Chapter Eight:

She decided taking her time in the shower would be okay, Yvonne could wait… She gave her reflection an evil grin. Yvonne could sit down their in the restaurant and sweat, and worry, and panic all she wanted. Since when had she ever been like this? She laughed aloud at her reflection.

Yvonne looked duly ashamed, and Tempe felt a little sympathy towards the woman, she decided the whole contest of who's better between them or what ever; was now over.

Booth sat next to her at the table, and they looked across at Yvonne who couldn't even meet their eyes. Tempe had expected Yvonne to look perfect under all circumstances, and was shocked to see Yvonne with smudges of mascara under puffy red eyes. To be honest with herself, Tempe thought Yvonne looked like she hadn't slept in a few weeks, she looked about ready to break into tiny fragments.

Tempe could tell Booth was concerned, and for once she didn't feel that (now familiar) twinge of jealousy, and she was glad because it would have been very selfish of her to feel jealous about Booth caring for this woman, after all Yvonne been through… She didn't even care if you and Booth got hurt! She was acting selfishly; she knew she could have gotten protection if she'd just told someone what was happening. She sat having an internal battle whether to feel sorry for the woman, or be angry with her. She found anger best, it made her feel stronger. Booth could do all the sympathetic stuff.

"I just – want to apologise. It was very selfish of me to-" Yvonne began;

"We don't need your apologies right now Yvonne, we need to know why you think he has another victim," Tempe said, avoiding Booths eyes, he'll be mad with her for butting in, and being so rude. Yvonne shook her head.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Yvonne said, still not meeting either of their eyes, she fiddled with the salt shaker on the table. Tempe waited for a good few minutes, but Yvonne said nothing, she was about to ask Yvonne why she wasn't saying anything, when she noticed Booths hand was on Yvonne's. Jealousy surged through her.

"God damn it Booth, she nearly got us killed. And Yvonne just answer the god damn question." Both Yvonne and Booth stared at Tempe as if she'd grown an extra head, or two.

"He left me another note, and told me he didn't need me anymore. That he was going to get what he wanted, that's when I noticed the lab had been – well broken into… But I knew nothing was taken. He just wanted to scare me…" Yvonne said her voice hesitant.

Yvonne's hand shook under Booths, and Tempe couldn't help but watch as Booth's thumb made small circles on Yvonne's hand, it made her want to hit them, both. She focused on Yvonne's words, she had to figure out this case, go home, and get over her little infatuation with her work partner.

"Thank you Yvonne," Tempe said as the waitress arrived to take their orders. "I'm not particularly hungry Booth, I'm going to go ring Ange and find out about the splinter of wood. I'll leave you be." She said, nodding towards Yvonne. And she left, anger still bubbling inside of her, she didn't hear Booth yell for her to wait up, or see Yvonne's look of pity.

xx

"Don't give her that pitying look Yvonne," Booth said, before he stood to leave, the waitress was looking at them, eyes wide. "She has no need to be pitied; it is you who needs to be pitied."

Yvonne frowned. "How can you not feel sorry for someone with next to no social skills?"

"Bones is fine!" Booth exclaimed.

"You even call her Bones, not Tempe." Yvonne said with a nervous laugh, and she stood on her wobbly legs, and followed Booth from The Angus Inn restaurant, to the front door. "Bye Yvonne," Booth said before taking the stairs two at a time, to get to Tempe's hotel room.

He heard her muffled voice through the door, and went to open it. She always leaves it unlocked. But the door wouldn't open. Holy shit, of all the times she chooses to lock her door… He hoped she didn't think he liked Yvonne like that. He didn't, he just felt sorry for the woman that he used to be close to, how could she have been so smart back then – and now be so selfish and idiotic?

xx

"Hey Ange," Tempe said, after finally getting her breathing back under control. She was struggling to breathe because she was so angry, she'd never sworn in front of Booth before; she usually didn't get so out of control. She couldn't tell whether it was because the case was upsetting her, or whether it was Booth and Yvonne… Upsetting her…

"Hey Hunny," Ange replied.

"I just was ringing to find out about the wood splinters…"

"Oh yes, they're both from the very same Pine tree, thank Hodgins and Zach for that." Ange said. Tempe smiled thinking of them, she missed them. "I can hear you smiling Bren," Ange said with a giggle.

"That's impossible-" Tempe began,

"I'm kidding sweetie, now you go do what you gotta do, and call me tonight and tell me how its going." Angela hung up before Tempe could reply, and she sighed. Pine, it was a common wood… But the same Pine tree… That was a big help.

xx

"We got a fingerprint; it matches a man named Robert Tiles." Booth grinned into the phone; Officer Ivory was doing similar on the other end of the phone… They might have the guy! Booth knew they had to get a confession, or have some kind evidence to link him to the case, but so far so good. "He's been in for petty theft over your way, and a drug charge here. Come in and get the file before you go and see the Ridges. Is the Bones lady going with you?" Ivory asked.

"Yeah… Why?" Booth asked, suddenly nervous. Did Ivory like Bones? No… Oh for fucks sake Booth, get it together – you don't date her. She can like who ever she wants; you can't stop a guy from liking her either. It's not like you're attracted to her or anything… But Booth knew he was; he was kidding himself if he really thought he wasn't hopelessly in love with her. And when he said hopeless, he meant it. He imagined he'd probably lose his head if he ever admitted how much he cared about her.

"Look, mate. I'm married," Ivory said with a chuckle, as if reading his thoughts. "I was just checking so that I could put it on your warrant,"

"Oh, thanks." Booth said, feeling like an idiot. He shut his phone and banged on Bones door again.

"Bones, I think we got him!" He yelled at the door She emerged a few seconds later and slammed the door shut behind her.

"Well?" She demanded. "Are we going? Is he in custody?"

"Not yet, but we have a name. They found a fingerprint at the lab. He's such an idiot," Booth said, and had to jog to catch up with the little anthropologist now half way down the staircase. "Holy shit, wait up Bones!" When he got to the car she was in the driver's seat, and he stood beside the door, shaking his head at her triumphant smirk.

"My turn to drive; Booth…!" He sat in the passenger seat.

xx

"Don't sulk, Booth," Tempe said teasingly as she pulled into the parking lot at the Lower Hutt Police Station.

"I'm not sulking," he insisted, but Tempe knew otherwise.

"Your bottom lip his jutting out just like a little girl who didn't get the pony she wanted for Christmas." She touched his bottom lip without thinking, and both flinched in surprise. She got out of the car quickly slamming the door and locking it. God why'd she gone and done that?

"Detective Ivory," Booth said, and Tempe saw the knowing grin on Ivory's face, had he seen us in the car? Or was this just about how he found us in such a – compromising position this morning? Tempe worried.

"Okay here is Robert Tiles file, I'll let you two go over it for now." He left them in a little room, where the two of them read different parts of his file. Booth read his previous criminal charges, while Tempe read his history, and his family.

"Booth… His father builds pine coffins." She said, her eyes lighting up. "The fragment connection both woman was a pine splinter!"

A few minutes later a siren sounded, making them both jump.

Booth stood too quickly and the chair he was sitting on tipped over, he didn't seem to notice, the papers Tempe were holding scattered as the both made a dash for the door. Detective Ivory was holding his cheek, with one arm, his other clutched his ribs.

Tempe went straight to him, and checked to make sure he was okay, while Booth questioned what was going on. The siren stopped, and the people who had been running here and there, and seemed to be stressed to the max stopped suddenly, as if the siren stopping made everything okay.

Ivory stood a little straighter. "Robert Tiles just attacked Detective Jacobs and I as we brought him in, but the security guard outside caught him. Robert sat on a chair in the interrogation room; he was smiling at the interrogation officer.

"I want a lawyer,"

"You will get a lawyer," Tempe couldn't bare to watch anymore, they weren't going to get anything from this guy yet. The interrogation officer came out. And Ivory came over to Tempe and Booth, who had sat watching for nearly an hour already.

"They want you to go in, and talk about the pine splinter…" Detective Ivory told them. Jacobs nodded, but again said nothing.

"Okay," Tempe said, and Booth saw her eyes dart to him, a little nervously.

"I'll go with her," Booth said firmly, his voice told the detective it was more of a statement that a question.

"I don't know if-" Jacobs began.

"Bone-I mean Doctor. Brennan hasn't done this before, whereas Special Agent Booth has, it'll be good for him to be there."

"Thank you," Tempe said, pretending not to notice that he'd just about called her Bones.

"Hello Mr. Tiles," Booth said sitting down, but he let Tempe take over from there.

"Your father built his own pine coffins, Mr. Tiles?" Tempe questioned, cautiously, not wanting to make a mistake.

"Oh, please. Call me Bobby," He leaned forward, and Tempe leaned back. "You haven't given me your names, how rude of you…" He said, tilting his chair back. Booth heard Tempe whisper something that sounded a lot like "bastard" under her breath.

"Please answer me Mr. Tiles," Tempe pressed.

"Yes, my father did. Why is that?" he looked annoyed now.

"You kept Jillian Davidson in a coffin, and tortured her for days before you finally killed her. Then you did the same to Jessica Ridges," Tempe had never put out a theory without facts before, and she hated the feeling. She wanted to be sure of herself.

"Who…?" The man put on a mock confused expression. "I have no idea what, or who you're talking about." Tempe could see the anger building in Booths face, and decided it was time to leave.

"Thank you, Mr. Tiles." Everyone could tell she didn't mean it, and if no one was there to witness it he wouldn't have been able to walk out of that room, he'd have to be carried out on a stretcher.

xx

"You did well, Bones." Booth said, around and hour later as they drove towards Tiles house, they had permission to search it. Tempe ignored him from the passenger seat, why did he get to drive again! Her expression said.

"Well this is it," Tempe thought. The house was entirely unremarkable as she stepped out of the car; she felt a bubble of excitement rise. Would they finally be able to get this guy? She knew the police had already searched the building, just incase he had a victim there. She wondered where he left his victims, and hoped to hell he didn't have one now, and if he did, that they'd find the person alive.

Tempe felt Booths hand on the small of her back, and usually she would have shrugged it off, but she decided she needed a little bit of comfort right now. He led her up the short path to the door, and she pushed it open with a loud creak. It sounded as though the heavy wooden door was going to fall off its hinges sometime soon…

A/N: Hey I'm sorry this is taking me longer and longer to update. But please keep reading! I'm doing my best; not only did I have a little bit of writers block… But I've just started school again for the term and we have monologues and pulls hair out I'm so stressed. But I have the day off today, so I'm going to try and write as much on this fic as I possibly can! Then I'll have to write my monologue I suppose…

Thanks for your reviews, and I'm sorry if I don't get a chance to reply to all of them, but I really, really appreciate them.