A/N: Hey! I'm so sorry it took me long to post – I've been on vacation and was no where near a computer! Hopefully this'll make up for it!
Thank you so much to everyone who is reading this story! And special thanks to Bellabun (loony, bell-izzle!), Kinky Brenfrankenstein is mearanel25phi4858SwirlumsSarcastic102391pagan-seijouAndree-Anneangel6 aka trinigyalfbiwoman223Serienjunkie 91o0MissBennet0oHolidayArmadillojess.stretchLisa ParisBonesDBchippiestatlerSplishySplashjembMockingbird84SlvrNight, FormerlyPrincess-VintageQueen, and bb-4ever for reviewing!! (And my 'homies' in the boneyard!!) You guys make it so worthwhile!
Special A/N: Haha total shout-out to a2b in the Boneyard for the chicken thing! You see, apparently DB is afraid of birds in real life... so then a2b had this big thing about chickens, and that's where it all started!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones (sadly…), only this story!
Chapter Three
Several hours passed, and Booth and Brennan spent the time alternatively bickering, sleeping, and talking about their assignment. The flight was excruciatingly long, but both of them were very relieved to have someone to pass the time with – even if it was just someone to tease.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now beginning our descent into Cape Town. The attendants will be around shortly to pick up your headsets, and please gather all of your personal belongings."
"Oh solid land, here we come." Booth said, rubbing his hands together and glancing over at Brennan, who was reading a book about tribal languages.
"It'll be nice to stretch our legs before we get on the bus." Brennan agreed, putting a bookmark between her pages and tossing the book into her carry-on.
"Don't remind me." Booth muttered.
Brennan chuckled and the two of them sat quietly in their seats, randomly exchanging glances at each other.
Brennan cleared her throat, "So how is Parker?" she asked.
Booth looked at her strangely, and then his face broke out into a grin.
"Just – uh – making small talk…" she tried to explain.
"Oh no, no I'm glad you asked. He's great actually. Well, he wasn't really thrilled that I'd be gone for so long, but I told him that I'd bring him back a souvenir. His school let out a week ago and he's starting camp tomorrow with one of his best friends."
"He must be excited."
"Yeah, yeah he really is. Nice to go on an adventure with someone that close to you." Booth said, with a hint of a charm smile gracing his lips.
Not oblivious to the double meaning of Booth's words, Brennan returned his smile, "I know just what you mean."
Stepping off the plane and on to the hot concrete tarmac in Africa, Booth let out a low whistle, adjusting his large sunglasses. "Now that, Bones, is hot." The sun pelted down in thick rays, scorching every surface it touched.
Brennan smiled and turned her face up towards the sky, letting the sun warm her face. They stepped down the rickety ladder and marched towards the ground, following a line of other travelers.
Not a baggage carrousel in sight, their luggage had been piled up at the base of the ladder and Booth and Brennan quickly claimed what was theirs. They loaded their knapsacks up on their backs and each swung a duffel under their shoulder and walked toward the Arrivals wing.
"So who exactly are we looking for?" Booth asked, scanning the diverse crowd of people in the waiting area, trying to spot a sign or anything familiar.
Brennan pulled a booklet out from her pocket and flipped it open to a doggy-eared page. "Salamanjaro Bus Company" she said, peering around as well.
"Over here." Booth said, motioning to a short, balding man with a clipboard denoting their company name.
"Hello, do you speak English?" Brennan greeted, smiling slightly at the man.
"Yes. This is Salamanjaro Bus. You call me Leedo." He said, extending his hand.
"My name is Temperance Brennan and this is Seeley Booth, we're scheduled for your ride out to the Effetis reserve."
"Ah yes." He said, nodding happily, "We make stops before it, but you two stay on the bus, yes?"
"That sounds good." Booth said, finding himself smiling at the man's cheeriness.
"Yes, now let me help you with bag." Leedo said, extending his free hand to take Brennan's duffel bag. Brennan opened her mouth to refute his help, but Leedo was too quick for her. He took the bag off his shoulder and motioned at them to follow. "This bag is much too heavy for pretty girl like you." He said, causing Booth to hide his laughter in a cough.
Leedo marched ahead of them, Brennan's bag under his arm. She glanced over at Booth who was still laughing. "Shut up." She whispered to him.
"See Bones? Some things don't change from culture to culture. That's my first lesson for you."
Brennan rolled her eyes and Booth raised his hands in defense, "Chivalry ain't dead yet, sugar."
"Ow! Good one Bones, now my arm is going to bruise." Booth muttered, rubbing the place on his arm where Bones had physically refuted his comment.
"Oh, don't be such a baby." She said, teasing her sunglasses out of her hair and sliding them on her face as they headed towards the bus. "If you ever call me sugar again it'll be more than your arm that will be hurting."
She walked past Booth and caught up to Leedo. Booth chuckled and followed her, "Yes ma'am…" he said, shaking his head.
"This is bus!" Leedo said, pointing up at the vehicle which looked suspiciously like a mini-school bus. It had at one point been painted white, but had long since been covered with years of dirt and dust. Trying not to sound too skeptical, Brennan asked "So this is… a trustworthy vehicle?"
"Oh yes! I have been diving bus for many years. She is old, but she drive well. Very bumpy though. Very bumpy…" He said with a smile, opening up the door and dropping Brennan's bag on one of the seats. "You sit wherever you like." He said, motioning to the empty bus.
Brennan entered first and chose to sit mid-way back on the bus, finding the old leather seats very hot against her legs. Booth entered after her, ducking his head to avoid smacking it against the short ceiling. "Room for two?" he asked.
Brennan smiled and motioned for him to sit in the seat opposite hers, so that they would both have more room. He complied, and sat back in the seat, resting his head against the grimy window. "So Africa… I can't believe we're here." He said to Brennan, watching Leedo get the bus' engine started.
"Mmm hmmm." She agreed, digging for something in her bag. She pulled out a tank top and shorts and put the bag back on the floor.
"Bones what are you doing?" he asked as she got out of her seat and walked to the seat in the back.
"Booth it's extremely hot on this bus and there's no way I'm sitting in these clothes for 15 hours. Therefore I am changing. I suggest you do the same." She said, ducking behind the seat and changing into the cooler attire.
Booth shrugged and unbuttoned his dress shirt, revealing a white muscle shirt which went nicely with his frayed jeans. "Haha no need, Bones, I dress in layers."
The bus purred to life and Leedo began driving off the gravel parking lot. The bus bounced around and Booth heard Brennan swear under her breath as she lost her balance. Finished changing, she got back up and stumbled back to her seat.
She glanced at Booth for the first time. Wow… she thought to herself, allowing her eyes to linger for just a few seconds too long at her partners' exposed upper body. She quickly chased all of these thoughts out of her mind and rolled up her other clothing and put it back in her bag.
Unbeknownst that Booth had had a similar reaction to her own appearance, she sat back in the seat and fought off the effects of jet lag.
"So why are you going to Effetis reserve? You not tourists?" Leedo asked, nearly having to shout over the loud engine.
"We're conducting a study, we'll be staying with the tribe for a while." Brennan responded, equally as loud.
"They are expecting you? Effetis don't like visitors."
"They know we're coming." Brennan answered.
"Why don't they like visitors?" Booth asked Leedo, although already anticipating his answer from the background check he had run on the area.
"There is dispute between Effetis and Melinou – they are the tribe beside Effetis. Melinou tortured one of Effetis tribe because they suspected theft. Now the tribes don't communicate – some think that civil war may eventually happen."
"See Bones? That's why I'm here." Booth said to Brennan, who had transfixed her attention to the scenery passing by them in the window. They were driving along a narrow road surrounded by lots of new and interesting trees. Branches scraped against the car, and Brennan could feel the heat of the sun diffusing through the windows.
The bus reached a clearing where there was a stone alcove which surrounded a number of people. One of them waved at Leedo and he pulled the bus over, "We just have to pick up more people. They are going to a stop before yours."
Booth peered out of the window to look at the people, and was surprised at the number of them. They looked like they all belonged to the same family. There were a number of children who were laughing and running around the alcove, and a few adults who were talking animatedly to one another and waiting for the bus doors to open.
Leedo greeted the new passengers and told to them to pick a seat in a language that neither Booth nor Brennan recognized. They looked quizzically at Booth and Brennan, but then gave them a friendly smile.
Most of the seats had been filled as the new passengers filtered on the bus, and Booth couldn't help but smirk when he saw a tiny girl of no more than 4 or 5 scamper up to Brennan's seat and hopped up beside her.
Brennan looked surprised at the little girl, "Hello" Brennan said with a tentative smile. The girl looked up at her with wide eyes and smiled, showing off her three white teeth. The tiny girl kneeled up in her seat and raised her hands and gently played with Brennan's hair.
Booth smiled widely at the sight, as did many of the other passengers. The little girl started to braid Brennan's hair, and giggled as she threw hair in Brennan's face. She continued to play with Brennan's hair as the bus continued its way down the narrow road.
Brennan was laughing at the child's playfulness and she quickly glanced over at Booth. They locked eyes for a few moments and grinned at each other. Booth was amazed at how at ease and carefree Brennan looked, she looked like she was truly having fun – something that Booth had wanted to witness for a long time.
The bus hopped its way down the road for another hour or so, and the little girl had long since finished playing with Brennan's hair and was now curled up asleep on her lap. Brennan, too, had fallen asleep against the window, holding on to the little girl so that she wouldn't tumble on to the floor. Booth looked over at the two of them and silently reached into his bag for his camera. He snapped a picture of them and then smiled to himself at how peaceful they looked.
The bus stopped again near a clearing and the adults started to gather their belongings. A friendly looking woman stopped at Brennan's seat and gently tapped the little girl on the shoulder, trying to wake her up. Brennan woke up at the movement, and quickly realized it was time for the little girl to get off the bus. Brennan smiled at the woman and gently raised the sleeping toddler into her mother's arms. The woman said something in a language Brennan did not understand, but nodded her head and watched the passengers step out into the sun one by one.
"You're a natural, you know." Booth said, sliding over to sit next to Brennan.
"What do you mean?" Brennan asked, knotting her eyebrows.
"That little girl loved you."
Brennan smiled and looked out the window to see the girl still asleep in the woman's arms. "She was very friendly, wasn't she?" she said.
Their conversation was interrupted as a man with three large crates ran up to the bus, yelling something. Booth was immediately on alert, and assessed the situation carefully as he listened as the two men talked for a moment before the man with the crates stumbled his way to the seat opposite Brennan's.
He plopped the crates down beside him and it was then that one of them started to move. Booth and Brennan looked at each other curiously.
The bus continued on its way, but suddenly hit a large pothole. The entire bus shuddered and Brennan was knocked into Booth's shoulder. All of a sudden, the pile of crates was knocked of the seat, and the wood splintered against the floor.
When Booth saw the tell-tale feathers, he whispered "Oh. My. God."
Brennan looked at him strangely and then peered over him to see what was of such interest on the floor. Her eyes widened as she saw three chickens flitting around – bawking at each other and rifling their feathers.
She stifled a laugh as the man bolted out of his seat and reached to grab one of the feathery demons. It jumped out from his reach and he quickly fell to the floor in a heap.
Booth was shouting at the man now, "Get the chickens! Get the freaking chickens!"
As if by fate, at that very moment one of the chicken fluttered up noisily on Brennan's lap. Both Booth and Brennan jumped at the sight of it and each let out their own string of curses. Leedo quickly pulled the bus over and joined in on the action.
Booth stood and grabbed the offending chicken by the back and raised it in the air, holding it tightly. "Where do I put it? Where?!" he yelled at the man who was also rounding up the other chickens.
The man yelled something and ran towards the open bus door with the other two chickens. He jumped off the bus and Booth put the animal on the ground beside him. The chickens were screaming like crazy and feathers flew around in the open air.
Once Booth had detached himself from the evil chicken, he jumped back on the bus and yelled at Leedo "No chickens."
Booth turned his head when he heard the tinkling of Brennan's laughter. She was crouched on the floor of the bus, picking up the pieces of wooden crate and tossing them out onto the side of the road.
"Afraid of poultry, Booth?"
I hope you liked the chapter! Please drop me a review and let me know what you think : ) This is so much fun!!
xoRosie