Chapter 1: Invite
Dr Temperance Brennan sat at her computer in her office at the Jeffersonian, trying to move past her writers block and progress with her current novel. She looked up slightly when her FBI partner Special Agent Seeley Booth walked in.
"Bones, have you checked your mail lately?" Booth said, he held up a white envelope, with his name typed on the front.
"No." Brennan's eyes moved to the pile of mail on her desk, and she reluctantly moved away from her computer to sort through it.
Booth stood at her desk waiting patiently for his partner to find the envelope, Booth knew she had.
"Here what is the importance of the envelope Booth?" Brennan looked at her partner, expecting a good answer.
"Open it and read it aloud" Booth said with some satisfaction, hoping Brennan would find the letter explanatory enough.
Brennan opened the envelope, cleared her throat and started reading:
"Dear Dr Temperance Brennan,
We are pleased to inform you, on behalf of the D.C Police Department, you have received a free complimentary dinner at the new Restaurant, Opaque, for your continuous efforts with the help of your co-workers at keeping killers off the streets. The dinner is ready when you and your co-workers are!
Sincerely,
D.C Police"
"Isn't that nice?" Booth said.
"It's completely irrational. We are hardly involved with the police in our cases, and how would the Police know what co-workers help us with our cases? It has to be a set-up Booth" Brennan finished.
"C'mon Bones, relax, come to restaurant with everyone tonight" Booth replied.
"Booth you're the one who has always told me to be on the lookout for anything that could be a trap, and who is everyone?" Brennan argued, she knew something was off about this invite.
"Everyone is Angela, Hodgins, Cam, you and myself. And I know it sounds fishy, but what's the worse that could happen?" Booth said.
Brennan looked about to rattle off a whole list of things, but Booth stopped her, "It'll be fun, please?"
"Okay" Brennan mumbled, not liking this one bit.
Later that day, Angela, Hodgins, Cam, Booth and Brennan were standing just inside of Opaque, waiting to be shown to a table.
"This is fancy" Angela said, surprised at the ornately decorated restaurant around them.
"Yeah it is, hey Bones?" Booth replied, nudging Brennan on the shoulder.
Brennan was just busy looking around the room, for any sign of bombs or suspicious looking traps.
"Stop worrying its fine" Booth whispered.
"You never know Booth, one minute you could be opening a fridge, and next it could be exploding on you" Brennan replied, indicating an earlier case in which this exact scenario had happened to Booth.
Suddenly a smartly dressed waiter came over and interrupted their argument.
"You must be from the Jeffersonian, there's a table for you this way" the waiter gestured, for the group to follow him and lead them to a quiet table in the corner.
The table they were lead to, was fit to seat all five of them, it was quiet and had candles in a line along the middle. Brennan started to walk toward one of the seats at the table, one of the side ones, but the waiter interrupted her.
"Oh, no Dr Brennan, your seats here" the waiter walked toward the head of the table, and pulled out a chair for Brennan.
"Oh no really I couldn't" Brennan replied, she hated being made a fuss of.
"Please I insist" the waiter said, and Brennan took an instant dislike to this pushy waiter.
"If you insist" Brennan walked to the head of the table, and sat down.
Everybody else took their seats, and Brennan was surprised there wasn't a specific place for them as well.
"Everybody enjoy the wine, and I will be back shortly to take orders" the waiter walked away toward the kitchen, Brennan glaring steely eyes after him.
"Drink up everybody, oh wait a toast" Booth said, raising his glass.
"To us" Cam joined, raising her glass as well. Angela and Hodgins joined, and Brennan reluctantly followed suit.
After that Brennan took a slow sip of her wine, instantly suspicious of the tangy metallic taste.
"Does this wine taste funny to you?" Brennan asked Booth.
"I don't know about you, Bones but this wine tastes beautiful" Booth said and Brennan slowly set her glass down, vowing not to drink anymore. But before she could even get another word out, Brennan launched into a horrendous coughing fit, grabbing a napkin from around the cutlery.
"Hey you okay there, Bones?" Booth said, placing a hand on her shoulder, instantly worried for his partner.
Brennan didn't say anything, but drew back the napkin silently. On it were blood stains…
