Under the pretense that she desperately needed a break, Brennan finally had the opportunity to return to their table, where Booth was waiting impatiently for her. She gave him an apologetic smile. She was his date tonight and he hadn't had the chance to dance with her even once.

After sitting down next to him, she leaned her head towards him to tell him that she was sorry that his fellow agents had taken up so much of her time. The music was loud, so in order for him to catch her words, she had to lean very close to his ear. "Your colleagues just couldn't be shaken off, and I didn't want to be rude. I hope you understand that." She looked at him pleadingly. It was important to her that there were no disagreements between them.

He felt her breath tickling his skin, and with her scent invading his space, it made his heart beat a bit faster.

He nodded slightly. "Sure, Bones…I get it. I can also understand why they'd want to dance with you. After all, you're the most beautiful woman here tonight."

Brennan blushed slightly, surprised at the compliment. Yes, he'd already told her she looked beautiful when he picked her up that evening, but somehow this felt different. Was he flirting with her?

His voice suddenly became very husky as he leaned over to whisper the next sentence in her ear. She felt his breath brushing the back of her neck and a slight shudder went through her. "But Bones, just so you know, you're mine for the rest of the night, understand?"

He looked deep into her eyes. The double entendre of those words did not go unnoticed by her. Did he mean it as in 'you only dance with me for the rest of the night'? Or did he mean it as in 'you are mine tonight, and you belong to me'?

She looked at him wide-eyed and his penetrating stare told her it was non-negotiable. You're mine! She felt her blood rush hotly through her body. Something told her he meant both!

She wasn't supposed to accept his possessive behavior like that! However, while it was true that she was absolutely nobody's property, the woman within her had a completely different reaction to his words. A deep feeling of togetherness suddenly came over her. She was sure Booth would claim he was hers as well, and that filled her with a sense of contentment she'd never felt before.

Somehow the evening had suddenly changed. There was a new energy between them…a tension she couldn't explain. Magic was the word that came to mind. Maybe Booth and Angela are right after all…maybe magic does exist…

She smiled at Booth and he immediately grabbed her hand. "Come on, time for the next dance…" He pulled her into his arms. "... and all the following dances are mine, too."

She could only nod, because the way he had pulled her into his arms and was now pressing her tightly against his body had left her speechless.

Why did it suddenly feel so different? She was used to being close to Booth. She knew the feeling of having his strong arms around her. Maybe it was having one hand slide tenderly down her back while he gently held her hand in his other hand and pressed it to his chest. Maybe it was the fact that today he looked really irresistible and smelled so good. Maybe it was that today his broad shoulders were so inviting to lay her head upon. Maybe it was the entire package of Booth that she'd get to enjoy undisturbed this evening. She didn't know…she couldn't explain it. With no work, no new case, no rules of any sort between them, it seemed there was nothing to stop them from enjoying each other's company.

Booth felt Brennan sink into his embrace and decided to savor every minute with her. His fingers craved to stroke her soft skin, to press her tightly to him, to breathe in her beguiling scent.

Perfect…that was the thought that crossed his mind. This evening was perfect and he would do anything to keep it that way.

He'd told her that this evening was going to be magical, and somehow he felt that he was well on his way to proving that to her. He would do anything for her.

The band played another slow song and they saw no reason to leave the dance floor quickly, since doing so would mean that they'd have to break out of their intimate embrace, and neither of them was anxious to ruin the moment. They wanted to stay and relish the connection they shared. They both had the same wish, but wisely kept it to themselves. Brennan closed her eyes as her head still rested on his shoulder.

He grew braver and slowly brushed his lips against her cheek…something he hadn't dared to do before. It was tender…it was intimate. "Hey Bones, don't fall asleep on me here. We have to make it at least until midnight."

He smiled and she lifted her eyes to his with a soft smile on her lips. His lips against her skin felt intoxicating, and a slight sigh escaped her. "Booth, I'm not about to fall asleep." She laid her head back on his shoulder. "I'm just enjoying this dance."

He chuckled. Oh Bones, you're not the only one…

Eventually, they had to separate. It was fifteen minutes to midnight and Booth made his way to the cloakroom to get his coat and her stole. They wanted to be up on the FBI's rooftop terrace by midnight. From there they'd have a wonderful view over the whole city and could admire the fireworks that would go off at the stroke of midnight.

After putting on his coat, he draped the stole around her shoulders. "There we go…"

"Booth, I don't know if going up there on the roof is such a good idea for me." She looked at him questioningly. "It's quite cold, and I'm not really dressed for it." She looked down at herself and pointed to the thin fabric of the dress. "After all, this fabric is rather thin…"

"Don't worry, Bones. I'll keep you warm." He winked at her and took her hand to lead her to the nearest elevator.

§§§

The rooftop terrace slowly filled with people and Booth moved Brennan to a slightly quieter corner. He unbuttoned his tuxedo and pulled Brennan close so that her back was against his chest. Then he wrapped his jacket and coat tightly around her. There was a gap that was left open in front because his coat wasn't big enough to completely enclose both of them, so he draped her stole across the opening. "There we go…nice and warm…"

Brennan felt completely enveloped in Booth. His head at her side, his firm arms wrapped around her, his body pressed tightly against her. With a sigh, she let her head fall back against his shoulder. It all felt wonderful.

Booth enjoyed holding her so completely in his arms, and did so for the next few minutes. There was no way that he'd let her slip out of his arms again. She felt his body heat radiate down her back, and acknowledged that he was right…she felt warm and safe. His head rested next to hers and together they looked out over the city lights.

She turned her head slightly and whispered to him. "Remember what we agreed on, Booth. No kiss, just a hug." She wore an uncertain smile. "No cheating…"

"Sure, Bones. How could I forget that?"

Bones, he thought, you're making it really difficult for me! How am I supposed to avoid kissing you when you're resting here so seductively in my arms, like pure temptation? Do you actually know what you are doing here to me? He ran his nose lightly through her hair and took a deep breath. Even her hair smelled beguiling.

Booth, she thought. I'm sorry to have to remind you again, but I'm just too scared of what it'll do to us if we kiss again, tradition or not.

It was now just shortly before midnight. The people around them started counting down the seconds.

Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.

Happy New Year!

People happily shouted Happy New Year wishes to each other. Some popped champagne corks, colleagues hugged and, as expected, many couples found themselves in a hearty kiss.

Brennan nestled even deeper into Booth's arms. "Happy New Year, Bones.," he whispered softly in her ear as his arms closed tighter around her, rocking her back and forth.

"Happy New Year, Booth." Brennan suddenly turned in his arms to face him. Since she was already firmly in his arms anyway, and their faces were suddenly only inches apart. Their eyes met, and their gazes held each other captive. The world around them vanished into nothing. All around them, people were laughing and celebrating, the sky was lit up by the many fireworks, the New Year had started loud and colorful….

…but they only had eyes for each other. "No kissing." Brennan whispered, her eyes holding his gaze.

This was pure torture. "No kissing.," Booth answered with a husky voice, her face only inches away from his, their breath mingling. His gaze fell to her lips, so soft and tempting.

They would discuss later who made the first move, but in reality, they were attracted to each other like two magnets that couldn't help but connect.

A small lift of her head, a slight tilt of his and their lips met somewhere in the middle. The urge to kiss each other couldn't be resisted anymore, so why not give in?

Very gently their lips moved in unison and Booth pulled her even closer into his arms. The kiss grew deeper and more passionate. He pulled away from her lips briefly so they could both get some much-needed air and then immediately lowered his lips to hers again.

It was like a dream...like magic... His own words became reality here. He couldn't let go of her. When he slowly finally wanted to pull away, she grabbed his neck and pulled him back to her lips. Apparently he wasn't the only one who didn't want to end this kiss.

A little further away, Julia Cullen grabbed her husband's arm and nodded with her chin in the direction of the two partners, who had obviously forgotten the whole world around them. She smiled softly. "It seems like those two took our advice to be a little braver with each other." The Cullens had spoken with each other and found out that, independently of each other, they had encouraged both partners to be brave and maybe finally admit how they felt about each other. She leaned on her husband. Seeing two people so in love touched her deeply. "I'm happy for them from the bottom of my heart."

Booth slowly pulled away from Brennan. He smiled at her and caressed her cheek with a finger and then chuckled. "The 'no kissing' idea worked wonderfully, didn't it?"

Brennan still wasn't able to think straight. Exactly what she'd feared had happened. She wanted more. The man who still held her tightly in his arms and looked lovingly at her had enchanted her/ He'd cast a spell over her. It must be magic…obviously he was right about everything.

But she couldn't tell him that so instead she mentioned the first thought that crossed her mind. Her voice was still a little breathless as she began. "It's a tradition, correct? You told me that kissing on New Year's Eve is a tradition." Booth's eyes widened as she really gave him this lame excuse. "As an anthropologist, I take cultural traditions very seriously."

He laughed out loud. "Yeah, Bones, it's a tradition." He didn't believe her explanation, but understood exactly why she'd said it. She wasn't ready to admit what had happened between them, but he was fine with it. He had time for her to catch up, so he nodded slowly. "Right. Traditions are important. Very important."

He gave her another tender kiss and then he whispered into her ear. "Come on, let's get out of here." He took her hand and went with her to the elevator. "We've done our part for tonight, so now we can go."

§§§

They took the elevator straight down to the parking garage without going back into the ballroom. People would be celebrating now, and nobody would miss them, except for maybe the Cullens, but they'd understand their friends' disappearance.

Booth didn't let go of her hand even after they were in the elevator. He just couldn't let go of her. They didn't speak, each one deep in their own thoughts. Even without talking about it, however, it was clear for both of them. Their night together wasn't over yet.

There was no way to simply part after those passionate kisses….no way they could just get on with business now. There was no chance that the "just partners" could simply forget about this evening.

Booth steered the SUV in the direction of her apartment. People were on the streets partying. There were still fireworks to be seen, and the city was alive. Brennan looked out the window with interest. She knew that now wasn't the time to talk. They needed quiet and solitude for that.

So she took in the colorful variety around her as a welcome distraction. The silence in the car wasn't uncomfortable, however. Both quietly enjoyed each other's presence.

Before long they had arrived in front of Brennan's apartment. Booth parked the car and turned to Brennan questioningly.

But she had already made her decision. As she opened the passenger door, she turned back to him and gave him a winning smile. "Will you come upstairs with me for coffee?"

He glanced at her, one finger sliding softly along her cheek. "Yes…of course, yes."

He quickly got out, too, smiling to himself. If she hadn't asked him, he would've asked her if he could come upstairs. There was no way their evening would end there in that parking lot, with him driving away.

"Yep…" He grinned as he followed her up to her apartment. "...it may be time for more fireworks."

AN: My Beta 554 Laura suggested that we can use the favorite line of my hubby again (See confessions in the snowstorm last line) He always says… "New Year's means fireworks" ;-). PS. Reviews make me very happy…