TITLE: Consecrated
Ground
SUMMARY: Glimpse into the decline of a partnership
and the events leading up Agent Booth being temporarily replaced with
Agent Sullivan and forced into therapy.
RATING/SPOILERS: T
to be safe – although I think it's much milder. Vague reference
to some events of for the next two episodes.
DISCLAIMER:
Not mine.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Italics Flashback. It's a short
start but I thought an intriguing subject – I hope there's some
interest!
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Peering down the edge of a grave, Seely Booth's trigger finger itches.
In the unforgiving D.C. winter, his blue collar stands out in defiance, contrasting with the muted tones of the somber mourners. Caroline approaches him slowly, fist full of consecrated earth, and places it gently in his palm. She looks at him with the wide eyes of a naive girl, thanking him for having faith in the man he could have been. Biting back a smirk at her obliviousness, he drops the dirt on the casket and turns away, self-satisfied.
Howard Epps is the first man he's killed and buried.
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The last time she saw him, he was sitting in a corner chair, head in his hands, looking like a boy waiting to be called into the Principal's office. She walked past him without acknowledging his presence and didn't stop until her hand rested on her car door.
He stood, looking at her, keeping a safe distance. Her eyes flashed in anger as she bit out, 'I will never lie for you again."
He wants to tell her that he never asked her to in the first place - that he never wanted to compromise her integrity - but she's gone before he can properly form the words.
Instead, he goes home with a harsh reprimand and an overwhelming desire to wash his hands until they're clean.
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He tells him that he's disappointed that Dr. Brennan wasn't the one to track him down.
Booth's standing no more than fifteen feet away from Howard Epps and his palms are sweating.
"I'm dying to know what happened to Dr. Brennan and her scientists - she keeps me up at night. But I'll have a long time to think about her, back in jail. Tell your son that I'm sorry I missed him." the haggard man rattles off; glowing as the gun trained on him begins to shake.
"You're not getting off that easy this time Howie..."
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It wasn't a well-attended funeral.
This fact doesn't surprise her, nor does his attendance. She hasn't seen him in three days - long enough for her anger to dissipate and for her to realize that he's on forced leave. Watching him drop a handful of earth over the grave, her sense of morality is inflamed briefly. She recognizes his need to assure himself that Epps is never coming back - she almost understands it.
But she hasn't come for his reason.
He catches her gaze and begins to walk towards her, slow, steady and somewhat determined. He meets her beneath a tree and for a second it's almost routine - funerals at the conclusions of cases - the illusion would be complete had they both been wearing black.
"It was broad daylight." she says quietly, eyes boring into the ground as the first hints of rain begin to fall. "He was unarmed."
"I know."
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tbc...