"Booth, what happened with Mr. Roberts?" Cullen asked, his voice calm, which was more worrying than anything. It meant that the storm was coming. "You were supposed to question him at his house... and yet here I have written that you went to his house, conducted a short interview, and intend to return with further questions. Tell me, Booth, how is this proper protocol?"

"Sir, the husband seemed to know nothing of the wife's disappearance and we've got surveillance watching him in case he makes a break for it and therefore identifies himself as the definite culprit-"

"And it also would become apparent that Dr. Brennan knew this Jake Roberts?"

Booth winced. "Yes, sir."

Cullen took his glasses off and leaned over the table at him. "Listen, Booth, I read the file. I can understand why you would feel a particular dislike for this suspect. But, if this happens again, and by this I mean the strange bruise on the side of Mr. Roberts face, then I will have to take you off the case."

"Yes, sir."

"Don't think you've gotten away with this. You are covering Jimmy's share of the paperwork as well as your own for the entire case. Got that?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

"Oh, and Sweets will be supervising your next questioning with Mr. Roberts. We brought him in this morning, and he's waiting for you. You're orders are quite specific Booth; control yourself or you get taken off the case, and under no circumstances is Dr. Brennan to be in the same room as him without my explicit consent."

"Yes, sir." Booth was getting tired of repeating the words, but at the moment he was just relieved that Cullen was letting him keep the case. That was a miracle.

"Nail this guy, Agent Booth. Or whoever did this."

Booth nodded and got to his feet.

Cullen put his glasses back on and flipped through some paperwork on his desk, the sign that Booth was free to go. He headed out of the office and gave a sigh of relief. Definitely a miracle. He must have dreamed up that whole meeting, he thought disbelievingly.

Or Cullen was just relating Dr. Brennan to his own daughter, whom he had recently lost to cancer. He must hate guys like Roberts.

Booth's phone was going off.

"Booth," he answered.

"Booth, get here now," Bones' voice said.

"I'm on my way," he told her as he hurried through the FBI building and hit the elevator down button several times impatiently. "What's so urgent? Is everything okay there?"

"Yeah, fine. I just found cause of death though... and you aren't going to like it."

"Why?" Booth asked worriedly as he finally stepped in the elevator and slammed his finger at the button for the bottom floor.

"She was shot to death, Booth. It doesn't fit Jake at all."

"Who are you, me? Since when do you jump to conclusions on one piece of evidence?" He asked, smiling slightly. It might make it harder, convicting Jake when it was a bullet wound rather than strangulation or getting beat to death that had killed her, but he'd still do it. The guy was guilty, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind about that.

She sighed and he immediately felt bad for making a joke. She was certainly not in the mood. He cursed himself.

"Sorry, Bones. I'll be right there okay? And don't worry, we are going to get him."

"Thanks. See you soon."

He snapped his phone shut after she hung up and then sighed. God, this was taking its toll on him... not being able to just treat her like he always had. It hurt every time he looked in her eyes and saw the worry and the memories there. He wanted things to be the way they had been; he wanted what he'd thought before to be true... that she had just had an unhappy childhood as she had told him and that was it. He'd do anything at all for what she'd been through to have never occurred, but it wasn't possible.

He sighed. Sometimes it felt like he could never do enough for her. He just couldn't make her see how much she was loved... no matter how obvious he was about it. At least she knew he cared, though, and that he was her best friend and so was Ange.

And she knew that the squints were her family in addition to her dad and Russ. That was something.

He was going to have to be careful though, now that she was becoming so very open with him. If he did a single thing wrong or didn't react the way she was expecting... or maybe even if he overreacted, she might pull away back into her shell and the walls might close back up around her. He couldn't let that happen. He loved her way too much to lose her now.

And his slow step-by-step approach to reaching the point where he might be able to admit to her that very truth had been shattered as well. He was going to have to find another time, later on, to admit his feelings.

Right now, she needed him to be there as support and comfort. She needed him to be her friend. And that's what he would be, for as long as she needed him. And if she ever started listening to Angela and wanted more... then he'd be there too. Because he wanted more. He wanted, right now, to just go straight to her in the lab and wrap his arms around her. Press his face into her hair and just stroke her back... make her worries go away...

He wanted to be there as her friend and her love... but if she only wanted one, well he'd do it. For her.

He'd do anything for her.

The elevator finally reached its destination and he hurried through the doors and made his way straight to his SUV. He considered for a moment before shrugging and turning on the siren. No one had to know he was just going to the Jeffersonian like always. It could be highly important and potentially dangerous. And Cullen... well hopefully Cullen wouldn't find out.

He sped down the street, heading towards the one thing he ever truly looked forward to in his days. Bones.

He slid his card through the security swipe and jogged up onto the platform.

"Hey, Bones, I got here as soon as I could. Can't stay long though, I have to get back for an interrogation."

"Jake?" she asked.

"Yeah," he admitted with a nod, hoping that she wouldn't demand for him to bring her along. She didn't, and he found himself feeling as though perhaps that was more of a bad thing. Surely she wasn't okay if she wasn't begging to be involved in the field work?

He sighed. At least he didn't have to tell her that she wasn't allowed to come. That would surely make her upset.

"So..." he said, rubbing his hands together and smiling softly at her. "What do you have for me?"

She led him over to the remains and held up the skull.

"Single bullet-wound here," she turned it around for him and pointed to the hole at the very edge of the skull, close to where the neck would have met up with it.

"That killed her?"

"Yes, and that's actually the only injury we were able to find. No broken bones... no fractures... no signs at all of injuries. She wasn't beat up at all, Booth."

He frowned. This just kept getting worse.

She was looking tired and he swore he could sense a bit of fear from her. She must be so worried that this wasn't going to work out... that they were going to fail... and that wasn't like her.

"Hey Bones, you okay?" he asked her, "I'm right here if you need me you know, and I told you, we'll get him. You're never going to have to deal with him again. What is it your worried about?"

"Nothing. It's nothing. Go interrogate Jake... I'll check on Hodgins and see if he has any results for me on the particulates found on her shoes."

He frowned. That was most certainly not nothing. She was upset again. But... if she wanted him to go, then she had her reasoning. He left, glancing back over his shoulder a few times worriedly. He'd come back to her as soon as he was done dealing with that scumbag.

I just finished watching the latest episode, and then watched next weeks preview

Let's just say... um... EPIC SQUEE!! *bounces around screaming*

Okay, that was my excitement for the day :) I'm sure we're ALL dying for next week now. Not that we weren't beforehand...

To celebrate I will probably put up multiple chapters today, depending on how much enthusiasm I get. (aka, reviews)