Punching Bag in a Barrel is the first in a three story arc. This first fic takes place soon after "The Babe in the Bar." Because this arc will cover a decent span of time, it may deviate from Bones canon after that point. All three fics will be case files with a good deal of fluff thrown in. For now, the rating will be T – that may change later, but I haven't gotten that far yet.
Thanks go to the best beta in the world, FauxMaven! I really appreciate all the help you give me, and I'm so lucky you're willing to jump back in after my long disappearances.
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Bones, I just like to play with the characters.
Temperance Brennan's feet dragged as she headed toward her office; the folder in her arms felt heavier than usual. Even though the case they had just closed was straightforward and the paperwork involved was fairly standard, the night ahead—a night of filling in the blanks and checking off boxes—stretched ahead interminably. The reason for her dread was obvious even to her. Normally the end of a case meant an evening with Booth, completing the paperwork with takeout and easy camaraderie. But everything changed with the arrival of Hannah.
Sitting at her desk, with music playing quietly in the background, Brennan watched her team leave the lab. Angela and Hodgins, together despite the fact that Angela had never sought a long-term relationship. Cam, picked up by the daughter she never expected. Only Brennan stayed behind, working her usual long hours. Only after returning from Maluku had she begun to resent the life she had always expected for herself. Only recently had she come to realize how much she counted on Booth's presence in her life and how much she had taken him for granted.
Three weeks had passed since their last case, and Brennan had only seen Booth twice: once when she dropped off her share of the paperwork at his office, and then in court to testify for a previous case. She kept herself busy, of course. It was easy to lose herself in work at the Jeffersonian. But sometimes she missed him terribly: solitary lunches in the diner, stuck alone in traffic, lonely nights in the lab. She was proud that she was able to keep this side of herself secret. Only Angela questioned her anymore; the others had quickly given up trying to elicit admissions of jealousy or hurt from her.
When she walked into work on a Thursday morning, it was with little hope of anything exciting happening that day. Booth's phone call, coming an hour after she began examining the remains of an unidentified World War I solder, came as a pleasant surprise. He was brief, explaining that he was on his way to pick her up, that local law enforcement in a sleepy hamlet an hour outside of DC had requested their assistance with some remains. She tried to maintain her composure, but the look Angela exchanged with Hodgins suggested that her calm descent from the platform may have been a little too hasty.
She was in her office, just zipping up her jumpsuit, when Booth arrived. He leaned casually against the door jamb, impeccably dressed as always, with a quiet smile playing across his lips. Brennan could almost imagine that this was the Booth of old, her Booth.
"Hey, Bones. How've you been?"
She tried for nonchalance and thought she succeeded. "I'm fine, Booth. How about you? And how is Hannah?"
"We're both good. She's getting bored with the press corps." He shrugged. "And now that we've exchanged pleasantries, how about we get going? We've got a long drive."
Brennan was relieved to finally arrive at the crime scene. The ride had been long and a little awkward; it was easier to share the minutia of daily life if they actually saw each other every day. There should have been a lot to catch up on, but neither of them seemed to know where to begin. She slid out of Booth's SUV, stretching her legs and surveying her surroundings. Booth had driven down a long access road that ended at a freshwater marsh. There was a police cruiser parked nearby and a sheriff's deputy stood gazing out at the water. It was cold and windy, the bare trees bordering the marsh creaking in the stronger gusts. Heavy dark clouds were rolling in.
"You must be Agent Booth," the deputy said by way of greeting, striding towards them.
Booth nodded. "Yes, and this is Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute. The remains are up here?"
The man led them along a narrow path that ran along the marsh. "I'm Deputy Lentini, by the way," he told Brennan.
She nodded absently, watching carefully where she was walking—the ground was soft and felt unstable. It was a short walk; just around the corner was a break in the reeds and half-submerged in the water was a tall green trash barrel. The lid was lying nearby, mainly intact but with several small holes chewed in the plastic. Booth pulled out his notebook, flipping it open as the deputy started briefing them.
"Early this morning, a school group came out this way to do a cleanup of the trails. They found the barrel, and when the chaperones looked inside before moving it, they got a nasty surprise. We called you because remains like these are beyond our abilities," said the deputy.
While Booth and the deputy exchanged information, Brennan pulled on gloves and waded into the murky water so she could peer into the barrel. She couldn't make out much. The remains were skeletonized but the barrel was half full of water: clearly there were holes in both ends of the barrel.
"Judging from the skull, it's probably an adult male, Caucasian. Multiple healed fractures. No obvious cause of death that I can see so far," she noted. "We'll need to get the body out of here before I can tell anything else."
After arranging for transport of the body, Booth and Brennan headed back into town. Seeking to prevent another awkward hour in the car, she brought up what she thought would be a good topic for conversation.
"So how's Parker doing?" she asked.
Booth's smile was genuine—like most parents, he loved talking about his child. "Parker's great. He just celebrated his ninth birthday," he enthused.
"Nine, wow. Did he have a party?"
"Yep. He wanted a Harry Potter birthday party, and Rebecca went overboard. She had tons of decorations, the kids had 'classes,' and even a few of the parents dressed up." He paused, grinning in an embarrassed sort of way. "Rebecca made me dress up as Snape."
"What's a Snape?" she asked.
"You mean, 'Who is Snape?' Snape's a person, a wizard. You think he's a bad guy throughout all the books, but he's really good."
"I would have liked to have seen that."
Booth glanced over at her, suddenly awkward. "Oh, well, yeah. I'm sorry I didn't invite you; I just figured it wouldn't be your thing. And I brought Hannah, so…" he trailed off feebly.
"Oh, no, don't feel bad," she said, blushing. "I didn't mean that you should have brought me, I just meant that I've never seen you really dressed in costume. I thought it sounded interesting."
"You've seen me in costume," he protested. "I dress up for the Jeffersonian Halloween Ball every year."
"That doesn't count. A pair of glasses and a lab coat, or a nice suit and a soccer ball isn't much of an effort," Brennan scoffed.
Booth harrumphed. "At least I try to pick something different every year. You're always the same thing."
"You've never complained before. I thought you liked my Wonder Woman costume." She wasn't pouting, not really.
Their conversation fizzled after that, both lapsing into aggrieved silence. As Booth drove, Brennan wondered when her life would get back to normal. She didn't do well with change, and her trip abroad had been change enough. She had been looking forward to picking up where they left off once they got back, but everything was different now. She felt out of sync. She kept waiting for Booth to walk through her doorway, visiting 'just because,' or for Angela to beg her to go out for drinks. Even the interns were different, full of new experiences and new outlooks acquired while she was away. Maybe she wouldn't get her old life back, not the way it had been. Maybe it was time for her to evolve, too.
A/N: The title of this chapter refers to the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. The main character reminds me a lot of Brennan, and he has an intense friendship with another boy, who reminds me a lot of Booth. Eventually jealousy sours their relationship, eventually culminating in one of their deaths.