Booth watched his partner kneel next to the skeletal remains. She was dressed in the usual crime scene costume, Jeffersonian jumpsuit and waders. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail exposing the pale skin of her graceful neck. He was momentarily distracted with images of walking up behind her, pressing his lips to the skin just below her ear, imagining her quick intake of breath. Would she let her head fall back exposing more of herself to him? Great, now the blue jumpsuit was turning him on. He had to distract himself from this line of thinking. Sweets in a Speedo. That did it. He was having to this more and more these days, and that was before the book. That damn book. The drive over had been quiet, the SUV filled with tension. Thankfully the ride had been a short one. They had been called in to investigate some remains that had washed up on the shore of the Potomac.

"An African American female, between seventy to ninety years old. It looks like the body has been in the water for close to a year. Multiple fractures across the rib cage and both femurs appear to have been made post mortem."

"Do the injuries look intentional?"

"I won't be able to say conclusively until I can examine the remains in the lab. It could be the result of the body being tossed against sizable debris or rocks. There are some remnants of clothing left, they'll need to make sure and get as much as they can so Hodgins can check for particulates. We even have some soft tissue. Cam might be able to gather more information."

Brennan took off her gloves and began walking up the hill towards Booth. "So far there is no clear indication of cause of death."

"Ok, just let me know what you find. We'll need to get an identification soon, I'd hate to think someone out there is missing their grandmother. Man I hope we don't have a grandma killer on the loose."

They began walking back to the truck. Booth was anxious to begin laying the foundation for 'the talk' with Bones. She was apparently still in contemplation mode and he wanted to see what train of thought she was following. Booth remotely popped the lock on the truck so Bones could open the back and remove her jumpsuit. Hell, there was even a chance she hadn't read the book yet. She was a busy woman, surely reading a book Sweets had written wouldn't rank very high on her list of priorities. Maybe the tension was all in his head. Hey this day was beginning to look up.

"So Bones, any plans for lunch? How about we head on over to the diner?"

"Yes, I think that is a good idea. I read Sweets' book last night and I wanted to go over it with you."

Or maybe not. Hell, he was definitely in hell. Booth watched as she removed her jumpsuit. Fortunately the current topic of conversation kept him from imagining more appealing ways of removing her clothes. "You read Sweets book? All of it? All in one night?"

Brennan began packing away her gear, "Yes, initially I thought it would be best to begin as soon as possible, I find procrastinating when faced with an unpleasant task to be counterproductive. Once I began reading the book however, I found some of Sweets' conclusions interesting. Have you read it yet?"

Booth watched her for a few moments, using her distraction to give him time to consider his answer. How should he respond? On the one hand, if he told her he read it that would imply he cared about what Sweets would have to say about their partnership. Which he didn't. But thinking he cared about Sweets opinion might lead her to believe he might agree with Sweets. Which depending on her reaction he might not want her thinking, yet. On the other hand, if he said no, then that might imply he didn't care about their partnership. That he could argue by saying it was Sweets opinions he didn't care about. Deciding to play his cards close to his chest until he could get a better reading off of Bones, Booth went with plausible deniability. He might even be able to buy himself a little time.

He opened the door to the truck and climbed in. As Brennan closed her door and fastened her seatbelt Booth told a little white lie, "Me? Nah, I'm not even sure if I took it in last night. It might still be here in the truck. Interesting conclusions you say? I may have to crack it open tonight."

The rest of the ride was filled with small talk and fortune smiled on them as they quickly found a spot near the diner and walked in to find their favorite table was also available. Booth was glad for the more private setting the table offered as opposed to the counter. He would have preferred they had this discussion at either his or her apartment, but he had a feeling this subject might take more than just one sit down to work through.

After placing their orders Booth leaned forward. "So, what was it you wanted to go over?"

"Well, I'm hesitant to discuss all of the observations Sweets made without you reading the book first. Some of the theories might be considered more of a personal nature and I'd like you to make your own conclusions without my influencing you."

Booth almost jumped up and did a little dance. He had earned a reprieve! He didn't remember doing anything lately to deserve this manna from heaven, but he would take it.

"However, there is one topic that I would like to bring up now."

Ah, so he hadn't been such a good boy lately, had he? Booth wasn't sure if he would be able to survive the rollercoaster that was his day. All of this up and down was beginning to take a toll. And the day was only half way over.

Brennan took a breath as Booth held his.

"Sweets made the point that you and I share many of the same basic personality traits and listed a few. Angela even had some of her own to add. What are your thoughts?"

"You talked to Angela about this?" Hey, hey, looks like he might have caught a break. Angela could give him a little peek into what was going on inside Bones' head. A little fore-knowledge is fore-warning.

"Yes, while I might not agree with psychology, I do admit some insight into the workings of the human mind can be beneficial. Also, there are aspects of the human psyche I am not well versed. I'm willing to admit the limits of my expertise." Booth briefly wondered why Brennan seemed a little defensive. "So I talked to Angela about it this morning."

"What did Angela have to say? Does she agree we're made with the same cookie cutter?"

"Yes, Angela believes we share the same basic makeup. She said we both value the pursuit of justice, are loyal, and we are both very self disciplined. She said she would be able to produce more examples if pressed."

"And what about you? What does all of this mean to you?"

"I find the concept gaining in merit, but I'm still hesitant to completely commit."

Booth was sure her choice of words weren't intentional. She had just in typical Brennan fashion accidentally stumbled onto the real issue.

"So now you want to know if I think you and I are alike. Ask yourself this Bones, does it matter? I mean think about it, there are times we bicker over stuff, but that stuff is just stuff. Stuff sometimes has a way of working itself out. But when you get right down to it, when it really counts, we have each other's back. That's what's most important, because that's trust. And with just a little trust we can build anything. So the sky's the limit for us Bones."

Booth's eyes bore into hers attempting to tell her everything he needed her to understand. His trust in her, his belief in them, and the hope he was desperately holding onto. He needed to tread lightly here. He had started down this road knowing it was a marathon, not a sprint. But staring into her clear blue gaze Seeley was almost positive he saw something shift. He felt as if another piece of the puzzle was successfully put in place. There may be more pieces than he realized, but he had a clear picture of what the end result looked like and by God he was going to do everything he within his power to find them all and put him and Bones together.