A Bride for Booth
By LizD
Written May 2010 - July 2010
Chapter 11
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Elizabeth walked into their apartment. It was just as she left it. It didn't look as if the bed had been slept in. The food she had left in the refrigerator was still there. The ring was still on the table where she left it. What had Booth been doing? Where had he been sleeping? Eating? Living? Upon further examination she discovered that the bathroom had been used but cleaned. The chair by the window in the living room had been turned to face east. And the garbage contained day old take out boxes and several beer bottles. There was a blanket and a pillow neatly folded on the end of the couch. So he was living there, but making very little impact. That was not how he was when he was with her. When they were together, he enjoyed the little things in life: holding hands, music, a nice meal, making love. She was good for him. She grounded him. She kept him moving forward.
It was not a mistake to come home early and unannounced. It was not a mistake to have such hopes and expectations for them and a future. It was a mistake to leave in the first place; she never should have done that. She should never have given the ring back. She slipped it back onto her finger. She remembered the day they bought it. It was the day before he was to ship back to Afghanistan. She had said repeatedly that she didn't need a ring, but he had insisted that she have something tangible to remember him by. They went to the store on base. The selection was small, but they settled quickly on a very simple stone. He was very sweet and he seemed genuinely happy.
Elizabeth told herself again that she was good for him. They could be good for each other. He had already given her a life back that she never thought she would have again. He gave her hope for a future. It was time to make up for the past four weeks and set some goals for the future. They would be dining in that night and the conversation would be kept to the non-verbal variety. She had a lot to do before that evening, and she wasn't sure she wanted to wait that long.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Several hours later Booth and Brennan were walking into the Hoover Building. Booth was animated and smiling and talking very fast. Brennan also seemed quite pleased.
"That was incredible, Bones" he said walking backward in front of her so he could maintain eye contact. "How did you know? Seriously, how did you see it?"
She reached for his arm to pull him back closer to her and turn him in the direction they were walking so he wouldn't bump into the people around him. "It was obvious from his bone structure."
"To you maybe."
"It's what I do, Booth."
"And no one does it better." His eyes sparkled. Booth rang for the elevator. "I don't know how anyone does this job without you? I know I couldn't."
"To be honest you were the one that got me thinking about it."
"How's that?" They stepped in and the doors closed leaving them alone in the tiny space.
"That slip of the tongue he had about Charlotte. You heard that. You called him on it. You asked how close he and Edwards were. His answer was not forthcoming. He hedged. He looked down and away. You taught me to look for that."
"And from that you decided to do a bone scan … well a BONES scan?" he joked.
"Sure," she liked that he was so playful with her. "Will we have to tell NCIS?"
"What that Jacob Edwards tried to faked his death and probably killed his roommate? No, not until they ask."
"He could have been sincere when he said that he saw an opportunity and took it."
"Yeah, well … that is this guy's life story. Dishonorably discharged from the marines for stealing medical supplies. He should be in Leavenworth not walking the streets of Virginia."
"How long can we hold him without charging him?"
"Twenty-four hours, but I think I can find a charge that will stick in that time."
"Ironic that his ex-wife's husband was the one to get him off."
"More ironic that he is dead now and can't get him off again." Booth just grinned. "There is more to the story, Bones … A lot more to this story." Brennan couldn't contain her smile either. He was calling her Bones again. He hadn't done that in over a year. "What?" he asked. She shook her head not wanting to verbally point out that things were getting back to the way they were. "Come on, tell me," he cajoled.
"Nothing," she smiled again. The elevator doors opened and she stepped out.
He followed hard on her heals. "Awesome, Bones … just awesome. We are back, baby!" He offered her a fist bump which she took reluctantly.
She stopped in the hall forcing Booth to stop and turn back toward her. "So what is our next step?"
"We dig up everything we can on Edwards and the wife and the connection that Barr had with them. It could be your basic love triangle, but I think there is more to it. Edwards isn't going anywhere for a while."
"Won't NCIS find out that information?"
"Sooner or later … but I need the IDs on the rest of the victims – and the passenger. What if it is not Charlotte Barr? This could have been some elaborate plan from the beginning by Edwards to get them declared dead. And if one of those people is not Edwards' roommate then we may have another homicide to solve – at the very least missing persons." Brennan had stopped listening. She saw something – rather someone – over Booth's shoulder. "Bones," he waved his hand in front of her eyes. "Bones, are you listening to me?" She nodded to the person standing behind him. Booth turned and saw Elizabeth standing three feet away. He glanced back at Brennan and then back to his ex-fiancée. He looked surprised, embarrassed and a little caught.
"Hey stranger," she stepped toward him with a tentative smile.
"Elizabeth, I thought you weren't coming back for another two weeks."
"Came back early to surprise you," she explained. "Surprise."
"Yeah," he chuckled a little. He needed to greet her with a kiss or a hug or something, but he was paralyzed in front of Brennan. Finally she stepped forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He returned it quickly.
"I thought I could take you to lunch," she said glancing toward Brennan.
"Lunch?" Booth was thrown for a loop and didn't know how to respond.
"But I guess you two are in the middle of a case."
"Um, yeah, I mean no … yeah, we have this case …"
It was time for Brennan to speak. Her face was expressionless. No sign of how she was feeling was evident – to the people that didn't know her. A moment before she was smiling and bright eyed, but that was gone. She was completely deadpan. "No, no … Booth has time for lunch," she protested.
"Can you join us?" Elizabeth asked but clearly she didn't mean it.
"No," Brennan burst out. "I need to get back to the lab and get working on those IDs. We'll have that information for you this afternoon, Booth." She stepped back and luckily the elevator doors opened. "It was nice to see you again, Elizabeth," she said backing away. She knocked into someone who was getting off, but slipped in quickly and thankfully the doors closed and she was gone.
Booth had followed her with his eyes not knowing how to stop her. He turned back to Elizabeth. "Quite a surprise," he said.
"Yeah." She smiled. "I wondered if I should bother you at work, but then it wouldn't have been a surprise if I called first."
"Right. Right. The thing is ... surprises at the office are not really a good thing," he said walking toward his desk. "Never know what you will walk into the middle of and I pretty much need to stay focused. Usually I am out of the building at this time of day."
"I understand," she said. "I won't let it happen again."
"It's Ok … really. It's fine, just want you to know what to expect." He sat down at his desk and flipped though some folders that were left for him. "So you are back," he said not looking at her. "How was it?"
"Yeah," she sat down in his guest chair. "It was great to see everyone. Really great. The baby is gorgeous – a bit of a handful, but absolutely a sweetheart." She waited for some reaction – maybe even a question about how it might have affected her maternal instincts. They had talked around the topic of children before but never broached it head on. She got nothing from Booth; he was still scanning the files. "So, I thought we should talk."
"In the middle of this case," he reminded her and looked around the bull pen implying that they were not alone.
"We can talk at lunch." Her voice dropped and she leaned in and whispered to him, "or we could just run home for an hour or so." A sexy smile edged her lips. "I have missed you." She put her hand on his arm and he saw that she had put the ring back on.
"What?" He looked panicked. "No … I mean not 'no' but -."
"But you have this case," she repeated.
"Right," he said. "I mean 'no, not now'. But we do need to talk, but not at lunch."
She knew what was coming. She had given him an out and he took it. She knew there was a risk of that before she left, but she thought she had made up her mind to let things fall they way they were supposed to. She never expected that one conversation with her sister-in-law and the five hour flight back to Washington, thinking about Seeley and the life they would build together with a house, kids and a future would have taken such a firm hold. She wanted it more than she ever thought she would. "It's Ok, Seeley. I understand." She wondered if it - Seeley, the life, the future - were worth fighting for, waiting for – if maybe Seeley Booth with all his goodness and kindheartedness, was the husband for her. Looking into his kind eyes at that moment, she believed he was. "I'll see you at home," she said with renewed determination.
He heard a tone in her voice that sounded defeated or disappointed. "No, no … now come on. You can't surprise a guy like this – two weeks early - and expect him to be ready to talk at the drop of a hat."
"Right, No … I understand." Her mind was on their next meeting. "And you have this case."
"How about dinner, huh?" He reached out and took her hand. "I'll take you out for a great dinner and we will talk … all night if you want, OK?"
"Sure, that sounds nice." She stood up. "Or I can cook. Tonight, then. I'll let you get back to work." She turned to walk away.
"Hey," he pulled her back. "I am glad you came back." He didn't know why he said that, but it felt right.
"Me too."
He kissed her quickly. "I'll see you at home, OK?"
She forced a smile that returned his. "Ok. Be careful."
"Always." He watched her leave the bull pen. He should have walked her to the elevator. He sunk back down into his chair. He was confused – a minute ago all that was on his mind was the case. It was nice to be able to concentrate on ONE THING that wasn't confusing and messy. Not that the case was simple, but they didn't have all the information yet, but it was something to hold his focus. But she was back, back with an agenda that included him; he could barely concentrate – on anything. And the hurt, pain and disappointed look in Brennan's eyes nearly killed him. She had been so happy the moment before. "Oh God, what am I supposed to do," he muttered to himself. He looked down at his calendar. It was a Thursday. He couldn't go to lunch anyway, he had a meeting with Sweets that he was late for. "Great … just great." He ran off down the hall to find Sweets.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Brennan sat in her car for a long time when she got back to the Jeffersonian. She felt like she was going to cry, but the tears would not come. Instead she tried to convince herself that she could still be partners with Booth even if he married Elizabeth, but she knew better. The job was demanding in terms of time and commitment; that wouldn't be good for the marriage. So he would have to leave major crimes and maybe even Washington and that would be the end of the partnership. However there were agents - Special Agents - who were able to work in major crimes and be married and have children and a partner. Maybe Booth was one of those, but Brennan didn't like the idea of restricting her access to Booth to allow for a wife. Part of their relationship that she had come to rely on was that he was always there for her. That would no longer be the case. There would be no late night Chinese, or post case cocktails. He would need to get home to be with her. On the other hand maybe they wouldn't get married. Maybe Elizabeth was back to say good-bye. Brennan scolded herself for being so selfish.
Brennan wanted to take solace in his words of a few weeks ago. He had said that he wasn't sorry enough for Elizabeth breaking the engagement implying that he was relieved that he was no longer engaged. He had said that he didn't want to be married, rather that he had concluded that marriage was not for him by the choices he had made in his life. He said that he wanted their partnership back. He had said he was not willing to sacrifice their partnership for his marriage. But he had said so many other things. Weeks before he implied that he still had feelings for her. Weeks before that he told her that she had affected his ability to do his job in Afghanistan. Months before he had banished her from his presence. A year before he had promised they would be together again. Before that he had said that he wanted to give them a chance. And then there were all the long silences where nothing was said at all. Silence can speak just as loudly - if not louder - than words. And then there were all the words said to other people, words like "will you marry me?" Those were words that could not be ignored but no solace could be found in them for Brennan.
"This is why interpersonal relationships are frustrating and confusing at best," she said to herself. "I don't need this much consternation in my life. It is unproductive and very distracting. It is better to be alone."
She got out of her car and marched toward the elevator. By the time she reached for the button, the tears had come. She decided to take the stairs.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Booth," he barked into his phone. "Right, I am on my way." He snapped the phone shut and looked across at Sweets. "Thanks, this has been real helpful. But I have to go."
"I understand," he said. "I'm sure it is pertinent to some major case you are working on."
"SUV-Bus crash. Six, now seven people are dead. We just found the roommate stuffed into the trunk of a car."
"Sounds important," he said dryly.
"It is." Booth got to the door and looked back at the poor kid who was genuinely trying to help.
"I understand," Sweets assured him.
"Thanks, Sweets ... I mean ... you know."
"I know. I'll see you Tuesday."
"Right ... Ok," Booth felt compelled to say something to him. Their sessions had been superficial at best since he had been back at major crimes. And he was really grateful that Sweets hadn't brought up Brennan in all that time. "Can I ask you something?"
"Thought you had somewhere to be?"
"I do. I do. But," he paused. "Do you ever wish that you could just rewind your life to one moment and make a different choice?"
"That is magical thinking - sort of - and serves no real purpose as there is no way to rewind."
"Right," Booth didn't like that answer.
"But," Sweets stood up. "But I do think about how I can get back to that place ... to that one moment so I can make a different choice."
"I don't understand."
"If you view the moment you are referring to and all its surrounding conditions, the question becomes what do you have to do moving forward to get to that place again? Of course you have to keep in mind that you will never get back to the exact same place. You can't step in the same river twice."
Booth didn't like that answer either. "Right, perfectly clear. Thanks again Sweets," he said sarcastically.
"Booth," he called him back. "I have some time tomorrow ... since our session was so short today. Same time?"
Booth thought for a moment. Elizabeth was back. He and Bones had found their groove again. That night was going to be a tough one. Maybe he could use Sweets to figure it all out. "Yeah, Ok ... Sure. Thanks." He darted from the room. Sweets nodded and smiled. He might actually be getting through.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Brennan has been in the bone room since she got back from the Hoover building. She was utilizing all that she had been given to confirm the IDs of the victims. She had confirmation on three of the bodies from the bus but was still working on the skull reconstruction from the passenger of the SUV. They had a DNA match that the victim was indeed Charlotte Barr. Brennan had concluded that the gun shot was self-inflicted but was continuing to work the reconstruction so they could piece together the chain of events.
"Bren?" Angela called from the doorway. "There was another fatality. Morgan Mitchell died a few minutes ago." Brennan sat back on her stool and sighed. "She was nine years old," Angela went on. "That is just too young to die senselessly like this."
"Yes it is."
"What is going on?" Angela stepped up to her and touched her shoulder. "You look like something happened."
Brennan didn't know how to respond. How could she say 'He called me Bones and then Elizabeth showed up,' and not have Angela dig though everything. "Nothing, everything is fine."
"How was being in the field with Booth?"
"Fine."
"Fine? Just fine?"
"Yeah, it was fine … you know, we were bouncing ideas off each other."
"Bouncing ideas?"
"Well I figured out that Jacob Edwards' roommate was not actually the roommate it was Edwards himself."
"That is quite a revelation," she offered. "Wonder why he didn't just leave town when he had a chance." Brennan shrugged. "Didn't know that it would be discovered so quickly, I guess."
"I guess, but it was a mistake," she wasn't trying to listen to Angela. "Have you gotten any more information on Charlotte and Jacob's marriage?"
"Yeah, there was no divorce."
"So she was a bigamist," Brennan observed. "That is rare; usually it is the male who marries multiple times or maintains multiple sexual partners."
"Brennan?"
"There is evidence that higher testosterone levels correlate to the number of partners – sexually speaking – in men … and women too. Men seem to be able to do that more effectively in our society."
"Which has no bearing here because we don't know about the sex lives of our victims – or if they are victims at all – and we don't know if Charlotte was still having sex with her husband." Brennan nodded. "So Brennan … what is going on?"
"Nothing."
"Something happened with Booth."
"Nothing." She gave a warning glace to Angela. She turned her focus back to the skull in front of her. "Elizabeth is back."
"You saw her?"
"They are having lunch … had lunch, I don't know." She placed another bone in the skull. "I really need to finish this; Booth will be expecting results soon. So I will need a reconstruction to determine a possible scenario of what happened."
"OK … but I am not letting this go."
"Angela."
"Brennan … you and me … cocktails … tonight … lots of them."
Brennan's phone rang. "Brennan ... right, I'll be right down." She turned her phone off. "That was Booth. They found the body of Edwards' roommate in the trunk of a car. I have to go."
"Fine go ... but don't think you are getting out of tonight."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
It was very late when Brennan and Booth decided to call it a night. It was close to 9PM. Booth has missed his dinner with Elizabeth and Brennan had missed drinking with Angela - or so she assumed. Brennan sat at her desk rereading the page in front of her. She decided to stay at the office and work on her book rather than go home to an empty apartment. She didn't know when she started viewing her apartment as empty or when she suddenly started to feel alone in the world. There were more people in her life currently than they ever had been, but she felt alone. The cursor blinked at her as she read the page again. Brennan needed to know what would happen next. She really had no idea what would happen next. She hated when she wrote herself in to corners.
Kathy slowly let her eyes open and come to focus. There was a wretched smell. She couldn't remember clearly, but she thought she was in a hospital, or in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. The smell should not be of a sewage and urine. She tried to move hear arms, but she was pinned down. She tried to turn her head and felt incredible pain at the base of her skull.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came the voice of her nemesis. "Just lie still." She struggled harder. "LIE STILL," he ordered.
Keeping her head still, Kathy turned her eyes toward the direction from which the voice was coming. It took her a minute, but the face came into focus.
"Not dead," said Jackson Salt. "Not dead yet," he corrected. He didn't have a shirt on and there was a large bandage on his chest. He must have been wearing a vest. He nodded to a spot just next to her. "Neither of you," he added. "At least not yet." Kathy realized what Salt had been so please with. There was a body on a gurney. She could tell immediately that it was Lister, Special Agent Andy Lister. He was not dead, but he was not conscious either.
