A/N: Thank you very much to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorite-d, and signed up for alerts in the previous chapter. I've got to admit that I was overwhelmed by the response. I really appreciate it! *hands out virtual cookies*
And now, without further ado, here is the second chapter.
CHAPTER TWO:
ROAD TRIP
It didn't take long and the twosome was finally on their way to the movie theatre.
Initially, both had been remotely quiet, with the occasional rhythm of Booth's hands drumming against the steering wheel as the only form of noise.
The agent had found the silence very unsettling; three minutes into a ride, they had often found something trivial to argue about. They'd drabble on about this and that, with each opposing the other's points. She used reason, he relied on belief. In the end, however, no winner emerges- a silent agreement always put matters to a close.
For him, this was one of the things that added color to his relationship with Dr. Brennan. There's no doubt that he enjoyed these witty exchanges of theirs. Fortunately for him, as always, this rare moment didn't last long; this time thanks to a little boy walking down the block.
"Hey Booth. What's that?" Brennan asked, her head turned towards the window.
"What's what?"
Brennan raised her hand and pointed across the street. "That black thing that that kid with the green shirt is holding."
Booth eyes sauntered towards the spot she pointed at. There stood a boy, who seemed blissfully unaware of those around him as he fiddled around with his game console. "Oh, that. It's a DS."
The doctor's eyebrow rose, as her features took on an incredulous look. "DS?"
"Nintendo DS. It stands for dual-screen. It's a portable game console, kind of like a PSP," he explained, carefully choosing his words to avoid further confusion on Brennan's part. Unfortunately, his last statement ruined his efforts.
"PSP?" she queried, her expression unchanged.
"Play Station Port- never mind."
She continued to stare critically at the boy, who was by then walking directly beside the car. It was here where she noticed his lip movements; he appeared to be talking to the aforementioned gadget! Intrigued by this unusual sight, she decided to seek answers from her partner.
"Why is he talking to it? It's an inanimate object."
"I think it has a built-in microphone or something. At least that's what I heard from Parker. He's been begging me for one for the past three weeks!"
Brennan gave Booth one of those questioning looks. He instantly got the hint; he braced himself as his partner took a very deep breath.
"What is it with men and video games?"
"Well that's mighty sexist of you."
"It's obvious that the target audience of this audio-visual activity are men. All the violence, artillery and voluptuous, suggestively-clad vixens- it all spells out testosterone frenzy!" she reasoned.
Booth found her choice of words quite hilarious. However, he knew very well that showing any sign of amusement at that moment would do him no good. He bit his lip to keep them himself from laughing. "I think you're generalizing them. Only a handful of games, which I would like to note have players from both genders, can be considered as 'testosterone frenzy' material."
"True. But you still can't deny the figures Booth. There are definitely more male gamers than female ones. Eight out of ten compared to just six out of ten respectively, if I remember correctly," she insisted, far from willing to give up her cause.
Booth wasn't about to let his guard down either. "Come on, Bones. Don't tell me you've never had even the slightest interest in them as a child?"
"I guess I just had better things to do with my life."
"Yeah, like answering cross word puzzles on the Sunday paper," Booth replied wryly.
Disbelief surfaced in Brennan' features. "I never told you that. How'd you know?!"
He shrugged. "Lucky guess. Ever tried Super Mario?"
"Everything in that game is wrong."
"Wrong? Why so?"
"It depicted a twisted and inaccurate image of reality. I mean, it's physically impossible for a man to use his head to smash up bricks, which is for some reason above the ground without any visible support, without experiencing loss of consciousness or any other noticeable physical damage." She paused briefly to catch her breath. "And turtles most certainly can't fly!"
Booth found himself chuckling at her last statement. That's Temperance Brennan all right- fully capable of rationalizing everything. And by everything, we mean everything.
"Ok, maybe you're more of a Pacman fan?" Booth suggested, changing the topic to something he believed was far too simple for her to make any kind of scrutiny.
"Pacman? That's the orange circle thing right?"
"The one and only."
"Oh, you got me Booth. I have to admit that I once got hooked to that drug-ball. I even made an analysis of the game for a research paper back in the days," Brennan admitted, nostalgia settling within her.
"Drug-ball. Definitely not one of the adjectives I'd associate with the fellow."
"Come on, Booth. The evidence is right before our eyes. There's Pacman in a dark room, running around, munching on those pellets that are surely not candies. Then all of a sudden, all those ghosts begin to chase him. Surely those things he'd been eating must be some sort of solidified hallucinogen. Narcotine, most likely."
"I just love the way you think, Bones," Booth said, for the lack of a better reply.
"Is that a compliment? Or are you being sarcastic?"
"It's a compliment, I think."
"Thank you, then."
As if on cue, Brennan's phone rang. Beethoven's 9th symphony echoed inside the vehicle.
"Wow, Bones. What happened to your whale songs?"
Booth recalled the previous week, wherein Brennan developed an unusual obsession with whale songs. Apparently, they were much more soothing than chirping birds and other conventional stress-busting sounds.
She ignored his comment and proceeded to answer the call.
"Brennan," the anthropologist greeted, almost mechanically. Her features instantly lightened up after hearing an all-too-familiar voice at the other end of the line. "Oh, hey Ange."
"Where are you Bren? I dropped by your office a few minutes ago, only to find it empty for the first time in years. What's going on?"
"Where am I? I'm with Booth right now."
"There's a new case?"
"No, there are no new cases. We are going to watch a movie."
"Aww, darn. Booth beat me to it."
"Beat you to what?"
"I was going to ask you out to dinner- but it looks like you've got other plans. It's about time the two of you started dating!"
"Don't be silly, Ange! It's actually more of a simple get-together between two co-workers of the opposite genders. No romantic implications involved whatsoever."
Booth grinned as she spoke those words. You could always count on Angela to interpret any meeting of theirs as a romantic outing.
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say Bren. So, what movie are you watching?"
"Final...final termination 3…or something like that."
"It's final destination," Booth corrected.
"Ah, horror movies- the perfect opportunity for extremely close contact."
"I don't know what that means."
"Of course you don't, sweetie. Well, I better go. Hodgie's waiting. Bye!"
"Oh, wait a second!"
"I'm still here, sweetie."
"Thank goodness. I thought you hung up."
"Well, what is it?"
"I forgot to tell you…please make sure that no one touches the remains I prepared on the autopsy table."
"The one labeled Joe?"
"Did you just say Joe? J-o-e?"
"That's what it says on the box."
"I told them to label it Zhou…Z-h-o-u...but yeah, that's the one."
"All right, the remains. Got it. Have fun!"
"Thanks Ange. Take care."
Brennan ended the call and placed her phone back in her coat pocket.
"What was that all about?" Booth asked, an odd mix of curiosity and amusement in his voice.
"Angela wanted to know my whereabouts."
"No, the co-worker thing."
"She asked if I was excited for my date, and I wanted to clarify that it wasn't one." She paused for a moment. "This isn't a date, right Booth?"
"Nope. We are two co-workers of opposite genders who are off to a movie house for a simple get-together. Oh, and there's absolutely no romantic implications involved."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Of course not, Bones. I'm merely stating the obvious truth. Nothing's wrong with that now is there?"
"I suppose not."
Booth turned his eyes back to the road. A question nagged at him; he debated in his mind whether to ask about it or to just let it slide. Curiosity got the better of him, however. Fighting off the hesitation he felt, he just had to ask.
"So you only think of me as a co-worker?"
Brennan quickly shook her head. "No, Booth. You're my best friend and my partner."
Booth shuddered. Her tone was so intense, so genuine; and her blue orbs seemed to pierce right through him.
After a brief pause, she continued. "We have a very unique relationship, which goes beyond friendship, respect, and all the other aspects. There's no doubt that I trust you with my life…most co-workers don't even give a damn if the other were to be taken off the job that very day, as long as they still got paid."
A brief silence passed before Booth found the words he deemed was appropriate enough to say. "I think you're great too, Bones."
Brown met blue as they stared into each other's eyes with all the love and respect they have built between them for the past four years. This, along with the sincere smiles on their faces, was all they needed to convey all they needed to say.
It was as though time stood still for a moment- that is, until Brennan snapped back to her senses and saw how dangerously close they were to an incoming truck in the opposite lane.
"Booth, the road!" she cried out, as the truck grew precariously close.
"Woah!"
This was all Booth could utter as he hastily swerved his car back on the right lane. The sound of the truck's obnoxiously loud horn, along with the driver's cursing as he stuck his head out the window with his fist raised, reverberated in the area.
"You ok, Bones?"
"I think so. My body's seems to be intact. And you?"
"I'm fine, I guess."
The two were dazed, their hearts beating a mile a minute. If Booth had swerved a second late, they would have been on their way to a hospital, maybe even a morgue if things got awry, instead of a movie theater.
"That was…exciting," Booth finally spoke, his hands still tightly clutching at the steering wheel.
"Definitely. But let's not do it again," Brennan replied in a serious tone.
"Agreed."
The two shared nervous laughter before continuing on with their trip, though this time in a snail's pace. As they say, better safe than sorry.
Finally done with chapter two. Yes, as you might have noticed, I'm a huge fan of their logic vs. belief moments. I think I may have ended it too heavily. Or maybe that's just me? Lol.
Feedback is loved, as always. Click on that button with the green font below...there, closer...now click! 'Til next update! :))
