A.N: Hello, I feel really bad about leaving this story so late and letting it go on for so long. I meant to post this chapter around my birthday in June, because literally every day of my July has been full and busy. I have been on 4 holidays/trips/excursions/camps. And I am buggered. I took a day off school yesterday for some rest & write, but I ended up doing community service at the local primary school's sports carnival. I really should stop being so nice. Mixed with business and my random bursts of depression of whatever, I haven't felt up to writing in ages. But, really, this just needed to be posted I had it written, I haven't had time! You're probably sick of me by now I'll hand you to this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bones. And the trivia questions and answers are based on the trivia game from the site . ... It's really fun! Although you have to be a genius to know the answers, give it a go anyway! :D
Thanks to the reviewers of last chapter, Diko, nertooold54 and JWeasleyPotterGranger. Hope you guys like the chapter! Read on…
Chapter 12:
Booth glanced at his cell and looked over at Brennan. His partner shifted her weight, continuing to fidget with a button on her trench coat. Her eyes rose up to meet his. They shared a smile and both stared over at their therapist.
Cam had called Sweets after Brennan had a fight with her best friend and left the lab angry and in a mess. She thought that maybe he could monitor her behavior to make sure she was okay and nothing was affecting her work relationships. Sweets thought that the partners were behaving quite well. They had hardly spoken, but that was a common occurrence because they never wanted to share much with him in their sessions. The three would share looks and expressions, smile and glare. It was like a silent conversation.
All was interrupted when the shrill ring coming from Booth's pocket made Booth jump a little. He fished around in his coat for the phone and answered.
"Booth… Yes, okay, Michigan." Booth got out his notepad and pen and started to jot some things down. "Lee Jameson. Got the address. Yep, we can do that. Bye."
Booth explained to his partner. "That was Charlie. We found the father in Michigan, we're gunna go deliver the news, question him, the usual. Come on Bones, let's go."
They both rose in unison and turned to leave the shrink's office. Sweets called after them.
"So, I'll see you later then. Booth, Dr. Brennan? You're gone aren't you? Okay. . . "
BONESBONESBONESBONESBONES
Three hours later, the crime fighting partners were well on their way to Michigan to talk to the family of the victim. It was a good eight hour trip, but they had to chase up quite a few leads while they were there so it was easier to just make the drive.
"I have trivia cards, if you wanted to do something?" Bones suggested. Since when did Bones want to do things on the road with him? They always just took turns to drive, having the occasional conversation. Booth was so taken by surprise he stammered,
"Umm, really? Are… do you h… are they…fun?"
Brennan made what she could of his confusing reply.
"Yes, I brought something … and, well, I think they are fun." Booth's excitement fell. "It's a game that a group of us made in our freshman year; I found it in some old boxes at my father's house. He wasn't around then when I made them, but he volunteered to put some old things of mine in his basement so I have more space."
"Okay." Booth said, his excitement had plummeted but he was still curious. "What's the first question?"
"What is the process by which culture spreads across a geographical area?"
Booth glared at his partner, stoked.
"What are you? What is this? Is this seriously a game? How the heck am I supposed to know that?"
"It's not that hard! This is first year anthropology… oh, but you went to a public school, of course you didn't learn that. Sorry."
Booth chuckled. "So are you saying that I'm stupid because I didn't go to one of your cyborg private schools?"
"No! I am simply stating that we attended different high school and university courses." Brennan let out a sigh "Seeing that we entered different careers as well, it doesn't mean that you are essentially 'stupid'. I would never say that because you are smart in your own ways. You have a well-developed sense of reading human body language."
"Okay, enough." Booth closed his eyes and sighed. "Just go ahead."
"well, the answer was diffusion. It is a highly important way in which cultures change, Booth! Tools, meanings, and other inventions are borrowed from their neighbors and incorporated into existing culture. Cultural diffusion takes place all the time!" Brennan's explanation was responded by a crazy look from Booth.
"What? Alright, next question, this one happens to be a multiple choice! 25% chance of getting this one correct, Booth! ... According to anthropology, what notion does this Middle Eastern proverb illustrate? 'I against my brothers; my brothers and I against my cousins; my cousins, my brothers and I against the world.'"
When Brennan finished the question she provided him with four multiple choice answers; A. kinship, B. segmental opposition, C. double descent, D. lineage systems.
"What, um, I don't know! I'll say C... the answer is always the third time lucky, right?" Booth presented a hopeful but playfully lopsided grin.
Brennan playfully slapped her hand down on his arm, not realizing how hard she could actually hit. Playful grin. She took a breath.
"the answer is obviously B! segmental opposition is the principle that two separate yet equal social entities will unite to counter another group. Thus, while you may be in conflict with some members of your family, anthropologically, you join with your family when they are threatened by another family, or, the world. Okay, well, you haven't been correct so far, but there's still hope!"
BONESBONESBONESBONESBONES
Six hours into the trip the sky outside of the windows had faded completely of color. It was covered in a velvet sheet of black with twinkling lights high in the sky. Booth blinked aggressively in an attempt to stay awake. Hi partner was softly snoring, facing the other way and curled up in her seat. She looked so beautiful to him at that moment he just wanted to freeze time and stare in adoration. Eventually his attention was needed on the road. It was a long road, they still had a couple of hours left until they were in Michigan. If his mind wasn't occupied with driving then, he probably would have been reviewing the case files that had sent the partners away.
He decided to mentally recall his knowledge. Firstly, there was the Jameson case. They had to talk to the victim's father, Lee, who lived on the outskirts of the city. They also had found some frequent communicative activity (like phone calls and emails) between Jameson and this rowing-club-turned-gang in which they had to chase up. Those people were sure to know something.
There was also another case in which Booth and Brennan were consulting with the local PD and a whole family was burned in their home. Doctor Brennan's expertise was required and she would not do it without Booth.
So the partners had a bit of work to do, but first they had to get there.
Booth yawned once again. All of a sudden, the car jolted to a stop. Booth looked around frantically, shoved the key back in drive and tried the clutch. No go. What was wrong? He turned the key twice, it spluttered, then crackled, and then silence. After a moment of two, he decided to get out and check under the hood. He slipped out of his seat, trying not to wake Bones who was in a deep slumber. He lifted up the hood. As soon as he did, clouds of smoke escaped from inside the car. Not good. Booth checked the oil, water and battery. All seemed fine.
He went back around to the car and got his cell out of its holder. Yes! He had one bar of service. He called his on-the-road car helpline, hoping they could help him, or even let him know how he could find out where they were.
The call was not helpful and Booth cursed the phone. He couldn't understand the electronic dispatcher, he definitely knew more about cars than the computer he was trying to converse with. But that was what he got for calling at such a late hour. It was impossible for someone to come out and help in the night; Booth felt silly when he couldn't even supply his whereabouts. Maybe he should have considered one of those 'smart phones' that Bones said had a built in GPS.
Footsteps approached behind him. Then a voice,
"What's wrong Booth? Where are we?"
"I don't know what happened and I don't know where we are! The car just broke down, I have no way of knowing where the hell we are if there is no light to see any signs with!" he raised his palms to the top of his head in a distressed gesture and walked back to the car. He got in.
Brennan thrust a flashlight at him, leaning over the chair. "I found it in the drawer under your dashboard."
"It's a glove box, Bones."
"Well, I didn't see any gloves in there. Ergo, accompanied with the fact that the opening mechanism is more of a drawer than a box, since it pulls open, it is not a rationally acceptable term to say 'glove box'."
Booth smirked at her smart-arse comment. She continued,
"While you were banging on the front of the car, probably not fixing anything because the noise I heard originated from underneath the vehicle, I inspected the torch batteries. There is hardly any acidic content left in these so they will last maybe a few minutes, a dozen at the most. I suggest the most logical thing to do would be sleep until the morning. Then we could call a mechanic. My phone has listed numbers for the area."
The partners got themselves settled in Booth's SUV and Booth checked his cell for the time, it was two hours past midnight. He knew they should have stopped at the last town, instead of being parked on the side of the road. Oh well, there was no going back. With one look at his sleeping partner beside him, he definitely knew he wouldn't turn back from anything, she was right in front of his eyes.
A.N: Well? Thoughts? I would love to hear what you think! Either review (please!) or, even better, follow me on twitter. I'm rachelalicehope. From there you will hear more regularly how I am doing with the story and when I am near posting. Xx I love everyone! xX
I must say, I think I am turning hippie, recently all I can think about is how cool it would be to have Julia Gillard, Osama Bin Laden and Barack Obama having a picnic of lentils and mung beans and falafels on a hill, making daisy chains and watching the rainbows in the sky. Yeah.