CHAPTER 2

"What are you drinking?" Brennan asked Cam as she approached the open bar.

"Fuzzy Navel," Cam replied as she took a sip of the orange drink.

"What's in that?" Brennan asked.

"Peach Schnapps, vodka, and orange juice," Cam replied as she stirred.

Brennan turned to the bartender. "I'd like a…fuzzy….thing. What's it called?" she turned back to Cam.

"Navel. Fuzzy Navel," Cam said, slightly taken aback that Dr. Brennan was ordering alcohol. She herself had never seen Brennan drink.

"Yeah, a Fuzzy Navel, please," she said to the bartender, who had already started mixing the drink. He handed it to Brennan, who took a long sip through the skinny straw.

"Feeling okay?" Cam asked her.

"Yes, I'm fine. This drink is really sweet," she said as she wrinkled her nose. "But it's actually quite good," she added, taking another long sip.

"So, where do you think they went?" Cam asked Brennan, who was glancing around the room, distracted.

"Who?" Brennan asked.

Cam shifted her eyes. "Angela and Hodgins…the bride and groom," Cam spelled it out for Brennan.

"Oh, of course. I don't know. Maybe they just went on their honeymoon…wow, this drink is really good," Brennan replied, sucking up the last bit of juice. She turned to the bartender. "I'd like another, please."

Cam watched this display of rebellion with interest as she thought back to the events of earlier that night. She laughed to herself as the image of both Brennan and Booth's faces came to her mind. They had looked like deer caught in the headlights. Cam found this quite amusing.

Before Cam could say anything to Brennan about how sweet drinks often leave one far more hungover in the morning, Booth walked up.

Brennan had been avoiding him all night, which was extremely difficult, considering the banquet room at the Italian restaurant was not very big.

"Who's up for a dance?" he asked the two women, flashing a charm smile.

Brennan quickly grabbed her second Fuzzy Navel and began sucking it down. Cam glanced from Booth to Brennan.

"Uh, sure. Sounds great," Cam replied when she realized how desperately Brennan was trying to avoid Booth. She set her glass down on the bartender's counter.

Booth grabbed Cam's hand and whisked her away, glancing back at Brennan, whose eyes darted away as she sucked up her last sip. She better slow down Booth thought to himself. He knew that Brennan was more of a wine person and he was quite sure that she didn't know how hard those sweet drinks could hit.

Brennan watched Booth and Cam dance to the '50s classic, "Shout!" She didn't know why, but a pang of uneasiness hit her in the chest when she saw the two of them together. She glanced around the room for Zach, thinking that perhaps he would like to dance. She felt like she should have someone to dance with just to show Booth up. As she started on her third Fuzzy Navel, the song changed to "I Will Survive" and Booth and Cam continued to tear up the dance floor.

With her straw between her lips, Brennan glared at the two of them, who seemed to be having a fabulous time, much to Brennan's dismay. Her mind wandered back to earlier that night when her best friend was supposed to be getting married. She thought about the look Booth had had on his face when she asked him what they should do. He had smiled at her…not a charm smile and not a regular smile. But more of a playful and even embarrassed smile. She couldn't figure out what he had been thinking and it was driving her crazy. Now, 3 Fuzzy Navels later, she almost wanted to blame her best friend for making things complicated. But she couldn't do that. Angela must have had some reason for leaving her own wedding…with her fiancé. Brennan couldn't wrap her mind around that one either, so she had decided to mull it over later.

The song ended and Booth and Cam began making their way off of the dance floor. Brennan watched them through steeled eyes as she ordered another peach-colored drink. What was wrong with her anyway? She wasn't jealous, was she? No, she couldn't be. Booth could do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted…well, except for Rebecca. She had promised him that she would keep him from going back there again. But still, she glared at the two of them as that pang hit her smack in the chest again. What in the hell is wrong with you, Temperance? she asked herself silently.

Deep in her reverie, she didn't even notice Booth standing in front of her. "Bones? Earth to Bones?" he said as he waved his hand in front of her face.

Straw in her mouth, she snapped out of it. "Booth. Hi!" she exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically.

"Did you hear me?" he asked her, leaning in closer to force her to look at him.

"Uh, no," she replied, smiling awkwardly.

"I said, would you like to dance?" Booth asked.

"Dance…right. Well, I'm not really a very good dancer, so…" Brennan said as she bit on her straw and sucked in the hard liquor.

"Well, I already know that's not true," Booth replied as he reached forward and grabbed her drink from her hand.

"Hey!" Brennan whined. "I wasn't done with that!"

"Just dance with me, Bones," he insisted as he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the dance floor. "Chapel Of Love" was playing when they reached the floor.

"I don't know how to dance to this," Brennan told him, teetering slightly on one foot.

"Just follow me and don't try to lead. You always try to lead," Booth said as he pulled her to him.

Brennan felt her heart skip as he grabbed her waist and placed her right hand in his left.

"I do not," she whined again as they began to move to the music, which was quite difficult to do, considering the song. She quickly forgot what they had been arguing about and she fell silent.

"Are you alright?" Booth asked her after she gave up her protest far too quickly.

"I'm fine. Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Brennan replied, annoyed. "Is it because I'm actually drinking hard alcohol that you and Cam are so concerned?" Brennan asked, even more irritated as she said Cam's name with a wrinkle of her nose and a squint of her eyes.

"No, Bones, that's not it. But you know, you really should slow down on those orange things. How many have you had?" Booth asked her as they turned, hand in hand.

"Wouldn't you like to know?!" Brennan replied, her eyes widened and her lips pursed.

Booth stopped dancing and dropped his arms from her waist. "Okay, maybe dancing wasn't such a good idea," he said as he started to leave the floor.

"Booth, wait," Brennan whined. Even though they had been bickering (which was what they seemed to do best), she was quite enjoying his arm on her waist. It made her warm. "I liked dancing."

Booth looked at her and he could see the alcohol beginning to take its effect as she shifted unsteadily from one foot to the other. He walked back to her. "Fine. But you promise to be nice?" he asked before taking her hand.

"Yes, I promise to be nice," Brennan replied, rolling her eyes as she took his hand.

"Okay then," Booth replied, smiling.

She eyed him narrowly before giving him a half smile. As they began to resume their dancing positions, the song ended and a new one began…a much slower one. The first words rung out "Wise men say…only fools rush in," and Booth's face wore a soft smile. Brennan smiled back and assumed her position. Booth's hand fell on her waist and he pulled her closer than he had before, but not quite too close so that their bodies were touching. A shiver went down Brennan's spine and her body shuddered.

"Are you cold?" Booth asked, genuinely.

Brennan smiled slightly. "A little," she lied. He was, in fact, making her quite warm.

"I can't help falling in love with you," Elvis Presley crooned. Booth and Brennan looked at each other as the words rang out and a split second later, they both glanced away.

He could feel the heat emanating from her body and he knew in an instant that she had been lying. He forced his eyes back to hers. "So, some wedding, huh?" he said with a weak smile.

"Don't you mean the lack thereof?" Brennan replied as she swayed with him to the rhythm.

"Right," Booth replied, his eyes widening slightly and his smile matching the one he had worn at the altar. "Oh, I haven't told you. I talked to Carolyn and she said that the reason there wasn't a wedding was because Angela is legally still married," Booth informed Brennan.

"What, the fire dance? Are you serious?" Brennan asked, astounded.

"Yup," Booth replied. "So, apparently, she has to get divorced before she can get married."

"How is she possibly going to find him? I don't think she even remembers who he is. She told me she had consumed a rather large amount of alcohol that night. She called it 'forest juice' or something," Brennan replied.

"Jungle juice, Bones, and the percentage of alcohol in it is extremely high," Booth explained.

"Poor Ang," Brennan expressed as her eyes drooped. She felt bad for her friend.

"Yeah well, the two of them didn't look too upset. I'd say they're probably on their way to Fiji by now," Booth said as he spun Brennan around his finger.

She was caught slightly off guard and she tripped over her own feet and fell into Booth's arms. Her heart skipped a few beats as she breathed in a hint of cologne.

"Sorry," she said as she quickly pushed herself off of his chest.

Booth watched her stumble back up to a standing position and he chuckled to himself. "I think it's almost bedtime for you," Booth said as he placed his arms on her shoulders, steadying her.

"I'm not tired, I'm fine. We're dancing," Brennan replied as she took Booth's arm and placed it back on her waist, grabbing his hand in the process.

It was Booth's turn to be taken aback at his partner's abruptness, which he was used to, but not in this manner. He took advantage of it and pulled her close yet again, still wary of her wavering stance. He looked at her and his heart warmed. She was absolutely beautiful with her hair swept up in interlacing curls. Her shoulders and her arms were so soft and smooth and he wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms.

She looked up at him as the song ended. Their eyes connected and neither one of them blinked. They stood there, still dancing and staring into each other's eyes. Booth stroked her hand in his and leaned his head towards her. Her eyes widened and just as his face was only centimeters from hers, she tripped yet again over her own feet and into his arms.

"Sorry," she said again, irritated.

Booth smiled that same boyish grin and helped her regain her balance. "It's okay. The song's over anyway," he replied, realizing that he had just nearly kissed her.

Brennan's eyes darted wildly away and towards the bar. "You want a drink?" she asked him, smiling awkwardly.

"Yeah, that'd be good. But you, you're done," Booth told her.

"What? No, Booth, I'm gonna have another one of those fuzzy things. They're really good," she said as she gave him a thumbs up.

He stared at her, his face adorned with the most quizzical expression he could muster. "If you even try to-" Booth couldn't finish his sentence.

"Booth, do an old woman a favor and dance with me," Carolyn appeared and patted Booth on the shoulder. "It would make my night," she said as she smiled at him.

Booth looked from Carolyn to Brennan. "Of course, it would be my pleasure," he said as he took Carolyn's hand. "I'll catch up with you in a few minutes," he told Brennan.

She nodded and smiled as she headed off to the bar and to another Fuzzy Navel.