A/N Well hi everyone and welcome to my first Bones fan fic. Please take a look around, relax, grab a coffee and enjoy. Please log in and leave a review so I can return the favour. Although non logged in people are more than welcome to leave me a hi. Please don't feel pressured however as I write for my own enjoyment and merely post in the hopes of giving someone else something to do other than work or study...which I tend to use fic as a distraction from. Anyway there are spoilers for season three spilers in here, you have been warned. Thanks for reading!

Saying IT First

It was driving her crazy. Not a lot of things in this world could shake the logical foundation of Dr Temperance Brennan but this was. No matter what way she looked at all the evidence before her, not matter how she interpreted the facts, the answer was alluding her and it was driving her crazy.

"It's been six months Ange." She said with a sigh as she leaned back against the couch in her office.

"And over three years before that." Angela replied with a smile.

"Well, yes, but in the current context of the situation, we're living together, we've been sleeping together since the beginning..."

"Luck you" Angela interjected with a smirk.

"Ange! We know each other better than anyone, you've always said I needed to work on my interpersonal skills, and I finally listened, and I admit I was wrong. I need him. It goes against everything I have believed in most of my life, but I do, I need him and I like that." Brennan said leaning forward. It was the most open impassioned un-Brennan like thing Angela had ever heard her best friend say. Her voice cracked slightly as she continued. "I...I love him Ange, more than I thought I could love anyone."

"Sweetie, everything you just said to me – have you said it to him?" Ange asked touching her friends shoulder.

"No!" Brennan said looking up quickly. "I can't."

"Yes you can" Angela laughed softly "you just did."

"He's the open one Ange. I can't say it first. If he.." Brennan looked at her feet once more.

"What sweetie?"

"If he didn't say it back or if he told me he didn't feel the same way I..."

"Oh Bren, honey listen. That man loves you so much, even I'm a little jealous. Anyone who knows you will tell you that. If he hasn't come out and said it he has a reason. And that reason is most likely you. You have grown so much over the last year sweetie and I am so proud of you for that, but he is probably feeling just as unsure as you are. He'll keep it to himself if he thinks you are not ready to hear it. Probably because he doesn't want to pressure you. All he wants is the two of you to be together, and all he is probably doing is giving you the time he thinks you need. So surprise him, tell him. Don't make a big show out of fluro lights and fish tails though."

"What?"

"Never mind. Just be yourself. That is what he loves."

"Thanks Ange." Brennan said resting her head against her friends shoulder. It was then the man in question chose to walk into the room and was instantly alarmed my them somewhat forlorn look on Brennan's face.

"Hey Bones you ready...what's wrong?" Booth said moving to kneel in front of Brennan. "Babe, are you ok?" She HATED pet names, nicknames she had grown used to, everyone at the lab had one. But pet-names and terms of endearment still made her cringe. But when Seeley Booth spoke the word babe without the saccharine soaked over tone others used, she couldn't help but love it. The look of concern on his face was enough to convince her of his feelings, and she couldn't let him worry over nothing. Moving away form Angela, she took his face in her hands and kissed him lightly.

"Everything is fine, just some girl talk. Take me home?" She said standing up.

"Sure, we can pick up some dinner on the way." The three moved as Angela spoke.

"I should go find my nearly as hot other half. Have a good night you two." She gave Brennan a hug and kiss on the cheek then moved to give Booth the same. It had become an almost unspoken agreement between them to be more open about how much they cared for each other. After the incident with Zack, they had been rocked to their supposedly unbreakable foundation. After the pain had morphed into a subconscious but ever present feeling, as automatic as breathing, they'd begun to look out for each other a lot more than usual.

It had been Hodgins and Angela who had needed it first. The trauma of losing Zack had hit them hard. Deep down, they knew they could forgive each other anything, so consequently all their frustrations were taken out on each other. One day after months of Angela crashing in

Brennan's spare room and Booth having to pick up a drunken Jack, Booth, Brennan and
Cam had simply given the two a four day booking at a holiday cabin and an ultimatum to go with it. Jack and Angela had returned, exhausted, slightly skinnier but hand in hand and even closer than they had been.

Next it was Cam. It was late one night at the lab when Brennan found her sitting at her desk, reading a letter and although not openly sobbing, she was crying softly into a tissue. Brennan, although wishing desperately Angela was with her, knelt down next to her and asked her what was wrong. Cam's aunt had passed away it turned out, and although she was not the best in these kind of situations, Brennan had simply told Cam to pack up and come with her. An hour and some Wong Foos later, Brennan and Cam were sitting in Brennan's living room, having broken into Booth's liquor cabinet. In there slightly tipsy state they had missed Booth's arrival home until he sat to join them. After calling it a night, somewhere just before dawn, Cam, in an uncharacteristic display of affection had hugged them both and told them how happy she was for them both that they had found each other.

So here they were. Booth and Brennan, coats up, shoes off, fire on. As she watched him sought through the mail, shirt unbuttoned half way, the tension and professionalism of the work day removed from his face, she knew that is was the time.

"Booth?" she called from her side of the room.

"Yeah babe." he answered not looking up.

"Could you come here?" She asked. Booth's head jerked up slightly at the tone in her voice. He moved over to her and sat down next to her on the sofa.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Seeley I..." She took a deep breath. "Seeley, I don't know if you realise it but I...GOD! I am so bad at this." She said with an exasperated laugh.

"Bones it's me here. Just say it."

"Yeah it is you. Booth, what I'm trying to say is. I...I'm happy. I'm so happy Booth and that's because of you. That sounds so cornish out loud."

"Corny, Bones." Both said with a gentle laugh bringing their foreheads together. "And I feel the same."

"There's more. I want you to...what I...I'm trying to...I'm trying to hard. I want to get this right." Brennan was almost whispering now.

"You rarely get things wrong Bones." Booth replied with another soft chuckle.

"I need you to know something else. I..I love you Seeley. So much." Booth inhaled deeply and wrapped his arms around her then exhaling as he kissed her neck.

"I love you too babe. More than I could tell you." Booth began to laugh loudly now. "Now this is corny. But in a kind of...amazingly good way." The two shared a kiss, and as they leaned back, simply wanting to be close to each other, Temperance looked up at him.

"What is it?"he asked.

"Thank you for loving me."

"Oh Bones, that is something you never have to thank me for. I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now, but it just seemed so cliché telling you that after ravishing you..." This time Brennan let out a loud laugh and slapped him playfully. "Hey." he said touching her cheek.

"Yes?" she asked with a soft smile. He kissed her again and pulled her in as close as he could.

"Thank you for loving me."