Chapter 49 Whiskey and Rum
No Bones owned by anybody in this neck of the woods.
Angela decided the Jeffersonian needed to throw a party. It had been too long since the scientists had partied, and 'all work was making her Jack a dull boy' she chuckled to herself. She took her inspiration from Hodgin's Founder's Day celebration when he used his pricey new hotly-contested-by-Cam lab equipment to concoct tequila and guacamole. She decided to make it a luau in honor of an exhibition of native Hawaiian culture being held to showcase new artifacts the Jeffersonian had received. The priceless pieces' timespan encompassed the reign of Queen Liliuokalani (1838-1917) and her family, the Kamehameha dynasty. This clan had ruled Hawaii as a unified kingdom since 1810. The queen had believed it was her responsibility to preserve the islands she ruled for their native people. She was still revered by the Hawaiian people.
Brennan had consulted on a two-month dig excavating Polynesian natives' bones the previous summer, Booth accompanying her to oversee Jeffersonian staff security. Christine had been left in the care of Angela and Hodgins, with Max as a back-up sitter when the couple wanted a break from their lively son and his best buddy 'Kissy' as Michael Vincent called Christine. The toddler duo's non-stop antics had sparked reconsideration of their planned second pregnancy. Perhaps Michael would be just fine as an only child.
Angela delegated responsibilities for various aspects of the party to her co-workers and interns. She decreed that everyone's attire must match her Hawaiian theme; if not grass skirts and native dress, then at the very least, they could don Hawaiian print shirts. She charged Jack to decorate his Ookie Room as a beach village, with some help from Daisy and Sweets. While not thrilled with this situation and saddened that Zach wasn't there to participate, Jack loved his Angie and gamely undertook implementing his wife's design concepts. The elaborate island paradise she envisioned began to take shape.
Cam spent a good bit of time hovering to insure that Jeffersonian lab equipment didn't suffer from this Montenegro-Hodgins flight of tropical fantasy. She was secretly hopeful that Angela's idea would come to fruition because it could provide a relevant festive fundraising gala during the Kamehameha exhibit. The lab crew were guinea pigs working the kinks out of Angela's party idea.
Hodgins also set to work preparing some whiskey and rum at home using a still that his grandfather had obtained during Prohibition from some tax agents he knew. These 'revenoo-ers' raided many moonshine production sites in West Virginia and the distilling equipment Archibald Hodgins had selected was authentic, skillfully constructed of solid copper, and meticulously maintained despite its 'hillbilly' origins. His grandson had followed the vintage recipes with scientific precision; distilled the rum twice, the whiskey once, and each batch turned out extremely well. Then Hodgins tried his hand at distilling some Scotch for Booth. It was intended as a surprise for the Agent from his lab-squint friends.
On the appointed afternoon, shortly before 4 pm, Booth dressed in a flowery multi-colored Hawaiian-themed shirt, and Brennan forced herself to don a grass skirt to please her dearest friend and metaphorical sister. The couple encountered Jack Hodgins looking like Maynard G. Krebs on 'Gilligan's Island.' A boisterous and enjoyable time was had by the Jeffersonian crew and office workers, and even some of Booth's fellow FBI agents and staff wandered through the lavishly-decorated Ookie Room. The party lasted til 6:13 pm since the Jeffersonian daycare closed at 6:30.
That evening Booth remarked to Brennan, "That wasn't the best Scotch I ever tasted, but it was better than I expected. Hodgins' grandfather must have spent a bundle to obtain the original Irish and Scotch recipes. They are a highly-guarded secret in the Celtic Isles. Jack probably lost a lot of sleep over the last few months. Distilling liquor is very labor-intensive and demands precise timing, according to Pops."
"Well, Booth, I thought the party turned out well, and I appreciate your letting me help Angela fund the catered food. Those recipes were all authentic Polynesian dishes. I think Cam was sufficiently impressed to present this as a fundraising idea to the Jeffersonian board."
"I have to say, Bones, your hula dancer costume appears very authentic and intricate. If you were to give those board members a demonstration of your native dancing skills, I bet it would convince them. This is one time you were the best dancer there. I guess you learned some of those moves during your tropical digs, huh?"
He suddenly noticed that Brennan had disappeared down the hall. "Bones, where'd you go?"
"Why don't you come see?" his wife called seductively. He reached the hall door and his jaw dropped. Brennan was halfway down the upstairs hall, lounging up against the door frame of Parker's room. She swiveled her hips suggestively, turned around to smile at him, and sashayed toward their bedroom "I've been told I'm quite alluring, Booth."
Booth let out a long whistle. "Bones, I'm right behind ya'. Gypsy Rose got nothin' on you! You were holding out on me during that dance competition case! You've aced those native dances; Wow!"