"Bones, what are you doing?" I ushered her back into her spot in our booth, and gave her my best exasperated look, glancing nervously from the man writhing in pain on the floor then back to my partner, who had a look of smug satisfaction on her face.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that. He was being inappropriate."

"You think that may have been a little extreme . . . What do you mean by inappropriate?"

"He grabbed my ass when I walked by him, so I twisted his arm behind him while I jabbed my knee upward with calculated force. I was careful not to break anything."

I absently wondered how my radar missed that whole exchange. "Are you sure, because he doesn't look so good."

"He would have been fine, but he said something rude as he was going down, so I stepped on his hand. It's possible I broke a couple fingers. Regardless, I imagine it was extremely painful, considering the shoes I am wearing tonight."

"I don't think his fingers are the reason he is on the floor sweating." The man made it up to his knees, but he was still doubled over, with his hands cupped protectively against himself. I stole a glance at her shoes, and winced. "What did he say to you anyway?" I regretted asking before the words left my mouth, but I couldn't help myself.

"He said i didn't feel as sweet as he thought I would."

That's not what I expected, but for some reason it pissed me off even more than I already was. Apparently, she sensed this, because as I was starting to stand up to finish what she left unfinished, she put her hand on my forearm.

"Let it go. He was just being a jerk. I took care of it.".

"He disrespected you when he touched you, and you took care of that. He disrespected me when he saw that you came in with me and waited till my back was turned to make an advance."

"But we are not, you know, together, Booth."

"Come on. I am wearing a tuxedo. You are all dressed up. It's late. It's obvious that we are here together, on a date. When he waits until I am not watching to make a move on you, that is disrespectful."

"But we are not, on a date."

I know that, and you know that. He..." I pointed to the guy who had just finished picking himself up off the floor. "...doesn't know that."

She considered my explanation and must have seen the logic in it, because she nodded. "Just don't make a mess. Trudy will only have to clean it up after you're finished."

I smiled at her and slid out of the booth. I saw a flicker of anger or dread pass across his face as I walked toward him, and then he spoke to me, in a loud enough voice for everyone in the diner to hear, which right now was only the three of us and Trudy in the kitchen. "Your girlfriend has a trashy mouth. I have an idea or two on how to shut her up, but she would probably bite me." I was wrong. It was stupidity that I saw in his eyes. Some people need an advanced lesson in consequences.

I hauled his ass back to where Bones was sitting, and accidentally tripped him so he fell face first in front of our table. "I think he realizes an apology is in order, Bones." I placed my foot on his face, smashing his cheek into the floor.

"I don't know, Booth. He doesn't look sorry to me."

"I don't think he is." I pressed down harder. "Say you are sorry to the lady, and you can go."

"Wait a minute, Booth. I thought you said you were the one being disrespected."

"Bones, did you hear what he just said?"

"Yes, and I am more than capable of defending myself. This whole display is unnecessary." She turned to the man being pinned under my foot. "You can leave now." I don't know why this surprised me, but it did, then she shot me a look, and I removed my shoe from the guy's face. He scrambled up to his feet, and took a threatening step toward me.

"Are you seriously still here?" I couldn't believe this guy. He was like the Energizer Bunny.

That's when Bones slipped behind him and grabbed his arm. Judging from his wince, it was the same one as before. She twisted it behind his back, and slammed his face forward into the table in front of me. "Would you just show it to him so we can get out of here?" I took out my badge and shoved it under his forehead. She lifted his head up by the hair so he could look at it. "He has a gun, too, and he is really pissed off right now. If I were you, I would leave."

He stood up and glanced quickly between the two of us, and finally started for the door. "She is a feisty one. I bet you've had to use your cuffs a time or two in the sack."

We watched him walk out the door, and I saw her looking at me while I put away my ID badge. She didn't seem too overly irritated by my alpha male behavior. "You know, I don't really carry my gun to museum functions."

"I didn't figure you would. How about handcuffs?"

I just laughed at her as we threw some money on the table, and headed for the door.

"Why do you think everyone always just assumes we have sex?"

I let my hand settle at the small of her back as we stepped outside. "I don't know, Bones. It's weird."