So, I suck... I posted two chapters of this without acknowledging my very special, super helpful, awesomely fantastic beta. Chosenname never fails to come through for me with the proofreading, giving her feedback on plot or characterization, or just listening to me ramble while I talk through my own ideas. Thank you so much, lady! You're the best!

Thank you for the reviews likes! You guys sure know how to make a girl feel appreciated. :)

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Chapter 3

The unit moved for several hours through the dense forest, tracking the movements of Moreno and his men. It was a challenge to follow closely enough not to lose them and yet maintain enough distance that the enemy remained unaware of their presence. The unit kept as silent as possible, using hand signals to communicate when necessary.

Brennan had been loaned a set of fatigues so that she blended as well as the rest of them. Her pants were cuffed at both the top and bottom, and the jacket swamped her small frame. Booth had failed to hide his smile when she'd emerged from her tent in her borrowed clothing. She reminded him of a child playing dress-up. Unfortunately, she'd caught sight of his grin and had landed an impressive punch to his bicep. It still ached a bit when he moved, but his lips curved upward every time he felt it.

Jackson took the lead, followed by Walker, Morris, Booth, Brennan, and Santana. Leeds brought up the rear as the lowest ranking man, and Brennan was grateful that Santana was blocking his view of her rear. After about an hour of walking, Brennan realized that she'd instinctively kept as near to Booth as possible as they moved through the jungle in single file. Although she was enjoying the excitement and the danger of the situation, she was nervous enough to seek a little reassurance. His presence made her feel safe, and she wasn't entirely sure what to think of that.

As she walked behind him, she watched Booth's head swivel from side to side, constantly checking for signs of trouble. He carried his loaded rifle in front of him so that he could raise it quickly should the need arise. Every so often, he glanced back to check on her, usually offering her a smile when their eyes met. He had the ability to reassure her with nothing more than his proximity and a grin.

Brennan was pulled out of her thoughts by a signal from the front of the formation. She hadn't learned the meaning behind all of them, but the intended message became clearer when the entire unit dropped to the ground. Booth turned instantly to make sure she complied as well, placing a hand on her shoulder to urge her downward.

The dense growth on the forest floor concealed them as they lay side-by-side, eyes locked on one another as they tried to breathe evenly and listen for danger. The tension between the two was incredibly thick, and suddenly it wasn't simply anxiety they were feeling. The adrenaline was feeding another sensation altogether: arousal. Brennan's lips parted unconsciously, and her gaze flickered involuntarily to Booth's mouth. They lay mere inches from each other, and the heat of their attraction was palpable. Booth gave himself a mental shake and forced his attention to the more pressing matter of their safety.

The insurgents had apparently sent a couple of men to circle back and check for followers. Brennan could hear the two men conversing in Spanish from a short distance away, and after a few minutes, they gave their superior the all clear. Their voices faded away, but the soldiers stayed low for a few more minutes after they'd gone.

When at last they were given the signal to stand and resume their positions, Booth extended a hand to help Brennan to her feet. When they touched, the tension between them grew to something resembling an electrical current. Brennan felt it move through her body, coursing through her from the point of contact to the very follicles of her scalp. Every cell in her body seemed to be humming with the sensation, and it was clear from Booth's expression that he was experiencing something similar.

"Thank you," Brennan whispered, dropping her hand awkwardly.

"You're welcome, Bones," he mumbled in return. Booth resumed his position as her forward guard. The loss he felt when she pulled away was almost enough to make him reach for her hand again, but he managed to resist the urge.

As they moved forward again, he forced himself to pay attention to his surroundings, but the fact that he could feel her presence so strongly behind him made it more of a challenge. His body's reaction surprised him somewhat. He'd been attracted to her from the moment he'd seen her, and after talking to her the night before, that attraction had grown to be far more than merely physical. He'd never felt so strongly toward a woman before, much less a woman he'd just met. As he kept his senses alerted for danger, Booth puzzled over the intensity of their connection.

There was definitely something different about Temperance Brennan.

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Moreno's group of militants eventually reached a clearing not unlike the last one they had occupied, and they seemed to be meeting up with a slightly smaller collection of men. They now had more men and more guns on their side, and no one in the Ranger unit was happy about the development.

Brennan attempted to edge closer in the hopes that she might get a glimpse of Moreno, but Booth pulled her back to stand behind him. She gesticulated silently but impatiently, hoping to make it clear that this was a perfect opportunity to see Moreno up close, but he shook his head firmly and made it clear that he thought it was too dangerous.

Once they were sure that the insurgents were staying put, at least for the night, the unit retreated to a safe distance and made camp. Jackson ordered them to assemble the sleeping tents only, in case they were required to move again the next day. Brennan huffed a little as she put up her tent, watching Booth in her peripheral vision. When she was nearly finished with the task, he appeared beside her.

"You mad at me, Bones?" he asked with a guilty smile. She pushed away the automatic feeling of warmth that she felt when he smiled at her and rolled her eyes.

"What makes you think that, Shrimp?"

"I deserved that," he said with a slight wince. "I know you were trying to get a look at the target, but it wasn't the right time." Booth tried to keep his voice low for the sake of their need for concealment, but even at a low volume, his words had somehow ignited the spark in Brennan's blue eyes. As well as the charge between their bodies.

"And when exactly will be the right time?" she fired back, moving closer to him until they were toe to toe. "You guys have said yourselves that he stays hidden most of the time, but he can't hide when he's on the move. So why wouldn't that be the best time to-"

"Because he wasn't the only one on the move, and we weren't the only ones on alert, Bones. The guy's got at least thirty men now and who knows how many guns. They were on their guard too," he hissed, leaning toward her until their faces were mere inches apart. "The time to watch is when they're not watching. We wait until they're relaxed before we get closer."

Brennan pursed her lips, wanting to argue with him but feeling a little out of her depth. Covert operations weren't her area of expertise… they were his. She was fairly certain, however, that his behavior had been more about his protective instincts than about the mission itself. To her surprise, she found it as touching as it was irritating.

"Fine," she muttered before disappearing into her tent. She was rarely one to concede a point, but neither was she egotistical enough to argue simply for the sake of proving she was right. Brennan felt oddly energized after the heated exchange with Booth, however, and she belatedly realized that she had actually enjoyed arguing with him.

What the hell was happening to her?

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Major Jackson doubled the watch overnight, putting two men at a time on a rotating cycle. After a day of being on high alert, everyone was exhausted. Brennan was just as physically tired, but her mind refused to let her rest. She'd been chasing sleep for nearly an hour when she heard whispers from outside of her tent.

"What was up with you today, Sarge?" Brennan was fairly certain the question had come from Santana, and 'Sarge' could really only be one person…

"What do you mean?"

"You've been distracted, and that's weird for you. Plus, you were watching the scientist lady all day."

"No, I wasn't." Even Brennan could hear the weakness in Booth's denial.

"Oh, please. Did you forget who was walking behind the two of you all day? I had a front row seat to all those buckets of sexual tension," Santana teased him. "Hell, between the two of you in front of me and the fact that Leeds was hard all day from staring at her ass, I felt like I needed a shower."

"What?! That asshole was seriously-" Booth swallowed the end of his question, and Santana snickered.

"Sure, you don't like her at all." Brennan listened harder to their whispered conversation, and when Booth's reply came, it was almost inaudible.

"She's interesting."

"And hot," Santana added tauntingly. Booth sighed, thinking that the word didn't come remotely close to doing her justice.

"Yeah… And she doesn't belong in a place like this. What the hell is the Army playing at, involving someone like her in this mess?" His voice was almost a growl, and Brennan frowned in confusion at the obvious displeasure in his voice. He doesn't want me here? she thought sadly.

"They're just using whatever resources they've got to get this bastard. No one forced her to be here," Santana reminded him. "She had a choice, and she chose to help. I'm sure a smart woman like her wouldn't be here if she didn't think she could handle it."

Booth grunted in disapproval. Regardless of Bones' opinion of herself, I'm damn well going to make sure she stays safe. Even in the darkness, Santana could see the determination on his face.

"Admit it, Sarge. You like her." Booth gave a long sigh before answering.

"Yeah," he said quietly. "But you said it yourself this morning, Streak. She's way too smart and beautiful to be interested in someone like me."

"Hey, man, I was joking about that," Santana replied seriously. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're a good guy, and any woman would see that if you'd just give them the chance."

"Just drop it, please."

"Fine, but… for what it's worth, I think she likes you too."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, man. I expect an invitation to the wedding."

There was a shuffling noise and some low laughter, and Brennan imagined that perhaps Booth had given his friend a playful shrug. Their quiet voices drifted away as they continued their patrol. Brennan's mind was racing. He has feelings for me? He thinks I'm smart and beautiful? He thinks I'm too good for him?

Brennan had always known that she was highly intelligent, but she hadn't always been confident about her physical appearance. Growing up primarily in foster homes, wearing hand-me-downs, and being taunted on a regular basis didn't exactly inspire high self-esteem. Hearing that Booth thought so highly of her was flattering. She was troubled over Booth's admission that he didn't think he was worthy of her. Granted, she didn't know much about him so far, but she'd yet to see or learn a single thing about him that she found unpleasant...

Brennan eventually dozed off into dreams of Booth's captivating brown eyes and his easy, comforting smile.

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Booth greeted her with a bright smile and an MRE when she joined him for breakfast the following morning. The argument of the night before had been forgotten, and although he hadn't slept for very long, his sleep had been fairly restful. They chatted politely as they ate their rations and waited for Walker and Leeds to return from watch so that Jackson could hold another briefing. Brennan watched him through furtive glances, trying to translate his expressions into the feelings she'd overheard him confessing the night before. When the conversation stalled for a few moments, Booth finally worked up the nerve to voice the question he'd been wanting to ask for more than a day.

"Bones… What are you doing here?" He held her gaze and watched her expression turn to dubious amusement. Her reply came in the slow, careful phrasing of an adult speaking to a small child.

"Helping the military identify a terrorist," she said, fighting a smile. Booth huffed a small laugh.

"No, I mean… Why are you here, with us? Tracking a very dangerous man and his very dangerous cohorts through the jungle? Surely there's a safer way to make the ID. We've got old pictures and recent ones… Couldn't you have identified him that way?"

"I did analyze them before deciding to come here, but I wasn't completely certain," Brennan explained, her expression serious now. "I've studied the video footage, and if Moreno is truly Diego Ramirez, I'm confident I'll be able to identify the same kinetic markers."

"Why didn't you just insist on newer video to compare it to?"

"This way is faster," she shrugged, but her eyes shifted away almost guiltily. In that instant, Booth knew that there was more to it than she was saying.

"But that's not the only reason." He smiled when she looked at him in surprise. "I'm good at reading people." Brennan couldn't help but smile back.

"Yes, you are."

"So, I ask again… Why are you here? Why take the risk?" His eyes held her captive, and she gazed at him for a few moments, deciding how best to answer. Normally, she would simply shrug off a question like that, but she found herself wanting to open up to him. That in itself surprised her, but it didn't stop her from giving an honest answer.

"Adrenaline," she said finally. His expression shifted to one of confusion, and she added, "I came because of the risk." Booth's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open a little.

Is she insane? Did she truly not understand just how dangerous this mission was? There was a very good chance that they would be killed or captured once the enemy became aware of their presence, especially after the kill shot was fired. Had she been adequately prepared for that? Had she been given some watered-down version of the possibilities, or had she been told the truth and chose to come anyway?

Brennan watched his face with slight apprehension, seeing his shock, anger, and determination play on his handsome features. He hadn't spoken, and she was beginning to wonder if she should've dodged his question after all.

"I've been in plenty of dangerous situations before, and I know how to handle myself," she added, trying to reassure him. Booth merely sputtered a little more, encouraging her to ramble on, "The things I do for fun would probably make a lot of people cringe."

"Like what?" he managed to ask. She shrugged again.

"Mountain climbing, base jumping, rafting, diving - sometimes with equipment and sometimes without… I used to race my motorcycle, but I haven't had much opportunity since I started traveling more often."

Booth's expression was a comical mix of horror and incredulity. Yes, definitely insane. Why would she do things like that? He didn't realize that he'd actually voiced the question until she answered it.

"Like I said…adrenaline." Brennan gave him a winning smile, and the sight of it dazzled him. He felt his own lips curving upward in spite of himself, and for a few moments, they were the only two people in the world. All too soon, the spell was broken by the return of Walker and Leeds. Jackson ordered everyone to gather for a briefing, and as Booth waited for things to get started, his mind replayed his conversation with Brennan.

She was such an unexpected mixture. Intelligent, beautiful, brave, exciting… Every time he spoke to her, it seemed he was discovering something new and wonderful about her. Booth had been honest with Santana the night before; he liked her. A lot. But as far as he was concerned, that didn't change the facts.

Someone like her would never truly be interested in someone like him.

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So Booth is still his guilty, self-flagellating self. Brennan will help with that though, much sooner of course.

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