A/N: I've decided to finish up on some of my stories left incomplete. I will be starting with this story and will be working my way up the list. Important note: this story was actually started in 2006, basically during the beginning of season 2. Which means there are some important things to be taken into account: Sully and Hannah didn't happen; but Cam and Booth's relationship did. It has also happened before Judas on a Pole where we meet Bones' dad. Basically, Max doesn't exist up to this point nor will he appear in that story. Things might also seem OOC for them in the first chapter. Consider this story an AU.

Characters to be present in the story: Brennan, Booth, Cam, Angela, Zach, Hodgins, and Russ.

Other than that, enjoy! And don't forget to leave your reviews (anonymous or not) at the door.

Disclaimer: I own nothin' except a character that's currently not in the story yet.

Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Romance/Drama/Angst. Basically, it will be a bit of everything for everybody.

A soft breeze was blowing as Temperance and Booth both climbed out of the SUV. Booth waited for his partner to step around the vehicle before pulling her to him. His hands immediately went to rest on her hips as she slipped her own arms around his waist. Booth sighed happily. This has been a wonderful evening, the first one he had had in months. Hanging out with his partner had always been something close to fun, but tonight had been different; tonight had been their first official date.

The thought of it made him smile. After two years of bickering and constant flirting, they had finally taken the leap together. The entire thing felt surreal; Booth felt like he would wake up at any moment to find tonight had been a dream. But the warmth of her body pressed against his reminded him this was too real to be a dream. Now that it was time to bring her home, a small part of him hated to see the evening coming to an end.

Her voice brought him back to reality.

"Booth," Temperance said as she pointed to her windows.

His gaze followed her fingers but as his eyes fell on the window, he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

"What am I looking at?" he asked, confused.

Temperance frowned. The light she had seen only seconds earlier was now turned off. Had she imagined it? Was she so tired her mind was playing tricks on her? She turned back to her partner who was looking at her questioningly.

"I saw a light in my apartment," she replied. "But it's not there anymore."

Booth frowned. His partner usually didn't make up stuff. Suddenly, the fact that night had fallen hit him. A cloud slowly covered the moon, plunging the couple into the darkness. The wind blew a little stronger, making Booth shiver.

"Are you sure it's your window?"

"Booth, I've been living here for a year. I know which one is my window."

Booth nodded. He knew she was right. She rarely imagined stuff. His partner was a very rational person. Hallucinations didn't happen to overly-rational people, right? His gut feeling told him he ought to walk her up to her apartment, check things out and make sure she would be safe.

Looking back one more time at the window, Booth resumed his walk, Temperance following closely behind him. The window had definitely picked up and Booth had the feeling the city would be the victim of yet another rainstorm over the night. In the distance, Booth thought he heard the rumbling sound of thunder. Okay now he was imagining stuff.

They walked quietly up to the building's main entrance. He waited patiently as Temperance looked through her purse for the keys that would unlock the main door. She found them seconds later and unlocked the door before turning around to face her partner.

"You'll probably want to come up and raid my apartment to make sure nobody's in there," she said, a smile tugging at her lips.

"How did you know?" Booth replied, forcing a smile onto his face.

"My gut feeling told me so," she replied, chuckling softly.

Her answer brought a real smile out of him and he chuckled as well. He was overreacting. Nobody was in his friend's apartment. She had probably just mistaken her neighbour's window for hers.

They took the stairs. The staircase was quiet and their footsteps echoed off the walls. Booth tried his best to remain calm. There was just something about tonight that didn't quite feel right. The building just seemed too quiet, like it had shut down for the night and that all the tenants had left.

The hallway was just the same and Booth didn't know if he liked its dim atmosphere. The carpet muffled the sound of their footsteps which Booth was actually glad for. If there was someone in Temperance's apartment, it wouldn't hear them come.

They made it to the door without meeting a single living soul. Temperance stopped and examined it. Everything looked fine. Maybe there wasn't someone in the apartment after all. It was possible that she had mistaken her window for someone else's. Sighing with relief, she turned to her partner.

Silence hung heavily between them as neither knew what to say. Their eyes met every second or so, making them both smile somewhat shyly. Finally, after a minute or two, Temperance finally broke the silence.

"I'll be fine, Booth. You can go."

"Are you sure you don't want me to check out your apartment?"

Temperance shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

This time, she sighed. He could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now, go!"

Before he could say anything, Booth felt a pair of lips press against his. He stood there, stunned, unable to move or to respond to the kiss. Was this really happening? Was Temperance actually kissing him? What connected had been cut off between his brain and his lips soon came back and he found himself responding to her kiss. His arms slipped around her waist and he pulled her to him.

When breathing became a necessity, the couple pulled back. Resting their foreheads against each other, they stayed like that for a few seconds until their breathing had steadied and come back to normal.

"Good night, Booth."

" 'Night, Bones."

She watched as he began to walk away then turned.

"Are you sure?"

Temperance simply raised an eyebrow in a do-you-really-want-to-have-this-conversation-again manner. Booth rolled his eyes before turning back around and walking away.

She waited until he had disappeared in the staircase before turning to her door. She turned the knob and found it unlocked. She frowned. She didn't remember not locking her door before leaving earlier that evening. Then again, she had been disturbed by Booth's constant nagging at how they were going to be late for the movie if she didn't hurry up.

She slowly pushed the door open. The oven light was still on. Temperance sighed in relief. That's what she had seen from the window. She probably just hadn't turned it off after making herself some dinner. Dropping her keys in the little bowl on the small table beside the door, she took off her shoes. She had been wearing them all day and the fluffiness of the carpet under her feet felt weird. She closed the door behind her.

From where she stood, she could see the flashing light of her answering machine. She made her way to it and pressed the Play button. Her brother's voice filled the apartment.

"Hey Tempe, it's me. I was just wondering if…"

Darkness fell upon the apartment as Russ' voice was immediately caught off. Temperance jumped, startled by the power outage. She turned to her window. The moon was still hidden behind a thick gray cloud. The other buildings still had electricity. She gulped, her heart racing inside her chest. A noise on her right made her head snap in that direction.

"Who's there?" she asked, hoping her voice didn't betray the anxiety she was experiencing.

When no one replied, she closed her eyes and tried to calm her racing heart.

Calm down, Temperance. Nobody is here.

She slowly opened her eyes to find that the cloud had disappeared and moonlight was now shining through the window. She took a deep breath and was about to release it when she felt it. Cold. Coldness against her throat and warmness against her ear. A bit of air thrown into the mix. Her heart skipped a beat.

"If you scream, I won't be afraid to use this," the voice whispered.

Temperance gulped as the stranger pressed the blade against her throat.

He couldn't stop pacing. His cellphone seemed to be staring at him from where it lay on the couch. Booth eyed it, paranoid.

"Stop looking at me! She's okay!" he snapped at his phone, knowing fully well how stupid he sounded.

He had tried calling her but she hadn't picked up. He had been calling for the past thirty minutes to convince himself that she simply hadn't heard it. Yet, a nagging feeling kept telling him there was more to it.

At 10:45, Booth made up his mind. He'd go back to her apartment and check out for himself. After all, he wouldn't be able to get some sleep if he didn't. Grabbing his cellphone, he ran out of his house. He made the drive from his house to her apartment in record time. As he stepped out of the SUV, he noticed how the lights in the building were all out. He immediately jogged to the front entrance to find the door locked. He cursed under his breath. Of course it was locked. He ran to the other side of the building. He remembered his partner telling him that there was an emergency door back there and that it remained always unlocked.

The door opened. He smiled triumphantly before running inside. The hallways were just as quiet as they had been an hour earlier which just intensified the feeling settled in Booth's stomach.

He climbed the stairs two at a time. He had no time to waste. As he stepped into the second-floor corridor, he just knew something wasn't right. His eyes immediately went to his partner's apartment door. His heart began pounding in his chest when he realized the door had been left ajar. Inside the apartment, everything was dark and quiet.

"Bones?" he called out, turning on the living room light.

No answer. No light.

"Bones? Are you there?"

He examined every room to find them empty.

"Temperance?"

Her bedroom door was closed. Taking a deep breath, he slowly reached out for the knob and turned it. He pushed the door open and, even through the darkness, he could see his partner's empty bed. A noise behind him made him turn around.

"Bones?"

A head popped inside the apartment.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" a middle-aged man asked.

"No. Sorry to have bothered you," Booth replied before taking his cellphone out.

He tried Temperance's number. Music reached his ears. He looked around and his eyes fell on his partner's purse beside the door. His stomach did a backflip. He walked back to the door. Temperance's keys were still in the little bowl. Another backflip. He rushed to the window. Her car was still parked under that same tree. He turned back to the door. Her shoes lay on the floor beside the door.

The cop in him instantly took over. His eyes scanned the entire apartment. There was no apparent signs of struggle. The door showed no damage and the furniture had not been moved. That's when it happened. Something on the carpet caught his attention. Crouching down, he recognized it immediately.

A stain. A tiny, red stain.

Booth reached down his pocket and flipped his cellphone open. With shaky hands, he dialed the number to the local PD.