Disclaimer: I do not own Bones of course, all the grand high Mucky Mucks do. No money was made from this and no copyright infringement is intended. Any similarity to any story not my own is coincidence.
Title: Considering Andy
Genre: Bones
Rating: PG; rated for some content
Timeline: Sometime toward the end of fourth season
Author's Note: Spoilers for Baby in the Bough. And yes, I blatantly ran with David and Emily's discussion at the Paley Festival Panel and made it into a conversation between Booth and Brennan. I have meant no infringement or disrespect, I simply found the conversation amusing and thought that it would work well with their characters.
Inspiration:
The Paley Festival Panel “What, never Bones? You've never thought that you might want children someday?” Booth asked with some measure of incredulity, shifting in his chair slightly so he could look over to his partner.
“I don't want children,” she replied simply, still facing forward herself.
“Why?”
“The world is over populated,” Temperance reasoned in her customarily measured voice.
“We're not in China here, Bones,” Booth argued, glancing over to Dr. Sweets as if for some sort of back-up. When he saw none forthcoming, he looked back to his partner. “Really Bones, you've never thought about it, even once?”
“I think that a more interesting question Agent Booth, would be why it seems so important to you that Dr. Brennan want children,” Sweets interjected.
The FBI agent gave the psychologist a quelling glance.
“Did you always want children, before Parker?” Temperance countered, ignoring Sweets and finally turning in her own chair enough to direct the question to Booth.
“Well, I don't know... I mean... that is...” Seeley spoke haltingly. “I mean... it's not the same,” he asserted.
His partner raised a single, eloquent eyebrow.
“You're a woman,” Booth said, as if by saying so, it explained everything. At Temperance's look, he continued, gesturing vaguely. “You have... you know... maternal instincts.”
“That's an assumption made on a single piece of evidence, Booth. It's not a reasonable argument at all.”
Sweets made an almost involuntary coughing sound, and the partners both directed their attention briefly to him. He quickly sobered and fell back into a more professional attitude.
“Dr. Brennan is correct. It's not reasonable to assume that simply because she's a woman that she has either maternal instincts or the desire to fulfill them.”
“I'm just saying that women, they like to bear children, that's all,” Booth said quickly.
“That is such a generalization. How can you say that? Not all women want to have children, Booth,” Temperance countered just as quickly, emotion slowly coloring her voice as she entered into the spirit of the debate.
“Well, I'm not saying that they want to, but it's their need. It's a need, Bones...”
“It's not a need,” she interrupted. “And there are many men that want to have children too.”
“Agent Booth...” Sweets said, trying to regain some measure of control over the session.
“Well, we can't produce milk. You guys have ducts,” Seeley argued, unconsciously making a vague gesture to indicate having breasts, only realizing what he was doing when he saw his partner's disbelieving look. He lowered his hands quickly, embarrassed for a moment.
“Dr. Brennan...” Sweets tried again with the FBI agent's partner.
“A woman doesn't produce milk unless she has a child...”
“Exactly, that's the whole point. That's the whole point of possibly having a child. I mean, nurturing this beautiful child that would come down,” Booth interrupted excitedly. "It's a beautiful thing and it's great. If you...”
“Agent Booth...” Sweets said more assertively as he began to despair of ever regaining control the session. “I think that we've gotten somewhat off track here. If we could just...”
“And what about, Andy?” Booth asked abruptly, easily interrupting the psychologist.
“Andy?” Sweets asked, suddenly losing hope of even being able to follow the conversation.
The partners continued to ignore the younger man, focusing instead on each other entirely.
“What does he...” Temperance started to ask before being gently interrupted by Booth.
“I thought that you were fantastic with him, Bones,” Seeley said quietly. “Really... you were great.”
“Booth...”
He met her eyes. “You were great, Temperance.”
“That doesn't mean...”
“All I'm saying is, I think it would be great... you would be great. That's all I'm saying.”
Booth held his partner's eyes a moment longer with his own before finally turning back to face Dr. Sweets. Suddenly the sound of Booth's cell broke the almost heavy silence. He answered it quickly and tucked it back into his pocket before addressing the room.
“Well, that was Hodgins about our case,” he said, not attempting to hide his relief at being able to duck out of completing their session with the FBI psychologist. He rose from his black leather chair quickly.
“He says he has some information for us, so let's go, Bones.”
He reached for her elbow and placed his hand at the small of her back as she rose to leave with him.
“Agent Booth...” Dr. Sweets protested without any real hope of making the other agent stay and watching as Dr. Brennan proceeded her partner out of the office door.
“Duty calls, Sweets.”
“Yes, of course, but I really do think that you should consider something, Agent Booth. I think you should consider just why it is so important to you that Dr. Brennan has maternal instincts or that she should want children.”
The psychologist's words made Seeley pause a moment before chasing him out the door as the agent followed his partner out into the hallway...
FIN