Unexpected Complications

Ch. 2-- Me and You

"Have I told you yet how beautiful you look tonight T?" Jack Hodgins smiled at his date, feeling completely content with the world.

"Yes Jack, thank you." She answered with a smile as she blushed slightly. "And may I say you really do a tuxedo justice."

"I should. I've had to wear enough of them in my life." He said with a shrug. "I still like my lab coat better."

"On that we can definitely agree." They silently swayed to the music for a few long moments before she started quietly laughing. "Can you imagine if we showed up to one of these things wearing our normal lab gear?"

Hodgins couldn't help but laugh with her at the absurd thought. "That probably would've created a bigger stir then us showing up together!"

"What do you mean?" She asked, her brow wrinkling in confusion.

"Ah, you know I never go to these things. I really don't want anyone realizing I work at the Jeffersonian. But tonight, I get to just be the lucky SOB who got to escort the brilliant and beautiful Dr. Temperance Brennan. The fact that I'm here at all, added to the fact that we're here together means there's bound to be talk."

"Oh." She paused, sorting out her feelings a bit before putting them into words. "I didn't even think of how I might be putting you in a weird position by asking you to come, Jack. I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't be—I want to be here. With you. Whoever's going to gossip would do that no matter where they saw us. At least this way we get to dress up and eat lousy food and drink too much champagne and dance. There are a lot worse ways to spend the evening." He said with a smile and she couldn't help but smile back.

He was such a kind man, so thoughtful and funny and he really seemed to 'get' her. He'd been her salvation this past month or so, helping her to enjoy a bit of life while her heart felt broken. He was the only one who understood what it was like to watch the one you wanted go off with someone else, and that had strengthened the bond they'd built while they were buried by the Gravedigger all those years ago. He understood what few people ever saw—that just because she didn't announce how she was feeling, it didn't mean she didn't feel anything. In fact, sometimes she felt so much she was afraid she was going to drown in emotion. It had happened more than once on the platform recently and she remembered standing there, struggling to breathe, willing herself to keep it together. But somehow, right when she thought she would break, he always seemed to know and would catch her eyes and give her a small smile, and she would feel a little bit better. A little bit stronger. And that was enough. The only other person who ever seemed that in tune with her had been Booth and she'd missed that more than she could describe in the past few months. Ever since he started dating his latest girlfriend, Brennan rarely saw him outside of work, if at all. No more late night take-out dinners, no random invitations to lunch, no impromptu excursions with Parker. She'd felt like someone had cut off a piece of her and left her walking around incomplete. But the worst of it all had been the distance she felt from him even when they were sitting next to each other in his SUV. The joking, talking, touching that she hadn't ever realized she counted on had disappeared, leaving only friendly professionalism in its wake. She still didn't know exactly what she'd done wrong, but she hadn't had the courage to ask outright.

Then, just when she'd been at her lowest, Hodgins was there holding his hand out to her and smiling. She'd looked into his deep blue eyes and had known immediately that he'd understood. He'd lost Angela just like she'd lost Booth (even though she'd never actually had Booth) and they were both alone. Plus, they were probably the two people who were still missing Zack and had felt his betrayal most. Until that first dinner, she'd never really given any thought to how much they had in common but it was all there—a strong intellect, a passion for science, a deep sense of loyalty to friends, an understanding of how it felt to be alone in the world. Slowly, they'd developed a deep and lasting friendship. Now, well, now it seemed they were heading for more. She still wasn't sure how she felt about that, what exactly either of them wanted from this, but they'd talked about it and decided to just let things develop on their own. If they became romantic, great. If not, they'd still be friends.

"What's going on in that massive brain of yours?" He asked, coaxing another smile out of her.

"I was just thinking about how we got here." She answered honestly.

"You mean the limo?"

"No," she laughed. "I mean here as in us…together. In whatever way we are."

"Ah, still surprised to be hanging out with a bug man, are you?"

"No," she laughed again. "I just never would've expected this. For us to be so… close." She took a deep breath and stared deep into his eyes. "Thank you, Jack. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"It goes both ways, T. Both ways." He said softly, reaching over to press a gentle kiss on her surprised mouth.

As they continued to dance and look at each other, each trying to sort out their own feelings, they failed to notice a very angry FBI agent staring at them from the side of the large hall.