Title: Sanguinarius
Rating: If you can watch the show, you can read this.
Paring: B Squared, Baby!
Disclaimer: Bones and characters belong to Hart Hanson, Kathy Reichs, FOX, etc. Thank you to the maintainers of Sanguinarius(dot)org ("The foremost real vampire information and resource site on the Net.")
A/N: I actually wrote this in July, but wanted to wait until fall to actually post it. Obviously, I've rewritten the chapter for Season 2, and I think it turned out a lot better.
To those of you reading Skeletons in the Closet, I hope to have a new chapter up later this weekend, but I wanted to have this posted before Halloween, and what better day is there than Friday the 13th to post?
Chapter One: Exsanguinated
Exsanguinate: to drain of blood; make bloodless
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Special Agent Seeley Booth whistled to himself as he walked, the late autumn wind blowing orange and brown leaves across the path. The sky was overcast, and the skittering of the leaves combined with the creaking of nearby tree limbs created an overall foreboding feeling. Booth wasn't concerned however; he had always loved this time of year, when everything felt more mysterious.
On this particular day, he was heading into the Jeffersonian, a brand new case file in hand. His footsteps echoing off the high ceiling of the corridor were not alone, though they were the least rushed. The later it got into the year, the more people rushed to get home early. It was 6 'o-clock, and sure enough people were scrambling to wrap up whatever they were working on; most likely to hurry home to their families, or meet a friend for dinner.
Booth continued on to the sliding glass doors of the Medico-Legal Lab and what had become his adopted family; what he liked to think of as his squints.
"No Angela! You're not going to put that there!"
"Oh, come on, what's wrong with putting up a few Halloween decorations?"
Booth stopped just out of their line of vision, watching the exchange with an amused expression.
"What's wrong? How about the American government using Halloween as a way to brainwash the next generation of kids into a bunch of mindless consumers?"
Angela merely rolled her eyes, used to Hodgins' conspiracy theories. Hodgins didn't seem to notice.
"Plus, it's not even accurate! The legs are all wrong, its eyes are too big, the thorax is completely out of proportion, and it's made of rubber! How's its exoskeleton supposed to function?"
"Oh, come on," Angela scoffed, "that's the lamest excuse I've ever heard." She crossed her arms and shrugged. "But you know, if you're so against Halloween, I guess there's no point in asking you to the party on Saturday..." She picked up the rubber spider and slowly turned as if to leave.
"Fine," Hodgins growled, grabbing the spider and placing it on top of his computer console.
Angela smiled appreciatively. "Oh, and did I mention - costumes are mandatory." Hodgins groaned, defeated, and sat down.
Booth cleared his throat, trying to look like he had just walked in, and headed toward them.
"Booth!" Angela said happily.
Booth smiled back. "Bones in her office?"
"I'm officially inviting you to my Halloween party this Saturday," she announced.
"Oh, I - um...I don't think..." Booth stammered, looking to Hodgins, who just smirked, offering no help whatsoever.
"Oh, good - Seeley, can I talk to you for a minute?" Cam had appeared in the hallway. Booth looked at Angela apologetically, but was unable to mask relief in the form of the wide smile that crossed his face.
"Sorry Angela - duty calls." Angela narrowed her eyes, giving him a look that said 'you can't evade me forever'.
Booth turned on his heel and walked up to Cam. "What's up?"
Cam sighed. "I assume you're here on a case - that's fine - you can fill Dr. Brennan in on it and get her started, but I need her in the lab." Booth raised his eyebrows. "No field work. She can't go running off with you at a moment's notice."
"What's this about Cam?" Booth asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. He wondered whether this had anything to do with calling off their after hours rendezvous. The truth was the whole secret relationship between the two of them had been stressing him out; he constantly felt guilty, like he was sneaking around behind Temperance's back.
"Dr. Goodman is coming back next week," she said matter-of-factly. "Remains have just arrived from an archaeological site in Romania, and I'd like to have them identified before he gets back."
Booth pursed his lips. "I don't see why that should prevent her from coming into the field with me. She's always been able to handle working on more than one thing. Plus, she's got her squint-squad to help out."
Cam's face remained impassive. "First and foremost Dr. Brennan's job is with the Jeffersonian - not the FBI. The needs of the institution come first, and if it requires her to stay in the lab, then that's what she'll do."
Booth crossed his arms, feeling like a 5-year old that had run out of arguments as to why he shouldn't have to go to bed. "Well, Bones won't work with me if I don't bring her along. That was our deal."
Cam smiled knowingly. "Seeley, please. Maybe that's how it was in the beginning, but I think we both know that Dr. Brennan would do anything you asked her to."
Booth snorted. "When does she ever listen to me?"
"That's not what I said Seeley, and you know what I meant. If I didn't know better, I'd say you're the one that's become too attached to having Dr. Brennan out in the field," she completed the statement with a wink before returning to her cold professional demeanor. "Dr. Brennan stays in the lab." She said it with an air of finality and walked off before Booth could continue to protest. Booth glared at her retreating back before sighing and continuing to his original destination.
Brennan looked up as Booth walked into her office, as per usual without knocking. "Hey Bones." He smiled widely and then laughed as he took in her newly decorated office. Synthetic spider webbing was draped over her various trinkets and the shelving, little rubber spiders clinging to the fibers. The mummy in its glass case completed the look nicely, while a bloody vinyl cling hung from the top of her computer screen. "Let me guess - Angela."
Brennan didn't look away from the screen, her fork-in-a-toaster look prominent. "She insisted. Said I needed to get into the 'spirit' of Halloween. I'm assuming the pun was intended."
Booth walked over to a full bowl of candy on her desk, picking through it until he found what he wanted. Brennan saved the latest chapter of her book, watching as he sat down and put his feet up on the edge of her desk, opening the wrapper of a Gummy Eyeball. She wrinkled her nose in distaste as he squished the eyeball experimentally before popping it whole into his mouth. Brennan smirked. "Are you here for a reason, or did you just come for the candy?"
Booth swallowed the rest of the eyeball. "I need a reason to visit my favorite forensic anthropologist?" Brennan started laughing, and Booth looked at her with a confused smile. "What?"
"Your mouth's all green. From the candy." Booth's eyes widened and he stuck out his tongue at his reflection in the mummy's display case. His expression turned to one of annoyance, and Brennan set off laughing again. He tried to glare at her, but seeing the smile lighting up her face, he joined in her laughter instead.
Once their laughter had died down, and breathing returned to normal, Booth offered her one of his half smiles and opened the case file on his lap.
"So, we have a new case?"
"Yep." He leaned forward, handing her a Polaroid. "Victim found with puncture wounds to the neck, blood drained - "
"Booth," she interrupted, "I don't do skin, remember?"
Booth smirked. "I'm aware of that Bones. That's why I brought this." He handed her another photo, this time of a mostly decomposed corpse. "We found two other bodies buried beneath the floorboards. We need you to ID them and determine if they were killed the same way."
Brennan nodded. "When are the remains getting here?"
"Probably a few hours. They were packing them up when I left. I'm gonna go talk to the witness who found the bodies." Booth got up, heading for the door, but stopped when he realized that Brennan was following him, almost causing her to bump into him. He turned and put a hand out. "Wow, Bones where are you going?"
"I'm coming with you," she said; like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and usually it was.
Booth sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Cam didn't tell you?"
"Tell me what?" She crossed her arms.
"She says you're not allowed to leave the lab. You can't come with me."
Brennan stood up straight, anger obvious in her features. "What - Why?" To say that she was getting tired of Cam's interference was an understatement.
"Apparently some remains from an archaeological dig in...somewhere," he waved his hand dismissively, "need to be identified by the time Dr. Goodman gets back."
Brennan looked indignant. "What, she thinks I can't handle working on multiple sets of remains? I've always worked on FBI cases in addition to whatever other projects I have. Not to mention, I've worked at mass graves where I had to ID at least 10 sets of remains at one time with inadequate equipment." She would have continued her rant, but Booth placed a placating hand on her arm.
"I know Bones, but it doesn't look like she's gonna be changing her mind any time soon."
"I don't care. I'm coming with you," she said, grabbing her jacket and slipping it on.
"Bones, this doesn't seem like a very good idea. She's already threatened to replace you once before. I don't want to be responsible for getting my partner fired."
"You won't be. She said I could have these cards, from a board game I think - 'Get out of jail free' cards. I get three a week."
Booth shrugged. "Okay then, Bones. Let's go." They started walking and Booth steered her with one hand on her lower back as they walked. "You've really never played Monopoly before?"
"What's that?"
Leave a review and you get a brand new Booth plushie (similar to the Angel puppet, but it looks a lot more like him and is more life like.) ; )