A/N: So it seems everyone has the same idea. What does Gordon think of all this? Read and find out.
The next morning Aubrey and Jessica were eating breakfast with Gordon in the agent's apartment.
"So I'm thinking that you can somehow bring up family and loss and you can give some sort of blanket advice." The agent said as he finished off his bowl of Cap'n Crunch and put the remaining milk on the floor for an eager Skinner.
"Anything else?"
"That's it in a nutshell." Jessica said before taking a bite of her raspberries with Greek yogurt and granola. Suddenly, Aubrey came along and scooped a big bite from her bowl. "James Aubrey, you just ate breakfast."
"Yeah, but yours looks good. When you love someone, you share."
The redhead looked at her boyfriend with a smirk. "Remember that the next time I steal some of your Milanos from your desk drawer."
"Always for you, Jessica." Aubrey replied. They looked at each other for a minute before the agent remembered they were not alone. "So ah…what do you think, Gordon?"
The former psychiatrist sipped his Earl Grey tea. "l think it's a splendid and ingenious idea. If I can use my two vocations to help Agent Booth and Doctor Brennan with the recent tragedy in their lives, even better."
"Thank you, Gordon. Booth and Brennan have done a lot for us so we want to do something for them." The agent said while tying his blue and brown striped tie.
"Well, I can certainly do my part. However, to do this, it may require opening the discussion past your mentors."
"Like how?" Jessica asked before taking a drink of her coffee.
"You two have also suffered loss in the parental area, albeit in different ways. To share the stories of how you coped could be helpful." The chef said before putting down his cup and looking to both people. "Is that acceptable?"
Aubrey got slightly nauseated. "Of course, Gordon. I'm past that stuff."
The chef turned to the redhead who seemed very focused on adding more cream and cinnamon to her coffee. "Jessica?"
Looking up, the anthropologist swallowed before putting on a smile. "No sweat, Gordon. I moved past all that stuff a long time ago. We will do what we can to help Booth and Doctor B."
Gordon saw the subtle reactions and could tell they were lying. However, he knew what had to be done. "Good…good. With the wedding tomorrow night, I would think perhaps Saturday night or Sunday but let me know what works for you two."
"I'm free both days, Aubrey. Do you want to ask Booth?" Jessica asked.
"I'll try but he's out for at least the morning in meetings with Stark and the other division heads. If not, we can ask Doctor B when I pick you up for lunch." Aubrey replied.
"Sounds good." Jessica said while she finished her coffee. "We appreciate your help, Gordon."
"Anytime, young lady." Gordon said as he sipped more tea.
Jessica remembered what her and her boyfriend stumbled upon last night and smiled. "Would you like to bring a friend to dinner?"
Aubrey's eyes got large as he looked at his girlfriend behind Gordon's back. 'What the hell is she thinking?'
"No, I don't think that will be necessary, Jessica but thank you. This dinner is for assisting your mentors with their grief." Gordon replied with a smile. Looking at the clock, he finished his tea. "Now, I have to be on my way to visit Doctor Addy at his mental health facility today."
The redhead finished her breakfast. "Good luck with that, Gordon."
"Thank you, Jessica."
"Are you going alone?" Aubrey asked before holstering his pistol.
"No, I'm bringing another expert with me."
"Who?" Aubrey said before nodding in understanding. "Oh."
"So are you going to talk to Gordon today?" Brennan said while gathering travel mugs from the cupboard.
Booth finished his cup of coffee before yawning. "Yeah, I'll catch him at the office and let you know."
Brennan saw how tired her husband was. "Were all proper forensic techniques followed at the scene when gathering evidence?"
"Yes. Cam took care of it personally. After doing an initial examination, she went home to sleep for a few hours and said she would be at the lab…" Booth looked at his watch. "…right about now. I think she's stressing about the wedding and needed a break."
"I find work to be a very good distraction when I have a great deal of stress going on." Brennan said, ignoring the stab she felt in her gut. "Was proper care taken with the remains? When I can't be at the scene, I am afraid of the scene being contaminated."
"Yes Bones." Booth before noticing the fleeting look of sadness on his wife's face. "Bones, I'm sorry I had to leave last night—"
Not wanting to talk about it any longer, Brennan held her hand up. "Booth, it's part of your job. Sometimes you get called out to a body discovery that I'm not needed for. Understandable."
"Are you sure you're okay, Bones?" Booth asked, feeling guilty for leaving his wife the way he did.
"Yes, Booth. I'm 40 years old and I can handle if my husband is unable to make love due to being called into work."
"You did look really hot in my FBI t-shirt." Booth said, feeling shudders as he remembered what he wanted to do to her.
"I'm glad you enjoyed the view and I'm keeping the shirt." Brennan said with a smile.
Booth took his oatmeal bowl to the sink with his coffee cup. "So, can you talk to Jessica later or Aubrey when he picks her up for lunch? I have to go to some meetings with Stark."
"What kind?" The anthropologist asked as she capped off her coffee and poured another travel mug for Booth.
Booth took the coffee gratefully. "Oh thank you, Bones. Today, it's just stupid shit for the heads of the divisions. Aubrey will be in charge while I'm gone, hopefully only until this afternoon."
"Of course, Booth."
Booth took a step closer. "Now Bones, when you talk to Aubrey and your squintern, nothing fancy. Just…be subtle."
"Booth, I'm a world renowned forensic anthropologist who leads the anthropology division at the Jeffersonian. I'm also a successful novelist, part time professor at American University, and a superior mother to our children. I think I can handle something like commencing a plan where we have a dinner that will also get Aubrey and Jessica to decide on when to get married."
Booth knew to quit while he was ahead. "Okay. You're right."
Brennan put her arms around her husband. "Of course I am."
They began to share a kiss when they were interrupted by Christine running into the living room. "I'm ready!"
Brennan wiped the lipstick off her husband's lips. "I'll take Christine while you finish getting Hank ready for day care."
"Deal."
"I do appreciate you clearing your busy schedule to come along with my on my visit with Doctor Addy." Gordon asked.
Karen smiled before opening her purse. "Oh, not a problem at all Doctor Wyatt. I've admired your work for years and to pass up an opportunity to work with you would be insane…get it?"
"Clever, Doctor Delfs, but remember that I'm not practicing anymore. It's just Gordon, Chef Gordon…" He said before smiling. 'Or Naughty Noddy Comet to one person.'
"Agreed…Gordon but only if you call me Karen. Doctor Delfs is so…formal."
"Very well Karen. So I've read your observations of Doctor Addy for your dissertation and I found your observations very through and fascinating."
"Thank you." Karen said as she continued to dig through her purse.
Taking his eyes off the road for a moment, the chef looked in fascination as he watched her pull out a can of Sprite, a large hairbrush, several empty file folders and a six port USB adapter. When he accidently hit a small bump, Karen was barely able to keep her items from falling on the floor.
"Karen, do you need me to pull over for a moment?"
"No, just looking for my…" Karen said as she pulled out a mouse trap out of her bag.
Gordon's look went from fascination to bewildered. "Karen…why do you have a mouse trap?"
"I honestly don't remember." The profiler said with a giggle. "Yes! Here it is."
Gordon watched her pull a tube of lotion out of her bag. He refrained from making a comment as they arrived at the front gates of the mental hospital. After letting the guard know who they were, the gate opened and he drove in. After parking the car, the two exited the vehicle.
"Ready?" Gordon asked.
Karen was digging into her purse and found a legal pad and three pens. "Ready."
Brennan was in her office looking over a forensic journal but she wasn't registering the words. Exhaling, she grabbed her phone from her pocket. After accessing her Verizon Cloud, she pushed on a video file.
Max was on the floor on his hands and knees with Hank on his back. He was growling while the toddler was giggling and holding his hair. Nearby Christine was laughing.
"Grandpa let me ride…let me ride."
"Christine, you're too big to ride on Grandpa's back."
"It's fine Tempe. Anything for my Christine."
"Yay!"
The anthropologist felt a tear weld up before she heard a knock on the door. Quickly pausing, she looked up and was surprised to see Aubrey at the door. "Hello, Aubrey."
The agent saw the melancholy look on Brennan's face. "Is this a good time?"
Quickly, she wiped a tear away. "Of course. It's just that my eyes are a little watery today. What can I do for you?"
"Well, I'm picking up Jessica for lunch. I know that Booth is stuck in a meeting with Stark for most of the day so I want to invite you to join us today at the diner."
Brennan looked up, instantly knowing where the invite came from. "Booth asked you to, didn't he?"
"Damn it!" Aubrey said. "How do you do this?"
"I know my husband." The scientist said with a chuckle. "However, I am hungry and it is a nice day, so yes, I'll join you. I have a few things to go over regarding our newest case."
"Cool. Jessica said she would meet me here if that's okay."
Brennan began taking off her blue lab coat. "That is acceptable."
"How are you, Doctor B?" The younger man asked.
The scientist was quiet for a moment. "Better, Aubrey. How about yourself?"
"Fine I guess, but I'm not the one mourning the death of her father."
"No, but your father was a fugitive who was arrested after almost 20 years on the run as well as attempted to bilk funds out of you with false claims of a half-sibling. It must have been a shock."
The agent sat for a moment trying to come up with an answer. "I wasn't surprised when he tried to take me for all I had because he's never discriminated who he ripped off. He hoped to have a son who followed in his footsteps, popular with his peers, and had a sliding scale when it came to morals. Instead, he got an awkward kid who turned him in for ripping people off…twice."
Brennan saw the flash of sadness in his eyes. "How are things with you and Ms. Warren?"
"Good…awesome…wonderful." Aubrey said as he got up and walked around the room. "Jess is my best friend and the best thing that ever happened to me."
Brennan smiled. "She said those exact sentiments to be recently about you Aubrey."
"Really?" The agent replied as his ears turned red. "Cool."
"Ms. Warren told me that your father is doing a television interview on Tuesday night."
Even the anthropologist didn't miss the stiffening of Aubrey's body posture. "Yeah, ironic isn't it? He's going to be interviewed on Investigation Discovery live on Valentine's Day. Gotta love it."
"I'm sorry you're going through this, Aubrey." Brennan said. "At least Jessica put those people from the network in their place last night so they won't bother her or you again."
The agent looked up. "What?"
"The gentlemen from last night…the ones who accosted us outside of the women's room during Cam's party? I'm assuming Ms. Warren did tell you about that."
"Y-yeah, she told me." Aubrey stammered, in shock.
The anthropologist chuckled. "I liked how she very succinctly threatened to castrate the two men with her bare hands and shove their genitals up their nostrils. Although I did enjoy her following threat to shove the heel of her shoe up the buttocks of anyone who bothered you about your father."
Before Aubrey could inquire further, he saw the redhead coming towards Brennan's office. He flashed between being proud of her and irritated she kept it from him. 'Jess and I can talk later.'
"Did I say something wrong, Aubrey?" The anthropologist stated as she saw the agent's pensive face.
"Nope. Just glad my girl takes shit from no one." Aubrey said before Jessica entered the office. "Hey Jess."
"Hey yourself." Jessica said before giving her boyfriend a kiss. Turning to her mentor, she began to speak. "Doctor B, will you be joining us?"
"Yes, I will."
Grabbing her purse, she joined the younger couple and the three walked out of the lab. Two minutes later, the three exited the museum through the parking garage and they walked down the city blocks to the Royal Diner.
Gordon got off the elevator to the Hoover's fourth floor and headed straight for the break room. After his morning with Karen Delfs, he needed his beloved tea and some quiet. A lovely woman but she could be…trying to be around after a while.
When she invited him to lunch at Founding Fathers to compare notes, he told her that he had lunch already at the Bureau waiting for him. He couldn't get out of an early dinner with her tonight, though. Their consult had to be done as soon as possible, but it meant he had to change his plans for the evening. Luckily his companion didn't mind.
Walking in, he was annoyed to see no more tea bags in the tin on the counter. Of course, he could get it from the machine in the room, but that stuff was rubbish. Settling for a latte, he started the machine and removed his lunch from the refrigerator while pondering his visit to the mental hospital.
Doctor Addy was a fascinating study. He could be a productive member of society if released, however, he needed support to function in daily life as things had changed in ten years. The anthropologist boasted of his experience by reading emails and the Internet. However, there was a world of difference between virtual experience and having it in your daily life.
Karen Delfs was an interesting study as well. She was very…unusual and flaky, but also possessed a sharp mind. More than once, she inadvertently gave away her crush on Agent Aubrey. He didn't let on that he saw her outside the young man's office the day before, tucking away that information away unless needed.
Seeing his beverage was done, he took it off the rack and sampled. To his surprise, it was quite enjoyable, almost like the ones back home. Grabbing that along with his lunch, Gordon walked out and towards the conference room. He just sat his lunch down he heard his name.
Turning around, he saw Booth in the entry way. "Agent Booth, I thought you were out until later."
"I am. I just needed a quick break from all those chiefs and came down here for my Steelers mug." Booth looked and saw Gordon's latte. "Ah, sampling the foamy crap, huh? That thing in the break room was Aubrey's doing."
"It is actually not bad. Of course I have real milk and not that skim rubbish you have on this side of the Atlantic." Gordon said. "Do you want a preliminary report?"
"Can we walk and talk?"
"Of course."
The two men walked through the bullpen while Gordon went over his tentative findings with the agent. He had finished when they arrived at Booth's office. "I think with support from family and friends that he will be successful in time."
Booth looked away for a moment to get his mug. "I don't know about his family. They're all in Michigan and not everyone has contact with him after what happened."
"That's too bad." Gordon said. "However, he does have friends here who I think will make the transition better if he is released."
"I talked to Bug Boy and Angela already. They have a small guest house on their property that Aubrey's girlfriend lived in for a while. It's close but will also give him some freedom. We would take him, but we can't give him the privacy he should have."
"He seems eager to work in his field, also. I know he can't work in the lab because of his history."
"No, he can't. However, Cam found out that he can work in Clark's department and he is amendable to that if Zack is interested. If the lab has to be used for any forensic testing, Zack can be removed from the case. Another option is to work in the Natural History department of the Jeffersonian."
"Yes, the young man's options are limited. He seemed accepting of that when we spoke about what he would do if he was released."
"You think he has a chance of release, Doc?"
"It's possible. Doctor Sweets agreed in his notes, but he was unable to proceed due to doctor patient confidentiality."
"Yeah." Booth said before looking up. "Hey, Bones and I have a favor to ask you."
"Of course. Anything, Agent Booth."
Booth sat on his desk. "We're trying to help Aubrey and Jessica. They're happy and they're together but they seemed scared of taking that final step. We're not trying to force them into it or rush them. However, if they're not ready for marriage it should be because of that, not because of their pasts."
"I agree."
"That held up Bones and I for years and we don't want that to happen to them, too."
Gordon chuckled. "It's interesting that they're about the same ages as you and Doctor Brennan were when I began working with you after shooting the clown off that ice cream truck."
"I still hate clowns."
"Understandable, Agent Booth. How may I help you?"
"Remember that dinner you wanted to make us before returning to England next week? How about we do that with Aubrey and Jessica at our house say Saturday night? We can provide the food for you and in turn you can use some shrinky magic to bring up like fears and stuff. Don't make it obvious though, you know?"
"Shrinky magic, Agent Booth?"
"You know…words of wisdom…like that about now letting your past drive your future and how they can get past their fears together. Stuff like that. You can even use our history if that will help."
The psychologist kept his suspicions to himself. "That's very generous of you, Agent Booth. I hope Aubrey and Jessica appreciate how much you two care about them."
"Thank you." Booth said before grinning. "How are things with your…friend?"
Gordon smiled. "My friend and I are doing well."
"Any chance we will get to meet this 'friend' before you leave?"
Gordon gave a sardonic grin. "We'll see, Agent Booth. We'll see."
"Great." Booth said before looking at his watch. "Crap, sorry to run but I need to get back upstairs. Thanks for all your help, Gordon."
"You're welcome, Booth. Let me know what is decided and I will plan a dinner menu for the evening."
"We're having meat Gordon. You can make Bones vegetarian stuff, but I want beef."
"As you wish."
After the two separated, Gordon walked back to the conference room. After sitting down, he pulled out his items and smiled to himself. His plan to help both couples was moving better than he had planned.
'Who would have thought Agent Booth and Doctor Brennan would come up with the same idea as Aubrey and Jessica?'
As Booth waited for the elevator, he quickly sent a text message to his wife.
Ran into G on a break from mtgs. Dinner is a go Sat nite. If any 1 can help A + J it's G.
As he got into the car and picked his floor, he got a response. Reading it, he laughed as only his wife made her text messages grammatically correct.
I am looking very forward to our dinner. Doctor Wyatt's words of soft science should assist Aubrey & Ms. Warren towards letting go of their fears of their pasts & futures. We have just received our lunch orders at the diner so I will ask them here & let you know as soon as possible.
Getting off the elevator, he saw that the other people were returning. He inhaled before going back. The next presentation was by Hacker and he needed to make sure he didn't fall asleep.
At the Royal Diner, Brennan ate her vegetable soup and salad and Jessica started to eat her club sandwich while the two discussed a topic from the redhead's class at the Sorbonne. Next to Jessica, Aubrey dug into his triple bacon cheeseburger along with his fries, fruit salad, onion rings, coleslaw, and a Coke.
Deciding it was time, she moved in. "Doctor Wyatt wanted to host another meal for Booth and me before he left for London. How would you two like to join the three of us Saturday night?"
Jessica finished chewing, surprised. "Um, sounds nice, Doctor B. Aubrey?"
"Yeah." The agent said with a mouthful of onion rings. "Would we be bogarting your dinner, though?"
"Bogarting? What does Humphrey Bogart have to do with my invitation to dinner?"
Jessica stole one of Aubrey's fries and dipped it in his ketchup. "What he meant Doctor B is would we be intruding?"
Understanding, the anthropologist turned to the agent. "Of course not, Aubrey. We wouldn't extend the invitation if you were not welcome to attend."
Aubrey couldn't believe their luck. He was smiling until he saw Jessica's warning look. Toning down his excitement, he swallowed. "Yeah, that would be great. Thank you very much. Is it a family meal with the Mini-Booths?"
"Actually it will just be the four of us and Doctor Wyatt because the kids are spending the night with Michael Vincent and Lance at Angela and Hodgins' house. Later today, I will talk to him to arrange a time and menu. Of course…it will be with meat, but I'm confident he will have vegetarian options for myself and Ms. Warren if she feels inclined."
Jessica was taking a drink of her Coke with lemon at the last comment. "Of course. I'll try anything with my meat. Thanks Doctor B."
Hilda came to the table to refill drinks. "Doctor Brennan, Agent Booth's order will be ready in about ten minutes."
"I can take it to him when we leave here." Aubrey said.
"Thank you, Aubrey." Brennan said before picking up her phone. "Excuse me I need to make a phone call. I'll be back in a few minutes."
When Brennan left the table, Jessica leaned into her boyfriend. "Superman, this couldn't have turned out any better."
"I know, right? I was going to introduce the idea quietly you know, but she beat me to it."
"It's going to be perfect. We'll have a delicious meal and help our mentors."
"We make a great team, Jess." Aubrey said.
"That we do, Superman."
Aubrey and Jessica grabbed their Cokes and they toasted to their success.
Booth was trying to stay awake with the other department heads as Hacker explained the progress in Human Resources. Looking to his left, he could see Stark nodding his head for a moment before perking back up. Feeling a buzz, he pulled out his phone and saw it was his wife.
"Director Hacker, please excuse me. I need to take this phone call from my wife. It might be in regards to one of our cases."
Andrew Hacker turned off his red laser pointer and dropped it to his side. "Surely, Temperance can leave a message."
"Hacker, he said it might be about a case." Stark said before turning to his subordinate. "Go ahead, Booth. I'll update you on what you miss."
"Thank you, sir." Booth said before rushing out of the room and pushing the answer button when out of earshot in the hallway. "So are they coming to dinner?"
Brennan giggled. "Yes, Booth. It's all set. I've sent a text message to Doctor Wyatt letting him know."
"They didn't suspect a thing?"
"Nope, my acting skills have improved, Booth. They think we're just having an innocent dinner."
Booth switched hands with the phone while leaning against the wall. "I'm glad, Bones. Now, we have to be careful about this. They may not appreciate our meddling."
"Booth, we're not meddling. We're merely facilitating a process of discovery where two people confront their fears to get to the place they want to be. Sometimes, I wish someone would have done that for us."
"They tried, Bones. Remember? Eventually, we had to figure it out on our own, just like Aubrey and Jessica will. However, if Gordon can help, even better."
"Aubrey will be bring you your lunch in a short while." Brennan said. "Will you have a chance to eat it before it gets cold?"
"I should. It's Hacker's turn to speak and he's being long winded. Stark is as bored as I am. He almost fell asleep a few minutes ago so it shouldn't be long before the director pushes him to wrap things up. Tell Aubrey to leave it on my desk and he better not touch my fries."
Brennan laughed. "I will tell him Booth. I love you."
Booth smiled. "I love you too, Bones. Let me know what Gordon says."
"I will. Bye." Brennan said with a smile. Looking up, she saw Aubrey and Jessica through the window toasting with their glasses. Figuring it was something between them, she shrugged it off before re-entering the diner.
