Chapter 4 Flinging Fanwear for the Home Team
Booth jumped up from his chair, ripped his Eagles jersey off, flung it on the floor, grabbed Brennan and swung her around as easily as he might have done with Christine, whooping and hollering. He was beyond excited. She looked at him in astonishment and rolled her eyes.
"They did it, Bones! We won! I knew we could! Fly, Eagles, fly!"
Christine looked up at her father. "The men in dark green won, right, Daddy? Is that why you are excited?"
He put Brennan down and picked up his daughter, swinging her around too.
"Yes, Monkey, they won! They just kept trying and trying, not giving up, and it paid off. Daddy is excited because Philadelphia is where I grew up. That's where Pops and Grams lived too. I bet Pops and she are dancin' in Heaven!"
Not to be outdone, Hank demanded his father's attention. "Up, Daddy, up! Yay!"
Booth set Christine down gently, and turned to his son. Bending, he swung the boy up into his arms and gave him a slight toss into the air, as Pops had once done to delight him.
Hank squealed with glee, as Brennan glared at Booth.
"That maneuver is rather ill-advised; it poses a risk to children's spines, especially if they are dropped!"
Booth put Hank down and looked at his wife in exasperation. He had stooped to retrieve his shirt, but now frustrated, he clenched it, balled up in his fist.
"I've never dropped a child of mine yet, and I never will, Bones! Not Parker, not Christine, not Hank! You never saw me play football or basketball in high school, but I can guarantee you I am sure-handed. I didn't win a scholarship to Penn by dropping the ball, and I'll never drop my kids either!"
"I certainly hope not!" she sniffed indignantly. "I'm pleased your team won, but a little moderation in your celebration would be wise."
Aubrey, Jessica, Hodgins, Angela, Cam, Arastoo, Caroline, Wendell, Andie, Charlie and Prentice Burns watched the disagreement in silence. The FBI and Jeffersonian friends had gathered at Angela's and Hodgins' spacious home for a Super Bowl get-together. After sharing a hearty spread of chips, dips, veggies, chili, and soup, they had gone down to the impressive media room, made themselves comfortable in the plush theater seating, and settled in to watch Super Bowl LII.
Booth's and Brennan's partnership had always been spirited, whether at work, friendship, or romance. Their differences of opinion were no different. Both possessed strong personalities, and an occasional clash was inevitable.
Booth acquiesced first. "Sorry for my outburst, everyone. I didn't mean to get so carried away, but Philly hasn't won a National Championship since 1960! And they've never had a shot at the Super Bowl!"
Cam spoke up. "I don't blame you for being exuberant. My dad and grandfather saw them defeat Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers that year, and they were the only team ever to do so, but it was a long time ago. If one of my New York teams pulled off a victory like this one tonight, I'd be yelling too! I'm rather pleased that the underdogs won this time; not that the Patriots didn't play their hearts out, but it's nice to see the win go to a team who's tried for so long."
Arastoo looked at her in surprise. He rarely saw Cam excited about sports. Their three sons were nodding vigorously. "What Mom said!"
Caroline agreed. "When my Saints beat the Indy Colts in Super Bowl XVIV, you coulda heard my hollerin' in DC clear from N'awlins, Cher!"
Brennan winced slightly, then addressed the group. "Perhaps I was too hasty in chiding Booth for his show of enthusiasm. Hank seems none the worse for being airborne for a moment, so I apologize for making a scene."
"It's okay, Bones. One of the reasons I love you is that you're always looking out for our children," Booth assured her. "Since it's past Hank the Tank's bedtime, we'd better be getting these monkeys home, I think," he said, giving Brennan one of his irresistible smiles and puppy dog eyes as he rather sheepishly pulled his Eagles shirt back on.
She made a face at him, and stooped to pick up their son, whose mouth opened into a huge yawn as he put his head on her shoulder. "Christine, honey, go get your backpack from Michael Vincent's room and be sure you have all your colored pencils picked up, please."
The little girl scampered down the hall, followed by Angela's and Hodgin's son, her best buddy. "I'll help you, Chrissy," he said gallantly.
"Bren, I'll pack up your food and bring it to the lab tomorrow," Angela said.
"Thanks, Ange, just keep the chili for your dinner tomorrow night. You were kind enough to host this crowd; you deserve a break from cooking. Booth actually put together the chili from his Grams' recipe, since he didn't want me bringing my tofu quinoa barley version. Thanks for having us; it was an enjoyable day."
Booth had followed Christine and Michael Vincent, and came downstairs carrying the little girl. "This Monkey is as tired as Hank, Bones. Since they had baths last night for church this morning, I think we can skip that for tonight and just pop these little people straight into beddy-bye."
Jessica rubbed her belly and leaned against Aubrey. "Let's go before I fall asleep, Superman. Carrying me upstairs would be a real workout for you."
"Nonsense, Jess, I can carry you anytime, anywhere," Aubrey declared, kissing her cheek. The rest of the group gathered their dishes, thanked their hosts and headed to the front closet where Angela was sorting out coats, hats, and scarves for everyone.
"Hey, Studly, you can rip off your jersey anytime you like," she whispered handing Booth his down jacket. Fortunately, he'd set Christine down and Brennan was helping her into her coat and mittens.
"Angela!" Booth sputtered. "Thanks for a great evening and the superb feast!"
"I didn't do it all, everyone brought something," she retorted with a smile.
"Yeah, but nobody makes Thai food as well as you, Ange. Hodgins is a lucky man. G'nite all. See you guys tomorrow. The alarm is gonna ring way too early for me!"
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Once they arrived home, teeth brushing and hand washing for two drowsy little people took only a short time, and stories were dispensed with as the children dozed off as soon as their heads hit the pillows. Booth and Brennan tucked them both in with kisses on foreheads, and left the bedroom doors ajar. She headed to their ensuite bathroom while he security-checked the house.
As he came back upstairs, Booth glimpsed his wife putting a fleece lined satin gown over her head, and tiptoed through the bedroom door. He took her in his arms, pulled the nightwear down and kissed her soundly. She turned in his embrace and purred in his ear, "I had to make a fuss about Hank earlier, Booth. I couldn't do what I really wanted to."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because ravaging your bare chest in front of our friends would've been socially inappropriate," she answered slyly. "You know the sight of your bare acromia and upper musculature always turn me on."
"Ah, right. Well, now that we're home and the kids are asleep, I believe you're free to ravage away, Bones," he grinned at her. "Lemme just turn out this light, and you can do anything you want, Dr. Brennan! I'm free for the rest of the night…."