The Body in the Pond - By Kasper Posted 28/11/2007 04:36:13 PM

This is something I've been working on for a while now. I've got it planned out (for like the first time ever I know where I want a story to go). The only thing I am having trouble with is the beginning. So please bear with me as the beginning moves slowly, but I promise it gets betterer, unlike my grammar So enjoy and feel free to let me know what you think!

Body in the Pond
Prologue

Just outside of Fayetteville, North Carolina
10.26 EST
The wind howled as they crossed the open field, whipping long coats, hair and ties and dizzying patterns in the air. Booth swatted his tie from his face angrily for the third time in the past three minutes, though this time just barely missing his face. His partner, Doctor Temperance Brennan, laughed at his actions.

“I’m glad you think this is funny,” said Booth angrily. He pulled the silk tie from around his neck and stuck it in the deep pockets of his coat. “Glad everything is one big joke.”

“I told you to stop for coffee on the way, but you insisted we get here as soon as possible. Like a five minute coffee stop would make a big difference.” They had been on since four that morning, taking a flight to a small airport in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and then driving to an empty field, near which the body was supposedly located.

“Just… never mind.” They continued crossing the field until they came upon the sheriff, dressed in a forest green shirt.

“You two from the FBI?” he asked upon noticing them. Booth removed his badge from his jacket pocket and showed the sheriff.

“Special Agent Seeley Booth, and this is my partner—“

“Doctor Temperance Brennan,” she finished for herself, sending a glare towards Booth.

“Okay then. Well the body is just beyond the clearing. If you would follow me…” The deputy moved forward and Booth and Brennan followed in his wake. They came to a small pond in a clearing just beyond the makeshift parking lot. Brennan could see at the edge where a body lay, a few technicians milled around. “Body’s all yours Doc.” Brennan placed her kit down near the body and she put on gloves.

“Well this smells great,” commented Booth with a disgusted look on his face.

“Body’s in the last stage of decomposition. The victim is an adult male, mid twenties to early thirties. There is some soft tissue. Hodgins can get a sample and maybe get a hit on the DNA.”

“Any signs of COD?” questioned Booth.

“There seem to be possible gunshot entry wounds, but I can’t tell just now. We’ll pack up the remains and some water and soil samples for analysis and have it sent back to the Jeffersonian.”

Booth whistled then clapped his hands together. “You heard the Squint, chop chop.”

Washington D.C
9.30 EST
Hodgins removed the last rubber band from the now empty pack of one hundred. He lined up his shot and flung the piece of rubber across the platform, only to land beside Dr. Zach Addy.

“You missed,” replied his colleague, without removing his gaze from the sample under the microscope.

“Thanks for the stunning report Captain Obvious. Why are you doing work? It’s a Monday and Doctor Brennan isn’t even here yet. We should be taking advantage of this.”

“Speaking of, where is Bren?” asked the passing Angela.

“I haven’t seen her. I’ve been working on the remains from limbo all morning.”

Angela stopped and turned to Hodgins. “She’s not in her office… did she show up today?”

Hodgins turned to Angela. “I haven’t seen her.” As if on cue, Angela’s cell phone rang.

“She must have like a camera on us or something,” said Angela as she read the caller ID and scanned the lab for the sight of her best friend. “Hello… yup.. oh thanks for telling us… yeah they are working… okay see you later.” Angela returned the phone to her pocket. “She’s in North Carolina with Booth; apparently their expertise was called upon early this morning. She and Booth will be back in a few hours with the remains.”

Susan1234

Posted 28/11/2007 04:50:19 PM


I haven't read an actual case fic in, like, forever! Yippee! I'm so excited! This sounds really good. Can't wait for more, kasper. I'm sure it'll be awesome!

jerseybones

Posted 28/11/2007 05:48:18 PM


ok so we have some interesting tension between our fave non-couple and a case fic. my only concern is that you're still going to give equal attention to "Christmas Cheer" you will right.

Kasper

Posted 28/11/2007 05:51:25 PM


Well of course I shall... see one is planned out and the other isn't... I don't know why that is good, but I think it is!

JAXTIG

Posted 28/11/2007 11:50:43 PM


Love does she have a camera on us?.....yes they are working" too funny! this is going to be good. love the banter. cant wait to see where you take it.

flyersfan35

Posted 28/11/2007 11:54:30 PM


Yay! Kas, you posted!! I'm so excited...I know, it's the little things...lol!

Hehe, love 'Captain Obvious'....reminded me of OF....haha, sorry, had to say it, obvious, oblivious...hehe....

nane

Posted 29/11/2007 02:54:12 PM


You are doing just fine. Nothing to slow or whatever you are thinking. But why did Booth not close his coat or wear a jumper? Brennan has to take better care of him LOL

DBAngelfan

Posted 30/11/2007 01:28:17 AM


oooh nice LOL at the captain obvious part

Posted 16/12/2007 06:13:24 PM

So the next chapter has come. Um still rather boring, so I hope you don't fall asleep while reading, but the action will be coming up. For those that were reading the Christmas one, I decided to kinda combine the ideas so this story will take plae around Christmas. Let me know what you think...

Chapter 1

Washington D.C.
15.00 EST

Brennan walked around the remains for the tenth time, looking at every detail, cataloguing everything that seemed out of place. “This person was strangled, shot, and beaten,” she concluded.

“In what order?” asked Booth with perplexed look.

“Um, not sure yet. This is just the preliminary exam.”

“I thought what you did in the field was a preliminary exam.”

“Well… this was preliminary..er.”

“That’s not a word Bones.” Zach appeared on the platform, saving Brennan what would have been an embarrassing hit to her intelligence.

“Zach, I need you to go over the remains to confirm my observations. Then have the bones cleaned so that Angela can do a facial reconstruction.”

“Yes Doctor Brennan.” She stripped off her gloves and headed to her office, with Booth in tow. She sat at her desk and flipped on the computer in an attempt to ignore the man standing in her office.

“Look Bones, I am sorry for acting like a jerk this morning. I just haven’t been sleeping well lately and I guess the stress is starting to add up.” She remained at her computer, fingers typing away quickly. “I’ll take you out for some at the diner to make up for it…” She looked up for a moment and he thought that for a second she would say something, but instead she returned to her work. “Oh c’mon Bones. Until Zach has the bones cleaned off there is not much that you can do and that will certainly take a few hours, unless of course Zach has been spiking the bugs’ food with ‘roids.”

“I don’t know what that means, but I guess I can go for some food.” Booth smiled and waited for her as she grabbed her things and followed him out.

The Diner
Washington, D.C.
15.49 EST

Lunch at the diner was quiet; Brennan was concentrated on her soup, and Booth on his burger. Outside the city was bustling with the frenzy of bundled up Christmas shoppers hoping to beat the rush.

“So when do you think you’ll get a positive ID?” asked Booth when he finished eating.

“Like I said before, whenever the remains are clean and when Angela can do a facial reconstruction.” At that moment, her cell phone rang and she saw from the caller ID it was Angela. “Hi Ange.”

“Bren we got an ID on your vic. You may want to see this…” Brennan mumbled a few words and returned the phone to her pocket.

“Ange says they’ve identified the vic and that it is rather interesting.” Booth nodded and threw a few bills on the table before leading Brennan out.

The Jeffersonian Institute
Washington D.C
16.10 EST
Booth and Brennan found the rest of the team standing in Angela’s office at a hologram on the Angelator.

“The skull was finished quickly Zach did the tissue markers and I input them into the Angelator. We got this.” The face of a man, no more than 35, was circling on the screen. His rugged features suggested that he was rather handsome when he was alive. “We then ran the image through the system and this is what came up.” Angela directed everyone’s attention to the computer. “First Lieutenant Paul Bauer of the United States Army.”

“Oh shit,” said Booth, causing everyone to turn his or her attention to him. “I…I know him. Well knew him.” He ran a hand through his hair and continued. “We started in the Rangers together, through the tests and all. He excelled and our superiors were nearly drooling over him. Man was a genius in leading infiltrations of hostile filled buildings. One morning he wasn’t there. I assumed the government scooped him up for some secret project, but now that I know where the remains were found and his disappearance, he was a part of the Delta Force.”

“That’s right!” exclaimed Hodgins. He input coordinates on a map and showed the rest of the team. “The body was less than half a mile from Fort Bragg, the headquarters of Fort Bragg!” Booth nodded.

“Well I have to take this to Cullen to see what he says.” Booth walked out, leaving the others to different matters.

The Jeffersonian Institute
Washington D.C.
20.03 EST

Booth trudged into Brennan’s office long after everyone had left, well those with lives. She was sitting there, eyes focused on the screen as she continued typing away on the computer.

“Hey Booth,” she greeted. “How was the meeting with Cullen?”

“He urged us to pursue the matter. Tomorrow we’ll head back down and talk to the CO and see if we can find out what he did there. Not that we are going to be told anything but to go away and mind our own business.”

“It can’t hurt to try Booth.”

“Bones, you don’t understand. The military is its own functioning unit that thinks that it can abide by its own rules under certain circumstances. They don’t like to share.”

Brennan turned off the computer and stood. “I’ll reiterate for you, it still can’t hurt to try.”

flyersfan35

Posted 16/12/2007 06:48:36 PM


Woo hoo! You posted! And of course I didn't fall asleep, silly ghost! Can't wait to see what happens...but I will wait till break, cuz I know you are busy!

jerseybones

Posted 16/12/2007 07:51:33 PM


some more "tension" there kas, are you leading us somewhere juicy? maybe, maybe.

ashangel45-boothsbaby07

Posted 16/12/2007 11:26:38 PM


KAS! this is wonderful. love the case in it!

sooo I really like the time thing...does that mean anything...It makes me think of law and order...bumbumbum...haha...love that you stuck that in there.

there of course is gonna be BB fluffiness right?? right?? hehe..

love it girl.

DBAngelfan

Posted 17/12/2007 00:45:38 AM


uhoh that won't be good. Please update soon!

Kasper

Posted 29/12/2007 00:04:20 AM


Chapter 2

Fort Bragg
Cumberland County, North Carolina
11.23 EST

The black SUV was escorted into the complex by two military policemen in a Jeep. The MP’s led them to a small building that was offset from the rest of the barracks in the same area. The MP’s led them inside the small office and gestured for them to sit.

“Colonel Sander will be out in a moment.” The MP’s walked out of the office, leaving Booth and Brennan behind. Brennan sat and played with a stray string from the fringe of her pants while Booth paced around eyeing the decorations of the colonel that lay on display in the office. Within five minutes a gentleman entered the room. Colonel Sander was the same build as Booth, though slightly skinnier. He wore glass with thin wire frames and his hair was slicked back. He extended his hand to each of the occupants of the office.

“Good afternoon, my name is Colonel Larry Sander. No relation to the chicken guy though.” Booth attempted to show good spirit and laughed lightly at the joke, while Brennan missed the joke.

“Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI, and this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institute.” After introductions were made they sat down and Sander laced his fingers and looked at them.

“So Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan, what can I do for you today?”

Booth reached in the pocket of his coat and removed a picture of Bauer generated by the Angelator. “Does this man look familiar to you?”

Sander took the photo and held it up to his face. “Nope, he doesn’t look familiar.” He handed the picture back to Booth and leaned back in his chair. “May I ask why?”

Booth stared the colonel down before replying. “This is First Lieutenant Paul Bauer stationed here at Fort Bragg.”

Sander regarded Booth intently. “I don’t know what you are talking about. There has never been a Paul Bauer stationed here.” The men held each other’s gaze leaving Brennan to roll her eyes at the display of testosterone.

“Well be back. Come on Bones.”

Booth turned the car in the direction of town. His expression remained set on anger and his fingers tapped the dashboard as they got stuck in traffic.

“Does he have a place of residence listed?” Brennan reached for the file that sat on the dashboard and flipped through it.

“No it doesn’t.”

His face returned to the same look of anger and his fingers began drumming. “What about—“ he stopped speaking when his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and almost considered returning the phone to his pocket but thought otherwise. “Hello Rebecca…no this is a fine time…yes I know I have him this weekend…yes I know… well I’ll be at work…no the last weather report called for all rain…no I don’t care about a low off the coast of New Jersey…I don’t… yes I can… okay… yes Rebecca…okay, see you Friday.” He closed the phone and returned it to his pocket. “What about family?”

“Um, mother and father are listed as deceased. Only living blood relative is a sister that lives in Raleigh.”

“Well I think we shall go have a talk with her.”

The drive to Raleigh took close to two hours. Bauer’s sister, Lisa Thompson, had a small apartment the middle of the city. The wind was starting to pick up again, causing Booth’s long coat to whip wildly. Booth rang the button for Bauer’s apartment, number 3C.

“Hello?” came a voice out of the speaker. There was a sound of a baby crying in the background.

“Mrs. Thompson, this is Special Agent Seeley Booth from the FBI with my partner. Can we speak to you about your brother?”

“Yes,” she replied. The door buzzed and Booth pulled it open, gesturing for Brennan to enter. The apartment building was desolate; the only sounds off life came from the sounds of a loud TV and the clicking of pots and pans together.

Booth knocked on the front door of apartment 3C. He could hear the sounds of a baby cooing softly in the background as the door was unlocked. The young and beautiful Lisa Bauer opened the door, bouncing a young boy at her hip.

Booth flashed his badge. “Hi my name is Special Agent Seeley Booth and my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan. We’d like to talk to you about your brother Paul.”

She opened the door to allow them to enter. The apartment was spotless, save for the misplaced toys that littered the floor. “Did Paul do something? I haven’t seen him in a few months, he was suppose to be here two weeks ago actually but called and said that he wouldn’t get leave.”

Booth sighed. “I’m sorry, but Paul’s remains were discovered yesterday. He’s dead.”

Lisa sat down on the couch and placed the boy on the floor. She put her head in her hands. “Oh man.” She wiped at her eyes. “H…how?”

Brennan sat beside her and placed a comforting hand on Lisa’s back. “We aren’t sure. But we believe it was murder. We are doing everything we can to try and figure out who did it.” She looked over to Booth for agreement to find him playing with the young boy.

The door opened and a young man walked in. “Lisa, what’s wrong?” Lisa stood up quickly and hugged him.

“Steve, this is Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan. Paul’s dead. They say he was murdered.”

“Oh my god. Honey I’m so sorry.” Steve held Lisa close and turned to Booth and Brennan. “Please keep us posted.”

Booth nodded. “Of course. Do you know where Paul stayed when he was off-base?”

“Yeah he stayed here,” replied Steve. “When I married Lisa she told me about her brother. He has a bedroom here and would stay here with us when he was on leave and on the holidays. I suppose you could take a look if you want.”

“Thank you, that will be helpful in the investigation.”

“Of course. It’s down the hall and to the left.” Brennan followed Booth down the hall to Paul’s room. Just like the rest of the apartment it was immaculate. Booth took to looking around the bed, while Brennan searched the desk. She found only fresh paper and writing utensils at first, but the bottom drawer held her answers. She removed a strong located in the bottom drawer and placed it on the desk. She looked around for a key but came up empty.

“Booth, do you see a key anywhere?”

“Umm… yeah here.” He took it off the nightstand and tossed it to her. She opened the box to find letters and other things, all of which looked foreign to her. Booth appeared at her side and looked inside.

“Letters from a bank, one time decoding pads, and a medal.” Booth rooted through the rest of the box. “What’s this?” He picked up a piece of paper and unfolded it. “To whomever it may concern, if you are reading this, I am most likely dead. I changed this last time I was home to update the situation. I probably died from something I did. I opened my mouth and protested against a direct order. The military is my life, and I have never disobeyed a direct order, nor would I ever think to. However on a mission I was ordered to lead into the politically unstable country of Iraq, I disagreed with my superiors. I was removed from the mission and it was still completed, with me watching every movement from command as a punishment. I collected evidence against the government and compiled it to a safe location. If you are worthy enough, you’ll find it. I hope that you use it to show how the government oversteps its bounds. Thank you, signed Paul Bauer.” Booth put the letter down and turned to Brennan. “Looks like we are going to be fighting the government again.”

flyersfan35

Posted 29/12/2007 00:12:37 AM


Woo hoo! I was so hoping you would post tonight...I almost went to bed, but I'm so glad I didn't!

It's getting good, kas...I can't wait to find out what you have in store for us next! Oh, and how did I know you'd find a way to add a baby in your fic somewhere! lol! Loved it!

jerseybones

Posted 29/12/2007 01:14:55 AM


kas you kept your promise and gosh darn did you ever. this chappie really focused on the plot and wow, what a development. I am all strapped in for this ride, so go ahead and pull those levers cause I'm hanging on.

nane

Posted 29/12/2007 01:45:26 PM


Whaho Kas, that is really good, sounds a bit like conspiracy... very suspenseful and interesting!!!! Would love to read more....

DBAngelfan

Posted 30/12/2007 00:20:29 AM


oooh this should be good. More!

flyersfan35

Posted 02/01/2008 00:43:02 AM


This one either....can't have them getting lost in the shuffle....

flyersfan35

Posted 23/01/2008 06:52:30 AM


Haha! It's back! This site is so weird....anywhoo, thought I'd bump it, just in case you're inspired to update....

Kasper

Posted 12/02/2008 11:52:31 PM


Chapter 3

Thompson Apartment
Raleigh, North Carolina
16.01 EST

Booth flipped through a few of the items on the bottom of the box, including a M9 pistol and a key. He pocketed the key, grabbed a few of the items, and returned to the living room where Steve was consoling his wife. Booth cleared his throat to announce his presence.

“Excuse me, but has Paul gotten any mail since his last time home?”

“Yes, I keep a pile of it in the kitchen. You can take a look I suppose.” Booth nodded in thanks. He moved to the kitchen and found a stack of mail located in a bin in the corner of the kitchen under the phone. He flipped through the mail, mostly post cards from friends and other credit card bills. He was just about to put it down when he noticed a bank statement. He carefully tucked it into his coat pocket before returning to the living room.

“Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, we will do all we can to find out what happened to your brother. Thank you for your cooperation and we’ll be in touch.” After the handshakes, Booth and Brennan walked out and returned to their car. Booth let his head fall to the steering wheel, pressing the horn and startling Brennan.

“Are you okay Booth?”

“Just lovely Bones, thanks for asking.” He removed the letter from his pocket and handed it over to her. “I think we should take a look at what he has there.”

“Booth, the bank’s back in D.C. We’ll worry about it tomorrow. Let’s grab some early dinner before heading back.” Booth nodded and started the car.


Just outside of Raleigh, North Carolina
16.45 EST

They sat at the small restaurant in a corner booth in the back of the restaurant. Around them, Christmas decorations covered the walls. Tinsel, Christmas lights, and cotton added to the overall jolly mood of the restaurant. Families with young children laughed and discussed holiday plans, telling children to behave or Santa wouldn’t come. It was completely the opposite of the mood of the back table. Booth sat slumped over, exhaustion showing in his features. Brennan stared at him intently, thinking of a way to say what she wanted without annoying him. In the end, she decided to just come out and say it.

“Booth, what’s wrong? You haven’t been yourself this week at all.” The waitress came and placed two beer sin front of them and promised their food would be out shortly.

“Nothing Bones, I’m fine,” he replied shortly, and then sighed. “I’m sorry Bones. I… I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

He looked her in the eyes. “I’m fine.”

Brennan’s Apartment
Washington DC
21.00 EST

The drive back was quiet with each partner engrossed in his or her own thoughts. Booth pulled up to Brennan’s apartment, turning the car off in the process.

“It’s okay Booth, I am a bog girl. I know how to walk myself to my own home.” She gave him a small smile. “Good night Booth.” She opened the door and just before her hand could move from the center console, Booth grasped her hand. Surprised she stopped and turned to him. The streetlight illuminated his face and she could she the sadness in his features.

“There…there’s something I need to tell you.”

---------------------------------------------

Brennan had led him up to her apartment she made some coffee. Brennan had told Booth to sit and wait in the living room while she prepared the coffee, but he ended up walking in. He took a seat at the table and looked at her.

“I heard this morning that an old friend of mine died last night.” Booth swallowed hard. “He… he um committed suicide in Iraq.” Brennan abandoned the coffee and sat at Booth’s side. She could see that he was doing his best not to cry so she let him let out his emotions. “He had been my first friend in the army, both of us entering just after high school. We both excelled at our areas, but he went into demolitions and I was a sniper, so we got separated eventually. But even after we both got out, we hung out together. I know his wife and his children so well. They call me Uncle Seeley. He left for his third tour in Iraq two months ago. They had him on patrol. Every night he saw the horrors, the bodies, the weaponry. Everything. Bones, he shouldn’t have been back there. He should have been with his family. Watching his kids grow up. He didn’t get to see his first son’s birth nor his first daughter. His wife is pregnant again. He told me to watch over her. What am I going to tell her Bones, what am I going to tell her?”

Brennan was speechless. Comfort was usually Booth’s area. Hell, he had been there for her many times. She did the only thing that she could think of. She wrapped him in a hug, embracing him, trying to be his rock. He held onto her, holding on as if there was nothing left. Brennan could feel moisture on her shirt, no doubt from the tears that had fallen. They sat like that for seconds, or maybe minutes. It didn’t matter. Both felt an odd sense of contentment and safety. It was until there was the sound of a car alarm in the distance.

Booth pulled back quickly and wiped at his eyes. “I think that’s my alarm.” They ran down the stairs and headed for the parking lot. Booth found his car doors open, items flung about. “Son of a bitch!”

He hit the alarm off and he and Brennan began to pick everything up. “Are you missing anything?”

Booth did a mental tally of anything that may have gone missing. “No, everything is here.”

Brennan stood with a perplexed look on her face. “Then why tear apart someone’s car?”

“Beats me Bones. Um, thanks for, you know being there. Tomorrow I have to go to the funeral, but I’ll come in afterward and pick you up so that we can head to the bank.”

“Booth this investigation can wait. Perhaps you can ask Cullen for some time –“

“No Bones, I’m fine. Thanks. Don’t worry about me.” He gave her a quick charm smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

DBAngelfan

Posted 13/02/2008 00:38:21 AM


nice, as always...wonder why they broke into the car though.

flyersfan35

Posted 13/02/2008 08:29:31 AM


Aw, my sweet ghosty girl. I'm so glad you posted, I really needed a pick me up.

And you really have me intrigued. I loved Brennan comforting Booth, such a sweet moment. And the whole chapter was great, it was written very well. I can't wait to see what happens, and where you're going to go, but, as always, you know I'm along for the ride.

CheeseBK

Posted 13/02/2008 08:36:15 AM


finally I found time to read this and I really love it so far, kas!!!

I really like the brennan comforting booth-scene....

magicstar

Posted 13/02/2008 05:29:59 PM


ohh kas this is good. I dont usually review but this one is getting good! x x