Sitting down on the couch of their new home, Brennan sighed. After arriving at the airport, they had been escorted to a private airfield, where they had then been transported to North Dakota. From there they had been taken to a hotel, debriefed and handed keys and directions to their new house.

The last three days had been a blur for Brennan and it was only now that the world seemed to be coming back into focus. Walking up the stairs to the second floor, she hunted for her partner.

"Hey" she said softly as she entered the room that he was in.

"Hey," Booth said turning from the drawers where he was putting his clothes away.

"I just wanted to say sorry, for being snippy with you before," Brennan said sitting down on the bed.

"Its fine don't worry about it," he replied. They fell into an easy silence as Booth put his clothes away and Brennan watched him.

"I thought you would have taken the room down the hallway, it's bigger and it has a view," Brennan said smiling.

"I thought you might want it,"

"Thanks,"

"Don't mention it,"

Brennan sat there awkwardly, waiting for Booth to say something.

"I was thinking, I know that it's gonna be weird but I thought we should try to call each other by the names the bureau gave us. You know in case someone over hears us or something," Booth finally spoke.

"Ok then," Brennan looked up at him.

"So, Jacqueline Carter right?" Booth said laughing. "That's so not you,"

"Right Adam, coz that's so you," Brennan shot back.

"Hey, I didn't chose the names," Booth laughed.

Brennan's stomach growled and she looked at it laughing.

"I think I'm hungry," she said.

"Wanna go out to eat?" Booth asked.

"Sure why not, gotta scope out the best place to get Chinese right?" Brennan said standing.

Booth laughed and they both headed downstairs to the car.

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Driving along the main street of town, Booth pulled over and turned to Brennan.

"Well Jack, where do ya think we should eat?" he laughed as she pulled a face.

"The first place looked fine, and don't call me Jack," she said to him then moved to get out of the car. Booth laughed and got out jogging around the car he met Brennan and placed his hand on the small of her back leading her back down the street to the first restaurant they had passed.

Entering the small restaurant, they were both reminded of Wong Foo's and looking at each other, they smiled silently agreeing that they had found their new place.

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Returning home, they had both gone straight to their rooms, wanting to get some sleep before exploring the net day.

Brennan however was not asleep. She had spent half an hour putting away her clothes and deciding that she needed to go shopping for more clothes as she hadn't packed a lot before she was whisked away to the safe house back in DC. She had then spent half an hour looking at the lake that was in front of their house and admiring the quiet beauty of her new home. She was now lying in bed, trying to get to sleep but was not succeeding. Thinking back to dinner Brennan smiled. Booth had spent the whole evening calling her Jack and so she had taken to calling him by his new last name, Richards, which had been shortened to down Ritchie by the end of the night.

Hearing a noise from down the hall, Brennan sat up slightly in the bed, and listened intently for the noise to sound again. Lying back in bed, thinking it was just her imagination, she closed her eyes willing sleep to take her over.

Brennan woke early the next morning and rolled over to look at the clock on the bedside table. 4. 15 Am. She didn't understand what had woken her up. She was answered a few moments later by the same noise she had heard before she had fallen asleep. Suddenly realizing that the noise had come from Booth's room, she quickly threw back the covers and ran down the hallway. Dressed only in a pair of shorts and a singlet, she shivered at the coolness of Booth's room.

"Ritchie," she said timidly from the doorway, the instinct to call him by his real name overwhelming.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Booth said from the bed.

"Yea, are you ok?"

"Yea, just a bad dream. Sorry for waking you," Booth whispered.

Brennan couldn't see his face but she could see his silhouette sitting up in the bed and she could tell he was tense.

Waging a mini war within herself, her compassionate side won and she made her way over to the bed. The mattress moved under her weight and she crawled up the bed and sat next to him, shivering slightly as a breeze from the open window fanned over her.

Booth tugged on the duvet and scooted over in the bed. Taking the opportunity to seek the warmth of the blanket, Brennan slid under the covers and pulled them up around her neck.

"Make yourself at home," Booth laughed, sliding back down in the bed. "Does this mean I get the room with the view?"

"No, it means I'm being a good friend and keeping you company until you fall back to sleep," Brennan replied yawning.

"Thanks Jack," Booth whispered shifting so that he was lying on his side facing her.

"You'd do the same for me," Brennan replied. Booth chuckled slightly as he watched Brennan fight to keep her eyes open.

"Mm maybe you should try to go to sleep," he whispered "Goodnight Jack,"

"Night," Brennan replied, finally giving in to her drooping eyelids. She sighed and wriggled to get comfortable then calmed her breathing and let sleep take over her body.

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Waking the next morning, Booth looked at the woman asleep in his arms and sighed. Pulling her closer to him, he closed his eyes, willing his body to go back to sleep as he felt Brennan stir.

Brennan hummed as she woke up and shook her head, which only managed to make her nose rub against Booth's bare chest. Breathing in his familiar scent, she slowly opened her eyes and adjusted to the light that was filtering through the doorway. Looking up, she smiled at Booth who was obviously not asleep.

"You are a terrible actor," Brennan laughed.

Booth opened his eyes and grinned at her.

"Good morning to you too,"

Brennan smiled and laid her head back down, closing her eyes again.

"Sleep well?" Booth asked.

"Considering the week I've been having, I slept great," Brennan replied.

"What are we gonna do today? I don't start my new job until next week so I have heaps of spare time," Booth said.

"Lucky for some, I start the day after tomorrow. I thought that I might go for a walk around the lake later on, you're welcome to join me," Brennan replied.

"Wait a minute, you never mentioned that you had a job," Booth said staring down at her.

"Well I have a job, you expected me not to have a job?"

"Well, you're kinda well known. Isn't it a bit stupid to have you working,"

"It's not stupid and I'd go crazy if I didn't have a job,"

"So where are you working? I mean, you can't be a forensic anthropologist can you?"

"There's a small university in the next town, they want me to be the head of the anthropology department," Brennan said yawning.

"But wouldn't you be recognized?"

"I'm hoping not, anyway I can just say that I have an uncanny similarity with Temperance Brennan,"

"If you think that will work,"

Brennan had shifted as they were talking and was now lying next to Booth, shoulder to shoulder.

"I'll make it work, don't worry,"

Booth shook his head, then pulled back the covers and swung his feet off the bed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with the heel of his palms, he stood up.

"I'm going to have a shower," he said before opening the door to the adjoining bathroom.

Brennan stared at the closed door and sighed. Closing her eyes, she yawned and listened to the sound of the shower in the next room as it lulled her back to sleep.

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Booth re-entered his room and smiled at Brennan who was fast asleep in his bed. Admiring the way her hair framed her face as she slept, he quietly grabbed some clothes and headed back into the bathroom to dress.

Making his way downstairs, he went to the kitchen to find that the agent that had debriefed them had been telling the truth about the house being fully set up to look as though they had been living there for years. Every cupboard was full and the fridge was fully stocked.

The house had the air that it had been lived in for a long time and didn't show in any way that they were the first people to ever actually live there.

Making himself a coffee, he headed out the front door and sat down in the chair on the veranda, admiring the serene view of the lake in front of the house.

"Hello there," a man called as he made his way up the front lawn.

"Hi," Booth said, uncertainly.

"I'm Jonathan, your neighbor," the man said as he came to halt in front of the veranda.

"Adam" Booth said smiling at the man.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Adam. Me and my sister live in the house just up through the trees there," Jonathan said, pointing to the left of them, where Booth could see the roof of a house. "We noticed the lights on last night, so I thought I'd come down here and introduce myself, see if I could offer any assistance for anything. We've lived here for years now and we know the place pretty well,"

Both men turned as the door opened and Brennan stepped out into the sunlight. Still dressed in what she had worn to bed, she had a cup of coffee in her hand. She smiled at the man, standing on the lawn.

"Hi," she said, standing awkwardly in front of the door.

"Jack this is our neighbor, Jonathan," Booth said standing.

"Oh, hello," Brennan said smiling, she moved down the front steps and held out her hand to the man. "I'm Jacqueline,"

"Nice to meet you Jacqueline," the man said smiling sweetly at her.

Booth shifted uncomfortably as the two stood there smiling at each other.

"So you said you live with your sister?" Booth broke the silence.

"Uh yea," Jonathan said taking a step back from Brennan. "She's my older sister, Natalie,"

"That's nice, any more family?" Booth asked as he watched Jonathan watch Brennan walk back up the steps.

"Nah, my mom died when we were young and my dad took off when Natalie turned 18. She brought me here and we've been here ever since," Jonathan said turning back to Booth.

"Nice, well, we just moved from DC," Brennan said.

"Oh ok then, it's unusual for couple's to move here, we mostly just get singles," Jonathan said, smiling up at Booth and Brennan.

"Oh, we're not a couple," Brennan quickly stated.

"We're engaged," Booth said smirking at the man.

Brennan turned and glared at him. Booth laughed and shrugged.

Jonathan looked at them frowning, "Doesn't that make you a couple?"

"Guess it does," Brennan muttered sipping her coffee.

"I'm leaving in ten minutes to go explore if you wanna come Jack," Booth called as he made his way back inside. "It was a pleasure meeting you Jonathan," he laughed.

"Don't call me Jack," Brennan called over her shoulder. "It was nice meeting you, I guess I'll see you around," she said to Jonathan and moved to follow Booth.

"Yea, hey why don't you and Adam come to dinner tonight, I know you just moved in, but it would be a pleasure having you over for dinner," Jonathan said smiling.

"Sure, dinner would be lovely," Brennan smiled.

"I'll come down and show you the path that leads up to our place around six. It's easier than going around the trees and up the drive," Jonathan smiled.

"Thanks see you tonight then," Brennan said waving slightly and heading back inside.

--------------------------------

"Engaged?" Brennan yelled, as she followed Booth through the house.

"Yea baby, thought I'd make us sound interesting to good ole Jonathan," Booth laughed.

"Interesting? As if! It was just another way that you found to assert your alpha male tendencies," Brennan fumed.

"I didn't hear you correct me Jack," Booth said winking at her.

Brennan opened her mouth to comment but shut it again as she realized that she hadn't in fact corrected him, when she had had the opportunity to do so.

Huffing, she spun on her heel and went to leave.

"Oh, we are having dinner at Jonathan's tonight, he'll be here at six to escort us," she called then promptly left the room, slamming the door to her bedroom upstairs.

Booth laughed and shook his head, she was one confusing woman.