Here's the deal: anyone who's read my profile knows that after watching (most of) Season Three, I became a bit depressed from the Bones fanon, and had to abandon this story because I couldn't reconcile where canon went with how this story was going.

I finally decided to just say 'screw it' and pick it up again, ignoring Season Three. We'll see what happens when I get there, I guess. Anyway, this chapter's really, really short, because I just wanted to post something so everyone knows that I'm updating again.

A NOTE FOR EVERYONE THAT REVIEWED/ALERTED/FAVORITED WHILE I WAS ON HIATUS/MOPING:

Thank you so much, your "support" really kicked my butt into gear. Seriously, every time I got a note I felt like a traitor, and finally it got to be too much and I realized just what an idiot I was being. So thanks for pushing me into action, guys.

"It's very red, isn't it?" Shilloh said, looking behind her to Zach, who was the first to catch up to her. She smiled up at him, reaching back to grab his hand and pulling her forward into the room with her, searching out the table their friends were seated at.

"Where are they? I mean, it shouldn't be this hard to find them, it's a very open layout here," Shilloh complained, standing on the balls of her feet to try and see towards the back of the room.

Zach was looking at their hands, not entirely certain as to why she had felt the need to grab onto him- he was clearly following her, and the only other times she had done so was when she wanted him to go somewhere that he really didn't want to go. He was going to ask her about it when she tugged on his hand again, pulling him towards the other end of the restaurant.

"There they are! Come on Zach," and just as fast as she grabbed his hand she let it go, rushing towards the booth and scooting herself in next to Angela.

Hodgins was pushing him towards the booth, but he was suddenly feeling a little bit panicky about the situation. Shilloh had grabbed his hand, and he knew that it wasn't an implication of anything romantic, but that somehow made it more confusing.

She had spent her lunches with them, spent her time clarifying things to him without getting upset or making comments about how dumb he was for such a smart person (it was a regular statement that still didn't make sense to him). She had asked for his phone number, and smiled at his jokes, and now she was actively touching him. This was not a facet of human interaction that he was familiar with, and it seemed that she was going to continue pushing him into ever more unfamiliar waters.

How was he supposed to act around her now that she had initiated a new step in their relationship? He would have to talk to Angela later.

Hodgins had taken Zach's rare moment of distraction to steal the better of the two remaining spots, forcing him to sit on the very outer edge of the booth and shift awkwardly so as not to hit his legs against anyone else's.

"Sorry we're a bit late you guys, has everyone already ordered?" Shilloh asked, looking around for menus and wondering what she wanted. It didn't really matter, she decided, just so long as it was cheap.

"No, Bones wouldn't let us eat without you, she said it would be rude," Booth grumbled from the middle of the booth, having been coerced into joining the group instead of taking up his usual residence on one of the bar stools.

"Booth, it's culturally unacceptable to begin a meal when all the participants have not arrived," Brennan admonished lightly, before turning her attention to Shilloh. "Hodgins tells me you're a graphics intern? How did you get your position with the Jeffersonian?" She asked, seemingly interested in how Shilloh had come to travel across the country for her current internship.

"I have no idea, actually. I sent in a letter expressing my interest, but I didn't think I would even be taken as a serious consideration, let alone actually picked from all of the applicants. It was a huge surprise, and I spent quite a bit of time trying to juggle things around to make it possible for me to come down here," Shilloh answered, trying not to feel embarrassed over how poor a student her statement made her look.

"You didn't think you'd be accepted? Then why did you apply?" Brennan asked, to which she got several disapproving looks and one whispered, 'that's not an appropriate question,' from Angela. "Why not? Zach applied for his internship position knowing that he had the qualities required for the position, even if he was worried that there would be others more qualified than him, he still felt he would stand a reasonable chance at getting it. It sounds, however, that you applied thinking that you didn't posses the qualities required. So I'm curious as to why you applied. How is that an inappropriate question Angela?"

Shilloh laughed, and it was the second time that Hodgins was surprised at her reaction to a question that otherwise would have made someone feel out of place.

"I applied because DC was the farthest I could get from my house and still have a legitimate reason for doing so. There were several places closer to home that I felt much more comfortable with, but, they were closer to home," she shrugged her shoulders and reached for Angela's water, taking a sip of it and placing the cup down in front of her, to which Angela scoffed slightly and replaced the water back in front of herself.

OKAY YOU GUYS I SWEAR I'LL ADD MORE LATER TONIGHT. I JUST WANTED TO ADD THIS SO YOU LOVELY PEOPLE KNOW THAT I AM UPDATING AGAIN.

ONCE AGAIN, I'M SO, SO SORRY FOR PRACTICALLY ABANDONING THIS STORY (YOU) FOR SUCH A LONG TIME