Episode 6.5x08: The Mother in the Mentalist ~ Written by NatesMama

Brennan tapped her foot as she watched the luggage roll by endlessly on the carousel. It always seemed to work out this way, no matter where she and Booth went, he always found his bags first while she ended up searching in vain, until the inevitable…

"Bones! Your luggage is right here!" Booth pulled her rolling suitcase over to her, happy grin firmly in place. "I don't know how you always miss it."

With a resigned sigh, Brennan snatched the handle out of his hand and stalked away, mumbling her thanks under her breath. Booth ran slightly to keep up, one hand cupped over his ear.

"What was that, Bones? Was that a 'thank you'?" He chuckled when his partner turned around and glared. "Why, Dr. Brennan…where are your manners?"

"Could we get to the rental counter so we can get out of here, please? I have a body to examine." Looking around at the signs for a direction, Brennan pointedly ignored Booth as he came to a stop next to her.

Booth reached in vain for her suitcase, knowing she would shrug off his offer. With a grin, he pointed towards the front of the airport, leading the way. "You need to relax, Bones. Enjoy the scenery. Savannah is a beautiful city; we should enjoy some of it while we're here."

"How would you know?" She was still a little miffed at his easy, carefree attitude. "When were you in Savannah, Booth?"

"During Ranger training. Fort Benning is about five hours from here, and we took the drive one year for the St. Patrick's Day celebration, which is legendary. I ended up coming back so I could see what the city looked like when it wasn't dyed green and I wasn't completely plowed." Booth grinned at the memory as he stepped up to the rental counter and reached for his wallet, where he was unceremoniously bumped aside by his partner.

"Booth, I am renting the car. You will just try to get some kind of two-passenger sports car that is a paradigm of how desperate you are to cling to your waning youth, yet completely impractical for our needs on this trip." Brennan pulled the paperwork over to her side of the counter and began entering her information.

"Bones…" Booth sighed and turned to glance out the floor to ceiling windows behind them. He could see from his vantage point that there was, indeed, a 2011 cherry red Corvette sitting in the rental lot. He could practically hear it calling his name. Looking back at Brennan, he crossed his arms across his chest. "My youth is not 'waning'. I'm still a young man, relatively speaking."

"You just turned forty, Booth. Anthropologically, you would be considered an elder of the tribe in most cultures." Brennan had her back turned, so she didn't see Booth sticking his tongue out at her petulantly. The rental car clerk, however, did not miss it and his snicker clued Brennan into Booth's childishness. She turned her attention to the clerk. "He is making faces behind my back is he not?"

"Yes, ma'am." He replied, squelching his urge to laugh when Booth glared at the supposed betrayal.

Accepting the car keys and taking her credit card back, Brennan turned and regarded Booth carefully. "Perhaps you are right, Booth. Your behavior indicates that you are, most certainly, not quite a grown-up as of yet." She grabbed her suitcase and walked towards the exit.

"You admit that I'm right, but somehow, when you say it like that, it doesn't sound like I won at all." Booth sighed, following in her wake with less than his usual enthusiasm.

When they reached their completely serviceable four-door sedan, Brennan decided that her pouting partner had suffered enough and tossed him the keys, and his heartfelt and completely goofy cheer as he popped the trunk only solidified her decision. She watched as he placed their suitcases in the car, feeling a pang of regret thinking of how such small gestures always made Booth smile, but that she herself failed when he had asked her, all those months ago, for the one thing that he thought would make him truly happy. Shaking off her depressing thoughts for the time being, she made an effort to return Booth's grin as he unlocked her door and ushered her inside.

"Where to, Bones?" Booth asked as he backed out of the parking space. "The crime scene? The hotel?"

"No, we can go directly to the morgue, actually." Brennan tapped the GPS to activate it, checking her list for the address.

"Really? You don't want to go and make sure everything is done to your specifications?" Booth was surprised, generally he had to pacify her by being the go-between for her and whatever law enforcement agency with which they had to share jurisdiction.

Brennan barely blinked at Booth's question. "Dr. Worthington has everything collected from the scene, and since he was the one who taught me everything I know about cataloguing remains, I feel confident that everything has been taken care of."

"Oh yeah…are you excited about seeing your old professor? How long has it been?"

Brennan pointed out the exit they needed to take and then pointedly looked out the passenger window as she spoke. "It has only been a few years since we've seen each other, but it has been about thirteen years since he was my instructor. Professor Worthington was my mentor in skeletal biology and osteology and…" She stopped for a moment, seeming to consider her words.

"What, Bones? You were going to say something else…" Booth glanced at her quickly as he slowed for a stop light.

A small smile crossed her face. "He was the only instructor I ever had that was truly nice to me. He and his wife Sara used to invite me to dinner quite a bit. I think he thought I wasn't eating properly."

Booth shared her grin as he turned into the Chatham County Coroner's office. "I think I like this guy already."

"So, let me get this straight…" Angela strolled into Cam's office, completely disregarding the fact that her boss had her face buried in a double cheeseburger. "Booth went to Georgia with Brennan, correct?"

Cam nodded, mouth full of cheesy, beefy goodness.

"And Bren was called in because her former professor asked her to examine a set of remains found just outside Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, correct?"

"Mmmhmm."

"And the cemetery is not on federal land, right?"

Cam swallowed. "Nope."

"So…" Angela smothered a grin as the other woman shoveled a handful of fries in after the burger.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Angela." Cam was preoccupied with the meal in front of her and wasn't really in the mood to play another round of 'When Will Booth and Brennan Wake Up And Smell The Coffee' with your host, Angela Montenegro-Hodgins'. "All I know is that Dr. Brennan was asked to consult, the board was happy to accommodate her, and I signed off on it. Whether or not Seeley decided that he had to 'keep an eye on his partner' is none of my concern. The big question here is where's my apple pie?"

Angela watched, amused, as Cam searched frantically through the carry-out bags in front of her before she gave a triumphant shout and pulled out a Styrofoam container full of the erstwhile pastry. "Alright, but I'm telling you…the two of them have been really weird lately. Something is up, I can feel it."

Sighing, the suddenly very-full Cam dropped her plastic fork to the desk. "Well, maybe Booth decided to go with Brennan so that they could have a nice, romantic weekend in a beautiful city without prying eyes or nosy artists hanging over their shoulders." She snorted, amused, at Angela's completely manufactured attempt at affront, leaning back in her chair in victory as the other woman joined in the laughter at her expense.

"Alright, alright…maybe, just maybe, I might push Brennan a little hard where Booth is concerned." She took the chair across from her boss's desk. "But you have to admit, at least a little, that we all thought when they came back from their trips that they would…you know?"

Cam nodded. "I know. They would come back, reunite, and finally be a real couple." Sighing, she laid her hands over her expanding middle. "Maybe it's the hormones, I don't know. I just wish one of them would make a move. Put us all out of our misery."

"Yeah." Angela contemplated Cam's words for a moment before standing and moving towards the door. "Well, if you ask me, it ain't happening anytime soon. They're both just as oblivious as ever."

Cam nodded her agreement before grabbing an errant French fry from her desk and munching thoughtfully. "I know, right? My kid will be married before Booth and Brennan ever get their act together."

B&B

When he'd heard that they would be examining the remains in a relatively small county, Booth pictured a work area a lot tinier and less up-to-date than the Chatham County Coroner's office. To his surprise, Booth recognized quite a few of the state-of-the-art instruments that Cam used at the Jeffersonian, so when he found himself leaning against a gleaming counter, watching Brennan inspect the bones in front of her, he almost felt at home. He was even enjoying the impromptu conversation that the entirely personable Dr. Robert Worthington had struck up as soon as his partner became immersed in the one thing she was born to do best.

"So, you and Temperance have been working together for seven years?" Worthington smiled in a way that Booth knew belied the older man's pride in his former student.

"Almost eight, time-wise. We both took a year-long sabbatical, and we just got home a few months ago."

"Ah, yes. The Maluku project. I was excited to hear that Temperance was chosen to head the team. Of course, if they wanted the best…"

Booth nodded. "They needed Bones."

"Exactly." Worthington chuckled. "I love the fact that she allows you to call her 'Bones'. It speaks of an affection I am happy to see her accept. She can be a very stubborn woman when it comes to the usual social mores, like nicknames."

"Is that why you call her 'Temperance' and not 'Tempe'?"

"No, not really. I've just never liked the way it sounded. To me, she was always Temperance. A beautiful name that I find sinful to truncate. Wouldn't you agree, Agent Booth?" He gave the younger man a knowing look.

"Please, just Booth is fine. And yes, it is. A very beautiful name." At the other man's look, Booth grinned. "I know, I know…but when we met, I was trying to get…uh, I mean…you know, build a rapport with her. A nickname seemed like the fastest way to do that."

"Interesting way to go about…getting to know someone." Worthington did nothing to hide the delighted grin that spread across his face. "It sounds as though Temperance didn't mind the name."

"Well…" Booth chanced a look at Brennan, still bent over the remains across the room. "At first, no. But after our first case, we ended on a bad note and didn't talk for almost a year. Then it took about a month to get her to quit telling me not to call her Bones, and another year and a half before she was referring to herself as Bones." He grinned at the memory. "I don't think she even realized that she did it."

"It sounds as though you are close friends. That's lovely; I worried about Temperance when she left school." He leaned into Booth conspiratorially. "People who don't take the time to get to know her find her aloof and sometimes cold. It makes me happy that she has someone in her life that knows better."

"I know. And her whole team at the Jeffersonian are like family. They know, too." Booth cleared his throat at the sudden wave of emotion he was feeling. "We know her."

"Good." Worthington nodded, then turned back to address his former star pupil. "Temperance, dear, is there anything I can help you with?"

Brennan came out of herself and acknowledged her mentor. "Not as of yet, but…Booth? The victim had a hip arthroplasty sometime in the last five years. We can use that to identify her, there is a registration number etched into the plastic."

Booth took out his note cards and nodded. "A hip replacement, got it. Do you have the number, Bones? I can call Angela and she could probably have it within the hour."

Dr. Worthington shook his head. "I am sorry that our servers are down, Temperance. Ordinarily, we would be able to get that information on our own."

"It's no problem, Robert." Brennan removed her gloves and handed Booth a slip of paper. "Angela will be able to find the information just as quickly. And I'm sure she's probably bored with limbo cases, so this will give her something else to do."

"Limbo?"

"Modular bone storage." Brennan grimaced. "I'm sorry, I know that it's disrespectful, but the nickname has become habit with my interns since –"She faltered for a moment, remembering her brightest intern and his fondness for the odd nickname. "They seem to appreciate the shorter moniker, in any case."

"It doesn't bother me in the slightest, Temperance. You know I have a morbid sense of humor." He looked to Booth. "Sometimes you need it in this job."

"You don't have to convince me, Doctor. I'm a cop, we invented bad taste humor."

Worthington laughed. "Oh, I know. The police around here are the worst…which means they have the best jokes." Looking around, and then patting his shirt pocket absently, he found his keys on the counter behind Booth. "Ah, there they are! Temperance, my dear…I am so sorry I can't spend the evening in your delightful company, but I have a previous engagement. Would it be possible to have lunch with the two of you tomorrow? There is a nice little place called the Cobblestone Café? It's on Lower Factor's Walk at River Street and Barnard Ramp. You should be able to find it easily."

"That sounds wonderful, Robert." Brennan looked to Booth, who nodded in agreement. "We'll meet you there at noon?"

"Perfect." The older man leaned forward to accept a quick cheek kiss from Brennan, simultaneously shaking Booth's hand. "I will see you both tomorrow. Don't worry about locking up; the night shift cleaning crew will do that. Have a good evening!"

After Worthington exited the morgue, Brennan began removing her borrowed lab coat. "Are you getting hungry, Booth? I thought that after we got that information to Angela, we could go somewhere and get some dinner."

"Sounds good, Bones." He reached over and slid the coat from her shoulders. "Give Ang a call and I'll go pull the rental around to the entrance."

"Thank you, Booth." Brennan smiled at his retreating back as she dialed Angela's number.

Sweets wandered into the Medico-Legal Lab looking for someone to talk into going to dinner since, with Booth out of town, Claudia was working with another SSA who had no qualms about keeping her in the office as late as possible, and he was on his own. Heading past the platform, he noticed that the only office with the lights on was Angela's. Once he reached the threshold, he found the artist standing in front of the Angelatron, computer pad in hand, obviously talking on the phone.

"Sweetie, I've been to Savannah and the pizza at Vinnie VanGoGo's is the best! Trust Booth on this one, it may be crowded, but it's so worth it!" Sweets watched as Angela's face broke out into a wide grin. "Booth is right, the courtyard is really nice. You could order your pizza to go and sit outside and eat it in the fresh air." She quieted as Brennan spoke. "Alright, Bren. Just try to enjoy the city. It really is beautiful. Yes, I've been there…remember, my dad used to take me out on tour with him. I've been almost everywhere." She paused as the Angelatron beeped. "Hang on; I think we have an ID on your victim."

Sweets watched, mesmerized, as the large computer screen slowed and a Georgia driver's license appeared onscreen. Angela began reading the information to Brennan over the phone, but Sweets attention was centered on the image in front of him and he could hear nothing but the pounding of his own heart and the blood rushing in his ears. "Yeah, her name is Bonita Calloway, age 47. It looks like she was living in a boarding house on Park Avenue, I'll send the information to your phone."

Angela turned and saw Sweets standing there, staring at the screen. "Hey, Sweetie. Sweets is here, let me call you back, okay? Oh, no…we can talk tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything else from me, alright? Alright. Goodnight, Bren. Tell Booth I said hey." She disconnected the call and scrolled through her onscreen functions to save the information she had just uncovered. Turning to speak to Sweets, she was surprised to realize that she was, once again, alone. She stepped to the door of her office just in time to see the young doctor exiting the lab as though the devil himself was chasing him.

"Sweets? Hey! Where are you-" Angela sighed, realizing that he could no longer hear her. "Well, that was weird."

B&B

The next morning, Booth and Brennan met in the guest services room near the lobby of their hotel to grab a quick Continental breakfast before heading out for the day. After receiving Angela's information on their victim the night before, they had made an appointment to speak to the woman who ran the boarding house where Ms. Calloway lived. Brennan was anxious to get the toxicology reports from Dr. Worthington, as her inspection of the bones showed no obvious cause of death. She was leaning towards natural causes, but she wanted the lab studies to confirm, so for the moment they were playing a waiting game…and Booth suggested they take in a few sights while they had the time.

Of course, Brennan was most interested in Bonaventure Cemetery, and while normally Booth would roll his eyes, even he could see the historical significance of the visit as well as the unspoken personal need and was more than happy to indulge her. They wandered the rows of the century-old cemetery, noting the more famous graves such as songwriter Johnny Mercer and poet Conrad Aiken, the partners both expressing disappointment that the famous "Bird Girl" statue, made famous as the cover of the book 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil', had been moved to the Telfair Museum after the book was released.

Brennan led Booth to a far corner of the grounds, where the most important reason for their visit lay. Brennan stood quietly in front of Sara Worthington's ornate marker and made an effort to speak to her friend out of deference to Booth and respect for the woman who was buried in front of her. Booth walked several feet away to give her some privacy and to make her more comfortable.

"Hello, Sara. I-" Brennan took a breath and looked skyward for inspiration. "I am trying not to feel silly, because you meant so much to me, but it's hard. Booth says I should do this so that you know that I remember you, but…I know that you are aware how much your friendship and acceptance got me through some very difficult times. And I will forever be in your debt." She paused again, stealing a glance at Booth, who was reading a marker a few yards away and trying very hard to look as though he was not listening. "Do you remember that conversation we had when you found out about Michael? You told me that I deserved better? I never gave your words much credence then, but now…" Brennan looked directly at Booth this time, not hiding the fact that she knew he was eavesdropping. "Now, I understand. And you need to know, I've found that. And I have you to thank. So…thank you, Sara." She turned away and started walking. "Okay, Booth. You can quit pretending not to listen now."

Once they had seen everything Brennan deemed important in the old cemetery, they headed into town to meet up with Dr. Worthington for their scheduled lunch date. Once inside the small, intimate café, Robert was easy to find among the other diners.

"Temperance…Booth! How was your first night in Savannah?" He pulled Brennan's seat out for her as Booth settled next to him at the table.

Brennan smiled at her former instructor. "It was lovely, Robert. The Planters Inn is a wonderful hotel. Thank you for recommending it."

"I have to agree. Nicest hotel I've stayed in a long time." Booth grinned as he picked up the menu in front of him. "Now, what should I have? Gotta be breakfast, since they serve it all day."

"I would recommend the Cobblestone Casserole, Booth. It's a fairly hearty breakfast, what they call up North 'trash potatoes'."

"Oooh. I love that." Booth closed his menu and looked to an amused Brennan. "That was easy. What are you having, Bones?"

Shaking her head, Brennan perused the menu. "I was trying to decide between the Belgian waffles or the Eggs Benedict."

"Definitely the waffles, Temperance. And make sure you have them top it with pecans and maple syrup. It's wonderful." Robert closed his menu as well. "As for me, I believe I will have the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich."

Booth rolled his eyes, affronted on a personal level that any place outside of Pennsylvania would claim to be able to replicate his beloved hometown signature hoagie. Glancing at the menu, Booth groaned. "Come on, Robert. Mozzarella cheese on a Philly? That's just all kinds of wrong."

As the men debated the advantages of the unnaturally bright orange Cheeze Whiz over actual, real cheese, Brennan glanced around at the décor of the tiny café. The décor was very simple and rustic, and although it was not Brennan's usual type of place, the company more than made up for what the atmosphere lacked.

Robert drew Brennan back into the conversation by asking about their work back in DC, and they filled quite a bit of the time between when their meals arrived to when they were enjoying their last cups of coffee with stories of former cases, as well as a few anecdotes about their respective trips abroad. Robert seemed particularly interested in Booth's return to the military.

"That's extraordinary, that you were literally pursued to come back. It's very impressive, Booth. I myself have always been fascinated with military history, but I was unable to serve due to a childhood illness. It didn't stop me from trying to enlist, however."

Brennan smiled. "You and Booth would have much to talk about; he is also an aficionado of military strategy."

"Well…" Booth shook his head slightly. "I do like to read about it a little. Not really a scholar, though."

Brennan once again let her thoughts drift as Booth and Robert discussed great Revolutionary War battles, a topic that normally would appeal to her as an anthropologist, but held no interest for her today. She was much more fascinated with people watching at the moment. As the men spoke animatedly about the Battle of Brandywine, Brennan's attention was caught up in a couple standing at the door, apparently waiting for a carry-out order. The woman tipped her head up to look at her paramour, a contented smile on her face. But it was the man's expression that had Brennan catching her breath. He was gazing down at the woman with such a devoted, loving look…a look Brennan herself had been on the receiving end of on more than one occasion. A warm, contented feeling crept into her chest, and she felt the beginnings of a smile cross her face. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she never heard Booth calling her name.

"Hey…Bones? Bones? You in there?" He waved his hand in front of her, giving her a confused look.

"Oh…" Robert smirked as if he knew exactly what she had been thinking. "I'm so sorry. I guess I'm still a little tired from the flight yesterday. My mind was elsewhere."

"That's okay, Bones. I was just telling Robert that we need to get going over to the victim's boarding house to speak to the landlady, and then maybe you and I can make plans for later?"

Brennan was confused by Booth's expectant look, but stood with the men as they moved to exit the restaurant. She made arrangements to go over the lab reports once they came in as they said their goodbyes to Robert, then began walking slowly towards where Booth had parked the rental car. As they waited to cross the street, Booth glanced nervously at Brennan, a look she didn't quite recognize on his face.

"Hey Bones…how would you feel about maybe going out for a nice dinner tonight?"

"Really?" That warm feeling in her chest was back in full force.

"Sure. I mean, I basically invited myself along on your trip even though I didn't need to be here, you've indulged my alpha male tendencies by letting me drive…the least I can do is buy you a nice dinner." He smiled and nodded, the effect being that she would have given him anything he asked for at that moment…not that he needed to know that.

"Alright." She tried to sound aggrieved, but her grin gave her away. "I suppose you do owe me."

"There ya go, Bones. I knew you'd agree." He threw his arms over her shoulders as they crossed the street. "What do you say we go do this interview and then head back to the hotel? I hear they have a nice spa, you can go get all girlied up and then we can go have some dinner. Sounds good?"

"That sounds wonderful."

As they left the boarding house where Bonita Calloway had lived before her untimely death, Brennan received a call from Robert, letting her know that the tox screens were back.

"She had traces of ipratropium bromide, glycopyrrolate and pramipexole dihydrochloride in her system when she died. Not so much as a trace of any other foreign substances. Obviously, she had some medical issues." Robert sounded genuinely sorry for the woman.

Booth raised an eyebrow at Brennan in question, so she quickly explained. "Ipratropium bromide would most likely have been to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, commonly known as COPD. The glycopyrrolate would have been used to treat COPD as well, although they are not normally prescribed together."

Robert, who was still on speakerphone, interjected. "It's possible that her doctor had recently switched her from one med to the other, and the former was still in her system."

"True." Brennan nodded.

"What about the third one?" Booth asked.

"Pramipexole dihydrochloride. The only use I know for that drug is for restless leg syndrome. Robert?"

"Well, there are actually a few proven uses for it. Parkinson's, fibromyalgia, sexual dysfunction." He paused. "I know for a fact that it has seen some promising effects on bipolar disorder in a trial study they have been conducting at South University."

"That might be the one, Robert. Her landlady said that she had what she termed a 'mental disorder', so it's possible she was bipolar." Booth looked troubled. "And this is good information, but it really doesn't tell us what happened to her."

"Actually, Booth…" Brennan looked uncomfortable. "I have a…theory."

Booth laid his hand on his chest in mock surprise. "Excuse me? Dr. Temperance Brennan has a…" He gasped melodramatically. "theory? I never thought I would live to see the day!"

Brennan glowered. "If you keep that up, you might not."

Properly chastised and ignoring Robert's amused chuckle over the phone, Booth waved at Brennan to continue. "Let's hear it, Bones."

"Alright…according to her landlady, Ms. Calloway left her home in the early morning hours of August 28 of last year, after telling another resident that she was heading out for some groceries. That was the last time, as far as we are aware, that anyone saw her." Brennan looked to Booth, who nodded for her to go on. "I am sure that August in Georgia is even hotter than it is in DC, so unless there was a cold snap it was probably anywhere between ninety and one hundred degrees, weather-wise."

Robert broke in. "Ah, Temperance…I see where you are going with that." He paused for a moment. "And I've brought up the temperatures from last year; it was over a hundred degrees consistently that weekend in Savannah."

"So it's possible, Robert?"

"I would say more than possible. The most probable cause of death we've been able to come up with thus far."

"What?" Booth was getting a sense of déjà vu. It was just like being in the lab and once again having no idea what was being said around him. "What did she die from?"

"I believe she died from hyperthermia."

Booth shook his head in confusion. "How could she have frozen to death? It was summer!"

"That's hypothermia, Booth. Hyperthermia is heatstroke, which was exacerbated by the medications she was taking. Medications that naturally increase your internal body temperature. It's very possible that she went to the cemetery to get some air, was overcome by the heat, and passed out. Because that part of the cemetery was being renovated, no one was around, and she died from excessively high body temperature." Brennan looked hopefully at Booth, who was nodding in agreement.

"That's a damn plausible theory, Bones. And because she fell outside the cemetery walls, the workers never saw her there. It's the best explanation we've got."

The three were silent for a moment, each imagining the lonely death of the solitary woman they only knew from her bones and the small history she'd left behind. Robert broke the reverie with a question for Booth.

"Was the landlady able to help you find out anything specific about her? Did she have family?"

Booth shook his head before he realized he was talking to the disembodied voice on the phone. "Not according to her records or her landlady. Both parents passed when she was sixteen, no siblings, she escaped the system by, get this, joining the circus."

"Really?" Robert sounded delighted. "That's fascinating. What was her act?"

"She was a fortune teller." Booth smiled a little. "You know, the tent and the crystal ball…the whole shebang. There was a small picture of her with some of her fellow carnies in her effects, and she wore the whole outfit, complete with turban. She was committed."

"I always dreamed of running away with the circus." Robert said, wistfully. "It looked like a lovely sort of way to live."

Booth paled slightly. "Yeah, not me."

"Booth has coulrophobia. He would not be happy at a circus."

"Why do you always have to bring that up, Bones? Huh?"

"Why? It's true. It's nothing to be ashamed of, everyone is afraid of something."

They bickered back and forth for a few minutes, completely oblivious to the stares they were receiving on the street and the laughter coming over the phone line. Once the argument had run its course, they both looked sheepishly to the device still held in Brennan's hand.

"I apologize, Robert. Booth and I tend to get caught up in our arguments now and then."

"Don't apologize on my account, it reminded me of the spirited debates I would have with my Sara." He sounded both amused and wistful.

Brennan looked pained. "Robert…I-"

"Temperance. It's okay. I know." He paused, thankful for a reason to focus elsewhere. "Right now, we should be concentrating on Ms. Calloway. If you don't mind, I will do some investigating and find out if her family doctor is local. Hopefully professional courtesy will allow him or her to confirm our suspicions, and we can put her to rest."

Booth answered for both of them. "Thanks, Robert. We appreciate it. If you need anything give us a call. We're going out to dinner, but we'll be available for anything."

"I don't believe I will need to disturb your evening, Booth. You both go…enjoy the rest of the day." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "And Temperance…relax and have fun tonight. Alright?"

Brennan looked quickly at an expressionless Booth before answering. "I will, Robert. Thank you. Goodbye."

Booth gave her a moment to pocket her phone and collect herself before wrapping his arm around her shoulders again and propelling her towards the car. "Come on, Bones. Let's go get you pampered and relaxed, and then we'll go have a nice meal…on me."

"That sounds perfect." She flicked a quick glance his way, her gratitude at his understanding shining in her eyes. "Thanks, Booth."

"Anytime, Bones. Anytime."

B&B

When Booth and Brennan arrived at their hotel, neither was paying attention to anything but each other. A casual observer would have said that they were a couple, headed upstairs for a little afternoon delight, and not separate rooms to prepare for what felt, to both of them, like a first date.

So it was understandable that they almost missed the slumped form of Sweets sitting in the lobby, obviously waiting for them. "Booth! Dr. Brennan!" The young doctor jumped up and grabbed their attention, ignoring their wide eyes and somewhat guilty expressions. "I need to speak to both of you."

Booth recovered his composure first. "Yeah, Sweets…that's what they have phones for. Speaking with people far away. We don't have to jump on planes anymore to have a conversation."

Ignoring Booth, Sweets turned to Brennan. "I need to speak with you about your victim."

Brennan shook her head. "Dr. Sweets, we've already drawn a preliminary conclusion that she died of natural causes and not foul play. We are not in need of a psychological profile…this isn't even an FBI case, Booth is here simply to sightsee and to keep me company."

"N-natural causes?" Sweets choked out. "Are you sure?"

Booth's eyes narrowed, picking up on something in Sweets' demeanor that spoke of more than an over-enthusiastic need to help with a case. "It's a working theory right now. But you're not here for a profile, are you, Sweets?"

Sweets nodded. "I-" He looked around frantically for a moment. "Is there somewhere we can talk?"

"Yeah, sure." Booth pointed to the entrance to the hotel bar, shooting Brennan a look that told her to go along with it for now. Despite her confusion, she trusted Booth's judgment and followed obediently behind the two men as they made their way into a darkened corner of the establishment. They slid into a booth, with Brennan in the middle, Booth waving off the waitress as she appeared.

"Alright, Sweets. What's going on? You've got our attention."

Sweets' eyes darted back and forth between Booth and Brennan, trying to decide who would be the most sympathetic to his cause. Settling on Brennan, he looked her in the eye as he revealed his reason for being in Savannah. "Bonita Calloway was my birth mother."

Brennan sucked in a breath and immediately reached out to grasp the younger man's arm. "I am so sorry, Sweets."

"Yeah." Booth's voice was rough and low. "I'm sorry, kid."

"Thanks, I…I never met her. I tried, you know. I looked all over Florida and Mississippi and a couple other states years ago, trying to track down whatever circus she was running with, but it seemed like I always just missed her." He cleared his throat nervously. "It was hard to get the carnies to talk to me, you remember…" Both nodded in agreement. "And the ones I did get to talk were pretty vague. I knew her stage name at one point, but she changed it a few times, so…"

"It got harder and harder to track her on your own." Brennan smiled sadly.

"Yeah." He shook his head. "I wasn't working with the FBI at the time, and I was still in college and…there wasn't extra money to hire anyone, so I was on my own."

"Is that why you're here, Sweets? To find her?" Booth asked softly.

Brennan's brow furrowed. "But, it's too late now, Booth. His birth mother is-" At her partner's look, she stopped. "Too literal."

Sweets went on as if Brennan had never spoken. "Yes, I want to find out about her, if that's possible. I know this isn't an FBI case, and I'm not technically her next-of-kin…"

"Actually, you are her next-of-kin. She never married, and she had no other children. Anything you want to know, it's yours, Sweets." Booth reached down next to him and pulled out the case file. Handing it across the table, he kept a grip on the folder as the younger man held his end. "If you need any other information, anything…I can find it out for you. All you have to do is ask."

Swallowing over the sudden lump in his throat, Sweets nodded. "Thanks, Booth."

The partners watched as Sweets flipped through the folder, stopping to stare at the driver's license picture enclosed. "You know, Sweets…we spoke with the landlady at the last place your mom lived, I could run you over there. She was nice, and she knew your mom a long time. She could probably tell you a lot about her."

Blinking to fight a sudden rush of tears, Sweets nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that. But not today." He stood suddenly, clutching the file like a lifeline. "I, uh…I checked in here, if you guys don't mind, and I think I just want to go upstairs and get settled, maybe order in some dinner."

Booth glanced at Brennan, who nodded slightly. "Sweets…we were going to go out later for a nice dinner, you're welcome to join us."

"No." He half-smiled at how conciliatory Booth was being. "Thanks, but…I think I just need some time alone."

"We understand, Sweets." Brennan replied, and he could see in her eyes that she did. "You should call Claudia, however."

Booth smiled with pride at how Brennan instinctively knew that Sweets would need his girlfriend at a time like this. "Yeah, give Turner a call; let her know how you're doing."

"I will. I…sort of left without telling her where I was going." He looked sheepish. "I'll call her as soon as I get upstairs." He turned to head out of the restaurant, then thought better of it and stopped to face his friends again. "Guys, I-just, thanks. I know this isn't exactly protocol, so I appreciate you giving me all this information."

"Of course, Sweets." Brennan smiled softly. "And maybe we can meet for breakfast tomorrow before you go to speak with your mother's landlady?"

This time, Sweets' smile was full and genuine. "Sure, Dr. Brennan. I'd like that. I'll see you then."

They both watched closely as Sweets walked from the restaurant, looking like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Booth shook his head and waved the waitress back over. "Poor kid. All he wanted was to know his mother, and now…"

"I know. I feel terrible for him, Booth." Brennan paused while Booth ordered them both a cup of coffee, and then continued. "Isn't there something else we can do for him?"

"Right now, no. Just having the file, learning all he can…that's probably all he can process now anyway." The waitress brought their coffees and he nodded his thanks. "I will call the landlady and tell her to expect him, maybe ask her if she'll give him his mother's things."

"That's a good idea. Then he'll have something tangible of her." Brennan nodded softly, unknowingly twisting her own mother's ring.

Booth reached over and took her hand, running his thumb over her ring absently. "I know, Bones. It's important."

With a sigh, Brennan leaned slightly and rested her head on Booth's shoulder. "I find that I am suddenly not up to a spa treatment. I would just like to go upstairs and take a hot bath and rest before we go to dinner." She turned her head to look at him. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, Bones. That's just fine." Ignoring the fact that neither had touched their drinks, he stood and offered her a hand up. "Why don't you head up and do what you need to do, and I'll make the phone calls to the lab and Robert. Sound good?" He threw a few dollars on the table before they walked toward the lobby.

"Thank you, Booth. That sounds wonderful." They stood in front of the elevator doors for a moment, exchanging a look that was filled with understanding, affection and a little bit of sadness for their friend. When the car arrived, Brennan stepped on and turned to face Booth. "I'll see you for dinner?"

"You bet. I'll be waiting right here for you." Booth smiled as the doors closed, not missing her returning grin.

Once Brennan was gone, Booth rubbed his face with one hand, sighing heavily. As he walked toward the main doors of the hotel, he thought about how this trip had turned into something completely different than he had been expecting.

He and Brennan had been moving closer, that much he'd known. Hell, they'd all but promised themselves to each other back when Richard had unceremoniously shown up in DC, wanting another chance with Brennan. But beyond a glance here, a smile there, and a few pointed conversations, they hadn't progressed any further. And while the wait was definitely shorter than the previous seven years, it still made Booth nervous. He had never been the kind of man who liked to hurry things; in fact his patience was legendary. But this whole relationship…thing with Brennan, he was just simply out of his element. He knew he wanted to be with her, and she wanted to be with him. He suddenly wondered to himself just what the hell they were waiting for.

Standing in front of the hotel with his cell phone in his hand, Booth began dialing Angela's number to update her on the case, but his focus was on his dinner that evening with Brennan. Just as the artist answered the call, one thought solidified in Booth's mind and a smile filled with naked realization and anticipation spread across his face.

It was finally time for more than just partners.

"Lance! Where the hell are you?" Claudia sounded frantic, but just hearing his voice had calmed her down from the near blinding panic she'd felt when she listened to his earlier voice mail, a disjointed message about mothers and seeing someone's face at the lab and airplane tickets to somewhere intelligible. "I've left messages for you all over the place!"

Sweets released a breath, feeling the coiled tension of the last fourteen hours start to dissipate at just the sound of her voice. He felt immeasurably guilty for not leaving her more detailed information, but even he could admit that he hadn't been in his right mind when he had driven, half-dazed, to Reagan National and booked a stand-by ticket to Savannah. "I'm so sorry, Claudia. I just…I'm in Savannah, Georgia."

"Georgia? With Booth and Brennan? Is it case-related? Why didn't you just tell me that? I've been losing my mind after that weird message you left me, and-"

"Claudia." The pleading in his quiet voice stopped her cold. "The body Brennan was here to examine. She's…my mother. My birth mother."

"Oh, Lance." Claudia breathed, understanding and sympathy almost palpable, even over hundreds of miles of phone lines. "Are you alright?"

Sweets smiled slightly. This was why he loved her. She didn't ask for details, she didn't need specifics. All she needed to know was that he was hurting. "I want to say yes, I'm fine. But I'm so not."

"I'm sorry, babe. I know this isn't how you wanted to find her." Claudia was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, too…that I couldn't find her for you before now."

"Oh, Claude…" He sighed. "I know you tried. She just didn't want to be found." After they had been dating about six months, Sweets had finally gotten up the nerve to explain the marks on his back, marks that Claudia had noticed, but carefully chose not to mention. She knew what the harsh, striped scars meant, but she also had instinctively known that when he was ready he would tell her about them. The night he revealed his entire past to her, she had held him as he cried for the boy he used to be and for the woman who had, unwittingly, placed him in the hell he'd been forced to endure. After that, Claudia promised that she would discreetly enquire about Lance's birth mother through the proper channels. She'd wanted so badly to get him the resolution he'd been seeking, and maybe even some of the peace she knew he needed.

"I just wish…oh, I don't know what I wish." She drew a deep breath. "But what I know is that I am on the next plane out of here, you shouldn't be alone."

"No, no…really." She tried to stall his protest, but he was resolute. "Seriously, Booth and Dr. Brennan are here, and they know…well, they know. You know?"

"Really?" Claudia was shocked that Lance had shared his past with the partners. "I didn't realize."

"I can't get into specifics out of respect for them, but a situation presented itself where things came out, you know? And they…were very supportive. And besides, this is probably only going to take a day or so. I don't want you to come all the way down here and have to turn back around again."

"But I don't mind. Really."

"I know. And I'm grateful. I just…I'll speak to a few people who knew her, make some arrangements for her, and then I'll come home."

It went against everything she believed in, but Claudia finally agreed to stay where she was. "Alright. But you know that I'm just a phone call away, right?"

"I love you, Claude."

"I love you, too. Never doubt that."

B&B

Brennan assessed her appearance in the reflection of the closed elevator doors. Objectively, she knew she looked good, so her nervousness was confusing to her. And when the car finally reached the lobby, her breath caught in her throat and her heart rate sped up, which did nothing to quell the anxiety that she was feeling. With a deep breath and a nod, she waiting impatiently for the doors to open, pulling a surprised breath through her teeth at the sight in front of her when they finally parted.

Booth was leaning against the pillar closest to the elevator, dressed in a dark, elegant suit that draped his lean body perfectly, a single white rose in his hand and a soft smile on his face. The smile faded into wide-eyed admiration as he took in Brennan's appearance.

Not knowing that she would need something nice to wear for a night out, Brennan hadn't brought a suitable outfit with her to Savannah. The problem was solved quite easily by a quick, surreptitious trip to an upscale boutique a few doors down from the hotel. The dress she chose was a vintage Givenchy, a classic Greek design with a braided bodice in a deep eggplant color that set off her chestnut hair and made her pale skin glow against the dark fabric. It was not something she normally would have chosen for herself, but this evening seemed to call for something special. And judging by the look on Booth's face, Brennan knew she had chosen correctly.

"Bones…" His voice came out huskier than he intended, and he cleared his throat nervously. "You are amazing."

The slight blush that colored her cheeks only made her more attractive to him, and he reached out and handed her the flower he still held clutched to his chest. She took the bloom and immediately held it to her nose, inhaling the rich scent with closed eyes and a slight smile. Looking Booth up and down with obvious appreciation, Brennan heard the elevator as it closed behind her, and then leaned her back against it. "You also look very handsome, Booth. And thank you, for the compliment and the flower."

Booth offered her his arm, and she linked hers through his at the elbow. "That is a Cherokee Rose. The state flower of Georgia. I know it's not your favorite, but I saw it and thought it was beautiful."

"It is, very. And it smells wonderful." Brennan looked down shyly as they crossed the busy foyer, not noticing the several heads turning as the attractive couple walked arm in arm towards the doors and out into the warm evening.

"Oh, Booth…this is such a nice choice." Brennan breathed as they entered Elizabeth on 37th, a 1900's Southern mansion converted into a restaurant in the early 1980's.

Booth relaxed more as Brennan gazed, fascinated, at the simple but elegant interior. From the paintings on the walls to the polished wood accents, the atmosphere was very much like she imagined life back in the mansion's heyday would have been. The maitre d showed them to their table, nestled in the back of the dining room in a private alcove. Booth held her chair for her as the wine list was placed on their table by their waiter, who introduced himself as Michael.

"Our wine captain for tonight will be with you shortly. May I start you with an aperitif?"

Booth nodded. "Would you happen to carry a manzanilla sherry?"

"Of course, sir. For you and the lady?"

"Please. And we'll start with the mozzarella and tomatoes." Booth glanced at a shocked Brennan as he pretended to be engrossed in the wine list.

"Right away, sir." The waiter nodded approvingly and moved to another table.

Brennan shook her head in amazement. "Booth…where did you hear about manzanilla sherry? I love that before a meal, but…"

"How did I know? Dr. Brennan, I am full of surprises." He grinned, unable to keep up the ruse. "Okay, actually…before college I worked in a restaurant just like this one, and I picked up a thing or two. Plus, we have eaten together before, and you've mentioned how much you enjoy a sherry before dinner."

"I…I did?" She was amazed at his memory.

Nodding, Booth smiled. "Once, at Sid's. We were there for dinner and he was out of sherry, and you were disappointed."

"Booth! That was over six years ago! I can't believe you remembered that!"

"I remember quite a bit about you, Bones. Even the things you don't think are important." He slid his hand across the table and took her hand. "You might not think they're worth remembering, but I do. I always do."

Brennan giggled a little. "Is it terrible that I found that a bit…"

"Cheesy? Too much?" Booth broke out into a full-out grin. "Yeah, I might have pushed that one a little." His eyes darkened, despite the smile. "Doesn't make it any less true, though."

"I know." Her satisfied nod was more than enough for him. She fought another blush and looked him in the eye so there was no doubt of her sincerity. "I do know, Booth."

After a lovely meal full of good food, excellent wine and even better conversation, both partners found that although they wanted to extend the evening, the effects of the last few days were wearing on them and so they decided to head back to the hotel. Ever the gentleman, Booth walked Brennan to her door, pausing outside as she retrieved her key from her handbag.

"Thank you for coming tonight, Bones. I had a really nice time." He looked at his feet for a moment, almost shy.

Brennan was amused at the sudden bashfulness coming from her big, tough partner, but fought to keep it out of her voice. "I had a nice time, too. Thank you for dinner…and the flower…for everything."

Looking back up, Booth caught her eye and grinned boyishly. "Yeah? Good. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Bones."

"I always enjoy myself with you, Booth." The obvious truth to her words rocked him to his core.

"Well…" At a loss for words, he took her key from her slack hand and used it to open her door. As he handed it back to her, he leaned close and kissed her cheek, pausing for a moment to take in her scent one more time. "Good night, Bones. Sweet dreams." He turned and walked the short distance to his own room.

Brennan watched as he opened his door and then took one more look back at her. "Good night. Sleep well, Booth."

They entered their rooms at the same time, both doors closing simultaneously.

Hodgins watched from the doorway of the office as Angela listlessly flipped through images on the Angelatron. He noticed, not for the first time, that her shoulders were slumped in defeat and her hair didn't have the same shine that it usually did. Making sure to step heavily so she wouldn't be startled, he entered the office to stand next to her.

"Angela? Are you ready to head home? There's nothing else to do to help Brennan, right?"

Shaking her head, Angela sighed. "No, but…I wish there were something I could do to help Sweets." She glanced at her husband. "You heard, right?"

"Yeah. Cam told me earlier. Poor kid." He reached his hand out and took hers, trying not to wince as she pulled back gently and headed for her desk to store her computer pad and grab her purse.

"I just…" She looked around for a moment before seeming to resign herself to something Jack knew she wouldn't vocalize. "Never mind. Let's just go home."

B&B

Brennan made her way down to the hotel restaurant the next morning with a light step and a smile on her face. Dinner with Booth the night before had been lovely, and if she were honest with herself she would have to admit that it was the best first date she had ever had…even if she and Booth never actually referred to the meal they shared as a date. The Seeley Booth who sat across from her at the elegant, linen-draped table was a version she had never seen before. He was erudite, charming and flirtatious all at the same time, a combination she found she liked very much. But she also enjoyed the Booth who could be goofy and self-deprecating, and the one who instinctively knew when she was hurting and needed a hug, and the one who intentionally pushed her buttons to get a rise out of her…they were all facets of the man she had come to care about so much in the last eight years, and it thrilled the anthropologist and the woman in her to discover even now that there was so much more for her to learn.

Thoughts still on Booth, Brennan almost missed Sweets sitting at the table closest to the entrance to the restaurant.

"Dr. Brennan, good morning." The young psychologist stood as Brennan pulled out her chair and settled next to him.

"Good morning, Dr. Sweets." She paused, not sure if she should continue with more inane pleasantries or inquire as to how he was feeling. Instinctively playing a round of 'What Would Booth Do?' in her head, she decided an honest but caring approach would be the correct one. "Did you speak with Claudia last night?"

"Mmm, yes." Sweets finished his second cup of coffee and waved to the waitress for a refill, as well as to order a beverage for Brennan. "She was upset that I didn't tell her where I was going, but she understood."

"I imagine she offered to come down here on the first flight?"

"Yes." Sweets was slightly surprised at Brennan's insight. "How did you know?"

"Because it's what I would have done." They shared an understanding look, both knowing for whom Brennan would have jumped on the first plane she could find.

"Claudia is really great. I'm lucky to have her."

A half smile crossed her face. "I'm glad." For a moment, they glanced at each other out of the corners of their eyes, not quite sure how to continue the conversation. As the waitress took their breakfast orders, Brennan looked worriedly towards the lobby for Booth, an act Sweets picked up on immediately.

"Did you get in late last night, Dr. Brennan? Maybe he's still sleeping."

Shaking her head, Brennan sipped her coffee. "No, we were back relatively early and I saw him enter his room at the same time I went into mine, so…"

"Shouldn't you call him, then?"

"I'll give him a little longer. I know he was tired last night." With a decisive nod that signaled the end of the discussion on Booth's whereabouts, Brennan focused on her dining companion. She considered her words for a moment, suddenly frustrated by her lack of depth in this area. "I'm sorry, Dr. Sweets. I don't know the right thing to say about your mother. And I know that it is not the same situation that I-"

"It's alright, Dr. Brennan. Your empathy is more than enough, really. I appreciate it more than you know." Sweets sighed and picked at his toast. "I just…I wish I had gotten to know her. At least met her in person. Even if she didn't want to see me again, I would know what her-" He trailed off, unable to finish.

"You would know what her voice sounded like." Sweets looked up and his heart squeezed at the sheen of tears in Brennan's eyes. "You would be able to recall the feel of her skin, the scent of her hair. The things that make her…unique."

"Yes!" He nodded frantically. "And I'll never know any of that now! I feel like she cheated me in some way, like she didn't think I was worth getting to know…like she was avoiding me."

"Do you know if she was even aware that you searched for her?"

It was a question he had both feared and turned over in his head millions of times. "Not really…no. I mean, I'd hoped, you know? I hoped that she didn't know and that my lack of success was just pure and simple bad luck, but…after awhile and a dozen dead ends, I started to think that she just didn't want to be found."

Brennan considered her words carefully for a moment. "You researched the carnival circuit extensively, correct?" At his nod, she continued. "Then you are aware of the transient nature of the lifestyle. Oftentimes, there is no rhyme or reason to where they travel, and when they find a route that seems to be the most lucrative they stay that course until another opportunity presents itself, which could come at any time."

"Maybe." He shook his head again and looked into the intense stare of the woman next to him. "Thanks, Dr. Brennan. You've really gotten good at comforting others, I appreciate it."

She moved her head to the side in acknowledgment. "You're welcome. But my strides in that area can be directly attributed to Booth's influence."

"Booth's a good man."

Brennan shrugged imperceptibly. "Yes, I am aware of that."

They resumed their breakfast as if nothing significant had happened, exchanging a knowing look when Booth came rushing in ten minutes later, hair still damp and wallet in hand.

"Hey, you two. Sorry I'm late; they didn't give me my wake-up call this morning." He sat down next to Brennan and began flipping through the menu. "I didn't miss anything, did I?"

Sweets looked to Brennan with a half smile. "No, Agent Booth. You didn't miss a thing."

Booth caught the glance but chose not to comment on it. He quickly ordered his meal, and then handed Sweets a card that held the address of the last home his mother had ever had, along with the landlady's name and phone number.

"I called Mrs. Jenkinson this morning before I came down, and she said she would be happy to speak with you." Booth blinked a few times and hid a smile when Brennan reached over and covered Sweets' hand with her own.

"Would you like us to accompany you, Dr. Sweets?" She looked to Booth questioningly. "I don't believe we have anything particularly pressing to do this morning." She didn't mention that she would need to go back to the morgue to process his mother's remains and complete paperwork to close out her case, but that all could wait if necessary.

Booth shook his head. "No, we're free for awhile. What do you say, Sweets? Want some company?"

Standing and tossing his napkin to the table, Sweets nodded. "I appreciate the offer, really. But…I think I need to do this alone."

"You sure, Sweets?"

With a slightly tentative nod, the younger man demurred. "I'm sure. I'm going to grab a cab and head over there as soon as I call Mrs.-" He glanced at the card again. "Jenkinson."

"Alright." Booth stood and clapped him on the shoulder. "But you call if you need us, got it?"

"Sure. I will. Thanks again." With another short, nod, he ambled off towards the front of the hotel.

Brennan watched Sweets go, a worried expression etched across her features. When he was out of sight, she turned to Booth and saw the exact same expression on his face. They exchanged an understanding smile before turning back to their meals, eating in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Brennan set her coffee cup down and leaned back into her chair. "Booth?"

"Yeah, Bones?" He sat back, mimicking her position.

"Do you think…I mean, I tried to make Sweets feel better before you got here, and I'm afraid I-"

"Bones." He reached out and laid his hand on her knee. "I'm sure that whatever you said, it was the right thing."

"You can't possibly know that, Booth." She sat back up and twisted her napkin nervously. "What if I made him feel worse?"

"But you didn't." He ignored her glare. "Bones. That kid walked out of here a hell of a lot more relaxed than he was last night. It might have something to do with talking to Turner, but it's obvious that whatever you were saying before I got here eased his mind. "

"Do you really think so?"

"I do. You should have more faith in yourself. You do just fine, Bones."

Relying on her gut wasn't something Brennan was accustomed to, but the total belief in Booth's eyes set her mind at ease, and she just decided to accept it. "Thanks, Booth."

"Anytime, Bones." He finished his coffee with a gulp and gestured to her plate of fruit. "Are you done? We need to get you to the morgue to wrap things up."

"Yes. I'll call Robert and ask him to meet us there." She stood, waiting for Booth to collect the bill and head for the cashier. "Technically, the remains are still his purview and I will need to accede to whatever protocol they have established in this particular county."

Booth nodded and pulled out his wallet. "Got it. You call Robert, and I'll pay for breakfast and meet you out front." He watched for a moment as Brennan headed for the doors to the lobby, not bothering to hide his admiration of her retreating form and pointedly ignoring the knowing smirk from the waitress who took his money.

B&B

"You must be Lance." The small, eccentrically-dressed older woman opened the large mahogany door to Sweets, ushering him into the foyer with a flourish. Judging by the tightly-wrapped kimono she wore over her generous curves, Mrs. Evvie Jenkinson decorated her person with the same flair as she decorated her large home…with style, an taste for the dramatic and eye-bleeding color. She pushed her young visitor into a warm but bright sitting room, gesturing him to a paisley settee and taking a seat in a large, orange wingback chair across from him. "Agent Booth tells me that you are Bonnie's son."

"Yes, ma'am." Sweets was a little uncomfortable but intensely curious, taking in the mismatched knickknacks placed around the room. "I was told that you and she were close."

Evvie sniffed quietly, pulling a lace hankie out of her generous bosom. "Yes. Bonnie was a wonderful woman. She lived here for almost four years, and never missed a chance to sit and chat with me. I feel as if I've lost a sister." She gave Sweets a sympathetic look. "I can't even imagine how you must feel, dear."

"Yes, well…" He gave her a little shake of his head and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "To be completely honest, I don't know exactly how I feel. I didn't know my mother at all."

"She talked of you." Sweets didn't hide his surprise. "Yes, she did. Not often, because it was painful for her. But she thought she was doing the right thing by you."

"She did. My adoptive parents were…they were wonderful people." He didn't speak of his experiences before he was taken in by the people who saved his life. He didn't want to waste time rehashing things that couldn't be taken back at the expense of learning more about the woman who gave birth to him, and then gave him up.

Evvie smiled. "Knowing that would give Bonnie some peace." Her eyes narrowed for a moment. "She didn't want to give you away, you know."

That simple statement, starkly and honestly spoken, released something dark and tight in Sweets' chest and he couldn't do anything to stop the rush of wetness that filled his eyes. Evvie pulled another hankie from her blouse and handed it to him, nodding when he wiped his eyes without protest. He took a moment to compose himself, not sure his voice would cooperate. The older woman waited patiently, hands in her lap and calm expression on her weathered features.

Once Sweets was convinced he could speak without breaking down, he sat back up and cleared his throat. "Did she…I mean, she said that she regretted…"

"Please don't misunderstand, love. She did not regret giving you up." At his pale face, she elaborated. "Honey, you have to understand…Bonnie was not well. I assume Agent Booth explained about her mental illness?" At his nod, she continued. "She knew she wasn't equipped to handle a baby, and her lifestyle certainly wasn't the kind of life a young boy needs to grow up right." Evvie sighed sadly. "But it broke her heart to let you go."

Sweets didn't bother to stop the flow of tears this time. And when Evvie stood and moved to sit next to him, wrapping him in warm, comforting arms and flowery perfume, he didn't protest. "I know what you're worried about, dear. But she loved you, she did. I know it sounds like something someone always says in this situation, but she loved you so much she had to let you go. She did what she thought was best."

Recovering slightly, a little embarrassed by his teary display, Sweets sat up straighter, Evvie's arms still around him. There was another important question that had plagued him since he was twelve years old and curious about his roots for the first time. "Did she ever mention my father?"

"No, I'm sorry. I-" Evvie stood again and moved back to her own chair, certain the emotional storm had passed for the time being. "Obviously, I wanted to ask. But she was so careful not to mention anything about your father, I assumed that it was simply too painful and I loved her too much to push." She once again teared up. "I just thought…I…I thought there would be more time."

Sweets waited respectfully as Evvie gathered herself again. "I understand that she left behind some effects? Would it be possible for me to look at them?"

Happy to have a task to accomplish, Evvie jumped up and held out her hand. "Of course! I've left her room almost completely intact, and you are welcome to whatever you would like to have." Feeling anticipation instead of the almost constant dread he had been carrying around with him for the last 48 hours, Sweets grasped the excited woman's slightly damp hand tightly and allowed her to lead him up the stairs.

Booth once again found himself leaning against a steel table with Robert at his side, watching Brennan work. She was cataloguing all the pertinent information on the remains of Bonita Calloway, and even Booth could see that even though Brennan always gave everything she had to each and every victim they worked for; she was taking special steps this time to make sure that everything was done correctly and with as much care as possible. He couldn't even be bothered to hide his affection for her when Robert bumped his shoulder and smiled at him.

"She's an amazing woman, is she not?"

"You will never get an argument from me on that point, Doc." Booth spared him a quick glance, and then turned his attention back to the woman in question. "I assumed that's why you called her down here to do a job you are more than capable of doing yourself."

Robert, to his credit, blushed a bit before laughing. "Guess I'm caught." He glanced at Brennan himself, before leaning into Booth conspiratorially. "I just missed her, and this seemed the perfect opportunity to entice her back to my little part of the world. I hadn't seen her since…." He paused for a moment and looked down sadly.

"Your wife passed away?" Booth finished softly. "I am sorry."

"Thank you. And yes, when Sara died, Temperance was one of the first people to show up on my front steps, offering whatever comfort she could." He paused, unsure of how to vocalize his feelings about the woman in front of him. "I know you know this, but Temperance…she has such a big heart. She was devastated when Sara died, but she pushed that aside to care for me. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her." Booth stayed quiet as the other man continued. "But a heart that big comes with a price. It's like…it's almost too big for her to carry around on her own. She needs…"

"Someone to help her carry it." Booth almost smiled at the metaphor that Brennan would never agree with or understand. "You, my friend, are preaching to the choir."

Robert blinked away the sudden and surprising tears that filled his eyes but looked at Booth steadily. "My Sara would have loved you, Booth."

Booth looked away, slightly embarrassed but not exactly sure why. "I have a feeling I would have really liked her, too."

Brennan called to her mentor, diverting their attention back to the task at hand. "I believe she is ready to be transported, Robert. I will check with Dr. Sweets about arrangements, but we've done everything we can here to prepare her to go home."

Unexpectedly choked up at Brennan's choice of words, Booth cleared his throat and nodded. "Can you handle the paperwork here, Robert? I need to get Bones back to the hotel so we can get the forms on our end done and get ready to head back to DC."

"I will definitely take care of it. Assure your Dr. Sweets that as soon as I know what he has planned, I will give his mother the attention she deserves. Just have him call me in the morning." Robert was aware of their friend's plans for today, and he knew the young man would need some time to make his own arrangements for his mother's internment.

"I expected nothing less, Robert." Brennan, having removed her gloves, moved to embrace him. "Thank you so much for everything."

The older man leaned into her hug, whispering in her ear softly. "I would do anything for you, Temperance, you know that." Standing back, he eyed her critically. "Don't be such a stranger from now on, I don't want to have to invent another reason to entice you to come and see me."

Brennan laughed lightly and hugged him again. "I promise we'll come back soon." None of them missed her unconscious inclusion of Booth in her statement. "We'll talk in the morning, alright?"

Not trusting his voice, Robert nodded. He accepted Booth's heartfelt handshake and watched with quiet delight as Booth led Brennan out of the room, her bag over his shoulder and his hand lying comfortingly on the nape of her neck.

B&B

Sweets found Booth and Brennan in the hotel restaurant again, sitting in a booth very close together and obviously sharing one of their legendary moments where the rest of the world didn't exist. He thought about simply heading up to his room to call Claudia, but Brennan saw him out of the corner of her eye and gestured for him to join them. He crossed the dining room, awkwardly balancing a large box in his hands as he moved to sit. Booth jumped up and took the box, settling it on the floor next to the table.

"How did it go with Evvie, Sweets?" Booth tried to sound casual, not wanting to make the younger man uncomfortable if he wasn't ready to talk.

Sweets gave them both a genuine smile. "Actually, it went really well. We talked about my mother for quite awhile, obviously, and I had dinner with the other residents who knew her. They told me some great stories and…"

Brennan tilted her head sideways. "Did you find out what you needed to know?"

He sighed. "Yes and no." At Brennan's look, he clarified. "I know that's not precise. But there are just some things I'm never going to know, and I have to be okay with that. Evvie gave me some of her belongings, some pictures…" He reached down and pulled a small picture out of the box, handing it to Brennan. She took the weathered paper and gasped as she stared at the image.

"Sweets…is this?" She handed the picture to Booth.

"Aw, Sweets…this is you and your mom?" He held up the photo, a shot of a small, but smiling woman holding a baby wrapped tightly in a blanket. A shock of black hair could be seen sticking out of the top of the blanket.

"Yeah." Sweets nodded. "I don't know how old I was there, but…it doesn't really matter. I know what I need to know for now."

Brennan took the picture back from Booth, tracing the image with her finger as she smiled softly. "And sometimes, that can be enough."

Sweets grinned. "It certainly can, Dr. Brennan."

After signing the final paperwork on the investigation and bidding Sweets goodnight, Booth and Brennan sat at the hotel bar, sipping their individual drinks and regarding each other closely. Both had felt the shift that occurred over the last few days, but it seemed as though, by tacit agreement, they weren't going to vocalize those feelings. They just existed, another layer to an already complex and satisfying partnership. At one point, the silence seemed to surround them like their own personal isolation bubble, and they caught each other's eye. Words were superfluous as Booth held out his hand, palm up, waiting. Brennan, wholly aware of what Booth's invitation implied, slid her own hand into his to entwine their fingers as Booth placed some money on the counter and rose, pulling her with him.

They crossed the lobby to the elevators, sneaking glances at each other but never dropping their hands. Booth rubbed his thumb along Brennan's knuckles as he punched the number for their floor and waited patiently for the elevator to take them up. Once they were standing outside Booth's room, his key in hand, Brennan found that she could wait no longer. She reached up and slid one hand to the back of his neck and pulled him to her, brushing her lips with his. It was a short, soft kiss filled with desire and commitment and everything they'd never had the courage to verbalize before.

Pulling back, Brennan had to gasp at the lust mixed with adoration in Booth's eyes. They were no longer his usual warm brown, but a dark and heated onyx framed by heavy, promise-filled lids. He fumbled with the key at first; the only indication that he was as nervous as she was, finally releasing the latch and pushing the door open with a snap of his wrist. He pulled Brennan through the doorway, walking backwards, until the door shut behind her. When she found her back pressed against the cool wood and her front pressed against the warm agent, all rationality left her and she welcomed Booth's searing kiss, letting him anchor her as emotions swirled around her and threatened to send her flying.

"Booth…" She sighed as he stopped worshipping her lips to press soft, sucking kisses along her collarbone. "The bed, it's right there…" She sighed again when he popped the first two buttons on her blouse and one finger traced the edge of the lacy bra he'd uncovered.

Booth raised his head and smiled predatorily. "No."

"No?" Brennan gulped; sure she had not misread his intentions.

"No." His head moved slowly back and forth. "Not there." He pointed at the door. "Here. Right here." He dipped his head and ran his tongue along the shell of her earlobe, his breath hot against her neck. "I want you everywhere, Bones. Make no mistake. But first…" With one scary-quick movement, Booth hitched her legs up and wrapped them around his waist, pressing her harder into the door. "First, I want you here."

Brennan's head tipped back with a thump, her breathing already erratic as he once again ran his tongue along her exposed skin. "That is…more than acceptable."

B&B

The next morning, Sweets headed for Booth's room to see if he and Dr. Brennan were interested in breakfast before they had to go to the mortuary to make arrangements for his mother's remains, and then leave for the airport. In the elevator, he thought back to how supportive Brennan had been during the last few days. Her understanding and empathy were not surprising to Sweets. He had seen for himself, years ago during an unexpected late night visit in his office, that Temperance Brennan was more than capable of opening her heart when she felt it was necessary. But her support recently was one of the few things that had helped him keep it together and he wondered if there was anything he could possibly do to repay her.

Adjusting his mindset back to the task at hand, Sweets knocked quickly on Booth's door. There was a shuffling of feet before Booth's head popped out of the slightly open doorway. "Hey Sweets. Mornin'"

"Good morning, Booth. I was wondering if you and Dr. Brennan might be interested in breakfast before we check out. I hear their buffet is really awesome!" Sweets leaned back slightly at Booth's frown, feeling like he was missing something.

"Uh…yeah. Sure, man. I think we can do that."

Sweets looked towards Brennan's adjacent door. "Cool. I'll go ask Dr. Brennan then?"

Booth opened his door wider and shook his head frantically. "No!" Clearing his throat at Sweets' raised eyebrows, he explained. "Bones hates getting up in the morning without caffeine. If you knock without a cup of coffee to offer her, you're taking your life into your hands. I'll just call her and get her moving, okay?"

Still confused but too tired, hungry and homesick to care, Sweets nodded. "Alright. I'll meet you guys down there and get a table." He turned and headed for the elevator again, shaking his head as Booth slammed his door shut.

B&B

Breakfast passed quietly, everyone at the table reflecting on the events of the last few days in silence. Sweets was wrapped up in his thoughts of what might have been if he had continued trying to contact his birth mother, while Booth and Brennan each replayed the previous night over and over in their heads, matching enigmatic smiles on their faces. When Brennan's phone beeped with an incoming text message from Cam, she stood to step outside and return her call, knowing that they would be hard to reach while en route back to DC. Not giving her actions a second thought, Brennan leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to Booth's lips, said 'I love you' and walked away, leaving a smug Booth and a stunned Sweets in her wake.

"Dude." Sweets breathed in awe. "Did you guys…? Like, finally?"

Booth waved his hand in Sweets' shocked face. "Look…listen, alright?" He snuck a look outside where Brennan was still chatting with her boss, oblivious to the can of worms she had spilled all over the place. "Bones and I…" He couldn't stop the contented grin from spreading. "Yeah. We're…together."

Sweets couldn't contain his excitement. "Booth! That's…oh, man." He returned the agent's smile. "I'm really happy for you guys. Seriously."

Booth nodded. "Thanks, Sweets."

"What are you thanking him for?" Brennan took her seat again next to Booth, looking between the two men questioningly.

"He was saying how happy he is for us. You sort of outed us there with that kiss, Bones." Booth wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she settled back into his side.

"Oh." She glanced at Booth, chagrined. "I'm sorry. It's just seemed so…"

"Natural." The grin was back in full force. "I know, Bones."

"We so need to talk." Sweets nodded to himself, gearing up to enter what Booth could see was his "shrink mode".

Shaking his head and effectively cutting the kid off before he could psychoanalyze them to death, Booth slapped the table top. "Not now, Sweets. We need to get your arrangements taken care of, right?" He looked back and forth between a confused Brennan and disappointed Sweets. "Right. Let's go, chop chop!" He stood and threw a few bills on the table, forcing Brennan to follow in his wake.

The young psychologist sat at the table for another moment, trying to wrap his head around this new development. "Wow."

"Sweets! Come on already!"

"Coming, coming…" He muttered, standing and joining the partners as they exited the restaurant.

B&B

Hodgins woke up when the light filtering through the curtain hit him in the face, causing him to groan and roll towards his wife. When he reached for Angela however, he realized that she was sitting up in bed, staring ahead at nothing.

"Babe?" Jack struggled to push the covers off as he sat up. Angela didn't acknowledge his call, so he grabbed her hand and pulled her forcibly into his arms. When she still didn't speak, he pulled back and looked into her red-rimmed eyes. "Ang. Enough already."

Angela shook her head. "There's nothing wrong, Jack."

"Like hell there isn't. Angela, you've been distant and quiet since we've been back. Obviously the house situation isn't all that's been bothering you. You barely acknowledge me at work, and when we're home…"

"We've made love every single night since we came back, Hodgins. I-"

"No, we've been having sex." At her hurt expression, he pulled her close again. "I'm not feeling the connection anymore, Angela. It's like…like you're not even here." He pressed a kiss to her head and sighed. "It's as if I left my wonderful vivacious, outgoing wife in Paris, and I have no idea how to bring her home."

With a gasp, Angela buried her face in her husband's shoulder and began sobbing. Her entire body shook as Hodgins rocked her slowly back and forth, whispering comforting, nonsensical words in her ear until she finally began to calm down.

"I'm-" She took the handkerchief he offered her with a small smile, wiping her eyes and nose. "I'm so sorry, Jack." She locked eyes with him, begging him to see the truth. "It's not you…it's nothing you've done. You've been wonderful, putting up with me."

"I love you, Ang. I just want to help you work out…whatever this is. We can figure it out together."

"I know, I know…it was selfish of me to keep it from you. I just didn't know how to tell you that I want to quit the lab."

Hodgins sat back and stared, wondering at how, despite every scenario he had imagined in his head, this particular problem had escaped him. "Okay…you want to tell me why?"

"Honestly? I've never felt completely comfortable there." At his look, she clarified. "The job, the work…yes, it's satisfying. And having all of my family around me, there's nothing I love more. But, Jack…the death, and the mayhem of it all, seeing the awful things we humans can do to each other…it's sad and it's depressing and it's not for me. Not anymore. I'm not sure it ever has been."

Hodgins was floored. "But, why didn't you say anything before? You know you don't have to work, you can open an art gallery, display your own work…you can do whatever you want. Why put yourself through all of that, Ang?"

"You and Brennan, mostly." When Hodgins scoffed, she held up a hand to stop his protest. "And no, I don't think that you made me stay. It's just that…sometimes, I feel like I don't belong there with all of you. I overheard Booth say once that when he's in the lab, he doesn't know where to stand." She wiped her eyes again, and half-smiled. "I know how he feels. Out of place, like a square peg in a round hole. But when we were in Paris…it was like I fit perfectly. Like I found a part of myself I never even knew I was missing. The part of me that can sit in front of a canvas for hours and just…create something out of nothing. Something beautiful, something alive." She took a deep breath and continued. "I started feeling that way almost from the minute we arrived in France, and after awhile…I just didn't even want to come back."

"Wow." Hodgins breathed. "Okay. I mean, I knew you were happy there, I just never imagined that you were happier. I wish you would have said something."

"But I thought we needed to come back here, you know? I know what I do is important, but I've finally realized that anyone could run my programs and I'm not irreplaceable. The only reason I came back and the only reason I stayed is because I love you and Brennan, and even Cam and Booth. I didn't feel as if I had the option to just…quit it all."

"But you do!" His vehement statement surprised her.

"You need me…you all do."

"Of course we do. And of course we love working with you…but, and I think Brennan would agree, not at the expense of your happiness. Come here." He pulled her into a tight embrace and spoke softly into her ear, making sure his words were not missed. "You are the most important person in the world to me. Your happiness is my responsibility, and when you're struggling…it hurts me, especially when I know I have the power to fix it. Yes, we would miss you around the lab every day, but I would still be the lucky bastard to gets to come home to you every night, and that is more than enough for me. And you and Brennan will still be best friends, and you'll still go out to dinner…you aren't going away, you're just adjusting your life. You're allowed to do that."

She nodded into this chest. "Thank you. I feel terrible now for not telling you sooner. I should have known you would understand." She kissed him softly. "You are the most amazing man."

"Yeah, well…" He grinned. "I get that a lot."

"So, I guess I'll be turning in my resignation tomorrow." She sat up, a shadow crossing her face. "It seems so real when I say it out loud like that. Before, it was just an idea and now…"

"But, now…you've made the decision." He hesitated before asking his next question, almost scared of what her answer would be. "Are you happy about it?"

The smile that graced her face gave off more light than Hodgins had seen from his wife in a very long time, and the tightness that had settled in his chest since they'd been home finally began to loosen it's grip on his heart.

"I have never been happier in my life."

B&B

Brennan, Booth and Sweets sat three astride in first class, with Brennan claiming the window seat and Booth in the middle. Sweets had been gently nudging the newly-minted more-than-just partners for the better part of the car ride to the airport, and hadn't let up since. Finally, Booth reached the end of his admittedly-short patience with the younger man.

"Sweets! It's enough already!" He felt a little bad at the pout Sweets gave him, so he relented. "Look, we're just figuring out what all this means and how it's going to work, so we would appreciate it if you could lay off the analyzing and keep this to yourself for awhile. You're the only one who knows, so don't tell anyone else right now, alright?"

Sweets frowned. "So, what? I'm going to be your "Joey", Chandler?"

Laughing, Booth clapped him on the shoulder. "Yeah. Exactly."

"Sweets is going to be our baby kangaroo?" Brennan asked, leaning into Booth, frown firmly in place. "That makes no sense."

"It's a television show reference, Dr. Brennan. Friends."

"Yes, I suppose we are friends. I still don't get why you're a joey."

"No, it's his given name."

"Joey is the baby kangaroo's given name?"

"No, it's not a baby kangaroo, it's-"

"And 'I don't know' is on third. Yeah." Booth turned to Brennan, effectively ending her migraine-inducing conversation with Sweets. "The television show is called 'Friends', Bones. And there was a storyline where two of the characters, Monica and Chandler, began a relationship that they didn't want any of their other friends to know about, but Chandler's roommate Joey discovered it and promised to keep their secret for them. For a long time, he was the only one who knew."

Sweets leaned over Booth's lap. "Yeah, and it caused him a lot of trouble, too."

"Don't worry, Sweets. No one will be finding my tighty whiteys in Bones' sofa."

"That's because you wear boxers." Brennan smiled saucily. "Or sometimes, you go rogue when you haven't done laundry."

"Commando, Bones. Commando." Booth snuck a quick look at a grinning Sweets. "And don't tell the kid stuff like that, okay?"

The flight attendant chose that moment to lean over and ask for their drink orders. After Booth and Brennan asked for coffee, the pretty redhead looked to Sweets questioningly. He affected what he thought was a deep, Brooklyn accent and leaned back in his seat, smiling. "How you doin'?"

The woman raised an eyebrow in question as Booth laughed in shock. "Sweets! Don't ever do that again! Ever!"

Embarrassed, the young doctor gave his order and proceeded to hide his burning face in a psychiatric journal he had brought with him. Brennan asked Booth what was going on, and Booth told her he would explain later as he took her hand and pulled her close, kissing her temple lightly. Then the three traveling companions settled back in their seats and relaxed as the plane reached cruising altitude, headed for home.

When a mysterious death causes them to be quarantined in a mall overnight, the team struggles to solve the murder with limited supplies while facing the harsh realities that come with their high-stress and often dangerous jobs. Find out how our favorite couples deal with death and life next week in The Dead in the Dawn by Rynogeny.