Title:
Baring It All
Author:
Tom's gg
Chapter:
8/?
Chapter Title:
The Next Contestant
Characters:
Brennan/ Booth
Rating:
M - Strong Sexual Content
Spoilers:
None
Disclaimer:
Bones and its characters belong to FOX, not me. This story is purely
meant to entertain. No copyright infringement is intended.
I
do not own the characters- that distinction belongs to FOX… but God
I wish I did!
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Oh- My- God!! It's been so long- Right?! LOL
Sorry for that!!
This chapter is dedicated to otismotis. I want you to know that, I did receive you PMs, and they are greatly appreciated!! Unfortunately, I couldn't find a way to PM you back. You must have me blocked or something?! When I go to your bio page, I don't get the option to send you a message. Anyway- all of your concern, and your anticipation earns you a special ShoutOut!! Thanks!
Next… you will notice that this chapter has a title. My great friend, mumrulz, told me one day that she always thinks of this story when she hears Nickleback's song. Since I love Nickleback, and since this storyline was already well developed before she even mentioned it, I decided to make "Next Contestant" the theme song for this fic. There is a totally awesome Bones video on YouTube (Not Mine, someone far more creative!) Check it out!!
And off we go-
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Andrew Romero leaned again the museum director's office wall. He observed the interactions between the director and the American scientist intently. He was annoyed that he'd been pulled off his other cases to baby-sit the foreigner.
Andy had worked for the AFI (Agencia Federal de Investigación)since its inception in 2001. He'd been a rookie agent at the Federal Judicial Police when the new agency had been created, and he'd worked his way up through the ranks to become one of the top detectives.
This wasn't the type of case Andy would usually be part of; this wasn't actually a case at all. While authenticating some artifacts for The National Museum of Anthropology, the American scientist thought she'd found a discrepancy. 'Big Deal!' Mistakes where made in labs all the time as far as Andy was concerned; either she'd made a mistake, or someone on this end had. It was certainly no reason for one of the Agencies top agents to be sitting on his thumbs for two weeks while the American took a little 'all expenses paid vacation' at the expense of his government.
Temperance Brennan could feel the eyes of the detective on her back. He'd strategically positioned himself so that he could watch her, but she couldn't observe him without turning away from the director. They'd been introduced briefly when she'd first entered. Lieutenant Andrew Romero was a detective for the AFI, or the Mexican equivalent of the F.B.I., and he seemed to have quite a chip on his shoulder when it came to her, given his cold reaction during their introduction.
She finished her conversation with the director, and he suggested a tour of the lab. She was excited to get started. They had the remaining artifacts from The Well of Time in the lab, and she'd asked to be able to examine them for any further anomalies.
"Do we really need an armed guard?" she asked the director, as she indicated Romero with a nod of her head.
"I assumed that you would want to head out to the site," the director stated. "Detective Romero is one of the only AFI detectives who's qualified in the submersible, and you won't be allowed on the site without an escort."
"An escort?" Brennan questioned.
"An authorized Federal Agent." Luis Ruiz Vasquez had been director of The National Museum for the last five years. He had learned the ins and outs of dealing with the political red tape quickly. There were many people within the Mexican Government who hadn't approved of him bringing Dr. Brennan into Mexican National business. He was determined to cover all the bases when it came to her. That included protecting her. Andrew Romero had a reputation of being good, but more than that he had a reputation for being honest.
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Temperance Brennan was getting extremely disgusted with Detective Romero. She was used to having a partner who actually helped out, and not one that just skulked around in the corners and got in the way in the lab. It wasn't until they landed on the freighter, at the discovery site, the next morning that she got to see a different side of him.
Romero came to life the minute they hit the boat. He seemed to know everyone, from the Captain to the deck crew.
"¿Quién es esa preciosidad que va contigo?" a young man shouted in Spanish when the helicopter had cleared the pad.
"Es una preciosa y brillante científica Americana demasiado buena para ti, compadre." Andy called back. Brennan secretly smiled. She was shocked that he hadn't made a derogatory comment about her being a meddling foreigner.
It wasn't until Brennan saw him in his wet suit that it actually dawned on her how attractive Agent Romero was. Andy was 33 years old, 6 feet tall, with deep brown eyes and olive skin. Woman usually noticed him the moment he walked into the room. Andy was the great grandson of Lázaro Cárdenas, former President. He'd been raised as one of the privileged few in his country, and he'd spent his whole life trying to get away from it.
Andy's family had planned on a political career for him. He'd been sent to the best private schools, and the best colleges. It was when he'd had a brush with the law in college that he'd discovered the world of law enforcement. His grandfather had tried to use his connections to get Andrew off, but a dedicated detective had ensured that justice was served. Andy had done 500 hours of community service, and loved every minute of it. He saw places and people in his city he'd never even known existed.
Andy had been impressed by the American. When they arrived at the lab, she had gotten right to work and kept at it. They were the last ones to leave the lab that night, and she'd insisted they head out to the discovery sight first thing this morning. When he dropped her at her hotel, she was already talking to the concierge about internet access in order to do more work from her room, yet she was dressed and waiting for him in the lobby of the hotel at 6 o'clock that morning. It was becoming more and more apparent that this was not a vacation for the American, and Andy was intrigued about what it was about a bunch of old bones that could bring her so far from home.
Andrew had been out to the site before. His Mayan ancestry had caused his curiosity to be peaked. His people had sacrificed their own from the beginning; maybe that explained his father.
He'd also spent quite a bit of time diving off freighters in the past. Mariners were a tight community, and he found it useful to his passion for diving, to make as many friends amongst them as he could. Something about the ocean called to Andy. It had since he was a small child. It's vastness. It's hidden secrets. The lure of pirates and lost treasure were every little boy's fantasy. Andy had never outgrown it.
Temperance Brennan found herself wedged into a small, 5x5, chamber with an attractive, animated Andrew Romero. He pointed out some of the unusual fish and plant life. Romero seemed relaxed and confident at the wheel, and Temperance soon found herself relaxing. They began to exchange antic dotes about their individual diving experiences, and found they had visited many of the same sites.
When they finally came to the discovery site Brennan's focus shifted quickly into work mode. She directed Andrew as to where to move and shine the lights.
"Do you see that open area to the right?" she indicated with a nod.
"Yep." Romero began to navigate in that direction and shifted the lights to illuminate the area.
"This thing is fitted with a camera isn't it?" Brennan asked as she did her best to observe the area. She reached to take control of the toggle Romero had been controlling the light with. "Could you get some shots of the voided area? Pay particular attention to the seafloor."
Andy did as she requested without comment. He didn't see anything unusual, but he also didn't see any harm in complying with her request. They spent almost an hour documenting specific features of the site with her directing him in the same manner.
When they were done, they resurfaced, but they had to wait several hours as they decompressed. Dr. Brennan pulled out her laptop computer and began to work furiously. She was able to download the images they'd collected from the submersibles mainframe, and fortunately, she had internet reception. Agent Romero observed her for several moments before he grabbed his own duffle and produced a paperback book.
Temperance typed furiously on her computer as she IM'd with Angela. She'd just transmitted the images they'd collected to her. When they were in the museum lab the previous day, she'd noticed that there didn't appear to be an appropriate level of documentation from the site. Some angles where completely missing. She told Angela what she needed her to look for. She had just signed off, and was snapping her laptop shut, when Romero indicated it was safe for them to disembark from the vessel.
Brennan had noticed that the book he'd pulled from his bag was a shiny new copy of her first novel. She'd had to resist the urge to laugh. It occurred to her that the attractive Federal Agent had wanted to know more about her than he could gather from her formal dossier. She blushed slightly at the idea that he might mistakenly confuse her personality with that of her fictional counterpart. She'd need to be clear with him that Kathy Reichs and she were very different people.
As they were headed back to the hotel, Brennan asked Agent Romero about any Mayan sites that were close enough for them to visit. She wanted the opportunity to observe and compare similar features from The Well. Andrew told her that there was a site that was about four hours from the city, but by the time they hiked up to the site and spent time there, they would need to camp and come back the following day.
"Are you hungry?" Romero asked, as he turned his small compact car into a parking lot.
Brennan thought about refusing, but her stomach was growling, and she could tell from her breakfast experience that the hotels restaurant was mediocre at best. "I could eat," she replied.
They were escorted into a darkened area where colorful piñatas dangled from the ceiling, and the only light came from sconces along the walls and candles at the tables. The tables where covered with brightly colored tapestries, but the dishes were mismatched and generic.
"The décor leaves something to be desired," Romero murmured in a tone low enough that the hostess most likely did not hear him.
"But you can't find a better tamale," his volume increased and he smiled charmingly at the hostess.
Temperance chuckled, and allowed him to pull out her chair and adjust her seat. She had seen that same technique used a million times before. Her thoughts drifted to another brown eyed man, and she felt a bit self-conscious. Why did she suddenly feel like she was doing something wrong? She wasn't obligated to Seeley Booth. Besides… she was just eating a meal… right?
The waitress approached the table shortly after the hostess had seated them. Andrew gave her another open, friendly smile. She proceeded to blush and turned her attention to Brennan.
"Puedo ofrecerles algo de beber?" she asked.
Andrew was about to translate when Brennan answered in perfect Spanish, "Si, a mi me puede traer una chalupa y una coca-cola, por favor."
She'd asked for a bottle of coke and a delicacy she'd been introduced to during her grad school days.
"Para mi lo mismo, gracias," Andrew replied to the waitress, and when she was gone he turned to Brennan again. "Habla muy bien mi lengua Dr. Brennan." Agent Romero complimented her on her use of his language. He tried to think back to anything he may have said without thinking.
"Mejor evitar el agua… tiene razon," she chuckled at his self-conscious expression.
They proceeded to eat one of the most wonderful meals Brennan had had in a long time, of course that could also be attributed to the fact that she was starving. Their conversation turned back to the easy banter they'd shared in the submersible. They had visited many of the same locations around the globe, and both shared a passion for scuba diving.
Temperance allowed herself to relax into the evening. The soft lights and smooth tones of Romero speaking in his native tongue were intoxicating. She found the words just seemed to roll off her tongue and she was transported to a simpler time in her life; just out of college, with the world in front of her.
When they finished their meal, Agent Romero paid the bill, and escorted her out of the restaurant. Brennan stiffened when he placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked through the door. She was reminded that this was not a simple time in her life. Her life was, in fact, as complicated as it had ever been.
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Romero escorted Brennan into her hotel room, despite her protests. She checked for messages at the desk and turned to say goodnight when she noticed the man rising from a chair in the lobby.
"Booth?" she sighed.
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And… here we go again!
Don't hate poor Romero too much… just another innocent pawn in the B/B dance we all know so well.
I hope you all have enjoyed it. I have my life back in order, and summer is almost here, so I should be back to posting on a regular basis.
Feedback is always appreciated!
Jen