Disclaimer: I don't own Bones. It belongs to Hart Hanson and Fox.
Angelbach: Lol I never thought about it but knowing Legates and I do ;-) it's mostly family. I couldn't resist the Legatar LOL!
Yenyen76: Lol it's hard to resist writing the men's reactions to that kind of singing ) bwuahahahaha. Glad you enjoyed it!
1954JohnDeere50: Yeah I've always thought of Sadie as one of those mothers that never stops with that sort of thing =D To be honest I didn't even think about it when I wrote it, it just sort of came naturally.
Chapter 14 - Going to Philly
Legates groaned and snatched his watch from the night side table. Glaring at it, he saw it was time to get up. The nightmares had returned and woken him up in the middle of the night once again. The only thing keeping him sane was the training for lack of sleep. Getting up, he quickly showered, shaved and got ready for the day. He walked quietly through the house and out the French doors. He let out a soft whistle letting Davis know he was there. Davis approached him with a grin.
"You here to relieve me early?" He asked hopefully.
"No, I'm going with Sarge and Dr. Brennan to Philadelphia. I'm going to get the golf cart and figure out how to get to the airstrip. I'll be back in ten maybe twenty minutes," he told Davis. Davis groaned but nodded.
Legates headed to the back of the garage and found a golf cart sitting there. Getting in, he turned the key and drove in the general direction Hodgins had indicated the night before. Five minutes later, he saw the edge of an airstrip with a jet sitting there. Groaning, he turned the cart around and headed back up to the house. Parking the cart near the door, he went into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee.
While he was waiting, he went back down to his room and grabbed his phone in case they needed to get a hold of him. He was headed back to the kitchen when he spotted Brennan. He looked at her in surprise.
"Booth didn't pack proper shoes for me. I'm going to borrow a pair of Angela's," Brennan said as she climbed the stairs.
Legates saw her enter a door next to Angela and Hodgins bedroom. Shaking his head, he continued to the kitchen. After entering the kitchen, he poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the island while he drank it. Booth entered a few moments later and poured himself a cup.
"I expect a lot of people to be there today. Especially since Bones has been in the news lately. The local cops should be there to keep reporters out. Just keep an eye out for anything really strange," Booth said.
Legates nodded and continued to drink his coffee. Booth and Legates looked up when Brennan entered. Booth smiled when he saw the necklace and Legates started laughing when he spotted it. He knew Booth had to have given it to her. If it had been on anyone else it might have been almost macabre. A complete skeleton made from opals stretched from one collarbone to the other. The word Bones was etched on the sternum of the skeleton. She walked to the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. Glancing at her watch, she frowned then groaned.
"We need to head to the airfield now," Brennan groused.
"Hodgins gave me directions and I've already pulled a golf cart up," Legates said.
Booth rolled his eyes and took another gulp of his coffee before setting the cup in the sink. They quickly moved out onto the patio and into the cart. Five minutes later, they arrived at Hodgins private airstrip and saw the Lear jet sitting there. As they were climbing out of the cart, a short, blonde woman approached them quickly. Booth pushed Brennan behind him and reached for his gun. The woman stopped and held her hands up.
"Agent Booth? I'm Kim Blackstone from USA Today," the woman said, holding out her credentials. Legates stepped forward and scanned the information she was holding out. He nodded over his shoulder at Booth.
"Mr. Hodgins requested that I be here for an interview with Dr. Brennan," Kim said with a smile.
"Dr.-" three voices corrected, causing Kim's eyes to widen.
"It's Dr. Hodgins, Ms. Blackstone," Booth told her. She nodded and gestured towards the man standing behind her.
"This is Jimmy, my photographer. We're hoping to get some candid shots of you today," she introduced the photographer.
Booth nodded and the five of them turned to face the jet. They made their way across the tarmac and entered the plane.
"So, Mr. Legates, tell me about the Dr. Brennan you know," the reporter said with a smile. Legates paused for a moment, looking for a way to describe Dr. Brennan.
"Corporal, Ms. Blackstone, it's Corporal Legates. Dr. Brennan is a very strong woman who has a hard job. Most people wouldn't be able to deal with death on a daily basis as she has for the last, what, five years. She cares deeply about people," Legates said.
"My apologies, Corporal Legates. Could you give me an example?" The reporter prompted, with the hint of a smile.
"When Sarge was shot, Dr. Brennan did everything to make sure he didn't die. She rode in the helicopter with him; she glued his skull back together and stayed with him in the hospital. She took on something no one should ever have to take on so that another young woman wouldn't have to deal with it. When she was in Afghanistan she made sure that several soldiers, who were killed, were identified so they could be sent home to their families," Legates told her, swallowing hard after the last statement. Kim scribbled down notes as he spoke.
"So, she's not cold and heartless as some people would believe?" She asked Legates with a smile.
"No," he said, shaking his head, "she'sjust misunderstood. People don't understand her job and how she has to deal with it." Kim nodded and turned her attention to Booth and Brennan.
Legates sat back listened with half an ear as she spoke with Booth and Brennan. His mind wandered as he wondered what Michelle was getting up to this morning. The two hour flight was spent answering questions that the reporter was asking. Some of them were dealing with Hannah Burley's original article, some to do with Brennan's reputation. He briefly wondered how late everyone at the mansion would be sleeping since they weren't going to the lab today. From there his mind wandered to whether Michelle slept in or was she an early bird. That was something he wouldn't mind discovering for himself.
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Michelle woke up and got out of bed. After using the bathroom, she got dressed and ready to head up for breakfast. She walked past Legates' room and briefly paused. Remembering he wasn't there, she continued on to the kitchen. When she entered, she found people sprawled around the kitchen and Cam standing in front of a griddle cooking little squares of some unidentifiable food. It smelled fantastic but was kind of gross looking.
Angela was standing next to her cooking scrambled eggs. The lights in the oven showed a plate of sausage keeping warm. Walking to the coffee pot, she poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the island after fixing her coffee.
"Sleep Good?" Cam asked her, turning the brown squares over.
"Yep, what is that?" Michelle asked, pointing at the food on the griddle.
"Scrapple. Booth said he'd cook it but I don't know when he'll have time so I offered to cook it," Cam grumbled.
"Where did you learn?" Michelle asked, eyeing the frying food.
"Scrapple is pretty common in New York as well," she replied.
"What's in it?" Michelle asked, sniffing.
"Pork, seasoning and cornmeal, at least in this particular brand. Some brands use oatmeal," Cam said, putting the scrapple on a plate.
Michelle continued to sip her coffee and Murphy came up and sat down next to her. She mentally rolled her eyes and wished anyone but him had sat there. Sadie stood across from Michelle at the island fixing herself a plate.
"So this thing between you and Legates, is it serious?" Murphy asked her, leaning on his elbow and looking at her.
"We haven't really talked about that yet," she told him honestly.
"So, you wouldn't be adverse to, say, seeing someone like me?" He asked, hoping for a favorable answer.
"Yes, actually I would be adverse. What he and I have doesn't have a label but I would say it's exclusive," Michelle said, sipping her coffee.
"Let me guess, you like him because his gun is bigger," Murphy said, smirking.
"And how would you know how big his gun is?" Michelle asked, raising an eyebrow at him in question.
Sadie choked back a laugh and moved to the seat on the other side of Murphy. The security team however felt no need to hold back their barks of laughter at Michelle's question. Murphy started stuttering in embarrassment at having been caught trying to trick her into saying something.
"I was talking about his rifle," he told her. Hodgins walked into the kitchen carrying a large stack of papers. He set them down next to Michelle with a thump.
"Thanks, Dr. Hodgins," she said then turning she faced Murphy, " 'This is my weapon and this is my gun. This is for fighting and this is for fun.' Believe it or not I'm not an idiot." Michelle grabbed a newspaper and sifted through it for the coupon inserts. Booth's units' mouths fell open and they roared in laughter.
"Michelle Welton, where did you learn that?" Cam gasped at Michelle's unladylike chant.
"Full Metal Jacket, I've also heard it has been used in the military even though they're not supposed to," Michelle muttered, "there's hand motions too."
Techie's eyes watered at Michelle's nonchalance. Sadie watched as Michelle carefully sifted through the newspapers and pulled out coupon inserts. Michelle stopped and glanced at the time on her phone. She dug through the stack and found the Washington Post. She quickly pulled out the inserts and pulled out the coupons. She flipped through them and squealed gleefully. She picked up her phone and shot out a text.
"Now you're just going to ignore me?" Murphy asked, leaning towards Michelle.
"Yes, I'm hoping if I ignore you long enough you'll go away," she said.
Sadie grinned at Michelle's response. Murphy stood up and left the kitchen without saying anything else.
"You should really be nicer to him, Michelle," Cam said in a disapproving tone.
"I've already told him once I preferred Josh. Murphy just chooses not to listen," Michelle said, still digging through the newspapers. Speaking of Legates, she wondered what exactly he was doing now. She knew he was going to Philadelphia but where exactly was he now. She glanced at her watch as she wondered.
"Well, I think he got the message loud and clear," Cam murmured.
"Don't bet on it," Lewis muttered, "he can get a little tenacious when he's interested."
Sadie shook her head but she had no worries now. She knew where Michelle's interest was and she didn't have to tell her son that Michelle had a wandering eye. Sadie sat sipping her coffee and watched as Michelle shuffled quickly through the fifteen newspapers and pulled out all the coupon inserts. Then Michelle began to flip through them and sort them into four piles that made sense only to her. Sighing, Michelle cross stacked them, took the last swig of her coffee.
"If anyone needs me for the next two hours I'll be in the gym," Michelle called out.
"Take some water," Cam said.
"There's water in the fridge in the gym," Angela said. Michelle left the kitchen and headed to her room with the coupons tucked under her arm. Still wondering about the location of her...boyfriend? Boy toy?...whatever he was.
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After the plane landed, Legates went into work mode. He got off the plane first, his eyes already scanning the tarmac. The only thing he noticed was a town car waiting for them. Kim watched as Legates went from an easy going laid back guy to a tense, alert and watchful guy. She would store that away for future military pieces.
Legates stood at the bottom of the steps until Brennan appeared, she was followed by Booth. She walked past Legates and headed straight for the town car. She stopped and waited as Legates opened the door and waited as Booth slid in then Brennan and last himself. Good strategy, easier to protect her when she was in the middle.
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Michelle mumbled as she dug through her bags looking for something to wear in the gym. Finding a pair of pajama shorts and a tee shirt that would work she pulled them on. She grabbed her phone, left the room and headed to the gym around the corner from the pool. She entered the gym and scrunched her face at all the equipment around the room.
Walking to the elliptical, Michelle saw an iPod dock and grinned, she grinned even harder when she saw a USB plug with a USB cord hanging from it. Picking the cord up, she plugged her phone into it. She jumped when a 50in TV on the wall came on. She went to her video player on her phone and started the lectures Tanya had sent. Her mouth fell open as the lecture appeared on the TV screen. Shrugging, she stepped up on the elliptical and began to move. Normally the lecture would hold her attention but she was having trouble focusing. Her thoughts wandered to mental images of Legates on a bench, muscles corded as he strained to lift a bar. Yum, wait, I'm supposed to be paying attention to my lecture not my man. Wait, dammit, she mentally sighed.
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"Youse reddy?" The driver asked Booth, glancing in the mirror.
Legates didn't miss Brennan looking to Booth for a translation, It took everything he had not to react in the same manner. The accent was as thick as sorghum and was just as clear. When Booth answered, Legates snickered as he heard the accent in the one spoken word. He jumped a little when Booth reached behind Brennan and swatted the back of his head.
Legates spent the rest of the ride biting back full on laughter at Booth's accent. It just seemed so weird. He knew Booth had to be from somewhere but Legates never would have guessed Philadelphia until he heard him speaking just like a local. When they pulled in, the reporters tried to rush down the alley after them. Policemen blocked their entrance. Booth slid out and took Brennan's hand and helped her from the car.
Legates slid out last and they sandwiched her between them. They waited and when the door burst open, Legates saw Booth smile at the woman standing there. Booth asked the woman named Rosie to let them in. After she did, she pulled him into a hug and asked him where he'd been. Legates painfully swallowed his laughter.
It was going to take everything he had in him not to call Booth 'Boof'. Legates eyes were moving around the stock room checking for hiding spots and possible entry points as they followed Rosie. Legates heard Booth asked about sandwiches but mostly ignored the ongoing conversation. Until she said "Seeley Boof" then he started coughing to cover up his laughter.
"Wit ketchup or wit out?" She said, looking at Legates.
"With please," Legates answered, after taking a moment to translate that she was asking if he wanted it with or without ketchup.
He heard Booth and Brennan bickering and stood up to walk to the door. Leaning out the door, his eyes scanned over the front of the store. There were people of all ages, both sexes and all races pressed up against the front of the store.
"Is it always like this?" He asked Brennan as he continued scanning.
"There are usually a lot of people. However, the Press are making things worse," Brennan murmured.
Legates stayed in the doorway for the next ten minutes, watching the people pressed up against the store's front window. One woman caught his eyes and she brought Michelle to mind. The woman had the same skin tone and was about the same height. What had she said she was going to be doing today? Oh, yeah, working out in the gym. A mental image of her covered in a fine sheen of sweat on a treadmill jumped to the front of his mind. The devil on his shoulder whispered ideas of how to make her sweat in his ear.
Shaking his head, Legates returned to scanning. At the end of those ten minutes a teenage boy entered the room carrying a coffee holder and three cups of coffee and a white bag. He set them on the table and scampered off. Booth handed Legates a sandwich and took one for himself. Legates unwrapped it and stared dubiously at the food in his hand. Two pieces of toasted bread sandwiched a slather of ketchup and a few pieces of brown, crunchy looking stuff.
"Just eat it," Booth said.
Legates shrugged and took a bite. Brennan heard it crunch and her eyes got wide. The flavor rolled through his mouth and it was spicy not hot spicy just full of flavor. The thin slices of whatever it was crunched in his mouth.
"Wow, that's good. What the heck is this?" Legates muttered as he polished off the sandwich.
"Scrapple and toldja," Booth said.
After they finished their sandwiches Brennan stood up and Rosie led the three of them to a table near the back of the store. After Brennan sat down Booth and Legates flanked her. Rosie walked to the door and opened them for the customers outside. And so began the long line of customers wanting Brennan's signature.
Legates eyes constantly moved, never stopping, never seeing anything either. Until close to lunchtime that's when he saw Brennan freeze and Booth go rigid. The anger rolling off of both Booth and Brennan was enough to make Legates want to shuffle back a few steps.
"Whatchaglarinat woman?" The man said in a nasty tone.
Brennan clenched her jaw and looked down at the book. Booth almost choked when he saw her write 'Go to Hell, Mr. Booth' in her beautiful script. Legates saw Booth swallow hard and glanced down at the book before Brennan slammed it closed. Given the situation, Legates felt it was prudent to not react in any form. He did however shift from one foot to the other nervously as the tension rose steadily the longer the man stood there. Booth's father picked up the book, flipped it open and growled at the message.
"Yew dewsh bag," he yelled, lifting his hand to smack her. He found his arm in an iron grip.
"Never, ever, lay your hands on her. Don't come near her. Don't even think about her. Now, git out of here before I have you arrested," Booth growled. His father looked up into a pair of brown eyes that had gone almost black in rage.
"So, meybe I'll hit yew instead. Although I know dey turned yew into a killer," Booth's father snarled.
An evil glint crossed Booth's face and he smiled a smile that made Legates shudder. Legates swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat. Booth had been hit as a child, oh God. Legates swallowed again and felt the acid from his stomach sitting at the back of his throat. Closing his eyes for a brief second, he blanked his mind and focused on the task at hand.
"Do it. I dare you. See, I'm not a kid anymore. I can arrest you for assault on a federal agent, Dad. And at the local Bureau offices my word carries more weight than yours," Booth said in a low deadly voice.
Legates mouth fell open and he quickly looked away. Booth's father snatched his arm from Booth's grip and stormed to the register. Brennan could feel Booth's rage wash over her. Looking up at the next woman in line, Brennan smiled politely.
"Excuse me for a moment, please," she said.
Standing up, she pushed Booth into a corner away from the table. Legates took several steps back so he was standing in front of Brennan's back but far enough away to give them privacy. He knew that Brennan needed his protection and Booth needed space. He was able to give both what they needed and deafen himself to the conversation behind him.
Legates was glad that he'd not seen his own father since they had taken him away. A moment later, he felt Brennan nudge him from behind. Stepping to the side, he allowed them to pass and took up his previous post. Booth stood rigid and tense behind Brennan with his hand on her shoulder. Brennan remained relaxed until Rosie said something that made Brennan tense. He saw Booth gently squeeze Brennan's shoulder. For the first time that morning since he left, his mind wasn't on Michelle. It was working furiously to push the memories back to where they had come from. That dark recess of his mind that he didn't let see the light of day.
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Michelle was half way through the chemistry class she had missed when Andrea came into the gym. Michelle slowed down the elliptical and hit the stop button on her class. Andrea walked to the treadmill and stepped up on it.
"Give me a second and I'll turn this off," Michelle said to Andrea.
"Don't worry about it. I space when I run so I won't even notice it," Andrea said, waving her hand and starting the treadmill.
"Thanks," Michelle said, hitting play.
She disappeared into a world of electronic structure. John was walking past the gym when he saw Michelle on the elliptical. He opened the door and listened to swish of the machines. His eyebrows rose as the sound of a lecture penetrated his consciousness. Huh, she was serious about her studies, interesting.
When the lecture was over, Michelle stopped the video and slowed down the elliptical and then stopped it. Stepping off, she looked around. She wasn't ready to study, she did enough over the last few days. She spotted mats laid out on the floor and grinned. More than likely for yoga or some such thing but they would work. Walking to the edge of the mat, she pulled off her shoes and socks. Stepping on the mat, she sat down, tucked her feet into her crotch, and leaned forward between her knees. She went through her entire stretching ritual and then began with a back walkover.
Andrea had finished her run on the treadmill and walked to the mat to watch. Michelle mentally went through her checklist and began to move. The floor routine that had been written for her took her through all the tumbling for cheerleading. When she stopped and looked up Michelle saw Andrea sitting on the edge of the mat. Leaning back on her hands, Andrea looked at Michelle.
"Do you compete?"
"No, I only took gymnastics for cheerleading," Michelle said, walking to the edge of the mat.
Scanning the area, she saw the disinfectant and walked over to it. She saw large cloths and a spray can. Walking across the mat, she started spraying and wiping in the back corner. Fifteen minutes later, Andrea shook her head and stood up.
"I'll see you later," she called out.
"Bye," Michelle called as she continued to clean the mat.
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"Rosie, I'm taken," Booth said firmly.
Legates looked up and cringed at the gaggle of giggling women. They were not attractive women but they were all after Booth. Legates sniggered at the women.
"Shut it, Legates," Booth growled.
At his low growl, the women turned in unison and rushed towards him. Booth crossed his arms, planted his feet and blocked them from getting too close to Brennan. Brennan pasted a fake smile on her face and continued to sign books for the patrons at the table.
Legates swallowed his laughter but let the grin spread across his face. The laughter was barely choked back when he noticed the women ogling Booth's butt as he walked towards the table. At one o'clock, the trio stopped for lunch. The bookstore had allowed two hours for lunch.
"Rosie, we're going to Celia's for lunch," Booth called out.
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Michelle returned to her room, showered then headed to the kitchen. Looking around, she sighed no one here. She was hungry but wasn't comfortable digging through Angela and Hodgins' refrigerator. She wished Legates was here then she might be able to get him to do it. Sighing again, she turned on her heel, and left the kitchen. She passed the man cave and saw several people there but bypassed it. She had studying she should be doing. After entering her room, she laid down on the bed and began to study.
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After a quick ride across town Booth, Brennan and Legates pulled up in front of a small brick building with Italian decorating. Booth spoke briefly with the driver and then they moved to the door, the driver staying with the car. Booth held the door open allowing Brennan to enter and Legates took the door from Booth's hand allowing him to enter.
Legates swallowed his smile when Booth and Brennan were enveloped in a hug by a large older woman. Booth grunted and stepped back. Booth introduced Brennan to the woman, who he called Mama.
"Mama, dis is my Bones," Booth said.
"Bones, this is Mama," Booth said with a smile. Brennan turned her smile on the woman.
"Yew call dat poor woman Bones?" Mama said, scolding Booth for his nickname while shaking her finger at him.
Brennan put her hand over her mouth and tried not to laugh. Legates was not so successful and burst into laughter. He straightened his face into a serious expression when Mama turned on him. Mama looked up and shook her finger at Legates.
"Don't yew be laffin at Seeley or I'll be yellin' at yew tew," she said.
Mama let her laughter twinkle through her eyes. She waved for them to follow her and they walked with her back to a large table.
"I figger da rest of de block will be here soon," Mama said, smiling. Booth rolled his eyes and groaned.
"Mama, da driver needs a Jeez Tak wit," Booth said.
Mama nodded and headed behind a set of swinging doors. A younger woman with the same dark hair and dark eyes bounced over.
"Whatcha need, Seels," she asked Booth, snapping her gum.
"Angie, I'll take jeez tak wit, a soda and she'll have spinach lasagna wit no meat in da sauce and wudder," Booth said, pointing towards Brennan. Angie looked over at Legates who started blushing at her blatant once over. Her eyes ran over him and made him feel like a piece of meat.
"I'll take a cheesesteak with onions and a soda," Legates told her. She nodded and bounced back to the kitchen.
"She didn't write anything down," Legates whispered. He couldn't believe that she had just taken three orders and not written anything at all down.
"Angie's been doing this since she was fourteen," Booth told him. Legates eyes skated around the restaurant and landed on Hannah at the same time as Booth's did.
"Go away, Ms. Burley," Booth said sharply. Hannah stopped in her tracks and smiled at the three sitting there.
"Seeley, I have every right to be here," Hannah said in a sweet tone.
Angie came walking through the dining room carrying something wrapped in aluminum foil and a bottle of tea. She stopped short at the sight of Booth's face.
"Seels, yaight?" She asked looking at him in question.
"As long as, she," Booth pointed at Hannah, "stays away from us." Angie stopped, turned and pushed the swinging kitchen door open. Legates bit back a barked laugh when he heard Angie yell into the kitchen.
"Dad, some blonde scuz is in the restaurant bothering our special customers," Angie hollered.
A man came out from the swinging doors wiping his hands on an apron. Legates shot a look at Booth and Brennan and realized neither had understood what Angie had said. He mentally laughed at the fact there was something he knew that Brennan and Booth didn't.
He spoke Italian. Legates saw the man sit Hannah on the other side of the restaurant. Then to his amazement he heard Booth thank the man in Italian. He shot Booth a look which the other man ignored. Brennan leaned her chin on her hand and looked over at Booth.
"What?" He asked with his charming grin plastered on his face. She shook her head and maintained her silence.
"She's observing," Booth grumbled and Legates laughed.
"How much lon-" Legates question was cut off when the door was flung open.
A large group of people came rushing into the restaurant. Legates turned and put himself between the door and Brennan. Booth chuckled and took a sip of the soda that Mama had brought him. The sounds of 'Booth', 'Seeley' and 'Seels' echoed around the dining area. Brennan turned to look at Booth and grinned when he ducked his head. Legates relaxed as he realized the rest of the neighborhood had arrived.
"You were one of those guys. I knew it," Brennan said with a smirk.
"One of what guys?" Legates asked, looking over at the two of them. He knew exactly what guys but wanted to make sure they were on the same page.
"You wouldn't understand. By the look of it, you were as well," Brennan said.
"One of what guys?" Legates repeated, narrowing his eyes. He most definitely wasn't one of those guys.
"A jock, popular, you know one of those guys," Brennan said, taking a sip of her drink.
"I was a D&D geek," Legates whispered to her.
He wasn't always this fit or good looking. He had spent most of his free time in high school at his friends' houses chucking dice. Brennan let her eyes go wide and she grinned at him.
"Did you know that Dungeons and Dragons players score higher on Math and English in standardized testing than people who do not play?" Brennan said, taking a sip of her drink. Of course he knew it, he had scored very high on those subjects on his ASVAB tests
"Yes, I did. Did you know that Vin Diesel is a huge D&D geek?" Legates asked with a grin.
Legates was pushed towards Brennan when people started squeezing in around the table. He pushed back allowing Brennan some room. Legates smiled as Brennan propped her head in her hand began observing. The girl next to Legates was leaning in close and had her hand on his arm. The strong smell of patchouli reached his nostrils and he wished for a sweeter smell. The smell of warm vanilla sugar would suit his purposes perfectly. He leaned back towards Brennan trying to get away from the woman.
"Seels, I herd yew went back into da Army, man," a large, husky man across the table said. Legates flinched and bit down on the inside of his cheek.
"I was, Jimmy, but not anymore," Booth said in a clipped tone.
"Dat bad, huh?" The man asked with a frown on his face.
"Helen's son came back from Afghanistan and he ain't bin righ' since. He was saying some Sergint guy got shot in da hed. Den I herd you died den I herd you dint," the man continued. Legates eyes nearly crossed at the man's first sentence then the bile rose at the last few.
Booth stiffened and Brennan flinched at the statement. Booth let out a sigh and rubbed his hand through his hair.
"Sarge got shot in the back of the head," Legates said in a hushed voice.
Brennan clenched her jaw and looked over at Jimmy. Legates closed his eyes and pushed down the memories of Booth's lifeless form laying in the back of the truck on the way back to Camp Phoenix. He pushed down the memory of Booth's blood seeping through his pants. He sucked in a deep breath at Brennan's next words.
"Booth died on the flight to Kabul," Brennan said in a flat tone.
"Huh, so bof da rumors are tru den," Jimmy said.
Booth nodded a yes and turned to look at Brennan. The silence that had fallen over the table was broken when Mama came out carrying their orders. Legates gaped at 20 inch sub sitting in front of him. He rubbed his hands together and picked up his sub.
He took a bite and bit back a moan. Flavor of charred beef, cheese and fried onions flowed over his tongue. He almost choked on the next bite when he heard a comment from the other end of the table.
"Whoo cares. She's beeyoodeful," a younger man down the table said.
The young man sent Brennan a wink and a smile. She stared at him blankly and turned back to her plate. Booth chuckled at the look she had shot the man.
"She's picky about her men, Joey," Booth said.
"Booth, if I wanted that explained then I would have done so myself. I am an adult and can speak for myself," Brennan stated, twirling the mozzarella cheese on her fork.
Legates almost choked on the third bite of cheese steak that was sliding down his throat. After taking a sip of his drink, he shot Booth a look and laughed. Little did Legates know the conversation would only get better.
"Yew let yur girl tawk to yew like dat?" Jimmy asked, looking at Booth in surprise.
Booth chuckled under his breath, knowing the 'your girl' comment was going to rile her. Booth and Legates mouths fell open in surprise when Brennan let the comment pass. The independent Dr. Brennan had just let that of all comments pass. Legates chuckled as Booth urged Brennan to say what she wanted to say. Legates wondered if Michelle had issues with possessive comments like that. She was independent enough that she might but she didn't seem to be as gung-ho about it as Brennan was.
Legates suddenly realized if he didn't stop listening to the conversation and eat, he'd be hungry for the rest of the day. Again his mind wandered for a half second, wondering if Michelle had eaten at all today. He mentally sighed as he heard a woman attack Brennan's sanity. Then Legates heard Booth call for doggie bags. Scowling, Legates finished the bite he was chewing and set the half sandwich in his hands down.
After packing their food, they stood up to leave. As they were leaving Legates was watching Hannah, she did something unusual. She picked up her straw, now why would she do that? Legates shot Booth a look hoping he'd provide the answer. All he saw was pursed lips and a furrowed brow.
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Michelle looked up at the knock on her door.
"Come in," she called. Cam entered the room carrying a plate with a sandwich on it and a bottle of water.
"I figured you'd skipped lunch. I remembered how long it took you to be comfortable enough to eat when you moved in with me," Cam said, setting the sandwich and drink on the night table. Michelle chewed her bottom lip and nodded.
"You know you don't have to hide in here," Cam said, trying to draw Michelle out of the room.
"I'm not hiding. I'm studying," Michelle mumbled, pointing to her book. Where was Legates when she needed him? A rescue from her mother would be really good right about now.
"You seem to be spending a lot of time studying," Cam said pointedly.
"I also socialize," Michelle pointed out. Cam's mouth quirked up on the side.
"Yeah with Legates," Cam said, biting back a snicker. Michelle shrugged and glanced at Cam.
"I know the other people as well as I want to," Michelle told her. Cam nodded and stood up.
"Dinner should be around five," Cam said, quietly leaving the room.
Michelle rolled over and picked up the sandwich. There were times when she adored Cam and times she wanted to strangle her. Looking at the sandwich, she wondered what Legates had eaten for lunch.
•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•◊•
A ten minute ride later, Legates, Booth, and Brennan arrived back at the bookstore. Legates followed Booth and Brennan into the employee lounge. He heard Brennan's phone ring then saw her answer and put it on speaker. He scowled as he heard Angela say she had gone to the lab. How had they gotten there and who was her security? Who had they taken? Why had Techie let them go?
"In what? You didn't take the deuce and a half did you?" Legates growled towards the phone. That's all he needed was someone not authorized driving a military vehicle.
"No, Legates, we took Booth's SUV," Angela said.
Legates tried not to laugh at the fact that they had stolen Booth's SUV. He just barely managed to bite back his laughter when he heard Angela say she took the keys from their night table. Rosie came in looking for Brennan and Angela roared in laughter when Booth answered the woman. Legates grinned when he realized he wasn't the only one who'd never heard Booth speak like that.
Standing up, Legates left the lounge and started scanning the crowd. His eyes roamed over the waiting line and he scowled. She thought she was being sneaky but she should have known better. Changing her jacket wouldn't make her unrecognizable. Did she seriously think they were that stupid? Walking over to the officer standing next to the roped off area.
"Sir," Legates said and waited as the officer turned to face him.
The officer was about twenty years older than him but looked thirty years older. The officers deep blue eyes were deep set and surrounded by wrinkles.
"What can I do for you, son?" The officer asked him with a kindly smile. Legates scowled slightly at the patronizing attitude before he realized it was just the way the man spoke.
"I need you to escort Ms. Burley from the building. She's a reporter for the Washington Post," Legates said, pointing to Hannah.
"I can't do that unless she is wearing her press badge," the officer said with a frown. The military always thought that they ran the show. The officer was under the understanding that this was a local matter. Hannah shot Legates a smirk.
"Sir, I know for a fact that she is not here with good intentions. I'll ask you again to remove her from the premises," Legates said, waving his hands from himself to Hannah.
"I'm sorry, son," the cop said again. He was not about to infringe on someone's rights just because a kid in camouflage said to do so.
"Do it or I will. I am head of her security today" he said, pointing at Brennan, "and I am telling you to do it or I will," Legates said, scowling at the cop.
The cop looked Legates in the face, swallowed, took a small step back then spun on his heel and headed to where two other cops were standing. A minute later, the cops were pulling Hannah from the line and pushing her out the door. Sighing with satisfaction, Legates turned and headed back towards the table.
A/N: Tomorrow...being in heat, bad memories, busted, running, mental demons, reliving it, taking care of Legates, pride, John gets told how it is, learning of his past (a little), that memory, forming of bonds, protecting Legates, understanding, either way, happy thoughts, coffee first, distance versus displacement, friction, emergency in the lab, and watching her panic.
A/N2: sorry for posting so late. Hectic day and it's only 9:30. Can't remember if there's links but if there are I'll get to them later.
PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! They feed the muse. No muse no sequel to Espionage *wiggles eyebrows*