Hi people! So I managed to post sooner but this chapter might be a bit shorter. Otherwise, it would have taken me a lot longer to update. Anyway, if you liked the chapter leave me a comment, it will make my Fisher-like muse happy and she'll insist I leave off my Isaac Newton hate inducing attempts at Physics and sit down and write. :D
Chapter 7
Booth was walking out of Cullen's office for lunch, when Angela hooked her arm through his.
"We need to talk."
"Angela, I was on my way to lunch."
"Since when is lunch a silent affair?"
Booth sighed, he knew what she wanted to talk about. Heck! It was the only thing anyone in this damn building wanted to talk about. He'd just spent the entire morning talking to Cullen about what happened and what needed to happen next. They had taken a break for lunch, but after lunch, one of Hoover's right-hand men would be here to take the statement and he'd have to talk about it all over again. As they passed people in the hallway he could see their curiosity in their eyes, but just like Booth could be charming when he wanted to be, he could be completely unapproachable at other times. Anyone who saw his face would be a fool to ask him about Sully, even a blind man would be afraid to speak in his presence, the hostility was tangible without seeing Booth's face. Booth took his time getting his lunch but he could see Angela was waiting for him impatiently. He wondered why she wasn't afraid to talk to him. They sat down at a table and Booth prepared himself for the inevitable questions.
"Alright, Angela. What do you want to know?"
"Booth, I'm not an idiot. If you talk about it one more time, you'll explode and shoot up the place. I don't need you to talk, I just need you to listen, it's about Brennan."
"What's wrong? How was she when you left her at home this morning?"
"She didn't stay home! She came to work! I guess it's her way of distracting herself. But that's not the worst part." Angela then proceeded to tell Booth what was going on in their friend's mind. All this only cemented Booth's decision to refuse a transfer to Chicago. It seemed he was needed here more than he thought.
"Alright, Angela. This is what we're going to do. You get a ride with Hodgins and I'm gonna take Brennan to the wake. I'll have to talk to her alone."
"Okay, Thomas Beckett Pub right?"
"What?" Booth laughed for the first time in days. "Where did you get that? Did you think we were going to put the coffin on the billiards table? The pub is after the funeral. The wake is at Sully's brother's house." Booth chuckled.
Angela's face burned, she was going to kill Janice. "Um, just bad information I guess."
"No kidding, genius. You really shouldn't get all your information from Janice. She doesn't know half the stuff that comes out of her mouth."
They finished their lunch and each went back to their responsibilities. Angela to be there for Brennan in case she decided to talk and Booth to Cullen's office to meet with Hoover's lackey.
After his briefings, Booth headed over to the lab to pick up Temperance. Angela had warned him that she'd be resistant to going, but he also knew that she had to go or she was never going to be able to let Sully go. As he entered the lab, he saw Angela talking to Hodgins at his station. They waved him over when they saw him come in.
"Hi Angela, how's she doing?"
"The same, I haven't been able to talk to her, she won't leave Zack's side."
Booth nodded and started towards Zack's station, but Hodgins stopped him and punched him in the arm.
"Thanks Hodgins." Booth walked away and Hodgins turned back to his work. Angela just stared at Hodgins in disbelief.
"Why did you hit him? He just lost a good friend! And why did he say thanks? What's wrong with you two?"
"It's a man thing."
"What?" Angela sputtered.
"Yeah, it's how we cope. Men don't talk, a punch is like six months of therapy." Booth had taught him that particular truism a long time ago.
"Men!"
Booth found Temperance and Zack squinting at fingerprint records. Zack looked up when he heard him approach. "Hello, Booth. Is there something you need?"
"Nope, nothing." Booth gave him his "Hit the road" look, too bad Zack was one of the only people in the Western Hemisphere who didn't know what that look meant. During this little exchange Temperance left Zack's station and went into the file room, where they kept the fingerprint records.
"Then I fail to comprehend your purpose in coming to my station."
"Hodgins wants to have a squinty pow wow with you or something. I don't know something about Cleopatra?"
"You mean Coleoptera?"
"Sure, he was really excited about it though."
Zack practically leaped out of his chair, Hodgins had been telling him about a new flesh eating beetle species in the area.
"Whoa, wait a sec Zack!"
Zack turned around impatiently and Booth handed him his coat and hat. He didn't want Zack coming back for them when he found out that there was no new beetle and that Hodgins was simply ready to leave for the wake. Zack didn't even pause to think about why he would need them, he grabbed them and sped off.
Booth watched Zack until he was out of sight and then waited to hear the lab door slam.
Temperance was looking at a file as she walked back to Zack's station. Booth must be gone by now. She had no desire to talk to him today. He placed such an emphasis on the importance of the soul and emotions, that he would insist she express hers. She looked up and saw a broad shouldered back and she realized that it hadn't been Booth who'd left.
"Where did Zack go?"
Booth took a deep breath and turned around, first things first, getting her to go to the wake.
"He's going to Sully's wake." He figured she'd appreciate him cutting to the chase.
"I see." and she immediately turned back to the file she was carrying.
Booth held back an exasperated sigh, Angela had warned him she'd be like this. "I'm going too. Do you want a ride?", he knew how important it was for her to feel in control.
"No, thank you."
Booth was expecting that. Now came the hard part, convincing her. It would have to be a logical argument.
"You're Irish, why would you refuse to keep your culture's tradition?" He said trying to inject some of her beloved anthropology into the argument.
"Because I don't believe that there is any reason to keep watch over Sully's body. His soul will not fly out the window and then try to return. He died and that's all there is to it."
"But there's no harm in it. There's no harm in keeping the tradition, despite what you might believe about the afterlife."
"It's a waste of time."
Booth tried not to let her statement affect him, this was for her own good after all, and getting into a fight wouldn't help anybody. "Well, I don't think it's a waste of time. I believe all that stuff and I need to go to this wake, he was one of my oldest friends. But I also need you there with me." And despite Brennan's insistence that emotions weren't worth validating, she could see Booth's in his eyes and she knew she couldn't let him go alone.
