Brennan pursed her lips together as the realization hit her that her publicist had all of the subtlety of a pit bull; at least Angela wasn't quite this overt in her attempts to push her and Booth together the way Natalie seemed to be trying. Clearly she was going to have to make it clear that she and Booth were simply partners; well partners that were very good friends, but that was as far as it went, outside of her fantasies that is, not that she was even going to mention that Freudian slip of a thought to Natalie. Damn psychology.

"Just how many people are you expecting for lunch?" Booth hadn't wasted any time at all; filling up a plate from the array of food from the cart; there seemed to be enough for at least six people. He noticed the champagne, assuming that it was to congratulate Bones on some milestone on her book and reached for a bottle of water instead since in his mind he was on duty and he had to be in top form to make sure that no one got close enough to Bones to even act crazy.

"I wasn't actually expecting anyone," Brennan was making a list of things in her mind to discuss with Natalie, but even as she did she took Booth's lead and filled up a plate, grabbed a bottle of water and joined him on the couch to enjoy the view through the window of Puget Sound while they ate.

"Well it looks like your publicist thought you were expecting someone," Booth seemed slightly oblivious as he took a bite of a seared sea scallop and closed his eyes as he savored the flavor.

"She was clearly expecting that you were going to join me for lunch," Brennan remarked logically, after all, the young man that had delivered the food had said as much.

Booth's eyes flashed open, "How would she know that?" He had only decided a few moments before he'd knocked on her door that he would let her know that he was in Seattle to be her gun rather than just showing up in the lobby of the hotel and getting her all worked up right before they left for the television station.

"Well she knew that you were coming; something that I wish she'd told me about when she picked me up at the airport by the way. And she seems convinced that you're the inspiration for Andy Lister in every sense of the word," Brennan rolled her eyes at the thought; she'd started writing her first novel before she'd even started working with Booth, so clearly he couldn't be the inspiration, even if he might fit the persona, and even if he might be the subject of more than a few dreams that she'd had; none of that meant that Booth and Andy Lister were one in the same.

"It's a natural assumption," Booth was convinced himself that he'd inspired Andy; hell, half of the squints had inspired characters in her novels. It seemed that she was the only one that didn't seem to realize it.

Brennan stared him down for a moment, "She thinks that you and I can't be just partners; she seems convinced that just like Kathy and Andy that..."

Booth interjected; his brows arched, "She thinks that we..." He couldn't quite bring himself to say what he was thinking. And now that he was thinking it, he wasn't sure he should be looking at Bones.

"...we should be having sex," Brennan completed both of their sentences as she nodded.

"We what?" Booth nearly choked on his food; taking a big gulp of water to try and cover up the fact that he wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly.

"What?" Brennan looked at Booth in confusion.

"You think we should have sex," Booth looked at her disbelievingly; not in his wildest fantasies did he think that it could happen quite like this, and in the next instant he was trying to banish his wildest fantasies in the interest of that proverbial line he'd drawn and their purely professional partnership.

'What?" Now it was Brennan's turn to look shocked and wide-eyed at the words that had come out of her partner's mouth, "No! I was just comparing us to Kathy and Andy...I mean Natalie must have assumed...the book."

Booth coughed; that damn scallop certainly did seem intent on taking him out right now, "Right, the book." He wasn't entirely sure if he was relieved or disappointed.

"Because the idea of you and I having sex is ridiculous," Brennan wished that she could have taken the words back as soon as she'd spoken them. The idea wasn't ridiculous at all, in fact now that she had the idea in the forefront of her mind, it seemed to be the antithesis of ridiculous; not that she was ever going to let that thought out of her mind so that it could skip right out her mouth for all the world to hear, or at least those who might be in the immediate vicinity.

Booth was immediately defensive about what she was inferring and spoke without giving any thought to what he was saying, "Why would that be ridiculous?" He regretted the words as they tumbled out and they seemed to hang in the air like a slow motion marquee as he realized that he should have simply agreed with her.

Brennan was momentarily flummoxed as she just stared at him and tried to process the implications of that little statement. Her normally lightning speed mind seemed to short circuit at the idea that Booth might think that the two of them having sex was a great idea and Angela's voice seemed to pop in from nowhere and interject something about it being a great team building exercise. Brennan blinked hard in an effort to permanently dislodge that thought so that there was no way it could reach her mouth.

Booth started to backpedal in hopes that he could try and dig himself out of the hole that seemed to have opened up on his side of the couch, "I mean we're both attractive people and I'm sure that Nancy...uh, Noreen..."

"Natalie," Brennan supplied as Booth seemed to fumble.

"Right, Natalie." He swallowed hard, "Uh, I'm sure that Natalie just assumed that two people who are as well formed as you and I are couldn't possibly keep their hands off of each other...so the idea isn't ridiculous at all...in theory." He hoped that it was enough to get rid of the awkwardness that had crept into the room.

The argument appealed to Brennan's rationality and her scientific mind, "Of course. It's a great theory; however, we can't overlook the human element and in this instance it doesn't fit the theory because you and I are partners...friends." She smiled at him and even though in the furthest corner of her mind she could hear a little voice calling her a liar, she seemed to be momentarily satisfied, especially since Booth seemed to buy it too.

"We're a team," Booth felt relieved as he clacked his water bottle against hers and smiled back at her. He was one damn smart FBI agent for thinking up a way to cover his ass all by himself otherwise that one stupid sentence might have turned this little trip to Seattle to provide security for Bones into the longest trip of his life.

"The best," Brennan smirked at him and took a long drink from her water bottle. Now all she had to do was give a television interview and not think about having sex with Booth.