A Pain That I'm Used To—Chapter 20
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters associated with the series BONES.
Author's notes: Thanks once again for reading and special thanks as always for reviewing.
To jaed621—Thank you for not throwing things at me. That small gesture is always appreciated. (wink) The fact that you cannot resist Booth is not a flaw or a weakness in my book….hell, apparently the majority of us have a hard time with that! I know in your fics (which I always enjoy reading by the way) you have Booth and Brennan together and you manage to write their love scenes very well. I guess I'm hesitant to bring them to that point yet because I'm afraid of ruining the story. I had them kissing in "I Missed You" and I personally felt that I forced the ending of that story. I just don't want to make the same mistake twice. But thanks for the encouragement….we'll see what happens.
To BonesDBchippie—I've thrown the chalkboard away! No more stick figures…as you can imagine I did not do well in my art classes. (LOL) Hope your ankle is better and glad to know you're off the pain meds!
And finally to elliot02uk (my dearest Jean B.)—Now who's my favorite proofreader? Come on, raise your hand….smile for me. I apologize if my notes in the last chapter lead you to believe that I was in some way offended by your comments…I wasn't…not by your review or anyone else's. I racked my brain and I remember losing my temper at work this week and telling off a few people and then being told by my coworkers that I have an icy demeanor and a hostile attitude so perhaps my sarcastic caustic nature made its way into my writing. (sheepish grin) Sorry about that. (hands magnifying glass back) I hope you don't need this but you never know. By the way, the mistakes in the last chapter were due to two factors: I wrote the chapter in 30 minutes and then I posted it without proofreading the chapter. (slaps own hand) Bad writer!
Okay, I decided for this chapter to include some of your observations about Brennan and Booth being in bed together and not doing more than sleeping. Hope you enjoy this chapter….remember to press the little button and tell me what you think. It might help to melt my icy demeanor. (LOL)
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Booth paced around Brennan's office while she sat at her desk on the phone with Russ. Angela's dark eyes followed the agent's furious pacing for a few seconds before settling her gaze on her best friend. She did not like the idea of Brennan being in danger. In fact, Brennan being in danger was becoming more and more of a theme since the inception of her partnership with Booth.
"Yes, Russ, I assure you that I'm fine. I just wanted to call and check on you that's all." Brennan's hand gripped the phone tightly as she listened to her brother.
From her position on the couch, Angela sighed. Yeah, Brennan just wanted to check on her brother….after she practically mowed down her and Booth in a state of panic to get to her office.
"No Russ, nothing's wrong….yes, I'm sure….I've just been busy this week….I know we promised to talk once a week Russ…" Brennan sighed as she listened to her big brother berate her. "I know….I will definitely try to make plans to come down there….yes, a big case but I can't discuss the details….I will…next week….okay, love you too. Bye."
Placing the phone back in the cradle, Brennan turned her attention to the pacing agent in front of her. She was fairly certain that Booth had worn a groove in the floor in front of her desk.
"Why didn't you tell him about McVicar? The possibility that you….and perhaps him as well...could be in danger?" Booth stopped pacing and stood in front of her, his hands firmly positioned on his hips.
"Russ is fine. Besides you know how he felt about us continuing to investigate my parents," Brennan said as she shrugged. "Informing him of what's occurred with McVicar will only reinforce his resolve that I should drop the matter."
Removing the poker chip from his right pocket, Booth resumed his pacing and began tossing the chip in the air. "Maybe he's right," he conceded.
Brennan's eyes narrowed as she studied her partner. "No."
Angela rolled her eyes at the impending argument that was sure to follow that simple word.
"Bones, be reasonable for a minute," Booth said as he ceased his pacing, opting to take a seat across from his partner. "McVicar is in a maximum security prison. He was in solitary confinement when he was stabbed…multiple times I might add. Getting to you….hurting you…is not going to be nearly as difficult. And I'll be damned if I'm letting anything happen to you."
She knew that if anything did happen, the guilt would devour Booth. He had berated and tortured himself for months after the incident with Kenton, constantly saying how he had failed her. As far as Brennan was concerned, Booth had never and would never fail her.
"Booth, I know you will do everything in your power to ensure that I'm safe," she said in an attempt to soothe him. "But we're not stopping this investigation."
"Fine," he said before letting out a long exasperated breath. "And you're damn right I'm gonna make sure you're safe…so your place or mine?"
Brennan stared at him with her brow furrowed in confusion.
"It's about time! It only took a year and a half." Angela smiled at the couple.
Booth turned in his seat and glared at her slightly for the inappropriate timing of the innuendo. "Seriously Bones, I'm giving you the option. Either I move in with you until this is resolved or you move into my place."
"No." She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"I don't believe 'no' was one of the options I gave you." He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, mirroring her steely gaze with one of his own. Temperance Brennan may be stubborn, he thought, but I will get my way on this.
Angela watched the standoff, intrigued to see who would come out on top. The silent tension in the room continued to mushroom causing the artist to squirm in her seat. "Oh for god's sake, just pack a bag Booth and move in with her! There, decision made!" Angela jumped up from her seat and stalked out of the room. Those two with their sexual tension will be the death of me, she thought as she exited the office.
Booth grinned at the outraged expression on Brennan's face. "She was not the person making the decision!"
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter…the decision has been made. I'll pack a few items and…."
"No."
"Yes. No arguments Bones…you're not going to win this one." Booth stood as a triumphant smile played on his lips.
Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "Fine."
"I knew you would see it my way…you're a smart woman. Now, I'm going to move my SUV and retrieve the data that Ballistics gave me before I came over. Should I take it to Angela's office or….?"
"Yes, Angela's office. Just meet me in there…unless of course I'm not allowed to walk around the lab by myself," she replied sarcastically.
Booth stopped at her door, pretending to ponder the thought. "If you make it to Angela's office without injury then I'll consider the lab a safe area," he joked. The glare he received from Brennan told him that his comment was neither humorous nor appreciated.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
After pulling the SUV into a nearby space, Booth climbed out of the vehicle and removed his cell phone from his jacket as he walked to the passenger's side to retrieve the files. Maybe he wouldn't have to talk to Goodman about an assigned space after all, he thought happily.
"Hey, that's my parking space!" a short rotund balding man yelled as he waddled toward Booth.
The agent glanced around the parking garage and then allowed his gaze to settle on the man. "Where's your car?"
"I don't have a car. I just have a space….in case I ever decide to buy a car," the height challenged man huffed.
"What? That's the most….ugh, you know what, never mind." Booth swept his jacket to the side exposing his badge and his firearm. "I'm commandeering your spot buddy….official FBI business."
"But you can't…."
"Just did. Thank you for your cooperation." Booth opened the passenger's side door and removed the box from the seat. As he walked to the back of the SUV, he placed the box on the ground. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an important, private phone call to make."
The man's face turned red as he waddled toward the entrance to the lab. "I'm telling Dr. Goodman."
Booth rolled his eyes at the juvenile response as he dialed Russ' number.
"Hello," Russ answered after the third ring. Booth could hear the sound of children laughing and squealing in the background.
"Russ this is Booth."
"Oh hey Booth, what's going…is Tempe okay!" Booth heard the panic in Russ' voice.
"She's fine. I know she called you a few minutes ago."
"Yeah and she sounded a little stressed….are you sure that everything is okay?"
Booth sighed as he glanced around the parking deck. How much should he tell Brennan's brother? The man had a right to know if he was in danger…just as he had a right to know that his sister was in danger.
"Russ, Vince McVicar was stabbed this morning. The last I heard he was in surgery and it wasn't looking good."
Russ snorted his contempt for the hit man. "So? At least it will save the taxpayers some money, right?"
He decided to gather more information before telling Russ of the possible danger that could befall him and his sister. "I spoke with McVicar the other day to get information on the man who took Bones out of foster care. He gave me the name Patrick Kava and told me that everyone called the guy 'Gramps'. Does that name or the nickname sound familiar to you? It didn't to your sister."
After a brief pause, Russ finally answered. "Pat. Our dad would always go on fishing trips one weekend a month with an old friend he and Mom referred to as 'Pat'. I'm surprised that Tempe doesn't remember that. When she was ten, she got really upset when Dad told her that she couldn't go with him. She wanted to learn to how to fish." Russ sighed. "I ended taking her with me that weekend and I taught her."
Booth smiled at the thought of a young Temperance wanting to spend time with her father and learn how to catch fish. Her life had become so much more complicated since that innocent time. "Your father went on year round fishing trips? Even in the winter?"
Brennan's brother chuckled. "Tempe asked him that same question once. He told us that ice fishing was even better than fishing during the summer." Russ became very quiet for a moment. "He hadn't given up the life, had he Booth? This Patrick guy….he was part of the past we had to run from, wasn't he?"
The sadness in Russ' voice overwhelmed Booth. Brennan and her brother had been through so much and it seemed that every new piece of information he uncovered only succeeded in wounding them both further.
"I haven't had a chance to discuss everything I've found out so far with your sister…"
"And you want to tell her before you tell me," Russ sighed. "Fine, I get it. But you better convince her that she needs to tell me everything Booth."
"I will Russ. One other thing…keep your eyes open for anyone suspicious hanging around your neighborhood, your work, you know that kind of thing."
"Tempe and I are in danger aren't we? McVicar's stabbing…."
"Yes, Russ," Booth cut him off. "Just be careful."
"You better keep my sister safe," he warned the special agent.
"That's the plan."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Brennan found her team sitting in Angela's office awaiting the arrival of the ballistics results. Hodgins had made himself comfortable on Angela's couch, perusing an art magazine while Zach sat at the Angelator once again reviewing his findings on Sheriff Fife's firearms.
Angela sat behind her desk watching her best friend as she took a seat across from her.
"Booth's not in here?" she inquired as she looked over at Angela.
"No he's not and don't you dare take off running around the lab like a chicken with your head cut off looking for him. I've had enough exercise today chasing your man around."
"He's not my man."
"He's moving in with you," Angela proudly pointed out.
"No, he's invading my personal living area with items from his home on a temporary basis out of a misguided alpha male need to protect me." Brennan sat back in the chair and crossed her arms, glaring at her best friend.
"Uh-huh," she smirked at the glare Brennan directed at her. "I bet he sleeps in the nude…"
"No he doesn't," Brennan said. As she watched Angela's dark eyes grow wide with excitement, she realized those three words had given her best friend a porthole into a discussion on her relationship with Booth.
"And just how do you know that Bren?" She leaned forward as she watched Brennan's face grow flush.
"I sleep in the nude," Hodgins chimed in as he turned another page in the magazine.
"I'm not talking to you," Angela replied, her eyes never leaving Brennan's face.
"It's a very freeing feeling," he continued ignoring the artist.
Zach swiveled his chair toward Hodgins' position on the couch. "I'm so glad there's a garage and a tennis court separating my place from the main house."
"Sweetie, you have first hand knowledge don't you!" She jumped out of her seat and ran around her desk flinging herself into the chair next to an embarrassed Brennan. "When did it happen? Was he good…I bet he was intense wasn't he? Details please."
"Angela I did not have sex with Booth. Yes, he stayed at my place…"
"In your bed?"
"Um, yes," Brennan said with trepidation.
"And nothing happened?"
She nodded her affirmation causing Angela to throw her hands up in the air. "Were you touching in any way whatsoever?"
Again Brennan nodded. Angela buried her face in her hands. "What the hell is wrong with you two! Brennan there is no way in hell that a woman lets a man that looks like Seeley Booth lay in her bed with his arms around her and doesn't make wild passionate love to him."
"Wild passionate love is the best, man," Hodgins agreed as his blue eyes skimmed an article on the Louvre.
"Who's making wild passionate love?" Booth questioned as he entered the office with the box. He noticed Brennan's face was flushed and he briefly wondered if the conversation had been about him.
Angela stood, walked over to the agent and grabbed the box from his hands. "Apparently no one," she huffed. "You two are freakin' unbelievable," she muttered as she took a seat next to Zach.
Taking a seat beside his partner, Booth leaned over to Brennan. "Do I even want to know what's wrong with her?" he whispered.
Brennan shook her head vigorously before she stood and walked over to watch Angela and Zach compare the ballistics data to the markings on the bone. She found it difficult to concentrate on the task as images of Booth's naked torso flashed through her mind. It wasn't as if the idea of sleeping with Booth had never crossed her mind…in fact the thought had become quite frequent as of late. Her concern was what would happen to their friendship and partnership if that line was crossed.
She glanced at Booth out of the corner of her eye and smiled as she realized that he had been watching her. Turning her attention back to the Angelator, Brennan chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip. Maybe having him in her apartment would aid in deciding if crossing that line was a good idea, she thought.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Five hours later, Hodgins was sprawled out on the couch fast asleep and Booth had decided to make a run to Wong Foos for takeout.
Glancing over at Hodgins, Zach shuddered. "At least he's still clothed."
Angela laughed as she placed the last image into her computer and watched as it appeared in a holographic form next to the image of the markings on the bone. "This is the last one sweetie," she said as Brennan studied the image.
"It's not a match," Brennan stated with authority. "It's not even similar to the striations in the bone." She sighed and rubbed her temples to stave off the impending headache she felt. "Maybe my calculations on the reverse engineering imaging were off."
"No they weren't Dr. Brennan. We checked and double-checked the data. The imaging we created from the bone is accurate." Zach beamed proudly at his mentor. "None of these weapons were used to kill Ronald and Katherine Thompson."
Booth entered the office with a box of Chinese takeout. "All of those guns in that house and not one of them was used in the murders?" He stared at Brennan hoping that she would alter the kid's findings.
"No, Agent Booth, the gun that was used did not come from Ronald Thompson's arsenal," Zach said.
"It was a collection kid," he said as he placed the box of food on Angela's desk.
Zach swiveled his chair and pointed to the stack of files strewn about the office. "I respectfully disagree Agent Booth."
Sensing Booth's irritation, Brennan strode toward him and placed her hand on his arm. "He's right Booth. None of these were the murder weapon."
"Damn it," he whispered.
"Look it's been a long day," Angela said as she stood and stretched her tired muscles. "Let's just sit in here, enjoy some great takeout food and be thankful that Hodgins does indeed still have his clothes on."
Booth placed his container back in the box. "I think I just lost my appetite."
"Angela's right. Sometimes in order to regain your focus on a subject, you have to take a step back…." Brennan placed the container back in Booth's hand. "And in order to do that I'm pretty sure you're going to need sustenance."
Booth grinned at her as her fingers touched his and he chuckled when her smile grew wider.
Angela rolled her eyes as she walked over to the couch and knocked Hodgins' feet out of her way. "Unfreakinbelievable," she muttered.