And the plot begins to thicken...

Thanks for all the reviews so far. And I still don't own anything to do with Bones. Apart from my own bones, that is.

Another Body

When Booth first woke up he struggled to remember where he was. Then a hard lump underneath him was revealed as a large toy car, and he realized that he had fallen asleep sprawled across the bed Parker slept in at his apartment. He groaned and pulled himself upright, rubbing a crick in his neck.

The bedroom felt empty, the floor clear and all toys, except the offending car, stored tidily in the large toy chest against the wall under the window. Booth stared round as if seeing the room for the first time, then shook his head, trying to clear it, and stretched. He shed his shirt as he walked down the hallway, then stripped in the bathroom and had a hot shower and shave. A few minutes later his body felt a little better, but his mind was still as clouded as ever.

He reached for a comfortable pair of jeans and a casual shirt, although he normally wore a suit to work. He was only scheduled to catch up with some long-overdue paperwork today; let Cullen complain if he didn't like it.

Booth grabbed some breakfast, then set out for work. Something definitely felt out of place to him. He was startled out of his thoughts when he realized he had driven to the Jeffersonian instead of to the Bureau. He pulled up in a parking space and sat for a moment, gazing at nothing. Then he figured that since he was there he might as well walk in and say hello.

"Morning, Booth," Angela greeted him cheerfully as she saw him enter the lab. "Brennan's not here right now."

"I know," he answered. "She's still in Pittsburgh, I assume."

Angela gave him a curious look, as if she was wondering how he knew where Brennan was. Then she nodded. She indicated the raised platform in the center of the lab. "The body they found was shipped here overnight. We're just working on an ID right now."

"So she'll be back soon," he mused.

"Yes. Angela looked at him closely. "Did you want her for something? Zack might be able to help."

"Oh, no, nothing in particular." He avoided the question, and asked about the Pittsburgh case instead.

"It's a boy, about eight years old. He was killed, probably by suffocation, around two years ago," Angela told him. "He was buried in a shallow grave on a bit of rough ground. When they started building on the land the body turned up."

"Not my jurisdiction, I understand."

"Nothing to suggest that so far, sorry." Angela indicated the papers in her hand. "I've just finished this lot, so I've got five minutes. Want some coffee?"

"Thanks," he said, and the two of them went into her office with steaming mugs.

"Something's wrong, sweetie, isn't it?" Angela said shrewdly, looking at him over the top of her coffee.

Booth shrugged and drank. "I just wondered when Bones was back in town," he said evasively. "I wanted to talk to her about something."

"You could ring her," Angela suggested.

Booth shook his head. "What for? I don't want to interrupt."

"We'll see about that," Angela said. She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed. "Hi Brennan," she said cheerfully when it was answered at the other end. "How's it going? Oh, okay. We were just wondering what time you'd be back. Oh – oh, I see. Hang on, there's someone here you might want to talk to."

She held the receiver out to Booth. He took it uncertainly. "Booth," he said.

"Booth, hi, what are you doing there?" Did she sound pleased to hear from him? He hoped so.

"What's new?" he asked her.

"We've found another body," she told him. "Another boy, around the same age, dead about six months. Booth – I'm a bit concerned. The guy in charge here doesn't seem to be very thorough – he was ready to let the builders start working again. It was only when I poked around a bit by myself that I found another shallow grave. I'm practically fighting with him to preserve the scene properly."

"Let me know if you find grounds for me claiming jurisdiction," he suggested, feeling uneasy. "My hands are tied otherwise. I suppose this means you won't be back just yet?"

"No, I'm stuck here for another night at least."

"Okay, be careful."

He hung up the phone and looked at Angela. "Tell me you can get me on that case," he pleaded.

"We're working on the ID," Angela assured him. "If we find out anything I'll give you a call, okay?"

"Okay, thanks." Booth took a last mouthful of his coffee. "I really ought to be getting to work, I suppose."

He got back in his car, made a sudden decision, and pulled out of the parking lot in the direction of Pittsburgh.

Several times on the road he very nearly turned back, and once he got as far as signaling to turn off the road, but each time he thought of Brennan he kept going. He made good time, and found the building site where the bodies had been found around lunchtime. He parked up and wandered past the unmanned crime scene tape over to where he recognized Bones crouching to the ground and arguing with a man who stood over her.

"Booth!" she said as she straightened up and saw him. "What are you doing here?"

He gave her a sheepish grin. "I owe you a lunch, remember?"

She indicated the man with her. "This is Ted Harvey. He's in charge of the case."

"This is your boyfriend, is it?" Harvey grunted. "I suppose you're off to lunch then. I'll get it sorted here, don't worry."

"He's not my..." Bones began but Harvey was already a few strides away from them. She turned to Booth and raised her hands in a gesture of helplessness. "What are you really doing here?" she asked curiously.

"I guess it's my gut telling me I'm needed," he answered. "Talking of my gut - come on, let's eat, I'm starving."

He took her arm and pulled her away from the site. They both got into his car, and he twisted backwards to reverse the car back to the main road, resting his arm on the back of her seat as he did so. "Know anywhere decent to eat around here?" he asked.

"There's a diner down the road, just past the motel. Their food is pretty decent, and it's close. I don't trust him, Booth. He'll ruin the evidence. He needs to shut that site down until it's all been checked over."

"I know," Booth tried to soothe her as he drove. "I'm sure he'll be okay for an hour or so. And you need to eat; I know you."

She reluctantly sat back in her seat as he drove them to the diner, which was within walking distance of the motel. They took a seat at the bar and ordered food. Just as they were finishing up the meals Booth's phone rang. He flicked it open. "Booth."

"Hi, sweetie."

He smiled. No mistaking that caller for anyone else. "Hi yourself, Angela, you found anything interesting?"

"We sure did. How does a kidnap victim from out of state sound to you?"

"It sounds like a chance to claim jurisdiction. Angela, you're a real angel."

He heard her laugh on the other end, and next to him he could tell Bones had stiffened and was paying close attention. He shifted the phone so she could hear.

"The kid was kidnapped from Youngstown, on the road to Cleveland. His mother still lives there."

"Could you send the file to the police station in Pittsburgh?" He gave her the details.

"Okay, sweetie, consider it done. I'd better call Brennan, before she gets mad at me telling you first."

"Oh, that's okay, I'll tell her," Booth said. "I think she's gathered the gist of it."

"Hi Ange," said Bones into the phone.

Angela burst out laughing. "Oh, God, Booth! You went there! You turned up in Pittsburgh? What did she say? Was she very mad with you?"

"Actually, she was quite pleased to see me – at least after I dragged her away from work and put some food in front of her."

"Oh, well, have fun kids, keep us up to date!" Angela hung up, leaving Booth grinning into the phone.

He looked at Brennan. "Well, I guess I just got jurisdiction on this case. Finish eating, and we'll go and relieve your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Brennan retorted hotly. "Oh, I see, you're trying to get a rise from me."

Booth grinned broadly. "You're getting the idea, Bones," he said.

As always, reviews very welcome!