Angela slides into the Booth next to her favourite FBI agent, Hodgins and Zack shuffle around to make space for her and Booth smiles sheepishly. Angela lifts her glass and takes a long drink before closing her eyes and sighing in appreciation.
"Where's Bones?" She glances at him with a smile.
"Missing her already Booth? What's it been, an hour?"
Booth waves her off with his hand and rolls his eyes "Like a hole in the head. I just thought she was coming, that's all, don't read into it."
Angela scans the bar for any interesting looking males "She is, she just had something to do at the lab, or something..I wasn't really paying attention, too busy sprinting out of the door with these two to get to the vodka."
"Damn right man." Hodgins lifts his glass in a toast.
Angela turning her full attention back on Booth smiles mischievously, he lifts his drink and shrugs. "So Booth, sweetie. Tell me, when was it that you realised that you were hopelessly in love with our Bren?" His face lights up at the challenge and a broad grin spreads across his features.
"Ha..Angela, I'm not in…." Just at that Zack's announcement causes him to trail off and look in the direction of the door.
"Speaking of doctors… I think we all know what she had to 'do at the lab'."
Angela follows their eyes and spots Brennan and Marcus walking into the bar area. Tossing a glance at Booth she sees the smile from his face disappear and only to be replaced by an expression that she is unable to read. She watches him tracking the couple with his eyes, as they approach the table smiling his eyes drop back to his beer. Angela tears her eyes from Booth and smiles up at her friend and her companion. She shuffles into Booth to make him shift to give them more room.
"What took you so long sweetie? Nice to meet you again so soon Marcus."
"You too Angela….I hope you don't mind me crashing your party like this?"
"No, no sweetie it's just fine…" She eyes the other men who nod their heads warily. "Besides, the more men the better, that's what I always say." Closing her statement with a wink she finds Booth's arm under the table and gives it a quick squeeze. Booth lets out a sigh and turns to Hodgins and Zack to engage in small talk.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Brennan has noticed that Booth has hardly spoken two words to her for the past hour since she arrived, to be fair she feels slightly put out, especially since this was his idea and he had asked her along. Marcus looking at his watch whispers something in her ear causing Booth to tighten his grip on his beer. She nods and they both push away from the table.
Hodgins frowns. "Last in, first out?"
"Actually Jack, Marcus and I were going to try and pick up where we left off last night. Go somewhere for dinner…."
"Sweet. I hear what you are saying."
She cocks her head to the side and a confused expression graces her features "I don't know what that means?"
Zack plays with his coaster, twirling it around on its corner on the table in front of him. "It means, that since you have done the eating thing, you are going to go back to your place, or his, go in for coffee and then probably have sex."
Angela let's her elbow connect with Zack's ribs and he rubs them while glaring at her "What was that for?"
"A little tact goes a long way Z man."
Marcus and Brennan bid the guys goodbye and disappear. Angela turns her eyes back to Booth who has remained silent throughout the entire exchange. He's been nursing the same beer for the time that Brennan had been present and she cocks her head to catch his attention. Zack and Hodgins push up from the table and mumble something about playing pool. Booth finally meets her questioning look.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"I'm fine Angela, really, just a bit tired that's all."
"You know I hear in some cultures that talking about it? Apparently it helps."
"God you sound like Bones."
Angela drops her eyes to the empty glass in front of her. "You know Booth, I might not seem like your settle-down-take-home-to-mama type, but I do know what it feels like to be in love.. I remember that far back." Booth meets her eyes quickly and shrugs. "I also tend to remember that actually letting the person that you are torturing yourself over know how you feel is the best way to win them over."
"I'm no Doctor Angela, I don't have two doctorates, or knowledge of eight different Amazonian tribes and war fare…I'm definitely no Marcus Jones." He forces a smile in her direction. She takes his hand and squeezes it gently causing him to meet her eyes.
"You're right, you aren't any of those things Booth. But no matter how much of the world Bren has seen, you are the only person who has ever really opened her eyes to it. I a few months when Marcus is history, you are the one who is gonna be around, he's not saving her every day, you are. He's just another David. I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you that I think you're the better man."
He squeezes Angela's hand in thanks and nods to her drink. "You know you don't need to sweeten me up, it was my round anyway."
Angela rolls her eyes in mock exasperation "You could have told me before I went off on that tirade."
Booth slides out of the table and heads to the bar. Angela smiles. A piece of folded paper on the seat next to her catches her attention and she picks it up curiously. Unfolding it and casting her eyes over the information in front of her, her eyes widen.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Booth enters the lab and scans the area for Brennan. She catches his eye and heads over from the concourse area, as she nears he holds up a manilla case file and smiles triumphantly.
"I got our victims, and a possible crime scene. You said about the sand beetles, I checked, the ambassador and his wife owned a beach house in Maine. That's their last known location. A friend confirmed that they had decided to take an extended vacation there for a couple of months after the ambassador's retirement, they left about five weeks ago which is why we haven't had any missing persons reports filed…. I wondered if you wanted to come up to Maine, dig about the site?"
Brennan nods quickly. "Yeah, Zack is going to be working on the bones for a while yet, I was about to advise you that we believed the second victim to be the ambassador's wife, but you beat me to it… I'll just go grab Jack, he'll want to come and collect some of his own samples."
As she is about to leave his hand on her arm stops her. Looking at him in question he shakes his head. "Just you and me Bones, it's hard enough looking out for one squint, never mind two that far from home. I'll help you collect samples if need be."
She nods and pulls her arm gently form his grasp "I'll just grab some things."
"I'll book us some rooms and advise the PD that we are on our way." He watches her disappear and scuffs his foot across the ground stuffing his hands into his pocket, his mind unable to stop him from wondering exactly what happened last night with Dr Jones.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was a long drive, she was asleep in the passenger side, the traffic had come to a halt about four miles back. A trooper had driven by about a half hour back and advised that there had been a major accident a few miles ahead. Booth was pretty certain that it'd take another couple of hours before they were clear and being the only route that they could take without adding an extra five or six hours onto the journey he wasn't prepared to turn it around. Resting his head against the headrest, he sighs and waits patiently. The soft sound of the radio being his only company. Glancing across at his sleeping companion he allows his eyes to drift over her soft and perfect features. He knows that this is going to be a tough case, he is only just starting to come to terms with his feelings for his partner and spending a few days in a beautiful location with her is going to be equally trying.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX