Rusty--a Vignette

This comes from a brief discussion Robert Modean, MoonlightGardenias, & I had about the status of Angela & Brennan’s friendship. As things stand, I’d set it sometime after Girl in the Mask, even into S5.

And many thanks to our King Robert for reading it over and offering his thoughts! Of course, I don't own these characters.

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Trying to juggle several bags and a large purse, Angela knocked on Brennan’s door. Should have called first, the artist thought, shifting her grip yet again. Maybe she’s not home. Maybe she’s got company already.

The door finally opened, revealing a barefoot Brennan dressed comfortably in soft pants and an oversized t-shirt with FBI emblazoned down one side. “Ange? What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Bren. Thought I might just stop by and visit a bit. Girls’ night in?” She hefted the bags in her left hand. “Brought ice cream and wine and some girly stuff. If you don’t have any other plans, that is?”

“No,” Brennan said slowly as she stepped back to let her friend in. “No, I don’t,” she said in a surer voice, deftly taking some of the bags after relocking the door.

“Where’d you get the FBI shirt?” Angela asked, dropping her purse by the door and pulling off her jacket.

“Booth, of course.”

“Of course,” Angela echoed dryly. “Who else? But that’s not a new shirt, sweetie.”

Brennan looked from the pints of ice cream she was pulling out of the bag to the slightly worn hem of the shirt and shrugged. “No, it’s not. I was over at his place a few months ago and he tripped and spilled beer on me. Once he was finished apologizing, he brought this out for me to change into. After I washed it, I tried to give it back, but he said I should keep it. It is very comfortable,” she added, smoothing it. “Let me get some bowls. How’s the wine--should it go in the fridge?”

“No, it’s good.” As Brennan headed into the kitchen, Angela made a slow turn, taking in the details of her friend’s apartment, seeing what had changed.

Everywhere she looked, there were signs of Booth’s influence, from Bren’s t-shirt (with its accompanying explanation) to the TV/entertainment center to the increase in pictures scattered about. She picked one of them up wistfully--it was one of the entire team before everything fell apart. She found herself gently tracing Zack’s face and trying not to look at how close she and Jack were standing.

“Thanks for bringing over the Cherry Garcia, Ange,” Brennan said, coming into the room with bowls, spoons, and a bottle of chocolate syrup. “Booth’s been making me chocolate chip sundaes recently; you’d never believe that he actually stocks shaved chocolate to sprinkle on top instead of peanuts.” She shook her head, smiling. “And he always gives me too much of everything.”

“Well, I had to bring it, sweetie, I knew you wouldn’t have any,” Angela replied, setting the picture back down, noticing a shot of Booth and Parker next to it. In front of the Jeffersonian’s dinosaur exhibit, if she wasn’t mistaken.

“It’s an entirely rational decision. I can’t be tempted at 3am if there isn’t any in the freezer. Besides, I don’t need to actually buy any, what with Booth always feeding me. Of course, when I know I’m going to have company, I make sure I have something to offer…” She let her voice trail off with a shrug.

“Oh, is that why you have the chocolate sauce?”

Brennan actually blushed. “Yes. Booth brought Parker over one day. They were so disappointed that I didn’t have any that Booth ran out and bought some, then left it in my fridge when they went home.”

Angela grinned wickedly. “No other uses, Bren?”

The blush deepened, but so far as Angela could tell, Brennan was telling the truth when she denied it. Pity.

They settled on the couch, having emptied their respective cartons and drenched the contents with the chocolate.

“I’d have brought over a few movies too if I knew you had such a nice setup.”

“I have some, though I don’t know if any are--what do you call them--hen movies?”

“Chick flicks,” Ange chuckled. “Where?”

“Under the TV.”

Angela knelt and opened the doors. Three rows of carefully lined up DVD boxes faced her--clear indication that despite Booth’s growing influence, Bren was holding her own. Let’s see. Couple seasons of MacGyver. Documentary. Documentary. Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Clue? Historical documentary. Shakespeare. Flaming Youth. Anthropological documentary. Mission: Impossible--the series. Huh. Down with Love--well, that’s more like it. And Ewan MacGregor’s easy on the eyes. The Quiet Man and Donovan’s Reef. Shakespeare. Shakespeare in Love. OK. Documentary. Chicago--that’s workable. A set of Clara Bow movies. Princess Bride. Star Wars. Wait--Star Wars?

Shaking off her astonishment, Angela pulled out Down with Love. “How about this one, sweetie?”

“That’s fine.” Brennan picked up a remote, turned on the TV, and opened the DVD player for her.



“I’m glad you came over, Ange,” Brennan said quietly as the end credits rolled. “We haven’t done this in a while.”

“I know--when was the last time?” Angela asked, pouring more wine into her glass. Empty ice cream bowls and bottles of nail polish rested on the table in front of them and Brennan had been admiring the shimmery violet shade she had just applied to her toes.

“When I came back from London, I think.”

“Oh. That’s right.” She remembered that; right after the Jack and Grayson fiasco. Brennan had come over to Angela’s old place, listened to her, sympathized as best she could. There had been a great deal of alcohol involved, and not much else, if she wasn’t mistaken. She suddenly wasn’t sure if that even counted--so when was the last time before that?

Outside of a few “glug-glug, whoo-hoo” nights and several lunches, it must have been not long after she and Jack had gotten engaged.

“Sweetie--I’m sorry!”

“For what?”

“I’ve been neglecting you. I got so wrapped up with Jack--then Roxie--”

“You merely apportioned your time as you saw fit, Ange,” Brennan said, still quiet; Angela knew it covered a hurt Bren didn’t want to share--or wasn’t comfortable voicing. “I’ve always heard that a fiancé takes a certain amount of precedence…and I didn’t want to intrude…”

“But not from the best friend! You are still my best friend, aren’t you, Bren?”

“Of course!”

Angela threw her arms about Brennan in relief, and Brennan hugged back with no apparent reservations.

But then her cell rang, interrupting them, and she glanced down at the caller ID. “I should take that, Ange. If you don’t mind?”

“Not at all--go ahead.” She could hardly refuse, having caught the name on the display.

Brennan got up and walked toward the kitchen, and Angela set up the next movie, pretending she wasn’t listening. “This had better not be about a case, Booth…Yes, I have company…no, Ange came over.” She laughed at whatever he said, actually laughed in a way Angela had rarely heard. “Sorry. What is it you keep saying to me? ‘You snooze, you lose’? She’s been here a couple hours…I suppose we might…” Another laugh. “No, you don’t want to come over, and we don’t want any men around right now, either. How else could we talk about all those things that would just embarrass you?…Right. Those kinds of ‘girly things.’ Not to mention things like…sex. Bad boyfriends. You couldn’t handle it…no, not a challenge, but a statement of fact. It doesn’t make you any less of an alpha male…” A chuckle. “All right, yes, I’ll see you tomorrow. Coffee, just in case…No, I doubt I’ll want any ice cream; I’ve had more than enough for the weekend already…You can too have too much…Angela thanks you for the chocolate syrup, by the way…We almost finished the bottle…Don’t worry, I’ll pick up more before Parker comes again…Yes, yes, yes--don’t worry about that. We’re all grown up, you know…Good night, Booth.” The phone snapped shut.

“That was Booth,” she said unnecessarily, coming back to the couch with a smile lingering on her mouth.

“So I heard. Did he want to come over?”

“Yes, but I told him you were here.”

“How often does he come over--or you go over to his place?” Angela asked, curiosity piqued.

Brennan bit her lip, thinking. “Quite a lot, now that I think about it. Always after each case, and usually whenever we have no other plans for a weekend. Sometimes he and Parker invite me to join them on one of their daytrips.”

“What do you do?”

“With Parker? Zoos, parks, museums, or some similar activity, followed by dinner. But when it’s just Booth, it’s actually not that different from tonight. We talk, watch movies, eat. Different subjects, of course. And no nail polish,” she added, wriggling her toes. “Beer or scotch instead of wine.”

“Yeah, I saw how much beer you had in the fridge when I was in the kitchen. I was wondering why you had so much, and why so little of it was the imported stuff you used to have. Guess that answers that question.”

Brennan shrugged and added wine to her own glass. “What did you put in there?” she asked, nodding at the TV.

“Chicago--though I thought about The Quiet Man.” She giggled. “I love that scene with the bed.”

Brennan grinned. “It is amusing, though I doubt any sturdily made wooden bed frame and proper mattress would actually break like that. And if he had been able to throw her that hard, she should have sustained--”

“You mean Booth hasn’t taught you suspension of disbelief yet?” Angela asked mockingly.

“He tries--but in this, I am not a good student.”

“He has my sympathy--God knows I’ve tried to teach you that sort of thing myself. Now, where’s the remote? Let’s get this movie going!”

But once Bren was absorbed in the scandalous doings of Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly, Angela found herself studying her friend. You may be my best friend, but Booth is yours now, isn’t he? “You snooze, you lose” indeed.

I loved this more everytime I read it. "You snooze, you loose" indeed - you not only captured both Brennan's and Angela's voices perfectly, but the tennor of their relationship. It just fits the place Brennan and Angela are at right now, what with their friendship seeming to have taken something of a hiatus while Angela figures out her own life. Great job my Queen.

RM

this is really good. im enjoying it very much. and Chicago is the best!

That was so perfect, and like Robert said, it fits their relationship right now. Definitely better than what the one I had rolling around. I think you captured both Brennan and Angela very well, something that isn't always easy to do. Great job!

aww i miss that Brennan and Angela...there needs to be another glug glug woohoo night.

Thanks, all! Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks, Dawn. I really enjoyed the night in with the girls, and overhearing Booth & Brennan on the phone too. You have one-sided phone convos down!

I could actually hear Booth teasing her about getting drunk, issuing warnings about locking the door, and all those other fun over-protective alpha-male attitudes he adopts. And if he could have heard her comparing their nights to girls' nights...! "I am NOT a woman!"

I loved it Dawns!