Chapter 2

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Reagan National Airport. we will be taxiing soon. For your safety and comfort, we ask that you please remain seated until the Captain turns off the 'Fasten Seat Belt' sign."

At hearing the voice of the flight attendant Booth wakes up from his silent reverie. He looks around his seat for his bag and checks to make sure all his personal belongings are still there. He turns on his cell phone and it starts to vibrate in his hand as two new messages make their way through. The first message is from Cam, telling him where he can pick up his rental car. The other one's a voice message from Parker. His eyes start to cloud over at hearing his son's voice. He wished that he could see Parker today, but Rebecca had already called him a few days earlier to tell him they wouldn't make it back in time from Vermont to welcome him home. He was disappointed but at least he had something to look forward to. As he closes his cell phone he reads the illuminated digits on the screen. 13:15h. Less then 2 hours until he sees her again.

Unconsciously, he checks his reflection in the window. "Hair okay?...check! - Shirt okay?... a bit wrinkled from the flight but it'll do". He continues to mentally check off his list. "Shoes, teeth…" He realises that the prospect of seeing her is actually making him feel nervous.

"C'mon B-man", he reassures himself. "This is Bones we're talking about. The same woman you've been working with for over half a decade. Get a grip."

As soon as the short 'Unfasten Seat Belt' signal sounds Booth gathers his things from the overhead bins and hurries to the front of the plane. He's glad the military sent his luggage already ahead so he doesn't have to waste precious time collecting his bags. He hurries through the arrival hall to collect the car key that is stored in one of the small lockers near the entrance of the airport.

"Gotcha." He exits the building and takes the pedestrian tunnel. "B26", he sighs. "Where the hell are you". He scurries passed dozens of cars before finding the right spot. As he approaches the black SUV, the door is thrown open.

"Seeley", a voice welcomes him enthusiastically.

"Camille, what are you doing here." Booth pulls her into a hug.

"Well, I couldn't let you come home without a welcoming committee." She pulls away and takes a good look at him. "No injuries?", she asks him, relief apparent in her voice.

"Alive and kicking", Booth replies while lowering himself in the passenger seat. "Besides, I didn't really have front line duty. It was more like a behind-the-scenes kind of thing."

"Have you had lunch yet?" Dr. Saroyan questions him. "We can stop by the diner if you want."

"Thanks Cam, but I promised Bones I'd meet her in less than an hour. Can you drop me off near Lincoln Memorial?"

"Sure thing", she says while throwing him a knowing smile. She had always 'rooted' for Booth and Brennan's relationship. Secretly off course, out of fear that Brennan would lynch her on the spot if she would ever bring it up. During the time they had worked together, Cam had more then once overheard overly intimate telephone conversations between the two. Naturally, both kept on insisting their relationship to be strictly platonic and professional. But she knew better.

Forty-five minutes later she drops Booth off near West Potomac Park.

"Say hi to doctor Brennan for me", Camille yells after him before Booth slams the door shut. Then she's off.

As Booth makes his way towards the reflecting pool, he enjoys the sight of the National Mall. "Damn, it's good to be back", he sighs. After spending time in Afghanistan, he was thankful to be coming home to a place he loved, with people he loved.

He spots their coffee cart and smiles inwardly at the memories it holds.

"Two coffees, regular", he orders looking around to see if there's any hint of his former colleague. He's getting nervous and his thoughts begin to travel: "What if she forgot? .. or what if she isn't coming back at all?. … Is this the right date? – Did we even agree to a date?, he panics. "Oh right, she sent a message last week with a date and time", he remembers now. It was her only message in months. "July 17 – 15:00, kiss B." It was short, but it meant the world to him. He had not sent her any text messages nor called her while he was abroad, wanting to give her all the space and time she needed. It was also what was best for him at the time. He couldn't allow himself to get side-tracked. His head needed to be in the war…

And then, he sees her…

Blue eyes. Only a few feet away. He swallows hard as the mere sight of her leaves him breathless. She's wearing a light summer dress and he notices that her hair is shorter, and darker with side swept bangs across her forehead. "She is beautiful."

He watches her eyes glide over the reflecting pool to the coffee cart and then to the bench right next to it. Her gaze settles on his face and a smile forms on her lips as he stands up and calls out her name.

"Bones!"

She takes a step towards him and that simple movement makes him aware of his own body. His heart is beating faster then it did two minutes ago and he sighs happily, knowing that even though some things about her may have changed, the way he feels about her hasn't.

"Booth!", she utters while hugging him tightly. He returns the favour by sneaking his arms around her waist and gently squeezing her sides. He inhales her perfume and as they slowly break apart he drinks in the sight of her sun kissed skin and cherry lips.

"You look great Bones", he verbalizes his thoughts.
She tilts her head to smile at him. "Thanks Booth. I'm glad to see you made it back in one piece."

He grins at her while lowering himself back on to the bench. He gently tugs at her hand to indicate that she should come sit next to him. "Coffee?", he asks her as he already hands her the paper mug without waiting for an answer. She gratefully takes a sip of the burning hot liquid.

"So how was Ma-Poo-poo?", Booth starts the conversation.

"It's Maluku", she corrects him and she shrugs her shoulders. "When I left for Indonesia I believed we would find a crucial missing link in the evolution chain. Our find was one of the best preserved fossil primates I have ever come across, including both skeleton, soft body tissue and even contents of the digestive track."

"Wow, that sounds…interesting", he comments.

"Not so much", Brennan replies, disappointment dripping from her voice. "Turns out it was just a hoax by the Indonesian government to attract fresh money to the islands."
Booth gently places his hand on her leg. "I'm sorry Bones that you didn't find the monkey of all monkeys out there in the jungle. I know how much you wanted to find something that would change history."

"It's okay though", Brennan assures him. "The time alone was good for me. I needed to get away from all the murders and the sadness…and us", she admits.

Booth is impressed. Twelve months ago, she wouldn't have been able to admit that to him. She would talk about him and herself but never about 'us'. It seemed that she really had used the time off to set some things straight. Although, he couldn't deny that the small remark of wanting to get away from him stung a little.

TO BE CONTINUED

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N/B: Sorry that the story is so short, but I can only write like 2 lines/day in between work and my dance training. I just wanted to post something already because I have no idea when I'll be able to finish it. - Review if you like - pretty please ;-)

If you find spelling errors etc... please let me know so I can correct the story :D