Here is the (hopefully) much anticipated next chapter. Sorry for the long wait in between! Work and home have both been totally hectic. I also have been doing rewrite after rewrite of this chapter and I'm still not quite happy with it yet, so you'll have to let me know what you think. Still do not own Bones.

Booth was showered and changed in record time.He decided to push his luck a little this morning and see if Bones really was going to make an effort in changing her behavior for the assignment. As they rode the elevator down to the lobby, he reached over and gently took her hand in his. This time she didn't jump away, just looked down at his hand and then back up towards the door. She let him hold on through the lobby and he finally let go when the valet brought the car around.

"Good job Bones! That's the first time since we've been down here that you haven't completely objected to any kind of physical contact. See, was that really so hard?"

"Don't push your luck Booth" she said glaring at him, only a little this time though.

They didn't talk much about what had happened the night before since it was a sore subject for the both of them still. So, they talked mainly about the case. They also stopped to drop the samples of fibers they had found at the latest victim's crime scene with the courier service. They would then be transported back to the Jeffersonian for further analysis. Brennan felt more comfortable with her team running the tests instead of the local channels.

By the time they had reached the ME's office, things were beginning to feel a little more normal than they had been since first coming to South Carolina. For a few moments at least they were back to being Special Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan instead of Anthony and Samantha Sernicko, newlywed couple.

They were shown into the crypt that the body was being kept. For the next hour, Brennan examined the body trying to find anything that the Medical Examiner may have missed that would help them locate the killer before he took his next victim. The body was clean though. Whoever the Night Stalker was, he was very careful in making sure he didn't leave any trace evidence behind. Now they had to place a lot of faith in those fibers that they had collected from the most recent crime scene.

After deciding that nothing more could be determined from the body, Brennan decided that it would be okay to release the girl's body to her family. The girl's parents had flown in from St. Louis, Missouri to claim the body. She would be flown back home and buried there.

Temperance was unusually quiet on the way back to the hotel. Booth kept trying to start a conversation about anything with her, but she just seemed lost in her own thoughts. He decided to give up and continued driving back towards the Sanctuary. He hoped in the short amount of time that had passed since the incident this morning that he hadn't done anything to piss her off again. He didn't think he had, but you never know. Booth left her alone with her thoughts for the remainder of the trip back to the hotel.

After checking the car in with the valet, Booth and Brennan went back up to their room. Temperance immediately switched on her laptop and began an email to Angela that she was sending the fibers up the Jeffersonian and to let her know as soon as they were able to get any information on them. Booth took out some of the case files and tried to read them, but was unable to concentrate.

"Bones, why don't we hang out in the hotel today? Maybe we'll be able to casually pick up some information on the murders without having to actually interrogate anyone. It's a beautiful day, we can lay out by the pool, check out the beach and later on some of the restaurants."

She decided this sounded better than moping around the room all day waiting for the results of the tests, which could take hours after hours when they finally did arrive back at the lab.

"Okay, let me get changed."

Brennan grabbed a few things from inside one of her drawers and went to the bathroom to get changed. As soon as she closed the door, Booth quickly pulled his swim trunks and sandals on. He was ready in just under a minute.

"Anytime today would be great Bones!" he said, teasing her.

"I'm almost ready, give me another minute."

He continued to pace the room, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her emerge from the bathroom. She was wearing a modest black bikini with a matching wrap around her waist. Her hair was loosely pulled into a twist and secured with a clip. Sunglasses and sandals completed the outfit. It was by no means very revealing, but it took his breath away. Bones, his partner, looked like such a girl. A very attractive one at that. Not that she didn't normally look very nice, but it wasn't everyday they wore bathing suits on the job.

Temperance noticed him staring at her and began to blush just a little bit. She nervously readjusted the tie on her wrap.

"Are you ready?" she asked hoping to get past the awkwardness.

"Yeah let's go." He held the door for her and she walked past, this time not giving him any irritated looks. The hotel had outdoor and indoor pools. Since it was a beautiful day out, they decided to lay out by the hotel's main outdoor pool and talk to some of the other guests. They spread their towels down on two lounge chairs that were side by side.

The pools were beautiful. The main pool had an infinity edge. Lots of people were out today laying in the sun. Mainly wealthly young couples, the occasional business professional or family were scattered in there as well. This was definitely going to be the place to mingle with people and hopefully get information out of them that could lead them to the killer.

After settling in, Booth decided to order some drinks for the two of them. He figured it couldn't hurt to drink just a little, everyone else around them was. He ordered two mixed drinks, the really fruity kind with the umbrellas that were a standard for vacationers.

"Do you really think we should be drinking on the job Booth?" she asked coolly. "Aren't we supposed to be working here?"

"We are blending in. And my name is Anthony. Remember Samantha?" he whispered.

"Right Anthony."

Their drinks arrived and Brennan decided one little drink wouldn't hurt her any. As long as she was able to stop after only one or two. She did not have the highest tolerance for alcohol because she barely ever drank. She took a small sip at first and could barley taste any alcohol. These had to be mainly fruit juice, right? Both sat sipping their drinks for a little while, then Brennan began to feel the heat of the sun on her skin. She reached into her bag and pulled out her bottle of sunscreen and began to apply it before she would have the chance to burn. Booth looked over at her and stared a little behind his dark sunglasses.

"Samantha, honey, let me help you with that." He took the bottle from her and began to rub the lotion onto her back, where she couldn't reach.

"Thanks dear" she said emphasizing the last word. Oh well, she thought to herself, at least it's better than pookie. Booth's strong hands massaging the sunscreen into her back caused Brennan to forget herself and get lost in the moment. Stop he is your partner! What kind of relationship could you possibly have with him? Work relationships should be just that-work-not personal.

"Thanks Anthony, I think you got it" she said taking the bottle back from him and leaning back onto her lounge chair, settling back into reality. After laying in the sun for over a half hour, Booth got hot and went to get into the pool. He dove in and began to do laps alongside a few others in the pool. Temperance stayed where she was.

What she didn't realize was that someone was watching her from not too far away. A man sitting at the bar had his eye on her. He was in his mid early to mid thirties, sandy brown hair, tan large muscular build and well dressed. Ever since she had walked down into the pool area earlier in the afternoon, he had been unable to take his eyes off her. He asked the bartender what she was drinking and ordered another for her. The man she had been with had disappeared into the pool and now was his shot. He requested that his identity be kept a secret from her. After paying for her drink, he left the bar and went back to his hotel room. He would see her again later.

By the time Temperance received the drink, the man had disappeared. Booth was still in the pool, so it couldn't be from him. He was the only one she knew around here. So, she accepted the drink, but did not sip from it in case there was something in there not too good for her. If Angela were here now, she would be telling her not to turn down a free drink. But, she wasn't and Brennan was pretty sure Angela did not have a serial killer looking for women of her physical description back at home in D.C.

She decided that when Booth got back from doing laps and talking to the guests using the pool, she would tell him about this and the missing sandals from this morning. Maybe it was all nothing, but you could never be too safe when youcould bea target of a serial killer

Sorry this chapter is a little shorter. I am still not too happy with it, so any suggestions would be welcomed. This chapter may change a little in the future as more ideas come to me. So check back. The next few chapters should be a little more romantic than suspenseful. Valentine's day always make me think more to the romance side of things. Lots of Booth/Brennan in the next chapters. I'll try and post as soon as I can, but it may be another few days (or maybe not, we'll see). Please review-thanks again!