Ok, here is my first ever Bones fanfiction... I'm not sure if it's any good and would really appreciate constructive feedback, any pointers on what people want to read!!

Disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately. I'm just borrowing them for a wee while.

Special Agent Seeley Booth flipped his lucky poker chip in the air, caught it, and proceeded to straighten one of his many snappy ties, (today emblazoned with an apt pattern of white bones on a black background), as he strode whistling through the Jeffersonian's impressive Medico-Legal lab in D.C. Heading toward the raised platform he had to smile at the band of squints examining their latest body; chuckling inwardly he watched Zach frown at the remains, large-eyed through a magnifying glass while attempting to ignore Hodgins's taunts about some girl in the archaeology department. Angela, perched on the edge of a desk and armed with her sketch pad and pencil, darted her eyes playfully at 'Hodgy' and looked thoroughly amused at his teasing, along with Cam, who was smiling and shaking her head, though her eyes remained on the table in front of her. Only Dr. Temperance Brennan was fully engaged in the task at hand and Booth slowed his step, letting his eyes follow her as she circled the table and spoke into her voice recorder. Incomprehensible as her anthropological jargon often was to him he enjoyed seeing her enthusiasm barely contained as she did the job she loved and excelled at.

'Hey Bones!' he called, 'we got bones!' He fished around in his inside pocket for his access pass, swiped it cleanly through the reader and jogged up the few steps to meet his partner head on. She switched off the recorder and turned to face him, wide-eyed and smiling as she elaborated in her current project lying on the examination table:

Yes – a 450-year-old skeleton to be exact, if it's authentic! Archaeologists excavating some Incan ruins last week uncovered what appears to be a burial ground and they've had some of the remains shipped here from Peru. It really is a remarkable find'.

'Well we have another, slightly more recent remarkable find, which I think, you'll find just as interesting. A guy went for a walk this morning, threw a stick for his dog; the dog came back with an arm bone'. He paused for effect and received an emphatic 'Ew' from Angela. Brennan however stared at him blankly and asked exactly why he thought that would interest her more than what was possibly an authentic Incan tribe member. Her eyes drifted down to his tie and she tilted her head, brow wrinkled. She briefly considered explaining that the lengths of the different bones in relation to one another were not anatomically correct but was jolted back to the conversation as Booth's fingers snapped in front of her nose.

'So the dog led his owner to the rest of the body, he called the police, it's on state land so they called us, and I came to get you. That's the way it works'. Raising his eyebrows and flashing a wide grin, he placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled gently, evidently planning on guiding her away from the ancient distraction on the table. 'So – get your stuff, let's go Bones!'

'Booth, you can't just waltz in here and abduct me whenever you want to, I have other work too. Archaeologist, anthropologists, and scholars the world over are waiting on my authentication of these remains – this discovery could be hugely influential, not to mention', she added smiling, 'very exciting'. She turned back to the skeleton and Booth frowned at the back of her head, not really feeling the squinty enthusiasm. Moving forward and placing his hands on the table he stood over the remains and looked them up and down, 'Come on Bones, the squints can handle this guy'.

'It's female, Brennan countered, as she slapped his hands away from the table. Stepping back, arms raised in an attitude of self-defence, the persistent FBI agent grinned at her again and stated matter-of-factly, 'You're the best Bones, we need you out there'. Making a quarter turn and stopping to face her partner Brennan sighed,

'Don't think I'll fall for your charm smile'. Try as she might however she found she couldn't resist, and she cursed herself as a smile played on her features, mirroring his and making her eyes sparkle. Damn he was infuriating! Straightening and shifting her weight from one foot to the other she pursed, clamping her lips together the way she always did when things weren't going her way. Booth noticed, and seized the opportunity.

'Right, so we'll go investigate the new body, and you guys, do what you need to do with this one'. Zach's arm shot up in the air as he enthusiastically offered to confirm cause of death; Angela assured her friend that she would get a face for the woman.

'Right people, that leaves Hodge-Podge with the dirt and it's all good', finished Cam. Hodgins glared at her.

'How many times? 'Dirt' is a generic term – it's useless'. He nodded at Brennan, 'I'll take the dust and particulates, see if she really was buried when they think she was'.

Brennan sighed and peeled off her latex gloves, stuffing them in her lab coat pocket before undoing the buttons and shrugging it off on her way down the steps. She headed to her office to get her jacket and the case of equipment she needed for fieldwork, while Booth remained on the platform facing the squint squad uncomfortably.

'Nice tie', Cam smiled at him. He once more tossed the poker chip in the air, caught it deftly and smiling returned it to his pocket,

'Well you know, I like to make an effort'. Angela eyed the pair knowingly.

'You've seen Katy from archaeology right? Briefly?' Zach glanced nervously at him, raising his eyebrows questioningly, 'so, do you think I have a shot? What should I do to get her attention?'

'Well I'll see you later!' Booth interrupted before turning and joining Brennan at the bottom of the steps. Zach smiled slightly and nodded. The agent was ignoring him – things were good between them.

The SUV pulled up at a cordoned off section of the road, winding its way through the woods like a black river. A tall balding man wearing spectacles joined Brennan and Booth as the bickering pair stepped down from the car, and introduced himself as Detective Rayner.

'Hi, I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth, this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan-'

'Forensic anthropologist. Where are the remains?'

'Doesn't waste any time does she?' Rayner glanced at Booth then back at the tall, very attractive, and very focussed woman in front of him, 'this way Dr. Brennan'.

She followed him, quickly pulling her hair back into a ponytail, zipping her blue coveralls to the top, and sliding on her gloves as they approached the scene. The body was in a ditch that ran alongside the tarmac, overgrown and tangled with tree roots and brambles. The wet autumn weather had soaked the mounds of brown leaves that covered the area, and a damp musty smell pervaded the air, along with that distinctive and nauseating aroma of rotting flesh, by now all too recognisable to Booth. Holding the bottom corner of his suit jacket over his mouth and nose he looked on in obvious disgust as Brennan stooped to get a closer look. The bone that had been retrieved earlier from the clamped jaws of a very possessive terrier was laid out on blue plastic sheeting spread on the side of the road, but it had not been touched since. All officers and detectives on the scene had been forewarned about contaminating evidence, and the woman they would be answering to if they dared.

Carefully brushing away a branch Brennan looked at the remains. Slowly moving her eyes over the contours of the skeleton she let them speak to her, tell her their history. Who had they been? Nothing was left now but broken bones barely covered by torn and blackened flesh, hollow eyes crawling with maggots, dirt laden hair that used to be blonde; it was her job to discover what they used to be, if they were healthy, if they played sport, if they had ever broken their arm falling off a bike.

'It's female. Aged between 15 and 20, definitely Caucasian. The fracture on the skull suggests blunt force trauma, and there are also breaks to three ribs that I can see…' she trailed off and turned her attention to the separated bone lying at her side, which she now lifted and gently turned in her hands.

'It's the left radius. The teeth marks here', she pointed, 'and here, show where the dog pulled on the bone trying to detach it from the body. There are similar marks here on the ribs and the femur, also a number of phalanges are missing and there's evidence of chewing and scraping… so other animals have probably been feeding off the body since it's been here. No other injuries to this arm but her right one is badly broken. The bone would have protruded through the skin'. Somewhere behind her Booth cleared his throat and inhaled deeply in an attempt to hold on to his breakfast now that he had several unappealing images firmly imprinted on his mind; she ignored him and continued, 'I can confirm cause of death back at the lab'.

'How long has it been here?'

'Due to the location and the damp conditions – and of course the animals feeding – I'd say rate of decomposition has been extremely fast. She's probably only been here three weeks at the most. There's a lot of insect activity, Hodgins can look at that and give you a more precise answer'.

Giving rapid orders to people to bag the remains and ensure their safe removal to the Jeffersonian, Brennan once more snapped off her gloves and headed for the car, with Booth in close pursuit, smiling. He knew that she was secretly pleased at being 'abducted' by him and taken into the field. And he knew that despite claiming disinterestedness she would not stop until she had found out what happened to this young girl and laid her to rest properly.

Well there it is, I hope you enjoyed it... please read and review!! Be the first and make my day :-D

tmprnc