A/N: We have the most fabby readers for this story… thanks so much for your continuing support and encouragements and even the mock death threats. (They BETTER be mock. Ahem. We can be Brennan-like in our ability to defend ourselves:-D). Your lurvely feedback keeps us writing in a timely manner, even when lifestuff gets busy.

A tidbit of this chap is in homage to one Miss BleedingMascara. See if ya can find it, Mel.

Loves to all.


From behind his desk, hands together neatly in his lap, the young psychologist surveyed the room. The two partners were seated next to one another, but the tension between them was palpable today. They hadn't teased one another since arriving, or teased him, for that matter. He wondered what had happened since the previous session, and struggled to keep from asking - he figured he'd know in due time, anyway.

In contrast, their friends seemed more relaxed than they'd appeared the last time they'd been here. While last time she'd been near tears, Angela Montenegro was now calmly sitting in the chair next to Dr. Brennan, and every once in a while would exchange a glance with her
husband.

"So," he said slowly. "Let's get started, shall we?"

All four heads nodded, each face holding a very different expression.

"I was thinking that today we'd return to the whole idea of trust. I'd like to remind all of you that this is a safe environment where you should feel free to discuss and be honest with one another about how you feel. Secret-telling is often seen in a negative -"

"Secrets?"

Underneath the irritation, Sweets detected more than a little anxiety in the FBI agent's voice, and fought back the urge to smile. "Partnership is trust, Agent Booth - in all aspects. And we've focused on the idea of secrets before."

"Yeah, and he laughed at mine," Dr. Brennan interrupted.

"When did I laugh at you?" Booth said incredulously, swinging his head to look at her.

She looked equally incredulous. "You don't even remember?"

He just stared at her blankly, and she sighed. "The brainy smurf."

Both Dr. Hodgins and Angela leaned towards the two partners, speaking simultaneously. "Huh?"

Dr. Brennan sighed. "Never mind."

Booth scrubbed his face with his hand wearily. "Bones, I thought we already dealt with that. I told you a story and you said that you -"

"Well, I think you should be required to tell a secret first this time - about something that makes you uncomfortable."

There was a moment of silence, and Sweets glanced at the agent questioningly. "Agent Booth?"

"I don't have anything that makes me uncomfortable."

An inelegant snort came from Dr. Brennan. "Sex makes you uncomfortable."

"Sex does not make me uncomfortable."

"You refuse to talk about it."

Sweets scooted his chair closer to his desk, but before he could speak, the agent turned to his partner in exasperation. "I have told you that it's simply unprofessional, and I don't want to talk about it at work. That doesn't mean I'm uncomfortable with sex, Bones." He clenched his jaw, his shoulders tensing. "But fine. You want to talk about it, fine."

Dr. Brennan looked startled. "Really?"

Angela had a small smile on her face. "I think sex is a good topic for you two."

Her husband chuckled, and Sweets couldn't help but pick up on the sparkle in the artist's eye. Oh, yeah. She knows - they both do.

Clearing his throat, the psychologist looked pointedly at the FBI agent. "Agent Booth? Do you have a secret to reveal of a sexual nature? Remember, this is a -"

"Yeah, yeah. Safe environment," he muttered. "I got it Sweets, alright?"

Dr. Hodgins smiled, turning his head away from the man next to him - most likely to avoid a threat of being shot.

"We're waiting," Dr. Brennan said after a moment of silence.

"Now you're rushing me?"

She shrugged. "I didn't think you'd have to think about it."

He sighed wearily. "Okay. Fine." He tapped his fingers on his knee, and Sweets was fairly certain the man was scrolling through memories - and that he had no intention of revealing anything too personal.

"When I was seven, I walked in on my parents having sex," he said finally. "It was... traumatizing."

Brennan's eyes widened. "That explains so much."

"Wait, what?"

"Although, I'm not sure how that's your secret. I mean, you were a child. How is it that really something you feel the need to hide from anyone? You weren't involved in the act itself."

The agent's head dropped into his hands. "Are you kidding me?"

It was time to grab the reins. "I'm not sure you two are really grasping the concept, here, guys," Sweets said quickly. Glancing at the artist and scientist flanking the two, he suddenly had an idea. "Dr. Hodgins, Angela... Would you be willing to share something with one another? To give them an example?"

Dr. Hodgins looked at him warily for a moment, but the artist nodded, and when he saw his wife's agreement, he acquiesced. "Yeah, okay."

Sweets nodded to Angela. "Would you like to go first?"

She sighed, looking at her lap for a moment, and Sweets couldn't help but notice the anxiety on Dr. Brennan's face. She looked more nervous than her friends about their secrets. Interesting.

"I... I wish that sex could be about being close again, and having fun with one another." Angela said quietly. "And not about trying to get pregnant." She bit her lip, glancing at her husband.

Dr. Hodgins swallowed, his eyes on his wife. The room was suddenly silent, and Dr. Brennan's eyes were wide as she waited for any sort of response. Agent Booth simply looked uncomfortable, his eyes fixed somewhere on Sweets' desk.

He waited to see if Angela would continue, but she remained quiet. Clearing his throat, he nodded slowly. "Thank you. That was an honest, open statement, which is exactly what we're looking for, here." He turned to her husband. "Dr. Hodgins?"

But the man wasn't paying any attention to him - his eyes were fixed on his wife, across the two partners between them. "Angela..."

Her eyes shimmered. "A baby was supposed to add to our family, Jack. Not tear it apart. We're supposed to be the foundation, not a child."

The scientist was quiet for a moment, and both Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan seemed stunned into silence, their eyes round as they watched their two friends.

"I wish I could feel like I'm not taking something from you," Hodgins finally said softly, his words uneven.

"Then don't," Angela whispered back.

Whoa. I didn't even have to pull any stunts - they just went there.But the moment was swiftly disappearing, and Sweets jumped to grab onto it for another purpose. "That was excellent you two. Really. And you trusted the group enough to share what are obviously difficult feelings." He glanced at the two shell-shocked partners. "Guys? were you able to see the difference between what they shared and what Agent Booth chose to share?"

Booth cleared his throat, raising an eyebrow. "They're married, Sweets. It's not the same thing."

"They're partners, nonetheless. And while the personal parameters might be different, trust is still required to function - in both cases." He glanced between the two of them. "You two seem unwilling to share anything of a deeply personal nature, and by insisting that your partnership remain always professional, Agent Booth, you're possibly limiting the level of trust you may have within that partnership."

The FBI agent glared at him. "Okay, we trust one another, alright? A lot. We trust each other with our lives everyday - we have to."

"And yet you balk at sharing things of a specific nature." He raised an eyebrow. "Your friends just allowed themselves to be deeply vulnerable in front of you so that you could see what kind of trust that can build." He paused. "Do either of you have something you feel is deeply personal that you haven't shared before? Something you've not felt comfortable sharing with other partnerships you may have had in the past?"

"I've never orgasmed from oral sex."

Whoa.

Every head in the room swiveled in amazement to look at Dr. Brennan, and for a moment Sweets wondered if she would blush.

He should have known better.

Agent Booth's mouth was half open, his face bright red, and even Dr. Hodgins and Angela looked startled.

"Bones," her partner hissed.

She turned to him in surprise. "What, Booth? Sweets said that we should reveal something we've felt unable to reveal to other partners."

"I don't think he meant that kind of partner."

"Actually, I -"

"And I haven't felt comfortable telling men that before. They tend to take it personally, and feel that they're unable to satisfy me." She shrugged. "I find most men are unwilling to take the rejection and try again if I'm honest." She paused. "It's quite frustrating."

For a moment, Agent Booth appeared to be at a total and complete loss for words, and Sweets watched him with interest as his expression shifted from shock to something else entirely. His eyes darkened, and he kept them fixed on his partner.

You'd like to help her out with that problem, wouldn't you, tough guy? I bet you would.

He cleared his throat. "Agent Booth, you appear to be having a strong reaction. Can you explain what you were feeling when she disclosed that?"

The agent turned to him slowly, his eyes dangerous, and Sweets suddenly wondered if all the times he'd threatened to shoot him, he'd been serious. Wrong question.

"Alright. You are apparently uncomfortable discussing your reaction," he gave him an out. "Dr. Brennan, what do you make of your issue with... you know." Suddenly he felt almost as anxious as Booth appeared to be, and he was again reminded of his lack of experience when compared to his older, more... active ...clients. "Do you feel the that your inability to orgasm was due to the men you were with, or something more personal?"

She seemed to consider this for a moment. "I don't know."

"Well, oral sex can require a degree of intimacy and exposure that can often be too great to overcome with partners we don't completely trust. It involves letting go of control, being vulnerable."

Agent Booth rubbed his hand over his face suddenly. "Sweets, I'm failing to see how this involves our partnership."

Before he could answer, Angela leaned towards her friend, speaking quietly. "He's right, sweetie. It's probably a trust thing. But you know, you just need to relax and let go. You can always fantasize and-"

"Angela!" Booth said incredulously. "Are you seriously giving her sex tips right now?"

"You are very uncomfortable right now," his partner commented. She paused, tilting her head. "Is there a reason what I said made you so uncomfortable? We aren't in a work setting right now..."

Hey, that's my question. Good thing I already know the answer.

Dr. Brennan continued to speak, leaning forward to peek at her co-worker. "Hodgins? Did I make you uncomfortable?"

The bug guy smiled. "Not really, no."

She looked triumphant. "See? Hodgins isn't uncomfortable."

Booth gave Jack a death glare, before switching his attention back to Brennan.

Sweets turned, and kept his eyes trained solely on Agent Booth. For a moment, the man looked as if he were about to explode, both in embarrassment and anger - and both seemed directed at his partner. Still, he no doubt had years of training in self-control and patience, and he swiftly reined in his emotions. "Bones, I'm fine, alright? Can we just move on? To something relevant?"

Sighing, Sweets sat upright in his chair. "Guys, I think the sex differences are causing a disconnect in the ability to discuss certain topics in this setting. I suggest we split into same-sex partners and try some more exercises, alright?"

Both Angela and Dr. Brennan nodded, and the men just looked at one another warily.

This is gold - pure, solid gold.


"Booth..."

"No."

"Booth."

"No."

She sat silently for a few minutes. Then..."Booth?"

He finally looked over at her, quickly, sharply. "Forget it, Bones. I'm not talking to you."

"Well, that's very mature," she sniffed from her position in the passenger seat, crossing her arms and looking out the window. "And a perfect example of everything I've been talking about in therapy. Ask you one little personal question and you close all up." She had been hoping the comment would provoke a response from him. Even when he was yelling at her, it was better than being ignored by him. But he remained staring straight at the road ahead.

"I'm not going to feel bad about it," she told him. "I thought today's session was very helpful for Angela and Hodgins. You heard Sweets. They were being very open and honest with one another. And if our conversation helped them, then you should be glad that the topic came up, no matter how uncomfortable it made you feel."

Still nothing.

"And I'd like to remind you that you agreed to do this. When Sweets suggested that we use our therapy to help Ange and Jack, you thought his logic for doing it was good. So your anger at following through with a plan you helped create is unjustified."

Finally, her goading worked; he talked to her (shouted, more like it), although he still wouldn't look at her. "I agreed to allowed them to sit in on our therapy! I did not agree to discuss the losers you've slept with!"

She was taken aback by the vehement tone of his voice. "I think 'losers' is going a little too far, Booth. I'm willing to acknowledge that my difficulties with climaxing during oral sex may be due partially to my desire to remain in control of all areas of my life..."

"Bones. Shut up."

This wasn't their typical playful bickering; she wasn't oblivious enough to social cues not to recognize that. She held her tongue for the rest of the way home.

Maybe she had gone too far. She knew how to push his buttons, and perhaps she had played that knowledge to her advantage just a little too much this evening. But she had so wanted her friends to see an example of her and Booth pushing through conflict, talking about things even though they (or at least one of them) didn't want to talk about it. And, of course, was the also-attractive opportunity to learn a little bit more about her partner, and what made him tick. But he wasn't merely annoyed with her right now. He seemed pissed.

They pulled up to her apartment building, and he braked the Tahoe to a quick stop. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said shortly.

"You have to come up," she told him.

"No, I don't," he defied.

"You left your travel mug on my coffee table."

"I'll get Starbucks tomorrow."

"And you left your jacket on my sofa."

"You can drop it off at the lab and I'll get it later."

"And your wallet's in the pocket."

Silence. Ha. She had got him.

He looked at the roof of the car as if asking "Why?" to the heavens. Sighing, he opened the door to get out. Triumphantly, she followed.


He wasn't sure he'd even been so irritated with her in their entire partnership as he was right now. As he stood silently in the elevator, his hands shoved angrily in his pockets, he kept his gaze on the small numbers that continued to light up as they made their way to her floor. He was afraid to look at her.

She'd never had an orgasm from oral sex. That was just great, that was just perfect. How on earth was he supposed to keep their relationship about work if she went around admitting crap like that? Because that simple statement felt oddly like a challenge.

And Seeley Booth wasn't one to walk away from a challenge.

But oh, we was going to. Because there was no way she was going to goad him into another conversation about sex with her. Oh, no. And that's exactly what was going to happen if he stuck around her apartment for more than two minutes. She wanted to talk about it, but he was done talking.

Following her into the apartment, he strode purposefully towards the couch, reaching for his jacket, but when he turned around, she was shutting the door behind her.

"Don't bother," he snapped. "I'm going."

"I can't believe you're acting this childish."

His eyes practically bulged. "Bones. I am warning you. I am not in the mood for this right now."

Oh, no. Because he was in the mood for other things. Things that didn't involve a lot of talking.

But not even once could she back down. She walked towards him, snatching his keys from his hand. "You're acting like I ran over your puppy, Booth! All I did was admit that I'm unable to -"

"Stop! Stop right there!" he shouted, jamming a finger in front of her face. "Right there, that's what I'm talking about! Do you even realize what bringing that up today probably accomplished? First of all, you admitted that to a twelve-year old psychologist -"

"He's a professional, Booth."

"A professional who's probably now picturing you naked! You probably gave the kid all sorts of fun images with that one, Bones!"

"So that's why you're mad," she said quietly.

"No," he swore. "I'm mad because you pitted me against Hodgins to make me look like a jackass who couldn't handle your big 'secret'. I'm mad because I don't have any idea what your ability to..."

"Orgasm," she supplied.

"Whatever. What does that have to do with our partnership, Bones? Nothing. We're not even supposed to have issues! We're supposed to be doing this for Jack and Angela! But you had to go and say that - and push me!"

"I was trying to get them to talk!" she suddenly volleyed back, her own voice rising.

"They already did!" he exploded, stepping close. "They talked. We heard them. But you just had to bring it up, didn't you? You just had to talk about sex, get me all riled up, make me look like a prude or something!"

"That's not why -"

"Then why did you do it?" he bellowed, his nose practically an inch from hers.

She looked startled all of a sudden, her eyes widening, and she didn't speak. His own chest was heaving along with hers, and he saw the pink flash of her tongue dart out as she moistened her lips.

Oh, god. Why hadn't he left when he had the chance?


This was apparently her lot in life; her and her partner, in one another's face, yelling at each other. He was asking her questions that she wasn't sure she knew the answer to, demanding answers, and as he stared her down, standing nearly on top of her, she found herself unable to generate a response. There were words she wanted to say...that this was about Jack and Angela, that he was making this into a hell of a lot more than it actually was...and then a memory hit her. Or was it deja vu?

Standing in that damn club, music pumping, arguing with one another, falling into him, feeling hypnotized, feeling dazed in his eyes, wanting...

Wanting him to kiss her.

That couldn't be what she had felt. But it was.

Why did she push him to talk about sex? Why did she goad him in the therapy room tonight, seeing him staring at her with charcoal-dark eyes, knowing what it meant when a man looked at a woman like that? Knowing Booth?

Oh, she didn't like where her mind was going. Her own anger, feeding off of his, rose inside of her. Why couldn't he just play along? Why couldn't he just answer her damn questions, satisfy her curiosities, without asking why? Why? Why?

She didn't want to know why. And she was pretty damn sure he didn't really want to know, either, because the 'why' was so far over his goddamn line that it was quickly becoming impossible to snatch it back.

"Why?" she heaved, feeling her chest touch his with every inhale. "Fuck you, that's why!" It was possible she had never said anything so nonsensical, so illogical in all her life.

Maybe that's why she found herself suddenly bent backwards over the back of her own damn couch, pinned by the weight of his body, one of his hands yanking at her hair to expose her throat to his sucking mouth, while the other hand insinuated its way between the buttons of her shirt to squeeze her breast, tugging her nipple hard through her bra.

Now he had done it.

He had found the 'why'.


A/N: Mhm. Yeah. That's right.

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