Chapter 9. This is a lighter fluffier chapter because the story is about to get rather dark so I hope you enjoy it.

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: Actually I do own all the characters in this chapter.

"Experience, travel - these are as education in themselves"

Euripides

"Stop sulking," Katharine told Daniel as she looked up from her novel. They were sitting on flight 1647 from Washington Dulles International Airport to San Francisco International Airport.

"I am not sulking," Daniel replied annoyed.

"Yes," Katharine told him firmly, "You are. Now stop it."

"I am not sulking," Daniel replied still staring out the window.

Katharine sighed and closed her book. "Daniel," she told him in a polite tone, "We are going to be on this plane for another five hours, and then in the car together for another two."

"What is your point?" Daniel asked.

"The point is that I do not care if you do not like what we came here to do," she told him, "You will do it, and you will be pleasant about it."

Finally Daniel turned to look at her. "So you want me to be happy about going to visit friends with the sole purpose of tearing apart their lives again?" Daniel asked her incredulously.

"No where did I tell you to be happy," Katharine reminded him, "I only ever said pleasant."

Daniel looked at her for a long moment and shook his head. "I just hate doing this to them."

"So do I," Katharine told him, "I hate that we have to go in there and tell them its not simple and clear cut. I hate that we have to go in and tell them that one of their daughters survived only to be killed eight years later. I hate that we might give them false hope for their other daughter only to have to tell them that she is dead too."

"And yet here you are," Daniel remarked. There was no particular hidden message in his tone. It was just a simple statement of fact.

"Yep," Katharine replied with almost a smile, "Here I am for two reasons. One. It is my job, no matter how much I wish it were not. Two. We both know this is a necessary process if we want a prayer of finding the other sister alive."

"Doesn't mean I like it," Daniel told her.

"Never said you had to," Katharine replied succinctly. There was a pause. "You do realized why Camille…Dr. Saroyan sent both of us right?"

"To keep me from bailing on the project," Daniel suggested.

"No," Katharine told him then considered, "Well yes, but—"

"To make sure no one was working with out a partner," Daniel interrupted her.

"No," Katharine replied and then was forced to amend, "Well yes, but—"

"To—" Daniel started again.

"No," Katharine told him forcefully, "My turn!" He raised an eyebrow at her as a bemused expression spread over his face. He had been bating her, and they both knew it. "We can now play good cop/bad cop."

"How do you mean?" Daniel asked her.

"You are here to comfort and take care of the family," she replied, "I am here to ask the tough questions and be unpleasant if necessary."

"Dr. Saroyan actually told you to do that?" Daniel questioned her.

"Yes…well no…sort of," Katharine explained, "It was implied."

"When?" he asked.

"In the conversation when she told us we were going…coming…whatever…" Katharine finished a little exasperatedly.

"I didn't hear it," Daniel told her.

"Well of course you didn't," she replied with a smirk, "Men are impervious."

"Hang on a second," he told her annoyed. There was a pause. "This is my punishment for baiting you isn't it?"

"Part of it," she replied with a smirk.

Daniel groaned. "What is the rest of it?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Katharine replied.

Daniel leaned back in his seat and sighed. "Darn you," he told her.

"And this is why I get to play bad cop," she informed. Of course it was not the only reason. Having Daniel play bad cop with people he knew and cared about would just be a recipe for disaster. Anyway, she was not actually sure that Daniel could work up enough anger to play bad cop with anyone.

"Why do I get the sense that you enjoy playing bad cop more than any sane person should?" Daniel asked her.

"Now Daniel," Katharine chastised, "It is not nice to imply that people are insane when you have only just met them."

Daniel scoffed at that. "I have spent an hour on a plane with you already. I think that should count for something, and as you pointed out earlier we will have some good quality time today."

Katharine grimaced at that. Her plan to draw Daniel out of his sulky mood had worked perhaps a little to well. He was starting to return her jibes. On the other hand that could be fun. Who knew what she could learn about him in the next seven hours.

"Well then," she told him, "Let's talk about something deep and revealing." Daniel's eyes widened, and Katharine smirked.

"Okay then," Daniel said recovering himself, "First crush." Katharine froze. She had been kidding.

"I don't remember," she replied automatically, silently cursing when she realized that, in this context, that answer was not particularly believable.

"Really," Daniel asked her, apparently agreeing with Katharine's silent assessment of her answer.

"I cannot answer that question in a professional context," she tried hoping that excuse would work better than the first. Unfortunately for her, it did not. "You know what fine," she told him finally cracking under Daniel's calm yet soul-penetrating gaze, "William McGreggor."

"And…" Daniel prompted. She had made such a big deal out of it that there had to be a story behind it.

"He was dating Elise," she replied without thinking. She had not meant to tell him that, but there was something about him that instilled confidence.

"And that is why you don't like her," Daniel assumed.

"Just one of the many reasons," Katharine told him with an overly fake smile.

"Nice to know you don't hold a grudge," he replied sarcastically.

Katharine just smiled. "Me? Never."

Don't you love those two? So next chapter will probably involve real Bones characters… Did you like this one? Please Review.