Nice job, Seel. As he left Bones' office, Booth was in the middle of congratulating himself on his smooth reaction to the situation that just occurred. Then it hit him. He had just kissed Bones. No way to play it off, no one blackmailing anyone, no way to pretend he didn't know what had just happened – he had taken an innocent gesture by her and turned it into something that could have a serious impact on their partnership. His pulse, which was just resuming its normal cadence, started pounding again. He had just kissed Bones. In her office. Not as a friend, or as a collegue, or even as (what was it she said?) a couple of French people meeting on the street. Shut up, Seel. You don't know how she took it – just act like nothing happened and see if she says anything.
Did that just happen? Brennan was somewhat stunned as she left her office to follow Booth, who was already nearing the lab's exit. "Hey, Dr. Brennan! The computer just printed the results of the tests on the additional materials in the clay and its likely origins, and I believe the clay came from the Pendingham Potteries, over near Mt. Olivet." Hodgins said, bringing her mind back to the case. "I think I know where that is. I'll let Booth know and we can follow up on it tomorrow." Brennan jogged out to catch up with Booth.
What should I do? Brennan tried to assess the situation. That definitely wasn't what she had intended – she had just wanted to express her appreciation to Booth for. . . what? Seeming possessive? She wasn't even sure that's what he had been doing. But he had undeniably kissed her back; or really, he had been the one to kiss her, since it was an accident that her lips had touched his. Wasn't it? Snap away from it, Tempe. You probably just read things wrong and he was just trying to make light of what turned into an awkward situation. Just act like nothing happened and see if he says anything.
"Hodgins found out where the clay was from, and I think that the presence of the clay on her clothes, combined with her injuries, indicates that she worked or had a hobby as a potter." "Sounds reasonable to me," Booth responded nonchalantly. He wasn't going to point out that her conclusion was a leap, because it was a good one, and he liked the fact that she was getting more comfortable with that sort of thing. "The Thai place is open late tonight. Sound okay to you?" She smiled. "Sounds perfect."
"So, Bones, does all of this mean that I am about to learn about yet another skillful pastime you enjoy?" They had gotten on the topic of pottery and ceramics in the car on the way to the restaurant, a subject that Brennan was, of course, thoroughly versed in. The woman had more hobbies than Booth had ties. Which Booth found impressive not just because she was able to maintain interest in and knowledge of and proficiency with so many different activities, but also because he had an entire wall of his closet devoted to his ties. The man was serious with this sort of thing. "No, Booth, I don't think I have the talent for pottery. I could probably shape functional pieces, but I think there is a very artistic element to it. Plus. . ." Brennan dropped her eyes to her pad thai, but had no control over the blush that colored her cheeks. "Plus what?" Booth asked with a roguish grin.
"You're going to laugh at me. And the last time I said that, you did, so no." Brennan really liked that this restaurant put bok choy in the pad thai – more nutritious, but still very well within her vegetarian diet. She told Booth so. "Don't try to change the subject. I promise I won't laugh, unless you tell me that you are afraid of a blob of clay attacking you or something ridiculous like that." "What if it was a clown-shaped blob of clay, would that be a ridiculous thing to be afraid of?" Brennan couldn't contain her rather unladylike snort at her own joke. Booth gave her a glare that was rendered ineffective by the twinkle in his eye. "Okay, okay. It's just that, well, I kind of associate molding clay with. . ." She paused again.
"What?" Booth asked, thoroughly in the dark as to where she was going. Brennan sighed, "come on, Booth, haven't you ever seen 'Ghost'?"
"Bones, did you just refer to a recent movie?" Booth hadn't yet taken the time to get where Brennan was headed, taken aback as he was by her reference of pop culture.
"Recent? It came out in 1990! I was 14, and it was my first date. Ever. I told my parents that Mitchell Thomas and I were going to go see some movie about crime-fighting turtles or something, and we went to that one instead. I had my first kiss to the pottery scene and 'Unchained Melody'."
"Wow, Bones, you lied to your parents? To be with a boy? Very rebellious." Granted, he didn't even think it was an R rated movie, and she probably confessed the moment she got home, but still, he liked the idea of a somewhat less restrained Bones sneaking into a movie theater to make out. He specifically willed himself not to think with me, and, as a result, failed miserably. "It's a good memory, except that Russ had followed me there with his girlfriend, and when Mitch kissed me, Russ threw a bucket of popcorn at the back of his head." She laughed easily at the memory. "Seriously, Bones, that's sweet." Booth didn't laugh – he did think it was sweet, though thinking back, that was actually a pretty hot scene. Instead of picturing the actors, though, when he thought about wet hands on clay and hot hands on flesh, he couldn't help but picture the face across from him. Come on, man. Simmer down. She's only talking about this because it relates, in her mind, to a case.
"I've seen the movie a couple of times since then, and the scene is actually very arousing." Booth had to cough a few times when his mouthful of glass noodles went down the wrong pipe. "What, Booth? It is! Now, whenever I think of a wet clay body on a potter's wheel, I can't help but see that scene and think of the sensuality of it – the way their hands slipped. . ." "Yeah, Bones, I get it." Booth interjected, trying to regain control over the conversation. She cannot possibly realize the effect hearing those words come out of her mouth has on me. Good God, the woman is cruel sometimes. And of course, now he was thinking back to earlier, and how he wished he had 'slipped' his tongue. . .
"Sorry, I made you uncomfortable, didn't I?" Brennan interrupted his thoughts. I wish I could control that better - I'd rather what I said turned him on than made him uncomfortable. She mentally shook herself. Enough with that! He accidentally kisses you for a second and you can't keep your mind on the matter at hand? Unprofessional, Tempe. Like he said, you're the one who has been throwing yourself at him, even if it hasn't been entirely intentional. Maybe it is time to take a step back and behave like a decent partner again. Booth saw that she was probably overthinking their recent exchange. "No, I just understand what you meant." Alright, two can play at this game - let's see how she responds to a little more personal information on the subject of what makes for an 'arousing' scene.
Thanks so much for all the encouraging reviews so far! (Shadow12, please excuse my theft of your expressive "unladylike snort," it just fit the scene!) I'm not as satisfied with this chapter, but I think I have an idea of where I want the story to go now; full-on mystery with some unmitigated B&B romance that the show keeps us in suspense of. (We can take it, we swear!) Hopefully I can keep you guessing and interested until the end. I'm happy when you're happy, so let me know if you have critiques or suggestions or if you like it as it is; I appreciate it all!