Disclaimer: Bones and all the characters therein are owned by FOX, Hart Hanson and Kathy Reichs. Bet Me belongs to Jennifer Crusie. Thus, anything you recognize doesn't belong to me.
Author's note: Bet Me is based on Jennifer Crusie's novel by the same title. Therefore, most of the credit goes to Crusie. I am well aware that this story is for a good part OOC, but since this is one of my favorite books (in the romantic comedy genre), I just couldn't resist using it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I had fun re-writing it.
Chapter One: The Bet
Here we go again,
"This relationship is not working for me," Roger said. "And we both know why. I'm sorry, Tempe." Clearly, he was not.
Brennan crossed her arms over her dark blue suit jacket. "This is because I won't go home with you tonight? It's Thursday. I have to work tomorrow. You have to work tomorrow. I paid for my own drink."
"It's not that." Roger looked noble and wounded as only the tall, dark and self-righteous could. "You're not making any effort to make our relationship work, which means…"
Which means that you still think I'm emotionally distant and cold. Brennan tuned him out and looked around at the babbling crowd. I could shove a swizzle stick through his heart and none of these drunks would notice. She wouldn't do it, of course. The stick was plastic and not nearly pointed enough on the end. Also, people didn't do things like that in Washington, D.C. A sawed-off shotgun, that was the ticket. However, she wouldn't do that either. Special Agent Seeley Booth didn't like her having a gun.
"And I do think, if we have any future, that you should contribute, too," Roger said.
"We have plans. Angela and Hodgins are getting married in three weeks. You're invited to the wedding. To the rehearsal dinner. To the bachelor party. You're going to miss the stripper, Roger. I've been told they are common for the male ritual of prenuptial celebration. Although, I'm not sure Hodgins will actually have one at his. So, perhaps you won't miss it after all."
"Is that all you think of me?" Roger's voice went up. "I'm just a date to your best friend's wedding?"
"Of course not," Brennan replied. "Just as I'm sure I'm more than just some emotionally distant and cold person you sleep with."
Roger opened his mouth and closed it again. "Well, of course. I don't want you to think this is a reflection on you. You're intelligent, you're successful…"
Brennan listened, knowing that you're warm, you're sociable were not coming. If only he'd have a heart attack. She knew that only four percent of heart attacks in men happened before forty, but it could happen. And if he died, not even Angela could expect her to bring him to the wedding.
"And you're a wonderful writer," Roger finished up.
"Thank you," Brennan said. "That's so not romantic." She wasn't really one for romance, but it felt good to tell him that either way.
Roger sighed and took her hand. "I wish you the best, Tempe. Let's keep in touch."
Brennan took her hand back. "You're not feeling any pain in your left arm, are you?"
"No," Roger said, frowning at her.
"Pity," she muttered and went back to Angela, who was watching them from the far end of the room.
"He was looking even more uptight than usual," Angela said as she leaned on the jukebox, her hair flaming under the lights. "Are you upset with him, sweetie?"
"He dumped me."
"I knew I didn't like him," Angela said, shaking her head at Roger with naked contempt. "Now, can I finally ask you why you were dating him in the first place?"
"He was intelligent and successful and very nice at first. He seemed like a sensible choice. And you told me I needed a date for the wedding."
"It's a good thing he broke up with you because now you're free for when the right man finds you. Well, for when he finally opens his eyes," Angela told her with a grin. When they would both open their eyes. "By the way, did you see Booth come in already?"
"No."
"But he said he'd come to celebrate Zack's birthday with us, right?"
All the Squints had gone to the bar straight from work to celebrate Zack Addy's birthday. It had been Angela's idea and she had asked Brennan to invite Booth as well. The only one who hadn't been able to make it was Camille Saroyan. Earlier in the day, she had gone home sick with the flu, but had wished them all a good time.
"Yes. I'm sure he'll be here soon, Ange."
Angela began to scan the bar, then straightened. "Yes, we have a winner."
"What does that mean? A winner of what?"
"Of being your date for the wedding."
"I really don't think I need a date."
"Yes, you do. And aren't you curious who I'm talking about?"
Brennan rolled her eyes. "Who Angela?"
"Your knight in shining FBI standard issue body armor."
"Booth?"
"Ah, so you know who I'm talking about then. But yes, he just walked in and I think he's heading over to congratulate Zack. You see? They're on the landing up by the door."
Brennan squinted at the raised landing at the entry to the bar. Booth had not only found Hodgins and Zack up there, Roger was in close proximity as well, surveying his domain over the wrought-iron rail while he was talking to a brunette in red. The landing was only about five feet higher than the rest of the room, but Roger contrived to make it look like a balcony.
"That's Roger," Brennan said, turning away. "And some brunette. He's dating somebody else already." Even though she hadn't loved Roger, it stung to see him with another woman.
"Forget the brunette. Forget Roger. Look at Booth. That tight t-shirt does his body justice, don't you think?" Angela smirked.
"Ange, he's my partner!"
"I know."
"So you want Booth to be my date for the wedding?" Brennan frowned. "You already invited him. He's part of the wedding even."
"Obviously, I'm aware of that. But it would be a nice wedding present for us if you'd come together."
"We will probably come together. We did last time."
"I meant as lovers."
"Lovers? Ange, we're just partners. We're not going to cross that line."
"Having a line means it's there because you might want to cross it otherwise."
"We don't," Brennan said resolutely.
Angela grinned, again. "You know what?"
Brennan looked at her. "What?"
"Roger doesn't really like Booth, right? And vice versa. So, why don't you…"
"He doesn't? They don't?" Brennan interjected. Why don't I ever notice these things?
"I hate to break it to you, but no, sweetie. So, wouldn't it be nice to get back at Roger by asking Booth as your official date to the wedding right in front of his nose?"
"It would be immature. Besides I think that Roger already knows Booth will be there in the first place."
"But not as your official date. Please Bren, do it for me. It's the only wedding gift I want."
Brennan looked back at the landing and suddenly Angela's plan seemed like a good idea. Not only could she settle the score with Roger, who apparently hadn't wasted any time in finding someone to replace her with, it might also help Angela see that she and Booth were just partners and nothing more.
"If I ask Booth to the wedding as my official date, will you promise to never bring up this infatuation you have with us crossing any lines?"
Angela's eyes widened, not believing her friend would actually agree to her plan. "Yes."
"Alright, I'll do it."
BBB
Up on the landing, Seeley Booth was thinking seriously about pushing Roger Fisk over the railing. After congratulating Zack with his birthday and greeting Hodgins, he had reluctantly gone over to his partner's boyfriend, only to find out the man had dumped her minutes before his arrival. Now he was talking to another woman and for some reason it bothered him. He wanted to find Brennan and tell her he was sorry. Truth be told, he thought the man was a beast and was thus happy they were no longer together, but he wouldn't tell her that. However, when he saw that Brennan was talking to Angela by the bar, he decided that it was better to let her best friend do the comforting. If needed. He knew his partner would wave it off, but he was glad Angela was there for her.
Deciding to leave Roger alone instead of pushing him over the railing, Booth went back to Hodgins and Zack.
"Did you know they just broke up?" he asked the two scientists.
"Who broke up? You mean Dr. Brennan and Roger?" Hodgins asked, now understanding why Roger was chatting up the beautiful brunette in the red dress. Booth nodded in confirmation. "Well, it's a good thing Brennan ended things with him."
"It's the other way around actually."
"Roger dumped Dr. Brennan?" Zack asked.
Booth released a sigh. "Yes, Zack. Roger was the one who ended their relationship."
"Well, this opens the door for you to finally make a move," Hodgins said before taking another sip of his drink.
Booth's eyes widened. "What?"
"A thousand dollars if you take her out to dinner."
"What?" he repeated in disbelief.
Hodgins grinned. "Yes, I'm willing to bet you a thousand dollars if you'll get up the courage to have dinner with Brennan. Well, of course, I'm actually betting that you don't have the courage to do that. But I'm secretly hoping you do."
"A thousand? Sure."
Hodgins frowned. "No hesitation?"
Booth shrugged. "We go out to dinner all the time. I'm sure she'll go."
"You'll have to let her know it's a date, not just grabbing a bite to eat as partners."
Booth looked at Hodgins, then decided it couldn't hurt either way. His partner wouldn't regard it as a real date anyway and he would get paid to eat at a nice restaurant on top of that. "Okay, it's a bet. A thousand dollars if we'll have dinner, a date. That's it? No other stipulations?"
"You want there to be more stipulations?"
"No, no," Booth replied quickly.
"I mean, that wouldn't be a problem. Consider it my birthday present to Zack. You know what, I'll bet you ten thousand in cash if you and Brennan finally rip each other's clothes off and sleep together. I'll play fair, though. I'll give you until the day after the wedding."
Booth glared at Hodgins. "That's not my kind of bet."
"And I don't actually want that," Zack stated, but both men ignored him.
"I'm not a pervert. It's just that it would make my wife-to-be so happy and in three weeks I'm going to vow to make her happy for the rest of our lives. I think this would be a good start," Hodgins explained with a grin. "And maybe then I'd finally stop hearing about the two of you. It'll be worth the money."
"If we'll ever sleep together, I certainly don't want to get paid for it," Booth told him. "That would be so wrong in so many ways."
Hodgins smirked. "So, it is on your mind then?"
"We're just partners."
"Yeah, we've all heard that line before. Even if it's not part of the bet, think about it, okay?"
"I'd rather you spend your money on a drink. I'm kind of thirsty."
Hodgins nodded. "Alright. We'll take care of that first. Birthday boy, you up for another round, too?"
BBB
Brennan had walked across the room. When she neared the landing, she edged her way under the rail, catching faint snatches of conversation as she went, not stopping until she heard Hodgins' voice faintly above her, saying "I'll bet you ten thousand in cash if you and Brennan finally rip each other's clothes off and sleep together."
What? Brennan thought. It was noisy up there, maybe she hadn't heard him correctly.
"I'll play fair, though," Hodgins went on. "I'll give you until the day after the wedding."
Brennan couldn't believe what she was hearing. From Hodgins no less, a man she highly respected. She forced herself to move on before she climbed the railing and killed not only Roger, but Booth and Hodgins as well. Instead, she headed back to Angela, fuming.
"What's wrong?" Angela asked when Brennan was back at the bar. "Did you ask him?"
"No. I think I'll go home." Brennan turned back to the balcony and caught sight of them, just as they caught sight of her. She watched Hodgins leave and Booth move toward the stairs. If he had really agreed to the bet, she didn't think she could work with him any longer. Then again, she still wanted to get back at Roger. It was a real toss-up.
"Will you tell me what's wrong?"
"Three weeks and a day."
Booth walked down the steps and made his way through the crowd, ignoring come-hither looks of the women he passed. He was coming to pick her up, Brennan understood. She settled back against the bar and examined the idea from all sides. Suppose she let him. Suppose somewhere in the next three weeks she'd sleep with him and take revenge on Roger by bringing him to Angela's wedding as her official date. He would agree to it if he wanted to get the ten thousand dollars Hodgins had promised him. And it was not like she hadn't done something like this before. She had kissed him under some mistletoe when Caroline Julian had blackmailed her into doing so. It hadn't been a problem. Obviously, sleeping with him went a lot farther than just a kiss. Then again, they would just be satisfying biological urges. It could be pleasurable. If she thought like that, it didn't sound so bad. However, for once, she couldn't think that rational. This was her partner. It would be crossing lines they weren't supposed to cross. Perhaps, if she could hold it off until the day after the wedding, she wouldn't actually have to go through with it. That sounded like a solid plan. It would teach her partner a lesson as well. He more than deserved to be tortured for three weeks, too. It was a plan, and as far as she could see, it was all good.
She ordered herself and Angela another beer, then told Angela to go up to Zack as he now found himself alone on the landing.
"I'm missing something here, am I?" Angela said, before Brennan waved her away, and she headed over to Zack with her drink.
Brennan took a large sip of beer and watched as Booth approached her with his charm smile plastered on his face. Her heart kicked up into her throat and she swallowed hard to get it back where it belonged.
"I have a problem," Booth started. His voice was low and smooth, warm enough to be charming, rich enough to clog arteries.
No kidding, Brennan thought.
"Usually my line is, 'can I buy you a drink?', but you have one."
"Well, that is a problem."
"So, what I thought," he said, his voice dropping even lower as he leaned closer to her and made her heart pound. "Was that we could go somewhere else and I could buy you dinner."
Brennan had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing. It was weird to have him act this way towards her. Weird and amusing. He was the used car salesman of seducers. You could never get a good deal from a used car salesman; they sold cars all the time and you only bought a couple in a lifetime, so they always won. Statistically speaking, you were toast before you walked on the lot. However, she had never bought a used car in her life, so perhaps resisting his seduction would be easy as well.
Booth's smile had disappeared while he waited for her answer and he looked vulnerable now, taking a chance on asking her out. Or perhaps he just faked it very well. He is after all only doing this because of the bet, she reminded herself.
"Dinner?"
"Yes." He bent still closer. "Somewhere more quiet where we can talk. Not about work, though, about us. It'll be a date."
Brennan looked over at the landing. She noticed that Hodgins had returned and had his arm around Angela. Zack was still there, as well as Roger and the brunette. "Alright. But first we'll have to say goodbye to Zack. It's his birthday, we can't leave without saying goodnight."
Booth nodded. "Fair enough."
The two of them made their way up to the landing, joining the others. Hodgins handed Booth the drink he'd promised and gotten him.
"Give it to someone else. I'm taking Bones out to dinner now."
"Yes, it's a date," Brennan added, loud enough for Roger to hear.
Angela and Hodgins smiled, both for different albeit partly similar reasons. Zack just took a sip of his drink. He knew what was going on, but didn't understand most of it. Roger turned his head away from the brunette to listen in on the conversation. Brennan noticed and shot him a glare, while thinking, am I really going to go through with this?
"Actually Booth, there is one more thing I'd like to ask you. Since Roger won't be accompanying me to the wedding any longer, I was wondering if you'd take his place?"
Booth raised his eyebrows in surprise, but then realized she was probably only asking him because Roger was in earshot. He would accept either way. "You mean as your date-date?"
"Yes, as my official date, as my plus-one. Or I can be your plus-one."
"Of course."
"Great," Brennan said and saw that Roger was looking jealous. Good.
Angela squealed, clapping her hands in excitement, and Brennan decided it was best to say their goodbyes now. She gave Zack a hug and wished the others goodnight, then Booth followed her out of the bar.
BBB
"So, where are you taking me for this dinner date?" Brennan asked with amusement in her tone of voice. "The diner?"
"I was thinking we could go to Wong Foo's. It's in walking distance and we haven't been there for a while."
"That's true. It'd be nice to see Sid again."
"That's what I was thinking," Booth said as they began to walk. "Look out for the glass." He reached to take her arm to steer her around a broken beer bottle, but she had already detoured on her own, rotating away from him. He put his hands in his pockets instead and lengthened his stride. Brennan had no trouble following him with her long legs and did so until they reached the restaurant. Booth opened the door for her and she walked past him into the restaurant. Sid immediately came over to greet them and led them to a table.
"It nice to see you again," Sid mentioned as they sat down.
"Sorry we haven't been here in a while," Booth replied.
"Don't apologize. You're busy people. Working on a case right now?"
Brennan looked over at Booth and decided he could answer the question.
"Actually, we don't have a case at the moment. We're here on a… date."
Sid looked at his two clients with a smile. "I'm glad you guys finally found the time."
Not him too, Brennan thought. Why does everyone think Booth and I belong together? Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to let Booth tell him we're here on a date.
As per usual, Sid returned with their meals before they'd ordered anything. As per usual, he had served them exactly what they wanted.
"Sid, you are a genius," Brennan complimented him and made a mental note to come more often. She had missed the food, the restaurant and its owner.
"I aim to please," Sid laughed, then left them alone.
"It's been a while since I've picked up anybody at a bar," Booth mentioned with a laugh before taking a first taste of his noodles.
Brennan looked at her watch as she chewed on her own food. She swallowed. "It's been twenty-eight minutes."
Booth laughed. "Besides you."
"Right. So tell me, why did you dub this a date?"
"Because we're not going to talk about work tonight."
"Why not?"
"Because we don't have a case."
"That's it?"
Booth nodded. "That's it."
Liar, Brennan thought as they continued to eat. They didn't speak for a while and just enjoyed the food in front of them.
"So, what do you want to talk about then?" she couldn't help but ask. He had wanted to talk, yet kept his silence, which was unusual for him. For them, even.
"I don't know. We can talk about anything. I bet we can find something and prove Sweets wrong that all we can talk about is work."
Brennan raised her eyes at the word he'd used. "I don't bet."
Booth searched her eyes, trying to find out if she knew more. He couldn't be certain, however, and decided to let it go. "Tell me about Russ and his little girls. The one that was sick, how's she doing?"
"They're not actually his daughters."
"I know that, but they might become his stepdaughters one day, right?"
"Right," she nodded. "Her name is Haley. She has Cystic Fibrosis, but she's doing better now that my friend Dr. Leo Goetz is helping her."
"It was nice of you to help her," Booth replied. "And I'm glad she's doing better."
"Me, too."
There was a skirmish at the end of the meal when Booth insisted on paying for both of them as he'd invited her to dinner. It was a date, so he would pay. Brennan looked as though she was going to argue for a moment, but then she nodded, remembering it was all part of the bet anyway. If he'd win, Hodgins would pay him ten thousand dollars, so she figured he could afford to pick up the tab.
Reviews are greatly appreciated!
The second chapter will be up soon...