So, after the overwhelming cry for a sequel to "Vanishing Point" here it is. This story will take place over the year that Booth and Brennan spend apart from the Jeffersonian/Hoover, so if you haven't read "Vanishing Point" you might want to just to get an idea of the background story. As a point of clarification, Brennan is serving as Project Coordinator for Stateside activities on the Maluku Project, working out of Old Dominion's research facilities, which are located in Quantico, VA. Booth is also working in Quantico, VA, at the FBI Academy, which is more commonly called simply "Quantico." Hope you all enjoy this new journey!

Gum :)

Horizon Line

Chapter 1: Identity Crisis

"Run!" Special Agent Seeley Booth yelled in his girlfriend's ear.

Dr. Temperance Brennan analyzed the situation in a split second and broke to her left. The man pursuing her fell for the ruse and before he could correct himself she abruptly changed directions and ran into the open gap ahead.

"Gotcha!" a triumphant voice said from behind, as two hands grabbed at her shirt.

Her forward momentum was halted, as the fabric was grasped and she let out a laugh, stopping to catch her breath.

"You tricked Uncle Jared, but not me," Parker Booth bragged, releasing her.

"I'll get her next time," a winded Jared promised.

"Not a chance, dirtbag," Brennan smirked, then looked back down at Parker. "Was that appropriate garbage talk?"

Parker giggled and nodded, "Yeah, but it's called 'trash' talk, Dr. Bones."

"Ah," Brennan nodded.

She tossed the football clumsily back to Booth, who snatched it out of the air and gave her a thumbs up.

"Nice fake out," he complimented, then spoke louder. "First and goal! You dirtbags better watch it!"

Brennan and Booth lined up across from Jared and Parker once more and Booth hiked the ball. This time, they faked the hand off and she broke early enough to evade both defensemen and cut left into the marked end zone. The two communicated solely with their eyes as Booth's perfect spiral zipped cleanly through the air and into her waiting hands.

"Yes!" he pumped both fists in the air, jogging over to give her a high five.

A grin split her face as their palms met and he pulled her in for a congratulatory hug.

"Aw, no fair, you did that creepy eye thing," Parker groused.

"We'll get 'em back, kiddo," Jared promised, ruffling the boy's hair.

"That's what you said the last two times!" Parker rolled his eyes.

"Come and get it!" a gravely voice sounded from beyond the playing field.

"Last one there's a rotten egg!" Parker yelled before taking off toward his great-grandfather.

"Should we race him?" Brennan wanted to know.

"Nah," Booth slung an arm around her, palming the football with his other hand. "We'll let him have this one." He flicked the ball in Jared's direction just before calling out, "Think fast."

The younger Booth brother put his hand up instinctively and caught it, then told his brother to go long and waited until Seeley had jogged a good distance away before snapping the ball to him. Booth caught it, then immediately threw it back, this time much harder than before.

Brennan kept her slow pace and watched, fascinated as the interplay continued between the brothers, the throws escalating in velocity as they went on. Just before they reached the grove of picnic tables

Jared tucked the ball close to his body, lowering his head as he charged toward Booth.

Booth lowered his center of gravity as well, bouncing on the balls of his feet as Jared came toward him. In a series of pivots that left even analytical Brennan unable to anticipate what would happen next,

the two men danced around each other until Booth grabbed Jared and attempted to wrestle him to the ground. Jared, far from conceding the match, broke free, sprinting past Booth and spiking the ball just

shy of where Padme stood with a plateful of hamburgers.

Parker laughed as his uncle's fiancee chewed Jared out and Booth made a mocking face at him. Jared retaliated by taking a glass of water from the table and flinging it in Seeley's direction. It caught him

square in the chest and he immediately reached for the larger cooler.

"Boys!" the gruff voice of Hank Booth sounded. "That's enough. Seeley, go get your son washed up and Jared, you can finish setting the table and pour the drinks. Chop, chop!"

Brennan chuckled and shook her head as the men hung their heads like chastened boys and obeyed their grandfather.

"Have they always been like that?" Padme asked Brennan softly.

"In the few years I have known both of them, yes," she nodded."Though Hank assures me that they also share a deep affection for one another."

"It's like they're afraid to let that secret out, Padme agreed.

Brennan gave a knowing smile, "And they refuse to acknowledge that if something is known by all parties involved it is no longer a secret."

"Your woman is talking about us, Seels," Jared called out loudly as Booth and Parker reemerged.

"Don't let her hear you call her that," Booth winked, putting a possessive arm around her nonetheless.

"Behave," the object of conversation elbowed him gently in the ribs.

One final glare from Hank was all that was needed to squelch any further barbs and the group sat down to eat. As had happened at other Booth family gatherings that Brennan had attended in the nearly two

months that she and her partner had been dating, Hank bowed his head and led them in a brief prayer. This one was more patriotic in nature in commemoration of Memorial Day and both brothers were solemn at its conclusion.

The food distracted them further and for the first several minutes nothing but the clatter of plastic dishes being passed back and forth could be heard. As the food was consumed, conversation began anew with compliments to Hank and Padme for the hamburgers and to Brennan for her seven-layer dip and fresh fruit salad.

When they were sufficiently sated Booth produced one apple and one cherry pie from the diner for dessert to the delight of Parker. He teased Brennan about indulging in a slice with them for the holiday

before revealing the rather generous slice of chocolate cake he'd gotten just for her.

"I wish you and Dad could stay longer," Parker lamented as he helped Brennan gather the trash and throw it out.

"We aren't leaving for Quantico until the end of the week, Parker," she said gently, "and your mother has allowed you to stay through the holiday weekend and will bring you over again before we leave."

"We're only an hour away, Bub," Booth added. "So we'll still get our weekends and I'll still be at the rest of your games."

"Will you come too, Bones?" The boy looked expectantly up at her.

"I will attempt to," she promised.

"And if your uncle doesn't forget me I'll be there too, Squirt," Hank told him. "Not every year our boy's team makes the playoffs."

"Yup," Parker nodded eagerly, "we might even make it all the way to the World Series this time!"

A brief explanation was given to Brennan and Padme about the Little League World Series and the requirements for getting that far in the tournament. Several humorous anecdotes from Seeley and Jared's playing days were related by Hank throughout the rest of the afternoon and the

day ended with a game of catch between the three younger Booths before nightfall forced them to stop.

That night at Booth's apartment, the couple put a very sleepy Parker to bed with little hassle and sat down to watch a movie. Halfway through, Booth looked down to ask his girlfriend what she thought of it so far, only to find her fast asleep on his shoulder. She woke up slightly when he turned the TV off but gave no argument when he led her back to the bedroom.

Memorial Day proper dawned bright and sunny and they were all up and going in time to get a good spot for the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington. Brennan watched as Parker naturally emulated his father's ramrod posture and stoic silence during the proceedings.

"Do you regret not taking the position with the Army?" she asked later as Parker walked ahead of them out of the cemetery.

Booth shook his head, "Nah. I'm not saying it was the easiest thing in the world for me to turn down, but it was the right choice for me." She followed his eyes as he gazed wistfully at his young son.

"You're a good father," she smiled up at him, squeezing his hand to reenforce her words.

He squeezed back and thanked her, then called Parker over to climb in the car. With great excitement, Parker informed Brennan that their next stop would be the diner for a quick bite to eat before they went to stand in line for the DC Memorial Day parade. Because of Booth's military and law enforcement contacts, they had a very good vantage point and both Booth boys proudly provided commentary throughout the three-hour long event for Brennan whether she wanted it or not. Afterward, they dropped Parker off at Rebecca's so that he could attend her family gathering that night, and headed out to dinner with Booth's friends, Mordacai and Annie Christman.

They spent most of dinner at the outdoor restaurant overlooking the Potomac River in light conversation recalling some of the more pleasant memories in the men's shared military background. As they lingered over coffee and dessert, however, the talk turned to the younger couple's upcoming move, as well as the teaching responsibilities Booth would be sharing with his former mentor over the summer. Chris and Annie had helped them select a small house to rent over the next year not far from the military school or Old Dominion's research facility and were planning on aiding in the move-in process as well once their belongings arrived on Friday.

It was late and the restaurant all but kicked them out as they left, and since Brennan's apartment was closest, that's where they went after bidding the Christmans farewell. The rest of the week promised to be a flurry of activity as they moved back and forth between the two apartments, determining which items would be moved down with them and which would stay and put in their final days at their current jobs.

Neither one of them had wanted to opt out of their existing leases, so they wouldn't have to rent long-term storage units. To Brennan's surprise, the financial arrangements once they moved had been relatively simple to work through. Booth's pay at Quantico came with a housing stipend since he wouldn't be staying on base so the new lease was put into his name, while Brennan would cover the cost incurred by utilities and other incidentals. They would each contribute money toward food. Booth was thrilled to discover he got to keep his company car, though Brennan argued they should really use her Prius for their daily commute as it consumed less gas.

Tuesday night the guys from Booth's hockey team took him to a downtown sports bar to send him off since he decided it would be too much to try and squeeze bi-weekly hockey practices that were an hour away into his packed teaching schedule. He had a great time, though Brennan let him go on his own while she worked late at the lab tying up the last of her responsibilities to the Jeffersonian before she left.

Wednesday it was the squint higher-ups who threw a goodbye luncheon for Brennan while Booth finished up at the Hoover, though with Hodgins and Angela in Paris it wasn't nearly as enjoyable for her and she ended up having a much better time when she and Booth met Cam and Sweets later that night for drinks at the Founding Fathers.

Thursday was their last official day as partners and they spent it doing paperwork for Caroline and being warned by the prosecutor that she would be getting in touch with them as their cases came up for trial throughout the year.

"Now this," Booth said, taking a big bite out of his burger at the diner, juice dripping down his chin, "I'm gonna miss."

"It's not as if we're moving across the country, Booth," Brennan rolled her eyes and handed him a napkin.

"Yeah, but we won't be in every day either," he countered, "and you'll miss it too, you know you will."

"Perhaps," she hedged, "though to be honest I've always appreciated the company over the food and that won't be changing."

"Nope," a wide grin split Booth's face. "You all ready to live in sin with me, Bones?"

"You're mean," she pretended to pout while snatching a fry from his plate.

"But you love me, Baby," he winked.

Brennan muttered blackly at him for calling her Baby in public, but couldn't stay mad when he offered the rest of his fries. They bantered back and forth over the rest of the meal, stretching it out far beyond the usual time frame. Eventually, there were no more fries, or slices or pie, or cups of coffee; just the two of them.

"It's irrational for us to prolong this any further," she said when he started trying to balance the saltshaker on one edge.

"Right," he nodded, "I mean, we'll still see each other every day, so it's not like we're breaking up."

"We're moving in together," she pointed out. "That's far from breaking up."

"Exactly."

"Precisely."

As one, they stood and Booth threw down a wad of bills before they turned and left. The heavy pall between them, however, didn't lift, and instead of walking back toward the SUV, they linked arms and began idly strolling in the opposite direction. Around them the city pulsed as the night life picked up, but they said nothing, just kept walking until they were free of the noise.

The Mall was as serene as ever, the nearly full moon reflecting brightly in the still water of the Pool as the two were drawn to it. They walked its length until they were engulfed in the shadow of the Lincoln Monument, then they climbed halfway up the stairs and stopped, sitting down side by side to take in the view.

"I don't do well with change," Booth was the first to break the silence.

"Neither do I," she said quickly.

"Pyramids are better with change than you, Bones," he scoffed teasingly, then put up a hand to halt the fist making its way to his shoulder. "I mean that in an affectionate way."

"Affectionate?" she arched an eyebrow.

He shrugged and threw her a charm smile for good measure, then leaned in to peck her on the forehead. In the meantime, she'd tilted her head so it was her lips that met his and she almost immediately deepened the kiss, arms wrapping around him.

"Now that," she said breathlessly several minutes later, "was something done in an affectionate manner."

"I stand corrected," he smirked. "Though I might need you to repeat that so I don't forget it."

"I'm going to miss working with you," it was her turn to be candid.

He nodded mutely at the abrupt change of topic, unsure there was anything more for him to add.

"I fully realize we will be shifting into the cohabitation phase of our personal relationship," she was babbling nervously now, "but at the same time I've become quite accustomed to our professional partnership and to lose that-"

"Hey," he cut her off gently, brushing his thumb along her jaw, "we'll still be partners, Bones, just a different kind of partners, that's all. You can't get rid of me that easy."

"The center didn't hold," she whispered so low he almost didn't catch it.

"Yes it did," he tried to reassure her.

"Booth," she met his eyes, shaking her head stubbornly. "Angela and Hodgins are gone, Sweets is no longer engaged, Cam is currently interviewing prospective forensic anthropologists, and you and I will be working at two separate locations doing two separate jobs."

Undaunted, he smoothed her hair with one hand and smiled down at her, "You and I will be sharing a home together as of tomorrow, Cam said she was pretty sure she'd just stick with Clark to govern the squinterns, Sweets will hopefully find someone who doesn't annoy the crap out of everyone but him, and before you know it Ange and the bug man will be back from their honeymoon and we'll all go back to doing what we always do."

"We're very good at our jobs," she smiled weakly back at him.

"Damn straight," he smirked. "We're the best that ever was or will be."

"That's not quantifiable," she corrected out of habit.

"Yup, but you know it's true anyway," he said, offering her a hand as he stood to leave.

She took his hand and he hauled her to her feet, holding her close for a long moment, then stepping forward to lead her back down the steps.

"It's kinda funny if you think about it," he said when they finally got back to the SUV, "because for years we told everyone that we were 'just partners' and now that we're more than that, we're technically not partners any more."

"So what are we?" she wondered out loud.

"Us, Bones," he said confidently. "We're just us."