A/N: I've played fast and loose with the geography of Washington DC. Just don't think about it and it will be fine.

Stirring Up Trouble

Booth was organizing the boxes of paperwork that came with the evidence collected by the FBI. Everything had to be documented in triplicate before being moved to the Jeffersonian, and he was not going to be the one that let a murderer go free because of an irregularity in the chain of evidence. Special Agent Carlos Suarez, from the gang task force, walked in his office without ceremony and sat on the edge of his desk.

"Hey, I heard you had two bodies up at Rock Creek Park," Carlos began with a familiarity that annoyed Booth to no end. Booth stared at him, disgusted at the agent for coming into his office and interrupting his investigation. Carlos had that look, the one that says that this could be the big opportunity, if only he could snatch it away from Booth.

"Where'd you hear that from?" Booth asked noncommittally, knowing that the techs and junior agents talked about details of cases even when they weren't supposed to.

"Just around," Carlos said vaguely, gesturing to the bullpen outside Booth's office. "I heard that they were killed execution style." Booth said nothing, just stared hostilely at his coworker. Carlos was a good guy, but he was a hard man, and was ruthless in office politics. Booth wondered what his angle was. "That sounds like gang MO. Maybe I should take a look at it," he offered casually.

Booth gave him a smile that was in no way friendly and brushed off his offer easily, "Thanks, but my partner and I have this under control. You worry about your cases, and I'll worry about mine."

"I'm just saying Booth, a dead shapeshifter in the woods…? Maybe you're too close to this one."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Booth demanded, losing his patience and slapping the folder to his desk before giving Carlos his full attention. Carlos had the audacity to smirk and lean closer.

"Everyone knows that the Pack has a hand in this, man," he said, cruelly casual. "I mean, hands bound, shot in the back of the head, Rock Creek Park…all that screams that this is an internal affair within the Pack, which is clearly gang task force territory."

"What are you implying?" Booth asked with false calm although he knew that in DC there was a fine line between some of the larger Packs and gangs. Carlos had a point, but Booth knew that there was something more behind this than just a jurisdiction squabble.

"A shapeshifter has to be loyal to his Pack. I don't think you should be working this one," Carlos said bluntly, straightening up as Booth came around from behind his desk. Booth stepped into his personal space, and as much as Carlos wanted to stand up as his equal, he gave ground against the force of Booth's personality.

"Get out of my office," Booth ordered firmly. He was afraid that if the little twerp said one more thing in that condescending voice of his, he was going to throw him out the window.

"It's your call, man," Carlos said as he backed away toward the door.

"Stay out of my investigation," Booth said in a furious whisper as he forced Carlos to leave. He saw the curious stares from the bullpen, and knew that the story would be spread throughout the Hoover in no time. Suddenly the eyes on him felt like too much, and Booth determined to get out of the office for a while. He could do the paperwork just as easily in Bones' office as his, and it would get him out of this goldfish bowl.

~BB~

Brennan was bent over the remains when she saw Booth walk into her space. He slid his card through the security access and bounded up the stairs.

"You got anything new for me, Bones?" he asked. Brennan wrinkled her nose at Booth's grammar, but decided that an argument would be counterproductive to her work.

"Angela has a sketch and she's running it though missing persons right now. Cam is doing an autopsy on the female victim at the moment. Hodgins found cause of death and is analyzing clothing and particulates found on the female victim," Brennan said, bringing the media-cam over to the left hand and studying the image on the screen.

"Hello Agent Booth," Daisy said as she bounded up the stairs and carried a tray full of empty Petri dishes over to Brennan. "I was eating lunch with Lance today, and I thought I would go over to your office and see you, but Lance said that you were out on a case, but I told him that Dr. Brennan would have called me if there was a case, but he said that…"

"Thank you, Ms. Wick," Dr. Brennan said, cutting into her running speech as she took the tray and set it on the table beside her. Booth cautiously edged off the platform away from Daisy.

"Hey, Bones, I'll go check with Cam and see what she found."

Brennan continued to study the remnants of the phalanges on the left hand as Booth left. "Ms. Wick, what do you see there?" she asked, pointing to a semicircular discolored area on the bones of the index finger. She positioned the ruler next to the finger to give perspective under the increased magnification.

"It looks like a perimortem bite mark," Daisy replied. "Human dentition."

"Swab this area and give the sample to Hodgins. Perhaps there will be a trace of saliva." As Daisy followed her orders, Brennan studied the bite mark. There was something that was strange about the placement of the bite, but an explanation didn't come immediately to mind. The posterior of the phalange showed corresponding marks made by the lower incisors. She put aside the phalanges for a moment and let her gaze travel across the bones. Daisy came back up to the platform, but was glancing over towards the autopsy room where Booth had disappeared.

"Agent Booth would probably like to hear about the bite mark," Daisy said hopefully.

"Focus on the remains, please, Ms. Wick," Brennan said. As an alpha shapeshifter, Booth's pheromones were stronger and more likely to attract female shapeshifters and cause them to react sexually than a beta male's pheromones. For some reason, Daisy was especially sensitive to Booth's pheromones. And because Brennan was also an alpha, Booth's pheromones were on overdrive around her, which made Daisy react more strongly. Daisy's mate, Sweets, understood this trend, but still hated it.

"There is evidence of bruising to the ribs, most likely made with fists, though the third rib fracture was most likely made with a slightly pointed object, like a steel toed boot," Daisy observed.

"I concur," Brennan said. Booth strode purposefully into her vision and she straightened when she realized that he had a lead.

"Female victim is Maria Lopez, age 22, registered shapeshifter that lives with her parents. Cam found a useable fingerprint under the tape. Her parents live near Rock Creek Park," Booth said with impatient excitement. "Let's go question them, Bones."

"I could go question them with you, Agent Booth," Daisy offered hopefully. Booth concealed a shudder and turned to Brennan.

"Ms. Wick, please learn all you can about the male victim's remains and then remove the rest of the flesh and debris," she said firmly to her intern. Daisy's expressive face fell, but she acquiesced and continued her observations. Brennan peeled off her gloves and placed them in the biohazard bin underneath the table before she joined Booth.

"Just let me get my things, then we can leave," she said, making her way to her office.

"Well, chop chop, Bones," Booth chivvied. "We've got a murderer to catch."

A/N: Thanks for all your reviews, alerts and favorites so far. And a special thank you to my anonymous reviewers! I love hearing from you!