Chapter 4 - The Challenges
Brennan was fiddling absently with the corner of her list, folded neatly in her lap as she sat in the passenger seat of Booth's SUV. He had made her promise not to look at it until they could both read it over together, and while she found this frustratingly counterproductive, she had agreed to wait until they got to the diner before she opened it. She tried to stop herself from speculating as to what Sweets had written, but the the uncomfortable curiosity that came from idle anticipation was impossible to avoid.
The steadily approaching lights of the Liberty Diner made her nerves tingle distractingly, and her gaze shifted automatically to her partner. His hand was draped nonchalantly over the steering wheel in a manner that oozed relaxtation, but she could tell by his clenched jaw and wandering eyes that he was anything but relaxed. Still, she had no idea whether his discomfort was because of the list tucked haphazardly into his belt, or just because he hated silence.
She reached out and taped his shoulder. "Hey Booth..."
"Yeah, Bones."
"What did Sweets mean when he said he was going to pass a verdict on our partnership?"
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I - I don't know, Bones, I haven't really thought about it."
Liar.
She looked down at the list thoughtfuly.
"Booth, I think we have to do what he says."
He chuckled. "Yeah, well, Bones, I don't think we have much of a choice on this one."
She rolled her eyes. "You know that's not what I mean, Booth. I'm just saying that I think it's important that we - I just don't want them to spilt us up."
Booth turned to her, his grin melting. "Hey, Bones, you know that's not going to happen."
She looked away. "I just think whatever's on that list, we have to take it seriously, that's all."
He grinned again. "Hey, I'm always serious."
She couldn't supress a gentle smile "You're being sarcastic."
"No, I'm never sarcastic."
"Sarcasm isn't being serious."
He laughed lightly, and then turned to look at her earnestly.
"Look, Bones, when it comes to our partnership, I'm all in."
She nodded slowly. "I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I think I'm all in too."
"Okay," he pulled the keys out of the ignition and smiled over at her. "Now grab your list and let's go. I'm dying for some coffee, and there's a piece of cherry pie in there with my name on it."
"Booth, your getting pie all over your list."
He looked up distractedly. "That's alright, I'll just make a copy of yours."
She held her own list closer for examination. "You know, this is actually very well formatted. Sweets has made 4 main categories based on our living arrangements for the week, plus a series of sub-categories under each illustrating the tasks we'll have to perform during each."
"Yeah, well, we already knew the kid was a nerd. That's basically the only part of this whole thing that wasn't a surprise."
He looked down at his own copy.
Case Study 108
Week One: Furnish appartment designated by the FBI
- Plan, prepare and eat all meals together
- Go shopping for livingroom furniature and decorations
- Paint the guest bedroom the color of your choice
- Program chanels for the television
- Move some of your own possessions into house
Week Two: Move in together
- Organize sleeping arrangements
- Organize transportation with FBI-issued vehicle
- Invite mutual friends over for dinner
- Invite Parker over for the week-end
- Take turns organizing a group activity for each night
Week Three: Road trip to Agent Stanfield's wedding
- Navigate your way to location of ceremony
- Spend at least two nights in a one-bedroom hotel room
- Go out for dinner somewhere fancy
- Buy clothing and a wedding gift for Agent Stanfield
- Go together to Agent Stanfield's wedding and reception
Booth's mind was bombarded by a steady stream of questions, but he was gripped by a strange sort of nervous excitement that made it impossible to voice any of them. He smiled at his partner, who was sporting a similarily dazed expression, before returning his attention to his pie to hide his grin.
All in.
A/N: If anyone has any ideas/ modifications for the list, it's not too late.. let me know before I start the next chapter if it seems to be going in the right direction.
