paladinsuitsyou | OOM: Man in the Mansion Coda

OOM: Man in the Mansion Coda

After this.

After Robert Frasier's conviction for murdering Terrence Bancroft, Booth's feeling pretty good. He's got his "bilious socks" and "ostentatious ties" back though he still hasn't quite gotten over the codpiece comment enough to wear a big belt buckle just yet. In spite of being lectured by Carolyn about wrecking his car and letting the Squint Squad run wild, he's doing all right.

So when he sees Hodgins walk into the diner, he grins.

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"Hey. We won," Hodgins says, rather unnecessarily.

Hodgins has worked evidence on a lot of cases, but he's really feeling the victory this time around. Terry's killer is going away.

In spite of his old friend's (Okay, Jack. Admit it.) somewhat reckless actions.

"We did." Even though Booth doesn't come right out and say it, it's pretty clearly in his tone: No thanks to you.

Still, he doesn't say it. That's probably because of the return of the fancy ties and the loud socks.

Hodgins stops a safe distance away.

He's been doing that a lot with people since this case broke.

"So, I guess you're off the hook with the whole shooting me thing," he says. It's a joke, but a cautious one.

Especially since he isn't entirely sure the prosecuting attorney had been joking when she suggested that Booth shoot him if they lost the case.

It's hard to tell, with Carolyn. And if Booth were to shoot Hodgins, it wouldn't have been fatal. Probably.

"Yeah, and that's just as well," he says lightly. "The last thing that bugged me that much was that clown, and shooting it didn't do me much good."

Of course, given that it's Hodgins (malcontent and conspiracy theorist extraordinaire) he could milk getting shot in the kneecap by a federal agent for decades.

On the other hand it would really really hurt, so he's just as glad they don't have to go there.

"Right. The clown." Hodgins pauses for a moment. "So, man, how's the therapy going?"

Hodgins doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to the way Booth dresses, but he does notice that the agent seems less like he's about to head off to a funeral than he has the last couple of days.

Booth shrugs. "Apparently I've got a thing against rich guys. Who knew, right? And somehow wearing clothes I actually like makes me forgive people. I don't really get it, but it works for Gordon Gordon, so..." he trails off, as if to say, "If it works for Gordon Gordon, it works for me."

Hodgins processes that for a moment.

"So, you shot an ice cream truck. You're a classist. And you will be cured by fashion?"

A grin spreads across Hodgins's face. He can't quite control it.

"Yep. Sounds like government-run mental health to me."

Booth snorts. "Tell me about it. But Gordon's a good guy. I mean, I could have gotten stuck with someone much, much worse, you know?"

Booth's never seen a psychiatrist before, so his thoughts are running to movie characters. Among them: Hannibal Lecter. And that guy from the Sixth Sense.

And it's usually just best to avoid therapists of the spectral or serial killer persuasion. Just about anyone would be an improvement on that.

"Yeah. Definitely."

Hodgins scuffs his toe on the Diner's linoleum floor.

"Look, man. Thanks. For helping nail the guy."

Thanks to Hodgins's friends, Terry's killer is going to prison for quite some time.

"It's what I do," Booth says. His tone is light, uncaring. His eyes, however, are not. He's studying Hodgins carefully, seeing the relief and the satisfaction in the other man.

"It's what you do, too."

Maybe that's as close as Booth will ever get to saying, "I understand why you did what you did."

Hodgins smiles and nods.

He's not full-on happy. He can't be just yet. It's like now that the fat lady has belted out that last aria, the reality of Terry's death is really starting to sink in.

But he has a lot. He has his job. He has Angela. He has the respect of his colleagues, even though they would have had every right to withdraw it.

"Cam tore up my resignation letter. So it looks like I'll get to keep doing it."

Hodgins knows he got lucky. Very, very lucky.

"Glad to hear it," he says, smiling broadly back. And he really is. The team doesn't respond well to change, he'd noticed, mostly because Bones doesn't respond well to change. So it's best to keep things on an even keel. Keep things productive.

He also might sort of like having Hodgins around.

"Did they tell you about Angela? How she saved the day?"

Hodgins's grin is full of pride.

"They did."

"What can I say? The woman is brilliant and has an eye for fungus."

Yes--coming from Hodgins, that is a compliment. A big, big compliment.

"It probably all started when you gave her that blown up slime thing for Christmas," Booth says. "Good work on that, man."

Make an artist see the beauty in slime, and there's no stopping her.

"I'm not sure I can really claim credit."

Angela has an innate ability to see the beauty in everything. Even slime and fungus.

"So," he adds slowly, "are we still cool? With me still being at the Jeffersonian?"

Booth looks down at his coffee as if it might contain the right way to answer this question.

It doesn't, though, and so he's left, as always, hoping he's got the words right.

"Course. The science was great. Would've been perfect, if it weren't for that little glitch about knowing the victim."

It means a lot to Hodgins, having Booth's respect. Even though he'd reenact several scenes from Silence of the Lambs before admitting needing respect from a Fed.

Friendship, or whatever it is, really complicates things sometimes.

"Good."

"And I think the odds of coming across a case like that again are......really bad. Zach could probably tell you exactly how bad."

"So, no more glitches."

Booth couldn't say when Hodgins went from being "that bug and slime guy with the paranoia thing" to "my friend." Whenever that was, he's glad it happened.

"Excellent," Booth says. "And I'll just go with 'really bad.' I don't think we need to quantify it more than that."

Bones might, or Zach, but Booth's pretty sure that Hodgins will be willing to leave it there.

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OOM: Man in the Mansion Coda

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