Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me!
Dr. Temperance Brennan was a highly motivated individual; a fact that was well evidenced by the professional success she had achieved at an extraordinarily young age. However, today she was not feeling particularly motivated as she sat back in her office chair, eyes closed, pondering exactly what task she should attempt next. She was exhausted both physically and mentally; the last few months had really taken it out of her and she was beginning to realise the extent to which she had been affected.
Sensing movement in her doorway she reluctantly opened a wary eye and saw Booth leaning against the doorframe pre-emptively armed with one of his best charm smiles.
"Dreaming of me Bones?" He asked, charm smile morphing in to a wry, schoolboy grin.
" No" Brennan answered sharply, somewhat bemused by the question. "What is it you want Booth?" She asked, sitting forward in her chair and propping her head up with her hands.
"well…" he began, before being cut of by a rampaging little girl running past him at speed and throwing herself at Brennan. He watched, unsure of what was going on, as Brennan stood from her chair and scooped the child up into her arms in one fluid motion. Her face wore a smile he had never seen, she was grinning from ear to ear and her eyes sparkled as she held the child in her arms.
The blonde haired girl looked up adoringly at Brennan and shrieked "Daddy is getting married, you have to come, please come Tempe it's going to be so much fun there's going to be cake and dancing and lots of people to play with"
"Oh is he now" Brennan answered, absent-mindedly tucking a wisp of the little girl's hair behind her ear whilst admiring just how much she had grown since they had last met.
"Yes indeed" came a voice from behind Booth. Booth stepped aside feeling that he was very much in the way but too intrigued by this new side of Brennan's personality to excuse himself and leave her in peace. Booth looked at the figure from which the voice came, he was a tall man, not particularly well built, dark hair and dressed in a navy suit, his tie loosened and collar buttons undone.
"Hi I'm James," the man said extending his hand to Booth. Booth shook his hand vigorously sizing the man up.
"I'm sorry" Brennan said putting the little girl down by her side. She promptly took her hand and walked over to where Booth and James were standing. "James this is Special Agent Seeley Booth, he's kind of my partner we try and maintain a link between the FBI and the Jeffersonian to help solve cases, Booth this is James my best friend from college and his daughter Lilly my God daughter"
"But you're not religious Bones, how can you have a god daughter" Booth questioned, raising an eyebrow and immediately regretting asking such a personal question in front of people he'd never met..
Before she could answer James interjected "I didn't give her a choice that is how. Surely by now you have worked out that offering Tempe choices is always a bad thing. She has to be told if you want to get anywhere with her"
Booth smiled in acknowledgement at James as Brennan slapped him across the arm and chastised him for saying such things. At which point Angela, ears tuned to seek out any form of excitement in the Lab, appeared over James' shoulder.
"James!" She squealed closing the space between them in a flourish and kissing him dramatically on both cheeks. "Long time no see! Where have you been hiding?" She turned towards Lilly and seamlessly crouched down to her level "and you young lady have grown up sooo much!" With this Angela drew her in to a bear hug and Booth watched amused as Lilly refused to let go of Brennan's hand.
"How old are you now anyway?" Angela asked pulling away from Lilly and standing to her full height.
"Seven and one quarter" Lilly answered emphasising the importance of the quarter in the way she said it.
"James is getting married" Brennan whispered loud enough for Angela to hear but quiet enough for James to miss the fact that this information had passed between the two women.
"Married?" Angela exclaimed "Oh James congratulations" She squealed throwing her arms around his neck. "Who is the lucky lady?" she asked as Brennan mentally kicked herself for not thinking to ask that question.
"Her name is Sarah, we met at my cousin's Wedding last year. She is a Pre school Teacher and the wedding is in two weeks time," He answered trying to pre-empt the barrage of questions that he knew Angela was about to throw his way. "Anyway…" he continued not pausing to let Angela start her interrogation "...Lilly and I have to go and sort out some Wedding things of course you are invited Ange please feel free to bring as many people as possible Sarah's family have invited their whole town so I am trying to balance things up a bit. I'll send you a proper invite tomorrow I just wanted to tell you all in person first".
With this James turned to Brennan placing his hands on her shoulders and moving his face inches from hers. "and you" he laughed "you are coming, I am hearing no excuses, you are going to bring your nice FBI friend, you are going to be my best man, well woman – hell you know what I mean and you and the lovely Angie are doing the photographs as I remember you are quite the photographer and with Angie's artistic talents they'll be perfect!"
Brennan moved to open he mouth but James silenced her by placing his finger across her lips "no arguing" he reaffirmed kissing her forehead before bending down to pick Lilly up. "You and I munchkin have a date" he said smiling at his daughter "say bye to Tempe, Angie and Mr Booth " he instructed walking towards the door.
"Seeley please" Booth corrected, a gesture James acknowledged with a nod
"Seeley it is then, say good bye Lilly" James instructed again
"Bye" she yelled obligingly waving at them over his shoulder.
"And remember" James shouted "No excuses Tempe!"
Before Brennan had time to digest all that had just happened Angela began dancing around her office in excitement "God I love that man Bren he's so...commanding! oh and a wedding I love weddings we'll have to go shopping!" she squealed exiting Brennan's office on a mission to find Hodgins and convince him to come to the wedding with her.
"oh god" Brennan muttered "She is going to be insufferable."
"You think?" Booth questioned mockingly "I never had you down as a photographer Bones."
"I'm not much of one really it's just something I enjoy, I used to do a lot when I was in college but now, well, it's pretty much just crime scenes"
Booth nodded wondering whether she had always been as emotionally unavailable as she seemed. He had assumed she had always been this work focussed and self-contained but her relationship with James made him wonder – when had she become the woman she is today?
"Well" Booth said breaking the silence "I didn't have you down as the god mother type either"
"You think I had a choice?" she smiled meeting his gaze and swiping a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.
"No I am guessing you didn't," he answered honestly brushing past her to slump down on the couch. He rested his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes. God he was tired, more tired than he had realised.
"You ok?" Bones asked resting a hip on the edge of her desk and watching him with a worried expression on her face.
Booth ignored the question as he really didn't want to talk about it right now and somehow once he started talking to her she always managed to coax things out of him. He was just too tired to cope with that today, he would deal with his problems later, right now he was torn as to whether sleep beckoned more than interrogating Bones as to the exact nature of her relationship with James and Lilly. Curiosity won out and he opened an eye to see what she was doing and so as he could gauge her reaction to the questions he knew he was about to ask. "So you and James…" he began until he was met with a raised eyebrow and a sigh from his partner "are just friends" she answered.
"Good friends" he asked?
"The best" she answered missing the double entendre in Booth's question. "We met in college his then girlfriend was my room mate she was well, a bit of a wild child and hurt him very badly. She wound up Pregnant and was planning to abort the baby when James found out. He begged her to keep the child but she refused, eventually he offered her a fair amount of money to go through with the pregnancy and that seemed to bring out the compassionate side in her" Bones smirked playing with her earring "anyway she did have the baby a beautiful baby girl, Lilly, after that she took off with the money and last I heard she was living with some musician in California. She signed over all legal rights to James and has never shown any interesting seeing Lilly. James tried to keep in contact he sent pictures and letters but they were always returned unopened."
"That's a real shame," Booth commented sitting up in the chair a little more at ease with James' position in her life.
"Sort of" Brennan agreed accompanied by a half hearted nod "but her dad loves her, she is a very happy little girl and that to me is what's important."
"I thought you didn't like kids Bones" Booth said shifting in his seat yet again regretting his question as soon as he said it.
"I have never said that Booth" she answered defensively "I'm not heartless you know I just don't want kids of my own."
"Ok, Ok simmer down" Booth said standing up and walking over to her "No offence intended"
Brennan folded her arms across her chest and furrowed her brow staring at her feet refusing to meet his gaze.
"Come on Bones" he said touching her chin delicately with his outstretched fingers. "Come on look at me, I'm sorry" he smiled looking in to her eyes "I'm sorry"
"It's Ok" she responded backing away as best she could in the confines of her office.
Booth sensed her unease and took a few steps back. Why was she so scared of anything that even resembled intimacy? Booth decided a change of subject was necessary and he paced across the room to give her the space she so obviously craved.
"So, we have a case" He stated looking hopefully in her direction "it's a good one" he taunted, "I know you'll like it"
"Where" she asked tentatively
"Not far Virginia, if we head off now we can get the crime scene stuff done and have the bodies shipped back here for you to start on tomorrow"
"Bodies?" She asked trying to mask the excitement she felt every time he bought a new case to her.
"Yes three bodies all found in woodland, there is very little left of them but it would seem one is that of a child" He answered his eyes darting to the floor as he mentioned the child.
"How come you are on the case?" She asked trying to change the subject away from the victims as the fact that one was a child clearly affected Booth.
"Well" he began with a forced smile "First and foremost because of my sheer brilliance in terms of investigative genius, second I work with you and third…"
"No need for the third the second's all I need to know" she cut him off with a smile
"It's not the main reason though" He retorted trying to salvage some form of male pride.
"Of course not" she laughed as she brushed past him and through the door "Are you coming" she called stopping to stare at him, feet still planted where they were as she left the room.
He looked at her, the indignant expression on her face, and smiled to himself. She really was so different from any woman he had ever known and in many ways that was not a bad thing. She fascinated him and he was becoming increasingly aware that their relationship was not perhaps as professional as Cullen might like. However, he was not planning to over think things, besides Bones would never let anything happen between them. He was cut off mid thought as he was struck in the shoulder by a flying pen that came from Bones's direction.
"Come on" She nagged "we don't have all day and I have other things to do you know I'm not just hear for your disposal."
"Ok, ok I'm coming" he smiled picking up his jacket and jogging after her "Have you quite finished" He asked as he caught up with her.
"That depends," she teased looking up at him as he guided her through the door with his hand on the small of her back.
"Depends on what Bones?" He asked not really wanting to know the answer
"On whether I can drive." She stated bluntly making her way towards her car.
"No way Bones I'm not showing up in that thing" He moaned gesturing towards her car.
"I could drive yours," She suggested
"No way, look I'm driving and that's that Ok? I drive that's what I do you have other stuff I do the driving."
"What stuff?" she asked walking towards him and standing close to him much as James had done to her.
"You know bone stuff and umm" he started, a little flustered by her close proximity to him and secondarily flustered by the fact he was flustered by her closeness. "plus, you have to read the case history and you can't do that whilst driving now can you?" A look of achievement spread across his face as he realised he'd finally won the argument and regained his composure.
"Ok" She said taking a step towards his car "We can chat and you can drive"
"Great" he chimed opening the door for her before running round to the driver's side. He completely missed the significance of her inclusion of chat in the terms of their agreement. He started up the engine and reversed expertly out of the lot. As soon as he began to drive forwards Brennan sat forward in her seat looking expectantly at him.
"What?" he asked, unnerved by the childish grin that had spread across her face
"Can I have a gun?" She asked, eyes wide feigning innocence.
"No Bones, you can't we've been through this you have been charged with."
"I know, I know" she cut him off "But we have the whole way to Virginia to reach a compromise on it don't we!"
Oh god, Booth thought, he really was going to have to listen to her plead her case for the next few hours. He didn't know what was worse the fact that he had to listen to it or the fact that he was becoming increasingly aware of just how much he enjoyed their fights, games and most of all her company. It was going to be a long couple of days he sighed.