Bones Double Drabble: Learning (#87 in ATLBU)

[only_more_love]

Title: Learning
Characters: Brennan, Angela
Rating: PG
Timeline/Spoilers: Set sometime after Yanks in the U.K.
Word Count: 200
Disclaimer: Bones and its characters belong to FOX, not me. This story is purely meant to entertain. No copyright infringement is intended.
Thanks and hugs to all who've commented on previous chapters. :)

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Click here to read the other drabbles in this series. 

Learning

“How do you do it?” Angela asks, setting her bowl of wonton soup on the coffee table.

Brennan watches the ribbon of steam drift toward the ceiling before turning to look at Angela. “Do what?” Her best friend speaks in riddles sometimes, and Brennan doesn’t always know to respond.

“Shut off your feelings.” She waves her arms in a vague, sweeping gesture. “Will you teach me to pretend? Sometimes I can do it, and other times, I just…I look at Jack and…” Angela trails off, shaking her head wordlessly. Her hands drop to her knees, and her shoulders slump as she glances back at Brennan.

Her brain whirls with possibilities; she wants to fix this for Angela. But in the midst of the maelstrom there’s a stillness, a quiet voice that sounds like an odd mixture of Booth and Angela. This voice tells her to reach out, not to fix, but to comfort if she can – and despite knowing the voice doesn’t really exist, she heeds it.

“I miss him, Bren,” Angela says, eyes luminous and dark.

“I know.” Swallowing her doubts, Brennan wraps her arms around Angela.

Because she’s learned that sometimes this is all a friend can do.

---

A/N: I know that many folks think Brennan's reaction to Angela's comments about it being awkward with Hodgins after their breakup was perfectly in-character. (I'm talking about the scene in The Crank in the Shaft -- the one where Brennan offers to fire Hodgins for Angela's benefit.) My perspective is slightly different, though. My feeling is that it would have been just as in-character for Brennan to demonstrate empathy in a slightly more traditional fashion; she did it in The Skull in the Desert, and I don't believe that she's more emotionally/socially awkward now than she was then -- especially when it comes to Angela, not Booth. Anyway, just my worthless $.02. ;)

 

Comments

[last-archangel.livejournal.com]

But in the midst of the maelstrom there’s a stillness, a quiet voice that sounds like an odd mixture of Booth and Angela.
This is my favorite part. It's so Brennan.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

♥ Thank you very much!

[alterangirl.livejournal.com]

Absolutely beautiful.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Why thank you! :)

[alterangirl.livejournal.com]

You're welcome.

[dabhug.livejournal.com]

I am going to pretend you got my message and you wrote this for me. Because this morning, I asked you to write something for me and here, you have written something for me.

And, as usual, it is perfect.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Oh, honey. I know you're strong, independent, and so very resilient, but if this gave you even a drop of comfort...

::hugs::

Be good to yourself, and let J. (and others) take care of you just a little.

[dabhug.livejournal.com]

And when I say that I asked you to write something, I mean that I asked the universe to ask you to write something. :o)

Hugs to you. I will try.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

And when I say that I asked you to write something, I mean that I asked the universe to ask you to write something. :o)

*g* I understand. The universe works in mysterious ways.

But next time, feel free to ask me directly. If I can't, I'll regretfully say no.

[dabhug.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[tempertemper77.livejournal.com]

This is beautiful. And we so agree ;)

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

As are you, love. ♥ Thank you.

And I'm not surprised that we agree on this!

[bea-tricks.livejournal.com]

i totally agree with you about brennan being able to empathize in a more appropriate way. while her look at the end of that scene was kind of cute, i think even she would have been able to discern that she'd made the weirdest offer and hadn't actually helped angela. i mean, she can always tell when booth is hiding something from her. it's a little OOC making her completely oblivious again.

i think, in the episode, it would have been more in character for her to make generalized anthropological comments like she did when ange was first stressing over whether to date hodgins.

or to do it the way you did here, where we see why their friendship works despite their differences. very nice. :)

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes, and more yes. I agree with you completely. While the proud little smile was cute, in the ep, it would absolutely have made more sense for her to "make generalized anthropological comments."

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[lizook12.livejournal.com]

But in the midst of the maelstrom there’s a stillness, a quiet voice that sounds like an odd mixture of Booth and Angela

*sighs* wonderful.

And I agree with your author's note, too. I love those little glimpses at Brennan.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

Brennan has come a long, long way, and it's a shame that she still doubts her ability to connect with other people.

[(Anonymous)]

i completely agree with your note. it seems to me like the writers have spent so much time describing brennan as confused by emotions that sometimes they forget about her built up 3-d character and write in scenes for a very simplified her. that scene didnt really make any sense to me as i think that brennan a) has more knowledge of people and actions than that scene gives her credit for and b) actually likes hogins (firing him when he didnt do anything wrong? and in another scene (im not sure it was in this episode) she, with booth, completely disregards him in the diner - i thought they were friends?). although i still like bones this season has some moments where i feel like i'm seeing more high-school like drama, which wasnt really what i was expecting, or hping for.
this is a beautiful story though - i like your brennan much better

[scoob2222.livejournal.com]

oh i love this, so perfect

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. I'm really happy this worked for you.

[buffyangellvr23.livejournal.com]

nice work :) I want my H/A back *cries*

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :) I'm sure it won't be too long before H/A are back together, but yes, it's sad seeing them apart.

[mistletoe54.livejournal.com]

It even works for picky me because you can be more true to the character than the series. You ALWAYS write in character instead of three or four different perspectives caused by the different writers' interpretations or the epi's needs.

Here, Angela in Crank in the Shaft had to work it out for herself; hence her failed trip to see Sweets as well.

For us, in fandom land, we can look at the bigger picture and nod when someone (you) gets it right.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

You're being far too generous, but I am very touched that you think I generally keep them in character. ♥ Thank you.

Angela and Brennan's friendship is a beautiful thing; I wish we got to see more of it on the show...

[ftimn.livejournal.com]

I'm very sorry for interrupting you once again, but I'd like to know if you received my message.
I'd like to get your answer whatever it'll be asap. Sorry for posting this comment.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Everybody wants their questions answered ASAP; I understand that. But I'd like to politely request that you exercise a little more patience. You sent me your first message re: translation on Oct. 21st, and I responded on Oct. 25th -- less than a week after you messaged me. I was sick, I had a fair number of other comments/emails that I needed to respond to, and I needed some time to think about your request.

So I responded to your message on 10/25, and that was the earliest that I could get back to you. Then I received an email notification saying that you wrote me back, but when I logged into LiveJournal, I couldn't find/read a message from you. Sorry for the inconvenience, but the message is nowhere to be found. If you need to reach me again, please feel free to resend your message or contact me through any of the email addresses listed in my LiveJournal profile.

Thank you.

[shipperatheart.livejournal.com]

I haven’t actually seen this episode yet (not for another few weeks; takes a while for the signal to carry across the ocean-LOL!) but I’m putting my $.02 in as well because I don’t want to wait five weeks to comment on your story.

I agree, I think both reactions are in character. The one they used in the episode says “you’re my friend and your happiness is so important to me that I’d be willing to fire Hodgins even though I REALLY don’t want to”. This one says “you’re my friend and I know you’re in pain and I realize there’s not a damn thing I can do to change it, except be there for you”. Brennan has certainly grown enough to realize that.

And I adored these sentences for capturing that inner voice in Brennan’s head, the product of what she’s learned, so perfectly and so beautifully:
“Her best friend speaks in riddles sometimes, and Brennan doesn’t always know to respond.”
“But in the midst of the maelstrom there’s a stillness, a quiet voice that sounds like an odd mixture of Booth and Angela. This voice tells her to reach out, not to fix, but to comfort if she can – and despite knowing the voice doesn’t really exist, she heeds it.”
Gorgeo-licious!
(And to think you’re worried about being able to crank out a novel! Puh! *is secretly envious* ;-D)

Sometimes I feel kind of sad for Brennan because she seems to have less confidence in her own ability to empathize and offer comfort than is actually warranted (re: the first sentence I quoted above). I’m using that idea in something I’m writing right now as well and you seem to have picked up on that too—interesting huh, how sometimes it’s just a tiny little thing that two people pick up on at the same time. Serendipity rules.

[makd.livejournal.com]

very nice; it mirrors Brennan's real character.

[jerusha]

I really liked this, and I would agree with you. The scene that you've painted here is equally in character for Brennan.

[willowwood.livejournal.com]

I really wish the Bones writers would have given us something like this, for both Brennan's reaction and Angela's. Great characterisations and a wonderful drabble.

“I miss him, Bren,” Angela says, eyes luminous and dark. - Especially loved this line, as a huge fan of MC it was just beautiful and perfect.

[slayergirlkal.livejournal.com]

omg that was just completely beautiful! That's what the writers should have had happen!