A/N: Hello again my fellow Bones fans. As you're all aware, it's coming up to Christmas so my spare time seems to be spent on anything but writing at the moment. BUT I've got this weekend off so hopefully I'll be able to get some more to you soon. Anyways, I hope this works for you all. Please let me know what you think. Reviews are my oxygen so do you really want to deprive me of something so vital? Well, do ya??!

Booth was pacing up and down, marching up to one wall of Brennan's impressively sized office, turning on his heel, and then marching straight back again. After a few minutes, Temperance began to get impatient.

"Booth?"

He just kept pacing.

"Booth, are you alright?"

Still, he just kept marching up and down the room.

"Booth!"

He stopped dead in front of her, obviously surprised that she was yelling at him as confusion clouded his features.

"What?"

Brennan stared at him, hands on her hips, and rolled her eyes.

"You're going to wear out my carpet if you keep going much longer."

Booth glanced down at his feet and then offered a quick sheepish grin as he stepped toward her. Arms folded across his broad chest, he narrowed his eyes at her in concentration.

"I guess I just can't quite believe that Nate's back. I mean, I thought he was in New Zealand."

Brennan shrugged.

"Not anymore obviously."

She had suspected for some time that her partner's former mentor wouldn't stay there for long, especially not after sending her a taunting postcard from the capital city.

One of the few benefits of having a fugitive for a father is that I can gain a better insight in to the tactics and logic of those avoiding detection by law enforcement.

Letting out a long sigh, she settled in to the large leather chair behind her desk.

"Do you think he took Angela?"

Booth pursed his lips as he openly considered what Brennan knew they had both been worried about.

"I don't know, Bones. The gap in the video footage doesn't look good, I'll admit that."

Brennan paused, raising an eyebrow at her partner.

"You don't want to consider the fact that your former mentor, a man you've previously respected and trusted, could be capable of something like that."

Booth shrugged, looking a little defensive.

"To be honest, after everything that happened at Quantico, I'm not sure what that man's capable of."

"Personally, I think that he is definitely likely to do something like this."

Booth moved towards her, perching on the edge of the desk to tower over her.

"And what makes you say that?"

Brennan paused to consider the question, weighing everything up as she always did.

His posture is so stereotypically alpha male, pushing in to my personal space in an effort to intimidate and control. It's most likely an unconscious instinct though. It's just the cop in him.

"His behaviour at Quantico was not exactly rational, nor did he behave as a Federal Agent of his stature should. He certainly seemed to display traits more consistent with a sociopath, including what could be a tendency towards pathological lying."

Booth's brows knitted together in a deep frown as he stared down at her, his eyes hard. Brennan couldn't help but feel a little disconcerted at the coolness in his voice.

"You think that Nathaniel Rouse is a sociopath and a pathological liar?"

It was Brennan's turn to take the defensive.

"Booth, you were the one who recommended that he should be kicked out of the FBI, and with good reason! I mean, that postcard he sent us was full of biblical quotations that were consistent with the notes left with Katie's victims. As far as we know, they could have been working together at Quantico. It certainly would have been easy for them to plan, what with the two of them working together. Plus, Katie's experience as a Profiler helped them to plant evidence that they knew would affect me and what with your previous relationships with both of them, you would never suspect them."

He just glared at her as she finished her point while getting to her feet.

"They used your unfaltering loyalty against you to maintain a cover for who they really were and what they were doing."

Brennan felt her partner push in to her personal space again as he stepped towards her.

"That's all true for Katie, I admit that Bones. Hell, she was convicted in a court of law. Nate, on the other hand, wasn't even charged with anything."

Temperance didn't know if it was her fears for Angela, her anxiety over Nate's reappearance or her confusion over Booth's recent odd behaviour, but she could feel her frustration turning towards anger.

"He wasn't charged because he left the country before any real investigation could be carried out, Booth! That's the only reason why and you know it. Not to mention the fact that he suddenly turns up at the Jeffersonian right before my best friend vanishes, her office is trashed and covered in blood, and the security tapes are tampered with."

Booth was even closer to her now, his normally reassuring presence suddenly aggravating her, though she couldn't explain why.

"Hah! And you're the one who's always telling me not to jump to conclusions!"

"I was not jumping to conclusions. I was simply putting forward a perfectly reasonable hypothesis! You're the one that's defending Nate purely on the basis of your history with him!"

Brennan hadn't realised that they were basically shouting at each other until Cam slammed the door to the office in order to get their attention. Trying to calm herself down with slow breaths, Temperance turned to face her boss who was staring at the two of them with an incredulous expression.

"What the hell is going on here? I could hear you two yelling from the other side of DC for God's sake!"

Brennan glanced in her partner's direction but avoided catching his eye.

"Nothing's going on. It was just a professional disagreement."

Cam's eyebrows practically shot through the roof.

"A professional disagreement?! I'm sorry Doctor Brennan, but that little show the two of you just put on was anything but professional. So, tell me what's wrong here."

Brennan paused, trying to figure out where to start, when Booth's gruff voice did the job for her.

"Our, uh, argument was about the fact that we're not sure if it was Nate that took Angela. The security footage is, well, inconclusive to say the least."

Brennan felt her partner move away from her as he spoke but she didn't look at him.

I don't understand what's going on here. Normally, I would ask him. I'm well aware of my lack of social skills and Booth's the one who always conducts a psychological analysis of people. So how can I ask his opinion when the tension is between us?

Trying to keep her thoughts on track, Brennan locked her eyes on to Cam's blank expression, watching as her boss shook her head and blinked slowly.

"Ok, you're gonna have to catch me up here. Who's Nate?"

Brennan didn't give Booth the chance to answer.

"Special Agent Nathaniel Rouse was one of Booth's instructors during his FBI training. He was also at Quantico a couple of months ago when we had to investigate the killings there."

Cam nodded slowly, her eyes flicking between the anthropologist and the agent.

"And you suspect that he has something to do with Angela going missing?"

Booth snorted with derision but Brennan forced herself not to look at him when she answered.

"Neither of us know anything for sure. As Booth said, the video evidence is inconclusive. Personally though, I think Nate's visit to the Jeffersonian does appear to be more than a little suspicious, yes."

Cam took a step forward, tentatively approaching Booth.

"And what do you think, Seeley?"

There was a long pause. Eventually, Brennan's stubbornness gave way and she turned to look at her partner. All vestiges of her anger and frustration seemed to fade at what she saw.

Booth looked utterly defeated. If anything, he seemed to have shrunk into a lesser man. His arms folded across his chest, it looked like he was trying to give himself a reassuring hug. Although he was staring at the floor and she couldn't see his face, Brennan knew he was trying to force back his emotions.

Of course he is. Booth is a good man and the fact that someone he trusted turned out to be manipulative and potentially murderous is something that will always haunt him. Even though it's not his fault, he'll think it is. He always does.

Brennan watched as Cam took another step toward him, her hands almost twitching at her sides as she appeared to resist the urge to reach out to him. Instead, she just stood there in front of him, seemingly unsure of what to do.

Brennan didn't know why but she suddenly felt uncomfortable in her own office, almost like she was intruding on a private moment.

Angela told me that Booth and Cam previously had a relationship so of course there's going to be a sexual rapport there. But then, I never felt like this around Booth and Rebecca.

She watched as Cam took another tentative step forward as Booth finally raised his head a little, his face appearing stricken as his eyes immediately locked on to Cam's.

"I let Nate go, Cam. It's my fault that he's still free and walking around the Jeffersonian like he owns the place. Winking at the camera like that, he's just taunting me. He knows it's all down to me too. But if he took Angela, if he hurt her in any way, then that's all my fault too. I might as well have just taken her myself."

Cam crossed the short distance left between them in a heartbeat, grabbing his hand in her own and letting their fingers interlace in what was obviously a familiar grasp. Giving his arm a reassuring rub, she tucked her forefinger under his chin to raise his eyes to hers again, her voice soft and full of emotion.

"Shhh, baby, it's ok. It's not your fault, none of this is, ok? We'll find Angela and this Nate guy. It's alright, baby, it's going to be alright."

Brennan stared at them, her eyes widening as all the pieces of the previously unnoticed puzzle finally slotted in to place.

The way she's touching him, the way that he's responding… She called him 'Baby'… They've been spending a lot of time together… The way I keep catching him in her office and her in his… How weird Booth's been acting lately… My boss is dating my partner.

Booth caught Brennan's eye and seemed to realise exactly what she was thinking. He immediately jerked away from Cam. She looked confused for a second before following his awkward gaze to the anthropologist. Seeing the look on Brennan's face, Cam practically jumped back a few feet.

Brennan couldn't help but feel surprised and even a little shocked.

I thought that's the type of thing that partners are supposed to discuss with one another. Why didn't Booth trust me with something like this?

The unexplainable frustration and aggravation Brennan had felt a few minutes earlier began to return. Attempting to regain her focus, she cleared her throat and spoke slowly.

"So… You two are… You two are together?"

Cam turned to Booth but quickly looked away again while his gaze seemed to wander anywhere but at his partner.

"Uh, Bones, you know, Cam and I… It's, well, we…"

He tailed off as he finally forced his eyes to meet hers. Brennan just stared at him calmly, using practically all her energy to keep the shock off her face.

And the hurt. It's shock and hurt combined, I think. To be honest, I'm not sure. I just don't understand why he didn't tell me. Does he not trust me?

"Bones, I know I should have told you about this but…"

Brennan shook her head, cutting him off.

"No, it's your private life, Booth. As long it doesn't interfere with our work then it's really none of my business, is it?"

She was surprised to hear how cold and unfeeling her voice sounded considering the bizarre churning in her stomach. He blinked slowly, a strange look in his eyes as he stared at her. Cam just looked incredibly uncomfortable.

After a couple of seconds of awkward silence, Booth took a small step towards his partner. Brennan didn't move away but she didn't give him any indication that he was welcome to come any closer either.

"Bones… Listen, Cam and I…"

The shrill ring of the telephone made all three of them jump.

Glad for an excuse to move away a short distance and possibly have the chance to gather her thoughts, Brennan walked to her desk and snatched up the receiver.

"Doctor Brennan."

Listening to the hurried voice on the other end of the line, the anthropologist felt her eyes widen. Slowly, she replaced the handset in its cradle as she looked up at her partner.

"That was Hodgins. He's found Angela."

A/N: Don't worry, she's not dead or anything! I know the show's already dealt with Brennan finding out about Booth & Cam but I started writing all this before that happened so I hope you don't mind me doing it for myself. I just hope it works for you all. And for anyone who saw Bones on Wednesday, am I the only person who wants Zach to go back to floppy hair?! He looks like an adult with a baby head at the moment... Oh, and the way Booth looked like he might kiss Bones at the end, so cute! Don't worry, I'm done now...