Sorry chapter 2 took so long! I had the first few lines written, then the Angela scene, but I couldn't figure out what to put inbetween. So the inbetween bit kinda sucks, sorry!
one more chapter after this. Enjoy!
It took Booth a few moments to realize that his phone was still ringing. Lunging over to the bedside table, he grabbed the phone. "Hello?"
"Hi Booth, it's me."
Naturally. "Hi Bones."
"Why are you at home?" Brennan asked somewhat disapprovingly.
"How do you know where I am?"
There was a pause. "Well I was assuming that generally your home phone is kept in your house, but I could be mistaken."
Booth hit himself sharply in the forehead with said phone, causing more pain that he intended. Idiot. "Sorry, I just woke up. Still tired."
"Mm hm." He hated when she was elusive. "Which goes back to my original question: why are you still at home?"
Booth sat up in bed, the sheets slipping off him. "I was sleeping. It's Saturday. I assumed that would be okay, but judging from your call and questioning I'm now discarding the previous conclusion and coming up with the new one that I'm supposed to be doing something else or be somewhere else."
"Your new conclusion is correct," Brennan had a hint of amusement in her voice, possibly from the knowledge that Booth was poking fun at her. "Do you remember where you're supposed to be right now?"
"I don't know, Bones," Booth groaned, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "What's with the guessing games? It's not very… you. Just tell me."
"I'm finding the guessing rather entertaining. However I suppose you hit your head harder than I thought."
"I hit my head?"
"Yes. You slipped in the mud, remember?"
Booth's mind started reeling. His dream… the rain… the case… the mud… slipping…aching… no kiss. He wanted to hit his head again as the events of the previous day flooded back to him. The case had been real. They had hiked up to that house through the mud. But on the way back he lost his footing, and slid into the mud, hitting his head in the process; not all that hard, but hard enough to be slightly disoriented. He remembered Brennan driving him home and that was it.
"Booth?" Brennan's voice brought him out of his thought, not realizing he had spaced off for a moment. "You there?"
"Yeah, sorry," he said. "I remember now. Thanks for driving me back."
"Not a problem," she said. "But you were supposed to be at Sweets' office ten minutes ago."
"Damnnit!" Booth hissed, jumping out of the bed and pulling on his clothes fast as he could, holding the phone to his ear by his shoulder. "Sorry, I completely forgot."
"Clearly."
"I'll be there in about five minutes," he ignored her comment.
"Alright, bye."
--
"That seemed shorter than usual," Booth commented as he and Brennan left Sweets' office. He was doing his best to not look her directly in the eye, and was thankful the meeting ended soon before Sweets could interrogate him about it.
"That would be because you arrived twenty minutes later than usual," Brennan eyed him curiously. "Is something wrong with you?"
He glanced at her while he held open the door for her. "No, no I'm okay, my head just… kind of hurts a little." It was partially true, his head hurt from trying to figure out what to do about his dream last night, which was what he spent the car ride to the meeting and the entire meeting thinking about.
Brennan looked concerned. "Maybe you should go back to the hospital and have them look at it. I didn't think you had a concussion, but I could be wrong-"
"-I'm alright, Bones!" interrupted Booth. "It's more of a slight headache, barely noticeable."
Brennan did not look convinced. "If you're sure." He nodded, a little too enthusiastically, as if trying to prove his head was fine. "I'm going to visit my father, then going to the Jeffersonian. Do you want to meet up for dinner later?"
"Yeah, sounds good," Booth smiled and watched her get into her car. He waited until he could no longer see her before getting into his own and accelerating towards the Jeffersonian, planning to take full advantage of the hour she might not be there.
--
"Angela!" Booth said breathlessly, barging into Angela's office. "I need help!"
Angela, who had jumped with his loud entrance, collected the sketch pad and pencil that had tumbled off her lap on to the floor. "And I believe I can help you. Firstly, when about to enter someone else's office when the door is shut, try knocking first."
"Sorry," Booth said sheepishly, calming down slightly.
"Apology accepted," Angela set the pad and pencil on her desk and swiveled her chair to face him. "Now what's up?"
Booth took a breath. "I think I might have a problem."
"I figured as much when you said 'I need help.'" Angela said, smiling as he scowled.
"I'm serious."
"So am I," Angela laughed as he opened his mouth, looking annoyed, and cut him off before he could say anything. "Sit down before you start." It distracted him enough for his annoyance to subside and he looked back at Angela when he was situated. "So… shoot."
"Okay here it goes," Booth squeezed his eyes shut and forced the words out of his mouth slowly and in the proper order: "I think I might have feelings for Bones." Silence. Booth opened one, then the other to glance at Angela who hadn't moved a muscle. "Okay, did you scream already and I instantly went deaf, or did I say it wrong?"
"No no, you said it right," Angela said, eyeing him searchingly, "I'm just waiting for the punch line or the cameras to appear and tell me I've been Punk'd."
"Angela, I promise you Ashton Kutcher is not involved in this," Booth assured her, "no hidden cameras, no punch line, just me and my stupidity ready to royally screw up my life."
Angela studied him for a minute and he waited patiently, willing her to see the truth. "Oh my god, you're serious," she finally said, eye brows rising up farther than Booth had ever seen a person's go.
"Uhhh yes."
"Well what are you doing in here?!" Angela exclaimed, "go make out with her!"
"Do you honestly think that would help me or just get me karate chopped through the face?"
Angela grinned, "I got excited."
"I can see that. That was more of the response I was originally intending to get."
Angela shrugged. "Booth, you spontaneously come barging into my office in the middle of the day and tell me you have feeling for Bren, something I keep pushing, and expect me not to be suspicious at first?"
"Well a dream came barging spontaneously into my head the other night, so I was just as startled as you."
"A dream?" Angela leaned forward in her chair. "Do tell."
Booth explained to Angela the events of the case and how it got twisted and reinterpreted into his dream. Angela had a mixture of amusement and something else he wasn't sure of etched on her features. He finished explaining and waited for her to talk.
"If I had known that a bump on the head was all it took to make you realize, I would've knocked you out with a microscope ages ago," Angela said, and Booth couldn't help but snort.
"I think everyone would be more worried about the damage you'd do to the expensive microscope," Booth laughed.
"Well, Zack and Hodgins might be, but I doubt your dear partner would," Angela grinned at him.
"You don't know that."
"Neither do you," Angela laughed quietly. "I just had the urge to starting singing that Billy Joel song Tell Her About It to you."
Booth rolled his eyes. "Please don't." He sighed, "besides, I'm planning on telling her anyway, I guess. That's why I came to you."
Angela pretended to wipe away fake tears, "I'm honored." She looked at Booth, seemingly deciding whether or not to say something, "I'm also so proud of you for finally getting the balls to do this."
"Are you going to help me or make fun of me?"
"My amazing multitasking abilities allow me to do both."
"Well aren't you special," Booth said sarcastically.
"You bet your sweet ass I am," Angela took in Booth's half unamused, half cautious look. "I'm sorry, that was totally out of line. Only Brennan should be allowed to call your ass sweet. And maybe your mother." She considered, "no, actually that would be disturbing. We'll limit it to just Brennan."
Booth but his face in his hands and groaned. "Please, God, let whatever Angela comes up with be worth the horrible jokes and teasing."
"Oh it will be."
"If it's not, I want a refund."
"You can have a complementary Jeffersonian sticker," Angela grinned.
"Oh happy day."
--
So apparently there's gonna be a chapter three, but that will be the last one.
Review are not required, but are appreciated. )
