Title: The Small Strokes in the Big Picture

Author: NexustehULF0o

Description: The point was, they were in love – constantly proven by the little, everyday things done together. B/B. However-many-I-feel-like-writing-shot.

Rating: T. Mature themes. You'll see.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BONES. I love it though. More than anyone should ever love a TV Show. Really.

Nexus: FILL THE VOID FILL THE VOID FILL THE VOID I only have to last until the end of September. If I just keep telling myself that, I'll be okay…right? Right? * rocks back and forth *

Chapter I: That Certain Feeling...

"The central and lateral incisors in both maxillary and mandibular forms have taken brutal damage, the cause very well being a medium-to-large-sized projectile striking the victim in the mouth. Several teeth, including adult molars, have been cracked or moved." Temperance Brennan pushed a stray lock of chestnut hair behind her ear as she examined another murder victim, wiggling a cracked and loose tooth near the front of the mouth before standing erect. She clicked the button on the small recording device again, bringing her mouth remotely close to the microphone. "The wounds to the lower jaw almost directly match the wounds found near the lumbar region, suggesting that the victim may have been repeatedly stricken with a baseball bat or a large metal pole."

Brennan placed the recorded on the autopsy table in front of her, carefully removing her rubber gloves and disposing them into the trash receptacle. Eyes downward as if to turn around and grab the recorder once more, she was instead greeted by a flamboyant red tie against a black, FBI standard-issue suit. She looked up, outwardly unsurprised, even if her heart had skipped a crucial beat.

"Hey, Bones!" A familiar voice called warmly, causing her to smile without thinking. "Thought I'd find you here."

She reached around him, and he slightly moved out of the way for her, grabbing her recorder before locking eyes with her partner, one Seeley Booth.

"I like to keep everything in a case on record, so I was making a tape of the murder victims injuries – the autopsy was conducted earlier today, but I wanted to make sure all of my findings matched what was found earlier." She turned to shut off the computer behind her.

"And…?" Her partner held out the 'an', leaving her slightly, but playfully annoyed.

"And…everything is in order." She turned to him once more at the monitor shut itself off. "Nothing went unnoticed. Nor did I miss anything mentioned in the report."

"We have any direction as to finding this guy?" Booth asked, turning to stare at the body for a moment before grimacing and looking away.

"Not at the moment, no." Brennan replied, quickly taking a look at her watch. 8:32 PM. "But the bag the body was found in has been dusted for fingerprints – Angela should have the results by tomorrow afternoon, if not tomorrow morning."

"Ah…" Booth stuck a hand into his pocket, and, upon noticing Brennan walking toward her office, took one last uncomfortable look at the skeleton on the table before following after her.

"So…" Booth casually stepped into Brennan's office, where she was filing the autopsy paperwork at her desk. "I've got Parker for the weekend this weekend and we're going to see a hockey game!" Booth's mention of the hockey game was somewhat singsong, and he did a odd sort of dance corresponding with the words.

"Oh, that's great!" His partner looked up, smiling genuinely (he loved her smiles best because she didn't see the merits nor the logic of faking one) and placing a manila folder into a larger pile of them on her desk. That looked to be the end of her sentence until he could see the look on her face change accordingly – in this case, she was about to rattle off a fact.

"The human race is one of the only known species to bond with their male young. Most males will kill the male young when they are still very small, thus avoiding potential threats to the clan or group leader. " She smiled. "It'd be such a shame if you ended up killing Parker because he was a threat to your position as an FBI Agent. He really is such a nice kid…" The woman trailed off, returning to her work.

Booth simply nodded, a weak, confused smile on his face.

"Uh, you know, you're welcome to come, if don't have anything going on Saturday night…I mean, I can get another ticket…" He offered, almost completely unaware of what that might have sounded like to anyone else.

"Oh, I couldn't. Parker needs to spend time with you – you're his father. Having me there would only confuse him as to - " She began, tapping her pen on the desk.

"You give Parker too little credit, Bones." Booth chuckled, leaning against the couch Brennan had in her office. "You know he'd love to have you there."

Brennan sat still for a moment, mulling it over. Hockey was a primal sport, something men would be more interested in than a woman ever would...However, this would be a good anthropological study in modern American culture – how men still rely on primal instinct despite the human brain's adaptations and reworking over a long period of time.

Not to mention Booth would be there. And she hadn't seen Parker in a long while – not since Booth had last brought him in due to the unusual hours Rebecca had scheduled for him to bond with his father. That was a while ago…possibly six months? He would have grown at least a little bit since then. She smiled.

"All right. I'll go." She nodded, watching Booth's grin extend from ear to ear. "But please, I'll pay my own way."

"Great!" He exclaimed, clapping once before rubbing his hands together before leaning back against the chair once more. Brennan smiled in return, before returning to her work once more.

A long silence ensued afterward, each one of them too preoccupied to talk. Brennan sat dutifully at her desk, tapping her pen against her bottom lip while occasionally scratching a sidenote onto one of the papers, then repeating the whole process. On occasion, she would fold the manila folder closed and grab a new one, opening before continuing to scribble sidenotes.

Booth on the other hand, had delved deep into thought, placing one hand across his chest, the other lifted so his index finger tapped upon his nose in a rhythmic pattern. His brow furrowed as he continued to think, adjusting his leg so it crossed the other.

If one looked close enough, they could see their eyes occasionally shift to the other, unsure of the silence. They would stare for a moment, and then return to their own business – they never locked eyes.

The long silence continued to divide them until Booth shifted his weight onto his other foot, causing Brennan to jump.

Booth chuckled, but didn't mention it as she looked up at him for a moment before returning to her paperwork for what seemed like the billionth time.

"Hey, listen, Bones." Booth began, taking his finger away from his face and looking up at her. She looked up again, not quite annoyed, but not exactly ecstatic about being interrupted either. He grinned awkwardly.

"I'm probably asking the wrong person, but…you ever feel like, your heart's kind of…tightening in your chest, and you feel like you're struggling to breathe –"

Temperance stared at him for a moment as he trailed of into silence, a bit unsure of what he was asking. What a trivial question! Why would he pose a question like that at a time like this…?

He stared at her genuinely, almost a longing, curious look in his eyes. She was unsure as to why.

"Well…I can only imagine that everyone has that feeling…I suppose it can only be explained by the abnormal level of –"

"Wait, wait." Booth, looking up suddenly. He smirked crookedly at her. "You've…this has happened to you before?"

"Well, yes. It has. More often as of late, I'm afraid…" Brennan began, standing from her seat while still looking down at the files at her desk. "Well…the first moment I remember feeling it distinctly was the moment I saw one of your girlfriends…Tessa, I think it was?...in one of your work shirts. It wasn't very prominent then, but I remember it as essentially what you've just described. I encountered shortness of breath as well as the 'chest-tightening' you talked about, as well as some other symptoms. Recently, though, it's been increasing in frequency and intensity, which has me immensely worried for my general health…" She trailed off, placing a hand to her heart while speaking the last few words. Suddenly, she looked up at Booth, their eyes meaningfully intertwining.

"Why? I haven't been acting differently, have I? – I don't know the symptoms of this, nor have I ever had a victim that dealt with such a problem…I have been meaning to contact a doctor…"

Booth folded his arms and simply laughed. "Bones." He smirked knowingly at her. "Why don't you go and clean up to bones on the table out there and you and me go pick up some Thai food?"

"Booth!" Her voice semi-scolded him as she placed her hands on her hips. "This is no time to be thinking about food! I feel my health is at risk here, and - "

"I don't think you have anything to worry about." He told her. "In fact, I've experienced it before, too."

"You have?" She asked, genuinely intrigued.

He nodded.

"You know, I'd trust a cardiologist's decision before I'd trust yours, Booth." She tilted her head a little bit, adjusting her hair.

He gestured to himself. "Why bother?" You've got yourself a survivor right here."

She stared at him oddly, similar to when she was examining bones. "Does it fade over time? What are its general lasting periods?"

"Well…" He put his arm around her shoulders as she moved toward her office door. "It never truly goes away, but I think you'll really get used to the feeling after a while…"

Nexus: Well, there's your first chapter! How'd you like it? :D R&R, if you would.