Chapter Text
“Not a bad day to go look at a crime scene, right, Ms. Warren? I always say a little rain never hurt anyone. I’m glad we’re getting a head start on everybody else. Dr. Brennan and Booth are going to met us out there.” Dr. Hodgins said while checking the map on his phone. “The side road we’re looking for is about five miles up on the north side of the highway...”
Preoccupied with other thoughts, most of which pertained to how much she missed her former boyfriend, Special Agent James Aubrey, Jessica Warren gazed out a backseat passenger window of the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal SUV as it sped toward the acreage where the body had been found. She wasn’t really paying complete attention to what Hodgins was saying while he chatted happily with Fred, the technician who was currently serving as his driver. Dr. Hodgins was enjoying the all the perks that went with truly being the King of the Lab as he described the new accessible van he’d purchased for the lab technicians and interns to use.
“...It’s also designed with hand controls for braking. Maybe next time maybe I’ll be able to drive myself out to some vacant lot in the middle of nowhere. What do you think about that, Jessica? You wouldn’t mind going along for the ride when I try it out, right?”
“Hmmm? Yeah...whatever you say, Curly.” Jessica said distractedly before realizing he was talking about his new van. Offering a smile to hide her distractedness, she spoke further. “Oh, I get it...your new van. Are you going to train the rest of us to drive it, too?”
“Maybe…although I was looking forward to driving myself most of the time.” Hodgins replied with a shrug as the large Suburban turned off the main highway onto a narrow gravel road, rocking back and forth as it hit several potholes. “Yeah, maybe it’d be better to let someone else drive.”
He laughed as the SUV bounced down the rutted driveway. “Too bad you never got to ride in my Mini, Jessica. It used to bounce just like this even on a paved street. It was a real cute little car, even if Aubrey didn’t like it…he said it was way too small...”
His voice trailed off as he realized he’d said the wrong thing. “Sorry...I didn’t mean anything by that…” He grimaced as he looked out the front window. “Well, that was awkward, wasn’t it?”
Jessica shrugged slightly before turning to the window again. “Not a problem, Dr. Hodgins. Aubrey and I aren’t a couple any more, but it’s not like he fell off the face of the earth. I know you two are friends.” She bit her lip and sighed softly, hoping to change the subject. “So do you still have the Mini?”
"Nah…” Hodgins sadly shook his head. “I couldn’t drive it anymore after I was injured. Besides, there were constant issues with the transmission and the suspension completely sucked. I ended up selling it to a collector who wanted to restore it. Okay, here we are…”
After parking the SUV on the edge of a grassy field, Fred hopped out and went around to the back of the SUV to pull out Hodgins’ wheelchair. “Here you go, Dr. Hodgins.”
The entomologist situated himself in the specially designed wheelchair so that Fred could help him get the chair rolling over the grass. Waving at the men who were already there, Hodgins motioned one of them over. “Who’s in charge out here?”
I’m not sure, really. The county sheriff called the body dump into the FBI because this rural area isn’t equipped to handle something like that. At first he thought the remains were that of a dead cow, but most cows don’t wear suits and ties.”
The officer paused as he looked through his notes. “No ID on the body, and the face has been pretty much destroyed, but from what’s left of the clothing, and based on a recent missing person report, we have a good idea of who it is.”
The agent held up his phone to show Hodgins a picture. “We think it’s Louis Vacchio. His wife said he was wearing a gray three piece suit and blue shirt the day he disappeared. Vacchio was with the SEC...an upper level auditor who dealt with tracking fraudulent security schemes. Nobody’s heard from him for 3 or 4 days.”
The agent pointed over to a corner of the field. “That’s why Special Agent Aubrey is out here...his division will be involved in the case if it really is Vacchio over there…”
Hodgins called out to the men as he made his way over to the remains. “Hey, Aubrey! How’s it going, Buddy? Long time, no see…”
Jessica felt her heart skip a beat as she saw a familiar thin, wiry figure apparently giving orders to some other agents as they stood over the body. She couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride as she watched him begin to lead the investigation into the decedent’s demise. Smiling to herself as she listened to the friendly banter, she began to pull her equipment from the back of the truck. She lifted one heavy case out and set it down before retrieving the second one.
Realizing she’d left some equipment in the passenger compartment, Jessica walked toward the front of the van, but stopped as she overheard two agents talking on the opposite side of the vehicle. Not wanting to eavesdrop she turned away to leave until she heard a familiar name being mentioned. Her curiosity got the better of her, wondering how the two men felt about their new supervisor, so she stopped to listen for a few minutes.
Agent Sam Westbrook checked his phone for messages before pointing his thumb to the crowd of people standing around in the field. “So, what do you think about the new guy, Joe? You think Aubrey is going to work out?”
“Yeah, I think he’s going to be okay.” Agent Joe Keller gave a noncommittal shrug. “He’s a hell of a lot better than that nasty old bastard Halko. I mean, Aubrey doesn’t take any shit from anybody, but he’s not near the hard ass Halko was, so I guess he’ll do. What about you, Sam? Are you going to be able to live with him being in charge?”
Sam scratched his chin as he thought the situation over. “Well, considering what we had to deal with before, yeah, he’s okay. I mean, Halko was so bad he made Booth look like a sweet little buttercup, right? So anyone would be better, but I tell you what, Joe...I sat in on an interrogation with Aubrey the other day, and he verbally nailed the guy to the wall, which really kind of surprised me. I mean, the new SSA comes off as kind of easy going, you know? Like he’s nothing special when you first meet him, but then BAM! He’s like a tiger going in for the kill. He may not be as intimidating as Booth physically, but he can be so intense when he’s on the trail of a bad guy that it’s kind of scary. I wouldn’t want to cross him. From what I’ve seen, he seems to know what he’s doing but he’s not all tight and pointy about how he runs things, and I can deal with that.”
Chuckling, Joe cocked an eyebrow as he poked Sam in the ribs with his elbow. “Hey, you want to know who else thinks Aubrey’s okay? That profiler...you know, the tall redheaded chick? The one with the big black glasses? She likes him just fine...”
“You mean Karen Delfs? Really? So what’s going on between them?” Sam seemed somewhat confused. “She’s a psych consultant for the Bureau, right? On a contract basis? So it’s okay if they date…I guess the Bureau doesn’t care much about that shit any more, especially after Booth and his wife have worked so successfully together for so long. Ms. Delfs is kind of odd, but she’s not bad looking.”
Smirking, Joe nodded at his friend. “Yeah, she’s a psych consultant, but I think he’s consulting her on things other than official FBI business. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t getting some nookie from her on a regular basis during his lunch hour. I think he likes her profile just fine, if you know what I mean...”
“You mean he’s banging the consultant in his office? How do you even know that, Joe? I will say that’s an interesting way to get something to eat for lunch.”
The agents both snickered at Sam’s joke. “Jesus...no wonder Aubrey had the blinds installed on the windows flanking his office door.” Sam laughed out loud at the thought. “Hmm...looks like Special Agent Aubrey may be special in more ways than one if he can get away with having sex in his office like that…so he’s humping the help, huh? See, it’s just like I said...he comes across as a mouse, but I guess he’s really a stud instead.”
“Yeah...Steve Bower said Dr. Delfs shows up like clockwork around noon every day, stays for an hour or so, and always leaves with a big smile on her face. That skinny little guy must be hung like a horse or something.”
Thoroughly shocked and disgusted, Jessica couldn’t help but gasp out loud at what she’d heard. Seeing the two agents turn toward the noise, she blinked back her hot, angry tears as she busied herself with looking through an equipment bag as they walked over to her.
“Hey there, Sweetheart…” Agent Keller flashed a big flirty smile at the intern. “Need some help with these heavy old bags? They look kind of bulky for a cute little thing like you to be hauling around.” He leaned toward her to read her name tag. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Warren…”
“I don’t need any help, thanks. I can manage them by myself.” Trying to hide her irritation, Jessica picked up the two large cases and walked across the field toward the ring of people surrounding the remains.
“Aw, c’mon, Honey...we just want to help. We won’t hurt any of your fancy toys.” Sam turned to grin at Joe as he nodded toward Jessica. “Hey, maybe later on, you can join us for a cup of coffee. We’re both really nice guys. We’re FBI agents, you know? Perfectly trustworthy.”
Jessica came slowly trudging up to the remains, glancing back over her shoulder as she put down the cases. “No, thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do….oh, hello, Dr. Brennan...I didn’t see you there…” Setting the bags to one side, Jessica pulled on some exam gloves and hunkered down next to her mentor. “I’d say Caucasian male...mid fifties?”
Joe wasn’t about to let a cute girl like Jessica ignore him for very long, especially since she looked so good in her Jeffersonian coveralls. “One cup of coffee...c’mon, Sugar...one little cup...what’s it going to hurt? After that, maybe a little lovin’ later...just me and you in the backseat of my SUV when it’s parked somewhere dark...”
“Shut your goddamn mouth, Agent Keller. Ms. Warren said no, so back off. In case you’ve forgotten, the FBI’s policy on sexual harassment is very clear, and it extends to the consultants that work with us as well.” Aubrey stood with his hands on his hips, angrily glaring at Keller. “I think you need to make your apologies and go crawl back under your rock.”
Mortified at being so harshly corrected in front of so many people, Keller stuck out his chin defiantly. “Geez, Boss...I didn’t mean anything bad. You’re making a big deal over nothing. She knew I was teasing her, even though I really would like to take her out for coffee. She’s a cutie.”
Keller winked broadly at Jessica before turning back to Aubrey. “Anyway, Halko never cared how we talked to the squints.”
“You don’t work for Halko anymore. Right now, you work for me, but it may not be that way for very much longer if you don’t treat your coworkers with more respect. I assume you still want a job?” Aubrey tapped his foot as he stared at Keller, daring the man to say something else stupid.
Agent Keller paused as he thought about what Sam had said. Special Agent Aubrey was not the same kind of bad ass as Special Agent Booth, but he was obviously a man to be reckoned with when he was angry.
“Yeah, okay.” Turning to Jessica, he mumbled an apology. “Sorry.”
“No problem, Agent Keller.” Jessica stood up and opened one of the large bags, looking for some forceps as she avoided eye contact with Aubrey. “I’m not easily offended, but I don’t want to have coffee with you.”
Clearing her throat, Brennan called Jessica’s attention to the remains before pointing to what remained of the left parietal bone. “Ms. Warren, what do you make of this damage to the skull?”
Tilting her head to one side as she bent down to look at the skull, she thought for a few seconds before giving her opinion. “I’d say gunshot at close range...maybe a large caliber pistol?”
“Excellent. I believe your description of the weapon is accurate.” Brennan turned as she heard her colleague approach. “What have you found, Dr. Hodgins?”
“Based on the variety of insects I’ve found, I’d say our victim has been out here at least three days. I’ve also found some scattered fibers around the body...possibly cotton, but I won’t know for sure until I get them back to the lab. I’m assuming you want the FBI techs to scour the area?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I’ll have Booth get them started.” Brennan looked up at the sky as a light rain began to fall. “Ms. Warren, could you please retrieve one of the plastic tarps from the SUV? We need to protect the remains from the elements.”
“Of course.” Jessica stood and jogged over to the Suburban, not realizing that she was being closely followed by someone she knew.
“Hey, Jess...sorry about that asshole Keller.” Aubrey stammered nervously as he felt his heart racing in his chest. “I guess Halko was a real jerk who didn’t care how his guys treated the techs. I’m trying to clean that up that shit. I can’t believe Joe was hitting on to you like that at a crime scene.”
Remembering what she heard, it took everything not to burst into tears. Taking a deep breath, she opened the back of the vehicle. “It’s not a problem, Agent Aubrey. I’ve had men hit on to me before, and in many unexpected places. Why should today be any different?”
Jessica pulled the tarp from the back of the SUV before she turned to face him. “However, as a woman in a traditionally male field, I’ve learned to fight my own battles, and I’m in no need of your assistance. I don’t need you to make some lame attempt to protect my honor by publicly humiliating an agent who works for you. Now, if you don’t mind, Dr. Brennan needs this tarp…”
“Wait, hang on a minute…can’t we talk a little bit?” Aubrey moved slightly to block her way. “I mean, I haven’t seen you in three weeks, Jessica. Are you doing okay? How’s the dissertation coming?” He gave her a flirty wink. “Have you missed me?”
Feeling her composure lessening by the second, she steeled herself. “I’m afraid I don’t have time for socializing while I’m working at a crime scene. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Agent Aubrey, Doctor B needs me.”
She brushed past him without so much as a backwards glance, leaving Aubrey standing speechless next to the truck. “What the hell is with the ‘Agent Aubrey’ shit?” he muttered as he walked back toward the remains.
Standing opposite of Jessica with the remains between them, he tried to make eye contact with her. However, she refused to look at him, instead conducting herself in a seriously professional manner as she discussed her findings with Dr. Brennan. There was no smile, no glimmer of recognition, no funny comment, no hint that she remembered anything that had occurred between them in the past. He felt a wave of nausea and sadness as she remained cool, detached, and completely collected, seeming to be unaffected by his presence.
“So what’d you say, Bones? Is it Vacchio?” Seeing his wife’s annoyed glare, Booth chuckled slightly. “Why do I even bother? I know….let’s take everything back to the lab, right?”
“You are correct, Booth. Ms. Warren, I’ll need you and Dr. Hodgins to supervise the recovery, and then have the FBI technicians transport the body to the Jeffersonian. Booth and I have a parent meeting at Christine’s school in an hour, but I’ll meet you at the lab after that. Agent Aubrey, even though the face was damaged badly, I believe Angela may be able to tell you tomorrow afternoon if our victim is in actuality the missing auditor.”
“Thanks, Dr. B. Just ask her to call me know as soon as she finds out something. Hodgins, is there anything else I can do to assist you and Ms. Warren in the recovery?” Aubrey asked with a hopeful look at Hodgins, nodding his head slightly toward Jessica as she began to prepare the remains for removal. “I’d be glad to help…”
Seeing Jessica mouth the word ‘no’, Hodgins shrugged his shoulders sadly. “I don’t think so, Aubrey.”
The agent watched as Jessica put a nearby pen into an evidence bag and walk it to a table. When she didn’t even offer another backwards glance, the hollow feeling in his stomach grew. He was transfixed until he heard Hodgins speaking again.
“Aubrey, don’t be such a stranger, okay? You should come over to the lab once in a while, you know? We could have drone races…you used to like that, remember? We even let you win occasionally.”
Shaking his head, Aubrey grimaced slightly. “I don’t think so, Hodgins. It feels weird showing up there now...like I don’t really belong.”
Hodgins looked over at Jessica before turning back to Aubrey. “Dude, I don’t think she’s smiled once since you two broke up. Don’t give up on her just yet.”
“I’m trying, Hodgins, but…” Aubrey said. He stood with his hands in his pants pockets, watching Jessica work the crime scene as she purposefully avoided eye contact with him. “Okay, well...if you don’t need anything...I’m going to go.”
He hesitated for a few seconds, hoping that Jessica would give him one little tiny shred of hope, but she was resolute in ignoring him completely. “Bye…”
Striding quickly to his car, he opened the door and got in, pounding on the steering wheel angrily as he thought again about what he’d lost when she’d ended their relationship a few weeks ago. He missed the smiles, her streams of consciousness when she let things build up or was really excited, and their game contests on his X-Box. He loved their debates on science fiction, classic movies, and stories from her childhood at the cooperative, living there with her five older brothers.
Aubrey could still feel Jessica’s satin smooth skin on his lips as he remembered his explorations of her body. He couldn’t make himself change his bed as her unique pheromone remained on his sheets. He thought of the bottle of cherry vanilla spray she accidentally left behind in his bedroom and the shower gel that remained in his bathroom shower.
It was obvious that Skinner missed her, too. More than once, Aubrey would unlock his apartment and open the door only to be greeted with the orange tabby walking away when he saw who arrived. The cat slept all the time now on the Star Wars fleece cat pad she made him for Christmas last year.
But most of all...he missed his best friend.
Realizing he needed to pull himself together, the agent started the car. Pulling away without even a glance at his rearview mirror, he missed the moment when Jessica brushed a stray tear from her cheek.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
The redhead watched as the SUV drove away at war with herself. She remembered what he said to her that last time they talked at the lab.
I know you said we have no future together now...but, I was wondering if there's any chance that we could...if you'd consider...I mean…maybe we could keep in touch...see each other from time to time...I really don't want to give up on us, Jessica...not yet. Would you consider giving us another chance? Maybe a chance to see if we could grow into maybe having a future together some day?
More than once, she went over what he said in her head. In the last week or so, she realized that maybe she’d acted too hastily. She felt so sure that maybe with time they could find their way back to each other again.
Then she once again felt how deeply it had cut her to hear about him and Karen being together. However, he had a right to move on with his life. After all, she was the one who ended things between them when she felt pressured about his request to move to LA with him.
They became so close after they decided to take a chance with each other, but it seemed that as time went on, he kept parts of himself from her. When his father resurfaced, he seemed more insecure and constantly reassured her he would never be like Aubrey Senior. More than once, she felt disappointment that he didn’t seem to fully trust her commitment to him.
She hadn’t even got fully past that when she found out about Aubrey’s possible promotion to LA from Doctor B. He didn’t even speak to her about her opinion of the change in their lives because he was consumed by the Kovacs case. She was so angry with him for treating her like an afterthought as he kept avoiding her.
Then...the wedding and the bouquet.
Commitment terrified her as it was with their limbo status but his reaction to her catching the bouquet...devastated wasn’t even the best word to describe it.
She didn’t know where they stood, but did she ever take the bull by the horns and press the issue?
No, because she was also afraid of the answer and of the possible changes in her life the closer they grew. She was afraid of what happened with her parents would happen with her and Aubrey. She was afraid to lose the only man she ever truly loved.
But she did. Not only did she lose him to a woman whom she suspected now was only pretending to her friend, but she lost her best friend and it was her fault.
Hearing her name, she turned and saw Hodgins waiting for her at the remains. Gathering herself together, she forced herself to be professional as she went back to her other mentor.
The next morning, Aubrey sat in his office with a cup of lukewarm coffee as he attempted once again to read Louis Vacchio’s case file. It seemed there was nothing remotely interesting about the man...at least nothing that might’ve gotten the man killed.
Vacchio had worked for the SEC for twenty years, mostly in the accounting department. Last year, he’d received a promotion to Special Investigations Auditor. His caseload was centered on the fraudulent security schemes that often popped up on the internet.
The special agent accessed the case notes that the deceased auditor had entered into his work computer to see if there was anything that would point him toward the man’s killer, but found them to be of little use. Everything seemed to be perfectly normal up to the day before Vacchio had died. There was nothing to indicate any sort of motive for this man’s grisly death. At present, the file seemed to be basically worthless in the murder investigation.
After sending an email to Booth requesting more information about the case, Aubrey threw the file aside and shut down his computer. Sighing softly as he watched the rain run down his office window, he knew the problem wasn’t really the absence of information in the file. The real difficulty lay in his inability to concentrate on its contents.
He closed his eyes as he leaned back in his chair, wishing that he could forget the way Jessica had brushed him off while they were at the crime scene yesterday. His bubbly girlfriend...check that...ex-girlfriend...his normally bubbly ex-girlfriend had frozen him out, treating him as if he didn’t exist. She acted as if there had never been anything between them, like he was just another FBI guy working a murder case.
Of course, that sort of professional demeanor was to be expected between them at work, but she hadn’t even wanted to talk to him except to say that she didn’t need his assistance in dealing with obnoxious agents. For her to ignore him so completely...to avoid even making eye contact with him...was devastating. It seemed any hope Aubrey might’ve had at reviving his relationship with Jessica had been washed away by yesterday’s rain.
Aubrey was fairly sure he knew what had happened. Jessica probably had another man in her life now and she’d decided to make the clean break she’d mentioned when he’d gone to see her at the Jeffersonian after the conclusion of the Kovacs case.
Even after hearing her say that the chances of them getting back together were slim, he’d held out hope they could still be on friendly terms. He knew that he could never be satisfied with merely being Jessica’s friend, but it would be worse to not have her in his life at all. He’d planned on so much more from their relationship, and it hurt him deeply to know that those plans would never come to fruition.
Aubrey glanced his watch and groaned softly. Any minute now, Karen Delfs would be walking into his office for her daily visit.
It seemed as if Karen had made it her personal mission in life to alleviate the searing pain he’d felt after his break up with Jessica. The visits hadn’t bothered him much at first, and in fact, he’d welcomed the chance to talk to Karen, hoping that she might be able to give him some insight into Jessica’s state of mind.
Here lately, however, the profiler had made some comments indicating that she was becoming much more serious about him than he had ever intended. They’d gone out for dinner a couple of times, and it had been fun, but it just wasn’t the same as spending time with his best friend. Karen would never be able to take the Jessica’s place in his heart.
No one could.
Glancing at the time again, he wondered if he might be able to duck out before she got there, but it was too late. He heard her chirpy voice outside his door as she greeted Agent Bower before entering his office and settling in the chair opposite of him.
“Hi, James. How are you doing today?” Karen offered a sympathetic smile. “I heard that you ran into Jessica out at the crime scene yesterday. That must’ve been difficult for you.”
Scoffing at the question, Aubrey hoped Karen wouldn’t notice how he was struggling to keep his emotions in check. “I’m fine, Karen. We’re both professionals, and we know how to behave appropriately in that sort of situation. I mean, of course it was slightly awkward at first, but we managed. It seems Jessica has moved on with her life, just like I have…”
He paused slightly before continuing. “I think she has someone new…”
“Ouch. That didn’t take long, did it?” Karen grimaced slightly at Aubrey’s obvious discomfort. “Well, I know just what you need to help you feel better, James. I want you to come to Daisy Wick’s wedding with me. It’s in two weeks.”
“Nah, I don’t think so. Sorry, Karen.” Aubrey shrugged off Karen’s disappointment. “It’s going to be a long time before I go to another wedding. I learned my lesson the hard way last time. Weddings and wedding receptions just lead to really bad misunderstandings and the consumption of too much alcohol.”
“I think you’re overreacting, Aubrey.” Karen chuckled at his irritation. “So you’re going to let one bad experience control the rest of your life? I don’t think that’s a good idea. That’s not the Aubrey I know. It’s one of those things, like falling off a horse. You’ve got to get back on that horse, or you’ll be stuck with your failure forever. In my professional opinion, since your behavior was less than ideal at the last wedding you attended, you need to go to another one and get over it. Anyway, this wedding reception is perfect for that. Do you who Daisy’s going to marry?”
“I have no idea, and I don’t really care, since I’m not going…” Aubrey rearranged some papers on his desk. “I’m not going to change my mind.”
“I think you should reconsider. Daisy is going to marry Beau Pixler. You know who he is, right?” Ignoring Aubrey’s annoyed expression, Karen kept talking. “He’s an offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins...pro football, you know? Anyway, his condo is next door to Daisy’s and he helped her carry in some groceries one day, and one thing led to another, so now the director of the NFL is marrying someone who plays for the NFL. Isn’t that a hoot? But that’s not even the best part. Guess what?”
“Yeah, you’re right. I can’t guess what the best part of that story is.” Sipping his cold coffee, Aubrey cringed as he set his cup aside. “I’m not going…”
“Pixler’s loaded, and not just because he plays football. His family owns Pixler’s Pig Out Palace...you know, that barbecue chain? His family’s catering the reception. It’s going to be an all you can eat barbecue buffet with all the trimmings. Sounds to me like a perfect way to change your perception of weddings and wedding receptions.”
“Wait...Pixler’s? As in the Hog Heaven Ham Hocks?”
Aubrey could feel his strength of will faltering as he thought about the wonderful aroma of barbecue coming from an endless supply of slow roasted meat, but he was a man with scruples. He couldn’t give in. “Sounds tempting, but I don’t think so. It’s easier just to go to the restaurant. Less chance of drama there.”
Seeing that Aubrey still had doubts, Karen continued. “Besides, I’m sure Jessica will be at the wedding, since she and Daisy are such good friends, and she’ll probably have her new boyfriend with her. You need to go to the wedding with me so you can show her that you’ve moved on, too. Two can play at that game, right?”
“Yeah...I guess so.” Aubrey tapped his fingers on his desk as he thought through Karen’s plan. Her logic was faulty, and he knew he’d regret what he was going to do. However, his curiosity was getting the better of him, not to mention his love of barbecue, and he wanted to see Jessica’s new boyfriend for himself. Finally, against his better judgment, he decided he had nothing to lose.
“Okay...I guess you’re right. I suppose I can go to Daisy’s wedding with you…”
“That’s wonderful. I know we’re going to have a lot of fun. You’ll see.” Karen smiled happily as she rose from her chair and glanced at her phone. “Oh, look at the time. I’ve got to go. I have an appointment with Agent Booth about another case. It looks like you’ll have to eat lunch by yourself today, James.”
“No big deal. I’ll just order something in. I need to go over the file for the Vacchio case again.” Secretly relieved that Karen couldn’t go to lunch with him, he tried to look disappointed as he got up from behind his desk. “I’ll be fine…”
“Maybe I can come by after lunch today, if you’d like. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to carry around all of those unresolved negative feelings. You probably still have things you need to talk through, and I’d be glad to listen.” Karen giggled as she patted his shoulder. “I’ll always be here for you.”
“That’s okay, Karen, but thanks anyway. I’ll be fine by myself, I promise. I’m going to be busy with the case so I won’t have any time for negative feelings. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As they walked through the bullpen, Aubrey cleared his throat. “Listen, Karen, I know you’re trying to help me deal with stuff, but I don’t think…”
“Of course I’m trying to help you. That’s what friends are for, right? Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll talk about it then. Bye, James.” Waving at him and at Agent Bower, Karen walked quickly toward the elevator so she could make it to her next meeting on time.
“What?” Aubrey glared at Bower’s snide chuckle. “Mind your own damn business, Steve.”
After watching Karen enter the elevator, Aubrey went back into his office and shut the door before slumping into his chair. Angry and frustrated, he stared at the ceiling, wondering once again how he had managed to fuck up his life so badly.