Chapter 18
Aderyn took a bite of her food and her eyes went big, "Wow, this is amazing!"
"Thank you, Ange gave me the recipe, it is pretty good isn't it?" Everyone nods, for a few minutes everyone is silent, enjoying the food.
"So Aderyn, what are your plans for next year? Any schools picked out?" Booth asked as he took a sip of wine.
"I have applied to a few schools, two in Baltimore and two here in D.C."
"What schools?" Bones asked, taking a bite of her pasta.
"Georgetown, George Washington, Notre Dame, and Baltimore University." I have been accepted to all of them, but I have to see if I can get a full ride, if not I have to go to community college until I can afford the tuition at a major university."
"Do you think that you will get the scholarships?" Booth asked.
"I hope so, I think that I could get a partial athletic scholarship, and a partial academic one." She took a big bite of her pasta.
"Oh really what sport do you play?" Booth asked very interested.
Aderyn still had a mouth full of pasta so Parker answered for her, "Softball, she is the starting Varsity catcher, and clean up hitter. She has also been voted MVP for the last three years, and is a shoe in for MVP this year too."
Aderyn's checks were turning red, and she looked down at her plate. "She is amazing, she can throw down to second from her knees!"
"Damn! Trey can't do that!" Booth said wide-eyed.
"He's pretty good though," Aderyn said, trying to get the attention off of her. "I am really excited, we are playing against each other this year, we have been wanting to do it for a long time, and they are finally letting us!"
"What do you mean?" Bones asked.
"Varsity Baseball is playing Varsity Softball. That reminds me Coach Reynolds wants to know if you would be willing to pitch to us during the game." Parker looked to Booth.
"How would that work?" Booth asked taking the last bite off his plate.
"Well, the one problem with us playing against them is that the pitching style is different. So what they want to do is get a couple of people who can pitch to the baseball players and then a couple people who can pitch to the softball players. All you would do is pitch, then Lauren would field the position, she would stand next to you and then you would get the hell out of the way." Parker responded, swallowing the last of his milk.
"When is it?"
"Umm," Parker looked to Aderyn, "four weeks, that sound right?"
"Yeah, it is the weekend before prom."
"So I would be pitching to you Aderyn?"
"Yeah, I know that Coach Roth wants the stand in pitchers to come to practice so that I don't get hurt with the change."
"So would you be able to come to the two hour practice and hang out with the girls for about a week and pitch to you?" Booth asked.
"Yeah, if you are able to make it."
"What time?"
"Practice starts at 3:30."
Booth thought for a few seconds, "Yeah I should be able to make that. Be prepared for your hand to hurt, I can bring the heat!" He said laughing.
"Oh dad, you have never seen Lauren pitch have you?" Booth shook his head, "That's what I thought. Aderyn will have nothing to worry about."
"Wow, that hurts Parker," Booth started.
"Don't be offended, when I first started catching for Lauren I would have to keep my hand in ice for about two hours after every practice."
"You should come with me to their next game dad, they are all pretty good."
"You go to her games?" Bones asked with a smile.
"Yeah, it is something that the teams do for each other, as long as we both don't have a game on the same day, we go to the games, they have one tomorrow morning, you two want to come with me?"
"Sure, sounds like it could be fun. What time?" Booth said as he started to grab the plates and take them over to the sink.
"The game starts at 10:00." Aderyn said as she grabbed the glasses that everyone was using.
"So do you guys want to watch a movie or something?" Bones asked as she was wiping down the table.
"Sure, what movies do you have?" Parker asked, moving to the living room where the collection of DVD's was. "Is there anything that you don't want to watch?" He called back into the kitchen.
"No, pick whatever you two want to watch," Bones called back to him.
Parker and Aderyn were standing in front of a massive movie collection. "This is nuts, I have never seen half of these movies!" Aderyn said, "I lost count at 20 that I have not even heard of!"
"Well let's watch one that you have not seen, how does that sound?"
"Okay, I guess, as long as it is okay with everyone else."
"Which ones haven't you seen?"
"I think telling you which ones I have seen would be easier."
"Why don't I pick a few of my favorites and if you haven't seen them we will pick one of those?"
"Works for me," Aderyn said with a smile.
Parker pulls a few DVD cases off of the shelf. " The Incredibles,"
"I've seen that one,"
"Okay good, I would be terribly sad if you had not seen it. Van Wilder?"
"I used to watch that with my babysitter all the time when I was like 10."
"Good, again I would have been terribly sad. Rose Red?"
"Never heard of it," she paused, "Sorry."
"Don't be, no one has. So Rose Red is a possibility. How about Tremors?"
"My dad and I would watch that all the time when I was little. Love it!"
"Yeah, this is a movie that me and my dad would watch too! How about The Boondock Saints?"
"I think I have hear of this movie, two brothers go around killing people right?"
"For the most part yes. And last would be Accepted."
"Another classic!"
Booth and Bones walk into the room, "So what are we going to watch?" Booth asked sitting on the couch with Bones.
"It is between 'Rose Red' and 'Boondock Saints'" Parker looked at them on the couch.
"Oh, please not 'Rose Red!' Every time we have watched it you two always dive me crazy saying that I look like one of the girls in the movie! I don't so please can we watch two Irish guys committing mass murder!" Bones wined while she was snuggling down under a blanket with Booths arm around her.
Booth and Parker both smile broadly, "It is true though," they say together.
"Okay, okay! We can watch two Irish guys killing mobsters." Parker laughs, putting the movie in the DVD player. Parker sat down on the other side of the L-shaped couch with Aderyn.
"So this movie is about two Irish guys killing people?" Aderyn asked.
Parker looked at her and paused for a second, "Yes," another pause, "And no." Parker flicked his eyebrows up with a grin.
"Okay, now I am confused!"
"Get used to it, you won't understand this movie until it is over," Bones said with a small smile. Aderyn nodded and then turned back to the screen.
All throughout the movie Aderyn would make confused faces, and then small noises of understanding after the flash back scenes, the noises made Parker smile.
Once the movie was over Aderyn had a very thoughtful expression on her face. "I am not sure how I would actually feel about that."
Everyone laughs, "We have had this conversation many times, and I could never do what Federal Agent Smecker did. I could not turn my back like that." Booth said, nodding.
"But if you had a guy that you could not get in court, and you had him there three times what would you do?" Bones asked covering a yawn with her hand.
"I wouldn't let someone else kill him." Booth said matter-of-factly, "Time to get you to bed, Tempe. I was really nice to meet you Aderyn."
"Seeley I am not tired!" She said, yawning again.
"Yes you are, bed. Now." Booth pulled her off the couch and led her the their room. Booth came back and woke Nik up. "Hey man you fell asleep during the movie. Come on I will show you where you are sleeping." Booth walked up stairs and Nik followed him.
"Did you like the movie?" Parker asked, they were both still sitting on the couch.
"Yeah, it was pretty good, confusing until the end, like your step-mom said." Aderyn yawned too.
"You're getting tired, come on I'll take you home."
"Okay," Aderyn pulled herself off the couch and grab her purse off the kitchen counter. "Let's go."
Booth walked back down stairs, "Hey dad, I am taking Aderyn home, I'll be right back."
"Okay, I should still be up, but if not, knock on the door."
"Got c'hya." Parker and Aderyn walk out the front door.
The ride back was quiet, Parker kept glancing over at Aderyn, she did not notice, she was looking out the window, lost in her own thoughts.
When they reached her house, and Parker put the car in park and turned it off. He looked over at her, but did not say anything. "Sorry I'm being quite, I was just thinking about how nice your family is."
"Just be glad that you don't have to meet my mom and step-dad, they are not so nice." Parker said with a smile, and he reached for her hand.
"Do you really think your parents will come tomorrow?"
"Absolutely."
"My foster parents have never come to a game. They are nice, and really supportive, but they have never come."
"They will be there, I promise." He squeezed her hand.
She gave a small smile, "I had a really good time today."
"You have no idea how good of a time I had."
"Oh, I think that I do," She smiled again, "Goodnight Parker."
She went to get out of the car but Parker did not let her hand go. He pulled her back and kissed her softly on the lips. "Goodnight."
Aderyn smiled and then got out of the car, as she was walking to the house she glanced over her shoulder back a Parker.
Parker drove back to his house with a smile, thinking about his day.
When he got home Booth was still up, he was sitting on the couch watching the news. He looked over his shoulder as Parker walked into the house. "Hey buddy."
"Hey dad." He sat down on the couch again with his dad. "You and Tempe were serious about going to Aderyn's game?"
"I thought we were why?"
"She really wants you to come, no one comes to her games for her and she is really excited."
"Then we will defiantly be there."