A/N: Hi everyone! Another big thank you for the reviewers, Mphs95, Guest and Kareneb and the readers who put an alert out on this story. As in response to the guest reviewer: don't we all wish that XD. Though, writing those scenes is pretty difficult. A while ago I wrote the beginning to one and when I reread it this week it didn't suck as much as I thought it did XD. So maybe, that is in fact in store for this story.
My pre-reading comments on this chapter: we are still on that same Friday, this time revealing something new. This chapter does refer back to chapter 21, heavily, so the SVU WARNING applies to this chapter as well.
The Hodgins' home:
Husband and wife were comfortably watching a movie as Angela's phone buzzed. Shifting a little from their comfy snuggle to get her phone out of her pocket, she let out a hum of surprise as she saw the caller ID. "Well, that is weird. Lilly is calling, it is already past 10 pm. What would she need from us on a Friday night? The case was closed, right?"
Hodgins nodded. "Yeah, at least from our point of view it is. Booth has given everything we had to Caroline this afternoon and they're just waiting for a definitive court date. Maybe Lilly is working on getting the case court-ready?"
Angela answered the call, shrugging, after all the fastest way to know why she was being called, was to answer the call. "Hi, Lilly, is everything okay?" At first, Angela didn't exactly hear anything, causing Hodgins to give her a questioning face at her prolonged silence. As an answer she pressed the button for the speakerphone, just in time to hear an unknown man say:
"And of course, that smoking hot body of yours."
Hodgins looked at his wife, a smile on his face and in his voice. "Woah, maybe she doesn't know she called you."
Before Angela could respond to everything the unknown man was saying, Lilly's voice sounded through the phone.
"That is a lovely speech. But I ask you nicely to stop touching me and step aside."
Angela looked at Hodgins in shock, quickly pressing the button to mute their microphone. "I am not sure if she knows, but this doesn't sound very consensual.
"Don't try to deny yourself. It is just us here. You've already told me you dig my looks."
"I've also told you that isn't all that matters to me. I hope you're happy you got to second base here, but now, if you don't mind I'd like to go home and have a late dinner."
"You think she's at the dinner or something?" Angela asked.
Hodgins shrugged, listening intrigued and worried at the phone call. "I don't know, she could be, but according to Booth Lilly likes to try out all sorts of restaurants all over town, so she could be anywhere."
Angela nodded, not really assured that the phone call was just an innocent insight into the dating life of a woman in 2009. "I'll see if I can triangulate the cell towers to give us a location." She got up from their couch to find her laptop to hook it up with her set up at the Jeffersonian.
"Don't you think that is a breach of her privacy? If she is just playing hard to get, sending in Booth would definitely kill the mood." And maybe Lilly... or that guy.
While typing feverously, Angela looked at him. "I don't care if this is a breach. If something is wrong, we need to know how to help and otherwise what she doesn't know doesn't hurt her."
"You're thinking I should call Booth then?" Hodgins asked.
Angela thought about the question. "No, you're right about not sending in Booth like a cowboy, if the things this guy says get creepier and I have a location for where this conversation is happening, we can call him."
Unfortunately, they didn't have to wait very long before it got creepier.
"I think I would mind, because you see, second base isn't really what I had in mind. [...]You've been taunting me and I don't really like that unless it is foreplay. Now I know you aren't some scared virgin, you slept with that 13 in a dozen FBI agent. I could see the anger and fear in his eyes when I called it and you, miss smarty pants, didn't even deny it. And as you know, not denying something is practically the same as confirming it."
"Okay, it just got creepier, wayyyy creepier", Hodgins said as he pulled out his phone. "The connection isn't great, but I've heard enough. I am calling Booth, keep working on that location." No longer was he unconvinced of the seriousness his wife had already picked upon or concerned with invading one's privacy.
Not really listening to her husband as she was too stunned by the words coming from her phone, she glanced in its direction, which was still on the table near the TV. "Wait, did that sleazeball just say that... Lilly and Booth slept together?" Disgust at the unwelcome surprise she walked away from her laptop to stare at her cell phone. Like it could give her the answer to that question.
On the other end of Hodgins' phone, the connection was established.
"Booth", the agent said curtly.
"Hey, it's Hodgins. We think something might be wrong with Lilly. She dialed us, probably unknowingly, and she is with some dude. He is asking her all sort of inappropriate things and is coming onto her really strongly."
Booth cursed and shifted his car into drive, pulling out into the never-ending evening traffic. "Do you have a location for the call?" He barked into his phone.
"No, not yet, though Angela is working on it."
Hearing her name, she snapped out of her stupor. She looked at the blinking message on her screen walking closer to be able to read it. "I think she is still at the Justice Department. That doesn't make any sense, does it?"
Not daring to waste any precious time, Hodgins told Booth.
"Okay thanks, I am on route and I'll be at the Justice Department in five. I'll stay on the line, if you have any more information, just tell me. The Justice Department is huge, so knowing at which side they are would be a gigantic help. I'll try the back entrance first."
Hodgins hummed his agreement. Being that Lilly was an employee, it made sense that she would leave the building using the employee entrance. It was simple logic. "Do you have any idea what is going on here Booth?"
"Yeah, at least I think I do," Booth said tensely. Uncharacteristically for Booth, he decided to share with the scientist what he knew thus far. "There is this ruthless lawyer who Lilly keeps bumping heads with. He is known for his persistence to try and bed all woman of DC and Lilly naturally didn't like him as soon as soon as he opened his big mouth." Pausing his talking, so he could turn on his siren. If Lilly was out in the dark with that mistake of a man, he wouldn't be stopping at the upcoming red lights unless it was an absolute necessity. "We all know how Lilly gets when she truly doesn't like someone."
Hodgins nodded. Realizing Booth couldn't see him, he added: "Yeah, you better get there very quickly then. The last whole sentence I heard was that guy saying he wasn't planning on ending this on second base and I've heard the word smooching. Not sure what kind of guy still talks like that, but okay."
"Shit", Booth said, still not apologizing for his cursing. "Why didn't she call me? I told her to call me when he bothered her again."
"He bothered her before?" From what Booth had just told him, Hodgins hadn't been able to conclude that. "And I don't know man, but I don't think she knows she was calling us. It sounds like that was more like a lucky accident."
Or a curse if he couldn't get there in time. Ignoring Hodgins' question, Booth dryly voiced his biggest worry at the moment. "Well, I just hope I get there before he makes a home run." Booth gritted his teeth in frustration. "You should have seen his face when Lilly told him off last time. It gave me the creeps." Booth shut off the siren before he turned the - what he hoped was the last - corner to keep the element of surprise. "I am almost at the back-entrance Hodgins, any news?"
"No, I think they are whispering or something because it is hard to hear anything other than the wind."
Interrupting the scientist, Booth spoke. "Damn, I think I see them. I'll call you if I know anything."
Booth hung up, before Hodgins could tell the agent that he wished to stay on the line. Getting out of his car as quickly as he could, Booth quietly ran toward the shadow he had seen against the broad pillar at the top of the stairs.
"Okay then", Hodgins said softly to himself, a little annoyed by the rude ending to the phone call. Putting his phone down on the table, he turned around and almost shrieked from surprise. The reason for his shriek was Angela, who was standing behind him, arms crossed over each other and her face conveying inner conflict.
"Why weren't you surprised to hear that guy say that Booth and Lilly slept together?"
Hodgins gasped, trying to determine the right technique for this particular conversation. As he was considering denying knowing anything at all or telling his wife that Booth wasn't the only FBI agent in the District, Angela already verbally interrupted his game-planning.
"Omg Jack? You knew? You knew Booth and Lilly were together?" Angela felt surprised, maybe even betrayed, wondering what wonderful explanation her life partner was going to come up with.
"Well, no, not really, not exactly. Booth came to talk to me after they slept together for the first time and he was worried about Lilly ignoring him. But I swear Angie, if I had thought for a minute that they would continue and start a relationship, I would have told you. I just thought they weren't, that it was really just a onetime thing. Also, I know how you are with Booth dating someone that is... well basically just not Dr. B. And before you decide to bite my head off, remember we still don't know if it happened more than once. We don't even know who or what kind of man the man on the phone is. Booth mentioned it is some sort of skirt-chasing lawyer, so probably not that much of a nice guy."
Angela stared at her husband. Trying to figure out how in hell she has missed this and whether or not Booth and Lilly's relationship would have continued. Then, she remembered her recent conversation with Lilly. "I think you are right", Angela said calmly. So far for cheering on the intern for dusting off her sex life. Didn't that just bite her in the ass – bigtime.
"About what?" Hodgins asked carefully, the tone of voice of his wife was a little too calm. There was no way his wife was letting him off the hook that easily, was there?
"That Booth and Lilly didn't continue sleeping together."
Not really able to follow along that train of thought, Hodgins wordlessly asked her why she thought that.
"We had a girl conversation and she told me that she wasn't dating the person responsible for her after sex glow."
Hodgins grinned at his wife's word choices. "See? There is nothing to worry about."
"No, I disagree", Angela said, sounding pretty anxious. "What if Brennan finds out that Booth slept with Lilly? What if it wasn't just a onetime thing, like you suspect? I think it probably was too, but then again I also missed that it happened at all." Angela rambled.
"Babe", Hodgins interrupted. "Dr. B. and Booth haven't exactly been close the last couple of months. The rumors at the Hoover about when B&B will finally happen even have come to an end. I agree that it is pretty weird to see them so distant toward each other, but it is what it is and it doesn't look like they are having a fight or anything alike."
Angela didn't even listen to Hodgins counter-argument. "Lilly likes Wendell. She told me that and she told me that she was thinking about missing out on relationships. She told me the person she had been sleeping with wasn't someone she thought she'd end up in a relationship with. She told me that she wasn't sure whether or not Wendell was interested in her. This asshole here tonight could make her shut out any chance of getting together with Wendell soon."
Hodgins looked at his wife, surprised how her brain jumped from one possible issue to the next, but even more surprised at the confirmation that about what he had expected for a while now too. "Huh. We've discussed that too, the relationship stuff I mean. She didn't mention Wendell to me by name, but for Wendell's sake, I really hoped that he was the one we were talking about."
Angela nodded, a little more relieved that there currently wasn't an active threat endangering her best friend from getting together with a certain thirteen in a dozen work partner. That was, when and if Temperance would get her act together. "But still, why didn't you tell me? I am your wife remember."
Hodgins cringed. For a minute he had thought he had made it into safer waters. "I know I probably should have told you, but Booth trusted me to keep this a secret until he got it figured out with Lilly. He was really worried because he thought that she was ignoring him. Something about a canceled meeting or something – you know what, not really important in the grander scheme of things. But when I didn't hear anything more about it, I thought the conclusion was that they were not an item of any sort, so there was no need to tell you. And I didn't think I should tell you before I knew for sure."
"Brennan is going to freak," Angela said biting her nails.
Hodgins looked at his wife worryingly. "Ange, why don't you have the fate that it will work out? You normally trust the universe to get things right. Dr. Brennan is the person who considers sex to be a biological inevitability. I am no expert of anthropology but there is probably an explanation that a clan leader needs to get laid after getting dumped."
"Temperance can believe whatever, she will believe whatever will give her a shield not to feel, but it will hurt her. I don't think you truly understand; you don't know Bren in the way I do. Even if she - god forbids - still doesn't want to acknowledge that she loves Booth, I know for sure she does. Brennan didn't like seeing Booth with Hannah, even though Bren tried to be a good friend to Hannah, Hannah still mistreated her so badly. I am still mad at that shitty excuse of a woman and a little at Booth for bringing her here from that stupid desert. I don't think Bren will like hearing about Booth and Lilly any better."
"Well, Lilly isn't Hannah," Hodgins commented.
"I know", Angela said. "What was Lilly thinking, getting into bed with Booth when she has the hots for Wendell?! Lilly and Booth together doesn't make any sense."
"Yeah, I don't think her or Booth, for that matter, were thinking at all. That is usually the problem. And yes, it would be weird to see, but it could happen. Like you and Wendell or you and Roxie. Or Dr. Brennan and Dr. Stires. In the end, we would all get used to it and just accept it."
His wife snorted. "I never got used to Hannah being around."
"Are you comparing Lilly to Hannah? Because I think that is a little unfair. Sure, it isn't like Booth would force himself upon her, but agreeing to sex with him, while she probably doesn't even know about Dr. B's and Booth's complicated relationship, isn't really something to blame her for. And knowing her, she probably didn't push for anything from Booth and most likely gracefully accepted the end result. If she wasn't the one who didn't want to continue down that path in the first place."
"I am not blaming her. I am blaming Booth for not keeping it in his pants. I am worried about Bren. Why can't the two of them just get together?" Angela said frustrated, worried for her friend and a little annoyed that Hodgins was defending Lilly.
"That would be great to see, but at the same time it is really not any of our business."
Not really hearing her husband, Angela continued. "How could Booth? I had expected better from Lilly too, but then again if I were single and I had the chance to jump Booth, I probably would have taken it too. Bren is his best friend and vice versa. Oh god, this whole thing is a complete mess." Angela said, ending in a sad whisper.
"Well, I have to agree with you about that," Hodgins added.
"And now we also have Lilly to worry about."
A/N: That last statement has two meanings and could have been said by either Angela or Hodgins XD. So, now Angela knows... Will Booth be on time? Maybe we'll find out in the next chapter XD In the next chapter we do get to see the confrontation between Angela and Booth. Thanks for reading and please leave a review!