[Fanfiction] Decisions, by callieach
Title: Decisions
Author: callieach
Fandom: Bones
Characters: Jack Hodgins, Angela Montenegro.
Challenge:
50scenes
Prompt: Table #5, #11 - Hand
Word Count: 633
Rating: G
Summary: Still wondering if he's doing the right thing, Jack visits Angela to see if she's considered his invitation.
Authors Notes: Set the morning after
willowwood 's " Confessions, Regrets and Invitations."
Disclaimer: I do not own this show, or these characters. I wish I did, but I don’t.
Jack sat in the car with the ignition turned off for at least five minutes after he pulled up in front of Angela’s place. Last night she’d said she had to sleep on it and then she’d skirted any sort of real conversation as he helped her carry her boxes to the car. It was the morning now and she should’ve had time to sleep on it.
But eight hours after the fact, Jack was still wondering what had made him say it. Sure, he cared about her - they were close as far as coworkers went - but what could he give her that her father couldn’t? And it wasn’t as if he thought they’d ever be together. So it was a strange offer on his behalf.
A woman pushing a stroller walked past his car and gave him a suspicious look. He sighed and undid his seatbelt: he’d been sitting there long enough. Putting his keys in the pocket of his jacket, Jack got out of the car and headed for Angela’s door.
There was a wait between the time he rang the buzzer and the time the door opened. When it finally did, instead of greeting him, Angela turned away and rushed off in the direction of the bathroom. Jack followed her, pausing to drape his jacket over her couch as he passed.
He stood outside the bathroom door and listened to her heave, cringing when it sounded particularly bad. After a while, she stood up and washed her hands in the sink.
“Are you okay, Angela?” he asked, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans awkwardly.
She flashed him a dark look. “Please tell me you didn’t actually ask that.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. What I meant was… is it manageable?” That wasn’t what he had meant at all, but it was what came out.
Angela dried her hands on a towel and threw it back on the counter before she answered. “Do I really have a choice, Hodgins? It’s not like I can say ‘no, I can’t do this’ and just walk away.” She shrugged and looked down at the floor. “Besides, it’s starting to get better now.”
“That’s good.”
There was an awkward silence. Jack cleared his throat. Angela shuffled her weight from foot to foot a few times, then motioned for him to go to the living room. She followed him in and sat down in her chair when he took the couch.
“I was wondering if you’d done any thinking about what I said last night,” he started finally.
“I did, actually,” she said, talking not to him, but to her wringing hands. “I thought it over a lot.”
“And…?”
“And I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You wouldn’t be, Angela.” He reached out to put his hand on top of hers, stilling them. “You don’t want to be alone, I realize that. So this is perfect. There’s plenty of room at my place - you don’t even have to see me if you don’t want to, but I’ll be there - and you’ll stay close to Brennan and you need your best friend at a time like this.”
“Pregnant women can get very needy, Jack,” she warned him.
“I know. And I’m prepared to help you as much or as little as you need me to.”
She looked down at his hand, still on top of her own. “You must really want me to stay.”
Her ironic smile made him worried he was going about this all wrong. “I do.”
“Are you sure?”
“That I want you to stay? Of course.”
“No, that you want me to move in with you.”
“I’ve officially opened my doors and offered a hand to you,” he said, looking her square in the eyes.
Slowly, Angela nodded, smiling. “Okay.”
Author: callieach
Fandom: Bones
Characters: Jack Hodgins, Angela Montenegro.
Challenge:
50scenes
Prompt: Table #5, #11 - Hand
Word Count: 633
Rating: G
Summary: Still wondering if he's doing the right thing, Jack visits Angela to see if she's considered his invitation.
Authors Notes: Set the morning after
willowwood 's " Confessions, Regrets and Invitations."
Disclaimer: I do not own this show, or these characters. I wish I did, but I don’t.
Jack sat in the car with the ignition turned off for at least five minutes after he pulled up in front of Angela’s place. Last night she’d said she had to sleep on it and then she’d skirted any sort of real conversation as he helped her carry her boxes to the car. It was the morning now and she should’ve had time to sleep on it.
But eight hours after the fact, Jack was still wondering what had made him say it. Sure, he cared about her - they were close as far as coworkers went - but what could he give her that her father couldn’t? And it wasn’t as if he thought they’d ever be together. So it was a strange offer on his behalf.
A woman pushing a stroller walked past his car and gave him a suspicious look. He sighed and undid his seatbelt: he’d been sitting there long enough. Putting his keys in the pocket of his jacket, Jack got out of the car and headed for Angela’s door.
There was a wait between the time he rang the buzzer and the time the door opened. When it finally did, instead of greeting him, Angela turned away and rushed off in the direction of the bathroom. Jack followed her, pausing to drape his jacket over her couch as he passed.
He stood outside the bathroom door and listened to her heave, cringing when it sounded particularly bad. After a while, she stood up and washed her hands in the sink.
“Are you okay, Angela?” he asked, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans awkwardly.
She flashed him a dark look. “Please tell me you didn’t actually ask that.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. What I meant was… is it manageable?” That wasn’t what he had meant at all, but it was what came out.
Angela dried her hands on a towel and threw it back on the counter before she answered. “Do I really have a choice, Hodgins? It’s not like I can say ‘no, I can’t do this’ and just walk away.” She shrugged and looked down at the floor. “Besides, it’s starting to get better now.”
“That’s good.”
There was an awkward silence. Jack cleared his throat. Angela shuffled her weight from foot to foot a few times, then motioned for him to go to the living room. She followed him in and sat down in her chair when he took the couch.
“I was wondering if you’d done any thinking about what I said last night,” he started finally.
“I did, actually,” she said, talking not to him, but to her wringing hands. “I thought it over a lot.”
“And…?”
“And I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You wouldn’t be, Angela.” He reached out to put his hand on top of hers, stilling them. “You don’t want to be alone, I realize that. So this is perfect. There’s plenty of room at my place - you don’t even have to see me if you don’t want to, but I’ll be there - and you’ll stay close to Brennan and you need your best friend at a time like this.”
“Pregnant women can get very needy, Jack,” she warned him.
“I know. And I’m prepared to help you as much or as little as you need me to.”
She looked down at his hand, still on top of her own. “You must really want me to stay.”
Her ironic smile made him worried he was going about this all wrong. “I do.”
“Are you sure?”
“That I want you to stay? Of course.”
“No, that you want me to move in with you.”
“I’ve officially opened my doors and offered a hand to you,” he said, looking her square in the eyes.
Slowly, Angela nodded, smiling. “Okay.”