As promised, this is the sequel to my story The Test in the Texts. (Link in my profile, if you're interested.) Technically, you don't have to read Texts to be able to follow this story, but there are certain accepted truths in this sequel that might confuse you, so my suggestion would be to (official shameless plug) take a minute and go check it out. The most important truth being Booth has been promoted and Brennan has a new partner.

I waited until after the finale aired to start posting this because my intention is to write at least three chapters a week on this story and continue adding to it until the week of the Season Six premiere. If my calculations are correct, this story should have between fifty and fifty-five chapters, my longest story yet. Hopefully I can keep up with the pace I've set for myself. If not…I'm sure you'll forgive me. So…here we go.

Required Disclaimer for Legal Purposes: I don't own Bones. But I do own Gunn and Erik and you can't have them.

Chapter One

Booth opened his eyes slowly, enjoying the quiet of the morning and the stillness in the air. He turned slightly, looking over to his left so he could watch Brennan sleeping. After a busy few days previous in which they hardly saw each other, they had finally managed to get together the night before for dinner. Brennan had managed to surprise Booth by bringing him to a new place he'd never heard of, Lo ho Detto Cosi, which Bones informed him loosely translated from Italian to I Told You So. The name made absolutely no sense to Booth until their food was brought to their table before they ever saw a menu.

"Sid!" Booth jumped up from the table to embrace his old friend. "When did you get back? Why didn't you call me?"

Sid laughed at Booth's enthusiasm. "Seeley, when I got back you were dead, remember? And even I don't have the means to make a call that long distance. He bent down to kiss Brennan on the cheek. "Hey, Dr. B. It's good to see you, too. You're looking gorgeous as always."

"Thank you, Sid. I'm so glad that you're back."

"Hey! Don't hit on my lady, Sid."

"Wouldn't think of it, Seel. I am simply complimenting a beautiful woman. I am nothing if not a gentleman."

Brennan had rolled her eyes at Booth's 'my lady' comment, and then jumped in to save Sid. "Booth, seriously. Reel it in."

Both men stopped to gawk at her perfect use of the metaphor. Brennan crossed her arms and regarded them both. "Gunn has been teaching me some things."

Sid's eyes widened. "Gunn? As in Special Agent Richard Gunn, hoarder of the recipe for the best damn barbeque on the planet?"

Booth nodded, grinning. "The one and the same. He's Bones' new partner once my promotion kicks in."

"Excellent." The way Sid purred the word reminded Booth of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. He just needed to tap his fingers together and the picture would have been complete. " So Dr. B, think you can bust out your considerable charm and get that recipe for me? I'll feed you free for life in gratitude."

"Deal, Sid. But you can feed Booth for free instead, he eats more. Lots more." Brennan patted the seat on the booth beside her, picked up her spoon and nodded to their host. "Thanks, Sid. The food looks great."

"Thanks, Dr. B. For you, we're starting with Roasted Pumpkin soup, made with my special pumpkin seed oil. Your main course is seared yellow fin tuna in a soy truffle jus, served with lotus crisps hijiki and a sesame seaweed salad. Booth, your soup is Lobster Bisque with a tarragon-infused crème fraiche, the main course is a grilled filet mignon flatiron steak with garlic butter, French fries and watercress salad, and you're both having my sour cream mascarpone cheesecake with raspberry reduction for dessert."

"Damn, Sid. I really, really missed you." Booth grabbed a spoon and took a taste of his soup. "God, this is amazing."

Brennan agreed as she tried her pumpkin soup. "This is so smooth…I don't know how you do it, Sid."

"It's the pumpkin oil, trust me. I make it myself."

"Well, it's fantastic. Thank you again, Sid."

"Anytime. Enjoy your meal. Oh, and…I'm glad to see you two together. It's about time." He clapped Booth on the shoulder as he headed back towards the kitchen.

Booth shook his head at the happy thought of having Sid back in town and pulled himself up out of bed, bending his feet and ankles to alleviate the stiffness that always accompanied his wake up routine. He stifled a groan as he stood, knowing it was going to take some extra time that morning to get moving smoothly. Brennan had been nice enough to let him watch his Flyers come back from 3 games down in their series against Boston to clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the game had been so exciting Booth had done a fair amount of jumping up and down during. 'At least I know I won't be chasing any suspects today.', he thought. He glanced at the suit Brennan had hung on the closet the night before as he headed to the en suite bathroom. She had insisted on buying him a brand-new suit for his first day as Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Branch. Booth had to admit, she had great taste in men's clothes. The black and grey pinstriped Armani was sharp, and he loved that Bones had paired it with a cornflower blue shirt and boldly striped tie. But the fact that she had been so excited to be able to do something as mundane as buying him a new suit made him grin like an idiot, no matter what the suit looked like.

He made his way into the bathroom and started to shave, his mind going a mile a minute in twelve different directions. He hated to shave, and although he had to do it every day (and sometimes twice) as a matter of course, he knew that from now on he was going to have to be even more conscientious about his personal grooming. He laughed internally at that, knowing that Gunn would give him hell for the whole idea. He already called Booth a 'peacock' because of his obsession with his hair and socks, so he knew he would have to be careful not to add any fuel to that fire.

Wiping the shaving cream off his face, Booth reached over and started the water in the shower. He stripped off the rest of his clothes and stepped in, letting the steaming hot water beat down on his aching shoulder. Another casualty of his former job, the healed gunshot wound where Pam Nunan had hit him three years ago still twinged in bad weather, and when he was tired it really acted up. He turned around, getting his hair wet to shampoo, when he opened his eyes and saw that he wasn't alone.