The lights cast red and blue shadows across her surroundings, a dull rushing sound filled her ears. She felt lethargic, she wasn't drunk, far far from it, but the weariness that enveloped her body was a close second. He walked over to her as they carried Thompson out. "We got em" she stated smiling in triumph. "Yeah, Bones, you got em." The way he said it, like he was sorry caused her to back up, he wasn't happy? He looked back over his shoulder at Deputy Director Cullen, and she watched the interaction suspiciously as the man nodded his head at Booth in expectation. Booth turned back around looking pointedly at Brennan. He meant to say something and instead took a big sigh and shook his head. He eyes furrowed as she watched him, he seemed to be under great strain, what the hell was wrong? "Bones….Temp…..argh…I'm sorry…" he whispered the last so low as he turned her around holding her wrist, she thought she may have imagined it. "Temperance Brennan, you are under arrest for the shooting and assault of Ken Thompson, ..

"What?! You can't be serious…Booth!" she called as she felt the metal touch her skin and snap close.

"You have the right to remain silent…"

"Silent? you think I'm going to be silent?! he was going to set me on fire!"

"Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law" he stated pointedly in warning.

She stared back at him defiantly, and he seemed to waver at her glare. "You have the right to an attorney present during questioning, if you cannot afford an attorney, one will appointed for you."

"Do you understand these rights?" he asked her as he turned her away and led her to his vehicle.

"No, no I don't." He stopped mid stride and turned around to face her, this part was serious, if he couldn't get her to agree, she could hold the whole damn thing up. "Which part do you not understand Ms. Brennan?"

"All of it, the whole damn thing..he was going. To. Set. Me. On. Fire.! How am I being arrested?"

"I can't disclose that at this time."

"You can't…..are you kidding me?" he looked at her as she stared up at him defiantly, and she was beautiful, he was struck my how much, he visibly swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

She was making a scene, and it was starting to draw attention, he knew for the most part that this was a test, a test to see if he could handle her, a test to see if his focus was off, if he could be objective enough to keep her in the field, and right now, after this fiasco, even if he passed this test, he wasn't so certain he'd be able to keep her with him, and for some reason, some unknown, crazy ….because he really must be crazy to want to keep her, but he wanted to, he really wanted to.

"Bones..just, get in the car…" "Please." He implored her trying to convey his message to her. She let out a sigh as she turned around and climbed into his SUV herself. He looked over the hood and Cullen how raised his two fingers in salute. "Good luck" it told him, as he gave a sarcastic smile as thanks back. He saw his boss turn back around but not before catching the small smile that was spreading across his face. The bastard, he was enjoying this Booth knew.

He watched as she made her away across the cemetary towards her car. "Bones, wait up."

"Don't call me Bones."

"Aw come on Bones, we caught the bad guy…"

"You arrested me."

"Yeah, but it was only once, and you were let out an hour later."

"You had me apprehended at the airport, attacked…"

"Attacked? Who attacked you? No one attacked you…."

"and then you arrested me, after a man was going to set me on fire."

"You shot him..with alcohol on your breath."

"Fire, Booth! With gasoline…..he was going to torch me!"

"I had to, I had no choice, my boss was standing right there, and you shot a man after drinking.."

"I wasn't drunk…or else we could have thrown drunk driving onto the charges as well." She stared at him waiting for him to say something. When nothing was forthcoming she turned away.

"I knew this was a mistake, and I knew this wouldn't work."
"Wait a minute, hey, Bones…" she turned back around threatening…"Don't call me…"

"Temperance, okay..Temperance, look I'm sorry alright? I'm sorry, I didn't want to, you have to know, I did not want to arrest you." "We have a job to do Temperance, and at times, it has to be by the book, or it could throw the whole damn thing out, you wanted to go out into the field instead of staying in your lab, which makes me responsible for you….he put his hands up as she began to respond…whether you can handle yourself or not, that's the deal, that has to be the deal, or you go back to your lab, and I bring you files." He stared at her holding his breath waiting…

It was a peace offering she knew, it was her decision to take it, and for reasons she would never understand, she did. She smiled at him, caught, he caught her, and he knew it.

" Told you it wasn't the Senator." He stated smugly.

"And I told you who it was, so we're even." She answered back just as smug.

"Except we work on the same cases and you end up on the New York Times Best Sellers list."

"I didn't know that!" she looked at him surprised, how did he know that?

"Number Three, with a bullet."

"That's good right!?! The New York Times with a bullet…"

"It means you're rich, call your accountant."

She laughed, and he liked her laugh "I don't have an accountant."

" Well get one."

"Okay, how does that work?"

"Ughh, you need to get out of the lab you know, watch TV, turn on the radio, anything! Pick up the phone and…."

He stopped as the funeral came back into his view, two years, two years had tried to solve the case, and it took her not even two days, he definitely wanted her at his side, on his side. He sighed, turning serious, and she squinted at him as the sun caught her eyes.

"You know, if it weren't for you, those people would never have known what happened to their daughter. That's got to be worse than the truth."

"I know exactly how the Eller's felt about Cleo. My parents disappeared when I was fifteen and nobody knows what happened to them."

He was surprised by her admission, he didn't show it, but she was so closed, so stoic most of the time, unmovable.

"You know, being a sniper I took, a lot of lives, What I'd like to do before I'm done is try and catch at least that many murderers."

He sounded so ridiculous sometimes, would that matter? Its not like they would know, even if he caught that many bad people, the dead would never know it, and it was out of her mouth before she could even comprehend what she was saying…

Please! You don't think there's some kind of cosmic balance sheet"….damn it Temperance, why can't you ever just keep your mouth shut?! She scolded herself.

"I'd like to help you with that." She stated seriously.

"Ehhhh…." He shrugged, silently greatful for her about change. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

She laughed at his shrug smaking him in the arm as they walked back to his car.

……….Angela smiled as she watched her friend with the hunky FBI agent, he was the one, she was sure of it, she sighed at the road ahead of her, this was going to take forever.