Disclaimer: I don't own them, I didn't create them, and I don't profit from them.
Author's Note: This is dedicated to all of my Bones Breakfast Club Tweeps. You know who you are.
The jangle of the bell on the door to the Royal Diner announced the entrance of another patron, but the sound barely registered in Seeley Booth's ears. He was far more interested in giving his partner a bad time for stealing another fry from his plate. "I'm pretty sure that salad and fries sort of cancel each other out, Bones."
Her eyebrows shot up in protest at his teasing. "What? They taste good, and you really shouldn't be eating all of that saturated fat, especially with the way you're consuming that burger as if you hadn't eaten in a week." All good natured banter that had been going back and forth between them for years, only something had shifted in recent days since they'd been stuck together in that elevator. Case in point, they were sitting next to each other at the table rather than across the way they usually did. Nothing seemed very usual between them anymore, but it was in an unusually good way.
"Burgers and fries were meant to be together, like pie and ice cream." He was very much looking forward to having a slice of pie to go along with his lunch and thought that maybe he should remind Celia that anytime would be a good time to bring it over and so he glanced towards the counter only to have his view blocked by a pair of rumpled khakis. He looked up to see who was blocking his view of the pie and his eyes widened.
"Hey yah, Shrimp. Got room for me and my lady friend Bernice to sit with you and Temperance?" The old man had an infectious smile on his face as if it was an everyday occurrence for him to show up unannounced in the middle of the day with some hot senior lady in tow.
"Pops, what are you doing here?" Booth had a sinking feeling that something was up down at the old folks home and who in the world was this Bernice person? He glanced around and frowned. Where was this Bernice person? Was Pops towing the line of senility?
"Is your hearing okay? I just told you, I wanted you to meet my lady friend, Bernice." He smiled again, this time looking over at Temperance. "Hope you're not too disappointed that I'm off the market, Shrimp here is probably more your type, especially now that Barbie has gone back to dazzle folks with her reporting across the globe."
"Hank, where is this friend of yours?" Brennan could see that Booth was concerned about his grandfather especially since he had mentioned this friend twice now and she was nowhere to be found.
Hank Booth hooked a thumb towards the door. "She's out looking for a place to park her Buick." He smiled again at the woman he knew deep down was meant for his grandson. Now if only Shrimp would wake up and smell the romance.
"What do you mean she's out parking her Buick?" Booth's brow furrowed even more as his grandfather sat down across from him and Bones. "There's plenty of parking right out front." In fact there was enough room along the curb in front of the diner for three cars.
Hank Booth chose the seat across from the prettier half of the partners and smiled before answering Seeley's question. "Classic car buff, she doesn't want to get any door dings in her fifty-four Century."
Brennan glanced over at Booth who still seemed slightly agitated at the unexpected appearance of his grandfather. "Apparently this love of classic cars runs in the family." She gently nudged Booth with her elbow to break him out of his self imposed funk and to remind him not to jump to conclusions.
"Maybe the two of you could go for a ride with Bernice and me." The older man was feeling a bit of mischief. "Course you two would have to sit in the backseat and behave yourselves."
"That could be quite fun, but Booth might insist in getting into some trouble." Brennan smirked in amusement as Hank laughed at her remarks.
"Did you have her bust you out?" Booth popped a fry in his mouth as he regarded Pops suspiciously. Having him out gallivanting around DC couldn't be a good thing. The last time he was here and out on his own, it seemed he had to be constantly bailed out of trouble. The last thing he needed were two senior citizens to keep track of while he and Bones were in the middle of a case.
"No, she didn't bust me out. It's a retirement home, not a penitentiary. If you're that confused, maybe you need a vacation. When was the last time you took a vacation?" He gave his grandson one of those 'don't shoot me a load of crap' looks and then just as quickly his expression melted into the smile of a man clearly smitten. He took a little effort to stand up. "Bernice!"
Booth glanced over and smirked as an older woman who had all the marks of being able to kick Pops' ass, sashayed her way right over to the man in question and planted a kiss right on his lips.
"Hey, there, Sparky." Bernice winked and then turned her attention to the other two people at the table before she plunked herself down in an available seat. "This your grandson and his gal you've been talking about so much?"
"Seeley Booth, ma'am." Booth cleared his throat as he stood up and reached over to shake her hand. Not quite sure how to answer the question about Bones, he simply gestured towards her in introduction before he sat down again. "This is my partner Temperance Brennan."
"You still going with that just partners crap?" Hank Booth wasn't pulling any punches as he sized up the situation.
"We are in fact partners." Brennan smiled. Things beyond that moniker were undefined for now, but she was hopeful that at some point in the future when they were both ready that they would cross that path.
Bernice gently jabbed Hank in the side with her elbow. "Sparky, you need to get with the times, that's what all the young folks are calling it these days."
"It's very nice to meet you, Bernice. How long have you and Hank been a romantic item?" Brennan took the opportunity to sneak another one of Booth's fries and plunk it into her mouth.
"See, I told you she'd be a little disappointed that I was taken." Hank puffed his chest out in true Booth fashion and then let out an amused chuckle as Bernice elbowed him in the gut.
"Sparky, I've got a feeling she's doing just fine." Bernice smirked and then turned her attention to the pair across the table. "I've heard so much about you two since Hank swept me off my feet a couple of months ago."
"A couple of months?" Booth's eyebrows arched slowly as he looked at Pops. "And you didn't think to mention it?" Of course it had been a while since he'd made the trek up to visit Pops so maybe he only had himself to blame for not knowing.
"Booth, he probably thought you'd run a background check on Bernice." Brennan looked over at the elder Booth to see an expression that only confirmed her suspicions.
"Nothing to hide here." Bernice smirked. "Besides, I haven't exactly told my family either." She almost felt like a teenager sneaking around behind her parents' backs and she was enjoying every minute of it.
"So where's your family from?" Booth had casually slipped into interrogation mode as he noticed Bones stealing another fry from his plate while the corners of his mouth twitched up into one of his patented charm smiles.
"They're all out west. Tired of being dragged all around the country so when I said I wanted to retire on the east coast, they said they were staying put." Bernice inched a little closer to Hank and motioned to the waitress for a couple of coffees.
"Dragged all around the country?" Brennan was intrigued. "Did you participate in a nomadic lifestyle?" There were estimated to be over a million Romani people living in the United States that most people referred to as Gypsies. She was fascinated at the discovery that Bernice might be one of them.
"You could say that." Bernice smiled. "My Charlie and I were long haul truckers for years and later when the kids were born, we just couldn't shake the travel bug and so we'd up and move every couple of years so we could learn about another part of the country. Started restoring old cars and selling them as a way to make extra money so we didn't have to worry so much about getting a job right away when we moved. Stopped traveling when my Charlie took sick some years back. He passed on about seven years ago."
"A trucker?" Booth was impressed that a lady as pint sized as Bernice could handle a rig that size.
"Yep, and don't you forget it, Shrimp." Hank interjected as he slung an arm around Bernice's shoulders. "She could kick both of our asses with her hands tied behind her back just like Temperance over there."
"I have never actually attempted to kick someone's ass while being handcuffed. I believe the other party would have the advantage." Brennan considered the statistical probability of succeeding in that scenario.
"Bones, I think he just means that you're both tough women." Booth whispered loudly.
"Ah." Of course that made far more sense and she glanced over to the couple sitting opposite. "Hank, I like her." Brennan smiled and then nudged Booth with her elbow. "What do you think, Booth?"
Booth smiled as Celia finally remembered to bring his pie and coffees for the new pair at the table. As his fork dug into the pie, he chuckled. "I want to know more about the classic cars."