A/N: I should be grading Geometry quizes right now, but I had to get this little fluff bunny out of my head first. These "five ways" fics have been floating around all over the place, and this is my contribution to the pool. No spoilers that I'm aware of, and it can be considered an independent piece or a compaion to "Five Ways He Says I Love You".
Five ways Brennan tells Booth she loves him, without him knowing it.
1. Arguing with him. And we're not talking professionally here, either. When she argues with him professionally it's for the sake of science and finding the truth. But when she argues with him about other things—where to eat lunch, which route to take to a crime scene, what radio station to listen to in the car—it's purely for fun. She won't admit it to anyone, but the banter, the wit, the fast pace…it gets her adrenaline pumping and she really enjoys herself. And she knows he feels the same way.
2. Letting him think he cracked the case. He's incredible at the police work that goes into solving their cases, but she knows he feels a little insecure about his education, particularly in the presence of the Squints. So every once in a while she lets him think he deciphered some aspect of the physical evidence in the lab before she did. She doesn't do it often, because her pride won't let her and because he'd figure out when she was doing. And she always acts as though she was upset that he beat her to the punch, because the proud little smirk on his face makes her feel warm all over.
3. Asking about Parker. It's no secret that kids are not her thing. She even professed on national television that she never intends to have any of her own. But, next to his work, Parker is his whole world. His eyes shine at the mere mention of his son, so when their conversation lags or when he's having a bad day, she asks about Parker. She knows the conversation will pick up and he will cheer up immediately, going on and on about the boy. Plus, she really does want to know how the little guy is doing—he's a part of her partner, after all.
4. Studying Catholicism. She doesn't believe in God or saints or prayer or an afterlife. And she knows enough about them to speak intelligently on the subject. But because it's such an important aspect of his life, she decided she should treat the religion with enough respect to make sure all her facts were straight and checked out a half dozen books from the local library. At worst, it's a weekend spent debunking a lot of hocus pocus. At best, it's an insight into his belief structure and helps her trust him more. And she likes the idea of trusting him with more of her life.
5. The way she looks at him. She's pretty sure he doesn't notice, although when it comes to reading people he is one of the best, so she can't be sure. But there is a way that she looks at him when she's positive no one else is around, a way that she's never looked at anyone before him. A tiny smile pulls at her lips and her blue eyes grow bright, the same way her mother's did when she looked at her father. She doesn't know if she'll ever have that kind of relationship with him, but doesn't worry about it much either. He's there, in her life now, and she's eternally grateful for him.
