A/N~ Ok! Thank you to those who have left reviews! I am trying to make these chapters a bit longer, so this one goes back and forth between Brennan's and Booth's perspectives. Please let me know your ideas, opinions, and thoughts on this story! Reviews mean the world to me!

This chapter's lyrics come from "anticipate" by Ani DiFranco.

Chapter 3

we don't say everything that we could

so that we can say later

oh, you misunderstood

i hold my cards up

close to my chest

i say what i have to

and i hold back the rest...

It was Friday afternoon and Brennan was feeling a bit antsy. This happened sometimes, usually after hours of writing. She had been working on her book all morning and she did not feel as though she could type one more word. She closed her laptop and stood up from her desk, heading towards the kitchen for a drink. One look in the refrigerator and she knew that she needed to make a trip to the grocery store. Besides condiments and salad mix, she had only milk and 4 day old leftover Thai.

After changing her clothes and brushing her hair, she grabbed her keys and headed out the door.

The drive into town was always breathtaking. Brennan like to think that she had seen many of the most beautiful places in the world, but having such magnificent scenery right outside her front door was somehow more meaningful.

After a quick trip to the store, Brennan made her way back up the mountain to her home. She brought in the groceries and fixed herself a bowl of vegetable soup. After she finished, she laid down on the couch for nice afternoon nap.

~x~

Booth had run by his apartment to pack a quick bag and was on the road by mid morning. It was now nearing mid afternoon and he was right outside of Charlotte.

He had been in contact with Agent Robinson several times during the drive. One of the local agents had tracked their suspect about an hour away to the small town of Tryon, North Carolina. He was to meet Robinson at the Charlotte field office to go over the case files and then they were heading down to Tryon to see what they could find. According to Robinson, the town of Tryon had only a handful of residents and a police force of exactly one.

Booth pulled into the Charlotte office around 4pm and headed up to find Robinson, case files in hand.

The two men went over the files and compared notes. Bryan Roberts was a known domestic terrorist that was allegedly responsible for bombing two different political rallies in Georgia. He had been on the run for a few years and Booth had inherited the case when he was moved to the counterterrorism division.

"I don't know Booth; I am still at a loss here. I have no idea who he could have joined up with, but all evidence points to him always working alone"

Booth nodded and confirmed "Exactly what I was thinking… we have no evidence here that shows him being involved with any of the other known local groups. But with this huge political rally coming up in Atlanta, I think we need to figure out what this guy is doing."

"What I don't get is why in the hell he would be down in Tryon; that's the middle of nowhere, literally."

Booth nodded. "If it's that far off the radar, it sounds like the kind of place a terrorist group would love to call home."

Robinson sighed and collected their files, placing them into his briefcase. "Well, you ready to hit the road? "

The ride down was beautiful, but the winding roads were making Booth a tad but nauseous. When they got into the small town, Robinson directed him to what looked to be a very small home, until he saw the sign out front claiming itself as the Tryon Sheriff's Office. Booth had to laugh at this dinky little building. Robinson eyed him, and Booth started whistling as they walked up the brick walkway to the front door.

The town's sheriff, who simply went by Harvey, was more than happy to let the agents have full access to anything he had, which wasn't much. He didn't know anything about Bryan Roberts, and when he asked why they were looking for him, he nearly fell out of his chair laughing "terrorists? Here? You must have lost your minds! What are they gonna do, blow up the ol' Jackson Mill?"

Booth gave Robinson a look that could only mean "let's get the hell out of here" and Robinson turned and thanked Harvey for his time. The two agents left to go check out the town.

The first thing Booth noticed is that there was nothing here. A grocery store that looked to have been built before he was born and not updated since, several small restaurants, a few gift shops, a coffee shop, a pharmacy and a bar whose sign was so old, you could no longer read what it said.

The agents parked on Main Street and walked into the coffee shop. There were several teenagers there, but no one matching the description of Bryan Roberts or his friends. They decided to sit outside the coffee shop and observe the town a bit; after all it seemed that everyone in town would come through here at some point.

"I could live out here" said Robinson, drinking a sip of coffee. "I bet everyone knows everyone" he said, chuckling.

Booth started to comment, but then he realized something "Robinson, is there even a hotel IN this town?"

"Only the bed and breakfast over on Mill Street; it's just right over there, past that Pharmacy, up on the hill. You can't miss it, biggest building in town."

Booth smiled "Sounds like fun!" he said sarcastically.

"Actually, I think I am going to head on over for the night" said Robinson. "It's been a long day and it's dark now, we won't get anything done till morning."

Booth took his keys out of his pocket and tossed them to Robinson. "Go ahead and take the SUV over, I am going to hang around down here for awhile, I'll walk up there in a little bit".

Robinson took the keys and headed for the vehicle "You sure? I don't mind walking up myself."

"Na, go ahead, I'm going to walk over to the bar and get a drink."

Robinson pulled out and headed down the road for the Bed & Breakfast and Booth pulled out his cell phone to give Parker a call.

~x~

Brennan awoke rather suddenly to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She glanced at the clock and realized quickly that it was already evening. She stretched and ran her fingers through her hair as she looked around for her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Temperance, its Molly from next door; there is something wrong with the water pressure in our well again, do you mind if I drag your garden hose over here so I can fill up a few gallons of water?"

"That would be fine Molly" said Brennan, yawning.

"Thank you ma'am, I'll make sure one of the kids pulls it back over to your yard when we're done."

"No problem, good luck with your well" Brennan flipped her phone closed and went and sat down on the couch. She was bored, and although she seemed to normally be able to find things to do to occupy her time, when the weekend rolled around she always felt a bit lonely.

She stood up and headed for the bathroom. She had a bit of a tradition on nights like this. She would shower, put on more makeup than necessary, and dress in something that was just a bit revealing. Then she would walk down to the bar and hang out with the bartender, Robby. Usually Robby kept her entertained for several hours between pouring her shots of Tequila and challenging her to games of pool.

After her shower, she did her makeup and went to the bedroom to find something to wear. She decided on a black knee length dress that was just slightly low cut. After she had finished getting ready, she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

~x~

Booth finished his call with Parker, promising him that next weekend would just be the two of them, doing whatever Parker wanted to do. He stood up and stuck his phone back in his pocket and headed over toward the bar.

It was exactly as he had expected; slightly grungy and dark, with more than a few randomly placed neon signs advertising different brands of beer. The ceiling was covered in American flags, tacked up, with a few Budweiser banners mixed in. There were a handful of seats at the bar, a few tables in the front, and a few pool tables in the back by a very old jukebox. There were at least 20 people crowded around the pool tables in the back, all obviously very interested in whatever competition they currently had going on. Booth sat down at the bar and looked around for the bartender, who seemed to be missing in action.

A few minutes later a young guy came around the corner from the back and approached him.

"What'll it be?" He asked, giving Booth a sideways glance.

"Jack and Coke" sad Booth, his eyes fixated on the college football game playing on the TV hanging to one side of the bar.

"You aren't from around here are ya" said the bartender, setting his drink down in front of him.

Booth looked up at him and then picked up his drink, ignoring the comment and turning his attention back to the football game.

~x~

Brennan stood in the back of the room, leaning over the pool table. Two men on the other side of the table both let out gasps as she continued to beat their friend who had bragged about being the best in town.

"I am quite good at this game, I play here often and Robby has taught me everything he knows!" said Brennan

Robby laughed "That's my girl, whoop his ass Temp!"

Brennan pocketed the 8 ball and the crowd around the table erupted.

"Now come get a drink Temp, I got a double shot of Tequila with your name on it!" said Robby, grabbing an already slightly inebriated Brennan by the arm and dragging her towards the bar.

Brennan took a seat at her usual place all the way at the end of the bar. Robby brought over two double shots and counted down from 3 before they both downed them simultaneously. Brennan laughed and picked up her soda from earlier to chase the burn.

"Robby, I would like some cheese fries, if you don't mind" said Brennan, noticing how empty her stomach felt in spite of the drinks she had consumed in the last hour. Robby nodded and headed to the back to fix her some fries.

Brennan lost herself in her thoughts for a few minutes, staring off into space. Robby kicked her back into reality when he set the cheese fries down in front of her.

"Just the way you like 'em Temp, no bacon and extra mustard!"

Brennan thanked him and started eating. She looked up over towards the door and notice something, or more precisely, someone across the bar who seemed rather out of place. He eyes fell first on his attire, which was obviously a black dress suit. She felt something somewhat familiar about this particular stranger, but she could not put her finger on it. She blinked a few times and stared at the man's back. She shook her head and glanced down at the fries in front of her. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her most likely due to the large amount of alcohol in her system.

"Robby!" she yelled, leaning up over the bar a bit.

Robby came over and she whispered in his ear "Find out that man's name".

Robby walked over to the other side of the bar and Brennan stared as he conversed with the man in the black suit. She couldn't watch; she spun around on her bar stool and focused on the game of pool currently being played.

A tap on her shoulder startled her and she spun back around on her bar stool.

"He says his name is Seeley" said Robby, yelling a little too loudly for as close as he was to her ear.

Brennan looked across the bar and their eyes met. Her mouth dropped open in unison with his.

Before her brain could process what was happening, she saw him stand up and start making his way across the room. Her instincts said to run, but in 3 inch heels and in her current state, she knew that was impossible. She looked at Robby and then back towards the man who was now just several feet from her.

"Bones…?"

"Hello Booth… "

….if there's anything i've learned

all these years on my own

it's how to find my own way there

and how to find my own way back home

A/N~ SO! I hope I didn't get to confusing there. Next up is the big chapter ;) I should have it posted sometime later today... keep those reviews coming!