A/N: thank you for your continued interest in my story. I've enjoyed sharing it with you. If you have time to leave a review, I'd appreciate it. Laura

PS: thanks for the suggestion, FaithinBones...


Booth gazed out of the small passenger window as C40 transport made its way from Incirlik, Turkey, to Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan. He could just make out the snow covered peaks of the far distant Hindu Kush mountains as the plane flew east into the darkening day. The sun was casting a bright pink and orange sheen across the sky above those jagged ridges as it slowly slipped below the western horizon behind them. He sighed nostalgically as he took in the beautiful sight, wishing his Bones was there to enjoy it with him. He wanted to hear her explain why the low angle of the sunlight made the normally bright blue sky appear to glow in different colors above the mountains. He wanted to feel the soft touch of her hand on his arm...wanted to feel her caress... wanted to look into her beautiful blue eyes and see the love shining in them...the love she felt for him. Sighing again, he shook off his reverie as he gave himself another stern pep talk. The sooner the sniper and his spotter could take care of their business, the sooner he could go back home to her. They needed to get this job done and behind them, and then the farthest he'd stray from home might be to go to see Pops in Philly, but even then he planned on taking his girlfriend with him. Booth's wandering days were over for good, thanks to Bones….

As he'd been traveling far away from home over the last few weeks, he'd been surprised as he found himself thinking about Hannah's travels from time to time. Of course, when they were a couple, he'd missed her while she was gone on assignment, and he was always glad when she got home, but he knew now that the feelings he'd had for his former girlfriend were mere drops in a bucket compared to how he was going to feel when he saw Bones again. As he looked back over the last seven months, Booth was once more filled with regret...regret over hurting Bones, regret over time lost with her, regret over taking on a project that pulled him away from her. He grumbled to himself as he realized that having regrets got him nowhere. He could only move forward now. The only good thing that came from having regrets was the new appreciation of the wonderful life he'd have ahead of him as soon as he got home. Those regrets just made him all that more determined to be finished with their mission as quickly as possible.

Booth glanced across the aisle at Master Sergeant Smith, who was sprawled out in the seat sleeping soundly. He'd made a conscious decision to trust this man, knowing that he'd have to rely heavily on Rami's skills as a spotter and, in some ways, in his skills as an undercover operative, if they were going to be successful on this trip. Booth smiled to himself as his partner turned onto his side, groaned softly in his sleep. Smith was somewhat of a novelty as far as his fellow passengers were concerned, wearing a US Army uniform and already sporting a thick dark beard after only two weeks worth of growth. Scratching his sparse whiskers, Booth grimaced slightly in annoyance. This might be one time when it wasn't a good thing to be highly evolved. He wondered what the brass would want to do about his scruff since most native Afghan men wore beards, and he was supposed to blend in with the locals on this project. Oh well...it's not like I can grow whiskers on demand...

It was late in the day when the troop transport plane landed at the Bagram Air Force Base. Tired from their journey, Booth and Smith slowly disembarked and stood outside the plane, watching as their gear was unloaded from the jet's cargo bay. As they were waiting, a jeep raced up to the plane and parked, and a corporal jumped out of the driver's seat. After briskly walking up to them, she saluted as she addressed the new arrivals. "Sergeant Major Booth? Master Sergeant Smith? I'm Corporal O'Hara." The young woman smiled broadly, quirking an eyebrow as she noticed their beards. "Major Evans has sent me to pick you two up and take you over to the Army compound here on the base." O'Hara pointed off in the distance. "It's kind of a hike if you're on foot. Have they unloaded your stuff yet?"

"Yeah, here they are." Booth and Smith picked up their bags and threw them into the back of the jeep. "How far is it to the compound?"

"Our own little corner of Heaven on Earth is on the other side of those hangars down there, Sergeant Major." She pointed toward some metal buildings to the far right. "It's probably about a five miles or so, maybe a little more, and maybe you could jog over there from the plane, but with you having bags and all, Major Evans decided you might like a ride instead...unless you're really tired of sitting around on the plane and want to stretch your legs. If you want to walk, I can just take your gear, but..."

"That's probably why he's a major and we're non coms, right, Rami? We'll take you up on your offer for a ride, Corporal. Thanks." Grinning at Smith, Booth ensconced himself in the front passenger seat. "I call shotgun…"

"Pulling rank on me, Sarge?", Rami laughed as he threw his shaving kit and laptop on the back seat.

"You better believe it. I'll use the privileges of my rank whenever I can if they make me more comfortable.", Booth chuckled as he nodded to their driver. "Home, O'Hara…"

"You got it, Sergeant Major Booth…" Corporal O'Hara put the jeep in gear and off they went, speeding across the base to Major Evans' office. After about ten minutes she parked in front of a dilapidated building made of weathered tan corrugated metal. "Welcome to Paradise, gentlemen. Major Evans has his office on the first floor. If you like, I can take your bags over to the barracks for you…"

Shivering slightly as the chill of the late autumn evening settled around them, Booth nodded. "That'd be great, Corporal...thanks. Hey, which one of those fabulous palaces will Sergeant Smith and I be bunking in?"

"Non coms are in Building B...third one down from here on the left. I think they've put you in 202, but you can check in with the sergeant at the desk there in front, and he'll get you settled."

"Great. Thanks again, Corporal." Sergeants Booth and Smith saluted Corporal O'Hara before she drove away in a cloud of dust. Shrugging at Booth, Rami grinned as he opened the building's squeaky door. "After you, Sergeant Major, sir…", he laughed, smirking as he offered a fake salute.

"Smart ass…" Booth grinned as he returned the salute by sticking up the middle finger on his right hand. "Let's go…"

After checking in with the desk sergeant, Booth knocked on the commanding officer's open door and saluted. "Major Evans, sir. Sergeant Major Booth and Master Sergeant Smith reporting for duty, sir."

Looking up from his desk, the short, squarely built officer nodded nonchalantly as he gave them a lazy salute. "At ease, gentlemen." Waving for them to come in, Evans shut down his computer, sat back in his desk chair and pursed his lips grimly, eyeing the soldiers standing before him with an air of disappointment. These guys don't look all that special...based on Booth's reputation, I was halfway expecting John Wayne to show up, back from the dead… Chuckling sarcastically, he smirked as he waved at the chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat, fellas." Ignoring them for a minute, he picked up a file, pretending to thumb through it before tossing it aside. "So you're it? You two are the Army's best hotshot sniper team, huh? Handpicked and sent all the way here from the States to do a special secret mission for Uncle Sam...gonna take out that big bad Afghan wolf for us, aren't ya? You boys think you're really something wonderful, and we're lucky to have you two grace us with your presence here, right? Well, hell, boys...I'm so fucking glad you're here so my boys don't have to mess with that little detail..."

Disliking the major's snarky tone immediately, Booth fixed an intense gaze on the officer sitting across the desk from them. Shaking his head slowly in disagreement, he responded in quiet ferocity. "No sir, Major Evans, sir. Sergeant Smith and I have volunteered to take on a mission of vital importance for the good of our country. Neither of us consider ourselves to be anything other than prime examples of what a good soldier should be like in this man's army. We're proud to serve...proud to do our part in the effort to bring peace to this region. We're not here looking for accolades, sir. We both feel that this is just one small step in achieving the greater overall goal of this military campaign, which is to ensure the future political and economic stability of Afghanistan." Booth glanced at a rather shocked Sergeant Smith before continuing. "Will there be a mission briefing this evening, sir, or would you prefer the morning?"

Yawning and stretching, Major Evans appeared to be bored, shrugging as he took a sip from his coffee mug before answering the question. "It's getting late, Sergeant Major, so we'll wait until 0800 tomorrow morning. We'll go over the mission specs first, and then you'll both report to the Quartermaster, Sergeant Leary, to make arrangements for your undercover gear and paperwork." Major Evans regarded his visitors with what appeared to be disdain before he continued. "You are correct, Booth. This is a very important mission, and time is of the essence. Winter weather will be upon us within the next six weeks, so our window of opportunity for travel through the mountainous countryside is closing rapidly. Also, Intel has it that the target will be leaving the area sometime in the next week to ten days to go to Pakistan, and he'll be practically untouchable if he makes it there. He'll disappear into the Tribals like a ghost in the mist, and, as I'm sure you know, the Pakistani government doesn't like our boys running around out there by themselves, especially if they're gunning for someone. It'd be a long time, if ever, before we'd have another crack at him if we don't get him now, so Command wants this problem taken care as soon as possible. You two need to be in and out of Doshi in as short a time as possible...3 or 4 days at the most. The terrain is rough, conditions are poor, and the locals may be hostile. You think you boys can handle it?"

"Yes, sir...we can handle it." Crossing his arms over his chest, Booth sat back in his chair and nodded resolutely. "Sergeant Smith and I concur with your opinion as to the length of time allotted for this assignment, Major Evans. We'd like to complete our assignment and be on our way back home as soon as possible, and we see no problem in accomplishing that objective, sir."

Smart ass son of a bitch, ain't ya, Booth? Major Evans shuffled some papers on his desk before continuing, avoiding eye contact with Smith and Booth. "Excellent. I'll see you both here tomorrow morning at 0800. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, Major Evans, sir." Booth's words carried a whiff of sarcasm as he and Smith rose from their seats, giving their commanding officer a salute before they strode quickly out of the office.

"Nasty goddamn son of a bitch.", Rami swore loudly as soon as they were out of earshot of the major's office. "What the hell is his problem, acting like a pompous ass like that? The way he sounded, you'da thought we were the bad guys instead of the ones doing the Army a favor…"

Booth shook his head, glancing back over his shoulder as they walked away from the building. "He's just bitter, I guess, and probably under a lot of stress. I mean, he's stuck out here on the goddamn ass end of the universe, probably doing a dull, dead end desk job, but he and his men have to be on their guard constantly because they're close enough to the action to get into trouble if they're not real careful." Booth waved his hand toward the building as they walked away. "No big deal what the bastard thinks, anyway, right? The fact that he's a fucking jackass doesn't need to bother us one damn bit. We'll go do our job for the Army, and then go home and back to our lives, okay? And guess what...he'll still be stuck here in this God forsaken place, right? Sucks to be him, but that's the breaks..."

Somewhat appeased, Rami nodded slightly. "I guess…"

Meanwhile, Major Evans had made a phone call as soon as he knew the two soldiers had left his office building. "He's here. Okay, now listen...no, you shut your fucking mouth and listen to me. I stuck my goddamn neck out for you, alright? No, of course I didn't mention you or tell him anything about that shit. As far as anyone knows, it's gonna go down just like we planned, okay? Yeah, I'm sure. But I mean it...I don't want to waste the twenty five years I've been in the Army for this hare brained scheme of yours, so, by God, you better make sure it works with a minimum of difficulty, got it? Yeah, one week. And keep my name out of it...no, this is as far as I'm going. You're on your own now." Slamming the phone down on his desk, Evans wiped his hand across his eyes, hoping he could somehow justify sending Sergeant Major Booth into a trap from which there would be little chance of escape.

Oooooooooo

After having a cold supper in the mess hall, Booth and Rami headed toward their barracks later that evening. The room they had to share was tiny and sparsely furnished, but it was clean and relatively free of the fine dust that seemed to constantly blanket the rest of Bagram Airfield. Both of them had very nearly succumbed to their exhaustion as they threw their bags from their beds onto the floor and got ready for bed. Yawning widely, Booth shook his head, wanting to stay awake for a few more minutes. "O'Hara said morning chow was from 0630 to 0730. I bet if we want something to eat besides cold eggs and stale toast we'd better be there on the early end of that time frame."

"Yeah, you're probably right, Booth. Hell, I don't even have any idea what time it is right now anyway, do you? Flying across a continent with so many time zones can sure screw with a guy's sense of time, can't it? I'm exhausted, and we didn't even do anything except ride in a goddamn airplane all day."

"Yep, I know...me, too. Funny how that works." Booth plugged in his laptop to charge, and checked his email. "Well, not a whole lot of news from home here...a note from my kid telling me about what he did at school today, and a letter from the FBI that says they've approved my leave of absence so I can attend military exercises in Europe. Good thing, huh?" Booth chuckled as he scrolled through the rest of his correspondence. "I'd hate to fuck with the FBI over something important like that…"

Smith laughed merrily as he nodded at Booth. "Yeah, I guess you'll need to have a job to go back to when we're done with our project here, so it's a good idea to get the Bureau's approval. See, that's why it's a good thing for me to run my own business. I can approve my own leave any time I want." He nodded to his computer. "Look, here's a new picture of my kids." Two dark haired boys were grinning from the picture on the screen as they sat with their baby sister on a porch swing in front of a pleasant red brick house.

Booth smiled as he studied the picture. "They're great looking kids, Rami. You and your wife must be so proud."

"Thanks. Yeah, we're proud of them. They're smart, too. My wife and I have already started a college fund for the boys, just in case the football scholarships don't work out, and one for the baby, too. We want them to be doctors or lawyers...or maybe FBI agents…" Rami grinned as he winked at Booth. "Who knows...one of my kids might even be President someday…"

"Here's a picture of my son Parker with my girlfriend." Booth grinned from ear to ear as he pulled up the picture that they'd had taken at the Italian restaurant. God...that seems like ages ago...instead of a couple of weeks ago... "She works at this big museum in DC...the Jeffersonian...well, you know that since you read her books, right? Anyway, she and her dad have been teaching my kid all sorts of extra science stuff on the side...stuff besides what he's learning at school. I'm hoping he's gonna be a scientist of some sort one day, just like she is..."

"Cute kid...and very good looking girlfriend. Those pictures on the back of her books don't do her justice, do they?" Sergeant Smith snickered as his somewhat enraptured friend stared lovingly at the computer screen.

"Nope, they don't. She just glows, you know? I mean, her eyes are so blue...and not only is she beautiful, she's brilliant, too...but for some reason she loves a guy like me. She must be crazy, right?" Chuckling softly, Booth set the laptop aside, hesitating for a few seconds as his expression became more serious. "Hey, Rami, I wonder if you'd do me a favor…"

"Sure, Booth...whatever you need, just ask." Rami stretched out on his narrow cot and propped his head up on his arm. "Except for lending you money, since I ain't got any…and your girlfriend's loaded anyway..."

"Yeah, great...you're an accountant with no money. Get serious for a minute, okay?" Seeing Rami nod in agreement, Booth continued. "I want to give you Bones' email address and phone number…"

"Wait a minute...you call that beautiful woman...the woman you love...you call her Bones?" Rami lay back on the bed and laughed out loud. "That's just wild. What does she call you? Muscles?"

Booth snickered softly before he continued. "It's a long story, okay? I'll tell you about it some other time. Listen, I'm serious here. I'm gonna give you her contact information in case I don't make it out, okay? Maybe if something happens, and the time is right, you can tell her…what happened." His voice faded away, and he puffed out a sigh. "It sounds weird, I know, but I also know her, and if things don't work out, she'll want all the details, okay? And here's my cell number and personal email, too. Let's touch base with each other in about six weeks after we get home…you know, just send me an email, or call me...just to see how things are..."

Rami scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Well, yeah...I guess I can do that…"

"I know it sounds paranoid, buddy, but I'd just feel better if I knew that someone was checking up on me to make sure I got home in one piece, and I'll check on you, too. You and I have been on enough of these trips to know that sometimes things come back to bite a guy on the ass, and it helps to have someone to talk to...someone who understands...someone who isn't your wife or girlfriend...someone who's not gonna judge you for what you did while you were gone..."

"Right...you're right, Booth. It helps to have someone who's been there before…" Rami swallowed hard and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's trade info…"

"Good." The men wrote down the addresses and phone numbers and traded the slips of paper. "Thanks, Rami. Hey, I'm gonna hit the hay...I'm beat."

"Yeah, me, too." Rami reached up and turned off the light, plunging the small space into darkness except for the dim light coming from the bathroom night light. "Night, Booth."

"Night, Smith." Booth stretched out on the narrow bed and stared up at the ceiling, drifting off to sleep as he ran his fingers across the rosary he'd pulled from under his pillow, praying for a quick and successful end for this project so he could return home as soon as possible.

Oooooooooo

After breakfast the next morning, Booth and Smith reported to Major Evans' office promptly at 0800. They exchanged salutes and seated themselves at a long table facing a wall where a map of the Afghan countryside was hanging.

"Here's the plan, gentlemen. You'll be provided with an old pickup truck similar to those that farmers around here use to transport goods to market. Sergeant Smith will drive, and he'll be the main contact between you two and the locals since he's fluent in their language, although I can imagine you can speak a some Pashto since you were stationed over here, right, Booth? Weren't you training some of the Afghan nationals on your last tour?"

"Yes, sir, Major Evans. I can speak some Pashto...words like yes...no...hello...goodbye...I'm hungry...friends...where's the latrine...go fuck yourself...you know, all the important stuff." Booth wore an artificial grin as he shrugged towards Sergeant Smith. "I'll just let Smith do the talking on this trip, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Major Evans coughed quietly before continuing. "You'll take this highway going northwest…." Evans outlined a major road on the map. "It's about 2 and a half hours from here to Doshi. Don't speed or do anything else to call attention to yourselves. You'll be provided with identification and clothing that should allow you to blend into the general population. I suppose you'll have to come up with a story about why Booth doesn't say a lot." Rubbing his chin, Major Evans smirked at Booth. "Is that really two weeks worth of growth on that beard, Booth?"

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Booth glared at the officer across from the table from him. "Sorry, sir. It was the best I could do under the circumstances."

Laughing mirthlessly, Major Evans shrugged. "I don't think it'll be a problem. Here's your contact." Major Evans pushed a picture across the table to Rami. "He runs a garage and auto mechanic's shop on the outskirts of the town. The directions on how to get there are written in Pashto on the back of that photo. When you get there, you're gonna tell him that you need to get your truck worked on…that the brakes are squealing loudly."

"I understand." Impassive, Rami studied the picture carefully. "Is there a code phrase, sir?"

"Yes. You're going to ask about the cost to paint your truck. The correct answer will be 'you don't need to paint that truck'. Got it?" Seeing the men nod, Major Evans continued. "You need to complete your mission as quickly as possible. As I said last night, the target is rumored to be leaving the area soon. Also, the village where the target is staying is small, and newcomers are likely to be noticed, which is exactly what we do not want. The weather is supposed to cooperate for the next few days, but it's likely the area will have a lot of snow very soon, which would only complicate this project. Stealth and guile are the watchwords for this project, gentlemen. Do as little reconnaissance as possible before taking Ghilzai out, and then leave for Bagram immediately when the job is completed. That's the best way to ensure your safety and the safety of your contact."

"Yes, sir." Booth nodded in agreement. The sooner he'd get this job over with, the better he'd like it. "What's the earliest we can leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." Major Evans rose from the table and walked to his desk to make a phone call. "I need to speak to Sergeant Leary...This is Major Evans, Leary. I've got two soldiers on the way over to see you. They need clothes and IDs, okay? Good. Fifteen minutes. Right." After ending the call, Evans turned to Smith and Booth. "The Quartermaster is two huts down on the left. Ask for Sergeant Leary, and she'll get you squared away. I won't see you in the morning...we've got top brass coming in from out of town for some sort of damn Congressional inspection tour, and it seems like you don't need a lot of attention called to this mission anyway, so I'll leave you to take care of things on your end. Good luck, gentlemen. I'll see you in a few days."

"Thank you, sir. We'll report directly to you when we return…", Booth said as he and Rami rose from the table, and after saluting, they left for the Quartermaster's office. They walked in silence for a few minutes until Booth cleared his throat. "Shit's about to get real…"

"Yeah, but the good news...if you can call it that...is that our contact in Doshi is my cousin, Achmed...the one whose father was killed helping my grandfather. He knows my grandfather's house and the surrounding acreage very well. I imagine he's already scouted the place for us and can give us intel on Ghilzai's schedule and habits…" Seeing Booth's frown, Rami was quick to reassure him. "Achmed doesn't want a piece of the action, okay? But it'll be a good thing, having a friend in town on our side, right? We'll have a place to stay, and it'll be easier to blend in since we won't have to make contact with any of the other locals…"

"I guess you're right." Booth shrugged a shoulder, trying to get rid of the nagging feeling that having someone else involved was just going to lead to another problem with the mission. They paused as they walked up to the ramshackle Quartermaster's building. "Well, here we are. Let's hope Sergeant Leary can make me look as good as you do."

Sergeant Smith just shook his head as he smiled broadly. "In your dreams, Booth. In your dreams…"

Oooooooooo

The Quartermaster, Sergeant Leary, cast an appraising eye at her two new customers. "Let's see here…" She looked through the clothing rack and then back at Rami. "Okay, here...this should work for you, Sergeant Smith." She handed him a white, dresslike perhan shirt, some loose brown tunpan trousers, an embroidered red wool vest, a pakul hat, and a blanket before smiling sarcastically. "I assume you know how to wear those things since your family's from this neck of the woods." She eyed him suspiciously. "You look like one of the locals, you know? Good enough to shoot…"

Rami rolled his eyes in disgust. It wasn't uncommon for service personnel of Middle Eastern and Afghani descent to be mistrusted by their fellow soldiers, but it still hurt to be treated that way. "Yes, ma'am. Believe me, at my age, I can actually dress myself." He gestured toward Booth. "On the other hand, Booth here may have some trouble with putting on these fancy clothes…"

"Yeah, thanks a helluva lot, Smith. Jackass..." Booth stood with his hands on his hips, grinning as he waited several minutes for Sergeant Leary to pick out some clothes for him. "We're leaving tomorrow morning, ma'am. Do you think you're gonna be able to find something for me to wear by then?"

"Keep your shirt on, Sergeant Major." She offered him a cheeky wink. "It's not my fault you're taller and a lot better built than the average Afghani man." Finally, she pulled a long gray linen shirt from the rack. "Okay, try this one...pull it on over your tee shirt…and here are some pants…but they won't fit over those uniform pants...you'll need to drop those drawers..."

"Great. Okay, I'm just gonna step over here behind these boxes to change…" Booth took off his boots and uniform pants and pulled on the black tunpan. "Are these pants supposed to fit this loose? I feel like a fucking clown, and I hate clowns..."

Trying not to laugh out loud as Booth pulled out on the billowing legs of the pants, Rami nodded. "Yeah...they're actually pretty comfortable once you get used to them. Here...put this black vest on…not bad. What do you think, Leary? He kinda looks like one of the locals..."

"That'll probably work. You'll need some different shoes, though…" She pulled some sandals from a shelf. "...and here's a pakul hat for you, and a patu. The patu is kind of like a serape…"

"Yeah, you wrap it around like this." Rami showed Booth how to arrange his heavy outer blanket and the wool hat. "You actually look pretty convincing, Booth…almost like a handsome Afghani man...like me, for example..."

"I suppose you think that's a good thing, right? I'm not sure I wanna look like you, Smith...", Booth groused good naturedly. "Do you have our identification papers for us, Sergeant Leary?"

"Just a minute...let me take your picture." She took some identification photographs and attached them to their papers, which were written in the local language. "There you are." Standing back to admire her handiwork, Sergeant Leary nodded with satisfaction. "You guys are set to go. Good luck."

"Thanks." Booth stopped to gather his uniform pants and boots before following Rami out of the quartermaster's office. "Hey, I think I'm gonna doubletime it back and change back into my uniform." Seeing Rami's confusion, Booth sighed softly. "I want to go talk to the chaplain before I have lunch…"

"Yeah...okay." Rami shrugged. "I get it. But listen, we need to do a few more things today before we leave in the morning...you know, pack the truck..."

"I know. I won't be gone long." Giving Rami a wave, Booth jogged off toward the barracks.

Rami shook his head sadly as he watched Booth jog away, hoping the chaplain would be able to ease his friend's pain as he dealt with the fact that he'd have to kill at least one man on this mission.

Oooooooooo

Distracted as she thought about her morning in court, Caroline flung open the door of her office later that day and stomped in, clearly in an angry huff. "So that jackass lawyer wants to appeal that conviction for his sweet lil ol' client, does he? Those squints are gonna have to work overtime on this one to help me out...I'm not about to let that slimy little weasel get away with tha…" She gasped in surprise as she turned to face the man sitting quietly in a chair in the corner. "Jus' what the hell you doin' in my office? Who let you in?"

"Hey, I thought you wanted to see me. Alex at the State Department said you've been asking around about someone from The Company, right? Besides, you know who I work for. Nobody has to 'let me in', okay?" Danny Beck offered the prosecutor a big grin as he straightened his tie. "Anyway, I'm just here to help you out, that's all."

"Hmmph. I bet." Caroline tried hard to be angry, but she couldn't stay mad at her handsome visitor. "So you got news for me?"

"Maybe...strictly off the record, you understand…" Danny stood up and walked over to the window as he spoke. "The man you've been asking about has an unhappy history with our mutual friend. Booth did a couple of jobs for him several years ago...stuff I can't really tell you about…but one of them turned out to be a lot more dangerous than advertised, and Booth was lucky to make it out in one piece..."

"Yeah, I know the drill about all the off the record stuff that went on with Booth in the past, but if you can't tell me anything, why are you here? That doesn't do me any good…the couillon in question been pestering Dr. Brennan, and it has to stop, that's all…I don't need to know the man's whole life story..."

"Oh, you do need to know about it, because he's been bothering Dr. Brennan so he'll have leverage against Booth. He probably knows Booth's been crazy about that scientist for a long time, and he's trying to use that knowledge to get something he wants from Booth...something that Booth doesn't want to give him. That's what this guy does...he plays people against each other, hoping to use their mutual dislike, their insecurities, or in this case, their mutual attraction...to his advantage. He likes to use emotional blackmail." Shaking his head as he watched the cars go by on the street below, Danny glanced at Caroline. "The problem is that this guy...Rick or John or whatever the hell he's calling himself today...he just left town in a big hurry, without going through proper channels. He didn't say where he was going, of course...that's always hush hush no matter what the situation is...but I promise you, wherever he is, he's trying to make trouble for Booth. Rumor has it that he wanted Booth to take on a job for him, and Booth turned him down, so we think our guy's gone off the Reservation now...he may be trying to do some work on the side or trying to provide cover for himself, and he wants to get Booth's help with something big. We don't know for sure. Rick is a professional manipulator, and The Company knows he's up to something shady, but we don't have enough evidence to pull the plug on him yet..."

"Good to know, I suppose, but how does that help me? I can't get ahold of Booth right now, what with him being who knows where…", Caroline began in annoyance. "...and even if I could, what would I say? Watch out for sneaky guys? Don't talk to any strangers?"

"That's the rub, right? Knowing what to do?" Danny chuckled at the prosecutor's exasperation. "But I bet Dr. Brennan can email Booth...maybe she can let him know what's going on…tell him to be extra careful."

Caroline eyed her visitor suspiciously. "Maybe, except I hate to worry her like that...it's bad enough to know he's out on a difficult mission, but then to tell her that an operative is after Booth…"

Shrugging, the agent turned to leave. "Yeah...it's a conundrum, but I guess a smart woman like you can figure out what to do…" He winked at her as he walked out of her office. "I'll be in touch."

"Great…thanks for nothing…", Caroline growled as she sank into her desk chair, trying to figure out what to do with the information she'd just been given.

Oooooooooo

Approaching the corporal sitting at a desk in the Chaplain's outer office, Booth cleared his throat nervously. "Excuse me...is the Roman Catholic chaplain available?"

"No, he's not. I'm sorry." She glanced up at Booth before turning back to her computer. "He had to go over to the infirmary, and I'm not sure when he'll be back. Can I help you with something?"

"Um...no, not really." Seeing her slightly exasperated expression, he smiled. "I just wanted to talk to a priest, that's all." He glanced toward the chapel. "Do you think it'd be alright if I sat in the sanctuary for a few minutes?"

"Yes, that's fine…" She handed him a notepad and a pencil. "...and if you leave your name, I'll have Father LaMont look you up when he gets back."

"Yeah...okay...if he has time, I'd appreciate it." Scribbling his contact information down, Booth pushed it back to her and nodded his thanks before stepping into the shadowy worship area. Blessing himself, he walked over to a small candle stand and lit a votive, sending up a prayer for a safe return before finding a pew from which he could contemplate the stark black wooden cross hanging from the ceiling over the altar.

He sat quietly for a few minutes before giving in to the pain in his soul. "How do I know, Lord?", he muttered to himself. "How do I know I'm the good guy in these situations?" His question was answered with silence. Sighing softly he sat there for a minute or two more, staring at the large cross as it hung in mute memorial to Christ's sacrifice. "I just need to know...please...I want to do the right thing here...to be right with God..."

Then suddenly, his thoughts flew back to what the Archbishop had told him as they shared a hasty dinner in the Atlanta airport all those weeks ago. "The Lord is always with you, son…He's there for you...He's watching out for you, protecting you...trust in Him...He'll forgive you if you ask Him...it's in God's hands...you'll do the right thing..."

Slightly awestruck, Booth stared at the cross above him, wondering if he'd actually just received an answer to his prayerful question. Maybe he didn't need to know all the details...maybe he just had to do the best he could in a bad situation, and let the Lord take care of the rest. Filled with an intense sense of relief, he quietly recited the Lord's Prayer before standing up and blessing himself again.

He smiled slightly as he left the chapel and strode out into the bright noonday sunlight, making his way back to his barracks. No matter what happened on this mission, he knew now that he'd be ready to handle it.

'