Thanks so much for all the reviews! I originally wrote this as one really long story, but decided it was way too long to post on the site as a one-shot, so I tried to find good spots to break it up into chapters. It worked pretty well until I got to the second half. So this chapter is kind of short compared to the others, but the next chapter is going to be really long, so I hope you don't mind too much.


Booth and Brennan quickly pulled their lips away from the other. Her hand rested on his shoulder as his moved down to her neck. Sounds of girlish giggles and deep kisses filled the room as the invading couple entered the auditorium. They remained close enough to the entranceway that their faces weren't able to be illuminated by the stars above them. Booth cleared his throat loudly to alert them that they didn't have the place to themselves. The couple broke apart and froze in place.

"I told you this place would already be taken," Angela sighed.

"Angela?" Brennan asked, recognizing her voice.

"Bren?" she replied, recognizing her voice.

"Oh, great. Squint invasion," Booth muttered. He dropped his hand off of Brennan's face and placed it on top of their still-intertwined hands.

"Booth?" Hodgins drunkenly asked. "Is that Booth?"

"Yes, it's Booth," Angela answered. She turned to her friends. "So this is where you disappeared to."

The couple finished stepping into the auditorium, which exposed their faces and allowed them to see Booth and Brennan for the first time. Angela's eyes immediately noticed their close proximity to each other and their joined hands. Her eyes then traveled to the side of the auditorium, and she spotted Brennan's shoes and Booth's jacket and tie thrown haphazardly over a chair.

"What'cha guys doing?" she asked, suggestively.

"Nothing," Booth shrugged.

Angela smiled as she fought back a giggle. Even if they didn't want to admit it, she was fairly certain they had been in here kissing. She then silently cursed both herself and Hodgins for interrupting what could've turned into something more between her best friend and the FBI agent. "Yeah, that's what Hodgie and I came in here for, too," she said, a wicked smile on her face.

Booth immediately dropped Brennan's hand and completely broke contact with the anthropologist. He shifted away from her uncomfortably as a small grin began to form on 

Brennan's face. She liked seeing him squirm sometimes. Angela then noticed her friend's loose hair.

"Sweetie, what did you do to your hair?" Angela asked with an appalled look on her face. Brennan looked flustered and ran her fingers through the length of her hair. She had forgotten all about the fact that she had destroyed Angela's hard work.

"I…it's his fault!" Brennan said, pointing at Booth. He looked shocked.

"What did I do?" he protested immediately.

"You told me to come lay down under the stars with you," she said.

"As I remember, all I said was 'come lay down.' How in the world does that translate into 'Please, Bones, destroy your friend's hard work?'" Booth countered. Angela smiled but decided to put an end to the bickering before either of them got too upset.

"You guys are cute," she said. "And I really don't care about what you did to your hair."

"Angie, look," Hodgins said, finally speaking. He pointed up to the stars.

"What is it, baby?" she asked, looking up.

"There's so many!" he exclaimed with awe.

"He's a little drunk," Angela explained.

"This place is cool!" Hodgins exclaimed, stumbling to lie down on the carpet. "Are they supposed to be spinning that fast?"

"Sorry for interrupting," Angela said.

"You weren't interrupting anything," Brennan said. She was fairly certain that her best friend had deduced that she and Booth had been kissing, but she wasn't quite ready to admit it out loud to Angela yet. "Feel free to hide out with us, if you'd like."

"Great," Angela said.

Angela got onto the floor in between Hodgins and Brennan. Hodgins immediately wrapped her up in his arms, pressing their bodies together. Booth and Brennan lay back as well, keeping a bit of distance between them. Both stared at the stars and didn't look the other in the eye, slightly embarrassed about essentially having been caught making out. Silence filled the room for a while until Hodgins started uncontrollably laughing.

"What's so funny?" Brennan asked.

"It's so big," Hodgins chuckled, still amazed by the stars above him. His drunken amazement sent the other three into their own fits of laughter.

"How much did he drink?" Booth asked.

"Too much," Angela replied.

"Nah, it could never be too much. I was sticking it to the man!" Hodgins said, enthusiastically.

"So would that be me, Hodgepodge?" Cam asked.

Booth, Brennan, and Angela all sat up instantly, startled by Cam's voice. They sat up to find an angry but amused looking Cam standing at the auditorium's entrance with her arms folded across her chest. Hodgins, in his drunken state, didn't realize what was going on and remained lying on the floor.

"Whoa, Angie, that sounded just like Cam!" he exclaimed. "How'd you do that?"

"It was Cam," Cam said, looking directly at Hodgins.

"Oh, crap!" Hodgins exclaimed, shooting up to join his friends.

Cam took in the scene in front of her and instantly noticed Brennan's disheveled hair and the clothes that had been flung into the chair. She looked at the partners. Booth looked slightly embarrassed as Brennan looked calm and composed, as normal. Hodgins had gone back to gaping at the stars, from a sitting position this time, while Angela kept glancing between Brennan and Hodgins, as if she couldn't decide which one of them to keep an eye on.

"What's going on in here?" Cam asked. She wasn't sure she really wanted to know the answer to that question, but, as the boss, it had to be asked.

"We were just looking at the stars," Brennan replied instantly as Booth blushed. He felt like he was seventeen and back in the principal's office.

"They stole our sex room!" Hodgins exclaimed, pointing at Booth and Brennan. Now it was Angela's turn to blush as Brennan and Booth both looked mortified.

"What? No! Cam, we didn't! I swear I was in here a good 30 minutes before anyone, including Bones, even showed up!" Booth stuttered. "We were not having sex in here. I promise!"

Cam's lips twitched into a smile at her ex-boyfriend's very flustered reaction. Same old Seeley. "Okay, maybe I didn't make myself clear. When I said we all had to attend the party, I meant you actually have to attend the party, not stay for half an hour and then go hide until it ends. Man, if I had to pick which one of my employees would be most likely to go hide during this banquet, I would've picked Zack!"

"Is anyone else seeing three of her?" Jack whispered. Angela shook her head no.

"Okay, so maybe I should let you leave because you're obviously wasted, but the rest of you…let's go," Cam said. She turned to Booth and Brennan. "Get dressed."

"What? I…look…fully clothed!" Booth said, motioning between himself and his partner. Brennan began to move towards her shoes. "It's hot in here, okay? A guy can take off his jacket, and those shoes of hers don't exactly look comfortable. Jeez!"

Cam smiled once again at Booth's reaction and turned to walk out of the planetarium. Angela noticed the disappointed looks on Booth and Brennan's faces and decided to work a little Angela magic.

"Cam!" she called, running after her boss.

"Yes?" Cam said, turning to face her.

"Let Booth and Brennan stay in here," Angela said.

"Why?" Cam asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

"They're finally talking. You know, working through their issues," Angela improved.

"What issues would that be?" Cam asked.

"The ones they've had ever since Brennan let Sully sail into the sunset without her. The ones that have been affecting their cases and working relationship lately," Angela said, placing emphasis on the 'work' part of her argument.

Cam took a moment to think over Angela's proposal. "Okay, just for a little while longer, but you and Hodgins have to come back to the party."

"On our way," Angela smiled.

Angela walked back into the auditorium to find Brennan attempting to make her hair look presentable. Booth was watching her, and Hodgins was struggling to stand up. Angela walked over to help her boyfriend and smiled as Booth very obviously watched Brennan mess with her hair.

"Hey, Cam said you two could stay here," Angela said. All three of the other people in the room looked surprised.

"How is that fair?" Hodgins protested.

"Why would she do that?" Brennan asked.

"I told her you guys were talking and working through your issues," Angela said.

"We don't have issues," Brennan said.

"Look, it was obvious that you guys want to stay here, so I said what I had to say to get Cam to let you do just that. You guys can come back to the party if you want," Angela said, beginning to leave with Hodgins. "Oh, and Booth, I know it's dark in here, but I'm almost positive that that shade of pink lipstick really isn't your color."

"Angela!" Brennan exclaimed as Booth began to furiously wipe his mouth.

"Have fun, Brennan," Angela said in a sing-song voice as she and Jack left.

"Well, that was embarrassing," Booth said, lying back down. Brennan lay besides him, closer to him than when Angela had been there.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Do we have issues?"

"I don't think so. We did, but we got through them," he said. "Unless…"

"Unless?"

"Why'd you really stay, Bones?" Booth asked, knowing he probably wouldn't get an answer.

"Booth!" Brennan exclaimed. How many times did they have to go over this?

"Seriously," Booth said. "There are no therapists around, no nosy forensic artists, just you and me. You can tell me. Why'd you stay?"

"You heard Dr. Wyatt, Booth. I'm unable to live a meaningless life right now. You said yourself that lifestyle isn't me," she answered.

"And you yourself said that it could be," he retaliated.

"Someday, perhaps, but obviously not right now. Let it go, Booth," she said.

He stayed quiet for a minute, deciding whether he had yet to piss her off enough for him to actually drop the subject. He glanced at her and smiled. "You stayed because of me."

"I did not" she said calmly, her eyes never leaving the stars.

"You did," Booth said.

"I did not. That would've been irrational."

"Okay, Bones, keep telling yourself that," he said.

"Okay, new subject, please," she requested. The irritation in her voice was growing. He knew he should drop the subject and let it go, but something inside of him wouldn't give up until he got her to admit the truth.

"It was because of me!" he said again, this time with a gloating tone of voice.

"Just look at the stars, Booth," she said, deciding to ignore him.

"It's okay to admit it, you know," he said.

"Booth," she said, pointing up to the stars.

"Okay, okay," Booth said, finally conceding. He'd just have to bring it up again later.


One more chapter left! And remember, reviews are always greatly appreciated.