Author's Notes: Eddie's too complicated to deal with in a lighthearted fic like this one. What Brennan knows is what we know and that's it.
Talking About Booth
Chapter 11
"Here," said Booth as he moved behind me. "Let me get you started." I felt him tug on the top of my wetsuit and tried to shrink my shoulders inward to help.
"Don't rip it," I said. I had been calculating the cost of the day's expedition.
"Bones," he said. He kept his hold even as he stretched the neoprene down around my shoulders. "There. I think you're good to go."
It took a bit of wiggling to roll my wetsuit inside out as I freed my arms and torso from confinement, even more so as I tugged it over the curves of my hips. Taking a wetsuit off was easier than putting one on, but a woman's body posed its own challenge. Booth had guessed at my sizing with mixed results.
He and Eddie looked much amused. Their wetsuits lay rolled around their waists. "Good one, Bones," said Booth. "Nice technique." I had no idea how long my antics had entertained them.
"Points for style," agreed Eddie. "Hey, remember Nuke?"
A wide grin crossed Booth's face. "Yeah. I always thought a chicken could do better." He stripped the neoprene from the rest of his body with an efficiency that left me wondering.
"An old diving buddy of ours," explained Eddie. He proved equally proficient at freeing himself. "My turn to buy the beer." He began to stow away the gear. Curious about the device I had found earlier, I tried to help but he waved me away. "I got it, Temperance. Gives me a chance to check everything over."
Booth was inspecting his wetsuit for damage. "One round," he said. "Interview's tonight."
"It's only thirteen hundred," said Eddie, sounding incredulous. He checked his diving watch.
"There's the drive back," I explained. "We have a dinner reservation, but we can cancel."
"It's okay," said Eddie as Booth shook his head at me. "Next time."
It was odd to sit on the sand and do nothing as the two men packed the equipment into the storage bins. "You sure I can't help?" I found it curious that Booth knew precisely where everything went.
"Think of it as a vacation," said Eddie.
"I take vacations," I said.
Booth tucked a regulator into place. "Those are working vacations."
"I like to keep busy."
"Nothing wrong with that," said Eddie. "But a body's got to take a break now and then. Sit around and do nothing."
"I don't think I know how to do that," I said after thinking it over. "I've tried. Doesn't seem to work."
"Hey, Bones," said Booth a few minutes later.
"What?" Instinctively, I had closed my eyes and turned my face towards the sun. "What," I said again, opening my eyes when he didn't answer.
He was standing over me.
"Booth?" His body shielded me from the sun.
Sand trickled from his hand to my legs. "You're sitting on the beach, Bones." He grinned and crouched down beside me. "And you're soaking up the rays. All that radiation." He brushed away some of the grains from my skin with a light touch of his hand. "Having fun?"
"I know how to have fun," I said softly. "But yeah, Booth. This was a good idea."
He studied my face for a moment. "Good," he said and returned to his work. He and Eddie checked the webbing wrapped around each bin one last time.
"That's it," said Eddie.
"We still have to get everything up the cliff," I said. I heaved myself off the sand and took hold of a container. Eddie whisked it out my hands before I could lift it.
"We?" He frowned at Booth. "What's with the we business?"
"That would be you and me," said Booth. He grunted as he lifted the first bin from the ground. "Don't even think about it, Bones." He sent a stern, warning glance my way.
"Maybe she should get the beer."
"Sounds fair to me," I heard Booth say as they carried their loads away.
I stared at their retreating backs and considered my options. Eddie seemed to have a system, one he was very particular about, and I was loathed to disrupt the harmony we had established. The decision came easily. I sat back down and watched the waves dissipate along the shoreline instead.
"Division of labor usually carries significant gender bias," I noted when they came back. "Even in today's contemporary society."
"Say what?' Eddie glanced from me to Booth.
"It means she's buying," said Booth.
"I don't see any subtitles." Another two bins disappeared towards the cliff.
I pulled my towel from my pack and stretched out on it, stomach side down. The combination of sea air and the warmth against my skin made me sleepy. Laughter preceeded the men with each return trip. Comfort engulfed me as I lay with my cheeks pillowed against my arms.
"Should we throw some water on her?" I heard Eddie's voice above me as if from a distance.
"Only if you want a broken arm," said Booth. "Or leg, more likely."
"You think she can break my leg?" Amused disbelief.
"If I didn't warn you first? Oh, yeah," said Booth. "Although I've never seen her so mellow."
"California has a way of doing that. Why do you think I live here?"
"You? You think you've mellowed out?" Booth sounded amused at the idea.
"Yeah? And you're what, a by the book, FBI man? Since when do you follow rules? Can't change the past, Seeley. We are what we are."
"Better wake her up," said Booth after a moment's pause. "She'd kill us if she knew we were staring at her."
"You're staring. I'm appreciating." Eddie's voice seemed to retreat.
"Where you going? You bugging out?"
"Just giving you some space. If she's going to break a limb, better you than me."
I felt a cautious tap to my shoulder.
"Hey, Bones."
Temptation made me hesitate. I flipped a mental coin in my head.
"Bones?" This time a gentle shake.
I snaked my legs out abruptly and toppled him to the ground. Rolling over, I sent him a mock glare. He was laying flat on his back, his face a study of resignation and amusement. "How many times have I told you," I said mildly. "Don't call me that."
Eddie laughed. "I'd listen to the lady, Seeley," he said. "Names are important."
"So why don't you use yours?" The question escaped before I could think. Curiosity was a hard thing for me to suppress. I pushed myself to my feet.
Booth remained where he was. He closed his eyes, apparently sensing of doom.
"Historically speaking," I continued, "names have a great deal of tradition and meaning behind them. To deny one's name is to deny history."
"Bones." Booth's plea drifted up to me.
"No wonder you're a scientist," observed Eddie. "You like mysteries."
"I've discovered that nicknames have significance, sometimes in opposition to the things they infer." I considered his. "But not always. Other times they have contextual meaning."
"You must be smarter than I thought," he said to Booth. "You get that?"
"I'm getting better at it." Booth got up and brushed the sand from his shoulders.
"For instance, Buster can refer to a good many things," I said thoughtfully.
"She's not going to let this go, is she," said Eddie.
Booth shrugged.
Eddie walked towards me, his size imposing as he stepped into my personal space and stared down at me. I stood my ground and stared back.
"Nope," he said after studying my face. "You're not." He sighed and leaned down to whisper in my ear.
"Oh," I said as he stepped away, his gaze cautious and strangely uncertain. It took me a few moments to recall the etymology. Roman and Greek history were a major part of anthropologic studies. "It means to be a male."
"What?" Both men spoke in unison.
"Your name. It means to be a man," I said. "It's from a well-known Roman family name. It also refers to the Roman god of war."
"Man. War." Eddie nodded slowly as he absorbed the information. "I like it." A grin spread across his face. "Well, what do you know. I'm a man."
"Definitely so," I said with emphasis. I ignored their reactions and retrieved my towel. A few quick shakes and I stuffed it into my pack. The wind and waves would erase all traces of our presence. "Don't look so surprised, Booth," I said over my shoulder as I walked away. "I was just appreciating."
Eddie's laughter boomed behind me.