Thanks for all your reviews and encouragement. : I appreciate it. And the plane ride…I have no idea of the distance or how long it takes, but im just gonna say its five and a half hours.

BB.BB.BB.BB.BB.BB.BB

Chapter 2

"Female. Aged 9-11. Preliminary examination shows both patella's are shattered, and their looks to be trauma to the left parietal bone. The metatarsals and phalanges also appear to be shattered, probably so the victim was unable to escape. Approximate time of death…about one year ago." Brennan said into her mini tape recorder. They had arrived at John Wayne Airport at three thirty in the morning, and had then gone to their hotel rooms to get a couple hours of sleep, only to wake up at six to make their way to Strands Beach. Booth watched as Brennan made her observations. She moved to the second body. "Again, female, and aged 9-11. Same type of damage to the bones, only approximate time of death is one to three years." She looked towards the third body and sighed heavily. She repeated the same information, and then asked for Booth to help her out of the pit she was in.

"The victims all appear to be murdered the same way. Their patella's, metatarsals, and phalanges were…" she faltered at Booth's blank look.

"Care to explain that in, you know, English?" Booth asked. Brennan smiled slightly, and then started over. "Their knee bones were all shattered, along with the bones in their feet, most likely to prevent escape. The killing strike looks to be a blow to the side of their heads, but cannot be determined until the bones get sent back to the lab." Brennan finished.

"So basically, it looks to be a serial killer." Booth concluded. Brennan nodded slowly. "Who could do this to poor, defenseless little girls?" she asked herself quietly. Booth placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. Looking up, she started her detachment of the situation. "I should probably get these sent to the Jeffersonian so that Dr. Addy can to a more thorough examination." She finished. Booth looked at her in surprise. "What?" she questioned.

"It's just that, you know, usually you want to leave, and I have to make you stay." He smiled. "Why the sudden change?" he asked her.

"As much as I hate it, usually when it's a serial killer case, and with bodies being here for quite some time, there will most likely be more. And since it would be pointless to fly back home, and then have you calling me back, why not just stay until were done." She told him. She thought for a second. "And plus, I have a dinner Wednesday night." She said, more to herself than to him. Booth immediately frowned.

"You have a dinner? With who?" then it hit him. "Please tell me you did not invite Balls88 to come up here?" he asked her, trying to hold back his anger. Brennan looked at him.

"Don't call him that." She said poking his chest. "His name is Dan, and no I did not invite him up here. He's coming up here for business, and HE suggested that we meet up for dinner tomorrow night." She folded her arms across her chest. "Why do you care so much that I'm meeting someone for dinner?" she asked him. Booth threw his arms in the air.

"Why do I care? Because, Bones, if you haven't noticed, we're on a case. A serial killer case. A serial killer that's killing innocent children. There's no time for dinner dates." He told her angrily. 'There's also the fact that you're jealous.' His unconscious told him. He threw that thought aside. There was no way that he was jealous of some guy that found dates online. He tuned back into Brennan, who was looking at him in shock, with a little hurt mingled in.

"You think that I don't care about catching a murderer that's killing children? You know as well as I do that I would leave that dinner in a second if there was a new lead." She looked away from him, and rubbed her arms. 'That man is infuriating', she thought. Booth immediately felt guilty, but before he could apologize, a voice interrupted.

"Agent Booth," A man said, making their way to the couple. Booth looked at Brennan, who was looking at the man walking forward, before turning to the man and reached out to shake his hand. "Special Agent Ryan O'Donald." The man said. "What can you tell me about the bodies that were found?" he asked. Booth looked towards Bones, who still had her arms crossed. "My partner will be able to tell you that. Bones, Agent O'Donald. Agent O'Donald, my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan." Agent O'Donald swept his eyes over Brennan before smiling and extending his hand. Brennan inwardly rolled her eyes, extended her hand, and shook Agent O'Donalds. He held onto her hand for much longer than was required for shaking a hand. Booth found his annoyance with the agent growing.

"Based on my findings," Brennan started, "we've found victims of a serial killer. They are all female, all aged nine to eleven. All three had shattered patellas, metatarsals, and phalanges, with the most probable cause of death being a blow the parietal bone." She finished.

"Which basically means knee, feet bones, and the bone right here." Booth said, while pointing to his head. Brennan paused for a second.

"That's what I just said." She said.

"Bones, you're forgetting…not everyone understands you're scientific mumbo jumbo speech." Booth told her, giving her a small smile that she didn't return. Agent O'Donald looked between them in confusion.

"Um…Bones?" he asked.

"It's a term of annoyance that Booth loves to call me." She told him.

"What, term of annoyance? Bones, it's a term of endearment." He said to her. Agent O'Donald looked back and forth between the two. It was entertaining.

"A term of endearment that I have asked you numerous times not to call me." She said, crossing her arms over her chest again.

"You haven't told me to stop calling you that in like…ten months." He said, half smirking.

"Would you have stopped if I did?"

"…No, but that's beside the point." She rolled her eyes.

"You're infuriating."

"What…I'm infuriating? How am I infuriating?" he asked her in disbelief. "If anything, you're the infuriating one." He said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Anyways," Agent O'Donald said, breaking up the silly argument. Booth and Brennan immediately stopped arguing and faced the agent. They had completely forgotten that he was standing there. "Work on an ID for the victims, and get back to me when you have them. It was nice meeting you, Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth." Nodding his head at the pair, he turned and left. Brennan, with her arms still crossed across her chest, made her way back to Booths rental SUV. Running after her, he ran ahead and turned so that he was facing her. "Bones," he said, placing his hands on her shoulders so that she would stop. "I'm, uh, I'm sorry about earlier, what I said. I know you put cases first and foremost, and that was wrong for me to say that." He dropped his head for a second, then looked back up at her. "Are you still mad at me?" he asked her, his thumbs absentmindedly rubbing small circles on her shoulders. Brennan smiled.

"I accept your apology, and no, I'm not mad at you." Booth instantly gave her his best charm smile and dropped his hands from her shoulders walking alongside her as they made their way to his car.

"And you do know…Bones is gonna stick." Brennan rolled her eyes.

"I know. Hence the reason I gave up telling you to stop calling me that." Booth's smile broadened. He put his arm around her and gave her a quick squeeze before dropping his hand to the small of her back.

"What do you say we get some food, Bones. I'm starved." It was a beautiful day, the sun shining on the ocean and reflecting onto the couple as they made their way to Booth's SUV.

BB.BB.BB.BB.BB.BB.BB

Review please. They keep me happy. :