1
It was colder outside the city, with out the buildings to block the wind. Early November rain fell around Angela Montenegro as she walked down the gravel walkway to the large white house. She did not get out here to often, not only was the traffic on the bridge a pain, but it was a good forty-five minutes from her apartment.
She pulled her shawl-collared cardigan tighter around her tiny body, wondering why she picked leggings and a skirt to wear rather than heavy pants. She felt her skin prickle as the wing blew her long curly brown hair around her face. Making a run for it she finally stepped under the stone archway the led to the Booth's front door.
Her best friend, Dr. Temperance Brennan-Booth, had built the house about a year ago, needing another tax shelter after the success of the book she wrote during her pregnancy. That was the last book she had written and had stayed on the top ten bestsellers list for the last two years. She had been amazed by the responses her personal touches had evoked, her publisher was begging for more, wanting to strike while the iron is hot, but she had told Angela that there was not another story in her at the moment.
In fact there was not much forensics in her at all any more. She had quit her job at the Jeffersonian just after Michael, her son, was born. It had changed her, not being around death on a daily basis. She had a new softness about her, one that Angela liked to be around. It seemed to erase the harsh light of reality that she faced working in the lab everyday.
It was still hard for her, with out Brennan around. Harder for her to deal with the destruction of human life with out the careful detachment her friend had provided. She instinctively felt more, handled more, and was part of it more. The anthropologist that took over was good, havening been trained by Brennan herself, but he was not her, nor did he have the credentials she did to back herself up. It was only a matter of time before he was gone though, Brennan would come back eventually. At least that was what Angela was banking on.
It was hard to decide which Brennan she wanted more, the strangely serene mother, who offered her a loving home to seek refuge in, or the ball busting woman with cool detachment from everything. Perhaps if there was any way to have both, that was what she wanted. She wanted her friend back in the worst way.
She raised her hand to knock, hearing her small wrap on the heavy wooden door. It was only seconds before two deep brown eyes were peering at her out of the sidelights, a tiny face pressed against the glass, straining to see who was there. She waived, smiling at the little boy as his eyes lit up. It never ceased to amaze her, how happy he was to see her all the time. It was so welcoming, so kind. She loved being a part of this family, getting to see the inner workings of something so nuclear that it almost existed only on TV.
It only took a second for the large door to swing open and for two small arms to wrap around her legs. That serenity she sought so desperately found her.
"Angela, come in you will freeze." Seeley Booth's deep voice warmed her in an instant as he ushered her and his pajama clad son into the house. He reached out, pulling her into a welcoming hug, reminding her once more why she liked the Booth household so much.
"Hey you," She responded with the same warmth, trying to take a step with the toddler attached to her leg.
"Hey Bud, let Angela through." Booth laughed, leaning down to extract his son from her leg and hoisting him over his shoulders and around his neck. The boy let out a squeal of delight from his newfound height as they made their way down the hall. Angela followed, closing the door behind her.
The hallway from the door was short, leading into a brightly lit open floor plan. The large plasma screen TV that had once taken up a whole wall in their previous apartment now looked small paired with the tall panel windows that opened to a view of brilliant evergreens. The smell of cooking food hit her as she stepped onto the plush beige carpet, making her way around the large floating staircase that led to the four bedrooms upstairs.
Brennan was in the kitchen, surveying the contents of the fridge. Angela watched her extract a carton of orange juice from its spot on the shelf and shut the door tightly. She was still disheveled from sleep, her new shorter hair was messy, sticking out a little, and her oversized t-shirt concealed her slim frame. It was hard to relate the woman in front of her to the woman she had been friends with all these years. Her voice was the same and logic held strong, still guiding her every move. Visually though, she looked like every other mom Angela had seen in sitcoms. Her hair was chin length, and usually a tad out of place, she always carried two very large bags with her that contained anything and everything she could think of, and there was almost certainly a toddler attached to her hip. A miniature version of her husband that went everywhere with her. She longed for type of chaos that Brennan had in her life, her days spent running around after someone, cleaning up constantly, reading them to sleep at night. She wanted something to consume her life, something more pure than the death and destruction that he helped to put right again.
"Hello Angela," Brennan greeted her warmly, a smile breaking across her blissful face.
"Hey, sorry to drop by unannounced, I was just in the neighborhood." She blushed; perhaps she should have called first. That idea had never occurred to her until now, when she could smell the sausage cooking and see the disarray that came with Saturday morning in the Booth household.
"I see," Brennan, said her eyes narrowing, looking her best friend over. "Would you like some breakfast?"
Angela wanted to say no, but she could not ignore the smell of the pancakes wafting towards her. Her stomach growled loudly and she cursed herself for not eating before leaving her apartment. She simply nodded; Booth was already setting her a place at the large wooden table. She never thought she would see the day when Temperance Brennan would be having Saturday morning breakfast family style. The image was strangely comforting to her.
It was an uneventful gathering, with light chatter and Brennan correcting Michael every so often. Booth usually rolled his eyes, laughing lightly when his son tossed several sticky cheerios at his overbearing mother. She had looked angry at first, and then burst into laughter herself. Her aura less tense these days, more of a go with the flow vibe. Angela was not sure if it was Booth or Michael that deserved the credit for that particular feet, either way it was nice, it made her seem younger.
"If you would stop hounding him he wouldn't do that, Bones." Booth said, through his own laughter.
"He learns very easily right now. Taking the time to instill the correct behaviors and mannerisms will be beneficial to his cognitive skills later in life." She said, shooting her husband a glare.
" I can tell you that he has no idea what you just said, because I don't have a clue and I am almost forty." Booth said, shaking his head and getting up from the table to clear their empty plates. " I miss the days of take out, clean up was so much easier."
"Those days are over now hot stuff, you can't feed the two year old Tai food and expect anything good to come of it." Ange laughed, taking a few plates in her own hands and following him into the kitchen.
Setting them in the sink she turned on the faucet, letting the water warm before rinsing it them off and placing them in the empty dishwasher. It was so easy to fall into their routine, the movement of their family and easy going feelings that washed over her in their large warm home. Nothing about this place resembled the museum like décor of their apartment, they had clutter and toys and videos strewn about. There was a basket of unfolded laundry to her left by the dryer. It was a beautiful mess.
"Angela, you are the guest, you don't have to do that." Booth said, setting another round of dishes beside her.
" It's the least I can do." She said warmly, loading the new round into the dishwasher. Booth just shrugged, knowing better than to argue with the women in his life, it rarely ended in his favor.
"Booth, take Michael upstairs, he needs to get dressed." Angela heard Bren's voice carry into the kitchen and over the running water. She knew that it was ploy to get them alone, she had seen the questions forming in her best friends eyes since she got there.
"Come one little man" Booth said as Angela heard giggling, then the heavy weight of his footsteps on the stairs.
"So what's going on, Angela?" Brennan's voice startled her, causing her to jump, splashing the water all over the granite counter top.
"Brennan! Do not sneak up on people like that." She gasped, her heart pounding in her chest. Her friend stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, staring at her. There was no emotion to the fact that she had just scared her half to death. Brennan, despite the mom exterior, was still clinical with others.
"Sorry, now tell me." She came over to the sink reaching below to extract a box of soap tablets. Placing one in the slot she used her hip to close the wide dishwasher door, then locked it and started it. Wordlessly she pulled the two mugs from the counter top, and topped them off with fresh coffee, handing Angela's to her before leading her to the living room.
Dropping down on the large leather sofa, She curled her feet up underneath her, cradling the large mug in both hands. She placed her face near the large brim letting the aroma drift over her, comforting her. She missed this most of all, sitting in Brennan's office with coffee in her hands, dispensing advice as needed.
"Are things alright at the lab? Is there a tough case?" Brennan asked, taking a sip of her mug.
"Nothing more than usual, I miss you though. You should come back, I know part of you misses the thrill." She said trying to dance around her own discontentment. She was not even sure what had possessed her to get up early on a Saturday and drive the all the way here, she just knew that she needed to.
" I do miss it, I've contemplated it when Michael starts school. I just feel like my place is here. Plus look at me, no one would believe that I am one of only fifty forensic anthropologist in the world; I look like a tourist at Disney World. If you thought the lab could smell bad, I smell like diaper wipes, all the time." Her friend shook her head, chuckling at her self. It was the first time that Angela realized how much her friend had settled into family life, like it had always come naturally to her.
" You are a hot mess, Sweetie" Angela laughed, plucking a cheerio out of Brennan's messy bob.
" Thanks, Michael was hiding it for later."
"We will give him a fresh one, he'll never know." They both smiled and took sips of their coffee. It was nice, having an adult conversation for once. Brennan did not have that luxury most of the time. Michael was incredibly smart, but his age left him with somewhat limited vocabulary skills. Most of the time only Booth could figure out what he wanted.
She looked at Angela, trying to figure out what was wrong, why her friend had braved the cold just to have coffee on her couch. She had to admit, it had been awhile since she had gotten into the city to see her, and perhaps they were both overdue for a little bonding time.
"Mommy!" A little yelp interrupted as two arms thrust themselves between her and her coffee. Laughing she switched hands and wrapped to other around her small son. It had seemed like dream, having him in her arms the night he was born. Through all of the bed rest and the drama he had been the glorious ending she was never expecting. He had changed her life, making her a whole person. She loved him in ways she never thought she could. He was her little miracle, one that she never stopped to rationalize.
" Hey you, are you all dressed for today?" She asked him, his shiny clueless eyes stared back at her. A slow nod came from the small shaggy brunette. Ah, to be that young, that clueless about the real horrors that lurked in the night. It was an innocence that she wanted, that she could feel just by being near him.
" Hey Bud, let Mom alone." Booth called out, coming into the room carrying a small hoodie and two tiny shoes.
" Going somewhere?" She asked looking at him with her arm still around Michael's tiny body.
" The park? We thought it would be nice to let you two catch up." Booth said with a lazy smile.
" Booth, it's cold out, he could get sick." Angela said, feeling guilty that they were changing their plans on account of her presence.
" Actually the cold does not give you illnesses, germs do. The cold air just makes it harder for you body to fight them off. It's a common misconception." Brennan said, trying to keep the hot coffee away from little hands.
"Still, there is no need to leave because of me." She said reaching out and taking the boy from Brennan, having set her own coffee cup down on the counter.
" We are not changing anything for you, Ange. You are always welcome." Brennan said standing up and heading back to the kitchen with both mugs. Booth came and took his son from her, sitting in Brennan's spot, putting his little shoes on and pulling a hoodie over his reluctant head.
"Booth, don't keep him out to long, it is pretty chilly." The mothering tone in Brennan's voice made them both smile.
"Don't worry, Bones, I –" The shrill sound of his phone stopped the conversation cold. Suddenly everyone looked at each other, waiting as it continued to ring.