The Heart in Overdrive
Disclaimer: While I want Bones to be mine, mine, mine – wanting is not getting. And in this case, is definitely NOT having. Boo.
Previously...
So she'd told Ernie the number of the song, and then she floored them all with a truly wicked rendition of AC/DCs Back in Black. She had surreptitiously taken her soft auburn hair out of the tight bun it had been in for work, and she threw her head and upper-body wildly up and down, her hair creating a breeze and all the while paying the guitar as she did her best head-banging imitation of the stereo-typical long-haired rockers of the 80s.
When the song finished, she snorted at the stunned looks on her friends faces – seems she was full of surprises tonight. She chuckled again, raised an eyebrow then said "Score?" while holding her notebook and pen up in the air in an exaggerated gesture of impatience as she waited for them to respond to her act. She ended up scoring 48 out of 50, much to Booths amusement. Nobody had beaten his and Parkers first performance of the trip.
Finally though, it was with great relief for poor old Ernie the driver, who turned the music down to the light-hearted boo's of his rowdy passengers, but he just smiled as he said loudly, "We're here!" The noise stopped instantly as everyone turned to the windows and peered out into the dark, trying to get some kind of indication of where they were. "Finally!" Brennan nervously breathed.
Chapter 4 – So, where are we?
It was just after 1pm when they turned off a small side road, the feeble headlights of the minivan barely managed to pierce the cloak of darkness that shrouded them, but as it swung into a large driveway, they briefly illuminated a large wrought iron gate, bounded either side by two imposing, intricately detailed and very old looking sandstone piers that stood at least nine feet tall. As the van approached the gate, it parted in the centre and each side silently swung inwards on well-oiled hinges to allow entry.
Brennan had to smile at her friends as she watched them cup their hands around the sides of their head, noses pressed against the cool glass of the windows in an attempt to get a glimpse of where they might be. She was reminded again of kids on a bus. Parker was still snuggled up on her lap, his head resting on her chest, but she had been here so many times in the last eight months, she knew by heart what they were seeing outside without the need to shift her position.
Ernie took pity on his passengers as their breath fogged up the window in front of them, so he turned off the dim interior light in the van with a quiet laugh so everyone could get a better look without reflections playing off the glass and obstructing what little could be seen.
Slowly, as he eased the van forward along an old cobblestoned driveway, heads turned, necks strained and all eyes peered eagerly ahead to look out the front windscreen. Once they'd passed through the gates, they could see soft balls of light emanating from Victorian-style cast-iron lamp posts lining both sides of the driveway. Spaced at 40 foot intervals, the soft luminescent glow hinted at a large tree-lined and meandering drive with small box hedges and sandstone edging defining the borders of the little lane they were following. In the distance, the lamps eventually disappeared around a large sweeping right-hand bend.
Considering the fact that Brennan works with some of the top people in their field in the country, Richard included – all of them with an almost overdeveloped sense of inquisitiveness, minds that were trained to question everything without fear or favour, she was incredulous that all five of them with her right now had been acutely lax in asking for even one piece of information about their destination.
Surely Booth or even Hodgins would have interrogated her mercilessly for every minute detail? She smirked in amusement. She had no idea why she hadn't been bombarded with questions from the moment she had told them of the arrangements, but on reflection, she thought it was a much, much better surprise this way. Besides, she might be a top selling author, but even she felt that she wouldn't be able to do justice in describing this place – they needed to see it for themselves.
As if on cue, it was Angela who broke the silent reverie of the passengers in the van, "So Sweetie, where are we?" she asked, her voice muffled slightly as she talked into the glass – she was looking out the side window again.
"Hey, I didn't even ask where we were going. I've just been so keyed up to be getting a break!" Hodgins chimed in.
Brennan chuckled, her deep throaty laugh ringing in their ears. "I was just wondering when someone was going to ask about that. Booth, not one question? You disappoint me – what kind of investigator are you?" she teased chuckling again, then continued "Since we're here, how about I let Katie fill you all in on the details over a cup of her hot chocolate before we get settled?"
Before Booth – or any for them for that matter – was able to make a comment, the van had finally made its way around the sweeping bend and there were small gasps of almost childlike delight at was in front of them.
The cobblestoned drive extended for well over 100 yards or so before it opened out in an enormous cul-de-sac. The cast-iron lamps were still evenly spaced all the way down and around it, casting their soft glow, but it was the thousands upon thousands of glittering twinkle lights decorating every trunk, branch and twig that outlined all of the 30 to 40 trees that graced both sides of the lane and surrounding the cul-de-sac creating a tunnel around them that sparkled with lights. It was simply breathtaking.
"Lord! It's just beautiful!" Cam mumbled in a low voice. Everyone murmured their agreement. Brennan grinned in the darkness of the van; she had reacted the same way the first time she'd driven down the driveway at night.
In the centre of the cul-de-sac was a large subtly-lit round sandstone fountain, and Ernie headed to the left hand side of it, parking the van about a third of the way around the cul-de-sac. He quickly jumped out and opened the side door for his passengers.
They stumbled from the van, glad to be finally out of it. The sounds of creaking bones and soft groans as they stretched their tired muscles were soon drowned out by the rapid approach of footsteps. With Parker still fast asleep and now firmly attached to Brennan's hip as she supported him with one arm, she moved forward to a small well-lit cobblestoned path.
She was met by a small smiling woman who held her arms out wide then she awkwardly wrapped them around Brennan in a huge bear hug, while trying not to squish the little boy in her arms, "Oh Tempe honey, it's so good to see you! I was just starting to get a little worried about you. Did you have a good trip up? Let me look at you. Hmm, you look a little tired dear – you really haven't been getting enough rest. And who's this? No, let me guess – this could only be Parker, right?"
Brennan chuckled, nodding her head, "Katie, it's good to see you. You really have to learn to take a breath when you're talking you know, I can never get a word in edgewise." She looked at the woman before her with great fondness. Katie was all of 4'9", petite frame and in her early sixties and possessed unnaturally high energy levels for a woman of her age.
She had a perfectly cropped ash-blonde bob 'to cover all those greys dear' with not a hair out of place, and the face of a forty-five-year-old that hadn't seen the sharp end of a surgeons blade. Her delicate features had only a hint of make-up that highlighted her assets, and she was well-dressed, her manicured nails waving in the air as she talked and she was wearing her signature antique rose-gold fob chain necklace and bracelet.
Katie's' light golden-brown eyes twinkled in mirth as she burst out laughing at Brennans words, but she quickly put her hand over mouth to stifle the noise. "Aww Tempe! Are you going to lecture me or are you going to finally introduce me to your friends?" She didn't wait for a response as she put her hand up in the air, "No, no, actually, let me guess who they are." She walked over to the group just behind Brennan who had been watching the interaction with interest. It was clear to them that Brennan knew this woman very well, what surprised them was the casual ease with which she related to her – and not one of them had any clue as to who she was.
"Now, this has got to be Angela, Tempe told us you were stunning" Katie gave a surprised looking Angela a warm hug, and she looked up into her bewildered face "Hello darling, I'm Katie – it's really good to finally meet you!". Ange smiled in confusion, but responded sweetly "Hi Katie, nice to meet you too".
Katie had already removed her arms, and was looking at the man standing beside her. She took his hands in hers and said with a grin, "Jack. Yep. Cute. As. A. Button. I do love a man with a five o'clock shadow. Welcome my sweet!" Ange snorted at the wide-eyed look on his face. Jack had a shy smile, "Nice to meet you Katie."
But Katie was off, and she was exaggerating the effort of having to look up at Richards face. "Hey stretch! You've got to be Richie, well my darling, talk dirty to me with those deep dulcet tones of yours!" she was grinning widely at his startled face. She grabbed him around the waist and squeezed him tightly until a deep rumbling laugh tumbled from his chest, "Katie, I think you've got it wrong, Jack's all about the dirt, I'm just the archaeologist." She laughed lightly, "Oh you're quick – humble and handsome. A devilish combination, you mark my words." he laughed again as Katie's attention turned on Cam.
"Oh Camille! You're right Tempe, she's gorgeous. Richie my boy, I hope you talk dirty to her too!" Cam laughed out loud, but wasn't fazed by this little pistol in front of her "Katie, you have no idea! And please, call me Cam." Katie gave a loud chuckle and hugged her warmly "Welcome Cam honey, it's great to meet you!"
Finally, she sidled up to Booth who looked at her with amusement. She put her hands on her hips, then reached out to touch his arm, but quickly withdrew it again, shaking her hand as if she'd just been burnt, "Good Lord Tempe, he is hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. No wonder you can't stop talking about him!" Booth gave her the patented charm smile and Katie smirked, "Oh yeah, Tempe, you really have to do something about wiping the smile off this one's face, he KNOWS he's hot."
She looked up at him again then whipped her arms about his waist, "Good to meet you Agent Hot Stuff!" Quick as a flash, her hand dropped to his butt and she gave a little squeeze, wiggled her eyebrows then moved away, chuckling all the while. He jumped at the contact, his eyes wide with shock and his mouth agape, but at least this time he had the decency to blush. "Wow Katie, looks like I'm going to need Bones to protect me from you this week" he said lightly, before raising his eyes to look at Bones. Katie chuckled again.
Brennan seemed to have found an interesting mark on her shoe and she audibly groaned and rolled her eyes, when Katie called Booth Agent Hot Stuff. It was a good thing she was standing in the shadows, because she was flushed bright red with embarrassment. In all the excitement to get here, she'd forgotten about Katie's... outgoing... personality. How on earth was she going to explain this one? She took a deep breath and when she raised her head; her friends were cheerfully sniggering as they watched her squirm.
"What can I say? Katie has a particularly disturbing aptitude for coaxing information out of me," she said apologetically, "I also can't control the inordinate amount of time she spends with the twins." While they didn't get the attempted joke, Katie certainly did and she laughed raucously at it, but was quick to slap her hand over mouth again to stifle the sound.
Katie moved to round them up, "Ok, so now that we're all so happily acquainted, grab your bags and follow me, my lovelies. Let's get you all settled". The group did as they were told and followed her out of sight down the little path.
Brennan was still highly embarrassed, but Katie had a way about her, that Tempe couldn't help but respond to. She actually reminded her a little of Angela – albeit an older version, but that playful cockiness was typical Ange. She smiled shook her head again in bewilderment and muttered under her breath, "I'll kill her when I get her alone" then headed over to talk to Ernie. He was closing the luggage compartment, "Ernie," she said quietly, "thank you again for driving us up at such short notice".
She gently shifted Parker to her other hip, then used her free hand to pull out another envelop from her pocket and pressed it into Ernie's hand. "Here's your cheque, and I've added a little extra for Ruby and the boys". He opened his mouth to argue, but she quickly continued, "The extra is for giving up your bowls night to do a job for me, for the incredibly short notice and for the cost of the fuel for the empty van back. Now, if you don't accept it, I am not above telling Ruby that you were being stubborn again".
She smiled at him as his eyes shone at her kindness, "Temperance," he pleaded in a low voice, "you have helped us too much already, you don't have to do this – I was more than glad to do it for you. I would do anything for you, you know that".
She put her hand on her hip, but a smile still played across her lips, "If you don't take your wife and four boys out for a family day on Sunday, I will have to hurt you." He looked at her and chuckled, knowing that she was deadly serious – that she could and would actually kick his ass. "Temperance, you're an angel. I don't know how to thank you".
Brennan snorted "There's no such thing as angels Ernie. And there's nothing to thank me for. Now, Katie has a bed set up for you and Charlie will cook you a hot breakfast before you head back home. Go park the van. You need to get some sleep." She turned to walk away, then turned back remembering something "Oh, Ruby also knows you're leaving in the morning, so you don't have to wake her with a call. I did that before we left DC" she said with a smile. He looked at her with a soft smile while he locked the sliding side door, "Tempe, you are too good to me, I swear. And there are such things as angels – ask your Agent Hot Stuff, he'll know what I'm talking about". She groaned again as she headed towards the path. It was time she got Parker into bed.
Quietly, Booth moved from out of the shadows where he'd been watching her with Ernie. Her heart skipped a beat when she realised he hadn't gone in with the others, but had waited for her. Damn. She really hadn't wanted witnesses to that little interaction. She wasn't ready to share everything just yet. Maybe if she baited Booth, he'd forget about what he just saw. She sighed, that wasn't going to happen. "Booth, what are you doing lurking in the dark?"
He stopped in front of her, "Do you want me to take Parker?" he asked quietly.
"No, it's ok, don't disturb him, I've got him. Come on, let's get him into bed" she said quickly, really not wanting to talk about what just happened with Ernie. As she surmised though, Booth couldn't let it be, "You know, that was a really good thing you just did back there, Temperance, very well done".
Brennan smiled back at him, their eyes locking - it always gave her a thrill when he said her first name. She liked the way it sounded coming out of his mouth. He put his arm around her shoulders as they started down the path, "Now, I have about a hundred questions for you at the moment, but I'll start with the most important".
Brennan looked sideways at him, his tone was so serious that it stopped her in her tracks, he turned to look at her, "Bones, you told Katie you think I'm hot?" he flashed her his charm smile to show he was joking with her, and she snorted "I told her no such thing. I merely described you as well-structured" she denied hotly.
Booth taunted her all the way down the path and true to form, it was Brennan who took the bait getting more and more flustered, their light-hearted bickering ended abruptly though when Booth stopped dead in his tracks. They'd emerged from amongst the trees and he'd caught his first glimpse of where they would reside for the next nine days.
"Whoa, Bones. Look at this place. It's... it's awesome! Please tell me we are staying here." He was transfixed. She smiled in the darkness, secretly pleased he liked it. He hadn't even seen inside! She'd been more than a little anxious for him to like this place as much as she did, for it had become an important part of her life, and was set to become more so in the future.
She had finally felt comfortable in sharing this relatively new aspect of her life with her friends; it was one of the reasons why she chose to bring them here for their getaway. But Booths reaction gave her a spark of hope that he might truly enjoy it as much as she did. She moved a little forward so she was standing behind his left shoulder "Wait until you see it in the daylight – and the rest of the property for that matter" her husky voice murmured quietly in his ear.
He closed his eyes at the sound of her voice, while a wave of goose bumps swept down the left side of his neck, shoulder and arm. Her close proximity always had a stirring effect on him, and he felt a twitch below his belt as his little soldier suddenly became alert to the potential of the situation. Here she was, the woman that had captured his heart long ago, cradling his sleeping son like he was her own, and she absolutely no idea what her whispering in his ear was doing to him. He let out a controlled breath, and turned to face her, "Well then, I look forward to the full tour tomorrow." She smiled in answer, then carefully shifted Parker onto her other hip.
He looked down at Parker and smiled, then back into her eyes, "Come on Bones, let's get to bed". Her eyes went wide and her mouth parted in surprise.
Shit. Shit. He was quick to correct his Freudian slip, "I meant Parker. Let's get Parker to bed. You know, he must be starting to get heavy, and you won't let me take him from you." He couldn't look her in the eye, and thankfully she glossed over his faux pas, "Of course, it's this way." Brennan moved forward to take the lead as they moved up the path, with Booth just a step behind her, so he missed seeing her sly grin or the flush that spread up her neck and across her cheeks.
Shit! He rolled his eyes at his slip of the tongue then deliberately looked around at the surroundings to take his mind off her.
The house was immense. Actually, he wouldn't have called it a house. To him it looked more like a European-style chateau or a manor or a mansion – it most definitely wasn't a house. Unfortunately he couldn't make out a great deal in the dark, despite the large amount of lighting around the grounds, as much of it was still shrouded in shadows. He was definitely looking forward to checking it all out tomorrow with Bones though.
They walked up several stairs and along a shadowy wide terrace and entered the main portico. Bones quickly led them through a maze of darkened rooms and corridors and out to a large comfortable looking dining area. Katie heard their footsteps on the wooden floors and quickly got up to get them a cup of hot chocolate each. She couldn't resist a comment as she watched them take a seat with the others "Swapping spit were we darlings?" she asked with a perfectly straight face.
The chatter around the table stopped mid-sentence as Ange nearly choked while sipping her drink, Hodgins snorted with laughter as he patted Ange on the back, Cam nearly sprayed hers over the table in a sudden and somewhat violent coughing fit and Richards deep and infectious laugh rumbled through the room as he mirrored Jacks actions and patted Cam on the back.
Booth decided he'd ignore the comment all together, but he glared at Ange – being the self-appointed head of the Jeffersonian Match-Making Department – she has got to have said something to Katie – even if they'd only been here for all of ten minutes. Ange just smirked at Booth with one eyebrow raised, he looked away in slight irritation and she chuckled. Ange snuck a quick look across at Cam and wiggled her eyebrows twice, a cheeky smirk playing across her lips, Cam grinned – yep, they were going to have to have a little talk with Katie. She'll prove to be a useful ally in getting Booth and Brennan together.
Brennan, playing with Parkers curls, was oblivious to the ruckus and innuendoes' "Katie, I don't know what that means. Rationally speak..." she was quickly interrupted by Booth, who really didn't want to hear squint speak at 1.30am, "It means kissing Bones, and not like a kiss on the cheek." Feeling more than a little uncomfortable, he felt it was time to change the subject "So Katie, Bones hasn't told us a thing about this place. In fact, we don't even know what state we're in. Care to share?"
Katie placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of each of them with a chuckle; she knew deflection when she saw it. She slipped into a seat and looked at the faces around her. "Ok. I'll give you the short version for now, not one of you looks like you've slept well for a couple of weeks."
Richard spoke up, "Katie, they've had a dog of a case, and every single one of them have been working at least 20 hour days for the last three weeks, hence the bags under their eyes". Brennan looked around at her friends, and she wondered briefly if she looked as bad as they did.
"Ok my lovelies, Cliff Notes version. Welcome to Tucker County, West Virginia and this place" she gestured all around her, "is Oaklands Farm..."
"Wait, we're in Tucker County? As in Huntsville, Tucker County? Home of little Andy?" Booth interrupted sharply, while looking at Brennan with surprise.
"Well, technically we're over 20 minutes away from Huntsville. But yes, Agent Hot Stuff, you are correct. Little Andy is my adopted grandson" Katie said as she leaned back with a smile.
To be continued.
A/N: I am so thankful to all who have reviewed and/or put this story on alert. I've come to realise that I am one of these people who see every little thing occurring in their minds eye, and it seems I am unable to gloss over things, unless I am deliberately keeping it from the audience. So I am sorry for the slow pace of the story, but I hope it's keeping you interested enough to review and come back for more.
And yes I promise that'll be posted far quicker than this chapter. Thanks for reading.