Disclaimer: The bank statement I got today proves that I don't own Bones.

Thanks to FauxMaven for her wonderful work as a beta.

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Previously...

"Well, I just heard some interesting news about the case you're working on," he paused, waiting for her nod to continue. "The medical examiner has ID'ed the victims. Bryan Lessard, 24, of Falls Church, Virginia, last seen three weeks ago hiking towards Fox's Gap, in Maryland. And Amy Chouinard, 32, of Norwood, Massachusetts. Last seen two months ago hiking near Mount Greylock, also in Massachusetts."

She could hardly believe her luck. "So this means..." she trailed off.

"Yeah, I'm on the case," he grinned.

"Where are the files? I want to see pictures of the scene and if the local police did any interviews today. I don't know anything about the suspects, and what about the bodies at the ME's?" she rushed, thrilled that she'd be able to be more involved. And work with Booth, a nagging part of her brain reminded her.

"Whoa, slow down, Bones. The files are in the car. It's late; why don't you tell everyone to go home and we can go back to my place?" he offered.

Brennan raised her eyebrows at Booth. She knew what he meant, but she also knew if she paused a moment to give him time to realize how that sounded, he would get all flustered.

As if on cue, a light flush crept across his cheeks. "I mean, we can bring the files and go over them there, you know, where we'll be a little more comfortable than, uh, here in your office," he corrected himself.

She nodded solemnly at him and told him that was a good idea. After packing away her things, they headed out into the lab to find the rest of the team. Brennan let everyone know they were heading out early and told them to do the same.

As they headed towards the exit, Booth slipped an arm around her shoulder. It was a gesture he had only made a few times before, and it still made her vaguely uneasy. It wasn't that she minded his touch, but she found she had trouble concentrating with his warm body pressed to her side.

"You must be so excited to have me on the case, huh, Bones?" he grinned at her.

There's that arrogance again. She shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose."

"You suppose? Come on, I bet you nearly peed your pants when I told you." She could feel the rumble of his chuckle, and it sent little shivers through her.

"I would never do such a thing, Booth. Urinary incontinence is rather uncommon in women my age," she told him.

Booth groaned. "It's a figure of speech, alright? So you're saying you weren't at all disappointed this morning when you found out it wasn't my case?"

"Eh." She was having fun with him, although she wasn't quite sure whether he knew she was teasing.

"Ouch, Bones. What a way to hurt a man's ego," he said, pouting at her.

"Booth, your ego's so big this won't even make a dent, don't worry," she bit back.

He slipped his arm off her shoulder and tweaked her side, and she laughed, slapping his hand away.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little glad it's FBI jurisdiction now," she conceded. "But I might change my mind if you keep tickling me."

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The meager file was spread out on the coffee table in front of them, their earlier meal of Indian takeout having already been cleared away. Booth reclined on the couch, his back to the corner and legs encroaching on Brennan's space. Apparently he was comfortable with letting her sift through the files, and as she did, she occasionally read pieces aloud.

"It says here the storage space was rented three years ago. So those bodies could have been there the whole time without anyone noticing? That seems unlikely," she commented.

"Well, storage spaces like that are pretty airtight, if you're talking about smells. And there are surveillance cameras, but I imagine it would be pretty easy to stuff a body into a giant box labeled 'Christmas decorations' or something," Booth responded.

"Did the police go over the security tapes?"

"The last victim was killed three weeks ago, give or take. They don't keep the video that long, they record over it."

Brennan nodded and picked up a stack of photographs. Leaning back on the couch, she started flipping through them. The mural painted on the walls was eerie and she felt unsettled looking at it. Bleeding trees, and that strange white figure. In the back of her mind, she was thankful that she was finally able to see what it looked like: this was fascinating, in a morbid sort of way.

"I'll have Angela look at these pictures tomorrow. I don't know that she'll be able to tell us anything, but it's worth a shot," she said, more to herself than Booth.

Sitting up to place the pictures back in the file, she picked up another piece of paper and began reading. The report of the incident leading to the discovery seemed a little incomplete. Unless it was noted elsewhere, the police had only interviewed one of the people in the car that had crashed into the door to the storage space. She knew she had good reason to dislike those detectives: not only were they rude, but apparently they were incapable of doing their job properly.

Her neck, which had been bothering her for most of the evening, gave a fresh twinge of pain and she reached up to rub the sore muscles. She used to be able to examine remains closely all day without her back or neck aching, but she supposed this is what came with age.

"It's a good thing those people backed into the door. Will you interview the passenger of the car?" she queried, glancing at her partner.

Booth's eyes flicked open and his gaze settled on her hand, still massaging her neck. "Yes, tomorrow. Does your neck hurt?"

She shrugged. "Just a little. It's been a long day."

"Do you want something for it? I have acetaminophen and ibuprofen," he offered.

"I took some before we left, I'll be fine. You don't have to mother me, Booth."

"Okay, I'll thank you for not calling me a mother again, Bones. I'm just trying to help," he grumbled as he sat up, edging closer to her. She watched him warily.

"Here, let me see," he told her. Booth removed her hand gently, placing his own warm, rough hand on her neck. "Here?" he asked.

She nodded, and in response he began gently rubbing the muscles at the base of her neck with his thumbs. His palms rested on her shoulders, the pads of his fingers brushing against her clavicle as his thumbs circled and circled.

"How is that?" he questioned. "Is it helping at all?"

Again, she nodded, not trusting her voice. She felt herself relaxing into him and her eyes drifted shut. Booth gradually increased the pressure. The only sound in the room was the soft sound of his skin against hers and she found it lulling. Before she could stop herself, a low moan slipped from her lips, and at the breaking of the silence, she froze. This was entirely too un-partnerly. If this didn't stop now, she knew where it would lead.

Brennan cleared her throat.

"Wow, thanks, Booth, I feel great," she said, essaying a cheerful tone. She pulled herself off the couch and to her feet. She forced herself to meet his eyes and smiled at him. He sat still, gazing up at her, a slightly puzzled look on his face.

"I'm really tired, I had better go home. I'm sure tomorrow will be a busy day," she told him and nodded, as if to convince herself as well.

"Oh, yeah, sure," he mumbled, and stood to see her out. "I have an appointment to interview that other witness first thing, and then I was going to head out to Falls Church. Do you want to come along?"

She agreed to meet him at his office midmorning and left his apartment as quickly as her manners would allow. Once out of the building and in the fresh air, she paused and took a deep breath.

Not entirely sure why she had rushed out of there so quickly, she nonetheless felt relief at being outside in the open air. It didn't make any sense, really. She knew that he was as aware of the sexual tension between them as she was, so logically, she shouldn't have a problem with their physical relationship progressing. In past relationships, she rarely felt hesitant around men she was interested in, but everything was so different with Booth. She resolved to spend some time figuring this out. Maybe Angela could help.

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The next day found Brennan in the lab early. She had had the thought that if two of the victims were missing hikers, maybe the others were as well. It was a theory that had paid off well, for in her first hour at work she had been able to identify two of the victims, and was rapidly narrowing her search for the third. As people began arriving for the day, she decided it was probably late enough to call Booth with the IDs.

On her way to her office, Brennan nearly bumped into Zack, who was looking slightly flustered.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Dr. Brennan," Zack apologized. "Hodgins and Angela...well, Hodgins was late picking me up."

Suppressing a smirk, she nodded at her colleague. "It's no problem. I've ID'ed the first two victims, you'll find the information with the remains. I started working on the third, I'm sure you can pick up where I left off. I've got to call Booth."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan," he said, and Zack headed off to the platform.

In her office, Brennan sat in her chair and picked up the phone. Her fingers found the speed dial button automatically. Still feeling vaguely embarrassed about having left in such a rush the night before, she hesitated. She abruptly placed the phone back in its cradle. This new awkwardness she sometimes felt around Booth was getting irritating. It was true that she had feelings for him that went beyond their partnership and even their friendship, but she didn't understand why that would change how she acted around him.

Brennan sighed and picked up the phone once again. She dialed Booth's cell phone and waited for him to answer, an annoying anxiousness rolling around in her stomach.

"Booth." His voice was clear and sure, and right now, she resented his confidence.

"I've identified two of the victims, and we should have a third within a half hour or so," she started without preamble.

"Wow, great job. Thanks, Bones. Listen, I'm just about to interview that witness. I don't think it'll take more than a half hour or so."

"Okay, I'll meet you in your office in forty-five minutes," she told him.

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