Disclaimer - I don't own bones

Chapter 10 – The Headless Witch in the Woods

Brennan and Booth trekked through the forest with a forest ranger that had roped off a crime scene. Brennan pushed aside some branches as she said, "It's getting thicker and thicker in here."

The Ranger told them, "That's why a forensic team got lost. I've sent somebody back to find them."

Booth looked at him worriedly, "Look, you sure you know where you're going?"

The Ranger shook his head and told him truthfully, "I still have trouble and I've been here for three years. That's why we advise hikers to stay away."

Booth snorted softly, "I know, I'm pining for concrete." He then told Brennan softly, "You just, uh, you stay close, alright Bones?" Brennan walked away from Booth and found some kind of talisman in a tree as Booth kept talking, "I don't want you to get caught out here when it gets dark. Okay?" He looked around for her, but didn't see her anywhere. He started to panic a little as he called out, "Bones? Bones? Where the hell are you? Bones?"

Brennan looked over at Booth's panic expression and said, "I'm right here, Booth."

Booth rushed over to her and whispered, "Don't do that, alright?"

Brennan looked at him confused. She didn't understand why he was so jumpy. "What?"

Booth took in a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "Take off like that, okay. You heard the guy." Brennan patted him on his arm reassuringly before she told him why she wandered off. Booth had become overly over-protective recently. And it was starting to annoy her.

~BONES~

The gang was gathered around Angela's computer in her office as she told them, "I cleaned the section of the tape with an isopropyl alcohol solution and fed whatever digital information I could salvage into a restoration program. I didn't get much-maybe I got too much."

There was a girl in the woods at night, screaming, "Where's Brian? Where's Brian!"

A boy yelled, "Lori, wait where are you going? Lori, stop! Stop, Lori!"

Lori screamed, "Brian! Bri-!" She then screamed loudly.

Brennan watched as Cam grabbed for Booth's hand. She also saw how Booth squeezed her hand reassuringly and then took a step back away from her. Cam looked a bit surprised and hurt but didn't say anything as they saw Graham look into the camera, scared, "Oh, God. The noises are getting closer. I've lost Lori and Brian disappeared. Oh God. It's her. I can hear her. She's here. She's here! Oh God, she's here! Lori, where the hell are you? Lori! Oh my God. Help! Help me, oh God! Oh God, somebody help me!" His face got splattered with blood as he yelled, "Somebody help me, please!"

~BONES~

Brennan was looking out the window while Booth was talking as he drove, "Graham had a fellowship with the school. It was a free ride worth about 30 grand a year. Brian, the other kid - you know, from the woods? He applied for it and lost out to Graham. After Graham disappeared, the fellowship went to Brian." Booth then looked at Brennan noticing her silence, "Hmmmm. Did you hear me?"

Brennan nodded her head absent-mindedly, "Yeah. Doesn't look good for Brian Andrews."

Booth asked softly, "You okay?"

Brennan sighed as she told him, "I - I wonder what my life would have been like if Russ had raised me."

Booth broached the topic slowly. He knew how it felt to play the what-ifs game. "Well, you know, since he was a petty thief - you know, in and out of jail all the time – I'd - I'd imagine it wouldn't have been very good."

Brennan looked at him as she said, "If he'd accepted responsibility for raising me - I'm romanticizing. It's foolish."

Booth placed his hand consolingly on her thigh. "Everyone does it, Bones, okay? It's normal."

Brennan shook her head, not wanting to go back to her bad memories, "It's a useless fantasy, no different than the childish legend about the headless woman. I mean, look at Will. He sacrificed everything for his brother and still couldn't save him. By walking out, maybe Russ gave me my life."

Booth patted her leg as he told her affectionately, "But you know what Will said, he was right. You turned out okay."

Brennan smiled as she told him, "I'm going to have coffee with him."

Booth looked at her surprised. "Mmm. That was quick."

Brennan shrugged her shoulders as she explained to him, "He understands something no one else I know does. People need connection, Booth. Even me. Obviously, we have one. You have one with Cam. So…"

Booth thought that had been taken care of. "What?"

Brennan shrugged again as if it was nothing. "I know that you have a past and as friends, I'm sure that you can relate to things better than I can to you."

That didn't sound like a bad thing, but somehow it just didn't feel right to Booth. He could talk to Bones about anything. "Wait a second. Look, Bones, I…"

Brennan thinking that she hit a sore spot, apologized, "Sorry. I'm sorry. I know you don't like talking about your childhood. I get it."

Booth didn't know what to say to that. "I am not… I'm…" But he was speechless.

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were walking down a hallway in the lab as Booth told her about what he just saw, "She freaked, Bones. It was like she was out there in the woods with that witch."

Brennan whispered seriously, "Don't let anyone else hear you talking like that, Booth."

Booth didn't believe in it, not really anyways, but it still was kind of unnerving. "I'm just saying. You know, I've seen a lot of weird things. It was, like, you know Exorcist weird or Elm Street weird."

Brennan looked at him confused. "What are you talking about now?"

They started to walk up the stairs to enter the platform as Booth remembered they had yet to hit the horror films in their pop culture enlightening weekends. "They're movies. Okay, Bones? Movies so scary that you know, pee in your pants."

Brennan stored that information away for their next upcoming movie night. "Good to know."

~BONES~

Brennan was examining Graham's bones in a different room. Booth was with her as she told him, "Lori was not Graham's only girlfriend. He had lots of girlfriends, but he somehow managed to keep them secret from each other."

Booth nodded his head as he thought out loud, "So what would happen if a very jealous Lori found out?"

Brennan looked at him a decided to tease a little. "I don't know. That's, that's more your territory."

Booth looked at her, surprised to have that insinuation thrown at him. What? What? What, am I cheating?"

Brennan smiled softly, which Booth saw that meant she was kidding, as she said, "I just meant that you use psychology. You're very touchy. Perhaps because of all your skulking around."

Booth pointed his finger at her, knowing she knew why they had to 'skulk' around. "I am discreet, okay? It's different. A gentleman is discreet, okay?"

They both realized that Zach had been in the room the whole time, between them as he asked, "What are we talking about?"

Booth looked to Zach and said, "Nothing that concerns you."

Zach looked between them and said, "But I'm quite literally in the middle of the conversation and it seems very interesting." Booth glared at him, which scared Zach immensely, "However, your glaring indicates that I shouldn't press for further information."

Booth nodded his head slowly in agreement, "Mm-hmm. Good genius, yeah. So, Lori loves Graham. He thinks he loves her but finds out that he doesn't, so she goes all O.J. on him. Ah, that's a perfect cover, right? 'Headless witch did it, not me.' The whole insanity thing might be an act."

Zach informed him, "But the victim sustained extensive defensive wounds. This was a very powerful attacker."

Booth shrugged as he thought back to some past cases, "Oh, you know, when a woman finds out that a man has been cheating on her, she can get pretty mad." Brennan and Zach looked at Booth with their eyebrows raised. Booth raised his hand in defense, "That's what I heard. Okay, look, we got motive and opportunity, it fits."

~BONES~

Booth and Brennan were both on their cell phones in his SUV as he drove. Booth spoke into his, "The kid said he hid her clothes in a hollow log near a stream."

Brennan finished her phone call first as she said, "Thanks." She hung up the phone then told Booth, "Angela looked at the video again. Tell the forensic team to fan out across the area south-southwest of the cabin ruins."

Booth spoke into his phone, "Did you hear that, Lou? Yeah, south-southwest. Yeah, I know it gets cold when the sun goes down, Lou. Well, you should've brought your blankie. Alright, just call me when you find her clothes." He hung up the phone and shook his head, "Man." Booth sighed and realized that Brennan was staring at him. "What? He was being a baby."

Brennan looked at him innocently, "I didn't say anything."

Booth narrowed his eyes slightly, "But you're looking at me like - I'm in trouble and you're a teacher."

Brennan told him honestly, "You're very touchy lately, Booth."

Booth dragged his hand down his face as he said, "Look, Bones. I don't need to talk to Cam about my past or anything like that. I can talk to you just as easily."

Brennan looked out the window as she said, "Did I mention Cam?"

Booth looked at her annoyed. He knew something was bothering her, but she wouldn't talk to him. "I just don't want it to get weird, okay? Cam is just a friend. I don't know why I have to keep telling you that."

Brennan looked at him confused, "Weird?"

Booth tried to find the right words, "We're married and partners, you know? Together all the time, right? I'm a man and I have friends that are women. You know that, you were fine with that. But then when one person, a woman, comes back into my life that knew me romantically and knew me when I was younger, you got jealous. I get that. But the relationship I have with Cam is like two guys, except she's not - ya know - a guy. Yeah."

Brennan tried to understand what he was saying, "No. No, she's not. Should I feel odd about - wanting to hang out with Will?"

Booth shook his head, "No, of course not. You know, because essentially you guys just met each other. And I'm not jealous of him. You're just talking, right?"

Brennan nodded her head, "Yes." She then thought about his description of his relationship with Cam. "So, that would mean that, to Cam, you are essentially a woman. Yeah, I can see that."

Booth looked at her in horror. "No, no, no. I'd – I'd prefer not to be a woman, if you don't mind."

Brennan looked at him confused now. "I'm merely trying to follow your reasoning, Booth. I find it reassuring."

Booth conceded, "Okay, fine. What do you say you just, you know, think of me like that only in comparison to Cam? Nowhere else." She looked at him amused as he picked up his ringing cell, "Yeah, it's Booth." He turned to Brennan and whispered, "They found the clothes."

Brennan looked at him surprised, "That was fast."

Booth spoke into his phone, "Yeah, well, good work, Lou. All right, now you can come home before all the monsters get you. I…" He looked at his phone as he heard the call was disconnected, "Hung up on me. I thought it was funny."

~BONES~

Brennan sat, staring at her computer monitor in her office and leaned back in her chair as Booth appeared in the doorway. Brennan looked at him and laughed softly, "I sure know how to pick 'em, don't I?"

Booth walked in slowly as he told her, "Well, you know. Our perceptions are always colored by what we hope and what we fear, what we love. We do the best we can."

Brennan sighed at her inept ability to be 'normal'. "I'm afraid my best isn't good enough. I can read bones, not people."

Booth stopped in front of her desk as he smiled, "Well, you had no trouble seeing through me."

Brennan smiled, then stood and went around to the front of her desk as she whispered, "It's a good thing I have you.

Booth smiled back at her and leaned down a little to whisper, "You know what? Bones, you're never alone. Okay? Come here."

Brennan looked out to everyone still at work. "Booth…"

Booth tugged at her arm, "Hey, you're my partner. Okay? To them it's a guy hug. To us, it's your husband giving you a hug. Take it."

She hesitated for a second before stepping into his embrace. She hugged him tighter and he rubbed her back in small circles. Brennan started to wonder when she had become so dependent on Booth's comfort, while Booth feared what was happening between them. There was something there, he just couldn't find out what it was.

A/N: Can anyone tell what I'm leading to? *dun Dun DUN* Angst =P I think I like torturing you guys! I'm horrible I know. Review and let me know how much you hate me ;)