Thanks for the reviews - they're always appreciated.
Dr Temperance Brennan clicked 'save' on a report setting out the results of a detailed investigation into one of the best preserved Olmec sites ever discovered. The Jeffersonian's contribution had been a painstaking analysis of the remains of two Olmec people who had been brutally killed. Wresting any sense from the ancient fragments had been incredibly difficult, but Temperance felt satisfied that they had learnt all they could. When pooled with the information the archaeologists would get from the materials at the site in Mexico, she was confident that their understanding of this ancient people would be substantially increased.
Temperance circled her head, trying to work out the knots that had formed while being hunched over the keyboard for a day. She glanced at her watch and realised she could actually leave at a normal time. She turned off her computer and reflected that, all in all, it was a pretty good week's work. The final report on the Olmec remains had been hanging over her for the last month, but the FBI's demands on her time had meant there hadn't been chance to get it done.
Temperance picked up her coffee mug and made her way to the kitchen, wondering if she should call into Wong Foos on her way home and catch Booth? She stopped suddenly wondering why she would want to go out. She wasn't that keen on bars and Booth normally had to force to go out for their regular drink. Her brow creased at that thought, when had their evenings out become regular? They hadn't spoken since Tuesday the previous week; with no corpses materialising there was no reason for Booth to talk to her. She realised that she had been waiting for him to call and cajole her into coming out for drink, but he hadn't. Disappointment flooded her. He obviously had lots of other things to do, why would they spend time together if it wasn't related to a case? Temperance didn't understand the burning sensation at the back of her eyes as she realised that Booth obviously just saw her as a problem solving tool.
She walked unseeingly into the kitchen and washed her mug. In her mind's eye she pictured Booth: the dark eyes that lit up as he smiled at her; the constant contradiction of a personality - sarcastic, instinctive; the strip of toned, tanned flesh above his jeans that she'd glimpsed as he pulled on his coat and his t-shirt rode up. She grasped the edge of the sink and took a breath. This was not good. She was fixating on Booth's, er, attributes.
This week apart was obviously a good thing, and why was she thinking about leaving on time? Plenty of time today to start a new project in the office. The Jeffersonian had stacks of things she could look into. Stacks of fascinating remains that would keep her occupied and prevent her from wondering what Booth was doing.
She strode back to her office and reached out to switch the computer back on, but her hand hesitated as her mobile phone began to ring.
(TBC)