AN: So. We all know Brennan made it to Tuesday. She made it to the train. But Booth doesn't know. And what really happened between the gunfire and the train? Sam's CIA?? You want to know? Read on, McDuff (Not Othello, statler, but Billy Shakes, nonetheless).

Disclaimer: I would like to tell you that Fox has been really impressed with my writing. I would like to tell you that they contacted me and suggested I send out a portfolio. I would like to tell you that they're offering me a position as Staff Writer for Bones. I would like to tell you that they're willing to pay a ridiculous amount of money. And while we're at it… I would like a pony.

Satellites

Hodgins followed Booth, his red Mini almost bumper to bumper with the FBI issued SUV. Approaching the Hoover building, Hodgins was surprised when Booth waved him into the parking garage. The guard Booth had been talking to barely gave Hodgins a second glance when he pulled through the gate, and Booth pointed out his open window toward visitor parking. Hodgins could hear Booth's command yelled through his own rolled up window, "Wait by your car."

He leaned up against the driver side door, nervously jangling his keys in his hands. It was now when he wondered if he should call Angela; he hadn't had time to think about it while he was driving. He'd been too busy trying to keep up with Booth. His next thought concerned what 'something' they were coming to see. Please don't let it be bad news.

The door to the stairway opened and he could see Booth's head poke out around the doorframe, eyebrows raised expectantly. "Well? Come on! Let's go!" Hodgins followed quickly, and before he could ask the questions he wanted to, Booth answered for him as he handed Hodgins his visitor's pass. "Angela, Cam, and Zach should already be here. The CIA guy's got something off of the satellite scans. But, I don't know what."

Striding across Booth's floor, the two made it to the conference room in what would have been record time, had they been counting. Booth threw open the glass door, shaking the attached blinds, startling Angela so much she jumped.

"We waited for you, Booth, before viewing the footage," Cam started, sounding sympathetic. She hadn't had the same relationship with Brennan as the rest of the team had, but Brennan was her employee. They had been getting along pretty well since the Howard Epps case. Cam thought it was because Booth had convinced Brennan to go easy on her, or maybe because she had been a victim of Epps, but she didn't really care about the reason. She was just happy to have a less than hostile working environment.

Booth merely nodded at Cam, and patted Angela's shoulder comfortingly, before taking a seat next to Cullen, who ordered the tech to start the satellite footage. Foley, who had been observing the group dynamic from the front of the room, began explaining what they were seeing. "This is footage from the only satellite recording at the time. It's not what we hoped for; it's not night vision," Foley paused, "Brace yourselves; this is footage of the attack."

The black and white footage was grainy, difficult to visualize. Angela absently wondered if the Angelator would provide a better picture. It was several minutes in before she fully comprehended what she was seeing. A small gasp escaped her mouth, and her eyes teared up as she saw the first explosion in what used to be a tent. Hodgins stood behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders for comfort. Three more explosions had followed, and in the empty space between blasts, rapid-fire sparks indicated semi-automatic weapons in use. Zach turned his head away, his eyes holding unshed tears.

The small glow that had surrounded the camp had faded; the lanterns destroyed by this point. However, the headlights of the jeeps came on as they sped away, and for a brief moment, illuminated what remained of the camp.

Booth's face was ashen, but his voice was steady when he demanded, "I need to see it again. From the beginning. Point out the people."

Foley nodded to the tech, who started it again.

"Here, you can see the camp," Foley pointed, "several tents. The people are difficult to make out unless they're standing right next to a light source. Here you see several people, maybe five or six, as they move quickly across this space. Here are perhaps two, walking slowly away from the camp, toward the dig site, which is somewhere over here. We don't see the jeeps because they had their headlights off as they approached but they're right about here and - "

Booth stood, interrupting the CIA agent, and ironically squinting at the screen. His voice was strong, "Rewind it. Just a few seconds. Rewind it."

The tech followed his command, and Booth watched intently. "That's Bones. There. That's her."

Foley turned to the FBI agent, with his eyebrows raised. Booth was standing rigidly with his hands on his hips; challenging the CIA agent with his body language, seemingly saying, I dare you to refute that. I dare you to tell me that's not Temperance.

Foley tilted his head, as if studying Booth, before commenting, "I thought so too. Her and Rollins. Walking away. The bad news…" his voice trailed off. The stoic man finally showing some emotion on his face as he dropped his eyes briefly before meeting Booth's again, "That's the same direction the jeeps went."

The only external sign that Booth had heard him was his jaw clenching. His eyes remained fixed on Foleys, as he stood with his hands balled on his hips. Inside, he was furiously running through emotions: shock, as his body quickly flashed cold; then terrified, angry, and heartbroken; before beginning to sweat as the understanding sank in.

His gaze lingered on the paused video, before he turned to Cullen; his voice was solid and demanded compliance. "I'm going."

They had run. As fast as they could, while trying not to be noticed, they had run. Constantly checking to be sure the other was right next to – or right behind – them, they had run. Temperance found she was following Sam. And they weren't going to the planned pickup location. Location Green was the other direction. Through the gunfire.

The arid, semi-desert climate provided no cover, and Temperance knew the closest 'town' was four miles away. She was grateful that she'd kept in shape as they sprinted toward the dig site, where there was a small hut. Both women were well aware that the gunfire and explosions behind them had stopped.

Sam, glancing over her shoulder, spoke in a hushed tone. "This way. We'll go to the well by the dig. They may look in the main tent if they think we're out here."

Sam opened the door to the small building that protected the well from the elements. They ducked inside as they heard the vehicles slowly approach. The wooden walls did not meet the sand below, leaving a foot of space. Temperance sat on the well-wall, and pulled her feet up; Sam quickly followed suit. They watched as the headlights drew nearer, slowing their approach as they reached the well. Temperance held her breath as the beams seemed to stop on the floor below her feet. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Temperance began repeating a simple phrase over and over again, as she stared at the lights at her feet. Please, don't let them find us. Please, don't let them find us. She wasn't sure who she was talking to; not until the lights began to move again, leaving the two women alone in the dark.

Temperance released the breath she was holding, breathing out her relief. "Thank God."

Sam, who had been holding her own breath with her blue eyes closed, responded, "I thought you didn't believe in God, Temperance."

"Oh, so now you'll call me Temperance? And I don't believe in an All-Powerful Being, it's just a commonly-used expression to convey relief."

"Of course." Temperance could tell that Sam's response was automatic, that Sam was no longer listening to her. She shifted to try to see Sam's face, but in the darkness it was near impossible.

"What is it, Sam?"

"I don't know who they were, what they wanted, or if they're coming back. I'm supposed to know. I'm supposed to know. I had no intelligence. This was not expected, at all."

"Sam. Of course it wasn't expected, that's why it's called an ambush." Temperance paused, the realization of what Sam had just said settling in the darkness. "What do you mean you were supposed to know? You had no intelligence?"

Sam let out an audible sigh, weighing her words. Her tone of voice became serious, which was almost opposite of the woman she had been before the incident only twenty minutes ago. "Temperance. You need to trust me right now, especially because of the situation we're in. And I'm worried, if I tell you what I need to tell you right now, you will not trust me anymore."

Temperance sat, completely still, absolutely stunned by the change in demeanor of the woman who had been her friend these eight months.

"I need you to trust me, no matter what I tell you. Is that possible?"

Temperance closed her eyes. "I don't know. It really depends on what you have to tell me."

"I've mislead you, Temperance. I'm not really an anthropologist. I almost was, but I was recruited away from science."

"Then what are you?" Temperance knew. She knew what was coming. She knew this woman in front of her was government. Her instincts had been telling her this the entire eight months. But she didn't believe in her 'gut'. She should have.

"CIA."

"Right." Temperance spat out, in disgust. She was unsure if she was more disgusted with Sam for lying to her, or more disgusted with herself for not seeing this coming.

"Is your name even Samantha Rollins? Are you even from New York?" She tried not to sound hurt or betrayed, and focused on being angry.

"My name really is Samantha Rollins. I am originally from New York. I work out of DC now. I am 27-years-old, just like I told you. My undergraduate degree IS in forensic anthropology. But, I don't have a master's degree. I've been working with the CIA since I was 22."

Temperance snorted, so lost in this betrayal she forgot where she was. She dropped her feet to the dirt below, stood, and slammed open the door to the tiny building. She didn't know where she was going, but she had to get away.

Lied to. I was lied to. She could hear Sam curse at the noise, and follow her out of the building. "You lied to me."

"Yes. I'm under official-cover. I, and Drew Manor, we're here for you. We're here to protect you."

Temperance stopped cold, turning to Sam. "Drew too? Fabulous. More lies. Well, I don't need to be protected. I don't know why you people insist that I do."

"You people?? Well, your casefile told me otherwise. What happened in the warehouse? Who blew up your refrigerator? New Orleans? Please tell me you didn't bury yourself in your own car." Sam was hitting below the belt, she knew, but she had to get through to this stubborn woman. They had to work together. They had to get out of Tumko. And fast.

With each accusation, Temperance flinched, remembering – not herself in these situations – but Booth. Booth was always there to protect her, whether she wanted him there or not. These memories, and the accusations thrown at her, caused an extreme burst of anger. "You have no idea what happened leading up to those events! How can you –"

"No, you're right," Sam interrupted, concerned about too much noise in the night's silence. "I don't know what happened. But, I want to know. You can tell me. But now, Temperance, right now this is all we've got. You and me." Sam paused, cocking her head to the side, "You hear that?"

Temperance stilled, listening. "I hear nothing, Sam."

"Exactly. We should be able to hear things from the camp from here. But no. Nothing. It's just you and me now."

Temperance sighed. And Sam took that as acceptance of what she'd just said. "I'm going to ask you again. Can you trust me?"

Temperance had convinced herself that she was used to being alone. And she had believed it, up until Booth. She knew how to respond to threatening situations, but only with a partner. With someone she trusted. With Booth. But could she trust Sam? Not now. Not now that she didn't know who she really was. Temperance sighed, weighing her options. On the one hand, she could take care of herself. In most situations, anyway. In this situation, though, she realized the benefits of having someone to watch her back.

So, Temperance answered her in true Bones-style.

"I think there are some supplies and a backpack still at the dig site. Location Green will be compromised if we go there now; and we'll put the others in danger. It's just you and me now."

Ok, kiddos. Review? Please?

AN: So I was thinking about it… It's really only been 24 hours for Booth, since he found out. I guess he was in shock and that's why he hadn't thought of going to get her until now? Maybe he didn't think it was an option? I dunno. But, in this fic, that's when Booth decided to go. But the question remains: If Foley even lets him go, who does Booth take with him?

Shoutouts!

KristiM (I'm posting as fast as I'm writing!),

bandbfan24 (I let out a squee when I got your review. I'm glad you're liking the emotion I'm trying to write! And yes, I see Hodgins too, with concern all over his face and his fabulous blue eyes),

statler (yay college is right. I'm trying to graduate and this fic keeps distracting me…),

QueenPeacock (I'm glad you like!),

jambled (Such a long review! How lucky am I?! Big ol' sugary sweet snaps to you. Sam and the CIA thing plays out here, but I'm not sure how much I like it. I'm trying to have Dr. B rationalize not going off on her own, but seeing as I'm not entirely a rational person… Anywho, the reuniting scene is going to rock. Just have to figure it out. And I think Brennan will have to talk through the 'why' of her terrif-ication – is this a word? – or terrified state with someone. Prolly Sam at this point.),

Serendipity73 (thank you, and I'm hurrying, I promise! J Plot bunny seems to be on vacation right now…darn thing),

MissBennet (I bet your curiosity will hate me at this juncture… but at least it's not really a cliffy ending on this chap, hehe),

YouandMeKelly (Thanks! It's sad bc we're torturing poor Booth. And he's too gorgeous to go through too much of this. I think I'll have to give him a piece of something soon.),

I-Don't-Know-What-That-Means (Thanks!),

RedRoses18 (Thanks for the addition to faves! I'm glad you found my story, and I'm glad you're enjoying it so much. Really makes my day!!! Though I did worry that the pic was a bit sappy… oh well.)