A/N: Ok, between my hurt back and the absolute jaw-dropping shock of the finale, I have not been updating. I've been bad, I know. Fortunately, I am sentenced to bed rest which provides a good opportunity to update! Enjoy!!

Chapter 6: In full costume

Booth woke up the next morning, sitting at his table, head down, with his script stuck to the side of his face. A glance at the clock told him he was running late, but at least he was confident that he finally had all those stupid lines down. And with only a few days until the performance it was about time. He got up quickly and started to get ready for work.

Brennan sat at her desk, the script in front of her, silently going over Booth's lines. She had her own memorized already, and had started reading his over, in case he needed some help. Today was their practice with Goodman and he would expect the lines to be learned.



At 4 in the afternoon, the sound of the bell floated throughout the lab. She left her office to join the others for practice. Angela was glancing at the script, Zach was huddled in his usual corner, and Booth and Sully were standing near the platform entrance. Sully gave her a friendly smile and a wave, which she returned. Perhaps things would be all right between them after all. She looked around for Hodgins and found him lurking in the hallway, griping about the bell.

"I really hate that bell," he commented to Brennan as she stood beside him.

"It is a little irritating," she agreed.

Hodgins took a deep calming breath. "It's ok. A few more days of this and then it'll be over. It'll just be a horrible dream and we will never speak of it again." He stepped forward and caught Goodman's eye.

"Dr. Goodman. I have a dentist appointment in 10 minutes. I'm gonna take off."

"Dr. Hodgins, I know you know better than to schedule an appointment during rehearsal."

"No, I don't know better. See ya around."

"Stay Dr. Hodgins. Your dentist will understand, I'm sure." He punctuated his sentence with a hard stare in Hodgins' direction.

Hodgins glared back, but stayed.

"Before we start, I have an announcement to make. Our costumes have arrived! They are on that table over there. I want you all to take a few minutes to get changed, then report back here and we'll get started with my scene with Romeo."

Everyone went to the table where brown paper packages with their names on them were waiting. Angela doled them out and everyone went to find somewhere to change.

Booth joined Hodgins, Sully, and Zach in the bathroom. Sully was already changing. Booth unwrapped his costume and eyed the contents skeptically.

"No way in hell I'm wearing tights!"



"They're not tights; they're hose. They're appropriate dress for the time period," Zach corrected him.

"No, they're tights. And these are puffy shorts." He held up the offending garment, and as he did, his eye caught another article. He picked it up and showed it to the rest.

"What's this?"

Zach looked at what Booth was holding and cleared his throat.

"That would be a codpiece Agent Booth."

Booth's eyes grew wide and he flung it across the room.

"These aren't too bad…accuracy wise," Hodgins said, finding his own codpiece. "Don't think I'll be wearing this though."



"Yea, you're lucky, you die in the middle. I gotta go through the whole play in this getup. The puffy shorts, I can deal with, but no tights." Booth frowned down at his costume.

"You're gonna wear the codpiece?" Hodgins asked, surprised.

"Of course not! That goes without saying." Booth shot a look to the corner where the codpiece still lay. He picked up the tights and shoved them back in the wrapping.

"The costume will look stupid without the tights," Hodgins warned.

"Yea, we'll see." Booth disappeared into a stall as Sully came out in full costume. He smiled at Hodgins and Zach and removed his cap with a flourish.

"Well?"

"You look very…Tybalt…ish," Hodgins said, slightly irritated with the enthusiasm.



Sully's smile didn't falter and he headed back out to the lab. Hodgins entered a stall and started changing into the costume.

"Was he…wearing the codpiece?" Hodgins asked.

"I'm not sure. I couldn't see him as I'm in a stall changing," Zach responded.

"He was; I'm sure of it…that's just wrong." Hodgins shook his head.

"Who with the what now?" Booth asked. He'd been concentrating on getting the tights on and hadn't heard the exchange.

"Sully's wearing his codpiece," Hodgins filled him in.

"Ugh."

"My thoughts exactly."



Booth came out, in costume except for the hated tights. He looked in the mirror.

"Hodgins?"

"Yea?"

"You were right; it looks stupid without the tights."

"Told ya so!"

Booth went back in to put on the tights. Zach came out and took over the mirror.

"I never thought I'd look good in purple. I was mistaken." He grinned at his reflection, adjusted his doublet, and went back out to the lab.

Hodgins came out a bit later, eyeing himself in the blue doublet and leather jerkin.



"Nice…aside from the hose…and the puffy shorts…and the fruity cap." He shook his head in the mirror, and headed out. At least the costume brought out his eye color.

"Uh…Hodgins?" Booth called. No answer.

"Zach?" He called, much quieter. He was alone. He couldn't get the damn tights on. He needed help and everyone was already gone.

Brennan and Angela stood in the women's bathroom, unwrapping their costumes.

Brennan held up a corset. "No way am I wearing this."

"Bren, they were worn in the time period. Please, wear it for accuracy's sake."

"You're wearing it!?"

"Well, yea. I want to be the best damn nurse I can be, and if that includes wearing a corset, then so be it."

Brennan's shoulders sagged. "Fine." She walked to a bathroom stall carrying the corset, bodice, skirt, hood, and shoes. Angela followed suit. A few minutes later Angela's voice called out.

"Bren?"

"Yea?"

"Do you think you could help me tie my bodice to my skirt. It's harder than it looks."

"Sure, but you have to help me too."

They emerged from the stalls and helped each other with the ties.

"These are pretty low cut, don't you think?" Brennan asked once they were in full costume. She was standing in front of the mirror with Angela, adjusting the hood on her head, and critically eyeing her breasts, which were practically popping out of the bodice, thanks to the corset.



"Maybe a little, but it could be worse."

"I don't see how."

"You ready?"

Brennan made a final adjustment to the hood, pulled the bodice up as high as it could possibly go, and headed out the door with Angela following behind. Goodman, in his Friar's costume, did a head count.

"Where's Agent Booth?"

"I'll find him. He's probably off reading his lines somewhere." Brennan took off to find her partner, pulling her long skirt up so she could move faster. She looked in her office, in the break room, even in the closets. No sign of him. Finally, she rolled her eyes. She should've thought of that in the first place. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number.

"Bones?"



"Booth, where are you? We're ready to start."

"I'm in the bathroom changing."

"Still?"

"Yea, I'm having a problem." This was followed by silence.

"What problem?"

"I can't get my tights on. It's a lot harder than it looks."

Brennan stifled a chuckle. "They're hose, Booth, not tights. Hang on."

She opened the bathroom door and walked in.

"Booth?"

"Right here." A hand came up above the door and waved at her.

"Ok, do you have the hose off?"

"Yes."

"All right. All you have to do is bunch them up, just one leg, and put your foot in it. Then just pull it up. Do the same with the other leg. It's really not all that difficult."

"Well, I don't exactly wear tights on a regular basis."

"Hodgins, Zach, and Sully figured it out."

"Yea, well, who knows what they do on their own time? Maybe they have experience with tights."

"Hose."

"Whatever."

He came out in full costume, and gaped at her. His eyes went from the hood on her head, down to her bodice, where they stopped.

Brennan sighed. She'd told Angela the bodices were too low-cut.

"Hey! Up here!" She snapped her fingers in his face, and his eyes went immediately back to her face.

"You look…good Bones. The whole 16th century look really works for you."

Brennan allowed herself a small grin. "You don't look so bad yourself," she said, taking in the dark green doublet and cap he was wearing.

She got a charm smile for her compliment. "Thanks."



They stood there for a minute, then he stepped closer to her. "Bones?"

"Yes?"

"Well, I was thinking. We have that extra rehearsal with Goodman after this practice, and it's pretty important. I looked my lines over and I think I have them down, but there's still one scene that I think I might be a little rusty on. Could we go over it real quick?"

"Sure. But really quickly. Everyone's waiting for us. Which scene did you want to go over?"

He answered her by leaning towards her and putting his lips over hers. She paused for a moment, thinking, 'Oh, that scene' before returning the kiss, and putting her arms around his neck. It was over too soon. They pulled apart as Goodman's bell began to ring from the lab.

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth, let's go!"

Brennan gave him a smile, then grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door.



"I'm starting to agree with Hodgins. That bell is evil," she muttered under her breath as they headed for the front of the lab.

A/N: Well, I wanted to cover more in that chap, but the costume stuff just kept going. I hope you liked it. Since all of that wasn't in my original plot, this fic will be a bit longer than anticipated…just a bit. Thanks for reading!!