Sorry for it been a week, but my computer crashed again. Im using my brother's right now so bare with me. Enjoy...
Angela stood outside her office, waiting for everyone else. They wanted to hit multiple stores to look for dresses, while the boys shopped and then they were all going to meet up for dinner. Cam emerged from her office first.
"Is Dr. Brennan ready?" Cam asked.
At that moment Brennan came out of her office with her bag slung over her shoulder making her way to the daycare. "Come on, we told Ashley 4 o'clock."
Angela and Cam shook their heads following Brennan on their way to pick up the teenage girl. Reaching the daycare, they saw all of their men standing in the hallway. Cam and Sweets said hello to each other, while Angela and Hodgins had a brief kiss, and Booth and Brennan hugged.
A moment later, Joe emerged holding Parker with Ashley on his heels. Joe looked to the ladies and smiled. "Parker and I are going to have a fun day in the mall's arcade."
"You're not going tux shopping with them?" Cam asked the young male.
"Oh no, I've been to so many of these formal parties, I practically get a new tuxedo every four months." Joe laughed, placing the boy on the ground and taking his hand.
"Well, we'll see you guys at dinner." Ashley smiled, giving Joe a kiss on the cheek.
"See you then." Hodgins added, looking towards the teenagers as the rest of them had done.
They went out to the parking lot together, the boys took Booth's car, while the girls took Cam's. Sitting in the back with Brennan, she watched Angela sit up with Cam, and then turn back to her.
"So what was that all about?" Angela gave her a sneaky smile.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ashley turned her head toward Brennan. The three started to giggle while Brennan had a very confused look on her face.
"What's so funny?" She asked her feminine friends.
"Nothing. You'll understand when you're older." Ashley laughed.
This caused laughter from all four parties, though Brennan didn't understand just why she found it funny only that she did.
The boys planned on getting their shopping done. They spent only about an hour in there. The girls on the other hand, not so much.
Ashley was getting overworked, she had been through tens of beautiful dresses. A black one with white plastic jewels along th top and waistline, a flowered top with a simple black bottom attached, a black dress with faded white flowers, she had been about time to call it quits.
"Are we done yet?" Ashley whined.
All the others had easily found beautiful dresses, with the exception of Brennan who had been just as indecisive as she was.
Angela handed her another dress, one she was not quite sure of. She tried it on and when she came out Angela burst into a squeal.
"That's the one." Angela said, clapping her hands.
She got a nod from Cam, and Brennan smiled. "It is quite beautiful on you."
Angela laughed. "You are going to knock little rich Joey off his feet."
"If you say so." She laughed.
Joe was walking around the arcade when he got a call on his cellphone. He picked it up to see it was his dad. "Hey Dad, whats up?"
"Hey, um there's a package addressed to you from Martha Phillis." His dad said.
"Great, um would send Lucy with it, I'm at the mall." Joe asked his father.
"Sure son. She'll be there in ten minutes." His dad hung up.
"Whose Martha Phillis?" Parker perked up behind him, and Joe clutched the phone to his chest.
"You nearly gave me a heart attack there, kid." Joe said.
"Sorry." Parker hung his head.
Joe picked the boy up. "Martha Phillis is Ashley's grandmother. She sent me a gift."
"Oh for Ashley?" Parker asked with a tilt of his head.
"Yep. You want to go pick it up with me?" Joe asked the boy.
"Do I!" He jumped in Joe's arms.
They left the arcade, and met Sweets, Booth, and Hodgins on the way out of a sport apparel store. Booth looked at the teenager carrying Parker towards the entrance.
Booth shouted with a hint of tease in his voice. "Where you taking my kid?"
Joe turned around and smiled. "My dad's assistant is dropping something off for me."
Joe went to the entrance and there was a limo outside, and a blonde emerged from the car. She gave Joe a small brown envelope then pecked him on the cheek. She ruffled Parker's hair and then got back in the car. She rolled down the window.
"Your mother wants to remind you about your golf match with the New York governor and his son." The blonde said.
"Yeah, well remind Dad to get my clubs from the attic." Joe smiled.
The blonde moved her head around Joe and smiled to the group of men waiting for Joe. "I'll see you boys this weekend."
Joe smiled. "Yes Lucy. Now could you."
"I don't see why you make such a fuss." Lucy popped her head back in the car, and Joe tapped the top, and the window rolled up and drove off.
Sweets laughed. "Dude you're loaded. "
"Tell me about it." He placed Parker on the ground and he ran to his father.
"What's in the envelope?" Hodgins asked.
"It's supposed to be something special." He said, opening the end of the package.
"Joe says Ashley's grandma sent him something for Ashley." Parker said proudly as his father picked him up.
"What would she send you?" Booth asked looking towards the package.
"Will you let me read the note." Joe snapped at the men asking four thousand questions.
Dear Joseph,
My granddaughter has told me much about you. You seem like a nice gentlemen. You asked about something important to my Evelyn. In this envelope is a necklace my husband gave her on her fifteenth birthday before he left for war. Ashley's memories of this necklace would be lost long ago.
How is my granddaughter? How is she handling what happened to her father? How is that Dan treating her? She barely calls me anymore.
From, Martha.
He shook the envelope and a small necklace fell out from the envelope into his hand. It was a small butterfly with purple gems inside the wings. Hodgins mouth gaped open.
"That's worth at least twelve hundred." Sweets said.
"No, it's only about six hundred dollars in worth. But that's still a valuable necklace." Hodgins added.
Parker looked, over Booth's shoulder, at the necklace. "That's pretty."
"Yes it is, Parker." Booth said.
Joe looked for a safe place to put the necklace. "You know I'm going to go buy a case to put this in. Okay?"
They nodded and went to the food court to wait for him and the girls. Joe ran to the nearest jewelry store and asked the man behind the desk to get a box.
Reaching the food court minutes later, he found that the girls had already beat him there. He casually made his way over to them. He smiled at Ashley who made her way up to him.
"Where have you been?" She said, reaching him.
He sneaked is arm around her waist, hoping that she wouldn't push him away and when she didn't it brought a smile to his face.
"Just in the jewelry store." He said, as they made their way back to the group.
"Why were you in there?" Angela asked with curious eyes.
"Had to pick something up for my mother. Well for my father to give to my mother." He said, patting his pocket where Ashley's necklace sat.
"Hm." Angela said not satisfied with that answer.
"Forget mall food. Let's go to the Chinese restaurant. I'll pay." Joe said.
"No, really Joe." Hodgins said but was interrupted.
"Hodgins shush. I haven't used my credit card in forever. So come on." Joe said with a smile.
That was how the group of friends, along with Parker, had two tables pushed together at the Chinese restaurant down the street from the mall.
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