Many years in the past when Brennan was 18 and Booth was 23 years old.

I don't own Bones.

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Sitting in the airport, Temperance Brennan sipped coffee from a Styrofoam cup and concentrated on her latest copy of American Anthropologist. She was on the way to Northwestern University to begin her studies and her flight from Cincinnati was being delayed due to bad weather. Sitting at the end of a row of seats, she was mesmerized with the article she was reading when she felt someone sit down next to her.

"Hey there, watcha reading."

Surprised that someone was talking to her, Brennan closed her magazine and turned to stare at the stranger. "I'm currently reading an article titled 'Anthropological Atheism and the Temptation to Believe'. Apparently 'going native' is one of the few remaining taboos within Anthropology. It's considered antithetical to the social scientist's stance of objectivity and standing as a professional . . . "

"Whoa there." The handsome stranger rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know what you're talking about, so just stop. I came over here to talk to you not to be lectured to."

Confused, Brennan shook her head. "I wasn't lecturing you. You asked me what I was reading and I explained it to you."

Irritated, the man moved his hand and placed it on her arm. "Okay, I get it. So anyway, my flight is delayed and I saw you sitting here and it kind of confused me that a beautiful woman like you was sitting alone. You shouldn't be alone, so here I am. My name is Kyle."

Uncomfortable, Brennan shifted her arm so she could escape the touch of the stranger. "I don't like to be touched by people I don't know. Please refrain from touching me."

His nostrils flaring, Kyle glared at Brennan. "If this is how you treat someone when they compliment you then no wonder you're alone."

"Hey Buddy. Why don't you leave her alone?" The young soldier stood in front of Kyle and glared at him. "She obviously doesn't want you to touch her."

His anger growing, Kyle stood up and glowered at the younger man. "Who the hell do you think you are? This is none of your business."

A smirk on his face, Seeley Booth glanced at the young woman and then back at the very angry man. "I'm the man who's going to beat the shit out of you if you don't walk away." Booth's eyes glinted in a hard stare and with it his face suddenly looked very menacing.

A cold chill running down his spine, Kyle noticed the 75th Ranger Regimental patch on Booth's uniform and realized that he was threatening someone very dangerous. "You're so full of shit." Lifting his chin, he glared at the younger man. "You can't touch me. It would be a court martial offense."

"Well I can touch you." Brennan stood up and glared at the man. "If you don't leave, I will be forced to defend myself and in so doing I will probably end up embarrassing you. I must warn you that I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and I am not afraid to defend myself."

The situation now out of hand, Kyle shook his head. "Lady you are definitely not worth this amount of trouble." Jamming his hands in his pockets he stalked away.

"Damn that was hot." Booth smiled at the young woman in admiration. "I mean really hot."

Her cheeks a bright rosy red, Brennan smiled at the handsome soldier. "I'm not sure why you are saying that."

Moving closer to her, Booth decided he wanted to talk to this intriguing young woman and sat down. "It means you don't take shit from anyone and that is so cool. I like a woman that can take care of herself. It's just so hot to me."

"Oh, so you mean you are sexually attracted to me." Brennan sat down and picked up her magazine from the floor where it had fallen earlier. "I am not currently sexually active."

Embarrassed, Booth stared at the young woman and wondered who the hell she was. "That's okay. I wasn't looking to have sex with you anyway. I just want to talk to you. You're interesting."

Intrigued, Brennan stared at the older man. "Thank you. I'm not good at small talk either. I usually find that to be boring since I have nothing in common with most people I meet."

Amused, Booth chuckled. "Seems like you're doing okay to me. So, where are you going?"

Brennan glanced at the board nearby and noticed her flight still said delayed. "I'm moving to Evanston, Illinois. I'm going to attend Northwestern University."

"Really?" Booth was impressed and he also realized that the young lady sitting next to him was probably about eighteen years old. A little too young for him. "What are you going to study?"

Pleased that a stranger was actually talking to her, she felt less socially awkward than usual. "My field of study is Forensic Anthropology."

"Wow." Booth was thoroughly impressed. "What's that?"

More than happy to talk about her favorite subject, Brennan explained. "It's a special sub-field of physical anthropology that involves applying skeletal analysis and techniques in archaeology to solving criminal cases."

Really impressed, Booth nodded his head. "That sounds pretty cool. I'm thinking about going into law enforcement some day when I get out of the service. Maybe the CIA or the FBI."

Brennan took a longer look at her companion and nodded her head. "I don't plan to work with law enforcement. I would like to use my knowledge to identify victims of war crimes or help identify victims of cold cases. Their voices have been muted and someone like myself could give their families closure and perhaps justice."

Booth really was intrigued with this serious woman sitting next to him. Before he could say anything further an announcement from a nearby loud speaker made Brennan grab her purse and backpack at her feet and stand up. "My flight is no longer delayed. I must leave. It was nice speaking to you."

Filled with regret that he wouldn't be able to learn more about her, Booth stood up and smiled. "Hey, it was nice meeting you. Good luck and I hope you knock them dead."

Brennan opened her mouth and the closed it. A giggle escaping her, she shook her head. "You made a joke. That was very amusing."

Pleased with himself, Booth grinned. "Thanks . . . Good-bye."

"Good-bye." Brennan turned and hurried towards her gate. She regretted that she had to leave after meeting such a kind stranger. Embarrassed, she realized that she hadn't found out what his name was. Turning, she scanned the area behind her and realized that he had moved on. Sad that she had found someone that she was comfortable around and yet wouldn't be able to get to know better, she hoped that someday she would meet someone like him and they could become friends. It would be nice to have a friend.

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