A/N: Welcome to the inaugural chapter of Love & Carbonite, a labor of love from mphs95 & 554Laura. After the series finale and I calmed down thanks to my dear BONES friends, they made me realize that I can do anything I want in fanfiction now. 554Laura and I got talking one right shortly after and before we knew it, we had the bare bones of a story started. With that, we decided to put our creative minds together and fix the one flaw of not only the series finale but what I have figured out was the one bad thing about Season 12 besides it being the final season. Some chapters were written by 554Laura, some by me, mphs95, and some were together.
Watching the episodes now, I can see where they were putting Aubrey and Karen together, but in some ways it threw Jessica under the bus and the finale made Aubrey not look so good. I did copious research online and I've never found an Aubrey/Karen fanfiction or any pages, Instagram, Twitter, or whatever that showed significant support for Aubrey/Karen besides a few opinions here and there. However, I found a lot of support and love for Aubrey/Jessica so I hope this story helps the people that were crushed with Aubrey's final scenes.
We've changed the time frame slightly. Chapter 1 will start in September 2016 and will go from there. It seemed more appropo and Bones never specified dates, so we hope you all like it.
This is not a short story, nor a short journey. There will be tears and sadness, but also romance and happiness among the characters of the story. But most of all...there will be friendship and love.
Please enjoy the prologue and Chapter 1 today. For our fans, remember to follow this story here as we created a new profile for our labor of love and it won't be posted under our individual profiles. I hope we meet and/or exceed everyone's expectations and make things a little bit better.
Two people to thank. First our friend Haley for being our beta reader and making sure this story didn't suck. LOL. Second, to Emily Silver who was the genius BONES writer who nurtured this friendship into love...the best kind.
Happy Reading...mphs95 & 554Laura
After stumbling up the stairs and fumbling with his keys, Aubrey finally unlocked his apartment door and entered the darkened living room. He and Booth had been enjoying a couple of beers after the case was closed when Booth gave him the good news. He, Special Agent James Aubrey, was up for a promotion and a transfer to the FBI office in Los Angeles.
Throwing his keys in the dish on the console table by the door, Aubrey flipped on the lights and finally allowed himself an exultant whoop and a fist pump. "Supervisor in the Los Angeles field office.
"Yeah, Baby…California, here I come…"
Throwing his suit jacket over a chair, Aubrey laughed as he looked around his sparsely furnished apartment. At least he wouldn't have a lot to pack when he moved. In fact, except for his Star Wars collection, it might be easier to get rid of most of his stuff and start fresh in LA. It was exciting to think about getting a new place, although he wondered if the rents would be higher and if he might have to settle for a smaller place.
Oh well, just another reason to get rid of some of his old stuff, right?
Aubrey gave up all pretense of being cool and calm about the promotion, happily laughing as he remembered Booth's explanation. One of Booth's cronies, Tony Becker, had read some of their case reports and had been very impressed with their conviction rate. Becker knew that Booth was absolutely ensconced in DC and couldn't be tempted to move, but he'd sent Booth a couple of emails about his partner, wondering what kind of guy Aubrey was and wondering if he'd be tempted to move to a different office if he was offered a major promotion. Even though Booth had been reluctant to lose a good partner, he said he'd pass the information on.
Grabbing another beer from the refrigerator, Aubrey plopped down on his sofa and thought about the past few years working with the senior agent. Booth was a good man to work for...passionate about his work, compassionate toward other people, extremely intelligent, thorough, and detail oriented...and with a ridiculously high solve rate. There'd been rough times and good times over the last three years, but Aubrey had begun to look on Booth as a trusted friend as well as a colleague.
Special Agent in Charge Booth was an exceptional agent, and Aubrey had to admit to himself that, perhaps, he'd managed to gain some of his own success by riding on Booth's coattails a bit. Of course, Aubrey realized he'd had several chances to prove his own worth, especially when he'd been named interim Special Agent in Charge when Booth had 'retired'.
'Interim Special Agent in Charge'...much to his chagrin, Director Stark hadn't given Aubrey the position outright, hoping that Booth would change his mind about leaving the Bureau, and that was exactly what happened. Even with the awkwardness of having to give up a great office to make room for Booth when he came back to work, there were no hard feelings between the two men. They'd made a conscious effort to work together as partners, and their friendship had weathered that little storm.
Of course, Aubrey didn't really need a supervisor, having been in that position himself many times. However, it seemed natural for him to fall into that pattern with Booth, especially since Booth was used to being completely in charge in most circumstances. Shrugging as he sipped his beer, Aubrey wondered if he'd been overly deferential to Booth, when in reality they should be on more equal footing, but in the long run, it didn't really matter. Working with Booth had given him a huge advantage over several other candidates for the Los Angeles position, and Aubrey was going to get his promotion to Special Agent in Charge after all. He was determined to savor the moment, no matter how it came about.
However, at that moment, he was also very drowsy, having had more than a few beers that evening. He began to nod off as he sat on the sofa, only to be jolted awake as Skinner the cat jumped on his lap.
"Meow?" The cat swished his tail, demanding to be fed, rubbing his head against Aubrey's face and kneading his paws on Aubrey's lap.
"Really, Skinner? Can't a guy take a nap on his own couch?"
Aubrey put the cat down and shook off his sleepiness as he walked into the kitchen to find the cat food. Pouring some kibbles into a small bowl, he put the dish on the floor and chuckled as the cat came running for his dinner.
"Yeah, that was what you wanted, right?" Watching the cat enjoy his supper, Aubrey mused to himself as he talked to the cat. "I wonder how I'm going to get you to LA, Skinner. I don't even know where I'm going to live, you know? I might even have to live in a hotel room for a while, and that's really not a good place for a cat, is it? I may have to find another good home for you."
Hearing the cat purr as the bowl was emptied, Aubrey nodded to himself. "I bet Jessica wouldn't mind keeping you. I know she likes cats…"
And then it hit him like a bolt of lightning. "Oh, no! Jessica! I'm going to move all the way across the country, away from her, and...Shit! What am I going to tell Jessica?!"
Jessica Warren couldn't help but smile as she made her way into the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab. It finally seemed like things were going her way. She had a handsome boyfriend who loved her, a job she enjoyed, and her graduate work was moving along according to schedule. She was truly happy for the first time in her life.
She hurried up the steps to the lab platform, buttoning her coat and smoothing her hair away from her face. "Good morning, Dr. Brennan." Reaching for some gloves, she smiled at her mentor. "Do we have a new set of remains this morning?"
"Oh, hello, Ms. Warren." Brennan acknowledged her intern with a slight nod. "No, this set of remains is from Limbo. I'd like you to take the standard skeletal measurements and record them in the "unknown" database. If I have to spend less time taking measurements, I can spend more time discovering the actual identity of the deceased."
"I'll begin right away." Jessica accessed the database on the computer and entered the case number so she could pull up the file.
"Excellent. I need to work on the file of that movie producer who died recently." Pulling off her gloves, Brennan smiled at Jessica. "If you'll come by my office after lunch, we can discuss your transfer to UCLA. I know several people in the anthropology department there, so we can easily arrange for the transfer of your credits so you can continue your graduate work in forensic anthropology."
Thoroughly surprised, Jessica stared at Brennan, trying to figure out what she meant. "Um, Dr. B...I'm very confused. I don't know why you think I'm transferring to UCLA. I'm very happy here...unless...are you trying to tell me that you're firing me?"
Brennan's brow furrowed as she studied her intern. "Well, since Agent Aubrey has received an offer for a promotion within the Los Angeles field office, I had assumed you'd be moving with him, especially since you're involved in a monogamous relationship with him. However, if you've decided to stay…"
"I haven't made a decision yet." Jessica cringed slightly before continuing. "To be perfectly honest with you, Dr. Brennan, Aubrey hasn't mentioned a promotion or a possible move to me, so there's no reason for me to make a choice at this time."
"Oh…I'm sorry. Booth mentioned Aubrey's possible promotion to me last week, so I assumed that Aubrey had already discussed it with you." Brennan closed her eyes, cringing slightly as she realized her blunder. "Well, if you decide to move to Los Angeles with Agent Aubrey, I'll be glad to assist you in attending a different university in California."
"Thank you." Jessica bit her lip, trying to keep from crying as she felt her world collapse around her. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll get started on these measurements."
"Hey, Jess. What's up?" Aubrey smiled as he joined her at a table in the diner. "How's my favorite intern today?"
Jessica stared at her coffee cup, pinching her lips together as she exhaled slowly. "Am I really your favorite intern?"
"Yeah, of course." Aubrey's smile faded as he realized his girlfriend was upset. "What's wrong?"
"Dr. B and I were talking today, and she told me that she'd be able help me make arrangements for my university credits to be transferred to UCLA so I could continue my graduate work there after I moved to Los Angeles with you. She assumed I knew about your promotion." Jessica brushed away a tear. "It was embarrassing for me to tell her that I had no idea what she was talking about…"
"Goddammit…" Aubrey stared out the diner's window, trying to find the words to explain what had happened. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I really was going to tell you. I haven't said anything about the promotion because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do yet…and I've been so busy with the Kovacs case. I just haven't had time to bring it up..."
"Bullshit!" Jessica's hand trembled with anger as she took a sip of her coffee. Glaring at him, she clenched her jaw. "We both know what you want to do. You want to go to Los Angeles to take that promotion, right? Fine. Go to Los Angeles, but don't expect me to follow on your heels like some pathetic lost puppy."
She started to rise from her chair to leave, but Aubrey took her hand. "C'mon, Jess. You know I wouldn't take that job without talking to you first. Please don't leave…"
Jessica reluctantly sat down but she refused to make eye contact with him as he continued to plead with her. "Look, you're right. We need to talk about this, and we will. I promise, okay? Please don't be upset. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted to be sure. Let me put this Kovacs thing to bed..."
Sitting on the edge of her chair, Jessica nodded slightly. "It's okay if you want to go to LA…I'll understand..."
"We'll talk about it later this week." Aubrey hesitated a minute before he continued. "Do you still want to go to Cam's wedding with me?"
"Sure, I guess so." Jessica smiled faintly. "I've been looking forward to it."
"Great. I'll pick you up about four, okay?"
"Yeah." Jessica glanced at the time on her phone. "I have to get back to the lab."
"Okay. I love you, Jess…" Aubrey gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Love you, too." Jessica got up and quickly walked away from the table without so much as a backwards glance, leaving Aubrey to wonder if his indecision about the promotion had ruined his life.
It was a few days later when Aubrey strode purposefully into Booth's office, carrying a large carryout bag from the diner. He laughed softly at Christine's enthusiastic greeting as he held up the bag for her to see.
"Hooray! It's Uncle Aubrey!" Christine, sitting in her father's desk chair, grinned happily as soon as she saw her second favorite FBI agent enter the office. "Did you bring us some sandwiches and lots of French fries from the diner?"
"Of course! It wouldn't be diner food without lots of French fries, right? Hey, kiddo, I'm going to talk to your daddy for a minute and then we'll have something to eat, okay?"
Christine nodded, smiling innocently as she played with her father's phone, oblivious to his extreme agitation. Aubrey, however, could see the pained expression and the tension in his partner's shoulders and neck muscles as he stood nervously in the doorway. He spoke quietly as the older man paced the office. "You okay, Booth?"
Shaking off Aubrey's question without an answer, Booth gently took his phone from Christine before picking up his suit coat. "I've got to go to the lab. I've got to see Bones…" Glancing over his shoulder at his children, Booth turned back to Aubrey. "I know it's not part of your job description…"
"No problem, Booth...I'll stay here with the kids, okay? They'll be fine. If I'm needed for anything outside the Hoover, I'll make sure there's another agent with them at all times. You go see Dr. B…."
"Yeah, thanks, Aubrey. I appreciate it." After taking one more lingering glance at his children, Booth strode quickly to the hall outside the bullpen, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for the elevator to take him to the parking garage. He turned and waved at Aubrey before entering the car, and then he was gone.
Sighing softly, Aubrey tried to calm himself as he turned to Christine. He knew the little girl was very perceptive for someone her age, and it was going to be difficult to carry on the pretense that everything was just fine when instead he was heartbroken by Jessica's sudden announcement that she wanted to end their relationship.
Opening up the bag, he concentrated on unwrapping a grilled cheese sandwich for Christine and then a hamburger for himself before pulling out the large Styrofoam container that held a huge pile of French fries, setting it in the middle of the table. "Okay, here we go. I got some extra ketchup, too."
Hearing Hank stir in his sleep, Aubrey made sure the little boy was sleeping snugly in the chair before turning back to their meal. Uncapping a water bottle, he handed it to the little girl and grinned.
"It looks like you're missing some choppers there, aren't you? Want me to cut up your sandwich into little pieces for you?"
"Nah." Christine broke her sandwich into two large pieces and nibbled on the corner of one of the halves. "I can just use these teeth here on the side. Mommy says my permanent teeth will grow in soon and then I'll be able to eat normally."
Nodding in agreement, Aubrey took a bite of his burger. "Yeah, I remember how that goes from when I was a kid."
Grimacing slightly, he picked up some French fries and dipped them into his large puddle of ketchup. Talking about teeth made him think of Jessica's lovely smile, and he was crushed all over again when he realized he might never have another one of them directed his way.
"Uncle Aubrey, did you have fun at the wedding last night? I did." Christine giggled happily as she rambled on about the wedding reception. "Did you see that I got to wear Dr. Saroyan's veil? I looked just like a bride, didn't I? And Daddy let me take pictures with his phone, and I danced with Daddy and with Michael-Vincent, and I ate a lot of cake. Did you dance with Miss Jessica? She looked really pretty last night, didn't she? I like weddings. They're fun."
Christine paused to eat some fries. "Mommy says there's a saying that the lady who catches the flowers that the bride throws after the wedding is supposed to be the next one to get married. Maybe since Miss Jessica caught the flowers that Dr. Saroyan threw, now you and Miss Jessica can get married. If you do get married, can I come to the wedding?"
Christine tilted her head to one side as she studied her dinner companion closely. "Are you sick, Uncle Aubrey? You're not eating your dinner."
If he ever got married...that seemed unlikely now. Aubrey's stomach lurched as he realized Christine had unintentionally hit the nail on the head. Jessica had looked beautiful last night, and instead of enjoying her company, he'd gotten himself rip roaring drunk. Had that been the catalyst for the break up? Had she seen all of his flaws and decided she could do better?
"I'm fine. I'm just tired from being out late last night." he lied. "I think maybe I had too much fun at the party." Aubrey folded the wrapper around the leftover portion of his hamburger and dropped it back into the bag. "My insides aren't very happy with me today."
"That's silly. Mommy says our body organs can't talk. Maybe you had too many of Uncle Jack's special drinks. Daddy said they were stiff, but I don't know what that means." Christine continued to chatter about the wedding and the reception as she enjoyed her French fries.
"It means I made a mistake when I had more than one of those fancy drinks that Dr. Hodgins served at the party."
Too many stiff drinks, and not enough time talking to Jessica about their future together. It seemed that had been the recipe for disaster that had ended his relationship with his girlfriend. Preoccupied with his own sad thoughts, Aubrey tried to listen to what Christine was telling him, but his mind kept wandering back to everything that had happened that morning.
They'd been out looking at a set of remains when he'd told Jessica that he wanted her to move to LA with him. She was less than thrilled with the idea at first, but it seemed like she might consider it if he played his cards right. Then, later that day, out of the blue, she'd come to see him at the Hoover, telling him that not only would she be staying in DC, but that they were through...completely over. It really stung to hear her say that there was no future for them as a couple. He'd thought they'd come to an understanding about what they wanted out of their life together, but evidently he was dead wrong. Shocked and speechless at the sudden turn of events, he wanted to say something...anything...to make her change her mind, but his goddamn phone rang, and he was needed elsewhere immediately.
The more he'd thought about it, the more irritated he'd become. After all their time together, did Jessica really think she could just break things off between them without telling him why? He deserved an explanation. It'd never occurred to him that she might say no to moving to California with him, and now all he could think about was how much he'd wanted her to say yes…to say that she loved him, and that she'd follow him anywhere.
He shook his head as he thought things through. Maybe she could reconsider their being together if he decided to stay in Washington. He was willing to do that for her, knowing that a big promotion wouldn't mean much to him unless she was there to share his success with him. He needed to talk to her as soon as possible...if only he could get her to answer her phone…
"Uncle Aubrey?" Christine tapped him on the arm. "I need to go to the restroom."
"Um, okay. I tell you what, I'm going to have Agent Nelson take you so I can stay here with Hank, alright?"
Aubrey went to the doorway and waved at a female agent. "This little miss needs to use the facilities. Can you take her? I need to stay with that one…" He pointed to the small boy curled up in the chair. "Let sleeping dogs and sleeping children lie…"
"Yeah, believe me, after three kids, I know. Come along, young lady." Christine took the agent's hand as they left to find the bathroom.
Sitting in Booth's chair, Aubrey sighed unhappily as he gazed out the window. He'd always wanted kids of his own, and he'd let himself imagine what it might be like when he and Jessica had a family of their own...but that wasn't going to happen now…
Groaning in frustration, Aubrey pounded the desk with his fist. He couldn't let things end this way. He wasn't going to just walk away from this relationship with his tail tucked between his legs. He wasn't going to give up on Jessica without making a stand. They were going to finish the conversation they started in that interrogation room earlier that day, and he was going to make her listen when he told her everything he was feeling. He was going to spill his proverbial guts. He'd find out what had gone wrong, and then he was going to beg for a chance to fix it.
If nothing else, he'd offer an apology for hurting her enough to make her break up with him. He pulled out his phone to call her again when a panicked agent came running from the bullpen into the office.
"Aubrey...they need you to go…" The distraught man panted heavily as he leaned against the doorway.
"What is it, Ellis? What's wrong?" Aubrey rose from his chair quickly as a sense of dread filled him. "Is it Booth? Oh, my God...Kovacs?"
"There's been a series of massive explosions at the Jeffersonian. It's bad...it looks like the whole building is on fire…"
"Jesus...okay, listen, I need you to keep an eye on this little guy for just a few minutes." Picking up his phone and keys, Aubrey was grim as he ran to find Agent Nelson. He took her aside, speaking softly so Christine couldn't hear them. "Hey, I've got to go find out what's happening at the Jeffersonian. It sounds bad. I need you to call Caroline Julian and get her over here for these kids. Don't leave the kids alone for a minute until she gets here, understand?"
Nelson nodded as Aubrey hunkered down to talk to Christine. "I've got to go do something important. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"
"Okay." Christine regarded him solemnly. "Uncle Aubrey, are my mommy and daddy okay?"
He bit his lip as he thought about how to truthfully answer the child's question. "That's what I'm going to find out, Honey." Patting her head, he jogged to the elevator, praying that his friends were safe as he headed for the Jeffersonian.
After weeks of mounting tension, there was finally some sense of relief at the offices of the FBI. Mark Kovacs was dead, and his sister had been apprehended. The Medico-Legal lab had been destroyed by a bomb, but work was already under way to restore it to its former glory. All in all, things seemed to be returning to normal, with one notable exception.
Aubrey sighed heavily as he stood in Booth's office, holding a potted plant as he talked with his friends about his decision to take a promotion in the DC office instead of the one in Los Angeles. Caroline Julian grinned as she congratulated him on is good fortune.
"I guess your little redheaded squint is pleased with that bit of news." Caroline winked at him as she got ready to leave.
"Actually, um...she broke up with me." Aubrey was trying to hold himself together without much success. His pain was palpable for his friends.
"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that." Caroline reached over and patted the younger man's shoulder. "Well, I've got to be going…"
As the prosecutor left, Booth glanced at his friend. "Are you okay?"
"Nah…" Aubrey was grim as he shrugged his shoulders. "...but I'm going to be. See you later…"
Leaving Booth's office, Aubrey made his way across the bullpen so he could go check out his new digs.
"Hey, Aubrey…"
"Oh, hey, Karen. What's going on?" It was a silly question, really, considering the two large buckets of fried chicken she was carrying.
"I wondered if you might need to engage in some emotional eating after your breakup, so I brought you some chicken." Karen explained. "Hungry"
Aubrey shrugged slightly. "Yeah, I could eat. Let's go to my office…"
The feast was spread out all over Aubrey's desk. He leaned back in his chair, snacking on a drumstick as he watched Karen polish off a couple of wings. "Thanks for the fried chicken, Karen. It's really good. Nice of you to think about my need for emotional eating. Pass the coleslaw, okay?"
He put a couple of big spoonsful of the creamy mixture on his plate before eyeing Karen with mild suspicion. "So...how did you know that Jessica broke up with me?"
"Oh…" Concentrating on her mashed potatoes and gravy, Karen shrugged as she flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. "She called me last night...she was really upset about the whole thing…"
"Jessica talked to you about why she broke up with me instead of talking to me." Pursing his lips as he wiped his hands on a napkin, Aubrey shook his head. "Great. That's just great."
He groaned softly as he reached for his water bottle. "I just don't understand what happened between us. I thought we were happy together, you know? Things were going really well. I mean, this break up just seemed to come from nowhere. It was like one minute we're fine, and then the next minute she says we have no future together. I had no idea she felt that way."
"Yeah, I know you didn't. I think that was part of the problem." Karen paused, trying to make sure she chose her words carefully.
Taking a sip of water, she smiled gently at the confused man sitting behind the desk. "Jessica cares about you, and she knows you care about her, but you seemed so unsure about what you wanted from her and from your relationship. You said yourself you were avoiding her, right? You were awkward and uncomfortable with what your promotion would mean for both of you, and you weren't exactly honest about that. She's smart. She figured that out very quickly, and it really hurt her feelings. It's kind of like you shut her out of your life."
Pausing as he looked up from his ear of corn, Aubrey glowered at Karen. "Did you two talk about me and her being a couple while I was passed out in your guest room? That's hardly fair. I didn't even get a chance to defend myself."
Karen grimaced as she shrugged her shoulders. "Look Aubrey, I'm a psychologist. People talk to me whether I want them to or not. She told me that she wondered what she'd done to make you so uncomfortable...so unhappy with her...and she thought the reason you got so schnockered at the reception was because she'd caught the bouquet and it made you feel trapped...like she'd forced your hand on things when you weren't ready to take the next step. The panic on your face when you saw what happened with the bouquet didn't help things, either."
Karen picked up another chicken wing. "I think you should've talked to each other more…"
"That's crazy, Karen. I wasn't unhappy with her. I have no idea why she'd feel that way. We talked all the time about all sorts of things. We like the same things...we had fun together." Aubrey sighed heavily. "I really enjoy her company. I love her…"
"And I think she loves you, Aubrey, but I'm not sure she's ready for some sort of committed relationship with you, and maybe you aren't ready for one with her, either. That was what you two really needed to talk about...the more serious stuff. Jessica thinks you asked her to move to LA with you because of peer pressure...because everybody else expected it of you instead of because you really wanted her to go. If that was true, there'd be a chance that you'd break up once you got there, and then she'd be stuck in LA after giving up her life here in DC."
Karen spooned some more potatoes onto her plate. "She got really nervous, trying to decide what to do about the two of you. She was waiting for you to say something more about your promotion and about her making the move with you, but you took a long time to say anything to her about it, and she felt like an afterthought. Then, when you did say something about it, you wanted a decision right away, like you were forcing her into something she wasn't sure she wanted. I mean, asking her to move to LA while you're out looking at a dead body isn't really conducive to a meaningful discussion about life altering decisions."
Aubrey cringed, knowing how ill-timed his request had been. "I know...that was stupid…"
Karen nodded as she continued. "I guess finally Jessica couldn't see any way out of the situation other than ending your relationship. It's drastic, but it made sense to her. She was upset, because she didn't really want to break up with you, but it was like that whole 'pulling off the band aid' thing. It hurt her badly, but she felt backed into a corner so she had to make a clean break."
"But I'm not going to LA now." Aubrey took a chicken breast out of the bucket. "I don't see why things have to end this way. I don't understand why we can't work things out."
Using his fork to move his baked beans around on his plate, Aubrey thought over the situation. "If I could only get her to talk to me, maybe we could work it out, but she won't even answer her phone." Chewing her lip, he tapped his fingers nervously on his desk. "I really need to talk to her."
Karen shook her head as she listened to Aubrey's melancholy complaint. "I'm not sure she wants to talk to you. Maybe you need to give her some time and let her come to that idea on her own."
"Nope. I don't want to risk it. I got to try to make her see things differently. We've had too many good times together for me to give her up after five minutes of discussion in an interrogation room at the Hoover. She said we could finish our conversation later, but with the explosion at the Jeffersonian and everything that happened with Kovacs, we never got the chance." Aubrey suddenly wasn't hungry any more. "I got to see her one more time. Maybe I can get her to meet me at the diner, or I could just go by her apartment…"
"She's probably over at the lab right about now, helping them clean up." Karen sighed as she watched Aubrey finish his meal, wondering if he'd really want to hear what Jessica had to say. "If you want to talk later, I'll be here to listen, okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Karen. I appreciate it. And thanks for the chicken, okay?" Aubrey grabbed his keys and phone. "I'll talk to you later and let you know what happens."
"Okey-dokey…" Karen packaged up the leftovers and put them in the breakroom refrigerator, knowing that Aubrey might need to do some more emotional eating later, after Jessica told him what she really thought.
Standing in the doorway of a damaged office, Aubrey bit his lip as he fidgeted with his keys. "Hey, Jess…"
She kept working, stacking some small boxes without looking up at him. "Hi, Aubrey. Listen, I'm really busy. I don't have time to talk. I have to box up this equipment."
"Look." He held up his phone. "My phone is turned off. We won't have any interruptions while we talk, okay? No running off to talk to suspects instead of talking to you. I only need a few minutes. Please? For old times sake?" He tried to smile without much success. "C'mon, Jess. What would Princess Leia do for Han Solo?"
"She'd probably tell him to go fuck himself." Jessica brushed her hair out of her face as she moved another box. "Aubrey…" She clenched her jaw as she tried to control her emotions. "I've got a lot of work to do. I don't have time for silly chit chat."
He took a step closer to her. "I understand...I really do, but I want...no, I need to finish the conversation we started at the Hoover the other day. I haven't really gotten to see you since the explosion here and everything else that happened."
He desperately wanted to reach out and embrace her, but her body language made him think better of it. "I've thought about it a lot, and I know I've been a real asshole, Jessica. I know I haven't treated you the way you deserve to be treated. I don't expect you to change your mind about breaking up with me, but I want you to know that I'm sorry I hurt you. I should've been straight with you about the promotion from the beginning, but I wasn't sure…"
"You weren't sure you wanted me to be a part of your life anymore...not like that." Jessica sniffled, trying not to cry. "I completely understand. After all, I'm not sure I want you in my life like that anymore, either."
"No, it wasn't like that, Jess. The problem was that I didn't know if I even had the right to ask you to move with me...to take you away from your life here. I guess I wasn't really sure where we stood...where we stand...God, I've fucked everything up so bad…"
"Yeah, you definitely did." Jessica stood with her hands on her hips, nodding over her shoulder. "I have lots of work to do."
Aubrey wasn't going to give up that easily. "Listen, Jessica...you know I love you, right? I was just scared that I'd do the wrong thing, you know? It seemed like either way I'd be doing the wrong thing." He jammed his hands in his pockets, tapping his foot as he tried to figure out how to explain things better.
"I love you, too, James, but I don't know if that's enough right now. If we love each other, but we're both scared to make a move together because it might not work out between us, then we need to move on to something else, because what we have right now isn't working." Jessica wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I hate to say it...I really do...but as far as I can tell, there is no future for us together. We don't mean enough to each other to make that long term kind of commitment...to move across the country together."
Aubrey suddenly realized Jessica hadn't heard about his change in plans. "Listen, I'm not going to LA after all. Somebody's retiring, and I got offered the same promotion here in DC." He saw Jessica flinch slightly before she moved another box. "I know you said we have no future, but I was wondering if there's any chance we could...if you'd consider...I mean...maybe we could keep in touch...see each other from time to time. I really don't want to give up on us, Jessica...not yet. Would you consider giving us another chance? Maybe a chance to see if we could grow into having a future together?"
"I don't know." Jessica shook her head as she looked Aubrey in the eyes. "I'll have to think about it, but don't hold your breath, okay? I'm not sure that's a good idea. I think I'd rather be done with the whole thing. I think I should let you go, and move on with my life. Now, let me get back to work. When I decide what I want to do, I'll be in touch."
Shoulders drooping, Aubrey nodded sadly. "I understand. Okay, see you around...maybe on a case…"
"Yeah." Jessica paused as she wiped her hands on her lab coat, watching him walk away. "If we do see each other at work, we have to be professional, okay?"
"Just like always." Aubrey stared at his shoes, sighing heavily as he realized his efforts at a possible reconciliation had failed.
"And afterwards, maybe a cup of coffee?" Jessica shrugged as Aubrey turned to look at her with a hopeful smile on his face. "Not that we'll get back together…"
"Yeah, of course. No strings...no expectations...no rushing into things, right? We can at least be on friendly terms." Aubrey grinned at Jessica as she tentatively nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. Now, I really do have to get back to work." Jessica gave him an airy wave of her hand to dismiss him. "Oh, by the way, when you see Karen, tell her I said hello. I figured she'd tell you everything."
"Wouldn't it have been easier to tell me everything yourself, Jessica?" Aubrey pretended to scowl at her as she smirked at him.
"You don't always listen to me, Aubrey, but I figured Karen would ply you with food, and then, when you were comfortably full, she'd tell you everything. She has the hots for you, you know? She's probably thrilled that we're not together anymore."
Arching an eyebrow, Aubrey chuckled as an idea came to mind. "Yeah, I know. You should've seen how much chicken she brought me to ease my broken heart. Two family sized barrels of extra crispy, extra spicy recipe with all the sides and extra biscuits. You're right. She wants me…"
"Two barrels? Already? Really?" Jessica's voice rose with indignation. It was obvious that she was not amused. "With all the sides? That must've cost a fortune."
"And extra biscuits with honey butter. All that food may have been expensive, but I guess she thinks I'm worth it." Smirking at Jessica's twinge of jealousy, Aubrey decided to tease her a little bit for old times' sake. "I know that doesn't make any difference to you, does it? After all, you're not my girlfriend any more. We're merely work colleagues."
He flashed a dimpled smile at her as he ducked out of the way of her pretend slap on his arm. "See you in a couple of weeks, okay?"
Smiling slightly, Jessica turned back to stacking her boxes. "Okay, see you soon." She watched him leave out of the corner of her eye, wondering how long she'd actually be able to keep that man at arm's length and completely out of her life.
Chuckling to himself, Aubrey glanced over his shoulder to see Jessica watching him. He was well aware of the tiny seed of jealousy that he'd planted, and he thought maybe things might work out between them in the long run, but, if not, at least he could count on Karen to bring him some more fried chicken.
Sometimes, he thought to himself, a man just had to make the best of a bad situation.
A/N: It should go without saying but if you are an Aubrey/Karen fan, this is not the story for you.