A/N: Well, it's 6 AM here and I still haven't been to bed, so I wondering what I could possibly to do keep myself entertained at this hour, and the answer came to me in a flash:add the finishing touches on the chapter I've been working on for over a week, ofcourse! So anyway, here it is, for your reading pleasure :) It's not devoid of errors, but atleast it's long. And we meet Angela for the first time, just as she lays eyes on our dynamic duo-also for the first time. 'Nough said. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Miss me, Bones?

'So is it always like this when you two are together?'-Angela Montenegro

Two and a half years later...


Two years later, things were going better than Tempe could have imagined. She and the boys had settled into a comfortable routine together, and their rhythm was hardly disturbed when Russ got deployed again. For his part, Booth was always on active duty, but his unique skills as a sniper meant that he was called in less frequently and for more specific missions-which he was never allowed to talk about. Temperance wasn't sure she wanted to know the details, either way. She only cared that he always came home in one piece, even if sometimes it took him a while to get back to his old self again, as if the weight on his shoulders was too great to be lifted. Tempe remembered that Russ had been that way, too, when he came home from being deployed overseas, but there was a sadness in Booth that seemed deeper and more profound, making it almost impossible to get through to him. Temperance was the only one who managed to see past that seemingly affable exterior to the masked the pain and tumult within, just as Booth was the only one to breach her barrier of stony detachment. The walls she had put up around her heart after her parents' disappearance in an effort to protect herself from the inevitable heartache and pain of abandonment could offer no resistance in the face of one Seeley Booth; but instead of leaving her vulnerable and defenceless, being around Booth made her feel hopeful, and in a word, happy. All in all, the little surrogate family they had formed had reinforced Temperance's belief in the words Booth had spoken to her on the day they first met-there was more than one kind of family. The only time there had been any talk of bringing about a change their living situation was when an estranged aunt had visited from North Carolina, soon after she heard of their parents' disappearance. She had offered to take in Tempe atleast until she was done with school, but neither of the two siblings had been keen on the idea, and Booth had positively balked at the fact that Russ would even consider it when his friend had brought it up later in private. While money was not an issue-their parents had left them a small fortune (in fact, it was an unusually large sum to have been accumulated by a school teacher and a librarian alone) Russ was concerned that his sister needed an older, female presence in her life. Booth had convinced him that Temperance was just fine where she was, and since then he and Bones-the nickname had stuck-had grown steadily closer, building on that connection they had shared right from the start that was unlike anything either of them had ever known. Booth was caring and protective-to the point of being overbearing-and had it been anyone else, Tempe would have found the constant coddling unacceptable. With Booth, though, she had come to accept it-enjoy it, even. (Ofcourse, she would never admit that to anyone). Booth, in turn, dealt with any unwelcome onslaught of non-brotherly feelings towards her by dating a slew of women. During one particularly bad phase, he had even picked things up with an old high school sweetheart of his, Cam Saroyan. Ofcourse, he regretted the desperate move soon after, especially because he genuinely valued Cam's friendship. When he had ended the brief affair, his first thought had been that she might get along well with Temperance, and he hoped he hadn't screwed up their relationship for good. The fact that that was the only thing that crossed his mind reaffirmed his belief that it was the right thing to do. If he had given the matter much further thought, ofcourse, he would have felt incredibly guilty at the other implications that came with that sentiment-as it was, he chose to ignore them or simply didn't take notice. Booth had always found it easy to get women-his army buddies would attest admiringly (and grudgingly) that they were throwing themselves at him all the time, even if Booth would object to the phrasing-but he prided himself on never being the kind of guy who would use a woman. Truth be told, that was exactly what he had turned into, albeit subconsciously. Thankfully, he was too focused on his relationship-or non-relationship-with Bones to even notice or care. If he had done a little soul-searching and been forced to face the unpleasant reality of what he had become, he may not have been able to handle the guilt that was sure to follow. Already he was beginning to doubt the man he had turned into, disillusioned by the horrors he had witnessed, and weighted down by the burdens of the lives he'd taken. If it wasn't for Bones-her unwavering support, her unquestioning loyalty, her faith in him, and just the fact of her-he would have fallen apart completely. Temperance, for her part, buried herself in books and schoolwork, leaving no time to entertain distractions like boys, for which Booth-and Russ-were eternally grateful. By the time Temperance was nearing seventeen, things were going smoothly enough that Russ decided to enlist again, trusting that his (no longer so) little sister could take care of herself-and where she couldn't, Booth would step in to help. This time when Russ tentatively-and half-heartedly-revisited the idea that Temperance could live with her aunt for a while in his absence, Booth went into a mild panic. If he was being honest with himself-and he seldom was, anymore-he would have admitted that as much as he loved his friend, it wasn't the idea of Russ not being around that he found so disturbing-but not having Temperance in his life was beyond unacceptable. In fact, after the suggestion-if that's what it had been-was discarded, and Russ left home once more, Booth took one look at the expression on Temperance's face and seriously entertained the idea of ripping his friend apart limb from limb. A few months later, when he put that expression there himself, he felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest, and he was propelled into making some important, 'life-changing' decisions. In any case, a short while before Temperance's 17th birthday, Russ did leave, and a short while later, she graduated from school.


He had to stop doing this. That was the first thought running through Booth's head when his sleep-filled eyes registered his surroundings and the sweet weight in his arms. Before he surfaced completely, however, the only thing running through his head was how incredibly good it felt to hold her. He hadn't slept so well in about…alright, three days-but before that time, he couldn't recall ever having a better night's rest in his life. They had even managed to avoid the awkwardness the morning after-his companion seemed completely unruffled and Booth had pretended everything was alright until very soon, it was. On this particular morning-as on the last-his first instinct had been to pull the warm body draped across him even closer, shut his eyes, and just savour the moment. Then Bones snuggled further into his chest and let out a soft, contented mewl that made Booth almost whimper. Yeah, he had to stop doing this. He drew in a deep, steadying breath as he prepared to disentangle himself from the sleeping young woman (woman? when had that happened?) beside him, but that only served in making things worse as his nose was buried in her soft auburn hair, and her ridiculously delicious, sleep-tousled scent assaulted his senses. Before he did something he would regret, Booth sprang into action, and in one quick and efficient movement, he had climbed over her sleeping form and off the couch, landing lithely on his feet. Time to make some breakfast. Yep. No use beating himself up over something that would never happen again.

But ofcourse it did. Two days later, Booth woke to find himself in the same position, pressed against the back of the couch with Temperance cuddled in his arms. As on the two previous occasions, they had stayed up watching television and talking, and ultimately fallen asleep together. This time it had been their Friday marathon night, which had become a ritual after that first one. The only difference was that as time went by, instead of sitting on opposite ends of the couch, they would both huddle in one corner, with Booth's arm slung over the back of the headrest and Temperance pressed against him. Sometimes Russ would join them too, but their incessant bickering and Booth's limitless patience as he explained the more 'illogical' aspects of the movies to Temperance proved to be more than he could take. His own exasperated response to her questions-'It's a movie, Tempe-just watch it' earned him glares from Booth, who would promptly turn to his sister and explain to her, in greater detail than usual, exactly what it was she wanted to know. Booth's actions always prompted Russ to roll his eyes at the irony of the situation, considering he picked on Temperance endlessly himself. Russ once wondered-many, many years later-whether another reason he stayed away from these movie nights was because he didn't want to see something that was so obviously right in front of him-that his best friend and his sister shared a bond that went far beyond mere friendship. He had always chalked up their closeness to a type of sibling-like attachment, something resembling what he and Tempe shared. And it was easy to think that way, for the most part, when he saw Booth and Tempe interact. There was something about watching them together in a more relaxed, intimate setting, though, with the lights dimmed and their focus on the movie in front of them-and also each other, Booth's arm often wrapped around Temperance as she leaned imperceptibly against him-that should have set off warning bells in his head. As it was, he chose not to notice. With any other couple-or non-couple-their behaviour towards each other would have raised many questions and atleast a few eyebrows, but there was a rightness about the two of them together that made any trivial concerns regarding boundaries and impropriety vanish altogether.

This waking up entwined on the couch thing was new, though. It had started a while after Russ had left, and while Booth told himself-repeatedly-that it was just a seemingly innocent act of intimacy between two friends, he was very much aware that Temperance was a 16 (or barely 17) year old kid who had fallen asleep in the arms of a 21 year old, and it just wasn't right. That didn't stop it from happening quite a few times on that same trip home, though. On the visit in question, Booth had returned for Temperance's high school graduation. He was going to be around for two weeks at least, and two months at best. Tempe had become accustomed to the vague restraints the demands of the job placed on the time he spent at home. She was just grateful to have him around. She hadn't expected anyone to be there supporting her on the 'big day', except Aunt Gilda who had come down from North Carolina for the weekend. Russ would not be able to take a leave of absence so soon after signing up, and with Booth there was never any way of knowing when he was going to return from one of his 'assignments'. Temperance hadn't been overly disappointed that no one would be in her corner to cheer her on-she was just glad to be done with high school. She hadn't liked the place all that much anyway, and to her graduation marked the day she would be leaving behind all the bad memories and moving forward with her life, taking with her an untarnished record of academic excellence. In truth, though, she hadn't realised just how much she wanted one of the boys to be there until she heard the obscenely loud hooting when the cap was placed on her head and turned to find Booth standing in his seat beside her aunt and clapping wildly from the middle row of the audience. After grinning widely-she was too happy to see him to feel any embarrassment at his antics-she had waved her scroll in the air like all the other kids and spent the rest of the ceremony stealing glances at him, smiling inanely. His gaze was fixed on her the whole time, and their eye contact only broke when another student obscured her from view for a few minutes. Once the ceremony was over, Temperance was in his arms before the final words were out of the announcer's mouth, clinging on to him as he told her he was proud of her, and-noticing her obvious surprise at his unexpected return-informed her he 'wouldn't have missed it for the world'. For the first time that she could recall, the rest of the girls in Temperance's year looked at her with undisguised envy; and she took great pleasure in informing them that yes, she lived with Booth, and no, they were not related, and-for some reason she had never enjoyed saying these words before-he already had a girlfriend so he was firmly off the market, especially to a bunch of swooning 17 year olds (she had no way of knowing if this last bit was true, though. Booth kept his love life-in other words, his sex life-intensely private, and it suited them both just fine. She had a hard time keeping track of all of his exploits, since the only details she had were the ones Russ provided her with, and as far as she could tell, all his girlfriends-except Cam-were blonde, blonde, and came equipped with a pair 'killer legs'. Tempe did not understand why her brother felt the need to emphasise the colour of their hair twice, or why she had developed something of an aversion to all individuals who fit that description.)

As it turned out, Booth was at home for a full two weeks that summer before he got the detested call. This time when he left with the usual promise that he would be back, he also added that it wouldn't be for just a short visit. Nonetheless, they had a tearful goodbye, and Booth left for the 'undisclosed location' of his mission, returning only six months later. He only managed one phone call four months in to tell her he was fine, congratulate her on joining Northwestern, and give her the approximate date of his return. It was the longest time the two had been apart since their first meeting.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where our story-finally-picks up.

Six or seven months later...


Temperance walked out of her anthropology lesson with a small smile on her face. The class had been most enjoyable, and the professor, Michael Stires, seemed to recognise and admire her intellectual abilities, instead of feeling threatened by them as her teachers in school had been. She was reflecting on the interesting lecture they had just had on Amazonian tribes when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

'Sweetie!'

Brennan smiled. In the last few months, Angela Montenegro had become like the sister she had never known. Temperance never had many friends growing up, and after she and Russ moved in with Booth, all her attention was divided between the boys and her schoolwork.

'Hey, Ange'

'So…how was the class with the hunky professor?'

'Stimulating.' Catching Angela's wicked grin, she qualified, 'from a purely academic perspective.'

'Sweetie, you have to learn to loosen up a little.'

Brennan stopped walking to transfer some books into her sling bag, attempting to put off the inevitable lecture on 'having fun' that was headed her way. She greatly enjoyed Angela's company, but her persistent nagging could be quite frustrating. Unfazed, the art student came to stand in front of her, large portfolio clutched protectively against her chest and foot tapping impatiently. Brennan looked up again with a sigh 'Ange, I'm not here to ogle attractive men-'

She trailed off as her gaze landed on the person standing a few feet behind Angela. 'Bren?' She looked like she had seen a ghost. Or an as yet undiscovered eighth wonder of the world. Or something. Angela regarded her friend worriedly, before turning to see what had captured her attention, and her jaw went slack. When her ability to form a coherent thought returned, she decided she had come much closer to the mark with the second one. Or the third. If Brennan had had eyes for anyone else but the man standing a few feet away from her in that moment, she would have laughed. Every single female face in the corridor-and a few others, too-wore an identical expression to that of her best friend's. The object of their attention, however, seemed to be focused only on the young woman currently gaping at him like she couldn't quite believe he was there. 'Miss me, Bones?' Leaning negligently against the lockers, looking too damned good for his own damned good, was one Seeley Booth. Just like that, the moment was over, and they abandoned their staring competition and closed the distance between them.

Booth couldn't believe it was really happening until she was in his arms. None of his fantasies could feel that good. It had been so long-too long-since he'd seen her, too long since he'd held her, and now she was pressed against him, her curves (where had those come from?) molded perfectly against his tall, muscular frame. He never wanted to let her go. 'Bones.' The word came out softly, reverentially, just as she murmured 'Booth'. He pulled back just for a moment to look at her. Their eyes met, and he didn't think he'd ever wanted anything more badly than he wanted to kiss her right then. Instead, he simply drew her closer and breathed, 'God, baby, I've missed you'. Burying his face in her hair, he inhaled deeply. Oh Sweet Lord. He nuzzled her hair and at the sound of his voice right at her ear Brennan shuddered and pressed impossibly closer to him.

They pulled away only slightly and Booth was momentarily distracted by Brennan's brilliant smile and those pools of liquid blue-oh, God, those eyes had haunted every single one of his dreams for the past seven months-before a new emotion flashed in them and she began to pound her fists none too gently against his chest. 'Ow! Jesus, Bones, what the hell?' Booth recovered and grabbed her hands in his, yanking her against him. For a minute they just stared at each other as she stood there, fuming silently, her chest heaving and her cheeks flushed. She blew a wayward lock of hair from her face, and all Booth could really think was that she looked adorable when she was pissed. He wisely decided not to voice that sentiment, however, and instead looked at her appraisingly and raised a perfect eyebrow. 'If I let you go now, will you behave?' Brennan said nothing and just stared at him defiantly. He released her slowly, and she promptly started hitting him again. 'You' punch 'were supposed' punch 'to be home' punch 'two weeks ago.' Punch punch. 'Have you any idea how worried I was? And I-I called Russ, and he said he didn't-didn't know where you were, and-and you said…' She was now almost hysterical, and Booth pulled her tighter against his chest, effectively trapping her in his arms as she attempted to wriggle out of his grasp. 'Hey, hey. Shh.' He soothed. 'It's okay. It's okay. I got you, baby.' After she had calmed down a little, he pulled back and gently wiped the tears from her face. 'Bones, I'm really sorry. I tried to call, I did, but you know how hard it is to get to a phone someti-' Temperance gave him a watery smile and placed her hand on her lips to shut him up, disliking the guilty, worried expression on his face, and hating herself for putting it there. ''Sfine, Booth'. She was still sniffling softly, though, and it about broke his heart. Booth just sighed, and wrapped her in an embrace once more.

Ofcourse, both of them remained oblivious to the stares they were receiving, and most passers by had long since resumed going about their lives, leaving behind only a few stragglers discretely ogling Booth-and Angela, who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. She had followed the whole exchange with rapt attention, only looking away occasionally because while they had been disgustingly appropriate, witnessing the intimacy and tenderness with which the two regarded each other made her feel like a voyeur. Once she decided she had given them enough time though, her curiosity won over, and she made to interrupt. Brennan had some serious explaining to do.

'Sweetie?'

No response.

'Bren?'

Neither of them even seemed to notice.

'BRENNAN!'

Frowning, Brennan pulled away from Booth only slightly. 'There's no need to yell, Angela.'

'Oh, silly me. I should have thought of that the first three times I called your name at a normal decibel level.'

Brennan muttered something under her breath that sounded like, 'I hope you tried "excuse me" first.'

But Angela had already turned her wide grin on Booth. 'Sweetie, aren't you going to introduce us?'

'Oh. Yes. Ofcourse. Angela, this is my…this is Seeley Booth. Booth, this is Angela. She's in the same-'

'Angela. Montenegro. I'm an artist. Hi.'

Booth extended his hand without relinquishing his hold on Brennan. 'It's nice to meet you, Angela. Call me Booth.' He flashed her a smile that made Angela's own grin vanish and reduced her mind to mush. 'Uh…um...ah.' It seemed she had lost her ability to form words, so she just nodded mutely instead. Booth flashed her another quick smile. While Angela stood there gaping like a fish, he turned his attention back to Bones, who was looking at her friend curiously. 'Ange, are you OK?'

Recovering commendably fast, Angela rounded on Brennan, wide toothy grin back in place. 'So studly here is the reason none of the boys here get a second glance, huh?' Before Brennan could form a reply, she had turned to Booth and began studying him like he was her favourite flavour of ice cream. 'We're…we're not a couple.' 'We just live together.' They exchanged panicked glances, and Angela raised one delicate eyebrow. Suddenly, they both seemed to realise their position-Booth's arm around Brennan's waist, her hands resting on his chest-and they sprung apart hastily at the same time.

Angela caught on to that second one. 'You live together?'

Brennan frowned. 'Well actually, my brother and I used to stay with Booth. I've told you that before.' She then turned to the man in question and continued, 'But then I started college and you left and I figured it would make more sense to stay in a dorm on campus-'

Before he could stop himself, Booth interrupted her. 'You'll come back, though, right? I mean, I'm going to be here for a while, and…' His voice dropped to a near whisper, 'you do want to come back right, Bones?' he managed to keep his voice steady, but the panic was evident on his face. He had definitely not considered the very real possibility that Bones may not want to come back with him, especially now Russ wasn't around.

She smiled at him softly and reached out to place a soothing hand on his arm. 'Ofcourse I do, Booth.'

'OK. Good. That's good. '

They stood there grinning inanely at each other until Angela broke the spell. 'So does that mean you're moving out of the dorm, Bren?'

Both Booth and Brennan started, obviously having forgotten Angela was there. Neither of them was aware how they had closed the distance between them either, but they were once again standing nose to nose. As they backed away, Booth cleared his throat and Brennan answered the artist's question in her usual matter-of-fact way.

'Yes, Angela. Now that Booth is back…'

Angela raised a hand to silence Brennan, who trailed off confusedly. She then flashed Booth a flirtatious wink and a smile that made her friend frown, grabbed Brennan's arm, and pulled her a few feet away, throwing an equally dumbfounded Booth a few words over her shoulder. 'Just give us one sec, hun. Girl talk.'

Once they had put a few feet and a couple of bodies between them and Booth, Angela turned to Brennan and spoke in an urgent, hushed tone. 'OK, Bren, I'm going to ignore the fact that you neglected to tell me you so much as knew this gorgeous hunk of man meat'- she gestured towards Booth –'let alone lived under the same roof as him.' Brennan opened her mouth to interrupt, but Angela once again raised a hand to stop her. 'Wait a minute, I'm not done. Don't interrupt me.' She drew a deep breath. 'Sweetie, I know you, and I know you're not like everybody else when it comes to relationships, and…well, people. And I love that about you. I do. But Bren, honey, do you really know what you're doing here?'

Brennan looked at her friend quizzically, but didn't say anything. As Ange herself put it, she didn't often 'do serious', but the artist's expression and tone of voice at that moment could not be described as anything else, and Brennan had no idea where this line of questioning was coming from. When the silence continued for another few seconds, Brennan gathered that she was supposed to respond. 'So I'm allowed to talk now?' She clarified, and then continued off Angela's impatient nod. 'Well, in that case, I'm…I'm honestly not sure what you mean, Ange.'

'Sweetie, are you sure you want to live with Booth?'

Brennan looked surprised and somewhat offended at the question. 'Yes, ofcourse.'

'It's just…he's a lot older, you know? Don't get me wrong, he seems like a nice guy, but…your brother isn't around anymore, and…'

'Booth is family to me, Angela.'

Angela opened her mouth to reply to that, but something in her friend's expression and tone of voice told her it was best not to press the issue.

'Alright, Bren. If that's what you want.'

'It is.'

All of a sudden, Angela's cheerful demeanour returned. She gave Brennan a mischievous smile and said brightly, 'well then, we don't want to keep Mr. Hot Stuff waiting now, do we?'

With that, she sauntered down the hallway towards Booth, leaving Brennan to shake her head bemusedly at her antics and follow after her.

When Booth noticed the girls approaching, arms linked, his gaze automatically sought out Brennan's, and the two smiled at each other before he turned to Angela. Booth swallowed. To say he didn't scare easily was an understatement, but there was something about the way the young artist was looking at him that made him nervous as hell. For some inexplicable reason, it seemed like he was being put through some kind of test, and he had to pass-if not because Seeley Booth didn't do failure, then because she seemed important to Bones. Anyone else would have been summarily dismissed by now, and he didn't think he'd ever seen someone-besides him or Russ, ofcourse-drag Brennan off against her will and then return with all their limbs intact. Brennan. It was weird that Angela called her that. To him, Russ had always been Brennan. But then, he supposed Bones was a Brennan, too. A smarter, sweeter, better looking version, who was easier on the eyes and felt so much better in his arms. He smirked at the thought. She was just an all-round improved, sexier-whoa. No, no, no. No. He instantly felt horrible for thinking that way, and then winced as an additional stab of guilt made its way through at the thought of what the other Brennan would say if he could read his mind right then.

'Booth?'

He realised belatedly that his eyes were screwed tightly shut against the onslaught of unwelcome thoughts and emotions. When he opened them to look at her, however, any poorly constructed excuse he had been coming up with-it had just been too long since he'd been with anybody, she was just looking…different…now, and he had yet to get used to the fuller curves and more womanly air-was cast aside before it could be formed. This had nothing to do with anybody else, and it was not going to go away if he blinked a few times. He tried the second tactic anyway. 'Huh?' It came out more like a squeak.

Bones was looking at him strangely, and Angela was still grinning like the cat that got the canary, and the combination was unnerving. 'Sorry, Bones, I guess I just zoned out there for a second'. Before she could respond, he qualified, 'it means I was distracted. What's up?'

'Are you alright?'

'Sure, sure. I'm fine. Just a little tired.' He flashed a set of perfect white teeth that left no doubt as to how fine he was.

Brennan softened in consideration. 'Oh, yes. You must be exhausted. When did you get back?'

'Eh. Little while ago.'

'Long flight?'

Booth remained silent.

'Oh, right. You're not going to answer.'

'Best not to bore you with the details, Bones.' He grinned at her again. 'I was planning to sneak into the house and surprise you, but it seems like you beat me to it'. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and Brennan's eyes widened as she instantly recognised her own writing. 'I was pretty shocked when Mrs. Jenks gave me this, you know.'

'I'm really sorry I didn't tell you I'd moved, Booth. It was just…you hadn't called in weeks, and I thought it would be easier to commute, and-' she glanced away and said so softly he almost didn't catch it, 'the house wasn't the same without you and Russ around.'

Booth reached out and gently curled a finger under her chin, prompting her to raise her eyes to meet his gaze. When she did, he spoke softly but surely, 'hey listen, Bones, I'm not going anywhere for a while, OK? I know Russ isn't coming home for another three or four months, atleast, but I'm not going anywhere.' He said that last part slowly, as if he wanted to make sure she understood. 'It's going to be just you and me for a while, kiddo.' She smirked at that, even as her eyes felt somewhat misty at the way Booth was looking at her right then, and her stomach felt oddly like there were little winged creatures battling for dominance inside of it. Booth had taken to calling her that every time he wanted to make fun of her when she couldn't do something on account of her age, like-most recently-driving to school, or going to a bar without getting carded. She now had a license for the first, and a fake license for the other (even if Booth didn't know that yet) so he couldn't tease her about either of those things anymore, but he still used the nickname occasionally. 'And Bones…' this time it was Booth who glanced away, taking a deep breath to compose himself before looking back into her eyes. 'If you-if you want to stay here, you know, that's…that's completely fine. I'd totally understand if you didn't want to move back now that-'

Brennan cut him off mid-sentence.

'Booth, ofcourse I want to go back.'

Booth's grin was hesitant and shy, a combination that she rarely saw on him, and Brennan thought it was adorable. 'Yeah?'

'Yes. I can't believe that you think you even had to ask.'

Just like that, the lost little boy expression was replaced by his usual cocky bravado. 'You know, just checking, Bones. I knew you'd say yes. Who could possibly turn down an offer to live with me?'

Brennan rolled her eyes. 'If you were so sure of my answer, why did you ask at all?'

'Just being polite Bones.' Booth flashed another cocky grin as he rocked back on his heels. He really was looking entirely too good today. Dressed all in black-a form fitting t-shirt that accentuated his rippling biceps and perfect acromion, black jeans that rode low on his lean hips. Brennan became flustered when she realised the direction her thoughts were heading.

'Oh. Well. I was just wondering what you wanted to do now. I don't have any more lectures to attend, but I do have to officially vacate the dorm premises. Also, since there's a girls only policy, I'll have to get permission for you to enter first, though I fail to see any reason-'

'Say no more, Bones'. He pulled another slip of paper from his jeans pocket, this one more crisp and official-looking. 'I have got to visit the main office so I can pick up my course schedule'.

'Your course schedule?'

'Yep. Bones, you are looking at the newest-and probably oldest-transfer to Northwestern University'.

'Booth, you've enrolled as a student here?' Brennan was stunned.

'Yeah, well, you know, I figured I never did this college thing, what with the army and all, and I had decent grades on those distance courses I took, and you're here, so…' he trailed off self-consciously and rubbed the back of his neck. 'Say something, Bones?'

Brennan recovered from her shock and broke into a huge smile. 'Booth, that's wonderful!'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah'.

Booth laughed and rubbed his hands together. 'Well okay, then. I will…go down to the office and get this admissions thing sorted out, and you can go get started on packing up all of your stuff. Why don't you ask your pretty artist friend to help you-' he jerked his head in Angela's direction and Brennan frowned slightly at the way he had described her, but the girl in question had made herself scarce a good while ago. Ofcourse, Booth and Brennan had been too wrapped up in each other to notice when she had made her exit. 'Huh. Guess she disappeared. Must have had somewhere to be'.

Brennan looked around confusedly. 'She doesn't usually do that…'

'Yeah, well'. Booth shrugged unconcernedly, but then winced a little as he remembered the way the girl had looked at him a few minutes ago. 'She doesn't like me very much, does she?'

'She doesn't dislike you, Booth. She just…doesn't know you yet.'

'Well, she could've fooled me.'

'Angela's can be very protective of me'. Brennan smiled wryly. 'In fact, for that reason alone, I think you'll get along just fine.'

Booth laughed. 'Alright, Bones. Chop chop. We've got work to do.'


When most of Brennan's stuff had been packed away in boxes, and the girls were putting the rest away in a comfortable silence, Angela decided to broach the topic again.

'So…Bren', she began, folding a sparkly green top that had been a gift from Angela herself, 'I'm still not convinced this is a good idea.'

Brennan carefully lifted a pile of books from the shelf and placed them in the box next to her. 'What do you mean?'

'You know, you and this Booth guy, playing house. I know you've done it before and all, but your brother was around then, and you don't know-'

'Angela, I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of this.'

'I just think we should talk about it for a second, Brennan. I mean, this guy shows up out of nowhere and now you're ready to move in with him? Hell, I've never even seen him before, and I'm your best friend!'

'I've told you about Booth before, numerous times. Unless you've forgotten the details I shared with you about our living situation-'

'I remember just fine, Brennan.'

'-I don't see why this is a problem.'

'Yeah, but-'

'As for you not meeting Booth before, regardless of how close we are, Ange, you only met me six months ago, and as I'm sure I've mentioned, Booth was deployed-'

'You didn't mention that he looked like…that!' Or that he looked at you like that.

Angela wisely chose not to say this part aloud, but her words made Brennan frown and prickle with irritation for reasons she could not fathom. Booth was unusually attractive, and it was most usual for someone of Angela's age-or a woman of just about any age, for that matter-to take note of that.

'I fail to see how his physical appearance has any bearing whatsoever on his character or my relationship with him.'

Angela moved to stand in the centre of the room and crossed her arms in front of her, deciding to stare Brennan down. Considering her friend's back was turned to her and she was still meticulously piling books into the carton by her side, this tactic proved to be quite ineffectual. Ange threw her arms in the air in exasperation. 'Argh! Brennan! This is an important conversation we're having. Will you atleast look at me?'

Brennan calmly dropped the last pile of books into the box and turned to face her friend, crossing her arms across her chest to mimic Angela's stance.

The silence stretched on in the little dorm room for several seconds before Angela decided to break the stale mate.

'Well?'

'Well what?' Brennan allowed a small smile as Ange caved. She knew her friend couldn't stand prolonged silences.

Angela just glared at her. Brennan sighed. 'What do you want from me, Ange?'

'What I want, Brennan, is for you to talk to me.'

'About what?'

'About Booth!'

'Ange, I don't know what else I could possibly say to you. This conversation is pointless and unnecessary.'

'Brennan. You're going to move in with a 23 year old-'

'Whom I have lived with for the past several years and who is the closest thing I have to family besides Russ! Booth is important to me, Angela, and I know it may seem…unusual…at our age for two members of the opposite sex to cohabitate, but nothing about my life for the past three years has been usual. Look, I appreciate your concern, I do. But this is my decision to make, Ange. And I would really appreciate it if you could respect that.'

Angela, who was a little stunned by the impassioned rant, simply nodded mutely. She could see that her friend wasn't going to change her mind on this, and it was no use trying to convince her otherwise. Temperance Brennan was nothing if not stubborn. Besides, it was obvious this Booth guy really cared about her. As in really, really cared. To be honest, that was another thing that she was worried about. While Brennan was stronger than just about anyone else Angela had ever met, she could be extraordinarily naïve sometimes. Especially when it came to men. Still, Booth seemed like a great guy, and from what she had heard from Brennan, she had no reason to doubt that he wouldn't ever try anything her friend was uncomfortable with. Brennan was right. It wasn't his fault he looked…the way that he did, in any case. 'Alright, Sweetie. You're absolutely right. This is your decision and…I'll admit that I don't…understand it-not completely atleast-but I will support you. One hundred percent.'

Brennan was a little taken aback by the easy acquiescence, but she took it in her stride. 'Alright. Well. I would appreciate that. Thank you, Angela'. With that, she turned back to the second shelf of books waiting to be packed.

'Anytime Sweetie. And Sweetie?'

'Yes?' Brennan turned to look at her as she kneeled beside another box.

Angela's suddenly playful tone of voice should have sent of warning bells in her head, but she was too preoccupied to notice. 'So…when you say that you and Booth are like family, you mean…he's like…a brother?'

Brennan shrugged nonchalantly but looked away from Angela's gaze. 'Sure'. For some reason, the slight pang in her chest made her feel like she was telling a lie.

'Mm hm. So you wouldn't mind if I…went for it?'

Before Brennan could respond that she didn't know what that meant, Angela clarified, 'You know, if I asked Booth out? Like on a date?'

By now the slight pang had intensified to full blow panic. 'Ofcourse not. I mean I wouldn't. Mind. That is. Why should I?'

Angela snorted inelegantly at that, seeing right through Brennan's lie. 'Please, Sweetie. Who are you trying to kid?'

'I don't know what that means.'

And there it was. It was clear that Brennan was only using her patented phrase as a diversionary tactic, but Angela decided to let it slide. Just that once. Besides, she could have a little fun ruffling Bren's feathers first. Rolling her eyes at her friend's antics, she climbed on to her purple silk duvet and made herself comfortable, grabbing one of the deep purple cushions and propping herself on an elbow.

'You know', she began, absently chewing on the (purple) tassels and twirling her hair with her free hand, 'from the way you talked about Booth earlier, I really didn't think he'd be such a stud muffin.'

'Oh?'

'Yeah, I expected bald, old and stuffy. Not…tall, dark, and handsome.' She said the last three words in a throaty purr, laden with innuendo that even Brennan couldn't miss.

'Well, I can't imagine why you'd think he was old or bald, Angela'. Brennan's voice came out testier than she had intended. She loaded the next pile of books into the carton with unnecessary force. Angela just smirked. 'I did tell you he was a sniper in the army with Russ-'

'I know, honey. I guess I just didn't think it through. Silly me. So…do you think he'll go for it?'

'Go for what?'

'Well for me, ofcourse. If I asked him out.'

'Oh. I suppose so'. The next pile of books was dropped in as unceremoniously as the last, and Brennan had to fight not to grind her teeth together. 'You're very attractive, Ange. You know that. I should tell you, you're not his type, though.'

'Oh?'

'No.'

'And…what is his type?' Brilliant, geeky, gorgeous and clueless?

'Well I wouldn't know, since I haven't actually met many of his girlfriends. Booth makes a point not to bring them home. And he doesn't like to discuss his love life.' She put the last two words in quotes, and she couldn't hide her grimace. Interesting.

'He doesn't, huh? How do you know what kind of girls he dates, then?'

'Well, Russ told me.' Brennan repeated Russ' description to Angela, and then frowned again, this time in confusion. 'Although he repeats the word blonde twice. I'm not sure why.'

Angela stifled her laughter with her cushion, and then pulled it into her lap, moving to an upright position. 'Oh, Bren'. She shook her head in amusement. 'Don't worry Sweetie, even if I was going to be a terrible friend and hit on this guy, I don't think he'd be interested.'

Brennan was genuinely confused by that, and also too relieved to hear that Angela would not be trying to hit on Booth after all to read into her friend's choice of words. Turning to face her roommate for the first time since they had started discussing her romantic prospects with Booth, she asked, 'why not, Ange? You're very beautiful and sexually alluring. Booth said so himself.' She said that last part so softly that Angela almost didn't catch it, and averted her gaze so she was scowling at the wall instead.

'He said that, huh?'

'Yes, I believe he referred to you as my 'pretty artist friend'.'

Angela snorted to herself. Unbelievable. He didn't even register my name. She supposed she should be insulted by that, but remembering the way he had looked at Brennan when he first saw her in the hallway, she couldn't muster up any resentment towards the guy. And he had called her pretty, even if it was just to appease the girl he was really interested in. Brennan was still continuing with her tirade about anthropological inevitabilities and pretending not to care whether her best friend dated Booth or not by affecting an air of nonchalance. In normal terms, she was rambling.

'Anthropologically speaking, while most men do look for certain qualities in a potential mate, they are often willing to compromise on these if they find a woman as attract-'

'Bren, honey, I appreciate the anthropology lesson on why men go for bimbos-and the part where you called me attractive-'she flashed a wide grin 'but that's not really what I meant here. What I was trying to say is, I don't think Booth is interested in…dating any woman, right now.'

'Ange, I can assure you that while I haven't actually met any of the bimbos he's dated, Booth is most certainly interested in women. In fact, I think he's a little homophobic, although he claims not to be'.

Angela laughed. 'I don't doubt that, Sweetie. What I mean is, he's off the market right now.'

'I don't know what that means'. This time Brennan's confusion was genuine. Angela just grinned mischievously. She really didn't have a clue. Oh, there was so much work to be done.

'It means…never mind, hun. I'll explain it to you later'. Before Brennan could interrupt, Angela quickly changed the topic. 'So…did you know Booth growing up? You mentioned Russ and he were pretty close even before you guys moved in'. She opened a pack of sour punks and offered one to Brennan, who refused. Angela shrugged and began chewing on hers happily. 'Well?'

Brennan was squinting at the fine print on the back cover of the anthropology journal she held. 'Oh…no. Russ spoke about him a lot, but we'd never met before. Booth moved to Chicago around the same time that we went to live with him, actually. He grew up in California'.

'Oh. What about his folks, though? You said his grandfather left him this place.'

'Yes. His grandfather is extremely wealthy. He travels a lot, and he had no use for this house, so when Booth decided to move to Chicago, he gave it to him as a 'present'.

'Geez. Suddenly that little Ford mini my Dad got me for my 17th birthday seems like a toy'.

Brennan laughed. 'Yes, well, Booth and his grandfather are quite close. He usually detests rich people, but he and Hank share a strong bond. Booth goes down to see him a few times a year. We've spoken on the phone a few times, but I'm never met him.'

Her soft smile as she spoke about Booth almost made Angela sigh. She had it bad. Suddenly, a thought struck her and her eyes widened in horror.

'Oh, Bren. Please tell me you aren't related. Or atleast that you're not, you know, first cousins or something'.

'What? Ofcourse not, Ange. When you asked if Booth was like my...brother' she curled her lip in distaste, 'I didn't mean he was actually related to me in any way'.

Oh, Thank God. 'I should hope not'.

'What? Why?'

'Because, Sweetie.' Because if a guy looked at his sister the way Booth looks at you, he'd be doing it from behind bars in most countries. Including this one.

'Well, that hardly qualifies as an answer, Angela.'

'For one thing, it would suck for any girl to be related to that hunk of meat. Seriously, that would raise some major…issues. For another, well, I just can't imagine you hugging your brother the way you hugged Booth, is all I'm sayin''.

'I was just happy to see him. It was a guy hug.'

Angela raised an eyebrow. 'A guy hug?'

'Yes, that's what Booth calls them'.

'You mean you two do this often?'

'Do what?'

Oh,I don't know. Cling to each other for dear life like you'll both stop breathing if one of you lets go?

When Angela (wisely) remained silent, Brennan shrugged and went back to piling the last of her stuff into a large box that still had some room in it.

'Honey, guys don't hug. Specially not guys like Booth.'

'You don't even know Booth.'

'Oh, but it seems you do. A lot better than I thought, apparently.' She murmured the second bit under her breath so softly that Brennan didn't catch it.

'Yes, I do'. Brennan looked up distractedly, running through a mental list of things she might have forgotten.

Angela sighed indulgently. 'Oh, Sweetie. I'm gonna miss you. I'm still mad, though'.

Brennan frowned, puzzled. 'Why are you mad?'

'Oh, let's see, maybe because my best friend neglected to tell me that she not only knows the hottest man on the planet, but he's beyond interested in her. And seriously, if that's how you look at Russ…', she climbed out of bed and relieved Brennan of the packed carton while her friend picked up another and went to take down her timetable which was posted near the door, 'well, you sure must like your brother.'

'I do'.

'She does.' Neither of them had noticed Booth standing in the entrance just behind Brennan. Angela nearly dropped the box she was holding and Brennan started slightly at the sound of his voice right behind her. Thinking he had scared her too, he placed a soothing hand on her waist, keeping her from turning around. He hadn't noticed the way her eyes slammed shut at the contact-and thankfully, neither had Angela, who had her back turned to them as she placed her load back on the ground gingerly.

Brennan was just about to turn around and face him when he spoke again.

'Sorry, Bones, didn't mean to scare you.' He assumed she was still a bit rattled when she shivered slightly as he spoke, and he instinctively pulled her closer as his hand absently began to rub gentle circles where it rested on her hip.

'B-Booth? How long have you been standing there?'

'Just long enough to hear something about Russ and the hottest man in the universe.' He paused for a second as he realised how that sounded, and Brennan's eyes popped open. 'Please tell me I'm missing something here'.

He looked to Angela for clarification, just as Brennan piped up, 'she said planet'.

Booth raised his eyebrows at her over Brennan's shoulder, and Angela gulped and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'universe sounds about right'.

'Sorry, Angela, didn't catch that. What did you say?'

Oh, now he remembers my name.

'Er…we were talking about…Michael!'

'Douglas?' *

'Stires'. This from Brennan, as she shot daggers at Angela through narrowed eyes.

'Who's Michael Stires?' Booth frowned. He had been sure the girls were talking about some celebrity they had a crush on. It wasn't like Brennan, but from what he remembered, 18 year old girls tended to do that a lot. Maybe she had changed. She certainly seemed to have changed in other ways. And he didn't like the tell-tale blush creeping up on her as he said the name. One bit. Ofcourse, he had no way of knowing that had nothing to do with Michael Stires and everything to do with the way his voice rumbled against her back as he spoke.

'Brennan's anthropology professor.' Behind her, Brennan felt Booth go stiff all over. Her WHAT?

Brennan looked up at him concernedly as he all but roared the two words. Had his hearing been affected on this latest mission? 'My anthropology professor' she said slowly and clearly. 'Well actually, assistant professor.' Booth looked down at her in wide-eyed horror. So he had asked that question out loud. He rephrased and repeated it just to be sure. 'Your professor?'

'Yes, Booth. Assistant professor. Are you feeling alright?' She reached up a hand to touch his cheek.

Booth drew in a deep, steadying breath as his eyes slammed shut of their own accord. Oh Sweet Lord, give me patience. 'Bones', he said in as even a voice as possible, 'please tell me you're not dating your…professor.' He practically spat that last word, and tried to ignore the bitter taste in his mouth.

'Ofcourse not, Booth'. She was somewhat annoyed by his huge sigh of relief. 'Why? Would it be such a bad thing if I was dating someone?'

Yes. YES. How many ways can I say this? Yes! 'No, ofcourse not'. Booth brushed aside the question dismissively. 'You can do...whatever you want now'.And she could. Legally. She was 18 now. He remembered when he was 18...Oh God,no! Forcing himself not to go down that road, he quickly returned to the subject at hand. 'But your professor? Give me a break, Bones.'

'There's nothing wrong with Michael.'

'Michael?' It came out like an angry growl. 'Really, Bones? You call your professor Michael?'

'Well, yes.' She looked at Booth like he was acting stupid. 'That is his name, after all. And I see no reason why I shouldn't go out with him if I felt inclined to do so. If I was interested-'

'Are you?'

'No', she sniffed. Booth relaxed visibly at that. 'But as I was saying, if I were interested then I can't see why I wouldn't act-'

'Are you kidding me? You can't date your professor!'

'Give me one good reason why I shouldn't.'

'I...I won't allow it.'

Brennan bristled at that. 'You won't allow it?'

'No.I'm gonna have to put my foot down here, Bones.'

Brennan snorted. 'Booth, I hardly think you're in a position to-'

'Fine. Then I'll tell Russ! We'll see what he has to say about the whole thing.'

'I should remind you that there is nothing to tell, and even if there-'

'He's too old for you.'

'You don't know how old he is.'

'Well, how old is he?'

'Not much older than you, actually'. Brennan gave another disdainful sniff.

'Like I said, too old for you.'

'He is not too old for me!'

'Yes, he is. Older than me is too old for you.'

They glared at each other for a moment before Booth caved. 'How much older?'

'Just over a year.'

'And you…like this guy?' Booth licked his lips nervously, not sure he wanted an answer.

'I like that he seems to know his subject matter and makes an interesting conversationalist. But I just told you I wasn't interested in Michael-' Booth's jaw clenched at the name '-romantically, Booth. I admire his intelligence and-'

Before Brennan could say anything potentially damaging, Angela stepped in. It was fun watching these two go at it, but Booth looked like he was about to shoot something. She could already tell he wouldn't hurt Brennan, but she wouldn't be at all surprised if Michael Stires turned up dead in a ditch somewhere the next morning.

'Actually, Booth, it's the other way around, if anything. Stires has the hots for her.' They both turned to her in surprise, obviously having forgotten that they were not alone. Again. Angela just grinned widely and popped another sugary treat in her mouth. She had quickly learned not to be insulted by the fact that she seemed to completely fade into the background when these two were together-it seemed the whole world just melted away as soon as they laid eyes on each other. Instead, she just flapped her legs in the air a few times and continued to watch the verbal volleyball match from her vantage on the bed. She had long since abandoned trying to make her presence known and was now lying flat on her stomach on the comforter, her chin resting on her hands and her feet flapping wildly behind her. Brennan opened her mouth to object to Angela's last statement, but she beat her to the punch. 'Please, Sweetie, he's asked you to stay back after class three times in the last five days. And don't tell me you were discussing science.'

Brennan cringed. Michael had also asked her to 'grab a cup of coffee' with him after class on more than one occasion, but she was glad that Angela hadn't mentioned that part.

Booth looked down at Brennan expectantly, and she glanced back up at him for a second before averting her gaze. Angela found it most interesting that the two had yet to realise or move from their position. Him leaning in the doorway with one muscular arm propped up against the wooden frame and his other hand resting on Brennan's hip, and her leaning imperceptibly against his own broader frame. They looked ridiculously good together. Seriously, they should have their own TV show. Brennan looked up at Booth again. 'Well, I-I will admit that he does make an effort to converse with me after class hours, but if I realise he desires to instigate a discussion that is not academic in nature, I manage to excuse myself. Politely, ofcourse.'

Ofcourse. Booth's expression was as unreadable as a block of stone, his posture rigid. He made a monumental effort to keep his voice level as he asked the next question. 'Has he ever tried anything else?' Brennan looked away once more.

'Booth-'

'Answer me, Temperance.' Brennan shivered at the way he said her name. Angela could hardly blame her. She felt singed from all the way across the room. Ho boy. Booth ofcourse assumed that the shiver was prompted by fear-of him, no less-and he instantly wanted to kick himself. His demeanour instantly softened and he pulled Brennan a little more firmly against him and spoke directly into her ear. 'Hey, Bones, I just…I just want to know if this guy is bad news is all. You know you can tell me anything, right?'

Brennan closed her eyes and sighed as she melted against him. Booth smiled into her hair and continued to trace random patterns on her hip. Angela felt like a voyeur, but neither of them noticed her. Brennan sighed again. Damn him. Even when she was fuming at him, she couldn't lie to the man. 'No, Booth. He…he just…'

Brennan could almost feel the anger radiating of his rigid frame. 'He just what, Bones?'

Suddenly her own anger was back. She didn't have to answer to him. Why did he make her feel like a nervous schoolgirl reporting to her father? He wasn't responsible for her, and she sure as hell wasn't responsible to him. Rounding on him suddenly, she jabbed a finger into his perfectly muscled chest and hissed. 'He just asked me to grab a coffee with him a few times, that's all! Is it that difficult to believe that someone would interact with me in a non-academic setting?'

Booth raised his hands in surrender. Women. You never can win. This thought was followed by another, more sobering one that gave him pause. Bones is a woman now. He had had a similar moment of clarity back in the hallway when he first saw her, but it was still a chilling realisation. Yep, she definitely had changed. 'Whoa, easy there, Bones, simmer down.'

She jabbed him in the chest again. 'Is it so hard to believe that someone would want to have a conversation with me over a cup of coffee?'

'No, Bones, you know I think you're brilliant-'

'This may seem unfathomable to you, Booth, but there are some people out there who actually think that I'm interesting.'

The fire had diminished somewhat by now, and a note of hurt had crept into her voice. Booth gently placed his hands on her shoulders and looked down, trying to meet her eyes. When he succeeded, he flashed her another one of his charm smiles. 'Bones, do you honestly think I don't know that? You're incredible. I know that. You know that I know that.'

She lifted her eyes to his and vainly attempted to hide a small smile. He smiled back, and she jabbed him one more time for good measure. Booth quirked an eyebrow. Good to know she hadn't changed completely. 'You done?'

She looked at him appraisingly before conceding a small nod. 'Yes'.

'Good'

'Fine'

'Fine'

They quickly became lost looking into each other's eyes and abandoned their word game in favour of a staring contest. Brennan realised belatedly that turning around had brought face her within inches of Booth's, and the proximity was intoxicating. They remained pressed together, their eyes locked, both of them lost in a trance. Until-

'Aww'. They both turned to face Angela abruptly. 'Hey, don't stop on my account. I was thoroughly enjoying the show'. She popped another piece of candy in her mouth. 'So is it always like this when you two are together?'

Ofcourse, they answered simultaneously.

'Yes!'

'No'

'That's kinda hot.'

Booth and Brennan exchanged panicked glances and then jumped apart hastily. Angela grinned wickedly and sprung up from her perch on the bed. 'Well, in case you lovebirds have forgotten, we have some moving to do'. With that, she picked up one of the smaller boxes lying at the foot of the bed and sauntered out of the room. When she reached the doorway, she looked back at Booth-who was still standing near the entrance-'I'll leave the bigger ones for you, Studly.'

Booth and Brennan stood in awkward silence for a moment after Angela had left the room, and Booth cleared his throat. 'I'll just…she doesn't know where the car is'.

'Yeah'

With that, Booth sprang into action, picking up two large crates and heading out of the room-which he had never really entered in the first place. He was gone so fast that she Brennan couldn't have followed if she wanted to. As it was, she just sighed and took the moment alone to compose herself, not even attempting to understand why she felt so rattled in the first place. Crossing her arms across her chest, she averted her gaze to the floor and began biting a nail, waiting for Booth or Angela to come back and show her the way to the car so she could help with loading up her stuff. In the end Brennan decided the only thing that mattered was that Booth was back. She couldn't have been happier. She smiled to herself.


Once most of the boxes had been piled into the back of Booth's truck-another one of the cars his grandfather had left to him with the house that he'd restored in the past year-it was time for Brennan and Angela to say their goodbyes. Booth was shuffling things around in the trunk to make place for the last two boxes-and also to give the girls some privacy-and they stood across the student parking lot, facing him.

'So I'll see you Monday, Bren?'

'Yes. I have a biology lecture first thing in the morning. And Booth is going to be joining as a freshman here as well, so I assume he'll want to get a headstart on his classes.'

'Oh, Sweetie, that's great! You'd better be prepared for all the jealous glares, though.'

Brennan frowned. 'Why would anyone be jealous?'

'Sweetie, you're going to be riding in with that-' she gestured in Booth's general direction '-everyday. Have you seen that man?'

'Angela, I highly doubt that anyone is going to be jealous, regardless of how attractive Booth is-'

'A ha! So you admit it. You are attracted to Booth.'

'What? I-ofcourse not, Ange. I said he was attractive, not that I was attracted to him, personally...His features are very symmetrical and pleasing to look-'

'Brennan, it's OK to say it'. Ange grinned and titled her head towards Booth, who was now walking towards them from across the lot. 'That man is sex in black jeans.'

Brennan smiled and flushed a little as she watched him approach. 'Yes, well, don't tell him you think that. His ego is large enough as it is.'

Booth came up to them with a smile on his face and clapped his hands together. 'Well, ladies, seems like it's time to go. Bones, you want to take a look at the room again, see if we've missed anything?'

Brennan nodded and headed off to the dorm room once more, leaving Booth and Angela alone.

Booth turned to Angela with a smile on his face. 'Well did I pass?'

Ange laughed. 'Excuse me?'

'Oh, please. I've been under inspection since the moment I got here.' He grinned good-naturedly, and Angela smiled back. 'Hey, I get it. Standard best-friend screening test, right?'

Angela raised a hand to her chest in mock surprise. 'Why, I have no idea what you're talking about, Booth.'

Booth smiled again, but this time he turned a little serious. 'Listen, you know Bones-Brennan, she told me you've really looked out for her these past few months and…well, I just want you to know I really appreciate it.'

Angela just nodded silently.

'And…I also want you to know…' he looked at her earnestly, willing her to understand what he was saying-and what he wasn't saying. 'Bones…she's important to me. Really important. She and her brother…they're sort of like family. Anyway, I'd never do anything to hurt her, in any way. I just thought you should know that.'

Angela already had a you'd-better-take-care-of-her-or-I'll-kick-your-ass speech at the tip of her tongue, but she took one look at Booth and realised it was not required. Instead, she said, 'she's really something special.'

'Yeah, she is.'

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence until they heard the sound of feet approaching. Looking up, they spotted Brennan walking towards them. Booth turned to Angela. 'Well, it really has been nice meeting you, Angela. I hope we'll be seeing more of each other soon.'

'Me too. It's kinda nice to see the normally unruffled Temperance Brennan getting all worked up over a real live human being.'

'Yeah, well…' Booth blushed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, but he flashed her a tiny smile. Oh God, she could eat him with a spoon. If only Brennan wasn't her best friend. Angela sighed wistfully.

'All set, Bones?' Booth smiled at Brennan as she joined them, and she gave him a small nod. 'Great. He smiled at her for a moment longer and reached out to squeeze her hand before excusing himself to go to the car. Neither of them could ignore the familiar jolt of electricity they both felt at the contact but that was exactly what they chose to do. 'So…I'll just-give you two some space'.

Once Booth had retreated a fair distance, the two friends turned to face each other. 'Well, Angela, I'm going to miss living with you. It's been…interesting'. Impulsively, Brennan pulled her friend into a hug. Angela teared up slightly and returned the gesture whole-heartedly. Brennan didn't hug very often.

'Aw, Sweetie, I'm going to miss you too. You sure you want to do this?'

Angela already knew the answer but her heart about melted at her friend's reply.

'Yes, Ange. It's been wonderful staying here but I just…' she looked towards Booth who was now opening the driver's side door. He met her eyes and gave a small smile and a wave before climbing into his seat. Brennan mirrored the gesture and without taking her eyes off him, she finished, 'I just want to go home.'

Brennan was halfway across the parking lot when Angela called out to her. 'Hey, Bren!'

Brennan turned. 'Yeah?'

'Tell Booth he passed.'

A/N:

*Remember folks, it's the 90s, so Michael Douglas is still considered a heartthrob by many teenage girls.

Who knew sprang was not a word, right? Or is this just one of those American English things where some words are just...eliminated? Either way, I'm too sleepy to care.

Anyway, what did you think? Good? Bad? Ugly? I apologise for any inconsistencies in writing about the college. I just got done with high school, and I've never been to the States, so I just went with what seemed right. Any thoughts on what Booth's major should be?

Oh,and I had to ask-does anyone remember the episode where Booth and Brennan are having one of their trademark bickering fests,and it concludes with the both of them going-'fine' 'fine' 'okay' 'fine'-or something of the sort? I know it sounds like every next conversation between the two, but I'm thinking of one in particular. If anyone knows what I'm talking about, I'd really appreciate an answer here. It's been driving me-and my other Bones-obsessed friend-to distraction. Thanks!

Sidenote:In case any of you have noticed, I made a few edits on this one today. Nothing major, just some improvements in phrasing and word selection, so it should read more smoothly now. Cheers!