Though she started out on her side facing away from him and he fell asleep on his back with a good foot at least separating their bodies, they still managed to move together during the night. It was an unconscious move on both their parts, for when Brennan awoke the following morning, she found herself in the middle of the bed, curled up against Booth who once again had an arm slung around her waist. It was odd for her to wake up in that particular position, for on the rare occasion that she did share her bed with a man for an entire night, she rarely ever snuggled with him. Of course, on most occasions, after both she and her partner had satisfied their biological urges, one of them would leave. She did not want intimacy, and sharing a bed for an entire night was much too intimate for her.

But she had discovered she actually enjoyed sharing a bed with Booth. It was a pleasant experience to wake up with his arm around her waist. Its presence made her feel safe and protected, and it chased away the demons that often haunted her during the night. She did not know why her body would subconsciously move closer to him in sleep, but she certainly did not object to the consequences of this action.

Still only halfway awake, Brennan stretched, her actions bringing her closer to Booth's body behind her. He immediately stiffened and pulled away, removing his arm from her waist. "Booth?" she inquired, wondering what she had done wrong.

"Morning, Bones," he said somewhat gruffly. She turned to find that he had rolled onto his side so that he was facing away from her.

"Something wrong?"

"Nope, everything's all right here," he told her.

"Then why aren't you looking at me?"

He sighed, pulling the covers to his chin before turning to face her. "Better?"

She nodded, her eyes tracing the slight stubble which covered his chin and finally coming to rest on his lips. She was tempted to kiss him. She did not know what brought on the sudden urge, but she was finding it harder and harder not to lean forward and close the gap between them. As much as she tried to tell herself that he was her partner, she could not stop herself from wondering what it would be like to feel his lips against hers and his hands caressing her body.

"Are you going running again this morning?" she inquired, trying to derail her thoughts before she did something she would later regret.

"Sure. We don't really have anywhere in particular to be. I was thinking we could stay in this morning and do a little more sightseeing this afternoon before the dinner tonight," he said.

"That would be good. I could finish my book."

He nodded. "Okay, let me put on some clothes, and we can go."

The day passed quickly for the two of them. Brennan managed to finish the rest of her manuscript that morning, and they had a late lunch before Booth took her to a couple other tourist spots. It was the first time she had relaxed in awhile and took the time to think about something other than work, and she had to admit, she enjoyed it. As much as she loved her work, it was nice to step away for a little bit, to spend some time away from rotting corpses and flesh-eating beetles. Work was her life, but it didn't have to consume all her time. And with Booth's help, she was slowly learning this fact.

Thoughts of Booth caused her to turn and look at the agent. He was standing a short distance away in the park, laughing as he recalled the time he and one of his childhood friends had decided to see who could swing the highest. He was dressed casually in a well-fitted black t-shirt and blue jeans with his favorite pair of old, worn-out sneakers. The slight breeze pushed his hair to the side, giving it an unruly appearance that Brennan found oddly attractive. Seeing that she was watching him, his grin widened, and he moved closer to her, leaning in so that their noses were almost touching. "What do you say, Bones? Think you can swing higher than me?"

"Booth, I doubt those swings will hold our weight."

"Sure they will, Bones. Live a little." He started toward the swings, and she followed him with a sigh, seating herself on one of them. Since it was early evening, many kids had gone home for dinner, so Booth and Brennan had the playground equipment mostly to themselves. "Ready, Bones?" he asked. She nodded. "Go." Pulling herself back, she released the swing, moving in a smooth arc. Extending her legs, she began to pump, and the rhythm quickly came back to her, allowing her to swing higher and higher. As she continued to swing, she suddenly remembered similar competitions with Russ as a kid, and the thought caused her to break into a smile which eventually turned into a carefree laugh. It was the first time she had felt truly carefree in awhile.

"Okay, Bones, now we're going to jump off!" Booth called.

"Booth, we could hurt ourselves!"

"Trust me, Bones, we'll be fine. On the count of three, okay? One, two, three!" he called right as both of them reached the top of their swings. He immediately went flying off, his long legs flailing beneath him. Brennan hesitated only a fraction of a second before following him. Despite her feelings on the activity, she truly did trust him. Even enough to jump off a swing ten feet in the air.

Booth landed awkwardly on the sand, his legs collapsing beneath him so that he was lying on his back, and Brennan fell on top of him. They were both laughing by this time, and any passerbys would probably think they were crazy. But neither one cared. They were too lost in the moment and in each other to think twice about how they must look to anyone else.

Booth managed to roll them both over and raised himself up on his elbows above her, effectively pinning Brennan to the ground beneath him. She looked up at him hovering above her, a smile still playing at her lips. They were close, so close that if he moved just a few centimeters downwards, their lips would finally be touching, and he would have an idea of what it would be like to kiss the famous Dr. Temperance Brennan. Their legs were tangled together, and his hands framed her upper torso. He longed to simply close the gap, to bring his lips to hers, consequences be damned. Still, he hesitated. He was treading on uncertain ground now. Brennan was his partner, and he had discovered in the past that workplace relationships rarely worked out.

Despite his misgivings, however, he had a feeling that if anything were to happen between Brennan and him, it would work out. They were too good as partners and friends for it not to. Romance would simply add a new dimension to their relationship, a dimension he was finally willing to admit to himself that he was eager to explore. Their eyes locked, his questioning, silently asking her if it was okay to continue. In answer, she raised her head slightly off the ground. It was all the encouragement he needed. Without a second thought, he lowered his head, bringing his lips crashing down on hers.