What He Offered

Chapter 15: Competition

Bones was intrigued to discover who the so-called "captain" might be (another made-up secondary character?), but she wanted to write down just a few impressions before they slipped her mind:

— interesting that each "sister" loses an "r" from the end of her name. Does this signify that Temper has lost some of her Rage and J. R. some of her Regret?

— Tim and Brennan have found some common ground at last, and Vic and Jay seem to have a cordial relationship. Moving closer to reconciliation of opposites?

— the "long game" metaphor works well as a unifying motif. What does it mean in video-game terminology?

She stuck her pencil behind her ear, and resumed reading.

A Tale of Twin Booths, cont'd

The Booth brothers were colleagues of Agent Tim "Sully" Sullivan long before he became the skipper of his own charter boat. They considered him a thoroughly good guy and an outstanding g-man. Brown-haired and brown-eyed with an athletic physique, Sully's good-looks were more generic than jaw-dropping, at least until he flashed his dimples. While Vic's charm was normally set at full-blast, Sully's brand was more of the understated variety but no less devastating for all that. His courteous, considerate manner, keen sense of humor and quiet confidence made him a favorite with the ladies, most of whom were not put off by what his FBI nickname of "Peanut" suggested about his manly parts.

Whatever insecurity Vic might have harbored about his personal relationship with Brennan, he had absolute confidence in their professional bond, to the point, indeed, of complacency. Prevented on account of disciplinary action from investigating a homicide in the swamplands of Florida, he suffered not the least qualm in learning that his friend Tim Sullivan would be working the case with his partner. When, initially, Brennan expressed reservations regarding his replacement's qualifications, Vic was generous in his praise, recommending Sully as an excellent agent with wide experience, entirely worthy of her trust. He doubtless would have been far less complimentary if he'd had the slightest inkling that Sully would soon be entering the race as a serious candidate for Brennan's heart.

Shocked as he was at first to discover the two were dating, Vic was not greatly dismayed. Brennan had her flings, just as he did; the affair would run its course, and, when it was over, he and Brennan would resume their partnership as though nothing had happened. He schooled himself to be patient and endure, but Sully didn't make it easy. He was not one of the typical losers Brennan wasted her time on; no, he was a stand-up guy, so much so, in fact, that he made sure he was not cutting Vic out before he pressed his suit. Vic denied any interest, of course — he was bound by his long-term strategy — but Sully wasn't fooled. Still, Vic had, in effect, taken himself out of the running, and Sully needed no further encouragement to initiate his own chase.

It was a testament to Sully's commitment to Brennan that he befriended Jay as well. Not long after Sully became her boyfriend, Brennan, along with the Booths, was called to investigate first one homicide and then another two that, in their particulars, were faithful copies of the three murders in her recently-released novel, Red Tape, White Bones. Clinical Brennan was able, to some degree, to distance herself from the crimes, arguing that the killings would have taken place in any event, just in a different form, but Jay could not be so sanguine. She was distraught to think that anything she'd had a hand in creating could have been turned to such a depraved purpose, and she often succumbed to tears in consequence. Sully would hold and soothe her, assuring her over and over that she was not at fault, that she'd done nothing wrong. He was protective of her as well: without being asked, Sully escorted Jay to Brennan's book-signing and did not stray a moment from her side the entire evening. He did not protest even when, in her nervousness, she clung like a limpet to his arm.

As Sully horned in on their investigations and usurped their roles with the Brennan twins, Vic and Tim found themselves increasingly in the unenviable position of helpless observers. Tim had inhabited this role many times in his life, and so had the advantage over Vic, who was twitchy and chafed to find himself standing on the sideline. In his anxiety, Vic started behaving badly: inserting himself where he wasn't wanted, taking cheap shots at his rival, and generally acting like a dog in a manger. His heart soared with gladness to see Brennan and Sully argue, or to hear Sully acknowledge that Vic and Brennan made a great team, but it plummeted like a stone to see how eager she was to return to her vacationing boyfriend, or to realize he ceased to exist for her when Sully walked into the room. And, to look up, all unsuspecting, that evening they'd solved the case, only to witness her kissing Sully with obvious abandon had torn him up inside.

As he saw less of Sully and Jay together, Tim's pain was not as great as Vic's, but he was sore enough, knowing that Jay often turned to Sully for comfort, to reply somewhat testily when Sully asked him how Jay was holding up, "Why don't you ask her yourself?" He was immediately ashamed of his meanness, which Sully had done nothing to deserve, and, in an effort to make amends, offered Sully his best piece of advice concerning Brennan: "Don't let her bully you into leaving her." He couldn't say fairer than that.

When his efforts to lure Brennan off Sully's boat and into the lab met with limited success or failed entirely, Vic knew he was in serious jeopardy of losing his partner for good. His worst fears were confirmed soon after when Tim informed him that Sully had asked Brennan to sail away with him to warm Caribbean seas, and that she had not summarily refused him. Vic dropped his head in his hands. "God, Tim! This can't be happening!"

"Jay says it's only for a year. Brennan needs a break, Vic. She'll take a sabbatical, get away from gory corpses for a while, clear her mind.…"

Vic raised his head and looked at his brother bleakly. "What about Jay? She going along?"

Tim nodded. "You know Brennan can't be parted from her. Besides, they've just started work on the next Reichs book. They need to stay together."

"So…" Vic breathed in deeply, sighed. "You're the shrink, here, Tim, the guy with the answers. So, counselor, counsel me: what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"What do you want?"

"Oh, no! No! None of that psychologist-couch crap. Straight-up question, straight-up answer. Lay it on me."

"You want my advice? Let her go."

Vic threw up his hands in disgust. "Really, Tim? After all this time, the same old tune?"

Tim felt his cheeks grow hot. "The tune might be the same, Vic, but not the lyrics."

"Jeez, I really hate when you speak Hallmark. English!"

"All right, have it your way. It's true I thought, at first, Brennan was all wrong for you. I had her pegged as a heartless ball-breaker, a first-class bitch. I know better now; I know her. She has a real chance for happiness with Sully, Vic. He's not like you and me: he has a sound heart to offer, a whole heart." He let the words sink in for a moment, then went on, "I answered your question. Now, here's one for you: would you rather Brennan run off and be happy with Sully, or stay here and be miserable with you?"

Vic regarded his twin unhappily. "Are those my only options?"

Tim did not dignify that question with a reply. "Cut her loose, Vic. If she asks your opinion, tell her to go, spread her wings, live large. She's only promising a year. Give her the chance to come back to you."

Vic laughed, a short, bitter sound. "Yeah, like that worked so well with Mom."

"Brennan isn't Mom, Vic. She's her own person, a wild card. If you love her, Vic, really love her…"

"Don't! Just don't say 'set her free.' If you start quoting Sting at me, so help me God, I'm going to punch your lights out."

Vic lay in bed that night, haunted by Tim's question. He turned it over and over in his mind, coming at it from one way, then another. He tried picturing Brennan smiling, the breeze lifting her hair as the boat motored through waters as blue as her eyes; he tried imagining himself collaring bad guys without her, or with some hot-babe agent who would stay behind him and let him be the gun for a change. When he tried placing himself on the dock watching her form gradually diminish as she stood waving from the stern, he felt an anguish so keen, he couldn't catch his breath. Every instinct in him rebelled at the thought of letting her go. But then, he pictured Brennan on the dock, watching Sully sail toward the horizon with the same searing pain in her heart, and he knew: if one of them had to endure that kind of suffering, better that it be him, far better.

When, as Tim had foreseen, Brennan asked for his take on Sully's invitation, Vic had his answer ready and was able, due to that preparation, to say with a tolerable show of nonchalance and friendly disinterest that she should go. She seemed not entirely satisfied with his advice, and looked on the point of extending the conversation, but just at the moment, the techs called for their attention, and the subject was dropped, for good.

That evening, Vic replayed the scene for Tim, who then took his life in his hands and gave his brother a one-armed hug. "I'm proud of you, Vic."

"Yeah? Well, just so you know: that doesn't make it hurt any less."

"That pain you're feeling, bro? It's the shell around your heart thinning, just a little."

"That right? Well, looks to me your heart's scarring over here and there." Vic shrugged his brother off, and went to see a fridge about some beer.

"What'll it be, Tim?" Vic asked, handing him a bottle. "Does she go or stay? What's your gut tell you?"

Tim's gut was unforthcoming.