A/N: Wow, thank you everyone for the great response to this story. I honestly wasn't sure how people were going to react to the slightly angstier tone, but everyone has had good things to say. I really appreciate that and I hope you continue to enjoy the story as these two find their way to each other again.

Now, don't get spoiled! ;-) I won't usually be updating every day, but I do have some time on my hands for the next few days. Then it will be more like once a week. Plus, I've got the inspiration right now so it's easy to crank out these chapters. =)

Don't worry if you don't see some of the characters. Sweets will be back quickly, and so will Daisy. Parker will definitely make an appearance and others too. This is just the beginning.

But enough from me. I hope you like this chapter as we get our favorite couple back out in the field.

Disclaimer: Don't own them. Still.

~B/B~

It had been a long week. Cam had insisted that she not return to the Jeffersonian immediately, but rather take some time to get acclimated to civilization again. Booth had done the same but he was due to become Special Agent Seeley Booth again first thing in the morning. She smiled to herself as she thought of his excitement to get his gun back.

"Somebody better kill someone soon, Bones, because I cannot wait to get into that interrogation room." He'd told her over an early dinner at Wung Foos.

She'd chided him of course. There was no need to be so casual about someone being murdered. But she understood what he meant. She was looking forward to the moment that he would barrel into her office, snapping his fingers at her and informing her they had a case that needed their attention.

Then maybe she'd be able to feel as though things really were back to normal. They'd danced around each other all week. Dinners here and there, running errands, they'd even caught a movie. They laughed and they teased and they argued and it was just like it always had been.

Except for that one thing she couldn't quite decipher. Whatever this thing was it occasionally made him abruptly change the subject or made his eyes register sadness instead of warmth. Sometimes it made him stop and look at her for a long moment before turning away.

She'd asked him about it. He'd seemed surprised, but had only shrugged. "Eh, you know, Bones, just readjusting to real life again." Then he'd smile and make a joke or try to distract her somehow and she'd let him get away with it. But that didn't mean she didn't notice it the next time it happened.

Looking in her mirror, she brushed her hair out and washed her face. Her bed was warm and inviting as she slipped between the sheets and closed her eyes, anxious for sleep. Anxious for the next day when she would return to the Jeffersonian and get on with her life. Anxious to have an excuse to see her partner again.

~B/B~

His office. His desk. His chair. His gun. His hockey picture. His name plate. His. It was good to be back.

He wandered around touching this and that here and there. Adjusting a file, straightening a picture. Standing the middle of the room, he grinned and snapped his fingers. "I am back, baby!" He announced to no one.

A knock on the door interrupted his subdued but silly dance of joy, even more so when the door opened and he found himself face to face with Andrew Hacker.

"Agent Booth. Good to have you home." Hacker said, smiling and extending his hand. "How were things in Afghanistan?"

Booth hated that question. Absolutely loathed it. Sure, fine. It was great. In fact, I loved every moment of being in life threatening danger. So excited about the fact that I made it out alive even though not all of the men I was responsible for did.

Those weren't really socially acceptable answers.

"They were fine, sir." He said, taking his boss's boss' hand and shaking it briefly. "I am glad to be home though."

"Yes, I would imagine." Hacker said, nodding. "And Temperance, I assume she made it home safely as well."

Booth felt himself get riled and ordered his mind to shut out that crazed feeling he got when Hacker, or any man that wanted her, mentioned his partner's name. "Yep, she home again, home again." He said, moving to sit down behind his desk as an excuse to look away from the man in front of him. "She didn't… call you?" He fished subtly.

Hacker chuckled. "Oh, no. No, no, no. She wouldn't though."

Booth cursed his sudden interest, but allowed himself the curiosity. She was his friend after all. He could be curious about her. "She wouldn't?" He prompted. He hadn't asked her about Hacker. In fact, he'd strictly avoided the subject of love interests all together in the name of self preservation.

"No, Temperance made it relatively clear before she left that she didn't see a future for us." Hacker said, lowering himself into one of Booth's chairs, uninvited. "Which was just as well" He continued. "Much as I tried, I never got the feeling that she was that interested." He shrugged and smiled. "Worked out for the best though. I'm getting married."

Booth gave the man a genuine smile for the first time since he'd walked into his office. "Married? Wow, that's… congratulations sir."

"Yes, she's pretty wonderful." Hacker said, smiling as well. "Her name is Miranda. I met her a few weeks after you both left. But anyway, I didn't come down here just to brag." He handed Booth the file that he'd been holding. "This is a case. About two months old. The Agent assigned to it ran into dead end after dead end, but I thought if you two are back and up to the challenge, you might be able to give this family some answers."

"Absolutely." Booth said, opening the file and taking in the image of a beautiful young Latina girl staring back at him. "Bones is back on the job today too. We're both anxious to get back out there."

"Good." Hacker said, standing. "Then I'll leave you to it." He headed towards the door, then stopped and turned around. "Oh, and don't forget. You'll need to recertify as a marksman within the week. You know the drill."

"Sure." Booth said, still studying the folder.

"Tell Temperance I'm glad she is back safely." Hacker said before heading out the door and down the hall.

"Yeah, Temperance doesn't care." Booth muttered childishly under his breath. Even if the guy was happily engaged, he wasn't about to do anything that would bring him back into her mind.

He chided himself. He was acting jealous and friends didn't get jealous of each others' former romantic partners. Friends didn't conveniently forget to relay messages from them either. Cursing quietly, he rose, grabbed his gun, the file and his jacket and headed for the door. He was going to have to get better at this if he wanted to pull off the whole friends and partners gig.

~B/B~

Brennan was in her office with Cam discussing the inevitable small changes that had taken place during her absence. She'd have to get a new card for the forensic platform since their security system had changed. The cycle of interns had been disbanded considering Brennan had not been around to be their professor. Instead, Clark had been working as the full time forensic anthropologist while she'd been away and he would stay on in that position. A position that was lower than Brennan's, Cam made sure to mention.

Brennan accepted this new information without much of a reaction, but when Cam still lingered, she raised her eyes to her boss' and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Cam seemed taken aback. "Well, I just thought you might like to chat. You've been gone for a year. I'm sure you have a million things that have happened." She cleared her throat. "You might even ask me how I've been."

Brennan nodded. "Of course. That would be appropriate." She said. "The dig went very well. My piece on it should be coming out in a few months, and all the details will be in there." She glanced at Cam and thought perhaps she should offer more. "We found evidence that demonstrates the validity of evolution and also connects multiple stages of early life. It was an excellent opportunity and I intend to remain in contact with the anthropologist who took over for me when I left."

"Well, I'm very happy for you, Dr. Brennan. I know how important this trip was to you." Cam said smiling. She paused and waited but when Brennan was silent, she shook her head in amusement and answered the unasked question. "This past year has been really good for me too. It was rough at first, adjusting to the new people at work and everything, but my personal life more than made up for it. You remember the doctor I met shortly before you left?"

"No." Brennan said simply.

"Right. Well, anyway, his name is Paul Litner and he's… he's wonderful." Cam smiled widely. "Really, really wonderful. It was a bit awkward at first because…"

"Bones!" Booth's booming voice interrupted their conversation as he appeared in her doorway. "You'll never guess what. We have a case!"

"Actually, that was what I would have guessed." She said, returning his smile.

Cam stood up and walked quickly over to Booth. "Seeley, you are in so much trouble." She said as he grinned and accepted her hug, picking her up off the floor. "Dr. Brennan tells me you've been back for a week and you can't even drop by to say hello to one of your oldest friends?" She smacked him playfully as he released her. "I may not forgive you."

"Nice try, Camille." He said, grinning. "I know you're a softy when it comes to Booth boys."

She sighed. "It's true. I just can't stay mad."

Brennan observed the easy affection between the two friends and felt a twinge of sadness. They hadn't seen each other in a year and yet it didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. Booth's hand was casually resting on Cam's shoulder and his smile seemed genuine as they talked. Not stilted or uncomfortable.

"So how are you, Seeley?" Cam asked, her tone serious.

He shrugged, keeping his grin in place. "Eh, you know, a little worse for wear. Tired. But glad to be home." He gave her shoulder one last squeeze and turned back to Brennan who had stood and was walking towards them. "Pick up the pace, Bones. We're meeting with the victims' family in twenty minutes." He told her.

"I'm ready now." She said, glancing at Cam.

"Of course, yeah, get busy." Cam said. "Bring us something to work on. It's been dull around here without you two."

"Of course it has." Booth said. His hand rested on Brennan's back briefly and her eyes jumped to his at the long awaited touch. He held her gaze for a long moment then propelled her forward with an abrupt pressure on her back before his hand dropped. "Come on, Bones, we don't have all day." He said. "Cam, it's great to see you again. Hey, how's that man of yours, by the way?"

"Amazing." Cam said with a wide smile. "You'll have to meet him later. Screen him for me."

He rested a hand on his gun, grinning. "You know it." He said before turning back to Brennan and heading for the parking lot. He started to fill her in on the case, stopping only when two familiar faces appeared before them.

"Angela!" Brennan said, rushing forwards to hug her friend. "We didn't expect you till tomorrow." She said, embracing the slight woman tightly.

"Oo, Sweetie." Angela said, returning the hug. "It is so good to see you. Let me look at you." She stepped back, her hands on Brennan's arms. "You look so good and I love the hair! It's totally chic."

"You look well also." Brennan said, her eyes drifting down to the small bump that was Angela's stomach. "You are most definitely pregnant."

"Well yeah." Angela said, laughing. "I told you I was." Her eyes darted past Brennan and rested on Booth. "Hey there handsome!" She grinned and pulled him into a hug. "Careful." She said when he put his arms around her. "I'm carrying some fragile luggage here."

"Yeah, dude, if you squeeze too tight it'll pop right out." Hodgins said, walking forward, a smile on his face.

"That is not true." Brennan said, shaking her head as she accepted Hodgins' brief hug. "In order for the baby to exit the uterus, the muscles would have to contract and birth canal would have to…"

"Bones." Booth interjected. "Hodgins was kidding."

Angela unwrinkled her nose and laughed. "Oh, wow, I missed you, Sweetie." She said, hugging her friend again. "I can't believe you're home. We are going to have to talk soon. I want to hear all about your trip. The science stuff sure, but mainly whether or not you met any hot, sweaty jungle men to keep you occupied." She grinned and Hodgins chuckled, gazing at his wife adoringly behind her back.

Brennan glanced at Booth who seemed to have felt a sudden urge to flip through the file folder again. "Angela." Brennan chided.

"Sorry, sorry. Pregnancy hormones. They make you…" She searched for the right word.

"Insane?" Hodgins suggested, earning himself a smack, a glare and a kiss.

"Listen, Bones, we really have to go." Booth said apologetically.

"I know." Brennan said, nodding. "Angela are you here to work today?"

"No, Sweetie, I'm in no rush. We'll be in tomorrow, but today we're going to go home, put our feet up and relax for awhile. Baby Hodgins is tired and so is his mommy." She leaned against Hodgins who slipped his arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"It's a boy?" Brennan asked, smiling.

"Angie thinks so." Hodgins said. "We don't know yet. I'm betting on a girl though."

Angela rolled her eyes. "If we have a girl he wants to name her Callippe. After his favorite type of butterfly. I'm hoping it's a boy for the child's sake."

Brennan smiled, but Booth touched her elbow, signaling her.

"We should go." She said dutifully. On impulse she stepped forward and hugged her friend again. "Lets talk tomorrow, though, ok?"

Angela caught the strange look in Brennan's eyes and nodded. "Sure, Sweetie. We'll talk."

"Ok." Brennan stepped back. "It was good to see you again, Hodgins. I'm looking forward to working with you again very much."

"Back at you, Dr. B." He said with a smile.

Turning, Brennan allowed Booth to guide her out of the building and towards the parking lot. As they got into his car she spoke. "They seemed very happy."

"Yeah." He agreed, shooting a glance at her. "Hey, you ok?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She said, looking out her window.

Another glance. "Sure? Cause if you want to talk about something, you know you can still…"

"I know." She said, looking over at him.

He swallowed and put his eyes back on the road. "Ok. Good then."

~B/B~

He parked outside the family's house and pulled out the file again. "Ok, so, two months ago Lena Hernandez was found in a shallow grave near the river. The notes say that she'd been dead for about eight months when she was found and her body was decomposed beyond recognition. They identified her through dental records, but none of their leads ever panned out." He looked towards the house. "Her parents, Juan and Anna, cooperated but had no useful information."

"Then why are we here?" She asked, also looking towards the house.

"Because, Bones. I like to decide what information is or is not useful." He said, getting out of the car. She followed suit and they walked up the sidewalk together. "I should probably do the talking. You know, since it's been awhile." He suggested.

"It's been awhile for you as well." She pointed out, frowning at his implication.

"Yeah, but this sorta comes more naturally for me." He said, glancing at her. "Besides, I'm the cop here, remember?"

She smiled, reminded of the familiar debate over the benefits of cops and scientists. "So, then you'll be the one solving the case? She asked as he raised his hand to knock on the door.

He shot her a grin. "Exactly." He said, tapping her shoulder with his fist.

"With your gut?" She pressed further.

"Nothing better." He said, shaking his head. "Come on, you can't tell me you couldn't have used a little of my gut in your Malukish Islands. All that science speak had to be a bit much, even for you." He teased.

She looked up at him. "Yes, I would have been very glad for your presence in the Maluku Islands, but not because of your infamous gut." She said seriously.

His grin faded a bit as he met her eyes and held them. Neither noticed when the door opened and the older woman who stood in the doorway had to clear her throat.

"Ms. Hernandez?" Booth asked, his hand going for his badge. He showed it to her with the same flourish as he always had. "FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. We've been assigned to your daughter's case and we were hoping to speak with you."

She woman's tired, worn face seemed to fall even further. "We've already talked to so many people about this…" She said, looking between them. "We want peace. Just peace."

"I understand, ma'am. We're very sorry for your loss." Booth said, giving the woman a sympathetic smile. "But it would really help us if you could answer a few questions."

"I don't think so." The woman said, starting to close the door.

Brennan reached out and stopped her. "Ms. Hernandez, the best way to obtain the peace you're looking for is to find answers. Finding your daughter's murderer won't bring her back to life, but it will help you get your own life back."

Booth looked at her in surprise, then watched Anna Hernandez' face as she slowly nodded. "Fine. Ok." She said, stepping back and allowing them to enter. "I will answer your questions."

The partners followed her into the living room. "Nice work, Bones." Booth whispered as they walked.

"I know." She said simply.

They took their seats next to each other on the woman's large, flowered couch and Booth explained why they had been assigned to the case and began asking his routine questions. Looking over his shoulder, Brennan could see that the woman's answers seemed to match perfectly with the notes that Booth had in the file. They weren't learning anything new.

Her phone went off and Booth glanced over at her as she hurried to answer it. "Brennan." She said, her tone clipped. When she heard the voice on the other end of the line, she stood. "I'm sorry, excuse me." She said, walking back into the hall and stepping outside onto the porch.

She spoke to her successor in Indonesia for fifteen minutes, discussing his latest find and the implications of it as well as strategizing on the release of the information they were obtaining at the dig. Ten minutes into the call, Booth joined her on the porch and paced as she spoke.

After glancing at his stormy face, she hesitated. "Mason, we will have to continue this conversation at a later time." She said, her eyes on Booth. "I'm back at work here in D.C." She listened. "Yes, that would be fine. Tonight then." Another pause. "Yes, thank you for keeping me informed."

She hung up her phone and met his eyes. "That was the new head of the dig in Indonesia." She explained.

"Yeah, I got that." He said, heading towards the car. She followed him, confused by his behavior. From the way he jerked his seat belt and shoved the car into drive, she could only assume that he was frustrated.

"Booth?" She looked over at him as he pulled back onto the main road.

"What?" He didn't return her look.

"You're upset." She said simply.

"Nope." He denied it.

"Booth, I know that you are." She said, frowning. "Did something happen with Anna Hernandez?"

He let out a short laugh. "You wouldn't know, would you?" He muttered.

His attitude took her by surprise. "You're angry with me?" She asked, genuinely shocked.

"No." He said, hitting his horn at the person who wasn't letting him in to the turn lane. "Forget it, Bones."

She fell silent for a few minutes, but his aggressive gestures never subsided and she sighed, looking back over at him. "Booth, we're partners." She said, playing that card. "Partners tell each other things, right?"

He sent her a look. "Look, it's no big deal, ok? I just didn't expect you to ditch our first interview to talk on the phone with Indonesia Mason, that's all. No big deal."

She frowned. "Well, I'm sorry, Booth, but I can't control when he calls me. I promised that I would remain in touch to consult with him on the remainder of the dig. There will be times when he needs to call me with questions or updates. I don't know why that's upsetting for you."

"It just took me by surprise, ok?" He said.

She fell silent, not sure what else she could say when she didn't even understand the problem. He obviously didn't want to discuss the topic any further.

Five minutes passed before he looked at her and let out a breath. "Bones, look, I'm sorry." His eyes bounced between the road and her. "I didn't mean to… snap at you or whatever. I just didn't realize you were still working so closely with the dig and I was looking forward to…" He took a deep breath. "I guess I was looking forward to us working together again. In the field. Like we used to."

She looked down. "I was looking forward to that too." She said, studying her fingers closely. "I suppose the possibility of offending you by taking the call didn't occur to me." She admitted. "I often used to take calls while in the field and it never upset you."

"Yeah, I guess I still miss you a little." He confessed.

She frowned. "I'm right here, Booth." She told him, considering reaching over and touching his arm.

"Are you?" He asked, looking over at her as they came to a stop at a red light. "Because it sort of feels like maybe part of you is still over there." She looked at him blankly and he clarified. "Metaphorically, Bones. Your focus. Is your focus here? Or is it still over in Indonesia?"

"It's here." She promised. "This is where I want to be."

He gave her a half-hearted smile. "Yeah, ok." He said, pulling forward again as the light turned green.

"Booth?" She spoke again after a moment. "I still want to be a part of the remainder of the dig. Is that a problem for you?"

"No, Bones." He said, shaking his head. "It's not a problem. If that's what you want then you should do it."

She nodded. "Perhaps I could arrange a better schedule with Mason. So that his calls don't detract from our cases."

He smiled at her again. "Yeah, that'd be good." He agreed. "Thanks." There was a long pause, then he looked at her. "So, I didn't know you had a phone down there. Pretty good connection?"

She shrugged. "Yes, relatively. Why do you ask?"

He shook his head. "No reason."

"Ok." She said slowly. "Where are we going?"

"To Lena's boyfriend's house. Her mother suggested we speak to him as well. Probably won't get us anything new, but I want to get a read on him." As he spoke, he stopped the car in front of another house and started to get out.

Reaching over, she placed her hand on his arm, stopping him. He looked at her expectantly and she smiled gently. "I still miss you too."

He took a deep breath and dropped his hand from the door handle, settling back in his seat. "Geez, Bones." He muttered.

~B/B~

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