The Truth in the Facades
Rating: K+
Summary: Oneshot/Ficlet, Set during Double Trouble in the Panhandle. Sweets asks Angela about the first time Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth went undercover.
Characters: Angela and Sweets, with mentions of B&B.
Warning: Spoilers for the Woman in the Sand and Double Trouble in the Panhandle.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones.
Ever since Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan had rushed out of his office in a blur of excitement over the new case, Sweets had been itching to talk to someone about it. He hadn't missed the way Dr. Brennan's eyes had lit up in sheer anticipation or the smug smirk that Booth had worn before they had all but ran out of the therapy session. He had been left staring at a shut door, unsure what to make of the pair.
He had contained his curiosity and had gone home after he had gotten off work, but by lunch the next day he couldn't hold it in any longer. He had driven over to the Jeffersonian looking for someone to share his thoughts and frustrations with. Like a baby animal imprinting on the first thing it sees, he leaped at the opportunity to speak with Angela the instant he saw her walking back to her office alone. He headed after her.
"Angela, do you have a moment?" He was unable to keep the hope out of his voice as he paused at the doorframe.
She stopped next to her desk, sat down a clipboard with a facial reconstruction attached to it, and glanced over her shoulder at him with a warm smile. "Sure, sweetie. What can I do for you?"
"They went undercover," he said suddenly, jumping right to the point.
She merely quirked a brow at his abruptness and stated slowly, "Yes, they stopped by here before they left yesterday." She paused in thought before a slow, suggestive smile crept across her face. "Unless you mean under covers. If that's the case, that most definitely is news to me. It's about time."
Sweets shook his head, pursing his lips in an attempt to keep from smiling. Angela is impossible, he noted. He let her comment slide, however, and inquired, "It's not the first time they've done this, is it?"
Angela's Cheshire grin never faded and she laughed slightly. "They didn't tell you?" When he said nothing, her smile faltered. "Oh, they really didn't tell you?" Sounding serious now, she turned to fully face him.
Feeling out of the loop, Sweets shook his head. "They don't exactly volunteer information to me."
Angela tapped her fingers on the back of the couch that she had stopped beside. "No, don't feel bad. It's hard to pry those juicy details out of them. Believe me, I know."
He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "It's completely aggravating at times. Sometimes we'll go a whole session without anyone talking with the exception of myself. They're too busy communicating by just looking at each other or laughing at some unsaid joke between them." He paused, burying his hands in the pockets of his pants and rocking slightly on his heels. He chose his next words carefully. Poor word choice could give her the wrong impression. Treading carefully, he said, "Honestly, Angela, it's the most intimate partnership I've ever seen."
Her smirk returned, but instead of the innuendo he was expecting, she merely said almost wistfully, "Tell me something that I don't know, Sweets." She stepped back and motioned to the couch. "Sit and I'll tell you about their first undercover case, since apparently they didn't want to do it themselves."
He complied, plopping himself down on the artist's couch and readying himself for the story much like a child would do before a bedtime tale.
"They went to Vegas two years ago to examine some remains, and while they were down there, they found another body. They got a lead that the murders were somehow connected to an underground fighting ring, and they went undercover." She took a seat gracefully in the chair in front of him, pulling her legs underneath her. "Booth as Tony, an ex-army fighter, and Bren as Roxie, his… Well, she claimed that Tony and Roxie were 'engaged to be engaged.' Funny, since Bren said that they were going undercover as a married couple this time around."
He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and half-shouted, "Wait, what?" She blinked, startled at his sudden exclamation. "They're going as a married couple?" He asked, seeking clarification.
"That's what they said – as Buck and Wanda, I believe… You didn't know?"
He was left again wondering how he had been left uniformed yet again. He faintly shook his head. "No."
She sent him a sympathetic look before continuing. "There was a local police officer undercover in the fighting ring, and Booth was going to fake a loss with him to keep the officer from getting the boot. The rotation ended up changing, and Booth had to fight this extremely large guy with the odds stacked in his favor. Booth won, however, thanks to his own fighting skills and Brennan's scientific evaluation of his opponent. She found the man's weakness, and he delivered the blows. Bren admitted later that his fighting skills were quite impressive and that she had betted on him for the win. I'm guessing that fighting's not the only thing that man can do that's impressive." The smirk was back full force, and Sweets could only shake his head.
"I hope that they share a bed this time, as well." She murmured thoughtfully, almost to herself.
He refused to bite, though he piqued his interest that they had indeed shared a bed before. "Did they catch the murderer?" He asked before she could get any more carried away.
"Don't they always?" She challenged, leveling her gaze back to him.
He couldn't argue with that. Over the last year that he had spent working with the partners, he had never seen one of their cases go unsolved. Their solve rate was unbelievable and - according to the other agents that he heard talking next to the coke machine – envied by many. "Fair enough," he conceded, unable to suppress his own smile any longer.
A rap on the door frame drew their attention to Cam, who poked her head inside. "Dr. Brennan and Booth are connected via webcam with details pertaining to the case. Unless I'm interrupting something?" She sounded hesitant as she wondered if she had just walked into the middle of a session. Perhaps Sweets comes to Angela when he needs advice? She couldn't help but consider it a feasible theory.
"Oh, no, I was just telling Sweets about Bren and Booth's first undercover case." There was a wicked gleam in her eye as she grinned up at her boss.
Cam wore a knowing look. "Ah, I'm sure they appreciate that." A smile tugged at her lips, and she headed back to the platform.
Angela half-leaped to her feet. "Come on, sweetie, let's go say 'hello' to our favorite 'ship."
"'Ship?" He asked as he stood, unfamiliar with the context of the word. Boat? He thought in confusion.
She only smirked, grabbing the facial reconstruction from earlier off of her desk and exiting the office without another word.
Once again, Sweets felt as if he had been left completely in the dark.
A/N: Review? I was working on this before 5x17 aired, so that's why that undercover mission (is that what it would be?) isn't mentioned here.