The Clandestine Affair

Summary: Booth and Brennan work together again since the first time they became reluctant partners and made out in front of a bar. Now, with the 2 of them brimming with sexual tension for one another, both realize that they might just have something good going on. They embark on a clandestine love affair, secret to the rest of the world. An AU start to the series. BB, of course.

A/N: Brennan is different here than she is in the series. I won't be changing her completely, giving her personality too many changes until she's not Brennan anymore. In fact, I think I'm gonna be channeling season 1 Brennan in terms of how kick ass she was (remember her eco warrior look? Because she was fearless and kick ass in season 1). She's less clueless about the world, however, and this if for exactly 4 reasons:

- Rosalie Sinéad Brennan, or most commonly called 'Rose', Brennan's first born child. 13 years old at the start of this fanfic. Brennan had her and Noah with her rich foster brother, Wes, when she was only 15 years old. Brennan's foster parents were mortified and wanted her to abort the child but she wouldn't. After she and Wes actually ran away together to protect their babies, Wes' family decide that the best option would be to marry. Brennan didn't want this but she saw no other option - she was 15, homeless, pregnant and in the foster system. She agreed to marry Wes, but said that she felt that they should have a long engagement until both were out of high school. Wes' parents accepted that and no one was aware that Brennan had no inclination to marry Wes. When Brennan was 18 and graduated from high school, she took Rosalie and Noah and ran, leaving behind the engagement ring and a letter of explanation. She left a number Wes could call if he wanted. Wes' parents wanted to sue her for custody but Wes disagreed. He loved Brennan and knew that she would work her hardest to be the best mother she could to the twins. He offered Brennan a free lease to ask for financial support from the family if she wanted. Wes went to Harvard and Brennan went to Northwestern, effectively breaking up. Rosalie plans to be an anthropologist, just like her mother whom she idolizes, and is nicknamed 'Mini' by Booth because of the way she was exactly like a younger version of Brennan. She loves school and takes on several different extracurricular activities to add to her transcript for college - e.g., she writes for the school paper, even becoming the student editor by the time she was a junior, a part of the student council, a member of the girls basketball team, etc. - and went on to Yale to study anthropology.

- Wyatt Ephraim Brennan, Rose's twin brother. Also 13 at the start of this fanfic. Same initial family background as Rose. Wyatt is a genius who has photographic memory and the ability to piece together evidence quickly - he was really into puzzles when he was younger. He had previously wanted to be a forensic artist, like Angela, because of his talent in art but when he met Booth and observed the way law enforcement and forensics can work together, he changed career course and wishes to be an FBI agent specializing in homicide. He went on to Yale to study law enforcement and forensic science.

- Alexander Nikolas Ares-Brennan, or most commonly called 'Zan'. 4 at the start of this fanfic. Brennan had him when she was 24 years old, at a dig she went to in Greece. There she met fellow Greek guide, Christian Ares. Christian was so enamored by Brennan that he came to the States with her. They dated each other for two more years after that before breaking up. Christian stayed in DC because he wanted to be a part of his kids' lives. Zan's the most action-addicted of the four Brennan kids, always clamoring to play this game or that. He has a sort of addiction to video games, however, and Brennan often has to forcibly take them away from him to get him to stop playing.

- Demetrius Gabriel Ares-Brennan, or most commonly referred to as either 'Tri' or 'Demetri'. He's 3 at the start of this fanfic. He's Brennan's and Christian's second and last child, born only a year after his brother. Tri is very interested in animals, and is always begging Brennan to get more pets - he already has a pet chameleon and a pet hamster. He wants three dogs, two cats and a rabbit for Christmas.

Appearances:

Rosalie - she is incredibly beautiful, with dark golden caramel hair which has natural loose barrel curls, dark cobalt blue eyes, porcelain skin and perfect angular features. She's quite tall, reaching 5'9 by the time she's 17, and is in good shape thanks to being quite athletic (basketball, yoga and martial arts).

Wyatt - a handsome boy who takes after both his parents, Wyatt has Brennan's dark auburn hair, dark emerald eyes and chiseled features even at a young age. He's, like his sister, tall, reaching 6'3 by the time he's 17 and is very athletic, playing on his school's basketball and baseball teams. He's also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and karate, having taken lessons with Rosalie since he was six.

Zan - a beautiful little boy with messy inky black hair and light brown eyes, both of which he'd inherited from his father. He bears not much physical resemblance to Brennan, except for the shape of her lips and nose, and her crooked smile.

Demetri - like his brother, Tri has an exotic look about him thanks to their Greek father. He has dark hair, the same as Zan's, and chocolate brown eyes but the rest of him was Brennan - the same strong jaw, the same curve of the lips, the same nose, the same everything. He has tanner skin, like Zan, than Brennan however.

P.S. I'm sorry about giving Brennan so many kids, especially since she's only 28 at the start of season 1 and at the start of this story. I don't know what it is about maternal Brennan that I just like so much. Besides, I think that if Brennan had kids and have experienced unconditional love like most parents do towards their children, then she would be more open to being in a relationship with Booth, especially right from the start.


September 20, 2005

"Asphyxiate," Rosalie murmured, grinning at her mother. "25 points."

It had been a tradition borne out of Brennan's idea to teach the twins vocabulary when they were younger, in a less strict, less boring setting, to play Scrabble every Tuesday night. It had continued on through the years and, for such a simple game, had been known to escalate dramatically especially between Rosalie and Wyatt.

Wyatt, sitting on the floor in between Brennan and Rosalie, frowned at the scrabble board on the coffee table. Rosalie was looking smug now, sure that her brother couldn't beat her this time.

But then Wyatt smirked at Rosalie and started to place letter blocks together. "Quadratrix," he said smugly. "27 points."

Rosalie glowered at him. "No, that doesn't count!" she protested.

"Does, too!"

Rose shook her head. "It's not even a word - it's a mathematical term," she argued. "Mom! Tell him!"

Wyatt, not one to be cheated of his points, glared right back at his twin. "It is used in the English language, even if it is a Mathematical term, so it counts," he snapped. "Mom! Tell her!"

Brennan placed a finger to her lips. "Shh!" she admonished them quietly, nodding in the direction of the couch where Zan had fallen asleep. "Your brother's asleep."

Zan, who had weaseled out an extra hour of TV time from Brennan despite his bed time, was fast asleep only fifteen minutes into his extra hour. Brennan smiled, rising to her feet and making her way to the couch. She scooped Zan's limp little body off the couch. He didn't even snuggle into her, the way he would have if he had stuck to his bed time. He was dead to the world. "Try not to kill each other while I put your brother in bed," she whispered to Rose and Wyatt, both still glowering at each other.

She shook her head, hoping she wouldn't find them wrestling each other when she returned.

Brennan made her way across the marble floors of her apartment and into the bedroom right next door to hers. The room was swathed in darkness, but she could still make out the twin beds from the little bit of light streaming in from the hallway. The bed on the right was already occupied, a tiny figure underneath the covers. Brennan made her way to the bed on the left, carefully putting Zan down and tucking the covers around him.

"Goodnight, baby," she murmured quietly, bending down to brush a soft kiss against Zan's forehead, brushing his dark hair back. "I love you."

She repeated the same thing to Demetri, despite having done so already when she'd tucked him in earlier, and went out of the room, checking to make sure their nightlight was on. She closed the door almost all the way, leaving a small gap so that neither of the boys would feel scared if they were to wake in the middle of the night.

She grabbed a plate of brownies she had made before dinner, with the little boys 'helping' her, before making her way to the living room - maybe some chocolate sweetness would help to appease the twins.

"Alright, who's up for some brownies?" she asked, stepping into the living room, just as her cell phone rang.

All three of them turned towards the phone, frowning. "Who's calling you in the middle of the night?" Wyatt wondered.

Brennan placed the plate of brownies on the coffee table - and, of course, the twins made a grab of for the same piece and started to fight over that despite there being several other pieces right next to the one they wanted - and grabbed her phone.

She saw the caller ID as it rang, sighing. "Booth," she muttered, shaking her head.

A quick phone call to the nanny later, Brennan was on her way to pick up Angela to head to the crime scene. It was, this time, in front of a café she wasn't familiar with. Thank God for GPS.

The crime scene, as all crime scenes were, was crawling with police units. This time, however, there were ambulances and fire trucks around as well. Brennan looked around for Booth, Angela by her side.

"Bones!" she heard someone call for her. If it wasn't the annoying nickname, she would've recognized the familiar masculine voice. She turned in Booth's direction. "Bones! Over here!"

Brennan frowned at him. "Where have you been?" she demanded. "You said you would meet us on the corner."

"There is a lot going on here in case you haven't noticed," Booth defended himself. He walked them up to a security guard obviously in charge of the crime scene. "These girls, they're with me. Dr. Temperance Brennan and Angela Montenegro from the Jeffersonian," he stated.

"I need ID," the security guard replied.

"Okay, check the R15 list - homeland security. She's the forensic anthropologist," Booth instructed.

The security guard does so, checking the list in his hands, while Booth read over his shoulder, pointing out Brennan's name when he caught it first. "They're clear," the security guard allowed.

"Thanks," Booth muttered. He turned to Brennan and Angela. "C'mon."

Booth led the two of them through the chaos of the crime scene, towards the remains of the SUV. As she walked, Brennan pulled her hair up into a ponytail, securing it with the scrunchie she always kept around her wrist for situations like these.

"God, what's that smell?" Angela asked, referring to the horrid stench that was becoming more and more potent as they neared the burnt vehicle.

Even though she didn't need to answer, Brennan did anyway, "Burnt flesh. Are there a lot of injuries?"

"Four known dead," Booth replied. "Fifteen injured."

Angela noticed the bodies trapped underneath the tarp around the burnt SUV just as Booth was listing the casualties. "Oh, my God," she whispered, her heart dropping to her stomach. Her very nauseous stomach.

"Details," Brennan demanded. "Whatever you have."

"Not much," Booth admitted. "Witnesses said they saw a Middle Eastern man, mid-thirties, pull up to the café and the car just blew. The vehicle is registered to a Hamid Masruk, head of the American-Arab Friendship League."

Brennan stopped short. "If you know who it is, why do you need me?" she inquired.

A man, also in a suit, approached the three of them. "Because we're hoping we're wrong," he answered Brennan's question. "Masruk is a White House consultant for Arab relations. Had lunch with the President just last week."

Booth, who had been hovering near Brennan, who was bent at the driver's side window of the burnt SUV, straightened up. "Remember Agent Gibson, Homeland Security?" he said to Brennan. He had to stifle a chuckle at the displeased expression that crossed Brennan's face at the reminder. He turned to his fellow agent to give introductions. "Dr. Temperance Brennan. Angela Montenegro."

Booth got back to business. "If Masruk was involved in a terrorist attack, it means we have a huge national security problem," he filled in for Agent Gibson, saying what his colleague didn't.

Brennan stepped around the SUV, looking into the passenger window.

"Not to mention a very humiliated president," Agent Gibson added. "The press is already running with this."

Brennan shot him a look. "If you think I'm going to alter my findings…" she trailed off tersely. She was an honest person, with an honest work ethic. She wouldn't be changing her findings and giving accurate ones, even if it was to save the president's face.

"Look, not at all," Gibson was quick to appease. "But maybe it's not Masruk. We need to be sure. Booth says you're the best."

Booth managed to tamp down the slight embarrassed blush at Gibson's words, making a mental note to talk to his old friend not to say things like that around Brennan. Thankfully, Brennan didn't even seem like she heard him. "I need surgical gloves and masks for the retrieval team," she told Booth. "Sterile medical bags - and vegetable oil."

Booth scrunched his eyebrows together. "Vegetable oil?" he questioned, walking over to Brennan.

"The oil will loosen the seared body parts stuck to the metal," Brennan explained. "It's no different than steak on a grill that sticks."

Booth swallowed, disgusted by the comparison. There goes the all American BBQ weekend I'd planned for me and Parker, he thought sourly.

Zack, Brennan's nerdy assistant, ran up to them with a bottle of oil. He handed it Booth while he handed surgical gloves to Brennan.

Booth gave Zack a forced smile. "It's okay. I trust you," he muttered, stepping back so the two could get to work.

"Should I photograph the scene?" Zack asked Brennan.

Brennan nodded. "Focus on a thirty meter radius from the blast," she instructed her student. Zack handed Brennan the medical bag she'd requested earlier, stepping away to do as he was told.

Angela, standing in the background, looked on, queasy, as Brennan stepped over to a body part lying on the ground.

Brennan threw Booth a look. "Okay to pick up?"

He gestured for her to go ahead. "You know, it's okay to be upset," he assured her, eyeing the way she seemed to be taking it all in stride.

Brennan scoffed. "I wish this is the worst I'd seen," she muttered in reply. She stifled a sigh before turning to Angela, handing her a medical bag so she could get started on retrieving body parts as well.

Angela shook her head. "You know…Uh, I don't think I can…Sorry," she said, truly apologetic but too overwhelmed to lend a helping hand.

Brennan took the bag Angela had given back to her and handed it to Booth instead. "Well, if you can't either…" she trailed off.

Booth took the bag from her. "No. I'm cool," he assured her. This wasn't the most pleasant jobs but, like Brennan, he'd seen much worse. Besides, no matter how nauseating it was, he didn't want to seem like a wuss in front of the fearless doctor.

BBBBBBB

Brennan sat on the floor in her office, papers from the file and the information Zack had handed to her spread out in front of her. She had been going through the papers over and over again for hours, trying to find evidence in them that she couldn't yet discover from Masruk's bones.

She was startled when she heard Angela's voice from the entrance of her office. "Hard at work?"

Brennan looked up to see Angela entering the office. "There's a stalker," she joked half-heartedly, referring to all the paperwork and photos of Masruk that Masruk's wife had provided.

Brennan sighed. "I just saw his wife," she told Angela. "She gave me his medical records, photographs…Apparently, he was ill. They were testing for Lupus, which would explain the face. It must've been painful."

Angela gazed at her friend, half in sadness and half in apology. "Look I…I know that you need help out there," she started. "At the crime scene. And I wanted to but…"

Brennan waved away her apology. "It's okay," she assured her friend. "You see it. I don't anymore. I don't know what's worse." She heaved herself off the floor and sat down on her couch.

Angela eyed her with worry in her pretty brown eyes. "You holding up okay?" she asked, joining Brennan on the couch.

"His wife doesn't believe it was him," Brennan said. "I've got to give her an ID."

Angela nodded. "Whatever I can do."

Brennan gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I know."

Abruptly, Angela had changed the subject. "And about this weekend…"

Brennan shook her head slightly. "Angela, I don't know…"

"Oh, come on," Angela coaxed.

"I don't know," Brennan repeated.

Angela sighed, tilting her head to the side. "Brennan, I know this great club. They play trip hop and trance…" she kept talking, hoping to entice her friend.

And, of course, all Brennan could come up with was, "I don't know what that means."

Angela waved it aside. "It doesn't matter," she said. "We'll grab Booth."

"No," Brennan was firm on this one. What had happened during their last case had been…Troublesome. And even though Booth had enticed her into having lunch with him at Sid's after Cleo's funeral, she and Booth hadn't seen or spoken to each other since until he'd called her for this new case. It would be strange and awkward having him around in a social setting. She didn't want that.

"I think he likes you," Angela teased. You have no idea, Angela, Brennan scoffed in her head, willing the blush rising to her cheeks down. "God if I were you I'd buy a ticket on that ride."

Brennan decided to change the subject. "Look, I'm going to be very busy this weekend. I've got to drive Rose over to her overnight camp thing, then I've got to wait for Christian to pick Zan and Demetri up, and Wyatt still has that girl he's fawning all over…" she shook her head before pointing to the buckets of bones on her floor. "Besides, even after the ID, I have these."

"Remains from WWI," Angela stated wryly.

Brennan nodded. "That's what the institution pays me for," she reminded Angela. "I've got hundreds of these waiting."

Angela raised one delicate, perfectly shaped eyebrow. "And they can't wait one more weekend?" she asked, her tone incredulous.

"They've got relatives," Brennan sighed. "They've waited long enough."

Angela shook her head. "Yeah, uh-huh. I just think it speaks volumes that your own kid is getting more action than you are," she said. When Brennan looked her way, Angela said, more gently than before, "You know it's not that scary, Brennan. You have a few drinks. You move to the music. You might even smile."

Before Brennan could reply, Zack was knocking on the door, telling them that the bones of the burn victim were finally flesh-free, cleaned and ready to be inspected.

"I've gotta run," Brennan said to Angela, jumping off the couch. "You hang around. I may need you."

BBBBBBB

She wasn't really sure why she was on her way to Booth's apartment when it was past work hours. Sure, she had the ID of the bomber sitting in the passenger's seat of her car, but that could've waited until the morning. She could even just call him if she wanted him to know so badly.

But there she was, in her car, driving towards Booth's apartment.

Maybe it was Angela's words, yet again, ringing in her ears, about how she should take the chance with Booth and how she should live a little instead of focusing on her work all the time. Whatever it was, she didn't allow herself to give it much thought, or to even over think it the way she would every other thing in her life.

She simply put it in the back of her mind, pretended it didn't exist, and parked in an empty space in Booth's apartment parking lot.

Brennan knocked on the door just as Booth was shucking off his clothes to jump into the shower. Grumbling under his breath, he swiped his white dress shirt from the floor and threw it on, not bothering to button it up.

He threw open the door without checking to see who it was, surprised when he saw Temperance Brennan standing on the other side of it.

"Bones?" he asked stupidly.

"Yeah," she replied anyway, her eyes flickering over his naked torso before she caught herself and quickly snapped her gaze back to his face.

The small smirk lifting the corners of his mouth told her he'd caught her, and she scowled. Cocky bastard. "Did we have an appointment?" he asked politely, keeping up an innocently professional charade.

"No, uh…It's him," she handed him the folder in her hands, mentally cursing herself for sounding so flustered. "Masruk is the bomber."

"Mm-hmm," he said, stepping aside to let her in. Brennan slipped into his apartment, carefully avoiding any physical contact with him. He closed the door behind her and begun flipping through the folder. "I guess the wife didn't know the husband very well."

He looked up to see Brennan just staring at him, shifting her weight from one foot to another as she stood awkwardly in his foyer. "Well the Bureau…I was just heading to the Bureau. Santana called and said something about a bombing and I thought you were at the lab. Maybe, uh you should come," he suggested

Brennan gave him a guarded smile. "Sure," she said.

Booth gave her one of his patented charm smiles. "Have a seat, Bones," he urged, nodding at the couch in his living room.

Brennan shook her head once. "Uh, no, thanks…I'll just stand," she insisted, wincing at how stupid she sounded yet again. "You'll be quick, right?"

He shrugged. "I was gonna grab a shower for a bit, actually…Do you mind? I mean…I wouldn't ask but I was out on the field all day. Sorta feel gross," he looked so sheepish that Brennan couldn't help but laugh, relaxing. "I mean, I won't be long. Just a few minutes."

She nodded, tucking a lock of auburn hair behind her ear. "No, yeah, sure, go ahead," she assured him. "I'm good. You don't mind me being here, do you?"

"Nah," he waved her question aside, gesturing with his hand. "You're fine." He gently grabbed her by the elbow and led her towards the living room. "So just…Sit and, uh, watch some TV or something."

She nodded, smiling, as though she really was going to watch some TV. "Do you want anything?" Booth ploughed on, the awkwardness finally settling in for him as well. "I've got…Water. And beer."

Brennan gave him an amused smirk. "We're working - we shouldn't drink," she reminded him.

He chuckled, clearing his throat. "Oh, yeah. Right," he released his hold on her elbow. "Alright. Okay, I'm just gonna head into the shower now…" he jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

She nodded, moving to place the folder he'd given back to her on the coffee table. Unfortunately, he'd moved at the same time and they bumped awkwardly into each other.

"Oh, sorry…" Booth muttered, at the same time Brennan said, "Sorry, didn't mean to…"

But her hands were now placed on his muscular arms, and his large hands were splayed across her hips, steadying her. As Brennan straightened up, their hands still holding onto each other, Booth swallowed. She was barely an inch from him. If he were to tilt his head to the left, he would 'accidentally' brush his lips against her forehead.

"Um…" Brennan murmured. "You should probably get to your, uh…"

She had lifted her head, to look at him while she spoke, and to give him an apologetic smile, but then their eyes had connected - were his eyes always so dark? They seemed blacker instead of the warm brown she was getting used to - and her words had died in her throat.

There was a moment, a very prominent, very still moment, when it was actually deafeningly silent in the apartment and everything seemed to stand still despite how impossible that was. Then, as though they were in a movie instead of real life, the still moment broke. Brennan was now aware of the blood rushing to her ears. Booth was now aware of how his heart was pounding painfully fast in his chest.

And the two of them converged, moving together, moving closer, without even realizing what they were doing. She tilted her head to the side just as his lips sought hers out, both of them moaning loudly at the sensation of their mouths moving frantically together.

"God, I've missed this," Booth murmured between kisses, the gravely quality of his voice sending shivers down Brennan's spine. "I've missed kissing you."

"Mmmpfh," Brennan moaned, gasping as his lips starting to travel down her neck, arching her body into his and loving the way his hands splayed across her back, so large against her small frame. "Me too," she admitted, something she probably would've never done if she wasn't so blinded with lust.

Booth backed Brennan up a few steps, until she was pressed against the bare wall next to the couch. Like she had back at the shooting range, Brennan lifted her legs and hooked them around Booth's waist. Unlike back at the shooting range, everything was so much more…Urgent somehow.

Her hands were at his chest, pushing the unbuttoned dress shirt past his shoulders and down his arms until they pooled at his feet. Booth's nimble fingers were hurriedly unfastening the buttons of her blazer, their mouths branding searing kisses on each other's lips even as he tugged her shirt loose and threw it onto the floor.

Booth pried his lips away from Brennan's, half shocked at how difficult it was to do just that, and his eyes fell upon her chest. He cursed under his breath. "Lace, Bones?" he quirked an eyebrow at her, surprised he was able to say even that through the haze of lust clouding up his mind. "You wear this underneath your clothes everyday?"

Brennan grinned at him, her hands sliding up his face in a gentle caress to grip at the back of his head. "This is the tamest underwear I own, Booth," she whispered into his mouth, causing him to groan, his eyelids fluttering close as they kissed violently.

They fumbled a little, making their way closed-eyed to the couch. They fell onto the futon, Brennan pinned underneath Booth, and he tried to keep his weight off of her as much as he could.

"No, want to feel you," Brennan murmured, almost incoherently, pulling Booth down towards her. "Love to feel you…" her hands were greedy as they explored his bare torso, lingering as she felt his muscled abdominals.

Booth felt his eyes roll into the back of his head when Brennan, legs still locked around his waist, started to undulate her hips against his. The rocking motions against him, the warmth he could feel even through her dress pants…It was getting to be too much. Breaking away from her kiss, he kept his arms around her, dropping his forehead onto hers. "We've gotta slow down here, Bones," he whispered.

She blinked at him innocently, even through clouded, stormy dark blue eyes. "Why?" she asked, her voice huskier than normal.

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath of her magnolia-scented hair. "Because," he barked out a harsh laugh. "I'm about to lose my mind here…"

Brennan trailed her hands down his chest, smiling into his throat as she leaned up to press kisses on his bare skin. "I thought that was the point?" she asked rhetorically.

"It's just…It's you, and it's me," Booth said, not really making any sense to Brennan. "It's different between us."

His words from a year ago came back to her and her eyes flew up to him, full of understanding. "You believe that whatever might be happening between us is going somewhere," she clarified. He bit his lip, nodding. She hesitated for a moment. "Listen, Booth…I can't promise you much here. I don't even know for sure what we're doing…I mean…Well, you know…"

She chuckled, an adorable grin spreading across her lips. Booth had to laugh, one hand smoothing back her soft hair from her lovely face. "But I know that I want you," she continued, and the smile slipped from his face, desire flaring in his eyes once more. "I also know that our partnership, however new it is, means a lot to me. So, if you don't think we can do this without screwing it up…"

They stared at each other, a silent conversation in place.

I'm scared.

Me, too.

I want you.

I want you, too.

So badly, Bones. I want you so badly. But there are repercussions.

Our partnership is very important.

It is.

Let's take it slow.

Okay.

I want to kiss you.

So kiss me.

Booth smiled, leaning down to brush a gentle kiss against Brennan's lips. But one taste wasn't enough, so he pressed another kiss. And another. And then it became not so gentle, but searing, branding, claiming. Possessive. Then he was kissing her, just giving her one kiss that was made up of a million tiny little kisses, both not pulling away for air, both too lost in sensation. Lost in passion.

His hands had drifted down to her torso and when skin touched bare skin, he groaned. He'd almost forgotten that he'd taken off her shirt. Almost. His eyes fell again to her lace-covered cleavage, one hand lifting to trail gently over the soft mounds. Brennan watched him behind heavy lids, her bottom lip drawn between her teeth.

Booth looked at her, briefly, as though seeking permission, and the lust-addled look she gave him seem to be it. He crawled slowly down her body, pressing kisses down her long, creamy neck and reaching behind her to undo the clasp of her bra. Peeling the material away from her skin, he groaned at the sight of her, exposed to him. "You look so gorgeous, Bones," he whispered against her skin, lips pressed to her breast, wet tongue wrapped around her nipple, tugging and pulling in a way that had her arching from the couch.

"Booth…" Brennan breathed, tugging until he was kissing her again, their frantic pace from before consuming them all over again. This time, her hands were drifting down his abdomen, drifting lower and lower still.

Booth hissed when she cupped him through his pants. "Bones," he choked. "Give a guy a warning, would ya?"

She rolled her eyes, impatient. "We're half naked, Booth," she pointed out. "How much more of a warning do you need?"

Strangely enough, in some weird sort of masochistic way, her annoyed, impatient tone had him even more aroused than before. It had him practically mauling her lips with his own as his hands went to her slacks, tugging them off in one smooth action. His mouth dropped to her throat, gently nibbling on the fading hickey he'd given her on her neck last week before descending even lower. Brennan gasped, squirming a little, at the feel of his smooth warm marble lips gliding across her skin, kissing her stomach, reaching her hip bones…

Booth hooked his fingers through the thin material of her panties - red lace, to match her bra - and lifted his gaze to Brennan's eyes. "May I…?"

"You'd better," was her reply.

He managed to quirk a grin at that - she was bossy even in bed. He wasn't surprised, though he was oddly aroused by that.

He tugged the lacy garment down her smooth, toned legs and tossed it somewhere to his left, and then…Then he was spreading her legs apart, and his mouth was on her, and he was licking and sucking and probing and drawing figure eights with his tongue…Brennan cried out at the sudden attack of his talented mouth on her, her hands reaching above her head to grasp at something - anything - and finding only a soft couch pillow which she gripped tightly.

Booth moaned, sending vibrations against her bare flesh, as he lowered his head down between Brennan's thighs - she smelled so lovely, so sweet and musky, and when his mouth pressed to her glistening center and his tongue darted out to taste her…Damn, he just loved the way she tasted and smelled. His mouth and tongue began a frantic pace he hadn't meant to set, his eagerness to just get moremoremore driving him wild. He pushed her thighs even further apart, his hands gripping her gently by her milky white thighs, and his tongue traced the edges of her entrance. At her low moan, Booth set about to draw first one lip and then the other into his mouth, suckling as hard as he dared, before pulling her throbbing, pink clit into his mouth.

Brennan cried out, her fingers digging into the material of the couch cushion, and her teeth biting down hard enough on her lower lips to draw blood. "Booth…" her low groan turned into a wordless cry as he swirled his tongue around the hard nub.

She was glistening, so damn much, with her sweet nectar and he lapped it all up earnestly before thrusting his tongue deep into slick heat. Both of them moaned this time, a growl escaping Booth's lips as a new flood of her juices flowed to his tongue. He slid his tongue as deep inside of her as he could go, curling it inside her walls and dragging his tongue deliberately slow up along her walls as he pulled out. She was tightening around him, tightening so painfully sweet, and he smiled against her flesh when she let out a little scream as he unwrapped one large hand from around her thigh and dipped his fingers inside of her, joining his tongue in pleasuring her. Her walls fluttered as Booth moved his fingers hard and fast, pulling his tongue out of her to suck her clit back into his mouth, hard.

She whispered his name over and over as her orgasm washed over her, her eyes rolling into the back of her head at the sensory overload and her mouth dropping open as a scream of pleasure left her lips.

Booth kept his head between her legs, her hands having drifted down to tangle in his short, dark hair and holding him there as she rode out her pleasure. His fingers continued to massage her inner walls, though this was a soothing sort of caress, with soft and gentle strokes, instead of the frantic movements earlier, and he was pressing soft kisses to her inner thighs.

When her aftershocks had died down, Booth slowly withdrew his fingers from inside of her. He crawled back up her gorgeous body, pressing random kisses onto her skin as he did so, until he was hovering above her once more. Brennan gazed up at him, not quite sure how to express to him in spoken words how she felt. The gentle smile he wore, and the warm look in his sparkling eyes, told her that maybe she didn't have to speak. Booth leaned down, his mouth falling on hers for what he intended to be a quick kiss. There was just something, though, about the taste of herself in his mouth…It tugged low in her belly, surprising even herself considering she was barely over the orgasm he'd given her seconds ago. It was when he'd pulled back and made to rise from the couch when she took over.

Brennan rose with him until they were kneeling chest to chest on their knees, then with a playful grin on her face, pushed him with her hands on his chest. Booth fell backward and landed flat on his back on his couch, laughing as his hands came up to cup Brennan's hips. "I want a taste," Brennan told him, her voice soft and low and husky, doing dangerous things - very dangerous things - to his body. She was already moving down his body, her soft, warm lips wrapping around his right nipple and tugging almost painfully with his teeth for a moment. A shock of arousal rushed to his groin, and Booth shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't so sure he could handle that so soon after watching her orgasm for him. She was beautiful all the time, stunning without even realizing it, but when she came, her lips parted as she screamed for him… God, it was incredible.

"Bones…You really don't have to…" he was saying, even as she kissed down his sternum, her soft hair tickling his skin as she went.

"But I want to," she protested, lifting her head to look at him with those deceptively innocent baby blues. "Don't you want me to be happy?"

"That's just not fair," he managed to ground out as Brennan kissed along his hip bone, her fingers pulling at his zipper and yanking his pants and Flintstones boxers down to his ankles in one go. "You're manipulating me."

She chuckled, low and feminine, pressing tiny kisses on the inside of his thigh, her hands smoothing up and down his thighs. He was perfect, so very perfect, Brennan realized. Longer than any man she'd ever been with, and thicker than any man she'd ever been with. "Feel free to stop me," she challenged as her lips hovered an inch above his erection. And when he didn't, she was suddenly engulfing him, her mouth taking him in as much as she could. She moaned against him, loving how he felt like velvet steel and tasted so damn…Masculine.

"Oh, God," he choked out - her mouth was warm and wet and hot and tight…It was as good, if not better, than having his fingers and tongue inside of her. His hips lifted off the couch slightly without his consent, undulating against her mouth, and she chuckled around him. Booth gripped the back of the couch with one hand, and tangled his fingers in her hair with the other, biting at his lip to keep himself focused and not force himself down her throat or anything.

She smiled as she took him in - it was easy to see that she was driving him crazy. His thighs were quivering as she moved her lips up and down the length of him, and his hands were gripping at the material of the futon, his teeth gritted together. Placing soft nibbles with her teeth as she slid her lips up and down his member, Brennan lifted her hands to touch him. One hand caressed his balls, alternating with her lips on hardandfast and softandslow. The other reached up to stroke the length of him she couldn't take into her mouth - he was a very impressive man. When he came, the guttural sound that tore from his throat only served to tighten her belly even more. His seed was warm and salty and tasted like Booth, so she kept her mouth around him, his length deep in her throat, and eagerly swallowed everything he had to offer.

When it was over she started to rise from the couch, her mouth leaving him, but he reached out to stop her. "You're not going anywhere," he growled as his hands gripped her by the hips.

Brennan chuckled, protesting with her words even as she laid on top of him, naked skin touching naked skin, her head tucked underneath his chin, one hand wrapped under his arm and the other on his chest, drawing random patterns on his sweaty skin. "We have to go, Booth," she said, sighing in contentment as his hands stroked up and down her back languorously. "We've got the ID and the bureau called…"

"Mm-hmm," he murmured sleepily. "We're going," but they weren't. They were still tangled on the couch, Brennan on top of Booth, just laying together.

She allowed herself to just enjoy the moments for a little while before the urgency of work came creeping back into her mind. "Booth," she lifted her head to look at him. He was still wearing a lazy smile though his eyes were more wide awake now. "We really do have to go…And I'm not sure we should've done this…I didn't intend for this to happen, you know? It just did -"

"Hey, I was there, Bones," he shushed her gently. "I know. Listen, we'll take this one step at a time. Okay?"

Brennan bit her lip, staring at him with wide, slightly panicked eyes. Did she want a one night stand or a fling with Booth? She wasn't unfamiliar with either, but somehow, something in Booth's eyes, in his smile, his demeanor, told her that either of those things weren't actually a possibility with him. So did she want to try for something more? Was she ready enough for something like that? Did she think Booth was trustworthy enough to know about her four angels, the way he ultimately would if they were to embark on this…Thing, whatever it was?

The answer to that last one came at her full force, shocking herself. Yes. There was something about this man that had her trusting him with her life the very same day she'd ever met him, so yes, she thought he was trustworthy enough.

So, taking a deep breath, she took a chance. "Okay," she agreed, her voice soft.

Booth felt the corners of his mouth turning up into a smile. It was obvious she had been pondering his question, working it out in that big genius brain of hers if what they had was worth pursuing. Just one word - okay - was enough, definitely enough coming from her.

So her reached up with one hand, his arm still wrapped around her naked torso, and tangled his fingers in her silken locks, tilting her head slightly so he could kiss her. What he had intended to be just a short little peck, to show her he understood and that he wouldn't push and they could go at her pace if she wanted, turned into something more. The taste of her sweet scent, mixed in with something salty that he knew must've been him, was strangely addictive and he found himself with his eyes sliding shut and a low moan escaping his mouth and into hers.

Brennan pulled back as she felt something pressing into her stomach. Pulling back from his kiss, she looked him in the eye and said, "You have excellent recovery time."

He laughed, a strangled sound that she found amusing yet arousing at the same time, and blinked at her. "Bones, now really isn't a good time to be making comments like that… Not when you're right about us having to get back to work," he warned.

She was about to respond when there was another knock at the door. Booth let his head fall back against the couch, sighing. If this were only a dream, now would be the time when it transforms into a nightmare…Maybe my boss or my mother coming by or something, he mused to himself. His groan of discontent blended into one of pure pleasure as Brennan began laving kisses on his exposed throat. The fingers in her hair tightened slightly and he was just about to suggest they forget whomever was at the door and take this to the bedroom when someone knocked on his door again, this time louder and more insistent.

Brennan pressed a quick, hot, open-mouthed kiss on his lips before standing up. Booth watched in disappointment as she gathered her clothes and started putting them back on. She spared a glance his way, smirking a little. "Unless you want to answer the door naked, Booth, you'd better pull up your pants," she commented.

"Ugh," he replied, chuckling along with her as he stood, pulling up his boxers and pants which were still around his ankles. He shot a look at Brennan, who was already looking almost flawless. Her clothes weren't nearly as rumpled as his were and the blush that had spread across her ivory pale skin had gone down somewhat. The only noticeable evidence of what they'd been up to were the way her hair was all mussed up even as she tried to fix it like before - sex hair, he thought with an internal laugh - the way her lips were still unmistakably swollen red and the satisfied look on her face.

Of course, he was nowhere near satisfied. Not that it hadn't been great for him, it had. No doubt. But she had been so sexy, so beautiful, and he was getting all worked up again when the door had rang. He wanted her again and here she was forcing him to answer doors and get back to work.

Sighing in frustration, Booth stormed over to the door and flung it open with looking through the peep hole, ready to yell or at the very least glare menacingly at whomever was on the other side.

Of course, that was before he took into account who it really was.

Tessa.

His ex girlfriend.

The one he'd broken up with over a month ago and hadn't seen since.

"Tessa," he said, completely surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Tessa seemed as surprised to see him, and he wondered why since she had been the one who'd came over to his apartment, but when her hazel eyes flickered over his body, he realized why and quickly, awkwardly, began to button up his shirt. "Uh…I just came by to…Uh, pick up my things," Tessa said, her eyes flickering over to somewhere over his shoulder.

He looked behind him to see Brennan watching the scene with a curious look in her eyes, her face impassively blank. Okay, current might-be girlfriend versus ex girlfriend, Booth thought to himself. No reason to panic. No reason at all. "Oh, yeah," he nodded at Tessa. "I put 'em in a box somewhere…You left them here for a month. Come in."

Tessa gave him a small, awkward smile. "Yeah, sorry," she apologized. "I had this really big case I just couldn't get a break on, then there was a conference and my aunt sort of…" she trailed off, heaving a big sigh. "Anyway, I'm sorry. If you still have them…?"

He nodded. "I put them in the hall closet in case you ever came by to get them," he assured her. He closed the door and walked over to Brennan. "Bones, this is Tessa," he winced. He hated making introductions like these. Then again, what guy didn't? "Tessa Jankow, Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Tessa's eyes lit up a little in recognition. "Oh, hi," she said, reaching out a hand. "I've read your book…It's really great."

Brennan smiled, a little uncomfortable. Not just with the compliment, although she was always unsure of how to react when people came up to her to tell her what a great book she'd written, but because this was clearly Booth's ex-girlfriend and she was here, when Brennan had just…It was strange and a little awkward, especially since she herself had no idea what Booth was to her at the moment. "Thanks," she shook Tessa's hand.

There was an awkward pause where no one said a thing for a few moments. "Bones is an anthropologist," Booth blurted out.

Tessa smiled slightly. "Yeah, I read about that," she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "At the back of your book. I'm not as interesting - corporate lawyer. Keeping the fat cats fat."

Brennan nodded. "I was just studying a cranial fissure on a corporate attorney last week," she offered. Tessa's shocked expression and Booth's amused one told her she probably hadn't said the right thing. Then again, who knew what the right thing to say was in a situation like this? "Of course he was dead, so…"

"Interesting," Tessa said, trying to keep the disgust out of her voice.

"Thanks."

Booth finished buttoning up his shirt, tucking it into his pants. He reached down to zip up the zipper just as Tessa looked his way to ask him about her belongings. She looked away immediately - something Brennan was uncharacteristically happy about. "Um…Look, if you could just get my things…? I have to be somewhere…"

Booth nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said. "Just hold on a sec." He gave Brennan a look as he passed, almost as if to convey the message 'behave'. She returned a defensive look, as if to say 'When have I not?' Booth decided to hurry.

He needn't have worried because neither Brennan nor Tessa had much to say to one another without Booth around. They just gave each other awkward smiles and stood in front of each other, waiting for him to return. Tessa looked around the place, pretending to find something interesting in the walls or the coffee table, while Brennan blatantly watched Tessa, taking in her symmetrical features.

Booth returned a few seconds later, a white colored box in his hands, looking a little flushed like he had been hurrying. "Here," he handed the box to Tessa. "That's everything."

Tessa gave him a genuine, small, smile. "Thanks," she said. "Um…Well, I guess this is it. Bye, Seeley."

He nodded, smiling back at her in return. Their break-up hadn't been a terrible one. It hadn't included cheating or lots of arguments or anything like that. They'd just drifted apart and had realized they weren't meant to be. "Yeah, bye, Tessa."

Tessa nodded once in Brennan's direction, trying to keep the envy out of her expression. She and Seeley Booth might not have worked out, but one had to be blind not to notice what a catch he was. "It was nice meeting you, Dr. Brennan," she said amicably. Giving Booth a look, she added quietly, "Good luck."

When she had gone, Brennan turned to Booth with a confused expression on her face. "Good luck with what?" she inquired innocently.

Booth gave her a boyish grin, finding himself charmed with her adorable naiveté. "Nothing, Bones," he quickly deflected. He didn't need to start scaring her away with talks about relationships - especially the one he wanted with her.

Brennan opened her mouth to argue, stubborn, but a certain buzzing noise made them both look towards the stand by the door. Booth reached over and grabbed his cell phone. Reading the message that had just been sent over to him, he sighed. "There goes my shower," he said, shooting Brennan a playful smile to let her know he wasn't really annoyed by what had transpired in lieu of his shower earlier. "We've got to get going. Santana's getting impatient."

Risking a sharp knee jab to his jewels like he knew she wouldn't hesitate to give, he leaned down, tangling his fingers in her hair softly, and brushed a kiss on her lips. When she didn't protest, and her lips even chased his when he'd pulled away, he gave her another soft kiss. And another. "C'mon. Let's get going," he murmured finally, when he'd gathered up enough strength to stop touching her, kissing her.

He grabbed his keys and the folder and led Brennan out the door of his apartment.

She was quiet all through the ride to the Hoover - he'd managed to convince her to take his SUV instead of her car for this - and he let her stew. He knew she was probably thinking about what had happened between them back at his apartment, and possibly even wondering about Tessa, and he had to let her think. That was one of the things she did best and he wasn't going to screw with that. When she was ready, they'd talk.

As it turned out, letting her think all on her own and not giving his own input didn't seem to be such a good thing, as he discovered as they were riding in the elevator in the Hoover to get to Santana's office.

There they were, just standing next to each other in silence, when Brennan started chuckling, shaking her head with a smile on her face.

"Okay, what is so funny?" he asked, baffled.

Brennan shook her head slightly. "I just never figured you being in a relationship," she admitted, laughing.

His eyebrows drew together. "Why, do you think something's wrong with me?" he asked, more than just a tad offended.

The elevator stopped moving and when the doors slid open, the two of them stepped off the elevator, entering the bullpen. "Not wrong," she was quick to reassure. "You just have alpha male attributes usually associated with a solitary existence."

"What? Me?" he reeled his head back in shock. "You're solitary."

She shook her head in disagreement. "No. No, I'm private. It's different. And we weren't talking about me."

"Well, I was."

"Well, I wasn't," she shot back. "Look, I'm happy for you. That you and Tessa were… You know. I mean, obviously you're not together anymore, but clearly that's what you were going for. Having a relationship, I mean. And that's good. Relationships have anthropological meaning. No society can survive if sexual bonds aren't formed bet…"

Booth stopped her right there. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked incredulously, shaking his head and blinking his eyes in bafflement. He started talking again before Brennan could answer his rhetorical question - he really didn't need an anthropological reason for his ideas on what relationships should mean. "Look, Bones, I don't do meaningless sex and I don't do meaningless relationships."

Her brilliant blue eyes looked over to him, this time an almost whitish gray color. He decided it was the color of fear. "But, you and me…?" she trailed off.

Booth nodded, stopping and pulling her aside to a sort of secluded corner so that no one could hear his next words to her. "You and me, Bones," he spoke, his voice low and gravely. Brennan's eyes were riveted to him. "I meant what I said a year ago. I think what we have…I think we're going somewhere, and dammit, I want to find out. I'm not here to play around with you, Bones. But I'm not going to rush you, either. We'll go at your pace. We can take it slow. I'm not going to force you into doing or saying anything you're just not ready for. If you don't want that…If you're not ready for that, then you need to tell me because I can't go for this the back out and have everything be okay. If you don't want this, then we need to stop."

Her breath hitched in her throat as he stepped closer to her, just a breadth apart from her. "But if you do want this," his voice was soft, so tender but so masculine, so firm…She loved it. Not that she would ever admit that. "If you want this, then I've got to let you know that I'm going to be all in. I won't let you go without a fight, and I fight hard, Bones. I won't give up on you, on us."

She didn't reply, but simply held his gaze for the longest moment. "Why?" she asked, her voice coming out a hushed whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again, still speaking in a low tone. "Why me? Why us? Do you always fight for all the women in your life?"

He let the corners of his mouth curl upwards slightly. "No," he admitted. "Not as much as I'm going to fight for you."

"Why?" she repeated again, curious.

His hand discretely touched hers. "Because you're Bones," was his simple reply. "You're special."

They stayed that way for the longest time, both lost in each other's gaze and not at all paying attention to the rest of the bustling bullpen. Booth knew that Brennan would need time to sort all of this out, and Brennan was simply glad that he wasn't going to pressurize her into giving an answer now - she'd need to make a logical data, maybe a pro-con list…Talk to Angela. She wasn't very adept at making a decision like this all on her own.

They stayed that way, untouched by the world outside their little bubble, until they were interrupted by Santana coming out of his office. "Booth," Santana called out.

Booth's eyes fluttered shut slightly, as though he regretted that he and Brennan were in the Hoover instead of somewhere private, but they snapped open almost immediately after. His fingers squeezed Brennan's once before letting go. He cleared his throat and spun around to face his boss. "Yes, sir?"

"You got that ID?" Santana asked gruffly, choosing wisely not to say anything about the way the two partners had been standing so intimately close with one another. It wasn't his business and he didn't need to interfere. Besides, this was Booth. Santana knew Booth wouldn't jeopardize work with meaningless flings, no matter how beautiful his co-worker was.

Booth nodded, scowling a little at the appreciative glance Santana gave Brennan. "Yeah. It was Masruk," he confirmed.

"Oh, that's too bad."

Brennan gave him a confused look. "He killed four people and injured another fifteen," she reminded Santana.

"The report came back from ballistics. Now the explosives were placed under the care with the trigger connected to the odometer," Santana informed them, a meaningful expression on his face. "Masruk was murdered."

"So Masruk wasn't a terrorist," Brennan said in revelation, leaning into Booth's side to read the report Santana had handed to him.

Booth shook his head. "Somebody tried to make him look like one," he finished Brennan's thought. "Any leads on who did it?" he asked his boss.

Santana smirked. "That's why we're paying you, Booth."

BBBBBBB

After the interrogation with Hamid's wife, Booth and Brennan made their way to Sid's for a quick lunch. The duo took their place at the bar, still arguing over Booth's assumption of Sahar.

"She was having an affair!" Booth insisted.

Brennan rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry but that's an offensive assumption," she disagreed stubbornly.

Well, if she wasn't going to give him high blood pressure and enough stress to give him a heart attack at the age of thirty-three, she wouldn't be Brennan. So he ploughed ahead, arguing with her. "Well all the signs are there."

"You can't make wild assumptions about somebody's personal life based on a feeling," she countered.

"It's more than a feeling," he argued. "Okay? That photograph is evidence just as solid as the markers you squints pick up looking at your little bones."

Brennan looked insulted by that. "The evidence that I find is empirical!" she stated. "What you consider evidence is merely conviction."

"She dyed her hair!" he pointed out. "She lost weight. You know she shoved a little Botox in her forehead. She's still feeling guilty over the last fight she had with her husband."

Brennan was so annoyed by him that she barely acknowledged Angela joining them at the bar from wherever she had been sitting at before. "Ugh!" she shook her head. "You are an insufferable, arrogant man."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, so only a woman could know a woman? I thought women wanted us to understand them," he commented snarkily.

"Not really," Angela answered for Brennan. "A magician never wants to reveal her tricks."

Booth shot her an irritated look. "We're having a private conversation," he told her. Truth be told, he'd wanted to see if he could get Bones to calm down enough to have a conversation that didn't pertain to whether or not their victim's wife had been cheating on him and had more to do with the two of them, as might-be lovers, out during lunch enjoying their time together. Or, if not, maybe he could persuade her into a hot, angry make-out session. God, Brennan was sexy when she was angry…If her kisses were fiery when she wasn't angry…He wondered how they would be when she was.

"I'm not here," Angela assured him with a wolfish grin. She just wanted to see more of Booth and Brennan bickering - it was always fun and strangely hot.

Brennan, ignoring Angela's and Booth's exchange, gave Booth an incredulous look. "So you think you know women just because you lived with some sexy lawyer?" she asked. "Unbelievable."

And why do we always come back to Tessa? Booth asked himself, shaking his head. When he'd seen Brennan's ex boyfriend being kicked out of her place, he hadn't mentioned him at all despite his curiosity.

Booth rolled his eyes at Brennan's assumption, a snort of laughter escaping his lips.

"You live with a sexy lawyer?" Angela perked up, suddenly much more interested in the conversation than she had been before, when she had just been waiting for Booth and Brennan to jump each other right there at the bar.

Booth threw her an annoyed glare. "She said 'lived'. Tessa and I aren't together anymore," he said to Angela. And to Brennan, "And we didn't live together. She had her own place, okay?"

Brennan ignored him. "He thinks just because Masruk's wife started working out and had a little make-over, she's having an affair," she complained to Angela.

"Hmm," Angela hummed. "And how long were they married?"

"Eleven years," Booth supplied.

Angela gave Brennan an apologetic look. "I'm with him," she said, causing Booth to give Brennan a smug look.

"There is no concrete proof!" Brennan argued.

"Boobs perkier?"

"Mmm-hmm," Booth smiled slightly.

"I don't believe this," Brennan scowled at the both of them. "If you're so sure then why didn't you confront her?"

"Because," Angela interjected before Booth could answer. "If she or her boyfriend were involved, she would warn him."

"Very good," Booth praised, obviously surprised that a squint could've come up with a conclusion a cop would.

Angela beamed at him in thanks. "I'm a constant surprise," she stood up from the bar stool. "Alright, great," she said through gritted teeth, unable to explain even to herself why she was so agitated over this. "I will be in the lab getting us some real data."

Booth sighed as he watched Brennan grabbed her purse and left. There goes my angry make-out plan, he thought sadly. Angela, still next to Booth at the bar, gave him a wide grin. "So…How many nights a week did sexy sleep over?"

Booth rolled his eyes heavenward. "Ha, ha, ha," he said sarcastically. "Not together anymore, Angela. Try to remember that."

BBBBBBB

They were back at Sid's, except this time it was nighttime.

Farid was dead, courtesy of Booth's sniper skills, and the world was rid of one more bomber. Of course, this doesn't make the guilt of taking another human life dissipate for Booth. If anything, he was drowning in it.

He was seated at the bar, drink in hand and Brennan by his side. "You know I told them to tell the press it was an undercover operation," Booth divulged to his partner.

Brennan looked at him with confusion in her pretty eyes. "But it would be a rose garden ceremony," she said, the bafflement obvious in her tone. "That's an honor, right? I thought you FBI guys loved your medals?"

Booth smirked a little before even that dropped from his handsome face. "There's no pleasure in taking someone's life," he said solemnly. "Nothing to celebrate."

Brennan eyed his somber expression, the way his shoulders hunched as though there was a heavy weight on them…The darkness in his eyes. There was a pang in her heart, an irrational feeling that made her want to smooth away the lines on his forehead and try to make it all even a little better for him.

"You saved so many people, Booth," she reminded him softly, reaching out to place her hand on top of his free one. He flipped his hand over so that they were palm to palm, their fingers automatically intertwining. "Don't forget that."

Booth turned his head to look at her, taking in the reassuring smile she wore on her beautiful face, and he felt his own lips quirk into a thankful smile in return. His hand squeezed hers in silent gratitude.

"You want to get another drink?" he asked hopefully.

Brennan considered for a moment. She should be headed home, where the twins, Zan and Demetri were waiting for her. She'd spoken to them all constantly throughout the day, just like she always did, sneaking a phone call whenever Booth wasn't around. But she still missed them, missed seeing them in person and hugging them and seeing smiles on their angelic faces.

But still, there was something she needed to talk to Booth about. She knew he wasn't expecting an answer so soon, but she was ready to give him one.

"Sure," she agreed. "I need to discuss something with you, anyway."

Booth gestured for the bartender to give them another round of their drinks. "Oh? What about?" he asked, exhaling and straightening his spine as though to rid himself of the tension the day had brought him.

"About what you said to me," she replied. "Back at Santana's office. About you and me and how you want to give this a real shot."

He tensed up all over again, looking over at her. She had retracted her hand from his, and she stayed silent as Sid brought over their drinks. He watched as she wrapped her hands around her glass, staring into the liquid inside.

"Bones, you don't have to answer me now," he told her, voice low and urgent. He was pretty sure, if she had taken such a short time to think about this, that her answer was going to be no. He'd wanted more time to persuade her, with words and actions and gestures, that being with him wasn't a bad thing. "I only told you that two days ago…You don't have to rush this."

She nodded, giving him a small smile before dropping her gaze back to her drink. "I know," she replied softly. "And thank you for that. For not wanting to rush me. But I am highly intelligent, Booth. My mind works at a much faster speed than most people."

He couldn't help a chuckle despite how nervous he was - even when she was letting a guy down, she found time to remind everyone what a genius she was.

Brennan took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "There are…Some things that you don't know about me, Booth," she began. "A lot of things. Personal things. I'm not ready to divulge any of that to you just yet. It's not that I don't trust you - because I do. I just…It's not the right time."

He nodded. "That's reasonable," he agreed. He felt the same way about telling her about Parker, his little boy. He trusted her, he just wasn't ready to reveal all just yet.

She smiled at him, her expression brightening minimally as she realized he wasn't going to be difficult about it. "I have to tell you…I don't normally do serious relationships. I don't do sleepovers and weekends away and moving in. Not with my past relationships."

"What about your creepy ex?" he questioned. "The one you kicked out last week?"

"Peter?" He nodded. "He didn't live with me. He stayed over sometimes, but I was reluctant even then."

Booth drew his eyebrows together. There was something in her eyes, the way she spoke, that told him it wasn't just fear of commitment that was the issue here. "Why not?" he asked, trying not to be as pushy as possible.

Brennan smirked a little. "The answer to that question is something that I'm not ready to tell you yet," she said apologetically. "I will tell you - soon. Just not right now. Not here."

She bit her lip and dropped her gaze once more. "The thing is…This thing that I'm not telling you. It's big," she lifted her eyes to his, her baby blues a determined steely color. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…If I were to enter a relationship with you. A real one, where it's not a fling and we're in it for real…It has to be legit. I can't mess around. Not now. Not with…What I have going on in my life. I can't screw with that."

He held her gaze and gently took one of her hands from her glass. "I won't do that," he said seriously. "You believe me, Bones?"

She shrugged. "I like you, Booth. And I trust you. But I've trusted men before and they fell short," she sighed, dropping her head back and rolling it around from side to side as though to work out a kink. "Things were different then. It's different now, but I'm still not as good at reading people."

Brennan turned her head to gaze at him, a soft smile on her lips. "But I think you're different," she admitted, leaning closer to bump her shoulder with his. "Special," she added playfully, throwing his word back at him. A smile stole across his face, and he laughed.

"So what are you trying to say?" Booth asked, knowing he was prying but unable to help himself - he wanted to know.

Brennan took in a deep lungful of air before letting it out slowly. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…I'm willing to give this a try," she conceded.

She absolutely loved the pink flush that covered his cheeks, not of embarrassment but of happiness, and the way his entire face lit up the way Zan's did on Christmas morning. And she definitely loved the happy, charming, boyish grin that spread from one ear to another.

"Yeah?" he chuckled happily. "You are? Really?"

She nodded, laughing along with him - he was so contagious sometimes. "Yes," she confirmed. He was leaning in, but she stopped him, bringing their entwined hands up to rest against his heart. "But," she warned, a huge smile still present on her face. "You screw with me, Seeley Booth, and I'll kill you. I'll make death by a thousand cuts seem like a walk in the playground."

He winced at the very real threat despite the way she'd smiled when she'd issued it. "Park, Bones," he corrected her gently. "Walk in the park." She threw him a dirty look. "But I got you. I won't hurt you, Bones. I promise."

She nodded, allowing him to lean in and press a gentle kiss on her cheek. She sighed, looking at the clock above the bar. "I should be getting home," she said, lifting her glass to her lips and taking a sip of it.

"I'll drive you," he offered.

She chuckled. "You've had three drinks," she reminded him. "I'll take a cab, and you should, too." Booth laughed, figuring that she was probably right. "Yeah, I guess I should," he shook his head slightly. "Share?"

She gazed at him, a teasing smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Sure," she allowed. "Let's share."

They both get up, Booth downing the rest of his drink while he grabs his coat. He threw some money on the table, Brennan doing the same for her own - she wasn't going to let some alpha male pay for her.

They walked towards the door, side by side, Booth's hand automatically making its way to his spot on her lower back. "Thanks for your help today, Bones," he murmured to her as they exited the bar.

She threw him an understanding smile. "Sure."


Okay, wow. I tried to do the whole Angela in the lab talking about Tessa thing, but that honestly didn't fit - why would they discuss an ex and why would Angela 'stalk' Tessa when she and Booth are no longer together? It didn't make sense so I left it out. Hope no one's too disappointed.

And, again, no real mention of Rose, Wyatt, Zan or Tri. Just a little scene at the beginning, and Zan and Tri were both asleep then. I'll bring in a little more of the 4 Brennan progenies at a later date. Not sure when, but I will. There will probably be more when Booth and Brennan reveal to each other that they have kids.

Still, I hope you enjoyed what I'd written/changed from the original script.

P.S. I know that the beginning is supposed to be daytime, but I changed it to at night because of the Brennan family scene I wanted to add.

Please leave a line, just to tell me if you enjoyed it or didn't. Thank you.

Juliet.