*Grimaces* okay, so first I take forever to update, and then this chapter is... not my best. At all. It's short, and I don't really care for it. In other words: filler.

Please forgive me. :(

"I can't believe they called us all the way out here for this," she complained once again, and he chuckled.

"I know, Bones. You've already told me that."

She grunted irritably and picked up the pen to fill in another section of the report she was filling out.

"Their medical examiner and their law enforcement officials clearly are not up to standard. Anyone who has any experience whatsoever in my field could tell what killed these victims."

"You've said that, too. And yet every time you seem to forget to finish and tell me what killed them."

"Pitchfork," she said calmly, pointing to three spots which did not look at all remarkable to his eyes. "I have no idea, of course, why someone would choose to kill two people with such a weapon, but that's definitely what happened." She turned to the victim on the table behind her, and indicated three more spots, all of which Booth could barely notice. "This would be far easier if I had access to superior technology and the right machinery to clean the bones... but for now I'll just have to work with what we have available. Dr. Andrews, have you prepared the particulate samples as I instructed?"

The man begrudgingly held up several vials of liquid and a few evidence bags with soil clinging to their insides. Clearly when he'd asked for help from the federal government, he hadn't been expecting to be ordered around by them when they arrived.

"Good, have those shipped to Dr. Hodg-" she scowled, "Dr. Thomson, at the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab." Andrews nodded and headed off to do as he was told, while Bones turned her attention back to one of the sets of remains.

"So the attacks are definitely related?"

"Certainly. If I'm right about what the evidence appears to point to so far, as well... then they were both killed in the same location, at about the same time. The bodies were dumped in separate locations, though, according to these files..." she flipped through them again with a frown. "But that's more your area of expertise."

"That's right, Bones, you give me the info... I'll figure out who did it."

She suddenly stepped the side, hooking up her laptop and efficiently flipping it open and getting it started up. A moment later she had a webcam chat pending... and then the dark screen brightened as the lab platform could be seen. Thomson's face was in front of her, waiting expectantly.

"We're sending some samples to you now," she informed him, "They're coming express overnight, so they should arrive by morning. Meanwhile, have Cam and Nigel take a look at those instructions Ange left for the Angelator and see if they can come up with a logical explanation for the events... I'll have a copy of my report sent via e-mail to the both of them."

He nodded, and the chat shut off. She turned back to her other work with simple determination in her eyes, but he wasn't fooled, especially as a yawn betrayed her. She might have taken a nap in the car, but that didn't mean she wasn't still exhausted. Besides, they didn't even know where their hotel was or what room they were in, and who knew how long that could take in a small town like this with lots of winding roads in inconvenient locations. From taking a wrong turn on the way in they'd ended up driving along next to a lake for twenty minutes before arriving at a point only a short distance up the road from where they'd made the turn to begin with. Or, as Bones had put it, 'where, you made the turn, Booth. I was not awake for that, so you can't possibly blame me.'

"Come on, Bones," he said, snatching her coat up from where it was draped over the back of a rusty folding chair that had been shoved up at a makeshift desk. "Let's vamoose; you need to get some sleep."

To his amazement she nodded, stifling another yawn as she took the coat from him and pulled it on. She called out instructions to the other workers as she gathered her things together, and then came willingly alongside him towards the doors.

Miserably, it was still raining outside, and so they once more ran through the downpour to the SUV and climbed in hastily, out of breath with droplets sliding down strands of hair and soaking into fabric.

"I really hope this lets up soon," Booth muttered as he started the engine, flipped the windshield wipers on to full speed, and pulled out of the small parking lot and on to the road. "You know, I expected to have to give you a list of reasons why you should get some sleep, and instead you just get up and come along quietly."

She shrugged. "I am tired. I'm not going to argue that point with you."

He chuckled, "I'm just not used to winning so easily."

"You didn't win," she said indignantly, "I made a choice. Now be quiet and be happy about it," she added, a teasing edge somehow making its way into her voice.

"That's the response I was looking for," he chuckled under his breath. She cast him a look, but didn't speak up again, her eyes dancing with laughter.

They only got lost twice before Bones finally pointed out a small side road which led them directly to the hotel they were looking for. He pouted as she grinned cheekily at him, and then they both collected their bags and headed inside. The one positive was that, while they'd been so turned around driving back and forth across town, the rain had let up slightly.

Once they'd gotten everything sorted out at the main desk, she took the lead to the stairs and brought them upwards to the second floor, where they found their room at the far end on the left. It was tiny, almost ridiculously too small for two people. With difficulty they managed to get both bags into a spot in the corner, and then she was able to extract her sleep clothes and head into the bathroom. He changed quickly while she was gone, and sighed as he took in the size of the bed. It was a far cry from her large and comfy king size bed back at the apartment... it was going to be tight sleeping quarters tonight. Not that they didn't already sleep close to one another... but it was still nice to have the ability to roll over without worrying about crushing the other person by accident.

The sound of the door opening got his attention just as he located the remote to the television in the dinky drawer of the small nightstand on his side of the bed. He dropped it on top of the little table, knowing that it would be best to sleep rather than distract themselves with whatever might be on at the moment. In her pajama bottoms and light tank top, she climbed onto the bed and yanked aside the covers to crawl underneath beside him.

He pulled her close to him, pressing his forehead up against her and smiling softly. "Get some rest, okay, Bones?" he instructed. "You haven't been sleeping enough lately, in my opinion."

"I never sleep or eat enough in your opinion," she snorted.

"No, just sleep. I've been quite proud of your eating habits lately."

"Well that's because someone keeps handing me unhealthy food to eat, and I find it whenever I open my cabinets. I was doing great at maintaining a completely balanced and healthy lifestyle until ice cream suddenly replaced my frozen yogurt."

"What can I say? Frozen yogurt's a joke compared to Edie's."

She scowled, "It's much healthier. And those potato chips you insist on buying are cruelly addicting, you know."

He laughed, "Yes, I know. Much better than cucumber slices, huh?"

There was silence again, when she didn't respond to the last comment of his. Another yawn pulled her jaws apart a moment later, and he reached over and shut off the lamp.

"Sleep," he said firmly.

"Yeah, well you make that a little difficult," she mumbled against his chest.

He felt himself tense, you make it just as difficult for me, his thoughts whispered. Probably more so.

"Why won't you at least try?" she whispered softly.

He opened his mouth then shut it again, convinced he must have heard the quiet words wrong. And even if he'd interpreted them correctly... how was he supposed to respond?

In the silence, she pulled away from him, and he suddenly felt very cold as the mattress shifted and he realized she'd flipped over and put her back to him. He wasn't going to let her go to sleep upset, not when he had an opportunity to make her understand.

"I want you," he whispered, and he saw, in the faint light from outside, that she had turned herself again so she was looking at him. "Don't ever think that's why I keep distance, Bones, why I won't..." he sighed, "I've told you this all before, Bones. I don't know how much I'll have to repeat it for you to understand, but I'll keep at it until you see... my reasoning. I know you think you're ready. And... you feel like you need to prove something. Whether to yourself, or me, or... the world, I don't know. But you have to understand that you don't have to. You're pressuring yourself, and don't deny it. I can see that beneath all your frustration with me... you're afraid. And that's okay, Bones, that's something you are certainly entitled to. But I'm not going to do this if I think you aren't ready... and I don't think you are. I'm sorry."

"I understand," she said quietly, her voice empty of emotion. Drained. He sighed again, shaking his head.

"I don't know how to help you. I wish I did, Bones... I really do. But I'm doing the best I can. I'm not going to hurt you, though. No matter what."

She was thinking, was how he interpreted the following silence which engulfed the little room. He could feel her breathing in and out, sense her presence so close and yet not touching him even slightly.

"What if I asked you to?" she questioned, barely audible.

"Asked me what? To hurt you?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes," she whispered.

He stared at her outline beside him, mouth opening and closing repeatedly. He thought of things to stay, but none of them fit, and they all washed away with each wave of correction and concern that came over him.

"Nothing is easy, and after what... what I went through, you can't expect this process to be just... painless. I have to hurt to be healed, Booth. I can't stay afraid forever... and I can change my mind if I want to, but I... I want to do something, rather than nothing. I want to start bringing my life back to normal, back to the way I want it to be, rather than the way it was forced to become, out of my control. I want that control back."

"I love you," he answered, choking on the words, "But, Bones... I don't think I can do this. This... I just don't think this is the time. I want... I want it to feel right, not to be... an experiment. I want it to be a decision we both agree on, together, when we choose to try rather than here so suddenly. I'm sorry. You're amazing, Bones, though. No one I know could ever be as strong as you are. And I promise you we will, understood? I'm just asking you to stop pushing yourself towards this because you feel the need to. Don't let that be your reason for anything."

He couldn't make out the details of her face, so there was no way to tell how she had taken his words until he felt her shift again, and this time her warmth suddenly radiated through him as she scooted over and hesitantly rested herself against him. He wrapped his arms firmly around her, and pressed his face into her hair, breathing in her sweets sent.

"I'm sorry," she murmured.

"Shh... don't apologize, Temperance. You're trying so hard, sometimes you don't realize it. That's okay. We'll always work through any problems we come across. Always. That's what we do, Bones. And I'll always love you, no matter what."

"I love you so much," she mumbled back through his shirt.

He stroked her back up and down warmly. "I know. Now sleep, okay? And stop worrying yourself so much about this... just remember, and never doubt, how much I care about you. And how absolutely nothing could ever change that. Think of that whenever you're upset, or worried about something."

She nodded against him, and he smiled softly. His hand continued to run up and down from her shoulder to elbow, until he felt her drift off into sleep. Then and only then, when he was certain she was peacefully resting, did he, too, close his eyes and let sleep take him.

I promise things will get better soon. I feel like I keep coming back to this subject, though, so the characters must be telling me I'd better address it head on pretty soon. Blah. For now, Booth's hesitance will continue to be my procrastination on figuring out how I'm going to get there.

PS: don't think that I've been ENTIRELY ignoring this story for the past... what? Week and a half? I actually wrote the longest chapter I've ever written last weekend, and it will eventually arrive in this story.

And on another note... OMG ONLY SIX DAYS!!!!!! Plus, has anyone else read the little info preview thing about the second episode? The Bond in the Boot, I believe it was? Now I'm doubly excited; I can't wait to see what will happen!