A/N: So the chapter you've all been waiting for! Romance! Humor! Singing and Dancing! There is no case movement at all, just fluff.
This chapter was much harder to write than I thought it would be, and it ended differently than I thought it would. There are minor references to random Bones episodes in this chapter, but I don't really notice them unless Darcie points them out, so I hope you know your Bones. Anyways, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint. Enjoy!
A/N(2): If you would like to hear the previous chapter (The Invasion of the Virus) read (and sung) by the author, then check out the YouTube link in my profile page. It's experimental, and I want to know if it helps your reading experience. If you're at all interested in more "read by the author" chapters, let me know. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or High School Musical. I borrowed the music, but the lyrics are mostly mine.
~Deja
Chapter Nine
Hodgins stood nervously at the entrance of Angela's office, watching Angela as she worked at her computer. Some soft music started playing from a play list on her computer, betraying Angela's working as a façade. Squaring his shoulders and trying desperately to look taller, he walked into her office. She turned when she heard him.
"Hey Angela," he said, his voice wavering. He cleared his throat and stepped closer. He noticed the soft music and his lips quirked in a smile, "I thought rock was more of your style," he commented, "Influenced by your father, no doubt."
"Yeah, this isn't my usual style, but all those hot high school guys at the FBI building made me horny, and I needed to calm down so I can not go crazy before the six months of celibacy are over," she replied. They shared an awkward moment, then both rushed to fill the silence.
"So do you have…"
"I'm just here to…"
It broke the uncomfortable silence and they both smiled. Angela indicated that he should go first. "Yeah, I just brought the phone for you to work on," he said. He held out the tray to her carefully with both hands.
"Thanks, Hodgie," she said, holding her hands out for it. Their hands brushed lightly as he set the tray into her waiting hands. They both paused, struck by the feeling, their eyes gazing at each other from what seemed to be a great distance. Slowly, Hodgins took the tray and set it on the table next to him as "Can I Have This Dance" began playing on Angela's play list. He took a deep breath, then held out his hand. Idly he saw it wasn't trembling like he expected, given the state of his nerves.
"Angela, can I have this dance?" he asked in a gentle voice. Angela hesitated for a moment and Hodgins' heart sank. He took another breath and started to sing softly,
Here's my hand
Breathe in deep
Move in my arms
Closer to me
Angela stepped into the circle of his arms nervously and they began to dance lightly. They could see the fear in the other's eyes, fear of losing the fragile balance between them that they had achieved. Hodgins continued to sing,
With your eyes locked on mine
We will move just like the first time.
They were dancing now, and they moved together just as well as they always had. Both Angela and Hodgins admitted in their minds that they had missed this easiness, this sense of belonging they felt when they were together. Gathering her courage, Angela started to sing to Hodgins,
With your hand in mine
A touch my heart won't forget
As long as I'm by your side.
Together they danced and sang to each other, relieved smiles on both their faces.
As long as I'm singing
My heart will keep bringing
Me back to you.
With you right beside me
No one could deny
I am meant for you.
They continued to lose themselves in each other, singing of their love and contentment at sharing their life together. Neither noticed Dr. Brennan standing in the doorway of Angela's office, watching and listening. Her smile was sad, almost hopeless as she watched. She let her hand carrying the folders drop to her side and she decided that what she held could wait.
Booth watched his partner as she watched Angela and Hodgins. He couldn't see her face, but he recognized the set of her shoulders. She was holding back heartbreak. Her best friend and her colleague had found each other, and continued to find each other. Hodgins was truly the "someone" for Angela, and the reverse was true as well. And it seemed that their "someday" had come. He wished them all the best, and hoped that it would work out this time.
And he knew that Bones felt the same way that he did about Angela and Hodgins. They were happiest when they were together, not only as lovers, but also as friends. When they had gone back to being simply colleagues after the intimacy of being engaged, they were stifled, limited, even when they tried to tell themselves that they were free. Angela and Hodgins' happiness should have lifted Booth's heart, and Brennan's heart as well, but Booth knew otherwise. Brennan ached for what she thought she would never have.
After a few long moments of watching her friends fall back in love, Brennan slowly turned, keeping her eyes on the floor. She stopped as she noticed Booth and let her eyes move upwards to meet his. The pain and loneliness he saw in her eyes surprised him. It seemed odd that she would share this ache with him, when she was usually so closed off about her emotions. The openness lasted only for a few seconds, then Brennan compartmentalized and Booth saw her professional mask slip over her face.
"Angela and Hodgins seemed busy, and I'd rather not disturb them for something I could do myself," Brennan explained quietly. She and Booth made their way back to her office to escape the noise that had been blessedly quiet during their moment of emotionally-laden eye contact, but now blared full force again.
"They seem really happy," Booth commented, at a loss for what to say. He wanted to ease her pain, but felt so helpless against it. Brennan smiled a sad half-smile.
"If I were Angela, I would be recording them and putting the video on the tube."
"I think you mean YouTube, Bones."
"Whatever it is," she said. Booth frowned a little, because usually his partner would argue with everything he said. She never gave up that easily. Something else was bothering her; she must still be thinking about how alone she was. Her next words proved it. "Do you really think that there's someone for everyone?" she asked, looking down at her desk to avoid his eyes.
"Well…" he began hesitantly, "I believe that there are people who are meant to be together for the long haul. I mean, everyone goes through stages in their lives, and I don't believe that a person will always recognize the one they're supposed to be with, but yeah. I do believe that there is someone for everyone."
"And you believe that Angela and Hodgins are supposed to be together?" she still wouldn't look into his eyes. Booth sat on the arm of the couch so he could face her while he was talking.
"Yeah, Bones. I think Angela and Hodgins were meant for each other. They balance each other, you know? They ground each other. Even though I would never have put them together based on what I saw, they really do complete each other."
"Sweets said that we complement each other," Brennan whispered. She looked into his eyes and Booth had to take a deep breath, like a swimmer before a dive.
"Yeah," he said simply. The clamor outside the office faded.
"How do you recognize who you're supposed to be with?" she asked timidly, but with her usual passion for the truth. She wanted to know, even though she wasn't certain that she would like the answer.
A thousand responses flew through Booth's mind at her question, all of them clichéd. He struggled with what to say. "I…I think it's different with everyone. I suppose you see the passion that they put into otherwise ordinary things. How they can make you feel better with just a touch, or just their presence. How sometimes you don't have to say anything for them to know what you're feeling. The ways they do little things for you that make you feel special."
"But those are all things that a friend would do," she said, almost pleadingly, "Those are things that you do for me." She stood, her posture agitated and her forehead wrinkled. Booth slowly stood as well, but when he took a step toward her desk, she stepped toward the door. She bit her lip, much like she had done after they had found her mother's body and confronted her killer. She asked her next question in the same way she listed off the facts of her life in that old barn. He half expected to see tears. "How can you know if a friend is the 'someone you're meant to spend the rest of your life with' or if he's just a friend?"
"Bones," he whispered, "You and me…it's not…" He stopped, not knowing how to continue. She flinched and avoided his eyes, completing his sentence in her head, "…it's not love." The silence stretched until Brennan moved away from him, opening the door. He couldn't let her walk away and when "The Start of Something New" began to play, he desperately started to sing,
Working with you every day…
Brennan stopped, her hand on the doorframe, half in and half out of her office. Besides the music and Booth's singing, not a sound could be heard in the lab. Booth continued, his voice rough with emotion,
Couldn't see the light.
That you were there beside me
Through each and every fight.
He reached out and tenderly touched her arm. His touch released something inside her and she began to sing back to him,
I've always been searching
For something I could believe.
I never saw the proof
That was right in front of me.
But now, I see in your eyes
The love that you have
And now I know…
He took her hand and she let her other hand rest on his shoulder as they sang together,
Now I've found myself
In the heart of you
Never thought it could be
But I've found it's true.
Outside her office Mr. Vincent Nigel-Murray added, "Oohooooh…"
But now, with you by my side
I see your loooove…
Now I've found the truth.
As the music faded, Brennan let her arms circle his neck loosely and Booth put his arms around her to draw her closer. They were both smiling like fools as together they leaned in for a kiss. Everyone in the lab was surprised that the kiss wasn't accompanied by a dramatic swell of music, but looking at them, they didn't need the dramatic music. They were more than enough drama as it was.
A/N: I have to say, I really love putting Bones and Booth together (and Angela and Hodgins, too…just not as much as B&B). Of course, now that they're together, I feel like the story's over, even though I've got a few more chapters (and songs) planned. It'll take a while before the next chapter is up.
I hope I did BB and AH justice. So, how'd I do?
