Written for the October CBPC.
"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it well and serenely." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I'm here with acclaimed anthropologist and novelist: Doctor Temperance Brennan." Julie Winters, an aspiring journalist, says into her little recorder. "Now, Dr. Brennan, tell me about a typical day in your life. I want insider details for my new book," she explains.
Brennan cringes at the question. As she recalls, a magician never wants to reveal her secrets. She sighs and begins, "My alarm buzzes at 6, sharp, every morning. Psychologists say that early rise makes a man wise, or something along those lines. I never put much credence in psychology, anyways. Nevertheless, even though I've been waking up this early for the majority of my adult life, I still just want to roll back into bed and sleep. I can't; I feel obligated to go to work.
"After a hot shower, a light breakfast and coffee, a quick dressing and making myself presentable for the public's eye, I walk out the door. By now, it is roughly seven. It is definitely a routine that I don't plan on breaking.
"I hop into my sports car and drive to work - avoiding the chaotic traffic that happens after eight in the morning. Before long, I arrive at the Jeffersonian Institution.
"Over the course of about ten years, give or take, the Jeffersonian has become a second home. If not a primary home. It is where I feel most comfortable. If I'm hard at work one day, I will shower in the decontamination shower and sleep on my couch for the night instead of driving home. I don't know whether to think that's pathetic or not. Oh well. Besides, I have my religion almost, the thing that never lets me down - science. It won't lie, cheat or steal from you; only that you will gain intelligence and, as strange as it is, power. You control the experiment; then you control the outcome. It's overwhelming, really.
"I stride down the nearly empty halls of the Jeffersonian until I get to the Medico-Legal lab. Its metallic appearance makes it look sterile; clean. I walk straight to my office where it's sitting a cloud of darkness for the entire night. I unlock the door and switch on the light. I drop my belongings down in a clump on the end of the couch and go to sit at my computer. I hope to get through some emails, and if I get that done in time, maybe write half a chapter before anybody gets in. However, that is highly unlikely that I will come to do so much in a short amount of time.
"By about nine in the morning, the Jeffersonian is buzzing with scientists and conjecturers, alike. Angela, my forensic artist extraordinaire, has stopped in and said good morning before leaving for her own office. She sees the look on my face, the one that Hodgins, my entomologist, recognizes every time I write. Apparently, she sees it too and opts not to bother me. My publisher is stressing my next book release date and wants the first draft manuscript as soon as possible.
"Then at about ten, Seeley Booth, my FBI partner, walks into the lab. I've seen him come in, not because I'm watching or stalking, more like, happened to glance in his general direction when he just so happened to walk into the lab. That didn't clear anything up, did it? Well, we're not involved sexually, just clearing that up 'cause I know that was going to be your next question."
Julie starts and stops herself from speaking. "Continue."
Brennan slightly moves back in her seat and crosses her legs before moving on with her speech, "well, he would come into my office to talk, have a friend or would sort of kidnap me from the Jeffersonian, metaphorically speaking, and take me to a crime scene. Don't get me wrong or anything; I love fieldwork. However, I would like just a little warning. He would call sometimes, but most of the time, he would assume that I was going to go to the crime scene. That can be annoying.
"If we have a case, then I follow him, with my kit, to the black FBI SUV. Sometimes we argue in that SUV. If I look back at all the fond moments I have had with him, I would say that the intense arguments in that car are amongst them. As an anthropologist, the first rule is that you are supposed to blend in with a culture and be seen, but not heard. Your opinions don't matter anymore. However, when I'm with Booth, all the pent up opinions I have made throughout the years just come out. Booth takes them with such grace and acceptance, but he fires back as hard. Challenging me, without backing down. I like that.
"We'll go to the crime scene and I see this decomposed body that, the majority of the time, has insects and particulates on it. When I first started this job, I thought that it was nasty to sift through it; but I've adapted. Booth gets a little squeamish, but I don't give him a hard time 'cause at one point in my career, I had the same reaction.
"Most people, if they don't know me very well, might think that I'm a cold person. That the bodies that I see day in and day out is just a body; that it doesn't symbolize a lost life. Nevertheless, I see the faces of the victims and it is a tough job. You need a thick skin. What human beings do to other human beings is amazingly cruel. I see people when they don't want to be seen - dead or finding out that their loved one died - and I wish I knew which one is worse.
"Then the crime scene body will be taken back to the Jeffersonian for analysis. I will get my assistant, Zach Addy, to take in initial observations 'cause-" Booth walks into the interview, "is there something you need, Booth?" Julie turns around and stops her recorder.
"Sorry to interrupt your little interview, but we have a body that was found in federal pond. I was hoping that you could pick this," he motions to the meeting, "up later and take a look at the body for me." He flashes his charm smile as though that would alter her decision.
"It's ok, Booth, I'm sure that Julie and I can reschedule," Julie nods. Brennan continues, "how about Monday morning, at say, nine?"
"That would be amazing, Doctor Brennan," Julie grins widely.
Brennan grabs her coat quickly and then returns to Booth's side. He discreetly puts his hand on the small of her back, guiding her out of the Jeffersonian. Julie is left in Brennan's office to find her own way out, she watches the partners as they walk away. She smiles, enviously, then says into her recorder, "Doctor Brennan and Agent Booth seem to have a very intimate relationship, similar to that of the sexual nature."
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