A/N: An unexpected Sunday Tweet!fic that I woke up writing this morning.

OOOOO

"I didn't actually think you would be here." Brennan stated as she climbed the steps.

"Why not? I told you I was here. Did you think I was lying?" Booth asked as he made room for her to sit next to him.

"Well, there were a lot of unexpected factors I had to process first in order to believe you." She explained.

"Like what?" He asked. She stared warily at him, unsure if she should explain her previous extrapolations. He had to chuckle. "Oh come on, you can tell me."

"Well, judging by the state of your text: public intoxication was clearly a factor, the idea of you breaking into a federal monument after hours, at the Lincoln Monument, no less."

"What about the Lincoln Monument?"

"Given your heritage, I assumed…"

"Shhh!" He held his finger up to his lips to keep her from stating the obvious, even though they were totally alone.

"Okay, so why here?" She inquired, this time more quietly.

"I don't know. It's quiet. I can see the entire Mall from up here, all lit up. All of the monuments dedicated to all of the obstacles we've overcome as a country. It makes me feel good, you know, proud. It reminds me of the bigger picture."

"And what's that?"

"That it's worth fighting for." He replied as he looked down into his bottle, feeling vulnerable.

"I imagine that after days like today it can be hard for you to remember that." She said, surprising him with the touch of insightful emotion that was rare for her. He looked up and stared at her for a moment too long and then he shrugged nonchalantly.

"I always get it back." He said confidently as he drained the last bit of his beer. He wiggled the bottle a bit to verify it was empty and he set it down on the step.

"You are a very fascinating man, Agent Booth." Brennan said truthfully, her sincere smile making him feel instantly taller.

"You think I'm fascinating?" He grinned proudly.

"I do." She nodded and the simple fact felt like a confession.

"Good because I think you're pretty fascinating too." He smiled lazily at her and he could have sworn he saw a faint blush grace her cheek as she looked down at her feet. He nudged her with his shoulder in a silent tease and she chuckled.

"Come on, I'm taking you home." She said, standing up. Booth just raised an eyebrow at her statement.

"Well if you insist." He replied.

"Before you get caught and lose your job!" She clarified as she held out a hand for him.

"A likely story." He murmured, earning an eye roll from Brennan.

"If I wanted to sleep with my drunken partner, I would have done it 18 months ago." She reminded him as he took her hand. "That didn't happen."

"Ouch. Too soon." He winced as he stood up, still hurting from the memory. Brennan paused as he hobbled down the last few steps ahead of her and Booth realized he probably should have kept that statement to himself.

"What's too soon? The fact that I didn't sleep with you?" She asked as she caught up to him.

"The fact that you wanted to." He replied. "But you couldn't let your guard down." He added. "And I can't say I blame you for that one, Bones. At that point in my life, I wasn't a man worth trusting." He stated quietly. They walked the rest of the way to the car in silence. Booth fumbled his way into the passenger seat and immediately closed his eyes, exhausted from his day and the long walk from the monument. Brennan shut his door and walked around to the driver's side. She got in and put her key in the ignition but didn't start the car. He wanted to open his eyes and see what had stopped her but something within him told him to wait her out.

"It wasn't because I couldn't let my guard down." She whispered, taking an unexpected chance. "It was because I couldn't pull it up."

They both stilled at her words. Even with his eyes closed, he felt her holding her breath in anticipation, waiting for some sort of sign that he might have heard her secret confession. Instead, Booth began to snore lightly, his breathing smooth and even as if he were in a deep sleep. He knew that protecting her from the reality of her own statement was the right thing to do.

He knew because he felt exactly the same way.