It was his turn.
He knew this, but he couldn't decide which one to choose. There were funny, inconsequential ones, and there were deeper, more meaningful ones that he wasn't sure he wanted her to see. He read and reread them, trying to put himself in her place and figure out how she would react to each of them.
In the end, he chose one that made him laugh.
----
She found it in front of her keyboard, right in the middle of the empty space, daring to clutter her otherwise immaculate desktop.
She had picked it up and studied it with her brow furrowed, quickly reading the hasty scrawl.
Bones is neat and organized, sometimes to the point of ridiculousness. But it usually makes life easier.
Well, this could be referring to anything. But it was true, she supposed. And his small recognition that it was, in fact, a good thing that she liked things orderly gave the otherwise silly note a redeeming quality. He was admitting that sometimes, his methods weren't always the best.
Cam, Hodgins, and Nigel Murray chose that moment to rush into her office, all speaking over the top of each other to tell her about a discovery they had just made pertaining to their latest victim. Brennan quickly stowed the post-it note in her desk drawer and hurried after them.
----
Booth is inordinately good at getting information out of people, which is irritating and useful at the same time.
He laughed, looking affectionately at her familiar handwriting. Studying the date, he tried to recall what exactly had caused her to write this.
They had solved a tough case that day. The suspect had been in custody for over two days, but he wasn't talking, and they were both at the end of their patience. Bones and the squints couldn't quite fit the last piece of the puzzle in place to incriminate him beyond a shadow of a doubt with evidence, and Booth couldn't get him to talk. Knowing they couldn't hold him much longer, they had both become desperate to reach their goal and their irritation had seeped into the conversations they had with each other.
After one of the lengthiest and most difficult interrogations of his career, Booth had finally cracked him. With an ironclad, incriminating testimony secured, he had taken Bones out to dinner to celebrate. She was still distant, and it bothered him. He had assumed her snappiness and short temper were results of the frustrating case, but they had not subsided. After a long, heated discussion, he had finally drawn the real reason for the bad mood out of her, and to his surprise the revelation had made them both feel better. He worried about how much she kept things to herself, knowing it was easier to talk to someone; he was glad that she had trusted him.
He supposed he was good at getting her to tell him things, but he didn't know that she had noticed it. He hoped it didn't bother her too much- after all, partners were supposed to tell each other things, he had told her that so many times. It meant more to him than anything that she trusted him. Realizing he'd never thought about it like that before, he reached for a piece of paper from his printer, dated the top and then wrote it down, stowing it with the rest of his collection.
----
Bones is awesome with Parker.
She was flattered by this one. Thanks to Booth's aversion to being thorough and detailed, she could only guess at when his notes had been written. There were certain ones she was sure of, like those written on the backs of receipts. This one, however, was on an envelope to an energy bill, probably hastily scribbled on it without much thought.
She loved spending time with Parker. It was easy and enjoyable, and Parker seemed to like her. She thought of the day they went to the planetarium. Because she was a scientist, Parker was of the opinion that Brennan knew everything about every subject. Clearly that was impossible, and she had tried to explain to Parker that while she was an expert in her field, she did not have extensive knowledge of astronomy. He had shaken off her explanation easily, saying, "My dad says you're the smartest person he knows, Dr. Bones. You know everything!" The awe in his voice was flattering, and she had smiled indulgently and tried to answer his questions to the best of her abilities.
He reminded her so much of his father. He had the exact same smile; it really was remarkable. Like the elder Booth, Parker had also learned how to use the charming smile to his advantage, and it had certainly worked on her. He had pulled her around by the hand, showing her the exhibits and rapidly firing questions at her as only a child could do.
It had been a very rewarding afternoon, and she was disappointed with how quickly the day had ended. Perhaps it was that evening that Booth had written this; she didn't know.
----
I hope this satisfied not only those looking for more length, but those yearning for a backstory to the last chapter. To be continued... ;)
Once again, your reviews are astoundingly flattering and wonderful, you have no idea! (Well, maybe you do...) Anyways, it is so amazing to read your guys' thoughts. I can't tell you how much it helps. I love getting your ideas on what should come next, and I love hearing what you liked (or didn't) about the chapter. Thank you SO much!!
Hanna