Disclaimer: I don't own Bones
SouthnLady: Oooh you are going to love the next few chapters!
ArcherBlad3: Lol she is rather obnoxious isn't she lol
Divawife: You can have the room next to mine =D My husband is already ready to committ me. I sometimes laugh maniacally while writing.
legggate: Sorry to disappoint but I don't believe that she ever gets hit =/
EowynGoldberry: That's the thing about stupidity. You may know it but to know it and think it applies to you are two separate things =D
Maddieh2oS: Now if I did that right away my story would have been ten chapters long ;-).
Chkgun93: Remind me to never get on your bad side. I should warn you, messing with peoples coffee that's just sacriledge.
Baixa77: Welcome to my uhh warped yeah that's the word warped world. =D
jenheir1: LOL I couldn't resist.
Thank you everyone for your reviews!
Chapter 10
"If we are to have a pow-wow, food is always good," Angela announced, setting the pastry box on the table.
Booth left the room and returned with creamer and sugars for the coffee. Angela left the office and returned, pushing two chairs. Turning around she left and returned with two more. Brennan stood up and pushed her chair around her desk and in front of the table.
Booth made them each a cup of coffee then, sat down on the couch. Brennan settled next to him and opened the box of pastries. She glanced up at Angela who nodded at her. She pulled out a danish and set it on a napkin. Clapper looked at the two of them in confusion and Booth chuckled.
"She just asked Angela if that was the vegan danish and Angela said yes," Booth told him. Clapper's eyebrows raised, but he nodded.
"So you two are romantically involved ?" Clapper said to them with a small frown.
"Yes, we are," Brennan said casually.
"How long has this been going on?"
"We began dating before we came back from separate parts of the world," Booth said.
"So, you were together before the whole living in the lab incident and the Dallas conference?"
"Yes, that is correct," Brennan told him, taking a bite of her danish.
"You have kept your work professional?"
"Yes," everyone said at once. Dockerty mumbled in disagreement.
"Agent Dockerty, you disagree?"
"They were not acting professionally before you arrived," Dockerty said in a snotty tone.
"Wha-"
"Excuse me?"
"How do you figure?" The statements came from several mouths at the same time.
"It's not professional to call someone 'cupcake' or 'pookie'," she stated emphatically. Everyone else in the room burst into laughter and Clapper looked around in bemusement.
"Director Clapper, Dr. Brennan is not fond of nicknames so, in retaliation she has been calling him sickeningly sweet nicknames. So Booth took her up on the challenge and is doing the same thing," Cam laughed between gasps.
"They are very competitive, have a tendency to bicker, but they would die for each other," Angela said.
"Which is why we do not condone interpersonal relationships. They cause the partners to make rash decisions that endanger the other," Hacker said, striding in the door followed by Sweets.
"How well is that working by the way, Hacker?" Hodgins asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer.
"Director Clapper," Hacker said, extending his hand. Clapper shook his hand and indicated for him to sit down. Sweets perched on the edge of Brennan's desk and glanced at Booth and Brennan on the couch.
"What did you mean by that Dr. Hodgins?" Cam looked up, nodded then smirked, as they took a stroll down memory lane.
"She ran into a building where Booth was being tortured by mobsters," Cam said.
"Then, there was the time that she flew in a helicopter to a ship that was less than five minutes from exploding to rescue him. This was after not sleeping for a twenty four hour period," Angela said.
"What about that time during the underground fight club? When Dr. Brennan quickly analyzed the situation and kept Booth from being pummeled to death. The case in Vegas," Wendell said remembering Cam telling him about it.
"Or the time he took that bullet from Pam Nuunan, when she was trying to kill Bren," Sweets said. Hacker glared at him for saying anything.
"Or the time he didn't sleep for twenty-four hours, when Heather Taffet had Dr. B and me in a car," Hodgins shuddered.
"She went into surgery with him when he had that brain tumor," Cam said.
"The time he left the hospital to rescue her from Agent Kenton," Hodgins said, clasping his wife's hand tightly. Clapper sat back and thoughtfully stroked his chin.
"So you two did this for each other as partners and friends?" Booth and Brennan looked at each other.
"Yes," they said in unison.
"What exactly is the problem, Dr. Saroyan? Why did you freeze the contract?" Clapper asked, turning his attention to her. She looked him straight in the eye.
"We told Hacker, that if he was to pursue personal vengeance, this would happen. My team works the way we do because we trust each other implicitly. Changing the dynamics of those bonds of trust ripples across my lab, causing strife and confusion," she told Clapper. Clapper turned to look at Hacker with question on his face.
"Is this true?"
"Yes sir. However, this is not about personal vengeance-" the snorts heard around the room drew Clappers attention briefly.
"Then please tell me what this is about?"
"They are breaking policy. Therefore, I thought that Booth would work well with Agent Dockerty here and contracted them to be partners for the next four years. Whether the Jeffersonian comes back on board, Agent Booth will not be working with Dr. Brennan," Hacker said with a slightly smug smile on his face.
Booth held his phone up, dialed a number, hit the button for speaker phone, then placed the phone on the table. They heard the phone ring and was answered.
"Hey Cher, what do you need? I'm busy here I have to reschedule all of these court dates thanks to Hacker," Caroline grumbled into the phone.
"Caroline, I need you to tell me what you said yesterday, again please," Booth said.
"Has the good doctor lady hit you on the head hard enough to make you lose your memory?"
"Not yet, Caroline," Booth said with a laugh.
"Like I told you yesterday Cher, the contract says that she would be partnered to ONE of the best homicide investigators in the field not the THE best. As well as the only agent specifically named is Agent Rachel Dockerty. Now, if you need me to go before the contract board, then you are going to need to do it soon. When this contract freeze comes off, and I know it will because you'll make sure it does, I will be in court all day everyday for a month at this rate," Caroline told him.
"Okay Caroline I'll let you know,"Booth hung the phone up and glanced up at Dockerty with a smirk on his face.
"I am not, in fact, contracted to anyone, Assistant Deputy Director Hacker, so please, do not tell Agent Dockerty that I am contracted to her as my name is not specifically listed and I did not sign this contract," Booth said with a small frown.
"Does Cullen have all of this information?" Clapper asked, looking Booth directly in the eye.
"Most of it sir-" Booth was interrupted by his phone. He picked it up and answered it.
"Booth."
"WHY AM I HEARING DIRECTOR CLAPPER IS AT THE JEFFERSONIAN? WHERE ARE YOU? YOU SHOULD BE THERE," Cullen's voice screamed from the phone that Booth held away from his ear.
Putting the phone up to his ear he stepped out into the hallway to finish the conversation.
"Hacker, I do not appreciate your lying about the situation," Brennan said with a breathy snarl.
"Excuse me Temperance?" She scowled at his use of her first name.
"This is about personal vengeance. I did not want to date you anymore and now your trying to sever my partnership with Booth," she growled.
Booth caught the last comment and tone. Striding over with a grin he sat down next to her and leaned back against the couch.
"You find this amusing, Agent Booth," Dockerty said in a snippy tone.
"Special," Brennan corrected.
"Excuse me?"
"You are an Agent, he is a Special Agent," Brennan said in a lofty tone.
"Agent Dockerty, I do find this amusing but as to why I will never tell," Booth said balancing his head on his fingers at his temple and jaw.
"So Dr. Saroyan, I need to know what exactly you need to protect this valuable partnership," Clapper said, looking at Cam.
Booth heard a slight shuffle then the sound of something beginning to fall. He glanced over his shoulder and dove for the artifact falling from the bookcase which had been bumped by the security guard.
He caught the artifact before it hit the floor cleaning a good length of floor with his stomach. Brennan stood up with a relieved sigh and took the artifact, setting it back on the shelf.
"Thank you, Booth, that was a special gift," she said softly.
Helping Booth stand, Brennan gave him a grateful look. He looked over her shoulder at the artifact. Sighing he leaned his head back toward the ceiling.
"No problem. Now, if you'll excuse me I need to go wash my hands," Booth grumbled, almost running for the door. Wendell glanced at the shelf and choked back a laugh.
"Dr. Brennan, is that what I think it is?"
"Wendell since I do not know what you think it may be, I can not answer that question," Brennan stated.
"He thinks it's a shrunken head," James blurted out, staring in horror at the artifact on her shelf. Clapper turned with a grimace to stare at the head on the shelf.
"If that is what he is thinking then yes he is correct. It was a gift from a small muraiyan village in the foothills of the Andes," Brennan said.
"That is revolting," Dockerty screeched.
Brennan's back stiffened and Clapper noticed Brennan's reaction. Booth walked back into the room and sat down on the couch.
"Agent Dockerty, this is the House of Reason and Science. It is impolite to say things like that to the squints," Booth said in a mild tone.
"You will notice that James may have looked at it in horror, but he said nothing disrespectful. Agent Dockerty on the other hand showed how ignorant she can be. There are only 5 tzantzas that have left the villages of the Shuar since the outlaw of the trading of them was made illegal. The shaman of the village I stayed at gave this as a gift when he saw me examining it," Brennan stated coldly.
"That was some quick action ,Agent Booth," Clapper told him.
"Thank you, sir. The artifacts Bones has are mostly real and very expensive. If they are on display, then they have some sort of sentimental value to her," Booth explained quickly.
"So, if it is so special why did you feel the need to wash your hands, Seeley," Dockerty asked snidely.
"Although Bones has no problem touching something like that, I do," Booth said with a shrug, frowning at her use of his given name.
"First thing, we need our agent and scientist partnerships protected. The only people who should break them are either the agent, the scientist, Deputy Director Cullen, or I. Allowing others to do so causes conflict of epic proportions. Secondly, if the partners need babysitting, that should be determined or at least cleared through me. The agents spend a lot of time here and people like Agent Dockerty create strife; we reserve the right to decide who is in our home. Third and most important, we need to be able to say yes or no to the incoming agents without running them off. We like adding to our team, but they must fit in or at least attempt to. James, for example, fits in with our team very well," Cam said calmly.
"Okay, that can be arranged I believe," Clapper said.
"Absolutely not," Hacker blustered.
"Why not Assistant Deputy Hacker?"
"We would have no control over the agents," Hacker said.
Clapper propped his chin in his hand and was quiet as he thought. The door burst open and Parker came flying in.
"DAD! BONES! Guess what?"
"Bub, Daddy is in a meeting. Can you give me some time and we can talk?" Parker's face fell and Brennan's heart went out to the young boy.
"Come on Parker. Dr. Hodgins just got a shipment in. We will go observe his new acquisitions," Brennan said holding his hand.
"Bones," Booth said in question.
"You can speak for me; you mostly know how I think," she said, ushering Parker towards the door.
"Bug man, did your Corixidae come in today? You've been waiting on them for weeks now," Parker asked with marked enthusiasm.
Hodgins grinned, Booth rubbed his eyes with a sigh and Clapper looked confused.
"Come on Parker we will go look at the Coleoptera Dermestidae," she said reaching out her hand.
"Bones, don't let him play with the flesh eating beetles," Booth groaned out. The squints burst into laughter.
"What? What is so funny?" Dockerty asked in an aggitated tone.
"Booth actually recognized the scientific name for flesh eating beetles," Hodgins gasped out. Clapper looked at them and gave them a small smile.
"So your ten year old son knows the scientific name for bugs? Your trusting your girlfriend to let him play with flesh eating beetles? And he spends an inordinate amount of time here if he has nicknames for the scientists?"
"Yes sir, they are family now," Booth said.
Max stuck his head in the door scanned the room then saw Clapper. He ducked out in a hurry and bustled across the lab. Booth pulled out his phone and shot a text.
Booth: Bones Max is looking for Parks.
Brennan: Okay.
"It would seem that we are having more than one problem here. The main one seems to be a battle of the wills," Clapper said.
Booth sat forward, seeing that the Director had already come to some sort of answer. Clapping his hands together the Director sat forward and looked at Booth.
"A contest between the Jeffersonian and the Hoover," he said.
Booth's face lit up and he shot his eyes to Cam who was grinning. Turning his head in a theatrical gesture, he looked at Hodgins and Angela who grinned. He shot his eyes to Sweets who had a smile on his face. Crossing his arms across his chest, Booth leaned back.
"We're game if you are, Hacker,"Booth said with a smug grin.
"That's Assistant Deputy Director Hacker to you, Agent Booth," Hacker spluttered out.
"In that case, Assistant Deputy Director that's Special Agent Booth to you," Booth said in a sarcastic tone. Clapper's eyes widened at the obvious disdain Booth had for Hacker.
"Gentlemen, I will email the rules to the two of you tonight after I have figured them out. Then, you will have two hours to set up your team with in the parameters of the rules. The game will start 24 hours from then. Until then, the freeze remains on the contract. Whoever wins receives the right to demand what they wish in the contract within reason. I will make the final decision both of the winner and what is deemed appropriate," Clapper said standing up.
A/N: Let the Game begin. I broke the chapters up for the game so that you could participate if you want ;-). The first part of the game truly starts in chapter 12. So, put your thinking caps on and bust out your google bar. I do have to appologize for how short the next chapter is. Inorder for the next chapters to play out the way I needed, I had to chop it off. If you're good, I'll post two chapters (ya'll know how to get it done)... Next chapter? Well, let's see...A force to be reckoned with, out of the mouth's of Parkers*lol*, mud holes, Anok, Sid, and Rules.
A/N2: The Shuar are the indigenous people of South American that are predominently known for doing Shrunken Heads or Tzantzas. The Muriaya are a subsect of the Shuar that live in the foothills of the Andes mountains. Their name literally means hill people. Okay Anthropology lesson over =D
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