Ok, before you guys launch the objects in my general direction- I AM working on Forever. My muse decided to take a detour and this little songfic wouldn't leave me alone (I've been doing alot of songfics lately- what do you guys think of them?) This was written in under an hour and is un-betaed, 100 of all errors are mine and I apologize in advance.

It is implied that Booth was away on an undercover case for an extended period of time. This can take place anytime in the 3rd season really...Enjoy!

I don't own or profit from this in ANY way. The characters belong to Fox and the song is by none other than Mr. Jon Bon Jovi. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

He wasn't a wine guy. No sir…Seeley Booth was a beer man. Beer was a truly masculine drink and he was a mans man. Oh, he would go for the hard liquor too- after a hard case sometimes he needs that scotch on the rocks, Epps death had been one of the worst although Gormagon was giving the scotch bottle a workout.

So how was it that he found himself sitting on the edge of a couch with a long stemmed wine glass in his work-roughened hands? He let out another sigh and looked over at his companion- who was admittedly more acquainted with the rich amber liquid swirling in the glass. How long had it been since they worked together? Too long…he tried not to remember the exact amount of time because any time apart was too long for them. He hoped it could be repaired though because without her…his life was void of real meaning or purpose. Work was a bitch he thought bitterly, taking a sip from his glass and turning to face her, sighing heavily. He was done with undercover assignments or any of these confusing, deception assignments- he was getting too ingrained in life here. He had people…people who he enjoyed seeing daily and who he loved. People he was tired of leaving in the dark and having to resurface back in their lives months later.

Hello again, it's you and me

Kinda always like it used to be

Sippin' wine, killing time

Trying to solve life's mysteries

He was reassigned to the Jeffersonian, which was no problem- seemed Brennan was scaring off at least two agents a month in his absence. They solved crimes, gave people closure and put criminals in jail. They couldn't solve their own mysteries though, the tension between them still hung heavy in the silent air and the rapport built over years of partnership was growing thin…how did they get this lost?

How's your life, it's been a while

God it's good to see you smile

I see you reaching for your keys

Looking for a reason not to leave

He pasted a slight smile on his face and decided to break the silence. There were two possibly outcomes- she would either answer his question or break his face. Sending up a quick prayer he asked "How have you been, Bones?"

She gave him a perplexed look before allowing a ghost of a smile to cross her face. Shaking her head softly she replied "I'm fine Booth. I've been supervising Zach's work with the FBI and doing some limbo cases. Plus my new book is coming out next month so I've been doing publicity for that."

Her smile, although a mere fraction of what he had seen her exhibit in the past, made him giddy with hope. That smile, those eyes….those were the images he saw when he had closed his eyes all those months he spent away from her. He was brought out of his reminiscing when he saw her set down her wine glass, previous smile suddenly absent from her features. She looked around longingly and he struggled to catch her eye, maybe catch a glimpse of what had changed.

"I guess I should go…let you get settled in and all" she gave him a wistful look that made his heart skip a beat.

"Don't be silly Bones. I invited you over, didn't I? Besides…we have a lot to catch up on, now that we are partners again." He paused wondering if he should continue, before deciding to go for broke, "I missed that the most you know…Seeing you everyday, arguing over who would drive and the multiple reasons you don't have a gun. The little things…and you. I missed you the most."

If you don't know if you should stay

If you don't say what's on your mind

Baby just breathe

There's nowhere else tonight we should be

She still looked unsure and he thought he saw the beginnings of tears in her eyes. He was horrified at the thought of making her cry. He set his glass down next to her forgotten one and scooted closer on the couch, taking her hands in his own.

"I know it's hard. I was gone for awhile and things have changed. I know that Bones and I wish it was different but I'm gonna do my best to make it so this never happens again. I promise you that much." His eyes raked over her face, noticing a slight softening as he continued "And I'm not trying to pressure you. I would love for you to hang out tonight, let us catch up but I understand if you need time. I've got nowhere else to be tonight…although I forgot to ask you if you had a hot date to get to" He ended with a joking tone and his patented charm smile- secretly hoping there was no anonymous Romeo waiting in the wings. That was his job.

He watched as she stood and walked over to his mantle. He followed slowly standing behind her as she lifted one of the photos. Nestled in between family pictures sent religiously by his mother of various relatives and his own collection of photos featuring Parker; was a picture he found upon his return and immediately framed. It was a picture of Bones glaring at him as he rolled his eyes at her, hands thrown in the air in exasperation. She chuckled softly and he felt his insides warm at the sound.

I dug up this old photograph

It's bittersweet to hear you laugh

Your phone is ringing I don't wanna ask

"I can't believe this got buried in some box…I just found it a few days ago" He whispered the answer to her unasked question. He knew why the picture captivated her- to any other person it looked like an angry argument between the partners but to the trained eye they were anything but upset. The twinkle of a challenge could be seen glinting in the eyes of the anthropologist as his body language was relaxed and at ease, showing none of the normal signs of anger. It was a well-oiled machine, their partnership. Or it had been, he pondered as her cell phone rang, startling both. She blushed and hurried to her purse as he stepped forward and picked up the picture to look at it closer. He heard her speaking in hushed tones before flipping the phone shut. She slipped it back into her purse and walked back over to his side, glancing up at him.

If you go now, I'll understand

If you stay, hey, I've got a plan

We're gonna make a memory

You wanna steal a piece of time?

"You gotta go?" When she didn't answer he added softly "It's ok Bones. If you have plans, by all means keep them. If you don't though…" He let his sentence trail off and gazed knowingly into her eyes.

"No plans tonight. That was my publicist; they actually cancelled my early interview tomorrow morning." She looked confidently into his eyes, meeting his intensity head on with a dose of her own. She had been confused when she arrived here tonight but now she was sure of only one thing- this man was the one person who she could absolutely not live without…and she never planned on doing that. Not after tonight, she couldn't deny what they had and more importantly how much she had come to depend on that connection.

You wanna make a memory?

He was surprised at the change when she walked over to him. When he met her eyes he saw a flicker of something there. Something he wanted to think was mutual, no- something he knew was mutual.

"Bones?" he inquired softly hoping she understood what he was asking.

She did and with tears in her eyes she answered him back "Don't leave me again Booth, please…." She watched as he closed the distance between them. Just before their lips met she heard his affirmation, "I won't Bones. Never again" And then her mind lost all ability to think as her arms wound around his neck.

Lets make a memory…

AN: Soooo...thoughts? I'm still not sure how I feel about this...