This is a Booth/Buffy story so if you are not a fan of this couple please do not read on.

Coupling: Buffy/Booth

Spoilers: Only for the first two episodes of Bones – if you have not seen these then you probably do not know who Seeley Booth is anyway.

Obviously I own none of these characters – unfortunately.

This is a one-shot of Buffy and Seeley Booth. I was recently watching the first season of Bones again and had this thought when Bones turns up at Seeley's apartment in Man in the SUV. I have put in a bit of the first two episodes just for a bit of back ground. Obviously this ignores any thing in any episode that has to do with Booth and Brennan being a couple/in love/together.

Booth walked down to the shooting range. He stood at the bottom of the steps, leaning against the railing and watched her shot at the target. Not surprisingly she was a good shot. He sighed, he knew he had been way too harsh on her and her squints back at the Jeffersonian but the curly haired one had pissed him off with his righteous conspiracy theory and he felt so out of his element in their lab that he had lashed out. Angela had been right when she said she had a fairly good understanding of the real world by having to deal with her parents disappearing at the young age of 15. He also knew he should apologise but for some reason she had the ability to antagonise him.

Yes she was brilliant and he respected her intelligence and her ability to read the markers on the bones of their victims. He even respected her initiative in trying to obtain the Senator's DNA, though she should have gone about it though proper channels. If they were going to continue to work together and he hoped they would, then he needed to explain to her how it was going to work.

"Thought I'd find you here. You know, you being a good shot and doing martial arts, it's all your way of dealing. Who knows better than you how fragile life can be?" Booth said walking up to her.

"Maybe an Army Ranger sniper who became an FBI homicide investigator?" Brennan quipped back at him while removing her ear muffs and safety glasses.

"Ah, you looked me up, huh?" Moving to stand beside her he indicated at her gun, "Do you mind?"

"Be my guest." She said back at him moving the gun towards him, she was interested in seeing how good an actual shot he was especially compared to herself.

"Thank You." He picked up the gun and purposely made an average shot. If he wanted to get her back on side so he needed to give her something and being right and being the best were two traits that obviously she required.

"Were you any good at being a sniper?" She asked chuckling.

"A sniper gets to know a little something about killers. Senator Bethlehem, he's no killer." He said putting the gun down and turning to face her.

"Oh, and Oliver Laurier is?"

He moved so that she was backed up against the wall of the firing booth. He moved in so that he was right in her face. Ok so he wanted to intimidate her just a little so that she knew how serious he was. "The way I read Laurier, he's unhinged. That makes him dangerous."

"That'd be your gut telling you that, correct?" she asked snidely.

"You know, homicides, they're not solved by scientists. They're solved by guys like me asking a thousand questions a thousand times, catching people telling lies every time. You're great at what you do, Bones, but you don't solve murders" he paused then said, "Cops do."

She moved towards him hoping to intimidate him as well and get him to move back out of her space. She wasn't used to people challenging her. As the smartest person in the room 99.9% of the time she was used to people just accepting her word. This was a new level of communication for her and while he managed to make her angry so easily she also enjoyed the feeling of discovering something new and being pushed out of her comfort zone. "Cleo Eller was killed on a cement floor sprinkled with diatomaceous earth. Traces of her blood will still be in that cement. One of us is wrong, maybe both of us. But if Bethlehem wasn't a Senator, you'd be right there in his basement looking for that killing floor. You're afraid of him. Your hypothesis is that squints don't solve murders and cops do, prove it. Be a cop." She said challenging him.

Smirking at him she turned and left. He turned and watched her go then pulled his gun quickly and turned and shot the target with two dead on kill shots. Ok so it was a bit childish but he needed the release. God she could be infuriating.

Later that night in the FBI Building.

Bones knocks on the door. Booth doesn't look away from the TV he is watching. "They look pretty happy, don't they? Otherwise they wouldn't turn on the camera I guess."

Ignoring his question/statement that was supposed to start a conversation she said, "Zach said you wanted to see me?"

"That something you don't like to talk about? Families? Temperance, partners they share things, builds trust."

Looking at him she just said, "Since when are we partners?"

Turning in his seat he didn't want to get into another argument with her. "I apologize for the assumption." He handed her a blue piece of paper.

"You got a warrant to search Bethlehem's place?" She was slightly shocked she hadn't expected him to accept her challenge.

"You were right. If Bethlehem wasn't a Senator, I'd be in that basement, looking for that killing floor. But you're wrong, I was never afraid of that guy and I'm not doing this because you're a genius, I'm doing this for Cleo."

They had solved that case and while he had had to arrest her for discharging her gun and shooting someone they had managed to work well together and she had opened up to him and told her about her a little bit about her family. While he didn't tell her about his, he did talk to her about why he was a cop and how he wanted her help in catching murderers. He had a feeling that while he had never wanted a partner before he could see them being a very productive team. She was brilliant, hardworking and brave and that was not a combination he had come across often. Though she seemed to have no understanding on how to talk to people he accepted that was the way she was and that she didn't do it with any malice.

If they were to be partners they needed to learn to trust each other. He had not explained too much about his life to her but seeing as she had read his profile he assumed she knew a most things about him. He had read hers too but it was mainly professionally orientated. The rest he knew of her he found by goggling her.

Their next case was a car bombing. They again argued but were getting better at understanding each other and working a case together. He was starting to feel more comfortable in this partnership and hoped she was too. It was actually nice to have someone to talk through parts of the case with which helped him formulate his thoughts.

In Bones office after an interview with the suspected bombers wife, she sat on the floor studying his medical records when Angela walked in. They discussed the interview and records and then Angela turned the conversation to a personal level.

"And about this weekend…"

"Angela I don't know."

"Oh come on." Pleaded Angela knowing that her friend needed a push to get her out of the lab.

"I don't know." Bones sighed.

"Brennan I know this great club, they play Trip Hop and Trance."

"I don't know what that means." Bones replied.

"It doesn't matter. We'll grab Booth."

"No." she replied a little too quickly.

"I think he likes you. God if I were you, I'd buy a ticket on that ride." She smiled at her friend. Booth seemed like such a great guy and he was hot to boot so she thought she should push the two of them together. Her friend deserved a great guy.

"Look, I'm going to be very busy this weekend even after the ID, I have these." She tried to talk her way out of it.

"Remains from WWI?"

"That's what the institution pays me for. I've got hundreds of these waiting." Again she tried to make Angela understand.

"And they can't wait one more weekend?"

"They've got relatives. They've waited long enough." This wasn't really working she realised.

"You know it's not that scary Brennan. You have a few drinks. You move to the music. You might even smile." Bones smiled at her and realised she would go out with her friend, but only if this case was solved.

Later that night.

She had finally been able to forensically guarantee the identification of the driver in the bombing and was now standing outside of Booth's house ready to give him the information. She had called into his office and been informed that he had finished for the day already and headed home. After obtaining his address from the other Agent, Charlie I think was his name, she drove out to the suburbs. Surprised, she found herself in one of D.C.'s close-to-the-city-yet-not-overly-priced suburban areas, in front of a modest sized house. Not exactly what she had expected for him. Agent Gibson had wanted the ID but on principle she had wanted to give it to Booth straight away rather than him, so here she was so she knocked on the door.

Booth answered the door surprised to see her there. "Bones?"

"Yeah."

"Did we have an appointment?"

" No, uh…it's him. Masruk is the bomber." She explained walking in and handing him the file while looking around the room they were in. It was a family room of with an oversized sofa and mismatched singles, colourful rugs on the floors and draped over the back of the sofa. There was an old yet functional T.V. in the corner with a DVD/CD stand next to it. One wall of the room had a bookcase that was only half filled with books and the rest of the space contained trophies and ornaments that looked to be badly made. The floor was covered in a darker hued carpet that seem serviceable but worn in places, hence the rugs she supposed. Just off this room she could see into a kitchen and there was also a hallway that lead off that she presumed lead to bedrooms. This room was even smaller than her office. Not that she really knew Booth yet but his personality tended to be very masculine, overly domineering and so she had expected a sparsely furnished, slick lined bachelor pad. This was what she assumed people described as 'homely'.

"Well, I guess the wife didn't know the husband very well." Replied Booth, opening the file and starting to read the report inside.

Just then a naked, blonde haired child ran into the hallway and wrapped himself around Booths leg.

"Daddy!" he called and giggled.

"Hey buddy what are you doing out here. I thought mom was giving you a bath?" He said while bending down to pick up the child. "Where's mom, arrrgh your all wet!"

"Parker where are you?" Bones heard a light female voice call. What was this? Booth was a dad? How come he hadn't told her? Just then a very attractive yet petite blonde woman walked into the room carrying a towel. Dressed in a striped shift dress over a long sleeved t-shirt and tights she noticed them, smiled and walked towards the front door where they were still standing.

"Here you are. I think that's enough of a nudie run for you little man." She walked up to Booth and leaning up wrapped the towel around the child while he was still on Booths hip.

"Bones, this is my wife Buffy and this is little wet tyke is Parker. Parker, say Hi to Dr Brennan, she works with daddy." He said while tickling the little boy on the belly though the towel and Parker giggled again. He looked at Bones and then hid his face in his dad's neck while hugging the towel around himself tighter.

Bones was still in a bit of shock and was looking from Parker to Buffy and then down to her protruding stomach. Buffy looked to be about 5 months pregnant. She was only about 5' 2'', her diminutive stature meant she barely came up to Booth's shoulder.

"Oh sorry Dr Brennan he's a bit shy but it is so good to finally meet you." Buffy said while moving towards Booth ready to take Parker as she assumed they had work to talk about.

"Um you too." She replied. How was it that Buffy knew about her, yet Booth had never mentioned this….this situation.

"I was just heading to the Bureau. Santana called and said something about the bombing and I thought you were at the lab. Maybe you should come." He said to Bones.

"Sure."

"You have to go back to work?" Looking up adoringly at her husband, Buffy asked him softly.

Turning towards his wife he apologised. "Yeah baby I'm sorry. I'll probably be late too." He went to hand Parker to Buffy but the little boy squirmed and held on to his dad.

"Want daddy to dress me."

"Hey bub, mom is going to dress you and put you to bed tonight. Daddy has to go to work, ok?" He said to his child.

"No want daddy to dress me."

"Ok bub I'll put your pyjama's on but mommy is putting you to bed and if you're really good she'll probably read you a story. Ok?"

"'K, daddy." Said Parker snuggling back into Booths shoulder.

Turning back to Bones he said, "Give me a few minutes will ya Bones?"

"Um, yeah sure." Standing there but not really knowing what to do while she waited. Family situations were really not her forte.

Booth walked toward the back of the house with Parker still in his arms and chatting indistinctively to him.

"Would you like a drink while you wait?" Asked Buffy walking towards the kitchen.

"Um no thanks, I'm fine." She watch Buffy walk around the counter and grab a wet cloth to start cleaning up a place setting at the table that had a child's plate and cup set and there was food everywhere, there also seemed to be a brightly colour plastic tub of some kind that was onto of the dinning chair which she eventually determine to be a booster seat of some kind for a child. She assumed that it was where Parker had just eaten his dinner. From the mess no wonder he needed a bath afterwards. Did kids always make this much mess?

The kitchen was in about as much disarray as what the lounge was. There was pots on the stove and what smelled like stew bubbling away in one of them. This room had seen better days and the colour and style of the room seemed to suggest it was build or at least last renovated in the late 70's, yet the appliances, while not new were at least from this decade.

"So how are you enjoying working for the FBI?" Buffy asked her. She could tell that Dr Brennan was not comfortable at all standing here waiting for Seeley so she was trying to make her feel at ease by chatting to her.

Just as she was about to answer Buffy, a teenage boy who looked to be about 16 years of age walked into the kitchen through an outside door on the side of the kitchen, dropped a backpack on the table and walked to the refrigerator, opening it. Turning to Buffy to see what her reaction to this teenager would be to try and determine who he was.

"Hey honey. Come and meet your dad's partner Dr Brennan, and no snacking dinner is ready." Putting her arm out towards the teenager and curling her fingers repeatedly indicated that he should walk toward them, and with a slight sigh he swaggered over towards Buffy. "Dr Brennan this is our eldest son, Connor. Con this Dr Brennan that your dad has been working with for the last couple of weeks."

Bones not sure at all how to talk to a child, put her hand out to shake his. Connor looked down and then eventually shook her hand. Again she was shocked, how was it that Booth who was only in his mid-thirties and Buffy looked to be late twenties, had a teenage son? Was he adopted? She studied his cranial features and realised she could see a resemblance to Booth in that he had the same high frontal bone, same supraorbital process, same mandible outline and the same dark coloured hair, yet his nose and both eye shape and colour were the same as Buffy's. How was it possible?

"Nice to meet you Conner."

"Um yeah you too."

Just then Booth walked back into the kitchen with a dry and dressed Parker this time.

"Ah that's better." Said Buffy walking over towards him with her arms outstretched in invitation for Parker to come to her.

Booth handed Parker over to his wife and then noticed Connor. "Hey bud how was your day?" He said walking over and ruffling his son's hair.

"Yeah good dad. Hey can you still sub in for coach O'Brien for tomorrow nights practice?" His son asked him. Only looking up and inch or two into his father's face expectantly.

"Yep sure can, 4pm in the gym right?" He watched his son nod. "I'll be there but right now I have to dash. I'm leaving you to take care of you mom and your little brother, alright?"

"Alright dad." Connor answered with a grin at his father.

At this conversation about a teenager taking care of a grown woman, Bones turned to look Buffy in the face and was expecting her to tell Booth that she, as a grown woman and mother, was quite capable of taking care of herself and her children and to not be so condescending, yet she was looking at father and son with a whimsical smile on her face. What ever happened to independent women?

"Good. Ok baby I have to go," he said. "I'll try not to wake you later." Bending down he placed his hand over Buffy's pregnant belly rubbing it and at the same time kissing his wife. It wasn't a quick peck with which you would expect a couple who have been married for this long to share but it wasn't an overly uncomfortably long kiss either. "Night tyke." He said ruffling Parkers hair and then turned and patted Connor on the back and nodded to him. "You ready Bones."

"Um yeah. It was nice to meet you all. Um, goodnight."

They had driven separately back into the city so she had had no chance to talk to him in regards to his family situation. They had gone to the FBI building we're they were to catch up with Special Agent in Charge Santana. Getting into the lift Bones started to laugh.

"Okay, what is so funny?" Booth asked her.

"I just never figured you'd be in a relationship." She replied still chuckling.

"Why, do you think something's wrong with me?"

"Not wrong. You just have alpha male attributes usually associated with a solitary existence."

"What! Me? You're solitary."

"No, no I'm private. It's different and we weren't talking about me."

"Well I was."

"Well I wasn't. Look, I'm happy for you. Relationships have anthropological meaning. Though marriage is an antiquated ritual. No society can survive if sexual bonds aren't formed betw…

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sometimes he needed subtitles just to have a conversation with her.

The next day they had reinterviewed the wife and once she had left Booth made a statement that had succeeded in yet another argument between the partners. Entering Wong Foo's they could be heard bickering before you could even see them.

"She was having an affair!" Booth stated again.

"I'm sorry but that's an offensive assumption!" answered angrily

"Well, all the signs are there." Replied calmly.

"You can't make wild accusations about somebody's personal life based on a feeling." She really hate when people made assumptions with no evidence.

"It's more than a feeling. Okay, that photograph is evidence just as solid as the markers you squint's pick up looking at your little bones."

"The evidence that I find isn't empirical. What you consider evidence is merely conjecture." Again he was talking about solving crimes with his 'gut', how ignorant was he? Did he not understand what evidence was?

"She dyed her hair. She lost weight. You know she shoved a little Botox in her forehead. She's still feeling guilty over the last fight she had with her husband." He answered exasperatedly.

"Uhhh! You are an insufferable…arrogant….man!"

Quick to reply he said "Oh! So only a woman could know a woman. I thought woman wanted us to understand them."

Unnoticed to either of the Angela who had been at the restaurant having lunch had moved to the counter next to Booth and was quick to jump feet first into their conversation. "Not really. A magician never wants to reveal her tricks…"

Booth placed both hands on the counter and turned slowly to her. "We're having a private conversation."

"I'm not here." Answered Angela.

"So you think you know women just because you're married? Unbelievable." Bones through at him.

"Well yeah I do have seventeen years of marriage under my belt? That should count for something." He stated not looking at either of them instead starting to sort through and eat the nuts in a bowl in front of him.

"You're married?" Asked Angela shocked. "How come you never told us?"

"I thought you all knew, Bones said she read my file, so I just assumed."

Totally ignoring them Bones pushed forward with her side of the argument sure that Angela would agree with her. "He thinks just because Masruk's wife started working out and had a little makeover, that she was having an affair."

"Hmm, and how long were they married?"

"Eleven years."

"I'm with him."

"There is no concrete proof!"

"Boobs perkier?"

"Mmmm Hmm."

"I don't believe this, if Buffy started working out would you assume that she was having an affair on you?"

"God no Bones, Buffy and I have been through a lot but we are always honest with our feelings and there is no way she would do that."

Again ignoring his answer she ploughed on. "If you're so sure then why didn't you confront her."

"Because if she or her boyfriend were involved, she would warn him." Angela supplied answering for him.

"Very good."

"I'm a constant surprise." She responded chuckling and he had to smile at that.

"Alright. Great. I will be in the lab getting us some real data." Bones said before storming off.

"So married hey?"

"Yep." He said smiling back at her.

Back at the lab

"Hey sweetie I'm sorry Booth is married."

"Why?" She asked her friend not really understanding where she was going with this conversation.

"Well I had hoped the two of you would hook up. Who would have known he was married all these years. There is no wedding ring so maybe they're not a happy couple. Maybe…"

Bones cut her off. "They seemed pretty happy to me. Plus with a baby on the way I assume this is a progression of a relationship not the ending of one."

"Oh wow Booth is going to be a dad?"

"Booth is already a dad. He has a 16 year old and 4 year old sons with his wife already. Though she doesn't seem to be old enough for the teenager to be hers…." She was saying half to herself remembering Booth's family and half to Angela who seem unusually interested in the Agents home life. "Booth did say they had been married for seventeen years so that would mean they were married before the eldest child was born."

"Well who knew Seeley Booth was such a family guy."