I realise it has been a very long time since I updated this story. My apologises for keeping you waiting. I have to admit I'm still not 100 percent happy with the chapter but like an artist, my work is never complete. I'm sending a big thank you to Niah1988 who helped me (even though she doesn't think she did). Your opinion means a lot, so thanks.
An hour after returning to the main facility at the Virginia Hills Body Farm, Temperance was feeling a lot better although she still had a dull headache. Director Wilson had asked one of his colleagues, Dr Philips, a medical examiner, to check her over. Dr Philips announced she was simply suffering from Heat Exhaustion, a mild form of Heat Stroke.
"Just remain indoors for the rest of the day and drink plenty of water. If you start to feel any dizziness or nausea, give me a call." He handed Booth a card with his number on it.
"What about the remains?" Brennan asked, sitting up a little on the couch in Director Wilson's office where Booth had set her down when they arrived.
"Don't you worry about that." Director Wilson smiled. "Laurie has gone back and covered up the remains. You can start fresh tomorrow." For a moment Brennan looked like she was going to protest and insist on returning to finish the job but as her mouth opened to speak, she paused then closed her lips and leaned back against the arm of the couch.
"It's fine Bones." Booth assured her. "We have all these reports to look through tonight anyway." Booth understood how Brennan was feeling and he knew that if she had something to work on she wouldn't worry too much about the second victim still partially buried out in the farm.
"You're right." Brennan nodded as she brought a cold bottle of water to her lips to take a sip. Booth noticed how her hand shook and he couldn't help but feel concern. He wasn't used to seeing Brennan vulnerable and it worried him to see her weakened.
"I should get you back to the motel." He announced. Brennan screwed the cap on the water bottle and laid it down on the couch before swinging her legs around and sitting upright. She grasped Booth's outstretched hands and let him pull her to her feet. He held onto her elbow but allowed her to otherwise stand on her own two feet. She threw him a grateful smile before turning to Dr Philips.
"Thank you. For…" she trailed off, feeling a little guilty for dragging him out from his office in town.
"You're welcome Dr Brennan. Just promise me you'll be more careful out in the sun. This time of year it doesn't take much to suffer dehydration and Heat Stroke." Dr Philips smiled and shook hands with Director Wilson before heading out the office.
"You good to go Bones?" Booth asked. His eyes scanned her face as she nodded a 'yes'. Satisfied with her answer, he thanked Dr. Philips again and led Brennan to the door, his hand resting comfortable on the small of her back.
XxXxXxXxX
As the sun began to set, Brennan sat comfortably on the bed in her motel room, a cold bottle of water unopened at her side. In front of her, her laptop was set up and she was scrolling through the missing persons reports, not for the first time thinking how tragic it was that so many people were missing. A knock at the door broke her from her thoughts.
"It's open!" she called. A moment later the door swung open and Booth stepped inside, a pizza box in one hand, a six pack of beer in the other.
"Hungry?" he asked. Brennan inhaled the aroma emanating from the pizza box and momentarily closed her eyes. "I'll take that as a yes." Booth grinned and walked over to the bed, placing the pizza and beers on it before making himself comfortable at the top near the headboard.
"It's a long list." Brennan told him as she closed the laptop. "Hopefully Angela can get us a face tonight." She rubbed her temples, a dull ache pulsing through her head.
"She's good and like you said, the skull was intact, so I'm sure she will." Booth said as he leaned forward and opened the pizza box. Brennan eyed the double cheese and mushroom pizza longingly and a hand subconsciously went to cover her stomach. Booth pushed the box towards her and she gratefully pulled the first slice away, bringing it straight to her mouth.
"What happened to me owing you dinner?" she asked when she had swallowed her first bite.
"Oh, you still do. But I'm not letting you get off with pizza for that. I want a proper dinner." Booth grinned. "I'm talking a dressed up, fancy restaurant and dancing kind of dinner." He smiled wickedly and Brennan stared at him, slightly taken aback by his words. It sounded like a date to her. But Booth was only her partner, her friend. Friends don't have dinners like that…do they? Brennan shook her head. She was probably imagining things because of the Heat Exhaustion.
XxXxXxXxX
One pizza, four beers and a few hours of working in companionable silence with Brennan, Booth was done.
"There's nothing in these reports." He sighed in frustration and tossed the last file onto the bed beside the other discarded ones. Beside him Brennan sighed heavily. "The Sheriff was right. There is not a single report to suggest anyone graduating from smaller crimes to murder."
"I'm going to call Angela. She should have something for us by now." Brennan reached for her cell and punched in Angela's number at the Jeffersonian. Booth folded his hands behind his head and leaned back against the headboard, closing his eyes.
"Angela, it's me." Brennan said when Angela picked up. "Have you worked on the skull?" She paused, listening to Angela. "That's good. Can you send it to me?" Brennan glanced over at Booth and smiled. "No, he's sleeping." She laughed.
"I am not sleeping." Booth replied but he didn't open his eyes.
"Sorry, he's just 'resting his eyes'." Brennan laughed, receiving in return, a playful glare from Booth. She began to tap at the laptop with both hands, cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder.
"I got it." She said to Angela.
"Is this him?" Booth asked, leaning across the bed to get a look at the uploaded image of a young man on the screen. He had delicate features, high cheekbones and thin lips.
"Yeah." She replied to Booth. "Are there any matches from the missing person's reports?" she asked Angela. After a moment she sighed and Booth realised the face did not match any of the reports.
"Tell Angela to expand the search national. This kid may not have been from around here." Booth said. Brennan nodded.
"Did you hear that Ang? Great. I'll be back on site tomorrow morning to retrieve the second set of remains. They appear to be female, roughly forty to fifty years old. Can you start pulling missing persons reports."
As Brennan continued to speak with Angela, Booth heaved himself off the bed and gestured to Brennan that he would back. As comfortable as he was around Brennan, that comfort didn't extend to using her bathroom. She waved in acknowledgement and continued her conversation with Angela. The last thing Booth heard as he walked out the door was Brennan assuring Angela she just had a little too much sun and Booth overreacted. He chuckled as he closed the door and headed to his own room. Obviously Zach had relayed his message and Angela, as usual, was concerned for her friend.
When Booth returned some thirty minutes later, having made a goodnight call to his son, he found Brennan asleep on the bed lying on her side, one hand under the pillow, the other still clutching her cell phone. Standing in the doorway, Booth smiled at the sight. Brennan was a force to be reckoned with when she was a wake but somehow, in sleep, she looked so peaceful and innocent. He stood watching her for a moment before stepping inside and closing the door behind him to keep out the cool night air.
Not wanting to wake her, Booth crept over to the bed and picked up the laptop computer from near Temperance's feet. After setting it down on the chair in the corner, he moved back over to the bed and quietly bundled all the police reports together. His eyes kept drifting to Brennan, checking she was still asleep. She had put up a brave front but he knew she was tired as they worked on the reports and she needed a lot of rest for continuing the retrieval of the remains in the morning. When he was done clearing the bed, he knelt on it with one knee, leaned over and pried the cell phone from her hand. As he gently pulled her fingers back to release the phone, Brennan mumbled something unintelligible and shifted slightly, but did not wake. Booth got back off the bed and set the phone down on the small beside table then glanced around the room and spotted what he was looking for; a striped blanket sitting folded up on the dresser. After unfolding it Booth walked around to Brennan's side of the bed and gently draped the blanket over her body. He couldn't resist tucking a loose lock of hair behind her ear and as he drew his hand back, he allowed his fingers to caress her cheek softly. Knowing his attention may stir her from sleep, Booth pulled back and rubbed his face. Sometimes he hated how she made him feel. He knew he couldn't touch her like that when she was awake but only being able to get that close to her when she slept made him feel like a creepy voyeur. His thoughts drifted to the prospect of a real dinner with Brennan. Maybe through that he would be able to get closer to Brennan for real and not just while she slept, oblivious to his lingering attention.
XxXxXxXxX
First thing in the morning, Booth and Brennan headed straight back to the Body Farm with the intention of retrieving the second set of remains as quickly as possible. With no progress on the identification of the first victim, Brennan knew the clue to who was responsible could lie with the second. They found the Director pacing back and forth as he waited for them at the entrance, a strained look on his face.
"Dr Brennan." He walked quickly to meet them. "Agent Booth."
"Is something wrong?" Brennan asked. She didn't need Booth's expertise in body language to know that the Director was troubled.
"My team were working through the night to survey the farm for other remains. I'm afraid to say we found more." He shook his head, visibly distraught.
"More?" Booth asked.
"Three more victims so far." Brennan glanced over at Booth and they shared a look, one that they each knew meant things were about to get a whole lot more complicated.
"I'd like to see them." Brennan requested.
"Of course." Director Wilson nodded. Booth placed his hand on Brennan's lower back as they started out the room. Just as they reached the door, it swung open and a pale skinned middle aged man with a receding hairline burst through.
"What the hell is going on?" the man yelled at the Director.
"Calm down Tim." Director Wilson held his hands up and spoke softly. "There's been an incident."
"What kind of incident warrants all your students running around my farm? And who are these people." He gestured at Booth and Brennan, giving them a condescending look.
"I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth. This is my partner Dr Temperance Brennan." Booth stepped forward and flashed his badge. "Who are you?" he asked in return.
"Agent Booth, this is Dr Timothy James, my head researcher." Director Wilson explained.
"Dr James, my partner and I were called out here when a set of remains were discovered that Director Wilson informs us were not part of the research." Booth explained.
"What?" Dr James exclaimed.
"Tim, we've discovered four other sets of remains on the farm." the Director explained.
"I don't understand what you're telling me." Dr James shook his head and looked flustered, his pale cheeks filling with colour.
"What we're telling you is that someone murdered five people and buried them on your body farm." Booth stated. Dr James looked stunned for a moment then he held a hand to his temple and shook his head.
"I go on vacation for one week." he sighed.
"Tim, we were just heading out to examine the newly discovered remains. Will you accompany us." Director Wilson's question was really more of an order and Dr James realised it, quickly nodding his head in agreement.
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