A/N: This chapter title comes from Fall Out Boy's "Chicago is so two years ago"

It all started with a phone call to assure him that she had made it back safely. It had been eight o'clock in Chicago and she had left it at that. The next night, Booth had called to talk at the same time and before they both knew it, it had become an unspoken agreement that they both built their schedules around. Every evening, Booth would call around nine his time and they would talk about everything and nothing. Sometimes, it was important and regarded Brennan's plans to move back to DC. Sometimes, it was as trivial as each of them ordering in and competing over who had the better Thai food in their hands. No matter what the discussion, each of them spent the better part of three weeks getting to know each other again in the little ways that kept a relationship going.

Tonight, he was late. It was currently 8:10 and she had yet to hear from him. She wondered if she should attempt to call him instead. Then again, that would signify that she was sitting at home waiting for him to call. Despite the fact that she did spend her days looking forward to his next phone call, she didn't want to be that needy. She was Dr. Temperance Brennan for God's sake, she could go a full day without talking to her boyfriend. She glanced at the clock again. 8:11. Had only one minute gone by? She was just about to pick up the phone when it rang.

"Oh thank God." She muttered as she picked up the phone. "Hello."

"Hi, sorry I'm late." She smiled at his immediate apology. "Traffic was terrible."

"There was traffic?" She said. "At nine at night? Was there some sort of accident?" There was a knock on her apartment door and she sighed. "Hold on, Booth. Someone's at the door." She wrenched the door open without a second thought and was shocked to see Booth standing in her doorway, his cell phone in hand.

"How many times have I told you to check the peephole before opening the…oof!" His speech on safety abruptly ended as she jumped into his arms. Her forgotten phone clattered to the ground in her entryway as she kissed him.

"Traffic?" She said. "Really?"

"55 was totally gridlocked." He smiled. "Wait, one more." He requested as he kissed her once again.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as she invited him in.

"Would you be offended if I told you it was for work?"

"Not at all."

"Good, because the guys here have an arsonist that has been wrecking some serious havoc with my life lately and I came to close the file on this guy. However, the happy bonus is that I get to surprise you." She sat down on the couch and motioned for him to join her.

"How long are you in town?"

"I have to work tomorrow, but then it's the weekend. I could stay until Sunday."

"Three days?" She said.

"Three days." He smiled.

"My month isn't even up yet." She grinned.

"Well, three weeks is pretty close." He said.

"It felt longer." She rationalized.

"It really did." He said as he took her in. She looked beautiful, as always, but there was something else about her. She looked comfortable, at home in her surroundings. She was in a pair of yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Her hair was up in that pony tail he had come to know and love. Despite the fact that it was March, there was a fire going in the fire place to keep out the still chilly Chicago weather. "I like your place." He said as he glanced around.

"Thanks." She said as she also gave the room a once over. "I'm debating on whether or not I want to keep it." Booth turned to face her. "I like it here, but it seems a bit superfluous considering the fact that I don't see myself coming back that often."

"You kept your place in DC." He said.

"Yes but I knew that I would be in DC at least a couple of times a year." Booth contemplated that answer as he formed his next question.

"How often did you come back?" He asked, not knowing the answer. "Cam only gave me a heads up when you were going to be speaking at the Jeffersonian."

"When I was working? Hardly at all. These past few years while I was writing the book, I was there more. Probably, six weeks out of the year? I would plan my speaking engagements around talking with Sweets about my latest chapter or stopping by to see Angela and the baby, babies." She corrected herself with a smile.

"When you talked to Sweets, were you ever…" He didn't have to finish his question.

"In the Hoover? No." She said, shaking her head. "He asked me once if I wanted to come up, but I couldn't do that." She shook her head again. "It wouldn't have been fair." He knew that was true. A few months ago, if he had simply run into her in the hallway, he would have been shell-shocked.

"It's funny how much your life can change in two months." He said.

"In a good way?"

"In the best way." He said as he pulled her close for another kiss.

OOOOO

When Booth got out of her shower the next morning, he was surprised to find Brennan coolly reading the newspaper at the table. At hearing him approach, she stood up and looked in the fridge. Booth knew that it was purposely done to avoid looking him in the eye.

"Do you have time to go out for breakfast? I would offer to make you something, but I know how you feel about my nutritional food."

"Look, Bones, if something's bothering you, just tell me." He said as he down at the table.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Did I make a mistake in coming here?" He wanted to know. "Because if this is too much..."

"No." She said. "No. I like having you here." She said. "It's just, you're here." She said. "In Chicago." He furrowed his eyebrows as he tried to decipher her meaning.

"I'm going to need to buy a vowel." Now it was her turn to furrow her eyebrows. "I don't understand where you are going with this." He clarified.

"Why are you going in to work today?" She said.

"I already told you, to meet with the team that took down this arsonist and put the case to bed."

"Did you know that Wendell Bray is the forensic anthropologist that works with the FBI here? When they decided to bring on a full-time forensic anthropologist at this branch, I turned them down but..." Suddenly, he realized why she looked so ill at ease. He sighed.

"Wentworth assembled the team." He said knowingly and she simply looked down at her hands. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her, holding her for a beat before pulling away. "What do you want me to do?" He asked her, honestly wanting her opinion.

"Your job." She said honestly. "You're a good person, Booth. You can act professionally and the subject of me might not even come up."

"Bones, look at me." He said as he tucked his knuckle under her chin. "What's between us? It's still ours." He promised her. "And what's between you two, that's yours. As far as I'm concerned, that's all I need to know."

"I'm sorry, it's just, I haven't seen him since I broke it off and he doesn't know about what happened. The last thing I need is you being overprotective or possessive, especially when I'm not there to kick you under the table, metaphorically speaking of course." He smiled.

"I'll be on my best behavior, I promise." He whispered as he moved in to kiss her slowly. She let her eyes flutter shut despite her best intentions on being stern. He really was an excellent kisser. She pulled away, remembering why they were having this conversation.

"Remember what happened whenever you and Sully got locked into a room together?" She reminded him. "You can't let that happen again."

"Bones, that was years ago!"

"I'm serious, Booth. He knows how to push buttons. When he does, and he will, just remember that you have me," she said as she leaned in close "just waiting for you to get off work." He felt her lips brush lightly at the base of his jaw and he groaned. "And if you behave yourself, I'll make it worth your while." Her voice was low and rough, making him dizzy from just the sound of it.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." She said as Booth felt the table behind him. He hadn't even realized they were backing up. She pushed him down into the nearest chair and smiled. "Until then, where do you want to go for breakfast?" She asked. It took Booth longer than it should have to realize what she was asking. Her victorious smirk told him that she knew exactly what she was doing during the entire conversation.

"That's just mean." He whined.

OOOOO

"Deputy Director Booth, it's a pleasure to have you in Chicago, sir." The nameless assistant said as she greeted him with a smile.

"The pleasure is all mine." He said, his charm smile fully in place.

"SAC Hannigan is just finishing a meeting. He will be out with you shortly. Can I get you a coffee or anything while you wait?"

"I'm fine. Thank you." She nodded as she walked over to her desk, clearly keeping an eye on him.

"Deputy Director Booth, welcome to Chicago. Come on in." Hannigan was a few years younger than him, but a good agent. Booth knew that the branch was in good hands with him.

"Please, I hate titles, Booth is fine." He told the man as he shook his hand.

"Alright then, Booth." He tried the name out. "Where would you like to start?"

"I would you be interested in seeing what you found. Maybe meeting with your team?"

"Of course, I know that you worked quite closely with Dr. Brennan in the past."

"We were partners for almost six years." Booth replied.

"As you know, Agent Wentworth worked hand in hand with Dr. Brennan a few years ago on several cases before she retired. It was so successful that when she left, we brought in a forensic anthropologist full time." Hannigan said as they walked down the hallway. He stopped and knocked on an agent's door.

"Come in."

"Agent Wentworth, you've met Director Booth, I believe?"

"Yes sir. It's a pleasure to see you again." He said as he stood up and smiled. Booth could already tell that this meeting would be different than the last. He felt the bitterness in the agent's eyes as Wentworth took him in. This time he knew why Brennan had left DC, who had broken her heart, why he didn't have a chance. This poor man was one of the chosen few who had loved and lost Temperance Brennan and it was Booth's fault.

"Booth?" He did a double take at the now grown man standing in the doorway.

"Booth this is our forensic anthropologist, Dr. Wendell Bray." Hannigan said.

"Dr. Bray." Booth emphasized the title with a grin as he shook his hand.

"I heard you were in the building but I didn't believe it. What brings you to Chicago?"

"Oh you know, I just came to double check your work." He smiled. Wendell outright laughed at the thought and Booth gave in. "Okay fine, but I'm your boss's boss now. At least pretend that I have some authority."

"So what do you say, boss? Do you want the simple version or shall I Brennanize you?" Booth chuckled at the old term. He hadn't heard it in years.

"How about a happy medium so these guys can actually follow along?" He said. While Wendell filled him in about the case and how they discovered the evidence to capture the criminal, Booth was nothing short of impressed. He saw and heard pieces of Cam, Hodgins and of course, Brennan in his report. He interjected every now and again with questions to clarify that he understood but for the most part, he followed along.

"And that was enough to get a warrant and bring him in." He concluded with a shrug.

"I never get tired of hearing that." Booth said to both Wentworth and Hannigan, who smiled proudly as if it were their work that solved the case. "You know, Dr. Bray, I have to tell you, you have just made everyone at the Jeffersonian incredibly proud. And you know better than anyone how hard it is to impress them." At the mention of his old employer, Booth could see the slightly guilty and maybe even traitorous look in Wendell's eye. "Don't worry, kid. She knows I'm here." He assured his old friend quietly.

"What?" Booth laughed at the kid's face and nodded.

"It's a long story. What do you say I take you out for lunch and we can catch up?"

"There's a diner down the road." He offered with a grin. "Great pie."

"Good. I'll meet you out front in an hour?" He asked as he looked down at his watch.

"I'll be waiting." Wendell smiled. "Gentlemen." He said as he left the room. Booth nodded before turning to Hannigan and Wentworth. "How much has your solve rate gone up since you hired him?"

"In difficult or cold cases, almost twenty percent." Wentworth said proudly. Booth simply nodded.

"Dr. Bray here has been trained by the best team in the world. He is the second best forensic anthropologist that I've ever seen and I want to be sure that you treat him as such. Anything that he needs, you make sure that he get it, is that clear?" He told the men.

"Yes, sir." They both nodded.

"You've got no idea what kind of full service squint you've got here. He's doing the work of at least three doctors for the price of one."

"He is the only person that Dr. Brennan recommended." Booth smiled. Call her what you would, but Brennan had a soft spot for her interns. They were her people, her family, even if she would go down denying it. She made sure that she took care of her own. Clark had stepped up when she left the Jeffersonian, Daisy had gone on to several ancient digs around the world and from time to time could be seen on the Discovery channel with a brush in her hand and Vincent-Nigel Murray was the forensic anthropologist at Scotland Yard. There was no doubt that they all got to where they were because of the work they did at the Jeffersonian and Booth felt a strange surge of pride to say he knew them when.

"I must say, none of this would have happened if not for your lead in DC. It really changed the way that we operate." Wentworth said. "When I showed up on your door step, it was just a theory, but it really has worked out well."

"Well, you took something that worked and replicated it here. That's always difficult to do, especially with a different team. I'm glad to see you found a way to make it work. The Bureau is better for it."

"Yes, Dr. Brennan was incredibly helpful in the early stages of this project. It's a shame that she no longer felt compelled to do the work. We would have loved to have her on board full time." He said, the undertones of his statement not going unnoticed by Booth. He took a moment to assess the situation. Wentworth clearly knew the role that Booth played in Brennan's choice to stop working with the FBI and most likely knew the role that he played in ending their relationship before it even got started. Booth couldn't blame him for the way that he felt, he would be bitter too. Still, the man spoke of things he knew nothing about. He fought the childish urge to respond with 'She was mine first!' and remembered Brennan's request that morning. Although, sometimes being the better man didn't require being the best man. Booth smiled politely back at Wentworth.

"I'll be sure to pass along your gratitude." This caught Wentworth by surprise and Booth's inner child stuck out his tongue in victory. "She asked for an update on the status of the program so I'm glad to have a great report to bring back tonight."

"Please do." Hannigan said, missing the covert conversation that was going on between the two men entirely. "Tell me, do you think that any persuading could be done to get Dr. Brennan to teach again? New agents found her seminars were actually quite helpful during their orientation." Booth paused, wondering how much he was allowed to say.

"You would have to talk to her about that. Dr. Brennan is actually in the process of moving back to DC." He said, unsure how much trouble he would be in for saying so.

"Really? Is she going back to work for the Jeffersonian?" Hannigan asked.

"I don't believe so." He said. "She just wants to be closer to her friends and family." He smiled. "And I must confess, we are more than happy to have her back home again." Wentworth looked green, whether from illness or envy Booth couldn't say. Maybe a subtle mix of both.

"Well, good for her." Hannigan said. "Agent Wentworth, we'll leave you to your work. Booth, shall we move on?"

"Lead the way." Booth nodded his agreement. "It was nice seeing you again." He added Wentworth's way.

"Deputy Director." Wentworth said coolly. Booth walked out of the office with a smile.