Disclaimer: The author does not own the rights to any of the characters or locations mentioned below that have appeared in the Bones series on Fox.
Ch. 3: The Connection
"Booth." He answered his phone, business like as usual.
"We've got a match!" Brennan's excited voice came through the line. "When will you get here?"
"Look up!" He answered. She did so, and her face broke into a grin when she saw him standing in her doorway. She stood up and greeted him with a kiss. "Hello to you too!" He said, smiling. "Did you miss me?"
"Of course I did! I always do!" She replied, matter-of-factly.
"Good." He said. "Shall we go see Angela?"
"Let's go!" She answered, as she turned to head out the door. He sped up a little to match her pace, and placed his hand in the small of her back, in a possessive yet caring gesture. She leaned into his arm, in an unusual display of affection, as they walked out of her office towards Angela's.
"Angela, we're coming in!" He called out as they approached the door to Angela's office.
"Make sure that Hodgins is hidden!" Brennan added as they walked into the room.
"We're not that bad!" Angela objected, looking up from her position in front of the Angelator.
"I beg to differ." Said Cam, as she entered the room. "Anyway, moving onto more important things, like the case, does anyone want to tell us who our Jane Doe is?"
"Her name is Sarah Engelton." Angela replied, all business. "She went missing-"
"Thirty years ago." Brennan answered. She then started listing off the facts of the case as if she had read the case file. "She was abducted on her way home from school. Her parents, Diane and John Engelton, were away for the weekend, and she was staying at her aunt's house. She had gone home to pick up her bag for the weekend. The last person to see her was her best friend from school, Lily Duane. They had first met in kindergarten when they sat next to each other, because the seating chart was alphabetical at their school.
"Lily says that she last saw Sarah at the corner where their routes home split." Brennan continued, turning towards Booth as she spoke. "There were no reports of strange vehicles or people in the neighborhood, suggesting that it was someone that Sarah knew, or lived near, that kidnapped her."
"How do you know all of this?" Booth asked.
"She lived on my block." Came the simple reply. "Meaning that the person who kidnapped her most likely lived on my block. They were probably someone I knew." She looked up in Booth, something in her eyes that he had never seen before, fear.
"It's okay, Bones. I'm here. I'm gonna keep you safe." He whispered, his hands cradling her face before placing a light kiss on her lips.
"Thank you." Was all she said. She didn't protest his blatant show of alpha-male-ness. In fact she welcomed it. She found it heartening that someone cared enough about her to say that he would always be there for her.
"Diane Engelton?" Booth asked.
"Yes?" Replied the mousy woman who held the door open just a crack.
"My name is Special Agent Seeley Booth from the FBI. We have some bad news, can we come inside?" He enquired.
"We?" Diane Engelton asked, not seeing Brennan behind Booth. So Brennan stepped forward to introduce herself.
"Hi, Mrs. Engelton. My name is Dr. Temperance Brennan. I used to live down the block from you."
"My, my, my. You're a doctor now?" The lady asked, her interest piqued.
"Actually, I am a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian. I consult with the FBI and am Booth's partner."
"Oh. Do you want to come in?" The lady invited them inside, about to receive yet another heartbreak.
"So, Angela tells me that you two finally got together." Sweets said as he observed Booth's arm wrapped around Brennan possessively as they sat on the couch. In fact, in Sweets' mind, they weren't even just sitting on the couch anymore; they were cuddling.
"Yup!" Booth affirmed. "I think Bones has something to tell you, too."
"Dr. Brennan?" Sweets enquired. Brennan glared at Booth for getting her in this situation, but both Booth and Sweets could see that it was fake, and that most of the intensity of the glare was due to affection.
"Fine. I am sorry to say that it appears that you are correct in saying that we already have a surrogate relationship. I have analyzed our interaction of the past couple of years and compared it to this week, which is the start of a major change in our relationship. It appears that our effectiveness as partners has not changed at all; in fact we are more in sync with each other than ever before. All that is different is the fact that we are closer to each other, both emotionally and physically."
"Very good, Dr. Brennan, I suspected that that would happen if you two ever got together. Since my suspicions were proved correct, I do not need to recommend that the FBI split up your partnership. In fact, everyone who works with you has noticed a heightened connection between you two. It is as if you are two parts of the same whole."
"Soul mates?" Booth asked.
"Booth, you know that those don't exist." Brennan scoffed. "Although there are many tribes that do believe in the existence of a person who is perfectly matched to one's personality making any union between the two harmonious and free from conflict."
"Well, anyone who hangs with us for more then an hour can see that we are definitely not free from conflict." Booth replied, laughing.
"But it's never major conflict, Agent Booth!" Sweets objected.
"Just let it go, Sweets." Brennan and Booth said at the same time, and then turned to the other in shock.
"Bones, are you reading my mind?" Booth accused.
"Booth, you know that that is not possible!" Brennan answered.
"See, guys, this is exactly what I mean, the two of you are in sync enough to be thinking the same thing, or at least along the same lines. Now, I have an experiment that will hopefully prove me right." Brennan raised an eyebrow, skeptical.
"Really?" Booth asked, just as suspicious.
"Yes." Sweets replied. "Now, I am going to need you two to move to separate ends of the couch." Brennan looked up, betrayal in her eyes. "Don't worry, Dr. Brennan, this is only temporary."
"Was my Bones worried that the kid would try to split us up?" Booth enquired, the glee evident in his voice.
"Moving on!" Sweets intervened. "Take this pen and paper." He handed them each a pen and paper. "And as I say a word, write the first thing that comes to mind. Okay?"
"Got it!" Booth said.
"Okay." Brennan answered.
"Let's begin." Sweets started. "The first one is easy. Work."
'Booth' wrote Brennan. 'Bones (meaning Brennan not actual bones)' wrote Booth.
"Love." Intoned Sweets.
'Ditto' wrote Booth. 'Booth' wrote Brennan.
"Family"
Brennan wrote 'Parker and Booth.' Booth wrote 'Parker and Bones.'
"Marriage."
Booth wrote 'Bones' without hesitating. Brennan, however, looked up and paused before glancing at Booth and returning to her paper to write 'Booth.'
"Now trade papers." Sweets instructed. They did so and quickly read the other's paper before looking up.
"Do you really think about me when you think of marriage?" Booth asked.
"Well, yes." Brennan answered, obviously uncomfortable. "You're a huge activist for the custom."
"Oh." Came the subdued reply.
"However," Brennan said, shrugging, "I find that if I would ever get married, it would be to someone like you."
"Really?" He asked, moving closer to her. Sweets noticed this, and quietly left the room.
"Really." She answered, breathlessly.
"I love you so much." He told her. "How did I never realize this before?"
"But you did!" She objected. "It was my fault that this didn't happen sooner!"
"Shhhhhh…" He said, laying a finger on her lips. "Shall we agree to disagree?" She nodded. "Now," he said, moving away from her a bit, "we have a murder and kidnapping to solve."
