(The Truth in the Lye)

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I don't own Bones.

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Rebecca had dropped by Booth's apartment after Brennan had left for work to pick up a comic book that he'd bought for the boy. He had originally planned to drive over to her place and leave it in the mailbox, but she had called him the previous evening to ask him if he was still taking Parker for the weekend. When Booth mentioned the comic book, Rebecca had decided to swing by Booth's place and pick up the present on the way to work. Booth had told Brennan that his ex was coming by before he went to work and Brennan had decided to leave before Rebecca had arrived.

While Rebecca was in Booth's apartment, Rebecca has noticed a pair of women's earrings on the coffee table and she had become instantly jealous. She wasn't sure why she was jealous since she was in a relationship with Drew, but perhaps it was because she and Drew were already having personal problems and she was tired to fighting with people she was supposed to love. As Booth handed the magazine to his ex, Rebecca had grabbed his arm, stepped in and kissed him.

On the verge of panic, Booth stepped back and shook his head. "Rebecca you can't do that. You're with Drew and . . . and I'm not with you anymore."

Her cheeks a dusky red, Rebecca knew that she had made a mistake. "No, I shouldn't have done that. It's just that Drew and I are separated right now and I . . . no you're right. I shouldn't have . . . . Um, well, you're single and not seeing anyone, at least I assume you aren't and I don't see the harm . . ."

"Rebecca, I am seeing someone right now." Booth tried to be very careful about how much information he gave out. "I can't . . . I can't be intimate with you because it wouldn't be right. I don't . . . um, I can't be with you and her too. It's not right. It's cheating and I don't cheat."

The situation was awkward and Rebecca felt ridiculous for putting both of them in an embarrassing situation. "No, I understand. Who is she? Is she someone you work with?"

Unwilling to answer any of those questions, Booth tried to hand the comic book to Rebecca again. "Hey, it's getting late and I need to go to work."

She glanced at the earrings again, took the comic book and placed it in her purse. "Is your relationship going to interfere with Parker's visits with you? I don't think I want a strange woman here when my son is here."

Shocked at the double standard that Rebecca was advocating, Booth placed his hands on his hips. "So you can bring home strange men, but I can't date? What the hell Rebecca? I promised not to interfere in your private life, so I damn sure think that applies to me too. Who you date is your business and who I date is my business."

"I don't want my son exposed to floozies." Rebecca was starting to get very angry. "He's just a child and I don't want him exposed to the wrong people."

"Well thanks a lot." Booth was furious. "I have standards and they're probably higher than yours. Don't tell me who I can and cannot date. You hate it when I do it to you and you've told my ass off for trying, well that works both ways. Whoever I'm dating won't be here when Parker is here, can you say the same about the guys you date?"

"I'm going now, I'm not really in the mood to put up with one of your moods." Rebecca knew that Booth was right, but there was no way she was going to admit that. As long as his girlfriend wasn't around when Parker was around then she was satisfied.

Seething with anger, Booth watched Rebecca leave and once she was gone, he turned and punched the wall, breaking the skin on his knuckles. "Well that was stupid."

While he was washing his hand in the bathroom, his phone rang. He had a case and he was not in a good mood. After he retrieved his gun and badge from his wall safe, Booth hurried from the apartment, trying to calm down. The last thing he needed to happen was piss off Brennan for no good reason.

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Booth was determined to be honest as much as possible with Brennan. He owed it to her and to him as well. Lying never did anyone a good turn and experience told him that it could only lead to trouble. After they'd met at the crime scene and Brennan had looked over the situation, she had decided that the tub of body goo had to be taken to the Lab. Once that was arranged, Booth and Brennan walked back out to the parking lot where Booth could talk to her. It wasn't as private as he wanted it to be, but it would have to do for now.

"Look Bones, this morning, when Rebecca came over she uh . . . well she kissed me." Booth noticed Brennan stiffen and he hastened to continue to explain. "I didn't kiss her back. She and Drew are having trouble and she's feeling lonely or unwanted or something, anyway I stopped it right away. I told her I was seeing someone and I wasn't interested."

Not sure if she was angry at Booth or Rebecca, Brennan crossed her arms against her breasts. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't believe in keeping secrets." Booth could see that Brennan was angry, but he had to be totally honest with her. "She kissed me, I didn't kiss her. I think from now on when Rebecca wants to meet me, I'll insist it's in a public place. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea."

Her feelings mixed, Brennan tried to understand what she was feeling. "Why would she kiss you? Even if she is having personal problems, that shouldn't give her carte blanche to kiss you or anyone else."

"It doesn't." Now Booth was starting to worry. "I wanted you to know what happened because I don't want to hide anything from you. You need to be able to trust me like I trust you. She just kissed me and I didn't kiss back. That's all that happened and it won't happen again . . . we good?"

Feeling cold, Brennan jerked her head up and down, dropped her hands to her sides and turned to face her car. "I have to go."

"Bones, please." Aware that Cam had stepped out of the building, Booth stayed where he was and watched his girlfriend enter her car and drive away. Afraid his honesty had just caused him to lose his girlfriend, Booth yanked open the door to his SUV, hopped in, slammed the door shut and pounded the roof overhead with a closed fist.

Witnessing Booth's melt down, Cam worried about his partnership. She knew that Brennan was difficult to work with, but she hoped that Booth wasn't angry enough to severe his partnership over whatever he was angry about and really, the man was livid about something.

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She really didn't want to interfere with her employee's relationship with her partner, but Cam thought it might be a good idea to at least find out what was going on. "I noticed that you and Booth had a disagreement in the parking lot at the crime scene. Is there anything I can you help with?"

Troubled that Cam had witnessed Booth and her tense conversation, Brennan tried to be calm and professional. "We weren't arguing."

Wary about continuing the conversation, Cam sighed and decided in for a penny in for a pound. "He was angry enough to punch the roof of his truck after you left."

Startled, Brennan looked at Cam and realized that she should have talked further with Booth and not just left him in the parking lot. "I think I need to go see Booth." Removing her latex gloves, Brennan tossed them in the biohazard bin. "I'll be back as soon as I can be."

Not really satisfied with Brennan's response, Cam realized that it was probably better if Brennan and Booth worked on their own problems and she just stayed out of it.

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Brennan entered Booth's office, closed the door and locked it. "Booth I need to talk to you."

Surprised to see her, Booth stood up. "Bones, I'm sorry about this morning. Maybe I shouldn't have told you, but I thought I needed to be honest with you. You and me, we need to be able to tell each other anything and I just thought . . . "

"Booth!" Brennan held up her hand and interrupted him. "I shouldn't have become angry about what you told me this morning. I appreciate that you were just trying to be honest with me and I do understand that you did not initiate the kiss. I was just . . . I just didn't like the idea of Rebecca thinking it is okay to take liberties with you. I do realize that she has no idea that you and I are a couple, but the thought of her kissing you when you belong to me is just . . ."

"I belong to you?" Booth was shocked to say the least. "Really?"

Embarrassed, Brennan blushed. "I know we are not married and we are just in a monogamous relationship and no one owns anyone since servitude and slavery is both illegal and immoral, but we are in a committed monogamous relationship and you do belong to me or at least your affections belong to me and I don't believe in sharing."

A feeling of lust mixed with love washed over Booth. "God Bones, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me, ever. I mean, yeah we don't own each other, that's . . . but yeah we're together now and I do belong to you and you belong to me. We are definitely not sharing with anyone else. No way . . . God, I wish this office didn't have glass walls."

Now that she had talked to her boyfriend, Brennan realized that she had let herself be jealous for unknown reasons and she would try to suppress those feelings in the future. Turning, she pulled down the blinds on the walls and door behind her and turned back to smile at Booth. "Now they are not an impediment." Booth moved around his desk and stepped over to where Brennan was waiting for him. Pulling her into his arms he kissed her. "I love you Bones."

"I love you too, Booth." Brennan sighed. "I left you in the parking lot this morning because my feelings were hard for me to understand. At first I was angry with you and I knew that didn't make any sense, so I had to leave before I said something that might damage our relationship . . . Booth this is who I am. I don't handle social situations very well. Sometimes I'm confused and I don't understand what I am feeling. I . . . "

Booth pulled her closer and kissed her again. When he felt her relax Booth separated their lips. "Bones I know who you are and it's fine, you're fine. Don't try to be someone you're not. If you're mad get mad, but please don't shut me out. Never shut me out."

"I won't." Brennan hugged her boyfriend and knew that she really did trust him. She just needed to learn to understand herself. Her life was complicated and she was learning what it was to be involved with someone, someone she loved.

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