About halfway through the trip, Brennan started to pound back the drinks. No, not alcohol, just regular old water bottles. Anyway, it didn't really matter what it was she was drinking; Booth was more baffled by how and why.

His multiple glances over at her provided nothing more than an amusing and fascinating scene. Eventually Brennan caught him in the act, eyes narrowing into their usual Brennan glare. She lowered the plastic bottle and wiped an inelegant hand across her lips, staring at the side of her partner's face as Booth's gaze had made a hasty retreat back onto the road.

"Is there a problem?" She asked indignantly. He met her eyes very briefly.

"Nah," He said rather unconvincingly. Brennan raised an eyebrow and took another sip.

"Just… Why all the water?"

"I feel I should stay hydrated for the baby's sake."

"I can, uh, see that."

"Do you disapprove?" She dared him to say so.

"No. I think that's great, just all the water is going to come back and hit you real hard." He smirked.

She sat back defiantly. "I have a very fine renal system and a very healthy sphincter at the end of it."

"I don't question it."

"This recommended water intake will only have positive results."

"I don't question that either."

"You're mocking me."

"Am not."

"Are so." She took another sip.

"Prove me wrong, then." He cocked an eyebrow at her. Her stomach clenched.

"You're on."

Booth pulled onto a gravel drive and headed deeper into the forest. Five minutes later and the narrow forest road opened into a clearing full of navy blue FBI jackets. Booth rolled down his window and was told to park. The other team members' cars were among the ones already there.

Brennan hopped out and looked around, shielding her eyes against the sun. Booth joined her a second later, swatting at flies with both hands.

"Where's the body?" Brennan asked, as none seemed to be in sight. An FBI tech turned and pointed down a hiking trail. Unfazed, Brennan started in the direction pointed and Booth groaned.

"It's good exercise," She encouraged as they started down the hiking trail.

"I'm wearing FBI regulation clothing," He complained. "And one of the nicer outfits, at that."

Brennan gave him a quick glance. "Hmm. It is one of your more attractive shirts."

"You rate my shirts?"

"And your ties."

Booth pushed a branch out of the way. "This isn't in my job description."

"It can't be much farther now."

"My shoes! No, these are my Rockports!"

"There!" Brennan ignored him, pointing. They'd come to a hilltop that led up to a ravine. People clustered in the valley below. Brennan sped up a bit as she made her way down, Booth not far behind.

Cam, Hodgins, and Angela were standing near the banks of a large pond. Brennan couldn't hear what they were saying over the noise of the waterfall that crashed over the ravine. Both Booth and Brennan stopped for a moment at the sight before nearing the remains and the Jeffersonian team.

Brennan snapped on gloves; Booth kept his distance. "These were found this morning, rising to the surface, by an anonymous phone call." Cam greeted as Brennan crouched beside her. Angela, grimacing, stood taking pictures, and Hodgins was at the water's edge, collecting samples and rambling on to the unfortunate tech stuck with assisting him.

"The remains are almost just skeletal," Brennan started.

"They're finding some traces of tissue in the water," Cam interjected.

"We seem to be missing a femur." She said.

"Probably in the pond." Angela offered.

"On it," Booth called over to the divers.

"Judging by the pelvis, our victim appears to be male."

Brennan shifted from one foot to the other. "No clear fractures that I can see at the moment." She straightened and went next to Booth.

"I can't bring back the pond to the Jeffersonian." He warned before she had time to say anything.

"I only seem to need the femur the divers are searching for." Brennan observed the pond. Anyone could look at them and never guess they were now an item.

Both of them were thinking of this.

Half an hour later and the femur was finally recovered. Brennan did a quick check to make sure all was good and the team began to head out.

Booth and Brennan were some of the last few and they started their hike back unaccompanied. Brennan blazed ahead and Booth lumbered behind, complaining.

Brennan stopped, waiting for her partner. He was very slow, she noted. She began to pace and jump up and down. Booth turned the corner and raised an eyebrow as he saw her.

"Fine. I do have to pee," She admitted. Booth grinned and was about to gloat before Brennan shot him a glare and started off again.

They stayed together this time, either Brennan had slowed down or Booth had sped up. She was eager to get back to the car, and agitated at Booth's slowness.

"You could just go in the woods," Booth taunted. Brennan shot him a look of disgust.

"I'm a grown woman and I can make it back to town just fine."

"Right." He said in a tone identical to the one of earlier that day.

She set her jaw and balanced from foot to foot.

"Suit yourself." They continued on their way. She felt somewhat relieved when they got back to the car.

"Now just for that pesky forty minute drive." He said.

"I'll be fine." She replied firmly.

"Or you could…" He tried to tempt her.

She rolled her eyes. "Just get in the freaking car and drive."

Booth obliged and they made their way home, Brennan shifting uncomfortably every few minutes. When they finally got back to the lab, Brennan headed straight to the restroom and then came back to her office, where Booth was.

"See." She said. "No problem at all."

He shrugged. "If you say so. Could've easily have been dealt with before."

She came up to him, faces inches away. She stared hard into those brown eyes. "Easily? Easily?" She shook her head. "Nothing happens easily, these days."

She then left, leaving behind a very awkward-faced Booth.

"Mister Bray," Brennan swiped her access card and climbed the stairs up to the platform. "Tell me, how has your day been?"

Wendell gave his mentor a good look. "It's been going just fine. How about yours?" He added, politely.

Brennan gave him a look. "We are here to work, Mister Bray, not chit chat."

Wendell looked slight taken aback. "But you asked me…" He trailed off.

Brennan bent over the bones, beginning her examination. "Angela informed me that asking how someone's day has been is an informal way to greet someone and express general care."

"Sure, Doctor B, just it's usually used to started conversations."

"Oh. Well. I'll keep that in mind, thank you. And if you were wondering, I've had better days."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Would examining the bones help cheer you up?"

She wasn't in a good mood and assumed the question to be mocking, but when she glanced up to reprimand, she saw him smiling. It lightened her mood ever so slightly.

"Why yes, it would." She grinned back. Wendell turned to the bones.

"Victim appears to be male, in his mid-thirties." He stated, and Brennan nodded her agreement. She cracked open the jaw, peering at the teeth.

"Dental x-rays could help with identification," She said, stripping of her gloves. "We'll continue to look for cause of death afterwards."

Wendell nodded and began to prepare the bones as Brennan exited the platform, heading into her office to do some paperwork, but she soon grew impatient and went to find Angela, longing her friend's company and some advice for her book.

The artist smiled as the anthropologist walked in. Brennan sat down on the couch next to her.

"Something wrong?" Angela asked.

Brennan shrugged. "Not really, just having a bad day. I find myself completely unable to do the task at hand."

"No reason?"

She shrugged again.

Angela sighed. "Yeah, happens sometimes."

Brennan was amazed at how well the artist could read her moods; how she knew when to stop asking questions and the right things to say. They were always on the same page.

Well, almost always.

Brennan suddenly felt incredibly guilty. She didn't know why she hadn't let Angela know about the pregnancy yet. She supposed she was waiting for the right time.

She opened her mouth to say it, Angela looked at her patiently. But for some reason, she just couldn't get it out. Flustered, the scientist rose and shook her head.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" Angela put a hand on her arm, which only seemed to upset Brennan more.

"I have to go work; I'll see you… later."

Angela watched as she walked briskly out the door. "Yeah, later."

Brennan speed-walked her way back to her office, head down the whole time. She nearly had a heart attack when Booth moved towards her, not expecting him to be there. He raised a cautious palm and Brennan's breath returned. She gave him a quizzical look.

"Alright, I see that you're mad at me." Booth started, "And I've been thinking. So I drove back here to tell you about what I've been thinking."

She raised her eyebrows with a hint of amusement.

"What you said before… Did you mean it? Do you really blame me for this? For…" He struggled for the right words, not finding them. "Knocking you up?"

She swallowed, draping her lab coat over her desk chair, running a hand through her hair. "No, I didn't. Just sometimes I get so tired of it."

He approached eyes sympathetic and kind. "But you do want the baby, right? And you do want me?"

She stared into his eyes and gave him a quick kiss. "Yes. More than anything." She assured.

He seemed to relax. "Good, 'cause I'm not going anywhere." He tucked a loose strand behind her ear. She grinned, leaning her forehead against his.

"Rough day, huh?" He asked. She nodded.

"Yeah. The hormones aren't helping."

Someone cleared their throat at the doorway, and the couple scrambled away from each other, turning away nonchalantly.

"Um, Doctor B?" Wendell asked.

"Yes?" She replied, straightening her shirt. Wendell hid a smirk.

"The x-rays are ready."

She nodded. He gave a quick look at Booth before walking away.

They looked back at each other, the moment of before having passed. She offered a small smile.

"So we'll talk later?" She asked. He nodded, and they headed separate ways.

Brennan coughed loudly, enough to make the smoker aware of the reason she was doing so. Booth exhaled slowly, fighting the urge to smack the woman he was trying to question. Jackie Thomas was sprawled out seductively on the couch, smoking a cigarette.

"Could you put that out?" Booth asked, more a demand than a question. Jackie rolled her eyes, but did as told, allowing the room's other occupants to breathe a little easier.

"You haven't talked to Jeremy in three years?" Booth picked up where they left off.

"That's right, honeybuns."

Brennan crossed her arms, staring at the suspect from where she stood, leaning against a bookshelf. Her body language shouted at the suspect to back off.

"No contact at all?"

The woman shrugged. "Facebook posts?"

Booth sighed in exasperation for what had to be the thousandth time that interview. "Alright. But I'm still watching you."

He had gotten up to leave when Brennan's cell ran.

"Brennan."

It was Wendell. "He was impaled by a nail. A rusty nail."

"Thanks," She flipped shut the phone. Booth stared at her.

"Later." She whispered, and Brennan gestured that they head towards the door. She paused in the entry.

"Bones?"

Ignoring him, she turned to the suspect. "Could I possibly use your washroom?"

A thousand and one.

Booth and Brennan decided to go for lunch on their way back into town.

Neither of them were all that hungry – they both knew there was something important to discuss, but neither of them wanted to be the first to bring it up.

Brennan called uncle first. "I was going to tell Angela about the baby, but I choked." She confessed. Booth watched her, realizing the conversation was serious

"We need to first tell the rest about us." Booth suggested. "One step at a time, Bones."

Automatically, one hand flew to her belly. She knew the bump wasn't there yet, and their secret was still safe, but she couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Booth realized and took her free hand in his.

"We're in this together." He soothed.

"I know," She sighed.

"So we're going to tell them soon? Not about the baby, but about us?"

"The sooner, the better." She nodded. He checked his phone.

"Good. I'm glad," He replied, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. "I've got to go, there's an issue with the land on which we found the body. See you tonight?"

She nodded again, smiling, and returned the kiss.

Truth was, Seeley Booth didn't want to drag Brennan back out here for a quite a few reasons, the main two being 1) Ever since MacDermid, he didn't trust older males around his girl and 2) the situation was a mess. The owner of the property wasn't handling the situation very well – and by very well, he meant waving a shotgun in the air and threatening the police.

Booth made record time getting there. He immediately talked to who was in charge, not impressed with how the situation was being dealt with.

"We have the area secured-"

Booth rolled his eyes and drew his gun. Ignoring that he sheriff was still talking, he walked away. "Agent Booth, this is not protocol-"

Booth continued to ignore him, heading up towards Merle Hordichuck's shabby house. The building seemed to be falling part, the picture oddly perfected by the unshaven, crazy-eyed old man swaying on the wraparound porch.

Booth stepped out from the cover of the surrounding forest, pistol aimed. Hordichuck caught the movement and pumped his own firearm, aiming right back.

"Get off of my land!" He screamed, stomping his foot.

Booth kept his cool. "Good day, Mister Hordichuck."

"Are you deaf!? Get out!"

"Lovely weather we've been having." He circled closer.

Hordichuck narrowed his eyes.

"We'll leave you alone soon, I promise, we just need you to answer a few questions."

"That's what the last two said, and they kept coming back!"

"The officers?"

"No, the two men."

Booth paused. "What two men?"

"I don't know! A pair of city folk that kept going near my waterfall! My damn waterfall!"

"Have they bothered you as of late?"

"No. They stopped coming about four months ago."

Directly aligned with the time of death. "Can you describe them?"

"Describe them? I can flat out give you their names! Jeremy Sweatt and Neil Wyman!"

Booth lowered his gun. "Thank you. We won't be a bother anymore."

He came back to a stunned sheriff, who had told his men to back off.

"Were you saying something?" Booth asked, all innocence.

Brennan came home to a bouquet of roses on her table, but no Booth. She smiled, touching their soft petals, before reading his note.

'Sorry. Something came up. Have a good night, darling. B'

He called her a little later.

"Hey," He said.

"Hi. Thanks for the roses," She said.

"Do you like them?"

He could imagine her smile. "They're beautiful."

"I thought so, too. Did your day end up a little better?"

"Yes, it ended on a much better note. Cam let me go early."

"That's good. I have news."

"Yes?"

"We got him."

Brennan wasn't expecting that. "What?"

"The perp. Neil Wyman. We got him. The two were headed for a walk in the woods when Jeremy tripped, impaling himself on an old fence. Neil panicked and dumped."

She didn't answer at first. "Well. Good work."

"You, too."

"I would say we should go celebrate at the Founding Fathers, but…"

He chuckled. "I'll be with you in a few."

She grinned. "Good. I was beginning to miss you."

"I love you, Bones."

She didn't hesitate. "I love you, too."