A/N: Aubrey and Jessica go to Beau and Daisy's for dinner... what happens? Read and find out.

The following week was one of mixed emotions as the world saw the election of a new US President. Wednesday morning, everyone at the lab kept their opinions to themselves to avoid an argument.

Aubrey and Jessica talked as they had dinner at the diner that evening before going to see The Angry Red Planet at the Cineplex for Retro Science Fiction Night. The redhead had something on her mind. She'd debated asking her boyfriend, but last night didn't seem like the right time as their discussion bounced between the movie they were going to see and what the future held after January 20th.

Later that night, as Aubrey snored quietly in her bed, Jessica laid there in deep thought. The incoming administration made her sad and angry, as it did Aubrey. However, she remembered what they agreed on; they had promising careers, great friends and family, and they loved each other. No matter what happened, they could handle whatever came their way.

There were dark times ahead, but she would be strong, just like her idol Princess Leia was when she fought the Rebel Alliance against the Empire.

On Saturday morning, Aubrey woke up in his bed with Jessica draped on top of him. As she snoozed on, he groaned as he realized the day he'd been dreading had arrived.

Daisy had called Tuesday to reschedule it for Friday, which worked better for Aubrey. Planning to work on his house Saturday, things were good until the anthropologist called Jessica Thursday to change their plans back to Saturday. Jessica didn't want to go that night either, but her friend wore her down until she agreed, much to his annoyance.

After getting off the phone, his girlfriend made the case that if they worked together, they could get enough things done today and work on the rest the following weekend, so they wouldn't be too far behind on the renovation schedule he'd set for himself..

He was still hesitant but the redhead's efforts to sway him with her hot mouth in bed that night proved successful.

Saturday would work just fine.

When Jessica met up with him at Founding Fathers for their Friday night half price appetizers, he was disappointed when she told him that she had already made the dessert that afternoon as well as prepped the Arrabiata sauce for dinner.

"Jess...you could have made the cake tonight after we left here..."

"So you could keep dipping your fingers in the batter and frosting? I think not, Superman."

Looking at the end of the bed, he saw Skinner watching. Turning on his left, he saw his girlfriend was still dead to the world. Gently nudging her off him, he threw on the socks he left by his bed when they turned in.

Skinner wasn't happy about waiting for his breakfast. 'Meow….'

Aubrey gave his cat a scowl. "I know...I know...your food waits for no one…"

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Later in the day, Aubrey was mixing paint in the bedroom opposite the master one. In the doorway, Jessica was preparing to install a knob on the door. The conversation then drifted towards their evening plans.

"Superman, it'll be fine. It's just dinner."

Aubrey dumped the can of paint into the tray before grabbing his roller. "You say that, Jessica, but those two are so...off lately. It's really awkward being around them when they act like that."

"They are just...getting used to each other. Tonight we'll have dinner with them and it will be fine. I promise.", Jessica said as she grabbed her screwdriver. "Are you still mad that they interrupted our breakfast with their fight?"

"I'm over that...it's just that I don't things are as good as they want people to think they are.", Aubrey said. "I mean, Daisy rushes over to your apartment before 9:00 in the morning and spills her guts, then when Beau shows up, all is good. It's...weird."

"I know...their fight was pretty stupid, wasn't it?"

"I'm not taking Beau's side, but being told that he's not Lance's father multiple times has to hurt a bit, especially as much as he cares for that little guy."

"Well, she said he's kind of traditional about marriage and stuff like that, especially about starting a family right now."

"I don't get why Beau's in such a big hurry for all that.", Aubrey said as he began painting a wall. "They just got married and they're both still pretty young. I'd think they'd want to wait a couple of years, especially with little Lance being as young as he is."

"I don't know, either Superman.", Jessica said before finishing her task. "Voila! James Aubrey, all your bedrooms have doorknobs now."

"Cool. Now, grab a roller and come help me paint, Woman."

Jessica grabbed the other roller and the two painted the room while chatting about various things. As they got near the end of the wall, they began kissing before Aubrey quietly grasped his roller behind Jessica and smacked her posterior.

Breaking out of her spell, she left his embrace and looked behind her. "You asshole! You put a handprint on my butt!"

"Just marking what's mine.", Aubrey laughed as he barely held onto the roller. "Now everyone will know you're my girl."

"Your girl, huh?", the redhead said before smearing her hand on the roller and grabbing Aubrey's junk.

"Hey!"

The redhead gave a satisfied smile. "Now everyone will know who you belong to, Aubrey."

"We'll see about that, Jess.", Aubrey said before he grabbed her and kissed her again.

Jessica began to get lost in his embrace before she stopped him. "We still have one more bedroom to paint, Agent Aubrey. Behave yourself."

"Tease…" He grabbed the paint supplies and followed his girlfriend to the next bedroom.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

By late afternoon, the couple were in the shower getting ready for their evening. The agent was excited for the food, but not necessarily for the company. Plus, there was a cool movie marathon on Comet tonight he would rather watch with his girlfriend.

"Jessica, I really don't want to do this."

The redhead rinsed her hair. "I really don't either, but we already promised...and I think Daisy needs to hang out with people other than the football wives Beau is pushing on her."

"Well, Beau is nice but he can be...tough to take sometimes."

Jessica grabbed her body wash. "I know, Aubrey, but he drives Booth and Hodgins crazy. Even Wendell, who can handle anyone, almost lost his patience with him when the four of them went out to dinner last month."

"Well, I'm sure the fact Beau ordered several items off the menu at the restaurant after they agreed to split the check 50/50 didn't help matters. Yeah, Andie is a nurse, but she's also going back to school to become a nurse practitioner. She and Wendell are doing all right now, money wise, since they moved in together this summer but still…", Aubrey said as he ducked under the water. "The man has no concept of the fact that not everyone else has unlimited funds to fall back on."

"Daisy told him about my family's wineries, so maybe he thinks we're swimming in millions…"

"Jess, yes, all of you are comfortable and set for life. However, that is a family business, and Aaron told me the night the four of us had dinner that a decent portion of the profits goes back into the business. He said one bad season and it hurts the business's bottom line. Pixler's, on the other hand, is all over the Eastern Seaboard, and short of all the beef and chicken being assassinated in one setting, will survive if it's managed well."

"Daisy said she's talked to him and he's doing better about the way he handles money."

"Beau also isn't the greatest conversationalist in the world..."

"I know, Aubrey, but I'm hoping you can rise above it and be polite tonight."

"Of course...", Aubrey said before taking the bottle from his girlfriend. Pouring some out into his hand, he began washing her back. "...but, you know, things seem tense between them of late, and I don't wanna say the wrong thing..."

"Me neither, but thanks for doing this, nonetheless.", Jessica said. "I know that the last time we went out with them it wasn't the greatest."

"To put it mildly.", the agent replied before his hands moved towards her front. "Jess, this evening is going to be awkward and weird."

"So someone needs some motivation.", the redhead replied before coming closer and rubbing Aubrey's posterior. "We have some time before we have to be at their condo. How can I help you relax and forget about how awkward things might be?"

The agent felt his girlfriend's wet skin next to his and there was an immediate response. "How about I show you instead?"

Pulling her close, they kissed as they caressed each other's wet bodies. Backing his girlfriend slowly into the wall, Aubrey's lips traveled down her neck while he gently felt her nipples harden under his touch. Losing control, he bent down and picked up the redhead. Holding her up against the wall, he plunged inside.

Jessica held on tight as Aubrey moved inside of her. Nothing she had ever experienced could ever compare to moments like this with her boyfriend. As he thrust with all his might, her nails began to dig as she heard herself beg for more. Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore.

"James!"

Feeling her release, Aubrey let go and emptied into Jessica. When they calmed down, he continued to hold her up as they kissed, not ready to part. After a minute, he put her down and they smiled. Cleaning up, Aubrey turned the water off and handed the redhead her towel before they got out of the shower.

"Dinner and fun with friends.", Jessica said nervously as they arrived at Daisy and Beau's condo. "This is going to be great."

"Sure Jess.", Aubrey said sarcastically. "Especially since he can't soak me with a $130.00 bill this time."

Jessica knew he was still slightly annoyed about that night at Founding Fathers'. "Superman, if I had known-"

"Jessica, it's not your fault, okay? I wasn't going to embarrass Daisy or cause a scene. However, Beau was the one who racked up his credit card to the limit and was short on cash when they got back from their honeymoon. I would think, as a professional football player and part of a wealthy family, he would've had more enough to cover himself. However, you said Daisy has talked to him about that so...moving on."

The redhead opened the SUV's back seat for her cake pan and secured crock pot. As she was gathering everything, she smirked as she felt her dress lifted. "Like what you see, Superman?"

Caught, Aubrey put his hand down. "I just…I'm just trying to be helpful."

"By checking to see what kind of underwear I'm wearing?", Jessica said.

"Well, you started getting dressed while I grabbed socks from the laundry room…"

The redhead turned around with one of the pans and kissed her boyfriend. "I know you love me and us...now make yourself useful and take this cake pan, please."

Aubrey snickered. "Sure, Jess."

The redhead pulled out the other pan and shut the door. "Behave tonight and you get to take this dress off later. Now come on."

Aubrey returned Jessica's smile before following her up to their friends' door.

Less than an hour later, the ladies were in Daisy's state of the art kitchen as Jessica's crockpot simmered the sauce she made. As the redhead was cooking sirloin on the stove, the other forensic anthropologist stirred together the ricotta cheese and other ingredients for the lasagna they had planned. Nearby vegetables were set out for the dinner salad accompanying the meal. When she turned off the mixer, conversation started.

"So has Beau enjoyed his bye week?", Jessica asked while stirring beef.

"Yeah...Beau has been pretty busy.", Daisy said before taking a drink of her water.

"I bet you two enjoyed some quiet time together this week."

"Between me working and Beau studying plays, we were both pretty swamped. I'm sure you and Aubrey don't get much time together, either."

"Well, we make the weekend our time and set aside a couple of nights per week. Aubrey has some comp time coming up and we're hoping to use it Thanksgiving weekend. However, it's not written in stone because things are crazy for him at work and you know what this part of the semester is always like for us interns."

"Yeah, I remember all right, but all that hard work and sacrifice was worth it. Now I have a beautiful son and a job I love so much."

Jessica noted who was not mentioned and decided to prod further. "Well, I'm sure you and Beau enjoyed some family time with Lance."

"Beau has been busy with his studies in between meetings at the stadium", Daisy replied. "Of course Lance's cold came back three days ago and his ears are bothering him, but he was feeling okay enough to spend the night with Dr. B and Booth."

Jessica gulped as she watched her friend examine the mixture before sighing. "I'm sorry, Daisy. I didn't know-"

"It's okay, Jessica. I know you weren't trying to upset me." Getting a spoon out of a drawer, the other woman added more ricotta cheese and stirred.

"So have you and Beau settled things in the last couple of weeks?"

Daisy turned to her friend. "Yes. I told him I would consider changing my name."

The redhead was surprised at her friend's response. "But you were dead set against it, Dais-"

"Don't worry, Jessica. I'm not actually going to do it. Telling him that got him off my back about it. He'll come around eventually, just like the whole starting a family bit. I told him I would think about that, too, but I'm not having another baby for a long time. I just got into my position at the NFL."

Jessica got an uneasy feeling in her stomach, recalling instances of her mother seeming to come to an agreement over an issue with her father, only to do the exact opposite, ruining any sense of trust between them. No matter where she was going with Aubrey, she felt that it was important to be honest with him. They had their own disagreements, but they worked to find a consensus while acknowledging their differences.

"That feels...almost dishonest, Daisy. Surely he will understand…"

"He won't.", Daisy said. "Beau wants several children, and he said when we do begin our family together, I'll need to reconsider my career at the NFL since I'll be away too much from him and our children. He also thinks that I should consider staying home like his mother did because I would find so much more fulfillment than 'playing with bones' all day. He needs to get it through his head that I'm not a baby farm and I'm not like his nosy mother."

"Oh…", Jessica replied as Daisy continued bitterly.

"Remember me saying that this was a busy week for Beau? He's been studying constantly so he hasn't had much time to clean up around here. My husband also likes home cooked meals and I've been busy at work. I've created a weekly menu but I still have to rush home to start so we can eat before 8:30 when I put Lance to bed or I have to wait until after 9:00 to eat. "

The redhead watched as her friend stirred with more fervor. "Then Beau wanted me to take Wednesday afternoon off so I could go to FedEx and attend an event for the players' wives. Of course, he gave me three hours notice and I couldn't go because I had to attend a staff meeting. He was upset about that, because he feels I need to be more social with the team, but the women he wants me to make friends with are into charity projects and mostly homemakers."

Jessica didn't miss the bite in her friend's voice. "Um, Daisy…"

"Then my husband forgets to pick up Lance from daycare Thursday because he's hyper focused on plays for the next games, so I have to rush out in the middle of an examination."

Jessica feared Daisy was going to chip the ceramic bowl. Rushing over, she put her hand on her friends. "Dais...that looks perfect. You know what? Why don't you get a glass of the Chianti and chill for a few minutes? I'll finish cooking the beef and when you're ready we can put the lasagna together."

"Yeah, thanks, Jessica. That sounds kind of nice. We should have the wine breathe anyway.", the diminutive anthropologist said.

She turned to the three bottles of Chianti on the counter. Opening one, she took one of the stemless wine glasses, poured a glass three-quarters full, and started to chug to the redhead's horror.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

In the living room, Aubrey and Beau were watching a game...or Beau was explaining a game to the FBI agent, who nodded while chugging his beer.

"Now see this play here?", Beau said before pausing the television. "I screwed up here because I focused too high on this guy. I should have focused lower. Also this…"

Aubrey was raised to be polite and he really liked Beau. However, he wanted to talk about more than just the other man's old plays. He envied Jessica being able to be around all that delicious food in the kitchen.

"So what sports did you play in school, Aubrey?"

'Awkward…" , the agent thought. "Um...none. I was more into computers, Madrigals...stuff like that."

"What's Madrigals?"

"It's the choir group I was in during high school. I sang tenor and wore a monkey suit for competitions. I was also doing dual enrollment with City College of New York my junior and senior years in high school."

"What's that?"

"I took a college class each semester along with attending high school.", Aubrey said.

The football player looked at Aubrey like he had a third eye. "Why would you do that? When I was in school I didn't do any more than I had to."

Aubrey exhaled. "I wanted to get a leg up on college. I worked part time jobs as well."

"Damn, Aubrey, did you have any sort of life? Did you even have a girlfriend or get laid in school?"

'Of course I got laid in high school...I wasn't that much of a dork...even though some jerk classmates thought otherwise.' , the agent thought as he tried to keep his frustration to a minimum. "Yes, I had a couple of girlfriends, but I also had to pay for my car expenses, including gas and insurance. I was also saving for college."

"Luckily for me, I didn't have to do that because my parents took care of everything.", Beau said before making a realization. "Shit, Dude, I forgot your dad wasn't around. Sorry."

"It's fine.", Aubrey said. "I also did some gaming with friends and computers."

"Ah, you were one of those geeks who was all into D and D, right?"

Aubrey inhaled and exhaled. "No, not into D and D. I was more into Star Wars...still am. One of the best things about Jessica is she's into it also so we can do stuff together."

Beau chugged his beer. "Daisy and I don't do much together. I went to one of her work things but those people she works with talk nothing but science crap and other boring shit. I tried to talk football with some of them but those science geeks my wife works with are sticks in the mud. Know what I mean?"

Aubrey knew that scientists weren't all closed minded to sports because of his friends at the Jeffersonian. He did have a vision of Beau in a similar conversation that they were having with the other scientists at the NFL. He suspected that Beau perhaps didn't have much to contribute to a discussion more times than not. Still, he didn't want to hurt Beau's feelings.

"Yeah...yeah I do. I'm glad Jess and I both love Star Wars. We like other cool stuff, too but it's our hobby to go to conventions."

Beau put his beer down. "I like Star Wars, too."

Impressed, Aubrey leaned in. "Hey, that's pretty cool. You know the Cineplex in Dupont Circle does a Star Wars night every other month and it will be again in December for the premiere of Rogue One. Maybe-"

"Hey, who do you think would be the best football player? That Han Solo dude or Darth Vader?", Beau asked before taking another drink.

'And we're back to football. No wonder Daisy's fellow scientists tuned him out after a while.' Aubrey thought to himself. "Not sure. Um, I'm going to check on the ladies and get another beer. Want one?"

"Nah, I'm good. I'm just going to turn the game back on."

"Sure.", Aubrey said before walking as fast as he politely could towards the kitchen and opened the door. "Hey, can I help…"

He walked into the kitchen just in time to see Daisy chugging a glass of Chianti down before belching as his girlfriend watched from nearby. Aubrey's eyes got large as she poured another glass until the bottle of wine was empty and repeated her actions before belching again.

"Oh...excuse me. I think I'll head to the little girl's room for a few minutes. Do you have this...Jessica?"

Jessica was still in shock. The last time she tried polishing a bottle of red wine down, especially one like Chianti, she woke up the next day with the world's worst hangover. However, she also ate a full meal before said transgression, unlike her friend.

"Uh, yeah. I'll put the lasagna in the oven. I'll get the appetizers set out, too."

"Good...good call."

The couple watched Daisy walk slightly off balance through the kitchen door and presumably towards the bathroom.

"What the hell did I just walk into?", Aubrey asked in a low voice.

Jessica poured two glasses from the second bottle of Chianti and gave one to Aubrey. "Long story. Want to help me get dinner set up while Daisy vomits up the wine she chugged?"

Before Aubrey could answer, the couple heard the unmistakable sounds of retching from down the hall. He was grossed out but considering the alternative that was awaiting him in the living room, he made a quick decision.

"Sure.", he replied before taking off his sports coat.

An hour later, the four sat down to a very awkward dinner. Aubrey and Jessica looked at each other in concerned silence. For several minutes, Beau ate his dinner, blissfully ignorant of his wife's earlier actions, and Daisy didn't look up from her plate while she ate her meal.

"Thanks for helping with dinner, Aubrey. I'm sorry that my phone call from my assistant took longer than I thought.", Daisy said quietly as she ate slowly, still shaky but thankful to have most of her faculties back.

Aubrey caught Jessica's warning glance. Daisy's 'phone call' was the excuse they used for the agent's assistance in the kitchen while she vomited up the Chianti. Clearing his throat, he went back to his meal. "No problem, Daisy."

Beau finished chewing his food and looked across the table. "Babe, you shouldn't take work calls when we have guests."

Aubrey and Jessica each shoved lasagna in their mouth. "Ladies, awesome job on this lasagna.", the agent said as he finished chewing. "Wonderful."

"Thank you, Superman.", Jessica responded while trying to ignore the tension in the room.

Daisy took a drink of her wine, not caring that she vomited it up earlier. "Beau, my assistant had a call from the Michigan State Police regarding the case I'm working. I encourage my assistants to call if they need assistance. One mistake could set a criminal free."

"Well, work is not a person's top priority. You have to put it aside sometimes.", Beau said. "I do that."

"Work is not my top priority, Beau. However, as lead forensic anthropologist, I have to put in more time. How the department runs in my responsibility."

"If your employees can't handle themselves then you should fire them."

Aubrey saw Daisy's face turn red and moved to diffuse the tension in the air. "It's a lot harder than it sounds, Beau. I put aside time for Jessica and friends but as the head of my division sometimes duty calls and plans have to change. Booth has the same issue, as does Dr. B, and Hodgins. In our professions, criminals unfortunately don't really work by a set schedule."

"Well, that forensics place needs to stop calling Daisy at all hours. She has a husband and son that need her more."

Daisy pasted a smile on her face. "That 'forensics place' is the National Forensics Laboratory, Beau. It's headquarters in Alexandria has state of the art equipment that assists several police agencies with important cases...and they don't call me at all hours, Beau."

"Whatever."

Another awkward silence filled the room. After a few minutes of stewing from Daisy, Jessica started talking about the case she was helping with at the lab. From that, the redhead's fellow anthropologist talked about the case from Michigan, a cold case from 2000. Jessica and her friend continued talking shop with contributions from Aubrey. The three tried to include Beau in their topics of conversation, but almost all they discussed went over his head before going back to football and awkward silences. Trying a new strategy, the redhead pressed forward.

"You know, I love MSU football and basketball.", Jessica said. "Aubrey and I have a little bit of a rivalry because he went to Syracuse. Got a little cra cra during March Madness this year."

"A little?", Aubrey said after chewing his lasagna. "Michigan State got their asses handed to them by Middle Tennessee while we advanced to the Final Four. Orange always rules over Green and White."

"Yeah, it was so cool until North Carolina stuffed that orange back in your mouths when they spanked you all 83 to 66.", Jessica retorted before sipping her wine.

"I'm sensing some jealousy, ", Aubrey returned with a smirk before taking a bite.

"Not jealousy, Special Agent Aubrey. Just stating facts. MSU gave me an excellent education including two Bachelors and a Masters."

"I got a Bachelors in Criminology with a minor in religion as well as my J.D. while attending Syracuse, Ms. Warren.", Aubrey shot back with a joshing smile.

Daisy felt envy at the other couple's easy jousting. Much like Andie and Wendell, her other friend had found someone whom she wasn't just compatible but seemed to complete her. It was nice how Aubrey's accomplishments were on par with his girlfriend and he had an obvious intelligence to match Jessica's genius IQ.

'They really are best friends.', Daisy thought before her melancholy was interrupted.

"J.D?", Beau asked, confused. "What is that?"

"Juris Doctor, Beau.", Daisy replied. "He's a lawyer."

"I thought you were an FBI agent, Dude.", the football player replied.

"I am.", Aubrey said as he cut a piece of lasagna. "But I went to law school and passed the New York Bar in 2007 to help me get into the FBI."

"But Daisy just said you were a lawyer."

Shaking off his annoyance at being denied another immediate bite of food, Aubrey put his fork down. "Working for the Bureau is something I wanted to do since I was fourteen years old. It wasn't feasible for me to attend school outside New York, so I applied to and was accepted to Syracuse because they had a religion minor program as well. To apply to the FBI, an applicant has to be at least 23 years of age and they required three years of practical experience in law enforcement. When I applied in 2006, during my second year of law school, if you had a CPA, advanced degree, or a JD, you could waive that with work experience."

"So did you take the Bar Exam, Aubrey after you graduated?" Daisy asked.

"Yeah, my mom wanted me to as a backup in case I didn't get into the FBI, so I took the New York Bar. I found out I was accepted into Quantico the day after I took the exam, which I passed."

"So you took that test even though you wanted to be an FBI agent?" Beau questioned.

"Yes. I put in my application when I did because between testing, interviews, and getting a security clearance, it can take up to a year or more before getting an offer to attend the FBI Academy, where you work your tail off for 21 weeks before graduating as a Special Agent. It wasn't written in stone I was going to be accepted, Beau. I would need a career if I couldn't be an FBI agent."

"That's wild, man. You went to school so you could apply to the FBI and then you took a test in case you didn't get in instead of waiting.", Beau asked, surprised at what he was hearing. "Seems like a waste to me."

Taking a breath, Aubrey forced patience. "I did what I had to do, Beau to accomplish my goals. To get my JD, I needed to go to law school, which I did. My education and working for Professor Bacome at his law office made my application for the FBI stand out enough to be approved for the FBI Phase One Testing."

"Phase One?", Beau asked with a chuckle. "What was Phase Two? Strip search?"

"No, Beau.", Aubrey said before taking a bite of his food, biting his tongue from responding to the other man's lame attempt at humor. "I don't regret the choices I made to get to where I am today. It seems the education and hard work paid off for me because in the eight years I've been an agent I've worked my way up to running my own division at the DC field office."

"The Major Crimes Division is a very important one inside the FBI." Jessica said before squeezing her boyfriend's hand.

Embarrassed at Beau's attitude about Aubrey's education, Daisy sipped her wine. "I really enjoyed attending American University, plus we had pretty decent basketball and soccer teams."

"What about their football program?", Beau asked. "A school is not a school without a good football team."

Daisy wiped her mouth. "Honey, AmU didn't have a football team, but it had other sports."

Beau shook his head. "Well, that's just crazy. What kind of school does that?"

"A prestigious research university, Beau.", Daisy said, hurt at her husband's dismissive tone. "Football is not an end all in deciding on a university."

Beau sipped his wine. "It was for me. It's why I chose to go to Tennessee. I've wanted to be a football player all my life. I didn't get a scholarship, so my parents paid on the condition I get a business degree as a backup and work at our flagship store each summer. However, I know that football won't fail me."

"It won't?", Aubrey asked.

"Nope. I am an awesome football player."

Aubrey tended to disagree, but he kept his mouth shut. "So how are things with the team? You guys are playing Dallas on Thanksgiving, right?"

"Yeah. I'm having dinner with my parents there afterwards. Some wives are coming along to spend time with their husbands. Daisy said she can't, though."

"I said it depends on how Lance is feeling, Beau." Daisy wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Lance has a cold and has had recurring ear infections. I have an appointment with an ENT on November 21st and he may need tubes in his ears. The doctor said that if he is still under the weather he shouldn't fly and that keeping him home was best. If that happens, we're going to be at Booth and Dr. Brennan's and we'll be watching the game rooting for you and the Redskins. Also, I know some of the wives are staying in town with their husbands' blessings."

"Those wives have family they're visiting, Daisy."

"I would be with family, too, Beau.", the anthropologist said, hurt at her husband's words.

"No you won't.", Beau replied before stabbing his food. "You're eating dinner with friends. Your family is me, Lance and my family. You have family, but you don't talk to them."

"Beau…" Jessica said in shock. "It's not that simple."

"Beau, as a person who lost his mother, father, and has no siblings, just because they're biologically related doesn't make you a family. Family is what you make it." Aubrey chimed in, shocked at the football player's narrow mindedness.

"That sucks for you Aubrey, but that's where we differ.", Beau replied before turning back to his wife. "As I was saying, your family is spending the day with me after the game. As for getting to Texas, you can still drive. My parents said they would come with you if needed."

"Beau, as I explained to your mother this morning, it would difficult to take on a 19 hour plus drive with a sick two year old. We can still have a family Thanksgiving when you come home."

"Uh no...Thanksgiving is on that Thursday and family should be together. Besides, it doesn't look right that my wife and son won't be there. Just have the doc give Lance some antibiotics or something. That should make our son feel better."

"He has a cold, Beau. That's a virus and antibiotics don't do anything for that save for bring on unpleasant side effects for nothing. I can't throw drugs at my son to make him well enough for you to show off to your teammates and your parents. If the specialist says Lance is to stay home, that's what I will do."

"My parents and I want you and Lance in Dallas with us. He'll be fine. You need to quit babying him."

"Your parents aren't doctors nor dictate how I care for my son, Beau. They need to butt out of our business."

Jessica and Aubrey could see the anger smouldering between the couple, so the redhead moved to change the subject. "So Beau, do they plan to have you play on Thanksgiving?"

Beau finished a large bite of his lasagna. "They better. I deserve to be respected for my skills. I enjoying being part of the Washington Redskins, but lately they don't seem to appreciate what I can offer."

"I don't think that's true, Beau. The Redskins as with most teams, usually have their starting lineup. It's nothing personal.", Jessica said, trying to be diplomatic about the man's talent. She agreed with Aubrey that he was decent but not starter material.

"Thank you, Jessica. I've come to a decision though. If I don't get decent play time by Thanksgiving I'm going to ask for a trade."

Daisy dropped her fork onto her plate. "You're going to what?"

Beau looked up at his wife. "You heard me. I'm not going to play where I'm not appreciated, Daisy."

"But what about my job?"

The football player gave her a face. "Just get another one, or, if you can't, I'll make enough to support you."

Aubrey and Jessica felt an explosion coming on. Hoping to diffuse the situation, the agent did what he did best...think of food.

"I don't know about you all, but dessert is sounding pretty good. Jess made a German Chocolate cake for tonight."

"Yeah, Daisy. Let's go get that cake.", Jessica said nervously as she saw the daggers her friend sent her husband. "Come on...Aubrey's hungry and you know what happens if we don't feed him in time."

"Of course, Jessica.", Daisy said with a smile before she led her friend into the kitchen.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

Over an hour later, Aubrey and Jessica made their goodbyes to the other couple. Aubrey shook hands with Beau while his girlfriend hugged her friend. When their coats were on, the first couple grabbed the cake pan and empty crock pot before being walked out.

"This has been a lot of fun, guys.", Jessica said as she pretended to smile.

"Yeah, it has.", Daisy said with restraint. "Maybe next time Aubrey can host us for dinner in the Mighty Hut."

"No problem.", Aubrey said while secretly praying it would not be anytime soon.

"Great. Good night, you two.", Daisy said with a smile before shutting the door forcefully.

Aubrey and Jessica walked down the steps. "Wow, Jess...I'm sure we just caught them on a bad night, right?"

"Yeah, Superman. I'm sure that's what it was."

"So when the hell were you going to talk to me about requesting a trade? Nice timing, Beau!"

"Go, go, go…", Aubrey said while guiding Jessica quickly to his SUV.

Making sure things were secure in the back, Aubrey opened Jessica's door before trotting to the driver's seat and getting in. Without hesitation, he started the motor and pulled away to return to Washington DC.

When they got home about forty-five minutes later, by unspoken agreement making love was taken off the agenda to be replaced by turning in for the night. After Aubrey armed his alarm system, they went upstairs to his bedroom.

After putting her pajamas on, Jessica went into Aubrey's bathroom as the agent stripped down to boxer shorts. Feeling chilly, he stripped those off too and grabbed a pair of flannel pants and t-shirt from his drawer. Putting them on, he stood for a minute pondering their evening.

He hadn't seen a married couple that...disjointed since his parents. Jessica had previously said that Daisy seemed frustrated with Beau sometimes, but it was obvious he was with her, also. Daisy said that before they got married they hashed out these things. However, it looked more and more like several things had been lost in translation between the two.

Then he thought of himself and Jessica. What if she would have said yes to moving that day at the crime scene? There would be no friends of theirs in LA. He could only call or Skype Booth if he needed advice. Jessica wouldn't be able to take a trip to Angela's or talk to Andie if she needed wisdom.

Would they be as distant and frustrated with each other as Beau and Daisy seemed tonight? Would their relationship had survived the way it was going if they moved across the country together?

Getting the chills, Aubrey shook those thoughts out of his head. He knew the answer, and it was too terrible to contemplate for very long. After walking by Skinner, who was at the end of the bed, he pet his cat before going into the bathroom.

Inside, he grabbed his toothbrush and brushed his teeth at one of the basins as Jessica rinsed hers before washing her face. She looked adorable in her tank top and MSU pants. When he looked up at her face, though she didn't look lovely.

She looked troubled.

Wanting to give her some space to gather her thoughts, he went back to what he was doing. As she moisturized her face, Aubrey answered the nightly call of nature. When she walked out, he finished what he needed to do before joining her.

He watched for a moment as she climbed into bed. Getting in himself, he leaned in to kiss her goodnight, but sensed distance. "Jess, you know that you can tell me anything, right?"

Startled, the redhead made a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I know."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Superman.", Jessica responded before kissing her boyfriend. "Goodnight."

"Okay. Goodnight.", Aubrey said before shutting the light off, troubled by the look in his best friend's eyes.

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

At around 3:00 AM Aubrey was burrowed under the covers with only his hair sticking out. From the other side, Jessica watched him sleep as she contemplated something. Making her decision, she reached over him and turned the lamp on. A startled Aubrey quickly came out from under the covers.

"Wha-what's going on?",

"Sorry, Superman. I didn't mean to startle you. Go back to sleep."

The agent rubbed his face and propped himself up on his elbows. "No, I'm awake now. What's up?"

Jessica looked down for a minute before focusing on Aubrey's blue eyes. "I'm sorry I was so distant earlier. I had some stuff on my mind."

Aubrey turned on his side and faced Jessica. "Like what, Jess?"

"As we got home...and I got ready for bed...I was thinking about Beau's announcement. Daisy mentioned that he brought up leaving the team, but she didn't think he would do it because he was under contract until the end of next season. She was probably feeling ambushed…"

The light went off in the agent's head. "...and it was like when you found out about my promotion to the LA office from Dr. B instead of me."

Jessica saw her boyfriend's head drop and her stomach turned. "Aubrey…"

"I was such an ass…"

"Aubrey…"

"I should have talked to you…"

Jessica grabbed him and kissed him, which he immediately responded to. After about a minute, she let go and blushed when her boyfriend looked dazed.

"James Robert Aubrey, didn't your mother tell you it's impolite to interrupt someone when she speaks."

"Oh...sorry."

"Thank you.", the redhead smiled. "But you're right. It made me feel that...sadness all over again. It took me a while to process it, but I realized that while similar, their issue is different than ours. Ours was fear and lack of communication. We messed up for a while, but we figured it out. We love each other enough to at least talk and try to work it out. I...am not sure they do."

"Is this like what we were talking about the night they came back from their honeymoon, about how everything moved so fast?"

"Yeah.", Jessica said. "Like I said before, marriage never came up between them until they decided to go to Tahiti. His parents got her so worked up about Lance and convinced her that marriage was necessary...it's obvious they got caught up in all that...and other stuff..."

Aubrey nodded, knowing that she was talking about not a 'what', but a 'whom'. "Well, let's just keep our fingers crossed, okay? You'll be there to help Daisy, Jess, no matter what happens. They are just having a rough patch is all. Of course, Beau isn't gonna make that rough patch any smoother if he keeps opening his big mouth like that, especially in front of friends."

"Thank you for loving me and letting me babble.", Jessica said before taking Aubrey into a hug, almost knocking Skinner over.

The agent gently rubbed her back. "Always, Jessica. Thank you for loving me, too."

They held each other for a moment before breaking apart. They smiled before Aubrey hit the light by his side of the bed. When it was dark, Jessica moved into her lover's arms with Skinner laying up against her posterior before the three fell back asleep.