A/U: First off, I want to sincerely thank everyone for the alerts and the reviews I've gotten. The reviews I've gotten have been so kind, and I honestly don't think you all know how great it makes me feel when I read them. 3 Second, I just wanted to let you guys know that it might be just a little longer between updates now, since as much as I have published now, is as much as I have written. But I'll try to update at least once a day. =]

Chapter Three:

"He Was Being Romantic"

"Angela, it wasn't a date. We just went ice skating." Brennan explained to her co-worker, and female best friend, Angela Montenegro, over the phone.

Brennan had her cell phone pressed to her ear as she slid on her black heels, that were similar looking to the pair she was wearing before, just matching better color wise with the black blouse she changed into. When she stepped outside, she was grateful that it was only drizzling, so the rain didn't frizz her hair out before she even got to the diner. She held her purse pathetically over her head as she fast walked to her car, trying to focus on getting down the pathway to the car unscathed and Angela's words on the other end of the phone at the same time.

"Did he hold your hand?" Angela asked.

"Well, yes, but it was only because I was falling," Brennan replied simply, getting into the car and putting her keys into the ignition to start it up.

"That's a date move, Brennan!" Angela sighed at how oblivious her best friend was, "He was being romantic."

"He wasn't being romantic, he was being a good friend," Brennan said, stubbornly.

"Sweetie, Booth has been in love with you since the day you met."

"Has he ever told you this?"

"Well, no."

"So you have no proof of this, you're just guessing."

"You can identify a dead body from a pinky finger, but you can't see how crazy he is for you? He's putting himself out there. I think he's afraid to make the first move, which is why you have to. Take charge, Bren."

"I've never actually identified a body from a single phalange."

"See, you're changing the subject because you know I'm right."

"No I wasn't, I was just informing you that your statement was incorrect."

"Brennan," Angela huffed, seeing that this back and forth was getting no where, "I don't know how you can't see just from the way he looks at you."

"I'm bad at reading people, just ask Booth," Brennan said, parallel parking on the side of the road as she got out and started to walk towards the diner.

"Sweetie, it's so obvious, Stevie Wonder can see it."

"I don't know what that means."

Angela huffed in irritation, forgetting that she couldn't make pop culture references around her.

"Stevie Wonder. He's blind? He sings and plays the piano? Signed, Sealed, Delivered? My Cherie Amour? I Just Called To Say I Love You?"

"Ange, I love you too, but I really have to go, I just got to the diner."

"No, sweetie, that's the name of the so-"

Brennan had already clicked the off button on her phone and stuffed it back into her purse before Angela could finish her sentence. She was pleasantly surprised when she saw Booth at the table they always sat at, seeming slightly restless and bored as he waited for her.

"Hey, Bones, you made it," his lips turned up into a Booth-y smile when she sat across from him, setting her purse in her lap as she smiled back, "I was just about to call and see if you decided to ditch me for Sully or something."

"Booth, it's been a year, Sully and I aren't anything anymore," Brennan said simply.

"Are you sure?" Booth asked, his eyes playful as he looked at her, "because the two of you were pretty, cozy."

"Yes, Sully and I slept together," she confirmed, "but I've slept with a lot of people that I don't even talk to anymore. Haven't you?"

Brennan was oblivious to how uncomfortable this conversation was making him as she watched the young brunette waitress set down their food in front of them. Booth ordered for her, since he knew what she would have wanted. A salad and a Coke. He felt saved by the waitress when she set down their food, and quickly changed the subject.

"Hey, pass me the ketchup, will ya', Bones?"

Reluctantly, Brennan passed the ketchup across the table to him, knowing that he purposely avoided the question, but not really pressing the issue. It wasn't a big deal anyway.

They ate for the first few minutes in silence, neither of them having much to say. Angela's words had Brennan's mind occupied. Maybe he did have the same feelings for her. But she didn't want to tell him how she felt until she was sure.

"Hey, Booth?" Brennan asked, not looking up from her salad, to make it seem like she was just creating small talk, "can I ask you something?"

"You're asking me a question?" Booth asked, slightly shocked at this, "Since, according to you, all logical answers can be proved with science, why don't you just ask a test tube or something?"

"Booth, a test tube is an inanimate object. It couldn't possibly give me a rational answer."

"I was-You know, never mind. Just ask."

"If you loved somebody, would you tell them?" She asked.

"Is this about Sully?" Booth asked back at her, not answering the question.

"No! It's not about Sully! What is with your fixation on Sully? Can you please just give me a simple yes or no answer?"

"Well, yes, of course. Isn't that the whole point of a relationship? You're dating for a little while, and eventually you fall in love? The relationship can't move forward if neither person says those three 'magic' words."

"There's no such thing as magic," she said, simply, "but putting that aside, I don't mean someone you're dating. I mean, if you loved someone you weren't supposed to. Like, if you were in love with someone, but loving them could very possibly get you in trouble."

"What the hell are you talking about, Bones?" He asked, completely lost now.

"Have you ever slept with someone you worked with?" She asked, as if that were a very normal and innocent question.

"Woah," he said, his eyes widening in shock as she just looked at him with a clueless expression, seeing nothing wrong with her question, "do you really think this is an appropriate topic for a diner?"

"Well I'm asking you, not the rest of the customers," she shrugged, "So, yes. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with this discussion. I'm actually finding it quite stimulating."

"Well I'm disagreeing with you on this one, Bones," he said, looking at his plate to avoid the way she was looking at him, "why don't we talk about something, normal, for once? Like baseball. Or football. Or maybe, a new movie that's coming out."

"Those don't sound like very interesting topics. I'd much rather stay on this one."

Booth huffed, knowing that she'd never let it go, because that was just the way she was.

"Why do you care so much who I've slept with?" He asked.

"I don't," Brennan assured him, "I was just curious to know if you've ever had a sexual relationship with a co-worker. Because I've heard that being romantically involved with someone you work with could get you in ice water."

"Hot water, not ice water." He corrected her.

"That doesn't make much sense," she said, taking a bite of her salad, "I'd much rather bathe in hot water than in ice water."

"Who told you this anyway?"

"Sweets."

"So you listen to Sweets now?"

"Sweets has had some successful relationships."

"Sweets is twelve! What does he know? He still thinks girls have cooties."

Brennan looked up from her salad and gave him 'the look'.

"Can you just answer my original question?"

Booth huffed again, finally giving into her begging.

"No, the answer is no. I've never slept with a co-worker."

"Thank you," Brennan said, still mind boggled as to why it took so long to pry such a simple answer out of him, "see? That wasn't so bad. I don't know why you get so flustered when the topic of sex comes up. It's a completely natural process."

"Yeah, that's great, Bones," he said, holding his hand up to signal for her to stop talking, "now can we just relax on the sex talk until I finish my dinner?"

"I can't believe it's raining again," Booth muttered as they stood under the awning out front of the diner, neither of them wanting to step out into the storm quite yet, "you'd think the clouds would just, be empty by now."

"Actually, they're all different clouds," Brennan informed him.

Booth didn't even respond, feeling in no mood to get into an argument with her about how she took everything way too literally.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" He asked.

"I'm not an invalid," she reminded him, "and what would I do with my car?"

"Gee, I don't know, leave it until morning?" He suggested, the sarcasm detectable in his voice, "Bones, I'd really just feel better if I drove you home. My SUV is much better in the rain than your piece of crap car."

"My car is not a piece of crap," she said, feeling slightly offended when he insulted her car, "but if it's really that big of a deal to you, then you can drive me home."

By the time they reached Brennan's house, the rain had gotten even worse, pelting loudly on the ground as thunder cracked violently and flashes lit up the sky. When they got out of the car, they made a dash for the door, getting under the awning as quickly as possible.

"Thank you for driving me home," Brennan shouted over the rain.

"No problem," he assured her, "but I should probably get going now, before this gets even worse than it already is. I'll see you tomorrow, Bones. Maybe we'll do a movie."

He made his way quickly down the steps of the porch, but Brennan stopped him before he could get too far away, feeling as if she wasn't even in control of her own mouth.

"Booth!" She yelled, over the rain, "Booth!"

"What?" Booth asked, turning around as the rain pelted his face.

Brennan made her way down the steps of her porch and met him in the middle walkway.

"Bones, what the hell are you doing?" He asked, "get inside."

"I love you," she yelled over the rain, wincing when the rain pelted her face.

Booth felt as if his entire world was just flipped upside down when he heard the words 'I love you' come out of her mouth. Did she just say she loved him? Or did he mishear her, since the rain was so loud?

"What was that?" He yelled back, completely soaking wet at this point.

"I love you," she repeated herself, wrapping her arms around his neck, taking him completely by surprise as she lowered her voice a little now, "I love you, Seeley."

When he just stared at her like she was completely insane, she felt a mixture of disappointed, hurt, and foolish. She knew it was a bad idea to tell him how she felt, but she did it anyway. She went to unwrap her arms from his neck, feeling like she was going to crumble, until he grabbed her by the waist and pressed his lips to hers, magic seeming to happen as soon as their lips connected. After only a couple seconds, Brennan pulled away, and Booth was slightly confused as to why she did.

"Do you love me too?" She asked quietly, since he never said it back.

"Temperance," she felt her spine tingle when he used her first name, "I think I can show you better than I can tell you."

And with that, he lifted her up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist before he carried her swiftly inside and to her bedroom.