Friend of the author's note: Heyja all!!! Thank you all so so so much for the reviews!!! You welcomed the story so warm and wonderful! Something was wrong with the uploading the chapter, apparently the document manager was unavailable... And later I had no internet connection, so I'm sorry that I didn't update it earlier! No, wait... You should feel sorry for me! Seriously, I feel like sending an bomb to my internet provider!!!.... Anyway, before that happens, here the next chapter! I hope you like it!

Chapter 4

Half an hour later, Brennan knocked at the door of Booth`s apartment. "Moment, coming!" she heard him calling. Barely one minute later had the door opened by him. Her partner seems like he straight came out of the shower, his dark hair was wet and water-drops glistening on his bare upper part of his body, dressed only with a pair of dark boxer-shorts. Brennan`s heart jumped. Pretty naked she never saw him before. The sight was breathtaking. With the testing gaze of an anthropologist, she studied his physique. Tall, broad shoulders, a narrow waistline, narrow hips and a muscular trained upper body. She caught herself that she wanted to stretch out her hand in order to touch him. In the same moment she blushed lightly. Embarrassed she turned away her gaze and looked at her shoes. The FBI agent seemed not to have perceived the scrutiny at all. -

Tonelessly he said as he released the door: "Come in and make yourself comfortable, something to drink is in the refrigerator. I am instantly back." His breath smelled of alcohol. "Had he be drinking?" Brennan was wondering. After he turned around in order to go back into the bathroom her glance fell on his back. For the first time she noticed the fine brighter lines that covered his tanned back. "Scars", she thought dismayed. Up to now she only knew about his feet when she illegally studied his x-rays. Thus far his hints had been only vague. Way back then when they freed him from the claws of Gallagher, he had told her tersely that he had been already tortured more badly. By far it seemed her partner had undergone more terrifying things as she had assumed. -

Booth left the bathroom, now gray sweatpants deeply hanging on his hips he wore a tight olive T-shirt that stressed his body. As he unconsciously prowled through his hair, his T-shirt slid upward and she snatched a gaze on a few dark hairs looking over the hem of his pants. -

The pale face looked like petrified. The normally mild and glistening chocolate-brown eyes were empty and reddened. There was no charming smile on his face and no happy "Bones" came over his lips, never before she had seen him with such an expression. Despite his size he looked helplessly and vulnerably. He was a shadow of himself. "What had shattered the normally strong and assertive FBI agent? Brennan wondered. -

"Did something happen with Parker?" she asked horrified. Booth shook his head, reached out to a full glass of Vodka that stood on the table and emptied it in one gulp. In the case the bottle had been full before he already consumed a lot of it. "Thanks for coming!" he answered with reserved voice and dropped himself beside her on the sofa. So close their bodies touched. His head was lowered and his hands lay crossed, one in another in his lap. -

"If you get drunk pointlessly, that is no solution for what ever problems you have!" reprehended she her partner. "Booth, what happened?" Look at me!" she took his head into her palms and saw in his weep-filled eyes. Abhorrence and disgust mirrored in them. Booth searched for the right words. He deeply fetched for air. "They…they send me back!" explained he with brittle voice. "Back? Back where?" the anthropologist asked. -

All at once it felt like sheds from her eyes. Now Brennan noticed the carefully ironed camouflage-coloured shirt that hung on a clip. Without any insignias of his echelon, only the name was resplendent on the forefront, a duffle-bag and a pair of boots beside it. "No that can`t be!" was her first thought. Found she said: "No, they can`t do. Can they demand you for that?" "I work for the government. It is my duty", Booth quietly answered her question. "Why exactly you, do they have nobody else?" she burst out. Without pride he replied: "They need somebody with experience and who knows the terrain. It seems like I am still their first option." -

"Is it dangerous? Can you…can you be kill…can something happen to you?" Temperance wanted to know. Booth didn`t answer the question right away. This time he looked directly at her, he questioned that somebody look into these clear eyes and could lie – and he couldn`t imagine that a man saw these eyes without falling in love with this woman at once. After a short pause he gave her the answer: "Well officially I should train a few recruits, unofficially I…" he faltered and joined hesitantly, "…shall kill a few people. Is it dangerous? Sure, you can be killed there each time. I am not afraid of dying but you know I hate to kill even more people." -

"I am sorry for you. But I am afraid you won't come…back." Brennan stammered. In order to contribute him comfort, she took him into her arms just like he always did it normally. Today it was her duty. The agent put his head at her shoulder and she stroke through his short dark hair. Deeply she inhaled the fragrance of his spicy shower gel on his skin and in his clean washed hair. She also could smell under this fragrance the very own aroma of him that somehow aroused her. Dark beard-shadows covered his unshaven prominent chin what lent him a wild expression. Brennan`s thoughts digressed, she lightly shook her head and called herself to sanity: "What´s wrong with you today Brennan! Stop it, he is your partner!" -

Temperance cleared her throat and asked with scratchy voice: "When do you leave? "Early tomorrow morning." He gave her a regretful answer. "Already so soon!" escaped her horrified, "how long will you stay away?" "A few weeks, maybe months, I don`t know precisely. It depends on it how quickly I can execute my order." her partner informed her. "So long? What will happen to me? What, what should I do without you, Booth?" Brennan wanted to know. -

"They will assign you another agent for this time, with who you will work together." he informed her. "What?!" she screamed dismayed, "I definitely will not work together with somebody else besides you. When you're not here, I will just use the time for identification of the remains stored in the Jeffersonian." "Bones don`t be silly. Besides the crimes will not stop only because I am out of the country. They need you, you know that. If you don't remember, you have obligated in written form that you will work together with the FBI. This doesn`t however automatically presuppose a cooperation with me, you know they can separate us at any time." Booth seriously admonished. -

"Then I will just quit! They will find the next outstanding forensic anthropologist in Montreal, I can search the address for them or even better they can Google it!" stubbornly Brennan gave to answer. "You're behaving like a defiant little child. Please don`t make it more difficult for me. Promise me that you are reasonable and don't make the life of the other agent hell." Booth asked cautiously. "Well I will behave decently even it would be difficult for me. I do it only for you." Brennan still consented rebelliously. "That`s my girl!", said Booth a small gentle smile played his lips. "I don`t want you to go!" she added promptly. "Please, Bones, you know I have no choice." he said almost pleading. –

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Friend of the author's note: you all can imagine what comes neeeeeext... Rating will bump to M... Review, if you must :D