Hey Everyone! So this a new story that I've thought of maybe starting. It's kind of A/U. It picks up a couple months after the Gravedigger trial, but Brennan didn't go to Makapoopoo -I love when Booth never calls it by its real name- Booth didn't go to Afghanistan, and Angela and Hodgins didnt go to Paris. Let me know if I should think about continuing it.

Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Bones. It all belongs to Hart Hanson and Fox. But if I did own it, do you think everyone would've went their seperate ways? Hell no!

Chapter 1: Just to See You Smile

Temperance Brennan packed away all the bones of their victim with a quiet, triumphant feeling as she placed the lid on the monotonous white crate. Sighing heavily, she looked around at her colleagues, all with a similar tired but satisfied look on their faces. It was really amazing how close they could become working these cases. 5 years ago, who'd have thought this mismatched group of people...would become her family? And this case - this case full of ups and downs - had them all looking at each other for support. Another case closed, another family getting closure, another sleepless night...

"Not now Tempe." Brennan silently criticized herself as she descended the stairs into what her and her colleagues would call "Limbo."

Her partner, Seeley Booth, could always tell when something was on her mind when it shouldn't be. Especially in the recent months, after… "Oh, shut up." Booth had noticed the insomnia the first day she came into work a little too weary, a little too much makeup on her face to hide the crappy night. Thank god he'd never approached her about it. He seemed to know instinctively what she needed to get through those first couple days after the trial and even though Brennan knew he liked to tackle problems head on, he'd allowed her the space to push it out of her mind. And for that, she would be forever grateful.

Finally placing the bone-filled box where it belonged, joining the ranks of cases they'd put to sleep, Brennan found herself completely drained. That was the downside to working on murders and being single. At the end of a case that took almost everything out of you, you had no one to lean on but yourself. The problem with that was that being a forensic anthropologist who worked on murders, rather than ancient evolutionary discoveries, required you to compartmentalize your human side; because if you didn't, if you allowed each case to get to you, it would all become way too much. Sometimes, when you're looking for yourself in that box you put your emotions away in, you couldn't find it.

Shaking her head fiercely, Brennan climbed the stairs and attempted to clear her melancholy mood. What the hell was wrong with her? The team had just solved another case; she should be celebrating, wearing that self satisfied grin like all the rest of them. A quiet night in front of her laptop, that's exactly what she needed to get back to normal.

The idea of a smile crossed Brennan's face as she thought of the coziness of her own home and picked up her coat. Had she been paying attention to anyone else, she'd have noticed the teasing grins they were all wearing. But she was almost out the door when...

"Where're you off to, Bones?" Booth called after her. No way is she thinking of leaving without getting a drink.

Spinning around, Brennan replied. "Home." and hoped it would be the end of things.

The team had taken to going out to the local bar, The Founding Fathers, for a drink at the end of cases, but she really wasn't up for it tonight. But one look at the grin on Booth's face told her he'd remembered their recent tradition. Another look around the room told her there was no way she was getting out of it.

Hodgins shot her a passive look when she cast her gaze at him, but out of the corner of her eye, she knew he was in on Plan Make Sure Brennan Goes Out Tonight. He was simply trying to avoid her wrath by taking the middle ground. When she looked away, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly in repressed laughter.

Angela and Cam, on the other hand, were smiling kindly at her.

"We're all going Bren." Angela nudged her gently. "Might as well … let your hair down."

Raising his hand in offer of a high five, Booth enthused. "Yeah, Ang." But quickly lowered his arm, clearing his throat when Angela raised an eyebrow at him.

Turning to the only other responsible female in the room, Camille Saroyan, Brennan hoped for some support. But she sighed heavily as the message in Cam's dark eyes became clear. Hey, if I have to spend another second with them, then so do you.

Knowing she was outnumbered and that she was going out tonight no matter what, Brennan acquiesced gently. "I guess I'm going for a drink."

It's okay, her mind told her, this could work too. Get so drunk you don't remember the terrifying nightmares of the Gravedigger you've been having. Wincing slightly at the sudden onslaught of images in her head, Brennan plastered a smile to her face and followed her colleagues out of the now darkened forensic platform.

About an hour later, Brennan was sitting at the bar, occasionally taking sips of the beer in front of her and wishing fervently that she was at home instead of here. As another drunken college student took the stage for karaoke, Brennan changed her mind. Anywhere but here would be alright for now. Burying her head in her arms and suppressing a groan, Brennan vowed to never let them, people, coerce her into coming here when all she wanted was a night with her laptop and wine, again.

From somewhere across the bar, Booth glanced at his partner, who clearly wasn't enjoying herself. Too bad, he thought sadly. He knew that she needed some sort of distraction. From … from what? Oh, yeah. From life. He should know. With everything that's happened this past 5 years, the blow ups, the gun shots, the kidnappings...At least it was usually you who got hurt, not Bones. He reminded himself sternly, but then he stopped there. Because there was no freaking way he was going down that road of self loathing again. Not tonight. So he took another swig of his scotch and lined up another shot on the pool table.

Just as he took the shot, Hodgins voice rang out, "Distracted Booth? Cause if you hadn't noticed I'm kicking your ass."

His hand slipping at the last second, Booth missed his shot horribly and straightened up to glare at the interference that was Jack Hodgins.

"What the hell, man?" He griped, his voice laced with not anger, but irritation.

Hodgins chuckled, "You been staring at Brennan all night. 'Ain't like it's a secret, what you two got going on."

His eyes suddenly wide with alarm, Booth replied, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Booth's deer in the headlights look made Hodgins want to roll his eyes, but he decided to suppress the reflex. Anyways, the man was obviously misunderstanding him. "Ever since the trial, you've been walking on eggshells around her." Hodgins turned around, lined up his shot and, to his excitement, the one day Booth was sucking seemed to be his lucky day. The ball landed neatly where it was supposed to go.

Booth shrugged helplessly as he calculated what his best chance at catching up to Hodgins, and fast, was. As he prepared to sink at least 2 balls, his other not-so-squint friend, Wendell Bray's, voice rang out from behind him.

"Someone should go hang out with Dr. Brennan. She looks lonely."

Damn it. Booth thought at he missed again. Sighing heavily, he turned away from the pool table and found two pairs of eyes staring at him. "What?"

"Bren?" Wendell and Cam replied in unison.

Brennan was seriously considering sneaking out of the bar when the excited, and intoxicated, chatter of the people around her started to bring on a headache. She reminded herself to be annoyed at the fact that her colleagues had convinced her to come here, and then abandoned her to the wolves. Just as she was straightening up, the familiar, woody scent of Seeley Booth filled the air as her partner sidled up next to her.

"Havin' fun?" He asked with a grin.

"Yeah, Booth, a blast." She replied sarcastically, a small smile coloring her lips.

"Cause you know, you could always go join Angela out there." He cocked his head toward to the center of the bar and Brennan followed his gaze to an exuberant Angela Montenego, who was dancing our her troubles on the dance floor. Brennan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"If I get that drunk, shoot me, please."

Booth laughed appreciatively. She was making jokes, this was going well. She hadn't torn him a new one for dragging her out there yet. Maybe she was even having a good time.

"Same here." He commented softly.

A few minutes later, they'd descended into a comfortable silence and Booth racked his brains, looking for some way to ask her what had been on his mind. Some way that wouldn't make her disappear behind the mask she wore so skillfully, because he'd seen a bit of the old Brennan tonight and wanted to keep it that way. Surprisingly, she spoke up first.

"Hey Booth?" She looked over at him. "Thanks."

Booth grinned. At least he'd done something right tonight. "No problem."

Brennan stared at him somewhat incredulously. "Aren't you gonna ask what for?"

"Nah." Came the cocky reply. "I can guess. You think that if I hadn't made you come out here. You'd be in your house, laying on your couch with laptop sprawled across your lap, which wouldn't be as entertaining as watching an addled Angela and hangin' out with me."

"Guess you didn't become an FBI agent for nothing." Brennan said as she raised her glass at him. But she didn't reveal how surprised she was at the fact that he had, once again, read her mind. Because try as she might to pretend like she needed no one, the human contact was doing her some good. God knows you need a more normal life, anyways Tempe. She reminded herself.

Seeming to understand the words she didn't voice, Booth placed his hand on her back and stared into her soulful blue eyes. As her eyes met his, Booth felt a shot of desire run through his system and quickly shook off the feeling. You must really be drunk. His brain told him. But logically, he knew, it wasn't possible. He'd barely had any scotch tonight. Before he could react though, Brennan stood up, practically knocking his hand off her back.

"I gotta go Booth." She looked apologetic, but more than that, she looked confused. And before Booth could react, she was out the door, leaving the barstool beside him suddenly hostile when it was not occupied by Temperance Brennan. Shaking his head and taking another drink, Booth wondered whether he was seriously lacking in sleep, because there was no freaking way he should be thinking about Brennan like that, not after her rejection. She's your partner. Your Friend. She doesn't want you like that. You tried. But underneath the logic, his instincts screamed at him. So?

So what did you think? Shall I continue? Please let me know!