Booth slid open the glass door to his balcony slowly, feeling the humidity in the air as it hit his face, a stark contrast to the cool air of his suite. He dragged the wooden deck chair on his balcony toward the railing a little, making it so that he could see the ocean just a bit more, wondering for a moment if he should do a little reconnaissance of the hotel, and check out some of the amenities. He figured he had plenty of time for that, he was in no rush. So he sat down in the chair with a heavy sigh, feeling the solid wood beneath him, he let out a groan as he sat and watched the people below, setting his book on the arm of the chair as he rested.
His eyes were focused on the beach, but his ears could hear the sound of gentle tapping nearby. If he leaned forward, he could see the top of the railing of the room beside him where a woman stood. Her colored fingernails were gently tapping the metal railing in a gentle rhythm, and he could see the red flowered pattern of her summer dress as the wind blew it between the metal posts. He watched her long fingers as she strummed the railing, when suddenly she turned and retreated back to her room.
He sighed, leaning back in his chair, wishing for a moment that he wasn't so very alone in this big place. He pushed those thoughts aside, however, he then considered how hectic everything had been in his life up until that moment. He offered himself up to his partner, and she had flat out rejected him, he had left for Afghanistan, he had tried to strike up a romantic relationship with a journalist, which had gone sour quickly considering her line of work, and the fact that she wasn't who he wanted to be with and he just wasn't happy.
He cleared his throat as his thoughts darted back to his partner, and he tried desperately to push them away as he had for the past. He felt like a failure. She didn't want him, and his tour was supposed to last the year, and he couldn't even last over three months. His anxiety level had skyrocketed the moment he stepped into the desert. He felt old and worn before he even started training the soldiers, and it just got to the point where he couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to go home.
They let him finish a couple more field tests, and agreed to honorably discharge him. So now that is where he found himself. The FBI didn't know that he was back in the United States, and he technically still had leave for several more months, but all he wanted to do was get back to work. He wanted things to get back to normal. He wanted his partner back. He knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon, at least not until she came home from Maluku, and even then he was pretty sure that it would never be the same.
He grunted a little as he picked up the book beside him, running his fingers over the pages quickly to find where he had left off. He felt the rough paper beneath his fingertips as he found his chapter, and tried to focus on the words. His mind continued to wander, however, and after reading the same paragraph six times, he placed the book back on the arm of the chair with a resounding sigh. He sat staring at the ocean for several minutes, watching as the tide came in, or went out. He didn't know or care, it wasn't important. The only thing that was important was that he was on vacation. He was relaxing. Or was he?
Booth let out a yawn as he stared at the waves, leaning forward to rub his eyes with the palms of his hands, he looked out at the beach, a flash of red catching his eye. He focused on the woman in the red flowered summer dress, noting that it was the same dress of the woman who was on the balcony beside him not too long ago. He watched her walk with almost a skip in her step, an off white floppy hat covering her head, and a book in her hand as she maneuvered past other beachgoers.
He found himself captivated for a moment by this woman, her gait almost familiar, though he was certain that he didn't know her. She settled herself in one of the hotel provided beach chairs, tipping herself back slightly as she adjusted her hat. She kicked off the sandals on her feet and wiggled her painted toes as she opened her book.
Booth shook his head as he came to his senses, unsure of why he was suddenly enthralled with this stranger. His eyes focused on her once again. Suddenly he stood up, shaking his head as he made his way inside. "Man, you need to get a girlfriend." He muttered to himself as he quickly closed the sliding door behind him.
Brennan stepped out onto the beach, straightening her floppy beach hat as she walked across the sand. She was feeling very light on her feet, and was looking forward to soaking up the sun. She moved deftly across the sand, avoiding people playing frisbee, and sunbathers that seemed to have no rhyme or reason for their location.
She quickly found an available lounge chair and settled in it, kicking off her sandals, happy that the chairs on either side of her were also unoccupied. She opened her book and wiggled her toes, allowing the sand that had accumulated between them to sprinkle down her feet back onto the ground where it belonged. She looked down at her painted toes, amused with herself that she had the pedicure that had gone with her manicure a couple days earlier. She lifted her hand to her hair, running her fingers through the now shorter strands, thinking to herself how she felt different than months earlier, more carefree. She tipped her sunglasses down and her eyes scanned the beach before her, focusing on several of the handsome young, shirtless men who were running through the sand around her, tossing a football or a frisbee. Brennan smiled to herself, cuddling just a little more into her chair, she started to read her book.
She was about a page or two into her book when her mind started to wander. She started to think about Maluku, and how she had only lasted three months there. It was supposed to be a year long dig. She was supposed to be immersed in bones and artifacts, and the culture. The longer she had stayed there, however, the more frustrated she had become. It wasn't where she wanted to be. The remains were old, there was no hurry for analysis or police protocol to follow. There was limited amount of danger, especially if she stayed at the dig sight, and she had nobody to talk to. It was a typical dig, nothing out of the ordinary, something she had done dozens of times before and enjoyed it. But she found that it was lonely work, pulling remains from the dirt with no standard FBI issue shoe at her side, no snarky faux ignorant guesswork from above her, no drinks at the Founding Father's after a long day of work. Despite the presence of Daisy Wick, the presence of which Brennan appreciated the peace and quiet of her own tent in the evening, she still felt like there was nothing that could cure the loneliness of being so far from home, but actually coming home.
She had arrived at her apartment about a week earlier, finding that because Booth was still gone, and Hodgins and Angela were in Paris, that their work with the FBI was suspended indefinitely. That left her with her work in Limbo, which despite the fact that it was similar to her work in Maluku, she found it comforting to be in her own domain, and among her personal things. Things that reminded her of the important work that she had accomplished, and looked forward to continuing once Booth returned. She had called Angela as soon as she arrived home, and was easily convinced that taking a couple of weeks to herself would be good for her. Angela had said that she and Hodgins were about ready to come home, and would arrive in a couple of weeks, giving her the perfect opportunity to take some time away from all work, and focus on her own personal wellbeing. She figured that the North Carolina coast would be a good bet, because if she did get bored, she always had Russ nearby to check in on if she felt particularly lonely.
She placed her book on her lap, staring out at the waves, listening to the sound of the people around her, and the waves crashing. The sun was warm against her skin, and she pulled her hat down to cover her face for a moment as she settled back comfortably, closing her eyes.
She started to drift off when she felt someone sit in the chair beside her. She kept her hat down and her eyes closed, her hands clasping her book as she rested, gently drifting into a light and happy sleep.