Monday, July 16- 8:00 pm
Aiden left to bring Fiona home, and the sun was beginning its trail to the horizon as Antonia and Melody waved to them from the porch step. The car disappeared around the bend, and Antonia sighed. She stared off at the colors that were starting to light up the sky, and let her lower lip slip between her teeth as her mind wandered. It took only a moment or two before she felt an insistent tug at her sleeve and she looked down to see Melody giving her a curious expression.
"Just thinking." She signed to the little girl, who smiled up at her and nodded. "Did you like Fiona?"
Melody nodded and shrugged shyly.
"It's good to have friends your own age. It's no fun hanging out with us old people." She replied.
"You are not old." She giggled. "I have never had a real little girl friend before." She signed back to Antonia, who nodded knowingly, reaching for her hand.
"I don't have many friends myself." She replied.
"I am your friend." Melody said with a resounding nod. "I am your friend."
"You are my friend." Antonia said, crouching down to the girl's level so that she could look her in the eye. "You are a very, very good friend." She smiled, watching the little girl's chest puff proudly as she smiled at Antonia. "Why don't we take a walk?" She asked, wondering if they would be able to catch a glimpse of the sunset from the garden on the property, she watched the little girl nod her head enthusiastically and quickly grasped her hand, as they closed the door securely, they walked down the small hill toward a grove of trees.
Aiden drove through the streets, the eyes of the little girl in the back seat were staring into the mirror as if they were willing him to look at her. "I know you're mad at me."
"I'm not mad, just disappointed." She said, repeating something that she had heard from her grandmother at some point, something she knew would get a reaction.
"We talked about what we were doing, why we were being a little sneaky about it, kid. We talked about it. You had no problem with it before."
"Then it made Ant mad, and I don't want Ant mad at me, Uncle Aiden. I was just going along with your plan." She said defiantly. "She can be mad at you if you want her to be, but I don't want her to be mad at me."
"Yes, I know. I am just worried that if your mom knew that I took you to the safe house, then she won't let me take you to see Ant again. She's never met her, and I'm not sure your mom likes her very much already. I don't want to cause more problems." He sighed, turning onto Fiona and Anna's street.
"Well, what am I supposed to say? If we can't say we saw Ant and Melody. If I can't tell her that I made a friend, Uncle Aiden. What am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to lie?" She asked, emphatically saying that final word as if it were something little girls weren't supposed to say.
"No." He shook his head. "Don't lie. You can say you had dinner with Uncle Aiden. You did have dinner with me, right?"
"Yes." She said thoughtfully.
"And I did have dessert with you, right?"
"Yes." She nodded. "But I am very excited. I wanted to tell Mommy about Ant and Melody." She sighed.
"How about if I tell you something that will make you even more excited than seeing Ant and meeting Melody. Something so big, and so cool, that you will forget all about all of this." He asked, pulling into the driveway, he twisted in his seat to look at his niece.
"Impossible." She shrugged. "There cannot possibly be anything cooler than learning sign language, seeing Ant, and making a new friend." She said, reaching over to unbuckle her seatbelt. "Nice try, Uncle Aiden." She sighed. "Nice try." She shook her head.
"What if I told you, that Ant and I are going to get married?" He asked, watching her head turn quickly, and her eyes snap to him.
"No way." She said, narrowing her eyes.
"Yep." He nodded his head, watching as she scrutinized his expression carefully. "And that's not all." He said, a smarmy smile on his lips.
"What else?" She asked.
"We're going to try to adopt Melody." He said, watching the little girl's eyes widen.
"No way! Then she will be your little girl! My own cousin! And I will get to play with her any time!" She said excitedly.
"That's not all…" He shrugged.
"There's more?" She squeaked, leaping forward to grab his shoulder, she nearly hit her head on the top of the car as he let out a laugh. "How can there be more?"
"Well, you're mad at me, so I can't tell you any more. Also, you snitched on me." He said, shrugging as he tried to turn away, to unbuckle his seatbelt.
"I'm not a snitch! I'm not a snitch!" She said excitedly, tumbling into the front seat, she nearly fell backwards until he grabbed her carefully and let out a laugh. "I promise I will try my best not to tell Mom! I promise! What is it? What is it?"
"Well…" He said, watching the bright green eyes of his niece, he smiled slightly. "Ant is going to have a baby."
"WHAT?" Fiona screeched, sending Aiden's hands to his ear as she reached forward and grabbed him. "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" She said, hopping in the passenger seat as he shook his head and laughed. "For real?"
"For real… geez, you are loud!" Aiden said, as his niece leapt forward and wrapped her arms around him.
"This is so awesome! So awesome! I can't wait to tell Mom!" She exclaimed, pulling from him suddenly, she glared at her Uncle. "I can tell Mom this, right?"
"Yes, you can tell your mom that stuff… but not about going there today. Okay?"
"Okay! Okay!" She said, tumbling back into the passenger seat, she grabbed at the handle as she looked at Aiden. He nodded, and she swung open the door and took off like a shot. He laughed and shook his head, climbing from the seat, he watched her practically leap up the porch steps. He walked after her toward the door, just as Anna came to the door, Fiona burst inside, and Anna watched her daughter run around the room in circles.
"Why is it when I send her off with you, she's a well behaved child, and when you bring her back, it is as if she is possessed by a demon?" She asked, lifting her eyebrow disapprovingly at her brother in law.
"You can ask her why she's so excited." He said, leaning on the porch a bit as he shrugged. "Fi?" He said, getting her attention, she stopped running in circles and ran toward the porch, grinning brightly at her Uncle. "Tell mommy what I told you."
"Uncle Aiden is getting married!" She said excitedly. "He's getting married, and I'm going to have two new cousins!" She said with a laugh. "I am the luckiest girl in the whole world!" She said, laughing out loud as she ran back into the house, the door still wide open.
Aiden was so busy grinning at his niece that he failed to see the flash of concern on Anna's face, and the disapproving stare. When he looked up at her, his smile faded. "What?" He asked as Fiona tumbled out onto the porch again, smiling.
"Fiona, go get ready for bed." Anna said, watching as her daughter's bright grin seemed to fade a bit.
"Goodnight, sweetness." Aiden said, stepping forward for Fiona to give him a hug and kiss, she waved happily and ran into the house with a 'Tell Ant that I love her too!'. As soon as the door closed Anna turned toward Aiden. "You got her pregnant?" She asked, the tone of her voice was cold and disconnected. "This woman that you've known for barely a year. You got her pregnant?"
"Anna." He said her name in an irritated grunt.
"Aiden." She shook her head.
"I have a right to be happy. I've paid my dues. I have a good career, and I am happier than I've ever been." He said, watching Anna shake her head at him. "I love her, and she loves me."
"She's dangerous, Aiden." Anna replied. "Since you've known her, you've had black eyes, broken ribs. You've been stabbed in the arm. Look at your face right now, and your ribs are bruised again from getting into a fight. She's in a safe house because she was kidnapped! I mean, what if Fiona had been with her? She's dangerous, and I'm not sure that I want Fiona to be around her." Anna shook her head.
"Anna, you don't even know her."
"I know what she does for a living, and I know for a fact it has nothing to do with dinosaurs. It sounds like a horrifying profession, and I'm not sure that I like the idea of my daughter being around that." She sighed.
"It's not like she brings the skeletons home, Anna. She's a professional, she's a doctor. She's a botanist, and a forensic anthropologist, a genius." Aiden sighed. "You've met Temperance. She does the same thing. You don't seem to have a problem with her."
"It's different." Anna said with a shake of her head.
"Listen. Why don't we just save judgement on Antonia until after you've met her. We're happy together, Anna. I have never met anyone that makes me feel the way she makes me feel. Fiona loves her, I love her. You will love her. I promise." Aiden said with a smile. "This case is wrapping up, the safe house crap will be over. Antonia and Melody will be safe, and there will be nothing to worry about."
"Until the next time something happens." Anna snarled slightly. "I don't like it, Aiden."
"You don't have to like it." He said, pointedly. "And listen, don't tell Mom about the baby just yet. I want to surprise her."
"And what? Give her a heart attack?" Anna rolled her eyes.
"Sometimes you seem to forget that I'm an adult." He said, shaking his head.
"Just go, Aiden. Thank you for taking Fiona out to dinner. She loves you very much." Anna said dismissively. "I need to get in there before she gets into something." She sighed.
"See you later." He said, giving her a half wave, as Anna excused herself and disappeared into the house. He sighed, rolling his eyes as he headed toward the car, hoping quietly that his conversation with Antonia would go better than his conversation with Anna. He pointed in the direction of the safe house, but with a smile, he decided to make a couple of quick stops that he hoped would help his case, as he headed toward the Royal Diner.
Antonia and Melody walked peacefully down the small path toward the garden, a grove of evergreen trees blocked the spot from the driveway, and the peaceful place was quiet and reserved. A small stone, ivy covered wall was constructed around the garden and a fountain was located in the middle, spraying water from the large flower shaped stone spout, raining down a gentle cascade of water into the pool below it. The summer flowers were in full bloom, and the gardener had been doing a good job keeping the ivy on the walls from overtaking it. Antonia pulled at the metal gate, tugging the latch from its place, she listened to the high pitched squeak of the fence, and smiled when she entered the garden, taking a deep breath as she stepped into the sanctuary that she loved so much in her childhood and into young adulthood.
She remembered fondly when Hodgins had put the garden here. She was about nine years old, and he told her that he had a birthday surprise.
Saturday Morning, and there had been a knock on the door, and now nine year old Antonia was sitting in Hodgin's jeep, blindfolded and giggling as he glanced to her and laughed. "Where are we going, Uncle Bugs?" She asked.
"You'll see, you'll see." He laughed.
"Why am I blindfolded?" She asked.
"Because it's a surprise. I don't want you to know where we're going." He said, glancing to her as she reached her hands up to touch the bit of fleece cloth over her eyes. "Hey, no peeking." He said, pulling into his own driveway, he rolled down the window and punched in the code.
"We're at your house, Uncle Bugs, I can hear it." She said playfully.
"Stop ruining the surprise." He laughed. "Surprise ruiner." He listened to her giggle as he drove her down the long driveway, pulling into an area not too far from the house, he looked around at the grove of trees and smiled as he parked the car and got out. He walked around the car and opened the door, reaching for Antonia's hand. "Do you trust me?" He asked, feeling her nervousness through her grip, she grinned and nodded.
"Of course, Uncle Bugs." She said, grasping his hand as she carefully climbed from the car. He led her carefully through what she could feel was a grassy area, some shade and the smell of flowers was in the air. She could feel the warmth of the sun through her short sleeved shirt, and some sticks scratched at her legs as he walked her down a narrow path. There was a bit of a clearing, and he stopped. "Where are we?" she whispered.
"We're at your birthday gift." He said, tugging at the fleece, he pulled it from her eyes, watching as she immediately started to look around. She was surrounded by tall, old growth trees, a large patch of grass, and in the middle there was a hole that was freshly dug. To the side, sat a small wooden table, with a new packet of colored pencils, and a pad of grid paper, as well as a pile of stakes and string.
"You gave me a hole for my birthday?" She asked, scrunching her nose in confusion at Hodgins, who shook his head and let out a hearty laugh.
"No." He said, laughing. "Okay, well, yeah. There's a hole. But no. I'm giving you a bit of earth." He said proudly, watching Antonia's eyes brighten considerably, wide and excited.
"A bit of earth?" She asked.
"Yes. To plant seeds in, to make things grow, to make them come alive." He said, quoting directly from her favorite book, he could nearly see the excitement bouncing off the little girl.
"You're giving me a bit of earth?" She said, her extreme happiness suddenly turning to tears. "You're giving me…" She said, as suddenly she turned, wrapping her arms around Hodgins tightly, he stumbled back a step or two. "Oh, I love it! I love it!" She exclaimed happily as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"You don't even know the best part." He chuckled as he led her to the small table. "I need your help."
"Help with what?" She asked, swiping at the tears on her cheeks, she took a deep breath and smiled.
"Well, I need help with the garden design. So, I brought some paper and colored pencils, and you and I can decide how we'll put it together, and what we want to include."
"You want me to design your garden?" She asked, smiling brightly.
"No, I want you to design your garden." Hodgins said, looking out at the open space that he had allotted, the hole that would hold the fountain. "Anything that you want. Walls, fountain, gate, a swing. Anything. It's yours." He said happily. "And after you design it, we'll talk about plants and flowers we'd like to include, do some research. What do you say?"
"I say everyone is gonna have to work pretty darn hard to beat this present, Uncle Bugs." She said proudly, looking out at her blank canvas. "You're the best!" She said, wrapping her arms around him tightly again, as he leaned down and kissed the top of her head, smiling at the happiness that he was glad that he could give her.
Antonia watched Melody's eyes widen as they entered the garden, her eyes scanning the flowers and plants that lined the brick lined paths that snaked through it. A large tree hung over the edge of the wall, its branch allowing for a swing to be roped to it, hanging as it did when she was a little girl, the wood worn, the ropes frayed a bit, but still strong. Melody looked up at Antonia, a look of wonder in her eyes at this beautiful place. "Explore." She signed, nodding her head toward the path, the little girl smiled, and her sandals slapped against the bricks as she ran off ahead of Antonia, who watched the water splash from the top of the fountain, cascading down the cement, landing in the pool. She reached forward and let the water trickle over her fingertips. She looked up to see Melody trying out the swing, pulling at the ropes as she tried to get onto its seat.
Antonia stepped down the pathway quickly, and easily lifted Melody onto the seat, placing her hands on the ropes as she carefully gave the swing a little push, smiling at the little girl as she held tightly to the ropes. "Don't let go." She signed, watching Melody nod her head, kicking her feet out as the swing moved back and forth, she let out a joyful laugh. She watched the joy in the little girl's face, and could feel her spirits lifting as she felt surrounded by the comforting peace and tranquility of her garden. She took a step back, watching Melody swing joyfully and giggle as she observed the rose bushes and other plants that had been painstakingly planted and tended to. She was walking toward one of the small fruit trees, when she noticed that Melody was no longer swinging, but standing, her hands still holding the ropes, her eyes wide with a look that appeared to be fear.
Antonia turned her head to see what Melody was looking at, and her expression went instantly from surprise to anger. "What are you doing here?" She snapped at the man who had just stepped through the metal gate, his eyes directly on Antonia.
"I wanted to talk to you." Nichols said, taking a step toward her, she stepped toward the fountain, moving away from Melody. "And since you're always around that idiot boyfriend of yours, or trying to shirk me off on that freak boy at the lab, I figured I'd come here and see you for myself." He shrugged.
"You're not welcome here, Sam." She said, glancing to Melody, who signed to her that she could get help. Antonia paused for a moment, and promptly answered her with a covert 'yes'. The little girl ran for the gate, and he took a step back, and grabbed for her, capturing her arm in his hand.
"Let go of her, now!" Antonia exclaimed. "Let go of her, and get out!" Antonia shouted. She reached forward to get Melody, when the little girl swung around and sunk her teeth into the agent's hand.
"Ow! You little son of a bitch!" He shouted, reaching by releasing her, he swung his hand to hit her, but she was far too quick, and took off out of the gate. Antonia in the meantime, moved forward to go with Melody, but he grabbed hold of Antonia's wrist, yanking her into him hard. He pushed forward and growled, holding both of her wrists in his hands.
"I don't need her anyway. I came here to see you." He growled.
"Let go of me, or you're going to regret it!" She exclaimed, trying to pull away from him, he pushed her back against a tree, holding her in place as he stuck his face in hers.
"I just wanted to talk to you! What is your problem?" He grunted as he pushed against her, holding her firmly against the tree.
"I have nothing to say to you! I've moved on!" She grunted angrily. "Just let go of me, Sam!" She shouted.
"You've moved on? You've moved on. With that twit, Fitzgerald? How long until you're done with him? Huh? How long until you physically assault him, and get him transferred? You're a whore, Antonia. That's probably not even his kid you're pregnant with. You're nothing but a psychotic bitch." He growled.
Antonia stared into his angry eyes, her wrists burning from his grip, and she found herself unable to speak, unable to breathe. She was frozen in place. She closed her eyes and let out a whimper as she tried to muster strength, when suddenly, there was a loud metallic sound directly in front of her, and Sam's grip released. She opened her eyes to find Sam on the ground holding his head, with Hodgins standing with the heel of his shoe directly in the other man's rib, a long shovel in his hands, pointing directly at the agent's neck, pushing into his skin.
"Jack!" She exclaimed, watching an anger in the man's eyes like he had never seen before, his blue eyes dark with rage.
"Call your dad now, Antonia!" Hodgins said, pulling his phone out of his pocket, he tossed it to her. "I sent him a distress signal, and he'll want to hear your voice."
She looked up and could see Melody peeking from around the wall, a curious and concerned expression on her face. She signed to her that she was okay, and thanked her. Holding her arm out, Melody ran and wrapped her arms around her friend, as Antonia dialed her father's phone number, her hand planted firmly on the little girl's head as she dialed.
"Is that how we treat ladies, you piece of trash?" Hodgins growled at the agent, shoving his foot harder into his ribs. "I think you owe her one hell of an apology, if you survive this. I hate FBI agents who think they're above everyone else." Hodgins growled, ranting on and on at Nichols as he lay helpless on the ground, the end of the shovel pointing directly at his jugular. "Nobody treats my goddaughter like that!" Hodgins said, taking the shovel in one hand he lifted it high above the agent.
"Jack, No!" Antonia yelled as her father answered the phone, she watched as Hodgins slammed the shovel hard into the ground next to the agent's head, letting out an almost evil laugh as he taunted the agent.
"Antonia, what's going on?" Booth barked into the line.
"Get here now. Sam tried to hurt me! Jack is going to kill him if you don't get here! We're in the garden."
"I'm already on the way. Where the hell is Fitz?" Booth yelled.
"He's bringing Fiona home, just get here please." She said, hanging up the phone, she ran to Hodgins and watched him stand over the agent. "I'm okay." She whispered to him, watching his eyes flick to hers, the anger had drained considerably.
"I may have overreacted." He said, glancing back to the agent lying on his back, his hand at the bump forming on his head.
"No you didn't." She said. "You're still the best, Uncle Bugs." She said with a sigh, she kissed his cheek and turned as she sank down onto the stone bench nearby, and pulled Melody into her lap, as they waited for Booth to show up.