Just like I promised, the next chapter the next day. Just remember to go and read chapter 38 before this since I don't want anyone to miss anything. I'll continue on with the next chapter as soon as I can.
Christine's Pov
I stood in my bedroom, looking through my wardrobe for something to where to Kate's party tonight. She had said that while it wasn't fancy dress, if I didn't look good she was going to kick my ass – I just listened because she was fashion obsessed. I was debating between jeans and a nice top or wearing a dress. I ended up going the jeans and top road because I figured most girls there would be wearing a dress and I really couldn't be bothered wearing one tonight. I pulled out a nice pair of black jeans that had a design up the right leg, sewn with silver thread, and after a while I choose a flowing strapless crimson top that tied under my breasts. I pulled on black leather knee high boots and then just managed to pull my hair up into a half up, half down style. I did my makeup, though only lightly, and then I made my way downstairs with Kate's birthday present.
Darius was coming with Michael to pick me up, though neither one had told me why Darius specifically was driving, but at least it meant if I was late I could blame it on them. It was kinda lucky that Kate's birthday fell on a Friday, because she could throw her party on her actual birthday – however, that meant once I got home from school I only got to sit down for a little while before I had to get ready because the party started at six-thirty.
"Christine, you look nice" Dad said from his spot on the coach and I smiled at him. They managed not to have much work at the moment.
"I assume you're going to act responsible and with reason tonight Christine." Mom said and I just looked at her blankly.
"Yes, because that's how people at parties usually act Mom." I said sarcastically.
"There's no need to be sarcastic." Mom said, while dad secretly smiled to himself, though hid it behind the glass that was near his mouth.
"Well Mom, I'm going to a high school party. Your usually supposed to have fun at parties, which now involves chucking responsibility out the window." I said, since there was no way I was acting responsible in any context tonight. A horn blared then. "See you guys later." I said, though I should have said tomorrow because I would probably be staying there tonight.
I went outside and made my way over to Darius' car, slipping into the backseat because Michael was in the front. They just ceased having some sort of discussion.
"Hey Chris, looking amazing." Darius said and I blushed slightly.
"Hey, my girlfriend, I'm the one who gets to comment on how good she looks." Michael said and Darius smirked her head off.
"It was only the truth dude, so you might want to keep a close eye on her tonight." Darius said and I rolled my eyes. Great, he was trying to make Michael jealous and make him worry that some random guy was going to hit on me. If Michael became a jealous ass tonight, I was so gonna' smack Darius upside the head for it, quarterback or not.
X
We arrived at Kate's, being the first one's there and went inside and I wasn't surprised to see the whole house decorated. The backyard would be decorated too, no doubt. There was food set up right near the backdoors, which I assumed was because it was easier leaving the food inside. I don't know how she got all this done, but considering her family wasn't exactly poor I could take a guess at how she did.
"Chris!" Kate flung herself at me, nearly knocking me on my ass because of the sheer velocity she was running, but I was able to brace myself and prevent us from falling. "Damn you look hot." She said as she pulled away. Kate, always so blunt.
"So do you. Happy birthday." I said, handing her the bag that held her present. She smiled and took the bag from me, going over to the lounge with Darius following her, Michael and I following moments later.
Kate sat on the coach with Darius and opened her present, which was a photo album. I had brought the large purple leather album – purple being Kate's favorite color – at a store after a while of searching, but everything else I had done by hand. On the front was Kate's name written in fancy script. The first page said things about Kate, like her birthdate, full name, birthstone, flower, sign and other things. The next page was a hand drawn portrait of Darius and Kate, with "A love eternal" written underneath. When you flipped it over the two side by side pages were filled with photos of them. I then did a portrait of the four of us together, with "Friends forever" written under it – the next side by side pages were filled with photos of us. I left the paper that slipped into each plastic slip in the box the album came in, which it was still in. Kate had told me she always wanted a proper one, so I made one and left it so she could continue it or ask me to.
"Wow Christine, this is really good." Darius said, just as Kate placed it down and ran around the coach, hugging me tightly.
"Thank you, this must have taken you ages." Kate thanked me and I smiled as I hugged her back.
"Don't worry about it, I wanted to do it." I said. She was my best friend, there was nothing I wouldn't do for her.
"Well now I need to give you something." Kate said as she pulled away from me and went into the kitchen and over to the fridge, grabbing out what I knew to be beer even though I couldn't see it.
"Kate, are you trying to get us grounded?" Michael asked when she brought it over to us and handed all three of us one, keeping one for herself.
"Hey, I told everyone else they had to bring their own if they wanted to drink, but they had to get home obviously. And, rules are meant to be broken, so stop being such a good boy and break some. Teenagers drink at least once at a high school party and they maybe even get drunk." Kate said and even though my father was F.B.I, I was going to be a normal high school student tonight and underage drink, then get my ass kicked. I'd had beer before, but tonight I'd be drinking more than one.
"I'm up for it, but I'm gonna' try and not get drunk." I said and Michael looked at me in shock. He was more the fun one and usually it was him who agreed to do things like this. I used to scold him for it, but screw that tonight.
"Okay, but I'm not getting drunk." Michael said, determined.
"Well then, cheers to the birthday girl." Darius said and the four of us clinked our bottles together.
Darius' Pov
The party was in full swing, had been for hours now, and I now had bragging rights over Michael, which included video evidence. My best friend had said he wasn't going to get drunk and here he was, drunk off his ass. Michael was a bloody lightweight if there ever was one, which was hilarious – it was even funnier considering the fact the Christine had drank more than he had tonight and still wasn't as smashed as he was – Michael was plastered. To be fair, it was my girlfriends fault that I had two smashed teens to watch over now, but I wasn't gonna' get on her case about it because she wasn't feeling well for some reason, meaning I was calling the party quits so I could take care of her instead of people who had had too much to drink.
The party had gone well, a lot of people had come, including our friends, and only some had gotten smashed. Ford was one of them, but he was already back home and probably grounded by now. Kate had danced her heart out with Christine and had the time of her life, but I could tell she wasn't feeling well. She didn't drink more than a few sips of beer and while she ate, she got tired quick.
I now had the fun task of getting everyone home, which included Michael and Christine now because with Kate the way she was they wouldn't be able to stay. I was glad that most people had left already and that Kate was good at taking care at herself or else this would be harder.
I stepped out of the house and as I did I saw Christine laugh her head off about something Michael said, stumbling along with my lightweight friend. I knew instantly that I needed to call Christine's dad to come get her. Damn, being the sober one sucked so god damn badly. I walked over to them as they kissed each other sloppily and sighed, though I really wished I still had my phone so I could use this as blackmail too later on. I really should take them both home, or let them stay here so they didn't get grounded, but if I didn't get Anna and Stacey home soon they would be in so much trouble for breaking curfew – at least though they weren't gonna' get grounded for underage drinking. Plus, I was the one who promised to take Michael home if he decided to go home and he was going home because there was no way I was leaving these two alone at the moment. I didn't want them falling in the pool when no one could help them, including my exhausted girlfriend; still, I figured Christine would hit me when she was sober.
"Hey Chris, I need to use your phone. Where is it?" I asked her over the music that was still playing and she smiled at me. God was she funny when she was drunk – I didn't mind this, I just hated being the sober one. I had been smashed before, but they were worse.
"It's in Kate's room." She laughed and I left them, wondering when she took her phone out of her pocket and put it in Kate's room. I walked past Kate, who was lying on the couch in the lounge with her eyes closed, and I went upstairs. I went into Kate's room and found two morons making out.
"You two, out now. The party is over." I said and they got up off her bed, walking out without a care. Damn it, why did I have to be the responsible one tonight of all nights. Oh right, my parents warned me that if I wasn't I would be grounded for the next month and wouldn't be able to see Kate outside of school. That was a good enough reason to stay sober.
I found Chris' phone in Kate's side table and grabbed it, before unlocking it since I knew her code from seeing her unlock it a million times over, and called her dad. I was glad her phone wasn't a finger scan lock like most used.
"Hey sweetheart, what is it?" Booth asked and I had to stop myself from laughing my head off at that one.
"Um, wrong person Mr. Booth – I'm no sweetheart. It's Darius and I think you might want to come get your daughter from Kate's." I said.
"What, why? I thought she planned to stay at Kate's tonight. Has something happened?" He asked and I laughed this time.
"Kate's not feeling well, so I think it's better Chris come home. As for what happed, well… your daughter is sixteen and at a high school party with her boyfriend, best friend and beer, I think it's obvious that she's smashed. I'd bring her home but I have other drunk people like Michael to take home, along with the twins, and she's quite drunk so I don't want to leave her here." I said and I heard him sigh. Well, at least he wasn't yelling.
"I'll be right there." He said and hung up. Oh, she was so screwed. I held onto her phone and made my way downstairs. Now I had to get them both away from the party and take three of them home. Why me?!
Booth's Pov
As I pulled up at Kate's house I saw Christine spinning around in a circle on the front lawn, her head leant back as she stared at the sky. Well, she was definitely grounded for a good long while the moment she was sober, because whether normal teenage behavior or not, I wasn't not going to ground her for this. I climbed out of the car and saw Darius grab her around the waist to stop her spinning, which was good because I was afraid she was going to collapse any second. Michael was in a car with Anna and Stacey, thankfully not driving.
"Awwww, come on Darius, that was fun. It was like the world was one big giant whirlpool!" Christine laughed and I just shook my head. She was just like her mother when she was drunk, though she was only sixteen and shouldn't be drinking.
"No, it's the blood rushing to your head like you told me the last time I was drunk." Darius said and Christine laughed, then she noticed me and laughed again. How much had my daughter drunk tonight?
"It's the F.B.I, run for it!" She shouted and she ripped away from Darius, running in the opposite direction of me, laughing. God, I didn't know who was worse. Bones drunk or Christine drunk. Then again, it was Bones because at least Christine couldn't tell everyone about Bones and I's sex life – then again, she obviously knew about it after what she heard some weeks ago, so I hoped she didn't.
"Want me to get her?" Darius asked me as I got to him and I shook my head. He was a good friend to my daughter, but it was my job to take care of her.
"No, I'll get her. Just make sure you get Michael home safely. You're a good kid Darius." I said, patting his shoulder before I ran after my daughter. I was a bit angry that she was underage and drinking, but I found it funny that she was acting like a kid again and obviously having fun. I caught her after a minute – she might be drunk but she could still run and barely tripped – and picked her up with a little bit of trouble since she wasn't a little girl anymore, putting her over my shoulder which caused her to giggle her head off.
"Hey, this is… something or other. It's against the law." Christine shouted and I shook my head. I had no idea what she was trying to say right now, which was a first.
"Come on, in the car you go." I said as I reached the car and opened the door. I placed her down and helped her into the passenger seat. She was going to have a massive hangover tomorrow and I would feel sorry for her, but she was still going to be grounded.
X
By the time we got home Christine was singing "We are family" and seemed out of it. I shook my head and helped her out of the car, catching her so she didn't stumble. Unfortunately, she passed out right then.
"What am I going to do with you?" I asked myself more, shaking my head as I picked my daughter up in my arms this time and carried her inside the house.
"What happened?" Bones asked as she got off the couch and I tried my best to make sure she stayed quiet as to not wake our daughter. "She passed out due to the vast amount of alcohol she must have consumed, didn't she?"
"Yeah, which I'll pity her for in the morning, but she is officially grounded." I said and Bones nodded in agreement. "Help me get her into bed."
We took Christine upstairs and Bone's moved her blankets out of the way so I could place Christine down. Bones took off her shoes too and I slipped her phone out of her pocket. Her clothes wouldn't be the best to sleep in, but they would have to do. I pulled the blankets over her and lent down, kissing her head lightly before walking out of the room with Bones, who stopped at the door and looked back.
"She's really growing up, isn't she?" Bones said, looking at Christine with a small smile and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah, she sure is." I said, before carefully pulling the door shut so I didn't wake Christine up.
Christine's Pov
As I woke up I felt like utter crap. There was some sun shining in my room and it stung my eyes, causing me to shield my eyes as my head pulsed with a sharp, throbbing pain. I literally had no idea how I got home, but I felt like crap. Why did I let Kate talk me into drinking, especially when I'm sure she didn't in the first few hours of the party?
I slowly slipped out of bed and got up, wobbling a bit as I walked to my door – my center of gravity was far off center right now. I noticed in my mirror that I looked like hell warmed up, with crumpled clothes and messy hair and makeup that looked like a bucket of water had been dumped over my, but ignored that because right now I needed Advil and water. I got downstairs and slowly walked into the kitchen, where dad was only in the kitchen, meaning mom was out, which was good because mom would probably say something about me having alcohol poisoning and that would just not be good right now. It must have been a decent time in the morning, but I really couldn't care about that.
"Morning sweetheart, want to listen to some music?" Dad asked as I sat down at the bench and I looked at him with a slight glare.
"Don't be so mean." I whined and he chuckled as he went over to a cupboard. "I'm grounded, aren't I?" I asked, though I knew the answer. How could I not be grounded after this?
"Oh yeah. No seeing your friends or going out after school for the next two weeks – after school you either come straight home or to the Jeffersonian if you need to see us. No having Michael around either." Dad said as he placed a glass of water and some Advil in front of me. "Take this."
"Thank you." I said, taking the Advil in seconds and chugging the water because I was really thirsty.
"So, other than getting drunk, did you enjoy yourself?" Dad asked me and I could see half a smirk on his face. Oh god, what did I do when I was drunk and got home?
"From what I remember, yeah, but I'm pretty sure Darius was recording us last night. How did I get home exactly?" I asked and he smiled.
"Darius called me to come get you since he had to get Michael home, who was also smashed. You're quite funny when you're drunk sweetheart. I'll tell you about it later." He said and I groaned. I was never going to live this down. "Why don't you go for a shower; it'll make you feel better. Then I'll make you something to eat if you're hungry."
"Thanks Dad." I said as I got off my seat and headed for the stairs. At least he didn't seem too mad with me for underage drinking. I guess he couldn't be too mad at me for doing something once that I'm sure he did more than once when he was young. I was sixteen though so I'm sure he's mad.
X
It was now about to be dinner time and the Hodgins family were coming around for dinner. This was the only time Michael was allowed to come around to the house while I was grounded, though if he had a headache like mine, it wasn't going to be pleasant – at least it wasn't a migraine anymore. Dad had told me how I was when he came to get me and now I knew what kind of drunk I was, which was at least a good thing. I never wanted to drink that much again though.
There was a knocking on the front door and I went to open it, letting in everyone.
"You been getting teased like I have?" Michael asked me as he came in and I nodded a little.
"Yeah, but I kinda deserve it after how I acted when Dad came to get me last night." I said.
"I don't even remember that. Your head hurting?" He asked me, rubbing his head, and I nodded as I shut the front door.
"Oh yeah." I said as we made our way to the kitchen. Right then though the phone rang and I went over to it, answering it. "Hello?"
"Hey Chris, it's me." Kate said over the phone. She sounded horrible, but she wasn't feeling too good from what I remember of last night.
"Hey Kate, I'm not really supposed to be talking to you since I'm grounded now because someone thought drinking was a good idea and I agreed. Still, tell Darius I don't hate him for calling my dad. He did the right thing." I said, looking at my dad to promise him I'd be off the phone in a minute by holding up one finger.
"Wait, does that mean you haven't heard from Darius at all today?" She asked and I heard worry in her voice. What was going on?
"No, I haven't heard from him today. Like I said, I'm grounded and hungover and pretty sure Darius is going to be avoiding me, but I can ask Michael." I said and I moved the phone from my ear, covering the mic as I looked over at Michael. "Hey Michael, have you heard from Darius today?"
"No, last time I saw him was when he dropped me off, at least that's what Mom told me. I can barely remember it." Michael said and now I could see that he was worried too. "Chris, what's going on?"
"I don't know yet." I said, which caught the attention of everyone else in the room. I was getting concerned too now, so I needed answers. I uncovered the mic and put the phone to my ear. "Hey Kate, Michael hasn't heard from him since last night. Want to tell me what's going on?"
"I can't get in contact with Darius, neither can his parents. I know he came back to my place last night after he dropped Michael and the twins off because he helped me up to bed, but when I woke up at ten this morning he was gone and no one has heard from him or seen him all day. His parents are worried sick because he was supposed to be home at twelve this afternoon." Kate hysterically explained to me over the phone and I did my best not to panic.
"Have you or his parents called the police yet?" I asked and now Michael was by my side.
"Yeah, they did, but I wanted to call everyone just to make sure. You two were the last on my list since I knew how much you drank." She said and I took in a deep breath. "Chris, I've got an incoming call – I need to go." She said and before I could protest she hung up.
"Chris, what's happened?" Michael asked me and I looked at him.
"Darius has gone missing. No one's been able to find him or get in contact with him all day." I said and I saw the worry etch on Michael's face.
Being the daughter of an F.B.I agent I couldn't help but be extremely worried. I really hoped that maybe this was all one big misunderstanding, but there was the part of me that was my parent's daughter that couldn't forget what I knew. Missing person's cases rarely ever ended well, so I just prayed that if this turned into one that it was one that ended well
