Our Moment in the Spotlight

Summary: And who says that university lectures are dull?

A/N – This is the first Bones fan fiction I have written, so the story might be a little OOC but I enjoyed writing it so I guess that is all that matters!

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine; I just take them out of their packaging and put them into my dollhouse to play for a while. And I always remember to put things back the way I found them.

Temperance glanced around the room at the eager faces that were hanging off her every word. She was giving a lecture to a hall full of university students and waiting media, and as much as she loved the hands on work she did with the Jeffersonian and the FBI, her secret, second love was passing on her knowledge to the next generation. The lecture was to be an informational session for future anthropologists and a PR job for the speculative and highly popular relationship between Dr Temperance Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth.

From her place on the stage and the slides flashing behind her, Dr Brennan spoke about the forensics of her job, taking advantage of the photos that she had taken and the ones the FBI had allowed her to use to help illustrate the work that she and Booth did on a day to day basis. The photos were by no means flattering and were often gruesome and not something that should be seen with a weak stomach but as she thought, if the students couldn't handle it as a picture, how would they in the field when they had looks and smells to deal with.

All was silent in the hall until Dr Brennan decided to take a lunch break so students could get a breath of fresh air and she could have a drink of water. All the queasy students rushed out into the sunlight with the rest trailing behind. There were a few who tried to approach the stage but turned away as soon as they saw the man who walked onto the stage from the stairs leading off the floor.

"Hey, Bones!" Booth said as he walked across the stage to her, Brennan turned to the voice and smiled "Booth! What are you doing here?"

Booth blinked twice quickly as he took in the smile his partner was flashing him, God I love that smile he thought as he made up the distance to the computer desk Brennan was sitting at, she was changing her presentation to the second half. "Oh you know Bones, I never miss a lecture" Booth winked as he stood next to her. They both grinned at each other silently, taking peace in the communication without words.

The noises of the students drifted up to the stage and it was at that point that Brennan looked away when they heard the conversations of some of the students as they made their way out of the hall;

"Who is that?"

"She works with the FBI; do you reckon that's her partner?"

"Ooh, do you think they have a murder to solve"

But it was the last comment that had both blushing bright red;

"God, now I know how she can write such hot scenes between Kathy and Andy that is some serious eye candy!" The girls that had this conversation were giggling as they walked out.

Both Booth and Brennan had to take a moment to compose themselves after which Booth coughed out "I know Bones; you don't even need to say it".

"Yeah...well" Brennan started, "What's this, Bones lost for words?" Booth laughed as he watched his partner's reaction. A grunt was all he got in response. I knew it, I knew it! Booth internally laughed.

"So Bones, what is the second half of the lecture going to be about; you have done all the squint stuff, what about the bad guys?" Booth queried as he watched Brennan clicking through the presentation and her notes for the next half of the lecture. "That is the next half Booth, I'm going to cover a couple of cases that Cullen said were alright to use and show an investigation from beginning to end" Booth looked over the cases that she was using and groaned, "Oh Bones, he gave you the boring ones" Brennan just looked at him and chuckled, "Yeah well they would be boring for someone who has already lived through them, but to these students it is a whole new story and new ideas and ways at looking at things". She didn't mention the one case that she wasn't showing him yet, she still wasn't sure whether she was even going to talk about it or not.

Booth moved from behind her to stand in front of the computer with his back to the hall which was starting to fill with students for the next half of the lecture. "Sounds good Bones" Booth said, try to suppress a yawn, he had a late night.

"Please Booth, try not to fall asleep in my lecture" Brennan joked as she started to put her microphone back on; she lowered her voice to the husky, sexy voice that Booth loved "It means that I need to find a way to wake you up later". At this Booths eyebrow shot straight into his hair and Brennan chuckled at how easy it was to mess with Booths head. "Go and sit down Booth...and try not to fall asleep will you?"

"Yeah well it's your fault I'm tired Bones" Booth grumbled as he went down the stairs.

--

Brennan stepped up to the lectern again and cleared her throat, "This half of the lecture will be focusing on some cases that I have taken part in as part of the relationship between the FBI and the Jeffersonian Institute. Please remember that these are actual case files so treat them with respect and the dead with the dignity they deserve"

As Brennan started her speech and explanation, Booth watched with interest, not really listening to the speech itself, he knew the ending of the cases but listening to the soothing melody of his Bones' voice and the way her face lit up when she was speaking about something that meant a lot to her.

It wasn't long till the lullaby of Brennan's voice sent Booth into the land of nod, head sitting on his chest and slightly snoring.

--

Brennan looked around the room, the students were in raptures over the intricate details of the cases that she was presenting and it wasn't till she got to the one case that she really didn't want to speak about, the one that still haunted her dreams at night, when she faulted in her speech.

"This next case that I will be discussing ... is one that I was deeply involved in. It is not one that I really wish to speak to you about as it does bring back some unpleasant memories, but it is one that I feel you should know about because it shows to you the power of some of these horrible people but also gives you ... and me a sense of hope because I knew that my team, my friends were never going to give up. The case is about a murderer called the Grave Digger and it ended up with myself and my friend and colleague Dr Jack Hodgins, who is the Jeffersonian's Entomologist, or as he calls himself the 'bug and slime guy'..." At this Brennan gave a rueful smile and continued "... being buried alive in my car..."

--

As she continued on with the case history Booth never stirred in his nap until he was rudely awoken by the sound of someone yelling his name "Booth!" Brennan was yelling from the stage "Booth!"

"Yeah, Oh, sorry Tempe" Booth muttered as he felt his cheeks heat up from being caught in the act of nodding off during her speech.

"As I was saying, would you mind coming up her please Booth?" Brennan called down to her partner. Booth got up out of his seat and made his way up the stairs, grabbing the microphone handed to him at the side of the stage and trying to apologise to Brennan without saying anything out loud. At this stage the students in the audience were quite amused by the connection between the two as Booth made his way onto the stage and watched as he shrunk under the glare of the good doctor. The murmurs and gossip started up again as Booth came to stand next to Brennan, their shoulders just touching.

"Students, focus please" Brennan called out, instantly silencing the crowd "Now as I was just discussing, this is Special Agent Seeley Booth, my partner from the FBI" Brennan grinned as she turned to Booth and used her baby voice to annoy him and started "Booth, we were discussing the Grave Digger case and I know you missed it but we were up to the bit where you were my knight in shining Kevlar" Brennan chuckled along with the students as Booth felt himself heat up again, the one time she makes a decent joke; he lowered his voice so only Brennan could hear "Bones, be nice otherwise you won't get my help here or anywhere else". Brennan gulped and turned into ever the professional and started again. "Booth, would you like to explain the parts of the case that I missed and what the clue was that helped you to find Dr Hodgins and myself once you arrived at the quarry?"

Booth glanced at Brennan and smirked so only she could see his smile and started with his story, "Well once Zack realised where you were, we raced to the quarry, looking for signs of any new earth that had been moved, we knew you didn't have much air so looking for you was actually a bit of a blur as we tried to concentrate on the job at hand ... without letting our emotions get in the way of any crucial evidence or signs we might miss ... but I remember the distinct moment that I saw that blast from the air bag as the air hit the soil above it, I knew it was you... I remember running toward the sand and just digging but the moment I felt your arm, I knew it had to be you Bones, pulling you from the sand. It was one of the worst and best days of my life"

At this stage all eyes were transfixed on Booth, including Brennans'. After a few moments standing in shock Brennan gulped a few lungful of air and finished her speech "Um, yes, thankyou Booth...Well, that concludes the lecture for today and I hope that I will be back soon to give more presentations, I thoroughly enjoy my time when I am lecturing, thank you for all being great participants". Brennan and Booth stood together as the students gave a round of applause to the Doctor, turning to look at each other with that intense stare that seemed to communicate everything without words.

Brennan quickly glanced at her watch and looked up at Booth who was still standing next to her, microphone in hand "Seeing as we have a few minutes, does anyone have any questions they would like to ask?"

It took a few moments but the hands slowly started to rise as students became game enough to ask their burning questions.

Brennan looked out onto the crowd and starting picking students, Booth never leaving her side. The first few were about her choices with her career path and a few about the cases which Booth was able to help answer. However when the questions became personal regarding Brennan's books and the relationship between fact and fiction, both partners were on edge waiting for the big questions regarding their highly profiled relationship. The one question that stumped the two was probably the most innocent one of all;

"Why do you call Dr Brennan ... Bones, Agent Booth?"

Booth glanced at Brennan, smiled and cleared his throat before continuing "I call Dr Brennan Bones for many reasons, the first was because Temperance was too long for me in the field, and Dr Brennan I thought was too formal for partners. It is true that we didn't get along in the first few months of our partnership but it has become more than that, which isn't surprising after all the atrocities we have seen and the moments we work through every day, but now I guess Bones is a term of endearment, a sign of utter respect that I have for the doctor, even if you see it as a form of teasing, yes it is that because I know it used to irritate her but I know that I couldn't call her anything else, Dr Brennan, Temperance, Tempe, Doc, I could go on but Bones fits and that is the way it is. Even my son calls Bones, Dr Bones so you could say it has rubbed off" Booth laughed and glanced down at Brennan, her eyes smiling at him as he finished his speech.

Brennan chuckled and called for another question, the next question came from young girl sitting at the side of the hall "Agent Booth, I saw your wedding ring shine in the light as you took the microphone earlier, how do your wife and your personal life deal with your potentially dangerous job and your relationship with Dr Brennan?"

Booth's mouth gaped open for a moment before looking over at Brennan who had a small smile on her face, she placed her hand over the microphone and whispered "Well Seeley, I think our moment in the spotlight is about to get bigger ... I'll take this question"

Temperance looked out into the waiting eyes of the students and the media that was gathered at the lecture and decided to take the biggest risk of her career and her life; she started with a smile "I can say this with authority... ", she held her left hand up and let the diamond of her engagement ring and the silver of her wedding band glint in the lights, "...his wife has no problem with the relationship".

It was that moment that Booth grabbed her waist and pulled her into him, bending over and whispering in her ear as flashes of cameras and talking in the hall reached fever pitch,

"I didn't think you had that in you, Bones..." Booth chuckled "...and I don't know about you, but I can hear Angela screaming from here".