Disclaimer: Don't own Bones. So sad.

A/n: I know it's been a while, but life gets in the way. Since the chapters aren't very long, I suggest reading the previous one, so that the new one flows better.

Much thanks to jerseybones for her always awesome betaing and to Dispatch22705 for her always awesome suggestions!

Enjoy!

Heat and Heartbreak

She had known the minute he walked back into the room. But it was only when he cleared his throat that she gave herself permission to look up from the papers in front of her.

He didn't seem as angry anymore and when his eyes locked on hers, it occurred to Brennan that making him smile was probably a lot better than making him furious.

I'm here to keep him alive, she chastised herself. Not to make him smile. When had she ever concerned herself with making a man smile? Never. She was not about to start now.

Resolutely, she grabbed the copy of his schedule that Cam had handed her and started crossing things off. Cam had already warned her that he would be very displeased with the changes to his calendar, but he was going to have to deal with it until his life was no longer in danger.

"Hey, Sul," Booth greeted the other man, walking over to shake his hand. "I see you've met Dr. Brennan."

"Yes, I have," Sully grinned charmingly. "It seems you're in very capable hands."

Booth raised one eyebrow and the other man's grin widened; Sully could all but taste the tension between his friend and the woman sitting at the table. Anyone looking at her would assume she was calm and composed; heck, to Sully she seemed perfectly collected. It was only because he had been standing close enough that he saw the stiffening of her shoulders, just the slightest bit, when Booth walked into the room.

"Agent Sullivan, will the FBI have a profile within a reasonable amount of time?"

Sully nearly smiled at the way she asked the question. Less than thirty minutes with her and already he knew that the woman was seriously lacking in social skills. "Well, we don't have much to go on, but I'll make sure to have one by tomorrow night."

The amusement drained out of him as he thought of how close his friend had come to dying. "Seel, I'm going to get this bastard," Sully promised, dead serious now.

"I have no doubt, Sul," Booth said quietly and Brennan looked between the two men, surprised by the exchange.

"How do you know each other?"

"Sully and I were in the Army together," Booth smiled in reminiscence. "We both joined right after high school."

"God, we were green," Sully laughed, slapping Booth lightly on the back. "After we did our tour, Booth went to law school and I joined the Bureau."

"Joining the Army was the best thing I ever did," Booth said lightly. "Full college tuition and I got the hell away from Philly."

The words seemed almost casual, but Brennan thought there was something dark beneath them and she had the most inexplicable urge to comfort him. Her palms tingled with the nearly irrepressible need to touch him. To soothe … what exactly, she wasn't even sure. The impulse was completely ridiculous and worrisome. Okay, something was wrong with her, she thought, bewildered. Since when was she compelled to comfort anyone?

Learning about his past, learning him, was dangerous. And it worried her that, despite the danger, she wanted to know more. She wanted to know him.

"I've marked the events that are too risky for you to attend," Brennan said bluntly, her tone more brusque than she intended as she passed him the marked-up copy of his schedule. "And I've noted which routine activities need to be changed in order to accommodate security concerns."

"Uh-uh," Cam whispered to herself, her gaze meeting Sully's for the first time all morning. He smiled knowingly; fully aware that they were about to watch fireworks.

"Are you out of your mind?" Booth did not disappoint, looking at Brennan as if she had, indeed, lost her faculties. "I'm really hoping you're making use of that sense of humor I've yet to see, Dr. Brennan."

"Dr. Saroyan mentioned you might not approve," Brennan said stiffly. "But I was hoping you would be reasonable."

"Reasonable?" He waved the schedule around a bit wildly. "You think this is reasonable? You've crossed out almost every function I'm supposed to attend over the next three months!"

"That's because they pose considerable security concerns and …"

"Oh, well, then let's just close down the courtroom doors, shall we," he interrupted mockingly. "I'll just call the Chief Justice and let him know that I won't be hearing oral arguments for the next little while." He slammed the offending piece of paper down, conveying his displeasure. "I mean, let's forget that I have a job to do and obligations to meet. Those are just pesky little details."

"None of the events I've marked have anything to do with your responsibilities in the courtroom," Brennan defended, the heavy dose of sarcasm he was dispensing making her spine ramrod straight. "Dr. Saroyan has informed me that it'll be nearly two months before the Court is in session and …"

"I still have obligations and there is no way in hell that I will simply disregard them because you say so."

"Not because I say so, your honor," she hissed and already Booth knew he could look forward to hearing her make use of his title in that disdainful tone whenever she was pissed. "But because someone wants your hard head on a golden platter."

"Silver, Brennan, okay," he corrected through clenched teeth. "It's silver platter."

In the sudden silence, Sully's chuckle was especially loud and Booth realized that they had a captivated audience. With a grimace, he tried to collect his tattered self-control.

"Look, let's discuss this like adults," he proposed, grabbing the controversial piece of paper from the table. "If you're done getting information out of Sully, let's go to my office and see if we can reach some kind of compromise on this." Before we kill each other.

Brennan hesitated for a moment, wondering whether there was anything else she needed to make clear to Agent Sullivan. Quickly, she decided that her battle with Booth took precedence and in any case, she was satisfied that Agent Sullivan appeared to be competent and willing to share information with her.

"I'll have a profile within the next twenty-four hours." Before she could say a word, Sully added, "I'll keep you updated."

"Very well," she nodded, seemingly immune to his flirty smile. Rising from the dining room table, Brennan walked out, clearly expecting Booth to follow her.

Seeing the amused smiles around him, Booth growled, "Not a word," before heading after his own personal brand of intoxicating punishment.

The minute she was alone with Sully, Cam's amused smile vanished. "Flirting is not going to get you anywhere," she sniffed disdainfully. "You saw them together, right?"

"I saw. Like we weren't even in the room." His smile widened as he took a step in her direction. "And by the way, that wasn't flirting, that was being friendly."

"Oh, please." Her voice dripped sarcasm and his smile turned wolfish.

"Are you jealous?"

He was next to her now and feeling at a disadvantage, Cam rose from her chair to face him with chilly eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

"You shouldn't be, you know," he murmured, stepping so close she could barely breathe. "There's only one thing in this room I want, Cam."

"You're crowding me."

"I know." Cupping one hand over her nape, his mouth slanted over hers in one quick, breath-stealing kiss. "Stop being so damn stubborn. I miss you so much."

"Stop," she pleaded, voice nearly breaking. "We're done, Sully."

"For a lawyer, you're a crappy liar," he growled, feeling on the verge of shaking her until she stopped pretending she could just run away from them. "You know you're mine. You know you love me. You damn well know what we have is forever, Cam."

Her lips parted. To argue again, he was sure, but his lips effectively silenced her. Before she could even really process the taste of him, Sully released her and without another word, he walked out.

Her hand trembled as she brought it up to her lips and her eyes closed against the unfairness of it all. Two months ago, she thought ending their relationship was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, but now she knew resisting his relentless determination would be twice as difficult and a hundred times more heart-breaking.