A Boy From Philly
Part X
"From an anthropological perspective, strippers, prostitutes, and other--"
"I'm not a prostitute, sweetheart."
"Of course not. What I'm saying is that, for some men, emotional bonds are only strengthened when sexual bonds are forged with other women. Or, in your case, simply watching a woman dance around a pole, might bleed sexual surplus, therefore keeping the bond between the monogamous man and the woman strong."
Tanya took a pack of Virginia Slims from the back pocket of her cut-offs. She flicked the butt of the cigarette a few times before putting it in her mouth. "I don't know what the hell you just said, sweetheart. You lost me a long time ago."
"You really shouldn't smoke cigarettes. They can cause a plethora of cancers."
"I'm not afraid to die. Cancer's a hell of a lot less scarier than getting hit by a bus or getting murdered, am I right?" She lit the cigarette, took a long drag and looked over at Brennan.
Brennan measured this comment for almost a full half-minute before responding, "Technically, I'd say that you're right. I'm a forensic anthropologist--"
"A what?"
"A scientist. I identify decomposed human remains when traditional methods are no longer useful--"
"That answers a few questions I've had about you," Tanya laughed.
"Anyway, I've seen what humans can do to one another in a fit of rage or jealousy, and I agree with you. I'd rather die from cancer than by murder or some horrendous accident." Brennan hugged her knees and readjusted her bottom on the rocks.
A second later, Booth swung through the brush. "Wooo! Hooo! Hoo-wee!" He let go of the rope and dropped into the water with a huge splash.
"Your man's got quite a body on him." Tanya blew out some of the smoke from her lips.
Brennan scrunched her nose and waved it away from her face. "Oh, no. Booth and I aren't-- We're not--"
"Don't lose your shirt, Tempe. I didn't call Seeley your boyfriend. I said man." She raised an eyebrow and looked over at Brennan, who looked somewhat flustered.
A moment later, Jared swung through the brush, released and dropped into the water.
"So, what is it with you two? Mind if I ask?" Tanya said.
"I don't understand the question."
Tanya laughed. "You're really like this, aren't you?"
"Like what?"
"That's why Seeley likes you. You're funny. No, seriously. Are you all 'we're just partners' on the outside, but all hot and heavy when the lights go out?"
"I don't feel comfortable discussing this with you."
"Well, if he's anything like his brother is in the sack--"
Brennan stood up, "I'm going to have my turn on the rope swing."
"Sure, sure." Tanya watched Brennan walk out of sight. She laughed as she walked away.
Booth got out of the water. "Hey, Bones."
"Hi."
"I want to show you something."
"OK."
Booth led Brennan around the bend in the river, where the water was smooth and slow. He picked up a rock. "What you need is a rock that's shaped like this one. See how it's kind of flat and round?"
"Yes."
"Watch this." He grinned, took his stance, pulled back his arm, and let the rock sling-shot out of his hand. It skipped across the water three times before finally falling beneath the surface. Sploonk!
"You realize that this is science, don't you?" Brennan grinned. She picked up a rock that fit the description that Booth had just given her.
"Nah," Booth said. Although, he knew that it was.
"The rock bounces off from the water because of surface tension. I actually read an article on this in the Jeffersonian Magazine a few years back."
"They wrote an article on this?"
"They take science very seriously. Even the most mundane of events is article-worthy."
"Apparently. Now pull your arm back. Like this." Booth modeled for her. She tried to match, but failed.
"According to the author, the physics for rock skipping depend on the stone's diameter, velocity, mass, tilt, angle of attack, and the density of the water." She pulled back her arm, released the rock. It fell beneath the surface on first contact. She looked defeated and blew a stray strand of hair out of her face.
"Bones, Bones, Bones." He grinned that cocky grin. "I'd put my money on it that the guy who wrote that article couldn't skip a rock of his life depended on it. Some things are more than science. Some things are all about experiencing them." He walked toward her, and took her hand. "Now, I'm not coming on to you. Try to resist my charm." She rolled her eyes, but her comment and breath caught in her mouth as soon as his hand touched hers. He pulled it back. "You have to throw it at a bit of a side-ways angle." He showed her how to throw it. "About at this speed. It doesn't matter what that scientist guy said, it's all about technique."
He let go. She pulled her arm back. Released. The rock skipped twice and dipped beneath the water. "I did it." There was surprise in her voice. Then she said with more confidence, "Of course I did it."
"Well, you did have a great teacher. See, Bones? I can teach you stuff. You can teach me stuff. This is how this partner thing works!" He was thoroughly pleased with himself.
"I don't know, Booth. There are always flaws in ones' techniques."
"Not mine, Bones. I'm the Rock Skipping Champion of the World. Ask Jared."
"Was this one of your summertime activities?" She took a seat on a rock, her feet in the water.
Booth took a seat beside her. "We got pretty good at it. Jared almost beat me for the title, but in the end, it was clear who the true RS Champ was."
"You?" Brennan asked teasingly.
"Hey! I still have the trophy to prove my awesomeness."
"There was a trophy?"
Booth laughed. "I hot-glued a rock to an old baseball trophy."
Brennan looked at him teasingly. "Wow. That's simply amazing, Booth. You are such an Alpha Male. A true specimin of manliness." To say that that whole sentence was dry on sarcasm is to say that Dolly Parton should go up a size.
Booth pushed his hands into the pockets of his shorts. "Sarcasm. Nice, Bones. Real nice. You should do Stand Up." He took a few steps back toward the water.
Brennan noticed. "Where are you going?"
"It's hot, Bones. Are you hot?"
"The weather is unseasonably war--"
Booth cut off her diagnosis of the weather with a cold splash of river water. Brennan sucked in a sharp breath, "Ah!"
When she had finished drying her face with her shirt, she eyed Booth with a look of calculated determination.
Booth started laughing and stumbling backward. Then the laughter stopped when he realized that he had truly made a mistake. "No. Bones. You don't know what you're--Bones! No--No--No--No--NO!!!"
She jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his torso and throwing him off balance. It's not like the man had never dreamed of the scenario before. Admittedly, neither one were clothed and there was a soft bed to catch his fall in those particular imaginings. In this case, Booth was wearing swimming trunks, Brennan was fully clothed, and a cold riverbed was there to cushion their fall.
"Bo--" She dunked his head under water. "--nes!" Another dunk. "Bo--" Another dunk. "nes!" At that moment in time, Booth realized something. He was playing nice. Because she was a 'girl'. He also realized something else. There was no need to play nice with Temperance Brennan. She was trained in martial arts. She'd killed a man before. And a woman!
No more Mr. Nice Guy.
Booth shifted his weight so that he was on top of her and she was the one being dunked. She clawed at him. Booth laughed. Payback.
Jared and Tanya looked on in horror. Maybe those two shouldn't be together after all. Or maybe they should. Sexual tension much?
Brennan squirmed out from beneath him and splashed him one last time. The movement of her arm brought a sharp pain up the back of her arm. "Ow." She twisted her arm to get a better look.
"Bones. Are you hurt?"
"Yes, I'm hurt. You just attacked me."
Booth walked through the water up to her. "Let me."
She drew in air sharply through her teeth, denoting the pain that his touch caused.
"Sorry, Bones." A large scratch spanned the length of her arm, armpit to elbow. He looked up at her. Soaked from head to toe. He chuckled.
"What? Are you proud of yourself?"
"You know what, Bones? You attacked me. Not the other way around."
She pulled her arm out of Booth's hands. "See that's where you're wrong. You attacked me."
"As I recall, I was minding my own business and you took me down. Out of nowhere. Bam!"
"There's a fault in your logic, Booth. You forget about the loophole."
"What loophole?"
Brennan walked past him, then turned around. "I'm a girl. An innocent girl." She grinned and turned, walking out of sight.
Booth put his hands on his hips, shook his head, then jogged after her. "You are far from innocent, Bones!"
Thank you for the reviews. I'll be looking after my mom tonight, so hopefully I'll get a chapter up tomorrow. I really appreciate all of you for reading and reviewing!