The moment the two men stepped through the door to Abby's lab, Brennan knew something was wrong. Both Tony and Booth showed the hurt, pain, anger, frustration, or any other negative emotion in different ways.

With Tony, he masked it with a smile. For him, laughing was literally the best medicine. While it didn't diminish anything, the effort it took to project that cheerful demeanor allowed him to focus on something else. Brennan had seen it surface a number of times over the years. The most prominent was after Kate's funeral. Whenever they would meet somewhere to share a meal, the light in his eyes would dim and the corners of his mouth would droop. The instant she asked if he was alright, that smile would make itself known and he would wave away her concern with a flick of his wrist.

Booth, on the other hand, would make his feelings known. She remembered the time during the Ice Pick case when her partner – boyfriend Temperance, she thought, cringing internally– had had that infected molar. He had rubbed his jaw, moaned in pain, winced whenever he spoke or ate. When Brennan had asked him to see a dentist, he had stared at her as if she was insane for even suggesting that he find some way to get rid of the pain that was bothering him.

The FBI agent liked to burden himself. Whether it was his or someone else's, it didn't matter. So long as he felt responsible in some way, no matter how ludicrous the reason for being so was, Booth would gladly ask you to hand over whatever you were feeling so the load on your shoulders would be that much lighter.

It was one of the reasons she had come to love – intensely like, lust, have affection for – him. No matter how much he tried to downplay it, Booth was one of the most selfless people she knew.

He was also the most obstinate pain in the rear when he chose to be.

'Agent Booth. Glad you could join us.'

Brennan saw Booth's jaw tighten but otherwise he offered no remark to the thinly veiled sarcasm in Gibbs' voice. Instead, he offered a curt nod and came to stand a few inches to her right.

'Next time you feel like taking a road trip Bones, make sure I'm along for the ride huh?' Booth whispered into her ear, his breath fanning across the sensitive spot of her ear lobe and making her shiver discreetly.

'I found the evidence, didn't I? You said to bring you something to get that warrant,' Brennan hissed through her teeth, making sure the scowl she could feel forming on her face didn't show itself.

'Exactly. Bring it to me.' The emphasis on his last word did not escape her notice. Seeing that everyone was occupied by something Tony was saying, Brennan raised her chin and glared at Booth.

'You are incorrigible. For lord's sake Booth, Abby found the evidence and she needed some of the equipment she had down here to corroborate! If this is about how you're engaged in some kind of smurf war with Jethro over jurisdiction on this case, do not,' she said, jabbing a finger at his nicely toned and extremely well-defined chest, 'take out that frustration on me. I am simply trying to do my job with a partner who obviously sees little value in my non-scientific observations.'

Brennan spun around, ignoring Booth's narrowed eyes slowly getting bigger as she continued her rant, and tried to concentrate on Tony gazing around the lab in amazement.

'There's music?' Tony mused, choosing to disregard the irritated expression Gibbs was sending his way. 'Abs, you're feeling better!'

'Brain matter always helps the suckage,' Abby conceded.

'So all that drama was…' McGee's voice faded away.

'You done McGee?' Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow. Brennan saw McGee's muscles tense and the former probationary officer swallowed carefully, probably noticing the look of displeasure Ziva and Abby were sending his way.

'What've you got Abs?' Gibbs questioned after a beat. Booth remained silent beside her, though Brennan could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand, much like they did whenever she knew Booth was looking at her, noticing her.

'Well I was running through all the swabs McGee got off all those spare parts,' Abby started, tapping away at her keyboard excitedly, bringing up a picture of the severed limbs all arranged neatly on Ducky's autopsy table. Brennan immediately noticed the precision used to detach the limbs.

Another reason why Dalton is a viable suspect. She's a butcher and obviously has the skill necessary to achieve such results. Brennan pictured Booth's wide eyes. Ass.

'And something interesting popped up.' More tapping and a forearm appeared and rotated so that the screen displayed bone ringed with meat and skin. 'One of the samples taken from this part right here didn't come up with Grady's DNA. In fact, none of the parts had Grady's body juice anywhere!'

'So then why'd he confess?' Tony enquired, leaning over Ziva's shoulder to get a better look. Brennan saw Ziva stiffen minutely before relaxing, Tony's head brushing against the side of her face for a moment.

'Well he knew something. His fingerprints and what not were found all over the outside of the freezer. So denial is a river Grady can't drown in,' Abby told them.

Brennan furrowed her brow. She was pretty sure the Nile was deep enough to induce drowning.

'Metaphor Bones. I'll explain later,' Booth's low baritone almost made her jump out of her skin. Rather than respond, she shifted away, making sure not to look at him.

Ass.

'We getting somewhere Abs?' Gibbs sounded impatient, but the soft smile spoiled the effect. Brennan smirked, knowing the older man's soft spot for the women on his team. Jethro never saw the fairer sex as inferior when it came to anything – except perhaps trusting them with his heart - but some of that old chivalry ran through his veins. He could deny it till he was blue in the face but Gibbs loved rescuing the damsel from any kind of distress.

Abby pounded her keyboard emphatically. A DNA sequence flashed through before a DMV photo of Natalie Dalton appeared. 'Ms Dalton's epithelials, DNA, fingerprints – all the bells and whistles – were totally found on the inside of the freezer. Most of it on the parts where the limbs were chopped off.'

'She did it?' Tony asked incredulously, mouth slightly gaping open.

'Do you think women are not capable of such depravity Tony?'

'Well, obviously they are. I mean, you're like Chun Li on steroids with flawless victory thrown in,' Tony answered, scoffing at Ziva. Almost immediately, Ziva's foot came into contact with his shin.

'Holy mother of-'

'Be grateful I didn't aim higher,' Ziva bit out, glancing meaningfully at Tony's crotch. Gibbs and McGee shook their heads.

'DiNozzo,' Gibbs sighed. 'We'll be down at the garage waiting for you to pull your head out of your ass.' Shaking his head once again, the older man departed, McGee trailing in his wake after flashing Tony a censorious look.

'What?' Tony finally exclaimed.

'You know how sometimes a guy can get you all twisted up inside Joy? Like you can't get the knots out no matter how hard you try?'

'And then they do or say something incredibly stupid and foolhardy to make you wonder why you were so bothered in the first place?' Brennan retorted, sharing a meaningful look with the Goth.

Tony gaped at the both of them, his eyes seeking Booth's for some kind of mutual male support. Brennan felt Booth lift a shoulder, but otherwise remain quiet and motionless.

'Gosh Tony, I love you and all but when are you going to realize that Ziva's a woman who has feelings?' Abby said.

'I notice that she's a woman,' Tony announced, offended. 'Oh c'mon! She knows when I say stuff like that I'm just kidding around!'

'Even if you don't really mean them, they still hurt Anthony,' Brennan told him calmly.

Sticks and stones might break your bones, but words will always hurt you.

'I'll see you down at the car,' Brennan told both men somewhat coolly. 'Abby, I shall call you later after I've spoken with Angela and Ziva.'

Then she left.

Idiots.