Undercover

A/N: Set after S5 E17 (The Death of the Queen Bee). Inspired by Brennan's fear of losing Booth without making Booth into a selfish douchebag or Brennan losing her marbles and having auditory and visual hallucinations. I also specifically tried to avoid anyone being in hospital, being raped or faking their death. Once again, apologies for it being so long between additions, ear infections are the devil.

Brennan was in bone storage, looking at the ulna of a 400 year old skeleton, when Booth and Perotta interrupted her inspection. Raising her eyes as she heard the tapping at the door frame, she sent a questioning look to Booth.

"Uh hey Bones." Hey palmed the back of his neck nervously.

"Booth, do we have a case?" She removed her gloves and tossed them in the trash.

"We don't but you guys do" He waved his hand between Brennan and Perotta.

"Hello, Dr Brennan." Perotta smiled tightly. "I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to work with the Jeffersonian team again!"

Brennan blinked, she knew that Booth's confession had made things hard for him but he'd insisted they would continue to work together! "I thought we would remain partners Booth?"

"Oh this isn't my idea - I'm being sent undercover. Might be a long case so the FBI is tapping in Peyton to take over. Trust me, I'd much prefer to be working with you!" He threw her a wry smile.

"I see." Brennan nodded. "Well, Agent Perotta, what do we have?"

"Very damaged body in a bird hide at Manassas park." Perotta grimaced while Brennan's eyes lit up.

"We should get to the scene so I can oversee the recovery of the remains." She looked earnestly at Booth. "Will we have time to talk before you go on your mission?"

"Not really, I need to get packed and on the road before lunch."

"With your lovely fiancee!" Perotta snorted.

Booth shot her a glare. "Agent Nesmith isn't my fiancee, we're just playing a role!"

Perotta shrugged and jerked her head in the direction of the door. "I'll be waiting in the car Dr Brennan."

"Yes … I'll need to transfer my field kit from Booth's vehicle." Brennan headed to her office to change out of her lab coat, when she was putting on her coat Booth, as usual, started to help her but suddenly let go of the garment and took a step back.

She cleared her throat and flipped her hair out of her collar, knowing how significant that tiny change was and hating it vehemently. Once they had walked through the lab and past security, Brennan paused and turned to him.

"Can … are you permitted to tell me anything about this assignment?"

"Not really, Agent Nesmith is with organised crime - anyone at the bureau could tell you that. To be honest I don't have all of the details myself, just a quick overview of the case and the instructions to go and play house with Liz Nesmith." Booth walked ahead, making Brennan almost jog to keep up with him.

"Why you? Were there no other male agents at organised crime they could use?"

"There's a database of agents with experience undercover - they put in physical criteria to be met as well as skill sets and, in this case, I was the only one to hit all the high notes. I'm not happy about this, Bones, I have no idea how long I'm going to be gone, no direct contact with anyone except my handlers - not Parker, not Pops, not you - for the duration."

Aghast Brennan gripped his forearm before quickly letting go. "But what if something happens? What if Parker gets sick? What if Rebecca gets sick? What if Pops …"

"Bones!" Booth put a hand on each of her shoulders. "I know, it's not ideal, but if there's an emergency then Becs or the nursing home can get in touch with Hacker and he can get a message through."

"And you're trusting the FBI to determine what constitutes an emergency? The same organisation that failed to notify all of your named persons that you weren't, in fact, dead?"

Booth sighed and rubbed his face with both hands before opening the trunk of his car. "Look, I know it sucks, but I didn't have a way out of this. At the end of the day, I go where the FBI tells me, honestly I've been lucky to have the same position for so long - most agents get shipped to a different department every couple of years!"

Nodding, Brennan accepted her field kit from him. "Please be careful Booth, don't take the risks you would usually take with me. Agent Nesmith may not have your back in the same way I do."

"No one has had my back the way you do, Bones." Booth checked his watch and sighed again. "I gotta boost … I'll miss you."

He turned to open the driver's door and glanced back at her for a moment, willing her to say something, anything. But Bones just stood there with her lips parted, tears welling in her eyes as she hugged her field kit to her chest. He was in gear and pulling away when she found her voice.

"I'll miss you too, Booth."

#

Peyton Perotta had intentionally kept quiet on the drive to Manassas, she could see Dr Brennan was hurting, geez a blind man would be able to see she was hurting. She'd never had a partner for longer than a year or so, the bureau liked to change things up, only partnerships that were truly special were kept together indefinitely.

She kept an eye on the Doctor during the recovery of the victim, taking note of the information Dr Brennan was telling her in a small notepad. Female, 35 to 45 years old, no apparent injuries, cause of death would be determined from autopsy and further investigation. To the outside observer, including Perotta, Dr Brennan was her usual efficient self, but once the recovery was complete and all the surrounding evidence was sent with the remains back to the Jeffersonian, people could see the change in her.

Marcus Geier, having known Dr Brennan for some time, enquired about her health but she waved him off with the excuse of tiredness … which was true, she was so very tired. Tired of murder, tired of the hate she saw in the perpetrators, tired of the worst of humanity.

She thought about the email she had read a hundred times since she received it, the opportunity to head up a dig in Indonesia, the Maluku Islands to be precise. She was tempted to accept the offer, but it was 12 months away from her friends and family and it would be 12 months not knowing if Booth made it through his assignment. She couldn't leave, not without knowing he was okay first. Perhaps it would be a short assignment, she still had time to reply and accept.

"Dr Brennan?" Perotta said softly from the driver's seat.

Brennan blinked, she had been so lost in her thoughts that they were halfway back to the lab and she hadn't even noticed. "Yes, Agent Perotta?"

"I was serious back at the Jeffersonian - I have so much admiration for the work you guys do and I'm glad to be given this opportunity as the Jeffersonian Liaison, no matter how temporary it is."

"Of course, we're the best at what we do." Brennan frowned a little. "I understand that many agents would be keen to see if they could achieve the same success, and professional accolades, as Booth by being associated with our institution."

"Exactly!" Perotta smiled widely. "I'll just drop you off and head back to the Hoover, you have my number when you've got cause of death or ID - whichever comes first!"

"Of course, we'll call you as soon as we have something." Brennan turned to stare out of the window and they spent the rest of the journey in silence.

#

Camille Saroyen stripped off her gloves and tossed them in the trash before removing her mask. "Myocardial infarction, around a week ago, there are indicators of heart disease but not to the extent that cardiac arrest was imminent or expected. No signs of sexual activity or damage to the epidermis that can't be attributed to insect and scavenger activity. Was there anything on the X-rays, any kind of unhealed physical trauma that could have led to a heightened stress state?"

"Nothing, just a broken wrist from over ten years ago that was fully healed, no cracks or chips to the cranium or vertebra that would indicate an accident or attack that would induce cardiac issues." Brennan filled out the relevant fields on the form on her clipboard. "Is Angela still running her prints?"

"Yes, I'll get her ready for transport when we get next of kin to contact a funeral director."

Brennan left the autopsy suite and headed to Angela's office, on the way she stopped at Dr Hodgins workstation to see if he had any updates on where the deceased had been before ending up in a bird hide on Federal land. "Dr Hodgins, do you have anything that could aid in building a timeline of events that led to this woman's death?"

"Not much" Hodgins puffed out a breath in exasperation "some kind of dough from around the cuticles, flour on her clothes and a large amount of mucus on the sleeves of her jacket."

"From coughing perhaps? Although Cam didn't say anything about the deceased's lungs …"

"It's mixed with lacrimal secretions … more likely she was using the sleeves to wipe her nose and eyes from crying a lot."

"The interrupted breathing patterns from sobbing in addition to the reason for the upset could possibly have triggered a cardiac arrest in someone with a weakened heart." Brennan mused.

"She died because she was sad?" Hodgins snorted.

"No, ultimately she died due to heart disease but it was brought forward due to her panic and upset." Brennan shrugged and continued her way to Angela's office where she found her best female friend eating crackers while the screen in front of her compared finger prints.

"Hey, Bren, do we know how she died?"

"Natural causes, heart attack. She was suffering from heart disease and, somehow, ended up in an enhanced state of panic about something that caused her to suffer cardiac arrest."

"Oh my god! That's horrible!" Angela put her hand over her mouth and shook her head. "I'm not having much luck with the fingerprints, we'll need to take dentals and see if we can cross reference with missing persons."

"I'll call Agent Perotta and let her know."

#

Perotta wasn't happy about Dr Brennan tagging along to talk to Mark Mason about Lori Hallan's death, but she knew this was the price she would pay to take Booth's place while he was gone. Out of all the agents who looked at Booth's success and wanted to emulate it, she was the only one willing, albeit grudgingly, to play by Dr Brennan's rules.

"I can be a little too brusque with notifications of death, so I'll leave that in your capable hands … you have notified someone their loved one is dead before, yes?"

"Unfortunately I have" Peyton nodded "But other than telling Mr Mason that the woman he reported missing has passed … I'm not sure what else there is to do?"

Eyes wide Brennan stared, mouth agape for a couple of seconds "Don't you want to know how she ended up in a bird hide and, essentially, cried herself into a heart attack?"

"Well, it's not a criminal investigation …"

"Usually Booth does the 'why' and I do the 'how' … I can see that, with you, I'll need to do both!"

Peyton stopped the car and turned to face Brennan fully. "You're very invested in this woman's non-criminal death, I had no idea you were so emotionally attached to your cases."

"I … I never used to be … but Lori Hallan died upset and alone … I just want to know why it had to be that way."

"Okay." Peyton nodded and continued driving to Mr Mason's apartment block.

Brennan stood back as Agent Perotta rapped loudly on Mark Mason's door and watched her change her stance - feet hip width apart, hands clasped in front of her. A crack in the door revealed a haggard and blotchy face, with scared eyes.

"Mark Mason? I'm Agent Perotta with the FBI and this is my consultant, Dr Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian." Brennan nodded to Mark with her jaw clenched at Perotta's announcement that she was her consultant.

The door opened fully, Mark Mason was in crumpled sweats and a long sleeved t-shirt that looked a few days past clean. "You're here about Lori?"

"We are, may we come in?" Perotta's voice was soft and sombre, her tone giving away the fact that they weren't there with good news.

Mark cleared empty chip bags and beer cans off the couch and gestured for Perotta and Brennan to sit. Perotta cleared her throat and took a breath to steel herself before beginning.

"You reported Lori Hallan missing four days ago?" Mark nodded, his elbows resting on his knees, tears already pooling in his eyes. "She was found in Manassas Park, she had died of a heart attack - there was no sign of foul play."

"Oh God!" Mark slid off his chair to his knees and began to rock and sob.

"We're so sorry for your loss, can you tell us how you knew Lori?" Peyton bit her lip as Mark continued to cry heavily into his hands.

Without a second thought, Brennan was on her knees next to him, a hand on his shoulder as she spoke softly. "We're so sorry, Mark, do you want us to call anyone?"

The comforting weight of Brennan's hand and the slight back and forth motion as she comforted him made him move his hands away, wiping his eyes on his sleeve - just as Lori had done.

"I'm … I'll be okay, I … a heart attack? I knew she had a weak heart … this is all my fault!"

Mark struggled to his feet and staggered through a doorway that Brennan assumed was his kitchen. They heard the tap running and water splashing, retching, a glass being filled, some gulping and hiccups before Mark returned to the living room.

"Mark" Brennan walked over to him and squeezed his bicep. "Lori … was she very upset about something? Something bad enough that she would want to go somewhere alone and cry?"

"Yeah" Mark dry heaved and put a hand over his mouth "We met in culinary school 10 years ago, Lori and I ran our bakery after we graduated, we're .. we were best friends, did everything together, everyone thought we were a couple. Sure we fooled around a little after we first met but when we decided to go into business together we knocked that on the head."

Brennan frowned trying to decipher the terminology. "You were attracted to each other but decided not to pursue a relationship due to your business arrangement?"

"Exactly … then almost two weeks ago, Lori came to me before we closed the shop for the day. Tells me that our friendship is amazing and proves we have the forever kind of connection and that we should take things further. Says we should 'let it grow' give in to our feelings … but I told her that I couldn't, I didn't feel that way about her."

Pale and shaking, Brennan took a step back. "Yes, I can see your point of view."

Perotta sensed the change in the atmosphere as Brennan moved away from Mark. "We know you reported Lori missing but does she have a next of kin we can contact?"

"Uh … yeah, her Mom and Dad. I'll get you the number and address." Mark rubbed the top of his head with his hand and blinked back more tears. "I loved her, y'know, but like a friend or a sister … maybe if I'd loved her different or just tried to love her the way she wanted me to, she'd still be here.. instead I told her she had to move on."

#

Booth had been gone for 5 days and Brennan was very worried about him, the case she worked with Agent Perotta had been plaguing her thoughts and making her emotional. She hated being emotional. Angela watched Bren in Limbo, handling the bones as carefully as her colleagues and friends were handling her - delicately and very aware one wrong move or word could result in them never leaving bone storage.

"Hey, Sweetie!" Angela smiled gently "I'm in the mood for greasy fries and a crisp grenache if you want to join me?"

Bren blinked "Is Hodgins not joining you for dinner?"

"He could but I'd rather it was you, we used to eat out together almost every night."

"Yes, we did" Brennan tipped her head to the side "Before my time was monopolised by Booth."

"Monopolised is a little harsh, but yes." Ange crossed her arms and awaited Bren's decision.

"I think I'd enjoy that." She stripped off her gloves and followed Ange back to her office, surprised to find Agent Perotta and Cam waiting for her.

"Dr Brennan!" Perotta nodded once "Paperwork is filed, Lori Hallan has been picked up for her family to have the funeral and the case is closed! I understand that your team, with Booth, used to mark these occasions in Founding Fathers?"

Once she found out she would be taking over as interim Jeffersonian liaison, Perotta had quizzed Booth on their habits and traditions. Bottom line was that she was 10 years younger than him and he wouldn't be in the field forever, making herself a valid backup wouldn't go wrong.

"Actually, often it was just Booth and me." She cast a glance at Angela "I was just going to grab something to eat with Ange …"

"You're welcome to join us!" Ange interrupted, knowing Bren was about to put the brakes on expanding her social circle. "You too, Cam, obviously!"

Peyton and Cam mulled over the prospect for a moment before agreeing and the four women headed out of the lab. The situation didn't feel natural to Brennan and she wasn't 100% comfortable; on the way to Founding Fathers, she wondered if there was a way to go home or back to bone storage without making Angela upset. Scenarios rattled through her mind but, still distracted, she found herself sitting at a four top with a menu in her hand. Too late now.

"As we're now off the clock, I'd really appreciate it if you guys would call me Peyton." Agent Perotta looked up from her menu.

"Of course and obviously you can call me Cam rather than Dr Saroyen."

Everyone at the table looked at Brennan. "I have no objections to being addressed as Tempe, Brennan or Bren."

Cam and Angela let out a silent breath of relief as Peyton smiled and nodded.

#

Brennan was still distracted by Booth's absence as Dr Catherine Bryer explained the injuries from different aquatic species on the remains that had been found in a tiger shark. So distracted that she agreed to go for coffee with Andrew Hacker in the hope she would find out whether he was almost finished with his eight day, so far, assignment.

As the case got more complex and they tried to find a way to link everything together, Perotta and Brennan took a break at the Royal Diner to clear their heads.

"I didn't think AD Hacker would have been your type?" Perotta mused as she sipped her latte.

"I'm not sure what you mean?" Brennan frowned.

"I just think you'd get on better with someone more … dynamic. Sure, he's not bad to look at but … I just don't think he's fun enough for you to keep your interest."

Brennan shrugged, "He doesn't really need to keep my interest, monogamy doesn't interest me."

The lie was out of her mouth before she could stop it, it was a knee jerk response that had become habitual. Brennan had, after all, created an entire world where she was in a monogamous relationship with Booth. She had shared that world with him while he was in a coma and then denied its existence when he woke up.

"Hmm … yeah, I can identify with that. I mean, the hours we work aren't really conductive to long term entanglements, right?"

"Right." Brennan nodded. "Peyton … do you think I'm making a mistake going for coffee with Andrew?"

"You're the only person that can answer that, Tempe." Peyton put her cup down and stared at it for a moment."Are you worried about leading him on? Having him thinking there's more to the relationship than there is?"

"Yes!" Brennan blurted. "I've been wondering why it's been bothering me … to be honest, I was only so quick to agree because I was hoping he might be able to tell me how Booth is."

"You miss him … not as your partner at work but socially too." Peyton didn't even mask it as a question, it was a statement as true as 'the Pope is a catholic'.

"I do, he's my best friend, we spent a lot of time together socially. In the evenings we'd eat together, at the weekends we'd go running or I would join him at the park or the zoo with his son, Parker."

"Maybe rather than dating Hacker, having a little play time with Parker would make you feel better?"

If Brennan believed that lightbulbs appeared over someone's head when they got a bright idea, she would have seen one above Peyton right at that moment.

#

Andrew Hacker waited nervously in the upscale cafe he'd asked Temperance to meet him in. He knew that this could be his last chance to make a good impression on the gorgeous doctor. His eyes flicked up at the sound of the door and he smiled and breathed a sigh of relief when Brennan walked in.

"Hello Andrew, how are you?"

"I'm fine … great, even!" He grinned, not ashamed to hide his joy that she had arrived.

They ordered their coffee and pastries, Brennan stayed quiet as Andrew babbled about being torn between cinnamon and apple. When he realised he was babbling, Andrew decided to switch topics.

"Very tough case you and Agent Perotta just solved - I thought for sure you were going to ruin our case against Vladov but, instead, you blew it wide open!"

"Yes, that was a fortunate outcome."

"You're enjoying working with Agent Perotta?"

"Peyton is less instinctive than Booth, I imagine it's due to her having less experience than him, especially with complex cases like Jazz Gunn."

"Peyton? Interesting that you use her first name but don't call Booth by his."

"I address people by their preferred method … Do you know how Booth is?"

Andrew's eyes darkened a little in frustration. "He's fine, but we're not here to talk about him."

He placed his hand over Brennan's on the table and she pulled it back quickly. "My partner has been on an assignment for an extended period of time, you are his superior, it's only logical that I enquire about his health."

Chastened, Andrew nodded. "The assignment is projected to take no more than 4 weeks. I haven't checked on their progress personally, only with the SAC of OC, but I have a feeling things are going very well and their cover is completely intact"

"A feeling? Why?"

"Agent Nesmith has made no secret that she's attracted to Booth, the gossip from the bullpens always reaches us eventually. She requested his assistance and the brief she issued matched him so, obviously, we approved. Booth is a handsome, single man, I'm sure you can put two and two together Temperance."

"Are the FBI in the habit of letting Agents dictate their undercover spouses so they can attempt to have sexual intercourse?"

Brennan felt … annoyed. She wasn't entirely sure whether it was for Booth, who had been coerced into spending time with a woman who wanted him sexually by his employer, or simply the fact that he was spending time with a woman who was sexually attracted to him. Her annoyance evolved into anger when she wondered why either of those options bothered her so much. Shocked by the change in her demeanor, Andrew gaped for a moment … was that jealousy?

"Whoa! That's not what happened … Agent Nesmith requested Booth but was told to go through the database and Booth was the only match" He sighed "okay, maybe something happens but they're in different departments so while they would need to disclose their relationship, there wouldn't be any barriers. Geez, it's possible they'll come back actually married!"

Andrew laughed, Brennan didn't, if anything that made her even more annoyed. "That won't happen, he would tell me. Booth is very traditional, he would never get married without having his family and friends present. Also he would never marry someone without knowing his grandfather and son approve of the union! As his best friend, I hope I would also be solicited for opinions."

"You know him really well, don't you?" Andrew metaphorically deflated as all the puzzle pieces came together. Temperance was bothered by Booth's undercover assignment with Nesmith far more than a partner and best friend should be.

"As well as he knows me, maybe a little less actually." Brennan tilted her head thoughtfully.

Nodding, Andrew leaned back in his seat. "I think that I have a firm idea of the type of person you are, Temperance and … this" he indicated between them "isn't going to happen because there's no way anyone could ever get to know you the way Booth does, no matter how much they want to."

"Booth and I learned about each other through our cases and experiences together … it would be impossible to replicate the same experiences with someone else to achieve the same result." Brennan frowned.

"Yeah" Andrew sighed and drained his coffee cup. "I'll have a check in with Booth and Nesmith soon, would you like me to pass on a message?"

"I didn't know if that would be permitted …"

Andrew held up a hand to stop her "I can read between the lines."

"I'm not sure what that means in this context but … could you tell him I … we miss him a lot and hope that he's safe."

"I will. Have a nice evening, Temperance, and if there are any other messages you would like me to pass on just let me know." Andrew smiled before putting on his jacket and leaving Brennan at a table with half her coffee and two cinnamon pastries.

#

"Bones!" Brennan smiled wider than she had in weeks hearing someone calling her that again. She hunkered down and opened her arms for Parker and accepted his hug with stinging eyes.

"Dr Brennan" Rebecca walked towards them.

"Tempe, please, we're in a social setting." Brennan stood and clasped Parker's hand tightly.

"Um okay .. Tempe." Rebecca paused, the name feeling odd from her lips. "I'll pick him back up at 8pm … are you sure it's okay to take him for dinner?"

"Absolutely! Actually, with Booth … unavailable, I was wondering how you would feel if, next time, I took Parker overnight? I understand that you often used Booth's visitation weekends to socialise with friends and go on dates with Brent."

Rebecca blinked, she knew from Seeley's brief chats with her that there was more to Dr Brennan than met the eye but this was a completely different side to the doctor than she had seen before.

"Can I, Mom? Can I? Can I?" Parker gripped Bones hand with both of his and bounced up and down.

"I … well it would be good to get a date night, if you're totally sure? I mean, is your apartment set up for a kid?"

"Oh I'm a registered foster parent, so I always have my spare room made up just in case I get a call or even if my Dad or brother need to stay over." Brennan smoothed Parker's unruly curls back from his face lovingly.

"Huh, I didn't know that .. about you being a foster parent, that's very noble of you Tempe." Rebecca handed her Parker's bag with snacks and a change of clothes in the event of ice cream disasters.

Brennan took the bag and shrugged. "Russ, my brother, wanted to ensure there would be no barriers to me caring for his step-children if something happened to him and his wife, Amy."

She didn't want to mention her past life in the system, she wasn't sure if she was ready for Rebecca to know that about her. Once they transferred Parker's booster seat into Brennan's car, they said their goodbyes and Parker and Bones went on to have an excellent trip to the zoo before heading to the supermarket for ingredients to make dinner.

#

Booth waited until Liz was in the shower before calling Hacker, she was always in there for at least 20 minutes. The first 6 days of the assignment, he'd been polite but firm - they were working, playing the role of a loving, engaged couple in public, that didn't mean it carried on in private. Then his resolve weakened and, after a night of drinking to blend in with the crowd they were trying to infiltrate, he woke up naked with Liz nestled against his shoulder, she was an attractive woman and he was desperately lonely. Then, a few days later, Hacker had passed on a message that Bones was missing him and his resolve came back twice as strong … and Liz noticed.

"Hacker here."

"Hacker, it's Booth."

"Booth! What happened to you on the check in?"

Booth's jaw set, Liz had taken the check in without him despite knowing that his son or Bones might have wanted a message passed on. "Agent Nesmith decided I didn't need to be there, which is why I'm calling you while she's in the shower. Are there any messages for me?"

"Yes, actually … I asked Liz to pass them on to you, I assume she didn't?"

"You assume correctly."

Hacker sighed deeply down the phone. "Temperance asked me to tell you that Parker is very healthy and happy and that it was a treat to hear someone call her Bones again."

Booth closed his eyes, Bones was spending time with Parker because he couldn't, she had no idea how open her heart was. "Thank you, did Agent Nesmith update you on the stalled case?"

"Stalled? No, she said there had been a hiccup she reported to her SAC but the assignment was heading in the right direction."

"Bullshit" Booth snarled angrily "We haven't made any headway whatsoever, no new leads, no new contacts, no new information that wasn't already in the file."

"So you haven't refused to take part in a boxing match and delayed infiltration?

"What? There hasn't been any boxing match mentioned to me! If it would get this case done quicker, I'd have gloves on before I left this stupid yuppie apartment we're in! I want to get back to DC and see my son!"

Hacker drummed his fingers on his desk, could Temperance have been right? That this whole operation was a ruse from Liz Nesmith to spend time with Booth? "Leave it with me, Booth, I'll get on to her SAC and I'll be back in touch as soon as I can."

"Thanks Deputy Hacker, I appreciate that." Booth ended the call and went for a run.

#

Brennan and Perotta stared at the reconstructed implant that had given them the ID they were looking for.

"A fake ball?" Perotta bent down to get a closer look. "But … why?"

Brennan shrugged "Probably for the same reason women have reconstructive surgery with implants after mastectomy."

"Yeah but, it's not like it's as noticeable as a half empty bra … his pants probably fit exactly the same way as they did before."

"Vanity is a strange thing." Brennan mused "But we're all guilty of it in one way or another."

Perotta nodded in agreement as they left the lab for the hotel to see what could have possibly led to Richard Cole's death. After canvassing everyone at the Rock n' Roll fantasy camp Cole was enrolled in, they deduced he wasn't well liked or respected and Agent Perotta was struggling to narrow down the suspect list.

Peyton stood back and watched as the Jeffersonian crew uncovered tiny pieces of evidence that would have been missed or dismissed by FBI techs. The sliver of mammoth tusk that reduced the suspect pool to those who used plectrums of the same material, the vast range of knowledge - professional and personal - that led to the identification of the murder weapon. Then, finally, the "smoking gun" that led to the arrest. With every case she worked Booth's 'squints' she understood the well oiled machine that went above and beyond to get justice for the victims that found themselves beyond the capabilities of local, state and even FBI resources.

#

AD Hacker was carefully checking the details of the progression of the counterfeit whisky case Nesmith and Booth were working on from Nesmith's official reports and comparing them to the summary of daily activities Booth had sent him that morning when SAC Innes arrived at his office. He told his assistant to hold his calls until Pete had left.

"Pete, I'd like your opinions on a fake Lagavulin case. I received a call from Agent Booth that has made me … question … the progress that Agent Nesmith has reported."

SAC Innes shrugged "She's been trying to get him more involved but he's not playing ball, they were supposed to go to some country club to get in with a distributor but he said it would be a tactical error and when she told him to put his name up for a charity boxing match that would give them an 'in', he said it was too aggressive."

"Uh huh" Hacker pursed his lips and frowned. "It's funny because Agent Booth says he didn't know anything about a boxing match until I mentioned it, so I compared Nesmith's reports to a summary of activities that I requested from Booth and I'm finding it difficult to get them to match."

"Well, he's obviously lying!" Innes chuckled "I mean, I know he's your golden boy or whatever, but Liz would be nice to spend time with, I don't blame him for dragging it out if you know what I mean?"

"Why did Liz need Booth, specifically? Her prerequisites for her undercover partner were so detailed that no other agent matched except him. Why did she need someone exactly his height, age and build? Why did she need someone with sniper experience and forensic knowledge in a bootlegging operation?"

Innes was speechless for a moment as the penny dropped, then he sighed and rubbed at his forehead before nodding. "It's not Agent Booth stalling this, is it?"

"No, I don't think it is." Hacker steepled his fingers against his chin. "Pull her out, Booth can finish on his own. They have an argument, maybe she's been flirting with a waiter, I don't care. She leaves him to go back to her mother's. I'll be relaying this to Booth so there's no way out for Agent Nesmith."

"I will impress the importance of this on her, I imagine you'll want to see her when she gets back to DC?"

Hacker just levelled him with a glare that said 'you're damn right I do' and waved him out of the office before drafting a senior level email about more thorough oversights being needed on undercover agent selection. He hadn't paid enough attention, he had trusted the automated selection process too much and not questioned the details. A mistake like that in a different situation could lead to much bigger problems.

#

Brennan sat on her sofa in silence, the only light came from the screen of her laptop where the cursor blinked at her. It had been 20 days since Booth left for his assignment, 20 days since an odd ache had taken up residence in her stomach. She didn't know if Andrew was passing on the messages she had asked him to, all she knew was that he was alive and his cover was intact. She wanted to see him, but had no idea what she would say when she did. She wanted him to hug her and tell her he was fine and she had nothing to worry about, she wanted to feel his hand at the small of her back again.

She was in pain, not a physical pain that she could diagnose and treat, not the same level of pain she had when she thought Booth was dead or when she thought he wouldn't wake up from his coma. It wasn't as raw and panicked but it was intense enough to reiterate the fact that she simply couldn't live a happy life without him, she could not move on. Was that the 30, 40 or 50 years Booth had talked about? If it was then what would change by adding a sexual component? She felt jealousy when she thought about him with another woman, it had taken a while for her to identify it as it was so unfamiliar. The relief she had felt when Andrew told her that Agent Nesmith had been pulled from the case and Booth would be undercover alone was in contradiction to the increased worry she now had that he had no immediate back up. She placed her fingers on the keyboard and started to write, not a new scene for her novel but an essay so personal and self reflective that there was no way she would be able to deny her feelings any more.

#

Peyton pressed her fingers to her temples and rubbed, new witch bones, old witch bones, a coven and curses. Angela and Hodgins in the county slammer and Tempe was all over the place. She thought it might be to do with the Gravedigger trial coming up but surely the great Dr Temperance Brennan wouldn't let that shake her so much?

Once they'd worked out that Sherrie was killed by more than one person and arrested everyone, Perotta breathed a sigh of relief. They were waiting in the lab for Angela and Hodgins' return when Peyton brought up going out dancing.

"I think we need to blow off steam, like really blow off steam. Gravedigger is coming to trial for you guys, Booth isn't here to back you up. Drinking, dancing and debauchery should be our aim for the evening!"

Angela grinned as she walked over "Well usually I'm up for all three but, as a married woman I'll pass on the debauchery!"

"Well, gather the clan!" Cam exclaimed "It's a wedding reception!"

They ate, they drank, they went to a club and danced but Angela noticed Bren wasn't really up to it. She knew what was wrong … and it wasn't anything to do with the gravedigger but the missing member of their family.

#

Booth had been on his own for a week or so and had made even better progress than he'd anticipated. A morose man whose fiancee left him to sink to the bottom of a bottle of Lagavulin and wallow in anger - the perfect combination to get all the names, dates and addresses they needed to organise a raid. It wouldn't be long now, he'd be home and he could hold his son again. He could really try to move on from Bones' rejection, maybe he'd take a vacation somewhere warm and sunny with Parker.

He went through the same motions every day as he had when Liz had been with him. Go for a run, come back, empty the mailbox and head to the apartment for a shower. It was mostly junk, sometimes there would be a coded message on a postcard when he needed to contact his handler, Innes, or Hacker. This time it was from Munich and said 'Steve, the beer is awesome here, you'd love it if you ever get tired of fancy whiskies! Don't forget to keep your gloves tight! Best Pete.' That 'keep your gloves tight' comment meant the raid would be going ahead at the country club and he should make sure he's seen at the boxing gym while it was happening.

#

The Taffett trial was gruelling and pushed every member of the team to their limits. Without the support of Booth, Brennan fell apart in the lab while examining the evidence on the boy they found in the freezer. That's when the call came … Heather Taffett had been shot by a sniper while being transferred. She didn't want to think, didn't even want to imagine, that when her father said they needed to get off defence that he would take care of things in a different way.

But it was over now. The woman who kidnapped and killed all those people, children, the woman who kidnapped her, Hodgins, Booth … She was dead, and DC metro was struggling to gather evidence to find out who the sniper was. And Booth was in North Carolina, stuck and alone.

#

Perotta knew how shaken up the team was after the Gravedigger's assassination and was filled with regret as she entered the lab to collect Dr Brennan for recovery of the hoarder that fell through a ceiling. Not finding the good doctor anywhere, she sought out Cam to ask as to her whereabouts.

"She took two weeks leave, it started yesterday … going to visit Russ in North Carolina, She needed the time to decompress. I have Dr Clark Edison to fill in while she's away."

Daisy was on the platform carefully putting away the bones and failing to disguise her joy. "It'll be good for her to see her family before she goes to Maluku for a year. I can't wait to see all the discoveries we make!"

Cam and Peyton swiveled their heads around to look at the energetic intern, saying "what?" at the same time.

Daisy blinked "Well, she's been offered the role of heading the dig, it would be silly for her to refuse! The implications of this project for her career are immeasurable, there's no reason for her to turn it down!"

"So she hasn't accepted, as yet?" Cam let out a calming breath.

"Well … no, but"

"Until such a time that Dr Brennan speaks to me about taking a sabbatical, let's keep the assumptions and conjecture quiet - after all, you know how Dr Brennan feels about that." Cam indicated that Peyton should follow her to her office while texting Angela to come too.

When the three women were gathered, Cam looked at them seriously. "Did Tempe mention anything to you two about this 12 month stint in Indonesia?"

"Nope," Peyton shook her head, gnawing lightly on her bottom lip.

"Not a word, but she won't go, not right now."Angela spoke confidently.

Cam nodded "Yeah, that's my view too - she's wound tighter than the spring in a bear trap with Booth gone, she wouldn't go abroad without knowing he was safe."

#

Booth was restless, he was getting too well known around town, if his cover wasn't in property investment it would be easier - people were interested in talking to him about it, asking for advice, looking for tips to survive off passive income like he was. All it took would be one person to notice he was parroting whatever he had memorised from Google searches the night before and he'd be toast. No matter how good an agent he was, he couldn't be in two places at once. Sure he'd made a lot more progress without Liz hampering things so she could pretend they were in an actual relationship, but it was a two man job.

He knew the fake booze came into the Country club … or at least it used to, since the raid it was coming into the boxing gym and was distributed to two other bars - The Gatsby Wine bar and Peppermint Panther, a member's only 'gentlemen's club'. He still had no clues as to where the booze was coming from before it got to the boxing club, but the routine he'd set up made tailing the driver of the truck difficult when he had 'public appearances' to make to maintain cover. Booth was taping up his hands to work on a punching ball at the back of the gym, near the door to the back offices so he could see when the staff started moving boxes into the store room.

"Hey Tay!" Gordy was on the outskirts of the crowd doing the bootlegging but a valuable introduction to the inner circle - he was the first 'friend' Booth made when Liz wasn't able to control things anymore.

"Gordy!" he raised his taped fist to bump against Gordy's "Didn't see you at the club last night."

"Went to The Gatsby with the ol' ball and chain" Gordy rolled his eyes and Booth laughed. "But as a footloose, fancy free man of means you would be very interested in the new waitress - smokin' hot, ass to die for and, you know, Lindy is a matchmaker … so she hauled this poor girl over the coals to get her fuckin' life history! Wanda, 30 years old, she's single and waiting for the right guy."

Wanda? The name made Booth take a sharp breath. "I'm sure she's as hot as you say but I'm not ready for anything, Beth … she really messed me up, man."

Gordy put a hand on his shoulder and patted sympathetically. "I get it, but that salami ain't gonna hide itself, Taylor."

Booth laughed and started rhythmically tapping at the ball. Wanda, 30, smokin' hot, ass to die for … sounded a lot like undercover Bones but she couldn't be … right?

#

"Tempe? What are you doing?" Russ gaped at the mess of Hayley's room and his sister and Emma prancing around in wigs and bright, shiny dresses.

"We're playing dress up, Daddy! Isn't it obvious?" Hayley panted lightly as she spoke from underneath an overly large pair of heart shaped sunglasses and a glittery cowboy hat.

"Umm … yeah" He looked at Tempe, her silver cowl neck mini-dress was scandalously short and he ran a hand down his face when she turned to reveal it was also backless. "Tempe? Can I talk to you?"

Her wavy platinum blonde wig swayed around her shoulders as she turned to smile at him, nodding and following him out of the room.

"Is everything okay, Russ … I know these aren't the usual princess type dressing up clothes that children prefer …"

"Tempe, you look like a hooker, a prostitute." Russ' face reddened with frustration.

Brennan looked down at herself. "These are clubbing clothes, the girl in the store said this outfit was highly fashionable."

"And highly likely to get you groped - I know, I know! You should be able to wear what you want and you can take care of yourself but I've been out drinking with enough guys to know exactly what they think and say when they see someone as pretty as you wearing … that."

"So you would describe this outfit as sexually provocative?"

"Yes, yes I would." Russ nodded firmly but it turned to a negative shake from side to side when he saw the smirk appear on Tempe's face. "Are you … you're not going to bring a random guy back to the house are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous! I'd never do something so rude and disrespectful to my hosts, I'll be staying in a motel for the next couple of nights as I'll be travelling a little further than the bar in town here."

Alarm bells rang in Russ' head "Okay you've been here 4 days, why don't you just go back to DC to go out with your friend Angela?"

"There's a specific town I'm interested in visiting, someone there is an old friend and I'd like to get reacquainted with him."

"Oh, it's not that professor guy Dad told me about is it? He's a real douche from what I heard, Spires? Stines?"

"Stires and, no, it isn't him. I have no interest in speaking to him in any capacity. The man I'm going to meet is safe and kind, I'm going to pack my bag as I'll be leaving in a couple of hours."

"Okay, call me when you arrive and let me know you got there safe and again when you're leaving so we know when to expect you home."

"I will." Brennan closed her eyes as Russ leaned forward to press a kiss on her forehead. Confirming that she definitely didn't love Booth like a brother.

#

Perotta was in the bullpen discussing a case with Charlie Burns, leaning over his shoulder and using her pen to tap at his monitor to show him the files she wanted him to take a closer look at.

"Agent Perotta, do you have a moment?" AD Hacker was standing at the door of Booth's office gesturing for her to enter with him.

"Sure." She followed him inside and watched as he closed the door before turning to her wringing his hands.

"Have you heard from Dr Brennan?" Hacker's brow was furrowed with worry.

"Not personally, but Angela has called and received calls from her, she's having a nice time with her family as far as I know. She's only taken two weeks leave and has confirmed she'll definitely be returning to DC … is this about that twelve month sabbatical that Dr Sweets girlfriend is going on?"

"Sabbatical? No, I had no idea she was planning on going away for a year!" Andrew was shocked.

"Whoa! She's not!" Perotta smiled and shook her head. "We asked her about it and Tempe said she couldn't commit to going so far away for so long without knowing Booth was safe."

"Yes, I know she's very concerned about his safety … I'm …" Andrew frowned and looked out the windows of Booth's office before pulling Perotta away from them and lowering his voice. "I may have revealed too much about Booth's assignment to her, his specific location and the fact he is now working solo, I'm worried she may take it upon herself to try and help him."

"That sounds like a thing Tempe would do." Peyton mused. "Does it bother you? How concerned she is about him? I know you two went out a few times …"

"Oh no! That ship has sailed," Andrew shook his head ruefully. "I'm actually worried about how Booth will react if she shows up unannounced."

Peyton shrugged "They know how to maintain cover, she'll probably arrive and greet him like a friend she hasn't seen in years."

#

Booth sipped at the drink Wanda just put in front of him, winking back at her. She was indeed smokin' hot with an ass to die for but she was dumb as a box of hair. Good for flirting with but not a conversationalist … and he really missed all the talks he and Bones had. He'd established that the town had three types of women - happily married, dumb and hot or hooker. The fact that the town only had one college - which was a private, religious college, made sure that all the smart girls left when they hit 18. Booth, who was usually surrounded by very smart women, found it to be depressing and boring.

"Hey handsome, lookin' for a date?" He knew that voice, his hand gripped the glass so tight he was scared it would shatter.

Wanda was giving the owner of the voice major stink eye, Booth was afraid to turn and look at her. "Not tonight Lola, dunno how many times I need to turn you down."

He felt her warm breath on the side of his neck as she murmured "Not Lola, sweetheart."

Booth glanced at her, the long wavy blonde hair, metallic deeply low cut dress that showed more cleavage than should be appropriate in public, heavy make up … she looked nothing like Bones, but her voice and her eyes told him who she really was. Those damn eyes were unmistakable. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out of the Gatsby and into the small alleyway next to it, pushing her against the rough wall with a hand on each of her biceps.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He was angry, confused and trying desperately not to look at her exposed flesh.

"You needed help and … I missed you, I wanted to see you … I took a gamble." Brennan's eyes were wide open with honesty as Booth took his hands off her and stepped back.

Their eyes glanced to the road where they heard loud voices approaching, Brennan grabbed Booth and spun them, pushing him against the wall and dropping to her knees with one hand up his shirt and the other on his belt buckle. Speechless, Booth was about to grab her and pull her to her feet when he heard whooping sounds and wolf whistles.

"Woo! Yeah, Taylor - get some!"

Booth plucked Bones' hands off his body, pulled her to his side and swaggered toward his 'friends' with a smirk. "Let's go somewhere more private, Roxy."

He led her to the Mercedes ML500 that he'd been issued and opened the passenger door for her, he noted that she didn't immediately put her seatbelt on as he rounded the SUV and slipped into the driver's seat. As soon as the door closed with a clunk, he felt her arm over him and his seat being pushed back as far as it would go. Eyes wide, he watched Bones settle on her knees in the footwell.

"What the hell are you doing, Bones?" Booth hissed angrily, gripping her forearms and pulling her.

She shook him free and pushed him deeper into his seat forcefully. "I am playing a prostitute, Booth, if you want your cover to remain intact then act like you're with a prostitute!"

Booth nodded and calmed, knowing exactly what kind of scene would be visible through the windscreen of the plush vehicle to any passers by. "Tell me, again, why did you come here? How did you even know where I was?"

Bones folded her arms on his thighs, displaying far more cleavage from her than he'd ever seen before. "I missed you. I wanted to see you. I … I can't move on, so when Andrew accidentally happened to mention the name of the town you were based in, I researched and came up with a plan."

"What do you mean, you can't move on?" Booth let his head fall back onto the support and closed his eyes, looking at her like that just did things to him that he really wanted to keep control of.

"I already knew you were a huge part of my life, but I had underestimated the range of emotions that I would feel without you being near me." She leaned closer, taking advantage of the fact he couldn't see her, and inhaled his scent. Oh how she had missed how he smelled. Like home.

"Range of emotions? Like … like loneliness or other stuff?" The warmth and smell of Bones' body being in his close proximity again pulled at his mangled heart.

"Loneliness, jealousy, sadness … there was an ache in my chest, in my heart, as ridiculous as that may sound. The … love … that I felt for you, didn't go away with your absence. It grew into something painful, and I realised that my happiness is intrinsically linked to you. This love I have, it's only a good thing when I can share it with you."

Booth sucked in a sharp breath, his heartbeat thundering against his ribcage. "For 30, 40 or 50 years?"

"For as many years as it exists, with every intricate thread of our lives that gets weaved together, it gets stronger. I wrote my thoughts out … to try and clarify things in an adequate analogy … I'm better at writing feelings than speaking them but it gave me a script of sorts, a way to convey everything better than I did … before."

They both jumped in fright as the sound of someone slapping their hand on the hood of the car interrupted their conversation. "Drop her at a corner and go home, Taylor. If you're still here when I come back around I'll have to write it up."

Booth looked at the deputy and nodded, watching as Lloyd walked away whistling. "I'm staying at a motel near Monroe … we should …"

"Yeah" Booth winced as Bones' elbow dug into his lower thigh as she clambered out of the footwell to settle back into the passenger seat. Once he was back in the driving position, he started the car and they set off for Bones' motel.

Brennan turned to look at Booth when he cleared his throat. "So … this love you have … for me. That means you want us to be together, right? Like more than partners?"

"If that's what you still want" She looked at her hands that were crossed in her lap. "If it isn't then I apologise for the confusion."

"No! I mean, yes, I absolutely still want that. It's all I've ever wanted." Booth pulled over and stopped the car, reaching out to cup Brennan's face gently in his palm. "We're gonna go to your motel, work out how to finish this case now there's two of us, get back to DC and start a shared life. I want everything you're willing to give me Bones."

Brennan moved his hand from her cheek and kissed his palm before moving down her neck to her breast "That includes my body, Booth, can we make time for that?"

Pulling his hand back and screeching away from the side of the road in a cloud of dust , he glanced back at her "You're goddamn right we can."