"Halleluiah"

In case you haven't all noticed I name like 80% of my chapters after songs. Generally, they set the mood for the rest of the chapter. Unless I'm feeling wicked and decide to give an unwarranted surprise after two weeks of vacation.

"Booth you shouldn't be here today" Angela said as Booth got on the platform.

"I'll be fine. I just want to get this case over with."

"We all do" said Cam straightening up to talk to him. "We have absolutely nothing to work with. Whoever did this didn't leave any prints, and all the particles picked up so far have come from where the body was found. Lack of blood is the only thing that makes that alley not the crime scene. Even the plastic bag the body was wrapped in is sold in every appliance store on the east coast."

Booth sighed, "No leads other than the boyfriend, and the roommate claims not to know who he is so we have nothing to go on"

The team stood there quietly, each thinking the same thing but no one daring to say it.

Except Zach who replied shortly after without giving it a second thought.

"Dr. Brennan would be able to find something, there has to be something missing"

Booth glared at him before walking away swiftly. The rest of the squints looked at Zach disbelievingly.

"What? I was merely stating a belief that Dr. Brennan would be essential to our team at the moment, like she most often is"

"Way to go Zach" Hodgins said shaking his head.

Angela went to go after Booth, but Cam stopped her.

"I'll take this one" Angela had warned Cam about the situation when she first got there, in case either Booth or Brennan showed up.

Cam followed Booth outside, into the warm September air.

"Hey big guy, are you okay?" Cam asked worried.

Booth didn't turn around to look at her, he couldn't.

"No Cam, I'm not"

Cam put a hand on his shoulder, feeling truly sorry for him.

"Hey, look at me, I know it seems impossible right now, but I'm sure Brennan has a good reason for all this. I don't know all the psychological stuff, that's Sweets job, but I do know that she loves you Seeley"

"Now you're defending her too? She told me herself she slept with him"

"What she did was wrong there's no question, I just have a hard time believing it was for no reason"

"Yeah..."

"So are you coming back in? We could really use your help, and I'm sure Angela and Hodgins threatened Zach to keep his mouth shut."

"Yeah in a minute"

Booth stood there for a minute to calm himself, running a hand through his hair before he followed Cam in.

Three hours later and they still had nothing.

The Squints and Booth had taken a coffee break, sitting in the lounge area.

As they talked about how they've had no success with the case thus far, they noticed that Zach had started to bounce his leg up and down.

"Now see Zach this is why you shouldn't drink coffee, you're wired enough as it is" said Hodgins taking the mug from him.

"It's not the coffee"

"Then what is it?" Hodgins asked

Zach looked at Booth and bounced his leg more.

Booth's eyes narrowed wondering what Zach could possibly be thinking. "Only, if it's about the case" Booth said.

Zach nodded before launching into an explanation. "I found some bruising on the..."

"In English Zach please!" Booth said while holding his head.

"Ok, bruising on the inside of the victim's thighs"

"Yeah Zach it was in your report, consistent with rape" Cam said.

Zach shook his head desperately "No I assumed it to be a rape, and Dr. Brennan taught me never to assume anything. So I went back to re-examine the body, and discovered that the bruising seemed to be almost rounded. There was also more bruising on the victim's... legs here" Zach said touching his calf to show Agent Booth.

"What could leave a bruise like that?" Cam asked thinking about it.

"Motorcycles?" Hodgins suggested

"Not unless she slung her leg into the bike with an extreme amount of pressure on both sides"

"What if she climbed a tree or something?" Cam said looking at Zach.

"No it seemed as if whatever it was rotated while it caused the bruising"

As the team sat there thinking, Angela shook her head.

"Um hello? The heels that got sent here to us, those bruises, Michelle Alexander was trying to be a pole dancer"

Booth chuckled a bit before looking at her. "Are you serious? She was a model; they make millions and fly all over the world. Why would she want to be a pole dancer?"

"She was living a few hours away from the city in a broken down apartment in Jersey, apparently she wasn't making all that much as a model."

To Cam everything started to fall into place. "Maybe there is no boyfriend, maybe that's just what Alexander told Richards as a cover"

"There's no way our victim could have this secret life as a dancer, without her roommate... the roommate! Lindsay Richards' sister was murdered about ten years ago. She worked as a dancer at this club down the street from that apartment!"

Angela looked it up on her laptop. "The night club is called the Roxy; it has a bad reputation for drugs and violence, as well as prostitution. The owner is Steven McCoy... huh"

"What is it?" Booth asked, trying to read over her shoulder.

"It's just that... that name sounds so familiar. Like I've heard it before"

Hodgins grinned at her and winked. "Geez Ange, that's a story I'd love to hear, a crazy college story perhaps?"

Angela shook her head "No I had a waitressing job on campus..."

"Okay then everyone, we'll just let Angela think about that while we get back to work" Cam said leading a very excited Hodgins away.

"I'll go talk with Richards, find out what side job our victim had"

Booth left, thinking the whole way to the car how wrong it felt without Bones coming with him, trying to get him to let her drive.

Booth walked into the interrogation room where Lindsay Richards sat. She seemed uncomfortable already, never really sitting still. She looked up when the door opened, and then looked at her watch.

"My name is Agent Booth; we met before back at your place"

"I remember" the girl said trying to look around him to the door.

"Is Dr. Brennan with you?"

Booth looked back at the door half expecting to see her there.

"No she's not... why?"

Lindsay looked nervously at her watch then back up at Booth.

"I uh... I thought you worked with her"

"Not on this case"

"Oh"

Booth noticed the girl seem disappointed, as if she had been waiting for Bones this whole time.

"The last time that we met, you said Shelly had a boyfriend she spent a lot of time with, but you didn't know who he was."

"I never met the guy"

Booth nodded as he sat on the side of the table.

"Would that be because he never existed?"

Lindsay looked to be on the verge of tears, "I don't know what you're talking about"

"You told us Michelle Alexander had a boyfriend that she spent a lot of time with, but you don't even know his first name? You lived with her, and yet she never told you a single thing about him?"

"Yes"

Booth looked down and shook his head.

"We have evidence that your roommate worked at a nightclub down the street as a dancer. You might know it, it's the Roxy. Your sister Mandy worked there about ten years ago..."

Lindsay closed her eyes just as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I know the place"

"Did you know Michelle worked there?"

"Yes... I work there"

"Then how about you start telling us everything you know about Michelle"

Lindsay sighed, thinking for a second

"She had family troubles; dad was a drunk, mom skipped out on her a long time ago. She figured she'd make more of herself if she came out here to do some modeling, escape from home you know?"

"We used to be neighbors when we were little. We would try on my sister's clothes and pretend we were models. She moved away before my sister died. A few years ago we met again at a photo shoot. We both had really no place to stay when we were in between jobs at the agency so we decided to rent a place back out here. We both got a second job at the club as waitresses to keep the apartment. She was practicing to be a dancer because they make more money off tips alone."

"Do you know who killed her?"

"I... no I don't"

"Are you sure?"

Lindsay nodded her head, with a look of determination in her eyes. "There are a lot of things you could do in that night club to get yourself killed, and a hundred people willing to kill you. I've had to learn that the hard way"

"I have to ask one last question, do you know why your sister was killed?"

Lindsay nodded "She tried to help a friend; she tried to do the right thing, and no matter what I'll always be proud of her because of that"

Booth let her leave, wondering if they had made in progress that day or not.

An hour later Booth took the keys out of the ignition and opened his door. It was only ten, and he was exhausted.

Walking to the door of his apartment, he heard footsteps behind him and turned in time to see a figure in the darkness pull a gun from his jacket.

The sound of her cell phone ringing broke Brennan from her thoughts as she stared at the blank page on her computer.

She picked it up off the coffee table in front of her, not recognizing the number.

"Dr. Brennan speaking"

"Temperance, I've missed you"

She became angry when she realized who it was.

"What do you want Steven?"

"You, back at my place, like the other night"

"Did you call just to annoy me or was there some reason?" Brennan said tiredly. She just wanted him to leave her alone; he had got what he wanted after all.

"Oh come on now Bones"

Brennan froze as she heard Booth's nickname for her. But Steven wasn't supposed to know about Booth.

"How did you..."

"That guy you brought to my bar was a nice trick Tempe, but you never were subtle about anything. I will give you points for continuing on when you got back to his apartment."

Brennan opened the shade to her window, and could see the parked car outside her house.

"You always did have a problem with my boyfriends Steven"

"That's true, though I have to say I probably would've bought that you were seeing him if my guy outside your house hadn't noticed Agent Booth waiting for you all night. He's not bad looking either Tempe; I think you picked a winner one this time. It's only too bad I had to kill him.

Her heart stopped as panic over took her. This was her worse fear coming true.

"What did you do to him?"

"See for yourself, he's downstairs"

Brennan hung up and raced out the door, taking her steps three at a time.

When she got downstairs, she found an unconscious Booth lying in front of the door. There was some blood on the side of his head, making Brennan's knees grow weak.

Everything stopped moving all at once. There was no sound but her own heart beating fast in her chest.

"Booth! Wake up! Please wake up"

Temperance Brennan was not aware of the tears that were rapidly falling down her face or that she had subconsciously dialed 911.

The only thing that mattered now was the man lying bloody in front of her, and that if he died she would too.

Because literally or fictionally she knew she couldn't live with a broken heart, not without Seeley Booth by her side.

TBC