Brennan looked on nervously as Angela worried her bottom lip, her best friend's dark eyes carefully scrutinizing her face. The blinds to her office were drawn tightly shut, and she had made sure that the latch was firmly in place before she had agreed to this endeavour.

'Sweetie,' Angela started. Brennan resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had endured this torture for more than an hour. She had allowed the artist to pick her clothes, do her hair, slap on some of that mineral based makeup that she was always going on about. She had even willingly consented to wearing skyscrapers on her feet.

'You look divine!' Angela squealed, clasping her hands together. 'Who knew that I was this amazing?'

'Are you sure this is appropriate?' Brennan asked. 'I mean, I'm just meeting him at some…actually, I'm not even sure where it is.'

Angela had no such qualms in resisting the temptation to roll her eyes. 'Who cares where you go? You want men to devour you. Make them think of you as dessert.'

'I'm not sure I really want to be compared to some kind of confectionary. Shouldn't this be about people exchanging intellectual intercourse?'

'Okay, never say intellectual intercourse ever again. Please.'

'It is a logical anthropological-'

'Glug, glug, woohoo! Tonight is all about that. And not about that.' Angela moved forward to clasp Brennan's hands. 'Look, you haven't seen each other in an extremely inappropriate amount of time. The last time you saw him he pretty much disgraced your name in court.'

'I don't even know why I agreed to this in the first place. I must have been extremely irrational to not even consider the implications-'

'Sweetie, honey, listen to me. There is – what does Zach call it? – a pattern in all this chaos.'

'I don't think we possess the same level of spatial awareness that Zach does Ange.'

Angela released a long suffering sigh. 'Okay. We're going to let that comment slide. Besides, it's not like you'll be alone with Michael. Aren't there going to be other people extremely fascinated in how you, like, read bones?'

'Well, technically yes.'

'What exactly do forensic anthropologists talk about at these black tie things? I mean, do you ipod your observations and then compare or something?' Seeing Brennan's face light up, Angela stalled any segue into meaningless geek speak. 'Alright, so who are you taking?'

'I don't understand.'

'Your date. You know? A member of the opposite species? A hot slab of manmeat to accessorize your dress?'

'I didn't think it was necessary.'

'Did you hear that sound? That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor. Tempe! That was the key element of our plan!'

'I didn't know we were strategizing.'

Brennan had the sudden urge to inch away seeing the look descend upon her friend's face. She had seen it directed at Hodgin's mostly, when the entomologist was on a spiel about conspiracy theories.

'Hey! Why is this door locked? Bones! Open up!' Seeley Booth's voice drifted through the closed portal. His fists pounded on the door again. 'Didn't that book you read about working relationships or whatever tell you that closed doors aren't conducive at all?'

'Angela,' Brennan started, noticing the sudden devilish gleam in her friend's eye. 'Angela, don't you dare open that-' But Angela had already moved across the room to unlock the door.

'You really are my knight in FBI-issued body armour,' Angela greeted Booth flirtatiously, fluttering her eyelashes for good effect. Sighing, Brennan got to her feet.

'Thank you Angela. See Bones? Closed doors mean…'

Booth lost his train of thought as he took in his partner. She was wearing some kind of silver dress that looked like she had poured herself into it. Her hair was up and messy tendrils of auburn hair framed the sides of her face. Her eyes seemed luminescent, a faint shimmer bringing out her blue eyes. Her skirt stopped above the knees, and he found his eyes following them down to a pair of shoes that seemed to extend her legs even more.

'Wow,' he murmured, forgetting that Angela was next to him.

'Give me a blank canvas and I will give you a masterpiece,' Angela announced triumphantly, latching on to the awe she had heard in Booth's voice.

'I already told you Booth! You can't just waltz in here like you own the place. This is my office, not some room of chill,' Brennan stated, her eyes flashing as she crossed her arms under her breasts. Booth forced himself not to focus on the display that this movement caused.

'Look at you. Hot date?' He asked casually, forcing himself to mask the usual feelings of possessiveness that always seemed to arise when he thought of Bones with another man. He was just being a good friend, making sure she didn't get hurt.

Sure. And that really is a pistol in your pocket.

Brennan let out a groan, crossing the room and brushing past him. He watched, a faint wisp of flowers lingering in her wake, as she perched herself uncomfortably on the couch. He also watched as her skirt rode up her thigh. Booth cleared his throat, looking at her expectantly.

'She is going to see Michael,' Angela said.

'Woah, wait a minute? Michael? As in that Michael?' Booth asked, waving his hands in the air.

'I'm not going to see Michael, Booth. I'm going to a fundraiser as a representative of the Jeffersonian's forensic anthropology department.'

This piece of news relieved Booth somewhat.

'The invitation said plus one Bren,' Angela whined. 'Plus one! As in you plus one more other person, preferably alive and with a penis!'

Booth cracked a grin as he saw Bones frown. 'Ange, I'm not going to drag someone with me to this thing. I doubt I know anyone who'd be willing to sit through the entire night with a bunch of us discussing the recent finds that-'

'What about Pete?' Angela asked. Booth frowned. Who was Pete?

'He made me break my television with a baseball bat.'

'That's why you don't have a TV?' Booth asked, incredulous.

'He snuck in!' Brennan defended herself. 'I thought he was a burglar or something.'

'Why didn't you just Jackie Chan him?' Booth asked.

'I don't under-'

'What about Mark? Mark seemed nice. You know? Tall, blonde hair, blue eyes? Amazing body?' Angela pushed.

'I might have accidentally kicked him,' Brennan mumbled. Angela expelled a breath. 'He was trying to touch me inappropriately! He kept 'bumping' into me and I acted impulsively.'

'Good job Bones. That is what you should always do when someone tries to touch you,' Booth reminded her.

'You always try to touch me. Does this mean I have permission to kick your ass?' Brennan asked innocently. Angela watched Booth colour slightly.

'I don't try to touch you inappropriately,' Booth spluttered, obviously flustered.

'It's inappropriate if I don't consent to it Booth,' Bones told him patiently.

'Booth, take Bren to the gala,' Angela said loudly.

'What?'

'Excuse me? I think that I should have some kind of say in this,' Brennan said, standing up. Booth tried to ignore her legs again.

'Bren, Sweetie, Michael doesn't like Booth. Seeing Booth, with you, will help us complete the plan.'

'Well, it's obvious why Michael didn't like Booth. His alpha male tendencies-'

'Just for the record, I didn't like him either,' Booth said, waving his hand.

'Yeah, what a shock,' Angela told him. 'Monique! Did you forget what we decided? We have to make him regret the day he got up on that stand, the rat bastard, and broke my best friend's heart.' She saw Brennan glance uneasily at Booth at that rather personal observation.

'Now listen to me, both of you. Bren, you are going to go to that gala and make Michael wish and pray that he was what's underneath that dress. You are going to use your feminine wiles to get enough money so that we can both get a boudoir installed in this joint.

Booth, you are going to smile and act like Tempe here is a goddess to be worshipped. You are going to tune out whenever someone says something to you to keep your sanity intact.

And tomorrow morning, Monique, you will call me and I will bring over some java and we will start the day with Ben and Jerry while you tell me all the juicy details. Capiche?' Angela finished, hands on her hips.

'I find it best to do what she says,' Booth stage whispered, placing his hand on Bone's back.

'I knew you were smart FB mine!' Angela said happily, clasping her hands together.

'Thanks. I think. C'mon Bones! Let this alpha male show you the light!'

'I don't understand.'

'Of course you don't,' Booth said, shaking his head. Applying pressure to the small of her back, Booth proceeded to propel her from the room.

'Hey! Wait! I didn't agree to this!' Brennan shouted.

'Remember Sweetie! Do everything I would do and more!' Angela shouted to the retreating pair. 'Hopefully they sleep together. That dress was made for sex.'