And here is the next chapter of my two chapter promise...
Booth and Brennen arrived back at the lab for an update on the rest of the case.
Zack was the first to speak. "I identified the marks we found on the bones from the murders. They were made by a small handsaw like this one." He held up an angry looking handsaw with two rows of teeth and slightly curved upward. "So technically your Chopper isn't a chopper, but a saw man."
Booth just raised his eyebrows and looked at Cam who was walking up to the group.
"So I hear you think you've got a suspect, huh Seeley?"
"No, but we found a pretty good place to look for one. Angela made any progress yet on a face?"
"We only have about half of it, but I was able to reconstruct what the whole skull probably looked like." She handed Booth her sketchbook and he looked at a picture of a skull.
"Looks like a pretty generic skull to me." Booth handed the pad back to her.
"Yeah, I know, but when we get more I'll be able to put more of a face on it."
Booth was glad she'd said, 'when we get more' instead of 'if we get more'. He loved that his squints were so optimistic. Sometimes hanging out with them, where everything was so black or white, true of false. Sometimes that was all that got him through the day.
"Seeley, can I talk to you for a minute?" Booth looked at her and started slightly at having Cam look at him with those eyes in that way.
Hodgins and Angela exchanged knowing glances as they walked away, and in a rare moment of social awareness, Brennen noticed the exchange.
"What?" She put her hands on her hips and the two moved their eyes to the floor.
"Nothing sweetie." Angela said softly.
Brennen raised her eyebrows.
Hodgins quickly dismissed himself "I, um, I have to go…check on my Dung Beetles. They should be hatching any minute and I should be there, to be the first thing they see. You know, so they'll know I'm their momma."
Angela smiled as she watched him go.
Brennen moved to examine the skeleton Zack had cleaned and arranged in proper order. Zack watched her from the computer where he was taking a closer look at the bones at 1000x magnification. He waited impatiently for her words of approval.
"Good work Zack." Was all she said. He grinned goofily.
"Sweetie. I can't take it anymore." Angela held her sketchbook loosely at her side and stood close to her friend. "When are you going to stop denying your attraction to Booth?"
"What attraction?" Brennen didn't look up from the bones.
"What attraction? Bren that's like saying…where is the North Pole, it just doesn't make sense." Angela watched for any change in Brennen's demeanor that would indicate Brennen was not as oblivious as she seemed. There was none.
"Booth and I are just partners Ange."
"Yea, and Zack is just a little socially akward. C'mon sweetie, you and Agent Hot Stuff? There's so much chemistry there you gotta wear gloves and safety glasses."
Brennen laughed softly. "I don't know what you're talking about Angela."
"Fine sweetie, deny it all you want, but I'm just letting you know now, the only gift I'm giving you on your wedding day is a note that says 'I told you so'." Angela smiled, and walked away, ignoring Brennen's worn out speech on how 'marriage is an archaic institution'.
--------------------------------------------------------------
"Camille I told you not to look at me like that in here."
"Like what? This is my face."
"Right," Booth smiled knowingly at her, "You can't hid those lyin' eyes."
"Sure Seeley, you don't have an ego problem."
Booth laughed softly.
"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay." She folded her arms over her chest and looked up into his eyes. She realized that she couldn't see into them like windows the way she used to.
Booth put his hands on his hips, revealing the bronze eagle belt buckle he always wore. "I'm fine Camille."
"Yea, you say that. But I remember how you were during the Chopper investigation and I don't want to get the call at 2 am to come pick you up because the bartender took your keys away."
"Don't worry Cam, you won't. I'm fine. Thanks for your concern but really, it's ok." He gave her a weak smile and turned to leave before she could say anything else. He felt a little guilty. He was supposed to be having some kind of relationship with Cam, but he didn't fell compelled to talk to Cam the way he did with Bones. Even though he knew of the two, Cam was better apt to know what to say and when to say it, he knew he could trust Bones with anything. He knew that out of all the women he had ever known, Bones was the one he would go to the ends of the earth for, and he knew that she would do the same.
La dee da dee da...this was my favorite chap I think. And you?