AN: I'm not entirely sure how it came about, my completing two chapters in less than two weeks, but it happened so I thought I'd go ahead and post instead of waiting until next month. Considering May and June are going to be crazy busy months for me, I am hoping I'll be able to update at least once on those months. Thank you so much for the reviews! They are such a joy to read and I get so stoked every time a new one posts! Enjoy as you read!

TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
BONES

Season 6, Episode 14: The Bikini in the Soup

Brennan looked up from her computer at the sound of a knock, smiling as Chris pushed away from the doorframe, "Chris, what are you doing here?"

He grinned as he came to a stop beside her desk, settling a wrapped box on top of the open file, "I came to bring you a Valentine's gift."

"Oh," she looked down at the gift wrapped in plain wrapping paper, a silver bow slapped in the middle of it, "I, uh…I didn't get you anything. I don't…celebrate Valentine's Day."

"No worries," Chris could see she was feeling uncomfortable so he ensured to clear up any misconceptions, "It's a gift from a friend, Temperance. Valentine's Day may celebrate romantic love, but it also celebrates friendship, and since you're my friend, I wanted to you to know I appreciate you."

He watched as the uneasiness disappeared, a smile starting in her light blue eyes before blossoming across her face as she carefully pulled at the taped sides, turning the flat box over to slip a nail under the tape holding the paper in place. Turning the box back over, she pulled off the top, pushing aside white tissue paper to reveal a delightfully whimsical typogram of a human skeleton in motion. Pulling the framed drawing out of the box, she studied it, seeing it was done in ink, the bones made up of their names. In the right bottom corner, she glimpsed the initials CM, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked up at Chris.

"Did you draw this?'

"Just a little hobby I indulge in whenever I have the time," Chris grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Had to do a bit of research to be able to get the correct names –didn't want to do something atrocious like use shoulder blade instead of scapula."

Chuckling, she turned her attention back to the drawing, admiring the skill and originality of the drawing, eyes following the cervical vertebra up to the swirl of names forming the skull.

"Thank you, Chris," she set the frame back in the box, setting the lid in place before she folded the wrapping paper to place in the recycle bin she kept next to her trash can, "It's an exceptionally thoughtful gift and I truly appreciate the time it took you to complete it. I only wish I had thought of getting you something."

"Don't worry about it," Chris gave her a wink as he moved to sit on the one empty chair across from her, "You got anything planned for tonight?"

"I do not," she fiddled with the mouse to her computer; "I don't like making plans for this day –too many expectations."

"Understandable," Chris stretched out his legs, crossing his ankles, "What about Booth? He got anything planned?"

"I believe he said he was going to the shooting range," letting out a soft sigh, she looked over at her friend, "As you know, he and Hannah broke up not too long ago and he's having a somewhat…aggressive approach to the aftermath."

"He's feeling angry, Temperance," Chris supplied, knowing this not just because she had told him about the whole ultimate speech Booth had given her the night Hannah walked away, but because he was a guy and he would have possibly responded the same way, "Not just at women, but at himself, and until he comes to terms with the motivation behind his actions, he'll stay angry. Don't let him push you away –you're one of the most determined people I've ever met, so use that determination to help him heal."

"I don't know how to do that," Brennan leaned back into her chair, placing her elbows on the chair's armrests, "I don't know how to get past all the anger he's holding on to."

"Just be yourself," Chris quirked an eyebrow, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees, "Nothing more, nothing less. Maybe join him at the shooting range, take him a gift."

"Booth says the only thing worth commemorating today is the Valentine's Day Massacre," tilting her head to the side, she kept her light blue eyes settled on him, "What kind of gift would I get him for that?"

"Okay, that's way out of my expertise," Chris pushed himself up to his feet, giving her a grin as he headed towards the door, "With an attitude like that, you either get drunk or kill yourself. Anyway, I'm sure your brilliant brain will come up with something meaningful."

"Yes. I am quite brilliant," Brennan straightened in her seat, paying notice to the nice blue button down shirt he was wearing with black slacks and loafers, "You have plans for tonight?"

"Got a date," his grin turned a bit rakish as he winked at her, "I'll tell you all about it when we go rock climbing next weekend."

"Rock climbing?"

He laughed at the slight edge of apprehension in her voice, "Told you I'd get back at you for making me run twenty miles."


Booth looked away from his paper target at the sound of the metal door opening, eyebrows lowering into a V as Bones walked in, pushing a cart with two wooden cases on them, "Bones, what are you doing here?"

She gave him a shy smile, gesturing towards the wooden cases, "This is my Valentine's Day gift to you."

"Come on, Bones," he settled his gun on the ledge before him, his shoulders slightly bowed forward as he moved towards the cart, "I told you."

"Just open it."

"What is it?"

She gestured toward the case furthest from her, "Just open it."

Letting out a sigh of frustration, he pulled the latches up then lifted the lid, his face lighting up with a grin of delight, "No. What?!"

He laughed as he pulled the Tommy gun out of the case, holding it up as he gave it an admiring once over; "Always wanted to fire one of these."

She smiled, lifting the lid of the second case as she watched him pull back the loading pin, "Well, you told me that Valentine's was all about the Valentine's Day Massacre for you, so I thought…is this a good idea?"

She pulled out the second Tommy gun, pulling back the loading pin as she returned is grin, "I got them from the Roaring '20s exhibit."

Laughing, he moved over to where he had been, grinning as Bones took the place to his right, eye and ear protection in place, "Great idea. Ah, you ready, Bones?"

"Ready."

"Ah! Take that, you dirty rat!"

The sound of rapid gunfire echoed in the walled in room, their laughter mingling with it as Bones pulled back the trigger, the kick of the sub-machine punching her shoulder back, but not stopping her, "Yeah, take that, you dirty rat!"

Laughing, Booth's grin couldn't possibly get any bigger as he used his best Italian accent, "I made it, Ma! Top of the world!"

Her smile spread as he turned with the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen him sport, her heart beating hard against her sternum, "Happy Valentine's Day Massacre, Booth."

They stayed until they emptied the drums, laughing and teasing each other the whole time.

Booth helped her pack up the Tommy guns, escorting her all the way back to the Smithsonian to return them. Walking beside her with his hands in the pockets of his slack as they made their way around the Roaring '20s exhibit, he jerked his chin towards a life size picture of Al Capone, "Did you know Al Capone's preferred liquor was Templeton Rye?"

"No, I did not know that," she gave him a look of surprise, her eyes sparkling as he nudged her upper arm with his elbow, his voice teasing, "I actually know something you don't?"

"I've never claimed to know it all," she wrinkled her nose at him as they walked out of the museum, "Do you think I'm a know it all?"

"Not the way you're saying it," Booth kept his pace slow and easy, their path lighted by the multiple outside lights, "I mean, you know most everything –it's just nice when I get to teach you something."

"You've taught me much, Booth," without thinking about it, she slipped her arms through his, wrapping the fingers of her other hand over his forearm, "Most of what I know is intellectual, knowledge that at times does not serve a purpose in the real world. Thanks to you, I've learned how to connect to others, how to give of myself…most importantly, I've learned to actually live and not just observe."

Booth could feel his face flushing a bit, glad the yellow pools of light were spread out enough to keep his blush a secret, "Thanks, Bones…I've learned a lot from you too, you know."

"Of course," Bones looked up at him, admiring the hard edge of his jaw, the straight line of his nose, "I've shared my knowledge and expertise with you for over six years –you're bound to learn something."

Chuckling, he shook his head, looking sideways as she looked ahead, his heart tripping slightly as a street light highlighted her beautiful face, "No, I'm not talking about the science stuff. You've taught me about patience, perseverance, and honesty. You've made me into a better agent, yes, but most importantly, you've pushed me to be a better man."

Looking up at him, she smiled as her eyes locked on his, the thrumming in her veins increasing as they stared into each other's eyes, her voice soft as she whispered, "You're the best man there is, Booth."

Clearing his throat, he looked away first, resuming their leisurely stroll, a couple of minutes of comfortable silence passing before he cleared his throat again, "So, uh –you and Chris didn't have anything planned for tonight?"

She looked up at him, trying to figure out why Booth thought there was anything more than friendship between her and Chris, "No. He came by to drop off a gift before heading out to meet his date."

"A date," Booth's eyebrows rose as he looked into her face, "On Valentine's night? How do you feel about that?"

She lifted a shoulder in a shrug, "Haven't given it any thought, really. He'll be sharing more when we go rock climbing next weekend."

"Rock climbing," Booth gave her a wide-eyed look before turning his attention to where they were walking, "That sounds…fun."

"I'm sure it will be," Bones stopped, Booth turning as her hand tugged at his arm, his eyes questions when he looked down at her, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Anytime, Bones," Booth stared down at her, feeling himself drowning in her blue eyes.

"Why do you keep asking questions that make it seem like you think there's more than friendship between Chris and myself? I've told you before we're simply friends, nothing more."

Booth bit the inside of his cheek, raising his eyes over her head as he took in a deep breath, the faint scent of jasmine and lily filling his lungs. How could he possibly explain his reasoning behind the constant digging? He wasn't in a place to tell her it wasn't just jealousy but fear as well…fear that while he was trying to get his shit together so he could offer her more than just bits and pieces of himself, the helicopter pilot would swoop in and take her from him.

Letting out a breath, he smiled down at her, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear, "Someday I'll explain it, Bones. Someday…but not today."


Shenandoah National Park

"So tell me about her."

Chris grinned as he looked over to his right, where Brennan was just a couple of feet lower to where he was. A lead rope connected them, since they were climbing in tandem, and although it had been years since she'd gone rock climbing, it seemed it was all coming back to her, "Her name is Laura –remember that E.C.H.O. conference I had to go to last month?"

"The one in Chattanooga," she recalled him sharing in regards to the annual conference for the East Coast Helicopter Operations, known as E.C.H.O., "I recall you mentioning it, yes."

"That's where I met her," he dug his hand into his chalk bag, easily gaining a couple of feet of height as he shifted his hand and foot holds up the wall, "She's a flight nurse with the Air Force, based just outside of Pittsburgh. She was at the conference; we sat next to each other at one of the lectures and got to talking. Since she's stateside for the next six months, we made plans to meet again. We've had coffee and lunch…Valentine's night was our first official date."

Brennan grinned as she tightened the rope connecting her to Chris, moving several feet up the face of the cliff they were climbing, her fingers aching slightly at having to hold her weight, "Do you enjoy spending time with her?"

"I do," Chris gave the rope some slack before moving further up, the top of the cliff within sight, "She's smart, funny, sweet…and drop dead gorgeous."

"I'm glad you've found someone you can connect with," she dug the toe of her rock climbing shoe into a crevice, wiggling it to and fro to create a deeper toe hold, "Booth says all human beings need connections –not just to satisfy biological urges, but also to fulfill emotional and intellectual needs."

"Booth is correct," giving Brennan more slack on the rope, Chris pulled himself up with his right hand before grabbing onto the ledge of the cliff, "We are social creatures –even those who are introverted by nature seek to connect with others. It's in our make-up as human beings. I read an article about neuroscience and how we are wired to connect, socially, and how social pain is real pain –that whole 'he broke my heart', 'she hurt my feelings' kind of thing."

"Booth says no man is an island," Brennan pulled herself up and over the ledge, letting out a breath as she rolled to sit on her bottom, legs hanging free as Chris sat beside her, "For a long time, I've believed being alone was better than being hurt. Now, I've learned without pain, there's no joy. To live a life without either is not living at all."

"You've learned a lot from Booth, haven't you?"

"Yes," she let out another breath as she enjoyed the panoramic view spread out before them, the cumulous clouds hanging low in the horizon, the jutting mountains still retaining winter snow, "He's taught me a lot more important things than what I could ever teach him. I mean, my kind of knowledge comes from books and science but his…his comes from living, from experiencing everything life can offer and not simply observing. I've spent too much of my life simply observing and never participating."

"From where I'm sitting, Temperance, you're no longer just an observer," Chris leaned back, supporting his weight with his hands behind him, the rock smooth and warm under his fingertips, "You've shown a willingness to grow and to be vulnerable…nothing more alive than that."

She nodded, drawing her legs up to wrap her arms around them, her chin resting on her knees, "It is frightening…I haven't felt this scared since I was fifteen years old and being taken from my home by a social worker. Sometimes…sometimes I feel like I'm choking, unable to breathe and all I want to do is draw in within myself, keep myself separate and unreachable so I can breathe again."

"But is it really breathing," Chris studied her profile, watching her study the view before them, the breeze lifting strands of hair that had slipped free from her ponytail, "I know you're afraid, Temperance, of letting go of your…imperviousness, so to speak. In the end, you'll be a much better person for it, though."

Turning her head to face him, she rested her cheek on her forearm, "Yes, you are correct."

He laughed, sitting up as he gathered the rope between them, shuffling back to stand up, "I am glad you think so. Ready to head down? There's a path that goes down that-a-way, right to where we started."

Their hike down was filled with conversation, Chris sharing more about Laura, and in return, Brennan told him what she'd given Booth as a Valentine's Day gift.

"Seriously," he stared at her in shock before a burst of laughter escaped him, "That had to have been the best time he'd ever had. I'm not much for firearms but even I appreciate how awesome Tommy guns are. You are definitely one of a kind, Temperance."

"Considering I don't have an identical twin, yes I am."

Chuckling, he unclipped his bottle water from the bag slung over his shoulder, which held his rock climbing harness and ropes, "So, I was wondering…Laura is going to be in DC next month –would you like to join us for dinner? I've told her about you and she's excited to meet you –says she loves your books."

"I would love to meet her."

"You can bring Booth," he offered, knowing if anything would get the agent past his worries regarding their friendship, it would be seeing him with another woman, "If he wants to come, of course."

"I will ask."