Now for something a little bit different...
It was the headline of the short article in the professional journal that had caught Christine's eye.
RACHAEL AUBREY-OLMSTEAD EARNS BUCKNER RESEARCH GRANT
Her curiosity piqued, she quickly skimmed the column, pleased to find that it was 'her' Rachael who was the subject of the article in the online publication. Smiling to herself, she was pleased to see the young woman's picture at the end, her dark hair framing her ivory complexion and bright green eyes.
The prestigious research award, designed to further advancements in biomedical engineering, was a great honor for the young woman. Her focus had been on the use of gene splicing to eliminate certain inherited disorders. As a genetic counselor, Christine had been very interested in the project. She longed for the day when she could offer more hope to prospective parents who were faced with the possibility of passing on a genetic disorder to their offspring.
She sighed softly as she remembered her mother-in-law expressing her grave concerns about Michael-Vincent passing on the gene for Leber Congenital Amaurosis, knowing that might cause blindness in their own children. Fortunately, his genetic testing had shown that he wasn't a carrier...somehow he'd been lucky enough to have inherited two dominant genes from his parents and there was no chance the disorder would be passed on to their children. We really dodged a bullet on that one.
After calling Rachael to arrange a congratulatory lunch date, Christine nodded in satisfaction as she reached for the old photo album at the end of the counter. It was hard to imagine now, but there had been a time when it was doubtful that the young woman's parents would actually become a couple with children of their own. She turned to the page that held their wedding picture, reminiscing about their misadventures…
Oooooooooo
It had only been a day after Dr. Saroyan's wedding to Dr. Vasiri, and Christine was still enraptured by the beautiful fairy tale that had seemed to play out before her eyes. As she colored a picture in her father's office, she babbled about all the details to her Uncle Aubrey, not realizing how dejected he was that day.
"I loved it!", the little girl giggled. "I got to wear Dr. Saroyan's veil and everything! I love weddings, don't you, Uncle Aubrey?" As she held up her picture for him to see, she grinned. "Look...this is how it'll be when you and Miss Jessica get married!"
Gritting his teeth, Aubrey tried to swallow the lump in his throat. After getting completely sloshed at the wedding reception, he'd awakened in the guest room at Karen's apartment, cringing in embarrassment as his girlfriend stood over him with a pained expression on her face. Then he'd made matters much worse by asking Jessica to move to Los Angeles with him...as an off hand remark...while they were working an active crime scene in a remote area. Evidently it had been more than Jessica could handle, because she'd broken up with him just a few hours ago. I must be fucking idiot...what was I thinking? And now I've lost her...
His hopes and dreams had been crushed...he was devastated and heartbroken as he realized there would be no chance of living the rest of his life with Jessica. His future was bleak, but there was no way for Christine to know that...at least not yet. He tried to smile as he studied her innocent drawing. A tall thin man was holding hands with a slender redhead. "That's a real pretty picture…"
"Thanks." Christine scribbled her name across the bottom. "You can keep it if you want." She hesitated as she picked up another sheet of paper. "Uncle Aubrey, when you and Miss Jessica get married, can I come to the wedding?"
Nervously biting his trembling lip, he shrugged. "Um...sure you can…" He paused as he answered his phone. "Aubrey...what? Oh no...when? Really? Jesus…" Obviously horrified, he glanced at Christine and her younger brother, who was curled up in an armchair sound asleep. "Yeah...I'll be there as soon as I can.'' He pocketed the phone and knelt next to Christine. "Honey, I've got to go…take care of a problem. I'm gonna get one of the other agents to come stay with you, okay?"
She nodded solemnly. "When will my mommy and daddy get here? I wanna go home…I'm tired."
Aubrey stared at the child, heaving a sad sigh, unsure of what to tell her. "I know, Sweetheart...I'll tell them as soon as I see them."
Oooooooooo
The next few months had been a blur for Christine and her family. Her mother had suffered a concussion in the explosion at the Jeffersonian, and was still dealing with some occasional memory loss. Her father had been tied up at work, busy with resolving the case and all of the other issues pertaining to Mark Kovacs and his sister.
Jessica had been granted a hiatus from her internship with Dr. Brennan and had enrolled in classes at McGill University in Montreal. Brennan had been sorry to see her intern leave, but she realized the young woman needed to figure out what to do with her life now that she and Aubrey were through. In some ways it was very similar to her decision to travel to the Malukus all those years ago, and she had decided to give her intern the same grace Cam had extended to her when she'd chosen to take part in that expedition.
"I hope you enjoy your year in Canada, Ms. Warren. The classes you've chosen will provide you with an extensive knowledge base. However, I will miss you tremendously..."
"Thank you." Looking uncertain as she twisted a strand of dark red hair around her finger, Jessica sighed. "I appreciate your understanding in this matter, Dr. B. I just need time to work some things out."
"I know. Let me know what you decide." Smiling sadly, she gave her intern a hug. "Keep in touch."
Aubrey, in the meantime, was at loose ends as well. After dating Karen for a few weeks, he'd ended things with her and had been dating a chef who worked at a local barbecue restaurant. Given the woman's magical way with a smoker and various spicy sauces, Booth had figured it was a match made in Heaven, but he knew his friend was still down in the dumps over his failed relationship with Jessica. The only thing that would help Aubrey recover would be time...and perhaps copious amounts of ribs. Aubrey would have to figure out how to live without Jessica in his life, whether he liked it or not.
Oooooooooo
Booth was working in his office one afternoon about six months later, trying to clear a stack of files, when a breathless Aubrey suddenly appeared in his office doorway.
"She's back...I just saw her at the Jeffersonian. She missed DC, so she decided not to stay in Montreal…"
"Whoa there, Aubrey. What are you babbling about?" Booth smiled to himself as he looked up from his computer. "Who's back?"
"Jessica! I saw her when I went over to the Jeffersonian to pick up that evidence packet. Angela said Dr. B is going to let her pick up her internship where she left off…I guess she's here to stay..."
Pretending to be surprised, Booth nodded at the news. "I see. So did you talk to her?"
Slumping into a chair, Aubrey shook his head. "No...I didn't know what to say. 'Sorry I was a jackass?' That doesn't seem to cut it…so I avoided her..."
"Yeah, but you can't avoid her forever. I mean, sooner or later, you'll have a case together." Booth shrugged a shoulder. "I think an apology would be a good place to start, don't you?" He smirked as he turned back to his computer. "Well, I'm sure you'll think of something to say sooner or later. So let's have that packet…"
Aubrey's face went blank before he blushed furiously. "SHIT! I left without it! Okay...okay, I'll just call downstairs and get a courier to go pick it up…"
"Like Hell you will.", Booth growled, secretly pleased that Angela had played her part in the subterfuge so well. "This late in the day? They'll be backed up with service requests, and we won't get it until tomorrow." He sat back in his chair, pressing his fingertips together as he glared sternly at the man in front of him. "You'd better just go back to the lab and pick it up yourself."
"What? I'm a Special Agent in Charge, not an errand boy! Why should I put myself out when we've got people who get paid to do that sort of shit?" Aubrey narrowed his eyes at his friend as he continued his angry rant. "I don't have time…you know that...I've got piles of paper to get through, just like you do..."
"Well, I don't want to wait any more. We need to get this case taken care of as soon as we can, and we're at a standstill until we get that information. This is a huge joint operation between our divisions, right? And you said you had time to pick that thing up after lunch, but you didn't because you got distracted by some pretty woman, so now you've gotta make it right. So go get that fucking packet…"
Knowing that Booth wasn't going to give in, Aubrey quickly rose from his chair, huffing an irritated sigh. "Fine! I'll be back in an hour with your precious evidence!"
"Fine!" Watching his friend stride through the bullpen on the way to the elevator, Booth laughed out loud before he called his wife. "Angela did a good job with the distractions. Our pigeon is on his way…"
Oooooooooo
"Ms. Warren, someone from the FBI will be here shortly to pick up this folder. I have an appointment, so I'm leaving it with you. You can wait here in my office until they arrive. Please make sure they sign for it so we can maintain a proper chain of evidence."
"From the FBI?" Jessica's heart was thumping madly as she considered the possibilities. "Who is it?"
Brennan frowned slightly as she picked up her bag. "I have no way of knowing that. I'm sure whoever it is will present proper credentials. Now, I really must be going." Biting her lip to keep from giggling, Brennan nodded to her intern. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Okay." Jessica tried to remain calm as she skimmed through messages on her phone. "It could be almost anyone.", she muttered to herself. "There are literally hundreds of agents at the Hoover. The chances of it being Aubrey…" She shook off her wild thoughts. Since arriving back in DC she had steadfastly resisted the urge to call him. After all, she'd been the one to end the relationship, and it would be awkward...admitting she'd made a hasty mistake and asking for a second chance was too embarrassing. No...he won't want to talk to me...and I don't blame him…"
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard footsteps jogging toward the office.
"Hey, Dr. B...I'm in kind of a hur…" Aubrey stopped in mid sentence as he saw who was waiting for him. He was trapped...there was no way to leave gracefully. "Oh...hey...Jessica." Closing his eyes for a moment, he struggled with his composure. I gotta be cool...calm…yeah, right… "I'm supposed to see Dr. Brennan about an evidence packet…"
"She, um...she left it for you." Feeling herself blushing, Jessica cleared her throat. "Don't forget to sign for it." She handed him a pen and felt a small jolt of adrenaline as his fingers brushed hers. "Are you, uh...I mean...you know...how are you? You look...happy...I guess things...are good...for you...and...all?"
"Kinda...I mean...I've been busy, you know, with the promotion and all…learning...stuff...you know, things like that..."
Inhaling deeply, Jessica collected her thoughts. "I'm surprised you didn't take that job in LA.", she said quietly. "Being single and all...I'd think LA would be a good place to start over."
"Yeah, well...I considered it, but I don't know anyone out there, and moving across the country is a huge undertaking, you know? It just didn't seem as appealing once I figured out I'd be out there by myself." Coughing slightly, he studied the desk in front of him. "I'm surprised you didn't finish out the year at McGill. It's a prestigious university…"
"It is, but I decided I needed more than just academic hours." She fidgeted with a paperclip. "I need someone who cares about me…" Seeing Aubrey's surprise, she hastily finished her sentence. "You know, someone like Dr. B…"
"I get that. I guess everyone needs that." Aubrey tapped his foot anxiously. There was so much he wanted to say, but he desperately wanted to avoid looking like a fool. "Well, I'd better be going. Booth says needs this stuff as soon as possible." He quickly signed the form and pushed it towards Jessica. "I guess I'll see you around…" He picked up the file and started for the door.
"Aubrey...wait." Jessica rose from her chair and reached out to take his hand. "I'm...I'm sorry, okay? Ending things like I did, out of the blue...without us talking things through? That wasn't really fair to you, especially with the Kovacs case going on. I should've been more considerate of your feelings, but I panicked, I guess. I was afraid…" Blinking back tears, she tried to smile. "I know I don't have any right to say so, but I've missed you a lot, and I was wondering...can we be friends again? Can we go back to the way things were?"
He shook his head as he looked out into the hallway. "I don't think so." A faint smile played on his lips as he heard her defeated sigh. "I'm not going to be satisfied with being just friends, Jessica. I want so much more for you and me...a lot more." He gently tucked a strand of dark red hair behind her ear. "Look...I know I was a royal jerk, okay? I know you felt like I was taking you for granted, and that I was pushing you to make a commitment that you weren't comfortable with...something that maybe I didn't have the right to ask for, anyway. I assumed that you would just know what I wanted without us talking it over. I get that now, and I'm sorry for that." He shook his head as he thought things through. "I guess we both messed things up badly, huh?"
"Yeah...I guess so." She tilted her head to one side, uncertain of what to say next. "Would it help if I said that I regret making such a stupid choice? I mean, I was angry with you, but...perhaps I overreacted. I know you weren't really trying to shut me out...but I was trying to be proactive. I was pretty sure you were going to LA, and that I was just an afterthought, so I was trying to make things easier for you. But that wasn't true, was it? You still cared...for me..."
"And maybe I didn't react enough. I should've let you know about that promotion as soon as I knew, but I was pretty sure you wouldn't want to leave DC, and it seemed like there wasn't ever a good time to discuss it. I was too busy thinking of myself and how to handle things to see what you thought. I was afraid to man up and talk to you about it." He stared at his shoes for a few seconds, shaking his head. Finally he exhaled slowly. "Look, we have a lot of stuff to muddle through before we can make things work between us, but I'm willing to try again...if you are, that is. So...what do you think? Are you willing to give us a second chance?"
"Definitely." She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss. "And a third chance...and a fourth...as many chances as necessary. I'm so sorry I hurt you, James…"
"Well, I hurt you, too, so we're even." He kissed her gently before winking at her. "But speaking of getting hurt, I better get this folder over to Booth, alright? I'll call you as soon as I get off work...we have a lot to talk about…"
"I'll be waiting." Seeing the pleased look on his face, Jessica decided to take a chance. "I love you, James...I always have. I'm just sorry it took me so long to figure it out."
He exhaled slowly, joy filling his soul as he drew her close. "I love you, too, Jessica, and I always will. Don't worry...everything's gonna be better now. I'm never gonna let you go..."
Oooooooooo
Christine chuckled happily as she turned the pages in the old album. There was her picture, dressed as a flower girl for Aubrey and Jessica's wedding. On the next page was a picture of Rachael's christening, with her own mother and father serving as godparents for the tiny baby. The following pages were full of photographs and mementos, including the invitation to Aubrey's retirement party, which had celebrated his work as a director with the FBI, and a campaign flyer from his senatorial race. Jessica's honors had been numerous as well, including being named as professor of the year at American University.
Their four children had grown to be fine adults who contributed in many ways to society, both in the arts and in science. Now in their seventies, Aubrey and Jessica were enjoying a quiet retirement in Roanoke, but they still made an effort to visit DC during the Christmas holidays.
Closing the album, Christine sipped her tea as she looked out of her kitchen window. Such wonderful people, doing such wonderful things, and all because her mother and father had decided to play matchmaker for their friends.
If you're interested in a longer version of this story, check out Love and Carbonite, which is being written as a collaboration between mphs95 and me under the pen name of Lachelle Nepper.
Thanks for reading. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it.