A Conversation Booth Will Never Know About
By: Arwen_lune
Rating: all age
Feedback: yes please
Summary: see title
Mirror ficlet to A Conversation Brennan Will Never Know About)
A Conversation Booth Will Never Know About
"Hello?"
"Hello Rebecca, it's Temperance Brennan."
"Oh hello Temperance, how are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. How are you and Parker?"
"Good. We bought new shoes today. He is growing so fast at the moment!"
Brennan smiled and took a deep breath. Pleasantries out of the way, she could breach the real reason of her call.
"I have a favour to ask… is it possible to arrange for Parker to have a surprise visit to his father?"
"Hmm, maybe. Why?"
"We had a case…" she sighed and started over. No need to go into detail. "There was a child involved. It's difficult for all of us, but Booth… he has trouble keeping distance. Perhaps because he has Parker. He…"
She trailed off, hoping Rebecca would understand what she meant.
"…he imagines Parker into the case, doesn't he?"
"He can't help it," she said softly. "Protective instincts are burned into human neural pathways. As a race, we're hardwired to protect them."
There was some undetermined sound on the other end of the line, like a hand over the horn. She thought she heard Rebecca say "Do you want to go see daddy?"
The ear-splitting shriek of DADDY! Made it clear what the answer was.
"I'm sure you heard that," Rebecca came back on the line. "Where is Seeley?"
"He's here at the Jeffersonian lab. We were about to send him home."
She didn't say that he hadn't had anything to do in the lab for hours, but had seemed reluctant to to go home. Angela had set him to watching a backlog of surveillance tapes so he would have something to do.
"Oh good. Keep him there for another half hour or so, will you?"
"Of course. Thank you, Rebecca."
She saw him answer his phone, but couldn't hear what was said. From the way his face lit up, she assumed it was Rebecca.
A moment later he was in her office, brimming with sudden energy, a smile near his eyes.
"I'm going home, Rebecca needs to… Parker is coming over for the evening and night," he said.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she just suddenly had to arrange something for a meeting tomorrow morning."
"A sleep-over? That's wonderful," she smiled at him. And it was - just because she didn't want children of her own, didn't mean she couldn't be glad that he was happy with Parker. "Have fun. Tell him 'hi' from me."
"Thanks, Temperance. I will."
Rating: all age
Feedback: yes please
Summary: see title
Mirror ficlet to A Conversation Brennan Will Never Know About)
A Conversation Booth Will Never Know About
"Hello?"
"Hello Rebecca, it's Temperance Brennan."
"Oh hello Temperance, how are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you. How are you and Parker?"
"Good. We bought new shoes today. He is growing so fast at the moment!"
Brennan smiled and took a deep breath. Pleasantries out of the way, she could breach the real reason of her call.
"I have a favour to ask… is it possible to arrange for Parker to have a surprise visit to his father?"
"Hmm, maybe. Why?"
"We had a case…" she sighed and started over. No need to go into detail. "There was a child involved. It's difficult for all of us, but Booth… he has trouble keeping distance. Perhaps because he has Parker. He…"
She trailed off, hoping Rebecca would understand what she meant.
"…he imagines Parker into the case, doesn't he?"
"He can't help it," she said softly. "Protective instincts are burned into human neural pathways. As a race, we're hardwired to protect them."
There was some undetermined sound on the other end of the line, like a hand over the horn. She thought she heard Rebecca say "Do you want to go see daddy?"
The ear-splitting shriek of DADDY! Made it clear what the answer was.
"I'm sure you heard that," Rebecca came back on the line. "Where is Seeley?"
"He's here at the Jeffersonian lab. We were about to send him home."
She didn't say that he hadn't had anything to do in the lab for hours, but had seemed reluctant to to go home. Angela had set him to watching a backlog of surveillance tapes so he would have something to do.
"Oh good. Keep him there for another half hour or so, will you?"
"Of course. Thank you, Rebecca."
She saw him answer his phone, but couldn't hear what was said. From the way his face lit up, she assumed it was Rebecca.
A moment later he was in her office, brimming with sudden energy, a smile near his eyes.
"I'm going home, Rebecca needs to… Parker is coming over for the evening and night," he said.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she just suddenly had to arrange something for a meeting tomorrow morning."
"A sleep-over? That's wonderful," she smiled at him. And it was - just because she didn't want children of her own, didn't mean she couldn't be glad that he was happy with Parker. "Have fun. Tell him 'hi' from me."
"Thanks, Temperance. I will."