A/N: This is my Valentine's Day Fan Fic Gift for mphs95 as part of the Bonesology Gift exchange. She wanted an Aubrey/Jessica story with B&B as an alternate. Since I've never really written a story that wasn't about B&B, I made it about all of them. She also wished for a misunderstanding, expressions of feelings, and/or advice given, all prompts that I was enthusiastic to try and incorporate here.
Mphs95 definitely desired risqué too, so this is rated "M" for a little naughtiness (no swinging involved, I promise).
This is a 4-part story which will be posted on 2/4, 2/7, 2/10, and 2/13.
I hope she (and any others that tune in) finds this entertaining and that it fulfills her Valentine's Day wishes (at least those that a fanfic can deliver on!).
Disclaimer: I own nothing Bones related except my imagination. (2/4/16)
Agent James Aubrey looked across the conference room table and watched his mentor, Agent Booth, diligently studying the case files and crime scene photographs spread out before them. "So . . . have you decided what you and Dr. Brennan will be doing this year to celebrate Valentine's Day?"
Booth looked up just in time to catch Aubrey licking the sugary glaze off his fingers from the Shopper's Colossal donut he'd just consumed, only half-heartedly thinking about Aubrey's question as his brain was still engaged on the documents in front of him. "Nah. Bones and I don't usually do anything much to celebrate it."
"What?" Aubrey stared at Booth dumbfounded. "But you and Dr. Brennan are like such a tight couple, you know? How can you just ignore Valentine's Day when you have the woman of your dreams in your life? You don't even give her flowers or candy?"
"No. No flowers, candy, or cards . . . those are too cliché. Besides, the whole holiday is just a trumped up marketing gimmick propagated by card and candy stores to boost sales," Booth declared even as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and felt an embarrassed flush creep up his neck. "It's not a real holiday," he grumbled.
While Booth wasn't willing to spill his guts to Aubrey, the truth was he always felt a little guilty about Valentine's Day and the lack of attention he had devoted to it each year since he'd been romantically involved with Bones. He'd been so bitter and angry when it came around the year he and Hannah broke up that he'd loudly and repeatedly denounced the holiday and everything associated with it to her. He'd mocked the holiday traditions and made disparaging comments about everyone who bought into such contrived hype (even though he'd always celebrated it pretty much just like everyone else prior to that year) and Bones had echoed his sentiments. Although, even several years later, he was still uncertain whether she'd truly felt that way or whether she had simply just been trying to comfort and support him in her own Bones-y way.
When the next year rolled around and Bones was finally his girlfriend, he had struggled trying to figure out the best way to retract his comments from the year previous and she didn't push the issue. Granted, she'd been in the last month of her pregnancy, feeling tired and uncomfortable most nights with little interest in sex or appreciation for romance right then, and he'd been spending every spare moment he had fixing up their new Mighty Hut so it would be ready for them to move into before the baby was born, falling exhausted into bed each night. As a result, Valentine's Day kinda crept up on them and passed on by without any extravagant gestures from either partner.
That's not to say it was completely neglected though. Booth had made a special effort to prepare one of her favorite dinners that night and pamper her a bit and she had given him the most satisfying and sensual foot massage he'd ever felt on his damaged feet using some sort of special exotic oil imported from the Far East. Afterward, they'd snuggled together on the couch watching a romantic comedy by candlelight. But, neither one openly claimed their actions or special attention was part of Valentine's Day.
In hindsight, Booth often wondered if she'd been waiting to take her cue from him on how to treat the holiday, like she frequently did on relationship type issues early on in their romance, and he couldn't quite shake the guilty feeling he got every year that he had somehow failed her on this particular topic.
Of course, a year later, she'd spent Valentine's Day in the hospital, recovering from a gunshot wound made from an ice bullet which had effectively destroyed any chance of grand romantic gestures for that year too and by then, a pattern of not over-emphasizing the romantic holiday had been set. At least, not too blatantly he thought as he contemplated what romantic gesture he might be able to sneak by her this year . . .
Aubrey simply shook his head at Booth, amazed and a little dumbfounded that a guy with such a strong streak of romanticism who had obviously found his soul mate didn't embrace the holiday with more fanfare. It must be one of those things that the people who've known them both for years tended to roll their eyes about and mutter "it's Booth and Brennan," as though that was explanation enough for any oddity about their relationship.
For the next hour, both agents were focused on the case, looking for clues in the information they'd gathered and bouncing ideas back and forth off one another until Booth took a break and left the room to get a fresh cup of coffee.
As Booth pulled out his chair to sit back down, Aubrey tapped his pen nervously on the pad of paper in front of him. "I'm thinking about asking Jessica to go out with me on a date for Valentine's Day," he blurted out.
Booth looked at Aubrey blankly.
"You know . . . Jessica Warren?"
Booth just grunted and picked up the nearest file. He recognized the name and was certain he should also know who the woman was, but he was coming up blank trying to picture her.
Aubrey sighed. "She works with Dr. Brennan at the Jeffersonian, remember? One of the squinterns?"
"Oh, right. Right. The redhead that taught Bones to tweet?"
"Yeah. That's the one. We've become pretty good friends over the last several months, getting together occasionally to grab a bite to eat or watch some TV . . . maybe catching a movie together. Mostly casual things like that."
"Huh. Well, you realize that if you ask her out on a date over Valentine's Day, she's going to think you want to move the relationship from the platonic zone into the romantic zone," Booth cautioned.
Aubrey nodded, having a hard time holding back the smile that spread across his face. "Well yeah, that's kinda the general idea. I just . . . I find her adorable. She's cute, and funny, and smart and she has a way of keeping me grounded, you know?" Plus, in the last couple months, Aubrey had spent a lot of the time when they were together trying to hide the partial erection she seemed to consistently inspire, and he'd like to do something else with that erection besides always hiding it. But he didn't think Booth needed to know that part.
Booth shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to his files. "Good luck then."
There was a pause of about three seconds when the room was absolutely silent before Aubrey reacted. "Good luck? That's it? That's all you have to say?" he exclaimed.
Booth frowned. "What did you expect me to say? Are you looking for a lesson on the birds and the bees? Wear a condom and don't get her pregnant."
(Of course, Booth had twice knocked up women by forgetting to follow that particular advice and he really didn't have any regrets about either instance so, coming from him, that advice might seem a tad bit hypocritical. But, he could never regret having Parker in his life even if he didn't get to see his oldest son nearly as much as he wanted and of course, the second time around he'd ended up with both Bones and Christine . . . now Hank. That thought put a smile on his face . . . as did the thought that he personally hadn't had to wear a condom since Bones told him she was pregnant that first time several years ago now and he absolutely loved the feel of sliding his hard, naked cock into her hot, wet channel and feeling her walls clench down on him, massaging and milking his shaft, without that artificial barrier between them.)
"I'm not exactly a virgin, Booth. I know about birth control and how to be responsible. But, I thought you might have something to say about the protocol and politics of a FBI agent getting romantically involved with someone from the Jeffersonian, technically our consultants. If Jessica says yes to my invitation and we start dating, I don't want to feel like I need to hide it and since you're my supervisor and you've obviously been through almost this exact situation, I was hoping you might possibly have some useful words of wisdom to share."
"Oh, that."
"Yeah, that. Was it ever an issue with the FBI for you and Dr. Brennan?"
"Me and Bones? I guess you could say it was sorta an issue, for a while." Booth looked off into space as he thought back to the early days of being partnered with Dr. Temperance Brennan. The FBI policy was just one of many hurdles they had to navigate to get to where they currently were so it was hard to define just how much it contributed to the decisions they made relative to the other baggage they each had to deal with. "Bones and I, we were both always attracted to one another, from the very first case we worked on together, but, for a long time, we didn't pursue any sort of romance with one another partly because we didn't know how the FBI would react. It didn't stop us from caring about one another and falling in love though. Eventually, we decided being life partners was just as important as being working partners and since we had a solid track record together professionally by then, worrying about the FBI's reactions became less of a concern and ended up being a moot issue."
Aubrey wondered how much he'd be able to get Booth to spill about his past with Dr. Brennan. This was only his second year in the DC field office and Booth and Brennan were already married by the time he met them. But, he'd heard rumors - snippets of stories or comments made in passing, some seeming quite outrageous - that made him curious about their courtship. "So, you and Dr. Brennan didn't start dating right after you met then?"
Booth snorted and shook his head. "No. No we did not. Bones is waaay too complicated for it to have been that easy."
He surprised Aubrey then by looking the younger agent directly in the eyes with his full attention and speaking in a serious tone that also rang with compassion. "Listen Aubrey, with respect to you and this Jessica, you don't need to worry about the FBI non-fraternization policies. With me and Bones, it was different. She was the primary link to the Jeffersonian and I was the direct FBI liaison. Our partnership and our personal interactions effectively defined the relationship between the FBI and the Jeffersonian, so we had to be a little cautious in the beginning. That's not the case with you and Jessica. You work for me and report to me, and Jessica works for Bones and reports to her, and only part time at that. Unlike with me and Bones, there is no official connection between you and Jessica. Neither one of you has authority nor influence over the other's work, and neither one of you are in a position where an intimate relationship between you is likely to compromise an investigation. If you think Jessica might be something or someone special for you, then don't hold yourself back. Give her your all. Believe me when I say that there's absolutely nothing in the world that is more thrilling or more rewarding than the love of a good woman, the right woman for you and if you've got the chance to find that, then you ought to pursue it no matter what. Things like careers and where you live or other people's opinions will work themselves out. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't do for Bones, not just because I love her more than I ever could've imagined, but because she loves me . . . and she believes in me . . . and that's a treasure that is hard to find and which I never, ever wanna lose. So, if there's a spark between you and this Jessica squint-girl and you're wanting to ask her to be your Valentine's Day date, then I'll say it again and I really mean it this time . . . Good luck."
Aubrey was touched more than he would've expected by Booth's heartfelt words of encouragement and well wishes. He had been an only child, raised by his mother after his father had abandoned them, leaving them penniless. But, at times like this, he couldn't help but think of Booth almost like he was the big brother Aubrey never had. At times like this, Booth felt more like family than just a colleague and Aubrey had to swallow the lump that formed in his throat before he could respond. "Thanks, Booth."
Dr. Brennan entered the exam room where the remains for the victim in their current case were displayed on the table. Jessica Warren, the intern assisting her for this ongoing case, was busily examining the bones and recording her observations. Before shadowing her intern and continuing her own examination, Dr. Brennan took a few moments to read through the notes Ms. Warren had recorded during the last hour or so that she'd been alone with the bones. When she was done, she set aside the notebook and approached the exam table, starting at one of the victim's feet. However, Ms. Warren's extremely committed focus to her work was unexpectedly distracting for Dr. Brennan and she found her own attention wandering to study her intern much too frequently for her peace of mind. Finally, frustrated with her own lack of progress, Brennan stood up straight, letting her arms dangle at her sides and confronted her intern.
"Is something troubling you Ms. Warren?"
Jessica froze in place feeling a little like a deer caught in headlights and turned only her head to face her mentor. "I'm sorry. What?"
"I asked if something was troubling you."
Jessica knew she had been working quietly and hadn't said anything that could be misconstrued, so she looked around the room trying to figure out what had triggered Dr. Brennan's query and didn't see anything that looked out of place. "Why do you ask? Did you find a problem with one of my observations?"
"No, Ms. Warren. You're observations were accurate and very astute. They were also extremely thorough."
"That sounds like it should be a good thing, but the way you're saying it, I'm getting a vibe that you might not think so, though."
Brennan sighed. "I'm actually quite impressed with the quantity of observations you've made and the level of detail you documented in such a short span of time. The last time I was this impressed by your work productivity, you claimed that you were concentrating your attention on your assigned tasks so diligently as a means of coping with some emotional turmoil you were suffering. Despite the fact that I do not usually promote the parading of people's personal lives while working, if you are suffering some sort of emotional turmoil again now and it would help to discuss it, then by all means, knock over the beans."
"Oh. Wow." Jessica was surprised and a little awed at Dr. Brennan's overture. "That's incredibly nice and strangely bizarre coming from you."
"Yes, well, while I do not object to taking advantage of whatever tumult you may be experiencing to continue advancing our investigation, I have also grown fond of you and find my own concentration faltering at the prospect that you may be distressed. Obviously, in the bigger picture, it will be better for the investigation for me to be fully focused on the case, even if that means that discussing your issues causes your productivity to fall back into the normal range."
Jessica smiled inwardly, somewhat touched by Dr. Brennan's peculiar explanation and decided to share what was on her mind. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her phone, scrolling through a handful of pictures on the Instagram app until she found the one she was looking for, and handed her phone to Dr. Brennan. "Here. Look."
Brennan accepted the phone and looked down to see a picture of an attractive young male, mid-twenties, sandy blonde hair with strong Nordic facial features and an athletic physique smiling back from a photograph. Brennan shook her head. "I don't understand. Who's this?"
"Douglas Kates. He's a friend of mine from school. We have a bio-chem class together this semester and after class this morning, he invited me to have dinner with him this weekend, on Valentine's Day."
"Oh, I see. A date on Valentine's Day usually comes with expectations of affectionate companionship and sexual intercourse. Do you not find this Mr. Kates appealing? Based on his photo, he seems to exhibit many of the physical characteristics that our society identifies as being desirable in a mate."
"Douglas is attractive enough and he's a nice guy with just the right amount of naughty in him too, but . . . to be honest, I was kind of hoping for an invitation from someone else." Someone tall and lanky, with dark hair, not light, and an imperfect gap-toothed smile as opposed to a smile that looks like it belongs on a toothpaste add.
"How did you respond to Mr. Kates' invitation?"
"I told him I'd get back to him tomorrow. I don't really want to spend Valentine's Day alone, but if I decide to go out with Douglas and start something with him, then I feel as though I'm basically giving up on this other thing, that's not a real thing yet, ever actually becoming a thing."
"But your preference is for this other non-thing to be a thing?"
"I think it could be a really awesome thing, if it were a thing."
"Hmm. Booth and I had a non-thing thing for a long time before we became a real thing. We both tried dating other people, but it never worked out. Dr. Sweets said our feelings for each other kept us from really committing to other relationships. So, drawing on my own experience, I would suggest you explore the thing you want before trying to start a different thing with someone else simply because the date of a made up holiday happens to occur before the desired thing has been attempted. Why not just ask Agent Aubrey out yourself?"
"Oh." Jessica felt the blush that stole quickly over her skin at the thought that her crush on Aubrey was so transparent that even Dr. Brennan was aware of it and knew that with her complexion, she'd never be able to hide it so there was no use denying it. "Well, I did toy with that idea but . . . I wasn't sure . . . is there any conflict of interest or anything like that if me and Aubrey were to, you know, get involved? I don't want to potentially get him in trouble at work."
"The FBI does have some archaic policies that limit fraternization between agents and consultants, but I do not think they would apply to your situation since you do not report to Agent Aubrey. You work for me, Ms. Warren and the Jeffersonian Institute does not have any restrictions on personal romance. Do not make work your excuse for not pursuing this opportunity if it is what you truly wish for."
Jessica felt like a burden she hadn't even realized she'd been carrying had suddenly been lifted from her shoulders. "Thanks, Dr. B. I feel like I can breathe a lot easier now."
"I did not notice any issues with your respiratory system, Ms. Warren," Brennan answered, her brows furrowed in concern. "Should I be worried about that too?"
A/N: Fun so far?
