characters.

2008-01-10 07:53 pm (UTC)

Thank you very much, Mistletoe. :)

sarabones

2008-01-04 05:01 pm (UTC)

I love their tension.. Amazing :D :D
Loooved it.. Once again :P

Thanks, Sara. *hugs*

a_h_c

2008-01-04 05:37 pm (UTC)

Ouch. This is really a good one, although painful. At some point, Booth has to call her on her emotional distancing issues. I think you did a great job with character voice here. And now, I need to go think of something happy.

2008-01-10 07:54 pm (UTC)

LOL Yeah, I guess this wasn't exactly uplifting. *g*

Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

tidbit2008

2008-01-04 07:11 pm (UTC)

Sadness *sigh* Poor Booth. Anyways, excellent use of dialog. Dialog is the thing I struggle with most so I have a lot of admiration for those who do it well.

And on another note, loved this line: “Sure, and if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.”. hee.

2008-01-10 08:09 pm (UTC)

Thank you, Avery. Dialog can be tough sometimes, and other times it just flows very easily. You win some, you lose some, I guess. ;)

Thanks for mentioning a specific sentence that grabbed you.

a2zmom

2008-01-04 07:22 pm (UTC)

All too believable.

2008-01-10 08:08 pm (UTC)

Thanks; glad you thought so too.

makd

2008-01-04 07:39 pm (UTC)

very credible, and soclose to canon.

Thank you. :)

unmellow_yellow

2008-01-04 08:06 pm (UTC)

You got their voices perfectly. I can so see this happening to them.

2008-01-10 08:07 pm (UTC)

Thanks very much. I'm happy you could see this happening to Booth and Brennan if they were romantically involved.

buffyangellvr23

2008-01-04 08:40 pm (UTC)

believable but sad. She should just stop being afraid and go for it.

2008-01-10 07:55 pm (UTC)

Thanks. No doubt about it, Brennan's got issues. Like everyone else, of course.

shampoo

2008-01-04 09:35 pm (UTC)

aww. D: it's so heartbreaking! poor booth.

AND OMG I LOVE THAT SONG TOO. I'VE PLAYED IT LIKE 300 TIMES TOTAL ON MY ITUNES SINCE I DOWNLOADED IT. 8D i love it more than anything.

2008-01-10 07:56 pm (UTC)

I know; this was sad. :\

As for the song, it's fantastic. :)

Thanks for reading and feeding; I appreciate it.

brennanite

2008-01-05 12:06 am (UTC)

You really are a great writer .I could hear their voice in my head as I was reading ... thank you :)

Thanks very much for your kind words. :) I'm happy you could hear Booth and Brennan when you read this.

paperskies

2008-01-05 12:41 am (UTC)

Wow, even though this would never happen on the show (the worst word I've heard on Bones is probably bastard :P) they are still so perfectly in character that I applaud you. I've read a lot of fics where the authors try to go in that direction, with the older content and stronger language and mostly their characterization is way off. But I have read multiple of your fics that have this yet Booth and Brennen are portrayed just as they should be and you deserve all the praise you get.

2008-01-10 08:06 pm (UTC)

You're absolutely right that the words used in this would never air on the show, I think that's just because of the limitations imposed by network tv. I hope this doesn't make me sound crazy, but I think Booth and Brennan as people would talk like this sometimes if they were fighting. Even if Booth and Brennan on FOX, never do. I think they'd curse sometimes, and go for the jugular. Because that's what people do sometimes when they fight. Which doesn't mean they should be cursing in every fic, but I certainly wouldn't rule it out in appropriately charged situations.

Thanks for your thoughtful comments. :)

(Deleted comment)

2008-01-10 07:57 pm (UTC)

Thanks, Asra. Glad you could "see" them in this.

joyreader

2008-01-05 02:46 am (UTC)

I swear, I thought I was *watching* them, it seemed so real. That had to be some of the most amazing IC drama that I have ever read.

Fantastic, as always.

2008-01-10 08:03 pm (UTC)

Thanks a lot. I'm glad this seemed like something that could happen between Booth and Brennan. :)

greenovalfruit

2008-01-05 11:55 am (UTC)

Yow... angst me, baby. BAD BRENNAN! BAD BAD BAD!!

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