I'm glad that everyone enjoyed the latest chapter. It was fun bringing Caroline back in. Hodgins is not too lucky thus far, and likely won't be feeling lucky for some time given that he's heading for tattoo removal surgery, but life does move on. Here's another chapter for your enjoyment. Gregg.
Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
It took several hours of listening to Caroline chewing him out for sending Hodgins over to her place the previous night before she would relent and drop the charges against Hodgins. Booth hadn't been the recipient of an ass chewing like that since he had pulled some strings on Bones' brother's behalf that one time. Booth shuddered when Caroline said that she had been caught in her "unmentionables" by Hodgins and that piss ant tattoo artist when she had opened the door. Booth filed that image away for when he needed some fast nose dive action from Junior. It joined the image of Caroline in nothing but a g-string in the same mental file. He had just arranged for Hodgins release, carefully avoiding seeing the man, when he felt a hand on his shoulder just as he was leaving the building.
"Booth!" came the always cheerful voice of one Max Keenan.
Junior and the Boys crawled back up inside and decided to hide out until the coast was clear. Damn it! He wasn't supposed to see Max until Bones was with him. He had also thought that the man was on a short jaunt with his main squeeze. Turning around with a smile of his own, he saw that Max was no longer in the wheel chair. Great. The man was back in trim.
"Hey, Max," Booth said, a fake smile plastered on his face.
"So, I hear congratulations are in order, Son," Max said, his smile still firmly in place.
Booth about lost control of his bowels, and the Boys shrank even further back inside. "I swear, Max! Bones came to me! I even used protection!" he let loose as rapidly as he could in one breath, desperate to save his skin. He made a note to hightail it to confession and add in a few things he forgot to mention in his last little chat with Father Mitch. It seemed his karma was so bad that he needed a bit of help.
"Tempe's pregnant?" Max asked, his brows nearly in his hairline.
Oh Shit! Booth about had heart failure when he realized that Max had been talking about something totally different. As it was he was barely able to stay standing in light of the stroke he felt coming on.
"Yes?" Booth offered with a small shrug. He was beginning to really sweat now.
Max smiled even wider, his hand squeezing Booth's shoulder. "Let's go get a bite to eat, Son," Max said happily. "It looks like we have a couple of things to discuss."
"Whoopee," Booth mumbled as Max led him away.
While Booth was being led away by Max, Bones was enjoying a fun visit with Angela who was going to be allowed to leave the hospital, finally. Due to some initial complications, and a minor infection, she had been kept in the hospital for observation for a few extra days. The baby was doing well, and would be going home with her. She was only waiting for Hodgins to arrive.
"God, Sweetie," Angela stared incredulously at her best friend. "I can't believe that you didn't warn Booth about depilatories." She paused, and then got an evil grin on her face. "But it sure would have been fun watching him clutch his package and hopping around like that."
Bones chuckled. "It was amusing," she admitted. "Of course he wasn't too happy that the post Brazilian activities had to be struck from the agenda."
"You're going to have to make it up to him big time, Sweetie," Angela told her. She punctuated it with a pointed look.
"I'm looking forward to it," Bones replied, a smug, happy look on her face.
"I can't believe Hodgie got arrested," Angela groused.
"It was Booth's fault, and he's taking care of it," Bones assured her.
"Angie!" Hodgins strode into the hospital room at high speed.
Angela decided to have some fun. "You better have a damn good explanation, Hodgie," she told her husband in a fake stern voice. "Sexual harassment? Caroline? You'd rather have sexual thoughts about Caroline in her unmentionables than me?"
"What?" Hodgins squawked. "I never harassed anyone! Especially not Caroline! And I never want to even think of Caroline in her unmentionables! Tell her Dr. B. It's all Booth's fault! Because of him I spent the night in a drunk tank where some schmuck puked all over me!"
"Likely excuse, Hodgie," Angela shook her head. "Imagine. A big, wealthy guy like you trying to lay the blame on some other guy. I just don't know sometimes. Maybe I should call Dad and let him sort this all out."
"NO!" Hodgins bellowed in fear. He'd had enough of that sadistic freak Billy to last a lifetime!
"I wonder what will happen when he finds out you were making eyes at another woman," Angela shook her head again, trying to contain her laughter at the pale look on Hodgie's face.
"Another tattoo?" Bones ventured a guess, amused herself at the antics and wanting to help Angela. Hodgins had interrupted her and Booth at an inopportune moment the night before, after all.
"Probably covering his ass," Angela continued, looking over at Hodgins ass. She licked her lips. Damn! Hodgie had one fine ass in her opinion.
"I am so doomed," Hodgins groaned as he sank into a seat. He didn't even notice the small chuckles from the two women in the room.
"So, Booth," Max said, sitting across from Booth in the Diner. "You got my baby girl pregnant, and not a wedding ring on her finger, huh?"
"Max," Booth began. "You know as well as I do that I'd marry Bones in a heart beat! But she doesn't believe in marriage! Believe me, I know. She's always going on about it being an archaic, and a barbaric, institution. How the Hell does someone get married in the face of that?"
"Have you even asked her?" Max asked, still smiling.
Booth would love to bludgeon that smile right off of Max's face, but kept his temper reigned in. It wouldn't do to have Junior and the Boys ripped off before he could really enjoy the benefits of his new relationship with Bones. They were in bad enough shape as it was.
"Well, no, but that's beside the point," Booth argued. "She's happy. I suffered through a spa day, and had the jewels fried to within an inch of their ever loving lives! I should think that's a pretty damn good statement of my intentions."
"Close, but no cigar, Booth," Max said, taking a sip of his coffee. He stood up. "At least ask her, Booth. Think about it."
Booth watched as Max walked out of the Diner. He slumped. Would this day ever get better? Putting some money on the table, he walked out of the Diner to head over to the nearest jewelry shop. Better not keep Max waiting. If he wanted Old Seeley to get shot down in flames, then that was going to be what he got. No sense in putting Junior on the chopping block any more than necessary, after all.
A/N: Now Max knows, and has given Booth his marching orders, Hodgins is ready to curl up and cry, and Bones and Angela are happy as clams. Now the story can progress. I hope you enjoyed this one. Gregg.