1. Thanks for reading

2. Comments needed to keep muse from starving to death

3. I zagged.

4. Boof.

Harding pulled the SUV down the small gravel drive where the crime scene was located. The abandoned subdivision had a strange feel to it. Most of the lots were empty, though there was a house now and again. However, in between the small cul de sacs of sporadic homes, there were areas of heavily wooded lots that had gone unclaimed. This is where the car had been found. He kept his eyes on the road, there was very little snow in some areas, and deeper in other, untouched areas, but it was clear that there had been several cars down the road in the past few hours. A light snow fell from the sky, and the dark clouds to the west seemed to hang low and dark with an impending warning.

Antonia rummaged through her mother's work bag, trying to arrange the items she'd need for the initial evidence gathering.

"Have everything you need?" Ace asked, his question greeted by two dark eyes with a hint of annoyance.

"Yes." She nodded, looking out of the windshield as he put the car in park.

"Good, because we're here." He said.

The scene was quiet, but for a tow truck, and one car with two agents who were keeping warm in their car as they waited for Harding to arrive. Coroner transport was on its way, but they wanted the Jeffersonian to do the evidence gathering first.

Harding climbed from the truck, and glanced to the suit clad agents stepping from their car. Antonia climbed from the truck, and went immediately to the back of the truck to look for a jumpsuit.

"Hey, Harding." One of the agents said, his brow furrowed. "That's not Doctor Brennan."

"Technically, it is." He said with a smirk.

"Actually, it's Doctor Brennan-Booth if you want to be specific." Antonia called from the back of the truck. She pulled her jumpsuit on and zipped it, then sat in the truck to pull her boots on. She was lacing them up when she saw another SUV driving down the road. It pulled in behind the truck, and her jaw tightened. "Ace, what is he doing here?" She called.

Ace walked around the back of the truck, glancing to the man climbing from his truck, he held his hand out in greeting, ignoring Antonia. Aiden stepped out and shook Harding's hand, ignoring the icy glare from the young scientist. He smiled at her and walked past with Harding.

She angrily tied her boot and jumped down, grabbing her bag from the back, she stomped up behind the two agents. "Aren't you listening to me? Why did you bring along Agent 99?" She asked with a snip, and Aiden turned around, lifting a humored eyebrow.

"Agent 99 was a woman. I think you meant to say Agent 86." He said, standing face to face with this challenging woman who seemed to find energy and passion in making those around her feel uneasy.

She set her bag down and pulling her dark curls into a high pony tail, her eyes never left his. "No." She shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure I got that right." She said, she lifted her bag up and pushed past him suddenly, breaking the connection, he turned to watch her walk past him, shaking his head at this infuriating woman.

She put her bag on the shore of the pond, and looked at the surroundings, cataloguing the area carefully, focusing on the nuances of the tracks that led to the water, and the now towed car that sat waiting for investigation. She walked around the car, glancing over at the four FBI agents as they congregated on the shore. "I trust that you took photographs of the scene?" She called, getting a nod and a dismissive wave from the agents. She rolled her eyes and continued her review of the scene.

She snapped on a pair of gloves and carefully opened the back door of the car, noting the location of the body shoved between the front and back seats, the victim looked to be in his mid-twenties. He was dressed in jeans in and a hooded sweatshirt, half of which was pulled up on his head, or where his head would have been if it hadn't been for the gaping hole above the bridge of his nose.

She looked at the inside of the four-door sedan, noting that it was filled with junk food and fast food trash. Some had been saturated, and some hadn't. She shifted some of the trash, and grimaced at the smell of marijuana and beer that seemed to linger on the upholstery. It looked like the victim hadn't been dead for very long based on the color of his skin, and rigidness of his body, perhaps an hour or two before the car had been dumped. Based on the limited amount of blood spatter, it looked like he had been shot elsewhere and shoved into the car. She pulled back and glanced over again at the four agents who were still talking. "When you guys are done trading Christmas cookie recipes, could one of you please open the trunk of the car?" She said, smiling tightly. They looked at one another, and Ace walked toward her quickly.

"Sorry." He muttered, taking the pair of gloves she offered him, he snapped them on and walked toward the front of the car. He looked at the inside of the car as he reached in to pull the trunk release. "These people are disgusting."

"Murderers who leave their victims in the back of half submerged cars are rarely known for their fastidiousness." Antonia snapped, appreciating Ace's head shake at her. They both moved to the back of the car and opened the trunk slowly. They found more of the same trash, and possibly some items that could be used for identification. He stood beside her, notebook in hand, taking notes. "They can pull the car… but we want a flatbed. Leave everything in the car except the body."

"You got it, Little Bones." Ace said, trying to ignore Antonia's intense glare.

"You want your bruises to match his?" she asked, tossing her thumb over her shoulder toward the younger agent.

"No, thank you." Ace chuckled, walking around the car with her, she opened the front door, and took stock of the mess that was in the car. She crouched down and moved items around on the floor board. "The truck is going to be here shortly for the body. I'll tell the tow truck guy to get a flatbed and bring the car to the Jeffersonian." Ace said softly.

"Sounds good." Antonia said, putting some items in evidence bags, she continued her assessment. She reached under the seat and could feel something hard. She grasped it and turned around. "Hey, can you get me a bigger evidence bag?" She asked, holding a handgun in her hand, pointing it directly at Harding.

"Jesus, Toni! Don't point that thing at me!" Ace shouted, jumping back, he garnered the attention of the other agents.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, standing up with the gun in her hand, she handed it to him and watched him glare and walk away toward the truck for additional evidence bags. She zipped up a couple of the bags she had, placing them in her bag.

"Hey, hey, that's evidence." Fitzgerald said, walking toward her quickly, he reached his hand out to her.

"Yeah? So?" She said, tucking it into the bag. The look on her face showing her displeasure at him starting an argument with her.

"You can't just take evidence, there's protocol here." He said, as he reached for her bag. She moved out of the way and stepped backwards.

"Don't touch my stuff. You don't have gloves on, get away from the evidence."

"You're taking the evidence, you can't just take that, it has to be catalogued and marked. Just give it to me, and I'll show you how to do it."

She scoffed. "Excuse me? She asked, stepping forward into his face. "You will show me how to do it?" She asked. "I will have you know that I speak three languages, I am highly trained in the science of forensic anthropology, entomology, and historical studies. I have an IQ higher than both of your parents combined, and I would appreciate it if you would step back from the evidence Mr. Fitzgerald.

"Hey, will you two cut it out?" Ace called from the truck.

"It's Special Agent Fitzgerald to you, Squint." He said in a mocking tone, stepping forward, he could feel her hot breath on his face as they stood eye to eye. Their eyes were burning with anger, neither willing to back down. He was about to continue his argument, when he watched her eyes flick to something behind him and widen. She took a step back, and in a split second, her bag was on the ground, and she was running toward the woods. "What the hell is she…"

"HEY!" Antonia shouted as she ran toward the trees. "Hey! Stop right now!" She shouted. She stopped at the edge of the trees, her eyes moving over the landscape, she saw movement.

Ace suddenly noticed what was going on, and dropped the evidence bag in the truck, running toward where Antonia was. "Ant don't…Aw, shit!"

"Hey!" She shouted, running into the woods.

"Antonia! Stop!" Ace shouted, but it was too late, she was already in pursuit.

"Jesus. She is nuts." Fitzgerald said, pulling his weapon, he ran after the other two.

Antonia could see someone running through the trees, a black hoodie pulled over their head, running quickly on the soft pine forest floor. "Stop right now!" She yelled, continuing the pursuit. She couldn't hear Ace behind her yelling for her to stop, she could only hear the sound of her breath puffing out in gasps as she pursued the man running from her. She shouted for him to stop, and could feel that she was quickly gaining on him. "Stop right now, or I'll shoot you!" She yelled, knowing full well that it probably wasn't a smart move, and it quickly reminded her that not only was she not armed, but there was a possibility that the man that she was pursuing was armed. Just as her mind worked its way through that maze, she could tell that he was slowing. The snow where he was running was getting deeper, and it was making it difficult for him to move faster.

She could hear Ace and Aiden shouting for her to stop, but by then it was too late, she had already reached for his black sweatshirt, her entire body pushing him forward as they both landed heavily on the ground. She quickly reached for his arm, pulling it behind his back as she felt him struggling beneath her.

"Get off me! Get off me!" He shouted angrily. She pushed his body into the ground and rolled him as she shoved her knee into his groin and held his arms tightly. It was then that she finally got a good look at the person she was pursuing. Staring back at her, were a set of eyes that she knew very well, and from the anger in her eyes, was anything but happy to see. "I'm sorry!" the man screamed, his eyes widening when he recognized the woman above him, holding him down. "I'm sorry, Grace wasn't supposed to get shot!" He screamed. "She should have walked away!"

Suddenly, and without warning or care. Antonia swung her hand back with as much anger and passion that she held in her heart and let her fist land squarely across his face. With a shout of pain, and blood from his nose, Antonia continued to punch him again and again, with anger held so deep within her, she didn't even stop when he had passed out.

"Antonia, stop!" Ace shouted, pulling at her as she continued to try to punch him, lunging herself forward at him.

"No!" She shouted. "He deserves it! He deserves to die!" She screamed, sending one more punch to him as Aiden and Ace managed to work together to pull her off.

She struggled for a moment, realizing that she had lost her breath, she started to cough, finding her balance. Aiden still had hold of her as Ace looked down at the passed out young man on the ground. "Is that?"

"That is Seeley Booth!" Antonia panted, pulling angrily out of the grip that Aiden still had on her, she pointed at him as he started to groan on the ground, his face bloodied and battered. "He shot my sister!" She said, breathless and angry. She turned from the two agents and walked back to the crime scene, completely defeated.