Disclaimer: See ch. 1

Spoilers: Through season 4, the current episode.

A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading and reviewing, you guys are fantastic. This one goes out to everyone who had to put up with Mr. Bush's babble on Thursday instead of seeing another episode of Bones. Ah well, we'll have a double feature this week. Popcorn, anyone?

"You want to research what?"

Temperance stared across the room at the twenty-something grad student and had to struggle to regulate her breathing.

"Cannibalistic tendencies in Westernized societies," the young man said.

"And you want to interview me on this subject? You should know that I have no expertise in this area of anthropology. I could tell you if…"

"But, Dr. Brennan, wasn't your lab assistant…" he glanced down at a small notepad on his lap, "…Zachariah Addy, involved in that controversial case with the cannibal and the Gormogon artifacts."

Temperance opened her mouth to answer him, then snapped it closed. How could he know about that?

"It was big news in the anthropology and science worlds. World renowned forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan loses lab assistant to the charm of a cannibal killer." The kid grinned as if he'd made up the headline all on his own.

"He wasn't a lab assistant. He had finished his doctorate. He was a colleague," Temperance managed to say. "And I…I won't discuss that."

Dr. Loughlin opened his mouth as if to speak, but Temperance cut him off.

"It is a fine research topic, and I'd be happy to point you in the direction of a specialist in that field, but I will not discuss...that."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan, I understand, but…"

"I have to go," she said quickly. "I have plans for the rest of the afternoon. Will you make my apologies to the rest of the professors? I can't make it to the meeting this afternoon."

"Yes, yes, of course," Dr. Loughlin stuttered. "You have a very nice afternoon, Dr. Brennan."

Temperance nodded and moved towards the door.

Before she could reach it, the grad student glanced up and said in an offhand manner, "Thank you for your time, Ms. Brennan."

She almost corrected him. She was proud of her degree and she made a point of making sure everyone was aware of it. But the sudden need to be out of that room and away from their prying eyes was overwhelming.

She walked the hallway to the nearest ladies' room and shut herself inside. She stood in front of the wall to wall mirror and blinked back tears. Oh, Zach. She didn't think she'd ever get over that particular betrayal. Not that it had been his fault; it had been more hers. She wet a paper towel and ran it across her hot eyes, sucked in a fortifying breath, and went to find Booth. She'd put Zach out of her mind and enjoy the day with her partner.

Bones had just headed off to her meeting, leaving him to pace a large sitting area located directly across from the hall she'd given her speech in the day before.

Today was going to be great, he thought, rubbing his hands together in an anticipatory manner. He'd get Bones out of her labs and classrooms and lecture halls, and out into the real world. He'd make sure she had fun today. He'd put that idiot Hart right out of her pretty little head.

As if lured by Booth's thoughts, Logan Hart chose that moment to waltz into the room.

He spotted Booth and stopped just inside the doorway. His eyes moved quickly over Booth, as if assessing a threat and cataloguing the best way to deal with it.

Booth's eyes remained firmly on Hart's. He didn't need to assess. This guy was a self-absorbed anthropology professor. Ha. Booth could take him with both arms tied behind his back; not that he expected to have to.

"Seeley," Hart nodded, finally stepping further into the room.

"Hart."

"You're here with Tempe?"

Booth nodded, and watched Hart move towards the coffee machine in the corner. Bad move, bucko, never leave your back exposed to the enemy.

"She's meeting with Dr. Loughlin and some of his students."

Hart nodded and pressed the button for a French Vanilla Latte. Fucking pansy.

"Are you teaching a class today?" Booth asked, taking a few steps closer to the other man. He was going to solve this mystery once and for all, and that would be the end of it.

"Uh, no, not exactly."

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

"Right," Booth responded, taking a seat at the small, scarred table. Maybe if he looked less threatening, Hart would give something away.

"I'm here for the meeting later with the other anthropology professors. Tempe said she'd be there. I was hoping to speak to her before-hand."

Booth nodded. "Of course. Well, Temperance has decided not to attend. I've made plans for us today. I haven't seen her in awhile," he said with a smirk. "You can understand."

Hart finally turned to face him. "I can." He nodded, a much bigger smirk on his own face. "Tempe makes an impression. It's hard to let her go for long."

Booth's eyes narrowed. Just as he'd suspected, Hart was harboring thoughts that he might be able to get Bones back. Well, this was the guy's unlucky day.

"Oh, I'd never let her go," Booth said in a quiet voice. "So I'll never have to experience that."

Hart nodded and sat opposite him at the table.

"I'm sure she told you that we went on a couple of dates before you showed up."

If Hart was trying to get to him, he sure as hell was going to be disappointed. Not that the thought of Bones with this creep wasn't wearing on his last nerve, but he'd never let Blondie here know that.

"Temperance tells me everything. Although, I was under the impression that they were friendly get-togethers, rather than dates."

"Of course," Hart nodded, a grin spreading over his face. The dimples that were revealed made Booth want to punch his lights out. "So, um, how long have you two been dating?"

"Two years," Booth lied, thinking that it could have been true if not for his insistence on that stupid, completely necessary line.

"That long, huh? You thought about marriage?"

Booth tipped his head, allowing his genuine feelings to cross his face. "I have. But you know Temperance and marriage."

Hart nodded and laughed like he understood, but Booth was sure he didn't. What reason would Bones have had back in college to be discussing marriage with this loser?

"Listen," Booth said, leaning forward so that only a small amount of space separated him from Blondie. "Your constant flirting and innuendos are starting to bug my Temperance, not to mention you're wearing on my last nerve," he said with a chuckle. "I'm going to ask you nicely to leave her alone from now on."

Hart watched him for a moment, then leaned back and regarded him cautiously. "Or?"

Booth nodded and pursed his lips together. "Or I'll let her have at you." Hart looked a bit surprised by that answer, so Booth finished in a low whisper. "And believe me, you won't like it."

Hart was gaping like a fish when Booth heard rushed footsteps in the hallway and glanced up in time to see Bones stumble through the door. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide and red-rimmed. She'd been crying, damn it. What the hell had happened now?

She glanced from Booth to Hart and back again. She looked so perplexed and maybe a little nervous.

Booth took pity on her, rising from his seat and moving across the room to her. Before she could protest, he slid an arm around her shoulders and tucked her in close to his side. When he was sure Hart had turned to look at them, he leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her soft, auburn hair.

"Temperance," he murmured softly.

She looked up at him, her eyes questioning.

"Seeley?"

Booth nodded fractionally.

"You ready to head out, Bones?"

Hart finally picked his chin up off the floor and stood to walk towards them. He ignored Booth completely and focused in on Bones.

"Bones?" He said softly. "He uses that name like another man might use an endearment, like Baby or Sweetheart. Doesn't it annoy you?"

Before Bones could answer that, yes, it annoyed the hell out of her; Booth cleared his throat, brining Blondie's attention back to him.

"Temperance is nobody's baby. Bones is what she is, it's what she does. She uses those bones to make a difference in the world. She gives people a name and a voice long after anyone else could. It sounds like an endearment because it is one."

With that, he hugged Bones closer and turned them both towards the door.

"Tempe, wait." Bones looked over her shoulder at the man behind them. "Have dinner with me tonight?"

Booth heard Bones gasp in righteous indignation before she turned away from Blondie without a word and marched out of the room, Booth not losing a step beside her.

"What's wrong?" He asked her once they were out in the parking lot, making their way to his SUV.

"Nothing," she replied quickly. Too quickly. "I'm fine."

He unlocked the car and helped her in, then stepped into the space between her and the door, refusing to let her close it.

"Booth…"

"Bones, you were crying."

She opened her mouth, but Booth rushed on.

"Don't lie to me Bones, I think you've done enough of that already."

She blinked twice, then her eyes moved down to watch her hands twisting in her lap.

"How did you know?"

He caught her chin in his hand and pulled her up to look at him.

"Bones, I'm FBI, remember? It's my job to recognize a lie and drag out the truth. Even from my own partner. Why didn't you tell me that Hart was bothering you?"

Her eyes lit with anger and she pulled her chin from his grasp.

"It was none of your business. I could have handled it on my own."

He smiled gently in the face of her rage.

"Not without ending up in jail."

Her mouth popped open, but he ignored her.

"I have no doubt that you could have handled it, Temperance, but you didn't have to. I'm here now, and it isn't a big deal, okay? As you once told me, I'm your partner, just let me be your partner."

She rolled her eyes and he watched her relax fractionally. "It's not a partner's job to scare off an old boyfriend."

He smiled and chucked her gently under the chin. "It is if the ex-boyfriend is interfering in the partner's work, and upsetting her besides."

He closed her door and made his way around to the other side of the car. It wasn't until they were pulling out of the university's lot that Bones finally spoke.

"Thank you."

He placed a hand briefly on her knee. "No problem."

They were silent again until they reached the highway.

"Dr. Loughlin's student wants to research cannibals in Western societies." She glanced over at him and their eyes caught for the briefest moment. He saw pain there. Again, he reached over and squeezed her leg gently. "He wanted to interview me about Zach."

Booth pulled in a deep breath before he spoke. "What did you say?" He asked gently.

"Well, I told him I wouldn't," she gasped out as if Booth had suggested she should give them a regular ole' expose. "I couldn't."

"Shhh," he said, taking her hand into his. "I know, Bones. I know. It was very rude of them to ask."

She nodded quickly. "Of course, it was."

"You okay?"

She nodded again. "I'm fine."

"Good. Because we're going to have fun today, and I don't want old drudged up memories interfering."

She slipped her hand free from his and leaned forward in her seat to peer out the windshield.

"Where exactly are we going anyway?"

He shot her a charm smile and focused back on the road. "Patience, Bones. Patience."

It wasn't until the signs with the little smiling teddy bears started appearing that Bones finally let out a knowing groan.

"Teddy bears, Booth? Really?"

"Teddy bears, Bones," he said with a smile.

"We're adults, Booth. Why are we going to a Teddy Bear Factory?"

He shook his head as he pulled into the lot and took in the huge brightly colored building. "It'll be fun, Bones. C'mon."

He put the SUV in park and turned to his disgruntled partner. "We'll take the tour and learn the history. You'll like that, Bones, you love histories. It'll be a real anthropological experience."

She rolled her eyes at him and opened her door to get out.

He jumped out of the SUV and hurried around to her.

"Then, we can pick out some teddy bears."

He knew he probably looked like a kid in a candy shop at the thought, but he just couldn't help it.

"I don't need a teddy bear, Booth. I stopped liking stuffed animals a long time ago."

Booth placed a hand at the small of her back and ushered her through the crowded parking lot to the door.

"Not for you, Bones. I thought I might get one for Parker."

She glanced up at him, a surprised look on her face. "Oh. Oh, yes, of course."

She was silent until they were in line to take the tour of the facility.

"Perhaps I could choose a couple for Amy's girls."

Booth couldn't help but move his arm to her waist and give her a squeeze. "I think they'd really like that, Bones."

The tour actually was rather amusing. She heard a lot of things she'd already known; teddy bears had been named such after President Teddy Roosevelt, for instance. It was interesting to see the way they put the bears together, also. It was the jokes that annoyed her. She didn't understand any of them.

The tour guides kept making silly remarks, all with the word 'bear' in them. They'd place a piece of furry fabric on their feet and remark that they had 'bear' feet. They'd joke about mismatched teddy bear pieces. And every time she turned to Booth with confusion on her face, he'd simply grin at her and shake his head. Finally, she started ignoring the jokes altogether.

The teddy bear showroom was what she imagined every small child's heaven looked like. Bears of various shapes, sizes, and shades adorned every wall, from floor to ceiling. Their attire ranged from that of a baseball player to what Booth explained to her was a Diva—"like Britney Spears," he'd said, then laughed at her perplexed look.

There were teddy bears no bigger than her hand, teddy bears that would fit nicely in a six-year-old's arms, and teddy bears that were almost as large as Booth. Temperance loved those the most. She imagined that they would be nice to snuggle next to in bed, then chastised herself for such childish thoughts.

"Wow, that one is huge," Booth remarked, sidling up next to her.

"It is, but I imagine Parker would like one that he would be able to carry around," she replied, leading him towards a wall of smaller bears. "This one is nice," she said, holding up a brown bear dressed as a cowboy.

"It is," Booth remarked with a nod. "But I'm not sure how Parker feels about cowboys right now. He was learning about the Native Americans in school right before summer vacation started and I think he's still pretty mad at the cowboys for taking their land."

Temperance opened her mouth to correct him. "Actually…"

"Forget it, Bones. No factual interludes today. Today is all about fun." He turned her in the direction of a wall covered in all degrees of pink and purple and white sparkles. "Why don't you go see what you can find for the girls?"

She narrowed her eyes at him briefly before following his suggestion.

There were angels and princesses and cheerleaders and hundreds of other bears Temperance couldn't even begin to describe.

Temperance reached up and pulled down a snow-white bear in a ballerina costume. Russ had said that Emma had started ballet classes last fall. She fingered one little pink bow in the bear's white tulle skirt.

"Very nice, Bones," Booth whispered in her ear, making her jump.

She turned to face him. "Emma's been taking ballet classes," she explained.

"It's perfect, Bones."

"What did you find for Parker?"

He pulled his arm out from behind his back and revealed a caramel colored bear in a blue, red, and gold super hero costume.

She felt a wide grin break out across her face.

"He'll love it, Booth."

"You think?" He asked, glancing down at the bear affectionately.

"I do."

He nodded once, his smile devastating, then turned her back towards the wall she'd been studying.

"So, we need one for Hayley now, right?"

She nodded.

He surveyed the wall with her for a few moments before reaching past her and taking down a black bear in a purple dress. He turned the bear around and Temperance noticed the small, white fairy wings on its back.

"A good wishes fair," Booth said, reading the tag.

Temperance took the bear from his hand and held it up in front of her.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "Yes, it's perfect."

They stopped for dinner on the way back to the hotel, and it was nearly 7:30 by the time they got back.

"I had a fun day," Bones remarked as they hopped out of the SUV and made their way to the front entrance.

He watched her, her hands filled with the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory boxes, complete with little air holes. Her eyes were light with joy, and her beautiful face was stretched wide in a grin. She was devastating his senses.

"I'm glad, Bones. I had a good time, too."

She smiled wider and skipped ahead of him into the lobby of the hotel.

"Dr. Brennan," he heard the man at the desk call, "there's an envelope here for you."

He caught up to her just as she took the envelope from the kid. Booth nodded at him in greeting, then shifted his attention to the envelope in Brennan's hands.

"I wonder what it could be," she remarked quietly.

"You're not expecting anything?"

She shook her head.

Some unknown emotion cramped his gut and he held out his hand. "Let me."

She turned to him with narrow eyes. "Booth, I…"

"Bones, please."

Her eyes remained narrowed, but she handed him the envelope. "I don't see why…"

He pulled out his pocket knife and slid the blade beneath the flap on the envelope.

Once it was open, he tipped the envelope over and let the contents fall onto the counter. He peered into it, making sure it was empty.

"Booth." Her voice was high and breathless and his head came up instantly.

She held a photo in her hand and as he looked up, she turned it towards him.

It was them, at the factory this afternoon. Whoever had taken it had poked a hole right through Bones' chest. Right through her heart.

"Someone followed us," he heard her remark softly.

He was already turning, his eyes taking in every inch of the lobby. His gun was out and in his hands without even a conscious thought.

"Who gave it to you?" He growled, turning to lock eyes with the kid behind the counter briefly.

"I…I don't know. Some guy."

"A guy?" Booth asked harshly. "A guy? What the hell did he look like?"

"Booth," Bones called and his eyes darted back to her. She was looking down at the back of the photo.

He moved to her quickly and glanced over her shoulder. On the back of the photo in sharp, black writing were the words, It's not nice to refuse me.

Bones' panicked eyes found his.

"What does it mean?"

He gritted his teeth and surveyed the lobby once more, squinting to see the darkening world beyond the glass doors.

"It means I'm calling in the cowboys, Bones. Somebody has gone too far."

A/N: Dun, dun, dun. Ohhh, a mystery, no? I thought it was about time for some intrigue. And the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory truly is a magical place. If you ever get a chance to visit, absolutely do. Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you all thought.

To see pictures of the bears, go to vermontteddybear dot com and search "ballerina", "super hero", and "good wishes fairy".