Author's Note: Hi all. Thanks for reading chapter one of my newest fic, Why Can't We Be Friends? While not my first fic, this is my first venture into Bones fanfiction and my first attempt at writing in Brennan's POV and I really do hope I do her justice. This first chapter is meant to be introductory, but the remainder of the fic deals with a concept that came to me after watching When Harry Met Sally, one of my all time favorite films. The central focus will be around the question: Can men and women ever really be friends?. I'll also be throwing some other When Harry Met Sally references in here and there, so if you haven't watched it, I really do recommend you do so as the fic progresses.

Disclaimer: This story is totally, 100% the product of my own imagination. Bones and related subjects are not mine, nor is When Harry Met Sally. No copyright infringement intended. A special thanks to LittleThingsMatter for giving this fic a read-over and helping me come up with the title, which, again, isn't my property. Any factual information used has been cited at the end of the chapter.

Now that the Hodgins-Montenegro baby announcement had been made public knowledge, the entire Jeffersonian team, as Booth had described them, seemed to be "glowing." I tried to explain to him that people, unless by some odd chance they were coated with bioluminescent bacteria or phosphorescent materials could not glow, but he wouldn't budge. Apparently to glow is a positive thing; some sort of emanation of happiness and joy that is usually apparent in pregnant women. I guess, following his logic, this glow was contagious.

I'll admit that the mood in the lab was lighter as of late, but I hadn't given it much thought provided the new set of remains arranged on the platform to be identified. The remains were those of an adolescent male, the bone structure suggesting Asian descent. Tissue markers had been applied and the skull sent to Angela for reconstruction. The other bones were being carefully examined for cause of death, but until we had an ID, the case was at a standstill. Booth was eager to go out into the field and do some actual investigation and, until we did, he was positively childish, making constructive work nearly impossible. I decided to check up on Angela's progress, partially to get our case back on track, but mostly to avoid Booth's seemingly endless list of conjectures, none of which were based on any actual evidence.

Upon entry to her office, I was greeted by not one but three "glowing" women. The finished sketch sat on her desk, but instead of returning it to the platform upon completion, she sat in her office, chatting animatedly with Daisy and Hannah. I found myself to be irrationally bothered by Hannah's increased presence in my lab. I attributed her easy access to be a perk of her sexual relationship with Booth, but I found it unacceptable nonetheless. I know the likelihood of her compromising evidence was slim, but these cases were FBI matter. Should any information fall into the wrong hands, especially those of a journalist, top secret FBI business could be leaked and the Jeffersonian could find itself under scrutiny for its, namely Hodgins', experimental techniques. But right now there was no discussion of the case at hand. Instead, they appeared to be throwing out suggestions for a baby shower.

"Geez, Bren, I'm sorry." Angela said, looking up from the notepad on which she was brainstorming. "Sketch is all set. Booth can go ahead and run it through the Missing Persons Database."

While it would give Booth something to do, usually Angela took care of all the database work with her extensive computer software. Cam was the authority figure here, as she often reminded me, yet she was not around to do the proper delegating. It was then up to me.

"In ancient Egyptian and Greek cultures, what we call baby showers were held after the birth of the baby, sometimes ranging from ten to forty days later to allow for the purification of mother and child…" I explained to the group of women before me. "Right now this case takes precedence. Ange, I need you to get me that ID. Miss Wick, please assist Mr. Nigel-Murray and I with the cause of death determination. Hodgins has taken the tissue samples he needs and the rest of the fleshy remains are being tested by Dr. Saroyan. And Hannah?" I didn't really know what to say to Hannah. There were no tasks for me to delegate, and as much as I wanted to tell her to go home, I knew Booth would tell me that such a statement is not socially graceful.

"I just dropped in to say hello on my way back from an interview. I didn't realize you had such a pressing case in progress," she said by way of apology as she stood to leave. She looked to the other women in the room. "I'll take care of things on my end and I'll get back to you," she told them, making her exit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Bones Theme and Opening Credits XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"All of our cases are pressing, Angela. Murder is a particularly pressing issue. Much more pressing than," I picked up the list she'd been making, "pin the sperm on the egg?"

She looked up from the database and laughed. "Come on, I thought it was cute. Hannah mentioned playing it at a friend's shower. Plus, Hodgins wasn't big on the idea of a co-ed shower, but I think this might bring him around."

"Angela, the human egg cell is .1mm in diameter. Sure, it's bigger than the sperm cell, a 5 by 3 micrometer head with a tail 41 micrometers long, but even an accomplished artist such as yourself would find it difficult to make an accurate depiction worthy of use for an adaptation on a strange, yet popular childhood party game."

"It's that or Spin the Baby Bottle," she laughed, handing me the list of possible matches on our victim. I started out the door to my lab when she called after me. "Shower's on Sunday, I expect you to be there!"

"You two attending Angela's party?" Sweets asked at the opening of our mandatory session the following day.

"Hannah's in charge of the cake," Booth explained. "Last night she was on the phone with at least a dozen bakeries in the DC area alone. Whatever she's got planned, it's bound to be good. If anything, I'm going so I can see the masterpiece that's been in the works," he told Sweets. "Not to mention they are our friends," he added, clearly directing that last statement toward me. Before I could defend myself, Sweets chimed in. This is what I dislike about our sessions with Sweets. When Booth and I argue, it's not so much arguing as it is conversation, trying to figure things out about the other without directly asking. When I do ask directly, Booth tends to shut up fast. But here in Sweets' office, everything is blown out of proportion, plus, we have a kid taking sides.

"Agent Booth is right, Dr. Brennan," he said, causing Booth to sport a smug grin. "The modern baby shower as we know it came about after World War II, during the Baby Boom era. They evolved with the consumer ideologies of the 50s and 60s. While they served an economic function, the gifts associated with pregnancy and child-rearing served to introduce the woman into motherhood, and to construct the identity of the fetus as a social being."

"Meaning?" Booth asked, his grin replaced with a furrowed brow.

"Meaning, as Angela's best friend, Dr. Brennan should be present to encourage this transition and welcome the fetus into her carefully guarded image of society, to give her stamp of approval and acceptance if you will. Angela is sentimental. She has invited us to take part in a very special time in her life, to share in her joy. How can a person turn that down?"

I suppose, although I don't care much for psychology, that I can follow his logic, but not before making my final argument. "At least I went to the Founding Father's when Hodgins and Angela made the official announcement," I said, sending a sharp glance at Booth, "Instead, Booth chose to have sexual intercourse with his girlfriend. They had invited us to share in their joy. How can a person turn that down?"

No comment.

References:

.com/2008/11/01_

..gov/books/NBK26842/

.org/wiki/Spermatozoon