A/N: Some readers commented that the last chapter needed a follow up. Because I've chosen to do the challenge words in the order they're listed, it was difficult to achieve closure with this chapter. However, I will tie everything up in the following chapter.

The words I'm using in this chapter are festival, coordinates, and defer. It's still slightly AU, and is set about one week after the previous chapter.

Glancing at his watch, Seeley Booth grumbled as he waited for his breakfast to pop up from the toaster. Being awake and dressed at 6:00 AM on a Saturday morning was not his idea of a great way to spend his a day off, but murderers didn't normally operate on any particular schedule, and lazy weekends were often spoiled by heinous crimes. After many years of working for the FBI, he was somewhat used to the disruptions caused by criminal activity. However, Hannah was not, and she was having a difficult time hiding her irritation at the unexpected early morning wake up call.

Dressed in a fluffy pink robe that hung loosely over her nude form, she leaned against the kitchen counter, watching as her boyfriend slapped some margarine and grape jelly on an almost burnt piece of toast. "So are you going to be gone all day?," she asked in a plaintive tone.

After pouring himself a cup of coffee, he sat down on a barstool and picked up the sugar shaker. "I don't know for sure, but I'm leaning towards 'yes'. The body was found on federal lands in a remote part of the Delmarva Peninsula. It'll take us at least a couple of hours to get out there, and then we'll have to go through all the steps…you know, collect the evidence, recover the body, do the forensic stuff…all that shit." Taking a bite of his crunchy toast, he gave her a questioning look as he brushed crumbs from his FBI tee shirt. "Did we have plans for today that I forgot about?"

"Not really." Shrugging a bit, she moved to sit next to him. "I was just looking forward to us having some time to ourselves, you know? I was thinking we could go have some lunch…maybe Indian food or something else exotic." Seeing his grimace, she giggled. "I know it's not your favorite, but it'd put us in the mood for the other thing I wanted to do today. The Criterion Theater is hosting a Bollywood Film Festival this weekend, and I thought we could check it out."

"What the hell is Bollywood?," Booth asked in a suspicious tone. "And what does it have to do with Indian food?"

"It's the name of a movie genre. The films are made in India." She laughed at his eyeroll. "The movies are in Hindi, with English subtitles, of course, and there are song and dance numbers, just like American musicals, along with action, comedy, and romance. There are always star-crossed lovers…love triangles…brave heroes…and a little bit of fantasy…"

Great…so it's just like me and Bones working together every day, only in a foreign language. No fucking way… Booth cleared his throat nervously. "I don't do musicals, okay? And having to read subtitles means I don't get to watch what's going on, and then I'm constantly trying to play catch-up."

"Well, it's not like the Bollywood movies are Rodgers and Hammerstein productions, Seeley." Seeing his glare, she pouted slightly. "Okay…I'll admit…Bollywood movies are kind of an acquired taste, but they're lots of fun, too. I first saw them while I was visiting Pakistan. The music is catchy and the costumes are beautiful…there's an interesting story with a happy ending…intrigue…conflict…anyway, I was hooked immediately." She reached up to rub his shoulder. "I think you should keep an open mind and go with me this afternoon." She gave him a flirty grin. "The stories are usually quite romantic, too…"

"That might be a good idea…except that I have to work today." Booth drained his coffee cup and pushed his plate away. "If you want to go by yourself, that's fine with me. You might as well have fun while I'm working. I may be late getting back this evening, anyway. You can tell me all about the movies when I get home…"

Grimacing at his refusal, she rested her hand gently on his thigh. "I really wish you didn't have to go. Can't you try to find someone to take your place?"

He sighed in resignation. "Nah…the DC's field office is shorthanded right now. Agent Voto's wife had her baby yesterday, and Agent Hart is on bereavement leave. Anyway, it was my turn to be on call for the weekend, so…"

She threw up her hands in disgust. "So you're going to pick up Temperance, and then you two will go galivanting all over the countryside together, right? And in the meantime, I'm stuck at home by myself, and my Saturday will be ruined."

"There's no need to be so dramatic, okay? You're not 'stuck at home'. You've leased a car, so you can go anywhere you want, right?" Grunting in annoyance, Booth rose from the stool and put his dishes in the sink. For an independent person, she sure is needy all of the sudden… "Listen, Hannah…murders on federal land don't usually happen when it's convenient for FBI agents to investigate, okay? Anyway, it's not like me and Bones are going on a picnic, and it's not like we're gonna be having fun at the crime scene! It's gonna be wet, nasty, muddy work, looking at the remains, collecting evidence and trying to figure out what happened, but that's my job! I can't skip work just to go to some crazy film festival with you!" Pouring some coffee into his travel mug, he continued sarcastically. "I tell you what…when we catch the guy, I'll make sure to tell him he needs to confine his illegal activities to regular business hours. Will that work?"

"Well, excuse me for wanting us to have a nice afternoon together!," she complained loudly. Tying the belt of her robe, she flounced over to the refrigerator and took out some eggs before giving him a disdainful wave. "Fine. Never mind. Don't worry about me. Go to work and do your agent stuff. I'll see you later."

"Fine! Bye." Shaking his head, Booth slammed the door as he left his apartment and jogged down the stairs that led to the parking lot behind the building. After climbing into his SUV, he sat quietly for a minute or two, wondering what had just happened. "Why were we arguing about me going to work? That's just weird. Is she really that jealous of Bones? I mean it's no big deal, right? Bones is my partner, that's all. Speaking of which…" He glanced at his watch once again. "Jesus, I gotta get going or we won't be back until the wee hours of tomorrow morning…"

Oooooooooo

As Booth pulled the SUV into the parking lot surrounding Brennan's condominium building, he gave himself a pep talk. "Like Sweets said, I need to let Bones go. I need to keep the conversation professional. We're gonna talk about work and nothing else. I need to avoid giving her my opinions about her personal life or her personal issues. Um…I'm gonna pretend that I'm just talking to Hodgins. Yeah…that should work." He pulled out his phone and hit the speed dial. "In fact, I'm not even going up stairs to get her…"

She answered the call after two rings. "Hello, Booth. I'll be down in seven minutes or less."

"Okay." Ending the call, he chuckled. Most people would say less than ten minutes, but his Bones was too precise for that. Maybe that's why she's so good at her job…those extra few minutes might make a difference, right?

As he tapped on the steering wheel, he once again considered the argument he'd had with Hannah. "How can she be jealous of Bones?," he mused. "That's ridiculous…it's like she doesn't trust me…but…oh…"

Seeing Brennan exit the building and stride over to the car took his breath away. Even in her weathered jeans and faded tee shirt, with her hair tied back in a messy ponytail, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever known, and his heart did a flip when he saw her smile in his direction. "Maybe it's not so ridiculous for Hannah to be jealous after all…," he muttered. "Okay, buddy…you've gotta let her go. Be professional. No aimless chitchat…"

"Good morning, Booth." She greeted him happily, throwing her boots and jacket in the SUV's backseat before climbing into the passenger seat. "I looked up the coordinates of our targeted area. Would you like me to enter them into my phone so it can generate a map for you to follow?"

"Coordinates?" He chuckled, rolling his eyes as he started the car. "I don't need any coordinates, okay? I know where we're going. The dispatcher gave me the location when I got the call this morning. We're headed out to Assateague…"

"Are you sure?" She gave him a sidelong glance. "It'll only take a few minutes…"

"Yeah, I'm sure, okay?" He pulled the car out of the parking lot. "Anyway, you know real guys don't need maps, right?"

"Right. In that case, I shall defer to your superior sense of direction. However, if we get lost or take a wrong turn, I'll make sure to say 'I told you so' every five minutes or so afterwards." She giggled as he glared at her. "Okay…every ten minutes. Better?"

"I'm telling you, Bones…I know where we're going…" He chuckled to himself. It's kinda nice that she's giving me a hard time again…

They drove along in comfortable silence for 45 minutes or so, each trying to focus on the task at hand, until Booth turned to Brennan. "I hope you didn't have plans for the day. From what the dispatcher said, we may have a mess on our hands."

"No plans, except maybe to do some revisions on a chapter." She nodded as she looked out of the passenger window. "And you're correct about the mess. I was told that the remains had been scattered by scavengers, so it may take us several hours just to have the techs collect all of the body parts. Hopefully, they've already begun that process."

"Great…just great." He cringed in disgust as he reached for his coffee cup. "Well, I told Hannah we'd probably be gone all day, so my ass is covered, I suppose."

She squinted at him, trying to figure out what he meant, but he offered no further explanation. "It would seem so."

There was another lull in the conversation. As he tried to focus on the road ahead, a question popped into Booth's mind, and try as he might, he couldn't ignore it. So much for remaining professional… "Um…so…how's Chris?"

"Chris? Chris who?"

"You know…the guy Hannah introduced you to…Chris, the weather guy…"

Brennan let go a dismissive scoff. "Oh…him. I don't know how he is. I haven't seen him since Wendell's birthday party."

"Really?" Booth's surprise was evident as he glanced at Brennan. "I mean, it looked like you two were getting along well at the party…"

"He's very good looking, and he's pleasant, but…" Brennan tilted her head to one side. "...I felt like he hadn't been completely truthful with me." Seeing that Booth didn't understand, she explained. "Chris isn't really a meteorologist. He just reads the weather reports on the air."

"Um…okay…but why…"

"Why is that a problem?! Seriously?!" Brennan was appalled at his question. "Meteorologists are scientists, Booth! They use models to predict weather patterns, and they do serious research into atmospheric phenomena! Chris is just a journalist who masquerades as a scientist. He looks good on camera, but that's his only qualification. It'd be as if you read one of my journal articles at a conference and claimed to be a forensic scientist! You'd be a fraud…just like Chris is…"

Booth shook his head at her tirade. "That seems a little harsh, okay? I mean, so what if he just reads the weather instead of being an actual scientist, Bones. He can still be a nice guy, right?"

"He may be 'nice', Booth, but he and I have very little in common. I suppose the sex was satisfying, but still…"

Jesus…I did NOT need to know that… "So you're not going to see him anymore?" Booth nodded as he tapped the steering wheel. "Okay, then…" That's a relief. I guess I should feel guilty about Chris being a flop...but I don't. What is wrong with me? I have Hannah! Who cares about the guys Bones dates...

A few more silent minutes passed. "Can I ask you a question, Booth?," Brennan asked in a tentative tone.

He chuckled quietly. "You just did…"

She rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I mean…"

"Okay…shoot."

Folding her hands in her lap, she gazed at him. "Why did you ask Hannah to set me up with Chris?"

Booth held up a hand in surrender. "I did no such thing. Hannah did that all on her own, okay? In fact, when she told me what was about to happen that evening, I asked her to call the guy and tell him not to come, but it was too late…"

Brennan thought over his explanation for a few seconds. "But I still don't understand. Why would she do that? I didn't ask for any assistance in meeting someone."

Booth cleared his throat quietly. He knew the answer, but decided that an abridged version might be better in order to keep the peace. "I think she just wants you to be happy, okay? I mean, me and her are happy together, so she wants all her friends to be as happy as we are…"

"I see. So she automatically assumed that because I'm single, I'm unhappy." Brennan crossed her arms over her chest. "That's such an annoying fallacy. I'm perfectly happy with my life. I don't need a romantic partner to be fulfilled."

"Good." Seeing her uncertain expression, he stammered a bit. "I mean, you know…it's good to be satisfied with your life. I'll be sure to tell her that you don't want her to do any more matchmaking on your behalf, okay?"

"Thank you."

They drove along, lost in their own thoughts, until Brennan spoke up again. "So what were your plans for today…before we got called out to the crime scene, that is…"

"Nothing much." Booth laughed sarcastically. "Hannah wanted me to go see some stupid Hindi movies with her, but..."

"She expected you to sit through a Bollywood film?" Brennan giggled merrily. "Really?"

"How come everyone knows what Bollywood is except me?," he grumbled.

"Probably because you prefer action thrillers and westerns." Arching an eyebrow at him, she grinned. "If Hannah thinks you'd enjoy Bollywood movies, she really doesn't know you very well, does she?"

Booth glanced at his partner, once again struck by how beautiful she was, especially with the early morning light glinting off the coppery highlights in her auburn hair. "Um…actually, I think she might know me pretty well.," he sighed. He paused as he saw a sign on the roadside. "SHIT! Did that sign actually say 'Welcome to Delaware'? Dammit! We've gone too far east…" He checked his mirrors and started the SUV's siren and emergency lights. "We need to turn around and find the exit that takes us south towards Assateague…"

"We're looking for the point where Highway 50 diverges from Highway 404." She held up her phone to show him a map. "It's about 20 miles back."

"Why didn't you tell me I'd gone too far?" Sitting back in his seat, he turned slightly towards his passenger. Seeing her smug grin, he rolled his eyes. "Okay…go ahead…"

Shaking a finger at him, she laughed out loud. "I told you so, Booth…I told you so."

He nodded as he studied the road in front of him. Yeah, you did, Bones…and so did Sweets…and no matter how many times you two tell me stuff, things are still completely fucked up, aren't they?

Maybe someday I'll be able to let Bones go…but it won't be today...

If you have time to review, I'd appreciate it. More soon. Laura