AN: So, this is dedicated to Dreana, for her birthday. I know I promised a oneshot, but this was all Bella would give to me. It's post-Double Trouble in the Panhandle, with some references to The Woman in the Sand.
Natural
It shouldn't be so easy.
You've never been an actress, or even close to it. You had the tendency to—what had Booth referred to it as?—overact. However, there were some roles that seemed almost as natural as your real life. You briefly glance down at your flamboyant costume, one of the few things remaining from one such role, and recall how simple it was to step into the role of Wanda Moosejaw. You think you'll hang it up next to the black dress that you keep in the back of your closet, the reminder of another persona, Roxy.
Wanda and Roxy. They were as different from each other as they were from you. So what was it about them that made you almost want to be them? You sigh and take a sip of your coffee, an answer you didn't want hitting you in the form of your own voice spitting quotes at you.
"We're more engaged to engaged," drawls Roxy as she hangs off the shoulder of her companion.
"Where's the Buck Moosejaw I married?" Wanda asks before spinning to shoot a smile at the screaming crowd.
And that's the relative factor, you realize. You hate it, and your first instinct is to deny it, but you know it's true. Roxy and Wanda both possessed the one thing that Temperance Brennan can't have.
Does Brennan even want that, though? Do you even know that answer anymore? Four years ago, even less, staying with one person forever, or considering to do so, for that matter, would be a laughable concept. Love was not something you were interested in, especially with Seeley Booth. But now…
You tap him on the shoulder, knocking him out of his own thoughts as he stares out into the horizon. He turns to you, and you grin. "That sure was interesting, Buck."
He smiles back, and, to your horror, you feel your knees weaken. "It always is, Wanda." Then he blinks, and instead of facing your husband, your partner stands before you. "You ready to blow this joint, Bones?"
"I don't know what that means," you, really you this time, say. You're lying, of course. It means that he's done pretending.
"It means, 'let's get out of here'," he explains, gesturing to the mobile home behind you.
You let him lead you to the door, and when you get there, you turn to him and say, "I want to drive," if only to prove that being just Booth and Brennan is enough for you.
He laughs, like you knew he would. "You're wearing an eye patch!"
It shouldn't be so easy to pretend you're in love with Booth. But it shouldn't be so hard to really feel that way about him, either.