Chapter Text
December 16, 2018
Jessica finished her weekend shift at the lab, badged out, and headed into the intern locker room to change before meeting up with Aubrey to go Christmas tree shopping for the afternoon. She always loved the holidays and was excited that she convinced the FBI agent to get a real tree this year since he moved from his apartment into the former Mighty Hut.
As she put her lab coat away, she thought about how much things had changed in the past year. One year ago today, she and Aubrey finally confronted the issues that drove them apart and made a vow to rebuild their friendship…and possibly their romantic relationship. She even got him a small gift to commemorate the occasion.
Rebuilding the friendship part was easy as Karen Delfs and her overbearing personality no longer hung around Aubrey. They went to see The Last Jedi after she had recovered from her accident at the Meyers crime scene. They attended Christmas at Booth and Dr. B's together and unlike Thanksgiving where the profiler was being insufferable, it was fun. She and Aubrey knew that people were speculating about them, but they kept their relationship change to themselves, initially only confiding in Dr. B and Booth. However, they eventually told everyone else they were friends again and it was just like before.
Over the spring and summer, they started doing all the fun things they loved doing together…attending a Sci Fi convention in Richmond, going to the Cineplex's weekly Wednesday movie for Retro Science Fiction Night, and binge-watching science fiction and old movies. In June, they drove up to Philadelphia to watch the Chicago Cubs play the Phillies. Jessica chuckled as she remembered how excited Aubrey was. She was more of an Orioles or Tigers fan, but it was a good game and she rooted along with Aubrey for the Cubs to win, which they did 7-5. They made plans to stay the night, and even though Angela laid out hints on what they could do, her Superman was a gentleman who reserved a room with two double beds.
While they were enjoying their friendship again, she worked on her commitment issues and the agent did the same. It was easier when she knew that there was no pressure, except from Angela's opinions, including an idea of hers to make Aubrey jealous, which Jessica said no to.
Angela always meant well, but it was hard on both her and Aubrey. Walking away didn't help and she knew others tried to talk to her to no avail. Finally, Booth stopped the artist cold one day in August at a group picnic after she once again inquired about their status.
"Why don't you two just get together already?" Angela said as she ate her potato salad.
"Angela, let it go, all right." Aubrey warned, fed up with the unsolicited advice.
"Come on, you two belong together…"
Booth put his beer down in irritation. "Angela, for crying out loud, mind your own damn business! Haven't you nagged these two enough about their private life? If they want to get together as more than friends, they will when they want to. You know, as I recall, you hated it when people hounded you about Hodgins after the two of you broke up. Right now, whatever they are seems to work for them and they're happy, so why isn't that enough for you? Why is it okay for you to stick your nose in their affairs when it wasn't okay for others to do the same to you?"
Everyone, including Hodgins, watched as Angela's mouth opened before closing again. Knowing she had no defense, the artist apologized for her rudeness and left the two alone after that.
By October, Jessica felt like she had conquered her demons and was ready to move forward with the agent. However, he gave her no indication that he was ready to do the same. She was tempted to try to seduce him on his birthday, but she changed her mind, afraid of pushing him when he wasn't ready. He was honest when he said he wasn't ready and didn't know when he would be to try again and she would respect that.
Now that it's been a year, the redhead was getting antsy. She didn't want to spring it on him, but she didn't want to go behind his back and scheme to get Aubrey to speak up like Angela suggested. He would tell her when he was ready. She would just need to be patient.
Getting her phone, she sent a message to Aubrey that she was on her way. Grabbing her purse and Aubrey's gift, she shut her locker and headed out.
*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
Aubrey parked his SUV and entered the Wunder Garten, a place he and Jessica sometimes frequented. Today, she was meeting him here for a beer and then helping him pick out a Christmas tree from the Giving Tree lot inside. Jessica suggested this lot because the proceeds were donated to a local charity each year. This year, it was the Dr. Bear project at Children's National Hospital.
Glancing at the available trees, he could see why this was a popular place as they were very beautiful. Now that he was renting Booth and Brennan's refurbished Mighty Hut in Cleveland Park, it made sense to get a large tree instead of the tabletop from last year. He'd planned to buy an artificial tree, but the intern talked him into buy a real tree this year.
Getting a Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager at the stand, Aubrey wandered inside of the small tree lot to get a lay of the land as he waited for his intern to arrive. As he looked at all greenery, he thought about the last 12 months.
Last year at this time, he and Jessica were on the outs after he turned down her attempt at a reconciliation. He was also attempting to extricate himself from a messy affair with Karen Delfs that threatened to take over his life. Then came a stray icicle, a concussion, a confrontation with the profiler, and a snowstorm in 36 hours. All that led to Aubrey and Jessica confessing their love for one another and a plan for 2018 to rebuild their friendship with a final goal of being together again after banishing their personal demons.
Over the months their friendship had grown stronger than before they began dating. Angela and others pressured the two to start dating again more than once. However, the two ignored what everyone else thought and took Booth's sage advice from New Years Eve 2017.
'Aubrey…Jessica…ignore what everyone else thinks. Do what works for you two and if they hound you, tell them to mind their own business. Letting others tell you what to do got your guys in trouble in the first place. Not only that, but also always communicate with each other. You two remember all that, you'll be just fine.'
Aubrey and Jessica did exactly what Booth suggested. Their friends would inquire from time to time, but they said they were only friends. Angela kept pestering them to get back together, even offering to help him be a secret admirer to peak Jessica's interest, which he turned down. The woman meant well, but she didn't always know when to quit. One day, Booth put her in her place by reminding her of her past and after that she kept her opinions to herself on the subject unless asked.
As November came, Aubrey realized that he had worked past his commitment and trust issues and by Thanksgiving, he was ready to try again with Jessica. However, he was scared to rock the boat after the two worked so hard to be friends again. Marriage was still far way for both, but he was confident he could be a better boyfriend than he was the first time around. Was she ready to move past friendship, though? That was the question and it was harder than anticipated for him to get the courage to ask her.
He took down terrorists, been shot at, and almost died in a bombing. However, none of those scared him more than manning up and telling the redheaded intern that he loved her and wanted another chance. He wasn't ready to face the gauntlet yet.
He was a wuss.
His phone buzzed and he read a message from Jessica that she was getting ready to leave the lab. Deciding to get a snack as he waited, he came out to order a Baja Bacon Dog and fries. As he turned to sit down with his beer and food, he ran smack dab into someone he didn't expect. The hair was shorter than before, but the glasses were the same, as was the voice. "Karen."
"Hi, Aubrey." She took her beer from the counter and looked him over. "You look good. Must be doing well over at Major Crimes."
"Yeah, being SAC of Major Crimes is good." He was prepared for a confrontation, but the friendly tone threw him. Wanting to be polite, he kept the smile on his face. "Um, how are you? How's the BRIU?"
"The BRIU is great as always. As for me, I'm…amazing…fantastic…" Holding up her beer, she showed off a beautiful diamond ring.
"Is that…what I think it is?" Aubrey realized how he sounded. "I'm sorry, that's rude."
Karen gave a sympathetic smile. "I know…I know…the last time we talked outside of work was when I was screaming at you because Jessica was recuperating at your apartment. A lot of things have changed since last year, Aubrey. Now come sit with me so we can catch up while I wait for my fiancé and his daughter."
Relaxing, he followed the profiler to one of the tables and sat down. "Sorry…I'm just…"
"Surprised? I am, too because a year ago, I was all gung-ho on you." Karen sipped her lager. "I was so mad when I left your apartment that night, cursing your name for not noticing me and for being mean. I was…devastated when you said you didn't want to be with me. Looking back now, I can't say I blame you. I wouldn't want to be with me. I was like a psycho possessive bitch."
He recalled that confrontation and felt shame. "I'm sorry I was…mean that night, Karen. I used you to make Jessica jealous and then treated you like an inconvenient fuck friend-"
"No, Aubrey, don't be. You were honest about what you wanted up front, but I'm the one who was pushing for more than what we were. I knew you still loved Jessica, even after all I'd pulled to get you away from her. Of course, I kept telling myself that you would come around in time, but you didn't." Karen took a drink. "Well, an icicle helped me see the truth and how crappy my life was."
"An icicle? What are you talking about?" Aubrey bit into his food.
"When I got back to my apartment, I was distracted while still cursing your name. As I was about to step under the awning to my entrance, this large icicle fell, missing me by like an inch. I'd almost been injured like Jessica was that night." The two shared a small chuckle. "As I saw all those broken pieces, I realized that you weren't meant for me, Aubrey and that there was nothing I could do to change that. It hurt…a lot, but the truth does sometimes. That night, I made a vow to move on with my life…and I did."
"I'm glad you're happy, Karen." Aubrey munched on a fry. "How did you meet your Mr. Right?"
"I already knew Charlie from work. It was funny because I swore that I would never date another agent after you. Never. However, on New Year's Eve, he called and asked me to do a profile for the Masters case…"
"The Masters case…Agatha Masters…that was in International Operations. Charlie Burns is the SAC for the division." Aubrey began putting the pieces together. "Wait…you're engaged to Charlie?" When Karen nodded, he chuckled. "I ran into him last week and he said he got engaged recently to a profiler, but I never put it together."
"Well, after I gave him the profile, he seemed hesitant for me to leave. When I asked him about it, he confessed that he was supposed to be going to a friend's party where they had invited a woman that they were pushing him to ask out." Karen leaned in. "I guess these friends did that a lot and he wasn't interested in the woman."
Aubrey cringed as he thought of Angela's good intentions that grew annoying. "Ugh, I had friends who did that to me, too. Like I couldn't meet anyone on my own. Annoying…"
"Me too. I've been there, so when he asked me if I had any plans, I told him I had no plans. He asked me if I would join him for coffee at the diner, which turned into breakfast as we talked until like 3:00 in the morning."
Aubrey recalled doing more than one night of the same with Jessica. "I understand."
"Figured you would. After that we would work cases and have coffee together afterwards for the next few weeks. Finally, he asked me out for Valentine's Day, and it was nice. Then we had another dinner…and another after that. He eve took me to a Senators game back in June. No drama, no schemes…something I was totally unprepared for. Eventually, he won me over."
"Sounds really nice, Karen. Things are looking up for you." Aubrey chewed on his hot dog. "When did he propose?"
"Thanksgiving. He got me a glass of Chardonnay while I was talking with his mother at the dinner table. I started to drink it when I realized there was a ring in it. I almost swallowed it!"
Aubrey started laughing. "Wow…that would have sucked for Charlie."
"Yeah, but I saw it and I looked at him…and he got down on one knee. He said I made him happier than he had been for a long time and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He then said he loved me and asked me to marry him." Karen pushed her glasses up and wiped away a tear. "I'm sorry…it was…the most beautiful thing I had ever heard, so I said yes, grabbed him and gave him a big, long, wet kiss. After that, I fished the ring out of my wine, wiped it off, and he put it on my finger."
Genuinely happy for the profiler, he hugged her. "Congratulations, Karen. When's the big day for you two?"
"January 2nd. We're just having a small ceremony at his mother's house in Richmond."
"Wow, Charlie Burns doesn't waste time, does he?"
"Nope. I just wanted to go to the courthouse, but Charlie wanted a wedding, so we compromised. His daughter is going to be my maid of honor and his brother is standing up for him. It's been crazy with scheduling the judge, getting the license, but it's great so far." Karen took a drink of her beer. "So how are you and Jessica doing? With me out of the way, you two must be together and happy now, right?"
Aubrey took a sip of his beer. "Well, we had some stuff to work out and we wanted to get our friendship back on track first. She's meeting me here shortly to help me pick out a tree."
"Smart, Aubrey. Well, obviously you two worked out your problems because you're Christmas tree shopping. When did you two get back together?"
"Uh…we're not…we've talked but…we're just friends right now…" Aubrey stuttered, not liking the glare of the profiler through her large black glasses.
"Why are you dragging your feet, James Aubrey? You love her. She loves you. It's obvious…even was to me eventually."
"Well…" Aubrey stuffed his face with the last of his hot dog. He chewed as slowly as he could, but the profiler was waiting. "We're just being careful, you know. We messed things up last time…and we don't want to do that again. At least I don't."
Karen crossed her arms and sat back. "Aubrey…when I realized how I felt about Charlie, I was scared to death. I had finally got myself in a good place and I was a little skittish because I was a nut job with you. When he asked me to meet his daughter, I got cold feet and didn't talk to him for a few weeks."
Karen's words struck a chord in Aubrey. "H-how did you get past it?"
"He came over one day and confronted me. When I hesitated, he talked about his late wife and how he thought he would never love again. He was afraid to get back out there and risk losing someone else. However, he realized that he had to get out and live life again…and take a chance on love. He said if he could do it, anyone could. He wouldn't push me though because he wanted me to be with him when I was ready."
Aubrey smiled. "Wow…
"I know. I just…stood there in my ratty pajamas, hair bunched up on top of my head, and looking a mess as I realized how much of a fool I was. That's how I knew I had the pick of the litter, no offense, Aubrey."
Aubrey held his hand up. "None taken."
"What I feel for him is bigger than what I felt for you…it's bigger than me. Since then, we've been together…and now we're engaged to be married. I got my person, Aubrey. Now go get yours because Jessica is probably waiting for you to say something…like tonight. Nothing more romantic than Christmas tree shopping and decorating it together." Karen looked up and saw Charlie and his daughter entering the beer garden. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my fiancé and future stepdaughter are here. It was nice seeing you, Aubrey."
Aubrey hugged the profiler one more time. "The same, Karen. I'm glad your life is doing very well. I was always hopeful of that."
"Well, worry no more. See you around the Hoover."
Aubrey watched as the profiler walked up to Charlie Burns and a young brunette who looked to be in her early 20s. As he observed the three go into the tree lot, he smiled. Karen Delfs found her happiness. Now it was time to get his.
Getting a beer for Jessica, he waited at the table until he saw her walking in and waved her over. When she sat down, he slid the drink to her. "Got you your usual."
"Thanks Superman. I love the Spaten Maerzen." Jessica took a drink. "I'm hungry, but how about we pick out your tree first? That way, we can get it loaded onto my Jeep while we eat."
"Sounds good, Jess. Let's go."
The two walked in, admiring all the different trees. Looking up, she saw Karen and flinched. "Shit, Aubrey, Karen's here."
"I know and it's okay. We had a really good talk before you got here." Aubrey saw her face. "She's now engaged to Charlie Burns, who's the SAC of International Operations and they're getting married after New Years'."
"Wow…well, I'm glad she's doing so well." Jessica admired a Douglas Fir. "It's amazing how things can change in a year, isn't it, Superman?"
Aubrey looked at her and smiled. "It is, isn't it?"
As the redhead continued to look at the trees, Aubrey contemplated what he wanted to do. Karen was right. It was time to tell her, but how? It had to be special and nothing like when he asked her to move to LA with him at the crime scene that dark day.
"How about this one, Aubrey?"
He turned to see Jessica standing next to a full Balsam Fir. "Perfect. You have a good eye, Jess. I'm glad you came with me."
"Thanks. Now, let's go pay for it and get it on my SUV. I'm really want some sausage and another beer."
Following the redhead, Aubrey began plotting in his head on how to tell Jessica he loved her. After they paid for the tree and it was loaded into her Jeep Cherokee, they went to get more food. Unfortunately just as they started to eat, the agent's phone rang, followed by hers.
"Aubrey…"
"Okay, Dr. Saroyan, I'll be there as soon as I can. I'll have Aubrey's Christmas tree on top of it, so don't be surprised…see you soon."
Aubrey waited until she hung up. "Bethesda?"
"Yep, we're going to the same scene. I'll see you there, Superman." Jessica grabbed her sausage and ate it on the way out to her vehicle.
"Ugh…oh well, you're coming with Daddy, food." Aubrey grabbed his food and followed the intern out.
TO BE CONTINUED