2

"So… how was your vacation with Booth?"

"For the last time, Angela, it was not a vacation! It was three days at a rural Pennsylvania crime scene. And there is very little blood on this skull fracture."

"If you say so." Angela peered slyly at Bones through her dark hair. "Did you share a room?"

"No! They were…. Adjoining." She trailed off.

"Ooh!" Angela's almond eyes gleamed. "Tell all! Any…. Late night check-ups?"

"No." But Bones was blushing.

"Brennan! What was it?" Angela could hardly contain her excitement. Unfortunately, Zack chose this time to walk in, and saw Bones looking sheepish and Angela elated.

"Oh god. You slept with Agent Booth, didn't you?" He was holding Boris Adam's skull.

"Wha-no!" Bones turned to glare at Angela.

"Then why are you blushing?" Hodgins turned away from his station to look at her. His eyes lit up. "He walked in on you, didn't he?"

Bones bit her lip. Hodgins cackled.

"Ah hah! I knew it!" Angela beamed. "Well? Continue, please!"

"I'll tell you only so you don't make any unintelligent assumptions." Bones said. Everyone was staring at her now. "I was getting dressed and Booth barged in looking excited, that's all."

Hodgins grinned. "Excellent."

"Were you-" Zack dropped his voice to a whisper, "Naked?"

"Partly."

Hodgins and Angela exchanged smirks.

"It wasn't like that!" Bones argued, seeing their faces. "He closed his eyes and backed out of the room, then forgot the whole thing. No big deal."

"Maybe you forgot the whole thing, Sweetie, but I'd a wager a guess he didn't."

"Of course he did. Booth's just my partner."

Everyone groaned. They had heard this before. Hodgins stood up.

"Well, I have some chromo-magnificents that need attending to. See ya." He left, and Zack hurried after him, still clutching Boris' skull. Angela crossed her arms.

"Brennan, I know you're my best friend and all, but really. Get a clue."

"I don't know what that means." Bones held Boris' x-rays up to the light, trying to ignore Angela.

"Will you just give Booth a chance, Bren? He could be your guy!"

Bones slammed down a scapula. "Why must you bring this up all the time? Besides-" She snapped on her rubber gloves. "Booth is probably already in a sexual relationship."

Angela shook her head, smiling. "Don't be so sure."

"Doctor Brennan!" Hodgins rushed back in, holding the bag of gravel from Boris Adam's driveway. "I have the results of the tests."

"Do they match?" She wasn't Enthusiastic."
"No. The substance on the skeleton contains minute traces of lyme- this driveway gravel doesn't fit- Boris was most likely innocent."

"He's still dead. Good job Hodgins. Now, after Zack is done with the skull, inspect it for lyme, like the last body."

"Right." He went back to his station.

Bones turned to her best friend. "Angela, will you tell Booth that the gravel from the driveway doesn't match, please?"

She sighed. "Sure, Brennan."

………………………………………………………………………

"Hey Seeley!" Angela called after Booth as he was walking out of Bones' office.

"Oh, hey." He was holding a folder of papers. "I got Boris' medical record for Bones."

"And I have a message for you from Brennan. She says there was no match between the gravel of Boris' driveway and the stuff on the body from the park."

"So the guy wasn't guilty. Great. What if somebody killed him because he thought he murdered the guy in the park?"

"That would really suck. So, Seeley, I hear you caught Brennan topless."

He wheeled around. "She told you that?"

"I forced it out of her. Anyway, what's the deal? Why don't you ask her out? She's single."

"I know that, but…. Bones is partner, Angela. I can't just go out with her. We're partners." He repeated, more to himself.

"Then you like her." It was not a question.

"I- Angela, go away."

"Well, I think she likes you."

"Really?" Booth looked up quickly, raising an eyebrow.

Her smile widened. "Ha."

Booth looked away, embarrassed. Angela sighed. "You two have something special. Everybody else can see it. Why can't you?" And she walked off, her high heels clicking on the tile floor. Booth watched her go, scowling, then went into Bones' office. He set the file on her desk and turned to leave, but something caught his eye. It as a stack of papers that didn't look like work crumpled up in the corner. Curious, he went over and spread hem out. It was a hand-written copy of the fifth chapter in Bones' book. As he scanned it, however, he noticed that the hot FBI agent in the book, Ryan Andrews, who the main character falls for's name had been replaced by "Booth" and scratched out in several places. His heart skipped a beat and he stuffed the papers into his pocket. Maybe he would take Angela's advice for once.

………………………………………………………………………

Booth flashed his card through the reader to get onto the lab platform and hurried to where she was working on the body of the first victim with Zack.

"Hey Bones."

"I got you an ID on the victim." She said, without looking up.

"Who is it?" He turned to Bones, but Zack answered for her.

"Peter Vivaldi Senior. He was an environmentalist whose work was not appreciated in a rural setting that relies heavily on logging. He wanted to make the park for becoming for tourists, and appealing to visitors."

"Could he be connected to Boris Adams in any way?"

Bones pulled off her gloves. "Most likely. A park ranger and an environmentalist in a small town? I'm sure they at very least met."

Booth nodded. "If he's Peter Vivaldi Senior, who's Junior?"

Bones shrugged. "That's where we need you."
"Ah." Booth winked and pulled out his grey razor phone. He speed dialed "2" and waited as it rang. Hodgins smiled wickedly.

"Whose number 1?"

"Bones."

"Wow. Really?" Hodgins shared a significant look with Zack that Booth fortunately missed as whomever he had been calling picked up.

"Yeah, its Booth. Find out the address and everything else about a Peter Vivaldi Junior." He hung up and turned to Bones.

"Hodgins should come when we talk to Vivaldi."

"Why?"

"Because he's the dirt guy-"

"Dirt is a very vague term," muttered Hodgins.

"-And he can find out where senior was killed, and by the way, Hodgins, Boris' body, was there any gravel stuff on it?"

"Yes. About the same amount as was on Vivaldi's body. They were most likely killed in the same spot."

"Right." Booth clapped his hands together. "Now we just have to wait for my people to get back to me about Vivaldi. So, Bones, want to get a bite to eat?"

"Sure." They were oblivious to the smiles and nudges Angela, Hodgins, and Zack were giving each other.

"Great. I'll meet you outside."

………………………………………………………………………

Booth drove to their favorite diner and he and Bones sat at their usual place by the window. They ate in silence, just enjoying each other's presence. After she had finished her salad, Bones turned to Booth and found him staring thoughtfully at her. She smiled hesitantly.

"What?" She asked.

"The FBI character in your book is me." It was not a question.

"Wha- I- Booth…"

He cut her off. "And you're Kathy."

"Says who?" She was beet red and angry now.

"Says me." And he leaned in and kissed her. Bones' eyes widened in shock and she look wildly around the diner for a second or two, her mind whirling. Booth had gone nuts. She thought about slapping him, then thought better of it. At last she closed her eyes and surrendered to her heart.

………………………………………………………………………

"You WHAT?" Angela's voice cracked as she hit an octave Bones thought should only be discernable to dogs.

"Shh!" Bones hissed, keeping her eyes on the skull in front of her. "I thought you said you would keep this quiet!"

"Well, Sweetie, that was before you told me. My god." Angela collapsed into Hodgins' rolling chair.

"Hey! My rolley chair!" Hodgins entered and surveyed the scene. "OK, what happened?"

"She,"

"Angela!"

"Made out,"

"Angela!"

"With,"

"Angela!"

"Booth." She paused for dramatic effect. "In a diner."

"Woah!" Hodgins' eyes bugged out. "Dude! Really?"

Zack came jogging onto the lab platform, holding a skull on a tray. "Doctor Brennan, I cleaned the bones for you and I found out the cause of death was indeed the fractures to the neck and skull, as you hypothesized."

Bones nodded, trying to clear her head. 'Right. Uh, good."

"It appears his neck was jerked to the night, then snapped when it was yanked to the left. You already said-"

"What's broken?" Booth had arrived. He trotted up to the squints' level, tucking his access pass into his pocket. Bones turned away, looking very intent on her work. Angela beamed.

"The neck," Explained Zack, curiously looking at his coworkers. Angela was determinedly not making eye-contact with Hodgins and Bones was staring blankly at the skeleton in front of her. Zack blinked owlishly. "Am I missing something here?"

"No, Zack attack." Angela put an arm around his shoulders. "Why don't you come with me and check out this drawing of the victim…" And she quickly led him away. Hodgins was left staring between Booth and Bones.

"I gotta go." He said, barely concealing his smile. "Tests going on,"

Bones did not look up from her skeleton as he passed her, and Booth cautiously stepped forward.

"Hey Bones."

"Hi," They stood in silence for a minute or two, Booth with his hands in his pockets before Bones slammed down the skeleton's foot. "I'm sorry, I just-" She broke off as Booth took a step closer. "Just feel,"

"Yeah." He pulled her chin up so she was looking into his warm brown eyes. "Hey? Look, I'm sorry if I upset you, Bones. I can go-"

"No!" She sighed. "I'm just afraid this will interfere with my ability to work."

"Will it?"

"No." She said firmly, convincing herself.

"Then there's no problem?" He smiled crookedly.

She sighed again. "No." And she let him gently kiss her. There was a resounding BANG! They broke apart, Booth's hand jumping to his gun. Zack was standing there, a tray of implements dumped on the ground.

"I'm sorry Doctor Brennan, I dropped it and I- I- dropped… it."

"Right. Um, no problem Zack. I'll just…" She hurried out of the lab. Booth shot a look at Zack that clearly said "I'll deal with you later" and ran after her. Zack was left standing, mortified, with an empty tray in his hands.

"Oh no." He said.

"You can say that again." Hodgins peered around the corner. "Dude, Booth is gonna kill you the next time he sees you."

"You really think so?"

Hodgins laughed. "I know so, man."

Zack groaned. "Then I'll just have to make sure he doesn't see me."

……………………………………………………………………

OK, you guys know what I like; REVIEWS!!! Thanks for sticking with me between the months of not updating- I'm moving out of the country and have moved twice since I last updated so- :P I'll update again before the 15th. Love you all!- Lizzy88