Booth fiddled absently with his cufflinks as Brennan stared coolly at the young psychologist. Dr Sweets' wore his characteristic non-smile, waiting patiently for one of his subjects to answer his question. Neither one appeared to be ready. He sighed and bridged his fingers in front of his face and then leaned forward in a more invasive manner.

"Agent Booth? Don't you know why you interfere in Doctor Brennan's social relationships?" He ducked his head to make eye contact with Booth who let out an exasperated sigh.

"Why is taking an interest considered as 'interfering'? Can't I simply take an interest in my partner's life? Make sure she's not dating any whack jobs? She's got a knack for picking them you know."

Both men looked to Brennan who wore an indignant expression.

"I do not! Yes, perhaps I haven't been the best judge of character in the past couple of years, but that doesn't mean that I'm not capable of choosing my own partners Booth."

Dr Sweets watched on silently as Booth folded his hands behind his head. "I'm just saying Bones, four or five crazies in a row, kinda seems like a pattern to me."

Brennan turned to Sweets and gestured to Booth, "He obviously wants to be involved in my relationships because he doesn't have one of his own."

Sweets smiled as Booth gave her a disbelieving smile. Holding up both hands he nodded at them both. "Okay, let's address some of these issues. Why Dr Brennan, do you feel that you need to date more than one man simultaneously?"

Brennan looked from Booth quickly to Sweets, she shrugged her shoulders. "I think that there are many attractive qualities, intelligence attracts me equally as much as physical attractiveness. I found both of my dates attractive, but in different ways."

Sweets nodded again and smiled. "It's natural for us to be attracted to more than one person at any one time, and generally we are able to live our lives without conflict. But society widely accepts a monogamous value. Another woman who found both intelligence and physical attractiveness desirable in a partner would simply attempt to find a partner who possessed both traits."

"Ha! You see Bones.... Sweets agrees with me, a normal person would just date one guy." Booth smiled triumphantly at Brennan and smugly turned back to Sweets. Brennan rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. Sweets chuckled and shook his head.

"I'm not saying that Dr Brennan is wrong, but I'm more wondering if Dr Brennan feels that she couldn't be satisfied with one man if he possessed everything that she found attractive in both of her partners."

"Of course, it would have been less hassle. I don't have the time to look for men. I don't believe that just anyone could fulfil what i deem to be attractive?"

Sweets leaned back in his chair and watched Booth carefully. He was watching Brennan with a blank expression. "What about agent Booth?"

"What?" Brennan's attention was suddenly on his alert as she shot out the question, Booth's eyes had darted from Brennan to Sweets.

"Well, do you think that agent Booth is an attractive man?"

"Sweets, what has this got to do with anything?" Booth looked slightly out of sorts as he tried to save his partner from answering the question and potentially creating tension between them.

Sweets smiled. "I'm simply trying to make Dr Brennan see that she more than likely does meet men everyday that fulfil her criteria for partners who would wholly satisfy her needs." He turned his attention back to Brennan who had recovered admirably from her initial surprise. "Do you think that agent Booth is physically attractive?"

Brennan glanced at Booth from the corner of her eye and then made eye contact with Sweets. "Yes, Booth has a well defined bone structure and symmetrical features that suggest he would be a very viable mate."

Booth wasn't sure whether to be stoked or gutted that she had described her attraction to him in such a clinical and detached manner.

"And, what about his personality? Do you get on well with agent Booth? Do you think that you would be stimulated by him mentally in a personal relationship?"

Booth scuffed his foot off the ground. "Ha, this is where I get shot down. Bones thinks herself a hundred times more intelligent than me."

Brennan frowns and leans across her chair into his space. "That's not true Booth, yes objectively speaking I have a higher IQ than you, I have a higher capacity for understanding complex structures. But you are more intelligent than me in the real world. You've taught me so much since we've worked together, I think that I have a better understanding of people now than I did before I met you."

Booth smiled gratefully at her and their eyes held for a few seconds before she leaned back and nodded at Sweets. "I think that Booth has alot to teach, and alot that I could learn from him. I don't think that I could be bored by Booth in a personal setting. Although we don't share the same values, I've come to respect his beliefs."

Sweets checked his watch and nodded at them both, he was sure that this had been enough for today's session. This session would definitely be at the forefront of their minds for the next few days as they struggled to work towards the resolution of their underlying tensions. "I think we'll wrap it up now. We'll carry on with this discussion on Tuesday during our next session. I think we are making excellent progress here guys."

Booth and Brennan stood silently. Booth guided her around her chair and towards the door. Both were lost in quiet contemplation about their recent revelations.