10 Fics in 10 Days: Day 6
“I don’t like the waiting.”
“I agree, this is a waste of time.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“I mean that I don’t like the waiting.”
“The act of waiting?”
“The act of waiting right now.”
“What’s unpleasant about it? Why don’t you just read one of the magazines?”
“I don’t want to read the magazines.”
“Then I don’t know what to tell you. I tried to suggest something to curb your boredom-“
“I didn’t say I was bored-“
“Booth, I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“I don’t want you to say anything! I’m just saying, I don’t like the waiting.”
“Why not? What don’t you like about it?”
“Why are you asking me? You sound like a shrink, now.”
“I do not! And I’m asking you because you keep complaining.”
“I’m not complaining-“
“You keep expressing dislike about something; by definition, that’s complaining.”
“I’m not-“
“Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, you can come in now.”
--
“Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth, it’s good to have you back! The Three Amigos, back together again!”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Dr. Brennan, it’s somewhat like the Three Musketeers-“
“But we don’t dual people with swords. Though there was the one time when-“
“Bones, I think he’s talking more about the fact that there are three people in a group, working together-“
“But we are the ones who really work together; Dr. Sweets usually only comes in to offer his, albeit unscientific but sometimes accurate, opinions during interrogation-“
“I’d like to think I have more of an-“
“Ah, lay off Sweets, Bones; he’s done a good job. Probably got a Boy Scout badge for it and everything.”
“Why would you say he got…oh, I see! You’re making another joke about Dr. Sweets’ age. You really should be nicer about that, Booth; his age has nothing to do with his apparent brilliance-“
“Thank you for that, Dr. Brennan-“
“-however woefully misapplied it may be.”
“And you tell me not to pick on Sweets.”
“I just think you’re too hard on him because of-“
“HA! I’m too hard on him; that’s really-“
“GUYS!”
“What, Sweets? We were just talking.”
“You were talking to one another in order to exclude me from the conversation.”
“Well, you told us once that we do that quite often, if I remember correctly. And I have an excellent memory.”
“She really does; I lost my keys once and couldn’t find them for three days, and she remembered that I left them-“
“-in the console of the SUV, under your sunglasses case, next to a pack of gum. It was spearmint gum. There were two pieces missing.”
“You still remember that?”
“I can’t help it; don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m strange for remembering.”
“I don’t think you’re strange.”
“Then why did you look at me like that?”
“I didn’t, Bones; I-“
“STOP TALKING!”
“There’s no reason to get so upset, Sweets.”
“Really. And yelling like that is rude.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Brennan. You’re right. I let my own frustration get the better of me. I apologize.”
“Apology accepted.”
“No problem, Sweets.”
“Now, there are some things we need to talk about. It’s been about two months since your last session, due to Agent Booth’s illness. It’s my understanding that you’ve already got a case?”
“Yes. Just got it yesterday.”
“And?”
“And what, Dr. Sweets? We have a case. We’re working on it.”
“It’s just that you usually go into the details.”
“We just don’t-“
“There aren’t a lot of-“
“We don’t have many details yet. Bones and I, we’re still trying to-“
“Figure everything out.”
“About the case.”
“Yes. The case. About the case.”
“Why am I sensing that there’s something you’re nothing telling me?”
“No idea.”
“Yeah, Sweets, how are we supposed to know why your Spidey-sense is tingling?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course we’re sure, Dr. Sweets. We’re almost entirely back to normal.”
“Almost entirely?”
“Well, it’s the first case back. We’re just a little out of practice is all.”
“Yes, that’s right, Booth. Out of practice.”
“So, you’ve had some trouble, then?”
“No! No trouble-“
“Well, Booth, there has been a little trouble-
“No, Bones, there hasn’t-“
“Yes, there has.”
“I thought we had, you know, an understanding about this.”
“About what? What do the two of you have an understanding about?”
“Booth, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bones-“
“Look, Booth, I’m not going to lie about this. I’m not going to ignore it when-“
“Bones, there’s not a problem-“
“You aren’t wearing your normal tie, and your socks are wrong, and I-“
“It’s not a big deal-“
“It’s a big deal, Booth. I’m not letting something get past me again.”
“What are you talking about Dr. Brennan?”
“Yeah, what are you talking about, Bones?”
“I’m not…there’s nothing. I’m not talking about anything.”
“Bones, come on. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I…there’s nothing. I misspoke, Dr. Sweets. There’s nothing wrong. We’re doing perfectly well.”
“Dr. Brennan, there’s clearly something bothering you. And your body language is indicates that you’ve closed yourself off in a defensive manner, so-“
“Lay off her, Sweets. Bones, what were you talking about?”
“I told you, it was nothing.”
“It wasn’t. There’s something bothering you.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not. And you don’t have to hide it from me.”
“I’m not hiding anything-“
“You are.”
“I would have to agree with Agent Booth’s assessment, Dr. Brennan.”
“You’re both wrong.”
“No, we’re not. Look, is it because Sweets is here? Hey, Sweets, do you think you could give us a minute?”
“You guys, this is my office, and anything that you need to say, you can say in front of me. Remember, this is a truth zone, surrounded by a cone of trust, and a bubble of-“
“Sweets, she clearly doesn’t want to talk about this in front of you-“
“You don’t have to speak up for me, Booth; I’m capable of defending myself, and further, there’s nothing to defend me from.”
“I’m trying to do you a favor here, Bones. Can’t you ever just let me help?”
“I don’t need your help.”
“That’s…that’s nice, Bones, really.”
“Why are you taking that tone?”
“I’m not taking any tone.”
“You are. You’re mad at me. Why?”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not.”
“Well, you won’t tell me what’s wrong; why should I tell you why I’m upset?”
“Booth, that’s childish. And there’s nothing wrong.”
“Yes, there is; I can tell.”
“Maybe that’s the problem.”
“It’s interesting that you say that, Dr. Brennan. What do you mean by-“
“It’s a problem that I know when something’s wrong with you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
“Bones, come on. Just spit it out. You know you’ll feel better.”
“You can’t just smile at me and get me to tell you something.”
“I bet I can.”
“Agent Booth, why do you think you smile at Dr. Brennan that way, in a way that most people would interpret as flirtatious-“
“I’m not some woman you’re trying to pick up.”
“No, you’re not. But you’re someone I care about, and I want to know, what’s wrong.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know what was wrong with you? Now I’m just confused.”
“No, Booth. I didn’t know what was wrong with you.”
“What are you-“
“Agent Booth, I believe Dr. Brennan is referencing your brain tumor. Am I right, Dr. Brennan?”
“Yes.”
“And you feel guilty because you did not spot Agent Booth’s condition earlier.”
“Yes. I do.”
“Bones, it wasn’t your fault.”
“Of course it was.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Booth, it does. I was with you nearly every day, and I still didn’t notice that you were sick. I should have noticed.”
“No, you shouldn’t have, because I didn’t tell you what was going on.”
“That doesn’t matter. I watched you get sick, and I didn’t even know-“
“But you’re the one who figured it out. If it wasn’t for you, who knows what would have happened?”
“Booth-“
“No, Bones, listen to me. You saved me, okay? I didn’t know what was happening to me, and you saved me. Than-”
“Booth, you don’t have to say-“
“I know I don’t have to say it. But I mean it. And I want to say it. Thank you.”
“I…Booth…You’re welcome.”
“Excellent. Now that’s cleared up, let’s talk about something Dr. Brennan mentioned. I notice, Agent Booth, that you aren’t wearing…Agent Booth, is that your phone ringing? You know I’d prefer you to-”
“Booth. Yeah. Alright Charlie, thanks. Hey Bones, we’ve got a lead.”
“Great.”
“Wait, our session isn’t over yet, and we need to-“
“Later, Sweets.”
“Good bye, Dr. Sweets.”
*
“What’s the lead?”
“There isn’t one.”
“Booth, you just said-“
“I told Charlie to give me a call about 15 minutes into the session.”
“Why? So we could leave?”
“Yes.”
“Booth, that wasn’t-“
“I know, Bones. I just…I’m not ready to...there are a lot of things going on right now, and I don’t want Sweets in the middle of them just yet.”
“I understand that, Booth. You’ve had a lot happen to you. But you should have told me what you were up to.”
“You’re a terrible liar, Bones.”
“I’m not; I’m excellent at undercover-“
“Yes, you are, but you suck at lying.”
“There’s no difference between-“
“There is. But look, I…just because I don’t want to talk to Sweets…if there’s anything this whole brain tumor thing taught me, it’s that if I have something going on, I need to talk to someone about it, and I know that things are weird right now, but-“
“We’ll go get coffee. And you can talk all you want.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Will you have pie?”
“No.”
“Come on-“
“Booth, don’t push it.”
.
“I agree, this is a waste of time.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“I mean that I don’t like the waiting.”
“The act of waiting?”
“The act of waiting right now.”
“What’s unpleasant about it? Why don’t you just read one of the magazines?”
“I don’t want to read the magazines.”
“Then I don’t know what to tell you. I tried to suggest something to curb your boredom-“
“I didn’t say I was bored-“
“Booth, I don’t know what you want me to say.”
“I don’t want you to say anything! I’m just saying, I don’t like the waiting.”
“Why not? What don’t you like about it?”
“Why are you asking me? You sound like a shrink, now.”
“I do not! And I’m asking you because you keep complaining.”
“I’m not complaining-“
“You keep expressing dislike about something; by definition, that’s complaining.”
“I’m not-“
“Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, you can come in now.”
--
“Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth, it’s good to have you back! The Three Amigos, back together again!”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Dr. Brennan, it’s somewhat like the Three Musketeers-“
“But we don’t dual people with swords. Though there was the one time when-“
“Bones, I think he’s talking more about the fact that there are three people in a group, working together-“
“But we are the ones who really work together; Dr. Sweets usually only comes in to offer his, albeit unscientific but sometimes accurate, opinions during interrogation-“
“I’d like to think I have more of an-“
“Ah, lay off Sweets, Bones; he’s done a good job. Probably got a Boy Scout badge for it and everything.”
“Why would you say he got…oh, I see! You’re making another joke about Dr. Sweets’ age. You really should be nicer about that, Booth; his age has nothing to do with his apparent brilliance-“
“Thank you for that, Dr. Brennan-“
“-however woefully misapplied it may be.”
“And you tell me not to pick on Sweets.”
“I just think you’re too hard on him because of-“
“HA! I’m too hard on him; that’s really-“
“GUYS!”
“What, Sweets? We were just talking.”
“You were talking to one another in order to exclude me from the conversation.”
“Well, you told us once that we do that quite often, if I remember correctly. And I have an excellent memory.”
“She really does; I lost my keys once and couldn’t find them for three days, and she remembered that I left them-“
“-in the console of the SUV, under your sunglasses case, next to a pack of gum. It was spearmint gum. There were two pieces missing.”
“You still remember that?”
“I can’t help it; don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m strange for remembering.”
“I don’t think you’re strange.”
“Then why did you look at me like that?”
“I didn’t, Bones; I-“
“STOP TALKING!”
“There’s no reason to get so upset, Sweets.”
“Really. And yelling like that is rude.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Brennan. You’re right. I let my own frustration get the better of me. I apologize.”
“Apology accepted.”
“No problem, Sweets.”
“Now, there are some things we need to talk about. It’s been about two months since your last session, due to Agent Booth’s illness. It’s my understanding that you’ve already got a case?”
“Yes. Just got it yesterday.”
“And?”
“And what, Dr. Sweets? We have a case. We’re working on it.”
“It’s just that you usually go into the details.”
“We just don’t-“
“There aren’t a lot of-“
“We don’t have many details yet. Bones and I, we’re still trying to-“
“Figure everything out.”
“About the case.”
“Yes. The case. About the case.”
“Why am I sensing that there’s something you’re nothing telling me?”
“No idea.”
“Yeah, Sweets, how are we supposed to know why your Spidey-sense is tingling?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course we’re sure, Dr. Sweets. We’re almost entirely back to normal.”
“Almost entirely?”
“Well, it’s the first case back. We’re just a little out of practice is all.”
“Yes, that’s right, Booth. Out of practice.”
“So, you’ve had some trouble, then?”
“No! No trouble-“
“Well, Booth, there has been a little trouble-
“No, Bones, there hasn’t-“
“Yes, there has.”
“I thought we had, you know, an understanding about this.”
“About what? What do the two of you have an understanding about?”
“Booth, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bones-“
“Look, Booth, I’m not going to lie about this. I’m not going to ignore it when-“
“Bones, there’s not a problem-“
“You aren’t wearing your normal tie, and your socks are wrong, and I-“
“It’s not a big deal-“
“It’s a big deal, Booth. I’m not letting something get past me again.”
“What are you talking about Dr. Brennan?”
“Yeah, what are you talking about, Bones?”
“I’m not…there’s nothing. I’m not talking about anything.”
“Bones, come on. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I…there’s nothing. I misspoke, Dr. Sweets. There’s nothing wrong. We’re doing perfectly well.”
“Dr. Brennan, there’s clearly something bothering you. And your body language is indicates that you’ve closed yourself off in a defensive manner, so-“
“Lay off her, Sweets. Bones, what were you talking about?”
“I told you, it was nothing.”
“It wasn’t. There’s something bothering you.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not. And you don’t have to hide it from me.”
“I’m not hiding anything-“
“You are.”
“I would have to agree with Agent Booth’s assessment, Dr. Brennan.”
“You’re both wrong.”
“No, we’re not. Look, is it because Sweets is here? Hey, Sweets, do you think you could give us a minute?”
“You guys, this is my office, and anything that you need to say, you can say in front of me. Remember, this is a truth zone, surrounded by a cone of trust, and a bubble of-“
“Sweets, she clearly doesn’t want to talk about this in front of you-“
“You don’t have to speak up for me, Booth; I’m capable of defending myself, and further, there’s nothing to defend me from.”
“I’m trying to do you a favor here, Bones. Can’t you ever just let me help?”
“I don’t need your help.”
“That’s…that’s nice, Bones, really.”
“Why are you taking that tone?”
“I’m not taking any tone.”
“You are. You’re mad at me. Why?”
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not.”
“Well, you won’t tell me what’s wrong; why should I tell you why I’m upset?”
“Booth, that’s childish. And there’s nothing wrong.”
“Yes, there is; I can tell.”
“Maybe that’s the problem.”
“It’s interesting that you say that, Dr. Brennan. What do you mean by-“
“It’s a problem that I know when something’s wrong with you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
“Bones, come on. Just spit it out. You know you’ll feel better.”
“You can’t just smile at me and get me to tell you something.”
“I bet I can.”
“Agent Booth, why do you think you smile at Dr. Brennan that way, in a way that most people would interpret as flirtatious-“
“I’m not some woman you’re trying to pick up.”
“No, you’re not. But you’re someone I care about, and I want to know, what’s wrong.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know what was wrong with you? Now I’m just confused.”
“No, Booth. I didn’t know what was wrong with you.”
“What are you-“
“Agent Booth, I believe Dr. Brennan is referencing your brain tumor. Am I right, Dr. Brennan?”
“Yes.”
“And you feel guilty because you did not spot Agent Booth’s condition earlier.”
“Yes. I do.”
“Bones, it wasn’t your fault.”
“Of course it was.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
“Booth, it does. I was with you nearly every day, and I still didn’t notice that you were sick. I should have noticed.”
“No, you shouldn’t have, because I didn’t tell you what was going on.”
“That doesn’t matter. I watched you get sick, and I didn’t even know-“
“But you’re the one who figured it out. If it wasn’t for you, who knows what would have happened?”
“Booth-“
“No, Bones, listen to me. You saved me, okay? I didn’t know what was happening to me, and you saved me. Than-”
“Booth, you don’t have to say-“
“I know I don’t have to say it. But I mean it. And I want to say it. Thank you.”
“I…Booth…You’re welcome.”
“Excellent. Now that’s cleared up, let’s talk about something Dr. Brennan mentioned. I notice, Agent Booth, that you aren’t wearing…Agent Booth, is that your phone ringing? You know I’d prefer you to-”
“Booth. Yeah. Alright Charlie, thanks. Hey Bones, we’ve got a lead.”
“Great.”
“Wait, our session isn’t over yet, and we need to-“
“Later, Sweets.”
“Good bye, Dr. Sweets.”
*
“What’s the lead?”
“There isn’t one.”
“Booth, you just said-“
“I told Charlie to give me a call about 15 minutes into the session.”
“Why? So we could leave?”
“Yes.”
“Booth, that wasn’t-“
“I know, Bones. I just…I’m not ready to...there are a lot of things going on right now, and I don’t want Sweets in the middle of them just yet.”
“I understand that, Booth. You’ve had a lot happen to you. But you should have told me what you were up to.”
“You’re a terrible liar, Bones.”
“I’m not; I’m excellent at undercover-“
“Yes, you are, but you suck at lying.”
“There’s no difference between-“
“There is. But look, I…just because I don’t want to talk to Sweets…if there’s anything this whole brain tumor thing taught me, it’s that if I have something going on, I need to talk to someone about it, and I know that things are weird right now, but-“
“We’ll go get coffee. And you can talk all you want.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Will you have pie?”
“No.”
“Come on-“
“Booth, don’t push it.”
.