To Raise Perhaps, Many Flowers (4/?)
Title: To Raise, Perhaps, Many Flowers
Part: 4
Fandom: Bones
P/C: Zack, Angela, Booth, Brennan (hints of Zack/Angela possibly more later)
Rating: Hard R (for graphic, triggering scenes throughout)
Summary: “You should be glad you don’t understand Zack. And you probably never will. Just another reason for you to count your blessings.”
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
-Christopher Robin to Pooh
She hadn’t made the call.
Well, she had but she had hung up so quickly she might as well not have made it at all. Just the idea of someone speaking to her with that much pity and understanding…What the hell did they understand anyway? Zack didn’t talk to her that way. But now she was regretting it. She had been up the rest of the night, having a staring contest with the phone. She’d considered waking up Zack to ask him for help, to watch her do it and then leave once she had started talking, but the way things worked between them now, this never ending, feigned ignorance of the secret that now seemed to dominate both of their lives, would never permit that. She looked out the glass in her office door, over to the Forensic Platform. Hodgins was swabbing a brown and slimy skeleton, while Brennan talked with Zack. It all looked so…normal. For them. at least. And she was sitting in here, watching them all work. She stood up and strode out of her office. Maybe her head wasn’t held high, but dammit, this was still something.
***
As she walked toward the Platform, Booth arrived and scooted up the steps. “So, Bones, what have we got? Murder? Suicide? Accident?”
“I have nothing conclusive so far.” Brennan said it very finally, the way she always did. Everyone turned to look at Angela as she walked up the steps and slid her ident card. She forced a smile. “Hey, Ange,” Brennan stared. Well not really. She just kept looking for a second too long.
“I…I came to get my X-rays.” She managed a brighter smile to try and relax everyone. Hodgins smiled back at her. Brennan handed her the X-rays, giving her a mildly suspicious look. Angela took them from her, forced a very strained smile and skittered back to the comforting enclosure of her office. She didn’t see Brennan follow her with her eyes.
***
“I can conclusively say that this woman committed suicide.” Brennan sighed and peeled off her latex gloves. “I’ll tell Booth.” Zack’s ears immediately perked up. “I, uh, I can do that Dr. Brennan. You look like you could use some rest.” Brennan gave Zack a wan half-smile. “Thank you, Zack but-”
Zack had already set off towards the upper deck, where Booth sat, drinking a cup of coffee and playing solitaire.
“Did you get the notes I left for you?” Zack nodded. “Thank you, Agent Booth. Have you found anything…?” Booth shook his head morosely. “Still kind of a dead end. But with this whole secret keeping thing, which, don’t get me wrong, I understand to the extent that I can-” It was Zack’s turn to shake his head. “Angela made me promise not to say anything to anyone. She’s still very upset about this.” He sighed heavily. “I just don’t understand why she didn’t take the logical course of action, calling the police and reporting this in the first place! I offered to get the tissue under her nails analyzed, the rape kit, anything!”
Booth set his coffee cup down on the low glass table in front of him. “You should be glad you don’t understand Zack. And you probably never will. Just another reason for you to count your blessings.” He stood and swathed himself in the F.B.I. standard black of his coat. “Anything else you needed to tell me?”
Zack nodded. “Suicide. No investigation needed.” Booth sighed and walked away, leaving Zack alone, his hard heels clacking against the cold floor.
***
Angela flipped open her cell phone and hit redial. She listened to the mechanical tone reverberating in her ear, almost as loudly as her heartbeat. “Hello, Alexandria Rape Clinic?”
She couldn’t speak. She tried to dislodge the words from her throat. I was raped.
But they wouldn’t come. “Hello? Hello? It’s alright if you aren’t ready to say anything, but please, at least let me know you’re there.” The voice was pleasant and not at all irritated. Angela hung up for the seventh time that day.
She looked at the clock. It was almost time for her to go collect Zack to either take him home with her or drive him to Hodgins’. She had been painting in a corner of her office. She liked working in the lab. It provided her with much needed security and privacy, two things she had been yearning for the past month. No one but Zack stood on the empty forensic platform.
She approached him. He looked up at her and smiled, a little sadly at her. She stopped, standing in front of him and tried to dislodge the words again.
I was raped.
She opened her mouth. “Zack.”
“Yes?”
“I-”
He looked at her, expectantly. “I was-” He kept looking at her as if he had all the time and patience in the world for her to do this. And she understood, finally, that after saying it once, she could say it a million times again with the greatest of ease. She steeled herself, loving Zack for a moment, for just being himself. “Zack,” she started over.
“I was raped.”
He looked a little taken aback. “I know, Angela.” She must have looked upset because then he reached his hand out, offering it to her. She took it. It was a little awkward for the both of them, but Angela could not remember feeling so loved for a long time.
***
Angela doesn’t even ask Zack where he will stay that night. His toothbrush and a change of underwear are already in his bag (and a few pairs are admittedly in her laundry). Both have noticed but neither have acknowledged that it’s been nearly two weeks since Zack slept in a bed.
When they arrived at Angela’s apartment, she thanked him and went into her room, locking the door behind her.
Part: 4
Fandom: Bones
P/C: Zack, Angela, Booth, Brennan (hints of Zack/Angela possibly more later)
Rating: Hard R (for graphic, triggering scenes throughout)
Summary: “You should be glad you don’t understand Zack. And you probably never will. Just another reason for you to count your blessings.”
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
-Christopher Robin to Pooh
She hadn’t made the call.
Well, she had but she had hung up so quickly she might as well not have made it at all. Just the idea of someone speaking to her with that much pity and understanding…What the hell did they understand anyway? Zack didn’t talk to her that way. But now she was regretting it. She had been up the rest of the night, having a staring contest with the phone. She’d considered waking up Zack to ask him for help, to watch her do it and then leave once she had started talking, but the way things worked between them now, this never ending, feigned ignorance of the secret that now seemed to dominate both of their lives, would never permit that. She looked out the glass in her office door, over to the Forensic Platform. Hodgins was swabbing a brown and slimy skeleton, while Brennan talked with Zack. It all looked so…normal. For them. at least. And she was sitting in here, watching them all work. She stood up and strode out of her office. Maybe her head wasn’t held high, but dammit, this was still something.
***
As she walked toward the Platform, Booth arrived and scooted up the steps. “So, Bones, what have we got? Murder? Suicide? Accident?”
“I have nothing conclusive so far.” Brennan said it very finally, the way she always did. Everyone turned to look at Angela as she walked up the steps and slid her ident card. She forced a smile. “Hey, Ange,” Brennan stared. Well not really. She just kept looking for a second too long.
“I…I came to get my X-rays.” She managed a brighter smile to try and relax everyone. Hodgins smiled back at her. Brennan handed her the X-rays, giving her a mildly suspicious look. Angela took them from her, forced a very strained smile and skittered back to the comforting enclosure of her office. She didn’t see Brennan follow her with her eyes.
***
“I can conclusively say that this woman committed suicide.” Brennan sighed and peeled off her latex gloves. “I’ll tell Booth.” Zack’s ears immediately perked up. “I, uh, I can do that Dr. Brennan. You look like you could use some rest.” Brennan gave Zack a wan half-smile. “Thank you, Zack but-”
Zack had already set off towards the upper deck, where Booth sat, drinking a cup of coffee and playing solitaire.
“Did you get the notes I left for you?” Zack nodded. “Thank you, Agent Booth. Have you found anything…?” Booth shook his head morosely. “Still kind of a dead end. But with this whole secret keeping thing, which, don’t get me wrong, I understand to the extent that I can-” It was Zack’s turn to shake his head. “Angela made me promise not to say anything to anyone. She’s still very upset about this.” He sighed heavily. “I just don’t understand why she didn’t take the logical course of action, calling the police and reporting this in the first place! I offered to get the tissue under her nails analyzed, the rape kit, anything!”
Booth set his coffee cup down on the low glass table in front of him. “You should be glad you don’t understand Zack. And you probably never will. Just another reason for you to count your blessings.” He stood and swathed himself in the F.B.I. standard black of his coat. “Anything else you needed to tell me?”
Zack nodded. “Suicide. No investigation needed.” Booth sighed and walked away, leaving Zack alone, his hard heels clacking against the cold floor.
***
Angela flipped open her cell phone and hit redial. She listened to the mechanical tone reverberating in her ear, almost as loudly as her heartbeat. “Hello, Alexandria Rape Clinic?”
She couldn’t speak. She tried to dislodge the words from her throat. I was raped.
But they wouldn’t come. “Hello? Hello? It’s alright if you aren’t ready to say anything, but please, at least let me know you’re there.” The voice was pleasant and not at all irritated. Angela hung up for the seventh time that day.
She looked at the clock. It was almost time for her to go collect Zack to either take him home with her or drive him to Hodgins’. She had been painting in a corner of her office. She liked working in the lab. It provided her with much needed security and privacy, two things she had been yearning for the past month. No one but Zack stood on the empty forensic platform.
She approached him. He looked up at her and smiled, a little sadly at her. She stopped, standing in front of him and tried to dislodge the words again.
I was raped.
She opened her mouth. “Zack.”
“Yes?”
“I-”
He looked at her, expectantly. “I was-” He kept looking at her as if he had all the time and patience in the world for her to do this. And she understood, finally, that after saying it once, she could say it a million times again with the greatest of ease. She steeled herself, loving Zack for a moment, for just being himself. “Zack,” she started over.
“I was raped.”
He looked a little taken aback. “I know, Angela.” She must have looked upset because then he reached his hand out, offering it to her. She took it. It was a little awkward for the both of them, but Angela could not remember feeling so loved for a long time.
***
Angela doesn’t even ask Zack where he will stay that night. His toothbrush and a change of underwear are already in his bag (and a few pairs are admittedly in her laundry). Both have noticed but neither have acknowledged that it’s been nearly two weeks since Zack slept in a bed.
When they arrived at Angela’s apartment, she thanked him and went into her room, locking the door behind her.