Disclaimer: Please insert something witty here about me not owning "Bones".

The Giant in the Basement

Chapter 1

Dr. Brennan pulls on the handle of the passenger door of the black SUV unsuccessfully. She tries again, yanking harder.

"Booth..." she says in a long drawn-out tone, dangerously close to a whine. She taps on the window impatiently.

Her partner is sitting inside, behind the wheel, and is busy fiddling with the radio. It takes a minute of impatient pounding before he finally notices Brennan's plight and presses the automatic unlock button.

"You did that on purpose," Brennan complains as she pulls the door shut behind her and drops her well-worn shoulder bag in the back seat.

Booth grins at her innocently. "Why would I do that?" He puts the car in drive and carefully pulls out of the crowded museum parking lot.

She rolls her eyes and turns her head to look out the window. "Why is the FBI handling this investigation anyway?"

"Well-"

" I mean, this doesn't exactly sound like terrorism, espionage, or public corruption." She interrupts herself with a sarcastic snort of laughter. "There's no evidence of mob or gang related activity. No fraud, no jewel or art theft. It's not an Indian reservation or a national park..." She looks away from the passing scenery and catches a glimpse of Booth's surprised expression. "What?"

"Where did that come from?" he asks with raised eyebrows.

"I looked it up. Watch the road, please."

"You looked it up."

"Yes."

"You looked up the categories of federal law that fall under FBI jurisdiction."

Brennan's hand gestures frantically demand Booth's attention be returned to the traffic. "Yes," she says, when he has complied. "FBI . org. Very useful website."

"Why?"

"It has a lot of interesting information..."

"No, why did you look up FBI jurisdiction?"

"I thought I should know more about the FBI as an organization."

"Why? You have me."

Brennan leans her head back against her seat. "Well, I was tired of asking you questions every five minutes."

Booth casts her a quick, side long glance and then shakes his head with a smirk. "Oh, no. That's not it." A traffic light turns red and he's able to turn and look at his partner. "You're tired of me knowing more about something than you."

Brennan sits up straight and stares at him. "That's totally-"

He cuts her off and wiggles his finger in her face. "Admit it. You can't stand the fact that I'm an expert on something that you know very little about."

"Expert?" Brennan grabs his finger and forcefully transfers it to the steering wheel as the light changes. "I wouldn't say you're an expert."

Booth's jaw drops dramatically. "Excuse me? Do you have any idea what it takes-" he pounds the armrest with his right fist, "-to become a special agent in the FBI?"

Brennan closes her eyes and slouches in her seat again. "A four-year degree at an accredited university, US citizenship, three years work experience, a valid driver's license, and approximately 21 weeks of training at the FBI academy in Quantico, Virginia."

There's a brief silence. Booth watches her through narrowed eyes. "You looked that up too."

She smiles satisfactorily. "FBI jobs . org."

Booth lets out a long breath and rubs his eyes with his hand. "Look, from now on how about I just handle the administrative and-" he pauses and gives her a significant look, "-dangerous cop stuff and you handle the decomposing and rotting, you know, fun stuff."

Brennan's lips purse up as she glares at him. "That doesn't make sense."

"Why?" he asks, exasperated. "Why does that not make sense?"

"We work together. Exclusively and almost every day. It's not practical for our areas of expertise to remain completely separate. We should learn from each other, share our knowledge."

Booth laughs, quickly and sharply. "If you expect me to study the skeletal system in my spare time-"

Brennan tilts her head, surprised at his dismissive reaction. "What's wrong with that? I know a good website."

"No. Just no." Booth's knuckles turn pale as he grips the steering wheel. "All right, Bones?"

Brennan shrugs. She relaxes again in her seat. "I can't believe you're mad at me for wanting to make our partnership more efficient."

"I'm not mad."

"You sound mad. Testy even."

"I'm not testy." Booth struggles to bring the volume of his voice back down to normal. "Can we please just talk about something else?"

Another silence falls. Brennan glances out the window again, searching for a less incendiary topic. She smiles at last. "Did you know when the FBI was established before World War I, it was just called the Bureau of Investigation or the BOI for short. I bet the female agents today would hate that." Another red light strikes and Booth turns to stare at her with blank eyes. "You know, because people would say 'Oh, here come the BOI's,'." She chuckles but Booth's head drops onto the steering wheel with a "thunk". Concerned, she hastens to clarify, "Like 'boys' but it's an acronym. Get it?"

Booth presses his face harder against the leather. "Consider your computer confiscated."

A/N: This is the first chapter of the first story in the series I'm attempting to write of realistic casefics with a strong BB undercurrent. I'm trying to focus on genuine sounding dialogue and the interesting incorporation of science. I find fanfiction incredibly difficult to write and I really admire all those who manage it so superbly. Anyway, I seriously appreciate anyone taking the time to read this and would obviously love to get some feedback. Thanks! Anya