Sorry about the delayed update – new year's celebrations and what not have been had! Hope you all have had an excellent new year's eve and that the actual year is the best yet!

And I've finally caught up on the sixth season. How very, very uninspiring it is! Though I absolutely loved The Doctor in the Photo, but how heartbreaking was it? I kind of get the feeling (POSSIBLE SPOILER) it's a turning point in Brennan and Booth's relationship... and probably not for the better, at least from our point of view! Regardless, I'm looking forward to where they take the show from here on in. And if it's not to our tastes, there is always the happyland that is known as .

Hope you like the chapter :)

Chapter Fourteen: The Evidence in the Room

Again the sunlight woke her up, and she opened her eyes, a smile already on her face. Her mind drifted to memories of the night before, and a happy warmth filled her body, she felt so...

Safe.

Turning to look at Booth, she smiled further at the fact that his sleeping position had not adjusted – he still slept spread out, with gentle snores escaping his mouth. She'd found that endearing about him yesterday, and today the sight of him made her feel a swell of emotion, exhilarating and almost aching at the same time. She sat up now, looking at him more closely, considering him with more of a scientific gaze.

Brennan was trying to be objective, so that she could figure out these feelings for him, sort them out in her own mind. She knew that Booth wanted to hear how she felt; he wanted her to be loquacious and explain to him what he meant to her. But the problem was she honestly didn't think she had the words, nor her own understanding to tell him.

Sighing somewhat, she lay back down beside him, and he began to stir. He woke up shortly afterwards, stretching slightly before grinning at her, almost as though he were checking she were still there and that last night hadn't been a figment of his imagination.

'Good Morning, Booth,' she said, smiling broadly.

'Morning, Bones,' he said, shifting over to kiss her on the forehead, before pulling her into a hug, his large arm around her torso, his nose nuzzling against her ear. Absentmindedly she drew circles in his arm, her mind already buzzing over their prospective relationship, what she thought he thought it might mean, and what she thought about those musings.

He grumbled gently in her ear. 'Gees, Bones, I can almost hear you thinking.'

She looked at him, surprised. 'Is it that obvious?' She asked, a slight frown on her face.

'No,' he said, not entirely convincingly. 'You just sometimes make these sighing noises when you're thinking hard about something. What're you thinking about?' He asked sleepily, stifling a yawn.

'Us,' she said quietly, and she could almost feel the change in him, a slight stiffening, almost as though he feared her thinking about them.

Why does he do that? Doesn't he realise how happy I am to be with him, to have finally done the right thing when it comes to us?

He looked at her closely, seeing the thoughts in her eyes, but he still couldn't read them.

'What about us?' He asked carefully, loosening his grip on her somewhat.

Maybe I shouldn't be too clingy?

'Nothing you need to worry about,' she said, moving to get out of bed. 'We should get up, Booth. The case still has to be solved.'

He nodded, shifting in the bed so that he was sitting, watching her as she milled about the room, grabbing her things for the day.

'Bones?' He asked, as she was about to step into the bathroom.

She stopped, turning to look at him.

Again, he wanted to tell her that he loved her. Instead, he got out of bed, and went over to her to give her a kiss.

Saying it in words might scare her away. But there are plenty of ways to tell her that I love her...

She smiled up at him, feeling inexplicably light. The words he needed to hear had popped into her head – yet still, she couldn't say them.

I love you.

.-.-.-.-.-.

She went up to breakfast first, too find Sarah awake already, sipping coffee at the bench and eating breakfast with her daughters. She turned when she heard Brennan climb the stairs, looking curious.

Brennan was somewhat relieved that she and Booth hadn't woken up the family last night.

'How was your night, Temperance? Did you and Booth have fun?'

Brennan grinned, nodding. 'It was a very enjoyable night. Booth and I didn't end up going to the restaurant that Al suggested, so instead ended up at the night market – which was excellent.'

Sarah nodded, sipping her coffee. 'I'm glad. Did you notice the... little bit of decorating Al decided to do?' She asked with badly disguised curiosity.

Brennan joined her at the table, taking a piece of fruit from the bowl, nodding vaguely.

'It was very thoughtful of you. Booth and I appreciated the sentiment,' she said, taking a bite out of her apple.

The children looked up from their cereal, Josephine chewing carefully, Ella gulping her mouthful quickly.

'Are you married to Seeley yet, Bones?' Ella asked, grinning as she used Booth's nickname for her.

Brennan shook her head, smiling. 'No, I'm not married to Seeley yet. Why do you think I should be married to Booth, Ella?' She asked.

Josephine answered, after Ella had just taken a large bite of Coco-Pops.

'Daddy said that girls are only allowed to share rooms with boys they're married too,' she said quietly, before taking a bite of her cereal.

'That's a bit draconian of Al,' Brennan said, finishing off her apple.

'Daddy's a dragon?' Ella asked, grinning.

'No, draconian. Dra-coe-neean. It means –'

Booth had appeared in the doorway, and Ella lost her interest in the meaning of draconian.

'Seeley!' She said, running over to drag him to the table. 'Sit next to me!'

He looked at Sarah, grinning. He let herself be dragged over to the seat next to Ella, and sat down. Ella chatted away at him for a moment, until she noticed that her cartoon had started again, and sat silent, watching it again.

Booth was glad to see the kids hadn't seemed to upset by whatever Al and Sarah had told them last night. Josephine perhaps seemed a little more pensive than normal, but it was nothing particularly worrisome.

He leaned over the bench, taking Brennan's hand and squeezing it. The action seemed to clear up any curiosity in Sarah's mind, and she grinned at him as he winked at her.

'Thank you for the nudge last night, Sarah,' he said, grinning cheekily.

She smiled broadly, happy to see that Al's idea had worked.

'It was Al,' she said, smiling. 'Least we could do, really,' she added, before standing up to clear the breakfast plates away.

'Where is Al?' Brennan piped up, also standing to get herself some breakfast.

'Sleeping,' Sarah said, sounding almost relieved. 'He hasn't slept well in so long. He finally looks at peace when he sleeps,' she said, smiling as she passed Brennan two bowls.

Brennan smiled back, glad to hear that things were going better for her friend.

'Would you like some cereal, Booth?' She asked, setting the bowls down and pulling some Weet-Bix out of the cupboard. He'd been playing some sort of hand game with Ella, and stopped to look up at her, flashing her a grin.

'That'd be great, Bones.'

She set about getting them both some breakfast, before heading back over to the bench and handing him his bowl. Before she turned to sit down again, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a quick kiss, thanking her.

Which didn't go unnoticed by the children.

Josephine looked quietly surprised, however, Ella gasped loudly, shocked.

'Hey! You just kissed her!' She said, turning to stare at them both.

'I did,' Booth admitted, smiling like an excited little boy.

'Why?' Ella asked, as though it were the oddest thing two people could possible opt to do.

'Because he loves her,' Josephine piped up, before going back to her cereal.

Booth said nothing, and neither did Brennan. Josephine was right, after all.

.-.-.-.-.-.

They parked Al's car outside the police headquarters, having borrowed it again. They paused in the car a moment, and Booth reached out for her hand, giving it a squeeze. She pleasantly surprised him by leaning over to plant a kiss on his lips, and he held her face in his hands, stroking her cheek. Eventually she pulled back, her eyes still closed, a look of bliss on her face. His hand still cupped her face, and he gently stroked her cheek, savouring the look on her face.

She opened her eyes, leaning back. 'Time to solve this case?' She asked, grabbing her bag.

Booth nodded, grinning. 'Too easy, partner.' He said, before getting out of the car.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Martin eyed off the partners as they walked into his office, noticing a subtle difference in their body language, though outwardly they showed little sign that anything had changed. A glance here, a smile there - nothing overt, but enough for Martin to notice.

Well, that's sweet.

Martin picked up the report he'd worked on late into the night, passing it over to Booth and sitting on the side of his desk, the two partners standing before him.

'I followed up some of the leads you laid down for me Booth, and worked out a few possible places the couple might have been staying before they were murdered. And as you said yesterday, Booth – if we find where they were staying, we'll probably find the murder scene.'

Booth nodded, impressed at the man's progress, seemingly overnight. He read over the report, taking in all the new information that Fuller had found out. Booth considered the places that Martin had suggested, and felt that the deserted dorm rooms seemed like a good place to start. He remembered sneaking into the dorm rooms of his college girlfriends, and it had hardly been difficult then, he doubted it would be hard now. And what better place to stay than well furnished, deserted rooms over summer?

He passed the report over to Brennan, putting his hands on his hips.

'Check out the dorm rooms first?' He asked, looking at Martin. Martin nodded, watching Brennan read his report, pleased to see her look of surprised approval.

'It's a large building, but we should be able to find evidence by today,' Martin said, crossing his arms.

Brennan nodded, passing the report back to him. 'Very impressive work, Fuller,' she said, smiling.

Martin raised his eyes, surprised at the praise. 'Thanks, Dr Brennan.'

He stood up, grabbing his coat off the back of his chair, and heading for the door.

'Nice office, by the way,' Booth said, scooting out after him.

Brennan considered it before leaving. She thought Booth's was nicer.

.-.-.-.-.

They followed Martin's car to the university campus, relatively quiet on the trip. Booth was thinking about the case, trying to figure out which floor they would have been likely to stay on. Martin's report had stated that the security camera's had only recently been fixed at the dorm rooms, so they would be no help. The dorm building was five storeys high, with fifteen rooms to a floor. He was used to the slow progress of some cases, but tried to think of ways to speed it up.

He ran his fingers through his hair, staring out the window. Brennan had insisted on driving, and he was happy to let her. For one, it seemed to make her happy, and as much as he liked driving... it just felt wrong driving on the wrong side of the road. He kept feeling like he was going to collide head first with another car. Brennan seemed to have no such problem.

He looked over at her – she was humming along to the radio quietly, again, nothing that Booth recognised. He sat back, letting his mind clear.

His mind drifted to thoughts of home – Parker, the team, what things would be like when he got back. He got the idea that Parker would be over the moon – he'd always loved Brennan, and she was already like an Aunty to him. He didn't even have to think about how happy their friends would be... he grinned at the thought.

She looked over to catch him grinning, and smiled herself. 'What's the joke?' She asked, turning off into the University. Booth opened his eyes, looking at her.

'Just thinking about what things will be like when we get home,' he said, smiling at her. 'How everyone will react,'

She turned the ignition off, also smiling. 'I've been thinking about that,' she said, pausing as they both got out of the car. 'And I imagine that they'll all be very pleased.'

Booth let out a laugh. 'Understatement of the year, Bones,' he said, as they joined Martin, who was discussing something with the very small forensic team that they'd been given. Booth looked at them, considering the numbers.

This is going to take months!

He raised his eyes at Brennan, his hands on his hips again, tugging at his tie. She didn't quite get the significance of his look, so just shrugged at him, before turning back to Martin.

'Time to start the search? She asked.

Martin nodded, and they headed towards the building.

.-.-.-.-.

They'd started a floor to floor search, and nothing had been found. Any trace evidence had been trampled over by hundreds of students over the past few months, and nothing in the rooms seemed particularly out of place. Bodily fluids were found in every other room, so there was hardly anything pinpointing were a murder could have taken place.

Booth sighed, frustrated. He went over to Brennan and Martin who were talking about other possible locations, but Booth didn't like the idea of leaving here. He just had a feeling that this was where they needed to be.

He took Brennan by the arm subtly, giving it a squeeze before letting her go, smiling at her.

'Shall we get some lunch?' He asked her, but also looked at Martin. She looked unsure, giving a passing glance to Martin. 'I feel as though we should focus our attentions here, Booth.'

Martin shook his head, passing her a large file of crime scene photos, looking as though he was glad to be rid of them.

'You can Booth should look over these. There might be something we've missed –'

Brennan shook her head, but took the file. 'If there is any evidence left, Fuller, it's going to be minute. We're not going to be able to see it in a photo.'

Booth took the large file from her, putting it in the crook of his arm.

'Still, it's worth a shot, Bones. And otherwise Martin would have to do it, and it's a pretty dull job...'

Martin grinned at him appreciatively, glad Booth had understood his actions.

'And at least you'll get a lunch break,' Martin added, as if to sweeten the deal.

Booth nodded, smiling, and took Brennan by the hand, pulling her away. Martin watched them walk away, hand in hand for a couple of seconds, before Booth let her hand go.

At least I don't have to deal with public displays of affections.

.-.-.-.-.-.

They grabbed a sandwich and coffee from a street vendor and sat outside in the sun. Booth handed half a pile of photos to Brennan, and kept half for himself, changing photos every couple of minutes. It didn't seem like they could find anything from the photos, and he felt a little despairing. If they didn't find the crime scene, they weren't going to solve this case. Talking to parents and friends could only get someone so far, and it wouldn't be far enough.

He took a sip of coffee, looking at Brennan, who was chewing thoughtfully on her sandwich, staring intently at a photo. He watched her frown at it for a couple of minutes before asking her about it.

'Found something, Bones?'

She shook her head, still frowning. 'No,' she said, uncertainly, before passing it to Booth. 'Something feels... wrong about the photo. About this room.'

'Feels?' He asked incredulously. That was hardly Brennan speak.

'I meant, looks. Something looks out of place. But I can't see what it is...'

He nodded, before looking over the photo, wondering what it might be that was out of place. It was just a standard dorm room, cupboard, bedside table, bed, lamp, desk, computer...

He reached over for her pile of photos, looking at the corresponding pictures of this room.

'Something does feel odd about this room, Bones,' He agreed, putting his sandwich down.

He passed back some of the photos of the room for her to look at, but kept the overall shot of the room.

He had a thought, and rummaged through his pile of photos for another overall shot of a room – any room, to compare the photos.

And suddenly, what was out of place became obvious.

He looked at Brennan, somewhat thrilled at his discovery. 'You said that the victims were killed on a bed?' He asked.

She nodded at him, looking at him over her cup of coffee.

He passed the two photos over to Brennan, pointing at the beds.

She nodded appreciatively, seeing what Booth saw.

'I think we've found our crime scene,' He said, scooping up the photos into the file, but leaving the two bedroom shots on top.

They both chugged down the last of their coffee, throwing away the cups and the rest of their sandwiches. She sidled up to him, putting her hand around his waist and kissing his shoulder before moving away again, heading towards the school.

'Wait a minute,' he said, and she turned to look at him.

'Yes?' She asked, looking curious.

'I haven't gotten to kiss you all day, Bones,' he said, grinning cheekily.

She hid her smile, but moved closer toward him, close enough for him to kiss her. He leaned down to kiss her gently on the mouth, but she pulled him into a more passionate embrace, before letting him go.

She smiled at the happiness that seemed to emanate from him, and also at that same happiness she felt within herself. She nudged him with her hip and the kept heading over towards the university, arms linked.

Booth looked at her, grinning. 'You know, it was staring us in the face all this time,' he said, leaning down to kiss her head.

'What was?' She asked, kissing his shoulder before letting go of him.

'The evidence,' he replied, shifting all the photos in his arm. 'What did you think I was talking about?'

She crossed her arms, and slowed her walk down somewhat. 'Us?' she asked, smiling gently at him.

He grinned, leaning down to kiss her again.

'True. This has definitely been a long time coming,' he said, before kissing her again. She didn't protest.

It was a long walk back to the campus.

Don't worry, I'll tell you what Brennan and Booth saw evidence wise next chapter :)