The Head in the Hallow (T for a little smut, mystery, romance, etc.) Story Completed

This is a revised version of an earlier story of mine.

The Head in the Hallow
Part I

"This place sucks," Derek grumbled as he and his two buddies, Brandon and Trevor, hiked across a remote field.

"Tell me about it," Brandon replied. He was a tall boy with dark hair and freckles. "There's never anything to do around here."

Trevor, a taller fair-haired boy with a goofy smile took the lead. "We should shoot something."

Derek eyed Trevor with his penetrating green eyes. "You got the combination to your dad's cabinet?"

Trevor shrugged. "No."

"Then why the heck did you suggest that?"

Trevor ignored him as they walked over a little hill. He spotted a large brick object at the top. A decaying piece of wood covered the top. It looked like it had been there for ages.

Being a boy and with no particular plan in mind, Trevor began to lift the wood from the top of the well. "Help me, man." Derek grabbed the other end. Brandon began to help the guys. Together, the wood budged and finally fell to the side.

Derek leaned over it. "Woah. That thing's wicked deep."

Brandon grabbed a rock almost the size of his head. He walked over and tossed it in. After what seemed like longer than it should have taken, the stone sploonked into the water, which splashed around it. Some splashes reached the top, dampening the bangs of some of the boys.

"Dang. That's gotta be like fifty feet deep." Trevor guessed.

Brandon shook his head. "Nah. Twenty, Trev. Can't be deeper."

With that, Derek grabbed another stone and held it over his head. The other boys waited to see how long it would take to hit the water. The stone was released and fell into the well. After a few seconds, the water sploonked again. Then something dark bobbed to the surface.

"What's that?" Trev asked.

The object turned eerily to one side, revealing rotting flesh and empty eye sockets.

The boys' eyes grew wide. All three lept to their feet, screaming like they were ten years younger. They ran through the field, leaping over tufts of grass, stones, and puddles.

Part II

Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan trudged through high grass in a remote field. They were stepping over clumps of grass and trying not to trip over the uneven ground. They were quickly approaching a tree line and following behind a local police officer.

"A bunch of kids were throwing stones and such in an old abandoned well yesterday. Apparently they knocked something loose because BOY did they get a surprise!"

"An arm?" Booth asked.

"A head. Bobbed to the top. Scared the piss out of them. Ran screaming to their mamas." The officer chuckled at the thought of preteen boys screaming through the fields.

"An abandoned well?" Booth asked.

"Yup. Hasn't been touched in years. There was an old homestead on this property once upon a time." They reached a little stream and the officer hopped over it. Booth jumped over and lent his hand to Bones. She rested her hand in his and hopped over the brook.

"Creepy!" Booth laughed.

"What? Why does death always have to be creepy, Booth?" Bones asked.

"I'm just saying-- Ever hear of The Ring?" The officer laughed and nodded, but Bones was silent in thought for a moment.

"Oh yeah... that's a movie, right?"

Booth smiled. "Yeah! I can't believe you knew that!"

"And it's a book, too."

"What? No, no book. What book?"

"I'm fairly certain that it was a book originally, Booth."

"And I'm fairly certain that it was not."

"You two married?" The officer laughed as he overheard the argument. "My wife and I have been together for six years this fall. You two must be newlyweds. The trick is to let arguments roll off your backs. Never go to bed angry."

"We're just partners, Officer Ramirez." Bones replied.

"Coulda fooled me."

"We'll be partners five years next week." Booth said. Brennan looked at him with a bit of surprise on her face. "Wait, what about the book, Bones?"

"The Ring." The officer corrected.

"No. Bones is... he calls me Bones. It's... a term of endearment."

"A nickname." Booth cut in as he saw the officer's smirk. "Not... not that kind of nickname. It's because she's works with bones."

"The Ring.... the little elves run around, trying to protect a ring with magical powers, then in the end, they throw it into a lake of burning fire. The Ring." Bones explained.

"That's The Lord of the Rings, Bones. Not The Ring. The ring is a horror movie. Not... not..." Booth sighed.

"Not a book."

"Yeah, Bones. Not a book."

"Oh."

"Listen, Bones. Next Saturday and every Saturday from here on out we're having a movie night until you catch up."

"I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Booth, I'm not going to devote an entire night a week to slovenly movie watching and being a potato on a couch. I've got better things to do. Reading, writing, paperwork--"

"Couch potato, Bones. It's a couch potato. How about a movie a month?"

"Fine. But I choose."

"That defeats the purpose. I choose."

"Then once every two months." Bones replied as they approached the well. She took out her flashlight and turned it on.

"How about once a month, but we alternate? You take one month, I take the other."

Bones leaned over the old well. Her light illuminated a decomposing skull. It still had hair that was matted to the flesh.

"Can you tell anything from here?" Booth asked Bones.

"Too far down. Definitely human, though. Lots of debris..."

"So... maybe we need a bucket? A shovel or a scoop or something?" The officer asked.

Bones stood up and breathed in as she gathered her thoughts. "A water pump... Some rope... tools... I'm going to have to be lowered in there, gather the remains. I can't trust anybody to my remains."

"Dr. Brennan, I can't let you do that." The officer looked at the woman who stood in front of him... thin, pretty, intelligent... "It'd be a cryin' shame for a pretty little thing like you to fall to your death in that thing."

"That's statistically improbable." Brennan laughed at him. Wasn't that obvious?

"I have some rope in my truck... I could just--"

"Over my dead body." Brennan remarked. Then she laughed at herself. "It's a--It's a joke. Get it, Booth?"

Booth smiled with raised eyebrows. "I get it, Bones."

The hallow was deep, yet wide enough for Brennan to rest her back on the stone surface on one side of the shaft and touch the other side with her flat feet. Slowly she was lowered until her feet touched the muddy bottom and sunk in almost a foot and a half.

The plan was for Temperance to gather as many remains as she could see, put them into evidence bags, and then have them raised to the surface by way of a hook and cable system. To her delight, most of the body was still decomposing, so many of the bones were attached by cartilage and rotting flesh.

Bones plunged her hand into the muck and searched around for body parts she had missed. They were missing a right femur, tibia, fibula, and all of the carpals, metacarpals, and phalanges of the right foot. Her hand caught something hard and she pulled it out of the gunk. She brushed the mud off gently and raised it into the light.

"Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones?"

"Raise me to the surface."

When she reached the top, she blinked hard so her eyes would adjust to the brightness. Then she held out the femur bone. It was much smaller than one might expect.

"Hand me some water." Booth handed her the water bottle from his hand. She grabbed it with a muddy glove.

"Bones! That was mine." He wined.

She poured it over the bone. "Look at this." She held the bone up to Booth.

"What? It's a bone."

"It's a femur bone."

"It's broken."

"Look at the striations on the end. It's been cut."

Booth scrunched his face, picturing a serial killer sawing off the leg of the victim. "That's... nasty."

"So some sicko lopped her leg off?" The officer asked.

"I don't like to jump to conclusions like that. It isn't scientific." Bones replied. "It could have also been medical amputation."

"Which could lead to identification." Booth added.

"Well... lower me down. I've got to get some of this mud pumped out of the bottom. I can't see a thing. And we're still missing several bones." Bones lowered herself slowly back into the well. Booth watched over her.

The officer watched, too, then said, "She ain't--"

"Squeamish? I know. And no, she's not."

It seemed that 'She ain't squeamish, is she?' was always the phrase of the day when it came to Bones plunging head-first into rotting corpses. Was she squeamish? Absolutely not.

___________________________

I'll be editing and bringing back new chapters as I can.

Part III

After three and a half hours, Brennan sat on the SUV's running board. Crime scene investigators were processing the rest of the scene and the skeleton was on its way to the Jeffersonian. She sipped a bottle of water with one mud-caked hand. A cool autumn wind drifted her way, making her shiver.

Booth rounded the corner and sat beside her on the running board. "Cold?"

She made a gesture that said, 'Yes, but I don't want you to have to do anything about it.'

Booth ignored the insinuation, although he well knew what she wanted him to not do. He removed his FBI jacket and put it over her shoulders. They shared a look, then Brennan's eyes went back to the ground.

"Wanna get something to eat?" He asked softly, blinking as he talked. Night had fallen and they were both exhausted.

"All I want is a hot shower. Food can come later, if at all."

He bumped his shoulder against hers. "You gotta eat, Bones."

She lifted a muddy hand up and spread her fingers so he could see. "Not with these hands."

"So, I'll take you home. Feed you."

She lifted a hand and rubbed her forehead with a muddy finger, spreading the dirt over her left eyebrow. "You don't even know what's in my refrigerator."

"I could take you to my place?"

She looked up, half surprised.

"Or I could just figure it out at your place. Order in, maybe."

"That sounds fine, I suppose."

"Which is it?"

"Either. Usually on days like this I just take a long hot bath and fall into bed."

"Hungry?" Booth raised a brow.

"Hungry."

"Well, I gotta fix that." He stood and offered a hand to her. She stood and he led her to the other side of the SUV, setting her inside. He reached over and pulled the seat belt around her.

"Booth--"

"Just let me help."

She did.

Thirty minutes later, he pulled up in front of Brennan's apartment. He glanced over at her. She had fallen asleep with his jacket draped around her shoulders. A tendril of hair had fallen over her left eye. He reached out and tucked it behind her ear. She stirred and looked up at him. "I fell asleep."

He only smiled in reply.

Inside, Brennan went straight for the bathroom where she began to draw a hot bath. She poured in Chamomile and Jasmine bath salts and bubbles, then took off her clothes, careful to lay the FBI jacket on the counter. Then she slid into the bath. The soil from beneath her fingernails and every other possible crease or crevice began to dissolve and turn the bathwater a murky tan color. After a few more minutes, she had drifted off to sleep, letting the steamy water warm every chilled part of her body.

In the kitchen, Booth checked the cabinets where he found a box of spaghetti pasta and a half full box of saltines. In another cabinet, several different spices. In the refrigerator he found a half gallon of milk and some seriously questionable green onions that were no longer green. The freezer was less forgiving than its predecessors, bearing only an ice pack and an opened, half-used bag of peas with a rubber band around it.

"Thai it is," Booth whispered to himself under his breath.

After the delivery was received, Booth walked to the bathroom door and knocked softly. He waited. Knocked again. Still no response. He knocked harder and more ardently. "Bones? Bones?" He knocked again and jiggled the handle. "Bones! Temperance!?"

The door was as solid as ever and the woman within just as silent.

"Bones!" He jiggled, knocked, banged.

Booth tightened his lips and cursed. He backed up several feet, then rammed his shoulder into the door. It splintered, but didn't break.

Brennan woke up from her deep slumber at the crash of her bathroom door. The water sloshed around in the tub, spilling over. She looked up just in time for Booth to back up once again. She jumped out of the tub, stepping onto the tile. "Booth!"

He saw her too late, just as his shoulder crashed into the door, splitting it from its hinge. The door slapped open, smacking against the wall. the other one-eighth of the door stuck steadfastly to the door jamb. Booth froze at the sight of his partner, naked and wet from head to toe, standing in front of him.

She froze.

Booth froze. He may have also let his eyes wander down her milky white torso. Once. No, twice.

He was the first to come to his senses, grabbing the FBI jacket from the counter top and handing it to her. She grabbed it angrily from him and pressed it against her body. "What the heck, Booth?"

"You didn't answer me. I knocked. Lots of times. I knocked and I yelled. I thought something--might have happened....to you."

She tipped her head to the side. "Like what? Someone might have come through the window--" she looked over disbelievingly at the 10 by 15 window above the bath, "And attacked me?"

"I don't know." It sounded more ridiculous now when it was said aloud.

"You've been in my bathroom plenty of times, Booth."

"Yeah. Well... dinner's here, so--I, uh..." He glanced over his partner's body once again, draped in his jacket.

"Booth. I'm up here." She raised a brow.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah... I'll fix this."

"You don't--"

"Bones. I'm here to help. Not break down your door."

They stood with an anxious silence between them. Booth couldn't bring his feet to move. Brennan couldn't bring him from whatever reverie he was stuck in with subtle gestures and glances. Finally, she tossed the jacket at his face. She turned and grabbed her robe. Booth caught the tail end of the robe sliding up her shoulders. She tied it around her waist and walked past him to the kitchen.

Part IV

At around eleven, Booth stood and helped Brennan rinse the silverware and clean up the table. They stood at the sink, side by side. His breath was taken away at how every moment seemed to slow down tenfold when they stood so near to one another. Some times he wondered if she felt it, too. Those moments. Did she feel them? When it seemed like the air got so thick that she could hardly breathe? Did her knees ever get weak? Did it ever seem that if she didn't touch her lips with his that her heart might stop beating altogether?

Their hands met in the sink on a single fork. She quickly moved her hand away and grabbed a bowl from that morning. She scrubbed off little bits of corn flakes with a thumb nail.

It was getting harder and harder for him to hide it. He couldn't even hide it from himself anymore. A million things screamed out to him when he was around her. The first and loudest voice said that he should just go for it. But the more logical voice, the voice that he had become quite acquainted with over the past five years, kept him in order. It said, she is completely wrong for him. Completely opposite. Her views on the world were completely off the wall. Their relationship, if they chose to have one, would never work out. He believed in God. She often openly mocked Him. That was the big one in a lot of ways. That one and Love. He believed in love. She said she did not. How could you fall in love with a woman who would never share her affection for you? And yet... he had. And it was frightening. More frightening than he had ever imagined.

Every moment like this. Where she stood beside him in nothing but her old satin robe, scrubbing at dried on cereal, where they shared no words between them, it chiseled at the mortar between the bricks in the wall he had built up. He had his walls, but she had her own. It was a fact, he reminded himself. A fact that was too true.

If only... If only he could stop loving her so much. Life would be easier. Work would be easier. Everything would be...

She shut off the water and smiled up at him, interrupting the thought from being completed.

"Thank you for helping me with the dishes."

"Yeah," he croaked out.

Her smile grew wider, as if she were going to laugh at his cracking voice. He smiled back.

The seconds they smiled at one another grew into a minute, two minutes.

Her smile grew more serious as the intensity of their stare deepened.

Finally, Booth made the second voice in his head scream louder so that the first voice would hear: She is my partner! It wouldn't work out! It would ruin our partnership!

Apparently, Brennan wasn't listening to her voice. There was only one thing that had kept HER from making any sort of move on Booth in the past year. And that was the fact that he never seemed interested in a romantic relationship. Did she feel it? The heat between them when they stood close to each other? That smoldering look in his eyes when his eyes glanced over her body a hundred times a day? Yes. She felt it. And often times, she wondered if Booth ever felt it. Over the past five years she had done some wall building herself. Love did exist in her mind. She had felt it with Sully. And it hurt terribly to see him sail away without a second thought. If she didn't believe in love, then nobody could ever take that part of her heart away from her. Period. End of discussion. Men and family in general had taken pieces from her over the years. Love would never be one of those things she would give away. Therefore, they could never sail off into the sunset with a piece of it. Nobody could make Temperance Brennan feel incomplete any more.

But there was one man who made her feel more complete whenever he was near her. The year before, cases had been thrown in their faces, one after the other, making them face the issues of love in their lives. Soul Mates, Meeting in the Middle, Loving People Because They Love You, etc., etc., etc. And in that year, the fourth year of their partnership, she saw something new in Booth.

He leaned closer instinctually, almost against his will, the gap between their lips closed. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks. He could feel it, too.

Finally, she tipped her chin upward. His breath caught in his throat.

She does feel it.

He swallowed and let one hand pull her closer to his body. He held her for several seconds. The intensity of their looks grew. It smoldered. Emotions rolled. Kiss? Don't kiss? Consequences? Screw the consequences!

He brushed his lips with hers softly. The millimeters grew between their lips. He looked questioningly into her eyes.

"What are you thinking?" Booth murmured.

"I'm thinking we should do that again," she whispered.

"That's what I was thinking, too."

Their lips met again. This time, for a bit longer than the last.

They parted slowly.

Again, their lips met, this time they parted when they touched. He drew her close with one hand behind her head. His fingers threaded through her hair.

They parted. Their hearts beat wildly in their ears.

"What are we doing?" He muttered.

"I don't know," she replied, her voice uncharacteristically unsure and shaky. "Can we do it again?"

He nodded and pulled her close again. Their lips met. She invaded his mouth with her tongue, sliding it along his. His head whirled.

He pulled away.

"What?" She breathed hard.

"I--I don't know. It's just--"

"You're worried?"

"Yeah."

"Me, too."

"I mean, what if this doesn't work out?"

"It could mess up everything."

"I don't want to lose you, Bones. You mean too much to me."

She was silent for several seconds. One second, two, three passed. Four, five. Then she spoke. Her face was completely serious. "You can never lose me, Booth."

He considered it a second, then pressed her against the counter with his hips. Another second passed where both did inaudible mental arguing. Then he leaned close and kissed her cheek tenderly. Then he trailed the kisses to her earlobe. The world moved and they both felt dizzy. Adrenaline and passion sped their heartbeats up. The kisses trailed down her neck. He slid his hand under her robe, pulling gently enough to bare her shoulder. Each new kiss was a struggle between good and evil. What was right and wrong, or perceived to be. His lips against her bare skin made her gasp for air. At some point one or both of them would decide that they had crossed whatever line had been drawn. The line of kissing on the lips was moved, the line moved south to the neck, farther south to the shoulder.

"Booth."

"Hmm?" He muttered as he kissed back north toward her lips.

"We shouldn't--do this, right?"

"We shouldn't." He kissed her lips, their tongues tangled. The cabinets behind Brennan's hips rattled.

"That's what I thought." She wrapped her legs around his hips. The protrusion in his pants pressed against her.

While Booth ignored the guy in the white sheet and coat-hanger wings who kept yelling at him, he let his lips stray to uncharted territory. He trailed his tongue between her breasts and up toward her mouth.

Brennan's cell phone began to ring.

He ignored it. So did she.

It rang again.

Finally, they both came back to their senses at the same time when Booth's phone began to buzz in his back pocket.

"I should get that," he whispered, out of breath. "Booth here."

"Booth? You sound out of breath," Cam replied.

Booth mouthed "Cam" at Brennan. "Yeah, I--uh, just ran up the stairs."

"Huh. Sounded more like you were gettin' some." Booth paled. "Just kidding. I tried calling Dr. Brennan's phone, but she didn't pick up. I just received a call from the head honcho and it seems a leg has turned up. Thought you and Brennan might want to check that out. I'm already here." Cam held up her flashlight and shined it at a couple of skeletonized toes sticking up from beneath dirt. The dirt had been carefully brushed away, showing that it was only a lone leg. "Seems to have been amputated above the knee. Seems to fit our vic. Freedom Park. How long should it take you?"

Brennan was quickly growing aware of the situation. Hormones had really gotten the best of her, apparently. A warm blush crept onto her cheek. Booth still had her pinned up against the counter with one hand on her left butt cheek and her robe half-open. Her body was still pressed against his.

"Ten, fifteen minutes."

"I'm seeing a lot of bones here. Might wanna pick up Dr. Brennan on your way. Do you know where to find her?"

Booth glanced at Brennan. "Yup."

"Good. Just tell her that I'll leave everything for her. I won't touch her remains. Goodness knows how much of a hard ass she can be."

Booth grinned, knowing where his right hand was. "Yeah, she can be."

Cam hung up.

"They found a leg in Freedom Park."

"Cam needs me?"

"Yeah."

Awkward silence.

Brennan lowered her legs to the floor, then walked off toward the bedroom. Booth watched as she walked away. He forced his heart to return to a normal pace.

How evil can you be?? Stop in the middle... Mama, oh mama...

I hope you will continue soon, because I am so loving your stories...

I'll go get the next chappie. Just for you.

yey! You know i love your stories..

Part V

Brennan shined the flashlight on the leg. "Forensics already go over the scene?" she asked as she squinted at the leg.

"Yes, Dr. Brennan," Cam replied as she stood next to Booth several feet away.

"Let's just bag it then. I'll look at it in the morning."

"Male? Female?" Booth asked.

"I can't tell for sure, but I'd say that from the painted toenails," she poked at a toe. "That it's female. Red nail polish. But that's not definitive, of course. Age and race are impossible to tell without further analysis." She stood and took off her blue gloves. "I'll examine it farther in the morning."

Cam, Booth, and Brennan walked toward the vehicle. "I tried to call you on your cell. I hope that Booth found you OK."

Brennan and Booth met eyes for a second. Cam noticed the second. Her eyes gaped.

"Uh... yeah, he found me just fine."

Cam tried her hardest not to look amused. "Oh... Kay. I'll see you two tomorrow then." She took two steps.

"Uh, Cam!" Brennan jogged up to her. "I was hoping you could give me a ride. My place is on the way, anyway."

Booth tried to act cool. Cam knew him better than that. An unspoken communication ran between them.

Are you OK with this, Booth?

I don't know what you're talking about, Cam. *Shrug*

Oh, give me a break. I wasn't born last year, Seeley. *Eye Roll*

Booth turned on his heel and walked toward his SUV. The two women watched as he hopped in and backed out of the parking space.

"Come along. I'm this way," Cam picked up her case and they walked toward the little red sports car.

Hehee... Thank you...
I guess i have to wait till tomorrow for more? Heheee...

Part VI

The next morning, Brennan walked stealthily into the Jeffersonian. Angela looked up from her work and watched her friend with a bemused expression on her face. When Brennan was sure that the coast was clear, she ran as lightly as one can do in high heeled boots from the entrance to the safety of her office and shut the door behind her.

Hodgins walked over to Angela, his eyes also on Brennan's door. He sat a silver tray containing a water-stained library card in front of her. The clink made Angela jump and look up at Hodgins.

"What do you think that was all about?" Hodgins asked.

"Beats me."

They watched through the glass windows as Brennan sat down at her desk. Then she jumped up and pulled the shades on every window and the door. The door then opened and Brennan peeked out.

"If you see Booth, tell him I'm not here. That I'm out to breakfast or something. Just tell him to call my cell. NO! Don't tell him to call my cell. Tell him I'm sick... NO! Not sick. Tell him I'm at the gynecologist. Tell him they make me turn off my cell phone there. That I'll just give him a call later."

The door closed.

Hodgins and Angela exchanged looks. Cam had also been looking on. She walked up to Angela and Hodgins who stared at the office door.

"Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise?" Angela mused.

"Worse than that," Cam muttered.

Angela and Hodgins looked up at her. "What do you mean by that?"

Cam looked around, then pulled up a chair, sitting beside Angela.

"Far be it from me to be the spreader of gossip, but last night when they came to the park for the leg, Brennan asked me to drop her off."

"Oh!" Angela's eyes widened.

"What? What 'Oh'?" Hodgins asked.

Angela smirked. "Bren and Booth are fighting."

Cam looked around. "Worse."

"Worse?' Angela asked.

"Worse! I called Dr. Brennan's phone first. No reply. Then I called Booth's. He picks up, sounds out of breath--" Angela's eyes grew wider, if that was at all possible, at Cam's tale. "They show up together, they leave separately. What does that tell you?"

Angela racked her brain. "A fight?"

Cam shook her head. "Doesn't fit. Why sound out of breath one second and angry the next? Besides, they didn't seem angry at each other. Booth seemed surprised at Brennan's reaction, although he tried to hide it... poorly."

Angela slung an arm over the shoulder of her seat just as the NotZack of the day, Mr. Nigel-Murray found his way up to the podium. She grinned at Hodgins. "You're the conspiracy theorist, Jack. What's your take?"

"I theorize about secret societies, not Brennan and Booth's sex lives. I'm not some THING that you can utilize whenever you need to know the latest Cosmo gossip."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Just tell me what you're thinking already."

Hodgins looked around and took the back of a chair, rolling it between his legs so he was sitting backwards at it. "They got too close. Hot and heavy. They wanted to do the deed, they would've done the deed, had Cam not called. Now they're avoiding each other until the fire burns over. Backdraft, baby." He raised a brow for emphasis.

"Backdraft received three Academy Award Nominations and two nominations at the First Annual MTV Movie Awards, although it won neither commendation," Vincent noted. He received three scornful looks in return. "Quite right. I shall be working on the femur of our victim, then." He walked away.

They all waited until he was out of earshot before continuing.

"I knew this was going to happen," Angela muttered.

"What?" Cam asked.

"Jeez, they've been dancing around each other since they first became partners. Even I barked up that tree a time or two."

Cam looked with an amused look at Angela. "Did you?"

"Honey, who hasn't?"

Hodgins grinned and stood up. "Girl talk time. I'm outta here." He walked away whistling, trying not to hear Angela's comments about Booth.

"Couldn't agree more," Cam replied. She smiled thoughtfully, then the smile disappeared.

"Why did you and Booth break up?"

Cam hitched one cheek in a half-smile. A dimple dotted her left cheek in response. "After Epps tried to kill me, Booth said he didn't want me to be on the receiving end of any more death threats."

"Honorable."

"Yeah, but that wasn't the real reason."

Angela raised her eyebrow again.

"He loves Dr. Brennan." She nodded at her office. "Even when we were together, I knew it."

Angela looked concerned and looked Cam over. "And you're OK with you guys breaking it off?"

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter what I want. When you find your soul mate, you thank God that you found them and you don't give up until they're yours. I stepped away because I knew that they were good together. If she's his soul mate, then he should search for her, right?"

Angela didn't reply. She just looked concernedly at Cam. After a few seconds, Cam rose and sighed. "We should get back to work. Maybe you should go talk to Brennan?"

Angela stood up and walked toward Brennan's office.

Last one for tonight.

Hahaa..How perfectly captured Cam I loved it

And i knew... Last for tonight. I am looking forward for tomorrow...
*does tha happy dance*

I'm glad you loved it!

I love it too!
Can't wait for more!

oh more more!

Well thank you all!

Part VII

"Angela!" Brennan said. She had jumped at the sound of the door and was now pulling it shut behind her friend.

Angela sat in the desk chair opposite Brennan. Brennan sat in her chair. "What do you need?"

"We should talk, Bren."

"About what?"

"For starters, why in the world you've shut yourself in like this. Avoiding someone?"

"No," she replied quickly.

"What about Booth?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you say you didn't want to talk to him or see him?"

"It's none of your business. We--had a falling out."

"A falling out? Is it nineteen-forty again? Sweetie, speak English."

"We had a misunderstanding, Ange."

"Could it have been that you kissed him and he may have misunderstood that you wanted him to jump you?"

Brennan's eyes grew wide.

"Because, believe it or not, sweetie, kissing Booth isn't the end of the world. I'm sure that a lot of women wanna hop on that bandwagon!"

It was silent for a second. They stared each other down for a while before Brennan finally spoke. "Fine. We kissed."

"And?"

"Nothing." Brennan clammed up.

Angela did a slight eye-roll and sighed. "Look, sweetie, I'm a real Booth/Brennan shipper--"

"What's a shipper?"

An eye flicker. "Brennan, stay on course here. I love watching you two dance around each other like a couple of fixed cats in heat, but if you don't shake a leg soon, I'm going to lose my mind."

"I don't know what you mean."

Angela made a 'hmph' sound. "Telling the truth, for starters. That would be nice."

"Fine. It was more than a kiss."

The stress lines softened on Angela's face. "Thank you for letting me in, sweetie. So, did you do some bed hopping?"

"There was no hopping, Ange. Just--A lot of... stuff."

"What kind of stuff?" Angela slid to the edge of her seat.

"Angela! I'm not going to go into details!"

"Oh, please, Bren! I'm your best friend. You and I do very little girl-talk tête-à-têtes any more. What's the use of being a best friend if you don't indulge me every once in a while?"

Brennan sighed and looked around, making sure the exits were sealed, then gave a brief overview of the events of the night before.

Angela nodded with a goofy half-grin on her face. "Nice! Didn't know it was in the G-Man. But d-mn that Cam!"

"Why d-mn me?"

Both women looked up at the woman in the doorway.

Brennan looked shocked. Angela just shrugged. "Oh, it seems that you interrupted a little Coworker Appreciation Day last night." Her eyes glinted toward Brennan.

Cam raised her brows, then smiled widely. "Really?"

Brennan shot a scornful glance at Angela.

Angela just smiled. "Payback's a b-tch, babe."

Her friend looked confused, but Angela was clearly remembering a time where Brennan let loose some classified information to Cam when she was considering dating Hodgins.

Cam stood with one hand tucked into the crook of one elbow, but she gestured with one hand and splayed fingers. "OK, I don't know what just went on here, but I wanna know what went on last night." She smiled and walked to the edge of Brenann's desk, where she rested a hip.

Brennan shot Angela a panicked look, so Angela filled Cam in.

"Wow. Sorry I interrupted that. Wow."

Brennan was beginning to feel uncomfortable in the small room with two women digging for gold inside with her. She stood and grabbed a file, shuffled it against the desk top, and said, "Well, it doesn't matter anyway. I should be thanking you, Cam. Last night was a mistake and what you did merely prevented a larger mistake from taking place. I wasn't in my right mind and neither was Booth. Our actions were being directed by pheromones, sexual signals, and other unconscious factors. It meant nothing." She walked out of the room before another word could be said.

"And she's out of there like the seat of her pants were on fire," Cam muttered.

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, babe."

Part VIII

Brennan flew through the door, head down, toward the platform. She bumped straight into Booth. He had a half-amused look on his face. One eyebrow was up, both hands were tucked into pockets. "Hey, Bones."

"B-Booth. Uh, hey. I-I was just going... to the platform. To look at bones." Could she be any more lame? She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and hit her forehead.

"That is what you do," he shrugged. "So, does the leg belong to the well body?"

She narrowed her eyesight at him and brushed past, sliding her card and walking briskly onto the platform. Booth followed, forgoing the card-sliding. Alarms went off and a female security guard walked up and slid her card, rolling her own eyes as she recognized the agent.

"I have a several more tests to do before anything can be confirmed. "

"So, how long?"

"Two, three days minimum."

"Minimum? C'mon, Bones!"

Brennan turned on her heel, "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do. My hands are tied. I mean, they're not tied. Not literally. I-I don't want them tied. That's not what I meant. I just meant that I can't do anything until a few tests are done." She blushed slightly from her word stumblage."I should get back to work," she muttered, turning and getting back to something that was really nothing at all.

Booth stood behind her for a second, fighting whether or not to say anything. He decided to say nothing.

Angela walked onto the platform, eying Booth as she walked toward them. "Hello, Booth." The tone of her voice made Brennan shoot her a warning look. Angela rolled her eyes and raised her pad. "The skull isn't exactly clean yet, but I was playing around on my sketch pad. What do you think?" She raised the pad, a picture of a young girl with soft dark hair and eyes. Quite pretty.

Brennan looked up, her gaze settled on the face for a moment. Worry lines deepened for a fraction of a second, then relaxed. "It's very nice, Ange. Once I'm done examining the skull, I can have Mr. Nigel-Murray clean it, then it's all yours. I can see no signs of head trauma right off the bat, so tonight, maybe?"

Angela nodded and walked past Booth as he made his way off the platform. At the base of the platform, Booth continued on his way out the door. Cam watched for a second, weighing what she should do, then she jogged after Booth before he left the Medico-Legal lab. "Booth!"

Brennan looked up for a second and watched the two, then went back to work, keeping one ear open.

Booth stopped and looked up. He waited until she had reached him.

"Would you like to get something to eat at the diner?" Cam asked.

Booth looked at Brennan who quickly redirected her focus to the table. There was some definite cold-shoulder action going on over there. "Sure."

"Great. Let me grab my purse."

While she was gone, Booth walked back up to the stainless steel table and hovered over Brennan for a few minutes until she sighed audibly and looked up. "What!" It was definitely not a question. More of a retort.

"Were you wanting to get lunch with me?"

She straightened and folded her arms. There was no reason to be angry at Booth, but feeling angry, even if it was unsubstantiated anger, was a lot easier to deal with than the events of the night before. "No. Besides," she looked back at her work. "I brought my own lunch today."

Booth pursed his lips and leaned in really close to her. "We're going to talk about last night, Bones. It's just a matter of time. We're partners. You can't avoid me for long."

The clicking of Cam's heals brought Booth's attention back up.

Brennan lifted her eyes only minutely. Just enough to mutter, "You should be going."

Booth muttered a four-letter word, then walked off the platform with Cam. Brennan watched until they left. Then, she stood and took off her gloves. She tossed them furiously into a waste receptacle and escaped into her office where she laid down her head on the desk for several minutes until her whirling emotions were no longer a 9.0 on the Richter Scale.

Part IX

Cam reached over and grabbed one of Booth's fries. For a second, Booth almost expected the hand to be much paler. In other words, he was used to the hand belonging to Brennan. It had been a while since he had sat down and had lunch with Cam. Several months, in fact.

"Sorry. It looked better than my salad," Cam grinned.

Booth popped a fry in his mouth and leaned forward. "It's OK."

Cam had been avoiding conversation throughout the meal. Mostly because Booth seemed totally closed off, thinking deeply, a deep crevice between his brows.

"What's going on, Booth?"

He sighed and sat back a bit. "Nothing. Just tired, Cam."

"Didn't sleep well last night?"

Booth paused before answering, studying Cam's face. Then he grinned. "Just ask me, Camille."

She cocked her head then grinned, the dimples in her cheeks growing deeper. "Ask you what?"

"Go on. You're a girl. You're just dying to ask me. So go on. Ask me."

"As you what?!"

"Girl stuff. Go on. Try me."

"OK... Seeley." She raised her brow. "What happened last night with you and Dr. Brennan?"

"None of your business." Despite his response, his eyes glinted with a hint of mischief.

"Oh, come on. You wanted me to ask, now answer!"

Booth sighed again and leaned closer to Cam. "We kissed."

She rolled her eyes and made a gesture of annoyance only recognized and repeated by New Yorkers. "Give me a break!"

Booth looked surprised, then also annoyed. "You already know."

"Maybe."

"You know what happened. Bones told Angela who told you? I'm not wrong, am I?"

"You might be correct."

Booth stared her down for a few minutes, then reached across and stole a carrot. "What'd Bones say?"

"I can't tell you. I'm sworn to secrecy by the code of Estrogen Ethics."

"Oh, yeah. The Code. I think I remember learning about that in one of my law courses in college." Sarcastic. "Now give me the dirt, Camille."

"Only if you stop calling me Camille."

"You called me Seeley."

"Do we always have to argue over who calls whom what?"

"The dirt, Cam."

How could she resist when he could be so cute? She smiled, but it soon faded when she remembered how Brennan reacted. "She said it was a mistake and I only prevented that one mistake from growing into a larger one."

Booth was quiet for a few seconds, then the tendons in his jaws flexed. "Dammit."

Cam considered what to say. Saying sorry would sound insincere, hardly good enough. She decided on saying nothing at all.

Booth leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. He stared blankly at Cam.

"Don't kill the messenger, Booth.

"I'm not," he replied softly. "You don't suppose Bones will avoid me all day?"

"I'd put my money on it."

"That's what I thought, too." He then stood and held out his hand for Cam, who stood next to him. "I'll give you a ride back to the lab?"

They walked back to the SUV, Booth opened the car door for her then ran to the other side and got in beside her.

"You're upset?" Cam ventured.

Booth shrugged. "I half expected this from the beginning. If we got too close, she'd pull away. Disappear. Bones was right. It was a mistake." His voice was flat and emotionless.

Cam glanced at her watch.

"Late?" Booth asked.

"No. I just... I have a meeting with Dr. Goodman in an hour. Just checking."

"Sure."

When they walked inside of the Jeffersonian, before going their separate ways, Booth to the Medico-Legal Lab, and Cam towards the board room, Booth yelled out to Cam, "Lunch tomorrow?"

Cam turned around, half-surprised. "You don't think you'll make amends with Dr. Brennan by tomorrow?"

"She's stubborn. I need a lunch partner."

Cam smiled. "Yeah. Lunch tomorrow."

Booth made his way to the lab and slid his card. Brennan was exactly where he left her. "You eat yet?"

Brennan's fingers paused, then resumed their task without looking up. "Not yet."

"Bones. You should eat."

She laid the tools on the table and looked up, irked. "I am an independent contractor. I eat when I please, Booth."

"It's two in the afternoon, Bones." He walked around and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She turned toward him.

"What's your point?"

Booth didn't reply. He just slid his hands slowly down toward hers, picking up one hand in the two of his. Brennan didn't realize it until a second later that she held her breath as he slid her gloves from her hands, all the while staring into her eyes. "Lunchtime."

"I-I'll eat... when I please."

Once again, he said nothing. Instead, he led her off the podium and into her office. She sat down at her desk and took out her lunch.

"Why are you here, Booth?" She didn't look up from her sandwich.

"Because I care about you."

A second more passed before she spoke again. "Last night was a mistake."

It felt like a stake being plunged into his chest, although he had said it himself just an hour before. "You're right, Bones."

With that, she looked up sharply, trying to hide her emotions with a flat expression. "You think so?"

"Yeah. I mean--You mean more than you'll ever know to me. I can't lose your friendship over that. What I'm trying to say is... I'd give up last night for a chance to be your friend again. For things to go back."

She simply looked at him, until her eyes began to look glossy, then she looked down at her lunch and said in a steady voice, "I'm glad that we're agreed, then."

Booth felt relieved. "Did you want to have lunch tomorrow?"

"I'm busy," she replied quickly.

Booth nodded. "OK, then. Got an ID on the victim?"

Brennan nodded. "Angela's running the sketch through the NCIC Database. Hopefully this person has been reported missing by a loved one."

Booth nodded and walked slowly towards the door, pausing and look back at Brennan before heading over to Angela's office.

Angela looked up when he walked in. "Hey, G-Man."

Booth walked around until he was standing behind Angela. The sketch was on the right side of the computer screen. On the left, pictures of missing women 25-32 were skitting past quickly. He looked back at the woman on the right. "She was pretty. Good job, Ange."

Angela looked up in time to see the look of sadness on Booth's countenance. Was it the sadness over the death of a beautiful young woman? Or was it the sadness of the loss of a beautiful scientist? "Bren can be hard-nosed, you know."

Booth didn't reply.

"She'll be back to her old self in no time."

Booth grimaced and stood straighter. "That's... kinda what I'm afraid of. Hey, give me a call when you get a match in the system." He turned and took a few steps toward the door.

"Booth, wait!"

He turned to see the picture lined up beside a Missing Persons report. He walked over to read it. "Samantha Peters. Age 26. Missing since the 1st of last month. Thanks, Ange."

Angela watched as he walked out of sight, cell phone to his ear. Then she shook her head, "Bren is such an idiot."

Hee.. How could you be so mean and stop I need moreee......
Pleaze don't torture people And give us some more soon:)

more!
please!
I want to know what will happen now......Bren can be so stupid sometimes......she shouldn't be afraid....it's Booth after all

Part X

Brennan watched until Booth was out of sight before jogging into Angela's office. Angela looked up momentarily at Brennan, exited out of the NCIC program and looked up. "What's up, sweetie?"

Brennan stood with her arms crossed for a few minutes before speaking. "You once told me that I should work on my girl talk skills. I know that I lack knowledge in that area, so I usually avoid it altogether or fail terribly. I also know that I'd like to try some of that girl talk."

"So...?"

"So, how do I begin? Should I tell you bluntly what I'm thinking?"

"That could work." Angela patted the seat next to her. Brennan walked over and sat beside her.

"I think I hurt Booth."

"Ya think?" Quite sarcastic.

"I didn't mean to. I simply think that last night was a mistake. What if our partnership suffers? What if our friendship suffers?"

"Sweetie, you're just stating stuff I already knew. Now, tell me what you thought about while you were wrapped up in Booth's burly arms?"

"Burly?" She made a sound like a half-laugh. Then her face grew serious. "It was--" She closed her eyes and imagined his lips against her bare skin, the electricity running through her body with every touch of his hot tongue to her collarbone and mouth, "Very, very nice."

"Then, what's the problem?"

"The problem is... that when this goes wrong, then more than our friendship will be destroyed. And our friendship is something that I value... very much. I can't lose him in any aspect. The thought alone breaks my heart."

Her friend sat back and smiled. "Then I suppose you made the right decision. But you know, life is about risking your heart. Just a little bit. It's like playing poker. You put in a little, but if you're lucky, you'll get a lot."

Bren considered this for a second. "Do you ever regret that you and Hodgins were ever in a relationship?"

Angela leaned forward a bit, "Never. Good or bad, our relationship was the best time in my life. We had a lot of great times. Relationships mold us, change us, add to us, take away from us. Sometimes it's negative. Sometimes it's positive. I put all of my chips in with Hodgins, and he did the same with me. When we broke up, I'd never been more broken, but after the pain wore away, I realized something."

"What's that, Ange?"

"I'm stronger because of it. And you know what? Hodgins and I are really good friends. I'd say better now than before."

Brennan stood. "If you knew that your relationship wouldn't make you stronger or your friendship better, would you have done it all the same?"

"Probably not."

"Thanks, Ange."

Thank you all for reading!

Part XI

"Samantha was a good girl," her mother sobbed. Booth suddenly wished that Brennan was beside him.

"Was she still living at home?"

"Uh. Part-time. She was a student. Going through the Master's program at George Washington University. It was cheaper to live here, but she also had a dorm room. She didn't care for it much, though. Too noisy to study. So she stayed here during the times she needed to study, there the rest of the time." She sniffed and wiped a tear from her eye. "I just can't believe she's gone!"

Her husband pulled her close into his chest and held her for several minutes while she sobbed. Booth watched as the two comforted each other. A pang of sadness came into his heart as he watched in silence.

"When did you last see her?"

"She called me on the 31st, saying she was going to spend the weekend with us. I never saw her or heard from her again."

"Was that unusual for her?"

"Very. I called her in missing immediately. You know, after calling her and getting no reply all day. I think I called the police after suppertime that night. Sevenish."

"Did she have a boyfriend? Lover?"

Mrs. Peters cleared her throat and tried to compose herself. "Yes. A boy from school. I never knew his name, though. You can look over her room. Maybe she wrote it down or something."

--

Sweets looked around Samantha's room. "Interesting. And you said Samantha Peters was twenty-six?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, look at it. It's totally childish." He pointed at a My Little Ponies poster, dolls on the shelf, pink bedding, dirty clothes on the floor. "She may be twenty-six on her birth certificate, but she was definitely much younger in her head."

Booth stood up with a groan. "Just help me look for a diary, phone book, note pad... something."

"Like this?" Sweets held up a Post-It, then turned it towards himself to read. "Alex 555-8736. Sounds like a boyfriend."

"Let me see that. Could be a friend, not necessarily a boyfriend."

"With a heart drawn around it? Nah, it's a lover."

Booth grabbed the sticky note from Sweets. "I'll have my guys at the FBI do an address search on the number. Probably a cell number from the prefix."

Booth put the note in an evidence bag.

"What's going on with you and Dr. Brennan?"

Booth looked up skeptically. "What? Why? Nothing's wrong."

"Oh. Something's wrong, man. I mean, where is she, then?"

"At the lab."

"And not here? Miss out on being in the field? I don't think so. Dr. Brennan has a highly inquisitive personality. She craves knowledge, which she has plenty of, except in one area."

"What area?"

"Field work. She thirsts for knowledge and therefore she feels like she's missing out whenever you leave her in that glossy twenty million dollar facility. Now, something went on between the two of you and I should know, being your psychiatrist and all."

Booth sighed and leaned against the wall. "Brennan and I kissed the other night."

"What? You guys kissed? Why am I the last one to hear about these things?"

"Hold on, Sweets. Doesn't matter anyway. She thinks it was a mistake and now I'm starting to agree with her."

"Wait. A kiss being a mistake? It wasn't just a kiss, was it, Agent Booth?"

Booth glanced up, then looked back down, avoiding eye contact. "It wasn't sex, if that's what you mean, but it was probably heading there."

"Dude. But now she's totally freaked out and won't talk to you?"

"How'd you know?"

"It's Dr. Brennan. I've learned enough about her over the past couple of years to know that she deals with anxiety with avoidance tactics."

"Do you have a psycho-suggestion, Sweets?"

"Well, let's get one thing out of the way. How do you feel about Dr. Brennan?"

Booth sighed and leaned back his head, thinking about it while he bounced his head against the woodwork. "I really... really... care for her."

"Is that it?"

He looked at Sweets straight in the eye. "Yes."

Sweets stood up and looked around. "My guess is that once you find out who Alex is, then you'll be on the right track. Samantha's life was full of chaos. Whoever this guy is, he might have a key to some insight on Ms. Peters' real life. Dorm life, college life, love life." He moved to walk out of the room. "And it's my professional opinion, Agent Booth, that you just lied to me."

Booth glared at Sweets.

"Why did you bring me here, Agent Booth?"

"To... look at the room... with me."

"That's not the whole reason."

"Can't we do this psychological thing Thursday?"

"Why did you? C'mon. Try me." Sweets made a 'bring it on' gesture.

"Fine. I hate not having Bones around. It feels strange not having someone with me."

"You and Dr. Brennan have created a close partnership. You depend on one another."

Booth rubbed his face and walked out of the room. Sweets followed. In the SUV, the conversation continued when the silence became stale.

"When Bones was dating Sully--That was before you. Sully's a friend of mine. Good guy. Good agent. But I hated it. She and him. He and she."

"Is it safe to say that you two have become two halves of a whole?"

Booth considered it in silence for a while. Then he replied. "She's just my partner."

"I didn't insinuate anything more, Agent Booth."

"Yeah, well... Sometimes Life insinuates more."

Sweets let it drop. "Thursday, right?"

The car stopped as they pulled into a spot at the Hoover Building. They both got out.

"Sure, Sweets," Booth patted his shoulder. "But I can't guarantee that Bones will come along."

"She has to. It's in her contract now."

Booth grinned. "That's right."

Hehee... I love it Keep me posted, keep me apprized. I love it, i love it.
It just feels like i am reading your fanfic and seeing this episode in my head. Like a Bones episode. That shows that in my opinion you are a freaking good writer. You catch every character very well

did you forgot to mention to us that you are one of the writers, who writes bones???

Aw your compliments are the best! Nope, I don't work for Hart, but if he ever offered me a job, I think I'd have a heart attack. hehehe