Thanks to Stephanie519, sarramaks, angelwriter2492, avaleighfitzgerald and everybody else who reviewed. It means a lot. And Kudosvu please don't pout!

Ok, so I was going to make To Catch A Falling Star a one shot thing. But since people seemed to actually enjoy it (or at least read it), I have decided to continue.

So, welcome to Chapter 2 of To Catch a Shooting Star.

Warning: I'm not very good at all the technical stuff of FBI, Forensics, Anthropology, and most anything else that's, well, technical. Please bear with me.

Legal stuff: I don't own the characters of Dr. Temperance Brennan, Special Agent Seeley Booth, or any other character developed by the legal owners of "BONES" or the books in which BONES are based on.

I did use my creative license to create new characters and situations.

Thanks for taking the time to read. I really, really hope that you enjoy it.

Dr. Temperance Brennan sat in the silence of her office, staring at her laptop screen. She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there; she refused to look at the clock. Angela, Zack and Hodgins had left long ago, leaving her to pour over their findings for the day, and then try to write some on her new book. However, the dialogue wouldn't come. It had been five days since her and Booth had sat outside under the bright full moon, and had admitted they were friends. Friends. That word tickled her mind and made her smile. They had been through a lot in their short partnership. Cases that boggled the senses, conversations that left them both wordless, and realizations that totally confused her.

A deep sigh escaped her lips. Where was Booth, anyhow? Brennan wondered if he had gotten scared after he dropped her off at her home last Friday. She laughed. Booth? Scared? No, that didn't sound right. Something had come up. She supposed that was normal for FBI agents. To be given a case and then lose track of time and reality. It often happened to her when a new skeleton came in, but weren't they partners? Of course we are, she answered to herself. But I'm not FBI. I can only do so much. Again, Brennan sighed. She saved her file, and then closed the top to her computer.

The quietness of the lab had always been a comfort to her. A time when her thoughts were her own, when there were no distractions. A time when Brennan felt lonely. Not only lonely, but also alone. And tonight, it was worst. Thoughts from the passed Friday played through her mind. Images of Booth laying on the picnic table beside her. The moonlight playing over his features, the sound of his laugh escaping into the warm air. A light tap brought her back to the here and now. She shook her head, slightly, hen turned to find Booth leaning against the jam of her office door.

"Hi," he said, his velvety brown eyes looking darker than normal.

"Hi yourself." Brennan wasn't sure how long he had been standing there, and was suddenly glad that he couldn't tell where her thoughts had wandered. "Where have you been?" Booth pushed himself off the jam, and walked into the room.

"It's been a long few day, Bones." Booth flopped down in the chair across from her, and dropped the folder in his hand to the floor. He then propped his feet on the corner of her desk and crossed his arms. Normally, this would have sent Brennan into a tizzy, but tonight she could tell the Booth was struggling enough.

"New case?" Brennan asked, hoping that he wouldn't tell her that it was one she couldn't help with. Booth closed his eyes, dropped his head back, and then rolled it from side to side, trying to loosen the tight knot in his neck.

"You could say that," he said, after a long pause. Brennan drew her brows together. She wasn't sure what he meant by that.

"Is that's where you've been to past few days?" Booth opened his eyes and looked at her.

"It goes beyond that, Bones."

"I don't know what that means." She heard a raspy chuckle come from him.

"I know, I know." He took a deep breath, and stood. Brennan watched as he paced around her office.

"Are you going to let me in on the secret?" she asked. "Or did you come just to pace around." Booth flashed her a signature smile, then let his face fall back into a scowl.

"It's them," he said with a wave of his hand. "They said that I needed someone to cover my back. That you were an anthropologist, although I am surprised they could say the word. I tried to tell them that our setup was fine. That a good team was what was important. That you squints don't like lots of people in the lab." Brennan listened to him rumble on, not quite understanding.

"Booth," she said, trying to interrupted.

"But do they listen? No, of course not. They just go on to tell me that it's what best."

"Booth," Brennan tried again, a little louder.

"Give it a try they told me. It might work out. Try a case."

"Seeley!" Brennan all but yelled. Booth stopped pacing and turned to Brennan, now half standing, with her hands flat on her desk.

"What?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked, sitting back down.

"Special Agent Diana Weasley." Brennan looked at him in total confusion.

"Who's that?" Booth pinched his lips together. Brennan could see his mind working just by the look in his eyes.

"My…partner," he said, spitting out the last word and pulling a face like when something leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

"Partner?" Brennan sat there, looking anyway but at Booth. "But," she began. "But I thought we were…"

"That's what I told them," he said, picking his pacing back up. "I told them that I had a partner. That you and I work well together. That our successful case history should speak for itself. Why do I need a partner anyhow?" Booth noticed that look that Brennan shot him. "I mean, a new partner," he corrected with a small grin.

"So…that's where you've been? Working a case with, whatshername?"

"No, I've been trying to convince Cullen that I have a partner. I just got handed a case file tonight." Booth smiled shyly, reaching down to pick up the folder. "After Agent Weasley left for the day."

"Booth! Don't you think that your, um, partner should know about the case?" she said through clenched teeth.

"She will, Bones," he said, opening the file to look into it. He looked up at her through his lashes. "But I thought that my partner would want in on it first. But if you think otherwise…"

"Spill it, Booth."

"That's what I thought," he said with a laugh. "Looks like you'll be busy," he started. "There'll be a skeleton coming in the morning for you to look at. Some volunteers found it at a park while planting trees."

"Well, the soil should be well fertilized."

"That's cold, Bones. Even for you."

"What? There's nothing that can be done about it now. Nature took its course. A dead thing decomposed to make the ground better for growing." Booth shook his head. Brennan had always been one to cut straight to the facts.

"Anyhow, they found this skele while digging a hole to plant a tree. The old woman who found it had quite a start when she hit something hard that turned out to be a skull. The local forensic team excavated it."

"So, how did this become a FBI case?" Brennan asked.

"Good question," Booth said, snapping the folder shut.

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"Seems like an important official," he held up his hands, two fingers on each in the air, and curved them over as he spoke, indicating that these words were knock-offs of what was exactly said. "Person associated with some other important official person has a son who is missing. So strings got pulled and I got handed the case. Kid's name Jeremy Whitman."

"So they think that this skeleton is this missing son? How long has the boy been missing?"

"About two years or so. Apparently the agent who worked the case the first time around retired. Lucky me, I get to pick up where he left off."

"You and your new partner," Brennan pointed out.

"Don't remind me," Booth answered, rolling his eyes. "So, how long do you think it'll take you and your team to get me the preliminary report?"

"If the skeleton comes in early enough, we should have it by about 2 maybe 3. I'll call you."

"Thanks, Bones," he said, standing up. "This is going to be a long case. But hopefully Cullen will learn not to stick his nose in my business."

"Um, Booth, I think you are his business, he is, after all, your boss."

"Technicality," he said with a smile. "See you tomorrow, Bones!" he called walking out of the door.

Thanks for reading Chapter Two. I hope that you enjoyed it. Not too fluffy yet, is it?

Feel free to review.