Been a day or two since I updated. Figured I'd throw you all a bone(s). I crack myself up! Anyway, let me know what you think as usual.
"So," Angela said sliding into her chair across from Brennan. They were out at lunch together at the diner and Angela was preparing to grill Brennan on all of the details that she had left out of her prior explanation of the newly romanced partners, "How did he like the model car?"
"I don't know." Brennan said, handing the waitress back the menu and asking for her usual.
Angela handed the waitress her menu as well and asked for a cup of coffee and a BLT, "What do you mean you don't know? You didn't stick around to watch him open it?"
"The premise of this game is that we exchange these gifts in a non engaging manner. Then we leave it with the recipient and do not take part in their reaction to it. I would have been cheating had I stayed to watch."
Angela shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Is anyone actually keeping score?"
Brennan thought pensively for a moment, "I don't actually know. I should ask Booth about that."
Angela laughed at her best friend's naivety, "Did you add that part at the end of your note?"
Brennan looked up at her and smiled, "Yes. Why?"
Angela rolled her eyes again, "Because Bren, the man writes you poetry with his gifts and you return his messages with a post scriptum that sounds more like an inter-departmental memo."
"Booth knows that I'm not good at expressing my feelings. He will appreciate the effort on my part and be happy to know that I at least tried."
Angela nodded, "Okay. I can accept that logic."
"Thank you." Brennan said, slightly smug.
Angela sat back in her chair as the waitress came over and set their food down in front of them. With a word of thanks, Angela picked up a French fry and shoved it in her mouth, "So how are things going otherwise?"
Brennan took a sip of her coffee, "I don't know Ange. It's been over a month and we haven't even slept in the same bed together."
Angela laughed and then leaned toward her, "You don't mean that you two haven't…"
Brennan nodded, "That is exactly what I mean."
"Wow…" Angela leaning back in shock.
"What if I'm reading the signals wrong. What if he doesn't want me?"
"What man sends a woman tokens of love and romantic poetry that expresses his feelings for her if he didn't want her? It's illogical, Bren." She said, only lightly teasing her.
Brennan laughed, "I guess you're right. I just don't understand these men who claim to love me and refuse to sleep with me."
"Booth wants to sleep with you, Sweetie."
"How do you know?"
Angela laughed, "Do you know how many times I have witnessed Booth strategically standing behind a large object or conveniently holding a newspaper or case file in front of his… region… after looking at you for an extended period of time. That's how I new that he wanted you, I put the love pieces together later on."
Brennan laughed, "Well at least I know it's not a compensation or function issue."
Angela returned her laughter, "Sully was a gentleman, but Booth, he's the gentleman's gentleman. He is straight out of a black and white movie and he is also the kind of guy that little girls dream of falling in love with one day. You should be patient with him, he is after all just trying to make sure that you're okay with the shift in the relationship. There really isn't any going back after the whole consummation part."
Brennan nodded, "I guess you're right."
Angela and Brennan returned to the Jeffersonian, running a little later than normal because of their girl talk. Brennan moved toward her office in no rush. Although she loved her work, she now realized that it wasn't the most important thing to her anymore. Granted, this thought alone made her feel guilty merely because the work she did, especially the cases involving the FBI were extremely important.
She turned the corner into her office and found a large box sitting in the middle of her floor blocking her access to her desk. She smiled and threw her belongings onto her couch before examining the box.
On top, it had a sticker surprisingly similar to the one she had put on Booth's latest present, only this one said her name on it. She gently nudged the box over so that she could access her desk and grab a box cutter out of her top drawer and slit open the top. It was filled with news paper.
She gently began removing the paper and came to find a keychain with a skull decorating it. She smiled and resumed digging. The next thing she came across was a menu from the diner which she laughed at and placed on her desk along side the keychain. Tossing the newspaper out of the box now, she came upon a plastic piggy bank with a note taped on it reading, "Jasper Junior?" Her laughter now louder than predicted echoing out of her office and into the medico legal lab hallways.
Staff members slowed as they reached her doorway, finding it unbelievable that Doctor Brennan, commonly known as the cold heartless… well, you get the picture, was actually capable of laughter. Angela, who had been ascending the stairs of the platform, immediately redirected her path toward the pleasantly emanating sound.
She walked into the office, giving the evil eye to the passerbyers who were gawking at the doctor, turned to find her best friend in a state of blissful happiness, digging into a box with her floor littered in newspaper. She knew that it must be a present from Booth, or a retaliation of love, as Brennan would put it.
Smiling at her friend's happiness, she began cleaning up the newspaper that was scattered around the floor. Picking up the first piece, she noticed something oddly familiar about it. She immediately picked up another one, noticing the same thing. She stopped and turned to Brennan who was now pulling a ceramic statue of a horse out of the box, and although Angela didn't know the significance, Brennan beamed at the sight of it.
"Sweetie." Angela said, still looking at the newspapers, "You didn't happen to notice these, did you?"
Brennan turned to Angela, having not realized that she had entered her office, "Huh? Oh, uh, notice what?"
Angela lifted the newspaper and showed it to Brennan, "These newspapers are the pages that talk about the cases that you and Booth have solved in the past three years."
Brennan lightly stamped her foot on the ground and put the horse carefully on her desk, "Ange!" she said, trying to hold back the tears.
Angela tilted her head to the side and looked awestruck by her best friend, "He is such a romantic, Bren!" Brennan placed her hands on her face, trying to cool the blush that had arisen there. Angela walked over to the edge of the box and looked down into it, "What else is in here?"
"I don't think that there is anything else. I'm almost at the bottom."
Angela looked at Brennan with a twinkle in her eye, "I don't believe it, come on, let's empty this thing out.
They both reached into the box, having trouble getting the pieces of news paper at the bottom. They finally cleared it out and Angela tipped the box over and crawled inside.
"IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE?" Brennan called as though Angela were at the other side of a very long and dark cave.
Angela back out of the box and sat up on her heels, "JUST THIS!" Angela unnecessarily yelled back at her.
Brennan looked at the object that Angela held in her hand. It was a small black velveteen box with a note taped to the underside. Brennan's eyes grew wide at the sight of it and Angela stood up beside her.
"It's too big to be a ring box, sweetie. You can put your panic face away now." Angela laughed.
Brennan looked up at her, no more at ease at her words and took the box carefully. She opened up the lid and found a necklace. Brennan put the box on her desk and pulled out the necklace, dangling it from her fingers to get a better view of it.
"What is it, Sweetie?"
Brennan looked behind her at Angela and then turned back to the necklace, studying it further, "It's a pendant. It looks Egyptian in origin."
Angela reached around her friend and took the pendant in her hand, rubbing her thumb over the lettering, "Do you know what it means?"
Brennan shook her head, "I have no idea, but I can find out rather easily." She handed the necklace to Angela and turned her back to her lifting her hair so that Angela could place the necklace around her neck. When the necklace was secure she sat down at her desk and removed the note from the bottom.
She looked up at Angela who gave her a reassuring nod and opened up the folded piece of paper:
No fancy poetry this time around.
You know I would marry you in a heartbeat, and I know that you don't believe in marriage. So I propose to not propose. In place of that "archaic ritual", I want you to have this necklace. It's authentic Egyptian and it's inscription means "Eternal Love".
I am aware that neither of us will live for eternity, but if I could live forever with you by my side; that is another thing I would do in a heartbeat.
Brennan gasped. Angela knelt by her side.
"Sweetie, what did it say?" There was a hint of excitement lurking in Angela's eyes.
"I have to go." Brennan said, abruptly standing up from her chair and dropping the note on her desk.
"What!" Angela exclaimed standing up to calm Brennan.
Brennan was flustered. Angela had rarely, if ever seen Brennan so wound up. She was attempting to intercept Brennan but failing miserably. Brennan was turning in circles trying to remember where she had left her jacket and purse when she came in.
Her right hand slapped her forehead, trying to bring some sort of rational thought to her brain, but was having a hard time. Her feet was sloshing the newspapers around on the floor as she took unidirectional steps around the middle of her office. She finally spotted her jacket and purse on the couch and quickly made her way over to them.
"Sweetie!" Angela yelled, trying to bring her friend out of introspectiveness, "What is going on?'
Brennan looked in Angela's direction, but looked straight through her, "I have to get out of here. Tell Cam I'm taking the afternoon off."
Angela tensed, she thoroughly concerned over her friend's reaction, "What am I supposed to tell her?"
Brennan shook her head and fumbled for her keys, "Um…" she said, dropping the keys on the ground and quickly leaning over to retrieve them. Her hand made it to her forehead again and she closed her eyes, "Tell her I'm sick. Anything."
Brennan quickly exited her office, leaving a worried and confused Angela to clean up the mess. Angela knew that Brennan's retreat from the Jeffersonian was bad enough; she just hoped she wasn't retreating from her happiness as well.