Disclaimer: I only own the characters not normally seen on the show…

Previously: The Squints and Booth were informed that they were being shipped down to Hawaii to help with a new case.

(---)

The plane was relatively quiet Brennan noted, holding her bag out in front of her as she walked through the aisle. She glanced at her ticket, finding the seat number there, before looking up again. When she located her seat, she found herself in Business Class. Behind her, Booth stood, humming slightly to the faint music in the background of the plane.

"This looks like us," Brennan said, happy to be able to toss her heavy carry-on into the seat before her. She turned to face Booth as the others gathered with them.

"Hey, wait a minute, my ticket says Coach," Zack stated examining his ticket closely. Both Hodgins and Angela inspected their tickets as well. Hodgins faced dropped as he realized his ticket read the same--but Angela's face brightened happily.

"Oh, well, guess we'll leave you two alone," Angela pushed Zack and Hodgins forward, toward the rear of the plane, "have fun," she winked at Brennan who blushed and shook her head furiously.

When the three were out of sight, Booth turned back to Brennan and nodded slowly, understanding splashing across his face, "She planned that didn't she?"

"Probably," Brennan admitted. She grabbed her bag out of the seat and heaved it over her head toward the bin. She knew she should've just asked Booth to move the heavy bag, but as stubborn as she was…so she shouldn't have been surprised when she felt herself teetering dangerously in her current position. Thankfully, Booth hadn't moved anywhere but closer to her, he let his own bag slide down his wrist as he grasped Brennan's from above her head. Gracefully, he pushed her bag, followed by his into the overhead compartment. Bones scowled slightly--mostly at herself for being so needy.

She flopped down into the seat, crossing her arms over her chest. Booth sat down beside her gently. Brennan was miserably silent for a minute before relaxing a little and leaning her head against the window. She stared out at the runway and the dozens of men wearing earmuffs and waving bright orange cones in the air. In the distance she saw D.C. beginning to awaken and head off to work.

She let her tired eyes slide close as she faintly heard Booth humming to some song only he could hear. She felt her mind settle as she breathed deeply…

(--)

She awoke to someone chuckling quietly beside her. She recognized that chuckle as Booth's. Brennan's mind flashed back to the dream she'd been having--let's just say Booth was a featured character--but his clothing was not--Temperance felt herself blush again.

She sat up and noted that Booth wasn't laughing at her, in fact he wasn't even looking at her; he was staring at the television screen in front of him. Brennan moved her head so she could see through the break in between the seats, but the movie had ended and the credits were rolling. She flopped back, huffing that she'd missed what seemed to be amusing entertainment for Booth--although, torturing her with his endless teasing and sexual innuendos was also amusing to Booth so she may not have liked the movie anyways.

Booth removed the headphones he'd used to listen to film and tucked them into the pouch in the seatback in front of him. He glanced sideways, finding Brennan staring at him he smiled, and looked over at her.

"Wow, nice to see you again, sleepy head," Booth commented leaning back in his seat, his face trained on Brennan's.

"How long was I out?" Brennan inquired, tilting her head into the comfortable leather seat.

"Four hours, give or take," Booth replied. In reality, he knew that it had been exactly four hours, thirteen minutes and about twenty six seconds because that's how long he'd been staring at her. When the flight attendant had walked by and offered him headphones for the movie, he'd accepted on the off-chance that Bones might wake up and catch him. The truth was he hadn't heard one word of the entire movie--he'd only turned toward the screen when he had noticed her stirring.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you without anyone to talk to. Have you been bored?" Brennan asked.

Yes. "No."

"That's good. Did you like the movie?"

No. "Yes."

"I'm glad," she sighed deeply and closed her eyes again as she did so. He let his gaze fall on her face--her red hair, the curves of her cheeks, the milky white of her skin, the fullness of her lips. He swallowed attempting to control his desire to reach over and traced his fingertips across her eyelids. Just to touch the satin of her skin.

She opened her eyes and he was glad she couldn't read his thoughts. She smiled at him nevertheless and he flashed his trademark grin. He felt his chest constrict when her smile widened in response to his. He sighed. This was perfect. They were just like two normal people--no cops, no dead bodies, no case--two normal people going on a vacation to Hawaii.

"So, since the movie's over, what do you wanna do?" Brennan asked. A thousand--slightly inappropriate--things flashed through Booth mind--several of them involved the bathroom a few rows behind him.

"How about a game of cards?" Booth asked pulling a deck out of his pocket. He let his tray table fall down in front of him as he took the cards out of the package. He loved the feeling of cards in his hands. Ever since he'd cut his addiction to gambling he'd strayed away from cards of any kind--but when Parker had once asked him why they couldn't play go-fish, Booth had resolved to keep a deck with him. He'd gotten quite good at fun games like go-fish, or Egyptian Rat Screw, which was currently his favorite.

"What'd you wanna play?" Brennan asked.

"Well, I'd say strip poker but I think some of these stuffed-shirts might complain," Booth grinned.

"Yeah, especially when you start throwing your clothes at them," Brennan countered smartly.

"Bones, are you suggesting that you could beat me?" Booth said in mock distress at the thought of being beaten.

"I'm quite good at cards, Booth, so don't even try me," Brennan replied smiling.

"I'd like to see you beat me," Booth answered, shuffling the deck with years of skill.

"Just name the game, Booth."

"Well, you know how to play Egyptian Rat Screw?" Booth asked, splitting the deck in half and handing her one of the two piles.

"No, but I'm a fast learner," Brennan replied.

(--)

"It's mine!" Brennan exclaimed holding one side of a pile of card in her delicate hands.

"What? What're you talking about?" Booth replied incredulously, his hand also on the pile in question.

"My hand was definitely there first," Brennan stated matter-of-factly pulling the pile closer to her.

"I beg to differ," Booth said, drawing the pile closer to him.

"Are you going to argue with me every time a slap comes up?" Brennan asked, pulling the cards back to her.

"Only when you're cheating," Booth said grabbing the cards from her in his final attack and stuffing them at the bottom of his deck.

"I'm not the one cheating!" Brennan exclaimed.

"Are you calling me a cheater!" Booth asked laying his hand across his chest as if she'd just hurt him, an expression of mock disbelief playing across his face.

She threw her cards at him, "Jerk," she said crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat. She stared forward, ignoring him.

"Ah, we're just about there anyway," Booth said, gathering the cards and shoving them back into the box. He tucked the box back into his coat pocket and stretched his arms above his head.

From where she was sitting, Brennan noticed out of the corner of her eye, that Booth's t-shirt had wriggled up when he stretched and she was presented with a glorious view of Booth's flat stomach. Her mouth watered dangerously as she watched. He relaxed and she looked away, flustered.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, we are about to begin our descent into the beautiful city of San Francisco. We ask that you please return to you seats, and please but your seatbacks and tray table into the upright and lock position. Have a nice day and thank you for flying American Airlines," the P.A. system clicked off.

Booth pushed his tray table up and locked it as he had been instructed. He stole a sideways glance at Brennan who was no longer frowning but was looking out the small window at the city below. He leaned over her, the side of his face just inches from hers.

Below them lay a city of hills. He could just make out tiny trolley-cars as they got closer to the ground. The cars moved at a snail's pace and the people were merely dots, only visible in crowds.

"Everything looks so peaceful from up here," Booth said quietly. Brennan hadn't realized how close he'd gotten and jumped at the sound of his voice in his ear.

"Yeah, everything seems quiet," Brennan agreed as the world got closer and they touched down softly on the runway.

(--)

"I hate planes," Zack complained as they stood in line to check-in their tickets for the connecting flight to Oahu. The forensic assistant was looking quite green and Booth couldn't help but laugh a little.

Zack wasn't the only one who looked miserable however, on Hodgins' face was plastered a miserable stare. By looking at his face one could only see that he was upset, but you had to look at his lap to see why. It seemed that Zack really hadn't been feeling too well on the plane.

This fact just made Booth laugh harder, even Brennan and Angela giggled with him. Hodgins just glared at them all.

A few minutes later they had seated themselves at the gate which their second plane was departing for Honolulu in only ten minutes. Angela and Brennan sat a few chairs away and talked between themselves in hushed tones while Hodgins went off to change his pants, leaving Booth alone with a very pale Zack.

"So, did you and Dr. Brennan enjoy the flight?" Zack asked.

"She slept most of the time," Booth replied, eyeing Zack suspiciously. He reached into his bag and pulled out a box. He tossed the box to Zack who inspected it before smiling.

"Dramamine, it'll do the trick, trust me," Booth said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Thanks," Zack said, standing he headed off to the bathroom to get some water.

"No problem," Booth said to no one in particular.

"Flight 1010 to Honolulu now boarding," said the P.A. system. Booth stood and grabbed his carry-on. Uh, another six hour flight, Booth headed toward the gate, this is gonna be fun.

(--)

Brennan watched Booth as he tossed a small box across the aisle to Zack. She smiled, Zack looked so unhappy--but Booth looked relieved when Zack stood--he probably doesn't want to be thrown up on. Angela was talking to her but she wasn't listening. She was watching Booth relax in his seat. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Hello, Brennan you in there?" Angela asked, waving her hand in front of Temperance's face. Brennan blinked and shook her head a little, focusing on Angela.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Brennan asked.

"Nothing…what were you looking at anyway?" Angela turned around and saw Booth resting in his seat. She smiled wickedly and turned to back to Brennan with a Cheshire cat grin, "oh, I see. He is delicious, but you already know that don't you?"

"What? What're you talking about, Angela?" Brennan looked down into her lap. She could feel Angela's eyes on her, boring into the top of head.

"Flight 1010 to Honolulu now boarding." Brennan felt herself sigh, thankful for the interruption. She stood grabbed her bag and walked off toward the desk to check her ticket.

"Hello, ticket please," the overly-cheery woman said taking Brennan's ticket, "thank you. Enjoy your flight."

Brennan nodded and walked through the gate. She planned on sleeping this entire flight as well, especially since she also planned to sit next to Angela instead of Booth. If she expected to fall asleep she was going to have to be relaxed, not worrying about Booth teasing her.

(--)

"Welcome to sunny Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. The current time is noon, and the temperature is a whopping 92 degrees Fahrenheit, so I hope you folks brought swim suits. We hope that you enjoyed your flight, thank you for flying with American Airlines." The captain switched the speaker off as the passengers began to stand and collect their things.

"Please tell me we don't have to take anymore planes," Hodgins said. He heaved his bag over his shoulder and stepped into the aisle.

"Is Zack still asleep?" Brennan asked looking over at the young man who was snoring loudly.

"Yeah, hey Zack!" Angela called. The young man didn't move. Angela leaned down and shook him, but the forensic assistant didn't wake.

"Booth, what'd you give him?" Brennan asked incredulously.

"It was just some Dramamine, it's a motion sickness thing," Booth replied.

"Zack!" Brennan yelled leaning over him. Nothing.

"All right, Hodgins get over here," Booth ordered as he handed his bag to Brennan and put an arm under Zack's shoulder and lifted him out of the seat. Hodgins got on Zack's other side and let Booth support half Zack's weight on his arm.

"This sucks," Hodgins said.

"Tell me about it," Booth answered.

As they stepped off the plane, they were swamped by hundreds of people. There were women in grass skirts and coconut tops dancing and swaying their hips to the music played my men in Hawaiian shirts. Brennan was surprised when all of the sudden a beautiful hibiscus lei was placed over her head.

Officer Richie Hawthorne stood just past the security gates holding a sign that read "Booth" on it in big letters. He'd been standing there for nearly twenty minutes, waiting for the Special Agent and his team to arrive. A group to his right caught his attention.

A young man was slouched over in the seat, snoring loudly, clearly out cold; two women were shaking him violently, attempting to wake him, while two other men were breathing heavily, apparently having just carried him from the plane. Hawthorne caught a few words of their conversation and recognized the name Booth tossed around a few times. Cautiously, he approached the group, holding his sign in front of him.

"Excuse me, are the group from that Institute in D.C. here to help with the murder cases?" Hawthorne asked. The woman with red hair turned around and stared him up and down for a minute. Hawthorne felt a chill creep up his spine--he didn't like being sized up by this woman. She didn't look like she could hurt him physically but Hawthorne knew from experience that didn't mean anything.

"Yes, who are you?" the woman questioned fiercely. The man closest to her stepped forward, giving her a look of annoyance. He held out his hand to Hawthorne who took it.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth," the man said.

"Officer Richie Hawthorne, nice to meet you," Hawthorne said dropping his hand back to his side.

"Excuse me," the red-headed woman burst in, pushing her companion aside, "but my friend is sound asleep, we need to find him a place to lie down, so could you possibly take us to our hotel now?"

"Forgive her, she's devoid of anything resembling human emotion," Agent Booth said. The woman turned her icy glare on Agent Booth who was not afraid, like Hawthorne was, of the woman and offered a charming smile. The woman turned away frustrated, and helped her sleeping friend to his feet.

"If you'll just follow me, I'll take you to the car," Hawthorne said leading the way as the others followed. Agent Booth walked alongside him.

"The curly-haired guy is Dr. Jack Hodgins, he'd the bug and slime guy; the sleeping kid is Zack Addy; the brunette is Angela Montenegro, she's the artist, and the firecracker on the end is the one and only Temperance Brennan," Booth explained.

"She scares me," Hawthorne said quietly.

"Don't worry, she's almost normal on the inside," Booth joked.

"Once we reach the hotel, you'll be able to check into your rooms, there is a briefing scheduled at 5:30, that should give you enough time to get back for the luau at 7:00. They really are quite something," Hawthorne explained as the group filed into the black FBI issue SUV. Hawthorne climbed into the driver's seat next Agent Booth. In the next row, Angela and Brennan sat with Zack propped up between them and Hodgins situated comfortably in the single trunk seat.

Hawthorne started the engine and pulled out of the airport parking lot. The streets of Honolulu was relatively quiet this early in the afternoon. The tourists usually spent this time at the beach or the hotel pools. As they approached the slightly secluded hotel even Hawthorne's breath caught in his chest.

"I gotta say, Booth," Hodgins said from the back, "the FBI spares no expense, does it?"

"Maybe it is a government takeover, Jack," Angela said breathlessly.

"Well, whatever it is, we've got a case to solve, so let's get all checked in and get to this briefing," Brennan said, her mind set to work.

"First of all Bones, the briefing isn't until 5:30," Booth said, looking back at Brennan, "and second, can you please act like a normal human being and be completely stunned by the size of this hotel!"

Brennan gave him a look before opening the door and climbing out. She grabbed her bag and headed for the door. After a moment she realized that the others weren't next to her. She turned around to find all of them, even Officer Hawthorne staring up at the massive luxury hotel in awe--Zack, however, was not as he was still sound asleep, being held up by Booth and Hodgins.

"Um, Mommy, are we there yet?" Zack said, as his rolled back and he began snoring again.

"Guys, are you coming?" Brennan asked, walking inside.

(---)

TBC...in Chapter 3: "Then We'll Take It Slow…"

A/N: Wow, this morning I checked my inbox and there were like twenty reviews, it was so cool! I'm glad you guys like this so far, I really wanted to make it believable so I strive to make the characters as in-character as I can. I realize this whole story is OOC but work with me here people. Thanks so much, your reviews inspired me to post this tonight--however, I have school tomorrow so I might not be able to post chapter three as quickly as chapter two--but be patience it'll be up this week. Love You ALL!