Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews. I am now back in the states (after being overseas for roughly a month) so hopefully I will have more time to update. And thank you for those who have thanked me for my service in the military. I appreciate it very much.

Chapter 10

Angela closed the door and Brennan didn't bother looking up. "Is there something that you needed Angela?"

"You know exactly what I need," Angela leaned back against the door. When Brennan didn't reply, Angela crossed her arms and sent her a dark glare.

"That won't work with me Angela."

"What won't work?"

"The glare you are giving me."

"You didn't even look up!" Angela sat on Brennan's desk. "OK, sweetie—did Booth you tell Booth you wouldn't tell me?"

"No."

"Then what's the problem? I have been rooting for the two of you since that man walked into your life. I deserve details."

"Angela--"

"Don't Angela me Bren. I am your best friend. You have always told me about your sex life. That's what best friends do. So spill."

"I have a lot of work to do Angela."

"Come on Bren. I know you're dying to tell someone. Namely me."

"I am not dying of anything Angela."

"You know," Angela leaned forward, "I am the reason he came back to you. I'm the one who talked some sense into him after Agent Perotta confused his mind. You owe me. And you should know that I'm not going to give up till I find out what I want. I'm not going anywhere till you talk."

"Angela—I really do you have work to do--" the phone rang. "Hello? Hey," Brennan smiled. "Oh nothing—just being grilled by Angela. Yes," she laughed and looked at Angela. "No—nothing. She says I owe her though. That it's because of her you came back last night." She paused. "You think so? OK, I will see you tonight for dinner." She looked at Angela as she hung up the phone. "Booth agrees with you on one point. Though he insists he would have wound up at my place regardless if he talked to you or not."

"Then what did he agree with me on?"

"That I should tell you something as you are my best friend."

"There you go. So spill."

"Lunch. Away from the office. I do have work to do. Which I would have done on the plane to Peru if I hadn't missed it. So lunch. That's the best offer you're going to get Angela. Take it or leave it."

"You are getting too good at this. I used to be able to get practically anything out of you with a snap of my fingers."

"I have a good teacher."

Brennan smiled at her and Angela couldn't help but laugh. "That you do. Ok, sweetie. Lunch. But I want all the details." She stood. "And if you think I was grilling you before—you haven't seen nothing yet."

Brennan couldn't help but chuckle as Angela left. Lunch would definitely be interesting.

Booth hung up the phone with Bones and walked into his office building. He signed in and went straight to Cullen's office. He knocked on the door.

"Come in. Booth, how are you feeling today?"

"Good."

"Have a seat."

"Thank you."

"What's on your mind?"

"Two things I wanted to inform you about."

"Really. Such as?"

"I have my memory back."

"That's great. Parker must be thrilled."

Booth coughed. "Yeah, he was—over the phone. Rebecca and Cap—well, they took Parker on a vacation in the Bahamas. Thought it might be some good for him to be away from a dad who didn't remember him."

"Selfish pricks."

Booth chuckled. "I do believe Rebecca meant well."

"So you ready to get back in the saddle."

"I am. But that also brings me to the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. Now," Booth leaned in, "I am telling you out of courtesy and respect because there is no law or rule against it but I do know that it is frowned upon. Though Bones won't work with anyone else. And neither will I."

"What are you talking about Agent Booth? What's going on with Dr. Brennan?"

"She and I, well, we're together now."

"Together as in—dating each other?"

"Yes."

Cullen smiled—if you could call it a smile. "It's about time."

"What?"

"Oh come on Booth. With your powers of observation you should know that everyone has been waiting for the two of you to wake up and smell the coffee for a very long time."

"Not everyone," Booth murmured.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Never mind. So we're good then? Bones and I won't have any problems continuing to work together?"

"None from me."

"Good. Then I guess I'll be seeing you."

"Booth," Cullen stopped him. "Why don't you and Dr. Brennan come over for dinner later this week." Before Booth could respond, he continued, "I'd like to observe the two of you officially together."

"Yes, sir. I'll find out when she's free." Cullen nodded and went back to a file signaling Booth that this conversation was over.

Sighing Booth walked out the door and headed to Perotta's office. He knocked on the door and at no response, he walked in to find her engrossed in conversation with two other agents.

"Agent Booth."

"Perotta. Johnson. Thompson." He greeted the other two agents and engaged in small talk for a couple of minutes then directed his attention back to Perotta. "When you have a minute, I need to discuss something with you. Privately."

"We were just about finished in here," Johnson said.

"Give us five minutes."

"Sure. I'll go get some coffee then come back. You want some?" Booth directed his question to Perotta who shook her head.

"I'm good. Thanks," indicating her coffee mug.

Booth nodded and walked out.

"So," Agent Perotta said at last breaking the silence, as she felt a bit uncomfortable at Booth's gaze.

"So," he responded with no offering of getting her out of this situation.

Perotta sighed, she wasn't going to get out of this without coming clean and Booth could make her life a living hell if she didn't apologize. But she couldn't quite get herself to admit what she did was wrong. She liked a guy. He flirted back with her occasionally so when an opportunity arose, she took advantage of it. "Look, I feel bad about Dr. Brennan but I didn't know you had feelings for her. You always said you were just partners. That that was it," she said.

Booth's gaze turned a little hotter on her. "It doesn't matter what I said or did not say about Bones. What matters is that you lied. Even if I wasn't in love with Bones, how could you possibly think for one minute that once I had my memory back. I would be OK with your deception? That I would be OK that you lied to me?"

"You went along with the pretense even though you doubted it. I saw your doubt. And still you were a willing participant to what I told you. Why would you go along with it if a part of you didn't want it? Didn't want me?"

Booth tried to hold on to his temper. "I had lost my memory. I thought I could trust you. As did everyone else. I may have flirted with you a little in the past but surely you're smart enough to know that I flirt with everyone a little. And that I'm in love with Bones—even if I was denying it to myself. Hell, even Cullen knew!" Booth stood and looked her in the eyes. "You try to cause any more problems between the two of us—Bones and me—your career will be over. I will see to it. I was going to just warn you. That's what Bones wanted me to do' however, because of your attitude I will report you directly to Cullen and make sure that you and I never work the same case again. I'll be discreet if anyone asks me but I won't lie about the reason why I don't want to work with you anymore."

With his anger growing, Booth walked out of Perotta's office. He went immediately to his office and pulled out his phone. "Hey." His heart flip-flopped at hearing her voice and her smile in her voice. "Hey. I just finished talking with Perotta."

"You don't sound happy. What happened?"

"She insisted that I wanted her because why else would I have gone along with her lie?" He growled.

"But you didn't know she was lying!"

"Somehow she failed to recognize that fact."

"What are you going to do?"

"Report her to Cullen and make sure we never have to work with her again."

"Good. I don't much care for seeing her again any time soon."

"Never is better for me." He sighed. "I just needed to hear your voice to help me calm down before I talked to Cullen—who gave us his blessing by the way.

Brennan smiled. "I'm glad we don't have to worry about the FBI breaking us up."

"No one is going to break us up," Booth said forcefully. "No one."

To try to get his mind on something else, she said, "I'm having lunch with Angela who is insisting on all the details." Booth groaned. "She wouldn't have known anything if you would have just kept quiet." Brennan pointed out to which booth couldn't help but chuckle.

"She would have figured it out Bones. One look at you and she would have known that you had sex last night."

"She would not!" Brennan protested.

"Yes, she would. You have a certain glow about you after you've had good sex. It's hard not to notice."

Brennan decided that this was one time in which she could inflate his ego a little in return for the details she would tell Angela and to make him feel better after everything with Agent Perotta. "Well, then she must definitely noticed something because I didn't have good sex."

"No?" Booth questioned, not quite sure where she was going with this.

"No," he could hear her smile and knew whatever she was going to say next was going to be a good thing. "No, I didn't. I had an amazing night of making love."

"Was that a compliment Bones?"

"Take it as you want." There was a knock on her door. "I have to go—someone's outside my office. I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight."

"I love you Booth."

"I love you too."

Smiling, Brennan hung up the phone. "Come in." Brennan sent an email and looked up.

"Hello Tempe."

"Sully," she said surprised.

***Ok, so should Perotta continue to make problems for Booth and Brennan? And should Sully get the hint or should he give Booth some competition?