Part 1

"I can look after myself you know," Brennan said for the fifth time tonight.

"Yeah I know Bones," Booth said with another exasperated sigh."Anyway this is more for my protection than yours."

"How do you figure that?" Bones looked at him with her Are You Stupid look.

"Well The Grave Digger's already gone after you, so I figure I'm next, and you know how to make more air and all, so I reckon you'd be good to have around."

"Yeah ok, whatever. I'm going to have a quick shower."

Booth said he'd set up dinner, as he walked into the kitchen.

While padding into her room, Tempe found herself liking the sound of Booth pottering around in her kitchen, but also found herself getting annoyed with the way she was reacting to his presence.

Strange how things change that way, she thought to herself. She got her robe off the back of her door, and stripped down.

"Hey Bones, do you want wine with dinner?" She heard Booth ask through her door.

Wine! Yes, wine is just what she wanted.

"Wine sounds great," She muffled through her shirt.

Putting on her robe, she walked out of her room and stop to stare at Booth as he got dinner set up. He was quite... cute, I guess people call it... when he was being domesticated. They rarely saw each other this way.

The floor creaked beneath her as she shifted her weight onto her left leg. Booth looked up to catch her staring.

"Red or White?" Booth said with a smirk on his face.

Tempe quickly ducked her head and muttered something about Red being more beneficial for the your heart, before disappearing into the bathroom.

Booth pressed play on the stereo for some background noise, since Bones still didn't have a tv, and the sound of her in the shower was kinda more than he wanted to hear at the moment.

Massive Attack's Mezzanine started strumming in the background. He finished setting everything up for dinner on the coffee table, and started drumming on the table. "Damn females and their long showers," Booth grumbled to himself.

He walked into her room and picked up her pile of dirty clothes, saw Jasper sitting on her bedside table, which made him smile. At least she got her pet pig, he thought to himself.

He started off to the laundry, but noticed a piece of crumpled paper had fallen out from the clothes.

"Ooooh, wonder if this is anything juicy Bones."

But as he started reading he started to feel guilty for finding it... All it said was...

Booth,

Ignorance is bliss. There was too much to lose.

Temperance.

P.S. I knew you wouldn't stop searching, and I don't blame you.

Realising this was her last note, in case the worst happened, he felt humbled that it was to him. He realised she knew him a lot better than anyone else, cos if he hadn't found her alive, he would never have forgiven himself. If she had died, it would be like losing a limb. Booth had no idea how he would go on from day to day without her beautifully social awkwardness, her complete oblivion to how people reacted around her. Her naievte. Her trying to use "hip" words and phrases, but not quite getting them, his favourite was "Are you ready for the kickster?"

So strong, but yet so fragile, not that she'd let anyone see that. She's "Dr. Temperance Brennan, Forensic Anthropologist for The Jeffersonian", as she liked to spiel as much as she could, which always made him smile. That was her wall to everyone. She was Dr Temperance Brennan, no one argued with her. No one could touch her.

He needed to protect her.

Brennan heard Dissolved Girl playing through the bathroom door, as she shut off the water and dried herself. Funnily everything else was quiet though. No Booth noise.

"Booth?" Brennan called through the door. No reply.

Her heart started racing with the thought of her being alone. She'd never tell Booth, but she needed someone there tonight. And as much as he said it was for his protection, she knew better and was secretly glad he was there.

She put on her robe and stepped out of the bathroom.

Living room and kitchen empty...

Then turned and saw him in her bedroom. Holding her dirty clothes.

"Uh Booth, they're dirty, and I don't think they'd fit you."

Booth's head snapped up like a kid being caught with his hand in the cookie jar an hour before dinner. Dropped the clothes and put his hands in his pockets.

"Oh! Yeah these. yeah, I was, uh, putting them in the laundry for you." He picked up the clothes and came over and gave her shoulder a nudge "Before you snuck up on me that is".

There was a spark in his eyes, that she couldn't place. There was something different about him. Bah! Now he'd gotten her onto the whole psychology way of thinking!

Which is just silly because psychology has no anthropological benefits whatsoever...

"...laundry and then we're set for dinner?"

Brennan's brow furrowed, what was he saying?! Dinner! He said something about dinner!

"Yes... Dinner..."

Booth gave her a wink and his "charm smile" as he passed her. Yep there's definitley something different. Or was it her that had changed?

Part 2

"So, Bones," Booth looked at her with that same spark in his eyes.

It frustrated her to no end.

"That's the third time you've said that, all in the space of five minutes." She said with a dramatic sigh thrown in. "Why don't you just say whatever it is you want to say?"

"Maybe I want you to be left wondering for a while, Dr Brennan."

Damn that smirk, she thought irritably.

"I did kinda save you and all today Bones, you could be a bit nicer!" Hmm obviously she'd shown what she was thinking on her face.

She eased the scowl off her face.

"What do you want, Booth? Hero worship? That isn't my style." She said with a slight grin.

"And anyway, you wouldn't have found us if Hodgins and I hadn't rewired the air-bags to make the front windshield explode." She said matter-of-factly.

Booth's face dropped.

"I mean, not that I'm not grateful that you did dig us up. I am, and always will be! I'm sorry, just me being too literal again." Tempe tucked a stray bit of hair out of her face and looked at her lap.

"I'm sorry Booth." She said quietly.

Booth took a mouthful of food and chewed thoughtfully. Like he was planning how to say what he wanted to say.

"Look, don't worry about it, Bones. I know how you feel, even if you can't say the words."

Temperance paled slightly, before looking at him with those questioning eyes. How would he know? There's no way he would know.

"Well, you know, we're friends... and... and you're a male! I know how easily your ego's can be bruised!" She stuck her tongue out at him, after her recovering from the faltering start to the sentence.

"Oh, so you're gonna go there now are you? I know how to get you back, so don't even start!" He said with his annoyingly cute, boyish grin.

"Uhuh, and what are you going to do about it?" Tempe threw back, challengingly.

"Well, you may know everything about bones, but I happen to be a huge expert when it comes to Scrabble, I challenge you to a game!" He said triumphantly.

Scrabble? What's scrabble? Bones thought to herself.

"Aww come on, Bones. You don't have Scrabble?" Booth said with a whining tone lacing his voice.

"I haven't heard of it. What is it?" She looked pathetically confused. He loved that look though.

What did Booth mean when he said "I know how you feel, even if you can't say the words"?

He hadn't spoken to Hodgins, so Jack couldn't have told him how I have an apparent "faith" in him.

Had Angela said something while Jack and I were buried? Not that she knew how I felt. I love Angela to death, but if anyone was ever going to hear how I felt, it would be Booth, first and foremost.

"...I know it" Booth voice brought her back to the real world.

"What do you know?" She replied, somewhat bewildered.

"Well, you know how we didn't work together for a while, and you wrote your second book?" Booth said slowly, like I was an idiot or something.

"Uh, yeah, I think I remember that. Get to the point, Booth." I said, sarcasm dripping off my voice.

"Well I know the main guy, Agent whats-his-name, is totally based on me!" His grin growing bigger by the second.

"He wasn't based on you!" I said indignantly.

"You missed me, and couldn't help but base the character one me! Come on Bones, you know it's true!"

"I didn't miss you. And he isn't based on you." I answered with a huff.

"Like he wasn't! He works for the FBI, won't let the heroine have a gun. Funny. Charming. Nice guy. Open heart. 'Devilishly good looking', uh uh, you said it not me." He held up a finger, as I started to protest. "Everything a woman could want, really!" He said with a wiggle of his eyebrows and a wink.

"That is absolute conjecture! Andrew, is a purely fictional character! He's what I'd like my partner to be!" I said smugly.

"Bones just admit it, Andrew is based on me. Everyone knows it!"

"Who is everyone?! You and your army of... you?!" I spluttered

Ha! I had Bones right where I wanted her! She bruised my ego, so I was getting her back the only way I knew how. By getting her into a place she was uncomfortable talking about. Man, this was fun!

"Me, and my army of... Your Squints!" I said happily.

"My Squints?! Angela, Hodgins and Zach said that?! You guys don't even talk about... Those sort of... topics!" Her face went red. Was she blushing or angry? I couldn't tell. She was one of the most frustratingly, unreadable, woman I had ever met!

"You mean, your book? Bones, we talk about it more than you think. We all know we're based on the characters." I winked at her.

She was getting more frustrated by the second, I could tell!

"None of you are in the book! I've already had this discussion with them! Zach told me he's no where near a virgin,' so there's no way he was in it! Her undergrad student is a virgin, and absolutely socially inept!" She explained heatedly.

"I hate to break it to you, Bones, but Zach is socially inept. And if he isn't a virgin, then he's very lucky the girl took pity on him." I taunted her.

"But, no, don't say that! Zach is a lovely guy! Any girl should feel privileged to have a guy like Zach interested in her." She said persistently.

Oh, yeah, she knew she was losing the argument!

"Yeah, Bones, he may be a lovely guy, and very intelligent, but not a real ladies man. Which, you show in your book." Ha! Her face paled!

"He's not in the book!" She said stubbornly, then, took a huge gulp of red wine.

"Ok, Zach may not be. But, Ange and I know we are!" I smirked and raised my eyebrow at her.

"Ok, Lucy is based loosely on Ange, that, I admit. But, only her fun, charasmatic side!" She gave away reluctantly.

"Are there any other sides to Angela?" I asked innocently.

"Yes! There are many other part to Angela that you wouldn't know!" She said defensively.

"Bones, I was joking."

"Don't joke about my best friend. I get... Protective."

"As do I when people talk about my partner." I said carefully.

"Your partner? I'm your partner, Booth." She said confused.

"Yeah Bones, I meant you." I said openly.

A slow blush covered her cheeks. "Oh, well, uh, thanks Booth. But you don't have to look out for me. I can take care of myself." She said quietly.

"Yeah I know you can, Bones. Still I said I'd look after you, and I intend to keep my promise. I'm a man of my word, you know." I said with a wink. "Just like, uh, whats-his-name... Andrew... In your book!" I threw at her finally.

"You are incorrigible!" She said with a huge grin on her face.

"And that's why we're so good together!" I said throwing my arm around her shoulders playfully. I'm not sure if I had ever spoken truer words, not that she would've noticed.

She smiled up at me. God, I loved that smile, it was a smile she only had for those she held closest. He knew that, and it made him hold her for that extra second too long.

Next chapter maybe?! Comments 3 people!!!