Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!
Author's Note: I did it! I finished a forty chapter fic. You readers have been so incredible. Your reviews, alerts and favorites have meant so much to me. So here is the final chapter. And if you are interested, there is a sequel in the works entitled "The Man in Black" There is a prologue that I am posting at the end of this chapter. The story itself will pick up a few months after this story ends. I should start posting the new fic starting in the new year. So keep an eye out for it. Thanks again for your support and Enjoy the final chapter of If I Needed Someone.
Chapter 40: If I Needed Someone
August 20, 2005 1:02 PM The Hodgins' Estate
The day started early for Angela and Hodgins, who had recruited a reluctant Zack to help them set up for Lucy's long postponed and long deserved birthday party. Hodgins had ended up footing the entire bill, coming clean to Angela about his considerable wealth, who had been suspicious of his Cantilever connections. He had even volunteered a corner of his property to hold the party, but did not mention to the general public that it was his place. He wanted to do something special for the girl, both because he cared for Lucy, but also because of how happy Angela was at having free rein to make Lucy's party a legend.
Angela had decided on an Indiana Jones theme months ago, knowing that Lucy was not a girly-girl, and that more than anything she wanted to go on a dig. Angela figured that most of the children would at least be familiar with the Harrison Ford character, and would understand the theme. She had originally planned on using a park and burying toys and prizes for the children in the sand so that they could have their own archaeological adventure, but Hodgins' enthusiasm and resources had allowed her to become much more elaborate.
Hodgins had trucked in a large amount of sand, gone with Angela to pick out the prizes for the kids as well as giving her money for materials to make a backdrop for photos and some simple costumes for the children attending. Using connections at the Jeffersonian they made arrangements to get a cast of several small dinosaur skeletons and Hodgins had contributed coins from around the world. They weren't worth much financially, but as he had always wanted to go digging for buried treasure, he thought other kids would like it too. The smile on Angela's face when he had poured the silver and gold plated coins into her lap had made him so ridiculously happy that he decided it was a shame that Lucy's birthday only came once a year.
The schemers had borrowed all sorts of digging equipment and supplies from the Jeffersonian. Hodgins had carried everything heavy, sparing Angela's recovering wrists. He had rented a screen and a projector, so that the children could watch the films at some point during the party, if they got tired of excavating. He had also sprung for a caterer, and though Angela had picked a kid-friendly menu, he himself had picked out the cake from a specialty baker in the area. It was a chocolate cake, decorated to look like the boulder from the movie, with figurines of Lucy and Jones running from it. He had also ordered mini chocolate lava cakes to complete the treats.
Armed with enough fun to last weeks and not just one afternoon, the three team members had spent most of the morning setting up supplies and burying their treasures. Angela had talked to Dr. Goodman about how to accurately set up grids and make the dig look as authentic as possible. With Hodgins' help, they had expertly followed Goodman's instructions. Lucy and Brennan had arrived just after the caterers and Lucy had been absolutely giddy with excitement. Brennan had also been impressed with the scale of the party. When Brennan had observed that Angela must have spent a fortune, Angela had merely shrugged and told her not to worry about it. That the party had been covered and that Brennan should just relax and enjoy the day. For once, Brennan took Angela's advice.
At one o'clock the rest of the guests began to arrive. First was Booth, led by an energetic Parker. Dr. Goodman had come with his twin daughters and his wife, followed by the majority of Lucy's classmates and their parents. Cam had flown down, and arrived late as her flight had been delayed. She had been surprised to get the invitation, but Angela had insisted that the doctor had helped save Lucy's life and that she was more than welcome to join them. On a whim, Cam had come back to DC and despite the fact that being around so many children brought back her own painful memories, she had a nice time.
Other Jeffersonian employees had also been invited to the party, as every employee worth their salt had met Lucy. The elderly but spry tour guide, Eleanor, had also come and had enthusiastically gotten her hands dirty in the sand while telling a story about a dig that she had attended almost sixty years ago as a young archaeology student.
The last arrival was Skylar, looking shy accompanied by Steven and Sharon, who looked nervous. Lucy had marched right over to them, shaking the adults' hands while hugging Skylar tightly and then dragging the girl away and introducing her to everyone as the bravest girl in Virginia. Booth had then come over and shaken hands with the adults and smoothed away the awkwardness that had resulted from the arrest of Linda and the ensuing events. Caroline marched over to Booth and questioned the intelligence of inviting the Wells family, but it had been Lucy's insistence that she see her new friend. Caroline then just shook her head and wandered over to the dessert table.
The children had loved the dig. Angela had outdone herself with the prizes, dinosaur bones and treasure hunting. Between Goodman and Brennan, the children couldn't help being taught some scientific techniques while still having fun. The movies had played in the background, entertaining some of the adults as the rest watched their children play. Angela took lots of photographs and kept everything running smoothly.
Booth helped Parker and Goodman's twins who were younger than all of the other guests. At one point he and Brennan had knelt next to each other and helped Parker pull out the toy that he had been digging for. When Parker had finally gotten his prize, he was so excited that he flung himself into Brennan's arms, thanking "Dr. Bones." She had returned the hug awkwardly, but the look on her face made Booth's heart skip a beat. It took every impulse that he had not to swoop in and kiss her after Parker had released the scientist and run off to show Lucy his new toy.
Eventually, everyone's attention was focused on Lucy as she cut into her enormous cake. They sang to her and she thanked everyone for coming and for making her belated birthday so special. Angela had then helped Lucy serve everyone cake and over time the party began to wind down. Most of Lucy's classmates drifted home, jealous that once again, she had the best birthday party of the year. The Wells family had shaken hands with the team grateful for their role in returning Skylar unharmed to her family. Skylar and Lucy made plans to see each other again soon, declaring each other BFFs, earning a very confused glance from Brennan.
Zack was attempting to flirt with Naomi from Paleontology who had provided the casts of the dinosaur bones and helped interested parties identify and assemble pieces. Cam was telling Dr. Goodman to let her know if he ever had an opening for a forensic pathologist, as she had been very impressed by the facilities and the skills and enthusiasm of the team. Angela and Hodgins had taken a seat on the now abandoned sand and were quietly talking about an unknown topic.
Brennan had turned to the large screen and was watching an action scene from one of the movies, oddly intrigued by plot and appalled by the inaccuracies of it. Booth watched her watching the movie, while hovering over an exhausted and slightly cranky Parker. He jumped when Lucy tapped him on the shoulder, he had been so distracted. Wryly he wondered what happened to his sniper skills.
"Hey FBI guy. This was like the best day, ever! But I think this shindig is winding down. Want to come back to our place and order dinner, maybe watch a movie? I don't want the party to be over, but I think that Aunt Angela and Hodgins might want some alone time." She nodded in their direction and Booth followed the glance. They did look awfully cosy, and he was stabbed by a sharp prick of jealousy.
"Sure thing, Squirt. I don't know how much fun Parker is going to be, he is pretty wiped out. But I'll talk to your mom and we can get out of here. This was a pretty kick ass party, though, everyone had a great time." He grinned at her, knowing that she too looked back on their first meeting with fondness. Had he really only known her for a month? It seemed like an eternity since the Brennans had become a part of his life. Sometimes, he had problems remembering a life before them. Lucy was tugging at his arm, pulling him down until she could whisper in his ear.
"You do realize that you just said ass to a ten year old?" He chuckled, ruffled her hair, and made his way towards Brennan while Lucy sprawled on the ground next to a napping Parker, smiling at the blue sky.
Four and a half hours later, Booth awoke to a blue screen on the television, cold pizza scraps sitting on the coffee table. Parker's sleeping head rested on his father's lap. Brennan was sitting next to Booth with Lucy's head resting on her lap, also asleep. Booth blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light from the television screen. He noticed that Brennan was awake but staring at the blank screen.
"You could have kicked us out, Bones." She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.
"Don't worry about it, Booth. You were comfortable, and you weren't disturbing us."
"So any reason why you are just sitting here, staring at a blank screen? Are you having trouble sleeping again. I can tell you another bedtime story."
"No, I've been sleeping better. Thank you for your concern. I've just been sitting here, thinking." She stroked the hair off of Lucy's face, looking down at her daughter.
"Color me surprised." He had expected a response of "I don't know what that means," but instead she took a deep breath and spoke.
"I just don't know how to thank you, for everything. For being my partner, for not giving up, for being so wonderful to Lucy." She kept staring at her daughter, but his heart swelled at her statement.
"You're welcome." She finally made eye contact with him and she was momentarily struck speechless by the expression on his face. She swallowed before continuing.
"I like to think that I am independent, but I needed someone and you were there. Aside from Angela, I've never had a friend like you." She had more to say, but she couldn't form any more words at that moment. He understood and nodded at her.
"That's what partners are for, Bones." She smiled at him, and his heart pounded in his chest. He didn't know it, but her heart matched his, beat for beat. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers for a moment before gently kissing her hairline. He looked towards her lips and slowly pushed forward, until he felt her tense slightly. He wanted to kiss her, badly, but she wasn't ready yet. He could be patient, he would be patient. He reminded himself that they had only known each other for a month. What was a month of waiting when you had your entire future ahead of you? When you had thirty or forty or fifty years to look forward to.
She relaxed when he pulled back, focusing his energy on the children curled in their laps. She was silent as she too focused her own energy on the sleeping children as well. But she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. He understood her, in a way that few people in her life ever could. She could count them on one hand, in fact. It was overwhelming, but it was nice, to be sitting next to him and knowing that he was there. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed in contentment. He was glad that her eyes had closed, he was grinning like an idiot, despite the rejection of a moment ago. She didn't need to see that, not yet.
Brennan and Booth continued to stroke the hair of their respective children as the four of them rested on the couch. Booth was still taking in the scene, his heart full, when his phone vibrated. Groaning, he reached into his pocket, trying to answer it before the noise woke Parker and Lucy. He gently made his way off the couch trying not to disturb Parker too much.
"Booth." Booth listened to the voice on the other line for a few minutes and then said, "Sure, I'll ask. Hey, Bones. The FBI got a call, there's a body, well part of one anyway. Wanna go out in the field?" He tried to keep his tone upbeat, but it was slightly hesitant. Was it too soon? He needn't have worried as her response was instantaneous.
"I'll call Angela, she'll watch the children." Her voice was nothing but confident. He told the operator that they would be at the scene as soon as possible and jotted down the location. He hung up his phone as Brennan finished her own hasty call with Angela.
"Angela and Hodgins are on their way. Let me get my kit ready."
"You keep one here?" He looked at her in surprise as she eased Lucy off of her lap. Brennan stood up, covering Parker with a blanket and placing a pillow under Lucy's head. She then turned her focus to her partner.
"Yes, why wouldn't I? You never know when we might need it." The use of the word "we" was unnoticed by Brennan, but Booth, ever observant, did not miss it. He followed behind her as she made her way to the front closet, his palm warm against the small of her back.
"Nope, Bones, you never know."
On the couch, Lucy snuggled more deeply into the pillow and smiled.
The End
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Here it is, a little sneak peak at the sequel. Thanks again for all of your love. Enjoy.
The Man in Black
Prologue: The Man Comes Around
Summer 2002
Six year old Lucy Brennan was frustrated. She had spent the past twenty minutes playing this carnival game and she was doing poorly. It was a simple game, aim the squirt gun at the target, and whoever got the most water in the clown's mouth the fastest would win a prize. She had played three games and come in dead last three times. Despite her few years of life, failure was not something she was used to. Her mother or her Aunt Angela were always around to help her succeed. But her mother wasn't here. Her mother was in Africa for the entire month, the longest amount of time that they had ever been separated. Her mother always took trips in the summer, first working on her degrees and now helping people. She was too young to realize that her mother was dealing with mass murder victims, or was putting her own life in peril to give justice and faces to victims. All that Lucy knew was that she missed her mother.
Lucy spun on her stool and faced Angela who had been standing behind her and giving the man who worked the booth a dollar every few minutes. "Aunt Angela? How much longer until Mommy comes home?"
"Two more weeks, Sweetie. Not even. Eleven days, and we get to pick her up at the airport."
"Eleven whole days? But I miss her, now. I want her to come home."
"Tomorrow is Sunday, you know that you will get a phone call from her. And in eleven days she will have awesome souvenirs for you. Remember the bracelets she brought us, or that doll from her last trip?"
"I know, I just miss her. Africa is really far away."
"It is, come on, Sweetie. Cheer up. They are starting a new round. I've got a good feeling about this try." Angela handed the barker another dollar.
As the worker made a last call for entry into this round, an older man took the last available stool, which happened to be one next to Lucy and brandished his own dollar. He glanced at the girl and nodded at her. "Hey, kid." Suddenly shy, Lucy turned away and focused on the game. Music chimed and lights blinked and the race was on. Lucy finished a respectable third to last, but the man next to her had beat everyone, in what seemed like record time. The kid manning the booth handed him a key chain, first congratulating the man and then telling him if he won three in a row, he could have any one of the toys hanging from the top of the booth. The man pulled out two more dollars and then started up a conversation with the girl as the barker started calling for more game players.
"Next round's on me, OK kid?"
Lucy looked nervously and Aunt Angela and then whispered, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."
The man chuckled, "You are right." He glanced at the two companions. "Sorry, its just I have a granddaughter about your age, I don't get to see her much. You just reminded me of her." He made an apologetic face at Angela. She nodded to Lucy, it was going to be all right. The man was nice.
She patted his arm. "I'm sorry you don't get to see your granddaughter much. It must be hard." Further conversation was stopped by the game starting again. Once again the man won easily. Lucy had come in several slots behind him, improving slightly, but still she was disappointed that she had not come close to winning.
Lucy glanced at the man. "Wow, you are really good at this game."
"I can give you some pointers, if that's all right?" Lucy once again glanced towards her aunt.
"It's OK, Luce. I'm right here." The man left his stool and came a little closer to the girl. He showed her how to aim the gun with more accuracy and a trick to hold the trigger so that she could keep the pressure constant. She looked at him with amazement.
"Thanks. I'm going to beat you this time. Aunt Angela, can I have a dollar please?"
"Don't worry about it kid. I've got it." He once again reached into his wallet and pulled out two singles.
The game started one last time and Lucy used her new techniques effectively. She was close to the top, she passed one person ahead of her. She was doing so well, and then it was over. The man to her right had won for the third time. Lucy pouted.
"I was so close."
"You did a great job, kid. You'll get the next one." He smiled at her and waited for the barker to come over and give him his prize. The man whispered to the worker and pointed secretly at which toy he wanted. Two seconds later the barker was unhooking a stuffed dolphin from the chain it had been hanging on. The kid handed it to the man, who quickly handed it to Lucy.
"Here you go, kid. You deserve it." Lucy's eyes grew wide in disbelief. She hugged the body to her chest.
"Really? It's for me?"
"Sure, kid. Do you like it? I'm sure you could get a different one if you wanted it."
"No, its perfect. Dolphins are my favorite! How did you know?" The man looked sad for a moment and then smiled widely.
"My wife and my daughter both loved dolphins. I told you that you reminded me of my granddaughter. I thought that she would like dolphins too."
"Thank you, mister. How come you don't get to see your granddaughter?"
Angela placed gently pressure on Lucy's shoulder. Bluntness was a Brennan trait. Angela turned to the man. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that. Lucy hasn't mastered the art of tact yet." The man chuckled.
"No problem. I had to go away when my daughter was young. I thought that I was doing the right thing, but because of that I don't get to see my daughter or my granddaughter."
"I'm sorry, Mister. It's too bad that you don't get to see them. You are really nice. Isn't he nice Aunt Angela?" Angela nodded and then thanked the man for his kindness as Lucy once again squeezed the dolphin and then kissed it on the top of its head, right where the blowhole would be on a real dolphin.
"No problem, kid. You ladies have a nice day." He got off of his stool and began to walk away, he paused when he heard a small voice behind him.
"Hey Mister, what should I call him? He's your dolphin, you should name him." The man knelt down to her eye level and ruffled her hair once.
"Call him Max."