Author's Note: Thanks again for all the great reviews. I know you guys really want me to make them sleep together...well, not exactly sleep, but anyway...and I just wanted to assure you that yes, I do have a plan. Be patient. :-) There is a method to the madness. If I got them together, what would be your insentive to keep reading? Hmmm? That's what I thought. :-) Anyway, hope you like this one, off you go...
Morning arrived far too early for the three squints and the FBI agent at the hotel in Chincoteague. Temperance woke up around 7:30am, and a quick glance toward Booth's bed confirmed that he was still asleep. Temperance studied him for a moment; his sheets were tangled and wrapped around his legs, and the bedspread had slid to the floor at some point during the night. His head was beside his pillow instead of on top of it, and his arms were splayed out above his head. Temperance smiled slightly. He looked comical lying in complete disarray. She shook her head as she rose and headed to the bathroom. It looked like he had had a rough night.
She showered quickly and brushed her teeth. Then, she dressed and headed back into the main room, where Booth, who was now awake, sat on his bed, watching the morning news.
"Morning," she said, as she used the towel to dry her hair.
He turned his head and smiled in her direction. "Morning," he replied. She told him the bathroom was open if he wanted it, and he rose and headed in to get dressed for the day.
Angela knocked on the door just after Booth's shower ended, and Tempe opened it to allow her and Hodgins to walk in. Angela immediately noted that both beds were unmade. She groaned.
"You slept in separate beds?"
Temperance looked at her in confused surprise. "Yeah…"
Angela sighed in frustration. "What is the DEAL with you two!"
Temperance rolled her eyes. "So, are you guys ready to head back to NASA?"
Booth appeared from the bathroom then, still damp from the shower, his face half covered in shaving cream, with a razor in his hand. "We can't go back to NASA today," he said.
The three turned to him. "Why not?" Temperance asked.
He gave a half shrug. "It's Sunday. They won't let us work on Sundays."
Temperance groaned. "Can't you explain to them that this is an FBI case and we need to work on it?"
Booth replied while looking in the bathroom mirror, working on his shaving. "Sorry, Bones. You guys said the remains had been on the refuge for more than six months. We can't say that we are pursuing getting the ID of a specific missing person, and the FBI hasn't given the nod to make this case a top priority. That means the case isn't immediate enough for us to break their rules. I checked it out yesterday."
Temperance sighed heavily as she dropped onto the bed. "So, what are we going to do now?"
Booth was finished shaving, and he walked out of the bathroom, using a towel to wipe the leftover shaving cream off his face. "Sightsee? Head to the beach?"
"Shop?" Angela interjected. Now it was Hodgins' turn to groan.
"Doesn't really matter," Booth said. "We can do whatever we want. We just can't work with the remains."
Angela smiled at Hodgins. "Well, we're going shopping. I want to check out the art galleries."
Hodgins sighed. "Fine. But you're buying me coffee."
Angela smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the door as Tempe and Booth followed. "Great. That's the first place I wanted to go anyway."
The fantastic four arrived a short time later at the Main Street coffeehouse. The two young girls from the past two days were working once again, though this time they were working with a slight woman who looked to be about 60, with white blond hair.
"Do you two ever get a day off?" Hodgins asked after they had placed their orders.
The girls laughed. "Once in a while," they replied.
Temperance and Booth accepted their drinks, and then announced that they were going to walk around the island for a while. Hodgins looked like he wanted to go with them, and Angela relented. They made quick plans to meet her in an hour or two.
Angela began wandering around, admiring the art that hung on the walls. "Who's the artist who does these? Are they local?" she asked, as she moved from painting to painting.
The white-blond woman spoke then. "Actually, some of them are by my daughter, Helena Jessup. And some of them are mine."
Angela turned to the woman. "They're amazing. Do you own the shop?"
The woman smiled. "My husband and I do. I'm Kate Ribald."
Angela spoke to the woman for a few more minutes. She was kind, but in a way intimidating. The girls behind the counter worked, talking to one another and laughing occasionally. "Well, you have a great place here," Angela said, her eyes scanning the room.
"Well, thank you, we have good help," she smiled in a grandmotherly sort of way and looked over at the two young girls who were busily working in the coffee bar.
Angela and Kate continued to talk, and it soon came out that Angela was an artist as well. Kate seemed intrigued when Angela explained her current job.
"I read Temperance Brennan's book," Kate said, after they had been talking for a while. "I'd love to actually meet her, and I'm sure Charlie would, too." Angela had learned a few minutes earlier that Charlie was Kate's husband. "We should all get together for dinner one night."
Angela smiled, saying that that sounded like a fine idea. Kate seemed intimidating and a bit strange, but Angela was intrigued by her. They exchanged phone numbers and Angela left.
While Angela was meeting Kate Ribald, Hodgins, Temperance, and Booth were wandering down the street, talking about the case.
"All the remains were left in the same general area on the refuge, and all of the bones seemed to have common features in terms of breaks. That suggests that the same person or persons is responsible," Temperance said as they walked.
"And the earliest remains I found so far had been there for at least two years. Some of them have probably been there longer," Hodgins added.
Booth took a moment to think before he spoke. "So you're suggesting that the killer put the bodies there at different times? The refuge is just a dump for him?"
"Or her. Or them," Temperance corrected. "We don't have enough evidence to make conclusive statements."
"But it is safe to say that all the remains weren't placed there at the same time. I haven't had much time to examine the soil, but I did compare two samples and I can definitely say there were differences. Some of the remains had been there longer," Hodgins stated.
"So, the killer must be someone who worked the area for a while. Probably a local who lives here," Booth said.
"Or killers," Temperance corrected again. "And just because the remains were taken to the site at different times doesn't mean they didn't all die at the same time. Maybe the killer transported some of the bodies down later. He might not be from here; maybe he took trophies and then brought them back later."
"Or she. Or them," Booth corrected, with a mischievous smile. "And why would someone take some of the remains as trophies, leave others, and then come back years later to dump the rest of the remains in the same location as the first ones?"
"Maybe he freaked out because he thought he was going to get caught. Maybe it was for some kind of sick closure," Hodgins offered.
"Well, if he was freaked, why not just dump the bones somewhere else? If the remains are scattered it would be harder to catch him," Booth pointed out.
"Or her. Or them." Booth rolled his eyes at Temperance's correction. She continued, unaware of his reaction. "Just because it makes logical sense to us doesn't mean it would ring true in the mind of a murderer. Maybe he felt safe with his first dump site since he never got caught."
"Or she. Or them," Booth added.
Hodgins groaned. "Would you two please stop doing that!"
Temperance smiled. "Sorry."
"Can you tell from the bones when the victims died?" Booth asked.
"I can give a general range, but if the bones have been moved my estimates might be off. Different conditions lead to different wear on the bones."
Booth nodded. "Well, assume all the remains were placed on the refuge shortly after the victims died. Could you say if the people died at different times?"
"If all the remains were placed on the refuge immediately or shortly after death, then the wear shows that the victims died at different times," Temperance said.
Booth nodded, a triumphant smile on his face. "So, there you go. More than likely a local."
Temperance frowned. "Not necessarily." Booth sighed heavily, but she continued anyway. "Just because all the victims didn't die at the same time does rule out other options. The killer or killers might stay here in the summer, or even just take one week vacations here once a year. The remains just suggest that the killer made more than one trip to Chincoteague. They don't suggest that the killer actually lived here. And we still don't have ID's on the victims; they might no even be from this area."
"So, you're saying the killer might have no real direct connection with the island at all?" Booth asked.
"Well, considering he ditched his victims here, I'd say he has some connection…" Hodgins commented.
Temperance spoke then. "This is a tourist town. He could be from anywhere."
"Or she. Or them," Booth said. Hodgins groaned loudly.
They met back up with Angela a short time later. After talking for a few minutes about meeting Kate Ribald and informing everyone that they were going to have dinner with her and husband at some point, Angela grabbed Hodgins' hand and pulled. "C'mon," she said. "We only have one day off, and I want to shop."
Hodgins looked at Booth and Temperance, obviously looking for an escape. Angela noticed his forlorn look. "No way, Dirt Dude. You're stuck with me." And with that she pulled him away, shooting a smile over her shoulder at Tempe as she did so.
Booth smiled, turning to Tempe. "Well, Bones, I guess we're on our own. What are you up for?"
Tempe shrugged. "Well, since I'm not going to be able to make any progress on the case, I guess I should work on my book. My editor's been on me about it for a while now."
He nodded. He should have figured she would find some productive way to spend her free time.
She noticed his disappointed expression, and instantly felt the urge to make him feel better. "Why don't we go to a movie, and then later on we can go to the beach and I can work on my book?"
His face brightened. "Do I get to read it?"
She smiled. His eyes sparkled with a boyish fervor. "When it's published."
He looked disappointed for a short moment, but then lazily draped his arm around her shoulders and steered her down the street toward the one screen theatre. There was a show starting soon. "If you don't let me read it, I'll steal it when you're asleep."
Though his arm around her shoulders felt comfortable, she felt her pulse begin to race. "You wouldn't do that."
He smiled, and then added, quietly enough that she couldn't hear him, "you have no idea what I do when you're asleep."
The only movie that was playing that day contained CGI characters that were talking animals, but, although it was obviously a children's movie, Booth and Tempe decided to see it anyway. Booth bought Tempe's ticket, claiming it was repayment for all the late nights and sleep deprivation, and after a small argument, she relented. They entered the dark, air conditioned theatre and sunk into the worn seats. There were a few other people in attendance, but most of the families with children on the island were on the beach. The movie began, and soon Tempe and Booth found themselves convulsing with laugher at the juvenile situations on the screen.
Tempe couldn't remember ever having so much fun at a kid's movie. Even when she was a child herself she had found the stories immature and pointless. But today, it felt different. She tried to tell herself it was because this movie was simply better than the ones that had been around when she was a kid, but she knew the real reason she was having fun was because of the FBI agent sitting beside her, laughing uproariously, and throwing popcorn into the air before catching it in his mouth. It was a playful side of Booth that she had never really experienced before, and she found it oddly endearing. She could only imagine what a great dad he was to Parker; any man who was secure enough with himself to admit he liked a kid's movie had to be fun for a kid to hang around with.
Tempe didn't realize that, just as her laugher was being fueled by Booth, Booth's laughter was being fueled by her. On several occasions he found himself ignoring the movie and staring at her instead. At the way her shoulders moved when she was seized with laughter; the motion of her mouth when she repeated something a character said or made a sarcastic comment; the way her eyes sparkled when she was allowed to release the childish emotions she normally kept so carefully under control. He felt his heart warm every time he saw her smile. She intoxicated him.
And so, they passed two hours in meaningless fun, fueling each other's laughter, making side remarks to the action on the screen. When the movie was over, both found that their cheeks and sides were vaguely sore from the strain of laughter. As they exited the theatre, Tempe couldn't help but remember her date with Brian. It seemed like a million years ago. They had seen a movie as well, and she had laughed easily with him, but she knew it was different with Booth. With Booth, she hadn't felt self-conscious. She had felt…free. She smiled. She had enjoyed the feeling. She noted, with a touch of sadness, however, that, unlike Brian, when she and Booth left the theatre, he made no move to hold her hand.
'I don't have feelings for him. I don't have feelings for him,' she chanted in her brain, over and over again. 'I don't want to have feelings for him. I can't have feelings for him. I won't have feelings for him.'
Angela called while they were walking. "Brennan."
"What are you guys doing this afternoon?" she asked, her tone exasperated.
"Going to the beach," Temperance answered. Booth looked over at her. "Angela," she mouthed to him, and he nodded by way of response.
Angela sighed. "I hate to do this, because I'm sure you and Booth want some time alone to make out or whatever it is you do when you're together, but do you care if Hodgins and I go with you? He's driving me crazy, as so I figure it'll be easier to kill him and dispose of the body if we work as a team."
Temperance smiled. "Sure, you guys can come," she said, ignoring Angela's comment about her and Booth. "We'll meet you at the hotel."
"Hodgins driving her crazy?" Booth asked once she had hung up the phone.
Temperance laughed. "Yeah. You better watch her, or she'll freak out and kill your boyfriend."
Booth tried to look irritated, but stopped when he found that she was laughing at him. He smiled and reached down, threading his fingers through hers. The move hasn't been something he thought about beforehand, and it surprised him slightly. What surprised him a bit more, however, was the fact that, even though he though he heard her breath catch when he touched her, she didn't pull away.
And so, with hands firmly enjoined, Booth and Temperance walked down the street in silence, headed for the hotel.
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