Heeeeeeeey! So we've sorta been…procrastinators this past week :,( Last night I spent the night at E's house and stayed up with her till 4 in the morning writing this story! And, we didn't finish till just now…why you ask? Cause we're easily distracted by facebook and youtube heh heh. Anyway just so you know there's a one shot up as well, its called "Military Wake-up Call" so check it out! :D
Disclaimer: We do not own Bones :(
Enjoy!
Fork in the Road
Life's moments are sometimes describe as a 'fork in the road'; sometimes it's a decision between two loves, or two jobs, or maybe choosing between college and the military. Either way, left or right in the road, your life wouldn't end up the same if it went in the other direction; it would be forever altered.
But in this case, it was a decision between Chinese food and Thai Food. The black SUV drove down the street toward an intersection and stopped at the red light. The fork in the road decision being turn left for Chinese, or turn right for Thai.
Booth sat staring at the red light thinking about how eating Chinese at home by himself would be compared to taking a risk and surprising Brennan at her apartment with Thai. Booth bit his lip, lightly taping the steering wheel with his fingers as he half-listened to the faint radio and half-thinking things over in his mind. Maybe she didn't want him there; after all she seemed pretty tense and upset after what happened between them in the office.
The stoplight wouldn't be red for much longer. He needed to decide.
Biting his lower lip he thought, "She'll probably be sleeping anyway, there's no need to bug her especially if she doesn't even want to see me." Images of what happened in the bathroom nearly two hours before rushed through his head. Booth sighed, "No, I won't go. That's final, I absolutely will not go."
Thirty minutes later Booth stood in front of Brennan's door, knocking with one hand and holding a bag of Thai food in the other. The moments that went by after he knocked seemed to drag on for years and years. His palms began to sweat and his mind began to race through scenarios of things that could go wrong.
Brennan opened the door quickly, her hair wet and her clothes dampened from her wet body. Booth blinked, "Uh…I brought some dinner." Brennan's expression went from surprised to annoyed, "I was in the shower, Booth. I thought you said for me to go home and rest. You didn't mention you would be stopping by."
Booth shook the image away; that scenario was a bad idea because now he was thinking of Brennan taking a- gah! The door finally opened, and Booth quickly pulled himself together. The scientist poked her head out of the door and, instead of looking annoyed, she smiled at her partner before opening the door all the way. "Hey Bones. I, uh," he held up the bag of food, "hope you don't mind me stopping by. I mean, I know I didn't call or anything…"
Shaking her head she said, "No no it is a nice surprise. I haven't eaten yet so thank you." With that, she stood aside and let Booth into her spacious and cozy place. Once he was in, Booth suddenly felt relaxed; he wasn't nervous like he had been on the ride there or even outside the door. As soon as he was inside, it was like old times when he was always at her place and she was always at his.
Setting the food down on the coffee table, he fell into the couch, "Well ya know, I just remembered how much you like Thai food and I wanted to make sure you eat something." Brennan grabbed two plates and silverware from her kitchen before she sat beside him and began taking the food out of the bag as she said, "Why do you always want to make sure I eat?" Booth shrugged, "You just work so hard and sometimes if I'm working real hard I forget to eat so-" she turned to him, "So you're saying I should make sure you eat as well?" Shaking his head Booth sat up, "No Bones. You don't gotta worry about me. All I'm saying is that I get how eating can slip a person's mind if they're working real hard, so I'm just making sure that you don't forget. That's all." Brennan nodded; she watched the food slide from her fork and onto the plates as she distributed the food between them.
After a moment she said, "Why do you do that?" Booth looked confused, "I just told you why…" she shook her head, "No, I mean…" her eyes never left the plates as she said, "Why do you always say 'don't worry about me' but continue to worry about…well me? Don't you care about yourself?" Brennan held his filled plate out to him while looking into his eyes with her questioning, caring, soft blue-gray ones.
"Well no I just…" he took the plate, his brown pools melting to her eyes feeling like she was looking into his soul. "I just care about you a little more, that's all." An odd feeling churned in Brennan's stomach when she thought about what he said, looking down at her plate as she twisted some noodles around her chop sticks. Booth looked at his plate also, thinking he had made things awkward with his comment.
"You're lying" she said at last, making Booth stop in mid chew, "What?" came the mouthful reply. Her eyes were still fixated on the steaming food, "I am not lying." Booth said sincerely after swallowing, "I do care about you and-" She shook her head, interrupting, "No, I mean…when you said 'I care about you a little more' you lied, it's not a little, Booth. It's a lot."
Brennan received one of her very favorite smiles from Booth just then as he nodded, "Alright….I admit," he shrugged, "I lied." She laughed and finally took her first bite, savoring the warm food as she ate, and every once in a while she exchanged a smiling glance with her busy eating partner.
The glass plate made a light clinking sound as Booth set his plate on the coffee table before leaning back into the cushions of the couch with a satisfied smile on his face. Brennan, who had also just finished, set her plate down beside his as Booth mused, "Man those egg rolls were really good!" Brennan nodded her head in agreement and said, "Yes, but I rather enjoyed their fried tofu today."
Booth cocked back his head and laughed. He said between chuckles, "You would, Bones. That's why I got it. Just for you."
Brennan tilted her head to the side and furrowed her brow. "What is that supposed to mean. 'You would'? Well, yes. I would like fried tofu… I always like their fried tof-"
Booth cut Brennan off, "That's not what I mean. I mean, you like all those health-nutty foods that no one else likes. Your cupboards are filled with bunny food." Brennan grabbed the two empty plates that were sitting on the table and stood up. "I most certainly do not keep pellets and grass in my cupboards," she stated in her logical tone of voice that she used when correcting Booth as she stalked off to the kitchen.
Booth rolled his eyes and scooted closer to the arm of the chair, leaned over it and tilted his head to look at Brennan upside down in a childish sort of way. Rinsing off the dishes Brennan glanced at the couch and smiled crookedly when she saw Booth.
"What are you doing? You're going to hurt your back again," she warned only to receive an even more childish smile from her partner. "Then you can use your magical bone knowledge to fix my back like you did last time," he stated before sticking his tongue out at her. He grinned when he heard Brennan giggle before he sat back up properly; he was glad that she couldn't see his slight wince.
Drying off her hands Brennan walked back over to the couch with her dish towel in hand. Smiling at her partner who was leaning back into the cushions and rubbing his head tiredly, she frowned when she noticed and remembered the gash on his cheek.
Booth blinked when he saw her staring at him, "Bones?" Setting her towel down she sighed, "Booth your wound is exposed! Why didn't you bandage it?" As she hurried into the next room Booth's voice echoed through the apartment, "I'm fine Bones, geez it's just a flesh wound I've had WAY worse…"
Brennan hurried back into the living room carrying the biggest first aid kit Booth had ever seen. Widening his eyes Booth shook his head, "Bones I didn't get my arm cut off! It's a little cut geez where'd you get that thing? The lab?" Making a face Brennan sat on the coffee table across from Booth as she set the large white box on her lap. "You can never be to careful Booth," she said simply as she removed anti-biotic spray, Neosporin, cotton balls, a white square piece of gauze that would fit over his cut perfectly and tape to hold the gauze in place.
Booth stood when he saw the Neosporin and anti-biotic spray. "Whoa, whoa, Bones. This is really not necessary," he said quickly, trying to move away from his seat before his partner grabbed his hand. "Booth please? You did say earlier that I could dress your wound properly," Brennan pouted. "But…"
Brennan wouldn't let Booth protest anymore as she yanked on his hand to make him sit back down. "Fiiiiine… but you know I'm okay, right Bones?" he said with a reassuring tone in his voice. Brennan sighed and rolled her eyes as she pressed the alcohol covered cotton ball to his wound without hesitation. Booth yelped as the alcohol stung his cut and made it burn in pain, he leaned back into the couch cushions to get as far from the cotton ball as possible.
Brennan smiled crookedly, "If it was as 'fine' as you say, then it wouldn't hurt so much would it?" Booth narrowed his eyes in an irritated yet fearful way, "Its alcohol on an open wound, Bones! It would hurt no matter what!" Despite his pain, Booth couldn't help but smile at the sound of her sweet laugh.
"Booth, come back here so I can finish cleaning your wound…" Brennan said softly leaning forward slightly causing her partner to lean farther back, pushing his back into the cushions as he shook his head in a childish way. "Nu-uh." Laughing lightly she shook her head, "Don't make me come over there…" her voice was low, almost lustful. Booth's face reddened a little as he simply stuck his tongue out at her and continued to try and lean farther back.
By now Booth could feel the wood of the couch pushing against his spine, though he didn't even notice as he watched his lovely partner get closer…and closer…and closer. She lightly dabbed the cotton ball against his cheek and smiled, "What? It doesn't hurt anymore?" Booth was so mesmerized by her blue-gray eyes that he couldn't move. His breath was held, his face was red, and he didn't even notice she was cleaning his wound.
"Bones…" his voice came out as barely a whisper; she smiled and leaned back to her original spot as Booth let out his held breath. Brennan leaned in once more when she had the gauze and tape ready. The room temperature felt like it had risen to 100 degrees and there was so much pressure that it felt like the small space between them would erupt like a volcano.
Smoothing the tape over his soft cheek Brennan could feel Booth's warm breath against her hand. Their eyes looked into each others, both losing themselves in the deepness of the emotions apparent within their pools of soft brown and glowing blue-gray. Déjà vu wasn't really the correct term for what the two partners were feeling now, because they both knew that they were feeling exactly what they had felt in the office the day before.
The gravitational force between them pulled the two other closer and closer, the heat was increasing, and the overpowering battle of heart vs. brain raged within them. Brennan's hands slid down his cheeks, over his jaw, down his neck and rested on his broad shoulders. "Bones…" Booth whispered before their lips met in another electrifying moment.
One small kiss and then Brennan pulled away slightly so she could look into Booth's eyes once more. After watching each other's flustered face, a mutual understand passed between them and the kissing started all over again. Lips moved in unison, tongues slid along each other, Booth's hands wrapped around her and slid down her back making her shiver again, Brennan's slender hands glided along his shoulders and down his muscled chest.
Before Brennan knew it she found her self straddling Booth on the couch, her lips moving over the soft skin on his neck while Booth's hands slid the gray cardigan off her shoulders, exposing her white t-shirt. Brennan's mind reeled; the information that usually ran through her mind smoothly was flickering in and out like a florescent lightbulb. \ What am I doing? What is going on here? How could I be doing this? This is not the rational thing to be doing! He's my partner! We work together so it isn't ideal to be doing such things with one you work with.
Her heart pumped and her mind spun uncontrollably, her hands now had Booth's jacket off and were sliding curiously along the bottom of his black t-shirt making the man below her gasp. Angela did say to follow my heart. But this is all so fast…I don't know…I don't know…I need…I need… Warm fingers glided along the soft skin of the small of her back, the contact leaving tingles in their wake but also snapping Brennan's hazy spinning mind into place.
An audible gasp escaped her and Brennan pulled away from her partner and quickly got off of him. Booth blinked as if trying to regain where he was and what was going on; his face was flustered and his clothes were wrinkled. His eyes finally landed on his partner who was simply watching him now from the other side of the coffee table.
"Um…" was all he could think of to say as he slowly regained his composure. They watched each other for another moment.
I just… Brennan began to think, I need…some time to think. With that thought the scientist looked away and said in a low voice, "I think you should leave…" Booth's eyes turned sad, then worried before he quickly pulled himself together to hide the emotions for her benefit.
Standing, he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. All the while, Brennan never looked at him; she just kept staring at the wall. Slipping through the door, Booth looked back at the frozen woman. He looked down and muttered, "I'll call you later Bones…" before the door closed behind him leaving Brennan in the silence of her apartment with her thoughts jumbled and her body cold without him.
Walking down the hall buzzing with FBI agents, the tense scientist and young psychologist headed towards the interrogation room. As Brennan tried to keep her mind focused on the case she was briefing Sweets about the interrogation that was going to be taking place.
"So this Asher Morrison guy attacked Agent Booth?" Sweets asked with obvious confusion and a little irritation in his voice since he hadn't been informed of this fact at all. Brennan corrected, "Well actually it was Asher's two body guards who attacked him and one of the two hit him with a wrench in the face. But technically it was Asher Morrison who told them to do it." After saying the last part, Brennan looked over to Sweets, curious to see his reaction of what she just told him.
Sweets' eyes doubled in size and it as if his eyebrows would nearly reach his hairline. He hesitated before finally saying, "W-what… did he do to them?" Brennan raised one of her eyebrows and found the fact that Sweets was wincing humorously.
"He arrested them," she said quite simply. Sweets nodded in understanding and replied with, "Oh."
When they both reached the door to the one-way mirror room, Sweets grabbed the handle and opened the door handle, holding the door open for Brennan. Walking through the door frame Brennan said after a sigh, "You know I can hold the door open myself, Sweets." Walking into the dimply lit room, Sweets joined Brennan. Sweets held his hands up in defense and said, "Whoa, Dr. Brennan. You seem to be a little on the tense side. Would you like to discuss with me what's going on in your life right now while we wait for the interrogation to begin?"
Brennan looked over her shoulder to Sweets, away from the window, and said straightforwardly, "No." Sweets waved his hands in defense at Brennan even after she had turned back around to face the window.
Brennan was staring intently at the man sitting on one side of the table that had dared challenge her strong… brave… handsome…FBI agent partner. Her face turned slightly red and at that moment she was glad the room was so dark, that way Sweets couldn't pick at her.
Stepping forward and closer to the glass one way mirror Brennan mumbled to herself, "I can only imagine what Booth is going to do to this man…especially in the mood he may be in today…" She remembered how this morning the two didn't have their usual breakfast together. In fact, neither of them had talked or seen each other at all today.
Sweets glanced at Brennan, knowing she probably didn't think he was listening, and even though he REALLY wanted to ask, Sweets kept his mouth shut for the time being. To her relief and dismay at the same time the door into the interrogation room opened and in stepped a very tired and surprisingly calm Booth. Sweets couldn't help but notice how Brennan's back became erect when she saw Booth.
Booth's eyes landed immediately on Asher Morrison. Asher Morrison had this smug, cocky look on his face that Booth just wanted to punch right off, but he knew Brennan was watching. He didn't want to show to her that last night had fazed him; he didn't want her to think that her wanting him to leave changed his opinion of her. It didn't. He also knew that Sweets was watching, and he didn't want the kid picking at him for what was wrong; he was in a bad mood already as it was. So, Booth did what he always did, he swallowed his emotions and pressed forward as calmly as possible.
Dropping the yellow folder on the table Booth pulled the chair and sat with a flop. He gave Asher a look that said, "No funny business," as he watched Asher's eyes flash to the bandage on Booth's cheek and down to his hands on the cool table. "Alright… you said you got an alibi… so lets here it, and it better be a damn good one…" Booth said in a low voice.
Asher leaned back, putting on a brave face despite the tense atmosphere and fear that this FBI agent would lunge at him the way he had at the BMX track. "I was at a promotional BMX event in Oxnard…California. That's not near DC, in case you weren't aware," the smug BMX rider said, turning his expression away from his interrogator. Booth narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Brennan leaned forward, she was sure that she would have to run in and break up a fight here soon. Sweets glanced at Brennan, never letting her actions go unnoticed; he too was ready for something to happen, for Booth to snap.
Booth let out his breath and leaned forward. He knew what Asher was trying to do and Booth couldn't lay a hand on him unless it was in self defense much like the self defense he used at the BMX track. "I am aware," he said controlling his anger. "Is there anyone who can verify this?"
Asher's eyes flashed, his plan wasn't failing, was it? "My manager and those two guys who…you saw with me yesterday….about a DOZEN or so fans, the other BMX riders there…I also gave out about a million autographs if you need cold hard evidence, oh and there were security cameras everywhere so you might wanna check those in case you don't believe me." The young man leaned back giving the FBI agent another smug smile.
"Oh we will…" Booth stood up snatching the folder off the table, "You can rest assure that we'll look into ALL that, and if anything doesn't check out, I got you for murder."
Asher's expression became annoyed, at both a lack of violent reaction from Booth and from Booth's lack of confidence in his bulletproof alibi. The young man got ready to stand as he said, "So I can go now?" Booth flashed him a dark smile, "Oh, no way. I still got you and your goons on assaulting a federal agent charges, in case you weren't aware," Booth said giving Asher a deadly look and with that he left, closing the door roughly behind him. Asher flopped back into his chair as he heaved a frustrated sigh.
Brennan watched the whole thing with wide eyes, amazed at how calm and collected Booth had composed himself. Despite the fact that she knew Sweets had been watching and observing her the whole time, Brennan still couldn't help but allow an extremely worried expression overcome her features.
As soon as Booth closed the door behind him, Brennan and Sweets exchanged a glance and hurried out the door and into the hall. But as soon as they did they both looked toward the direction of the door to catch a glimpse of Booth, but the FBI agent was already gone. "That was fast…" Sweets muttered as Brennan's expression became even more worried. She took two steps forward in the direction she knew Booth had gone, when her phone began to ring in her pocket.
"Brennan…" she said in a tired tone as she ignored Sweets' worried glance from her to the hall empty of Booth. "Dr. Brennan, it's Hodgins. I found something interesting on the pelvis" Brennan nodded, "I assume you've already found what it is?"
"Yes, I ran it through the scanner and found it to be a part of a sticker. I gave it to Angela and she was able to not only figure out what the sticker was, but where it was from." Brennan bit her lower lip, she was already anticipating what the sticker was from, perhaps this discovery would cheer Booth up a little.
"Apparently our victim is known for having a distinctive sticker on the down tube of the frame of the bike." Brennan tried to remember the pictures she's seen of Blake Hutton and his bike. "So if we find a down tube with this sticker on it, then we may be able to get some DNA," she began, her mind already spinning with possibilities. "BMX bike garages typically have some sort of bin that contains spare parts for whenever they need it," Hodgins said, excited that he had found something worth while.
"I'll let Booth know. And you and the forensics team meet us at the BMX track," Brennan ordered before hanging up quickly and looking to Sweets.
"Would you mind calling Booth and letting him know that we need a warrant to search the BMX track?" Sweets blinked, "But…why can't you do it?" he inquired giving her a suspicious look. Brennan's eyes flashed making Sweets take a step back. "Because I need to arrive when the forensic team does, to ensure they don't compromise any evidence," she said simply before walking off, ignoring as Sweets called, "But…Hodgins will be there and…Dr. Brennan?" She was already gone.
Ok so just so you know, E is queen of the lab because of something that happened earlier this week! One day while I was driving E to my house so we could work on the story, E and I said a quote from a movie at the same time and laughed. But for the LIFE OF US we couldn't remember what movie it was from! For TWO WEEKS (no lie) we'd been trying to figure out what movie it was. Suddenly both of us got the idea that the quote came from Emperor's New Groove! Excitedly E brought the DVD over to my house and we watched it intently looking for our quote. BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED! So once again we continued on wondering what movie it was. IT BUGGED THE FREAKIN CRAP OUT OF US. But earlier this week E suddenly had an epiphany of what it was! When we looked "The Road to El Dorado" up on Youtube sure enough we saw it! "YAY WE'RE NOT CRAZY!" we both shouted excitedly.
So in conclusion E is queen of the lab for like the rest of our lives, so in your review (PLEASE REVIEW!) You should tell E good job. Thanks for reading Chapter 4 we hope you enjoyed it! Look forward to more next week!
