Chapter Three: Presents
Brennan sighed and curled up in her bed, thinking about her day. Booth especially. She missed being so lost in a case that nothing else mattered, not even emotional pain.
She tried to turn herself to the case, let the facts rock her to sleep, but she couldn't be soothed.
Come on. Female. Late thirties, early forties. Had been embalmed, packed in salt, left somewhere hot and dry for months. Cam said it meant the killer cared for his victims, in a sick, twisted, icky way. Tomorrow the bandages could be removed, and she could get hands on with the body, which would be a wealth of knowledge compared to the scans.
She couldn't be excited about the prospects of justice, of discovery. Booth was in her mind to stay.
She loved him, that much she knew. She also knew that he had loved her. What was uncertain was whether he still did, or ever could. She shivered at the prospect of losing him.
Could she survive? Go to work every day, work with the dead, forget about the only time in her life when she had ever felt truly alive? Look into his eyes, and not remember the warmth in them after their first real kiss? Erase the memories?
Never.
She turned, and a voice in the back of her head told her she wasn't going to sleep tonight.
-The Lab-
Booth breathed deeply of the chilled, sterile air as he marched up to the platform. All the squints were lined up, like little kids at Christmas, eagerly awaiting what Santa had brought them.
Cam wielded the scissors. That had been a hell of a fight- her vs. Bones, but in the end her boss status earned Cam the honor.
Slow, achingly slow, she cut the bandages from the corpse. The others held a collective breath. The wrapping fell away… revealing the mummy. The squints gasped in mutual excitement and set to work.
"Angela, see if you can make a reconstruction- shouldn't be too bad- there's still flesh. Dr. Brennan- please-"
"I know, Dr. Saroyan." Bones snapped. Wow. She was edgy.
Everyone scooted off to their respective jobs. Only Bones remained on the platform, for a few minutes of hard earned one-on-one time with the mummy.
"Female, Caucasian for sure." She muttered. "The victim was embalmed before being wrapped in cloth bandages and left in a hot, dry room. The man who found it said there were six fans circulating heated, dehumidified air around the body, resulting in the mummification."
"Hey." He said. She glanced up, then turned back to her work, ignoring him.
"The X-Rays showed that there are fractures on the tibia and the ulna, possibly from frequent beatings.
Booth winced at the imagery.
"The body is almost completely mummified. One more month would have completely finished the process."
Booth cleared his throat. She glanced up again.
"Do you need something?"
"We need to talk."
"Is it case related?"
"You know it isn't."
"Then it can wait." Brennan looked back down at the body possessively, daring him to try and steal her attentions. He sighed an backed off, allowing Bones to continue her work.
"Booth?" she called.
"Yeah?"
"You can come to my apartment. After work."
He wondered what that was about. Her place? After everything? But he shook his head and sighed, her apartment was as good a place to talk as any other.
"I can make it."
"Good. I'll see you there."