Chapter 2

(2 days earlier) October 23rd, 12:30 a.m. local time

Booth strolled along the lab and not seeing anybody on the platform directed his look to her office. It was empty and dark. The fact was odd, actually more than strange. It was worrying. He had talked to her that same morning earlier and they had agreed to meet for lunch.

With his concern growing by the second he sped his steps towards Cam's office. And he got even more dumbfounded to find that empty as well.

Hoping to be able to at least get hold of Angela or Hodgins, he heard voices from upstairs and moved immediately to that direction.

Angela and Hodgins were indeed having a break and sipping their coffee. But they were close and talking in a low yet animated tone.

They stopped the moment they saw him. "She is not here Booth" Angela anticipated. "We were just talking about it. I know Cam went to talk to Brennan because we were together when Cam has kindly but hurriedly asked me to leave. No idea what they discussed but they left together soon after and their faces were not cheerful." She finished.

"No idea where they went? Or when they are coming back?" Booth asked looking at the two of them.

"Sorry man, no idea whatsoever.. but.. it stinks" Came from Hodgins. "And I am pretty sure it is work related. That would explain why they are both gone together. Conspiracy anyone?" A chuckle accompanied his last sentence.

A tight smile from Angela told him that she wished she could tell him more, but she really did not know.

"Well then, I'll probably hear from Bones when she is back" Booth said trying mostly to convince himself that nothing out of the ordinary was happening. "And I better get back to my office". With his usual elegant swing he turned and left waiving his hand at the two scientists.

It was almost eleven in the evening and Booth was really getting concerned now. He still could not get hold of Brennan. He had already left 3 messages on her voicemail, and he had talked to Cam later in the afternoon. She had confirmed him that indeed there had been a work related emergency, and while she could go back to the lab after a few hours, dr. Brennan had not finished yet. The only answer he could get was a "It's classified Booth. Need to know. And you don't. Sorry".

A knock on the door made him jump and he rushed to open it.

"Bones, I was getting concerned.. where the hell have you been the whole day? Why didn't you just call me back?"

Her expression did not seem to register his words, she just asked in a plain tone "Have been busy. May I just talk to you for a few minutes?".

She sat directly on the couch, her eyes focused on her hands, a wrinkle between her eyes suggesting she was busy with some tough thinking.

When Booth handed her a bottle of beer, she raised her face and for the first time that concerned expression was gone leaving space to a warm and sincere smile. She was happy for the beer, or happy to be there, or happy to see him. He hoped it was the last in the list.

"I was getting concerned Bones" He softened his approach "I talked to Cam but she did not want to tell me what was going on".

She let go a deep sigh and then locked her eyes in his "You should not know this, Booth, so please keep it extremely classified. I have been to Annapolis today…". Booth's brain was already making thousands of assumptions and connections while she continued.

"I have been asked to go on a very delicate mission in Afghanistan. In a region still controlled by the Talibans.".

"Why do they need a forensic anthropologist there? Can't they ship the remains back here so that you can make the id at the Jeffersonian, as usual?" Interrupted Booth, his emotions starting to take over "You can't go there, it's too dangerous. I know you love action, and going around the world to help with your skills and expertise. But this is a totally different mission. You would be in first line at war Bones, don't you get it?". His tone was harsher and nastier than he really intended. But she did not seem to mind, still lost in her own emotions.

"A unit has been attacked on a mission last month. 25 men are still missing and the new unit sent to investigate the attack has found a mass grave. They have no means to ascertain whether the remains are from our soldiers, or from local people. They don't even know yet if those men are indeed dead or have been taken captive". The wrinkle was back and cutting deep in her brow.

"They asked me to go there and identify our soldiers as soon as possible, if some of them are still alive.. they need to be rescued Booth. I still don't want to go" her pleading eyes telling him she was sincere", that was precisely my first thought when Cam talked to me about it. As strange as it might seem for the cold person that everyone thinks I am, this time I have only been thinking that I have a family here that I would be leaving, there is my dad and my brother, I even have little nieces that I care about.".

Booth did not have the courage to look at her in the eyes anymore "You do realise it is extremely dangerous, Bones?"

"I do Booth" she said "and while I am thinking about the risk and what I am leaving behind I keep thinking also that there might be a young man trapped somewhere on an Afghan mountain, a man like you Booth." He did not lift his eyes, but her words hit him deeply.

Her eyes started to betray the coolness that remained steady in her voice "There are children like Parker who are waiting for their dads to come home, children like I have been who will never know what happened to their loved ones, unable to finally bury and mourn them. I cannot leave all of them hanging and waiting. I cannot live having the power to help them and choose to stay in my comfortable corner of the world because it would be too dangerous".

Her voice finally broke "I have to do it Booth. It's a call of duty I cannot reject. I guessed you would understand".

She felt the warmth of his hand wrapping her own, and only then she looked at him straight in the eyes again. There it was: the reassurance she could always get from him, sparkling from his gentle eyes.

"I do understand Bones. It's just that it is never gonna be easy for me to see you leave".

They smiled at each other, enjoying that strong and powerful thing that Sweets had called deep emotional connection.

"When are you leaving?" Booth asked not letting go of her hand.

"In 2 days. I count on being home for Christmas". Brennan answered not moving her hand from his grip. A chuckle from Booth told her a tease was on the way "I don't particularly like the holiday" she added defensively "I just hope to complete the mission within two months".

He swallowed painfully: the truth had started to settle down and infiltrated an unexpected burning pain in his heart.

October 25th, 6:00 p.m. local time Kabul

Brennan was hit by the heat wave the moment she stepped outside the airplane. The dry air immediately filled her lungs with dust and foreign smells, and her legs carried her painfully across the military airport.

A grey haired man was walking in her direction. "Welcome to Afghanistan Doctor Brennan. And thank you for coming. I'm sergeant Wilcox and I will lead the unit who is escorting you. Please follow me, I hope you are not too tired, because we are all set to leave for our long journey. It will take us approximately 4 days before we reach the north region. If we don't find problems even before then..".

Brennan smiled tiredly. Was she ready? No, she felt anything but ready. She felt exhausted and somehow very lonely. She had been in every continent, she had been travelling alone in dangerous regions and excavating digs being guarded by unfriendly soldiers. Still, she had always felt the rush of adrenaline and the excitement for the adventure. Not this time, right now she was only too aware of the distance separating her from.. what was she far away from? Her daily routine, her lab, her friends? Her life? Him.

Before boarding the plane they had been joking at the airport, Booth was describing her the various scenario's of how he would shoot Sweets and the intern squints he was going to work with during her absence. He had deliberately kept the whole conversation light and funny. He had smiled at her and touched her arms, her hands. He had never stopped to look at her, laughing for his own jokes but keeping his eyes serious and sad.

Until they called her, and it was really time to board. Then she could not remember the voices, the other soldiers saying goodbyes to their mothers, the lights. She only remembered the pain in his eyes, her efforts to keep tears from falling and then his strong arms enveloping her, keeping her tight and warm. She held onto him as if he was life itself and then the world had really disappeared. Only his breath on her neck, only the feeling of his hands pressing on her back. Only his smell and the wonderful sensation of being home, the place where you belong. His lips humid and soft on her temple, simply staying there and telling her of how much he cared.

And when she really had to let him go, she only felt the acute sense of loss and that nothing was going to be the same again.

That was it: she realized she did not belong there in Kabul, and not because she had never been to Afghanistan before, but because there was no one around who loved her. But back in DC someone was thinking and worrying about her, she just knew.

"Sergeant Wilcox, I really need a few minutes to make a call home before we leave. It's very important."

"Of course Doctor Brennan, I'll take you to our communication room where we have internet connection. I'm sorry I can only give you a few minutes. Then we really should get going. It's too dangerous to be on the road after sunset."

Brennan followed him into the hangar airport, and biting her lower lip she was just hoping hard that Booth was not in a meeting. She really wanted to talk to him before being forced to radio silence by the situation. Words were sort of escaping her right there, but she did not care, hearing his voice was going to be enough.

She dialled his cell number, repeating like a mantra: please pick up.

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