(After season 6)

A/N: this story was requested by tatajoy.

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I don't own Bones.

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They were dancing slowly, the music measured and easy. This was their favorite thing to do since they'd started a romantic relationship, dinner at a nice restaurant and dancing afterward at Brennan's favorite jazz club. It allowed them to relax and to enjoy each other's company. Booth had been surprised when he found out that Brennan loved to dance and he loved the feeling he had when they were moving close together in perfect rhythm, dancing on a semi-dark dance floor, proud that he was with the most beautiful woman in the place.

The music was being played by Brennan's favorite local band and it seemed to Booth they could probably dance all night when he felt a hand touch his elbow. Irritated, he stopped dancing and turned to face the owner of the hand. Face to face, he realized that he didn't know who the man was and he was about to tell the stranger he wasn't going to give up his partner, when Brennan spoke up.

"Peter?" To see her old boyfriend Peter St. James was indeed a surprise. Brennan hadn't seen her ex-lover since he had broken into her apartment over six years ago and tried to steal her television. She had bought the TV for Peter when he had hinted that he needed one to watch ball games when she was out of town, but when their relationship had ended, she had claimed the TV as her property. It had been galling that her former lover thought it was alright to break into her apartment to steal it and she found it satisfactory when she had forced Peter to drop and break it. It had been a useless prop in her life just like he had turned out to be.

"Temperance, it's so good to see you." He leaned over to kiss her cheek but pulled away when he saw the look of disapproval on her face. "Come on, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. Can't we be friends? We used to be more than that. Much more."

Slowly shaking her head, Brennan knew that Peter was just a reminder of a time when she had few people in her life that she could trust and he been one of those who failed her in the end. She had let her guard down and let Peter become close to her, but he had wanted more from her than she was willing to give. "We are not friends, Peter. I am here with my partner and I think it would be wise if you walked away now."

There was a faint threat in her statement that Booth found interesting, but Peter found unsettling.

"Alright, I just wanted to say hello, maybe dance a little like old times." Shaking his head, Peter turned his gaze upon Booth. "Good luck, you're going to need it."

After her former lover walked away, Brennan turned to face Booth. "I would like to go home, Booth. I think I've had enough dancing for the evening."

Since he could see that Brennan was upset, Booth decided it would be better for them if they did go home. "Sure, my feet are starting to hurt anyway."

Concerned, Brennan looked down at Booth's feet. "You should have said something, Booth. I knew we were dancing longer than we normally do, but I didn't consider your feet and I do apologize."

His arm around her shoulders, Booth guided her from the dance floor to the exit. "Hey, don't apologize. I love dancing with you and it's my fault we didn't rest between dances. I just love dancing with you so much, I forgot I have pins in my feet." His feet had been heavily damaged when he'd been a prisoner of war during Operation Desert Storm. He'd had several surgeries to fix them and he was fine with normal day to day activities but standing or dancing too long made his feet ache and he paid for it the next day with stiff feet and toes.

"Still, we danced more than we're both used to." Outside, Brennan looked towards her car and knew she'd have to drive them home. She wanted Booth's feet to rest for a while. "I feel like driving, if you don't mind."

"It's your car, why should I mind?" Booth felt that Brennan was still upset about the appearance of her old boyfriend, but he wasn't sure if she wanted to talk about Peter. "Bones don't let Peter being in the club bother you. You don't owe him anything."

The car unlocked, Brennan opened the driver's side and slid onto the seat. "I'm not bothered. Peter is the past and like you, I like the past to remain in the past."

Settled in the seat beside her, Booth remained silent while Brennan started the car and entered the street. Once they were on the way home, he thought about what he should say to ease her mind but he wasn't sure anything he said would be useful.

"I met Peter when I first began teaching at American University." Brennan wasn't sure if she should really be talking about ex-lovers to Booth, but she wanted to make sure he understood that she had no feelings for Peter. "He was interesting to talk to and when I talked, he listened. I find that rare. Most men I have dated in the past talk about themselves a lot and usually I don't care, but when I met Peter, I found that he was interested in what I had to say. It was different . . . I found him to be intriguing." She wasn't sure if she was explaining what had happened between her and Peter in a cogent manner, but she decided to continue anyway.

Before she could continue, Booth spoke to her. "You don't have to explain Peter, Bones. Not to me."

"We got along fairly well. Peter and I had long conversations. I listened to what he had to say and he listened to what I had to say. It hadn't really been that way with Michael Stires. He was my first lover and that relationship was a learning experience for me. We were friends then, but we were very competitive. Peter was different. There didn't seem to be a competition with him and I found it interesting." Brennan stopped at the red light and took that moment to look at Booth. She found him staring at her and wasn't sure how he was interpreting what she was saying. Was she doing the right thing? She wasn't sure, but she found she wanted to be honest about her past relationship.

"Something changed between Peter and myself." The light turned green and she continued to drive them home. "He started to use my past against me when we had arguments. Peter had minored in psychology at the University and he tried to psychoanalyze me when he was angry . . . You know I hate psychology."

Booth nodded his head. His gaze not leaving his partner's face. "Yeah, and I can see why if that was what Peter was doing." Even though he didn't know Peter, Booth felt that he was growing to hate the man.

"I no longer found him interesting and finally I broke off our relationship and made him move out of my apartment." Brennan saw an empty parking place in front of Booth's apartment, parked and turned the engine off. Staring straight ahead, she continued. "This was a month before you met me at the airport and had security hold me to allow you time to get to the airport to blackmail me to work for you."

"Blackmail you?" Booth hadn't seen it that way. "I wasn't going to blackmail you . . . well, I did want to make it look like I was rescuing you so you'd talk to me, but that wasn't blackmail."

Amused, Brennan smiled. "If you say so . . . After we came to an understanding and we became partners that day, I returned home to rest. While I was sleeping Peter broke into my apartment. He wanted to steal my television."

"Your television? You hate television." Booth found it odd that Brennan had bought a TV in the past since she told him that television was just a passive activity that didn't benefit him in anyway.

"I bought the TV for Peter since he wanted to something to do when I was away on digs." She knew now that she should have made Peter buy the appliance, but at the time, she had been afraid he would buy a large monstrosity and if she bought it she could control the size of the TV that was placed in her apartment. "His clandestine activity woke me and I found him holding my television. I didn't realize it was him since I was barely awake and knocked the television from his hands. It broke when it hit the floor of course. I forced him from my apartment and that was the last time I saw him."

Staring at Brennan, Booth smiled and placed his hand on her knee. "You always did know how to take care of yourself. Peter doesn't sound like someone worth knowing. I think you dumping him was the best thing for you."

"Yes, it was." Brennan leaned over and kissed Booth. "I have a past, Booth just like you do. We are the present and that means I have no room in my life for Peter or Michael or Sully. You are the man I want, the man I love."

"Thanks Bones." Booth leaned over and kissed her. "I love you. You're the standard for me. You have been for a long time. I don't have room in my life for anyone I dated from my past either. You're all I want or need."

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