I am horrible. I didn't reply to a SINGLE review, even though I read them all, giggled like a fool at every comment and loved them. I hope you guys know how much they mean to me, and how much you mean to me.
I write this for me but I post it for you. :)
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CHAPTER 8: Of Goodbyes and Flying
In the end Brennan decided to meet the team for dinner that night, as a farewell thing. She didn't exactly do it for herself, knowing how she felt about goodbyes. It would be unfair to say she did it for Booth, but it did happen partly because of his recommendation.
And they hadn't all been to the Diner in some time. Together, as a team.
"Is Booth coming, Bren?" Angela asked. "Tell me he's coming."
"He's with Parker, Ange. Saying goodbye for a couple of weeks, so he understands. Booth always sees Parker at least once a week."
Cam listened in interest. "What about you, Brennan? Aren't Russ and Amy in town, last I heard?"
"No, they went back home last week, remember? They came to visit the Jeffersonian museum and I gave them the tour right before they left." Brennan smiled at the memory of Amy's daughters claiming they wanted to solve crimes too, like Auntie Bones. The nickname had spread like wildfire, and it was completely Booth's fault.
"That's great. And… your dad?" Angela said hesitantly.
"He's away too, I told you two days ago, remember?"
"Oh, yeah." Brennan thought she detected an unusual flicker in Angela's eyes, like maybe she hadn't forgotten. "Sorry, my mistake. But have you spoken to him? Any of them?"
Hodgins and Sweets interrupted their conversation and leaned in to listen. Brennan felt like she was being interrogated, and her response was more defensive than it needed to be.
"Yes, I spoke to everyone. I called my dad yesterday, and Russ and Amy today. They know I'm going on an assignment for two weeks, and won't be in contact. And that's all they need to know."
"Good, great." Cam said, forcing a smile. Angela and Hodgins exchanged a glance that shared a thought. The thought was 'It's just like we feared'. Sweets opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again.
Brennan's frustration only increased at this, she felt shut out, an outsider to her own group.
"Can you explain to me what is so unusual?" She blurted out finally, her tone betraying nothing but annoyance. Thanks to Booth's prodding she asked questions lately, always stated her doubts about human behaviour she didn't understand, didn't hide it and pretend she hadn't seen. This time, she wouldn't be lied to, or kept secrets from, which to Brennan was the same thing as not knowing the truth.
Angela immediately looked like she regretted her attitude when she caught what hid underneath her friend's expression.
"Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry. It's just that… you haven't even thought to give them an idea of the risks you'll be taking? The scope of this assignment?"
"No. Of course not, it's unnecessary."
"Unnecessary?" Cam said, disbelieving. "Brennan, on the contrary, I think it's very necessary for you to-"
"Make them worry for two weeks? What if nothing bad happens? It will have been unnecessary. What is something does happen? What if I die?"
"Please don't say that-" Angela began, voice strained.
"I considered not telling you I was leaving. You, my friends. But then Booth made me see that you'd understand, that it was necessary for someone to know. So I chose you. Not my family, because they don't love me out of friendship, it's in their genetic makeup to love me, and if I die they will be hurt beyond… Will it have helped, that I… that I warned them?" She knew she wasn't making much sense, but her anger made her thoughts scrambled. "Please trust me. I know what I'm doing."
And she couldn't help but add. "I'm not a child, Angela. I'm a rational adult, and my decision is my own to make. So can you at least understand why I choose it to be like this? Why I don't want them to suffer?"
"Oh honey, of course I do. And I'm sorry. But we're all so nervous. And we'll miss you so much." The rest of the team nodded seriously. "Even if it's just for two weeks. And we'll be worried sick, and the fact that you'll be with Booth is the only thing keeping me from trying to stop you from going." she said all this very fast. Brennan smiled and took her friend's hand in comfort.
"Thank you, Angela."
"Don't. Don't thank me, I still don't want you to go. But I trust you. And Booth. And I know you're doing the right thing, like always, or at least the smartest thing, I'm sure you and Booth together tend to merge those two so that they tend to be the same thing about ninety percent of the time, right? So that's good odds, you know? I trust the odds. I like math, most people think I don't but I do, I use math in computer programming every day…"
"Angela, relax." Hodgins said, taking her hand for a second. He quickly withdrew it, as though he'd broken a rule, but his eyes stayed on hers. "You can panic once she's gone, remember our deal? Now, we're being strong for Brennan."
Angela laughed, as did Brennan, Cam and Sweets. Hodgins simply smiled at her, a smile she returned, and the laughter around them died as something else came alive…
She broke eye contact first, and plastered a grin on her face to ask Brennan:
"Are you leaving the state?"
"I'm not allowed to say."
"This is so frustrating. I just wish you could tell us more about what you'll be doing, it keeps me up at night!"
"You know I can't!" Their tone had become joking, and Brennan was grateful. "For all you know I'm going undercover as a… a… waitress!"
"A waitress?"
"Yes, and you can't ever come to the place where I work because we know each other. It would kind of be like that."
"No it wouldn't, sweetie. It would be nothing like that because I would avoid the place so your cover didn't get blown."
Once it was established that everyone was going to fine, Sweets saved Hodgins from staring at Angela like a dumbstruck idiot and engaged him in conversation about Star Wars, zero oxygen in space, and battleship explosions.
"You'll listen to everything Booth says right? You know he's the lead on this, he's the one with experience?"
"Angela, I know it's a dangerous case. Booth knows it too. But… we'll be fine. We'll be together."
At this Angela almost clapped her hands, but restrained herself just in time. Cam suppressed a huge smile, and coughed instead.
"What?"
She was becoming more perceptive, sharper. It was his influence, without a doubt.
"The only reason I'm letting you go is that you'll be with Booth, Brennan." Angela said again.
"So that's why you smiled just now? The fact that I'll be together with Booth?" It was quite puzzling, thought Brennan, that it should make them so happy. It made her insides quiver, but that was because of her Secret, Angela had no reason to look so… proud.
"Yes, Brennan, that's why I smiled just now."
*
They drew stares from everyone at the airport. Fortunately, only two people recognised Temperance Brennan. Both asked whether they were married, and on hearing a resounding 'no', one asked her out, and got a similar answer.
While waiting in line for check-in, Brennan voiced an anxiety she'd been having for quite some time.
"Booth." His spine went ramrod straight, because she was whispering in his ear and her breath tickled and her voice… oh, her voice… "I've been thinking. I could be recognised. I know the dark hair and the make-up act as much of a concealment… I mean, normally airports are a hassle and I have to go in through the VIP section…"
"You use the VIP…?"
"Listen." She said impatiently. "Today has been exceptional, yes, but… What if someone realises it's me?"
"Bones, relax. First of all, how many gangsters, kingpins, mob bosses, etc. do you know who read crime novels?"
"I don't really know many gangsters, kingpins, mob-"
"It was a rhetorical question. The fact is that I highly doubt any of them do. Plus, the hair and the make-up do help disguise you. And even if someone thought you looked familiar, what's to say he'd assume the hot girl with Hollywood Rob is really Dr Temperance Brennan, forensic anthropologist slash best-selling novelist, working undercover?"
The fact that he'd called her 'hot' was fantastically overlooked by both of them.
"I understand that, I understand that the probability is miniscule, but an irrational, if small, part of me is nevertheless concerned with the risks…"
"If we took into account every minute percentage risk we wouldn't even have started this mission."
She reluctantly nodded. "All right. You are correct."
"Hah, right again. I have a feeling my killer spree is going to end abruptly and soon."
She nudged him and he playfully pushed her.
"Hello?"
The hostess was impatient to take their (fake) passports and send them on their way.
"Have a nice flight, Mr Peterson, Ms Thompson."
"Thank you." Booth said.
The hostess found herself being blinded by his fantastic charm-smile, and short of breath. Brennan found herself extremely annoyed.
"Let's go, Rob." She said possessively, and leaned on him heavily. Booth, who wasn't quite sure what had brought on this change, closed his eyes for just a second and felt her weight on his side and loved it, loved it so much…
*
"Good idea, that thing before." He whispered once they were walking between the narrow aisles in coach to get to first class.
"What?"
"Act like a couple, to build our cover. Great thinking."
"Ah." The Secret was beginning to feel quite like a burden, lately. It kept making itself known during the least expected moments, like before, being jealous… that had never happened, not that she was consciously aware of. Like before and like… now, for instance, walking behind him, her gaze level with his broad back and powerful build, the way his muscular arms and thighs moved when he moved… it was mesmerising, it was beautiful, it was very, very wrong and stupid and irrational and above all, it was always going to have to stay Secret.
"Bones?"
"Yes?"
He didn't turn to face her, and she was glad, for once, not to be looking into his eyes as they spoke.
"Are you… ready?"
What kind of a question was that?
Booth kept walking and he kept his eyes on the floor, feeling like an idiot, not daring to look at her because he was afraid, very afraid of what she'd see, of what new evidence she would unearth if their eyes met.
All Brennan saw was the back of his neck and all she heard was a ridiculous, meaningless question she didn't understand.
"Of course. What… why are you asking me that?" 'I thought we already established that' she wanted to add. 'I thought we were holding, we were secure. I thought…'
"Because when we get to the JFK airport we're going to become Hollywood and Angel, and… I'm glad I'm not alone." He hesitated, almost stopped walking, then changed his mind last second. "That came out wrong. It's not just that. I'm glad it's you that's with me. I'm really… really glad you came, Bones."
She felt a Secret smile tug her lips, heart rate increasing madly.
"I'm glad you're here too, Booth."
*
It wasn't a very long flight, and they still had so much to talk about. Setting stories straight, being careful with details… it wasn't as though the people there would be automatically suspicious of them, exactly, but they must be careful. There were so many questions, so many things to get right.
The FBI had a carefully constructed profile of every person coming to the meeting. However, carefully constructed didn't necessarily mean detailed. Three of them had no picture, just a nickname and a list of possible offences that might be attributed to their youth. As people grew older, records disappeared, rich men became important men and had no reason to go near a crime.
There were five other "businessmen" coming to the parlay meeting, plus Hollywood Rob who made six. Out of these five, the two better known were Gregor "G-Force" McCullogh and Demar, last name unknown. The rest were nicknames: EJ, Red and The Lady. This last one was, for obvious reasons, suspected of being a woman, but remained the most elusive of all.
G controlled the Manhattan island, and was the one who'd originally called the meeting. Obviously his attitude was favourable to a pact.
Demar, who for the moment didn't even have an a.k.a., let alone a last name, owned the Baltimore ports. This meant most exports passed through him, and so gave him a lot of power. His attitude toward the treaty was unknown, although he was an unusually smart old gangster.
EJ was suspected of controlling the California traffic, but then again it was almost impossible to believe a single organisation led by one man could control the state that had the most abundant market.
Red was definitely Texan, but that was about the extent of information on him. It was rumoured he'd been spotted as far as Illinois, but that didn't mean anything either.
And finally, The Lady, who was rumoured to be in Florida. Just rumours. There was a picture of what might be a person sitting alone on what might be a bench in a park at night. What that meant, and who it was, was also unknown.
Hollywood Rob's views on the pact were negative. That they knew. He was very new to the business yet owned a huge market; this meant he was paranoid, insecure, and had no time for treaties if he was still trying to control his area: therefore set his own prices and rules. Sadly, in the real world he'd been caught very soon by the FBI because of sloppy work and a smart wiretap. They knew a lot about him and Booth had even interviewed the man personally. He wasn't in prison yet, because his arrest was kept perfectly quiet, but interrogations could be held at special FBI facilities.
The only thing they didn't know about Hollywood was the way he'd treat her. And of course their relationship wasn't as important as the case. Angel was paid company, she wouldn't be scrutinised as much as Rob, she was an accessory. Who there would care about their relationship?
But Booth knew his part well. And he wanted to focus on his partner, to remind her of her importance in appearing unimportant. Because she was so important to him.
They worked on her acting, on her accent, on her eyes, her walk, her feelings. He taught her slang, tried to get her to understand how the minds of the people they'd meet worked. He coached her and let her show him what she could do. It was an intense hour of serious work and study, and fortunately, privacy.
By the time the plane touched down on New Yorker soil, Brennan had a splitting headache.
"Are you sure you don't want to take anything for that?" Booth asked, tenderly concerned, as they walked through the terminal. They already had their suitcases (multiple, large suitcases, in her case).
"Would you believe that I haven't slept much tonight because of… nerves?" She said the word as though she was disgusted with herself, like she couldn't believe something as common, as mundane as nerves could affect Temperance Brennan.
He chuckled. "Bones, I love… that you admitted that." The chuckle was cut off abruptly. He'd been one syllable from saying 'I love you'.
Just. One.
"Ugh. Let's just go change, shall we?"
"Right."
They each went to respective washrooms. Brennan couldn't fit all her suitcases into one stall, and so had to leave them outside and take Angel's clothes with her. She carefully applied the make-up she'd been taught to use, and ruffled her dark hair. Once again, the feeling of looking in the mirror was strange, alien. She wasn't herself anymore, even though her wide eyes might look afraid and tense. She was Angel now.
But she was in for a surprise when she opened the suitcase where she'd left the white dress they'd prepared so carefully, to find that it was…
Ruined.
Brennan looked at the crumpled fabric and almost groaned aloud. She couldn't wear that without ironing it, and the first impression was so important. Gabrielle had said it was the most important. So Brennan was left to look around inside until she found something else… and smiled, forgetting her headache for a moment. It was perfect.
Booth, meanwhile, was lucky to be alone and jammed the door quickly. He also changed quickly, because a part of him… well, who was he kidding. All of him wanted to see Brennan emerge en grande tenue.
*
Half an hour later a very special couple left the John F Kennedy airport.
They were… beautiful.
He was walking with confidence and a slight swagger, laughing at something she'd said and slinging his arm possessively around her. A white hat cast shadows over his eyes and cheekbones, making him darker. In black trousers and a white coat cut longer than normal, he reminded a passing air hostess of a sexy doctor she'd dated once…
She was wearing a green dress that brought out the vivid blue in her eyes. It was very tight around her curves until it reached her hips, where it flared in a short pleated skirt that swished with every stride of long legs. White stilettos gave this ensemble a hint of delicacy, of good-girl-ish intentions, betrayed by the neckline of aforementioned dress. Because it plunged down to her navel like a Y.
If slow motion happened in real life, this would be a moment to immortalise. Laughing decadence, smiling mischief.
Unfortunately, it didn't really work that way. And soon they were gone, because a tinted Jaguar awaited the obviously rich man and his… company.
A little girl who sat on her daddy's shoulders pointed at them excitedly. Her eyes went large and she breathed in awe. "Oh daddy! Oh, look at them, just look!"
"No, Olive, they are not nice people. Let's go wait for mommy over there."
"Wait! Why not? Isn't she his wife?"
The father dared to take another look at the couple, who were getting into the car while the driver put their many suitcases into the trunk. At a glance he'd assumed this woman was obviously paid to dress as she did for him, and God knew what other things…
But as he saw the man gently take her hand to help her inside, he wasn't so sure about his first impression. And found he really wasn't lying when he said to his daughter:
"Yes, I think she might be."
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So there. Forgive my review-reply-ness negligence? I promise to make it up for you this time, and I honestly want to know your thoughts on this chapter.
Lots more on the case, plus the next chapter is called "Going Under"!!!
AND it includes a swimming pool!
*cackles*
:)
