TITLE: The Valentine in the Lights
AUTHOR'S NOTES: So here I was, all set to finish up the final chapter of this story, when I realized that it would inevitably become three. Apologies to all that were expecting the conclusion, but there is still more to tell. I promise I will try my hardest to get the third (and final, I promise!) part up by the end of Valentine's Day as a gift to all my wonderful reviewers.

Booth had stared at her path of retreat for what felt like hours, though it was only until the song finished. He raked his fingers through his hair as a Nat King Cole song began to play, and as he started back to the table, he spotted Angela re-entering the ballroom. Meeting her eyes, he approached, his raised brows posing his silent question.

Angela nodded. "All set," she replied with a grin, then sobered as if just noticing her friend's absence. "Where'd she go?"

He was unable to hide his disappointment as he replied, "outside. We were dancing, and uh... she suddenly needed to get some air."

"What did you do to her?" she laughed, folding her arms across her chest.

Booth shrugged. "Nothing. I just... we were dancing, and I, half-kidding around, asked her if she wanted to be my Valentine. She freaked, and bolted."

Angela closed her eyes and shook her head. "Brenn..." she whispered. She tilted her head apologetically at the handsome federal agent. "I'm sorry, Booth."

"This is going to sound very conceited and I don't mean it to be, but... I think that was the first time a woman has ever ran, terrified, away from me."

"Listen, don't take it too seriously -- she just... she's afraid."

"Of me." He chuckled grimly.

"Sort of. It's hard to explain. It's not really that she's afraid of you, it's more like she's afraid of what you seem to be offering. I think she can see whatever is going on between you two, which..." She grinned. "It doesn't exactly take someone of her intellectual calibur to see it."

Booth rolled his eyes. "Maybe I'm starting to wish I didn't have to be here."

Angela mirrored the eye-roll and gave him a shove. "Just go talk to her. She's probably out in the gardens."

"The gardens?"

"Out back," she nodded, then tossed a glance over her shoulder, where Zack and Hodgins were conversing at the table. "I'm going to go see if I can rope one of those guys into dancing with me."

Booth chuckled at this, "yeah, good luck with that," and thanked Angela before heading for the door.

Once he had stepped out the back doors, the gardens were easy to spot. A white-washed, vine-laden archway was the point of entry, the rest of the gardens hidden from view by the hedges -- seven or eight feet tall, from what Booth could tell -- and he slowly approached the archway. The last few lines of the Nat King Cole song filtered out of the small speaker above the back door as he ducked under the white-washed arch and into the gardens, his eyes immediately drawn upward.

Overhead, the gardens were blanketed in artificial starlight -- hundreds of thousands of small, decorative white lights -- and Booth smiled. A new song filtered out into the night, the opening guitar chords immediately recognizable as a Goo Goo Dolls song, and Booth meandered further into the maze-like hedges, stepping around a corner.

He spotted her on a cement bench, near the small fountain at the center of the gardens, and he drew in a breath at her beauty. The lights from the water played across her face in ebbing and rippling shapes, her entire form bathed in the glow of the faux stars above. It wasn't often he was allowed to admire her from afar at such a leisurely pace, so Booth welcomed the opportunity, though secretly he wished to reach out and touch her.

I'd give up forever to touch you

He kept his steps light, his pace slow, as he approached, not wanting to startle her out of the moment she was in. However, he knew instinctively that she could sense his presence. Since the beginning, they had been able to sense each other -- a skill that never ceased to amaze and startle Booth at the same time.

'Cause I know that you feel me somehow

He came around the side of the fountain, keeping his eyes on her the entire time until he was directly beside her, slowly taking a seat on the bench. She turned her eyes away from the fountain and met his, an apologetic smile spreading. He accepted and dismissed it with his own smile, and asked, "Can we try that whole dancing thing again, Bones?" He nodded toward the lights above them. "Under this cheesy, artificial starlight?"

You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be

Booth inwardly begged her to say yes... to not be afraid and just accept him -- accept the dance, accept what he was offering -- everything. He fought not to sigh out in relief when she nodded. He rose then, without hesitation, and took her hand, helping her to her feet.

And I don't want to go home right now

He held out his arms to her and she went into them willingly, draping an arm over his shoulder while she placed her other hand inside his, stepping close to him. He closed his eyes at her proximity and folded her hand against his chest, directly over his heart... keeping her hand covered with his own.

All I can taste is this moment

Brennan leaned against him and let her cheek rest against his, and Booth discretely turned his nose into her soft hair, inhaling its light, fresh scent as they began to sway. "Thank you," he murmured.

And all I can breathe is your life

Her soft chuckle tickled his ear. "For what?"

"For letting me dance with you." Booth paused, and boldly decided to take it a step further. "For letting me get close to you. I've got a feeling you don't let too many people do that." He pulled away and stared into her eyes, tripping his hand slowly... achingly slow... down her bare back and delighting in the very noticeable shiver she gave in response.

And sooner or later it's over
I just don't wanna miss you tonight

"I've danced with you before," she whispered, warmth suffusing her as he pulled her a little closer, rubbing up and down on her arms to generate heat.

She felt his cheek move against hers while he shook his head, his low voice scraping her already-sensitized nerve endings. "Never like this."

And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand

He was right. Brennan would never admit to it aloud, but he was right. They had danced, but never so close. And the last time they danced she didn't remember the air around them being so charged with electricity... with possibility. She suddenly remembered why she had run out here in the first place. Because dancing with Booth had felt good. Too good.

When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

Falling in love with the handsome fed had never been an option for her. She'd never allowed it to be. But now, held in the safety of his strong arms, feeling his fingertips glide up and down her back affectionately... she was starting to see just what a fantastic option it was. Falling in love with Booth. Yes. Yes, it was possible... scientifically. In fact, she should have taken her own scientific cues and gone by the rule of parsimony: the simplest explanation is often the correct one.

And what was the simplest explanation for the butterflies running rampant in her stomach every time he smiled? The simplest explanation for why his wink had the ability to defy science and melt the bones in her knees? Because, simply, she was falling in love with Seeley Booth.

The song went on, as did their swaying, and for a few brief, shining moments, Brennan believed that maybe, just maybe, Booth could make her happy. He definitely seemed like he wanted to, anyway. She gently pulled herself away from him and met his eyes. The soft, soulful brown irises consumed her, and she felt his heart thudding against her palm. It was probably following the same rhythm as her own.

A million thoughts, musings, and idle questions flitted through Booth's eyes in a second, and Brennan saw each and every one. Finally, almost breathlessly, she asked one simple question... "Why?"

Booth chuckled softly, his smile charming and already going to work on her knees, and he shook his head. "Oh, Bones. Are you looking for a scientific explanation for what's going on here?"

She just stared. Was she?

"Well... if you are, here's a little hypothetical situation for you: Let's say a man meets a woman. Maybe in a work capacity, or whatever. And let's say this man and this woman, while they don't really care for each other much at first, they respect each other completely. She's brilliant in her own ways, and he is in his. And let's say that, the more they work together, the more they realize that, despite their differences... they work well together. They fit well together. Both the man and the woman realize there's a chemistry there."

He started to lean close, and Brennan felt her heart suddenly jump into her throat. His voice dropped to a low whisper, and that combined with the glow of artificial starlight above seduced her into leaning close as well... even tilting her head in anticipation for the inevitable. He continued, "and let's say that before long, the chemistry becomes undeniable. It's more than the fact that they just work well together... they do everything well together. Argue, laugh, dance... anything and everything. That undeniable chemistry is making them feel maybe things that they shouldn't feel. But when they're together, everything just... fits so damn well, they can't help but wonder about a possible next step..."

Booth was now close enough to feel their breath mingling in the air between them, and each closed their eyes. "And let's say, that this man maybe starts to--"

"Guys!"

Brennan jumped away from her partner and spun around, folding her arms across her midsection protectively while Booth jerked his head up and stuffed his hands through his hair. Hodgins stood, wide-eyed and excited, near the hedges holding his glass of beer. "Zack is totally wasted and he's about to attempt the Macarena!"

Brennan's brows slowly furrowed, her close call with Booth fading to the back of her mind. "I don't know what that means."

"Well, then come and see for yourself! He's about to make a total ass of himself!"

Brennan threw a glance over her shoulder at Booth, her eyes sparkling their apology. As he watched her go, he stuffed his hands through his hair again in frustration and finished Hodgins' line of thought. "Like I just did?"

He huffed and shook his head, then stalked off, going around front to hail a cab. He wasn't going to give up. Not yet. There was still one hope left, and as he jumped into the cab and gave the driver the address of his destination, he prayed this final little attempt would work.

TBC

MORE Author's Notes: As you guessed, this chapter included the song "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls. A great BB song, if I do say so myself.