"So, Mr. Lemaire... can you explain where you were Sunday two weeks ago?"
"How am I supposed to know?" the man drawled irritably. "Can you tell exact details about where you were?"
"Well I'm not the one suspected of murder, so I'd suggest you think long and hard, because you are."
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs, interlacing his fingers and raising an eyebrow at the man across the table.
Alex leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. The arrogant sneer on his face made Booth want very much to reach out and slap him around a bit. Maybe that would change his attitude.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said in a mock innocent voice that dripped with contempt. His eyes slid from Booth's face to that of his partner, and he wished, not for the first time, that she hadn't insisted on coming in with him. The way his eyes swept over her, not focusing on her face at all, made him tense up. He snapped his fingers in the guy's face, effectively getting his attention back.
"Keep your eyes to yourself, scumbag."
He snorted and rolled his eyes, leaned back and putting his hands behind his head, propping his feet up on the table and leaning his chair back on two legs. He stared at the ceiling, ignoring the FBI agent's presence.
Booth kicked out under the table, catching one of the front chair legs with the tip of his shoe. The chair toppled backwards, spilling its occupant out on the floor.
"You can't do that, man!" Lemaire snapped, scrambling to his feet and straightening his jacket indignantly.
"Bones, did you see me do anything?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her. She opened her mouth, shut it, and opened it again.
"No," she answered, catching on.
He nodded, then smiled widely at their suspect. "Well, I guess you just shouldn't lean back so far, huh, Mr. Lemaire? So, where were you?"
He righted the chair and dropped into it with a huff, glaring at Bones and then turning his main hatred back to Booth, who waited patiently, keeping his face cool and clear of emotion.
"I was at a club," he stated firmly, "And I ain't seen Danii in several weeks."
"I heard things weren't going so well with the two of you. Not a very happy couple after all, huh? Things go bad between you because you didn't have common interests, or because one of you wanted a bigger share of the loot?" he tossed a few pictures across the table, straightening them out in a row. "This is the two of you, isn't it, Alex?"
He grunted noncommittally, looking at the side wall rather than the security pictures of him holding a store clerk at gunpoint while Danielle emptied the cash drawer of a small convenience store.
"You gunna arrest me, or can I go?" he asked.
"Well, seeing as you violated parole... I think some other people would like to deal with you first. I'll be back to have another chat with you later, though."
"Wouldn't count on it," Lemaire muttered.
Booth held the door open for Bones, casting one last look at their prime suspect before stepping out.
"That's it?" she questioned incredulously once they were walking up the hallway.
"One thing at a time, Bones. I know what I'm doing."
"Why did you tell me not to say anything before we went in? I could have helped, if I'd known there was so little you wanted to ask."
"I don't like the way he looked at you," Booth muttered.
"You don't like the way anyone looks at me," she corrected.
"Yeah, but random guys at the grocery store, they're interested. This guy... I don't like it."
She sighed. "Booth, I can take care of myself. You know that."
"That doesn't mean I have to like it," he responded simply. "Or that I can control the fact that I naturally want to protect the person I love from anything that might hurt her."
She offered a soft smile at that, but didn't seem to lessen her opinion about it at all. "Just give me a chance to join in next time we interrogate someone, okay?"
"Fine," he sighed, "We'll work on that, okay, Bones?"
She thought for a moment, then nodded her head. "Sounds good. Let's get back to the lab if we can't do anything else here. I want to look over a few things before we head back the apartment for the night."
"Sure." They left the building, reached the SUV, and climbed in, for once having no argument about who was going to drive. It wasn't like it was a long distance, but Booth was glad to be behind the wheel again.
"We ordering out tonight?" she asked, wrinkling her nose slightly. They'd been eating at restaurants or the diner... or even take-out for the past week at least. It was starting to get old, never having a single meal at her apartment, Booth thought. He could understand why she disliked the idea of doing it again tonight.
"Not if you don't want to, Bones. Let's cook something, huh? What would you like?"
She chuckled. "I have no idea. How about we don't worry about it now?"
"Excellent plan."
The lab, for the most part, was empty. It was nearly five o'clock now; neither of them had realized how quickly time had gone by. They'd spent longer at the restaurant and at the apartment building then he'd thought they had.
"I wasn't expecting you two to come back," Cam informed them honestly, coming out of her office as soon as they'd climbed the stairs onto the platform.
"There's still time to do more work today," Bones responded logically.
Cam laughed softly, "Yes, I should have thought that. You're leaving soon, though, I assume?"
"Yeah," Booth answered before Bones could. "We're outta here by seven, don't worry."
She nodded, "Good. You know, since you two got together it's been much easier to get her out of here," she added to him specifically. Booth saw Bones scowl irritably. "It's nice. I used to have to have the security guards escort her out at midnight so they could lock everything down."
Bones was now ignoring them both, turning her back as she leaned over the table and began to speak with Nigel.
"How did your interrogation go?" Cam asked, stepping further away from the squints so her and Booth could have a private conversation.
"We didn't get much. But his alibi is gunna be checked; I had another agent go in and get the rest of the details on that part so Bones and I could get out of there."
She raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"I didn't like the way he looked at her," Booth growled under his breath, getting tired of repeating that statement.
"Booth, anyone would understand why you're so protective of her... I mean, God, you've got plenty of reason from past experience... but I doubt she appreciated that."
"She didn't," he muttered.
"So how are things going between the two of you anyways? I mean, it's been what? Three months now?" She dropped her voice, "Nigel told me that you had a conversation about marriage earlier today."
"Sweets brought it up with her," he said through gritted teeth. "Not me. And before you ask, no it didn't go well."
"You know, Seeley, I never thought of you as the type to want to get married or spend a lifetime with someone when we were together... but with you and Dr. Brennan...."
"Don't you dare let her hear that," he warned.
"I'm not insane," she assured him. "Sweets must be awfully brave."
"Oh he is," Booth said, rolling his eyes. "That kid has more guts... and I think he's been getting more confidence since Bones has been seeing him regularly. I should go straighten him out sometime this week..."
She laughed slightly, "I'd pay to see that."
"Yeah well if he keeps bringing it up I think it's going to turn her further against it rather than bringing her around to the idea..."
"So you are planning on marrying her?" she asked curiously.
He grabbed her arm and dragged her all the way off of the platform, sliding his card hastily as he went. The system barely had a chance to beep before they were down the stairs. They hadn't been very near Bones when she'd said it, and she was engrossed in the bones and her conversation with her grad-student... but there was no way he was taking any risks.
"Not so loud!" he snapped.
"Sorry," Cam apologized quickly. But she was grinning a moment later as she spoke again, "How do you intend to go about that?"
"I don't know! But talking about it with her clearly isn't the best route. To be honest..." he cringed, "I think I'm going to have to talk to Sweets some more. He's been meeting with her every week... he might have some insight on how to go about it that would help me. No matter how much I hate relying on that twelve-year old..."
Cam shook her head, smirking, "First Angela and Hodgins... then the two of you. If Sweets and Daisy tie the knot I'm gunna start feeling left out."
"You don't seriously think that those two are ever going to get married?"
"Well, they have been together for quite some time now."
"Yeah, but Sweets... married? Nah."
"Ever consider that the concept of Dr. Brennan married is just as strange to everyone else as that is to you?"
He scowled, "Fine, I guess you're right about that. But he's still twelve. At least Bones and I are adults."
"The way you acted dragging me over here and all frantic because you're afraid she'll hear someone say that word... very adult-like, Booth."
"Thanks, Camille."
She opened her mouth, assumably to tell him not to call her Camille, but his phone rang and cut her off.
"Booth."
"Hey, man, Lemaire's alibi checked out... we had to let him go."
He sighed and tilted his head back, closing his eyes, "Thanks, Jimmy," he muttered.
"No problem, Booth. Shifty guy, though; I've got the local police driving by his place every hour to check in. We informed him to stay available, and his parole officer dealt with him and is paying attention too, so if he takes off we'll know it. His alibi mighta checked out, but that doesn't mean he's innocent, at least not in my mind."
"Mine either. Thanks."
"No problem Booth."
He hung up and turned to Cam. "My suspect's loose," he said irritably. "Now I've gotta get more evidence to get him in again..."
"Dr. Brennan and that assistant of hers will find something. Even that Thomson's proving to be useful. We'll get whoever's responsible for this."
He nodded, but his attention was no longer on her. He was looking up at the platform, where Bones was working intently.
"Go," Cam said with a laugh. "Go on! Drag her out of here early if you must. The evidence will still be here tomorrow, and Nigel is very productive even when he's alone."
"Thanks," he said, and hurried up the steps and back over to her.
Cam watched him go, shaking her head as Booth pulled her away from the evidence table and slid her lab coat off of her. She complained slightly, but quickly gave up as he helped her into her jacket and guided her out. Yes, the two of them were quite the couple.
"You aren't serious," she complained as he dug through her refrigerator, dumping food supplies onto the counter.
"Come on, Bones, it's pasta! You can't complain about that. And we'll have fun, too."
"We have to have some vegetables," she stipulated.
"Fine. You have some leftover salad in the fridge, right?"
She scowled. "We can't just keep using my leftovers, Booth. Besides, we always end up with salad because it seems to be the only vegetarian food you can come up with." She reopened the refrigerator and began pulling out peppers, carrots, and mushrooms from one of the bottom drawers along with anything else she could find. "Stew," she said firmly. "We'll have stew with the pasta."
"Parker and I count the tomato sauce as the vegetable," he muttered as he turned on the burner and put a pot of hot water on it.
"Well I don't," she said in response as she pulled out utensils and began peeling a carrot over her trash bin. "I haven't seen Parker in a long time," she added thoughtfully as the peelings fell one after the other on top of an empty popcorn bag from a few nights ago.
"Rebecca's been restrictive lately," he muttered in agitation, opening the spaghetti box with a bit too much force. A few pieces fell on the floor. He stared at them, then sighed and put the container on the counter to bend over and retrieve them. They went in the trash with the peelings of the second carrot as he continued speaking, "She knows the two of us are dating, but she refuses to let Parker know. I've only been able to visit a few times."
She nodded, remembering the few times that he had gone to see his son on a Friday afternoon or a Saturday morning. "That's ridiculous of Rebecca, you know. Doesn't she have boyfriends around Parker?"
He hesitated, knowing that this conversation couldn't possibly enter safe territory. Right now it was heading into treacherous waters. "Yeah," he decided to answer simply.
"And she knows me; Parker knows me. Tell her you want Parker next weekend, and if she says no I'll make her change her mind." He almost laughed at the menacing tone in her voice, but he couldn't. Not under the circumstances of the situation they'd now gotten into.
"I'll call her and suggest it," he answered calmly.
She nodded, finishing with the second carrot and placing it next to the first. She started chopping them into slices.
"Does she have a problem with me?" Bones asked suddenly a moment later, frowning as she looked away from the vegetables, the knife halfway through a pepper. She stared at him with concern in her eyes, and he couldn't lie to her.
"She's being difficult," he answered, which was the truth.
"But it's because of me. Booth, don't stay here if it means not seeing your son!"
"Bones, I'm not going to leave you because Rebecca doesn't want Parker..." he trailed off, groaning internally.
"Why doesn't she want Parker around me?" she asked, her tone emotionless. The knife now lay forgotten next to the half-cut pepper.
"Because of what happened," he whispered, hating that he had to bring it up. "She was understanding at first, but she didn't want Parker... you know, I really don't know what she expected exactly, but she was worried how it would affect him or whatever..."
"I'm not going to act any differently around your son because of what happened to me," she said, sounding almost confused.
"Yeah, I know that, Bones. And then I had to tell her I moved in with you, because I'm living here now after all, and she didn't like the idea of him being around his dad and his girlfriend together," he muttered bitterly. "And I might have understood if it was someone else, because Parker never really spent time with me and a date. But it's you, not someone like..." he attempted to remember a former girlfriend's name. None were coming to mind very readily; he realized he hadn't really dated at all after meeting Bones.
"Tessa," she supplied for him.
"Yeah, her," he said, nodding his head as the face and the name fit together in his mind. "The point is that she dates all the time. She's been dating this one guy for like six months or something. Mark or whatever. Parker seems to get along with him pretty well, too." He added the last part grudgingly, not liking it one bit.
"Maybe she's afraid that you might attempt to get custody if you got married. Which of course is preposterous, because she clearly doesn't know the situation very well."
"Yeah," he said, mostly because it felt like had to say something. His mind was spinning with what she'd just said. Bones had hit upon something without even really trying... Rebecca, being the way she was, might very well have assumed that it could happen, just as he always feared she might get married and take Parker away with his new step-father. He barely avoided cringing visibly at that last idea. But Bones' idea... it made a lot more sense, especially given that it had been three months, than his other theories about why she was suddenly so guarded did.
Bones had gone back to cutting vegetables, and he turned his attention back to the pasta, going to her spice cabinet and pulling out what he needed without too much trouble. He'd labeled the bottoms and was pretty sure she hadn't noticed. It had made cooking in here a whole lot easier, for him at least.
"We have wine, right?" he questioned as he seasoned the now boiling water filled with cooking spaghetti.
She nodded, pulling out another pan and filling it with water. She put it on one of the larger burners and waited for it to start boiling, loading the remainder of the vegetables which she hadn't chopped up back to the fridge.
"I'll be right back," he promised, and then he headed to the main room where he took out his cell, dropped heavily onto the couch, and dialed his ex's number.
"Hello?" answered a voice that was not Rebecca. Nor was it Parker.
"Is Rebecca there?" he asked, skipping any greetings he could have offered.
"Oh, it's Booth, right? Yeah, hold on a sec..."
The next voice was the one he was looking for. "Seeley," she said as a way of greeting.
"Rebecca," he answered calmly. "Listen, Parker-"
She sighed heavily into the phone. "Seeley, this really isn't the time to discuss this. We were in the middle of dinner, and Mark is taking Parker to a baseball game Saturday, so don't even bother with what you were going to ask."
"Yeah, that's great. I really appreciate that your boyfriend is spending so much time with my son. Rebecca, I want to see him, okay? Just... either this weekend after the baseball game, or the weekend after. But I think I deserve some time. He's my kid, too, you know."
"You're still living with Dr. Brennan?"
"Yes, I am. That has nothing to do with it. Parker and her get along great; you can't deny that."
There was a tense silence. He really hated having arguments like this with her, even if they were technically negotiations. They always felt like a fight, despite the fact that there were no raised voices and no insults from either side. Just stubbornness that led to bitterness on both ends.
"Fine. This weekend. Mark will drop him off at your girlfriends after the game; it should be around four or so. I'll come pick him up first thing Monday."
"Thank you," he said sincerely. "I really do appreciate it."
"Yeah, you're welcome," she responded, but with hardly any enthusiasm in her tone. He didn't feel like getting into another talk about why he should get to have Parker and why Bones was no different... scratch that, she was better... than any boyfriends she'd had their son around over the past few years... so he said his goodbyes and hung up, returning to the kitchen.
"So Parker's coming this weekend?" she asked. She was standing leaning against the counter with her hands spread out along the length of it.
"You heard all of that?" he questioned, feeling his eyebrows shoot up. He hadn't realized she would be able to catch every word he said when he was in the other room.
She nodded, but didn't seem bothered at all. He quickly went over the conversation he'd just had in his head, making sure that nothing from his half had been hurtful in any way, or would lead her to assume Rebecca had been unkind in her favor while they'd spoken.
"You're... I mean, that's okay with you? I'm sorry, I should have asked; it is your apartment, and I-"
"No, Booth, it's great," she cut him off. He saw a sparkle in her eyes that told him she wasn't lying, and a soft smile on her lips. "I told you I hadn't seen Parker in a while; I'm glad you're going to get to spend some time with him. So he's coming here... is Rebecca going to tell him we're dating, or are you going to?"
Oh, right. They hadn't discussed that on the phone. "I'm actually not sure... but we'll address it when we get to it, I suppose. Knowing Parker, he'll probably think it's cool."
"Really?" she asked, her expression changing to a confused frown. "I thought he disliked his mother's boyfriends usually. Doesn't the same apply to the other parent dating?"
"Yeah, but it's.... you. There's a difference."
"How so?"
"He... likes you. And he already knows you." He left off that Parker had questioned him a year or so ago about if the two of them were dating... and he'd actually expressed disappointment at the quick answer from his father of 'No.'
She had a thoughtful look on her face, and she had just opened her mouth to speak, when they both jumped and ran to the stove as the water from the pasta pot began to boil over.
He laughed as they bumped into each other; she grabbed the pan and put it on a back burner as he reached around her and turned the red hot one off.
The conversation was effectively ended as she attended to the stew and he pulled out plates and bowls for their rather different assortment of food. A few minutes later they were seated opposite each other at her table, each with a small plate of seasoned pasta, a bowl of vegetable stew, and a glass of red wine.
"This is good," he said, pointing at his bowl with his spoon while he chewed on a mouthful of vegetables.
She chuckled, "Don't sound so surprised, Booth. They're all organic vegetables, so they're better for you, too."
He decided to derail that conversation before she could go back to the whole alligator thing. "How about the pasta?" he asked.
"It's actually pretty tasty," she said with a nod, putting some more into her mouth.
"Actually? Now who sounds surprised?"
She kicked him under the table.
"Hey!" he cried in mock hurt. She smiled at him, her eyes glowing with amusement. He couldn't help but grin back, and then they were both laughing.
As they ate they got into several conversations, eventually reaching a debate over salad vs. macaroni and cheese, which Booth ultimately won using plenty of flattery towards her cooking abilities for the latter. He grinned triumphantly as she sighed and let the discussion drop.
The empty dishes sat in front of them, and the only thing that was keeping them at the table was the conversation and the glasses of wine. Booth stood up first and collected the plates, dumping them in the sink. He'd take care of those tomorrow; right now there were other things they could do.
"Movie time!" he said, pulling her out of her chair and dragging her to the other room while she cried out half-hearted complaints about needing to sleep or do paperwork.
She scowled at him while he dug through the extensive collection of DVDs in her cabinet, all of them his, of course. He'd brought over everything he owned and bought a bunch more after moving in with her.
"What to watch, what to watch..." he muttered, running a finger over the titles. "Hey, Bones, come on, come pick one out."
She sighed and then came to crouch next to him. "Booth, I really don't care. Just pick one that you like, and preferably not something that is so historically inaccurate that it has no point."
"Harry Potter!" he crowed, spotting the title and remembering their conversation from earlier.
"Aren't there seven of those?" she asked warily, clearly worried that he intended to start a marathon or something.
"Five," he corrected. "On DVD at least. There's gunna be eight movies; they're splitting the seventh one... but the sixth just came out... you know what? We'll watch all of these and go see it next week in the theater!"
She gave him a skeptical look, but he ignored it.
"It's practically a criminal offense to watch the movies and have no knowledge of the books... ruins it, I think, but I'll let it slide. The first two are pretty accurate as far as the books go anyways... so it shouldn't be too bad... and you're a fast reader anyways, now aren't you, Bones?"
"What are you talking about?" she asked, giving him a worried look.
He grinned. "Well, Bones, I happen to own all seven books. I'll pick them up tomorrow and you can start reading."
"Booth!" she complained. "I don't have-"
"You have plenty of time," he cut her off. She glared at him, but he knew she wasn't actually angry. He slid the disk into the player and then pulled her back to the couch and sat down, easily sliding his arm around her and pulling her up against him. God, he loved being able to do that.
She was still tense with irritation, but as the movie started she gave in and relaxed into his side. He hummed along with the music, which earned him a raised eyebrow, so he refrained from quoting the lines, having seen the movie an innumerable number of times with his son so that he knew it well enough by now.
He glanced at the clock when the ending credits started, and saw that it was nearly eleven o'clock. She looked in the same direction as well and then turned to give him a penetrating stare that very clearly said, 'I'm not going to get enough sleep now. It's your fault.'
"So, what did you think?" he asked cheerfully, ignoring the look.
She sighed and gave up with the glare. "Fine, I enjoyed it. There, are you happy?"
"Very," he replied with a wide grin. "So it wasn't too unrealistic for you?"
"A bit, but you have to apply it to the boundaries of its own setting. If there was indeed magic, which there is not, then it stands quite strongly in a reasonable structure. And clearly the storyline was quite original, although influenced by other magic myths of the past, such as the use of wands, and how they-"
"No thanks, Bones, I don't need the movie picked apart. Just... enjoy it for what it is. Pretend it could all happen in the real world. Makes it more fun."
She stared at him for a long moment as if trying to figure out if he was serious or not, but finally she gave a slight nod, and then stated very firmly, "We are going to sleep now. And don't you dare complain to me tomorrow morning when I wake you up at seven."
"I won't," he promised.
She just shook her head at his comical smile, and then headed to her bedroom to get changed into her sleepwear. He headed to the bathroom to do the same; it was their usual routine, only a bit later than usual.
When he got out of the bathroom and headed into the bedroom he found that she was already asleep, barely under the covers with her hair spread out on the pillow. She'd left the light on, but had somehow managed to drift off even with it shining directly on her face. He stayed by the door for a minute, just watching her breathe slowly in and out, her face empty of emotion, totally relaxed. Sometimes he really wished she could see herself through his eyes, so that maybe she'd grasp it a little firmer... all those little reasons why he adored her. She still couldn't really see it, even after all this time, he realized. Today had been a clear sign of that.
She had seriously believed him when he'd teased her about being more normal. Didn't she get that he loved her exactly the way she was? He sighed, shaking his head at her still form, totally oblivious in sleep and awake even though he was working so hard to make her figure it out.
His mind went to what he'd been thinking about an awful lot lately. Angela and Hodgins were off on their honeymoon; they were happy and married and enjoying every minute of it. They'd had their rough patches, he remembered the long stretch of awkwardness at the lab while they slowly got used to not being together and not being really sure how to interact anymore, but they'd gotten through, same as he and Bones had with their challenges.
The image of the little house and the kids in the yard hadn't faded. It was getting stronger with every passing moment he spent with Bones. Angela and Hodgins could have that now... and he wanted it too. She still seemed to be against the idea of getting married though, even if she never came right out and said she didn't want to marry him. She always referred to the topic as 'the idea of marriage' or when it involved him like it had when she'd said why Rebecca might be keeping Parker from him, 'if you got married.' She never referred to herself, even objectively, and it worried him.
Maybe he wasn't going the right route with her, by seeing their relationship in the future as a married couple. She might get really offended if he asked her, or she might even get angry with him and think he didn't know her well at all...
The age old fear that had always eaten at him before she even knew he loved her came tumbling back to the forefront of his mind... the concept of losing her by making one mistake, by scaring her and making her panic and flee. Surely she wouldn't do that, not now, but his brain wouldn't let it go. The fear was there, and it was very real.
He'd been intending to take this very slowly and very delicately, but suddenly he had an urge to just forget it altogether. To just do what Bones wanted and go along with her concept of marriage being an antiquated ritual or whatever. Then they could be together and he wouldn't have to worry about losing her.
He walked on tiptoe around the bed and climbed in next to her, sliding himself under the covers and pulling them more snuggly around her before sighing softly and dropping his head onto the pillow.
If he'd already gotten a ring he knew that right now he'd be twisting it between his fingers, debating, but seeing as he hadn't even taken that initiative yet, that wasn't much of an option. He opted for putting both arms behind his head and frowning at the ceiling instead.
Surely she could be brought around to the idea... they'd come a long way after all, especially her. And... if he proposed then maybe he could finally make her understand just how much he loved her. Maybe she'd be able to get the concept that he wanted to be with her forever, no matter what. Marriage just happened to be the best way he had to show it.
She made a sound in her sleep, and his attention immediately went to her. She rolled over, facing him now, and snuggled her face into the pillow, an arm reaching out unconsciously towards him and resting on top of the comforter between them.
He smiled softly at her, reaching out to brush a finger gently down her cheek. He pressed his lips to her forehead.
"Goodnight, Bones," he whispered, and then reached over and shut the light off.
If it isn't totally obvious, I've recently seen Harry Potter 6 and started rereading all the books. Oh, and I know that it wouldn't still be in theaters since this is a few months in the future from now at the moment... but let's pretend :) And they aren't going to go see it anyways, so it's not like it matters a ton. You'll see why pretty soon.
So what did you think? And let me know how you think I should be updating in the future. I've been writing these a lot faster now, so I'm not sure if you'd still like one a week so I can get further ahead, or if you want me to update every four days, or if you want to do it on that number of reviews thing some people do.