TITLE: Nothing Personal

Feeling useless was something Temperance Brennan hated more than anything, and... for that past half hour, that was all she felt. She felt useless, sitting out in the SUV, not knowing what was going on inside. And, she hated to admit it, but she was extremely worried about Booth. She normally wasn't one to go with her gut, as Booth would say, but for some reason -- perhaps it was the eerie silver-yellow moonlight -- the cabin was giving her the creeps.

While Booth was inside, she had kept her eyes peeled for any suspicious vehicles, any suspicious-looking person on the road nearby, but saw nothing out of the ordinary for a small town. The occasional car passed here and there, and there was the occasional bark of a dog or faint honking of a car horn. Other than that, it was a perfectly normal night.

Tempe was nearly jarred clear out of her skin when her cell phone rang, and she was embarrassed to realize she had shrieked just a little. She closed her eyes -- calm yourself, Brennan. Rein it in -- before pulling her phone out of her pocket and glancing at the blue glow of the ID screen: 'Booth'. She then immediately hit the green button and pulled it to her ear. "Where are you?"

"I'm inside," came his nearly-whispered reply.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Because I'm not sure whether I'm alone or not. I've looked practically all over this place and haven't seen anybody. I mean... I know I don't know what this guy looks like, but..."

She couldn't help but smile. "How many random men are you bound to run into in that cabin tonight?"

"Right."

There was a pause on both ends of the phone, then Tempe asked, "Can I come in yet? I'm going stir-crazy out here not being able to do anything, and... looking at the cabin is really giving me the creeps."

His chuckle in her ear made her tingle. "Oh, Bones. You're not scared of the dark, are ya?"

"I just might be if I have to sit out here any longer. I'm coming in."

"Fine, just... be careful, alright Bones?"

"I will. Meet me in the entryway."

Tempe jumped out of the car and sprinted toward the house, a strange fluttering feeling making her move as quickly as possible... almost as if someone was chasing her. Or watching her. Her hand trembled as she reached for the knob on the front door and pushed it open, and when her eyes settled on Booth, a sigh of relief escaped her lips.

Booth smiled, knowingly, and reached for her... conveying comfort and safety with physical contact. Contrary to what he expected, she didn't pull away, but rather clung to the hand he'd offered. He frowned when he felt the tremor in her hand. "You're trembling," he commented.

"Yeah." She nodded, and then visibly shivered. "I think it's the moonlight, Booth. I'm developing irrational fears. There's nothing for me to be afraid of, but everything looks so damn... scary."

He didn't chuckle as she'd thought he would, but instead pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I know what you mean. Let's look around and see if our caller left anything for us to find. Then I'll get you out of here."

Tempe exhaled a shaky, but grateful, smile. "Thank you."

Booth led her around the house by the hand, neither really wanting to sever their sole point of contact, as their eyes searched for anything out of place from how they'd left it earlier. Finding nothing in the living room and kitchen, they silently agreed to check upstairs. Tempe relinquished her hold on her partner's hand when they reached the top of the stairs, not as irrationally frightened as she'd previously been.

The spare bedroom boasted not much more than a day bed and a dresser... and the master bedroom was just as dusty and preserved as they had left it that evening. "I think we've been stood up," Booth quipped, and spun around to grin at his partner... only to frown when he realized she wasn't there.

"Booth!"

He sprang into action at hearing the reserved panic in her voice, and he had already pulled his gun from its holster when he encountered her in the hallway. He breathed a sigh of relief at seeing she was okay, then at seeing the pallor in her face, he asked, "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost, Bones."

Her eyes were still slightly wide as she grasped his arm, leading him toward the bathroom. "I think I might've found what our caller left for us."

Booth peered through the doorway, right toward the mirror on the medicine cabinet, and his eyebrows shot toward his hairline at what he saw there. In red lipstick, hastily scribbled, were the words: I KILLED THEM ALL.

"Shit," he whispered. "He's our killer. And he's been here already."

A thump sounded from downstairs and Tempe moved closer to her protector. "And he may not have left just yet."

Booth took the safety off his gun and started downstairs, toward the source of the noise... spinning on his heel briefly to face his partner. "Stay right here, Bones."

Her eyes went wide again, and she shook her head profusely. "No. No way, you're not leaving me up here. What if he comes up here?"

"Bones, this isn't a horror movie. Just stay put--"

"No. I'm coming with you." She watched as he opened his mouth to protest and she quickly added, "I'll stay close, Seeley."

Her rare use of his first name got him, and he finally nodded slowly, gesturing her to keep behind him. They crept quietly down the stairs together, Tempe with her hands lightly on Booth's back to let him know she was close behind... and Booth with his arms extended, gun poised at the ready. "FBI!" he shouted. "Identify yourself!"

The sound of a door opening spurred Booth into action again and he ran down the stairs, gun still extended. "Shit!"

"What?" Tempe, once she'd reached the bottom of the stairs, ran to catch up with Booth, who was already heading toward the back of the cabin.

"I think he went out back!" he called over his shoulder, and roughly shoved the sliding screen door aside, taking off.

Tempe ran after him, not feeling safe with him so far away though she knew the feeling was irrational.

Booth was already halfway across the back yard, turning around when he heard the most heart-wrenching sound -- his partner's scream. "Bones!"

He spun to find her on the deck, sprawled in an unusual position... and he abandoned his search for their caller-slash-killer to go to her. Upon reaching her, he found that the boards of the deck had broken beneath her feet, and one leg had slipped through. "Oh shit, Bones."

She shook her head, face contorted in a grimace. "Just help me up."

He did so, then froze when another scream ripped past her lips. "What? What?"

Where the board had split was jagged, and was leaving deep gashes in her leg as he pulled her out. She shook her head against the pain, motioning him to continue. "I'll be fine. Just... keep going."

He had her out within a few more seconds, and before she could protest he'd scooped her up and carried her though the open sliding door. Her blood soaked into his crisp white shirt -- he could feel the sticky wetness against his skin now -- and she whimpered as she laid her head on his shoulder. "He got away..."

"That's not important right now," he assured her, and threw a glance at her still-bleeding leg. "Want me to take you to the hospital?"

"No. It's not as bad as it looks," she insisted. "I just need some first aid."

"My kit's back at the cabin." He kicked the front door shut behind him as he carried her toward the SUV.

Tempe pulled back slightly and stared in disbelief. "So you keep kevlar vests stashed in the trunk, but you don't have a first aid kit on-hand?"

He raised his eyebrows at her, "you really wanna pick a fight with me now?" and opened the passenger side door, lifting her inside and settling her against the seat.

On the drive back to their cabin, Booth called the sheriff, requesting that crime scene officers be dispensed to the home of Jamie Michaels to document the new evidence that had been left behind. Then, once they'd arrived at their destination, Booth cut the engine and jumped out, going around to his partner's side and opening the door for her before she could say a word.

Instead of carrying her this time, he helped her to stand, and then allowed her to use him as a brace as she limped inside. "Next time, Booth, keep the first-aid kit in the trunk with the bullet-proof vests."

"I normally do," he sighed. "This was a fluke thing."

He led her into the bathroom and instructed her to sit on the lid of the toilet while he went to retrieve the kit. When he returned, he wet a cloth to carefully clean up the blood that had begun to dry, moving around the wound with extreme caution. He inspected the cuts closely. "Looks like you've got some splinters that need to be removed."

"I've never had splinters, so I've never had any removed -- will it hurt?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, it will. So you might want to have something to bite down on."

"And I'm assuming you won't let me use your hand?"

At this, he grinned. "Sorry. I kind of need my hand. Here..." He rinsed the cloth he'd used to clean her, wrung it out, and then handed it to her. "Bite on this."

Tempe furrowed her brow at him momentarily before taking the cloth from his hand, placing it between her lips. Booth raised his eyebrows and held up the pair of tweezers he'd taken from the kit. "Ready?"

With a nod of acquiesce from his partner, Booth went to work. As he began to pull the first -- rather large -- splinter out, he flicked his eyes up to hers only to find them squinted shut tight in pain, muffled whimpers escaping around the wash cloth. "I know," he murmured soothingly. "I know."

He pulled the second one loose and winced when she cried out. "Sorry," he apologized sincerely. "That was a big one." He used his free hand to grasp one of hers. "Here. Hold my hand."

Several more splinters had to be pulled, and for every one he pulled out, Tempe squeezed his hand a little bit tighter until it got to the point where Booth was positive she would break his fingers. Finally, he'd pulled them all and discarded them in the trash bin next to the sink. He smiled at her as she leaned her head back against the wall.

"That was torture," she breathed.

"And unfortunately, I'm not done yet."

"There are more!"

He shook his head. "No, but I have to put hydrogen peroxide on the cuts before I bandage you up. Otherwise you could get an infection."

"Can I bite down on your hand this time?"

He chuckled and unscrewed the top of the brown bottle of peroxide. Dumping a rather generous amount onto the discarded washcloth, he replied, "No, and you don't have the washcloth to bite down on, either."

"So what am I supposed to do?" She winced and sucked in a breath when he pressed the cloth against the cuts on her shin.

"Well... it won't take a lot of focus for me to do this, so I have a solution if you promise not to bite."

"And what's that?"

Booth leaned in then and captured her lips while he continued to rub the hydrogen peroxide on her cuts. Tempe, for the most part, was able to forget the pain at the feel of Booth's lips cherishing her own. She cupped his face in her hands and tilted her head as she deepened the kiss, whimpering loudly into his mouth when the cloth ran over a particularly deep cut.

"I know it hurts, baby," she heard him whisper, "but I'm almost done, I promise."

Her heart skipped wildly at the term of endearment he'd let slip, though her eyes popped open in alarm. Since when did he have a pet name for her? Tempe didn't have much time to process that, however, as Booth broke away and tossed the washcloth into the sink. He then wrapped her leg in gauze before he scooped her into his arms and kissed her again, carrying her into her bedroom.

He set her down and she slid down his body gracefully, like a ballerina after a lift. He smiled then and cupped her cheek. "Get changed. If what just happened is any indication, we're going to have a full day tomorrow, so we'll both need some sleep."

Tempe watched as he left the room to give her privacy, though her heart was calling him back. These feelings that had been pricking at her here and there over the past several months were now coming at her full force because of tonight. Being stuck out in that car, not knowing what was happening to Booth, had scared her into a realization -- she had feelings for him. Feelings that posed quite the dilemma -- how would she hide them if they were to continue their physical relationship? How could she keep up the facade of it being nothing personal, when suddenly it had gotten very personal?

After she'd finished changing, she sat down on the bed and closed her eyes, heaving a weary sigh. Images of being in the car, left alone under the eerie yellow moonlight came flooding back to her. She saw herself leave the car and run up to the house, and she shivered as the feeling of being watched came back to her. "Booth," she called automatically.

Booth poked his head inside the room, the rest of his body following. He leaned against the door jamb and slipped his hands into his pockets. "All changed? Well, I guess it's time to say goodnight then, Bones."

She shook her head. "No."

He tilted his own at her. "You need sleep. We both do, or we'll be zombies at the scene tomorrow."

"Don't leave me."

Those three words brought him to her side in two quick steps, and he sat down next to her, pulling her close. When she didn't resist, he furrowed his brow. "What's the matter, Bones?"

She shook her head against his chest. "I just can't shake this feeling..."

"What feeling?"

"Of being watched. I felt it at that cabin... when I got out of the car to go inside. I felt it when I was going down the hall, toward the bathroom. I felt it again, just now. I can't explain it, and I know it's completely irrational, but just... don't leave me alone tonight. Please."

"Okay. I'll stay."

"And I don't mean to take advantage, I mean... it's nothing personal, and if you want to sleep in your own bed that's fine, but--"

"Bones." Booth laid a finger across her lips to silence her and smiled when she blinked apologetically. He pulled his finger away and leaned in to kiss her gently, feeling the tension riddle her body before he pulled away. "It's fine. I'll stay." He nodded toward the head of the bed. "Go get under the covers. I'll change and be right back."

"Thank you."

He chuckled. "You say it like it's an inconvenience for me, Bones. It's not."

Before she could process that information, he left to go change... returning no more than twenty seconds later and sidling under the covers beside her. He bid her goodnight with a warm, yet devastatingly-handsome smile, and turned out the light, lying down on his back and stuffing one arm under the pillow behind his head.

Tempe, also on her back, watched him get situated a moment before she turned on her side, facing away from him. She closed her eyes and felt the yellow moonlight behind her eyelids. She shivered unconsciously.

Booth felt the tremor in the mattress moreso than he saw her shiver... and he turned his head. "Bones?"

She drew in a shaky breath, trying to calm her racing heart by telling it silently that she was okay. He was here with her, and nobody was watching. "Goodnight, Booth," she whispered.

His eyes traced her form in the near-dark, wandering along the curve of her waist. He moved closer when he felt her shiver again, and wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her back against him and spooning himself around her. When he felt her begin to protest, he lowered his lips to her ear, dusting kisses along it. "Nothing personal, Bones," he assured her. "Not if you don't want it to be."

Tempe snuggled back into the comfort he was offering and placed her hand near her head, smiling when he took it in his own. She pulled their joined hands closer and rested her cheek on his knuckles as she blinked into the darkness. Nothing personal... if she didn't want it to be.

As Booth then nuzzled the back of her neck, burrowing into her hair, she had to wonder -- what would he say if she did want it to be?

TBC

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Y'know, I really gotta stop promising things, since I have no idea where the muse is going to end up taking me. Let me say this -- I hope to have more BB-love in the next chapter. Y'hear that, muse? She's making a liar out of me.