Apologies again for the lack of updating. I'm gonna go ahead and dedicate this one to Kasper...coz she reminded me to update in the first place. I'm far too forgetful for my own good.
Once again, not mine. But, oh, if it was...
Fifteen minutes later, Booth and Brennan had managed to battle their way through the crowd to the squints. This was no mean feat as every step they had taken included being accosted by members of the audience, chattering and squealing merrily. If Brennan heard one more comment about "partners in more ways than one" she was going to karate chop whoever said it. And then a couple of other people in the surrounding area, just so everyone got the point.
Booth, unsurprisingly, had been no help. He had even fuelled people's suspicions by wrapping an arm around her waist and using his other hand to run his fingers through her hair or gently touch her face. Every time Brennan attempted to dispel these rumours or impatiently swat his hand away, Booth would lean forward conspiratorially and say, "She's just shy." He was another one who could do with a karate chop to the head. And maybe a kick in a strategic area for good measure.
Zach was beaming madly at the pair, while simultaneously looking slightly nervous that Booth might hurt him for being so delighted. Cam's lips were pressed together, mouth twitching as she fought against a smile. Lord knows she'd been waiting long enough for those two to open their eyes and see what was so glaringly obvious to everyone else. And while Angela's scheming had been about as subtle as a wet fish in the face, she really hoped this little event would be the catalyst for the change in their unique relationship.
Poor Hodgins looked exhausted. Dealing with the ever excitable Angela could be draining at the best of times. Dealing with an Angela who felt as though all of her Christmases and birthdays had come at once…well, it was no real surprise that Hodgins felt like sleeping for the next month, at least. Angela herself looked set to launch into the stratosphere. She had the appearance of a puppy that's had about a litre of Coke. Brennan took one look at her face and snapped, "Not a word, Angela. Not one word."
Angela pointed at herself, eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Me? I wouldn't say anything. Wouldn't dream of it. Who am I to comment on the workings of Fate?"
Brennan began to quiver with frustration. Through gritted teeth she growled, "That was not Fate. There is no such thing as Fate. That wasn't even close to Fate or chance as you deliberately bid a ridiculous amount on the agent you knew perfectly well would cause me the most embarrassment."
Booth took a step away, feigning hurt.
"Ridiculous? You think that was ridiculous?"
He flashed his best smile at her; the one that, in spite of everything, made her knees turn to mush and butterflies zoom madly around her stomach. Taking advantage of her crumbling defences, he pulled her to him once more.
"Come on, Bones. You know I'm worth it."
Sighing gently in defeat, Brennan made a little shaking motion with her head.
"At least it's over now. We can all go home and forget the whole thing ever happened."
She looked hopefully around her.
She was met with five incredulous looking faces.
"Home?" Cam spluttered. "But what about your date?"
Brennan nearly hit the floor.
"Date?" she managed to squeak, her body shrinking in on itself.
Hodgins let out a quick guffaw.
"Dude, your voice just went all kinds of crazy."
Booth snapped Brennan out of her reverie by swinging her around to face him.
"Didn't you know? As if I'm not prize enough, we get to go on a romantic dinner date tonight, funded by the Bureau, which they'll now be more than happy to do on account of how much money was made. I figured that's why you were so embarrassed."
Unable to banish the squeaking from her voice, Brennan managed to choke out, "No. No, I definitely did not know that. I was embarrassed because…"
She shook her head wildly.
"A date? A real date?"
Angela nodded frantically; her face looked in danger of splitting her smile was so wide.
"Mmmhmm. A real date. Alone. By yourselves. And Booth, you have to be very nice to Brennan. You're her prize after all. Do anything she wants."
Brennan opened her mouth to speak, but all that came out was gibberish. She quickly shut it with a snap. To his credit, Booth looked slightly flustered about it himself. Cracks were becoming evident in his confident façade. When she saw that she wasn't the only one nervous about the prospect, Brennan began to relax. Booth could actually feel the tension leaving her body. He gave her an encouraging smile, which she returned. Maybe it would be all right. Who knew, it could even turn out to be fun.
Her embarrassment returned with a bump when she managed to wrench her gaze away from Booth's and back to the squints. All were grinning madly, Cam and Angela even bouncing up and down. If ever there was a time for a gaping hole to appear in the ground, this was it.
Grumbling inanely at anyone and anything, Brennan began to march towards the exit, the squints and Booth hurrying behind her. Angela skipped the whole way out, getting in everyone's way and entangling herself in a fair few people's legs. Not that she minded. At this moment, she didn't mind anything.
The squints quickly dispatched themselves off to their respective modes of transportation. All four of them called goodnight to the blushing couple, Angela adding in a few choice shouts along the lines of "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" (accompanied by a "Which isn't much!" clarification from Hodgins) and "If you can't be good, be careful!" All in all, the two were left with a serious interest in their shoes and the ground below them long after the giggling foursome had left.
"So…"
Booth eventually broke the silence, the nervousness that was pounding in his chest undeniably evident in his voice.
Brennan looked over at him and offered a small smile.
"So…"
Booth ran a hand through his hair, then slapped it down uselessly at his side.
"Um, where's your car?"
Brennan looked sheepish.
"I…I didn't bring it. You gave me a lift this morning, remember? So I just took a taxi from the Jeffersonian."
Booth nodded absently.
"Right, right. Well, you'll be needing a lift then."
Smiling broadly at the usually suave agent, Brennan nodded.
Booth nodded back, "Right. Well…right. Come on then."
They made their way over to Booth's car in silence. Neither knew what to say or how to even begin saying whatever it was they couldn't. Booth leapt in front of Brennan and opened the passenger side door for her first. For once, she didn't berate him. She simply smiled and gave a small nod of thanks. This was far more disconcerting than if she'd just yelled at him.
Flustered and feeling decidedly off-kilter, Booth settled himself into the driver's seat and strapped himself in. He cleared his throat noisily a couple of times as he started the car and drove out into the bustle of evening traffic.
Her lips pressed tightly together, Brennan glanced over at her partner.
"So, em, where are we going for this da…ah…dinner?"
Booth grunted to show his appreciation at her attempt to start a conversation.
"A restaurant called 'Bonne Appetite'. It's nice, apparently. Very…eh…romantic."
He'd lost his nerve at the crucial moment and the word 'romantic' had come out as little more than a whisper. So much so, that Brennan hadn't caught it.
"Very what, sorry?"
"ROMANTIC!"
Silence spread into every square inch of the car. Booth stared straight ahead out over the steering wheel. Brennan had set her sights very directly out of the passenger side window. Neither saw the rosy blush that spread across the other's cheeks and down Booth's neck.
After a few minutes of suffocating silence, Booth smacked his lips together and reached for the radio dial.
"Music. We need music."
Tom Jones' 'Sex Bomb' suddenly blared out.
Booth giggled nervously.
"Wrong station."
He tried again. This time 'Hot Stuff' filled the air.
"Nope! Wrong again."
The latest version of 'Lady Marmalade' from the film 'Moulin Rouge' thumped into their ears. Booth was about to say something, then hurriedly thought better of it and settled for silently turning the dial once more.
Eric Clapton crooned 'Wonderful Tonight' at them. For a moment Booth tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, enjoying the music. Then possible other implications of the song entered his head and he turned the radio off altogether.
"Music is overrated. Silence is…ah…golden."
Brennan offered no response other than a small, secretive smile.