Best Laid Plans

Chapter One

Just a bit of drivel I thought of ...

I do NOT own Bones, Fox does

Convincing him to come along had been simple work, he was always eager to help, to offer an opinion. When she mentioned it was for Booth ,well, then he had to come. She had even included Ange and Hodgins in the weekend trip...well as far as he knew she had. She thought it the best way to make it seem less awkward than if it were just the two of them alone. Of course her plans absolutely were to be alone, far away from prying eyes, away from all the signals, the modern connections to the outside world. She had worked out the logistics for over a month. Today she would see how fully she would be able to execute her plan.

Checking her phone again, for the time, she became worried that some unforeseen events on his end may have put all her planning to waste. He was about five minutes late already, they needed to get on the road soon. Just then, much to her relief, the small blue sedan appeared on the horizon. He was soon pulling his car into the spot next to the four-wheel drive Jeep Wrangler she had procured for the weekend. This meeting place had been chosen specifically because of its remoteness. She had only seen one other vehicle come into the area since she arrived. No one would see him climb into the Jeep or be concerned when the light blue Prius sat abandoned for a few days. As he left the drivers side of the car, the trunk lid popped open automatically. She noticed he was still wearing his work attire. With the slam of the lid the young man walked up greeting her. He had a large backpack slung over his shoulder and a twisted wood walking stick in his hand. He flashed a quick smile apologizing for his tardiness, he had been pulled into a last minute meeting with the Deputy Director.

"That is okay, was it something important? "Something that may cause you to be expected back earlier than planned?

"Oh no, nothing too important. Certainly nothing that would have kept me away from this trip...soo where are Angela and Hodgins. Aren't they going to ride up with us? ", he asked as he tossed the bag and walking stick into the back of the vehicle. Despite being late afternoon, the air was still hot and muggy, typical Virginia summer weather. Being outside the temperature controlled Prius, the dress suit had become unbearable. He had hoped to change before leaving, but the meeting had botched that plan. So he decided that beating the notorious DC traffic out of the city had become goal number one, and even then he was still late. Losing the tie and stripping out of the dark blue jacket, he turned back to his friend, as he began rolling up the sleeve on his left arm.

"I know you mentioned using a different vehicle for the trip ,but I have to say, I didn't quite imagine this.", he motioned to the Jeep.

" The Jeep is actually part of the deal with purchase of the property we are going to. Without the cabin, the owner said he had no use for it. It has some miles on it, but he said its still very dependable. The cabin is located in a very remote area and the roads can be difficult to traverse during bad weather. On my many digs in jungles and all manner of terrain I have found the Jeep 4x4 to be very reliable. He offered its use for the weekend as a test drive. I think Booth would enjoy it. Although, I hope you can drive a manual drive vehicle." I know you can. She hobbled toward him a bit and sighed looking down at her right foot, the laces of the tan leather hiker had been loosened, " I was rushing to get Christines' plush rabbit to her before Booth pulled out of the driveway ,...for their trip to visit his mother , and stumbled on a large rock...Its nothing serious, nothing that should ruin our plans, I just think it would be best to let you drive ...you can right?...so the swelling can go down, instead of becoming irritated any further."

"Oh. Okay... um ..makes perfect sense, and don't worry, my first two cars were stick. Let me..just grab my hiking boots ,instead of these dress shoes, then we can head out. Oh wait, what about Angela and Hodgins? You never said...," he looked at her expectantly with tired brown eyes. Working all day then driving the two hours in heavy traffic to the meeting spot had taken its toll on him. Fighting a manual drive vehicle for another two hours, on twisting mountain roads, will definitely leave him feeling drained of life.

"Sorry. They were ,but there was some problem with one of specimens that needed his attention, you know how he feels about his creatures, so he said that they would be driving up on their own.", She explained as she worked her way around to climb into the passenger-side of the dusty black 4x4.

"Huh...Okay, then let's get going.", he said thoughtfully, jumping behind the steering wheel. He looked around familiarizing himself with the controls. After adjusting the mirrors ,he attempted to adjust the seat back just a bit more to accommodate his longer legs ,but the seat wouldn't budge. He tried once more, to no avail, before finally accepting the slightly cramped position he would have to endure for the next couple of hours. Great.

She had watched his struggle with the seat with just enough concern. Remarking that , "...finding these things out were part of the purpose of this weekend." Indeed, she expected to discover a lot of things this weekend. She had questions that needed answers and she knew with his help she would find them.

It only took one episode of gear grinding before, much like riding a bicycle, driving a manual transmission came straight back to him. It was smooth driving from then first hour of the trip was passed catching up on the days events. His run in with a certain intern that morning at the Royal Diner, how slowly time passed when there wasn't a case and how boring the meeting had been. Her hectic rush to see Christine and Booth off that morning, making sure everything was packed for this adventure and agreeing a case to solve always made life a bit more exciting. Just the mundane things everyday people talked about.

By the time they had reached the turn off that took them onto the narrow road that twisted its way through the George Washington National Forest, up to the property she was contemplating buying as a surprise for her husband, the suns light was quickly fading in a purple and pink glory. He wished they could have taken a break from the road, a quick stretch of the back and legs and neck, would have been welcomed. But they wanted to get to the cabin before it was pitch dark so unpacking would be easier, so he pushed through the aches and pains shooting up his spine and across his shoulders. Not adjusting back was just the tip of the iceberg with the drivers side seat, it was as if it had been designed just to aggravate his odd handful of issues. The shoulder he had injured when he was on the swim team in college. The vertebrae in his neck that had been damaged when they had been run off the road by the "black knight" over a sword. The knee that made him threaten to never jog on the treadmill again. Add that to the tiredness he was already feeling and now he felt exhausted. It made focusing on the dark unlined stretch of black asphalt that much harder. Of course the asphalt gave way to gravel and the turns became sharp Ss winding up the side of the mountain. He was relieved when she pointed out they were only a few miles from their destination. Great I need some relief soon.

She had watched with interest how ,as the ride progressed, he had become increasingly agitated. The deep sighs, the rolls of his head and constant shifting in the seat. A few times she thought she felt the slight jerk of the vehicle as though he was correcting his line, after drifting off perhaps. They managed ,however, to arrive at their destination safely.

"We should go ahead and unpack everything, now." She walked toward the rear of the vehicle, opening the heavy plastic window that enclosed the trunk area. There were groceries, a plastic tote full of bedding and towels, their backpacks. Strapped down on a black rack hooked into the hitch was a large cooler and a couple cans of gasoline. Though the large structure used propane to run the stove, refrigerator and water heater. The whole home was also wired to a gas generator for electricity.

He was still stretching, holding his hands together he moving his outstretched arms from side to side, as he joined her. He grabbed his pack, slung it over his back, then the gas cans. The weight of which stressed his already sore joints to the point that it felt as though they were ripping out of their sockets. But he was not about to wimp out in front of Booths significant other and risk the burly agents jabs. Suck it up. Its hardly the worst pain you've known.

"If you can handle the groceries and the tote, I'll take care of these and the cooler.", He offered, walking past the woman digging around for her own backpack.

"Are you sure? We could tackle the cooler together, it is rather heavy..." Old fashion ideals of gender roles guarantees you will say no. She followed behind him carrying the tote, her backpack laying on top. She nearly bumped into him, when he paused at the bottom of the steps leading up to the wrap-around porch. He was looking up at the building, taking in its sheer size.

"No, I can can get it. Wow, this is a cabin? More like a house.", he trudged up the treads setting the cans down to one side of the entrance, allowing the person with the keys access to the many locks on the door. While she did that, he dug into a side pocket on his backpack extracting a small ultra-bright flashlight which he aimed at the door to assist her sliding in the keys. It was nine at night, the summer sun had finally set, leaving them to find their way in the darkness.

"Thanks.", she said nudging the heavy wooden door with her hip, recent storms and heat had caused it to jam. With a loud creak the door swung wide. He took aim at the dark abyss, light bounced from chinked log walls, to rustic furniture and paused on the glassy stare of a six point buck. Creepy He then focused the light in the area directly in their path. There was small table, on it was an oil lamp and a box of matches. With a quick flash and whiff of sulfur she struck the match and lit the lamp, filling the space with its soft warm glow.

" That is better. I actually do not mind the lamp light, unless you would prefer to crank up the generator. It is located around back...we would have to fill the tank.."

"No!..I mean no..um oil lamps are fine by me.", He agreed. I don't care..I just want to relax. "I'll just get the cooler in then ...I think we will have everything unpacked. He watched her nod, then walk away matches in hand to light the lamps on the living room mantel. He turned on his heels, trudging back to the jeep and the cooler. Sigh...one more thing and you can kick your feet up. He fumbled with the ratchet strap that held his goal securely in place, finally it released its tight grip. Now the fun part.. Grabbing the wide rectangle by its side handles he hefted it up. True to her words it was heavy..and awkward. The rolled up sleeves of his dress shirt cut into his arms as his biceps flexed. He had to hold it high enough to keep from bashing his knees into it. Damn!...good thing I upped my strength training...still, what's she got in here ...a body. Oh..with her line of work that could happen. Haha ... "Whoo.", he exclaimed exhaling loudly letting the cooler land with a slight thud in the kitchen floor. "How much food did you pack? ...We're just staying two nights." The lamplight cast its yellow light across his smiling features with a strong chiaroscuro effect.

Like a young man in a Caravaggio painting... The thought struck when she looked up from behind the lid of the now open cooler, she had begun removing items into the fridge.

" I am aware of the timeline for this trip. Hiking burns a lot of calories.. with your higher metabolism, you will appreciate the extra helping of my quinoa salad you are so fond of.", She stated matter of factly, offering a triumphant smile. You will be begging for more. He stood there for a moment, feeling unsure of his next move. It was obvious she didn't need his help, but abandoning her to the task seemed ...rude. So he hoovered until she finally noticed.

"If you are hungry, there are ingredients for a sandwich. The quinoa salad I mentioned earlier. The stove is propane. It works if you would like soup, maybe.." she noticed how much thought he gave her offerings. His dark eyes were barely visible behind his drooping eyelids. ...hhmm tired...too tired to eat?...

"Doesn't sound bad but...really [yawn] I think I just need to get some sleep. Um which room is mine..you said there are three. Two upstairs, one down?" He asked trying to stifle another yawn.

"Well, since the downstairs bedroom is bigger I thought Angela and Hodgins could have it. You can pick between the two upstairs, they are mirror images of each other."

"Okay. Oh ..before I forget..thanks for inviting me, it's nice to know you..you value my friendship enough to want my opinion on something like this... Well uh ...goodnight." She tried to smile back. To simply return the heartfelt thank you with the appropriately friendly response. But he was making this more difficult than she anticipated.

"It's nothing...really. Goodnight.", She allowed him to almost make it out of the room before calling after him. "You will need a light...Oh and take the tote is has the bedding! "

"Oh...right. Got it.", Came the less than enthusiastic response fading into the recesses of the log cabin.

With the small flashlight wedged firmly between his teeth and his pack tossed atop the tote he ascended the steps made of heavy split logs. The way the railed in walkway hung slightly over the downstairs gave the feeling of being in a loft. The LED beam lit the way. There were three doors to choose from... Hmm let's see what's behind door numberrr...three... With some effort he managed to turn the knob and entered. A bedroom. … you've won a nights rest in your friends too big to be called a cabin..cabin yay! [ yawn]… Okay you're getting ... He dropped his burden on the floor then, relieved his mouth of flashlight duty. Simple rustic furniture again. An antique cast iron bed ,with a new looking mattress, appeared very appealing against the center of the back wall. Flanked on each side were nightstands, designed to look old and worn. He found what he wanted ...an oil lamp. Checking the nightstand drawer he...figured correctly. He raked the matchstick along the side of the box and soon this room ,too, had that increasingly familiar glow. All its simple glory was revealed. In addition to the bed and nightstands was a tall but narrow chest of drawers. Beside that, tucked in the corner nearest the single window, was an antique wash stand complete with a mirror and the blue and white enamel basin and pitcher. Wow this place is really...nice. They really thought of everything...if you got stuck up here without power it wouldn't be so bad...except .. Turning back toward the interior wall he noted another door …closet maybe?.. which he decided to explore. …oh…It was a bathroom. Not huge and not small, it had everything a bathroom should, though stylized to suit the cabins antique-y feel. There was a white claw-footed tub with a handheld shower-head. While they appeared antique, the fixtures were modern functional versions hidden by fake patinas and design borrowed from the past. His light glinted on an "antique" glass doorknob directly opposite the door he held open. The bathroom was shared between the two bedrooms. Door number two must come in from the hall. …way too many doors… He let the door shut. He tossed his pack against the dresser then popped the top on the plastic box. He removed the towels and washcloths, taking them into the bathroom. Coming back he found two sheet sets and two fleece blankets. …what about Angela and Hodgins?… hmm… probably bringing their own … .Grabbing the red blanket and a set of sheets, no choice plain white, he replaced the lid and slid the box out into the hall. It was only after he had made up the bed he realized he had forgotten a pillow. Hhmm, I could roll up a towel or..wait the couch. It had throw pillows. Ha problem solved...wait problem, no electricity means no pump means no water... you'll make it one night. Resolved to make do, he stepped out of the room into the hall meeting his hostess at the top of the stairs. Under one arm were two new looking pillows, while she held a jug of water in the other.

"Hey! You must have read my mind..I was just coming down to steal one of the couch pillows.", he gave her a tired smile. Which she dutifully returned.

" It is getting late. I believe Hodgins must have had complications with his specimens. I doubt they will travel these roads at such a late hour. Perhaps they will arrive in the morning. There is no signal here so getting in touch is impossible."

He nodded thoughtfully as he accepted one of the pillows and the water jug. …Awesome. Now I can brush my teeth and rest my head... no signal?… Ugh…Oh well you wanted to get away from it all. Take a break from psychotics...here you are. Now you can relax... He dug around in his pack extracting his pjs, toothpaste and brush. Night time routine finished he collapsed onto the bed. ... sleep here I come...

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Okay so no doubt you're wondering WTH is wrong with Brennen... well don't worry it will all work out. Well maybe it will... guess I'll have to see. And before you say it, this story is not a Brennen & Sweets slash. Not really... though it may have you wondering at moments. Then again maybe it won't. Thank you for reading.. reviews welcome.