What He Offered
Chapter 14: Changes
Bones picked up her pencil, and wrote Yes! in the margin. She was relieved that the sisters' estrangement would not drag on indefinitely. Now that there were two complete sets of twins in play, the tale would likely pick up speed.
As she had her pencil in hand, she decided to jot down two questions that had occurred to her:
— interesting that I (represented by the Brennan / J. R. duality) am the only woman (as far as I know) in Booth's sexual history to embody both of his stated "types" (for Vic, the cool, hard-to-capture, professional woman and for Tim, the emotional, clingy, trouble-plagued woman). Is that what made me "ideal" for him?
— also, interesting that Tim shows anger (Vic's signature trait) at the carnival while Vic shows distress (Tim's marker). Does this mean the brothers are becoming less different, and therefore closer to re-integrating?
She held the pencil ready above the page, but no further thoughts came to her, so she set it aside, and resumed her reading.
A Tale of Twin Booths, cont'd
When she realized she was squeezing J. R. a trifle too hard, Brennan finally did release her sister, but, from that moment on and in all important respects, she never let go of her again. With Russ in tow, the sisters spent a protracted vacation in North Carolina and, upon their return to the lab, showed unmistakable signs that the breach between them had begun to heal. When their paths crossed during work hours, it was "Dr. Brennan" this, and "Miss Keenan" that, but during their leisure time, J. R. now called Brennan "Tempe" and, as for Brennan, she decided in her brusque way that J. R. was an unnecessarily complicated form of address, and took to calling her simply J., with the result that, in time, casual acquaintances and co-workers, mistaking the initial for a word, thought her name was "Jay."
That was the least of the changes: when the lease on Jay's studio apartment ran out at the end of the summer, Brennan insisted that her twin come share her condo, which, to hear her tell it, had always been far too large for a single occupant anyway. Jay hesitated at first, but she allowed the advantages of a safer neighborhood, larger and better-maintained living quarters and a lower rent to persuade her, and Brennan never gave her cause to regret her decision. As is often the way in these matters, what had started out, on Brennan's part, as an offer prompted as much by a guilty conscience as a charitable impulse ended up benefitting her spectacularly as well. Had Jay not moved in with Brennan, she would not have happened across the rough draft of the next Reichs series novel, would not have asked permission to read it, and would not have suggested revisions which even Brennan's editor applauded as "vast improvements." Thus, serendipitously, Brennan discovered in her sister a valuable beta-reader and not-infrequent collaborator. With Jay's input, Kathy Reichs, Andy Lister and their fictional associates became better-rounded, more recognizably-human characters; novel sales and critical acclaim sky-rocketed. Brennan was quick to acknowledge Jay's contributions, not in the press, certainly, but in the form of bank drafts written out for sums that had Jay's eyes starting from her head.
This financial windfall was, for Jay, just the icing on an already exceptionally sweet cake. Backed by Brennan's support and care, she felt emboldened to dispense with her Diana Prince disguise, stood taller, smiled more often, and took greater pride in her work. Brennan encouraged her to continue her studies, and before long, she received a Master's Degree in anthropology and was subsequently accepted into a doctoral program at a prestigious area university. She would never be the leading light in her chosen field, but her academic work was impeccable and well-received, which was more than many of her fellow grad students could say.
The Booths were affected by these changes as well, particularly Tim. Vic was, primarily, pleased as punch to have another gorgeous female in his orbit to flirt with, tease and dazzle with his charm. For Tim, Jay had never been just a pretty plaything, but potentially, the love of his life, and that did not change as her confidence in her abilities and her pride in her achievements increased and transformed her into a self-assured professional woman. Indeed, it only served to confirm him in his initial suspicion: she was, indeed, the one.
It was Tim's relationship to Brennan that underwent the bigger change. Since that evening at the carnival, when he had held nothing back of his anger at her, she showed a new respect for him. She listened to him less critically, and even gave indications of seeking his approval. On one memorable afternoon, when Vic, Parker and Jay were frolicking in her building's private swimming pool, Brennan turned to Tim, lounging on a deck chair next to hers, and gestured toward her sister. "I've taken your advice, you see," she said, on a laughing note. "I've found myself a keeper."
Tim had gained a new appreciation for Brennan, too, and he knew, now, what lay beneath her apparent flippancy. "Jay's a salutary influence on you, Brennan, that's true. But, you've done wonders for her, as well," he added in complete sincerity. "The two of you are good for each other."
She did not answer at once, and Tim had already ceased expecting a reply, when she said quietly, in a thick voice, "Thank you, Tim."
So, what had begun in tragedy with the discovery of Christine Brennan's remains culminated, finally, in a revitalization of her dear daughters' lives: the sisters' reconciliation inaugurated for them a period of greater happiness, greater success, greater trust in the others who had stood by, and with, them in their grief and confusion, and, by extension, a greater willingness to take personal risks. Among the beneficiaries of their new openness and flexibility were the Booths.
Their professional and personal bonds with the Brennan girls stronger and surer than ever, the Booth brothers settled down to play what Tim, with his video game background, termed "the long game." Vic had already been playing for a while, and his strategy remained unchanged: he was resolved not to chase Brennan romantically provided she did not run from him professionally, the long-term goal being to wear down her resistance to a romantic relationship so well that she would allow herself, given time, to be caught. Tim's strategy was similar, but with a twist: he was resolved to remain always available to Jay semi-professionally (as an unpaid therapist of sorts) provided that she always ran to him for help and guidance with her personal problems, the long-term goal being to give her time to see in him not only a friend, but the man she loved as well.
Patience is admirable and a great virtue, but sexual frustration exerts a powerful pressure all its own, and, as Vic was obliged to explain to Brennan at one point, their partnership generated a tension that had to be dealt with, creatively if possible. Brennan, who had long considered sex a merely prophylactic practice, actively encouraged him to seek release with suitable partners as she did, and although it wasn't what he wanted, Vic met his needs in the arms of women who were satisfied with a single night of passion, or less frequently, with women who were happy to indulge in a whirlwind romance. On a number of occasions, he fell into bed with his ex-lover, Rebecca, and for a short while, he reprised his role as Cam Saroyan's friend with benefits. When he sensed that she was beginning to harbor expectations of forever, he broke off their affair. It was then that Cam fully understood what he'd meant when he'd said he was with Brennan all the way.
As best friend and life coach, Tim was painfully privy to the rather disastrous sexual encounters and doomed love affairs into which Jay threw herself. Her taste in men was certifiably atrocious: she was seduced with sob stories, taken advantage of by players, strung along by closeted gays, and used as a doormat by narcissists. Again and again, she would bring her broken and bleeding heart to him, like a bird with a tattered wing that only he could mend. Jay would cry on his shoulder, and Tim would let himself hope that, this time, she would finally see that the right man for her, the man who would love her as she deserved, was right under her tear-reddened nose. While he waited for her to have her epiphany, he had a string of one night stands with young women who thought he was adorable and wanted to cuddle him, or older women who would simply not take "no" for an answer. They were physically-gratifying hook-ups, but Tim felt more heart-sick after them than he had before.
This fundamentally unsatisfying but stable state of affairs wherein Vic and Tim gave their bodies to interchangeable women and held their damaged hearts in reserve for the Brennan twins might have limped on forever except for the advent of a very credible threat to their precarious equilibrium. Enter the Captain.