Disclaimer: Bones is the property of Twentieth Century Fox et al. I do not own any part of the characters or the plots that have been adapted from the show.

A/N: Hey team, here goes! This is an Alternate Universe take on the sexual tension that radiates off our favorite dynamic duo. Fair warning, this is going to be a bit of a PWP, as in: Plot? What Plot? We're talking mostly fluff & smut.

The prologue begins in Episode 100, and then we'll travel back in time to the Pilot to see how B&B's story really unfolds. Most chapters will follow storylines of select episodes, and this fic will be all about what happens "between the scenes". Here's what they didn't (couldn't) show on network television.

Without further ado, read and review!

Prologue - Sum in Parts

Booth pulled open the door to Sweets' office. He caught himself in mid-motion about to place his hand on the small of Brennan's back to guide her in, and instead he planted the hand on his hip as he followed her through the door.

"Morning, Sweets!" he proclaimed.

Sweets spun around from his computer to face them. "Good morning, guys."

He got up and moved from his desk chair to the armchair that faced the couch, which was his usual position for their therapy sessions.

Booth plopped his copy of Sweets' manuscript on the coffee table as he took a seat on his side of the couch. Bones sat on the other side, same as always.

"I have to say, I was surprised that you called," Sweets admitted to them. "You usually do anything you can to get out of our sessions, and whenever you really do want my advice, you never make an appointment. So what's up?"

Brennan cleared her throat. "We've read over your manuscript. While I admit that I'm not well-suited to judge a psychology text, because I find absolutely no reason or relevance in any of it -"

Booth, noticing Sweets' expression, jumped in to interrupt his partner. "There's kind of a mistake in your book, Sweets."

"What?" Sweets sat up straighter in his chair as his eyebrows shot up. Booth called upon all his training to control his face, and knew that he maintained a neutral expression. "Oh, I see. You're kidding."

Brennan shook her head, all seriousness. "No, he's not kidding."

Booth watched as realization dawned on Sweets' face, and knew he should cut off that assumption at the pass. "Before you start, let me just say that we're not here about, you know, the love thing."

Booth wasn't quite sure how the kid was going to take this bit of news they were leading up to, but Bones had thought it was important to tell him. He would find out sooner or later, after all. They weren't planning on telling him the whole story, because he'd have a heart attack, but Booth agreed that he needed to know this piece of it.

"Please, guys, just tell me what it is. What's wrong with my book?"

"Well, there are actually several things wrong that I've circled for you in my copy. They're mainly typos, but a few are blatant grammatical errors. Aside from that, and the fact that the Cleo Eller case was not the first that we worked together, I thought it read surprisingly well. For a psychology text." Brennan pushed her copy of the manuscript across the table to him and stood up to leave.

Booth stood as well, straightening his jacket and striving for nonchalance. That's right, nothing to see here. Maybe they could just slip out, and not even have to discuss -

"Wait!" Sweets exclaimed. So much for leaving unnoticed. "What are you talking about? Are you telling me the two of you worked together before the Cleo Eller case?"

Booth cleared his throat. "There… may have been another case before that one."

Sweets stared at them with wide eyes. Brennan looked to Booth for a clue for how to proceed, and he shook his head subtly. He thought it best to give the good doctor a minute to process. He reclaimed his seat, stretching his arm along the back of the couch and making himself comfortable.

After a couple minutes, Sweets very calmly sat back in his chair, crossed his legs, and grabbed his notepad from the table. "By all means, why don't you tell me about that first case?"

Booth thought Sweets seemed perhaps just a bit too composed, like the calm before the storm. But hey, he really did need to hear this. Booth looked at Brennan, giving her the signal, and she sighed.

"A girl was murdered…"

Brennan launched into the story of their first case, which revolved around a girl named Gemma Arrington. Booth jumped in and added facts as he saw fit, while Sweets sat with his head in his palm and listened.

It wasn't long before Sweets was up and pacing around the room. Booth was shifting uncomfortably in his seat as they told the story. He didn't like the way Sweets was scrutinizing them. He didn't like it one bit.

When they got to the point in their story when they shared their first kiss, Sweets interrupted them incredulously. "You kissed?"

He made kissing sound like a crime.

Booth nodded solemnly. "Sorry to break it to you, buddy."

"So basically, what you're telling me is that the premise on which I built my case, the entire foundation behind my careful analysis of your behavior, is wrong."

"Yes," Brennan nodded. "But since it's only psychology-"

Booth cut her off. "Let's put this in perspective. I mean, our first case was only mentioned once in your book, right? So is it really that big of a deal?"

"How long did the affair last?" Sweets demanded.

Booth felt Brennan's eyes on him before he glanced over to meet her gaze. He watched her fight for control of her face, but she didn't have the same training and practice that he did, and she didn't quite manage it. Her eyes were a bit too wide and the corners of her mouth were turned up ever-so-slightly.

"Should we tell him?" she asked softly.

Booth sucked in a breath, and knew that that was a moment when his training failed him. If he was dealing with anyone other than Brennan, they'd see right through him. Remembering that Sweets was in the room, too, he pulled himself together quickly.

What was she asking him? They'd already agreed on what they were going to tell Seets, or so he'd thought. Was she calling an audible, changing the plan?

Brennan broke her gaze away from his and answered before Sweets spontaneously combusted. "Nothing happened," she revealed. "I went home and went to bed."

"And so did I," Booth agreed. He looked back at Bones, but she was already continuing on with the story. He'd thought… but oh well. He sighed, and listened as Brennan recounted the rest of the case.

. . . . .

It was dark out by the time they left Sweets' office. Brennan had made sure to leave a glass of water within easy reach of where he was sprawled across his desk, and she'd noticed Booth surreptitiously slip Sweets' letter opener into his jacket pocket. Sweets would be okay.

"So what do you feel like, Chinese or Thai?" she called over her shoulder to Booth as they exited the Hoover building.

"Thai."

"Your place or mine?" When she didn't get an answer, Brennan turned around to find Booth frozen on the sidewalk. "What's wrong?"

"I'm the gambler," he stated. She wasn't sure what was going on, so she stayed silent as his words hung in the air. "That's what Sweets just said. I'm the gambler."

She moved closer and placed a hand on his arm. "I don't understand."

He met her eyes in the darkness, and she saw a fire in them. "Yes you do, Bones."

She grappled silently to process what he was saying. "I'm no good at this, you know that. Please, just tell me what you mean."

"Sweets was right. I'm the one who needs to take this, us, to the next level. I'm the only one of us who can. I know that now."

He reached for her, and she let him draw her in closer to his body. She had to crane her neck to keep eye contact, but she wrapped herself around him and waited patiently for him to expand. When he didn't, she prompted him again.

"Booth," she whispered, but before she could finish, his lips were on hers.

The kiss started out chaste. It was just a press of his lips against hers, but it still made Brennan catch her breath in her throat. He pulled away and gave her a chance to pull away. When she didn't, he came back, with more fervor. He sucked on her bottom lip, and she felt the warmth of his tongue sweep along her lip for a second before it was gone. She wanted more, so she used her hand on the back of his neck to pull him back to her. She parted his lips and explored his mouth slowly, taking her time.

When he broke away this time, he was breathing more heavily. "We have to do this, Bones. For real, I mean."

Brennan couldn't catch her breath, and she knew it was only partly because of the kiss. She was also struggling with fear-induced adrenaline. She wasn't prepared for this. She didn't know how to have this conversation. She didn't know how to do this.

Up until a few years ago when she'd met Angela, every relationship she'd ever had had fallen apart. A part of her mind was screaming for her to run away, to break this off before it got too painful. A bigger part was telling her that it was too late. Way, way too late.

"Bones," he whispered, running his hand over her hair. "I want this. I want you, all of you. I want to let people know that you're mine and I'm yours. Let's not keep this a secret anymore."

Brennan's fight-or-flight response was in full swing, but as she looked up into Booth's eyes, she felt a rush of oxytocin chase away the adrenaline. Her fear drained away. There was still that small part of her that was terrified, and that would never change, but in Booth's presence there were other things that took precedence. Love, comfort, happiness. Peace.

She took a deep, bracing breath, and then she nodded.

Booth closed his eyes, and Brennan felt tension drain out of him. He smiled down at her. "I love you."

"I love you," she replied.

They remained frozen in their embrace on the sidewalk right in front of the Hoover building, and for the first time, neither one had to worry about who might see. Brennan let her hands wander aimlessly across Booth's body, smoothing over the fabric of his dress shirt under his coat and jacket. She breathed in his familiar scent and let herself revel in the solid feel of him, letting his proximity comfort her and chase away the lingering taste of fear on the back of her tongue.

Several long moments later, she shivered in the brisk evening air, and Booth gave a contented sigh.

"Come on, Bones." He put an arm around her shoulder and began to guide them down the street. "Let's go home."

"Your place or mine?"