Booth watched Brennan stomp away and ducked his head. Of all the asinine things to say to her, he had gone with the dog analogy. Sometimes, he wished his mouth waited that nanosecond for his brain to catch up. At least when it came to dealing with a certain forensic anthropologist.

You don't have some kind of claim over me Booth.

He supposed, that was true. He wasn't her boyfriend, lover, husband – he was just her partner. He was the liason with the Jeffersonian, the homicide investigator who needed her special skills to help put people like Epps behind bars. But Booth the man, however, wanted desperately to claim her has his own. Brennan was beautiful, intelligent and loyal to a fault. Most important of all, she challenged him. He had never met anyone like her. And after seeing her with Sully and David, not disregarding his short-lived relationship with Cam, Booth felt more than ever that it was time for the both of them to just face up to what everyone else seemed to think was going on between them.

Brennan, for her part, was giving him that small silver of hope that she was on the same wavelength. Showing him her vulnerable side, all but saying right out that she needed him, that apology for leaving him at the Smithsonian…Booth had looked into her eyes and seen what he knew was reflected in his own. Then he had gotten scared.

This was Bones. Besides Parker, she was the one most important thing in his life. What if he had been reading her wrong? After all, Brennan was known for her obliviousness when it came to people and what they were feeling. There was that high chance that he could be wrong, that she was simply treating him like any best friend would treat another. So he had forced himself to treat her like he usually did, maintain the status quo until he could know for sure that she felt the same way. Their relationship was too vital, too essential to him.

Booth quickened his pace, hurrying to match Brennan's stride and avoid the canvas messenger bag she always carried. She spared him a fleeting look before focusing ahead. Booth couldn't help but admire the way her clothes clung to her body. The jackets she usually wore hid the soft curves at her waist and hips, but now here they were on full display. His fingers itched to make their way across the small silver of skin showing along the small of her back.

'Special Agent Booth, FBI. This is my partner, Dr. Brennan,' Booth said, clearing his mind and flashing his badge to the uniformed man stationed along the perimeter. A few people dressed in black hovered behind the police tape, eyes darting warily to the boxy van parked near the steps to the mausoleum.

'Sir, Ma'am,' the young man replied, giving them both cursory nods. 'The bomb squad are still in there. There should be-'

'You the Feds?' A stout, grizzled man asked, interrupting the police officer. The Kevlar suit he was wearing looked heavy, a fine sheen of perspiration dotting his forehead.

'Yeah. Special Agent Booth,' Booth said. 'You find anything Agent…?'

'Mullaney. Place looks clean. No wires, electronics, time device, remote. No evidence of a bomb at all. Bio-reading turned up negative too. It's all yours,' Mullaney finished.

'Any injuries?'

'Two employees. Keith Jackson, thirty-six, and twenty-five year old Andrew Worth. They've been taken to V.A with shrapnel wounds, nothing major. Said they were burying some guy in the family crypt.'

'Tandem,' Brennan murmured.

'Grandfather's still there in the back slot far as we can tell. You might want to wear something over your shoes,' Mullaney said, gesturing towards his feet. Booth cringed, taking in the slimy green mucus lining the edges of his soles.

'Thanks,' Booth said weakly as Mullaney walked away, barking orders at his men.

Brennan unbuckled her bag, fishing around to produce two pairs of surgical scrubs for their feet and latex gloves as well. Wordlessly putting them on, Booth followed after her as they entered the mausoleum.

'This is my crime scene,' a man yelled, catching both their attentions. Booth pivoted around to see a wiry man with short cropped silver hair and blue eyes yelling at the beat cop they had just spoken to.

'Is there a problem here?' Booth asked, placing himself in front of the man.

'Who the hell are you?' The man barked.

'Special Agent Booth, FBI. Who the hell are you?'

'Gibbs, NCIS. This is Navy, not Federal jurisdiction. The men who got injured were in the Corp.'

'Jethro?' Brennan's surprised voice diverted both men's attention. Booth watched as Gibbs blinked, taking in the sight of his partner.

'Temperance? What are you doing here?' Gibbs asked. I can almost here myself speak now, Booth thought wryly.

'Working,' Brennan replied shortly. 'This is my partner.'

Grasping the slight reprieve, Booth spoke now. 'Agent Gibbs, we're supposed to be working this together. Your Director requested Dr. Brennan's help, considering the state of the bodies.'

Gibbs seemed to stare at him for a minute, before turning away and snapping open his cell phone.

'You know this guy?' Booth asked quietly, wincing at Gibbs' raised voice. He pitied whoever was on the other line.

'I've worked with NCIS on a few occasions,' Brennan told him. 'You knew that they were going to be working with us? Why didn't you tell me?'

'Well, I was going to before you started yelling at me in the car!'

'I did not yell,' Brennan stated firmly. 'I merely reacted to your ludicrous comparison about urinating-'

'Bones!' Booth bit out, mortified. He noticed some stares being directed their way.

'What?' Great, now she was annoyed as well.

'NCIS is going to be working this with us. There, are you happy now?'

'Not particularly. I do not appreciate the insincerity in your tone.'

'Bones, please. I'm sorry about what I said back there, okay? I'm sorry that I cared enough to run a background check on some guy who suddenly just decides to waltz back into your life. I want you to be safe. If I have to "abuse" my FBI powers to do that, then so be it.'

Brennan shot him a piercing stare. 'Fine,' she finally said. 'We'll talk about this later. For now, I assume you can be professional?'

Booth merely let out a sigh of exasperation. This was one of the times he wished he could strangle her. God, did she have to make everything into such a production?

'Booth,' Gibbs said, gesturing towards three people in the background. 'Director Shepherd just informed me of how we're to…co-operate.' The last word was said with something close to disdain. 'I don't need this to become some kind of jurisdictional pissing contest, you got that?'

'Jethro,' Brennan's voice held a long-suffering quality. 'Booth is a good Agent. He's not going to lead you on some wild geese chase.'

'Goose chase,' Gibbs corrected her. Cutting a shrewd look towards Booth, Gibbs spoke. 'My team and yours. No BS. We do this fast and hard and get this guy.'

'Fine by me,' Booth answered, sizing up his NCIS counterpart. Gibbs held himself with authority and exuded a sense of regal power that made you want to keep him on his good side. Feeling Brennan pull at his sleeve, Booth stuck out his hand and both men engaged in a crushing handshake.

'Is this ridiculous display of male posturing over?' Brennan's irritated voice interrupted them. Both extricated their hands, Booth surreptiously ensuring that Gibbs hadn't broken any bones.

To Booth's surprise, Gibbs let out a hearty chuckle. 'Yeah, we're done. It's good to see you again Tempe.'

The soft smile Brennan bestowed upon the older man had something possessive ignite within Booth. Placing a hand on her shoulder, Booth took in the amused smirk that came over Gibbs at the gesture.

'Dr. Brennan and I will meet you inside,' Booth said inclining his head towards the entrance.

'I'll wait on my ME and join you,' Gibbs offered plainly.

'What was that?' Brennan questioned when they had turned away, both ascending the steps. Booth realized his hand was still on her shoulder and slowly let it drop away.

'Nothing,' Booth replied quickly. Brennan narrowed her eyes and Booth breathed an internal sigh of relief when she didn't say anything.

His hand was still tingling from touching her after all.

Drawing in a shaky breath, the former Ranger wondered when a simple woman had made him feel so afraid.

a/n: Okay. For the record, I had no intention whatsoever of bringing in NCIS. It just happened of its own accord. Don't worry; they'll only have a somewhat minor role. I think. Also, I would like to thank all of you who have reviewed. I really appreciate it. And to all of you who haven't, please do. Pretty please?

And also, my finals are coming up. I will try and update within the next few weeks but if I don't, you understand why. Two law exams and two international relations papers. Bleah.