Okay, so I was having some trouble uploading documents, as apparently a lot of other people are, but the amazingly amazing jemb PMed me with a way to fix it.

So here it is. :D


THE PRICE

Brennan sighed, her head in her hands.

"I don't know," she said quietly. She raised her head to meet Booth's gaze. She swallowed. "I—I don't know if I made the right choice. It's complicated, right? Is—is that a good reason?" Booth shook his head.

"No, Bones. It's not complicated. You're just making it that way."

"So it's not complicated…" She paused, trying to figure something out. "Then why am I so confused? I'm not sure…Maybe I should have bought that right ulna." Booth rolled his eyes.

"Bones, I think you're taking this a bit too seriously." He shook the dice and scattered them onto the carpet. "Six. Now I can buy a…left radius?" Brennan shook her head, grinning.

"That's my left radius. Two hundred, please. And you still owe me $250 for that femur." Booth sighed.

"Who the hell even came up with the idea of Monopoly: The Forensic Anthropology Edition, anyway?"

"It was a gift."

"A gift from who? The curator of the Museum of Dead and Fossilized Things? Because, y'know, I'm thinking of donating my social life to that place."

"A former Anthropology professor of mine."

"A former…" Booth's eyes widened in realization. "Oh. Um…" He snapped his fingers, trying to remember. "That guy. Uh…Michael…whatshisname? The one who—" He stopped, noticing that Brennan was staring at the floor.

"Yeah," she said quietly.

"Anyway," said Booth quickly, changing the subject, "I guess this game could probably teach me a thing or two about what you're talking about all the time." Brennan nodded, looking up again.

"It's been scientifically proven that games are a useful way of teaching—" She stopped upon seeing Booth's look.

"…And it's also been scientifically proven that the time it takes for Seeley Booth to become annoyed once Temperance Brennan has gone off on one of her scientific tangents is estimated at about .00000002 seconds." Brennan glared at him, and Booth looked down at the game board. "This is pathetic. It's a Friday night. I should be out—drinking with my friends, or going to dinner or something. Instead I'm sitting here wondering if I really should spend $150 to buy ten distal phalanges." Brennan shook her head.

"It's not worth it," she said. Booth frowned.

"What? How is it not worth it? The clubs, the drinks, the fun—"

"I meant the distal phalanges."

"Oh." He paused. "Okay, your turn again, then." Brennan rolled the dice.

"Five." She moved her tiny flashlight token five spaces.

"Hah!" Booth shouted, startling her. "That's my scapula! Fork it over, Dr. Brennan." She stared at him.

"You're enjoying this."

"What? No I'm not," he lied quickly. Brennan raised both her eyebrows.

"Yes you are."

"Yeah, well…if this is the price I have to pay in order to spend time with you, I might as well pretend I'm enjoying it."

"Sure," said Brennan, a tiny hint of a smile playing on her face. "Well, we could always do something else."

"Yeah, right. Like watch a DVD on your 53-inch Panasonic?" Booth said sarcastically, gesturing towards the bare wall. Brennan frowned, confused.

"I don't have a—" she began. Booth gave her one of his 'you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me' looks, and she realized. "Oh. That sarcasm thing." Booth nodded slowly. "Fine, then, I guess we have no choice but to finish the game," she said teasingly.

"Yes! I am so gonna kick your ass," said Booth.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see about that."


Okay, so. Monopoly: The Forensic Anthropology Edition does not exist, but it was fun to make up. Please suspend all disbelief, and review:D