1Title: Guitar Hero
Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING, Bones characters belong to Kathy Reichs, Hart Hanson, Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, TJ Thyne and Guitar Hero or any other video game isn't mine either...
Music vibrated loudly from the opposite the door causing Brennan to hesitate raising her hand to knock. She frowned as she looked at her watch, resting loosely on her wrist: half seven on a Sunday night caused her to rethink her idea and if they didn't have court first thing in the morning it could've waited.
Tapping on the door, she held the file in her hand almost nervously. The last thing she wanted to do was interrupt if he was entertaining guests or had his son over and before she could turn on her heels and walk down the hall, Booth pulled the door open. "Bones?" He said surprised and she turned around, forcing a smile on her lips.
"Is this a bad time?" She asked, her voice conveyed her nervousness and let a sigh of relief that he was dressed in a pair of jeans and a button downed shirt.
"Of course not." He answered, sensing her feelings. "You want to come in?" He stepped aside and allowed her into the apartment and was surprised to see who was standing in front of the TV with a plastic guitar, fingers moving quickly along colored frets that seemed to coincide with the flashing on the TV.
"Hodgins?" She asked. Booth shut the door behind her and she felt his hands tuck under the collar of her jacket as he peeled it off her shoulders and laid it on the back of the couch.
"Hi babe." He said in deep concentration a sharp twang from the guitar and a groan from the entomologist, but kept his attention on the game. Her eyebrow raised in astonishment as Booth placed a cold bottle into her hand, motioning her to join him on the love seat.
"Don't mind him, we've been playing this song for twenty minutes and he is determined to beat me so I let him have this practice round before I leave him in the dust."Booth explained, his mouth close to her ear as if not to disrupt the rocker on the stage. Brennan looked at him confused as the crowd on the TV started to cheer louder and the song that she recognized as Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones. "It's called Guitar Hero, the colors on the frets match the ones on the screen, you just have to hit it on the right time and hold it for the correct time." He explained.
She nodded as the screen changed and showed that Hodgins had successfully reached a ninety-eight percent, he groaned as he moved the curser to continue and Booth's name was on the top five scores. "You disrupted the flow, Doctor B." He whined and sat down.
"I apologize." She said.
"Are you ready for this? I'm getting tired of this song." Booth said, standing up and grabbing the matching guitar that had a blue face plate as Hodgins got back up on his feet pulling his white guitar into his hands. The entomologist took the lead control and the song started again and both mens fingers began to dance along the colors in sync. She analyzed the movements between the men and smiled at their competitive nature, the agent frowned and had a single wrinkle on his forehead whereas the entomologist bit his bottom lip and was a deep red from the increased pressure from his teeth.
The song ended and the points didn't lie, Booth's perfect score flashed as Hodgins went down to ninety six percent. He groaned and reached into his wallet, pulling out a twenty dollar bill. "You were well spent, my friend." He said to the paper and placed it in Booth's hand. "I need a drink." He stood up and wandered to the kitchen.
"You want to try, Bones?" Booth asked, extending his hand for her to assist her to her feet. He pressed more buttons to get into the correct mode and placed the strap over her head. "Ok, the green fret is the select and if you press the strummer key up and down it's like the strings on a real guitar, you can use that to select a song."
Brennan nodded and navigated down the list of songs until one song caught her eye Talk Dirty to Me by Poison circa 1986, a song from her childhood that her brother listened to over and over again. She pressed the green fret and the crown filled the screen before a drum beat started.
The green and yellow light came towards the row of frets that she seamlessly pressed the colors. Booths eyes widened as he realized that he didn't change the experience level back to easy, but was surprised that she hit each note. Her fingers changed to blue and red, then to yellow and blue, the blue and orange, making it through the intro without mistake.
Hodgins walked back, holding to the drink to his mouth and almost spit it out as she held the long notes, the chord combinations and jerked the guitar back at the star power. "I didn't even explain to her how to do that." Booth said in awe.
She didn't say anything and frowned in concentration as she hit the major guitar solo in the middle that was all over the board and had yet to miss. By the end of the song all seven hundred and twenty two notes had been hit, clearly knocking Booth's score in the dust. "Holy mother of God." Hodgins said. "Have you ever played this game?"
She blushed as she handed Booth the guitar. "No, it's simple hand eye coordination."
"Simple, my ass." Booth said as she sat next to him on the love seat, his arm surrounded her in a one armed hug. "It took me two weeks to beat that song on Expert level."
"I think she has you owned on this game, Booth." Hodgins commented as if she wasn't in the room. "I think you should play her on Raining Blood."
He accepted the challenge and stood up, grabbing Hodgins guitar as Brennan got back up to her feet, standing to the left of Booth. He moved the curser down to the song by Slayer and looked to her. "Are you ready?"
She just smiled and accepted the challenge. The crowd filled the arena once again and the drum beat signaled them to get ready and the notes flew at them at what simulated light speed, and their fingers danced up and down the colors in random patterns.
Hodgins pulled out his cell phone and started to record the feat in front of him as Booth focused on the distraction next to him, if he lost to her: he would never hear the end of it from Hodgins, who was probably going to post the video on the internet. Brennan's amazing ability to focus almost annoyed him, even though it was a video game.
The crowd went wild as the held on to the last note, both of their strumming hand in the air and both let out the breath they were holding. The tally came back and Hodgins fell onto the couch, perfect hundred percent for the partners. "Damn, that was amazing." Booth said, removing the guitar strap from his shoulder. "You are amazing, Bones."
She blushed again and reached for her beer, taking a long swig before sitting on the couch. Booth sat next to her and Hodgins sat on the other couch, all breathing hard from their excitement. "You do know, if you would've lost man I would've given you hell for it."
"I know." He responded, he looked to his partner and smiled. "Did you need something Bones, I mean is there a reason why you came over?"
"I was hoping we could go over the case file for tomorrow, but it's no problem we can discuss it tomorrow morning. Seems to me that you guys are having a party and didn't invite anybody else." She responded, sinking low in her seat and resting her head on his arm.
Hodgins opened his mouth, but closed it and Booth spoke up. "Sort of a poker night, with Guitar Hero." He answered. "He needed someone to talk to that wasn't twelve years old and it led to video games." Hodgins nodded in agreement, and Brennan understood. Booth had been the corner stone for both the anthropologist and the entomologist for her fathers trial, his breakup with Angela and for Zack.
She pressed her lips to his cheek, not minding the other man in the room. "You're a good man, Booth." She said softly as he cell phone began to ring.
He smiled as he answered it, which fell slightly and he hung up. "Come on, we have a case." They three stood up slowly and wandered to the door.
"You should come over next week, Doctor B. I'll bring Halo, it's one that I actually kick ass at." Hodgins said pulling on his sweater. "Or we could be simple and play Mario Kart."
"I don't know what that means, but I'll be there." She answered as Booth held up her jacket and she slid in easily. "Can we also play that Guitar one? I really liked it."
Hodgins and Booth looked at each other and nodded, before Booth opened the door. "Dude, I never thought I would see the day that Temperance Brennan beat your score on a video game." Hodgins said with a laugh, gaining a punch in the arm from Booth.
"Be careful, because when she kicks your ass in Halo and it will be printed on your grave stone." Booth retorted and closed the door.