HI Everyone! Stories in this series, in order… While it's not necessary to read all of them, it's recommended… :

Saint in the Shadows

Spaces in Between

Shades of Grace

Shadows in the Sun

Saints, Sinners, and Saviors

Something is Lost

Space in the Soul

So it Goes

February 12-

As soon as the door to the lab opened, the sound of gunshots made Aiden jump. Slow, methodical gunshots, one after the next, he cringed as he looked across the lab toward Temperance's office. He walked toward the office slowly, his eyes closing as each shot rang out. Just as he stepped to the office, Harding turned into the doorway from inside, blocking his entrance.

He stepped forward, causing Aiden to take a step back. "You need to go talk to her." Ace said, his voice low and serious.

"Me? Why do I have to talk to her?" Aiden asked, his face blanching. "I don't have to talk to her. She has a gun, Ace."

"Yes, she has a gun." He nodded. "I know she has a gun. I know this, because she has been testing that ammunition for a half hour now, Fitz. A half hour!" He said, stepping forward. "Go talk to her!" Ace pointed toward the ballistics room.

Aiden turned around, sighing as he walked around the platform. He noticed that most of the squints were wearing noise cancelling headphones and were completely unfazed by the jarring gunshots. He stepped around the platform, nearly running into Hodgins as he stood with his own headphones on, handing Aiden a pair.

"Thanks." He mouthed, taking the headphones. He indicated he needed to ask Hodgins a question and the scientist pulled his headphone from one of his ears. "You wouldn't happen to have a flak jacket on hand, would you?" He winced.

Hodgins laughed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, man. You're on your own on this one. Duck and cover." He shrugged with a smile. He put his headphone back on his ear, walked past Aiden and up onto the platform.

Aiden took a deep breath and walked toward the back of the lab. He put the noise cancelling headphones on and stepped up to the window to the ballistics room. The door was closed, but the sound was still very loud. He watched as Antonia aimed into the catch tank, her face twisted in concentration, the goggles settled on her nose as her dark eyes focused deadly attention on the barrel of the gun, and where she was shooting. If she saw him in the window, she made no overt indication other than the slightly increased time between shots. She turned away from tank, facing away from the window, popped the cartridge, and set the gun down. She then pulled her headphones from her ears.

He pulled the headphones from his own ears and heard the low buzz of the door being unlocked, and he stepped slowly inside. He watched as she moved some items around on the tray beside her. "Are you done testing everyone's nerves?" He asked playfully, though he knew that a joke was a very dangerous move. She said nothing, so he walked across the room, allowing the door to remain slightly open, jokingly thinking to himself that it might be a good idea if people could hear his cries for help. He walked to her side and glanced at her as she turned and stared at him, picked up a full cartridge and slammed it into the gun she was holding. Her face was deadly serious, her eyes dark and deep.

"I have one more round to go through." She said, watching as he nodded. "Why are you here?" She turned away from him, pulling her goggles down around her neck, she placed the gun down on the tray.

"I wanted to talk to you." He said, lifting an eyebrow, she turned to face him, lifting her own eyebrow in return. "You left my place pretty angrily last night."

"I was not angry." She snapped back.

"Tex, you left tire marks on the street outside of my apartment." He said, leaning against the table, crossing his arms.

"I was frustrated." She said, crossing her arms, she faced him with narrowed eyes.

"I understand." He nodded.

"I don't think that you do, Agent Fitzgerald." She said, pressing her finger very lightly into his chest, she kept her eyes on his. "How long have we been dating?"

"A little over three months?" He shrugged.

"It will be six weeks next week, Agent Fitzgerald." She said, stepping a little closer to him, her back to the door. "Six weeks." She narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah? Hm, seemed like longer." He said, narrowing his own eyes, a smile was rising on his lips playfully as he stood nose to nose with her. He could feel her sliding her fingertips beneath his tie.

"So, what are you waiting for, buddy?" She whispered breathily into his face. "Are you blind?" She asked, her breath hitching a bit when she felt his leg against hers.

He held her stare and she gripped his tie a little harder in her hand, forcing a bit of tension into the strip of fabric. He could feel the shiver in her skin and his smile slipped off his face. He swallowed hard. "Tex." He whispered.

"I am an extremely passionate woman, Aiden." She whispered, her voice taking on a husky tone that was making his palms sweat. "I am a passionate, needy, gracious, sexy woman, Aiden. I think that I have been needlessly patient, and thoroughly clear on this subject."

"Tex." He whispered, feeling the heat of her breath as her eyes burned into his. "I'm trying very hard to be a gentleman."

"I never asked you to be a gentleman." She growled, pulling his face close to hers, he could see the passion in her eyes, the fire, and he almost whimpered when he watched her bottom lip slip between her teeth for a split second, her eyes flicking to his lips and back again.

"Tex." He whispered, swallowing hard. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and could barely see the FBI issue shoe that was sticking in the doorway. "Tex, I really should go." He whispered.

"Someone is behind me?" She whispered, as the passion that had been building between them seemed to disintegrate into the air.

"Mmhm." He nodded, swallowing again. "I should go."

She narrowed her eyes, unsure if it was a ruse to be released from her clutches. She watched his green eyes, darkened with passion as she smiled sweetly. "We will continue this conversation later." She whispered.

"Hopefully without firearms." He replied, leaning forward to kiss her softly, prying her fingers tenderly from his tie.

She smiled slyly and pulled her goggles up onto her eyes, followed by her headphones, keeping her eyes on him. "Hopefully." She winked. He smiled tenderly at her and touched her cheek as he slid out from in front of her, and walked toward the door. His eyes met Booth's, and watched as the other man's eyebrow lifted curiously. "Good Morning, sir." He said softly. He then handed Booth the headphones, sidestepped him and covered his ears as he quickly walked away.

Booth watched the younger agent walk away for a moment. He pulled his foot out of the door and latched it as he put the headphones on just as Antonia started shooting into the tank again, this time at a much faster rate. She finished off the clip very quickly with resounding sigh. She then popped it from the gun, dropping it onto the tray as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Booth shook his head and pulled the headphones off as he watched his daughter turn around and smile at him, waving through the window. He watched as a slight blush rose in her cheeks, just as his phone rang. He shook his head and lifted the phone to his ear. "Booth." After a moment of listening to the person on the other line, he sighed. "You got it, we'll be there." He then hung up the phone and tapped on the window, watching Antonia's attention flick to him again. She buzzed for the lock, and he opened it. "Clean up your toys, we have a case, kid." He said, watching her smirk and shake her head.

"Tell them to wait for me." She said, moving to the end of the tank to gather her bullets.

"You got it." He said, and turned to go inform the rest of the team of their impending case.