A/N: So, I've got another chapter update for you. I'm flying through this story with such ease, I'm sometimes afraid it is too good to be true. But the response has assured me you all are reading and I'm so incredibly grateful for that. The last story hit a milestone, 350 reviews. You all are amazing. That is pretty much all I can say.

Melissa, Lori…I really don't know if I could do this without you. Thanks for the encouragement with each chapter. I appreciate it soooo much!

Disclaimer: I don't own it still, but my birthday is in 3 days…so if anyone is feeling generous…

ooo

"Sarg," Grigley, who had been released from bed confinement only a few days after waking up, greeted with a cocky smile, "when are you going to get your ass out of that bed?"

Booth scoffed at the teasing jab and glared at Dr. Jameson who had walked in behind Grigley and was checking on the still unconscious Adams.

"I'll be up and busting your chops just as soon as the good doctor over there decides to free me," Booth answered flippantly. "The sooner the better."

"Then I think I have good news for you Booth," Dr. Jameson told him and walked over to the end of his bed. With a few movements the straps around Booths' knees grew slack. "As long as you're careful with your leg I think it's time for you to get up and start putting some pressure on it."

"Seriously? Thank god," Booth muttered, "It felt like I was going to spend the rest of my life in that bed."

"The way you look maybe you should," Grigley leered and Dr. Jameson choked back a laugh. "Have you even looked in a mirror?"

"No," Booth replied curtly, "Sarah wouldn't bring me a mirror. I can't look worse than you do though."

Grigley only smirked, the dark bluish-black bruise around his eye wrinkling up in the movement. He had a white bandage on the left side of his face to doctor the gash that occurred when the bullet he took to arm knocked him to the ground. That arm was still being cushioned by a sling wrapped around his body to hold it still.

Booth swung his legs over the side of the bed and went to stand up.

"Be careful…" Dr. Jameson started to say as Booth put his weight on his legs. His injured leg gave out quickly and Booth found himself sitting back on the bed. "Your muscles, especially in the leg you got shot in, are going to be weak…"

"I wasn't in bed that long doc," Booth grumbled. "I should be fine."

"Booth," Grigley argued, "you got shot in the leg. Take it easy. Man Doc, it was a smart idea to keep him restrained to the bed."

"Shut it jackass!"

"I did what I had to do," Dr. Jameson answered honestly with a shrug of his shoulders ignoring Booth's outburst. "He was threatening to get up and walk back over the border. Would've been dead within hours."

"I get the point," Booth relented, "and I'm thankful for being able to get up and out of bed now. I'm tired of these walls, no offense."

"None taken," Dr. Jameson answered quickly. "You've been here for several weeks, it's only normal. Now, I have some crutches…"

"I don't need them."

"Booth…"

"I'm fine without them."

"Okay," Dr. Jameson said and Booth was surprised he didn't put up more of a fight. "I'm going to stay in here for awhile. Sarah and some of the others are in the mess hall with a bunch of the village kids, you can hang out in there or just venture around the site. Don't go too far though, you never know who could be lurking in the woods."

"Okay doc," Grigley assured him, "we'll stay close."

Booth stumbled out of the tent with Grigley close behind him and the headed towards the outskirts of the small site that Dr. Jameson and the others had set up. Booth knew a missionary ran the operation, but so far he had yet to meet him and his family.

"I don't think that Adams is going to make it," Grigley said quietly after a few moments of silence between them. "Doc hasn't said anything outright, but I can tell he's worried."

"He should have woken up by now," Booth agreed with a quick nod of his head. "Dr. Jameson told me he took a bullet to the gut and lost a lot of blood."

"We were damn lucky Booth," Grigley added. "Damn lucky."

"You don't think I don't know that?" Booth asked running a hand through his short hair. "Do you remember anything about that night?"

"Not really," Grigley answered, "I remember Adams said he heard something and he thought it was the insurgents, that they had discovered us."

"And Jacquay took Finn to go and check it out?"

"Yeah," Grigley agreed "and I was sent to get you."

Booth nodded his memory working overtime to put the pieces together, "I should have been out there…"

"It wasn't your fault sarg," Grigley said in assurance. "It wasn't."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," Grigley stated firmly, "I am sure about that. If you hadn't been with us then none of us would have made it out of there alive."

"I didn't do anything…"

"Yeah you did," Grigley told him. "You took out the front of the insurgent line. You don't remember that?"

Booth shook his head and groaned. "I don't. I don't remember anything past you coming and getting me from my tent."

"You were a hero."

The words hit Booth like a blow to the stomach. He knew it was part of him and even though he'd promised her he wouldn't be himself, he knew it was a lie, even as the words had come out of his mouth at the airport.

"What do you think happened to Jacquay and Finn? Do you think they were captured or…"

Booth shrugged, "I don't know Grigs. I wish I could answer that though."

"How long do you think we'll have to be here? I mean, shouldn't someone have come looking…"

"I wish I could give you answer to that too," Booth answered, "but I can't. Hopefully it's not too much longer though. Something wasn't right before the firefight. No communication with the base…I don't know what to think."

"Well, you got that letter out to your friend at the FBI right? That'll direct them here."

"I hope so. I would like to be home for Christmas."

"Christmas? That's really soon sarge," Grigley said quietly. "You think…"

"I don't know…"

Booth's words were cut off by the noise coming from the middle of camp. Sarah was rushing into the medical tent on the heels of Dr. Jameson with several others behind her. With one look to Grigley Booth took off back towards camp as quickly as he could.

ooo

Brennan was frustrated. Colonel Hanson had spent several days trying to figure out where Booth had gone, who went with him, and how long they were supposed to have been away for only to come up with very little information. Plus, he was keeping her out of any investigation and she hadn't been able to push her way into it.

The only thing she had been able to find out is that when they were interviewing some of the survivors that had been in Booth's training classes they had found out who had gone with him, which apparently was classified information, and no one had been informed where they were going or what their specific mission was.

It didn't help that they were just about done with their part of any recovery and identification efforts. The only thing left to do was paperwork and there wasn't even much of that left to do. She dreaded the completion of it because she knew that it wasn't going to be long after that when she and Cam would be on their way back to the States. They would definitely be home before Christmas, which was still ten days away.

Brennan stood up from the table she was using to stretch her legs and stepped out into the Afghanistan sunshine. The heat was nearly unbearable, even now in December and the winds picked up the sand from beneath her feet and swirled it around her body. Looking around she couldn't' help but tell there was more motion from the soldiers than normal as she watched at least a dozen men jump into the back of the truck.

"What's going on?" she asked to a passing female soldier whom she could remember seeing around in the time she'd been there, but couldn't remember her name.

"I'm sorry Dr. Brennan," she apologized quickly, "its classified information, I can't…"

"No," Brennan interrupted, "no of course not. I understand."

"I have to go now. It was uh, nice meeting you," she said quickly and turned and walked away before Brennan could say anything else or issue her own goodbye.

Brennan walked back into the tent and couldn't keep herself from pacing. She felt trapped in the work tent and wished she had more work to do. Brennan automatically felt guilty at that thought though and sank down into a nearby chair.

Wishing for more work was wishing for more bodies and she couldn't believe she thought that. Staring at the paperwork in front of her she picked up her pen and signed her name to the forms that still needed it. Two file folders later of completed paperwork Brennan set her pen down and rested her head in her hands.

Cam entered the tent only a few minutes later with a look on her face that Brennan couldn't quite read.

"You need to pack up, Dr. Brennan."

"Wait…what, why?"

"We're done," Cam answered slowly, "and they're sending us home. Our plane leaves in an hour."

ooo

A/N: And here we go. This chapter was a little short and tad on the 'filler' side, but it is opening the story up, trust me. I've been baking cookies, and everyone who reviews gets one!