A/N – I've struggled with whether or not to publish this since I already have 3 in progress fics but I'm afraid a window I have within the story line of the show is going to be gone after the 100th episode and I don't want to miss the chance to 'go there' with a story like this. I am working on getting chaps of all of my fics up. I only have one chap remaining on my Max/Hank fic and Pressure isn't going to be a beast like Footing either so I figure what the heck – publish this.

Anyway, this chap is meant to be a little disconnected and seem a little purposeless, but I can assure you it has a purpose. It's just going to build a bit slowly from the beginning. It will end up completely AU and I hope you are up to reading this kind of story. I hope you enjoy it and will leave reviews or messages to let me know what you think.

Thanks to StefJunkieCat, DVApples, and Thnx4theGum for helping me out and to MickeyBoggs for proofing.

Disclaimer – I am not connected with the TV show "Bones" in any way. I just love watching it.

The Blast in the Bones

Chapter 1

"Bones?" Booth asked as he exited the interstate and headed toward a suspect's house on the outskirts of town just after lunch on an unusually hot April morning. "Are you sure you should come with me?" he glanced over at his partner as he spoke. "You still look a little bit pale," he finished. He knew as well as anyone how stubborn his partner was and could already predict what her answer would be but it didn't stop him from being concerned. She'd had a nasty cold over the weekend and from the looks of the crumpled tissue in her hand, she still possessed the runny nose that came with it.

It had been Booth's weekend with Parker so he hadn't been able to do what he would have normally done when his beautiful partner was home sick. He did take the time to run some Thai over on Saturday evening and had found her sleeping on her couch with her laptop teetering on her lap close to giving in to the force of gravity. He put the food on her counter and left her a simple 'Feel better, Bones,' note and a single daffodil before exiting without so much as making her stir. He knew she had found everything because about an hour later he received a simple text from his partner. 'Thanks! Have fun with Parker. I'm hitting the straw.' The misuse of the slang phrase made him smile and he and Parker headed to baseball practice.

Since that text message he hadn't talked to her until he met her at the lab that morning. He and Parker had a full Sunday and he figured she was taking it easy. They had a brief meeting about the case and then the dynamic duo found themselves in the Sequoia headed to meet with a suspect.

"I'm fine, Booth," was Temperance Brennan's typical answer. No matter what he thought, she was fine. She was always fine. Sure, if she were a typical person she might believe in taking things easy for a few days or allowing herself time to recover before returning to her usual routine but she wasn't a typical person. She was Temperance Brennan, world-renowned anthropologist and best-selling author. A slight chest upper respiratory infection would not drag her down. She had taken things easy over the weekend and managed to keep the slight fever, nagging cough and stuffy nose under control with the help of over the counter medications. She still felt a little fatigued and had a lingering headache coupled with a runny nose but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She could still effectively do her job.

He knew that there was no point in arguing with her. He just had to trust her even if he didn't like it. She had come a long way in the five years they had been working together and he knew she'd ask him for help if she needed or wanted it. She might not ask anyone else, but he knew she'd ask him. "If you say so, Bones," he tossed another glance in her direction and gave her a smile. "If you need another tissue, there are some in the pocket on the back of my seat. I keep them there for Parker."

She nodded and almost instinctively reached behind him to grab the small travel pack of tissues. She was almost successful when her always charming partner interrupted her with a fake cough. "*cough*, Rudolph *cough*," he mocked without so much as cutting his eyes from the road. He couldn't resist picking on her even if he was worried for her well being.

Brennan rolled her eyes and considered whacking him on the back of the head but decided against it when she sniffled like a middle school student. She instead finished getting the tissues and mumbled her retort. "I'll bet even Parker understands that redness of the nose is due to increased blood supply or skin irritation and if a reindeer had such a condition he would need immediate medical care since he would be, obviously, very ill," she didn't even have to look at him to know that he was shaking his head at her retort while attempting to stifle a smile.

The rest of the trip to the suspect's house was made in quiet. Brennan took the opportunity to rest her eyes a little bit and Booth simply drove. He thought for a moment she might be sleeping but when she sensed the road change from pavement to gravel she spoke. "You really think this guy murdered his mother?" she asked.

He shifted the SUV into park and answered her. "I do, Bones. He seemed a little jumpy when I talked to him the first time and according to his sister, his mother was going to change the will and remove him from it," he went on. "Apparently she wasn't too pleased with his bar-hopping lifestyle. She'd already bailed him out of jail three times for instigating fights." The pair climbed out of the car while Booth was still talking.

As they approached the rickety front porch Booth grabbed his partner's upper arm. "Bones," he said in his serious tone. "Just be careful. I don't like this guy at all," he pleaded.

She nodded and swiped her tissue over her nose one more time. It was an unusually humid April day and some beads of sweat broke out onto her forehead. She rubbed the back of her hand over her brow and concluded that she most likely still had a slight temperature. 'Nothing major,' she thought to herself but decided that going home by 6:00 pm was definitely in order for the day. She had slept a lot over the weekend but obviously her body still required extra rest to fight this infection.

She refocused her attention on her partner who was pounding incessantly on the front door of the suspect's home. "Damn it," he said. "Just like murdering idiots to not come to the door when the FBI knocks." He glanced over his partner who seemed to be well enough to help him out. "His car's here so I'm betting he's going to try and leave through the back. You up to splitting up?" he asked.

She gave him a nod which was all he needed. They walked side by side down the steps and went in separate directions at the bottom. Booth cut right and Brennan cut to the left. "Careful, Bones," he said as he rounded the corner of the grey house and out of her field of view.

She simply nodded at him at the bottom of the steps and headed around the corner herself.

She knew her senses and awareness were dulled due to her headache and fatigue so she followed his words carefully. He'd always told her to stick close to the walls so you only had to watch from one direction. What she didn't anticipate was the suspect standing inside the small area that would lead to a basement or storage area.

It all happened so fast that she barely thought about her reaction. As she was about to step past the darkened area she felt a strong hand grasp her upper right arm. Her instinct was to use her martial arts skills to flip the assailant over. She tried, she really did but the strength she knew she possessed wasn't there. Weakness seemed to flood over her and the next thing she knew she was flipped onto her back on top of a smooth, decorative rock.

Before the pain even registered, she eyed the attacker and used her left leg to kick him in the testicles. This move was effective in sending him to the ground but not in relieving the searing pain that shot through her lower back.

She used the energy she could muster to roll off of the rounded rock beneath her and position herself in a prone position on the ground.

Booth had obviously heard the commotion and came racing in her direction. She stopped him before he could drop to his knees beside her. She managed to mumble "I'm fine, Booth. Cuff him'" before he could reach her.

Just a few minutes later she felt a gentle hand on her head. "Bones," he said compassionately. "l've got to radio in for backup. Do you need the EMTs?" he asked. He could see that she was conscious and moving. She wasn't bleeding either so he figured he should let her tell him what she needed.

"No'" she began, thankful that her residual lung volume seemed to be approaching normal levels. "I'm fine," she uttered her favorite phrase once again. "Just help me up," she requested.

"What happened?" Booth asked as he helped his partner to her feet and guided her to the back of the SUV.

She explained the scenario to him and then allowed him to open the back of the SUV so she could sit. She winced slightly as she had to bend her back to sit. She noticed his concerned look and preempted his interrogation. "I will probably have a few contusions on my lower back and quite possibly on my arm but I'm fine," she was very matter of fact. "Nothing is broken and I do not need to see a doctor," she finished. She knew she didn't need a doctor, but an ice pack and a bottle of shiny Advil would be nice.

He nodded but needed more information. "Can I see?" he asked with a slight puppy dog look on his face.

She nodded without moving her position. She had leaned against the side of the SUV and had closed her eyes as she had explained her condition. Movement was not appealing at the moment.

He didn't need more than her nod. He situated himself beside her and pulled the white of her knit top up in the back to inspect the damage. "JESUS CHRIST, BONES!" he practically yelled. "That is not a minor convulsion," he started his rant but she interrupted.

"Contusion, Booth, and while I have not been able to inspect the injury myself, the force used to throw me onto that rock was great enough to produce a bruise larger than the surface of the offending object. I would expect the bruising to span the entire width of my back," she continued to speak without moving once again.

Booth sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Whatever, Bones!" concern was clear in his voice. "We're getting that checked out if I have to tie you to a gurney."

Brennan decided that she needed to make eye contact in order to calm him down. "Booth, once again, I'm fine but if it will make you feel better, I'll let Cam take a look at it when we get back to the lab. She is a specialist in soft tissue and I'm sure can confirm my initial claim that it's just a contusion," she just hoped that would calm his nerves.

The sirens sounding in the distance forced Booth to concede more quickly than he wanted. "Alright, Bones," he said. "Let me get this guy hauled off and we'll get you to the lab and get you some ice."

She took a deep breath and realized that she wasn't in quite as much pain as she had anticipated. "I'll help you," she said. She was a little surprised that she even felt up to moving after hearing Booth's reaction to the bruising on her back. Her skin was fair so she generally seemed to bruise easily but not abnormally. 'Oh well,' she thought to herself. 'It's possible that the release of endorphins is blocking my pain receptors and I may feel stiffer in the morning.' She accepted her own reasoning and then headed toward Booth who was currently yelling at the suspect.

A short 30 minutes later, the partners were walking back through the glass doors of the Jeffersonian. "Alright Bones," Booth said. "Go lay on your couch and I'll round up Cam to check your back out."

Now that her adrenaline rush had worn off and she still wasn't feeling the expected pain, she decided to put up a fight. "Booth, I'm fine. There is no need to disturb Cam."

"No way, Bones!" he argued back. "You have a bruise the size of Texas on your back. It's Cam or the hospital," he kept his tone strong. "Now go lay down and I'll get you some ice."

What he didn't tell her was that seeing her bruises hurt him. He had a crazy attraction to her lower back and it angered him to see the pristine skin and perfect arch bothered by a stupid bruise inflicted upon her by an idiot murderer.

Brennan just nodded. She knew she was fine, but she had learned over the past few years that you give things to your loved ones. She could give Booth this one. If he needed to hear from someone else that she was okay she could concede and allow it. After his tumor, she understood the concept of hurting because your loved ones were in pain.

She headed into her office and opted to only turn on the lamp. She still had a bit of a headache and didn't want the harsh fluorescent lighting hitting her eyes. She grabbed the box of tissues from her coffee table and flopped onto the couch. She inwardly cursed when she realized that she had forgotten to grab her bottle of Advil from her desk and considered getting back up too much trouble. Her back didn't hurt, it was just slightly stiff, but she didn't feel well and sleep was beckoning so she allowed herself to be pulled under.

Booth found Cam and waited with her for a few minutes while she replaced the liver of the victim she was examining. He had to laugh that he could actually manage to stay in the room with all of the slime, blood, and gunk. Maybe he did have a bit of a squint in him after all.

He explained the scenario as they walked toward the anthropologist's office. He commandeered an ice pack and towel on the way and held the door to allow Cam to enter first. He was a little surprised when the medical examiner waited by the door instead of approaching her subordinate. It was evident that she was asleep and Booth didn't immediately know what the holdup was.

Cam saw the confusion on his face and spoke first. "Oh no, Seeley, I am not waking her up," she said with a stern look on her face. "No offense, but she's not the most pleasant of personalities when she doesn't feel well. You weren't here on Friday," she finished and allowed Booth to push past her. He shot her a cheeky grin as he thought about his grumpy Bones. For some reason, he loved it when she was grumpy. It amused him.

He dropped to his knees next to his partner and wiped some hair off of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She was lying in a completely prone position with her head resting on her folded arms. "Bones, wake up for a second and let Cam take a look at your back," he said.

She didn't move and her voice was muffled by her arms but she managed to protest. "Cam, I don't know than an examination is necessary. Booth is just being over protective."

Cam approached and sat on the edge of the couch near the small of her back. "Dr. Brennan," she started. "I'm going to raise your shirt up so I can take a look."

Brennan just nodded and let Cam lift up her top. "Ouch!" was her boss's initial reaction. "Are you sure you aren't experiencing a lot of pain from this?"

"I would have anticipated more but since the pain from the initial impact dissipated, I've only been experiencing minor discomfort and a good deal of stiffness," Brennan explained.

"Hmm," Cam uttered. The bruising perplexed her. She'd seen much less on people with severe injuries. "It's a major contusion. Let me just feel around a little bit. No tingling or anything in your lower extremities?" she asked.

"Uh unh," she half mumbled, half spoke. She had her jaw clinched anticipating pain from the manipulation but she mostly just felt pressure.

After just a few more moments of examining, Cam spoke again. "Everything seems to be fine, Dr. Brennan. I would just limit your movement for the time being and ice your back for at least 30 minutes," she said as she stood to leave. "Take what time you need to recover," she added. It wouldn't have required a MD to see that the anthropologist was still under the weather.

"Thanks, Cam," Brennan said still remaining as still as possible.

Booth approached and put the towel followed by the ice pack on her back. "Bones, are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Booth," she answered again without moving. "I am just feeling a little run down at the moment. I suppose my body is still working to fight of the infection from this weekend," she sniffled and shifted slightly to wipe the tissue in her hand over her nose. "I'm just going to rest for a little while. Would you hand me the bottle of Advil from my desk?" She wouldn't normally ask for help but she figured he wanted something to do.

"Sure," he said and grabbed the bottle taking out a pair of the shiny gel caps out. He grabbed a bottle of water for her and sat on her table while she took the pills and lay back down. "It's 3:00, Bones. You want me to pick you up for dinner or something?" he asked.

"No thanks, Booth," she answered. "I think I'm going to rest for a few and then finish up with the skeleton in the bone room. I think I just want to go home and climb in the bed tonight."

While it worried him slightly, Booth was thankful that she was planning on getting some rest so he didn't argue. "Alright, Bones. I'll see you tomorrow. Parker still wants you to come to his baseball game tomorrow night but if you aren't up to it, he'll have plenty more."

"I'll feel up to it," she said and closed her eyes.

Booth smiled and messed with her hair slightly as he got up to leave. He loved her for her fighting nature. She was a unique and wonderful individual that was for sure.

"Feel better, Bones," he said as he left her office.

That's all she wrote for the time being. Going to try and get chaps of all my fics up this week. I know you may be a little confused with the purpose of this one but I can promise you it will become clear eventually.

I will tell you that the next chapter will include a 'feeling better' Brennan, Parker, Booth, and lots of fluffy goodness. I've already started it. It's time to see a little glimpse into the 'village' this couple has built over the years.