-Venus POV-
It was 1 days before Christmas Eve already and Temp and I were in the lab as I was already on the platform watching Temp and Angela coming up. "Honey!" "Angela, I don't want to." "Honey, could you stop galloping for, like, two seconds? ""Better able to withstand peer pressure when you can't catch me." "Call it a favor, okay?" "How does us going to a company Christmas party doing you a favor?" "Do either of you remember what happened last year?" I shake my head no as Temp answered, "We didn't go last year." "Yeah, exactly. And it took me weeks to collect all those photocopies. I need you both. Friends don't let friends photocopy their butts at a company Christmas parties. Hey, there's a Secret Santa." I pipe in, "Sorry Angie, we don't like Secret Santa." Temp then continues, "The idea that we are forced by convention to exchange meaningless gifts." Angie nods, "Yeah, yeah, I know. If you rearrange 'Secret Santa' though, you get 'Secret Satan.'" I look at Angie weird as that did not help at all as Temp says, "What possible meaning could that have?" "I've already had an eggnog, if you can't tell. Now how am I going to enjoy this party knowing that my best friends in the whole world is in the lab, eyeball to eyeball with Skeletor." "Who?" I then pipe in "He's a cartoon villain who looks like a..." Angie cuts me off "You know, his name is self-explanatory. Would you both please just come to this party?" I then speak, "I do with whatever Temp does." Angie looks at Temp as she sighs, "20 minutes."
We then hear Booth calling out for us, "Bones, Blueberry. All right." Angie then speaks first "Merry Christmas, Seeley." "Ooh, wow. What are you, an elf?" "Yes. What's wrong with a little Christmas spirit?" I look at the brief case Booth put on the table as Temp asks, "What's the context?" "Federal property on Dupont Circle where Congress puts up visiting agricultural specialists or something like that, they're digging to put in a solarium, and they find a fallout shelter with a skeleton inside." I then ask, "How long was he in there?" "The shelter was built in the 50s, part of that whole A-bomb panic." I look at the pictures over Temps body and say, "It's not a suicide." "Why not? Hole in the head, you see the gun. It's a suicide." I look at Booth a bit weirdly, "He shoots himself in the head and somehow his arm ends up across his chest?" Temp nods and speaks, "Bring the skeleton in, we'll prove it wasn't a suicide." Booth then smiles a bit, "Merry Christmas, Bones, Blueberry." He then whistles "Come on, boys, bring it in." I smile as Angie then cuts in, "Oh, no, we're going to the company Christmas party." I then look at her, "You go ahead Angie, we'll do a cursory examination, and we'll meet you in a few minutes." The body comes up as Booth speaks, "All right. There you go." Temp then speaks, "Booth, will you escort Angela to the Christmas party and make sure she doesn't photocopy her butt?" "Oh, no, I can't do that. You see, I got some really last-minute important Christmas shopping that I got to do." Angie then goes over to him, "It's not last minute until tomorrow." "Come on, Bones, Blueberry." I was about to say something to Temp as she puts a hand over my mouth, to not convince her. I just sigh.
I help Temp uncover the bones and we examine it together. I find two plane tickets and hand it to Temp as Booth comes up to us. "What do you got there?" I answer "Two open tickets to Paris. One way. Pan Transit Airlines. They are blank." "Pan Transit went out of business in the 60s." Temp then asks, "I thought you were at the party." "It wasn't a party, it was a Star Wars convention." I then pipe in "I like Star Wars convention. Never been to one but I would like to." Temp just continues, "This was still in the skull." I add, ".22 caliber. It matches the gun he was holding." Booth nods and asks, "Did you open up the suitcase?" Temp answers, "Nope." "Why not?" "Could hold information that would compromise my objectivity." "Yeah, like a name and address?" "I prefer to make unbiased, initial observations."
She looks up seeing Hodgins and Zack and yells at them "Is that pure alcohol?" Zack answers, "Yes, Dr. Brennan. You really think Goodman's going to let you spike the eggnog after the Fourth of July fiasco?" I chuckle and shake my head as Hodgins speaks, "We may have to rethink." Temp then continues, "Zack, I need you to clean these bones." "Now?" Hodgins laughs "Ha! Burned." Temp then speaks to Hodgins, "And I need you to search the clothing for insect evidence." Booth then pipes in "Jeez, Bones, Mery Christmas." We then hear Angie coming in, "Okay. You people listen to me. There is a party going on upstairs, okay? A Christmas party. We're going up there. We're going to talk to some people, we're going to sing some carols, we're going to drink some eggnog." She then points to Booth first, "You are going to kiss me under the mistletoe. On the lips." She then turns to the two upstairs, "I might kiss you guys under the mistletoe, too." Then she looks at Temp and I. "Maybe even both of you as well. In a festive, non-lesbian manner. But we are going to that party." I then pipe in "I am going to take the skull to Zack now." I quickly grab the skull and make it my way down to where Zack and Hodgins are.
Zack and I have a mask on as Hodgins doesn't yet. Zack tells him, "Put on a mask, I'm going to take a couple core samples." "Okay." I look at Hodgins as he puts his mask on and I nod looking back at Zack working. As Zack was cutting the bone, we did not see that Hodgins took of his mask to drink some eggnog. Then all of a sudden, the alarms went off as we all stop and looked at each other for a second and we all raised to the decontamination shower. We all struggle to get in first.
We get out of the contamination shower with just a towel covering ourselves as we hear Booth ask, "What what is?" I was a blushing mess as Hodgins cuts in speaking up, "Uh, we might know." Zack then answers, "I cut into the fallout shelter bones and the biohazard alarm went off." Boss then asks us "Were you conforming to autopsy protocol?" I speak up stuttering a bit, "I... I had made sure everyone had their masks on... but...but..." Zack continues for me "Two of us was." Hodgins then adds in "The other was drinking an eggnog." Boss then asks him "And you didn't have your mask on? Oh..." We all stand there silent.
We are now listening to Dr. Bancroft "That pathogen is coccidioidomycosis." Boss then asks, "Valley fever?" I was sitting between Hodgins and Zack as we were still only covered in towels and I was still a blushing mess as Dr. Bancroft speaks, "It was picked up in the scanner in the discharged vent at Mr. Addy's station." Booth then asks, "What's valley fever?" Zack answers "It's a fungus that can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, spontaneous abortion... death." Boss then speaks, "The alarm sounded shortly after Mr. Addy cut into a human bone. That must've been the source." Dr. Bancroft then asks, "Was he following autopsy protocol?" Temp answers, "Of course. However..." Hodgins then answers, "I was drinking an eggnog." "And now he's there with you breathing the same air." "Hey, I got into the decontamination shower with Zack. Haven't I been through hell?"
I cut in, "What about me? You both guilt tripped me. I was in there with you both right in the middle and there wasn't a lot of space..." I turn even redder as I recalled the event. Hodgins speaks up again, "Okay... it wasn't all too bad. There was something nice that we got out of it." I blush even more and then Zack continues, "I agree. You have a nice body shape and soft at that. Even your breast size was larger than...." Booth cuts him off by throwing a book at him as I turned as red as a tomato ready to faint at any moment. I covered my face as Booth speaks, "You are both lucky that there are witnesses here. I would've shot you both between the eyes and make sure no one finds either of you." Booth then looks back at the screen asking, "Is he contagious?" "Dr. Hodgins may have inhaled the spores, yes." "Okay, it must suck to be Hodgins right now, but the rest of us, we didn't inhale. So, it's okay that I go, right?" Boss then speaks, "Dr. Hodgins may have exhaled the spores all over us." Dr. Bancroft continues, "We have no choice but to impose quarantine. Valley fever can be fatal, and we can't risk a pandemic. Just calm down and let us handle things from the side." Booth then adds in, "Anyone besides me worried that a guy dressed like Santa is in charge?" "Merry Christmas." "Okay, you know what, if this is fatal, I am for sure going to shoot both of you." Hodgins then asks, "Why just Zack and I, what about Venus?" I then speak, "I have been through enough already... I got in the shower with the both of you naked after you both guilt tripped me. And I never actually been or done anything with someone before. So, I think it's fair to say I had already been shot."
They all looked at me amazed that I still haven't slept with anyone as Zack pipes in, "I noticed you have a scar on the right side under your..." I cover his mouth blushing furiously and then asked them both, "Did you both look at my body when we were in there?!" They both looked the other way not wanting to answer that question. I just blushed even more knowing that they did. Angie then speaks up, "Maybe you guys could go get dressed." The boys get up and leave as I look at the others. "I have extra clothing that will fit all of you and they are comfortable. Would you all like to wear it as well." Boss then speaks up, "That would be wonderful Venus." I smile, "Alright I will be back I must go to my Solar room." Angie then asks, "You have a solar room" I nod, "It's my room when I have an episode, or I feel to stressed out. It would be called a panic room, but I like Solar room better." She nods and I walk to the Solar room to change and bring everyone the extra clothes.
Everyone has changed into the clothing's I brought for them as Zack speaks, "I zapped the bones with ultraviolet light and arranged them in the isolation tables, so we won't have to worry about spores. In addition, I found this sewn into the lining of his clothing. He passed it over to Temp as we looked at it. I then speak, "A woman's wedding band." Zack then continues, "Two tickets to Paris, a wedding band... a picture begins to form." I nod as Temp speaks, "We don't form pictures we accumulate evidence. Dental work?" "Acrylic resins in the interior fillings from the 1940s. Childhood tibia break, bad enough that he walked with a limp. Also, he wore a toupee." "I looked at it, "Doesn't seem to have degraded." Zack answers, "It's made of a synthetic called dynel. It couldn't have looked good."
We were now lined up as Hal explains to us what we are going to be injected with. "This is a cocktail of four anti-fungal drugs including Amphotericin B. Orally, you'll be taking ketoconazole, fluconazole, and itraconazole." Booth then speaks, "That's great. Then can we leave?" "We won't know for a couple of days if the fungus took hold in your system." "Whoa, whoa, you're saying that we're stuck here over Christmas? Look, you know, I have... places to go, you know, I have obligations." I look at both a bit sad knowing that his kid was going to see him during christmas as Boss speaks up. "We all have obligations." Hodgins then adds "I'm supposed to go to Quebec." Angie then cuts in as it was my turn to get the shot. I winced as she speaks, "Hey, who's fault is this?" "Who forced me to go the party where I drank too much and hide from Crystal?" "Who never should've cut a bone with a drunken fool in the room?" I pipe in with a soft sorry. Zack then went next, "Who brought us human remains just to ditch a little paperwork?" Booth then pipes in "Oh, wait, you're saying that this is my fault?" Boss then adds in, "You knew Dr. Brennan couldn't resist and Dr. Venus will not leave her side and help her." I said another sorry as Temp speaks, "Well, I'd have been able to resist if I was in Niger where I wanted to be." I said sorry again for the third time as Boss speaks, "You're blaming me? I..."
He was cut of as Hal speaks, "Ladies and gentlemen, we'll have sleeping bags- delivered. Please have your loved ones call me and we'll set up some kind of safe quarantine visit on Christmas Eve. Oh, and be prepared for side effects." Booth and I moved away from the group as Temp speak, "Nausea, fever, insomnia? In very rare cases, euphoria, dream state, mild hallucinations." Angie then adds, "I'll take that, please." "Early symptoms mimic a common cold." Boss then asks, "What if it manifests?" Zack answers, "First treatment protocol involves extremely painful injections into the base of the brain." Booth then says right next to me as I am sitting on the ground holding my legs close to my body as I have teary eyes and sniffling a bit, "You know what? I've never realized how pretty all this shiny stuff is. Do you see that Blueberry?" The team watches us as we are hallucinating a bit or are in a bit of a dream state. I look up at where Booth points and I sniffle and nod my head at Booth while saying, "Yeah, I see them Ranger. They are really shiny and... and... really..." I couldn't finish since I was emotional from the drugs effect that I started to tear up as I said pretty.
Hodgins then pipes in, "That is so not fair." They all just watch us either in disbelieve or amusement. I picked up my head from my knees and looked at my right and left side not seeing Temp. I looked up at Booth starting to cry a bit more as if I was a child and pulled on his sock as he wasn't wearing his pants until he looked down at me. "Ranger, I don't see Temp. I want Tempe... I... I want Tempe." I started to cry even more as I stand up and look around the room for Temp. I looked and see the team still looking at us as spotted Temp right with them and I ran to her and wrapped my arms around her crying on her, while saying, "I am sorry... I didn't mean too... I'm sorry I didn't stop them Temp... Please, don't be mad..." Temp looks down at me with sad eye's knowing what I was talking about and pats my head. The others assumed I was talking about everyone being on lock down as Angie speaks, "Ohhh, sweetie this whole lockdown thing isn't your fault. Brennan won't be mad at you for that, and none of us here are mad at you for that." I sniffled and looked at all of them, "Really? You mean it?" Everyone nods wanting me to no longer cry. I nod still sniffling as Temp and I are still hugging, and Angie is patting my hair to calm me down. Hodgins then speaks, "I think it's past Venus bedtime." I look at him "Really? I don't want to get in trouble again." Hodgins was trying to hold in his laughter as Angie stomps on his foot to get him to stop and speaks, "You know what, I think it's all past our bedtime sweetie, so you won't get in trouble." Boss nods and continues with the act, "Yes, Ms. Montenegro is right. Let's all get going to bed, thank you for the reminder, Dr. Hodgins." Hodgins just nods still in pain, "No, problem. Happy to help."
We are all lying on the ground as I am sleeping right next to Temp. Angie and Temp are still awake talking as Angie speaks, "I know it's against your nature, but I need your help." "For what?" "To make Christmas." "Why? Because we're the girls?" "Yes. We have to decorate, and we have to make our own Secret Santa." "You called it Secret Satan before." "It's all so tragic. A cheap wedding ring sewn into a suit, two tickets to Paris. It makes you wonder, who was the girl? Can you imagine what it was like for her? Waiting and wondering? Never knowing what happened?" "I don't have to imagine." "What do you mean?" "I'll tell you what I'm going to do for Christmas." "Good. Thank you. At last you decide to take part." "I'm going to solve a murder. Could you watch over Venus for me." Temp leaves to the platform as Angie sighs. "That's not what I meant. I then started to sleep talk a bit and Angie looks over at me listening to what I was saying. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... please don't be mad... I want to stay with you... Tempe... please..." I start shifting around trying to feel Temp. Angie looks at me with sad eyes realizing what Temp meant earlier and what I meant when I was crying and hugging onto Temp. Angie then gets up and moves over to my side and lays right next to me as I grabbed her hand and I stop moving feeling content and continued sleeping peacefully.
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DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN "BONES". IT IS OWNED BY JOSEPHSON ENTERTAINMENT, BY HART HANSON. I ONLY CLAIM MY CHARACTER VENUS BRENNAN. I ALSO DON'T OWN ANY OF THE IMAGES. THANK YOU.