I would like to call this chapter, "Booth MUST Be Punished." Please turn back now if you can't tolerate a little Booth-abuse. Actually, writing this chapter was very cathartic for me, and maybe now I can forgive Booth myself…

Angela had just finished placing the mold slides carefully into their protective sleeves, depositing them into a packet, and applying the label that would identify them as crucial evidence to the case. She looked up from her task to see a large figure standing in her doorway, and felt her chest tighten unpleasantly.

"Hi, Angela… Brennan says you have those slides for me?" Booth asked, entering her office hesitantly. He was very much aware that Angela's attitude towards him had changed drastically since the incident with Hodgins, and it caused him some discomfort just to be in her presence. He shifted from one foot to the other, hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, they're right here," Angela answered tersely, handing him the packet.

"Hey, by the way, good work," Booth congratulated her, hoping to smooth over some of the tension between them. "I bet you didn't think that learning to identify mold was going to be one of the benefits you'd get from snagging a rich boyfriend," he cracked, giving her one of his winning smiles.

The look on Angela's face caused Booth's smile to sag immediately.

"What did you say?" Angela asked slowly, turning towards Booth, her eyes narrowed and staring straight into his.

"I only meant…" Booth began, his face turning pale as he realized his joke wasn't being received as intended. Angela obviously did not find anything funny about it, whatsoever.

"You only meant to insult me, just as you've been insulting Jack ever since he made his unforgivable mistake, isn't that it?" Angela insisted, her voice rising.

Booth was unaccustomed to finding himself on the receiving end of a confrontation, and his first instinct was to push back.

Holding up his hands in a manner that was clearly meant as a signal for Angela to settle down, Booth responded by saying, "Don't get yourself all worked up over nothing. All I'm saying is that Hodgins is rich, you are his girlfriend, and there's got to be some advantages to that, okay? He's entitled, and so you get to be entitled too—at least while it lasts..." In Booth's mind, he was being completely rational and fair.

To Angela's way of thinking, Booth had just insulted her twice.

Pulling herself up to her full height, Angela strode angrily towards Booth, causing him to back up. She didn't stop until he had hit the couch with the back of his legs, and collapsed into a sitting position. Towering over him, Angela crossed her arms over her breasts and glared down at him.

When she opened her mouth to speak, her words were succinct and firm. "Okay, macho man… You are going to sit there until I tell you that you can get up. You are going to listen to everything I have to say without interrupting. You are an asshole."

Booth's mouth fell open in shock, but nothing came out. He didn't know why he was incapable of just getting up off the couch and leaving. What he was about to discover was that Angela Montenegro had him by the balls—and not in a good way.

"First of all, Jack must never know that we had this conversation. He's a very proud man, and would never send a woman to fight his battles for him. However, now that you've involved me by implying that I'm a gold-digger, I feel completely justified in ripping you a new one," Angela began, almost conversationally.

Booth swallowed hard, and turned a shade whiter. She didn't really believe that he thought of her as a gold-digger, did she?

"Pay attention when I'm talking to you!" Angela barked, causing him to jerk his head back up and meet her eyes.

"Secondly, I'm going to set you straight as to why I'm with Hodgins. He is not a rich guy who happens to be great. He is a great guy who happens to be rich. And when you say entitled, what exactly do you mean by that?"

Booth cleared his throat nervously, and then opened his mouth as if to speak.

"Don't even think about answering—that was a rhetorical question," Angela snapped, promptly shutting him down.

"And now I'm going to tell you just exactly why Jack is so great, and no, it doesn't have a damn thing to do with his bank account. He's the smartest man I've ever met, and not just at identifying particulates. Brennan told me that if it weren't for Jack, they would have died in that car, and still be buried there to this day. Now, moving down from his brain, he's also—and here I speak from vast experience—the best lover I've ever had. And yeah, I've been out with plenty of big, stupid, hulking men, who thought that they were God's gift to women"—at this juncture, Angela looks pointedly at Booth—"who think that whipping out a big dick and flexing their biceps makes up for their lack of finesse in the bedroom. Those days are behind me now, thank God! Do you know how many orgasms Hodgins gave me last night?"

Booth shook his head solemnly, eyes riveted on Angela's mouth.

"Five. Five mind-blowing, earth-shattering, sky-rockets-in-flight, orgasms. And you know what else? I'm the only one he's giving them to, and I resent your accusation that he wants to or even needs to get into another woman's pants. I'm more than enough woman for any man to handle—and you'd better not forget that!" Angela stated emphatically, leaning towards Booth for emphasis, her hip cocked provocatively and her full lips pursed.

Booth nodded his head obediently, believing her completely.

"And just so you don't think it's only about the sex, Jack is also the kindest, most supportive, most romantic man I know. I would love to tell you about our first date, but I'm loath to cast pearls before swine," Angela said, sniffing as if in disgust. "Jack loves me. When's the last time you actually loved anyone except yourself?"

Booth thought that was somewhat of a low-blow, but he was in no position to argue right now.

Continuing, Angela's voice softened as she described her lover, "Jack is loyal--to a fault, apparently. I would have thought someone like you could have understood that. He doesn't try to bully people to get his way, but relies instead on other powers of persuasion. He is as professional as any scientist here at the Jeffersonian, and wouldn't think of endangering anyone else's life in order to move ahead his own agenda."

She paused, allowing Booth to remember what had happened to Cam the day he badgered her into opening up the skull of Mrs. Epps. Booth did remember, and dropped his head in a silent admission of guilt.

"Does the term 'people who live in glass houses' mean anything to you, Booth?" Angela asked, shaking her head, almost in pity for him. Booth knew better than to try to answer, the remorse on his face doing the job just as well.

Angela studied him shrewdly, ready to deliver the coup de grace to Booth's oversized ego.

"Taken as a whole, I think it's safe to say that Jack Hodgins is more the man than you'll ever be, unless you take a good, hard look at yourself and grow up!"

Booth started at this harsh critique of his character, but could not deny that Angela had hit the nail on the head. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't done, and the worst was yet to come.

"You know, Booth," Angela began, sighing, "I used to want you and Brennan to get together. I was always encouraging her to go for it, but the two of you were just so… dense. Now, I'm glad she's with someone else. I don't think you would be good for her—you're too self-centered to be good for anyone."

Hearing Brennan's name in this context was like a blow to his stomach. He blanched, but was still unable to look away from Angela's accusing stare. Was he really as bad as Angela said he was? Did Brennan think of him that way as well? As he thought miserably about his personal reputation, Angela had continued speaking.

"Jack turned in his resignation to Cam. He thinks you're going to respect him for it, and that the two of you can go back to being buddies. So, Mr. Morally-Superior, what do you think of that?"

Booth looked at her expectantly, knowing full well that she was going to tell him.

Angela didn't disappoint. "Well, I'm going to tell you what to think. You are not only going to forgive Jack, you are going to apologize to him—and you need to do it tonight. If you don't, I'm going to hunt you down, and when I find you, you're going to have your testicles yanked up through your throat. Capiche? Or do I need to create a three-dimensional representation of what that entails?" She waited for a moment, and then asked again with more emphasis, "Do you understand?"

Booth realized that this time she actually wanted him to answer. "Yes," he managed to croak.

Angela turned and walked away a few steps, and Booth realized that it was now safe to stand up. When she spun around again to face him, he flinched. It seems she wasn't quite done.

"Don't you have something to say to me as well?" she demanded.

Booth hesitated, trying to remember all the ways he had offended Angela.

Clearing his throat, he worked up the nerve to offer her an apology. "I'm sorry I implied that you only want Hodgins for his money."

Angela tapped her foot impatiently. "What else?"

Booth thought a moment. "I'm sorry I implied that Hodgins would want to screw another woman."

"And?" Angela was ruthless.

Booth honestly couldn't think of what else she wanted him to say, so he decided on a general admission of guilt that should cover all his bases. "I'm sorry that I'm such an asshole. I'll try and do better in the future."

Fortunately for Booth, that seemed to satisfy her. Angela smiled sweetly, picked up and handed him the packet he had left on the couch, and exited her office ahead of him.

As he watched Angela leave, Booth felt he had gained a new respect and admiration for Hodgins…