A/N: More pre-pilot-episode fun. This is the end of their first case together...

Brennan allowed the unknown FBI agent to escort her to Booth's office, where she knocked smartly on the doorframe. He glanced up from his desk, nodding to the agent as he left, and smiled at Brennan. This should make her day.

"Zack said you wanted to see me?"

Booth nodded. "Yeah…have a seat, I have some good news."

She entered the office slowly, almost warily, and lowered herself into one of the chairs near his desk. I wonder how he's going to try and torture me today. "What is it, Booth?" she asked, the tension evident in her voice.

He winced a little at her tone, but hoped the friction that had permeated their relationship thus far might be forgotten for a moment once he delivered his news. He kicked his feet up on his desk and laced his fingers together behind his head, leaning back in his chair with a triumphant smile. "We got him."

Brennan stared at him. "Who?"

"The killer…the case we've been working on together?" he reminded her sarcastically. "The one you identified. He was actually holding the weapon he used, which you also identified."

"You got him?" she repeated his words.

He noticed how she took herself out of the statement, but decided to let it go. That wasn't because of the way I treated her…was it? He dropped his feet down off the desk and leaned forward in his chair, his brown eyes meeting her blue ones. "Yeah!" he told her with a grin. "Locked the son of a bitch up. There'll be a trial, of course…where he'll be convicted and sentenced to life in prison."

"And you returned the remains to the family?" she prompted.

He nodded, his expression becoming serious again. "We did."

Brennan blew out a breath and relaxed in her chair. "Good. I'm glad."

"What, that's it?" Booth wondered out loud. "We put away a murderer for the rest of his life and all you can say is 'I'm glad'?"

"Well, I am glad," she insisted. "This man will never hurt another person, and the victim's family finally has some closure. But you keep saying 'we' like you and I contributed equally, even though you've made it very clear throughout this whole case that I was just a part of the process…that you were the one doing all the 'real' work."

This time he frowned. "You were a part of the process…a very valuable part of the process. You told us who and what to look for based on the victim's bones. You were Dr. Brennan the Magnificent Bone Lady…" His voice trailed off and he started to smile, a smile that she had learned to be suspicious of.

"What?" What's bouncing around in that disturbed little mind of his?

"'The Magnificent Bone Lady'," he chuckled, leaning back in his chair again. "Sounds like some circus freak show…"

"I am not a freak show," she spat at him, trying to keep her voice calm. Arguing only eggs him on, you know that. Stay calm.

He laughed harder at the expression on her face. She's so easy to get riled up. "I think I'm gonna call you that from now on…The Magnificent Bone Lady…"

"No," she maintained, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You are not calling me The Magnificent Bone Lady!"

"Yeah, you're right," he conceded.

The teasing twinkle was still present in his eyes, but Brennan didn't see it. She was too surprised by his words. "I am?"

"Yeah…Magnificent Bone Lady is way too long. We could shorten it up to Bone Lady…"

"Booth, no!"

"Still too long, eh?" he smirked. "Well what about just Bones?"

She rose from her chair shaking her finger at him now, her voice rising despite her efforts to keep it steady. "No! My name is Dr. Temperance Brennan…"

"…Bones for short…"

"Err," she growled through gritted teeth. "Why do you insist on infuriating me?"

His smile broadened. "Why do you take the bait every time?"

"I think you were trying to do something nice by asking me to come here so you could tell me that the case I've been helping you with has been solved," she told him, her hand now balled up into a fist. "But then you start acting like a child—again—just to annoy me. Don't you know how to be professional?"

Booth stood and walked around his desk, his hand outstretched. "Look, Bones, I'm sorry…"

"Don't call me Bones," she interrupted.

He smothered a smile. And I'm the childish one? "Brennan," he began again, emphasizing her name, "I'm sorry, okay? You just…you just have to lighten up a little…learn to take a little teasing. It's part of being human."

"I am human, and I've never dealt with so much amateurish behavior in my entire career."

"You're not human," he snickered. "You're a Squint."

"Congratulations on catching your murderer, Agent Booth," she huffed at him. "But don't expect my help on future cases." Spinning on her heel, she marched out of his office.

"Thanks for the help, Bones," he called gleefully at her retreating form.

She stopped just outside his door and turned, her pale cheeks turning pink with anger. "Don't call me Bones!" she said forcefully.

Her vehemence only made him giggle.