A/N: I know there have probably been a million episode reaction pieces done for every episode, but sometimes after I watch them something that should have happened just strikes me... I apologize if I ever inadvertently write something similar to something previously published, I can't keep up with every fic on this site. This will be a collection of episode reaction oneshots and spoiler reaction oneshots (which will have clear warnings) if I decide to continue.

Chapter 1 – Until Today

Rating: T

Spoilers: The Bone That Blew (episode based)

Summary: Some conversations are better overheard…

Disclaimer: I own 206 bones. 207 if you count the rat skull I found in the garden when I was eleven. I do not, however, own Bones. Darn.

Poised to walk across the lobby, Brennan paused at the sound of two familiar voices.

"Can I ask you something?" Unmistakably her father. What caused Brennan to stop short was the voice that followed.

"Sure." She'd know her partner's voice anywhere. What could her father possibly want to ask Booth? Despite herself, Brennan continued to listen.

"Are you sleeping with my daughter?"

Brennan nearly choked. Way to be forthright, dad. Poor Booth, she thought. Why, why did everyone seem to think there was something between them?

"No," she heard Booth reply. She could hear the discomfort in his familiar voice.

"Why?" she heard her father ask. Brennan's mouth dropped. Why? Poor Booth! She couldn't imagine how awkward he must feel right now. "Are you gay?" her father continued.

Brennan nearly laughed out loud. No way, Booth was 100% heterosexual man. But what was her father thinking, she couldn't have platonic relationships with men without them being gay? What gave him the right to interfere with her personal life anyways?

"No," she heard Booth assure her father.

"Well what is it then, is she not pretty enough?"

Brennan's breath caught. That was it, right? He wasn't physically attracted to her. Obviously. Finally the old man had hit the nail on the head. Then she lifted her head in surprise as Booth spoke again. "No… Bones is beautiful."

Her heart hammered in her chest and she felt a thrill in her stomach. Brennan couldn't believe she'd just heard him say those words. "Bones is beautiful." She could still hear him. The rest of the conversation didn't matter now. He thought she was beautiful.

Temperance Brennan had been told she was beautiful, pretty, hot, sexy, and so on and so forth countless times by various men and even a few women. She'd always brushed off the compliment, preferring to pride herself on her intellect. Why then, hearing Booth voice this opinion of her, was she suddenly reduced to putty?

Assured that her father and Booth were gone, Brennan sank into a chair and closed her eyes. Emotions were so distracting. How was she supposed to concentrate on work when all she could think about was that Booth, her partner, thought she was beautiful? And if that was true, then why wasn't he sleeping with her? She'd made it quite obvious that she had no qualms about satisfying her biological urges.

Brennan was understandably startled to hear her partner's voice again. "Hey Bones," Booth greeted, sinking into a chair next to her. Inwardly, he wondered just how close to this spot she'd been a few minutes ago. He hoped she hadn't overheard that awkward conversation he'd just had with her father.

"Booth," she greeted in surprise, her eyes flying open. Pink tinged her cheeks. She wasn't expecting to have to face him quite this soon.

"Something wrong?" he asked, concerned.

Brennan shook her head. "No, it's nothing," she replied.

"Bones," he warned, eyes telling her that no way was she going to get away with a simple 'it's nothing'.

"I just… uh," Brennan stammered. Her equilibrium still thrown off by what she'd heard and by having to come face to face with Booth so soon afterwards, it seemed she couldn't quite control the words coming out of her mouth. "Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

Booth's mouth dropped open. "You heard that? Bones, I'm sorry, I… your dad…"

"So you didn't mean it then?" she asked, trying not to let her disappointment show.

She was failing miserably. Her shoulders slumped slightly and she looked dejected. Hating to be the cause of her distress, Booth placed his hand gently on her smaller one. "No, Bones… I meant it," he said softly. "You are so beautiful."

Surprise flashed across her features. Brennan searched his eyes for some kind of deceit but found nothing. He was being honest. He really thought she was beautiful. She couldn't stop the next question that burst forth, and was mortified when it came out. "Then why aren't you sleeping with me?"

As soon as she said it she gasped and covered her mouth. "Booth, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Booth was silent for a moment, though he made no move to withdraw his hand from on top of hers. He seemed to be deep in thought. Maybe he hadn't heard her, Brennan irrationally hoped.

No such luck. Booth looked up at her with an intensity in his eyes that would have scared her, but for the intense trust she had in him. "Bones, you are more to me than that, okay? I'm not going to just be another guy who uses you and leaves. That's not me. I… I care too much about you, about us… yes, Bones, you are beautiful. My god, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen… but that's not all I see when I look at you Bones, you're so much more."

Brennan was embarrassed for the umpteenth time as she felt tears well in her eyes. "What else do you see?" she whispered, paying no heed to the fact that they were in the lab, her place of work.

"I see my partner," he replied. "I see a woman who is so smart I can't even begin to keep up with her on my best day. I see someone who is dedicated to her work and to doing the right thing. I see a woman who is strong, who has faced trials that no one should have to, but who has come through it for the better. I see the only person besides Parker who can brighten my day no matter how bad it is. I see a woman I care about more than I ever thought possible, Bones."

She was silent for a moment. When she began to speak again, Booth wondered if she'd heard a word he'd said. "Then why aren't you sleeping with me?"

Just as he was opening his mouth to speak again, this time with an edge of frustration, she interrupted. "I mean, if you care that much about me," she said. "And you think I'm beautiful. Isn't that what you do when you're attracted to someone?"

"A relationship, Bones. That's what you do when you're attracted to someone," he sighed, feeling defeated.

"Then lets do that," she replied simply.

Booth looked up sharply. "I thought… you made it pretty clear that you didn't believe in… that sort of thing."

Brennan smiled softly. "I didn't," she replied. "Until today."

A/N: I've been writing fanfic for years and Bones fanfic since August, I've got quite a bit saved on my computer but until now I've been too scared to post. There are a lot of wonderful authors and stories on this site and it can be a little intimidating! Reviews are appreciated but please be gentle. For this particular oneshot I had to improvise on the setup of the Jeffersonian so if you had trouble visualizing I apologize.