A/N: ARE YOU GUYS STILL THERE? LOL
I am extremely sorry for my lateness. I assure you that I intend on finishing this story. I had a few health issues myself, and I really didn't feel like writing. Not completely out of just yet…but will be soon, I hope! But here I am updating with another chapter. I hope is not boring for you guys. I am not sure about it. It's a little long I am trying to recuperate the rhythm of the story.
I hope you like it!
So…here goes nothing!
4 days to go the gala
The pink panther! That's the name of the character, that she had been trying to remember, after the disappearing act last night.
She had send a message to Angela explaining that she felt tired from the hard day, (which was not a complete lie) and that she was on her way home planning a quiet evening.
Angela had send a text back telling her that it was ok, and to rest.
And rest she did. She had taken a hot bath, with the notes of Nina Simone's voice in the background, and then she had gone to bed. As soon as her head had hit the pillow she was gone into Morpheus's world.
The next morning, like always she had woken up, taken a shower, got dressed, and then started drinking her coffee.
And she started thinking about yesterday night.
So… she had taken the easy way out, what of it? Was it written somewhere that she had to be always the strong one? Even her body was rebelling to the notion! Yes, because this morning, her blood pressure was still a little too high, for her liking. And she had relaxed dam-nit, but it seemed that the more she willed herself to relax, the more anxious she became.
It was a vicious circle. Would she have to take medication for the rest of her life?! Absolutely not! She totally refused the notion. She never got sick!
And why were Booth and Hannah there? He couldn't be that idiotic, right? Yes, she had excepted Angela 's invitation, knowing very well that they were invited too. And she had prepared for it, but what she hadn't prepared for was the ambush that she witnessed yesterday…
The problem was that if the say "out of sight, out of mind", had worked wonders for Booth's crush on her, it wasn't working wonders on her. He had come and talk to her about dinner and she had almost given up.
Embrace the love and the suffering … and maybe that's what a stronger person would have done, but she didn't feel strong; she felt on the brick of falling and she was holding on every lifeline that was on her sight. even if that lifeline was pride and a escaping Egyptian vase.
If yesterday morning, she had felt confident about her day, today she was anything but. She could feel it in her bones (the irony isn't at all lost on her). This would be a bad day from the get go.
She had arrived at the lab early. Cam still wasn't here, and that meant that none of her team would be in for at least another hour. So she made her way towards the Egyptian room to check on a last minute details.
Box and crates had been organized and attached to them was a numeric code correspondent the content so that when the exhibit would be over the interns and herself wouldn't have trouble finding the rightful box to put that particular object in.
The antique desk in the middle of the room had been neatly organized. Only one offending piece of paper sat in the middle of it.
She looked at it and suddenly remembered the bed. She had forgotten about the bed. Damn Booth!
Ok, now she could feel her pulse raising. She had to sit down before she embarrassed herself passing out. She remembered what Meghan had told her: relax! So she took a deep breath and then two until her pulse did go back to normal.
Then she raised from the chair, she took her the digital key card and made her way outside the Egyptian room, towards the basement. And before pitting the card in the console, she remembered the stain, so she took a beeline towards the platform and took the necessary material to collect a sample. Whoever was responsible was in a lot, lot of trouble.
She went down the stairs rather quickly towards the bed. The hours of work that this original piece had cost her!
She took a sample and then proceeded upstairs: she would be performing the analysis herself!
She had escaped! Angela found herself laughing out loud, about the yesterday night act.
Obviously she and Booth had come to a sort of understanding, but Angela knew better. Not that she actually knew all the details but she could imagine what had transpired. And it was obvious that her best friend wasn't coping as well as she wanted them to believe.
After giving up on Brennan to came out of the office, she and all the group had gone into her office to actually invite her to dinner, but when they had gone in, she was nowhere to be found. And almost five minutes later, Angela received a text from Bren, telling her that she was on her way home, and that she was tired. Cam had pointed out that she couldn't have exited the lab from the entrance, she hadn't seen her...maybe she was just tired herself...but Angela of course knew better!
At dinner conversation was strained at best. Because if the morning after she was kind of laughing about it, the night before Angela felt hormones surging and protesting against this blonde woman who had come into their life changing everything.
Of course this morning she had talked to Jack about it. He had advised her not to say anything, it was NOT her business, and despite the fact that Temperance was her best friend, she was also an adult and didn't need protection from Hannah!
Of course if only has she listened to her husband...
Seely Booth special agent of the FBI, former ranger, was still shocked at the disappearing act that Bones had done the night before. He should have been able to spot her for god sake. He knew that she saw him and Hannah at the main entrance. He almost could feel her...but nowhere to be seen. He was trained for those kinda things...he should know when and where. Maybe he was getting a little too comfortable for his skills, or maybe she had learned things that he couldn't imagine her knowing.
Hannah on the other hand had seemed unfazed by Bones absence...she was conversing, like nothing was wrong.
He was very much aware of Angela's feelings...he didn't nees her to speak them out loud. It was written all over her face. He meant to talk to her about it...he couldn't let Angela ruin this new, albeit weird status quo.
Temperance Brennan, was staring at her pc screen. She couldn't believe what she was reading. Her best friend and hers fornicating husband at used that bed, and in the process damaged a invaluable comforter for a quickie...what the hell did they have offices for?
She took a deep breath, trying to remain calm...reminding herself that Angela was pregnant, and she could not yell at her...but she could, by all means yell at Hodgins...
and she still couldn't believe it! She almost got arrested for bring that damn bed to the States. Damn Egyptian law, and misogynist men. Doctor or not, they were just dumb... and now her best friend...ugh! she took another deep breathe, and suddenly a feeling of nausea had came over her. She was feeling dizzy, and her vision suddenly blurred for a few seconds. She stood up from her chair, refusing to throw up all over her desk. With a hand on her mouth and the other leaning over the various piece of furniture, she had made her way to her private bathroom... and there it was her breakfast.
She went over the sink, splashing ice cold water on her face. She looked in the mirror, and she recognized only a ghost of herself. She had to take that measurement now!
She very slowly made her way towards her desk, she took out the contraception and the shit of paper, that Meghan had given her. 158 over 96..this was not happening! Not now!. she took the phone in her trembling hands, and she called Meghan at home...she explained the situation over the phone as best as she could, in return Meghan told her to stay put, and to hold on, that she would come over to pick her up immediately.
This was not happening…this was not happening. In her lab, where everyone could have walked in! she put her head between her legs, tryng to take deep breaths to slow her pulse rate. But the more she tried, the worse she felt.
She didn't even realize that someone had arrived until Meghan began calling her name. she held up her head and realized that the vertigo feeling had partially gone.
"Temperance? Temperance? Do you hear me" Meghan took out the pen light and proceeded to point it on Brennan's eyes "reflex seems to be normal" she stated. "did you take a measurement?"
" ah…"
"Temperance? Did you take a measurement?"
" yes…" and then proceeded to point her finger to the still visible number on the machine.
"ok, let's get you on the couch!" Meghan helped Temperance stand up, and walk to the couch. "do you still feel dizzy? Nauseous?"
" ah…a little bit of both..now I feel better!"
" ok let's see where you are at now…" she took another measurement " mh, it's going down, you are 133 over 71, a little too high for my taste…"
" a little too high for my taste too!" exclaimed Brennan
" it's normalizing now...what happened?"
"I don't know..I was… I was looking at...Angela had sex on Cleopatra's bed!"
"What?"
"Yes, do you have any idea how much that bed cost me in terms of work?!"
"ok, let's skip over the ew, you are getting upset again and you pulse is rising see? Calm down..." "but…"
"Listen to me, you have to calm down…this is good, now I am pretty sure this is stress...anyway I want to keep an eye on you this morning, you are coming with me!"
"No I can't I have to work…!
" I am sure that they can run this place for a couple of hours by themselves…what could happen?"
" you have no idea, I…"
" Temperance I am not asking you, I am telling you! I have been your doctor for far too long for you to pull that face on me... you are coming with me! Come on"
"but….how do I justify my absence with Cam?"
"leave a message.".
"but the bed! I can't leave now!"
" you ARE living now! Come on!" And with that Temperance returned to her desk, a little wobbly, turned off her pc, and huffed. Following her friend, she stopped at came office and quickly wrote a note on cam's desk, that she would be in the afternoon...the something that she had to take care of had come up...
When Cam walked into her office that morning she had found the message. Something was going on but she couldn't really pinpoint on what. And it wasn't about Booth either. So, with a sprint on her step, and her high heels clicking on the lab's marble floor, she made her way towards the good doctor's office.
Going over her desk found she found the portable blood pressure measurer and the shit of paper...high blood pressure and Brennan? it meant only one thing. Compartmentalizing was a lot more dangerous this time around for the good doctor...
Looking around and not seeing anybody, she put everything in one of the closable drawer on Brennan's desk. She didn't need for her best friend and any other person to pressure her into talking. She closed the drawer and put the key on her central drawer where other keys had found residence over Brennan stay at the Jeffersonian..
With that she walked out closing the lights and the door.
Back at her desk she send a text message to Brennan not to worry.
When Angela and Hodgins entered the lab, the first thing they saw was that Brennan was not in yet.
Maybe it was the hormones, but panic took over Angela's mind.
She had gone into cam's office to ask her about it. Cam had said that nothing was wrong and that Brennan was simply running an errand. Of course Angela didn't believe it.
By the time she made it back to her office her hormones had gone crazy! So she started pacing!
When she entered her own office her hormones had officially gone crazy.
"Angie would you calm down? This isn't good for the baby…! Hodgins troed to calm her down but her pacing was making him feel dizzy. Of course he was aware something was going on. He wasn't stupid. However he had every reason to believe that whatever it was, Brennan would be on it. But convincing his wife of this little fact, was a tad more difficult to do.
"she's not here, Jack. She's not running an errand...she usually sends an intern for it..."
"Angie..."
"I tell you, something is wrong!"
"ok..but"
"you know whose fault is it?"
"well"
"Hannah! "
"what…" oh boy here we go, thought Hodgins
"and Booth! The Jerk!" and we are off!
"Angie…"
"how dare he…"
"Angie…"
"take her here in Brennan's lab!"
"it's the Jeffersonian! It's not Brennan's lab…if nothing else for all the money I gave them, it's my, our lab!"
"don't be cute with me, Jack, I am not in the mood for it! You know perfectly well what I mean!"
"...fine...I understand what you mean, but you got to remember that Cam said she would came back this afternoon…"
"fine...I'll talk to her then!" Angela said resolutely.
"Angie, honey, just don't be too harsh, or pressure her. I am aware that dr. B is going through something, but maybe she's not ready to talk about it. And remember she will talk when she is ready to. Everything will be fine, you'll see!" he said giving her a peck on the lips and walking out of his wife's office.
Angela looked at him walking out and went to the phone.
Brennan's home phone had gone the answering machine and so it did her cell.
Her next call, might either give her the most forever loving hug, or get her the first scowling look, for her best friend.
"Ok, everything seems to be fine now...you vitals are good...everything seems to be normal now. Do you still feel dizzy?" asked Meghan while looking at her charts.
"no I am fine now, like nothing ever happened…" said Brennan in wonder. That was stupid she thought.
" I think that 99% is all stress!"
" that's not rational, it never happened to me before!"
" studies have demonstrated that a certain level of stress can cause high blood pressure! I am fairly certain that it's a temporary condition! You are obviously stressed about this gala of yours, and…well everything else! You just have to deal with it, calmly! maybe this time compartmentalizing, is not the way to go!"
"but…"
"I know you! When something upsetting happens, you take it, you rationalize it, and then you buried it! And then you get stressed about it! your body is trying to tell you, that maybe it's time to stop and...smell the roses! Because you are not in the stroke department, but if you continue like this you are going to have an heart attack!"
"all because…"
"stress it's a powerful thing...I know you are busy with the gala, but afterwards, if nothing vital is in for you to work on, go somewhere where there are no bodies, no law enforcement people bothering you, no Angela nagging to know what is going on and just…relax!"
"you think so? that will be sufficient?"
"yeah, continue tough to monitor yourself...you did good in calling me this morning! And if you decide to go somewhere, please let me know, I want to see you again before you go out of town. And if anything else comes up, please do not hesitate to call me"
" ok, I'll do that! Thanks for everything! I don't…"
" see what I mean, you are already warring about it! STOP WORRING! I told you no problem!"
"Very well then! Thanks again…" and with that Brennan exited her doctor's office.
Taking a taxy, outside the office she looked at her cell phone to check if there were any messages. If obnly Meghan could see, she thought, she would send Brennan living on a desert island, doctors order, to relieve the amount of stress that she was sure was going to hit her while listening to these messages!
dr. brennan it's Cam, listen I found your message...don't worry I'll see you this afternoon...bye
BRENNAN where are you? running an errand Cam says...well I don't believe it...we've got to talk
CALL ME BACK!
BONES where are you Angela says you disappeared... please call me back!
BONES I AM GETTING WORRIED CALL ME BACK!
IF YOU DON'T CALL ME BACK, I AM GOING TO PUT A DISPACTH OUT... CALL ME!
BREN I AM GETTING MORE WORRIED...CALL ME BACK FOR YOUR GODSON PLEASE!
Honey, it's dad...now I am trying to stay calm about it, but Booth called, saying you disappeared!
Call you poor old daddy back...will ya?
She rolled her eyes at Angela's messages! She knew that it had to be confusing for her friend! But that was no reason to call Booth, of all people and almost give her father an heart attack!
"HELLO…"
"dad?"
"Temperance? Where were you? everyone was asking if I knew where you were!"
"I didn't feel so well...I went to see the doctor this morning..."
"….what is it?" Max asked with his voice full of worry.
"I am just tired and stressed...after the gala I will probably take some vacation time!"
"Well...then, if it's only stress, good, I say to the vacation!"
"Thanks dad, I got to go now! I am going back to the Jeffersonian I have a meeting with the board..."
"ok, honey..Tempe, please take care of yourself…meaning don't tire yourself out."
" I will not tire myself out, I promise…I have to go dad, bye"
"bye Temperance" and with that she hung up.
One down three to go!
Arrived at the Jeffersonian entrance, Brennan paid the cab driver his fee, and she began walking towards the main entrance of the building. She said hello to the daytime guard, and after signing the entrance log, she walked towards the familiar sliding doors, leading to the lab. She took a deep breath and saw exactly what her interns were doing when she was absent and no case to occupy them ...and it made her proud. The three young anthropologists were around the table trying to discern the WWI soldier identity.
It was for this particular reason that she had chosen to teach.
And with a smile on her face she made her way towards her office. She opened the door and turned on the lights, and looking at her desk she remembered to having left all out on the desk. Looking around she noticed that her machine and the shit of paper were not where she left them. A sense of worry pervaded her. She didn't notice Cam behind her.
"It's in the second drawer..."
"dr. Saroyan? You startled me!"
" I am sorry… when I came in this morning and I saw the lights on, I didn't men to spy…"
"no, that's fine, I assure you that I am able to do my job…I just wasn't feeling very well…"
"well having what you had this morning I can imagine..." she said referring to the number she saw on the still turned on machine.
"it's just stress, nothing to worry about...I just have to learn how to manage...i just…can you keep this to yourself? I don't want to make a big deal out of it…" she said referring most of all to Angela.
"I understand...I'll keep it to myself…"
"thanks... Cam." And with that pathologist got out of her office. It appeared that she had an unlikely ally in keeping all this a secret. At least for now.
2 down. Two to go.
She took another deep breath. As she dialed the familiar number, she knew who the irritant person that caused her, her little endeavor was Booth. She understood, that removing this particular cause of her high blood pressure was not an option, but that didn't mean that she had to take it, or even be graceful about it.
"BOOTH"
" it's me, Booth, and there is no need to yell on the phone, I hear you just fine"
"Bones?"
"Yes…"
"where the hell have you been all morning?"
" I had errands to run…"
"errands? You don't run errands you usually send an intern!"
"well today I did it myself, what of it?"
"Bones you disappeared, without notice…"
"I didn't disappear without notice, I left a message for Cam! Will you quit being so dramatic?"
"dramatic, I am being dramatic?"
"no, now you are just being loud!"said Brennan already tired of this pointless conversation.
"Loud? Bones…"
"listen Booth I have things to take care of before the board meeting, so if I promise you, that next time I'll make sure everyone in the DC area knows where I am going, will you stop calling my dad! As if I am a teenager that needs to be scowled at!"
"FINE!"
"FINE!"said Brennan, hanging up her phone. Where the hell does HE comes from, telling her what to do!
Ugh!
She took another deep breath, as she turned on her computer. She stopped a moment, and then she remembered. THE BED!
She started dialing the code number for Angela's office.
Five minutes later her and Hodgins were sitting on the chairs in front of her desk.
"so…"
"sweetie where have you been all morning? We were worried about you!"
I know, and I am sorry, for not having informed you about the errands, but…well it comes at the last minute so to speak…actually I called you here because of this…" she said taking out the folded, dirty, and very expensive comforter, with a stain on it, still visible. Both paled and hurried to explain their reason, but Brennan put a stop to it, not wanting to hear it, and then she practically ordered Hodgins to take care of the cleaning or else!
Both Angela and Hodgins came out of Brennan's office, feeling like kids who had been caught by the principal. They had actually been yelled at! Not that the twelve thousand dollars worth of cleaning didn't add to the humiliation! And they didn't really want to know what "or else" meant! "Next time the broom closet it is! " said Angela in a definitive tone!
After their exit, Brennan returned to her computer with a smirk on her face. She had emails to answer to. Paper to sign, and documents to prepare for the board meeting.
After lunch, the interns of the week, entered her office, telling her that they had identified the remains of the soldier. Brennan had been pleased with that, and told them to go home, and tomorrow they would try to contact the family, if there was any remaining. The interns had been shocked by this new development. They never were a part of that particular phase.
Talking to the family was always difficult. But it was part of their job, thought Brennan and before they learned, the better would be.
Seven pm and the board meeting had gone well. Everyone looked pleased at the progress made. And once the mummy, the escaping Egyptian vase and Cleopatra's bed would be put in place, Brennan knew that the worse, for preparing for this gala, was behind her.
Arriving at her apartment, half an hour later, she noticed the answering machine blinking. Leaving her bag and jacket on the kitchen stool, she pushed the play botton.
"Temperance it's Jane, how is it that I can never find you when I call you. You know you have a cell phone for a reason! Anyway I just read your manuscripts, and oh my god it brought me to tears, you need to call me back immediately!" the machine stopped and with that the shrilling voice of her publisher .
Rolling her eyes at the dramatic message decided to push this phone call to tomorrow...
3 days to the gala
Morning came and so did her routine. Today she felt better, she felt like herself, finally.
She didn't know what it was about today. But it felt like a good day. Her blood pressure was under the limits. She felt ready to go to work and tackle any task that would undoubtedly present itself.
As she finished her drinking her coffee, her phone rung.
"DR. Brennan…"
"Temperance, I told you to call me back…." came a shrilling voice from the other side of the line.
"Jane, good morning to you too!" said Brennan smirking in her coffee mug.
"Yeah…yeah , good morning, now that I have exhausted the pleasantries, let me say how much I love those three final manuscripts that you sent me!"
"Oh… well"
"I read them all together, my husband thought that I was going crazy! God you really did it honey! This are going to be best sellers for sure…maybe we should…"
"Jane take a deep breath, they are just raw drafts…" said Temperance trying to calm down her publisher….
"I know that is why I want you to work on them now…"
"Now? It seems a little rushed…"
"Yes, butt the editor and I agree the sooner the better…"
"But…"
"And you don't know the best part yet!"
"Which is…"
"You got an appointment with a producer…"
"Producer of what?"
"Movies dear, movies…"
"Why, didn't I say no to them already?" like years ago, thought Temperance.
"This is a different one, and I guarantee that you are going to like what he has to say! And he wants to meet you…"
"Ok, but….
"Well then. I'll organize the trip right away. Maybe you could squeeze…"
"What trip?"
"But to LA of course. As I was saying maybe you could make a vacation out of it, and start working on those drafts…"
"Ah… what?"
"Ok I'll call you back later with the details" and with that she hung up.
Brennan stood in the middle of her kitchen dumbfounded. How could a person have so much energy in the morning was beyond her. Vacation? She shook her head, while a smile crept on her face. Maybe this was a good day indeed.
Those manuscripts. 3 books. She had written the plot in the three days after the "incident".
Three days, where the only things she did, was cry, sleep, and write. Yes she had cried, and she had cried some more. She would write, and the go to sleep, and start all over again when she would wake up. After those three days, she had worried that the sudden inspiration would dissipate, instead it grew at the point where she felt a physical need to write. It was weird. She never felt that way before. And she had continued, until she had the perfect setting for the end of her series.
Looking back she could not believe how easy, but exhausting had been.
And now here she was, her publisher was in ecstasy. And she felt good!
She put away her mug and plate, and she headed out the door, to work, with a new sprint.
"Who are these people? "asked Hodgins looking expectantly to his wife. Three people were seated in Brennan's office. Two men and a woman. One man and the woman were seated on the couch, while the other men, was seated on one of the two chair.
"How should I know?" Answered Angela
"You are her best friend remember?" He reminded her, with a teasing smile
"Cam?" The two looked towards her boss, in hope she had an answer
"I don't know. They came in and asked where Temperance office was, and that they were her friends! Security cleared them!" said Cam, While she shrugging her shoulders
"Friends from where? We are her friends!" Booth stated
"Booth shouldn't you be at the headquarters, putting a dent on that paperwork of yours?" Cam asked him.
"I need to talk to Bones, ok!" Booth protested.
"They don't look like criminals…" said Angela.
"Who doesn't look like a criminal?" asked Brennan, who had been observing the little comedic scene that had been presenting itself to her, upon entering the lab. At her voice the four friends jumped.
"Goodness Dr. Brennan, you startled us…." Said Cam, with hand on her chest.
"Well I didn't mean to! What is going on?" she asked. There were four adult people peeping behind the corner across from her office. She was curious. Then she looked around and noticed HIM. "Booth what are you doing here, I thought you had paperwork? And… oh my…" and with that Brennan sprinted towards her office.
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madisondanes