A/N: Hello, just another attempt by me to climb out of the writer's block pit I've found myself in these last couple of weeks. I hope I do the performance justice, since the rest of the fic has built up to this. I'm kind of skating over the lines and stuff since I think I covered all the main scenes during rehearsals, so hopefully it's not too choppy. Well, here goes! Enjoy!
Chapter 11: That's a lot of people
At six o'clock sharp Brennan pushed open the doors to the Medico-Legal lab, Booth just behind her. She glanced around at those already there, finding the others in their department. Except Hodgins. She walked over to Angela.
"Hey Ange. Where's Hodgins?"
"Not sure. I hope he gets here before Goodman does."
Brennan waved at Zach, who was pacing back and forth, swishing his sword through the air. He lifted a hand in acknowledgement without breaking stride.
"Hey Tempe!" Sully noticed her and jogged over.
"Hello Sully. Are you ready?"
Booth snorted. "Yea, Sully, ready to get your ass kicked?" There was a pause as Sully raised an eyebrow at him. "In the play…of course. I meant in the play."
Sully ignored him and he and Brennan chatted about the play until the ringing of the bell floated through the air signaling that Goodman had arrived.
"Is everyone here?" he asked. His eyes shifted around the room, and came to rest on Brennan and her team. "Where is Dr. Hodgins?"
Before anyone could reply, the doors burst open and Hodgins strode inside with a flourish. "I'm here!"
"You're late," Goodman said dryly.
"I'm fashionably late. There's a huge difference. Let's get this show on the road!" He performed a couple of fencing moves, slicing his sword through the air.
"All right everyone. The audience will be arriving shortly. I see most of you arrived in costume. Those who didn't need to get changed. The rest of you get backstage and prepare. We shall begin promptly at seven."
They all stood backstage, and Zach piped up. "Performing this play reminds me of a superstition about acting."
Hodgins' eyes lit up. "Oh, I bet I know the one. No one's supposed to mention the name of a certain Scottish play of Shakespeare's right?"
Zach nodded. "Correct. If you do, it means bad luck for the performance."
Brennan scoffed. "It's merely superstition. Nothing bad will happen if you say the name of the play."
"Then why don't you?" Hodgins asked.
"Because there's…no sense in taking stupid risks," Brennan replied.
"I'm with you there," Angela put in, and Sully nodded in agreement.
Booth had been listening to the conversation, but wasn't sure which play they were referring to. "Are you guys talking about Macbeth?"
They all turned to him as one and hissed, "Shhh!!"
"Sorry, I just didn't know if you were talking about Macbeth or another play."
They glared at him, and Booth held his hands in front of him in defense, a look of contrition on his face. "Sorry, I won't say Macbeth anymore."
"Booth!" Brennan gave his shoulder a light smack. "If you need to refer to it, call it the Scottish play."
"Fine. Geez, Bones, I had no idea you of all people would believe in superstition."
"I don't. As I said, no sense in taking chances."
"Right." An evil grin appeared on his face. "Macbeth." He received evil eyes from everyone within earshot, which seemed only to encourage him. "Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth!"
"We're doomed," Zach sighed.
"No, there has to be like a counter-curse or something," Hodgins said. "I'll ask that dude from maintenance. He's all into that occult stuff." He took off towards the man playing Lord Montague.
When he came back, he said, "Ok, there is a way to reverse the bad mojo in here." He looked pointedly at Booth. "You have to exit the lab, spin around three times while saying a swear word, and then ask for permission to come back inside."
"No way am I doing that."
"Come on Booth. Please," Angela pleaded.
He looked at all their faces, and sighed resignedly. "Fine, but there are people arriving. Let's get it over with."
Sully stayed backstage, and Booth, Brennan, Angela, Zach, and Hodgins made their way to the front doors, skirting around the people arriving for the performance
Before he stepped outside, he faced them. "Do I have to do this?"
Four voices chorused back at him. "Yes."
"How loud does the swear have to be?"
"The guy didn't say. Better make it loud, just in case," Hodgins said seriously.
Still grumbling, Booth exited the lab, and under their watchful eyes, spun around three times, yelling a word that caused an elderly couple to stop and stare at him on their way inside.
"Which word did he say? I couldn't tell." Hodgins asked.
"You couldn't? He said f--…" Brennan began before being cut off by Angela.
"He said a crude synonym for sex," she explained.
There was a knock on the doors, and they looked up to see Booth on the other side.
"Am I finished being humiliated yet?"
"You have to ask," Hodgins replied.
Booth hesitated, then said through the glass, "Fine. Can I come back in?"
"Yes, you may." Hodgins opened the doors for him, and, satisfied that any bad luck had been eradicated, they returned backstage.
"Are we good?" Sully asked.
"Yea, we're good," Angela replied.
Seven o'clock grew closer and closer and Booth peeked around the curtain to where the chairs had been set up. He closed it back up and turned around, his face slightly pale.
"That's a lot of people."
"Pre-performance jitters?" Sully asked.
Booth gave him a forced smile. "My performance was, is, and will be just fine, thanks. Jitters don't exist in my book."
"Uh huh. Cullen's out there, ya know."
Booth's eyes widened just a bit at this news. "What? Really?"
Sully nodded. "Yea, he's on the right side, toward the front."
Booth peeked out from the curtain again, and scanned the crowd until his eyes fell on his superior. "Fantastic."
Sully clapped him on the back. "Break a leg buddy."
Booth's eyes narrowed. "Yea, you too." Then he added under his breath, "In more ways than one."
"What was that?" Sully hadn't caught that last part.
"Nothing." Brennan came over and squeezed his hand.
"You ready Romeo?"
"I'm ready if you are Juliet." He gave her hand a squeeze back.
Further conversation was halted as Goodman came backstage.
"I would just like to tell you all that I've been very impressed with your progress over the last few weeks. I believe this has come together quite nicely, and I'm positive that we will give an
excellent performance tonight. Break a leg everyone!" With that, he went onstage to give the introduction. The first scene progressed and Zach's cue was coming up. Hodgins clapped him on the shoulder, taking care that it was an open palm gesture.
"You'll do great Zach. Knock 'em dead!" And with that Zach's cue came, and Hodgins gave him a shove through the curtain.
"Nervous?" Brennan asked Booth as he waited for his cue.
"No…well, maybe a little."
"You'll be fine." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Go."
He stepped out onstage and froze. So many faces, all looking at him. As if through a brick wall, he heard Zach's line .
"Good morrow cousin."
He swallowed before replying, trying his damnedest not to sound nervous as he gave his first line.
"Is the day so young?"
Brennan listened to the scene, sighing in relief as he eased into being onstage, becoming more confident the longer he was on.
"How's it going?" Angela whispered as she came and stood by her with Hodgins.
"It's going well I think. Booth appears to have gotten over his initial nervousness."
"That's good."
In Act 1, scene 3, Brennan and Angela made their first appearances. Brennan could see why Booth had been nervous, but she didn't let the feeling get to her. This was supposed to be fun after all.
Hodgins gave his soliloquy, and Angela was thankful she wasn't onstage during it, because she yawned, just like last time. It seemed to be a natural response to the long speech.
When they reached Act 1, scene 5, Brennan began to feel apprehensive about their first kissing scene. She wasn't sure why. They'd rehearsed it, both in the context of the play and outside it. She met his eyes as they delivered their dialogue, and that helped in calming her nerves. Their lips met gently and sweetly, and they parted with small smiles, keeping up on the lines.
Act 2 began with Romeo's line and then the conversation between Mercutio and Benvolio. After that it was the balcony scene. Brennan made her entrance on her 'balcony' and heard Booth say the famous lines. She looked out over the crowd. For some illogical reason there seemed to be more of them from her vantage point. She placed her cheek in her hand and gave her line.
"Ay me!"
Act 2, scene 5 consisted of the talk between Juliet and the Nurse. Brennan likened it to any other conversation she and Angela had shared during their friendship. That thought had brought to the scene an added element of authenticity, which she was pleased about. And Angela was truly having a great time, throwing herself into the role, and as she'd put it, 'being the best damn nurse' she could be.
The second act ended with Romeo and Juliet being married by Friar Laurence, and Brennan couldn't help but wonder, as she always did during this scene, why Juliet had agreed to marriage so soon. She supposed it was because she didn't want to marry Paris as her parents wanted her to, but really, the whole thing seemed a bit rushed. Love at first sight indeed. She met Booth's eyes as Friar Laurence delivered the last line of the scene. Not at first sight definitely, but perhaps there was something to be said for love itself.
During the intermission, Brennan sat in a chair backstage with Angela while the guys were quietly practicing their swordfights.
"I think it's going great so far," Angela put in.
"We still have the second half to go," Brennan pointed out.
"Yea, but it'll be a piece of cake. Most of the characters die anyway. Out of the main ones, the only ones that don't die are me and Zach. And who knows? Maybe we die too; it's just offstage."
"Goodman's character doesn't die."
"He doesn't count. I don't consider Friar Laurence to be a main character. Important, yes, but not main."
"True," she conceded.
The intermission was over before they knew it, and Act 3 began. The fight scene between Hodgins and Sully went off without a hitch. Hodgins got stabbed and went down, delivering his death speech to perfection. Booth and Sully's fight went a little longer than Brennan thought appropriate, but other than that, neither one got carried away. Sully died, and Brennan risked a peek through the curtain, hoping that he wouldn't overdo it this time. She was disappointed, and she ducked back behind the curtain, rolling her eyes.
At the end of the act, Booth and Brennan shared their balcony scene. Brennan decided it was one of her favorite scenes, only the party scene above it in her opinion. It was just a nice scene and the fact that his arms were around her didn't hurt either.
Act 4 found Brennan drinking her potion, collapsing on her bed and appearing dead. She enjoyed this scene as well just because she got a bit of a break. Angela came in and found her lying there, and she kept her eyes closed, listening to the scene as Goodman, the two playing her parents, and Charles Burke arrived on the scene.
The last act commenced. Booth got his poison from the apothecary, and headed to the tomb, only to be met by Paris. He and Charles Burke had their fight, and Paris was fatally stabbed.
"I am slain!"
Charles Burke called, falling to the ground. "If thou be
merciful,
open the tomb, lay me with Juliet." He died, and even
though she was off to the side and couldn't see the fight, Brennan
could tell just by listening that he had done a better job with his
death scene than Sully had.
She felt Booth step over to her and deliver his final lines. Then she felt his lips on hers as Romeo gave Juliet a last kiss, and then the weight of his head on her breast as he died. She took her cue and woke up, stretching as though waking up from a nap. After Goodman's exit, she kissed Booth lightly before she said her final lines, stabbing herself with the prop dagger in the heart, and collapsing at his side.
The final lines of the play were given by the man playing the Prince.
"A glooming peace this morning with it brings; the sun, for sorrow, will not show his head: go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; some shall be pardoned, and some punished: for never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."
When he was finished, the curtain closed, and everyone got in a line. When the curtain opened, the applause hit their ears, and everyone took a bow. Angela stepped forward and gave a small curtsy, smiling as the applause built up, before stepping back and allowing Zach to take his. Zach stepped forward and gave a small stiff bow, allowing himself a small grin before stepping back. Goodman went forward next and gave a bow similar to Zach's.
Sully took his turn, flashing the crowd a megawatt smile and bowing with a flourish. Angela turned to Brennan and rolled her eyes. Hodgins was next. He removed his cap and tossed it out into the audience, giving a sweeping bow and pumping his fist in the air. The applause grew and it was clear that Hodgins was the crowd favorite.
After Hodgins was dragged back into the line, Brennan and Booth stepped forward and bowed together. The applause became almost deafening and a few people even stood up to clap. Booth felt a flash of pride as he noticed Cullen was among them. Sully hadn't gotten a standing ovation.
He stood away from Brennan and gestured to her. She gave another little bow and did the same for him. He turned to Zach and made a motion with his hand. Zach gave a nod, and hurried offstage, returning with a bouquet of roses which he handed off to Booth, who gave them to Brennan.
She took them, and looked up at him. "Booth, they're beautiful."
He leaned in close to her ear when they were back in line. "Technically they're from all of us. But I take full credit for the idea." The entire cast gave one last bow before the curtain closed and the audience began to leave for home. Angela came running up to Brennan and threw her arms around her.
"You were great sweetie!"
Brennan returned the hug. "So were you Ange." She pulled several roses out of her bouquet and handed them to her best friend.
"Thanks!" She went off and hugged Booth, Hodgins, and Zach, congratulating them as well. She even told Sully he did well, but stopped short at hugging him, settling for a friendly pat instead.
"You were really great Bones," Booth said kissing her.
"You weren't so bad yourself."
"Thanks." He moved in to kiss her again, but a voice nearby broke them apart.
"Ok, we were all awesome. Now, let's party!" Hodgins was impatient to get the party started. "Follow me to the alcohol!" And with that, they all headed to the upper floor where the cast party had been set up.
A/N: Hope you liked it! Next chapter will be the last. Thanks for reading!!
