When Temperance Brennan awoke Saturday morning, she knew that she was already lost to her secret temptation. She rolled over and buried her head in the pillow, a frustrated groan almost inaudible in the fluffy down.
What is wrong with you, Brennan, she thought, disgusted with herself, why do you do this? Suddenly, she sat up in bed, resolute that she would, this time, avoid the sensuous lure. Sure you will, Tempe, her traitorous mind taunted.
Brennan's Saturday unfolded in a typical manner: Cup of organically-grown coffee, two slices of whole-grain bread, toasted but not buttered (of course) and some fresh raspberries; a quick shower and off to the lab. After a satisfying and familiar morning spent identifying a set of remains from Limbo, Brennan felt much stronger against the ever-present pull. "Yes, you can do this," she said out loud, giving herself a needed pep talk. "You are logically based and centered on rational behaviors. Certainly, like any human, you succumb to the occasional emotional indulgence but not this time. This time, you will stand strong and tall."
As soon as she said the word tall, Booth popped into her mind's eye. And why not? It was Booth who had first introduced her to this particular allurement. It was Booth who was the expert and she the novice in this area. It was Booth who, if he ever discovered her secret, would…would… Well, Brennan didn't know exactly what Booth would do but she did know that it would not be pleasant.
Strong and tall, Brennan, strong and tall, she thought as she left the Jeffersonian and stepped into the bright sunshine. As she stopped for a moment, she glanced about the National Mall, the park-like area in front of the Jeffersonian. All around her was evidence that life continued while she labored in her lab. Tourists walked eagerly between various museums, bicyclists sped by and a softball game was in full swing in the shadow of the Capitol Building. The scene before her was a typical Saturday for Washington D.C. Even in this city where the work never ends, no one was working today. Every one was playing, well, everyone except Brennan.
That lifelong feeling of not being normal, not fitting in, crept over Brennan as she surveyed the postcard scene before her. "It's okay. My work is satisfying, gratifying even," she whispered to herself. "Sure, it's consuming but …" Brennan's words trailed off as she thought of something else that was satisfying, gratifying and, oh so satiating.
Her eyes drifted closed as Brennan's hand grabbed for her cell and her finger pressed speed dial 666. The self-repulsion simmered inside her as she answered the voice on the other side of the connection. "It's Temperance. Can I stop by in 15 minutes? Thanks."
Fifteen minutes later, Brennan quickly entered a townhouse and traded some folded bills for a small package. She rushed home to indulge one of her greatest seductions. As she unwrapped the package and gazed upon the revealed enticement, Booth again appeared in her head. "Oh, Bones," she imagined him saying with his charm smile sliding across his face, "what about your beliefs? What about your science? What about—"
"Shut up, Booth!" Brennan said just before she sunk her teeth into a bacon cheeseburger with all the fixings.