AN: Why no, kind peeps, your eyes do not deceive you. This is indeed another update. R&R and there'll be more to come! And if you haven't read the last chapter yet - do that too. And don't forget. Reviews mean much love for me and for you.


The Stalemate in the Beginning

'I'm not an sociopath. I'm an actor.'


'What? You want me to spit in my hand? We're Scully and Mulder.'

'I don't know what that means.'

'It's an olive branch. Just get back in the car.'


'Look, could we just...skip this part?'

Sorry, I couldn't pick :P


'My name is Temperance Brennan', she was saying, in a bored monotone which somehow sounded better than music to his ears. He hadn't heard her voice in too long. 'I've been in London for two months, performing on stage. The passport happens to have been created for a character I was playing. It must have stayed in my bag. I haven't had the time to clean it out yet.'

'Most people in this situation, what they do is they sweat it.'

'Globe theatre? 100,000 strong audience? How are you scary after that?'

'You know who doesn't sweat it? Sociopaths.'

'I'm not a sociopath. I'm an actor.'

'Who works at Fox studios. Which I'd maybe believe if you had ID that did more than allowed you access to the cafeteria.' He paused. 'You are illegally carrying a fake passport, ma'am. And you assaulted a Homeland Security agent.'

'Look, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you in front of your friends, but next time, you should identify yourself before attacking me.' Suppressing a chuckle and forcing a more serious mien, Booth finally stepped in from the shadows.

Brennan turned around, as if sensing he had entered room. Her eyes widened in surprise and then anger as her quick brain processed the reason for his presence. And damn if that fire in her eyes didn't heat him up all over. 'What are you doing here?'

'You're back, baby!' He clapped his hands together, advancing into the room with a smile. 'Ha, ha! You're rehired!'

'But I've moved on.'

'I know, you seem to have been quite busy this last month', Booth held up the book in his hand, sauntering forward.

'I'm surprised you read.'

Ignoring her, Booth turned to the other occupant in the room, wanting to dismiss him as quickly as possible before Brennan raised a scene.

'Hey – it's Tom, right? Seeley Booth.' He flashed a smile and reached out to shake the slightly awestruck security guard by the hand. 'I'll take it from here. Bones is an actor in one of our new shows at Fox.'

'Don't call me Bones. And I do more than act.'

'She also writes books.' Booth slipped the one in his hand smoothly across the table.

Tom looked between the two of them, eyebrows raised. 'Fine. She's all yours.

'Great. Let's grab your bags, and let's vamoose.'

'What, that's it?' Brennan's jaw dropped in incredulity. '"She's all yours"? Why did you stop me?'

'What does it matter?' Booth interrupted quickly. 'You're free to go. Let's just grab your bags – click, click, cling, cling.'

She turned to him accusatorily, 'you set me up.'

'You never got a hold-for-questioning request from the FBI, did you?'

'I love this book', the guard grinned gamely, picking up the copy Booth had placed on the table.

And then he left, chuckling. Booth turned to Brennan with a grin.

'Come on.'

'That's the best you can do?

'What?'

'Getting Homeland Security to snatch me so you can stage a fake rescue?'

'It's good to see you too, Booth. I hope you've been doing alright. It's been a while. And how have you been?' I've spent the last month in torturous agony obsessing over you, as well. When Brennan simply huffed and turned away, resting her cheek in her hand and childishly refusing to answer, Booth sighed.

'Well, at least I picked you up at the airport, huh?' The silent treatment getting to him now, Booth pressed further. 'Come on, I mean, I went through the appropriate channels, but your assistant there, he stone-walled me.'

'Yeah, well, after the last meeting, I told Zack never, ever to put you through. He's a good assistant. Thank you for recommending him.'

Before he could say anything, she had grabbed her bag and stormed out the open door ahead of him. 'Bones- Bones, no. Please wait.' He managed to catch her just before she stepped through the corridor leading back to the main airport, and grabbing her arm, dragged her back into the room before hastily locking the door shut. He hadn't intended it that way, but the result was that she was pinned between him and the door.

'Look, don't- don't hit me, alright?' Luckily for him, Brennan was too unnerved by his proximity to make a response. Booth continued intently. 'But we step out there together, and there's going to be paparazzi swarming all over the place.' Brennan blew a stray lock of hair out of her eyes, her chest heaving as her breathing seemed to quicken. She hated to admit it, but a part of her was responding to Booth in a way that she found almost disturbing. He smelled divine, masculine and clean and Booth, and it appeared his seemingly perfect good looks hadn't been a product of her imagination. She hadn't imagined the unmatchable intensity of those soulful brown eyes, either. And the way he looked at her…God, she had missed this. Another voice, rational but not at all calm, interrupted the first harshly. Missed him? Brennan, you barely know the man. You hated him when you first met. You spent the last month trying to forget him – unsuccessfully, I might add, the first voice chimed in. This is not healthy. This is not rational. STOP IT.

'Bones?' Booth asked questioningly, his voice a few octaves lower as he fought to control his own response to her.

'I could just leave without you, you know. They wouldn't be interested in me.' Actually, after the past two days, they would be, Booth refrained from saying. But he sensed that she was ready to give in atleast a little, he pushed gently.

'Come on, Bones.'

Brennan didn't know whether to reach up and wrap her arms around his neck and crash her lips onto his, or to punch him.

She set her jaw in that way Booth had realised meant she was thinking things over, and he almost said the words out loud. I've missed you so much.

Finally, she said, 'Where's your car?' And he nearly sighed in relief.

'Just outside, in the lot. We can get out through the side door and drive away and no one will know.'

'Fine.' And she grabbed her bag and stepped out again, this time stopping just outside to let him lead the way.

00

'You can let me out anywhere along here.'

'All right, listen, Bones, I know you're upset, but atleast agree to meet with the team.'

They were in his black SUV with tinted windows, driving away from the airport.

'If you drive one more block I'm screaming "kidnap" out the window.'

'You know what? I'm trying to mend bridges here', and busting my ass to do it. Booth was slightly irritated now.

'Pull over.' He pulled the cars to a screeching stop by the pavement, tires squealing. 'With a huff, she jumped out of the car. 'I'm going home.'

'Great.' Booth muttered, hopping out after her. 'Could we...' he match her long strides with his own. 'Look, could we just skip this part?'

He noticed some stragglers turning their way in confused recognition as she turned to him, eyes blazing.

'I find you very condescending.'

'Me? I'm condescending?'

'I'm not the one who's got to mention that she's got multiple acting awards every five minutes.'

'I am the one with multiple awards.'

'Yeah, well you know what? I'm the one with the box office success and the most recognisable face in the country, huh?'

He chased after, pointing an accusatory finger. 'You know, you're not the only actress who wants this part.'

'And yet here you are, trying to get me to come back.'

She was just SO…ARGH. Booth sighed. 'What's it going to take, huh?

'Full participation in the show-making process.'

'Fine.'

'Not just acting – everything.'

'What? You want me to spit in my hand? We're Scully and Mulder.' But we'll do it better.

'I don't know what that means.'

'It's an olive branch.' Booth shot back quickly, casting a slightly worried glance at the passersby who were not-so-discreetly trying to get a better look. He recognised the familiar telltale signs of uncontrollable excitement that followed a moment of bewildered wondering in their faces – and spelled doom for him. 'Just get back in the car', he pleaded.

Brennan looked at him for one more moment, her jaw set, and as their eyes met, he saw the exact instant she made up her mind and climbed back into the SUV, feeling an uncontrollable surge of happiness and relief as he climbed in his own side and drove them away.


AN: Sooooo...I'm setting the stage for something big. Wanna find out what it is? Review!