The Simplex in the Herpes
A/N: Set after S5 E6 (The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken). Inspired by my wondering what Brennan would do if she was warned she had to relax more by her doctor. I also really wanted to create a situation where I could put them in a completely different country and culture - namely, mine :D. I was going to add this to my collection of Bones but it warrants more than a one-shot. For those who are new to me as an author, reviews are welcomed but not a necessity, I don't use a beta so all mistakes are mine and I'm Scottish so spelling mistakes you may pick up might just be a case of me not using the American term for something.
After learning that the chemicals used in the chicken farm and the parasites that the chickens carried had physically altered Mr Rabin's facial structure, Brennan was more alarmed than usual to note a pinkish blotch and tingling sensation on her upper lip.
Between getting doused in corn syrup and feathers and the general grimy feeling of walking around the cages of birds in the filthy farm, she had showered more often than usual during the case to ensure she was free of potential pathogens but the timing of this dermatological anomaly was suspect. The next morning, the anomaly had grown and was more painful.
She had called Cam to relay that she would be later arriving at the lab due to her appointment with her doctor and was flicking through one of the gaudy fashion magazines that sat on Dr Freeman's waiting room coffee table. She had been in such a rush to get to the clinic upon its opening that forgot to pick up the half-read copy of 'American Anthropologist'.
"Dr Brennan? Dr Freeman will see you now." Chloe had been the receptionist at the clinic since before Brennan had registered and never needed to be reminded against referring to her as Miss or Ms.
"Thank you, Chloe."
Brennan put down the magazine and grabbed her purse, walking quickly into Dr Freeman's office.
"Temperance, what can I do for you today?" Dr Freeman was a 45 year old mother of four and had impeccable bedside manners as well as being thorough during examinations and testing.
"I may need a dermatology recommendation, last night I had discoloration and mild neuralgia on my nasolabial fold and this morning it has progressed to a blister like lesion with a stinging pain."
Dr Freeman smiled gently. "Yes, I can see, have you shared a lip balm or lipstick with a friend? Maybe taken a sip from the same bottle as someone else?"
Brennan blinked thinking of all the times she drank out of the same bottle as Booth or borrowed Angela's chapstick or had makeup done before going on TV or at a book signing "Not recently, no."
Wheeling her chair around with her feet, Dr Freeman stopped in front of Brennan and pulled a glove onto her right hand before touching the lesion. "You have a classic case of HSV-1, a cold sore, sometimes called a fever blister, Herpes Simplex. It can lie dormant in the body for decades, some people never get a lesion but can pass it on. At any given time, around 50 to 80 percent of the population are carriers. Have you been suffering from more stress than usual?"
Brennan thought about that for longer than she thought she would have to. "Not overtly but the time I usually set aside for yoga and other activities that reduce stress has been impacted in the last couple of years."
"By work, I imagine? Not just at the Jeffersonian but with your novels too." Dr Freeman wheeled herself back behind her desk and started clicking and typing before the printer whirred into life.
"The novels are a hobby actually, but yes, my publishers have been booking me for more appearances than I'm able to commit to - it's very frustrating."
"And stressful" Dr Freeman raised an eyebrow and grabbed the prescription from the printer, signing it with a flourish and holding it just out of Brennan's reach.
"It is, yes." Brennan reached out to take the paper but Dr Freeman pulled it back towards her.
"A hobby that stresses you out isn't a hobby, it's work. You need to decompress. I've prescribed topical acyclovir, put it on with a cotton swab 5 times a day until the area is clear but I also prescribe this: take a break Temperance. Go somewhere you can turn off your phone for a week or two and do your yoga and other de-stressing activities."
"Oh I received an invitation for a dig …"
"No! No work - only relaxation. A challenge, if you will." Dr Freeman smiled. "I challenge you not to do anything connected to your work or novels for two weeks."
"That doesn't seem fair, I love my work in the field, at the lab and with the FBI and I love writing…"
"Sometimes love isn't enough, Temperance, and sometimes the things we love don't love us back all the time." Dr Freeman sighed and folded her hands on the desk. "This little blister is a warning to slow down, take the warning."
Chastened, Brennan nodded and left the doctor's office to go to the nearest pharmacy.
#
Cam was stepping out of her office when Brennan rushed past clutching a paper bag with her head down. As she was about to call out to see if she was okay, Brennan's office door slammed closed and her blinds shut.
"Okay then." Cam shrugged and went in search of Hodgins about some items he had attempted to requisition.
Finding Angela in his office with him, Cam took the opportunity to ask Ange to check in on Dr Brennan and tried not to be too obvious about watching what happened when she approached the good doctor's office and rapped cheerily on the glass pane.
Brennan glared at her door, then glared at the blob of white cream on her face in her compact mirror before sighing. It could take days for this blister to go away and she couldn't hide in her office for the entire healing period.
"Sweetie? Is everything okay?" Angela's concerned tones drew her towards the door and she unlocked it slowly before opening it at an even more cautious pace.
"You can come in but you have to promise not to laugh."
"Oh um okay, did you have a bad hair appointment?" Angela stepped into the office, noting Bren was keeping to the shadows.
Brennan sighed deeply before stepping closer to the light. "No."
Angela didn't gasp or retch, she merely tipped her head to the side to see better. "Cold sore, huh? I got one from Terry Gilmour when I was in high school, nasty things. Soooo … who have you been macking on?" She grinned lasciviously.
"No one!" Brennan lifted her arms in frustration before letting them fall heavily to the side. "My doctor says it's stress that brought it on … I've got this odd smelling ointment and she also said …"
Brennan trailed off, making Angela's eyes bulge in anticipation and move her hand in a 'go on' gesture. "And she also said?"
Bren sighed "She said I should take a relaxing vacation, no work - no digs, no lab, no cases and no writing."
Angela shrugged "Well, yeah, your life has been pretty full on - especially the last few years. Do it, go somewhere you've always wanted to go - not for anthropological research reasons but because it's a beautiful place you can really relax and breathe in."
"I've always wanted to go to Skara Brae in the Orkney Islands, the physical research is done so there haven't been any digs, remains or artifacts to study in years. I just … I think it would be an interesting and lovely place to visit."
"Orkney? That's Scotland, right?"
"Yes. The site is over 5,000 years old!" Brennan went to her desk and typed quickly.
"Sooooo … that means good whisky, those cute hairy ginger cows and hot guys in kilts, yeah?"
"Scotland was a major contributor to the industrial revolution!" Bren frowned. "I'm sure there is much more than booze, hairy bovines and men wearing plaid!"
Angela laughed "Pfft, I'm sure there is but those will be the most fun parts! I can see you're in planning mode, so I'll leave you to it!"
She winked and left Brennan to her, no doubt first class, vacation research.
#
Booth wandered into the lab, heading straight for Bones' office only to find it empty. He figured she was in limbo, that's why she hadn't replied to his text asking if she was ready for lunch - reception was pretty much nonexistent down there. Walking past Angela's office, he heard her call out to him and he backtracked.
"Yeah, Ange? You need me for something?"
"Nope, I got my itch scratched. You won't find Brennan here - she took a half day off to go shopping."
"Okay, I don't need to know about any itchiness you've had … shopping? She left work to go shopping? Does she have one of those big fancy events coming up?" Booth scrabbled at the recesses of his memory to work out if she'd mentioned something … but usually she'd invite him as her plus one, despite the previous event with him being sidelined for Hacker for ten minutes, and he'd definitely have remembered that.
"She's going on vacation, and needs 'appropriate attire' for it." Ange goaded him, knowing he'd cave and ask a couple more questions before going to the horse's mouth. The whole 'can't see the forest for the trees' thing was cute for a couple of years but it was getting old, fast.
"A dig?" He paled, knowing how far away and how dangerous her field work could be.
"No, apparently this one is for relaxation purposes. Doctor's orders."
"Well, where is she going?"
"Bren didn't tell me much, there was one location she was looking at but she might have settled on somewhere else. You know how she is, all her ducks need to be in a row before she'll announce something."
"Yeah" Booth smiled and nodded "I should probably catch up with her and make sure she's actually going somewhere relaxing!"
"Yes, you should." Angela grinned. Just like clockwork.
#
Brennan was loading her bags into the trunk when her phone rang. She'd been able to ignore the chime of the text messages as she searched for the items she would need but a phone call was different.
"Brennan." She huffed as she pressed the button to close the trunk and walked to the driver's door.
"Bones! Hey, I sent you a text and stopped by the lab to see if you wanted to grab lunch."
"Hi Booth, I apologise, my hands have been rather full … literally … and I was waiting until I had finished my errands before replying to texts."
"Yeah, Angela said you'd gone on a little retail therapy … and that you were planning a vacation?"
"I didn't go to therapy, you know how I feel about that, and they don't sell it in retailers …"
"It's a phrase, y'know people who go and buy themselves things so they can feel better - retail therapy."
"Oh! Yes, that's rather amusing!" She smiled as she started the car and put her phone on speaker before placing it in the holder on the dash.
"So, a vacation, huh?"
"Yes, I'll be at home this evening if you want to have dinner, I can tell you all about it then." No way was she going to the diner with this abomination on her face "I was going to Whole Foods for stir fry ingredients and could pick up some chicken to mix through yours?"
"No! No chicken. I'm still a little grossed out from that last case."
"Shrimp?"
"Better, yeah. I'll see you tonight around 7?"
"That would be fine." Hopefully the cold sore would have calmed down after a few applications of the ointment by then. She had managed to hide it behind a handkerchief while in the stores but that wouldn't work with Booth.
#
Booth knocked on Brennan's apartment door and shifted the bottle of Reisling to his right hand. He hoped it would be okay, the internet said it was the best pairing for stir fries and shrimp. The door opened a crack and he saw Bones' eye peering out at him.
"You have to promise not to laugh."
"At what?" He smiled charmingly. "Do you have a bean sprout stuck up your nose?"
"No" Bones opened the door fully and Booth walked in, it only took him a second to notice it.
"Ouch, cold sore! Yeah I had one of them in Kosovo after sharing a fork with 6 other guys." He winced.
"Am I the only person who made it this far in life before getting one of these?" She huffed and stalked into the kitchen. "You got one from a fork, Angela got one from kissing … you know this virus lies dormant and you can pass it on to anyone that you have close contact with?"
"I did not know that" He remembered all the women he'd kissed since coming back from that tour, all the bottles he'd drunk out of and shared … "Wow, it's a surprise I haven't had more! How did you get yours?"
Bones sighed and halfheartedly pushed the wooden spatula around in her wok. "Stress, apparently. Hence my vacation."
"Damn, without the fun of kissing or getting drunk? That sucks." He pulled out her corkscrew and two glasses and set the table while she flash fried his shrimp to put on top of the vegetables and noodles. "So were you out buying bikinis and flip flops for two weeks at the beach?"
"No, I was buying sweaters and fleece lined hiking pants and boots for two weeks in Scotland." She grinned. "I'm very excited but the temperatures there at this time of year are definitely colder than here in DC and all of my usual clothes I'd take abroad are for tropical climates."
"Scotland? Man, I'd love to go there, all the whisky and those big fluffy orange cows and I have killer legs for wearing one of those skirt things."
Bones laughed so hard she almost inhaled a foot of noodles. Once she'd finished coughing and gulped down half her wine she calmed. "Funny, that's pretty much the same reasons Ange said I should go! Whiskey, cows and kilts."
"You'll need to take plenty of photos and samples from the distilleries for me." Booth winked.
Bones smiled and ate a few more bites, her thoughtful silence making Booth wonder where her head was at. Like Angela said, Bones didn't say anything without being one hundred percent sure she meant it.
"Come with me." Booth looked at her incredulously, she was biting her bottom lip in that unsure shy way that drove him nuts.
"What?"
"Come with me, I … this trip is about fun and relaxation and I always relax most and have the most fun with you."
"Really?" Booth's eyes lit up with joy.
"Yes, really, assuming you can get the time off."
A sour look passed over his face "It's not so much the time off, I have annual leave stacked up but … as much as I'd love to, I'm pretty sure it's out of my price range - anytime I've been out of the country, it's the government that's picked up the tab."
"I will fund everything, you know that it's not an issue for me. Think of it as an early Christmas present."
"That's some present, Bones." He folded his hands on the table and stared at them.
"Not as big as the present you'd be giving me - your time and company. I may be giving you an expensive present, but your presence is the greater gift."
"Wow, Bones, that's … really profound." Booth looked at her and blinked.
"I saw it in a travel agent's window today, that's what initially got me thinking about inviting you." She shrugged and he chuckled at that.
"Okay" He nodded and drained his glass "We're going to Scotland!"
#
Cam looked up as she heard the tapping on her door frame. "Dr Brennan, what can I do for you?"
"Knowing your preference for finding things out from the source, I'm here to inform you that I have completed a form to commence annual leave from this Saturday for two weeks."
"Oookay" Cam clicked on her notifications. "Got it right here, two weeks? Going on a dig?"
"No, we're going to Scotland … for leisure. Our flight doesn't leave until 9pm on Friday so I won't need to take that as a vacation day."
"We're? Our? Is Angela going with you? I don't see a leave request from her." Cam frowned at the screen.
"Actually, I asked Booth if he would accompany me. He's always wanted to tour the distilleries there and it would be pleasant company for me."
"Didn't you argue a lot when you were in London?"
Brennan shrugged "No more than usual."
"Right." Cam laughed lightly. "You're good to go and you better bring me back a sample or two from some of those distilleries."
She waited until Brennan was out of earshot before picking up her cell and calling Booth. This trip could make or break the Booth/Brennan romance.
"Booth."
"It's Cam, I just approved a leave request for Dr Brennan. Do you know what you're doing?"
She heard him sigh and could picture him rubbing his fingers against his forehead. "She asked me to go, offered to pay and everything … she wants me to spend this time with her."
"And you never could tell her 'no'. I understand, just … take care of your heart, Seeley."
"Don't call me Seeley, Camille."
She chuckled and hung up on him. They would be fine, everything would be fine. She emailed Dr Edison to request his assistance if anything pertinent came up while Dr Brennan was on leave.
#
Booth was collecting an entire tree's worth of papers from his printer when AD Hacker arrived at his office. "Sir, are you here to approve my leave?"
"Yes" Hacker tilted his head to glance at some pages that had fluttered out of Booth's grip. "Looks like quite the tour. Aer Lingus? Isn't that Irish?"
"Huh?" Booth looked at the flight details "Oh yeah, wow only an hour and a half layover in Dublin."
"Layover? Going further afield?" Hacker's curiosity was piqued.
"Yeah, Scotland, we're landing in Glasgow but kinda touring around" He checked another page "Return flight is via … Kel .. Keflavik, Iceland."
"Ah! A Scottish adventure with your boy! Nothing like giving a little brain some foreign culture to soak up!"
"Oh, no, I'm going with Bo … Dr Brennan." Booth couldn't help the streak of sly satisfaction that tingled up his spine when he saw Hacker's face fall. "Yeah, she really wanted me to come along on this trip, said she couldn't ask for better company."
Hacker half-smiled, half-sneered at the shit eating grin on Booth's face. If he'd known, he might have delayed approving the leave for a day or so more. He tried to make his voice sound as gracious as possible as he uttered his wishes for an interesting trip through gritted teeth.
Booth smirked to himself as Hacker made a hasty exit from his office, then started leafing through the itinerary Bones had emailed him and putting everything in date order. His 'in' tray was pretty light, he could take some time to scope out the places they were staying to see if it was worth packing his gym gear and swim shorts.
As he flicked through the pages his eyes widened, Bones did not do economy class in anything. Country club hotel suite, lodge with hot tub and was that a freaking castle? Damn, he'd need to provide a lot of presence to pay this trip back … he just hoped she would let him.
#
Booth noticed that Bones seemed quiet, maybe even nervous, as they arrived at Dulles and made their way through security to the departure gate. She would either shake herself out of it or tell him what was on her mind eventually … and if she didn't he would wheedle it out of her on the flight where there was nowhere for her to run off to and hide. Once they were in their very comfortable first class seats and taxi-ing to the runway, the soft Irish lilt of the captain telling them how the nine plus hour flight would be climbing to 35,000 feet before cruising over the Atlantic, she turned to him with a slightly creased brow.
"Booth, did you look at all of the accommodation I've organised?"
"Sure did, Bones!" He grinned "Had to know if I should pack my swim shorts!"
"Yes, that's very sensible. Did you have any issues with the size of the rooms and cottages?"
"Does it matter how big they are? I figure we'll only be there to sleep - the tours and excursions you've booked will have us exhausted!"
"Many of the hotel rooms, log cabins and cottages only have one bedroom and no pull out bed, while I have no issues sharing sleeping space with you, I understand if you prefer to maintain your privacy. My suggestion is that we purchase a rollaway mattress and blankets upon our arrival in Glasgow and take turns sleeping on it. The car that I've arranged to hire will accommodate our luggage and any extra items we purchase for comfort."
"We've shared sleeping space before …"
"Yes, in situations where there was only one room available and there was no time to make other arrangements."
Ah, there it was, that's what had really been bothering her. She didn't want him to think she had purposefully arranged for them to share a bed. Humour was always Booth's go to in situations like this. "Are you worried you won't be able to keep your hands off me?"
Bones narrowed her eyes at his smug smile before huffing out a frustrated breath and shaking her periodical open. "I was trying to be considerate!"
"You were being considerate, Bones, and I appreciate it but like I said; we're probably going to be either exhausted from sunrise wildlife tours or tipsy from whisky tasting. I doubt we'll even notice we're sleeping next to each other." He winked at her, a small degree of levity to distract from the fact that he would be very, very, aware she was sleeping next to him.
#
Brennan connected her phone to a local network and double checked the directions to the shuttle that would take them to the car hire depot while Booth waited on his other bag. She had thought that he would be as accustomed to travelling as light as she was. When all the luggage was on the cart, he turned a little too quickly and one of his cases tipped off the edge, Brennan caught it and looked at him.
"Is this case empty?"
"Not totally empty … I wanted space for souvenirs."
"And you thought that they didn't sell suitcases in Scotland to achieve this?"
His cheeks flushed with colour "Well, I don't know! I've never been here before and you said we'd be going really rural on this trip."
"Rural in Scotland is different from Rural in the States, even the most rural location we're going to is no more than a 2 hour drive to a town or city that has ample hospitality and retail services for any needs we may have."
They stepped out into the late autumn cold and wind and shivered, Booth wishing he'd brought his gloves in his carry on along with his winter coat. He noted a large group of people walking across the road following the pick up point signs.
"Damn why don't they have the pick up point right at the door like we have at home?"
"Terrorism. I read about it, two terrorists crashed through the entrance of the airport in an SUV loaded with propane, one threw petrol bombs and the other set himself on fire but were apprehended after airport workers mounted a counter-attack to aid the police. One of the workers broke his leg from kicking the terrorists so hard."
"They kicked a terrorist while he was on fire?" Booth grinned.
"Yes, I believe another airport worker sustained tendon damage to his foot after kicking the flaming terrorist in the testicles!"
"I love this place already!"
#
Booth looked out of the window of the Land Rover Discovery Bones had hired, a vast improvement on the tiny box with wheels he'd been issued in London. He hid his smile as he remembered her turning his own argument against him by telling him that she was the named driver on the rental so he was the passenger. How many times had he used that explanation as to why she couldn't drive the truck back home?
"Everything is so green." He mused.
"Summers are cooler here, and wetter, so the grass doesn't die off. Going by longitude, we're currently on the same level as Labrador in Canada but the west coast of Scotland is affected by the warm air from the gulf stream giving it a higher rate of precipitation."
"Yeah." Bones didn't need to tell him that, he felt the cold, dampness of the climate affect his feet as soon as he stepped out of the airplane.
They hadn't even been driving for 30 minutes when they arrived at their first overnight stop. While they had both slept on the flight, they were very tired from all the travelling and collapsed on the bed as soon as all their bags were in the room. Before he drifted off, Booth looked over at a sleeping Bones and figured there probably wasn't a better way to start a vacation.