The Face with Two Skeletons
by: Tropicwhale
Disclaimer: Mine as the sky and ocean and the wind in the trees. It's as mine as the men and women over every land and every sea. Mine as the first rush of joy at the sight of a loved one or the babbling stony brook by every field and through every wood. Mine as life and love and joy and sorrow that is in us all. But who could lay claim to those things can lay claim to this. I merely borrow with no profit other than another's joy and the freedom found in writing.
Author Talk: found more chapters and even another gratuitous sex scene. Lucky…see my Buffy series readers are the Peanuts….do you guys want a nickname? GOT IT! Boddyinites!
Wait.
No.
That was lame.
Sorry.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Booth collapsed on his couch before he even thought to wrest the tie from his neck. "Blech." he said and kicked off his shoes. "What a day." He had a splitting headache. He rubbed at his temples and shut his eyes. His superiors had found out that Zack was staying with him (thank you Bones) and agreed that it looked like these two cases were connected and 'suggested' that Booth not discount Zack's home exploding as a diversion of the young scientist to throw Booth off his scent. Officially, he was to watch Zack like a hawk while Dr. Addy was staying at his domicile.
Booth scoffed. If his superiors had ever met Zack they would know that the littlest squint was no more capable of murder than trying to blow himself up. Besides, Booth's gut said the squint didn't do it. All the signs pointed at Zack and Booth knew that, if Zack was guilty, he would know how to fool the squint squad and Booth. He was crazy smart after all.
Speaking of which…where was Zack? Booth opened his eyes and all but rolled off the couch. He checked the kitchen, his bedroom, and the bathroom.
Nothing. Zack was gone. Booth grabbed his phone and dialed Hodgins. "Hello?" the scruffy bug-guy answered on the second ring.
"You wouldn't have happened to see Zack today, did you?"
"Wow. The grammar of that sentence was completely suckish and no I haven't seen Zack. Why?"
"He's not at home."
"Hm. That's weird."
"Where could he be?"
"Booth. You sound like a worried mother."
"My superiors told me to watch him like a hawk." Booth started pacing and scrubbing his hands through his hair, making it stand on end. "Also, Bones will kill me and make my body disappear if something were to happen to Zack on my watch."
"I'm sure he's fine, Booth." Hodgins assured. Sometimes, Booth wanted to punch the smug bastard out. This was one of those times.
"Hodgins. He hasn't left the house for three days."
"Maybe he went for a walk. He can do that now. He's probably fine, Booth, he's twenty-six. He can take care of himself."
"What are you talking about? Zack's twenty-nine."
"Nooo." Hodgins had that patient squint-trying-to-explain-big-words-to-stupid-fed voice. Booth really wanted to punch him and know where Zack was. Priorities. He had them. "Zack's twenty-six. He was born August 25, 1982." Booth stoppped pacing for a second
"Wait. He said he was twenty-nine." There was silence on the line. "Maybe he forgot and his math slipped up or something."
"Zack's math never slips up." Hodgins discounted the theory quickly.
"Well. Why else would say he was twenty-nine when he's twenty-six?"
"I don't know. Maybe to make you think of him as an adult? I mean, he does spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to get you to respect him." That was something Booth hadn't considered and made sudden sense in the context of the apparent crush Zack had on Seeley. "Booth? Booth? Are you there, Booth?"
"Yeah. I'm here. I'm going to call Bones. Maybe she's see him…or something."
"Okay. I'm sure he's fine." Booth collapsed back on the couch.
"I want to be sure." He clicked the phone closed and started to dial Brennan when his front door opened and in walked Zack.
"Oh. Hello, Agent Booth. I was hoping to return before you got back from work." Zack closed and locked the door behind him.
"Zack? Where were you and when did you get keys to my apartment?"
"I borrowed your spare set. Ms. Julian wanted my opinion on something."
"What?"
"A case."
"Which case?"
"I can't tell you."
"Who are you working with?"
"Special Agent Charles Marsters." Booth had worked with Marsters before. He could easily double check Zack's story. Good.
"Marsters is a good agent…a little flakey and goofy but good."
"He's very patient. He doesn't do anything that could distract me from examining remains."
"Was that a dig at me?" Booth stood. Zack shook his head slowly and had 'confused!' written all over his face.
"No. It was an observation of Agent Marsters. How would you construed a 'dig' at you from an observation about another federal agent?" Zack wanted to know. It was a good question. Was Booth jealous?
Nah.
Nope.
No way.
Not his style.
Nope. No jealousy here. Booth was a good Catholic.
"I….you're one of my squints. I don't necessarily like to share."
"I'm not a possession." Zack went into the kitchen. Booth silently cursed at himself and followed the young scientist into the other room.
"I know that, Zack. What are you doing?"
"Cooking dinner."
"Cooking dinner?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I'm hungry. Aren't you?" Now that Booth thought about it…
"Yeah."
"Pasta okay? You don't have much in your pantry."
"Pasta's fine, Zack." Booth leaned against the door jam and watched the scientist cook spaghetti, the bachelor's Raman. "Aren't you going to ask how the case is going?" he asked after awhile when the silence finally got to him.
"No."
"Why?"
"It's not allowed."
"We found Anne and Olivia's birthmother. Sarah Seville." Zack didn't react at all.
"She went to live with her second cousin up in Michigan to have the girls and give them away in adoption."
"That is a part of the case that doesn't concern me. I don't want to know. I don't want to have to lie on the stand when I say I don't know anything."
"Do you want to know who her second cousin was?"
"Not really. I'm not Hodgins. I don't want to destroy the case." Booth ignored Zack's frustrated tone and plowed on with his yarn.
"Rosie Addy. Wife to Anthony Addy and mother to Tony Addy." Zack froze as he was stirring the pasta sauce. "She's your grandmother." Booth watched as Zack's shoulders heaved up and down as the squint's breath quickened. "I need to talk to her, Zack."
"She's dead."
"What about your grandfather? Anthony."
"He's still in Michigan."
"I'm going to have to contact him. Ask him about Sarah and the twins' adoptions." Zack turned around with wide eyes and a tomato-sauced, wooden spoon . "What?"
"I'll give you the number."
"Thank you."
"Anything to help."
"Why do you look like you're about to bolt?"
"Don't tell him that you know me. And pass the message along to Dr. Brennan as well." Zack said suddenly.
"Why?" Zack turned back to the pasta. "Zack. Why don't you want your grandfather to know that we know each other?" Zack did his best to ignore the agent. Booth took half a stride into the kitchen and whirled Zack around to face him. Zack wouldn't look at him. He stared into the distance over Booth's left shoulder like the grip on his upper arms didn't hurt or bruise him. When he finally spoke it was with an empty voice devoid of cadence or any hint of emotion. It was if he really was a robot and someone had commanded him to talk so he did.
"He and my family know I'm bisexual however he's the only one that won't speak to me or about me. He pretends that I don't exist. He'll shut down on you if you mention me. It would be better for your case if you don't mention me to him." Booth let go of the squint and Zack went back to cooking. Booth started to say something but decided against it. He backed out of the kitchen, sort of mumbled that he was going to take a walk before dinner and bolted from the apartment.
Author After Talk: So I'm like a dog with a rawhide chew with this. You lot need a collective nickname. Any suggestions?
Also I would like to share some numbers with you guys
56,392; 26; 61; 13,152; 1; 34; 55; 24
As in
56,392 words, 26 (now 27) chapters; 61 reviews; 13,152 hits; 1 C2; 34 favs; 55 story alerts; and 24 countries, some of which I've never heard of...like Qatar
These are the most current stats of "The Face with Two Skeletons". Needless to say (although I'm saying it anyway), I'm humbled by those numbers. I'm also considering a post-Gormogon sequel to this story....what do you guys think? I mean...well, I mean to say think on it and tell me once we hit that last chapter. I don't even have a plot for a sequel nor do I know what would go into it but I have this scene with Booth and Zack that won't leave me alone. But whatever. Tell me what you think on the sequel, your nickname, and the story in as so far. Yeah. Do that
Tropicwhale