Disclaimer: I wish I owned it, because then maybe the bank wouldn't be so mad at me...
Author's Note: Okay, so I know what you're thinking. I have another story that I need to finish before I start a new one. And you're absolutely right, I do need to finish White Noise, and I will. But I've had this idea rolling around in my head for a while, and then tonight, something very exciting happened. I saw (are you ready for this?) an episode of Bones. Okay, so that might not sound like big news, but it actually is, because it was the first full episode that I've seen from season two--well, I missed like the first ten minutes, but I totally watched after that. Anyway, I'd seen a few bits and pieces of other episodes, but never enough to feel confident writing it. Ever notice that I've never had Cam in a story? Yeah, that's why. So, anyway, I looked up quotes from Season Two, being the dilligent author that I am, and so now I'm really just guessing. Good chance I got the character voices wrong (its been so long that I've seen an episode that I was starting to forget what Booth and Bones sounded like). Anyway...I'm rambling. I have no idea how long this story will be. It's pretty much just going to be a relationship story between BB. Sort of how I think it might go. I don't know what I'm doing with the other characters yet, so I'll let you know. Ookay...sooo...hmm, yeah, there's a good chance this could get deleted if no one likes it, but if I do that I'll probably just try to rewrite. Anyway...I'll shut up now. After Boneless Bride in the River. The title had absolutely no relavance to the story...maybe I'll try to work it in later. Anyway...enjoy!
Seeley Booth was a sniper trained FBI agent. He was the father of little boy whom he absolutely adored. He was able to balance both his professional obligations and his personal, with little conflict in between. He had even previously dated a pathologist with whom he worked, and he had been able to keep that relationship from interfering with his work life. He worked hard, never allowed himself to settle for anything less than the best he could do, and, as a result, he was widely regarded as being a good agent, solid, with an honest desire to find the truth. Seeley Booth was good at his job.
And right now, he was pissed.
It wasn't because of the case he had been working on, or at least, not directly. Sure, the case had been long, entrenching him for a solid month, not including the work of the officers who dealt with it before he did, or the work of the law enforcement afterwards. And yes, it had been emotionally draining. The case had involved a young woman who had been found buried in a basement, and from this initial discovery came a gruesome chain of evidence suggesting that she had been bound, beaten, and eventually killed by her own brother. The case had been horrifying. But that was not why Seeley Booth was pissed.
He was pissed because, throughout the course of the case, he had fought almost constantly with his partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute. This was unusual for him. Though he and Bones, as he called her, had always exchanged playful, and sometimes aggressive, banter with one another, Booth could never remember it reaching this level. Usually the banter was a way of passing the time, a manner of getting the edge off, a means for bouncing off ideas. It was a natural part of their process.
This time was different.
This time the once playful exchanges had been tinged with something else, something deeper. How had that happened? This was the question that ran like a tickertape through Booth's mind. And the more he thought about it, the more he found that he came back to the same culprit.
Sully.
The FBI agent who had filled in for Booth after the damn ice cream guy refused to turn off his music. The guy who had asked out Booth's partner. The guy who then somehow figured a way to make Bones fall for him. And, the guy who had then left.
But he did more than just leave.
Sully had asked Bones to go with him. When Bones came to Booth, he had told her that she should go. She'd gotten mad when he suggested it. Then, when Booth commented that Sully was a good guy, she'd gotten even more pissed. In the end, Bones had stayed behind and Booth had been there to comfort her, but Sully had changed everything. After Sully left, Bones wasn't herself anymore. And that threw everything off between them. They started snapping at each other. They irritated one another. Booth, for his part, believed that he tried to make things right. But it seemed that no matter what one of them said, the other took it the wrong way. By the time this last case had ended, Booth found that he was looking forward to getting the break from her.
That had never happened before.
The other squints had noticed it, too. Angela made comments on the side, which just made Booth more pissed. Hodgins gave him those damn raised eyebrow looks. Zach…well, Zach was more or less oblivious, but that pissed Booth off, too. Cam just shot him a little smirk every time Bones made some sharp comment. The first time she did it he felt some camaraderie with her. Then she had made a comment in Bones' defense. Camaraderie over.
And, on top of all that, Booth was still seeing Gordon Gordon, the FBI psychologist. Like he had time for that. Like he had nothing else to do with his day.
It wasn't that he didn't like Dr. Wyatt. Actually, Booth liked him a lot. But now wasn't a good time to force Seeley Booth to talk. And after Dr. Wyatt prodded, Booth finally let loose with a torrent of information, detailing exactly why and how pissed his was.
Ten minutes into his tirade, Gordon Gordon cut him off.
"Have you ever taken the time to ponder exactly why it is that your relationship is so volatile with this woman?"
"No I haven't taken the time to wonder why it's 'volley-tile'," Booth answered, doing his best to impersonate Gordon Gordon's accent. "She's just that kind of person."
"And what kind of person is that?"
"The kind that…I don't know. I mean, she was talking to me about her boyfriend, and I told her that I thought he was a good guy, and she got mad over that! I mean, what is that I'm supposed to do with that, huh? And maybe we should take the time to consider that this is her issue, okay? Hers. Not mine."
Dr. Wyatt nodded slowly, processing. "Yes, that is entirely possible, isn't it?"
"Right, so Bones, she just…you know, she needs to work through that."
"Brilliant conclusion."
Booth smiled. "Thanks, Doc."
"Yes." Gordon Gordon continued to nod slightly, still looking slightly off, as though he were thinking. "Of course, the fact that it is having such an impact on you shows that you have some involvement in the matter."
Booth looked at him. "What?"
Dr. Wyatt shrugged. "Well, it's obvious that this woman's defensiveness affected you. Why do you do you think that might be?"
"Uh, because I have to work with her? Because I'm stuck with her for long periods of time? I mean, c'mon, Doc, you're a smart guy, figure it out. She's irritating!"
"Quite." He nodded again and gave a conspiratorial smile. "You know, my sister was an irritating woman. Nasty girl, always taking my things, getting me in trouble. Once she spilled tea in the living room and told my parents that I did it." He shook his head, chuckling. "Yes. And she was quite disagreeable as well. But do you know what? Despite her faults, I found that I still loved her." He shrugged. "Though I supposed that is genetic."
Booth gave the doctor a confused look. "Uh…what?"
"The point is, Agent Booth, although we often find people in lives that are irritating, we more often find that the people who irritate us are the people we want to care about us. After all, if we didn't, would they irritate us as much as they do?"
"Listen, Doc, I'm not try to break down your, uh, your 'breakthrough' here, but Bones irritates me because I'm stuck with her. Okay? Not because I'm looking for her, her, approval or something."
"Certainly," Dr. Wyatt replied. "Terribly sorry to make such an assumption. It just seems to me that from what you've told me about this…this…'Bones' she hasn't had the easiest of times. Is it at all possible that you're in fact not irritated by her, but instead by the fact that you're unable to help her? Or perhaps that she is unwilling to allow your help?"
Booth offered no reply to this.
"As I have said before, Agent Booth, you're a man who very much desires control. Perhaps your problems with this woman stem from the fact that your relationship with her is out of your control?"
Booth sat quietly. "Alright," he said finally. "So what if that is the case. What should I do about that?"
"Oh, I can't answer that, Agent Booth. Though I will say that were I in your position, I might consider giving this 'Bones' a bit of understanding."
"That hasn't been working, Doc."
Dr. Wyatt smiled. "Ah, yes, but you see, Agent, human beings are fantastically complicated. Perhaps if you give it some time?"
"Well, like how? I mean, what am I supposed to do?"
Gordon Gordon smiled again. "I'm sure you'll think of something, Agent, but for now we're out of time." He stood from his chair and headed for his house. As he reached the door, he looked back over his shoulder and said to Booth, "oh, but do be sure to tell me how it goes, won't you?"
Before Booth could reply, Gordon Gordon was inside.
Booth sat for a moment, still mulling over the doctor's words, still feeling a little annoyed. However, even though he was irritated, he knew that Dr. Wyatt had hit on the truth. He was irritated that Sully had messed so many things up. He didn't like the idea that he couldn't just fix it. And, yeah, he knew that she had had a rough childhood with her parents and brother and all, and that she hadn't had the best luck with boyfriends, but he hadn't really thought of Sully that way. After all, Sully had wanted her to go with him. And Bones had been the one to refuse. Didn't that make it different?
Booth stood up with a sigh, making his way to his SUV. He knew he was attracted to Bones. Hell, he had never really tried to deny it. Even when Sully had asked, he'd never actually lied. He did want her to care about him. And he believed that she did. He even thought that they would get together, or at least he had until Sully had come into the picture.
"Okay," he said out loud as he started the SUV and pulled out of the driveway, onto the road. "We'll play it your way, doc. I'll be nice. I'll give this one more shot. After that, it's up to her." And with that thought on his mind, Booth pulled off and headed to the Jeffersonian, where he was sure Bones would still be hard at work.
Thoughts? Now's a good time to let me know