Chapter 56 What's the Deal Between You Two?
Carmen knocks gently on the door, "Temp, he's gone. Want you things?"
Brennan opens the door unabashedly, indeed wearing only a damp towel. "Thank you so much, Carmen."
"You should have seen Seal. His face was all red and I think I actually saw a bead of sweat on his forehead."
"That's strange. He is in very good shape - one flight of stairs, even carrying my suitcase and bag shouldn't have winded him. Is he inebriated, do you think?"
"Doubt it, big guy like that. Take more than two beers to lay him down," Carmen says smiling devilishly.
Brennan sees Carmen's lascivious grin smile and entertains her own thoughts of laying Booth down for a moment. If the walls weren't already steamed up from the hot bath, they would be now.
Carmen snaps out of her reverie and looks up at Brennan, still contemplating her own. The two smile at each other.
"Say no more," Carmen says, a shrewd glint in her eye, and turns to go tuck the kids into bed.
"Carmen," blurts Brennan. Carmen turns on her heal to face Brennan, arms crossed, she leans against the door frame.
"What did you mean by that? Say no more?" I don;t know what you mean by that.
"It means, my dear anthropologist, that I know exactly what you were thinking - At least I had the general idea …"
"That's not possible. How is that possible? No person can know what's going on in someone else's mind. ESP is a hoax," Brennan states.
"Yes, my dear, but the body gives freely what the mind tries to hide."
"I don't recognize that quote," says Brennan, still confused.
"Of course you don't, it's attributed to one Carmen L. Larrinaga, circa 2003.
Brennan's confused face slowly lightens in comprehension. "Okay - I get that. Don't use psychology on me, sister. It's an inexact science."
"Which, fortunately for the rest of us, doesn't depend on your belief in it to exist …" answers Carmen, a little snarkily, then smiles sweetly, too sweetly.
"Temp … I'm putting the kids down. It'll only take a minute. After you get dressed, could you wait up here for me for a moment?"
"Sure," agrees Brennan. "I apologize for getting the bathroom floor all wet - and causing Anna to run naked and dripping onto the carpet."
"Oh, forget about that. I have something else I'd like to talk to you about."
"Something about anthropology? Or bones? I'm an expert at bones."
"Not exactly, although one could say that …. no, never mind. I'll be back in a couple of minutes."
Brennan dresses and combs her hair, which by now is half wet, half firizz. She sits on the chair in the bedroom and waits. This must be the master bedroom, she observes, noting the king size bed, dresser covered in jewelry and makeup, the mirror sporting two crayon drawings of white kittens and a little girl.
"Now, forgive me if this is too personal," begins Carmen, closing the bedroom door behind her and sitting on the bed across from Brennan.
"I will," replies Brennan.
"So … What's the deal between you and Seal?
"There is no deal."
"Come on, there's gotta be something going on," she insists. "How long have you two been working together?"
"About six years," Brennan answers.
"Listen, I'd be hyperventilating all the time if I had to work beside that delicious hunk of manhood down there - every day, too." Carmen scoffs.
"It is obvious he's hot for you. And you're hot for him. So, what's the hang up?"
"Have you ever …"
"Had sexual intercourse? No.
"Has he ever kissed you?"
"Not that would really count for anything," she says, thinking back to the few times they had kissed … under the mistletoe, on the steps of the reflecting pool before she turned him down, and then there was the first time … outside the bar the night he fired her from their first case. That was h-o-t hot. For a moment she can't breathe. Memories of that kiss, that amazing kiss, still gives her shivers when she thinks of it.
"So what gives, sister? Carmen crosses her arms, snapping Brennan back to the conversation.
"Well, actually, its complicated, but suffice it to say, um, he got engaged," she begins to explain. She heaves a heavy sign and slumps back in her chair. "I don't even remember how many months ago. Something could have happened between us before that, but I wasn't ready - and after a while we went our separate ways. Nine months later when we got back together as a team, he came back with a girlfriend. He ended up proposing to her - she turned him down, now just this last week she's reentered his life."
Okay …" says Carmen, clearly ready to hear more, even if she has to drag it out of her new friend.
"Ever since Hannah, that's his old girlfriend's name, turned down his proposal, Booth has been a bear to live with. He barely makes eye contact. He's humorless, in comparison to his old self…"
"Ew, that must have been hard," says Carmen, commiserating.
"Well, I guess you could say that. But anyway, It's really none of my business," she adds. Carmen gives her an are-you-kidding-me look.
"So Hannah reemerges into his life this past week and all of a sudden his mood is a lot better - he's happier - he's joking with me. We're having a good time … and you know I … eh … Its … "
"Did you ask him about it? Did he tell you anything?"
"No. He doesn't know that I saw them together holding hands and you know, talking, forehead to forehead pretty much," Brennan says, the memory making her uncomfortable.
"And … did you ask him about it?" Now Carmen is giving Brennan the tone of voice she probably uses when she's asking her child: And what did you THINK was going to happen when you put your baby doll into the microwave and pushed the fifteen minute button, huh?
"I did, I did," she admits.
"Well, what did he say?"
"He said its personal."
"What the $*%&$ is that supposed to mean?" Carmen blurts out so fast Brennan jumps.
"That's what I'd like to know! And the thing is, he usually doesn't keep ANYTHING from me," she says, clearly a more than a little distraught.
"Honey, we all got secrets," answers Carmen, shaking her head.
"We share everything. We're partners. We've been through everything. I mean, you name it - everything. We've been through it. Together."
"Hngh," is all Carmen can say. She regards Brennan like she's assessing her for something. After a moment, she sighs.
"So Im not really sure, Carmen, what's going on with him," Brennan sys, clearly finished.
"Well, you know, baby doll, you just never know. Who knows what it could be you saw. Sometimes these things happen and derail us, but I'm telling you, I can't imagine that he's in love with somebody else and he behaves the way he does with you, looks at you the way he does."
"What way?" Brennan asks innocently.
"Like he's a hungry tiger and you're a big juicy slab of top sirloin," she says.
Brennan's stomach does a triple flip upon hearing it put that way. "Dang," she says. "Oh, I'm sorry, Carmen, I don't usually express myself using colloquial slang. I've just been uncharacteristically … something … lately. And it's physiological in nature - this - whatever I'm feeling."
"Well, you should have seen him this afternoon. He'd just talked to you and discussed you coming here. He was pacing around like a jungle beast, he was so agitated - excited, I'd say," Carmen informs Brennan. "Or he's just an incredibly good actor."
"He can be a good actor. Especially in the interrogation room." They both think on that for a while.
"Okay well, if you're with him for six years, and all of a sudden you're hyperventilating, something must have happened. Something that has messed you all up. I'm just saying."
"Well there's no scientific basis for that so …."
"Okay well, good luck with all that, Temp," she says, and what she means is, "There is nothing more I can do here."
As Carmen and Brennan are about to go back down stairs, Brennan's phone rings. Brennan digs around in her bag, locates it and answers.
"Hella Angela, I really don't have time to talk. We're interviewing a couple suspects and we'll be busy all evening …"
"Bren - I just wanted to warn you - Hannah has been here, twice, asking for you."
"Did she say why? Brennan asks.
"Nope - just wants to talk to you."
"Any theories on your part - you're good at that …"
"Yes, but it'll have to wait until you get back. We need to talk. In the meantime - you're out there alone with the gorgeous FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth …. and I'll bet he brought his handcuffs. Maybe it's time for the beautiful anthropologist to get arrested by the sexy FBI man! Just forget that Hannah exists. That's my advice, Sweetie."
"Thank you, Ange, I'll take that into consideration," she says grinning, her face turning red.
"Are you really doing that - interrogating suspects - is that what this is?" asks Carmen, sitting back down on the bed, maybe a little hurt. But just a little, she's big girl.
"Of course not. No. Although, I will be honest with you, Carmen. Because remains were found on this campus, right outside your husband's building, he will be questioned. That's our job," Brennan informs her, apologetically.
"Well I guess that is all we can expect," answers Carmen, "But you know what? You go right ahead and interrogate Enrique. Try to torture him, if you want. But I know my husband. My husband would not kill another human being. I'd believe that I killed someone before I could believe he killed someone. It's just not possible." She stares defiantly at Brennan.
"Sometimes people do things we think they'd never, ever do," Brennan says, compassionately.
Carmen looks Brennan straight in the eyes. "Not my husband."
"I'm sure you are right. Booth knows people. That's his super power. If Booth has bonded with Enrique this quickly, it is highly unlikely that he is the killer. But please understand that it is our job to ask questions … of everyone."
