LOVE reading all your reviews! I just love all these different responses to the characters! Some of you are Team Angela. Some of you are Team Brennan. Some are both. Some are neither. I absolutely love reading your reactions- they inspire me! So keep em' coming!

Now here is an extra long chapter... just cause you all have been so good! :D

Enjoy!

"What did you do to my forensic anthropologist?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Booth had hardly been in the lab for two minutes when he was dragged into Cam's office. He was there partly to grab the file of their previous case for Caroline, and partly because he wanted to check on Brennan. After the way things were left between the two of them that morning, he wanted to make sure that the they were still on stable ground. Their conversation from the previous night had obviously caused a void and if he didn't act fast- it would only get bigger.

"Dr. Brennan. What did you do?" Cam jammed an aggravated and pointed finger into his chest.

"Why did you think I did something?" Actually, Booth knew that he had, but he resented the assumption.

Cam's eyes rolled, "Really? Maybe because you always do something. You do something and then she gets into one of her moods and I'm the one who ends up paying for it. Now please- go fix it. She said something to Angela earlier, and now Angela is in her office and won't come out. I swear I'm running some kind of day care here..."

"God..." Booth rubbed his temples. Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut last night? He had made peace with the marriage question months ago... and then in one afternoon, he let it all unravel.

"Ever since you knocked her up she's twice as moody as usual..." And Cam had dealt with her share of moody Dr. Brennan. She had been there for Hannah months and was left consoling the interns. She didn't have enough hands to count how many times she'd given the 'Dr. Brennan thinks you're doing fine work. She's just a little... agitated right now. Shake it off.' None of that had been in her job description. "I went down to bone storage to check on her, just make sure that she wasn't over working herself... I didn't know that there was a polite and scientific way to tell someone to shove it!"

"Cam, I'm sorry. I'll-"

"Fix it? Yes. Yes you will."

"Okay... just... I'm going to talk to her tonight. This isn't really something I can just fix right now..."

Cam could see the dark look on his face and instantly she knew this wasn't one of their normal arguments. "Booth... are you and Brennan alright?"

"Yeah, we just..." Booth knew whatever he was about to say... she wasn't going to buy it. "I brought up marriage last night."

"Oh..."

"Yeah."

"I'm assuming that didn't go well?" Not that Cam even had to ask. "No wonder she's in such a mood today."

"Yep."

"So... just out of curiosity... what were you thinking with that?" Cam had to ask. Booth wasn't the only one who had bared witness to Brennan's mantra about never getting married. "Especially so soon..."

"I know. I know," Booth took a deep breath. He knew he'd have to explain this at some point, "I had lunch with Pop's yesterday. I told him about Brennan and me."

"I assume he was happy, right?"

"Yeah. You know, he really likes Bones. And anyway, it was great until he asked me when the wedding was."

"And did you tell him Dr. Brennan's stance on marriage?"

"Well, yeah. But, you know, it was in my head already..."

Cam patted Booth's shoulder, "If you want my advice big man... I think she'll come around one day. But you've got to stop pressuring her! You're together... you're having a baby. Let her catch up before you throw anything else at her."

"Yeah... I know," Booth sighed. He hadn't meant to pressure her, and truthfully, he really didn't think he had.

"Now go fix this!"

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ... .. ... ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Although Booth had been at the lab, he hadn't gone to visit Brennan. Something told him that it wasn't the time or place to ambush her with that conversation. Instead, he simply got what he needed and returned back to the Hoover. This time he was determined to think it all through before he acted. No more giving into impulses. That had ruined things with Hannah and Rebecca, and while he was thankful for it, the last thing he wanted was for him and Bones to repeat the pattern. Mostly, though, he was still trying to sort through those lingering thought of what he wanted, and what he needed.

He arrived at Brennan's apartment a little after six with enough takeout boxes to last them for at least their next three meals. Booth had sprung for extra fries this time; a peace offering if things should come to that. Part of him was still hoping he would come home to find that Brennan had made up with Angela and moved on from the events of the previous nights. He was hopeful but not crazy; no, there would have to be a talk.

Booth found Brennan sprawled out on her bed with the lights off. She must have gone straight home for a nap after work; not even bothering to change out of her clothes. Obviously she hadn't got much sleep either the night before.

"Hey, Bones..." He whispered softly in her ear and kissed her temple. "I brought home dinner. You hungry?"

She looked up at him with sleepy, but well rested eyes; she smiled slightly, "Mhmmm..."

"I just picked up some stuff from the diner... I'll get it ready, okay?"

Her expression turned into one of less enthusiasm as she fully woke, "Thank you."

Brennan watched him leave the room and go to set up their dinner. She could tell he was still wounded from the day's earlier encounters... truth be told, so was she. It had been a pretty horrible day. Somehow she had managed to piss off everyone around her, and despite her reluctance to leave her work, she hadn't got much of anything done. And still, the day wasn't over yet.

"Hi..." She emerged from her bedroom to find Booth at table with about ten to-go boxes spread around him. More food than was necessary and her first reaction was that he was over confiscating. Luckily, this was one thought she kept to herself. "It looks good."

"Yeah, well, you know... I wasn't sure what does and doesn't make you sick nowadays."

"Thank you... it looks very good," She sat down and grabbed a box of fries. This meal was looking to be as awkward as their morning drive.

"Good. Good," Booth took a bite of his burger. "So... how was your day?"

"Fine."

Booth knew that wasn't true, "Really? Cause, I heard you and Angela got into a bit of a thing."

"A bit of a thing?"

"Yeah. I heard you guys got into a fight," He could see right away that she didn't want to talk about it. "What's going on, Bones?"

"We just had a disagreement. That's all," She dodged.

"What did you disagree about?"

It was moments like these where Brennan wished she knew how to be a good liar, "I told her about your offer from last night... and she disagreed with my response. That's all. Her and I have always disagreed on the subject of marriage. It's to be expected."

Brennan could act like it wasn't a big deal, but he knew better. "Listen, Bones. She's your best friend. I'm sorry that I brought all of that up last night. I don't like that' I've caused a rift between you two."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Bones."

"Booth..." she was warning him.

"Let's talk about this..."

"I believe I just told you that I distinctly did not wish to discuss it." A lot of less than pleasant words had been flying out of her mouth that day, and if he didn't stop pushing, she was sure she could stop herself. "You seem to be ignoring a lot of my choices lately..."

Booth could only throw his fork down on the table, "Bones, I'm sorry, all right? I am. I'm truly sorry. I... I went to see Pops yesterday. I told him about you and me, and the baby. And he wanted to know when we were getting married. And I told him that we weren't. That you didn't want to and that I was okay with it. Which I am. I'm okay with us not getting married. This thing we have going, it's enough for me. But... I guess it just kind of got in my head. And I'm... I'm sorry."

"All right." Rationally that should have been enough for her. He apologized for the night before and explained himself. But there was still more...

"I accept that you don't want to get married. And I'm okay with that. But... you got to know, Bones, I'm always going to want it," He could see her shifting uncomfortably in her chair, but he wouldn't apologize for that. "I can't help it, Bones. That's how I was raised. I just want it... I don't need it. But I'm always going to want to get married. And you're going to have to be okay with that also."

"I can accept that..." And for a brief second, her instincts told her to tell him she wanted it too.

"You, me... this baby. That's all enough for me. You're enough."

And he was enough for her but... "Will it always be? Will this always be enough for you?"

Booth took a deep breath. He wanted to reassure her that it would be... but he wanted to be honest with himself also, "I'm not going anywhere. And I promise that I will never ask you again."

And that ruined the nice moment they were working towards. "You didn't ask me."

"What?"

"You did not ask me to marry you. You offered to marry me."

And suddenly it was all clear, "So that's what you're upset about?"

"What? No. I was just correcting your inaccuracy..."

"No..." Booth got it now. "You're not upset that I brought up marriage. You're upset that I didn't actually propose!"

"No! I did not say that!" At least not out loud she hadn't.

"Would you... would you have said yes to me, Bones?"

"I..."

"If I had proposed to you last night. Really proposed... would you have said yes?"

Brennan could feel her body tense and her heart start to race, "Booth, we haven't even been a couple for three months... and just because we are having a child together, doesn't mean that we should-"

"Bones... answer the question."

"I-" She jumped up from the table and went to get a glass of water.

But Booth was quick behind her, "Bones."

"No!" The word got away from her. "No... I would have said no."

Booth knew this was exactly why he hadn't given her an actual proposal. This was the pain he was trying to avoid. This was why he had offered and not asked. And even though he wasn't down on one knee, he was sure it hurt just the same.

"I'm sorry..." Brennan wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around him, but something about his body told her not to try it.

He glared at her, "I just don't get it. You're upset that I didn't actually propose to you, but if I had, you would have said no. I don't get that."

It was irrational, but she knew it was the truth, "I'm sorry, Booth."

"Yeah." Booth left the kitchen and grabbed his keys from the table, "I'm not leaving... but I'm going to need some space."

"For how long?"

"I don't know yet."

"Should I wait up for you?"

"No. Don't wait up."

"All right."

So, I'm interested to see how you guys are going to react to this chapter...

I can see some of you being mad at Booth for walking out... even though he said he wasn't leaving. I can also see some of you being mad at Brennan. I mean, how is it fair for her to be upset with Booth because he gave her a lousy (not)proposal... when she would have told him no anyway? His intentions were just to protect himself and not pressure her. Good intentions if you ask me.

Personally, I don't think it's anyone's fault. At least I don't think about that while I'm writing it.

I just think its two people with very different opinions and hang ups trying to mesh their lives.

More to come. More to come.