I could harldy wait to start posting this fic, it's one of my faves aside from Lies. Okay, here we go.
1982
Four boys of about ten strolled along a dirty city street on a humid Wednesday afternoon in mid July.
"I'm hot." One of them complained. The lanky kid pulled his gray t-shirt over his head and tucked it into the waistband of his shorts.
"We're all hot Troy." A boy with striking green eyes and brown hair made a face as he tugged at his collar for the third time in ten minutes.
"Yeah, but we black folk got it harder than y'all Jacob. We absorb heat 'cause our skin's so much darker." Troy put his bare arm up next to his friend's as if they couldn't already tell the difference in skin tone.
"Whatever man. All I know is I'm hot."
The thrill of being out of school had worn off about three weeks prior and the lazy mornings of sleep and TV had long since lost their charm.
The tallest boy, a kid named Charlie, kicked a beer bottle and it smashed against the brick wall of a store front. The boys howled in laughter and ran, knowing the grumpy store owner, Jack Stone, would make an appearance any second.
They soon found running was a bad idea in the dangerously hot weather and were winded in moments.
"C'mon guys, my dad'll give us somethin' to drink." This suggestion came from the shortest boy, an inch or two smaller than the others. He usually reminded quiet, finding observation usually safer and more telling than conversation. Even at ten his slightly curly brown hair and dark eyes made him stand out from the rest, one day he would be a very handsome man.
Despite his small stature and quiet nature, the other boys followed this boy anywhere he went. Not only could he usually come up with something interesting to do, something they would surely get in trouble for later, but there was just something about him.
There was something about the way that little boy held himself, how he spoke with calculated certainty and wisdom beyond his years, that commanded attention and respect from the others.
As usual, Troy, Charlie and Jacob immediatly agreed and followed the fourth boy, Seeley, into his father's barbershop.
Zack came barreling around the corner in the lab carrying a bubbling beaker full of something green and mean looking at arm's length.
He wore blue rubber gloves and safety goggles and didn't see a well dressed FBI agent heading straight for him.
"Whoa!" Booth jumped out of the way at the last second and glared at the young man's receding back.
"Sorry Agent Booth! I've got to get this sample of liquid Asthrimene to Hodgins before it explodes." He called over his shoulder.
Booth shook his head and continued toward his partner's office.
"That kid should wear a bell or something." Booth walked into Brennan's office without knocking and plopped down in the chair in front of her desk.
"Who?" Brennan glanced up from her computer where she'd just sent off three emails full of information to different TV shows, whom she was sure would thank her profusely and then procede to ignore her input.
"You're assistant. He's running around with a beaker-full of explosive liquid. He almost got it on this $1300 suit and then I would have felt bad 'cause I'd have had to shoot him." Booth shrugged his shoulders and clasped his hands as if talking about the weather.
"You threaten to shoot people a lot." Brennan noticed the bright red and yellow polka dot tie Booth was wearing and smiled. She really liked those ties. "And Zack's not my assistant anymore."
Booth rolled his eyes and got up to collect her coat and purse.
"What are you doing?"
He looked at her, doing his best to keep a blank expression. "Didn't Cam tell you?"
Brennan frowned and shook her head, she didn't like the look of that suppressed grin on his face.
"Oh, well, Bones...we're going on a little road trip!" His grin no longer hidden.
"No!" Brennan shot out of her chair and backed away from her partner as he tried to put her coat on. "I've got a million things to do here Booth, I can't just drop everything and let you abduct me."
"First of all, Bones, it wouldn't be an abduction if you let me do it. And second...just c'mon Bones." he put his palms together in a pleading getsture, "You always do this. I tell you we have an out of state case, you say you're not going, I go over your head, we argue, you get mad and I pick you up the next morning with a coffee and a smile and we're on the next flight outta here. Can't we just skip all that and go?"
Brennan glared for a second and stopped moving, knowing he was right and annoyed at her defeat.
"Fine."
"Yes!" Booth grinned and helped her into her coat.
"Where are we going?" She shut off her lights and he guided her out of her office by the small of her back.
"The city of Brotherly Love Bones. Philly!" Brennan gave him a strange look but he continued staring straight ahead, a smile dancing on his lips.
This is gonna be great.
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