Hi there! I am officially insane because here I go starting another Bones story (check out my profile if you wanna see more). I couldn't get this idea out of my head though, and it only just struck me last night. I don't anticipate it being a terribly long story, but I wanted to share it. Set between Season 5 and Season 6 of Bones and between the lives of Tino and Buddy of A Dog's Purpose (I'm using the film not the book). Anyhow, please enjoy!

It had been a long, grueling day, and Seeley Booth was tired. His feet were barely able to carry him to the barracks he was staying in. He set his rifle down and pulled off his helmet. His hair was sweaty and sticking straight up, but the feeling of the pressure from the helmet off his head was a great relief. He looked at himself in the tiny mirror shard he had stuck to the wall. His eyes were tired. That's what happened when you were overseas fighting a war, not that he was supposed to be fighting at all. He was only supposed to be teaching, but then one thing led to another, and he was in the thick of it. He took off his jacket and sat on his bed in a white t-shirt with cargo pants. His feet sighed in appreciation when he tugged his boots off. Then he sat there with his hands folded under his chin, elbows propped on his knees. For the hundredth time that day, he thought about her. Temperance Brennan. She was never far from his mind. Their goodbye in Washington D.C. had been emotional, and he ached from missing her. He wondered where she was on Maluku and what she was doing, who she was with. He hoped she was safe.

"Sarge?" a voice called. Booth sighed. Now what?

"Yea?"

"Can you come out here a sec?"

"All right." Groaning, Booth stood and slipped his other boots on, ones that were dry. He exited the building to see a bunch of guys staring at a dog. Booth felt slightly irritated.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Well sir, this dog has been hanging around this base for over a week now. We're not sure what to do with it," the soldier responded. He looked to Booth for guidance.

"What do you want me to do about it?" Booth asked, annoyed.

"Whatever you think is best," was the response. Booth eyed the dog, who sat down calmly and stared back. It was strange really. A whole big desert, and this dog finds them. It was medium sized and brown with a black spot around one eye. One ear was up and the other was down. It looked like a mutt. Booth couldn't be sure what mix of breeds it was though. When it cocked its head at him, Booth couldn't help but think how cute it was.

"Has anyone fed it?" Booth asked, curious. There was shuffling of feet and a murmur of "no" amongst the men. Booth looked back over to the dog, who was now raising one paw in the air as if pointing at him. Booth felt something odd travel through his chest then, and he knew right then and there that he wanted this dog.

"Come on buddy," he coaxed. "Here boy." He assumed it was a boy. The dog regarded him carefully before slowly inching forward.

"What are you doing?" the first soldier asked.

"What's it look like?" Booth countered. He knelt down to the dog's level, holding out a hand. "Come on. That's a good boy." The dog stretched out it's neck and sniffed at Booth's hand cautiously. Then, a tongue connected with Booth's skin, and Booth was taken back to when he was a boy with a dog and ran laughing around the neighborhood with it.

"That's it," he smiled as the dog started wagging his tail. "Come on in. Let's get you something to eat." He stood, and the dog backed up a few steps.

"No, no it's okay," he soothed, sensing the dog was nervous. He looked over at the other men. "Do you mind giving us some space?"

"Yea."

"Sure thing, Sarge."

"Got it."

They cleared off, and it was now just Booth and the dog.

"There, see? Nothing to be afraid of," Booth said as the dog stepped forward again. "This way." He went inside, hoping the dog was following him. He turned to see the dog hovering my the door. Booth rummaged around until he found some old bread, and he broke apart some into pieces and set it down near the dog but still inside. Then he got a bowl and filled it with water. Setting it down beside the bread, Booth then took a step back and waited. The dog sniffed hard. Booth could hear the dog's stomach growling from where he was standing. He disliked seeing so many ribs sticking out of the dog's skin too. This dog had been wandering for a while.

"That's it," Booth grinned as the dog stepped through the door and made its way to the water. It lapped it up greedily. Then it scarfed down the bread. It liked it's lips and looked at him after. Booth sat on the floor, and the dog went over to him and started licking his face.

"All right, all right," Booth laughed. "You're welcome." The dog pressed himself against Booth's chest and whined. "You got a home, boy?" Booth had finally figured that out from watching. The dog looked up at him mournfully.

"I'll take that as a no," Booth said. He rubbed his fingers across the dog's fur, noticing it was pretty dirty. A bath was in order soon. He was thinking hard. It would be nice to come back to base and have someone there waiting for him, even if it was a dog.

"What do you think?" Booth asked, rubbing behind the dog's ears. "Do you wanna live with me?" Another kiss practically inside his mouth was the answer. Laughing, Booth patted the dog's side happily.

"I'll take that as a yes. Now, you're gonna need a name," he commented, examining the dog carefully. The dog looked back at him seriously. "How about Chester?" The dog thumped his tail and bobbed his head. Booth was amazed. It was like the dog understood him clearly.

"Chester it is," Booth nodded. "All right, Chester. You need a bath."

Bailey-Now Chester

Bath! What was that?! It had been so long and a life ago that I'd had one of those that I'd almost forgotten. This life had been rather rough to me. I had been shot at, chased, sworn at, and had sticks thrown at me. When I arrived here, none of those things happened, and I decided to hang around. Some men were annoyed at my presence and others were amused. This man seemed kind, though, and I knew from looking at him that he wasn't going to hurt me. I was still starving, though, and wished he would give me something else to eat. A few of the soldiers had been throwing me scraps while this man was gone, but I wanted more. I could tell that this man had superiority over the others by the way they spoke to him and acted. I had heard his name was Booth from the others. He seemed sad behind those eyes, and I wondered what made him feel that way. It reminded me of Ethan, and I hoped that I wouldn't fail my new master the way I had with Ethan and Carlos. Both had been sad, and I hadn't been able to help them. I sensed that this Booth was much like Carlos, a man of the law. Already having been trained as a search and rescue dog, I knew discipline, but I got the impression that this man was not going to request that of me. I think he really just wanted company.

"Come on, Chester," he called, walking to a different room. I followed. Once in the other room, he lifted me up and placed me into this white, hard thing that was cold. What was happening now? He reached for a hose, and then...

COOOOLD! SO COLD! I yelped and bucked.

"Whoa, whoa!" he laughed. He turned off the water and adjusted the temperature. He tested it with his hand before turning it back on me. This time, it felt really, really goooooood. I let him lather me with soap and wash me up. It had been so long since I'd had human touch that I relished in it with closed eyes. Too soon, it was over, and he was attempting to dry me off. I had a better idea.

"Chester!"

I was gone like a shot and up onto his bed, rolling around in the blankets. It had been my favorite thing to do to Ethan, who usually laughed and scolded me at the same time.

"I see how it is," Booth said, looking at me with an amused expression. I lolled my tongue out so he could see that I was happy and content too. He went over to the desk and sat down, opening a book. I noticed he was writing, and I wondered what it could be. I made myself comfortable on the end of the bed and rested my head onto my paws, watching. For the first time in a long time, I felt at home.

Dear Bones,

I have acquired a dog. His name is Chester. He just showed up here it seems, and I don't know where from. He's very loveable, you'd like him. I washed about a year's worth of dirt off him, and I could of swore he was grinning the whole time. He certainly has humanlike characteristics, and I feel he can understand me. Don't ask how I know. Yes, I can practically hear your eyes rolling at my irrational belief, but I don't care.

I hope you are well. The mission went well here, and I have a few days off to rest before going back out. I think about you all the time. I can't help but wonder if you think about me. I can't wait until we see each other again. I miss your laugh and your confused expressions over something you don't understand. Please be safe.

Yours,

Booth

And there you have it. I am altering the timeline of the canon of A Dog's Purpose of course. I'm having this take place before Bailey gets back to Ethan. The cover image is of Bailey from A Dog's Purpose I know it's not how I described Chester. What do you think? Should I continue?