AN: So I thought I would try my hand at adding a case into the story. We shall see. =) Thank you for all of the Story favorites, alerts and the reviews. It is very encouraging to see how many others are enjoying the story. If you have any comments, thoughts or ideas, please don't hesitate to leave them. I may be able to post another brief chapter this week, but definitely you can expect a longer update by the weekend. I try to work on the chapters when I have the opportunity, but real life and commitments do take priorities, sadly enough. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10: Back to Work

Brennan pulled her coat tighter around her and pulled her bag over her shoulder. She looked up and down the street before carefully making her way down the stairs from her apartment building. The stairs were still dusted from last night's late snow fall. The black SUV pulled up to the curb just as Brennan stepped off the final stair.

She gestured for Booth to stay put as she walked around the front of the car and opened the passenger door.

"Bones! I told you to stay put and I was on my way."

"Booth. It is reasonable to assume that having lived the DC Metro area for greater part of the last ten years, I have become accustomed to the occasional snow and do know how to successfully maneuver myself through it—both in a motorized vehicle and in ambulatory mode."

"Can't you just do things the way I want to once in a while? Pops taught me to be a gentleman, and you are ruining my practice every time you decide to be "Miss Independent"," Booth grumbled as he positioned the SUV into the flow of traffic, heading towards the crime scene they were going to investigate.

Brennan did not knowhow to respond, and the inside of the car was silent as Booth drove towards the Washington beltway. Morning traffic was already in full swing. Booth knew he could have switched on the lights and sirens, which would have allowed the partners to scoot ahead of traffic, but despite his grumblings, he was wanted to draw out the time he had Bones to himself.

This morning was their first day back to work since the holidays. He and Parker had been spending a lot of time with Bones since their pizza-movie night and unintentional sleep over. In fact, the partners had been spending as much time together –if not more—as they had before they had left for opposite sides of the globe.

"Hey Bones?"

"Yes?"
"Morning."

Brennan gave Booth a confused look and her face seemed to indicate she was worrying about Booth's short term memory. "Good morning Booth."

Booth gave Brennan one of his quick grins, thankful that even if she didn't understand his game, she was willing to play along until she figured it out. His Bones was always trying to figure out puzzles, and he loved trying to be the one to puzzle her.

"So did you get any more information about the body we are going to see?" Brennan asked.

"No. Charlie said if the local LEOs found anything else that he felt would be pertinent information for us to have, he's call."
"Hodgins and Clark are on their way, but needed to stop by the Jeffersonian to retrieve the necessary equipment."

"So we'll check out the scene and when Hodgins arrives he can do his bug and slime thing while Clark helps you with the body, right?"

"Yes, that would be the best course of action."

Booth reached over and touch Brennan's left wrist, wrapping his fingers gently around it and pulling it closer to his thigh. Brennan looked nervous this morning. They had spent yesterday morning with Parker at the Children's Museum, but Brennan had decided against joining the father and son for dinner. Booth had needed to drive Parker back to Rebecca's before 7, and after talking to Rebecca and Steve for a little while, and Parker showing his dad his new toys he had received and put away in his bedroom at Rebecca's house, it was past 11 when Booth finally made it back to his apartment. He decided against calling Bones to see how her evening had been.

Charlie had called him at 5:30 a.m. to let him know they had a body to investigate, and possibly a new case. After finding out the highlights of the scene so far, Booth had informed Charlie it would take some time to get the Jeffersonian team together, since the lab had been closed for the holidays. Booth told him to expect them to arrive at 8 a.m., but to call if anything changed or the LEOs found anything else that needed their immediate attention in the meantime. Booth then had called to wake Brennan and inform her what time he would be at her apartment to give her a ride to the crime scene.

Booth held Brennan's hand gently in his as he drove. Brennan's hand relaxed slightly. "How was the trip home for Parker?" she asked. She knew how hard it was for Booth to have to leave his son at the end of their weekends or vacations together.

"It was good. He was excited to show me the new stuff he got for Christmas. I think he was ready to be back home and get back on his own schedule." Booth raised their hands and pressed a quick kiss to her fingers. "He was bummed you decided against joining us for dinner and driving him home. He got a new science kit he can't wait to show you and try out together."

"I had a lot of chores to catch up on, and I thought you both could use some quality time together without my presence."

"We like your presence, Bones. You don't ever need to feel like you are an interruption to my life."

Bones smiled, feeling warmth at his words. Even in just the past few days, she could see so much more of the "old Booth"…her friend…the one who seemed to have been lost since they had returned to D.C.

They drove the rest of the way, chatting idly about random subjects. But Booth kept holding her hand, releasing only to turn the steering wheel or adjust the gear shift. When the SUV rambled onto the dirt road and finally parked in a small clearing already crowded with patrol cars, unmarked FBI vehicles as well as an ambulance standing by, Bones was disappointed when Booth had to release her hand to exit the vehicle. She quickly got out of the SUV and grabbed her bag. Booth jogged around the SUV and walked with her, careful not to appear to be too friendly in front of the other agents and emergency personnel.

When they reached the marked off area, Brennan immediately crouched down to get a closer look at the body, which had been partially covered in a blanket.

"Was this the position of the body at initial discovery?" Bones asked.

Charlie stepped forward and answered, flipping open his notebook he had filled in as he spoke with the LEOs and the witnesses. "No, Dr. Brennan. Ms. Laurence happened upon the body and when she was joined by her fiancé, Mr. Walker, he was the one who actually lifted the blanket from the remains. When they realized there was a body underneath, they immediately left the scene and contacted the local Sheriff's office. Between their statements and the scene, we assume the blanket had been placed over the body, rather than wrapped around the body."

"I would concur with that assumption Agent Paul. Hodgins will be able to confirm based off the insect activity." Brennan lifted the blanket portion which was covering the lower abdomen. "Victim appears to be female, Caucasian….Nineteen to twenty five years of age."

Booth nodded and wrote down her findings in his own notebook. It never failed to amaze him when she was able to immediately tell him facts about the victims they were called upon to identify. Most of the time these victims hardly looked human, and yet his partner was able to see their humanity…see the lives they had once lived from the bones left behind.

"I see a strange marking on the hyoid bone which could indicate strangulation."

"So are you saying this is a murder victim, Bones?"

Brennan stared at the body for another moment in silent thought. She stood nodding. "Based on the damage to the hyoid bone, as well as the positioning of the body and the placement of the blanket which effectively hid the body from initial discovery, yes….I would hypothesize that this is a murder victim."

"OK Boys," Booth yelled. "You heard the good doctor. As soon as the Squint Squad arrives and is able to gather their soil and bug samples, everything gets tagged and bagged to the Jeffersonian!"

Brennan started walking back to the SUV, already dialing Hodgin's number. "Hodgins? Brennan. Yes, I think we have a new case. I want you to focus on gathering bug and soil samples, and Clark can coordinate the transfer of the body. There is also a blanket and some articles of clothing that will need to be gathered and brought in as well. What? Oh, yes." Brennan listened again to Hodgins. "That is a correct assumption. I will meet you and Mr. Clark at the Jeffersonian." Brennan ended the call and opened the door to the SUV, waiting for Booth to join her.

It took another 3 minutes for Booth to join her. He quickly entered the SUV and started the engine, waiting for the interior to warm slightly. "In a hurry Bones?"

"No. I just failed to see the relevance of my presence. You gave the local officials the information they needed to know. I called Hodgins and he and Mr. Clark are expected to arrive within the next 15 minutes, depending on traffic."

Booth nodded. He wasn't sure how Bones wanted to approach their new relationship…if it could really be called a new relationship at this point. He felt like they had regained some the closeness that had been missing from their friendship since they both had returned to D.C., but there were times he still felt that Bones was holding back a little. He knew that in the past, Brennan would always separate herself and try to compartmentalize her emotions from reality. Booth's sudden appearance back in her life, and wanting to try and grow into a more close and romantic relationship had to be working against the grain, in terms of what Brennan was used to doing. He did not want to scare her off, but at the same time, the closer they became, the more Booth wanted….more time…more touches…just more of Bones in his life...period.

Booth started the SUV and slowly maneuvered the vehicle back onto the road. "Have you called Cam yet to let her know the situation?"

"Hodgins was going to have Clark relay the information as they were driving. Cam was seeing Michelle off at the airport this morning, so she has not yet arrived at the Jeffersonian."

"Oh yeah. I forgot that Michelle was going to tour a few colleges before the new semester begins."

"She seemed to perform very well academically last semester. There's no reason to suspect that her plans to transfer into a four year degree program at the end of this semester would not be attainable."

"Yeah, she told me a few weeks ago she really liked the professors and classes she had already taken at UDC."

"University of DC also has several four year degree programs. It would be a viable candidate of schools for Michelle to select from in a few months."

"Cam would love that…but some kids feel like they need to leave and 'go away' to college to fully feel like they are grown up…I think Michelle may be one of those kids."

"Perhaps."

"What were you like that first year of college Bones?"

"Me? I was a very gifted student. I tried to take the more advanced levels of the basic classes required for my program."

Booth spared her a quick glance and grin. "Of course."

Brennan smiled. "I did struggle with one class, and had to have my academic advisor assist me in challenging my final grade. The instructor was very adamant that I had failed to do the work assigned, which was incorrect. I simply did not adhere to the norms which she had predetermined were required, in a course which was touted to be based in human individuality and acceptance of differences within the human psyche."

Booth's forehead wrinkled slightly as he tried to understand what Bones was describing. Suddenly it dawned on him and he chuckled. "So what I hear you saying is…you flunked Psych 101."

Bones looked at Booth, surprised. "It was Psychology 112, actually, and according to my official transcripts, I earned a "Pass" grade for the course."

"You? Dr. Temperance World- Renowned-Forensic -Anthropologist Brennan….took a class pass/fail? You've got to be pulling my leg."

"I'm not touching your leg. And I don't understand what that has to do with my college academic performance."

"It's just…usually the kids I know who opted for that grading system knew there was no way they would be able to pass the course above a D average. Why did you accept that option?"

"I argued that my performance merely did not adhere to the predetermined outcomes the instructor had set prior to teaching the actual content. In essence, she had already determined my performance prior to even presenting the content in class. Not to mention that psychology is a soft science. When held up against the rigors of hypothesis and having to prove theories, it has a less than admirable rate of success."

Booth chuckled, imagining a younger Bones standing up to a college professor. He could easily see the angry glint to her eyes, and the stubborn angle of her jaw. Very few had challenged his partner and lived to tell the tale of success.

"What about you, Booth?"

"Me? Well, I started on the football team, but during the fifth game my sophomore year I took a hit. My knee needed surgery, and I was forced to quit the team."

"Your knees have had several major injuries in the past."

"How do you know—oh yeah…my x-rays. I had almost forgotten about that. Yeah, so once I was out of the hospital and recovering surgery, I started paying more attention to my class work. As a jock, I was able to kind of slide by…but once I was off the field, I needed to take my classes a little more seriously."

"So, in a way, your injuries were fortuitous."

"Looking back, I guess you could say so...but at the time I would have disagreed. But I started taking some Criminal Justice classes, ended up changing majors…"

"Is that when you decided to join the military?"

Booth sighed, thinking back to that particular decision. "Not exactly. It was when Jared announced he was enlisting instead of enrolling in college."

"Oh."

"Yeah, well, big brother Booth couldn't let Baby brother get himself killed…so I enlisted. It just so happened that during Boot Camp I excelled at the firing range and the more physical aspects of training, while Jared took more of an interest in the analytical and planning.

"So, to make a long story short, I trained with the Rangers and later became a sniper."

Brennan sat quietly. Booth glanced over at his partner, and saw her deep in thought.

"So, Bones…do you think if we had known each other back in college we would have become friends?"

Brennan looked up at Booth for a second then turned her gaze out towards the window. "It is difficult to hypothesize, given the many variables. However, I would have to say that the chances are improbable. I was very focused on my studies and did not pay much attention to campus sports or social structures. Our chances of meeting, let alone finding something in common in which to bind our time together would have been minimal, at best."

Booth slowed the SUV for a traffic light, and then spared her one of his charming grins. He picked up Brennan's hand and brought it to his mouth to press a warm kiss onto her palm.

"So you agree…there would have been a chance."

Brennan smiled, unable to resist mirroring Booth's grin. He would always believe in luck and fate. And since they were speaking in terms of hypotheses, who was she to dispute what would never be scientifically proven?

"I suppose I am Booth…there would have been a chance."