Huge thanks for all of your reviews. I appreciated each and every one. And I apologize for the lack of updating, but with all the curveballs the show has been throwing, it's hard for a fic writer to keep up. Hope it was worth the wait. As a side note, while I had no problems with the finale, the revelation concerning Zach as Apprentice is going to be ignored in this story, simply because I'm too lazy to go back and edit the previous two chapters. Everything else in this story will remain within the realms of the show's canon.

Disclaimer: The guys who own them are doing a fantastic job with them but I still want to play too.

Three

"What the hell do you mean you can't tell me?" Booth questioned, his anger evident in his tone.

Fire flashed in Temperance's eyes when she replied, "Exactly that." She then turned her face away again and gazed unseeingly out the passenger side window.

Booth clenched his fists. Only this woman was capable of provoking him like this. He desperately wanted to shake her just once and demand to know why she was lying but knew he'd only end up with broken arms. If he was lucky. He was counting to ten in his head when she broke the silence again.

"So do I need to call a cab?"

"No," Booth's voice was tense, the single word drawn out slowly, evidence that he was desperately trying to control his temper. He turned the key in the ignition, put the car in gear and pulled away from the crime scene.

The drive to the Jeffersonian was silent and both Booth and Brennan were each lost in their own thoughts. Had Booth not been so immersed in his frustration and outrage he would have almost been able to hear the wheels of his partner's brain turning methodically. She was so engrossed in making a mental list of all of the things she had to do once she arrived at the lab that she didn't notice Booth's knuckles were white from holding the steering wheel too tightly.

Booth pulled up in front of the lab and waited. But the passenger door didn't immediately swing open and then slam closed again. Turning to look at his partner in surprise, he was met with an all too familiar sight. Her expression was abstracted, her eyes fixed on some unseen point, all indicators of deep thought. He was tempted to just switch off the Escalade and wait to see how long it would take Brennan to realize they had arrived at her precious lab but knew that if this was as big a problem as her previous behaviour had signalled, he could end up waiting for over an hour. Instead, he simply cleared his throat loudly causing Bones to start. She blinked, recognised where she was, and almost simultaneously undid her seatbelt and opened her door. She had slid out and was standing between the car and door before Booth had managed to open his mouth.

"Should I come in?"

"No. I won't need you until tomorrow at the earliest."

"Will you call me or should I just drop by?"

"Whatever you think is best," Temperance replied and shut the door. Her response had been distant and Booth knew she hadn't really listened to his question. He felt his temper rise again and he clenched the steering wheel in a death grip. He watched as she waved at the night guard on duty and strode through the doors into Medico-legal wing of the Jeffersonian. Despite his anger, he was struck by the contrast of the soft femininity of Brennan's appearance in her ball gown and the hard, isolated, no-nonsense scientist who lurked within. He had worked so hard to get these two sides of his partner to meet, to be less exclusive, and after nights like this one, he questioned whether he'd made any progress at all. Shaking his head and sighing, he put the SUV into reverse, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed home. He'd been dismissed for the evening and he didn't have the energy to fight it.

Morning found Seeley Booth in a reconciliatory mood. The verse, do not let the sun go down upon your anger, had gone through his mind that morning and left him feeling guilty. So after completing his usual wake-up routine, he swung past Bones' favourite coffee shop and picked her up a grande. Knowing her, she had probably crashed on her office couch during the early hours of the morning. Having awoken her a few times previously in similar situations, he knew it was always better to come bearing coffee.

He was whistling when he strode confidently into the Jeffersonian lab. Today could only be better than yesterday. He stopped whistling mid-note however when he surveyed the sight before him. Zack, Cam, Angela, and Jack were gathered in a cluster at Jack's workstation. They appeared to be disagreeing about something and every once in a while Angela would shoot a worried glance in the direction of Brennan's office. Following her eyes, Booth was met with an unfamiliar sight. The blinds were drawn and closed over every single window in Brennan's office, even her glass office door. Maybe today wasn't going to be so great.

He approached the squint squad and raised an eyebrow when Cam vehemently said, "We can't wait on her forever. The remains have been in our possession for almost 12 hours and all we've done is have Zack lay them out on an examination table. I am the head of this department and as such I am ordering you, Zack, to begin processing these remains."

"Respectfully, Dr. Saroyan, I refuse. Dr. Brennan indicated to me that these remains were only to be worked on by her and I refuse to violate her wishes," Zach replied.

"What the hell is going on here?" Booth shot in.

Angela heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of him, "Booth, you have no idea how happy I am to see you."

"I repeat my question, what the hell is going on here?"

"We don't know. We were kind of hoping you would have some idea," Cam replied. "You were the last to see Dr. Brennan."

"Is she missing?"

"No, she's just practically barricaded herself in her office," Angela replied.

"Yeah, I noticed that. She been in there all night?"

"That's what Ted, the night guard, said. She came in to the lab, went straight to her office, and hasn't left since," Cam answered.

"Maybe she just fell asleep. Anyone try calling her?"

"Every 15 minutes for the past hour," Angela chimed in again. "Her office phone is busy and her cell goes straight to voicemail."

Booth nodded and was silent for a few moments. Four sets of eyes watched his face intensely as he turned everything over in his mind. He wondered when he'd become the substitute figurehead for Brennan's team. It was ironic really. Bones would never approve, as his guts could never replace her logic. But that was beside the point.

"Ok, this might be too obvious, but has anyone actually tried knocking on her door?"

The four squints exchanged slightly uncomfortable looks.

"I'll take that as a no," Booth said dryly. Squaring his shoulders, he turned back to face his partner's office and strode towards the door. He could hear the squints behind him moving almost as one behind him. Still holding the disposable coffee cup in his left hand, Booth raised the other and knocked firmly on the glass door.

He listened closely and thought he heard the sounds of papers shuffling and a metallic clang, before his partner's voice called out, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Bones. I come bearing coffee."

He heard the sound of the lock turning back and then Bones called out, "Come in."

He turned to the group behind him. "If I'm still in there after two hours, call SWAT," he joked and then went through the door.

The sight that met his eyes was not at all what he had expected. Bones was seated on her couch, still in her ball gown. A few strands of hair had fallen out of her up-do and fallen to frame her face. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot as she looked up at him blearily. The table before her held a now-empty coffee mug and there was a legal pad next to it. While it was obvious she had been taking notes of some kind, it was unclear where she had stashed them. Her office appeared just as it had the day before, with the exception that her office phone was off the hook.

He was staring at his partner wordlessly for several minutes when she finally worked up enough energy to break the silence.

"Can I have my coffee?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure, here."

Brennan took a deep swallow and made a sound of satisfaction. She continued drinking until the cup was drained while Booth watched silently. She got up, put it in the garbage can, and returned to her place on the couch. Booth sat next to her but remained silent.

"Are you going to ask me?" she finally asked.

"Ask you what?"

"What I was doing all night in my office?"

"Can you give me an honest answer?"

"Not really."

"That's what I figured."

They were silent for several more minutes.

"So what can you tell me?" Booth questioned, his gaze focused on the mummy in the corner rather than the woman beside him.

"I've only been given permission to tell you that I have seen remains like these before and to aid you in your investigation."

"Who gave you permission?"

"A federal agency."

"Not the FBI?"

"No."

"Where have you seen the other remains like this?"

"I can't say."

"Ok, see, that right there is not providing aid to my investigation."

"Booth," Brennan sighed, her tone exasperated. "It's the best I can do right now. I haven't been given permission to let you inside on this yet. I'm trying. It took me a considerable amount of effort to convince them to even let you investigate."

"Well, thanks for that," Booth said dryly.

"You're welcome."

They continued to sit in silence for a while.

"Maybe we should start our investigation," Brennan finally suggested.

"Yeah that's a good idea. What do you want to do?"

"Sleep."

"Brilliant."

The two rose at the same time, Brennan losing her balance in her high heels. Booth steadied her with a hand on her arm but didn't let go after she had regained her balance. He led her out of her office where they were forced to stop due to the group of squints who blocked their way. All of them opened their mouths to speak but stopped when Booth gave a brief shake of his head.

"Zack, please x-ray the remains. When Cam and Hodgins have collected all that they require, clean the bones. Document any anomalies. Hodgins, when you're done collecting any particulates from the remains, go to the crime scene. See what you can discover from the burn pattern and any other evidence you find. Angela, hold off on a facial reconstruction for now. I want to look at the skull before Zack puts on tissue markers for you," Bones requested quietly.

With that, she began to move again, Booth following behind.

"Sweetie, where are you going?" Angela called out, her tone worried.

"To bed," Brennan replied without turning back to face her friends.

The squint squad watched the pair as they exited the lab, Booth's hand resting in the familiar spot at the small of her back. Angela arched an eyebrow.

"Do you think she's taking Booth to bed with her?"

And there it is. I apologize for it being a little bit shorter than usual but I promise the next chapter will be longer and much quicker in coming to you. So drop me and my muse a line. We enjoy all of your comments and they help spur us forward.