Thank you all for the wonderful encouragement you've shown! I hope the rest of the story continues to meet your expectations.
They took turns over the next few days so that one of them was always there with her. Angela usually took the morning, Jack the afternoon, and Booth the evening, although he stopped by throughout the day whenever his investigation allowed it. He had spoken to the local police and, using the information he gathered from them and looking over Bones' files from the dig, he began piercing things together. Apparently, a set of bones that she had uncovered at the dig were not from the same time period as the others. As a matter of fact, they were as recently interred as eight to ten months ago. Booth had taken Hodgins out to the site and he had recovered the body as well as soil samples. He had the skeleton shipped to the Jeffersonian for Zach and Dr. Saroyan to examine and had set off with the police to head to one of the scientific research stations they had on the Cape capable of running the tests he needed. No one was sure of what these results would tell, but anything was a start.
Booth sighed and sat back on the couch in the tiny cottage Bones had rented for her stay. It was here that Booth had found her files and notes on the dig, so he had spent not a few hours going over them. He rubbed his hand over his face and mentally went over everything they knew. The mud flats eventually lead out to the bay, through a good chunk of National Seashore. That meant no houses or people in that particular area. He was betting money that there was drug trafficking involved. It was the perfect place to touch ground from the bay, hide a cargo, and leave before anyone knew a thing. They could come back and pick up their stash with little risk to themselves. Perhaps "John Doe" was someone associated with them who was greedy and they decided to get rid of him. It was their misfortune that they just happened to bury him at a site marked for excavation in a few months. There had been no missing person's reports filed in over a year so Booth didn't think it was a local. But the real question was, what were they so afraid of Bones discovering that they had tried to kill her?
She had been beaten so badly right here, outside of her cottage. The struggle that ensued caused enough noise that the owner, in the main house just a little ways down the gravel drive, had heard and turned the outside lights on. That small intervention had probably saved Bones' life. Her attacker had run, never gaining entrance to the cottage. But had that even been a goal?
Booth had gone through Bones' notes several times and hadn't seen anything useful. Looking around her cottage, Booth sighed. He was waiting for the owner to come home so he could see what she knew. So in the meantime, Booth got up and walked around. He looked through her suitcase and searched the dresser for anything she might have hidden. He sat down on the bed and opened the night-stand drawer.
His eyes lighted on a palm-sized object. He felt his throat tighten and suddenly he felt his eyes begin to burn. He picked the little item up and stared at it. Suddenly, every rein he had placed on his emotions ripped away and he sucked a breath in as the first tears started to fall. He thought of his Bones, laying there in a hospital bed, broken and bruised and the horrible thought he'd been keeping at bay hit him full force. What if she didn't make it? What if she never regained consciousness and he never had the chance to tell her---show her---how he felt? He was such an idiot! All the time he wasted---imposing that stupid "rule" of not getting involved with someone you work with---why? It wasn't like they were in high school! Look at him and Cam. They had been in a relationship twice and were still able to maintain a working relationship. Nothing was compromised there. So why did he throw that barrier up in front of her?
Because you know you could fall for her---and fall hard, a voice said in his mind. Marrying Rebecca had seemed the right thing to do: the natural result of her getting pregnant (of course his mother would have preferred the horse before the cart). When he had proposed and she said no, he was hurt and angry, but not devastated. Other relationships since then hadn't felt as bad when they'd dissolved so he had begun to think that all relationships were like that. Until Bones.
When she had dated a few men, he started finding himself irritated. Not jealous, really. Just annoyed that she was dating men he felt were far beneath her. He never really thought about how he felt until Sulley. That was when he felt it: the beginnings of panic that this relationship wasn't just "humans engaging in mating rituals" as Bones would say. He saw the way Sulley looked at her, the way her face seemed "lighter" when she was with him. She smiled and laughed and, good Lord the time he had found them on Sulley's boat together! That had been beyond awkward. And then, when Bones had told him Sulley had asked her to leave with him… His stomach had tightened into a knot and he had literally had a hard time hearing the rest of what she had to say because of the blood rushing to his face and pounding in his ears. She had been waiting for a response from him so what did he say? "Stay, Bones. I can't bear to think of life without you?" No. He had mumbled some asinine response along the lines of, "Do what you have to," or some such inane thing. He wasn't sure what she was going to do so when he had casually asked Sulley when he was setting sail, he showed up at the dock to see what Bones was going to do. As she waved good-bye to Sulley, Booth felt a tremendous sense of relief well up inside of him. When she had turned around and saw him standing there, her eyes cleared up almost immediately and he fell into an easy step with her. He was off the hook. He'd managed to keep her without admitting anything.
As the time passed, he began to realize more and more that he was in trouble. The feelings he had were going far deeper than any he'd ever experienced before---and they hadn't even so much as kissed! That's what was scaring him. And then that ridiculous pony fetish case…
Talk about uncomfortable! He had learned more about Bones and her sexuality on that case in a few days than he had learned about her in two and a half years! It was because of some of her brutally honest comments that he had found himself---what? Flustered? Confused? Turned on, came that voice again. But by the end of the case, he had come to realize that Bones seemed to have the same idea about sex that he had once had: that sex was great if both partners enjoyed their bodies to the fullest. As he had gotten older though, and had experienced his fair share of relationships, Booth had begun to realize that he was missing out on something. It finally dawned on him, after he had briefly hooked back up with Cam, that what he had never experienced in any of his relationships was love.
He had figured that he and Cam had a pretty darn good relationship. He respected her, she was smart and attractive and a demon in bed; what man could want more? This man, apparently. Their second-time-around relationship was a little different. He had felt exactly the same as a few years ago, but something was different with Cam. Her body language was totally changed and Booth knew, without a doubt, that she was falling for him. And it terrified him.
He had backed off nearly immediately, concocting that ridiculous excuse about working together to ease her down. He had seen her look before on one or two other women he had dated and knew it only meant trouble. He wasn't afraid of a relationship; hell, he really wanted one! But if he didn't share that feeling, he wasn't going to settle. Too many of his friends had done just that, figuring a marriage was good if the woman was attractive, had a brain, laughed at your jokes, and didn't mind if you went out with the guys once in a while. Booth knew that couldn't be it. And he wasn't prepared to give up searching just yet.
As he and Bones had sat at the diner at the end of the pony case, something had clicked within him. Listening to Bones discuss sex so dryly, he had realized that he wasn't the only one who had yet to make love to someone. And he had to make her realize that.
The words were out of his mouth before he could think about what he was saying.
"Every once in a while, two people meet and there's that spark. Making love…that's when two people become one." As he said it, he realized that was what he truly believed. Before he could say more, she came out with her scientific reply.
"It's scientifically impossible for two objects to occupy the same space." But Booth recognized it for the half-hearted attempt it was.
"Yeah, but what's important is we try. And when we do it right, we get close," Booth answered, looking at her hard, trying to will her into seeing what he was really saying to her.
"To what? Breaking the laws of physics?" she had replied, still unconvinced.
Damn it, Bones! He thought. Why can't you let your wall down just once? Instead, he said, "Yeah, Bones---a miracle. Those people and their role playing? It's crappy sex. At least compared to the real thing."
He waited for the response he knew was coming….the, "I don't believe in miracles or a higher power" line. Typical Bones. But, for one moment, as he caught and held her gaze with his intense one, he saw and heard something that had given him a jolt.
"You're right." It was all she said and, as she said it, for that one brief moment, Booth saw her eyes soften and her guard go completely down. It had so stunned him that instead of pressing his advantage, moving forward with their relationship, all he could say was, "That's it? I'm right? I win?"
She laughed lightly and then the wall was back up…but not as firmly as before, though. He had sworn to himself as he went home that night, that he would figure out what was going on with himself….
And here he sat, still figuring himself out. Only now he was faced with the possibility of losing the one woman capable of making him finally say those words he had yet to say and really mean.
He looked down at the little item still clutched in his hand. All of these thoughts had finally pushed through because of it. Something so simple, but it had spoken volumes to him about what Bones thought. He needed to speak to Angela once he solved the case.
A knock at the door to the cottage interrupted his thoughts and he pocketed the item in his hand. Crossing to and opening the door, Booth met the owner of the rental property.
"Agent Booth? Hello, my name is Alice Driscoll. I'm the property owner," the small-built older woman said by way of introduction.
"Hi, Ms. Driscoll. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Booth said, holding the door open for the woman.
"I was so sorry about what happened to Dr. Brennan. She's a lovely young woman. But I was worried for her right from the start," Ms. Driscoll said as she sat down on the small sofa.
"Why do you say that, Ma'am?" Booth frowned.
"Well, she had mentioned that she was here to work on the society's dig and the area of the dig is a bad place. The local Native Americans have some kind of superstitious belief about it being an unhallowed burial ground for the worst offenders of an ancient tribe. It keeps people away from it," Alice replied.
"Do you---ah---believe these tales, Ms. Driscoll?" Booth asked delicately. Oh boy---here we go, he thought.
"Oh God, no!" She laughed, but then grew serious. "No, but a lot of other people do so no one goes near that area. And that's what makes it dangerous, if you catch my drift."
"I'm not sure that I do," Booth returned.
Ms. Driscoll lowered her voice as if there was the possibility of someone over-hearing their conversation. "Agent Booth, 'things' happen there. Ask the sheriff; I'm surprised he didn't tell you. If there's something that needs to be done or disposed of, that's the place to do it precisely because no one goes there. Last summer they found the carcasses of fifteen dogs that someone had been killing in the neighborhood. The summer before that, they found old Mrs. Teal's body there. Turns out her nephew killed her and decided to dispose of the body there. The idiot was the sole inheritor in her will and he left the gun at the site where the body was found. His prints were all over it."
Booth leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "Wow. You know a lot about this area. What do you think happened to Dr. Brennan?"
"Honestly? Agent Booth, I think she found something she wasn't supposed to find. It wouldn't surprise me if there was some kind of drug ring operating out there. Maybe even smugglers or something. When I heard the noises the other night and turned on the light, I saw a pretty big shape jump up from the ground and run. I'm assuming it was a man, but I don't know for sure. He had a hood up and ran pretty fast. I grabbed my shotgun and let my dog out with me, but as soon as I saw Dr. Brennan laying there, I called the emergency services. It looked like she never even knew what was happening. It was horrible---her body looked so limp and broken---like a doll thrown against the wall."
Booth's jaw tightened and his eyes flashed. It wasn't an image he wanted in his mind. The one in the hospital had been bad enough.
"You said you wouldn't be surprised if there was a drug ring or smugglers operating out of the area. What makes you think that?"
Ms. Driscoll paused for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders. "Well, the bay is an easy enough place to sail into at night. There aren't any real treacherous spots and when we're not in the middle of tourist season, they cut back on the number of coast patrols. This time of year, with it getting dark so early, it's bound to be easy to come in and out without being seen. I don't know…maybe I watch too many crime shows." Here Ms. Driscoll laughed lightly. But then she grew serious again. "What I don't understand is why Sheriff Fuller hasn't mentioned any of this to you."
Booth sat back on the couch. "Yeah. I'm curious about that, too. Ms. Driscoll, you've been a great help to me. Thank you!"
They stood up and walked out of the cottage together. Booth locked the door and pulled his car keys out, but Ms. Driscoll stopped him briefly.
"Agent Booth, if there's anything else I can do for you or for your friend, please let me know."
"My friend?" Booth asked. He was sure Ms. Driscoll wasn't aware of his and Bones' partnership.
"Dr. Brennan. It's obvious you know her. I thought maybe---but then again--- Well, I do know that they don't send the FBI out to investigate assaults, so there must be a connection there," she finished.
Booth laughed. "Ms. Driscoll, you should be working for us!" He shook her hand and got into his car, heading back to the hospital.