Okay people, new story! This is most likely to be a three shot since I have other stories that I haven't completed. Thank you to crearealidad for doing such a great job beta-ing because believe me if she hadn't, it would not have been pretty!

"Shit!"

Hot liquid poured from the cup in my hand down to my crisp white shirt, leaving a noticeable brown stain as well as what felt like a gaping hole in my chest. The burning sensation startled me into dropping the cup, causing white porcelain to shatter at my feet.

I grumbled to myself as I cleaned up the floor, tidying away the remains of the mug and looking angrily down at the newly-chipped kitchen tile. Throwing the broken pieces into the dustbin, the clock on the wall caught my eye and I sighed. Great. I was already late for work, which meant that there would be no way for me to make another coffee, let alone have breakfast.

This wasn't the greatest of mornings.

I hurriedly made my way to my office in the Hoover Building, regarding everyone who greeted me with a quick nod before practically sprinting by them.

I sat down, quickly taking out some paperwork so as I could get stuck in. I stared blankly at the pages among pages of small print before sighing. I wished I would have been able to finish my coffee this morning.

--

"Booth!" I could hear my name being barked from the approaching figure of Cullen, who did not look happy.

"Why the hell is it that you were almost an hour late for work today?" he asked loudly.

Shit! Think, think, think. Where do you go when you're not here…

"Sir, I was… at the Jeffersonian…" was the first thing I had said, off the top of my head. Great! Now why the fuck would you be at the Jeffersonian without a case? Before I could say another word, Cullen just said, "See me in my office when you're done with your paperwork on the Clooney case."

As he left, I sighed, slumping my shoulders and hanging my head. Nope, definitely not the greatest of mornings.

--

I gently tapped on the open door of Cullen's office about an hour later. "Sir, you wanted to see me?"

"Sit down Booth." Okay, major flashback from the High-school principal's office just popped into my head. Hopefully I won't be told that the reason for my rebellious outbreaks is because I am 'A hormonal, testosterone-filled boy.' And people wonder why I get uncomfortable talking about sex…

I sat down and waited for Cullen to speak.

"Booth, I'm a reasonable guy. I'm extremely flexible when it comes to office romances, but not if it effects work time. There has to be a certain level of professionalism."

Okay, at least he doesn't sound too angry. Wait, office romances?

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

Cullen just rolled his eyes and said "Booth, I'm just giving you a warning, I'm not terminating your relationship or anything," he said patiently. Well, as patiently as Cullen could get.

"My relationship with whom?" I asked incredulously. There was apparently something he knew about my personal life that I didn't.

"Dr. Brennan," he answered simply.

My eyes went wide. "Bones - Dr. Brennan and I aren't in a relationship,"

"Booth, your therapist tells me everything because I'm your boss. He says that he saw the two of you kissing in the Jeffersonian," he said bluntly.

I swallowed, feeling the tightness in my throat. Okay, a couple of make-out sessions had taken place over the last couple of weeks. We may have kissed two or three times. Okay five. Only one of them had happened at the Jeffersonian. Where apparently that voyeuristic rat-bastard had seen us. I could almost picture him peeing his big-boy pants in excitement. We were in freaking Human Resources. What'd he do, follow us there? Where I had followed her… but that was different.

"Dr. Brennan and I aren't in a relationship," I repeated curtly. Well, it was the truth. We weren't.

"Listen Booth, I don't give a shit if you're sleeping with her or not, just try to keep it in your pants when you're on the job…" he said wearily. Wow, people really can get the wrong impression. I mean, who said anything about sleeping with her?

"Now go!" Cullen added, gesturing his hand to the door. I left quickly, without any complaint. If I pushed harder, I could have ended up in the dog-house.

--

I sighed as I looked over new paperwork, dropped off by Charlie earlier. That's the worst part of this job, way too much paperwork. I've always hated paperwork. Except for those very rare occasions when Brennan had invited me to her place to look over the case files over a take-out.

That's how it happened the first time. The kiss. She had leaned over to show me the print on her copy of a report as mine got all blotchy from a slight accident with the shrimp sauce. I turned my head at the same time, and for the briefest of moments, our lips brushed before she pulled away, apologizing. I don't know what the fuck came over me, but the next second I found myself gripping her neck, gently pulling her face to mine so I could give her a proper kiss. A real one. Not an accidental brush on the lips. Not a kiss on the cheek. Not some surrender to blackmail by a 'puckish' lawyer. Our first real, authentic kiss. And I really don't think that it could have been much better.

By the time it had gotten good, (she was straddling me and I had one hand in her hair and the other resting on her waist under her sweater,) her house phone had rung, its shrill sound stopping us abruptly.

It was her Dad. He had just rung to confirm that she was going to fly over to see him and Russ for Hailey's birthday. The whole 'killing others' thing I've never held against him, but now, to me, he's a bastard.

After she got off the phone, face flushed and hair askew from my attentions, the moment was lost. We had both agreed that it was a mistake, and I went home, papers in hand and the memory of her touch still burned into my skin.

I had changed my mind after the third kiss. It wasn't a mistake. Nothing that felt that good could be a mistake. No way in hell.

Unfortunately, she didn't feel quite the same. She was convinced that it would ruin our partnership if we were involved romantically. Of course, that didn't stop her from grabbing me by my lapels in the Hoover building last week and kissing me hard in my office. And it sure as hell didn't stop me from planting one on her at my apartment, when she came by to hand me some files.

It's been two days since I've seen her, and it was driving me crazy. She was under my skin by then. If I had ten minutes alone with her. No distractions, no limits-

"Booth?" asked Ron from my door, almost timidly, which was nothing like him. Ron was one of the guys: Someone who bragged, boasted and shared way too much information on certain dates. But he wasn't a bad guy. He was actually one of my closest friends here. I waved him in and he stood at my desk.

"Cullen needs the file for the Michaels case on his desk by Monday." I nodded in understanding, but he just stood there. I looked up at him from my seat. "Is that all?" I asked, confused.

"Are you really going at it with the good doctor?" he asked quickly. I sighed. No, but thanks for reminding me of that.

"Bones and I are just partners. We've always been just partners." Ron nodded, but he still looked unconvinced. It pissed me off.

"What? I'm not dating her!" I said defensively. The volume of my words made him jump back a bit.

"I believe you, it's just……you've been partners for three years."

"Yeah?"

"And you've been friends for most of that time…"

"Yeah?" I repeated.

"And, she's not what you'd call 'bad looking'……… she's hot!" he added. The whispers in my head told me to beat the shit out of anyone who talked about her like that. They were always there, but they seemed more pronounced right then. It worried me.

"I just find it hard to believe that you've never made a move on her," he said as I tried to ignore the feud in my head. "I mean, are you not attracted to her?"

I couldn't exactly say no, could I? That would be one of the biggest lies I've ever told, plus I'm not the greatest liar to begin with. But saying yes also ran the risk of me getting my balls chopped off if Brennan ever found out.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, knowing it was a dumb idea but knowing it was the only thing I could say. I didn't confess, I didn't deny. Perfect balance. Except the growing smile on Ron's face as he looked at me.

"No fucking way!"

"Ron, shut up!" I warned. These walls weren't thick and by the look on his face, I knew he was about to shout out profanities if I didn't stop him.

"You're fucking her, aren't you?"

"Will you keep your God Damn voice down!" I hissed angrily. I looked at the door, ensuring no-one was around to hear that. "Bones is my partner. Nothing else. We're not fucking. We're not even dating!" I said wearily. "In fact, I'm going on a date with someone else tonight," I added.

I was. Her name was Rachael. I started dating her months ago, but after our second date, she was gone, traveling for her job. Air Hostess.

She had just arrived home a few days ago and had called while I was in the car with Brennan. I'd put the phone on loudspeaker without thinking, but when she asked me out, I'd quickly said I'd call her back. None of it had fazed Brennan, sitting quietly in the passengers' seat. She'd told me that there was no reason for me to turn her down, especially if it was only because of the previous events that happened between us. The relaxed look on her face pissed me off so much that I'd called Rachael back right away, while we were still in the car, and made arrangements to meet for drinks at Syd's new place the next night. I saw a glimmer of – something, in Brennan's eyes before she put her cold demeanor back on. I immediately felt guilty.

Of course, that didn't last long. A couple of hours later I heard her making arrangements with Kyle for dinner at Jays', one of the hottest restaurants in DC. She had been on a couple of dates with him before too. She never gave me his second name, because she knew I'd do a background check on him. But I had once 'accidentally' spotted them on one of their dates in the diner. She got up to use the bathroom, and that smug son of a bitch let out a low whistle as he gawked at her ass like she was a piece of meat.

But there was no reason for me to be jealous now, I told myself. Tonight, I'd go on a date with a beautiful woman and try to forget the mess my life had become from kissing the one girl I couldn't have. I mean, Rachael was an air hostess! That's most guys' fantasy. Plus it was a third date… everyone knows what happens on a third date.

--

Syd's new bar/restaurant was amazing. He had a VIP room, where Rachael and I got a couple of free drinks and the best chocolate mousse I had ever tasted. The only problem was that I kept on thinking Bones would love it here. Rachael was funny, smart, and the dress she wore…WOW! It was a great date, probably one of the best dates I've ever had. After I drove her home, she kissed me and told me that she didn't want the night to end just yet.

"I'm leaving for an around the world tour in a couple of days. Maybe we should make tonight last," she suggested, each word emphasized as if she were purring. I swallowed, pushing all thoughts of Brennan to the back of my head as I undid my seatbelt and followed her upstairs to her apartment.

--

Her apartment was kind of small, but it had a warm feel to it. The walls were painted in rich shades of red and browns, unlike the cold blues that graced Brennan's kitchen, or the grays and whites of her living room.

Rachael's hand were starting to roam over my body as her tongue plundered into my mouth, I rested my hands on her slim hips and kept my eyes open, looking around her place. She had a huge window, and an amazing view of the park. It was a beautiful night, the stars were so visible, it almost looked unreal.

She broke off the kiss to whisper. "My roommate might hear us, so we'll have to be really quiet," she said, before kissing me again. She started to slowly back me up. I knew she was steering me towards her bedroom. It would be so much easier if I could actually see…

I heard the front doorknob twist and Rachael and I immediately sprang apart. It turned out someone else was supposed to be getting lucky too. A blonde-haired man was getting kissed hard and backed up by a brunette woman. Rachael cleared her throat after a moment, making them leap away from each other in surprise.

My eyes went wide as I looked at the woman standing there, face flushed and breathing labored

"Bones?"

Comment? Ah go on! You know you want to!