Hello! I just wanted to thank you all for taking the time to read and review. I appreciate all of your suggestions and thoughts on where this story should go. For now we have Hacker.
I don't own Bones.
Hacker
Evaluation is the worst part of the job. I like doing most of the other things that I have to do as assistant director. I've always been a paperwork, budgets and smoozing kind of guy. That type of stuff is right up my alley, but evaluations are the worst. You have to think about their performance, rate them, then bring them in and talk about it. Of course, most of the evaluations are fine and there are plenty of them that the agents are receptive to what I'm saying. There are even a few evaluations that go really well and I look forward to bringing them into my office, unfortunately, they don't really make up for the few that suck.
Filling Agent Booth's form out is probably the easiest one. He counts as one of those that I really look forward to, we're friends, well we're friendly and it's not like there's really anything bad to say about him. He closes cases quickly, thoroughly, and he works really well with his team from the Jeffersonian and the team of junior agents assigned to him. Truth be told is he's likely to fill my position when I leave or move up. But for now I'm looking forward to just chatting about his last year since he came back from Afghanistan.
The file was pulled and open on my desk when he came in, "Hey Boss!" He greeted me cheerfully talking a seat across from me.
"Booth, it's good to see you." I leaned back in my chair prepared to talk about nothing of consequence for the next hour and put his file away. "It's time for the yearly review." I told him, now for most agents it usually gets a small reaction out of them.
Booth just shrugs, "Sounds good. What have you got for me?"
"Mostly just that we're glad to have you back from Afghanistan. And that you got all the squints to come with you." I shook my head realizing that it really was a little ridiculous how much we relied on their expertise, "Especially Dr. Brennan. Without you guys a number of cases took far longer to close than they should have."
"Yeah well I told Cullen years ago that the squints were worth dealing with." He chuckled with a smile, "Despite how much of a headache Bones gave him."
"Well besides working with the squints the junior agents under you are progressing satisfactorily, and have enjoyed working with you."
"They're good kids and they do good work." He replied.
I grinned opening my hands, "Well that's really it. Did you have anything you wanted to discuss?"
Normally Booth would just shake his head ask if that was everything and tell me he would see me later. That would be it. But for the first time in my memory he took a deep breath and leaned forward, "Sir I do have one thing that I need to ask you about."
I could not imagine what it was about, "Go for it."
He took out his poker chip and turned it over in his hands for a few minutes seemingly gathering his thoughts. Finally, he took a deep breath, "Before Bones and I left last year you went on a few dates with her."
"Hey I asked you if you were ok with that before I ever asked her out." I held up my hands defensively. I'd heard the rumors back then that they were a couple, secretly married and everything else that the Hoover gossip mill comes up with.
He seemed a little relieved at my clear discomfort and the direction this conversation had taken, mostly because it matched his own. "I know it's just…"
"I haven't seen her since you guys got back anyway." I said defensively, "Besides didn't you come back with a girlfriend?" The rumor mill hadn't been necessary for that information I'd met the peppy blonde on several occasions.
He nodded leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees studying the poker chip hard, "I did, but I didn't want to talk to you about Hannah. No, no the FBI rules say that agents can't date agents or contractors."
"Yes they do?" This conversation was getting weirder with every word.
"Then why were you able to date Bones?" he asked looking up at me.
I shrugged, "I make the rules."
"You assumed at first that there was something going on between me and Bones, but you made no effort to break it up or talk to us about it? You were just asking to make sure you weren't stepping on any toes." It wasn't really a question.
I thought about it for a minute, "Well if you and Temperance had been in a relationship I wouldn't have done anything about it any ways."
"Really?" he looked up intrigued at me.
Again, I shrugged, "Like I said I make the rules. If you and Temperance had been involved you weren't letting it interfere with your work. I think you were probably more of a distraction to your co-workers that we're trying to figure out if you were or weren't dating. Either way it didn't really matter."
Silence filled the room for a beat as I watched him turn the poker chip over in his hands for a minute, "Booth what is this about?"
"If we are involved as long, as it didn't hamper our work, or distract others more than it already was, then you don't care?"
I like being the rule maker, but he was asking me to define what I would or wouldn't do in every instance. I sighed, "At the end of the day Booth the FBI rules are written to keep you safe. So yes, it's up to my discretion if I chose to enforce the rules…" the reason for this bizarre conversation clicked, "Booth are you and Temperance dating now?"
He didn't answer he just looked at me. "I'm not going to split you up if that's the case." I assured him. "But it is something that we need to be made aware of."
He slid the poker chip away and looked me dead in the eye, "Bones and I are dating."
I smiled relieved that this completely awkward conversation was over, "Ok. Good for you guys." I told him despite the fact I was a little sad about it. I'd know from our very first date I never had a chance with her for a long-term relationship. As long as Booth wasn't involved with some one else, at least. But it was still hard to hear.
We sat silent for a few minutes before I finally stood up deciding that this review while not bad was not the easy laugh I'd been looking for. "Well," I clapped my hands together and he stood, "unless there's anything else you want to talk about I think we're good."
He stood to mimicking my position, "Actually there's just one more small thing." He said soberly before sliding his hands into his pockets.
I laughed he had to be joking, he was after all a jokester. "And what would that be?" I asked expecting something funny.
"Bones is pregnant." He smiled.
I didn't have quite the same reaction as my knees gave out and I collapsed back into my chair, "No shit?" was all I could say.
"She's due at the beginning of December so I'll need some paternity leave then." He said very calmly, "And I'll be enforcing standard operating procedure for pregnant agents on her. Whether she likes it or not." He muttered under his breath.
He works fast. Was the only thing going through my mind. "Um ok you'll need to … partner's therapy… Dr. Sweets will…"
I couldn't seem to get the thought out which made Booth laugh, "Sweets has already informed us that partners therapy will have to resume." He kept smiling at my rather debilitating shock. "Was there anything else Assistant Director Hacker?" He asked using my full title condensing manner but I was too out of it to care.
I gulped, "No, no you're fine. Um I'll talk to you later." I told him knowing the look of disbelief was plastered all over my face.
"Great thanks Boss. See you later." He told me spinning on his heel and making his way towards the door.
I had my wits about me enough to call after him, "Congratulations." Before I sank back in my chair. It was several minutes before I realized that I'd definitely lost the pool. In fact, as far as I knew only one person had money on them getting together and having a baby. And it definitely wasn't me.
I'm not going to lie I hope we get to see Hacker again this season he was funny, particularly now that he won't be a threat.
Alright so what did you think? Was Hacker's reaction what you were expecting? Let me know!
Babyrose