Spoilers: None!

Disclaimer: I love Summer holidays!!

Author's Note: Another painstaking chapter I had to rewrite, because I was computer deprived. Oh well. Tell me what you think! I love feedback, as most writers do, and I want to please all of you, my Wonderful Readers. But to do so, I need you Wonderful Reader Feedback!

Booth closed his door behind him and leaned heavily against it, drawing a deep breath. He still couldn't get the memory of her, the feeling of her, from his head. So close!, he thought, hitting his head against the door.

"So close!" he repeated out loud, hitting his head too hard. "Ow!" He grabbed the back of his head, wincing. Booth resisted the urge to kick the door; it wasn't the door's fault that he had the world's worst timing, or that he was the world's biggest coward. Instead, he stalked across the room and flung himself on the bed, covering his face with a pillow.

After a few minutes, he had calmed down enough to form relatively clear thoughts. They didn't help. Twice in one day...Twice! Sure, he and Brennan had had their share of 'moments'. But they were never this intense; never this pleasurable...they had never come this close.

They had moments where they could have, but this time...This time they would have. Or would we? Booth asked himself, still somewhat in denial. Yes, Seeley, of course we would have! He yelled silently at himself. Maybe we would have stopped; caught ourselves...No. We would have.

I could have kissed her...I could have kissed Bones. Bones!

As Booth wallowed in self pity and regret next door, Brennan sat on her couch, head in hands. She looked at the couch and a warmth flashed through her. A feeling she hadn't felt in a very long time. Well, that was a lie; she'd felt it that morning. Actually, she'd felt it many times with Booth, only never this intensely.

She shot a glare at the offending couch and moved to sit on her bed. What had she done? Now she was in unscrupulous, unprofessional and unwanted territory.

Or was she? Didn't she want this, at least on some level? No!, she yelled at herself. I don't want this. She could date, see, kiss whoever she wanted. Except Booth. Not that I want him, She argued inwardly.

She was continuing this line of thought when her phone rang. She was grateful for the interruption and basically jumped at the phone. She checked that caller ID; it wasn't Booth. She was safe.

"Brennan," she said with her usual professionalism.

"Doctor Brennan!" Brennan instantly recognized Hodgin's voice. She let the silence hang in hopes that he woiuld tell her why he had called. It worked.

"I called because I found a fingerprint on the 'something' that was found in the victim's pocket." Brennan made a 'go on' noise.

"I ran it through all the criminal databases, but couldn't find anything. So I tried a different approach. The fingerprint was far too small to be that of a full grown adult, or even a teenager. So I wasn't surprised to find that it wasn't in any of the databases. I mean, even for a juvenile offender, it's a tiny print."

"It's a child's print," Brennan confirmed. "Is it Maxim's?" She struggled to see where this was going.

"Nope. Close, though. I checked, then, with a friend who works for social services. She gave me access to all records there. See, some schools, even pre-schools, require all their students and parents to be fingerprinted. Which is really just a way for the government to have a hold on all the most influential and rich people, so they can use this identification system later to-"

"Hodgins!"

"Oh. Right. Anyway, this print belonged to one of those students." He paused, and she could almost see his eyes widening, his grin. "A Lilian Tucker." There was silence for a minute. Hodgins mistook Brennan's shock for misunderstanding.

He explained. "Seems the Tucker's had another child after Maxim died. But here's the strange part: Lilian is only six. Maxim went missing in nineteen ninety-seven; four years before Lilian was born."

"Yeah, Booth and I met her earlier today, when we went to talk to the parents..." She let her speech trail off, deep in thought.

A new voice joined the conversation. "So...What exactly is going on with Booth, Sweetie? And where are you?" Angela was using her best 'lie to me if you dare' voice.

"Hey, Ange. And we had to stay the night here because Booth was being stubborn." Brennan sighed. She was not getting out of this easily.

"Stubborn? Stubborn about what?" Pure innuendo. Brennan decided again to keep her dignity intact and ignored the suggestiveness of the comment, much to Angela's disappointment.

"Apparently it would be easier to stay here, rather than travel back tomorrow." She heard Angela speak to Hodgins.

"I swear to God, if those two don't hurry up and-" Angela was cut off by something. Whether by a hand or a mouth, Brennan didn't want to know. She heard giggling.

"Hodgins, have you identified the 'something' from the victim's pocket, yet?" The giggling halted, and she heard Angela groan in complaint. "Um, no, Doctor Brennan, not yet. It is some kind of paper, but it's got a strange chemical make-up and appearance." He paused and Brennan heard typing.

He started again. "The paper appears to contain trace amounts of iodine and all the chemicals used in paint thinner; not found in most papers."

"You've tried running it through the computer for matches?"

"Of course, Doctor Brennan. Nothing matches."

"Okay, Hodgins, thanks. Call me if there's anything new?"

"Sure thi-ow!" Brennan heard shuffling. "Stop pushing me!" She heard Angela laugh, then she came onto the phone. "Could'a just asked..." Hodgins mumbled in the background.

"Bren, I love you, but honestly, I worry about you."

"Angela," Brennan sighed. "I'm only here for one night. I'm not in any sort of danger-"

"That's not what I'm talking about, Brennan. I'm talking about you and Booth."

"Ange..." Warning.

"Bren," she began in the same tone. "There is something there. You know what I'm talking about. Hell, everyone knows what I'm talking about. But you two, Bren, belong together, whether you believe in that sort of thing or not.

"But you two, Brennan, belong together. I don't know what it is that is keeping you as...whatever you are; but screw it!"

"Ange..." she breathed. She was beyond fighting at this point.

"Make a move, Brennan." And with that, Angela hung up.