Chapter Six:

The same woman was at the desk, and she directed him to a chemist only a few buildings away. "Love trouble?" The receptionist asked before he left. He thought of Temperance, and nodded before turning to find Kopata Medical Centre.

"Thanks Booth," Tempe said, not used to someone doing so much for her in one day.

"That's okay," He said after finishing a mouthful. Tempe swallowed the nurofen with a glass of water, and took the cold and flu tablets.

"I feel like a walking chemist…" Temperance said holding up the bag he'd brought back to her, nurofen, Panadol, cough drops and cold and flu tablets overflowed from it. She was smiling though, she liked that he was so concerned, but it did scare her a little. No one had cared about her this much since – well since before her parents disappeared.

Temperance thought of what Jesse had said. How could she not do anything? Temperance felt a small, irrational sense of guilt. Maybe she shouldn't have been as obsessive as Jesse, but maybe she did need to do something more, did she? She had given the file to Booth… She was so lost in her thoughts of her parents, of Booth, she didn't see him stand, and he was putting the take away packets in the bin, her dinner sat un-touched in front of her, her stomach churned at the thought of food.

"Get a good rest; I'll wake you when you're needed…" He said; she rolled her eyes.

"No you won't, you'll let me sleep. Don't worry – I'll set my alarm." She gave him a tiny smile and stifled a yawn which made her throat ache; she popped a throat lozenger/cough drop into her mouth and pushed the plate away. "I guess I don't really feel up to food." Booth gave her a worried look.

"You haven't eaten much today…" He said.

"I'll put it in the little fridge over there," Temperance said getting up, and wincing inside when all her bones sent jabs of pain to her brain in protest. But she pretended she was fine and began gathering up the plate, but Booths hand on her arm stopped her.

She froze, unsure of what to do, if she yanked it away would he be hurt? Since when did she care what he thought? She pulled her arm from under his slowly, he didn't look at her, and she couldn't gauge his reaction as he cleaned up, she wanted to stop him, to do it herself. It made her mad to see him doing things for her, and she thought of something Angela had once said 'just let him do something for you once in a while, Bren' she sighed, resigned. And told him goodnight as he silently left the room, he gave her a smile which told her he wasn't upset, just concerned. As soon as he left she gave out a groan of pain and without un-dressing collapsed onto the bed; but she couldn't sleep.

Yvonne's face swum before her tired eyes, she closed them tighter willing her to disappear. Why was there something odd about Yvonne? Why did Booth seem – confused at the way Yvonne was acting? Didn't he know her? Had they been a… couple? Why did she even care? She rubbed her aching head, and let the tears fall, she cried silently, the throbbing in her head increasing with each sob. She must have finally fallen asleep because she woke to the sun shining brightly through her window, and the clock on her bedside table read 11am.

She wanted to swear aloud, but incase anyone heard she just punched her pillow a few times, and reveled in the way she could do that without her bones aching, maybe those cold and flu tablets were working, she took more and some nurofen with them. She still felt ill, but a helluva lot better than the night before.

She felt a little dizzy moving about her room so she gathered up her clothes for a shower and got herself ready to face the day.

By the time she was down in the restaurant eating her brunch she was feeling the pain in her throat again, and her head still throbbed. She sighed when she saw Booth and Yvonne appear, they didn't seem to notice her. A small bubble of happiness built inside of her when she realised they were arguing.

"Just wake her up for god-sake; we need her to do the examination!" Yvonne exclaimed angrily. Temperance suddenly felt as if she was listening in on an argument between her parents, and was relieved when Yvonne saw her.

"You…! We need you to go check out the remains, now." Yvonne pointed a long finger at her face, nearly poking her in the eye. Temperance was going to apologise, but raised an eye brow instead. She pushed the woman's hand out of her face, and stood. She was too achy and tired to deal with this woman today.

"Give me directions to the lab, and I will." Temperance refused to meet Booths eyes.

"I'll give you a ride, I know where it is," Booth said. Sure you do. Thought Temperance and her stomach clenched, was she – jealous that he'd spent the morning with Yvonne? Of course not…She was just mad he hadn't woken her…

She didn't answer just grabbed her bag from under the table, and putting all her weight into the table got to her feet, she didn't want to stumble, or wobble across the restaurant, and she wanted to look as if she was better. She could feel Booths eyes follow her, and heard his footsteps. Yvonne's heels clicked noisily.

Temperance climbed into the front seat of the rental car before Yvonne could, and felt a strange flame of triumph light inside of her, and Booth winked at her, he winked? Was he in on her little – must be near Booth so Yvonne can't be – conspiracy – no wrong word, now I'm sound like Hodgins. She thought, tempted to roll her eyes at her own stupidity.

"How are you feeling today Bones…?" Booth asked, looking at her instead of the road.

"Look at the road, Booth."

"Answer me, Bones." He said, emphasizing her name the same way she had just done to his.

"I'm fine. And it's Tempe. Not Bones" Yvonne's eyes found Temperance's in the rear vision mirror, both woman looked at each other and silently agreed to the competition, who was the better woman? The strongest, the most beautiful…?

Temperance believed Yvonne would win the latter. She would probably win the strongest, emotionally and physically. Better woman? Did she mean better woman for Booth or just 'better woman.' Temperance had a feeling she was acting like Angela, giving Yvonne challenging looks, and thinking she had to compete for Booth. Of course she didn't he was her work partner. If he and Yvonne were going to have a relationship, they were allowed to – weren't they?

xx

"I can confirm there are two bodies" Temperance said into the phone, and held the phone against her stomach while she blew her nose.

"Sweetie, are you sick? You sound kind of stuffed up…" Angela said worriedly.

"What do you mean… stuffed up?"

"Do you have a cold?" Angela asked, voice showing exasperation.

"I'm a little sick," Booth snatched the phone from Temperance.

"She has the Flu, she's really sick" Booth said, and Temperance snatched it back, pausing slightly when their hands brushed. She widened her eyes at Booth go away her eyes said. Stop bugging me! He'd nagged all day for her to go back to the hotel and rest.

"I imagine she was tortured, maybe for some kind of information…" Tempe said speaking her thoughts; she fingered the bones in front of her gently, distractedly. "All her finger bones were broken – crushed, they have begun to heal, so I think maybe a week before her death this was done. Temperance looked over her notes. "It looks as though she was beaten. Three of her left ribs, and two of her left ribs are broken, her left ulna is broken, hyoid – could possibly point towards asphyxiation, I can't tell you that's how she died until I determine whether this happened before or after the blows to her temporal bone, nasal bone and frontal bone."

Booth shuddered looking at the diagram in front of him, the cracks in the skull looked bad enough, but he didn't want to imagine what this girls face looked like after that beating. The shudder didn't go unnoticed from Temperance, and she gave him a look that said if you can't handle it, leave. Temperance finished her phone call to Angela and fiddled with the side of the table, wondering where Yvonne was. She'd wanted to have this conversation, and now that all the medicine had kicked in enough for her to speak without her jaw aching, and her head feeling as though it was going to explode – she wanted to get it over with.

"Booth, why are you here?" He looked down at the table too, and mimicked her movements; he slid his fingers along the metal side of the table. "Booth, were you asked to come?" He knew what she was talking about.

xx

"No," he answered, still not looking at her, pretending to be busy reading her notes, he moved a little closer, squinting a little, which made her almost giggle.

"Did you come to see Yvonne?" His head jerked up, and this time it was her not meeting his eyes. She felt his hand cup her chin, he moved it so she was looking at him her eyes flitted from his eyes to his nose to his lips – nope dangerous territory and she moved her eyes back to his eyes.

xx

"No, I came for you." He let go, and took a step back, realising he was invading her personal space again, or maybe he didn't want to get sick.

"But why, you know I'm capable of doing these things myself…" Booth pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket; it looked as though it had been folded many, many times. She read the typed sentence; and her face stayed expressionless.
"It's happened before" she said, shrugging. He took the paper back, folded it, and put it in his pocket.

Special Agent Seeley Booth,

I'll get the Bones lady, you'll see.

"Booth, this was just an excuse. Why did you truly come?"

"Other than someone's out to get you?" Booth asked, frustrated. She could tell he wondered why she wasn't scared.
"Booth, someone always seems to be 'out to get me' you don't usually follow me all over the world." Booth couldn't tell her about Ortez, though he knew the writer of the note was not him – it still worried him all the same.

"I wanted to; I wanted to come with you." Temperance hadn't expected such a straight answer.

"What about your work…?" She asked, her eyes wide,

"I took paid leave, it's my first time – so Cullen couldn't say anything about it."

"So, you came here – for me?" Temperance asked, blinking rapidly to take away the stinging sensation at the back of her eyes, which felt strangely familiar.

"I-well yes,"

"So, you're kind of – on a holiday – with me?" Temperance asked, stupidly. He was looking embarrassed.

"I can help you though, that's why I'm here." Booth tried to defend himself.

"You would've missed me," Tempe said, one eye brow raised, teasingly.

"But you always miss me more than I miss you," he teased. Yvonne strode in, and Temperance had a feeling she had heard the whole conversation. Temperance instinctively took a step back. Yvonne asked whether she could tell her anything new.

She handed Yvonne her notes, and moved onto the dog's skeleton, one blow to the back of the head, nothing else she could tell. She knew Booth had left at some stage, probably for dinner. She glanced outside and noticed it was pitch black, she felt a presence and saw him leaning in the doorway.

"You're going to go now, get some dinner, take your meds, and get some sleep." Booth said firmly, but stayed put.

"I'm nearly finished the dog's skeleton," Tempe protested weakly, but she felt as weak as her protests sounded, and packed up the skeletons, and all her gear. By the time she'd finished Booth was in the rental car awaiting her return.

"Yvonne wants to have lunch with me tomorrow," Booth said as he started the car. Temperance had no idea why he was telling her, she was feeling a little overwhelmed at his confession earlier. What did it mean? She couldn't work it out. She wished she had Angela to 'state the obvious' for her. "Just so you know. We're just going to catch up," Booth said cautiously.

"Oh, okay." Temperance felt a little apprehensive, why the hell was he telling me that? Did I have to tell him every time I met a guy now? Did it mean our relationship had changed from work partners – to friends – to what? To what were they now?

"I'd like you to come too, get to know the real Yvonne, some how. I don't know where the 'Real Yvonne' has gone, but we'll find her before we go back." Temperance stared at him in shock; he sounded so – so well she couldn't find an anthropological reason for his strange behaviour today. She just carried on staring, blankly at him, until he squirmed uncomfortably, she turned to look out her window, and they had arrived at Angus Inn.

Booth walked her to her room, and she felt his hand rest on her hip briefly before he turned and walked across the hall to his room, she wondered if she had imagined his touching her hip, maybe she was delirious, though she didn't seem to have a high temperature today. She swallowed all the pills and ate her dinner from last night, cold. She was too exhausted to do anything else, and collapsed onto her bed, glancing at the clock which read 11.30pm; she was going to bed early - for her anyway.

"He-llo," She mumbled into her cell phone, looking at her clock it read 1.30am.

"Did I wake you?" the voice asked.
"Yes." Temperance answered shortly, in no mood for games. She was trying to recognise the voice.

"Sorry," The voice didn't sound sorry.

"Look, someone's broken into the lab,"

"What?" Temperance exclaimed sitting up too fast and somehow bumping her head against the headboard of her bed. "Oomph" she said, before recovering and attempting to untangle herself from her bed sheets. "I'll be right there," She said after the voice, she figured was Yvonne told her what had happened, her bedroom door burst open and there stood Booth, looking tired, his hair stuck up a little, but he was at least dressed.

"Do you ever lock your door?" Booth demanded, and then his eyes looked her up and down, but not in a lecherous or arrogant way, surprisingly. He shut the door, and covered his eyes adorably. "I'm not looking, get dressed. The labs been broken into, we need to see if any of your Bones are missing." He said.

Temperance blushed, she was standing in her underwear, and a tiny camisole, that reached just above her belly button, she tingled, he looked so sexy tonight, ruffled hair, half open shirt, creased pants. She closed her eyes tightly, willing images of him to disappear; her mind was beginning to be invaded by thoughts only Angela would have admitted to.

She dressed quickly grabbing her bag and then his elbow, she dragged him from the room, and dragged him until he stopped and she nearly fell to the ground.

"Slow down Bones" He said laughing and he walked at a normal pace down the stairs, but grabbed her hand as the reached the bottom of the stairs, to his surprise she didn't pull away, maybe she was to distracted to notice – he sure didn't mind.

A/n: I'm still having trouble with my computer, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't… Argh... Well I hope this chapters okay… tell me what you think!

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I'm sorry if this chapter is a little long; I do not really like it… I think there are too much of Tempe's thoughts on Booth… Not enough on the case. What do you think?

-- Chrissy