Bones Ficlet: Until You Learn to See (#84 in ATLBU)

[only_more_love]

Title: Until You Learn to See
Characters: Brennan, Max
Rating: PG
Spoilers:  The Verdict in the Story
Word Count: 300
Disclaimer: Bones and its characters belong to FOX, not me. This story is purely meant to entertain. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary:  She's not quite sure what it means to be a daughter.

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Timeline: Set after The Verdict in the Story, after Max has actually been freed.

Until You Learn to See

Russ finally left twenty minutes ago, pressing a kiss to her cheek before heading out into the night. Now, Brennan stands in her kitchen with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows as water sluices over her hands and the dinner plate she just sponged clean.

Several glasses of Chianti have left her feeling warm and nearly… content. Yes, that’s the most accurate descriptor for her current emotional state.

Smiling slightly, she hands the plate to the man next to her -- her father. Washing dishes together is something they haven’t done in years; the domesticity of it causes her smile to falter.

Max towels off the plate and sets it on the counter before turning his head to look at her. “Your mother used to do that.”

“What?”

His hand lifts and hovers by her cheek. “Turn pink when she drank.”

“Oh.” She glances down at the sink. “Alcohol causes vasodilation.”

His hand drops, but his smile widens. “She’d be so proud of you.”

“Would she?” The stark note of vulnerability in her voice makes her cringe, but she holds her father’s gaze.

“Absolutely. The knowledge you have, the work you do -- it would mean something to her.”

“Angela thinks I chose this profession because of your disappearance.” The words salt the air between them, and for a second she pictures Booth raising an eyebrow the way he does whenever she makes what he considers a verbal faux pas.

She senses his sudden stillness. Then he clasps her shoulders and turns her to face him. “If that’s true”--his fingers tighten infinitesimally--“I’m glad something good came out of our mistakes.”

Releasing her, he steps back and turns off the faucet. “Now what do you say to sharing another bottle with your old man?”

Unable to speak, she simply nods.

---

A/N: This one kind of came out of nowhere, if that makes any sense. If you've got a second, please let me know what you thought. Thank you to all those who read, and especially to those who comment.

Comments

[spacekid77.livejournal.com]

Beautiful and oh so true. Can totally see that interchage - and that sentiment - coming from Max.
Lovely!

[dabhug.livejournal.com]

I loved it. It has that realness that I love about your words and it's a nice moment. I could very well see ED and RO playing this scene.

[alterangirl.livejournal.com]

I agree with spacekid77--lovely.

[heather-berry78.livejournal.com]

Fab - very IC, I can utterly see this exchange happening. Nicely done.

[scandinave.livejournal.com]

So lovely. Such a tiny yet important moment between a father and daughter.

Brennan is beautifully open and fragile with her father, and you show perfectly just how much that terrifies her. [I think] She wants really desperately to love her father, but she guards against it out of fear. She denies herself the joy of loving and being loved in return. The same applies to her relationship with Booth (and Russ and Angela and Zach and Hodgins and Cam ...).

This scene is made of (slightly sad) warm fuzzies. Delicious.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_missmargaret_/]

I love thinking about how Brennan really begins to rebuild her relationship with Max. This is a lovely piece!

[mistletoe54.livejournal.com]

I can see this. Max is such a con artist that I can never tell what is real, but this feels genuine.

She must keep in touch too because she mentions organising him for taking Ripley on walks. A scene like this after his release would be a step in that rebuilding of trust.

[binkii822.livejournal.com]

Oh...lerdo fic! I really really really missed fanfic when I was living in post-Ike power-free land. And then this was there at the beginning of my f-list when my power came back. How lovely! Thank you!

[pipergirl07.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed it immensely. I loved how Brennan slowly allowed her father to take up residence in her heart--whether she wanted to or not :) This is one of those moments that could easily have occurred.

[amilyn.livejournal.com]

Perfect. I love Max's reassurances, his offer, his validation of her. She needs that more than even she knows.

[tempertemper77.livejournal.com]

Beautiful and blisteringly IC ;) I adore Max/Brennan moments and this is fab :)

[makd.livejournal.com]

Beautiful,and I can visualize these two characters saying this.

[odakota-rose.livejournal.com]

I like it! Brennan and Max have this really complicated and honestly screwed up relationship, but there's something real and touching about it all the same. I'd quite like to read more fics that explore it.

[trilliane.livejournal.com]

dude. so i haven't even read the fic yet because i'm too busy laughing my ass off at your header!!!!!! *dies in fits of laughter* me and my co-worker are in here cracking up! lol!!

okay. off to read fics!

[sb158.livejournal.com]

Saves pics to flash drive, and hides them in his shoes? LOL...love the header!

[jerusha]

Oh, how lovely. A perfect moment between the two of them.

[sb158.livejournal.com]

Awww...sweet moment.

[shipperatheart.livejournal.com]

Can I be lazy this time and point to what scandinave said before, because that's exactly what was going through my head when I read this.

I was a little surprised because Max could easily have been offended by Brennan's comment about her choice of profession - which would of course damage their newfound bond, that is still under construction and fragile. But he chose not to perceive it as an attack and to transform it into something positive, which ends up cementing their bond. Although in the Bones universe, that *shouldn't* surprise me: moving in a heart direction and all that...

And so we can enjoy the gift of yet another genuine and beautiful Bones moment, brought to you by lerdo. Thank you!