Spoilers: Not unless you make 'em!
Disclaimer: I like Booth...
Author's Note: Okay, my chapters are getting longer. Good or bad thing? I don't know, you tell me! Ooh, and...road trip ahead? Wink, wink...
Brennan arrived at the lab a few minutes before Booth, giving her a quick window to slip into her office unnoticed, and check her emails and messages. She was sitting silently, staring at the computer screen with a cup of coffee when Angela walked in.
"Geez, Bren, you're late," she said suggestively, giving her a professional smirk. "Late night?" She raised her eyebrows.
"What? Oh, yes, late night." She smiled politely, only half in the conversation. Angela rolled her eyes in defeat. "Why are you smirking, Angela? You didn't have sex with Hodgins in your office again, did you?" Oops, I wasn't supposed to see that...
Instead of looking embarrassed or shocked, like a normal person, Angela looked positively mischievous. "Maybe..." Brennan cringed as Angela smiled to herself, remembering, no doubt.
Just as Brennan was about to say something about ethics, they heard a booming 'good morning' from down the hall; Booth was announcing his presence, and, Angela was interested to note, happy.
"'Good' morning, indeed, Booth," said Angela impishly, smiling knowingly. Booth looked at her in mock offence.
"Can't a man just be happy to see two such fine women on a beautiful morning like this?" Brennan rolled her eyes at his melodramatic emphases.
"Not if he looks like that. You got some, didn't you?" Brennan went bright red and hid her head, instantly interested in the blank screen in front of her. Thankfully, Angela was still too entertained teasing Booth.
"You know, Angela, no offence, but you can sometimes be as clueless as Bones, here." He pointed at Brennan, who was slightly more normally coloured by this point.
"Hey!" she and Angela exclaimed at the same time. "Totally an unfair comment, there, G-man," Angela mock-scolded.
"I take offence to that!" came Brennan's response. With both women staring at him, Booth mumbled something about going to see Cam and left, flattening his tie on the way out.
"Geesh, touchy...Men!" Angela was about to start one of her rants, when Zach walked into the office.
"Doctor Brennan, you're here. The FBI got a hit in the missing person's database. And I found something you might want to look at..." Zach was as factual as usual, but still trying to sound like he belonged within the police department.
"Thanks, Zach. I'll be right down." She got up and looked at Angela. "Did you find anything else in the crime scene photos?"
"Well, there was one thing, but I'm not sure what to make of it yet. There was also something in his pocket; I'm cleaning it up as we speak. By the way, we need to talk later." She looked pointedly at Brennan, who looked utterly confused. This morning was turning out to be particularly odd.
Brennan thought about why Angela could possibly want to talk to her, but soon forgot about everything as she swiped her card, and caught sight of the skeleton.
Her mind was now totally clear; every memory from this morning was forgotten, the conversation she had just had was non-existent. All that remained was this skeleton.
"Zach. You found something?" She looked up expectantly.
"Yes." He moved across the platform towards a computer. "Look at this." He pressed a few keys, and a picture popped up. He spun the screen towards her.
"This is part of the left clavicle. See the blood imprinted in the fissure line, here." Zach pointed to where he was describing.
"Okay, so the victim wasn't on the ground when the-" looking up, she saw Booth move to stand next to the computer "-violence started."
"Okay, what? Would you stop changing your minds?" He was getting frustrated, but he knew it wasn't their fault. They both glared at him and he put his hands up in surrender. "Sorry. I just..."
"I know, Booth." Brennan turned back to the screen. "The victim was not on the ground. He was shoved, quite violently, to the ground. The impact fractured his clavicle." Booth made a sound to show he understood.
"Oh. Also, Doctor Brennan, there was this." Zach emphasized the last word, and looked at Booth expectantly. Booth made a 'go on' gesture, making Zach smile at his accomplishment.
Zach walked back over to the table across the platform. Now Booth knew why Bones was in such good shape.
"Look at the right humerus and scapula." Zach had gotten into the habit of either saying things simply, or translating them while Booth was around, as had the rest of the Squints. Brennan picked up the humerus, examining it first.
She frowned slightly, then switched it for the scapula. As she studies the triangular bone, looking at the socket. It all took a matter of seconds.
"There is evidence here of sepa-" she stopped as she remembered Booth "- his shoulder was dislocated. This means he was probably shoved to the ground, stomped, then the killer tried to yank him to his feet." She made a sharp gesture with her arm, imitating what she was saying.
"Judging from the severity of the damage, I'd say the victim was already dead by the time the killer pulled his arm out of the socket." She looked at Booth's frown. "'Dead weight' is a lot heavier than the regular weight of a person," she explained. Booth made his 'I understand' noise again, and began to tell Brennan what he had found.
"The boy's name is Maxim Tucker." He didn't need to look at his notes; the name was already drilled into his head. "Disappeared on the twelfth of December 1997, while his family was on a picnic at the park. He was buried within ten yards of where the family was eating," he said sadly, shaking his head.
He continued, "His mother and father reported him missing. Sister is now twenty; still living in D.C. Brother is eighteen, now living with his parents in Charleston, Virginia. Looks like we have a bit of driving to do, huh, Bones?" He looked at her, grinning.
"What? But...I have to stay here..." she argued half-heartedly. She really did want to go, but she still had to look as if she didn't.
"Zach can do that by himself, Bones. After all, he's not a student anymore, right?" He looked at Zach, winking. Zach was ecstatic; Booth was talking about him, to him. And he wasn't insulting him.
"Yes, Doctor Brennan. I have done it before, too, while you were in L.A., and New Orleans, and-"
"Okay, Zach! I know you're perfectly capable of working this on your own, but what if-"
It was Booth's turn to cut in, "Come on, Bones! Can't waste any time!"
And with that he grabbed her upper arms and turned her around, forcing her off the platform, while she yelled instructions back at Zach.