Chapter 55 Rubber Ducky, You're the One!
Larrinaga descends the steps and stands at the bottom, hands on hips. His shirt is splashed with large oval dots of water. He looks at Booth and shakes his head. They share a laugh.
"Ohhhhh. I been there!" says Booth, chuckling in acknowledgment. "Nice splatter pattern.
"Yeah, well … luckily for me, Carmen handles most of the wet work in this household, but I think even she'll tell you I try to do my share."
"Right. Who are you kidding?" Booth gives him a sly, knowing look, and holds out his half empty beer bottle.
Larrinaga grabs a fresh beer from the table, opens it, and leans in to clink Booth's bottleneck. He sighs, smiles, takes a long swig.
"How do they do it?" he asks Booth, a look of incomprehension on his face.
"You know what? I don't know. They make it look easy," he shrugs.
"Well, sometimes you wouldn't think so, considering all the complaining they do …" Larrinaga says feigning exasperation and taking another swallow.
"We are talking about the women, not the kids, right?" clarifies Booth.
"Heck yeah," answers Larrinaga. "Sometimes when I come home she gives me this look like, "Gall dang you, you turd. How could you leave me alone with these obnoxious, ungrateful, slobs all day!"
"Well, how could you, you gall dang turd?" Booth asks, a serious look on his face. His beer bottle is half way up to his lips and he's looking sideways at Larrinaga. They both crack up.
"Feces," answers Larrinaga as they both pull from their bottles. Larrinaga shakes his head. They stare at each other, both knowing there really is nothing they can say about the fortunate situation they each live in - cared for and loved by women - or at least one of them knows for sure he is. The other is still working it out …
"Yeah, Rebecca, that's Parker's mother, my ex girlfriend, manages to have time to raise Parker, run a household, manage a successful branch at the bank in her neighborhood, and date a guy we affectionately call CAPTAIN FANTASTIC," comments Booth, screwing up the corner of his mouth in awe. They both think about that for a minute, both looking at the floor, or their shoes, lost in contemplative silence.
"Do I detect a bit of envy there?" asks Larrinaga.
"What, about Captain Fantastic? No. Nah. Rebecca is a wonderful mom, but she and I - we're not in love anymore. I want her to be happy - and this guy is actually pretty nice. He treats Parker well, that's all I care about," Booth explains.
Larrinaga continues looking at him as if he knows there more to be said. Waits for Booth to continue.
"IT's just that sometimes I see the three of them together, Rebecca, Parker, and Captain Fantastic …
"Yeah …?"
"… and they look like a family. You know?" Booth finishes speaking, purses his lips, sneaks a look up toward the stairway, eventually putting the beer bottle to his lips, pausing before he takes a sip. A small display of … resignation … frustration … acceptance?
Larrinaga is no dummy. He can read the writing on the wall. This is a touchy subject for Booth. And Larrinaga knows when to walk away from a conversation and let a guy have his thoughts to himself. If Booth wants to share, he will, but he gets to decide when that will be.
"What about Dr. Brennan, Temperance? She have any kids?"
"Nope - she vacillates on that subject. She has said that she doesn't understand the logic behind bringing children into a world so full of darkness. But you know, I think she's been coming around the last couple of years."
"Really, how so?"
"Well, she's become quite attached to Parker. She and he spent time together while I've been here the past two days. They have their own jokes that they don't always let me in on. It's sweet."
"Hmm. Interesting."
"Yeah. A couple years after we met, she got the idea that she was doing the world a serious injustice by not depilating herself for future generations."
"Was she seeing anyone at the time?" Larrinaga asks, his brow furrowed.
"Well, it is an interesting story - for another, much more inebriated time. Suffice it to say, things didn't turn out the way she planned She hasn't brought it up since." That was all Booth was willing to say to a man he'd only known for two days. Maybe someday … maybe someday he and Bones could tell that story together to Carmen and Enri. Booth exhales deeply - sighs audibly.
"What are you thinking about, partner?" asks Larrinaga.
"I'm thinking I could use another beer," he says, raising his beer bottle in front of himself and over his head and grinning like the cat that ate the canary.
"I am fully qualified to accommodate you, Mr' Special Agent Seal Booth!" Larrinaga gets up from his squat on the lining room chair and heads into the kitchen.
Upstairs, Brennan sits on the toilet seat, elbows on her knees, up to her forearms in soap suds.
"What's this?" she asks, pulling a little yellow rubber ducky up through the suds and squeezing it. She touches the bubble-covered squeaking duck to Anna's nose.
"Gwack, gwack!" she says, moving the duck through the air repeatedly to bop Anna on the nose then fly away.
"That's Yellow-ey," but he doesn't know how to fly … he's just a baby!"
"Did you know, Anna that ducks are waterproof" Asks Brennan.
"Of course Yellow-ey is water proof! She's plastic!" Anna giggles like this is the funniest thing she's ever heard.
"Well, did you know that ducks don't have any nerves or blood vessels in their feet, so they can stand on ice cubes as long as they want without feeling cold? They can also swim in very cold water."
"Really? I don't like swimming in cold water. I like swimming in warm water - AND BATHTUBS WITH HOT WATER!" As Anna says this last part she stands up, her pink slippery Rubanesque body covered in patches of soap suds.
"Ohhhh, ha ha ha! Ohhhhh AHHHHHHH!" screams Brennan as Anna makes a dive into the water, landing on the bottom of the tub onto her stomach and splashing gallons of water onto Brennan. After landing, Anna slides her body up and down the tub. "Look, I'm flying! I'm flying!"
For a split second, Brennan sits there, arms out in front of herself, shocked and not sure what to do.
"You stinker!" Brennan breaks into a playful, surprised laugh, standing up. "I'll get you - ha ha ha he he ha - you say you don't like cold water, huh?" Brennan looks around, knowing she'd seen a pitcher somewhere on the floor.
"Ha ha ha!" Anna continues to slide the length of the bathtub on her tummy.
Brennan locates the pitcher and fills it half way with cold water from the tap in the sink. As she turns back toward the tub, she catches a glipmse of a slippery, suds-covered little body, hopping out of the tub then running naked down the hall, screaming.
"Mommymommymommy!"
As Anna had exited the tub, she had grabbed Brennan's thigh, imprinting it with little hand prints, and knocked Brennan off balance. The pitcher, still half full of water, knocked against Brennans chest, sloshing its contents onto her already wet shirt.
Agent Booth, Temp wasn't you to bring in her suitcase," says Carmen, standing half way down the stairs.
"Why?" he asks, confused about what reason she could possibly have for wanting it.
"Don't ask why!" Carmen shouts, laughing.
"Don't ask why, man. Just do it," Larrinaga whispers out the side of his mouth so Carmen can't hear.
"She just needs her suitcase. Anna decided to give Temp a bath …"
Booth looks at Larrinaga with a quizzical smirk and shakes his head.
"Do the smart thing, Seal," Larrinaga advises.
"What's that?"
"Whatever she asks you to do. Go!"
Booth goes out to the SUV retrieving Brennan's suitcase and bag, and returns within minutes. He takes the stairs two by two and heads for what he thinks must be the bathroom. Brennan's shoes have been flung into the corner. Brennan is not in the bathroom, but it looks like a hurricane Katrina hit. He spies two sets of wet footprints on the carpet and tries to follow the larger set.
"Bones, where are you?" he shouts.
"I'm in here, Booth," he hears from behind one of the closed doors. "But don't come in, I have nothing on … just leave the suitcase outside the door there."
At the thought of Bones on the other side of the door, possibly wearing only a damp towel, Booth closes his eyes and shakes his head several times, trying, very unsuccessfully, to think of something else less ... provocative.
"There is a time for every purpose under heaven," he whispers to himself, taking a deep breath.
Just then, Carmen comes around the corner, and has her own interpretation of his head shake.
"What do you mean, No?" asks Carmen, in a very mother-like tone.
"Booth, did you say No?" asks Brennan, surprised, from behind the door.
"No! I didn't say no. I was shaking my head - but it wasn't because I was saying no! There was a bee in here - I felt it land on my ear. Oh, there it goes. We're all safe. Here's the suitcase," he explains quickly as he leans the suitcase against the door. "I brought in your bag too - in case you need your … you know ... lady things ... in there too," he finishes, clearly embarrassed, and retreats back down the stairs.
If Hodgins were here, thinks Booth, he'd have one word to say about the situation Booth had just been in: "DUDE!"
Note to reader: Julianne (As I don't know what chapter you are currently on, I will attach this note to several chapters to assure you see it.)
You're killing me! I would very much enjoy the opportunity to respond to your reviews, but I can't unless you sign in with an account! : ) Think about getting one - it's free! (My favorite price point). I think you will find as we go forward that I have tried to equally spread responsibility for Brennan and Booth's relationship issues between the two of them.I do believe they both play3ed a hand in what happened for them from the time he said, Let's give this a shot - till present day. If you are still engaged in this story by chapter 123, you will see what I mean. I hope you get that opportunity!
Do I channel my inner David Boreanaz? Yes, I do. However, there is a lot that goes on in the make-believe world of Planet Bones that we don't get to see much of on screen. In their private moments, my Brennan and Booth are quite playful. As this story is exclusively about what we did not see, I took the liberty of extrapolating what 'I' think their private relationship could be like. After all, this is Fan Fiction - : D The moment HH calls me to offer me a position on his writing staff, I will tone it down, rest assured! (Like that's gonna happen ...*smirk*)
I hope you continue to enjoy the ride! Regardless, keep Lovin' Bones!
Sincerely,
MoxieGirl
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