TITLE: Undoing
CHAPTER 19: Carefully Orchestrated
"Bones, will you marry me? No, Temperance, will you marry me? Marry me, Temperance. Bones, you should marry me. Be my wife, Bones. Temperance, will you be my wife? Hey, Bones--"
"Is it okay to come in? Or did you two want to be alone?"
Seeley Booth's head snapped upward to meet twin amused smirks -- one from Angela, and one from Hodgins, who were both standing in his doorway. He sighed and shook his head. "What are you doing here?" He nodded toward Hodgins, eyeing him warily. "And shouldn't he be wearing a leash?"
While Hodgins rolled his eyes, Angela smiled. "He's fine. I told him if he's a good boy, he'll get a treat later."
Hodgins' eyes widened at this. "No you didn't! But hell yes I'd like a treat. What did you have in mind?"
Now it was Booth's turn to roll his eyes. "You couldn't have finished the mid-morning flirting session before you got here?"
Angela ignored the comment, used to the insinuation, and stepped into Booth's office without invitation. Hodgins followed, and they took a seat in the chairs opposite Booth's desk.
He sighed, feigning graciousness; his tone was ripe with sarcasm. "Oh please sit down, stay awhile."
"Look, Booth." Angela leaned forward in her chair, bracing her elbows on her thighs. "We heard about what happened lastnight."
"Great, so it's already being broadcast around squint headquarters, huh?"
Hodgins shook his head. "Angela and I are the only ones that know."
"Yeah," Angela jumped in, "And we're the only ones that have to know. You're going to propose to her again."
Booth raised his eyebrows. "Just how often do you think I like to be rejected?"
Angela sighed. "She wasn't rejecting you, Booth! She was shocked, confused, I mean... what brought this on?"
"Goodman."
Hodgins sputtered a laugh. "Goodman made you propose to Brennan? Geez." He looked to Angela with a grin. "Guy really is old-fashioned."
Angela rolled her eyes. "What did Goodman say to you, Booth?"
"Just some stuff that made me think. He didn't force me into anything, believe me. This is actually something that's been at the back of my mind for awhile, but I just... didn't outwardly consider it until he brought it up."
Hodgins furrowed his brow and looked to his dark-haired companion. "Were those words English? I didn't understand any of them."
Angela rolled her eyes once more and sighed. "Jack, go get me a cup of water from the water cooler."
He chuffed. "What am I, your lap dog?"
She raised her eyebrows at him pointedly, her tone toeing the line between flirtatious and seductive. "You want a treat later, or not?"
Hodgins widened his eyes and was out the door and down the hall in seconds. Angela grinned at the expected response and turned back to Booth. "Don't mind him."
Booth shook his head. "Never do." He locked eyes with the pretty artist. "Did Brennan send you to talk to me?"
"No. She's still just as frazzled and confused as she probably was when you last saw her. I decided to come and see how you were doing."
"And Hodgins?"
She shrugged. "Didn't have anything better to do."
"Yeah that, and you've got him wrapped around your little finger."
She smirked. "Let's not get into that now. I'm here to talk to you about Brennan."
Booth sighed and rose to his feet, beginning to pace around the office while tossing and catching his keys repeatedly. "I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do. I tried to put it in a way that would let her know I wasn't doing it just because of the pregnancy, but--"
"And there's no telling whether or not she understood that. All I know from speaking to her is, you threw her off in a major way." Angela stood as well, her neck starting to hurt from watching the handsome fed pace back and forth. "Hopefully a good way, but definitely a major way. She's going through a lot right now, and you know that. You can't just bombard her with a proposal and expect a rational response. Not Brennan, of all people. You have to propose to her in the same way you got her to fall in love with you."
"Yeah," Booth chuckled, rubbing his chin absently. "I, uh... still don't know how I managed that, to tell you the truth."
"I do." Angela grinned.
"You do?"
She nodded slowly. "Mm-hmm."
"Alright, here's your water," Hodgins broke in, rushing back into the office with a Dixie-cup of water. It sloshed up around the sides, and some splashed onto the floor as he ran with it.
Angela made a face and carefully, almost warily, took it from him. "What the hell took you so long? Was there a line?"
"Uh, no." He looked to Booth. "Dude, I don't know how you get anything done around here."
Booth raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"I think I was just propositioned by the entire secretarial pool. Are they all Playboy centerfolds? Or is that just on this floor?"
Angela sighed and turned her back on Hodgins, resuming her conversation with Booth. "As I was saying..."
"Yeah. How exactly did I get Brennan to fall in love with me?"
She grinned. "You snuck up on her with it."
Hodgins blew a puff of air through his pursed lips, skepticism voiced. "How do you know that?"
"Believe me boys, I watched the progression, slow as it was." She focused her gaze on Booth. "It was quiet, cautious, and very carefully orchestrated. Just like your proposal has to be."
"Wait a minute, I didn't carefully orchestrate anything as far as Brennan and I go."
"Figure of speech."
"So what are you suggesting?" Hodgins asked, leaning forward and sneaking a sip out of Angela's cup; he gave a devilish grin in response to her look. "Are you thinking of a surprise party type of proposal?"
"No. The surprise element will be there though, trust me."
Booth, brows quirked with interest, leaned conspiratorially toward Angela. "Lay it on me."
Hodgins grinned gleefully just at seeing the look on Angela's face. "This is gonna be so good."
She nodded to both men, her eyes twinkling. "I promise you, Brennan won't know what hit her."
TBC
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Sorry that took so long, guys! I've got several fandoms to cater to right now, so updates will be slow. Hopefully the new Bones this week will add some more inspiration, though ;)
