[A/N: You're all spoiling me with your very kind words! I am grateful for your comments. Please keep me honest!
FYI-it might be a longer than normal wait for the next chapter. It's dealing with subject matter I don't usually write, and it might take me a while to get comfortable with it before posting.
This chapter was planned from the beginning—even before Booth started telling me his considerable thoughts about things. So it might seem like a departure, but it isn't… or it wasn't… This isn't a chapter that will place our beloved Bones and Booth on separate continents, and it's not a dream, and nobody has a tumor or anything, but I am fairly confident that this was not what any of you were thinking would happen next. Please let me know if I'm wrong about that….]
Chapter 14: Life is Full of Surprises
The only thing that should surprise us is that there are still some things that can surprise us. – Francois De La Rochefoucauld
Brennan had had been right in predicting that Booth would avoid her for most of the week. Nearly all of the forensic evidence from the three sets of remains had been analyzed, and most of the current work on the case involved tracking down the gang members who'd gone into hiding. Booth had spoken to Bones only a few times to pacify her, and he'd been a bit unnerved by the way that she had accepted his demand that she remain in the lab and out of harm's way. She'd even blown off his attempt to apologize for disarming her in front of the team. Something with her was definitely off. But Booth knew well that Bones didn't do anything she didn't mean to do, so he was not above taking a gift horse and being grateful for it. He'd smiled to himself when that thought had crossed his mind. He had known that his partner wouldn't have understood a word of his twist on that old expression.
The only time the partners had seen one another had been for the interrogation of the man in the wheelchair. Fortune had smiled at them when Brennan had stumbled upon him. The man had been identified as the younger brother of the gang's leader. Booth had held the younger Kwon on charges of assault for pulling his gun on Bones. They'd also found evidence that the gun had been used in another shooting long associated with the gang, so he'd had even more reason to hold him. Kwon had been injured years earlier as the result of retaliatory gang violence against his older brother. Booth and several other agents had been able to learn from other gang members in custody and from old police records that the gang's leader felt guilty for his brother's paraplegia and that he doted on him and protected him fiercely—sometimes violently.
During the interview, it had become obvious that Kwon was more like a mascot than an actual member of the gang. The other gang members who had been talking to the FBI had confessed to watching out for him and protecting him, but not one of them had indicated that he had been a major part of their crime ring. Despite the fact that he didn't appear to be a major criminal, both Brennan and Booth had quickly come to the conclusion that his van might be a significant source of information about their current case. Brennan had been the first to connect the van's age and equipment to Mr. Westar's missing vehicle. Booth had run the VIN number and discovered that the van outfitted with high-tech equipment to assist a driver in a wheelchair had originally belonged to Mr. Westar. Booth had rushed a team to the impound yard and they had found evidence of blood in the back of the vehicle. Hopeful that the automobile might provide them with evidence about the Westars' disappearance and murder, Booth had shipped the car to the Jeffersonian for analysis. It was doubtful that much evidence of the murder would have remained intact and identifiable so many years later, but the team was hopeful that they might find something.
In addition to being a fantastic new lead, the van had also given Booth a legitimate reason to keep Bones at work in the lab. He'd worried that they'd eventually fight about the fact that he simply wasn't allowing her to track down Kwon and his thugs. Having a need for her to supervise and analyze the evidence in the van gave him the opportunity he needed to keep her safe-and at a safe distance.
By the end of the week, the team at the Jeffersonian had found DNA evidence in the carpet fibers that clearly linked the Westars' blood to the back of the van. They'd also found Richie Park's blood in the vehicle. They still needed more evidence, but it was beginning to look as if they were building a sound case. They just needed something to point them to one specific gang member so that they could make the case airtight.
Booth pressed Kwon for more information and got very little. He'd leaned on him pretty hard, telling him that he knew that he'd killed the Westars and assuring him that he'd spend the rest of his life in jail. Booth could tell instinctively that the man had never killed anyone. But the man's reaction had given Booth an idea of a new angle for how they might proceed.
With FBI teams smoking the hidden gang leaders out of hiding places and with swarms of agents hot on their trail, Booth had played his trump card. After consulting with April and Andy Westar and telling them he hoped this move would bring April's parents' killer to justice, he had placed them in protective custody and put out a press release about the case, announcing to the world that Kwon Yong Sook (the gang leader's brother who was in custody) had been arrested and that the FBI was planning to prosecute him in a capital murder case. The details used in the press stirred public resentment against Kwon—as Booth had hoped, few had any sympathy for a man who would kill a woman, her disabled husband and another child. Now that the media frenzy had begun, Booth was convinced that once the elder Kwon heard of the charges against his brother, he'd take action to make sure that his brother wasn't prosecuted for a crime he hadn't committed.
T R A N S L A T I O N . . . T R A N S L A T I O N . . . T R A N S L A T I O N . . . T R A N S L A T I O N . . .
By Thursday, Booth had begun feeling a bit more relaxed. They were making great progress on the case, and he and Bones had worked together well—albeit on a very limited basis—all week. After checking in with her to learn that she was planning to remain at the lab until the analysis of the evidence from the van was complete, Booth had run his final errands to prepare for Parker's birthday celebration. On Thursday night, he had called his son, happy to hear how excited the boy was about the coming weekend. He had reminded Parker to call a friend—any friend—and arrange for them to pick him up around 6:00 p.m. Friday night. Parker had chirped happily about how he'd call as soon as they hung up.
Booth sighed; he loved hearing his kid happy. When he'd asked him where he'd want to go for dinner, Parker had surprised him. Instead of some crazy kid-focused place full of video games and singing cartoon characters, Parker had asked to eat at Wong Foo's. While that was much more appealing to Booth than pizza only a kid could love, he'd asked his son why he'd made that choice. Parker had rattled off that Sid was cool and that he'd promised Parker that he could see some squid and other "creepy" stuff in the kitchen. Grinning at his son's enthusiasm, Booth assured him that he'd call Sid and arrange for the creepiest birthday dinner ever. Pleased with the way that the arrangements were coming together, he hung up and called in their dinner reservation. Work was going well, plans for the party were moving along spectacularly, and he and Bones had fallen back into some semblance of a normal working relationship. For the first time since he'd confessed that he wanted more with her, Seeley Booth started to feel as if things were going to work out just fine eventually.
T R A N S L A T I O N . . . T R A N S L A T I O N . . . T R A N S L A T I O N . . . T R A N S L A T I O N . . .
Friday flew by, and Booth rushed out of the office and to his apartment for a quick change into casual clothes before driving across town to pick Parker up. The kid had nearly tackled him as he ran down the steps and leapt into his arms. Fighting tears because he just wasn't going to be a cry-baby in front of his kid, Booth smiled at Rebecca with a knowing look as he hugged his son tightly. Shaking his head, he put his son on the ground and was struck by the fact that he no longer seemed like a tiny little kid. When had he grown up that much? Eleven year olds weren't supposed to look that big. He glanced to Rebecca to see that she was touched by the emotion she read on his face. She nodded sadly-sharing his sadness that their son was growing up faster than they were ready to face.
After collecting Parker's things and settling him comfortably in the back seat, Booth turned around and grinned at him conspiratorially, "So where to, Park? Who's your partner in crime for the evening?"
Late Thursday evening, Brennan had been reviewing the latest reports of the evidence from the van when her cell phone had buzzed to rouse her from her work. Frustrated by the interruption, she had picked up the phone and glanced at the display, prepared to hit the button to ignore the call. Surprised by the caller ID, she had accepted the call and answered with concern in her voice, "Brennan."
"Bones? Hi. It's me, Parker!" the boy had said eagerly.
She had smiled broadly. Parker was such an adorable child. She really had missed spending time with him lately. "Well, hello, Parker Booth. To what to I owe the pleasure of this call? Aren't you up late for a school night?"
"It's not that late, Bones. I'm a big kid now. I'm almost eleven, you know."
"Eleven?" she asked, fully aware of the child's age but a bit wistful remembering how small he'd been when she'd first met him. "Well, you certainly are growing up."She found remarks like that pointless, but she knew that children seemed especially fond of such obvious factual statements.
"I am. Guess what, Bones!"
"I'm a scientist. I don't make guesses, Parker. I make decisions based upon evidence."
"Oh. Yeah. Well, here's some evidence for you. My dad's taking me out to dinner for my birthday tomorrow night. And he said that I could ask anybody I wanted—anybody—to come with us…."
Brennan closed her eyes tightly to fight back the tears that had rushed at her unexpectedly. Surely this child wasn't suggesting what she suspected.
"And... well, my mom had a party for me last weekend, and I've already seen all of my other friends. It was a sleepover, and we stayed up late and watched scary movies. You'd have loved it, Bones. There were zombies that looked really dead... with real-looking bones sticking out everywhere and stuff..."
Brennan's face lit up with an enormous smile as she listened to the boy ramble on excitedly. Her heart fluttered a bit as she realized how much she had missed hearing sincere Booth enthusiasm about something. She ached with the memory of silly conversations like this with Parker's father.
"Well, like I was sayin', I've had a party with all my kid friends, and my mom and I had a cake last night, and dad's taking me and Pops fishin' tomorrow, so the only other person I wanted to see who I haven't seen in forever-is you!"
Biting her lip, Brennan couldn't help smiling. She paused, waiting for the little boy to continue. He took a deep breath and asked, "Is that enough evidence for you, Bones?"
She chuckled, "I'm not certain. Maybe you need to explain a bit more."
"Jeez, Bones. Will you go to dinner with us tomorrow night or not?" Parker sounded precisely like his father when he was exasperated.
Her heart in her throat as emotion overwhelmed her, Brennan replied, "I'd love to."
"Awesome! Thanks, Bones! Hey, don't tell dad, okay? I want it to be a surprise. He's expecting some kid. He'll be so excited that you're gonna be there."
Brennan had felt pangs of guilt all that evening and the following day about keeping this secret from her partner. She'd picked the phone up at least five times to call him and hung up before dialing. Parker had asked her not to tell. She had very little experience with children, but it was Parker's birthday, and she could remember being excited about such milestones in her early childhood. She understood that giving away the surprise might spoil the boy's fun. Yet, she had a feeling that her partner would be angry with her for keeping this secret to herself. Hoping that he would understand the reason for her deception in the long run, she finally opted to keep Parker's secret. Booth would have time once Parker told him where to pick her up to adjust to the idea of seeing her. Would he refuse and call her with some excuse? Would he take her along and would things be awkward between them? Would they both suffer in silence pretending to be happy for the child's sake? With all those questions weighing on her mind, Brennan hadn't been fully able to look forward to the evening.
Booth watched a hint of concern flicker across his son's face before he responded. "I hope you'll be surprised, Dad. You're never gonna guess who I asked to come to dinner!"
"I'm with the FBI, kid. I'm great at guessing."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. What's my first clue?"
"That's easy. This friend lives in DC."
"In the city?" Booth asked as he smiled and turned around to start the car and point it back toward the district. Perhaps it was Pops. The old man would "pop" himself if he got to spend two days in a row out with the boys.
"Yep!" Parker suggested. "Who do you think it is?"
"Um...," Booth said stalling. He wasn't going to give Pops away on the first guess. He had to scramble for a moment before he remembered the names of two or three kids who lived in DC who played on Parker's baseball team.
"Scotty?" Booth asked, hoping he was right. That kid was as easy to take care of as Parker. Those two would have a blast snooping around in Sid's kitchen.
"Nope!" Parker chirped with a grin as wide as his father's.
"Hmmm...," Booth said formulating his plan. He'd guess another kid before guessing Pops. He wanted Parker to have a great night and thinking he had fooled his father would be a highlight.
"How about Pete?"
"Pete's having a sleepover at Jacob's," Parker replied, grinning again that his father still hadn't guessed.
Booth smiled back at him, ready to make his son happy. He'd just let Parker tell him about inviting Pops. The kid would be so proud of himself.
"Does Mitchell live in the district?" Booth asked, knowing full well that he did.
"Yeah! He does! But Mitchell's not coming out with us! You didn't guess! Three strikes—you're out!" Parker yelled, laughing hysterically in the back of the car. Booth relished the happy look on his son's face and tried to look sufficiently embarrassed.
"You got me, bud," Booth said with a sheepish grin. "Tell me who it is since I can't guess, and we'll go pick him up."
"Her, Dad," Parker said, pleased when his father's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Her?" Booth asked in surprise. "Parks, I know you're growing up, but you're not ready to start dating yet."
Parker laughed uproariously, "It's not a date, Dad!" he replied, still laughing hard at the suggestion.
"Okay... so this girl... Who's just your friend...," Booth began, raising his eyebrows in warning to and amusement with his son, "Where are we picking her up?"
"The lab, of course, silly!" Parker howled. He was thrilled beyond measure by the way that Booth looked shocked. Booth knew better to hope that the boy had invited Angela or even Cam... Holy Mother of... Saint Monica, tell me I'm wrong about this...
"It's Bones, Dad! She's waiting for us at the lab. I called her last night. I knew you'd be surprised! She kept it a secret. You are surprised, aren't you, Dad?"
Shaking his head, Booth smiled even though the smile didn't quite reach his eyes, "Yeah. Yeah, pal... I'm surprised all right."
As Parker chatted happily about pulling one over on his old man, Booth's mind was racing. Could he and Bones manage to behave normally in front of Parker for an hour or so? Did she resent being asked to be there? His mind ran through at least a dozen scenarios, and most of them worried him. But the drive to the lab was a short one and he didn't have enough time to feel prepared to face her in what he knew she would describe as a "purely social setting."
Parker skipped along beside his father when they entered the building but then bolted for Bones' office once they were inside the lab. Allowing his son the pleasure of informing his partner about how surprised he'd been, Booth lagged back a bit, dreading seeing the look on his partner's face. Eventually, he arrived at the door and propped on his forearm high against the doorjamb as he watched the pair of conspirators talking about something.
Booth cleared his throat and both of them looked up at him—one with sheer happiness and the other with more than a bit of trepidation. "So I hear you've been in cahoots with the other special agent in the Booth family," Booth said, trying to keep his emotions at bay. Bones had been hugging his son when he walked in. He hadn't anticipated the surge of raw emotion that image would hurl in his direction.
"Sorry for keeping the secret from you, Booth. Parker asked me to promise. And... a promise is a promise, right?"
He gulped hard. As usual, Bones had the ability to disarm him with a glance. That one she had sent his way—plus her words to him-had lodged his heart in his throat momentarily.
"Yeah," he mumbled, too moved by her sentimental reference to their last emotionally charged conversation to say anything more.
"Parker, I believe that Dr. Hodgins had something he wanted to show you," Brennan said with a smile, "if we have time for you to talk to him," she asked Booth with a glance.
"Go find the bug guy," Booth said, rumpling his son's hair as the boy raced past him and out of the room.
"Bones, you didn't have to...," Booth began, not really knowing what to say to her.
She was prepared to spend the evening with them, but she was not equipped to allow Booth to gush at her over her attendance at dinner, "Nonsense, Booth. Parker invited me. I was honored. I am looking forward to celebrating his birthday. Anthropologically speaking, birthdays are an important means of allowing children to become part of the culture in which they live. Special meals and other social norms for recognizing the growth and development of children on their birthdays allow them to be acknowledged by those important to them and to improve their immersion in their communities."
"And your coming along was a really nice thing to do," Booth said with a genuine smile.
"Nice is not a word often used to describe me. I prefer to focus on the anthropological significance of the occasion," she demurred with a soft smile.
Despite the conversation they were having, neither of them had been focusing on the anthropological significance of the occasion. There would be plenty time for that when Parker returned to become the center of the attention. But in that quiet moment when they were practically alone, something—some hidden conversation—happened between the partners. Booth seemed unable to hide the fact that he was looking at her as if he hadn't been admiring her from afar for years and she smiled back at him openly—in a way she hadn't in ages.
Trying not to let him distract her with that intense expression on his face, Brennan completed her work and put her things away.
Compelled by the evening's events, Booth took her jacket from the coat rack near the door and held it out for her as she crossed the room to meet him. His heart was stutter-stepping knowing that Bones was risking her own happiness to do something nice for his kid (and for him).
She had felt emboldened by the smile on his face. Perhaps agreeing to join them for the evening hadn't been a mistake.
Booth had already placed his hand on the small of her back to lead her out of the room when she paused and asked him to wait. She walked over to a cabinet and opened it, pulling out a brightly wrapped package covered in what appears to be professional baseball team logos.
"Bones, you didn't have to..."
"Of course, I did, Booth," she interrupted, smiling a genuinely happy smile at him as he watched her walk toward him. God, he'd pay money to keep that expression on her beautiful face. It took all his self control for Booth to wait for her to pass and then to just catch up and walk with his hand on her back the way they'd done countless times.
Things were surprisingly quiet in the car. If Booth hadn't known better, he'd have thought that Parker had been leaving the grownups some time alone to talk. Thinking too much about the fact that his son might be becoming a psychological expert or something gave him a headache, so Booth decided that Parker really was as captivated by the toys Angela and Hodgins had given him as they'd hoped.
Smiling over at his partner hopefully-and hopefully not awkwardly, Booth decided to stick to talk about work to keep things light and normal between them. He told her that they were getting really close to wrapping up the case. He explained that he was certain that it would be merely days before they arrested the gang leader. He told her about how they had issued a statement to the press that they'd arrested his brother and that they expected him to show up demanding that he be released. She conceded that work was being tidied up nicely and filled him in on the latest details from the lab.
Out of practice and reeling from how "normal" the whole evening had been thus far, the partners became awkwardly quiet. Booth sensed her discomfort. "Hey, thanks again for coming out with us tonight, Bones."
"You can stop thanking me, Booth. I am happy to celebrate this milestone for Parker."
Booth looked over at her gratefully and tried to squelch his hope that Parker wasn't the only Booth she'd looked forward to spending time with. Bones met his gaze for a moment and then looked away as if to hide something. The silence screaming between them instantly became deafening, but neither of them knew how to stop it.
When they arrived at the restaurant, parking outside Wong Foo's had been impossible—as it often was on weekend nights. Booth pulled up to the curb near a fire hydrant to let Bones out with Parker. Smiling at both of them, he told them to go on inside and that he'd meet them once he parked the car. Feeling more normal about things and hopeful that they could relax and have a good time, he threw in a wisecrack asking them not to eat everything before he made it to the table. They both had laughed in response and begun teaming up to tease him about how it was widely acknowledged that he had the biggest appetite in the bunch.
Outside on the sidewalk as they watched the SUV drive away, Parker tugged on Bones' slacks and thanked her again for coming. Unexpectedly moved by his simple thanks and the happy smile on his face, she pulled out her phone pretending to check a message and then said something to him almost absentmindedly. She needed to calm down. Booth had already begun destroying her ability to think clearly with his smiles and subtle touches. The sincerity and enthusiasm on Parker's face was draining the rest of her composure out of her. She had to get through this evening without spoiling things for Parker. This evening was important to him, and she couldn't help but feel that this evening would be terribly important to her and to her partner as well.
Momentarily overwhelmed, Brennan was quickly jolted out of her thoughts about what a distraction her partner had become to her and what the evening might bring for them. For, as she was putting the phone back into her purse, both Brennan and Parker were yanked backwards by the men in dark clothes who wrapped gloved hands over their mouths and pulled them roughly into the alleyway.
Yeah. I really had to end it there. Booth's orders. I'm going to go hide now….Yell—I'm expecting it and I can take it.
Is this a bad time to remind you that I'm struggling to complete the next chapter and that it might take a while? I'm not stalling, I swear… just struggling to write the kinds of details I usually ignore.]
