Booth walks into his office and closes the door gently behind him, he lets out a deep breath and runs a hand over his face. The drive back to DC had been long and silent. An awkward atmosphere had hung thickly between himself and his partner, neither wanting to break the silence. She'd left the car as silently as she'd been through the entire journey when he dropped her off at her apartment. Looking back now he wished that he was able to go back and say something, just anything, to her…. The magic of the previous night seemed a distant reality now and he can't help but wonder just how much damage control will need to be done now.

Seating himself at his desk he flicks on the monitor and prepares himself for a late night of work, he knows that if he goes home he will only sit and wonder about what she's doing, or who she is with.

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Brennan looks up from her notebook as she hears a sharp knock at her door. Her heart flutters nervously as she wonders if Booth is on the other side and for a moment she is set against answering. On the second knock she is up and on her feet to answer it. Pulling the door open a look of surprise registers on her features.

"Marcus?"

He smiles sheepishly and holds up a bag of take out food. "Bad time?"

She looks from the bag and back to his face and shakes her head, stepping aside to let him into the apartment. He wanders into the kitchenette and she closes the door quietly behind him, joining him as he stats to unpack the bag.

"I hope you like Thai?"

"Yeah, of course."

She seats herself at counter and smiles gratefully as he hands her the food and utensils. He brings his own over and sits next to her giving her a wide grin before tucking in.

"So I tried to call last night."

"Yeah, sorry about that. My cell died. I forgot to charge it up."

"When did you get back?"

"A couple of hours ago…..this is really good, what is it?" She wraps her mouth around another forkful of the noodle dish.

"It's called drunken noodles." He chuckles lightly and she smiles. "Sorry I didn't call, I just wanted to see you."

She smiles at him gently and shakes her head "Don't worry about it, I wasn't getting anywhere with this case tonight anyway."

"So, was it a wasted trip?"

She looks down at her food and frowns. "Honestly, I don't know." Her head is suddenly spinning at his innocent question and only she can see the underlying meaning. "We'll see what the guys can pull up with the evidence I gathered."

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Booth walks into his living area and turns on a lamp, the room is immediately illuminated and he drops his overnight bag to the ground. Walking over to his answering machine he pushes a button and leaning back against the counter listens to the messages. One from Rebecca about the weekend and one from his brother asking if he wants to go to a game next week, nothing from Temperance Brennan. He jabs the delete button and stalks into the kitchen to get himself a beer.

Settling against the counter he takes a long swig of the cool liquid and closes his eyes. His mind drifts back to the previous evening, her smile, the fire in her eyes… the fear as she realised his intentions. He shakes his head and curses himself silently. He knows that he needs to beat this, to get over these feelings that he's been harbouring for her, feelings that he'd always believed would pass in time. He had believed that her persistent ability to get under his skin and push his buttons would be her downfall, he just had never realised that it would be those characteristics that would drive him from admiration to love. He laughs out loud as he realises that he is bitterly happy to admit that he loves her, he's in love with her. The most difficult, annoyingly brilliant woman he has ever known.

Last night was proof enough for him that she didn't return his sentiments, he'd been willing to put himself out there believing that some part of her wanted him as much as he wanted her, but he'd mistaken the alcohol in her system for desire in her eyes. She'd been drunk, and a moment of sobriety had saved her from his advances.

A loud shrill ringing from his pocket interrupts his thoughts and he pulls out the cell and holds it to his ear. "Booth"

"Hey sweetie… Listen is Bren with you?"

"No. I dropped her at her apartment a few hours ago. Why?"

"Well, it's just that…she isn't answering her cell and the phone keeps going onto her machine."

"Maybe she's out."

"Maybe, but when I called her earlier she specifically said that she was staying you go check on her, I'd go…but my car's in the shop."

Booth runs a hand over his face quickly and nods. "Ok. I'll call you once I see her."

Booth hangs up and replaces the cell in his pocket. He puts the beer down on the counter and lets out a deep breath, he hadn't planned on seeing her again so soon, but perhaps it would be better to see her tonight so that they can actually talk and smooth things over before work tomorrow.

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Booth jogs across the street to the front of Brennan's apartment building, as he nears the entrance he catches sight of a familiar face. Marcus. The blood drains from his stomach and a jealous anger courses through him. Marcus smiles politely at Booth as he nears him.

"Agent Booth…bit late to be working isn't it?"

"Visiting a friend." Booth's bitterness was evident in his tone and he could tell that Marcus was threatened by him on some sort of level, maybe due to Brennan, perhaps due to his attitude toward law enforcement. "I'd have thought you Dr types would be tucked up in bed at this late hour."

Marcus smiles sardonically. "Who says I wasn't tucked up in bed already?" Booth clenches his jaw. He steps up close to Marcus, into his personal space and smiles.

"I'm watching you buddy. I know all about Chicago… Watch your back, coz if you think for one second that she'll understand, you're wrong."

"We all have a past Agent Booth. Even you. And if tonight's anything to go by, I'm pretty sure she's close to forgiving me anything… Night agent."

Booth watches as Marcus walks away. His anger is boiling below the surface and his jaw hurts from being clenched for the entire exchange. Shaking his head he pushes into the building.

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Brennan opens the door with her toothbrush hanging from her mouth, her eyebrows shoot up when she sees Both and she holds up a finger as she enters the bathroom to finish her task. Booth comes in and closes the door quietly behind himself. When she comes to greet him she smiles gently.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, just wondering what was so important you couldn't answer your phone."

"Sorry, forgot to take the auto machine answer thing off, Marcus came round and…"

"You know what Bones? Spare me the details."

She frowns at him and shakes her head in confusion. "Have I done something wrong?" He meets her eyes then, realising that no she hasn't, she can't help who she has feelings for and she is a consenting adult.

"No, Angela got worried when she couldn't reach you. I said I would make sure you were ok." He starts to head back to the door.

"You're going?"

He nods and opens the door. "Yeah, I'm not really in a company mood. Guess I'll see you at work."

She nods slowly, confusion still stretching across her features. She watches the door close and then stands glued to the spot staring at it, strangely believing that he is about to come back through it.

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