Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, Booth and Brennan would have been together for a long time. Tony and Ziva would probably be married, and this episode would have been worked in a long time ago.

Unlike Michael, Booth had started feeling better almost as soon as the plane had touched down. D.C. was his city. His home and he felt safe there. Or rather, as safe as he could ever make himself feel anywhere. It was a step up from Afghanistan that was for sure. However, Michael didn't seem to feel the same way.

Michael's posture was one Booth recognized. It was standard form for a soldier; apparently relaxed to any civilian, but to a trained eye he was tense and alert. Booth noticed that he always kept his weight evenly distributed on the balls of his feet, equally ready to fight or run. And even though he kept his head facing forward, his eyes never stopped shifting around his settings.

Booth recognized t as the look of someone who had been simultaneously hunting, and being hunted non-stop for a very long time, and who probably hadn't gotten a good night's sleep for most of that time.

Booth had had to deal with enough intelligent, psycho, killers and h had been a sniper long enough to know the stress of being hunted and hunting long-term to know that it could have one of two results. One, was a total systems breakdown, and the other was hyper awareness that border-lined on paranoia.

Michael had apparently gone with the second option.

Personally Booth thought that the whole of team Westen needed a vacation but there was way too much that they apparently needed to deal with. Booth had to admire the amount of work they were taking on. From what he had heard they were about to answer the government questions and then go save some distant removed relation.

Booth had already privately decided that he would help. He wasn't sure when the decision had been made but as soon as he had heard that there was a kid involved he had known their was no question.

Booth was jerked from his thoughts when Tony stepped from the plane with a loud yawn. "Well! Home sweet home right?" he said.

"My version of home involves air conditioning and a bed." Ziva contradicted him.

"It was a metaphor Ziva." Tony said with exasperation.

Booth couldn't help but smile a bit at that. Their arguing was so similar to what he went through every day with Bones.

He pulled his thoughts away from that when everyone reached the government cars. He referred to Agent Gibbs with the next question, "So where are we doing the 20 questions? J. Edgar Hoover or the navy yard."

"What do you want to do?" the older man asked.

Booth tried to ignore the feeling that he was being put through an appraisal test by the older agent. It was a feeling that seemed fairly constant around him.

Booth considered for a moment and he wasn't sure why, but he flipped a tiny sign towards Michael. He lifted three fingers behind his back in the shape of a W and then pointed one finger at himself and two at agent Gibbs.

He was using a basic military signal that troops usually used when they were in a combat situation with more than one hostile. The signal was usually used to coördinate before a fight.

This time the context was a little different but the message was still the same: Which do you prefer?

Michael was momentarily taken a back. He wasn't sure what Booth's motivation was in giving him the option. He did learn something however, Booth definitely knew he had been in the military. He hesitated for a moment longer before leaning against the car and tapping the roof twice lightly.

Booth heard the tap and smiled inwardly before replying. "The Hoover building is closer."

Gibbs nodded and everyone started getting into the car before Michael spoke. "Sam, Jesse. Why don't you take my mom to Ruth's house while Fi and I take care of the questions?"

Tony raised his eyebrows at Gibbs and started to step in front of Jesse and Sam as they made to leave. "That's not going to be possible." Gibbs said evenly.

"They don't know anything Fiona and I don't." Michael replied just as calmly.

"Mike," Sam said quietly. "Maybe they have a point, I mean we don't even have a car how are the three of us going to get to Maryland?"

"I have a car here you can take." Michael said in a tilted voice. It was clear that he really did not want to hear any other plan at that moment.

Fiona was giving him a questioning gaze. Michael shrugged. "I have supplies in every major city." That made sense to everyone but McGee. Operatives stashed supplies the way squirrels stashed nuts.

Sam nodded and retreated.

"Michael-" Maddy started to complain.

"Mom please. I am trying to do something good here okay?" Michael's voice sounded more tired and stressed than it had before. "I screwed up Nate's life enough while he was living it." His voice was quite when it broke the momentary silence that had set in. "I got Nate killed mom. I got my own little brother killed. The least I can do now is help the people he cared about as soon as I can."

Everyone was silent after that and Fiona hugged him while all the others shifted closer to him. Michael turned to Gibbs and his face was stiff and determined. "I know you want answers, and you'll get them, but I have people I need to help, and if you won't let that happen, then you can bet that I will take it personally and you and I will have one hell of an issue."

Gibbs was silent for a moment before nodding to Tony who reluctantly stepped out of the way for the others. Michael handed Sam a piece of paper which Booth guessed must contain Ruth's address and the place were Michael was keeping his supplies.

They were almost gone when Gibbs spoke. "Tony, Ziva, go with them."

Michael looked at him skeptically. "What are you doing."

"I want all of you watched." Gibbs replied bluntly. "Besides, from what I know about your situation you need all of the support possible, Tony and Ziva are the best there is."

Sam and Jesse looked to Michael who nodded to them. Sam gestured for Tony and Ziva to follow him and returned Tony's grin. Jesse just rolled his eyes and walked away.

As soon as they were gone Michael turned back around towards Gibbs and Booth. "Alright then. You agreed with me terms, I agreed with yours, are we done now?" his voice was sardonic and flat.

Booth recognized something else in Michael then. Because Michael Westen was a gambler. He kept his cards close to the vest and his emotions at the door like any good poker player. He defined his assets and weaknesses and put plans in place that no one would understand until it was already rolling. He didn't bet more than he was willing to lose and Booth was willing to bet that he would almost always break even, and because he was careful and unafraid to make risks he was automatically a damn good gambler. Only he was used to gambling with people lives instead of chips.

Gibbs seamed to recognize something of this because he nodded and got into the car.

Before Michael and Fiona got in the car Booth heard Fiona murmur, "Michael what you said earlier-"

"Not now Fi." He cut in quietly. He forced a smile and pulled her into the car. "Come on smile Fi we have a date," he said with another tight smile. "With the U.S. government."

A/N: Well the FBI should be fun right? How am I doing so far? Tell me now and no one gets hurt. Hope you liked the chappy and if your all really nice, then I won't totally give up on this story which I really don't want to do because I have a devious plan. (Muhahahah, Muhahahah). More to follow tomorrow if I get some nice reviews.