A/N I realise I have a few other things I should be working on right now (and when i say a few i mean 5! LOL) but this came to me and I decided that anything was better than nothing ;)

It's set post Daredevil by pre Blizzard. It came to me in NYC and this is the first time i've been able to get it on paper...well, not paper but you know what i mean!

Thank you to the awesome ProfeJMarie for assuring me it wasn't complete crap. *mwah*

It's also a very belated birthday present to one of my favourite people ever. So Happy Birthday Xander...sorry it's late!

Temperance Brennan downed her fifth (or was it sixth?) shot of scotch before she signalled for another with a careless flick of her wrist.

"Barkeep" she called, waiting for him to approach her side of the bar. "Hit me" she ordered with a slap to the surface in front of her. "Figuratively speaking." She clarified, fixing her eyes on his to ensure he understood. "Not literally. I don't want you to literally hit me...just figuratively. With another drink. Figuratively" she said with a nod of her head, content that she had explained herself clearly.

The man behind the bar sent her a concerned glance as he reached for her poison of choice. He wasn't used to seeing the fine doctor in front of him alone and that in itself worried him. Three years he'd been working behind the bar, struggling to put himself through college, and he had grown to know and care for a select few of their regulars. The woman in front of him was his personal favourite, along with her partner. You knew as soon as they entered the establishment that you were in for an...interesting time. He'd overheard more than one conversation between them in his time and he'd never known two people to disagree so...joyfully. It was almost as if they revelled in their arguments and he'd come to think of it as their own particular brand of foreplay.

The sound of a glass hitting the bar shook him out of his thoughts and he glanced down to find the object of his musings rubbing a hand across her mouth as she signalled for yet another drink. She had a grin plastered on her face but that couldn't hide the emotions swirling in her eyes.

"Dr Brennan don't you think you should..." he began tentatively only to be shot down.

"I think I should have another drink. And I think you should serve it to me." She said firmly, fire in her eyes as she dared him to defy her. "That is your job. Correct?"

"Of course Dr Brennan" he poured the drink, his face a stoic mask as he did as she demanded. He turned to leave but the feel of a gentle hand on his arm caused him to freeze.

"Sorry James." She said contritely, an apologetic look on her face. He glanced at her in shock, his mouth opening slightly in surprise at the use of his name. "You've worked here three years. Even I can remember someone's name in that time." She said with a wry smile. "I shouldn't take my...frustrations out on you. I apologise profusely." Sincerity shone from her eyes, her gaze locked on his as she waited to see if he forgave her.

"No problem Dr Brennan." He accepted her apology with a small shrug, the feel of her gaze on his unnerving him more than he liked to admit. She really was an incredibly beautiful woman. And her eyes...

"Temperance."

"Huh?" James answered distractedly.

"Call me Temperance. After all...we have spent many an evening together." Her grin turned decidedly wicked as his eyes widened. "In a manner of speaking" she added, watching as he finally caught on to her meaning. A slight blush appeared on his cheeks when he realised she knew where his mind had gone...and that she looked decidedly pleased with that knowledge.

James poured her another shot to give himself something to do, with the added hope that it would prevent her from teasing him again. Brennan picked up the glass and threw it back, enjoying the slight burning sensation as the drink hit the back of her throat. She watched James over her glass, her mind pondering the possibilities as she admired his blonde good looks and the way his shirt clung to his well defined muscles. He was a very attractive man, she conceded, finding it hard to understand how she had only just come to notice this fact about him. And he had the most beautiful green eyes, she thought. Kind eyes.

She was also intoxicated enough to admit to herself that part of his appeal was the complete contrast between him and her frustrating, maddening and arrogant partner. The very partner who was the cause of her plan to drink herself into oblivion. Or at least that had been her plan, but as she watched James work around her another plan began to form in her mind. Not one she was particularly proud of but, she reasoned, no one would get hurt and it would give her the opportunity to release some of the tension she had been feeling lately. And if the evening went really well it may release all of the tension she had been feeling.

She watched as he headed to the other end of the bar to serve someone else, her eyes tracking his movements as she continued to argue with herself. As per usual her heart and head were in conflict. Her head was urging her to go through with her new plan...the opportunity to satisfy her more basic urges with an attractive male was too good to resist. And, her brain argued, her focus at work would be greatly improved if she could concentrate for longer than ten minutes. But her heart...her heart was pointing out that she had long ago stopped wanting to satisfy her urges with men she picked up in bars. For the last two years she had only wanted to satisfy her urges with one man. A man with dark brown hair, a perfectly proportioned body, eyes that could see through you to your darkest thoughts, and a heart more beautiful than she could describe.

She rested her arms on the bar and her head in her hands, a weary sigh escaping her lips as she realised her decision was already made. Her hands clenched into fists as she acknowledged that there had never been a decision to be made, not really. And as irrational as it was that thought angered her. He had made his decision and still...still he dictated the choices she made. And after this evening...after what he had done this evening. She sighed again...she should no longer care about him but yet she did. She could hate him for that alone.

James wandered back down to her end of the bar, the smile on his face diminishing as he saw the dejected slump to her shoulders as she leant on the bar. He opened his mouth to speak but the sound of the door opening draw his attention. He watched as a man stood in the doorway for a second, his smile widening in recognition. He watched as the man entered the bar, his movements slow as his eyes searched the room. His gaze rested on the woman slumped over the bar and his movements stopped for a second before he squared his shoulders and strode towards her, oblivious to the looks he was receiving from both woman and men as he made his way across the room. He pulled out a stool and sat down next to Brennan, giving James a nod of thanks as he placed a beer in front of him.

Brennan felt her body stiffen as someone was seated next to her. She was in no mood for company this evening and she resented the coming intrusion.

"I already have a drink and i'm not looking for company so you're wasting your time." She stated coldly without looking up.

"That's too bad Bones. I've only just arrived so you're stuck with me."

At the sound of his voice Brennan shot up in her seat, her eyes narrowing as she met the steady gaze of the man seated next to her. She instinctively shifted to move away from him but a hand on her leg stilled her, the grip firm as it prevented her from leaving. She stared down at it, the feel of his hand on her body affecting her more than she would have liked. Her gaze narrowed and she tried to move her knee but the hand on her leg only tightened. She moved her own hand to his wrist, her own grip sure as she looked up at him. Booth read the threat in her eyes, the image of his partner breaking Epps wrist with a flick of her hand racing through his mind. He was tempted to leave his hand on her leg, mildly curious to see if she would do as she threatened but in the end he thought better of it. No need for this conversation to deteriorate so soon...there was plenty of time for that to happen later.

He removed his hand slowly, his gaze locked on hers as he urged her to stay. She shifted her body away from him when she was free but she stayed seated, curious in spite of herself. He was the last person she had expected to see, especially after their last...confrontation.

"What are you doing here Booth?" she asked into the silence, her eyes demanding answers.

"I wanted to make sure you were ok." He said quietly. Brennan scoffed at his softly spoken words. Annoyance flashed crossed his face before he made an effort to mask it, acknowledging to himself that she had her reasons for doubting his sincerity.

"You wanted to make sure I was ok?" she asked. A smile was on her face but it wasn't a pleasant one. It was too cold...too hard. "Why wouldn't I be ok Booth? What possible reason could I have for being anything OTHER than ok?" Her voice rose on the last word, her anger and frustration palpable.

"Look Bones. I understand you're angry with me but..."

"Angry?" Brennan exclaimed on a harsh laugh. "Does that really surprise you Booth?" she asked rhetorically. She swung around on her stool, facing him for the first time. She leant forward towards him. "I'm not supposed to be here, am I Booth? I was supposed to be enjoying the remnants of my date." She took some perverse pleasure in the darkening in his eyes at the mention of her date. "Maybe we'd have been lingering over drinks. Maybe we'd be having coffee. At his place. At mine." She added with a wicked smile. "At no point was I supposed to be here. Alone. But I am. And we both know why, don't we?"

Booth watched her as she spoke, unable to draw her eyes away from her. Her beautiful blue eyes were flashing and her body was nearly vibrating with emotion.

"Because you..." She poked a finger into his firm stomach "couldn't let me have this one night, could you? One night Booth...was that too much to ask? I did as you asked...I've been who you wanted me to be yet still it's not enough, is it? What do you want from me Booth?" Brennan demanded to know, her breath coming hard and fast as she spoke. "What?"

Booth watched her, his gaze intense as he heard the pleading note in her voice. His mind raced as he tried to find the words to explain himself. Silence stretched between, their eyes locked on one another. Minutes or hours could have passed before he finally spoke, revealing the first real truth between them in far too long.

"Everything."

A/N Part 2 will be up soon...well, Laffers soon so your guess is as good as mine