Hello and welcome! Thank you for reading "The Riotous Rhesus"!
This story is a birthday fic dedicated to dharmamonkey, and let me tell you, if you're not reading her stuff, you need to look her up and read her Bones fics! She's an amazing author and you will surely enjoy her work!
So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MONKEY! In getting to 'know' Monkey through FF & Twitter, I have found a kindred spirit and I wanted to say thanks! Dharmamonkey has been a great supporter of my other works, encouraging me when I feel doubtful about a chapter or passage. We found out that we're the same age (within 6 months) and have very much the same tastes in music and, of course, TV shows like BONES!
So, finding inspiration in her name, this little fic was born. I expect it to be wrapped up in 5 chapters, and I hope everyone enjoys, especially the Birthday Girl!
This takes place sometime after Booth & Hannah broke up, but he and Brennan are not together. Yet.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones, I just own this story.
The young ladies moved quickly through the deserted zoo towards the prep kitchen near the Primate House and indoor exhibit, chatting happily about how they'd spent their weekend. The dew was thick in the early morning air and the dark, heavy storm clouds threatened to break loose any moment.
"So, how was the concert?" Dharma asked her friend, eagerly wanting details.
Jazmyn smiled, letting a small giggle escape from her throat. "Friggin' amazing! It was as much a light and laser show as it was a rock concert. You should've seen it, Dharm, it was awesome. I wish you would've gone with me." Her hands grew animated as she spoke, skipping along sideways while talking to her friend. "When I finally woke up on Saturday, I could still feel the pounding in my chest from the drum compressions. It was crazy, dude!" She pounded her open palm against her chest in demonstration to what she was saying.
Dharma laughed as they reached the door leading into the prep kitchen, "That's awesome, I'm so glad you had fun. Was he as hot in person as you expected?" The former high school friends had shared the same celebrity crushes on their favorite band members, and Dharma was, in fact, sorry that she was wasn't able to attend the reunion concert as well; but when she told Jas about her weekend, she was sure her old friend would understand about her sudden cancellation.
They entered the small workspace and began their morning routines of prepping the necessary diets for their resident Rhesus Monkeys when Jazmyn noticed the rosy blush taking over Dharma's face. Eyeing her buddy suspiciously, she knew that there was something she was missing. "What? What happened?"
Dharma's smile grew as she rolled the 55-gallon drum containing the Purina Monkey Chow out from beneath the stainless steel work counter, and she turned back to face her friend. "He called me…I know it was last minute, and I shouldn't have made myself so available… I should've made him wait…but I had to see him again…"
Jas's own smile grew in happiness for her friend. "That's OK! I understand…Did you…did you guys go out?" Her eyebrow cocked as she reached for the fruit from the refrigerator and turned back to the workbench.
Dharma's smile said it all and the girls squealed in unison, betraying their youthful ages of 23 to anyone who may have been an outside observer. They chatted amiably, falling into a familiar rhetoric as they chopped fruit, filled Kong Toys and hollowed-out branches with tasty morsels and peanut butter for the monkeys to play with, and prepared the dry Purina biscuits into carefully measured servings. Carrying their loads to the push-cart, the coworkers left through the back door and took the narrow wooded path that would lead them to the Primate House, eyeing the threatening clouds suspiciously.
As they approached the locked building, the ladies heard the uproarious sounds of the Rhesus Monkeys echoing out from within the building. It had to be the Rhesus families, because the chimps, orangutans and apes were all kept in their outdoor exhibit the previous night. Only the Rhesuses were put inside, in order for their external exhibit to be cleaned and manicured.
"Maybe they can sense the weather turning bad," Dharma mentioned. "You know, animals can usually tell us when a storm is gunna be a doosie."
"Yeah, but in all my time here at the zoo, I haven't heard them this worked up before…" Jas replied warily as she opened the heavy metal door, her recent viewing of the new Planet of the Apes movie still fresh in her mind and freaking her out a little at the potential of primates running wild.
The ladies entered slowly, flipping on the overhead lights, illuminating the cavernous building sector by sector as the buzzing sounds of the fluorescents flickered to life. The bright yellow tiles covering the interior served to reflect the brightness of the lights, affording the keepers a clear view of the large enclosures along the corridor of the house. As was expected, the majority of the Primate House was vacant, the occupants having spent their evening outside. Pushing the stainless steel cart containing their supplies, the ladies slowly walked the distance towards the Rhesus enclosure, observing a great deal of movement and commotion from the monkeys, as they swung into various positions, waiting for their human caretakers to approach.
As the keepers drew nearer, the monkeys grew eerily quiet. Many were perched on platforms affixed to the bars, sitting strait up on their haunches while their intelligent, ever-observant eyes followed the movements of their handlers. Others swung high in the tree which stood in the middle of the display, the gold flecks in their dark hazel eyes flickering as many bared their vicious teeth at the would-be intruders.
"Usually, they get louder at feeding time," Jazmyn leaned towards her friend as she whispered, "what the hell is going on?"
Her coworker didn't verbally answer; she simply shook her head slowly, never tearing her eyes from the cage they were fast approaching.
Stopping in front of the locked gate, Jazmyn felt a chill run down her spine. The scrutinizing gazes from the adult primates, the sharp 1-inch canines threatening anyone who came close, and the angry snarls erupting from their tiny, but powerful, lungs let the ladies know something was definitely askew.
Feeling Jazmyn pulling on her shirt sleeve urgently, Dharma followed her friend's frozen gaze towards the back of the enclosure, where two large females and one large male were standing atop a mound of something initially unrecognizable, snarling and growling in the direction of the volunteers. As the girls moved further down the corridor, so they were standing directly across from the three adult monkeys currently holding their focus, they simultaneously turned to run, exploding in blood curdling screams, which in turn prompted the monkeys to recommence in their ear-numbing shrieks, howls and barks as they swung from branches and bars with renewed excitement.
B/B/B/B
"Aw, are you kidding me? The monkeys attacked someone? This is gonna fuck up a lot of people's opinions on these little guys… I love monkeys… Parker loves monkeys… Everybody loves monkeys, Bones…" Booth whined in complaint as he and his partner entered the Primate House, flashing their credentials to bypass the 'gatekeepers.'
"Monkeys are grossly misunderstood, Booth. The general public seems to be under the impression that they are tamable and make great pets. The truth is monkeys never lose their natural wild instinct, regardless of how young one is when it comes into captivity, or whether or not it's born to a captive mother. They are wild animals, and they deserve to be living their lives out in nature, not locked behind bars for the amusement of humans while living on a diet of monkey biscuits and peanut butter." Her words were curt with thinly veiled distain at the notion of animals being encaged for life.
Booth knew where Brennan stood on the topic of zoos, and through all her lectures and tearing apart of the zoological institutions, he had to give her credit; for years, she still accompanied him and his son to the zoo on the occasions when Parker had insisted they invite Bones along for their outing. Ever since Parker was 4 years old, he'd taken a strong liking to Brennan and loved to see her whenever he stayed with his Dad; hardly a visit passed without at least one meal shared with his Dad's partner. And, much to Booth's relief, Brennan had always refrained from lashing out at the zoo keepers with whom they came in contact, as long as Parker was with them. If his boy wasn't within earshot, however, his partner never failed to throw verbal digs and insults at the employees who contributed to the confinement of otherwise wild animals.
"Now, Bones, you know as well as I do that most of these particular animals would never survive in the wild. They were raised in captivity and wouldn't know how to hunt for their food, they have no wild parental figure to teach them; they would die. So, why not take a sub-par situation and turn it into something educational, huh?" He raised his eyebrows at her while flashing his cheeky charm smile. They'd had this discussion dozens of times and he could pretty much anticipate her response before it ever left her perfectly-shaped lips, so he interrupted her before she could rebut. "I know…if the parents hadn't been stolen from their jungle homes to begin with, then this generation, and all of the subsequent offspring of these animals, wouldn't be in the bind they currently find themselves wrapped within…" He smirked at the defiant look that flashed behind her eyes when he took her rebuttal. "But here they are; so we might as well enjoy them while we can, right? And learn from them, as much as possible…"
Brennan snapped her lips closed with a sigh of frustration escaping her nostrils. Immediately, Booth saw a familiar dark veil go up behind her eyes as her back went ram-rod straight. Without a word, Brennan turned towards the commotion at the end of the long Primate House corridor, stalking with a purpose to examine that which she'd been called in to see.
Following close on her heels, Booth's longer stride made it easy to cover the distance with less effort than she used up with her pissed-off gait. He knew that she thought he was making fun of her, she was building a wall; so before she could reach the gathering of people, he caught her elbow gently and paused her mid-stride, turning her to face him slightly. "Hey," he kept his voice low, "I wasn't teasing you, Bones; you know that, right? I know you hate these places, and I wasn't trying to dismiss your feelings. I just… I dunno…" he shrugged, "I was just trying to make you see the other side of the coin."
She wrinkled one side of her nose with a raise of her lip and stared into his deep brown eyes. "I don't know what that means, Booth. What do coins have to do with this case?"
"It's an expression, Bones. Like hearing both sides of a story…There are always two sides to everything. I just wanted to help you see that good things can come from less-than-desirable situations." His eyes pleaded silently with her to understand…as well as for her to believe that he wasn't trying to belittle her beliefs.
After a few seconds passed, and Booth finally dropped his hand from the gentle hold he still had on her elbow, Brennan's eyes softened and she nodded in understanding. They were standing close and when she dropped her eyes, she was staring at the soft curl of his lips. "Thank you, Booth," she whispered, nearly inaudibly, "I appreciate you trying to help me see things differently. I'm sorry I'm so rigid in my convictions. I'm trying to change…" Her voice was hesitant and quiet, her words deliberate.
Booth brought his right hand up and hooked his finger beneath her chin, remembering a time years ago when he'd made the same gesture outside the Royal Diner, letting her know that she was not alone in the world when she thought she didn't deserve a 'family'. He tilted her face upwards, so she would meet his eyes. When Brennan's clear blue-green oceans locked on his, Booth felt his breath hitch and his pulse quicken. For a couple months now, since his ugly, but inevitable break-up with Hannah, the partners had been trying to find their way back to each other, back to where they were before everything went to Hell. Slowly but surely, they'd been making progress by spending more time together outside of work – dinners at the Royal Diner, late night Thai take-out with rented movies, morning races through the park ending at the coffee cart, and simply 'hanging out'.
And whenever she looked at him with those open, vulnerable eyes, when she was obviously feeling insecure about her own sentiments, she never failed to render him speechless. She trusted him, as she always had, to guide her in the uncharted territories that were her emotions; and while he eagerly offered any insight he could, he felt himself falling for her all over again, and falling hard. But the risk was greater as he fell in love again, because Booth knew what he'd lost when they went their separate ways, and he was loathe to think of what his life would be like if he pushed too hard, scaring her off for good. So, he worked hard to keep his own desires in check, walking that cautious line around her when things got tense or touchy.
"I don't want you to change, Bones." His voice was low and raspy, "And you have nothing to apologize for." He let his finger linger beneath her chin just a few seconds longer, relishing the silky skin that he could just-barely feel through the thick callouses that covered the outer edge of his forefinger. He took a moment to let his deep chocolate eyes skim across her sharp, beautiful features before settling back on the metaphorical windows of her soul. "We'll talk some more later…m'kay?"
Brennan's mouth was suddenly dry; her tongue felt like cotton as she watched the unmistakable flood of affection that flowed from Booth's dark eyes, enriching his statement with deeper meaning than that which could be taken at face value. The syllables, the words, the sentences, when coming from her partner, held a much more profound definition than any text could ever define, and she found that all she could do was nod, almost imperceptibly, and mutter a simple, "Yes…please."
With a smile, the kind that spoke volumes, Booth dropped his hand back to his side and stood up straighter, realizing that he'd been gradually leaning closer to his partner as they conversed quietly. "Alright, then… Let's go solve a crime, huh, Bones?" He positioned his arm loosely around her lower back as she turned, resting his fingertips on the spot he'd claimed as his own several years ago, ushering her forward with a familiar pressure that she'd come to accept as 'Boothy'.
As they approached the scene, Brennan's attention was divided among the various discussions that were occurring around her. Forensic recovery specialists discussed ways of transporting evidence; two young ladies in volunteer uniforms were standing to the side were crying and consoling each other while being questioned by officials; animal control officers debated probable outcomes for the lives of the monkeys with zoo management. Her focus finally turned to the small gathering of people that she knew, huddled together inside the enclosure in question.
Hodgins and Cam were already at work by the time Brennan reached them inside the enclosure. Wrinkling her forehead, Brennan turned to Booth, then back to her colleagues and spoke. "This body is still fleshy; why was I called? I can't possibly make an adequate examination of the body until it has been de-fleshed, therefore, I cannot partake in the declaration one way or another as to the cause of death. We have no way of knowing if this was a homicide, natural expiration or accidental death until the body has been examined." She suddenly felt annoyed that her Saturday plans, which consisted of working on her newest novel, had been thwarted, and she wasn't even needed at the crime scene. She turned back to Booth. "Did you know this was a fresh body?"
Booth raised his hands in silent defense as he shook his head and raised an eyebrow at Cam.
With a quiet sigh and shake of her head, Dr. Saroyan stood from where she was squatting near the head of the victim, and smiled at Booth before turning to the agitated Anthropologist. "Dr. Brennan, the FBI was called by local PD. When the responding officers took one look at the body, they called Cullen, Cullen called us after he called Booth, and that's all I know. We arrived only about 15 minutes before you and Booth walked in." She shrugged, "I've ordered everything back to the lab for further examination. I'm sorry if you were interrupted, but usually whenever Booth is called in, you are too."
"Of course I'm called in whenever Booth is." Her exasperated aggravation was clear in her tone of voice. "We're partners. But I don't see a reason to have Booth here if cause of death can't even be determined yet." She snapped off the gloves she had pulled on as she approached the scene, tucking them back into her hip pocket. "Why would the FBI Head of Major Crimes be called out to a scene if they don't even know if there's been a crime?" Her jaw was locked and her lips drawn into a tight line as she awaited her answer with her arms crossed over her chest.
Hodgins stepped in, "All due respect Dr. B, but I think it's pretty safe to call this a homicide. We may not be able to examine the body completely yet, but how many Primatologists do you know who would walk around with peanut butter smeared across their skin and clothing?"
Cam, Brennan and Booth all looked at Hodgins in confusion, but Booth was the one to ask, pulling his index cards from his pocket as he spoke. "What are you talking about, Hodgins?"
"The body – it's covered with peanut butter. The parts we can see, anyway. As are portions of the shirt and pants. Someone killed this woman and then put her in here so the monkeys would eat her…"
Booth's shoulders sagged and he dropped his head in a slow shake. "Ah, shit… this case already sucks…"
Brennan, feeling particularly confrontational that morning, squared her shoulders and eyed the scientist in disbelief. "How can you be so certain, Dr. Hodgins? Maybe it's not peanut butter. Maybe it's her body lotion. And maybe, just maybe, that unfortunate person stumbled in here on her own accord and died naturally while eating or carrying a peanut butter sandwich. Or committed suicide…? You should not be making assumptions until you have examined all the evidence, Dr. Hodgins; you should know better."
As Brennan rattled on, Booth eyed her suspiciously, unable to believe his own ears… His partner was never one to make up scenarios; especially ones as far-fetched as what she was prattling at that moment.
"How can I - -" Jack's forehead creased in his own disbelief that she was questioning his assessment. "How can I be so certain?" He threw his hands in the air in frustration and spun around before facing her again, floored that she would make such an accusation that he didn't follow protocol. "I am certain, Dr. Brennan, because I can see the peanut butter smears and I can smell it! There're some things in life that are unmistakable, and the smell of peanut butter is one of them. Who the hell would do that? Who the hell would smear themselves with peanut butter then enter an enclosure, locking themselves in with primates known to be seven times stronger than a human, pound per pound? Even a suicidal maniac wouldn't want to die like that… And this person wasn't carrying a sandwich – that is an absurd notion…" He ripped off his gloves and stormed away from the argument before anything else was said, especially something that would come back to haunt one of them someday. He muttered to himself as he retreated, "what the hell is that about…? What's her problem today? I know my fucking job…"
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Cam turned from Booth to Brennan and declared that she would make the final arrangements to have the remains returned to the lab, and that she would let them know her 'official' findings once she had them. She turned and walked towards the body and looked back once more. "Dr. Brennan, Booth, you guys might as well go. I'll let you know if you're going to be needed in this matter." Without waiting for a reply, she headed back into the chaos that surrounded the remains, leaving the partners staring at the back of her head.
Booth turned to Brennan in silent surprise, raising his eyebrows while patiently awaiting her explanation. When she felt his dark gaze, she dropped her eyes to her hands as they twisted against themselves. She inhaled sharply and met his stare. "Can you drop me off at home, Booth? Or should I take a cab?"
Booth's confusion was clear, and his deep brown eyes studied her suddenly hardened features. "Bones? What's going on?"
"It's OK, I'll take a cab," she about-faced and started to walk away from him. She was terrifyingly close to breaking out in tears, and she knew she couldn't do that in front of her partner. She didn't understand her own feelings, and she was in no way ready to discuss those feelings with Booth. "I'm just tired, Booth," she called over her shoulder, hoping that he would believe her pathetic lie. Hearing his quick step catch up to her, she knew that she wouldn't be taking a cab – Booth would make sure she got home safe and sound, just like he always did whenever he picked her up for a case. That tiny bit of knowledge gave her reason to smile, ever so slightly, though she didn't totally understand why.
He rested his hand, once again, on the small of her back as he fell into stride with his partner. "I'll take you home, Bones." His voice was soft and low, his barely-there smile was, as always, warm, "you should know I'll always take you home." They walked the rest of the way to the SUV in silence, and for that, Brennan was thankful.
They were halfway to her apartment when Booth finally spoke. "You wanna grab something to eat at the diner, Bones? It's only a little after 9:00." When he got no response, he spared a glance in her direction and saw a distraught look that tore at his heart. She was staring straight ahead through the windshield, obviously not watching anything particular as they drove. He reached over and placed his large veiny hand over her fingers, which were twisted together, causing her pale knuckles to turn even whiter. "Bones?" His breathy beckon, combined with his warm touch, brought her out of her reverie and she turned to look at him, her bright blue eyes large and vulnerable, and wet with unshed tears.
Immediately, Booth found a vacant parking lot and pulled into a spot, throwing the SUV into park. "Bones, what's wrong?" He turned his body towards her, tugging her hand slightly. "What is it?"
"They want to euthanize the entire Rhesus colony, Booth! I heard Animal Control talking to the Zoo officials…" She lost control, sobbing openly as she fell towards her partner, unbuckling her seatbelt in one swift movement. "They can't kill the monkeys, Booth…It's wrong!" Her voice then dropped in volume, a tone of defeat edging into her normally confident timbre as she pressed her face into his thick neck. "It's wrong, Booth. It's not their fault…"
"Oh, Bones…" Booth held her trembling body in his arms the best he could, reaching over the console of his SUV. He rubbed large circles on her back, trying to sooth her evident pain. "OK…OK…take a deep breath, Bones…" Absently, he pressed his lips on the top of her head, momentarily forgetting that they were still 'just partners', despite what his heart wanted. "Shh…" He continued his caresses and gentle murmurs until her body stopped shuddering and her tears finally subsided. "This is what made you so upset back at the scene?" He crooked his head just enough to see her face.
Brennan's head rested against her partner's broad shoulder, her forehead pressed into his neck. Quietly, she nodded, gripping the sides of his jacket a little tighter in her fists, not yet ready to pull away from the comfort he provided. Her emotions were at war with themselves…she was upset about the conversation she'd overheard inside the Primate House; she was disturbed at Hodgins' immediate discount of anything but homicide (though she instinctively knew he was right – she would never admit that aloud); she was haunted with happy memories of visiting that very zoo with Booth and Parker shortly before they went their separate ways; and she battled the ever-growing need to be closer to Booth…both physically and emotionally. She didn't know if he was ready to try for a new relationship – she knew he was angry after she turned him down on the steps of the Hoover more than a year prior, then he grew angrier at Hannah's decline to what he was offering. Brennan knew that Booth would eventually recover, but she didn't know how long that process would be, and she was afraid of screwing anything up that could develop into something more. She was terrified of losing the best man she'd ever had in her life… So, for the time being, she let herself get lost in his warm embrace and his quiet baritone voice, knowing that, at the very least, he still cared for her as a partner, and as a friend.
Finally, she answered his question. "Yes. I didn't want to cry in there. In front of everyone…in front of you… I hate crying in front of anybody…especially you…" She swallowed and pulled away slightly, so she could look at his face. "But, Booth – what they want to do…it's not right…it's inhumane. I mean, I'm sure they would euthanize the animals humanely, but the act itself… it shouldn't be the solution here. Even if this woman died of natural causes, and even if there wasn't food to entice the animals to attack her body, they were only doing what they would in nature…They shouldn't be punished for being wild animals, Booth!" She wiped her tears in frustration. "That – that orca in Florida wasn't sentenced to death for simply following its natural instinct a few years ago when that trainer was killed... Don't get me wrong, it's terrible what happened, Booth, but why should they have to die?!"
Booth brought his left hand to her cheek, brushing an errant curl from where it stuck to her cheek, plastered there by her tears. "I know, Bones…it's not fair." He let his calloused fingertip linger on her cheekbone just a moment longer before dropping it back to his own lap. "Maybe I can make a call – get them to hold off the procedure until we know more…"
She hung her head, feeling the weight of the truth resting upon her shoulders. "It'll be just like Ripley all over again…We couldn't save him…There'd be no way to stop this either…" Fresh tears welled in her eyes as she struggled to regain control and she dropped her hands from where they'd been grasping his jacket. "The FBI has no jurisdiction over Animal Control, Booth. There's nothing you could do…"
Gripping both of her hands in his large right hand and resting them on her lap, he pulled his phone out, dialing it with his left. "Hey Lewis, Booth here." He paused, "yeah, I'm great thanks. Listen, man, I need a favor." He chuckled, "yeah, well, I figure you could pay up now – there's something I need you to do. You heard about the situation at the Metro Zoo?" Another pause. "Yeah, well, I wondered what it would take to get a, shall we say, stay of execution on that Rhesus colony?" Another pause, longer this time. Growing firm, but still professional, Booth continued while locking his eyes on Bones' bright blues. "Yeah, well, I have it on good authority that this case is going to become one of mine…and when it gets passed onto my desk, I want those monkeys alive so my team can examine all the evidence." Listening intently, Booth nodded his head, although the man on the other end could not see it. "Yeah, that's great, Lew. Thanks, I'll talk to you later." Ending the call, he dropped his phone back into his pocket and turned back to his partner.
He let his thumb rub circles across the backs of her hands, which he still held. "We've got some time, Bones. A friend of mine is going to see to it that those monkeys are quarantined, but not euthanized. At least, not until we figure out what the hell happened in that Monkey Building." He smiled when he saw her obvious relief.
"Primate House, Booth. Not Monkey Building." For once, it was her turn to correct him on a vernacular term, and regardless of the situation, it brought her a little bit of pleasure. She turned on hand upward, so it was palm to palm against Booth's and she sighed. "Thank you, Booth. Thank you for making that call." Her voice was small but full of gratitude.
"Anything for you, Bones." Booth answered honestly, his volume matching the lowness of hers, "I hate to see you cry…" He let his eyes skim the surface of her face. "I can stand anyone else's tears but yours…" he shrugged. "Well, yours or Parker's… But…I'm glad you let me see them…" A small smile grew when she wrapped her fingers around his, effectively holding his hand in hers. A few more moments passed and he could see that she'd calmed down a little more. "Now, you wanna get something to eat? I don't know about you, but I'm starved. And I don't want to eat alone; I'd rather have company."
"Well, I wanted to get some writing done today, Booth. And if you really think this is going to turn into a case, then I should work on my chapter before we get called into the lab. Otherwise, my editor will…" Brennan kept her tone of voice professional, but stopped when she looked at his face. She swallowed thickly, suddenly nervous about the comfortable way her hand felt wrapped in his and concerned about her feelings once again; and, she supposed, nervous about his feelings…
With his smile fading, he nodded his head once and tugged his hand free from hers. "Yeah, OK. I'll take you home." He turned back to the steering wheel, feeling conflicted about the signals he was receiving from her. One minute she seemed to need him, seemed to enjoy being with him, and then, in the very next she was rebuilding those walls again, closing him out.
Silently realizing what she'd just done, her stomach clenched; knowing she'd made a mistake in turning down his offer. He was trying – that much was obvious. He was trying to reach her again…trying to rekindle what they once had and attempting to build upon it. And in one selfish, scared reaction, she shot him down. "Booth-" She reached her hand over and rested it on his right forearm, which was held straight out from his body as he gripped the steering wheel. Ignoring the flinch she felt beneath her palm as his arm jerked at her touch, she continued. "It's OK, I can write later… Let's go ahead and-"
"Nah, it's OK, Bones," he cut her off. He didn't want her accepting his invitation out of pity; he wanted her to join him because she wanted to, not because she felt an obligation to. "I'm not all that hungry, after all." He didn't look in her direction, as he was battling his own emotions and couldn't look at her at that particular moment; he didn't want to look into her eyes right then…
"But Booth, you just said you were starved…" She argued, "That's what you said." Her throat felt raspy, an apparent side effect of her emotional breakdown just moments before.
"Yeah, well, I lost my appetite, Bones. That happens sometimes." He pulled up in front of her apartment building, but kept the SUV running. "I'll let you know if I hear anything. But something tells me you'll hear first, because I'm sure the lab will call you before they call me." He didn't look directly at her; he studied their surroundings instead, gazing out the windows in no particular order. "Shoot me a text if you hear something. I'll meet you."
Brennan fought against the knot in her throat. "I'm sorry Booth, I didn't mean to-"
"Nothin' to apologize for, Bones. I know you've got things to do…it's Saturday… So, I'll, uh, I'll talk to ya later, I guess. I hope that you get done whatever you need to do." He still hadn't looked at her – he looked past her, near her – anywhere but at her.
Feeling the unmistakable sting of tears behind her eyes, this time tears of regret at her own insecure reaction, she rolled her lips around her teeth and bit down to stop from saying something else she'd regret. She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door quietly, slipping from her seat. Before she shut the door, she turned back to him with searching, pleading eyes. "Thank you for calling your friend, Booth. That means a lot to me."
"Yeah... Glad I could help with somethin', Bones." His jaw was tight as he stared at the Toyota logo centered on his steering wheel and clenched his fists where they rested on his thighs.
Seeing that he wasn't going to initiate any further conversation, Bones quietly backed out of the open door and closed it, still looking through the window as his profile as he angrily threw the SUV into drive and pulled out into the street. Noticing that he was not driving in the direction of his apartment, but instead continued in the direction of the diner, she let the tears she'd been fighting finally fall. He is still hungry, she thought with regret, and now he's going to eat by himself…Exactly what he didn't want to do. Dragging her body from where she stood on the sidewalk, she turned towards her building and walked slowly up the stairs into the lobby. I can't remember the last time Booth dropped me off on the sidewalk…He always, as the very least, walks up with me to make sure that I get inside safe. Dammit! Why did I have to clam up like that!? He's been trying to make things better…and we were doing great… Last weekend was a lot of fun; we spent almost the whole weekend together…what's the matter with me? I've just damaged what we've been working to repair…
A/N Postscipt
You know, if these two didn't fight, we'd wonder what was wrong… Poor B&B, always misunderstanding each other and missing their chances… so many missed opportunities…Pissing each other off all the time… *shakes head sadly*
And now I ask, did you like chapter one? Is the story worth completing? Please leave me a review and let me know if you think this little Birthday fic is any good!
I promise those of you who have been messaging me – I will get back to 'Letters from Maluku', but I had to start cranking this out 2 weeks ago after learning that Monkey's birthday was coming up so soon.