And we're back! This chapter is set in 2020. The words I used are sunburn, puzzles, and administer. The holiday is Meteor Watch Day, which is June 30.

It was a warm evening in late June as two friends sat on the shady patio of their favorite vegetarian restaurant. "Ahhh…nice…," Angela crooned, leaning back in a large wicker chair. "I've been looking forward to this weekend for a long time."

"A girl's weekend does sound like fun…," Brennan agreed, reaching for her glass of wine. "...Especially since we're staying at your house. I rather like the idea of staying in the DC area. There's a lot to do if we choose to go out."

"That's right, there is a lot to do…or we can sleep until noon if we want, and then we can sit around in our pjs and watch silly movies for the rest of the day if we feel like it, right? And it's a lot less hassle than traveling for a weekend. We don't have to waste time waiting at the airport, so we can spend every minute relaxing and enjoying ourselves." Laughing merrily, Angela shook her head as she poured herself another glass of wine from a large carafe. "You know, I think we must be getting old if that's our idea of a good time…"

Brennan shrugged off her friend's worry. "Well, we have a busy schedule planned for this evening, so we may be tired when we get home…and at our age, it may take us all of tomorrow to recuperate. After all, we're planning to go to a jazz club after we see the movie…"

"Yeah…if we're still awake, that is." Angela giggled as she arched an eyebrow at Brennan. "Who knows? Maybe some daring young guys at the club will think we're 'cougars' on the make and try to pick us up…"

"Perhaps." Brennan wore a coy smile. "However, I suppose if that does happen, we'll just have to discourage their advances…at least before things get too heated. I'm not sure our spouses would appreciate our partaking in that sort of social activity, but, anthropologically speaking, it wouldn't be bad for my self-esteem to have a younger man consider me attractive."

"Anthropologically speaking?" Angela cackled at her friend's remark. "In other words, you don't mind if studly young guys think you're hot, right? Yeah, me, neither…"

The women both laughed as they munched on veggie chips. After pausing a few seconds, Brennan twirled the stem of her wine glass between her fingers slowly. "I hope Booth remembered to pack sunscreen for their camping trip. I don't want the children to get a sunburn."

"No worries, Brennan. I put an extra tube in Hodgins' bag." Angela dipped some chips into a spicy bowl of salsa. "Jack has been so excited about this trip. He was just like a little kid, you know? He couldn't wait…he packed his bag a week in advance, and got his telescope and all sorts of other equipment ready. All of those things have been sitting by the front door since Tuesday."

"I'm glad they could get all the details of the itinerary worked out. Booth said that he found a campground that has accessible cabins, so that will make things much easier for Hodgins."

"I was thankful for that, Sweetie. When the trip idea first came up, Hodgins was thinking they'd go to a primitive campground in Virginia and stay in tents, but that didn't seem practical to me, especially since they were bringing four kids along. I mean, if one of the kids had to be taken to the restroom in the middle of the night, it'd be hard for him to get around in a small tent."

Brennan took a sip of her wine and nodded. "I agree, although the place he had originally selected is excellent for dark sky viewing. I think Booth is planning to rent some sort of all terrain vehicle so they'll be able to drive around in the surrounding rural areas and find a good place for night sky viewing away from sources of light pollution...you know, like along a less traveled county road or a vacant field." Her brow furrowed as she considered the adventure the men had planned. "However, I'm still not sure why Meteor Watch Day is June 30. The Bootid Meteor Shower has already peaked at this point, so there may not be many meteors to see no matter where they do their observations."

Angela shrugged. "Who knows? It was probably a weird holiday thought up by some bored astronomer, okay? Anyway, maybe they'll get lucky and see some meteors. Random stuff is always bombarding the earth, isn't it? And I'm pretty sure Hodgins is gonna keep a look out for UFOs, too. It'd be cool if he saw something unexplained. Besides, I think it was probably just an excuse for them to get out of the house for the weekend."

At that moment the server brought their meal, and Angela was about to take the first bite when her fork stopped in mid-air. "Wait…did you call it the Booty Meteor Shower?"

Rolling her eyes, Brennan pretended to glare at her friend. "No, of course not! It's the 'Boo-oh-tid' Meteor Shower. It appears to originate from the area near the constellation Bootes, the Herdsman…"

"Oh…that's too bad. The Booty Meteor Shower sounds like more fun. And speaking of fun…" Angela picked up the wine carafe and filled their glasses. "Dr. Montenegro's prescription for having a fun weekend calls for the administration of copious amounts of alcohol…"

"I see." Brennan smirked as she took another sip from her glass. "Considering how much wine we've already had, it's a good thing we're using a driving service this evening. However, if you administer any more alcohol, we may fall asleep during the movie." She chuckled at Angela's sheepish grin. "By the way…what movie are we going to see this evening?"

"Wonder Woman 1984. It's gotten mixed reviews, but I know you love Wonder Woman, and besides…Chris Pine is in it…" Seeing Brennan's blank expression, Angela did a quick search on her phone and handed it to her. "That's him. Not bad, huh?"

"Hmm…his facial features are quite symmetrical, his eyes are very blue, and he does have well defined secondary sex characteristics. It seems you are correct, Angela…even if the plot of the movie is poor, there should be some redeeming value in watching this actor's performance."

"Yeah, I think he's pretty cute, too…"

They continued to enjoy their meal, but Brennan was feeling slightly off kilter. Something was bothering her. She knew she could ask Angela about her concerns without being intimidated, but still…she felt that she should already know the answer. Perhaps I should do some research…

"Sweetie?" Angela waved her hand in front of Brennan's face. "Hey…what's going on? Are you having second thoughts about our weekend plans?"

"Not really…" Brennan studied her plate for a few seconds. "But there is something that puzzles me…"

"Okaaaay…what is it?"

Laying her fork aside, Brennan folded her hands in her lap. "Well, as you know, I love Booth and my children very much…"

"Of course you do…"

"So why doesn't it bother me that I'm going to enjoy myself this weekend without them being around? I've been looking forward to them being away from home so I could spend time with you. Am I being selfish? Does this make me a bad parent?"

"No, of course not." Pausing slightly to gather her thoughts, Angela sighed quietly. "Look, Brennan…you and I both have full time jobs as well as having family obligations, right? Now, think about all of the responsibilities that go with those two things, like taking care of the kids' needs and keeping the house picked up. Even with our guys to help us, it's still a lot of work. And being a mom is hard enough on its own, but add in the kind of work we do, and it's…"

"Exhausting." Brennan nodded as she reached for her fork. "Sometimes handling all of those responsibilities seems overwhelming, but things have to be done to keep the household in order. There's always some chore that needs to be completed...as I'm sure you are aware, there's always laundry to be done and meals to be prepared..."

"Exactly, Sweetie…and we do all of those things because we love our families, okay? But, if we keep pushing through those busy times without any rest, we get worn out. It's just like any other job in that regard. So sometimes we need a break to recharge our batteries. We need time to talk to our friends…time to do things we enjoy...time for contemplation…"

"Time to enjoy some solitude…"

"Yeah." Angela took a sip of wine. "Although since we're spending the weekend at my place, there may not be too much of that…but the point is that sometimes it's good to give up your responsibilities for a short period of time, just to get your mind back in a good place, and that's what we're gonna do this weekend. We're gonna have fun without thinking too hard about our responsibilities." Smirking at Brennan's serious expression, the artist continued. "I know…I know…you're always thinking hard about stuff…I know you can't help it." She shrugged as she took a bite of her salad. "Listen…isn't there some anthropology thing about how good it is for children to spend time bonding with their fathers? Instead of focusing on how much fun we're gonna have, I guess we can think about how this weekend is gonna help our kids' social development, okay? Will that ease your mind?"

Brennan smiled as she considered her friend's suggestion. "That's true, Angela. It's a good thing for children to bond with their male parents." Leaning back in her chair, she nodded. "So…let's finish our meal and prepare to go to the movie theater. I want to enjoy my lack of responsibility as much as I can."

"You and me both, Sweetie."

"And Angela…thank you for reassuring me about my parenting skills. You are correct…I do need some time to rest and refresh." Sighing softly, she swallowed the last of her wine. "And because you're my best friend, I'm looking forward to sharing my lack of responsibility with you this weekend."

Pushing her plate aside, Angela nodded happily. "Thanks, Sweetie. Now…time's a-wasting. We need to start being irresponsible as soon as possible! Chris Pine…here we come!"

Thanks for reading. If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. Laura