Chapter 3

As Temperence Brennan finally came up for air after hoping to drown in the deep burgundy sea of her glass, for the first time since she had arrived she allowed her surroundings to wash across her. The slightly eclectic decorations that adorned the walls may have looked odd to her at first, but now this place was like her second home. She glanced around the fairly empty room, she remembered the first time Booth had brought her here…

Booth. She bit her lip. Booth was exactly who she was trying to forget, although she did wander why she had come here, to their place. She had just seemed to arrive here, not really aware of where her legs were taking her. Perhaps she had come here precisely because it reminded her of him, because she felt comforted by his lingering presence, his soft smell, that damn song on the jukebox, and this was something that he couldn't take with him if he left…

So deep was the ocean of her thoughts that she barely noticed someone take the seat next to her,

"I thought I might find you here…"

But no words would come out. She didn't even move, still staring blankly into her glass. She wasn't even surprised to see him, he seemed to know her so well, so well that sometimes it scared her, sometimes she thought better than she knew herself.

"Look Temperence, I'm so sorry..."

"No Booth don't, I'm the one that should be apologising, it was just…uh…I just wasn't expecting it, that's all" finally finding her voice, although still not able to look up into his eyes.

"Bones, nothings going to change if that's what you're worried about. You'll still be working with the FBI, they'll just find you another agent…and I'll make sure you still have full particip…"

He stopped as she finally turned her head towards him, her glistening eyes reaching longingly into his. And sometimes he didn't know her at all…

"Of course it's going to change, you don't get it do you?"

"Well, what is it then?"

Brennan took a deep breath, she couldn't hold on to it any longer. Reaching deep down inside herself she finally surrendered, closed her eyes and turned the key of her locked heart…

"It's just…well…you're not going to be here…I don't care about work…I don't want another FBI agent, Booth I want you to stay…that's what's wrong…"

In that moment everything around them seemed to slide away, the gentle bustle of the bar disappearing. Brennan found herself being transported by her confession, feeling the weight of her existence falling away from her as she rose in exultation. They stood on the edge of time itself. She closed her eyes. It was intoxicating, but she couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She gasped out loud, desperately trying to draw in the air around her sending her crashing back down…

Opening her eyes again she found Booth looking at her, a slight mist of concern clouding his features. One by one her senses returned. The music from the jukebox came flooding back into her ears, it was strangely familiar, as if the same song had been stuck on loop destined to play forever. Suddenly she felt very self conscious.

"I think normally you are supposed to say something now"

Booth couldn't help but smile at his partner, they both seemed to have an unnerving ability to bring each other out of even the most intense moments and darkest conversations. But he knew she deserved something special, she had given him a little bit of her, hell she had given a whole lot of her, and now he needed to give something back. Looking down into his hands as if what he wanted to say was written on his skin, inscribed upon his very being he began,

"When Parker came into my life he saved me, made me believe that there was still good in this world, he gave me something to keep fighting for. But I still didn't think that there was anything left in me worth fighting for till I met you"

He glanced up almost nervously, trying his best to grin "I don't know if I'm ready to lose that again…"

"Well don't then" she heard the petulance in her own voice. This wasn't going to get them anywhere. "Look Booth, I understand, I really do, but just promise me one thing?"

Booth looked at her doubtingly, normally he would accept without hesitation, but this time he feared she was asking for something that wasn't his to give.

"Promise me that you won't give up…that you won't stop fighting this…that you'll look for another way?"

Now that he could promise to. "Bones, I never said that I had given up…"

Chapter 4

Finally a peace seemed to have descended on Dr Brennan and Agent Booth, well a truce at least for now. Both knew that this wasn't resolved yet, but they had a case, and for now that was all that mattered.

"Right then Bones, give it to me"

"Give you what? I don't know what that means" Brennan's face displayed that-now-all-too-familiar quizzical look, that had become one of Booth's favourites.

"What you found, the reason you came to see me earlier…"

Booth watched as the engines began to once again fire up in Dr Brennan, admittedly a little slower than usual, but soon enough she was back again. All the worry and pain seemed to fade away as the glow returned to her face. In some ways Booth envied her ability to put everything else aside as she sublimated herself into her work. Despite all that training he had had as a sniper she was still better at it than him.

Instinctively opening the file in front of her, Temperence began "After unwrapping the body the cursory examination suggested it was that of a male, around 5'10", aged between 18 and 24. The bone structure of the skull would suggest a Caucasian, but I've got Ange working on that at the moment. She should have a face by the morning…"

"Great. That should help narrow down the endless pile of missing person's reports on my desk"

"Particulates on the cloth allowed Hodgins to establish that the body has been buried just over a year, and from the decomposition, although made difficult by the embalmment, I would estimate that he was dead another month or two before that. The initial exam gave no indication as to cause of death, but after Zach had cleaned the bones…"

She cut herself short. That niggling doubt that she had felt outside his office this morning had returned, like someone had tied a knot in her stomach. I wonder if this is what Booth is talking about when he's always going on about a gut feeling? Booth noticed the hesitant look that seemed to have engulfed her face like a dark cloud.

"What's up Bones?"

"Once Zach had cleaned the bones we were able to establish that the victim had unusual wounds to his hands and his feet, most likely inflicted prior to death. There was evidence of both metal shards and wooden splinters in the surrounding bones. Hodgins is working on that now. It is possible, under the right circumstances that these wounds could be fatal, but just in case I'm also having them run tests for any traces of drugs or poison in the system…"

As she had said under the right circumstances she had briefly stepped out of her distant, clinical persona, and had stolen a glance into Booth's focused chocolate eyes. Although it had only been momentary it was enough for him to pick up on it, and his body arrested as its implications began to crystallize in his mind.

"Hold on, your not actually suggesting that he was crucified are you?" he glanced round to make sure that no one had heard him, but they were the only one's left.

"Booth, as reluctant as I am normally to speculate, the pattern of the wounds, along with the distinct method of burial do tend to coincide with religious connotations"

Booth sighed a heavy sigh, the last week had been getting progressively worse. And then there was this case. He had actually been looking forward to it, well only in the sense that he would be doing what he was good at, and doing it with Bones. But now he didn't like where this was going either. A religious psycho going round crucifying people…people, damn it!

"What are you thinking?" came Brennan soft voice.

"Well Bones, I'm thinking that tomorrow I'm going to have to search that whole desert looking for a needle in a haystack, I'm thinking that I'm not going to like what you find, and I'm thinking…" she placed her hand gently on his forearm causing him to pause. Slowly he pulled himself up of his stool, taking Brennan's hand in his he gently pulled her up,

"And I'm thinking that it's time to go to bed…"

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Ps Italics are generally character's thoughts but I tend to be a little inconsistent