I'm usually not as angsty with my stories, another experiment, so I'm glad that you guys are hanging in there with me on this. No one likes to see torture for torture's sake though, least of all me, so I assure you I do intend to pay it off. Thanks everyone who is reading and reviewing, I'm much reassured by your comments and insights. You guys truly rock.

"With all due respect Dr. Brennan, I feel perfectly capable of doing my job to the standards of this institution."

The group watched in tense silence as Hodgins looked with offended confusion at his colleague. Bones had been snapping at everyone from the moment she'd arrived this morning and Hodgins' wasn't going to take it lying down. Angela looked worriedly from the face of her best friend to that of her ex fiancée as they continued their argument. She'd never seen Brennan like this before and it had her worried.

"I wasn't trying to imply that you were incapable Dr. Hodgins, I was merely questioning why you would choose to start with the ground samples for analysis when the compounds on the victim's face are clearly what lead to the deterioration of the flesh. It seems a more logical place to begin your analysis."

Hodgins was growing more frustrated by the moment. He wasn't used to being questioned and he didn't like it one bit. "I wasn't starting with the ground samples, I stated that I would put them in the mass spectrometer first and then I was going to begin my more thorough, hands on analysis of the flesh compounds. I can do both simultaneously. Why are you challenging me on this?"

"Because, as the consultant on record with the FBI, it's my responsibility to ensure that the cases are being handled appropriately."

Hodgins' eyebrows shot up into his hairline. "Appropriately? You're questioning the appropriateness of how I conduct myself professionally now?"

Angela held her hands up in a gesture of supplication. "Okay guys, that's enough. Jack, I think you should go and do your tests. Sweetie, could I talk to you for a sec?"

For a minute it appeared that Bones was going to refuse as she and Hodgins stared combatively at each other, but then she tersely nodded and followed Angela off of the platform into her own office.

When they were alone inside Angela turned to face her friend. "Okay, what gives?"

Brennan walked over to her computer and typed in her password. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Angela approached the desk and leaned against it, never taking her eyes off of her friend who was currently avoiding her gaze altogether. "I'm talking about your "Devil Wears Prada" imitation out there."

Bones squinted at her computer monitor as she analyzed an email that she'd opened. "I don't know what that means."

Growing impatient, the artist crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Bren, could you look at me please?"

Bones looked up grudgingly from her monitor and met her friend's narrowed eyes. The look that came into them told her that Angela saw something there that she'd been trying very hard all day to keep compartmentalized.

"Did something more than a dance happen last night between you and Booth? Did you actually, for the first time in your entire life, take me up on my advice?"

She knew it was useless to lie to her friend as well as irrational. "I decided that your suggestion was a valid means of removing the sexual curiosity that had developed between Booth and me so we could go back to a strictly professional working arrangement."

Angela's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she perched one hip up on the desk, getting more comfortable for the continuation of this conversation. "You actually believe that is how it works?"

When Bones didn't answer her question she decided to take a different tack. "How was it?"

She'd always felt comfortable discussing her sexuality with her closer friends, but for some reason, it felt intrusive to have this conversation now. She had nothing to be ashamed of, no reason to withhold details that she would have given Angela before, but it just didn't feel right. Not about Booth.

The scowl that crossed her face confused Angela for a moment as she misinterpreted the reasons for it. "Oh no, was it bad?"

Bones immediately shook her head. "No, it was good. Great in fact."

Her free spirited friend smiled broadly and leaned in. "I always imagined that he'd be very good in bed. Is he as much of a beefcake out of his clothes as he is in them?"

The conspiratorial waggle of Angela's eyebrows made Brennan laugh for a moment but then the same discomfort crept back in. She just didn't want to dish the gory details of last night and she wondered when on earth she'd gotten so puritanical, but it felt like kissing and telling for some reason.

Angela's smile faded a notch and she leaned her head back a bit to examine her friend's expression more thoroughly. She wasn't acting like herself at all, she'd been a complete bitch the entire morning. It was so out of character for Brennan to act that way, in fact she only did it when she was truly frightened and trying to hide it.

A light bulb went off in her head as a realization hit her and she uttered a soft "Oh."

"What? What are you Oh-ing?" Brennan had to admit that she was curious as to what Angela was thinking. Her friend always did have a way of reading people and maybe her insights would help sort out the incredible confusion in her mind.

"You told yourself that sleeping with Booth would make the feelings you had for him go away."

Bones lowered her eyebrows in confusion. "I believe I stated that earlier."

"But instead, you realized that you're in love with him and that scares you to death."

The words punched Bones low in the gut and she panicked at her reaction. "That's ridiculous Angela. We are complete opposites." Standing up and switching her computer off she made to walk out of the room, looking over her shoulder as she threw back, "Booth is all wrong for me and that hasn't changed just because we slept together."

No sooner had the last word left her mouth that she crashed into something big and hard in front of her. She stumbled slightly at the unexpected impact and felt strong arms wrap quickly around her to keep her from falling. Jerking her head to face forward, she realized that she'd just walked straight into Booth himself.

The fiery look in his eyes told her that he'd heard everything she'd just said but his usual smirk was in place, which confused her. "Morning Bones."

A little tingle danced through her at his closeness and the slightly dangerous look in his eye. Memories of last night danced through her mind unbidden, of him holding her in his arms and kissing her until she was literally begging him to take her.

She wiggled out of his arms and stumbled back gracelessly, desperate to put some distance between them as she fought to gather her wits. It annoyed her that it wasn't an easy task at the moment and he watched her as amusement mixed with the intensity in his eyes.

As if she was sitting on a hot burner Angela sprang up from her seat on Bones' desk. "Hi Booth. I was just on my way out, to my office to do some…facial reconstructions."

Brennan lowered her eyes in confusion. "No you weren't."

Angela leveled her with an exasperated look as she tried to continue her hasty retreat. "I was too, something Cam asked me to do earlier. I'll just leave the two of you alone."

She was almost out the door to freedom from the molasses thick tension that had settled over the room when Cam appeared and blocked her exit. "Got an ID on our empty lot victim."

Unaware of the drama unfolding all around her Cam smiled up at Booth and handed him the print out. Booth scanned the picture. "David McBride."

Cam nodded. "NCIC pulled the match. His prints were on file because he's certified to teach high school."

Booth continued to peruse the information he'd been given. "Says here he currently teaches science at Adams Morgan High School." Looking up from the piece of paper he leveled Bones with an overly pleasant smile. "I better go over there and see what I can find out."

"I'll go with you." She turned toward her desk to get her jacket but stopped short when she heard him say no behind her.

She turned to face him with a bewildered look on her face. "But I always go with you to question people."

Booth worried his poker chip in his hand absently, his expression never losing its nonchalance. "I'm sure you have plenty of lab things to do on this one Bones, don't worry about it." Directing his attention to Angela he turned his smile up to about thirty mega watts. "But I could use some backup in the reading people department, especially when it comes to high school kids. What do you say Angela?"

Angela looked between Booth and Brennan like a deer caught in headlights while the latter's face was a mask of pure outrage. "I'm good with high school kids Booth."

Booth glanced quickly over at her with a slight roll of his eyes. "You are not good with high school kids Bones, they think you're a stuffy, teacher-like, authority figure. They don't want to open up to that." He directed his attention back to Angela. "But a fun, artsy chick would probably make them feel very at ease."

A hot ball of sensation wound its way through Bones' chest at the way Booth was looking at Angela and she had the sudden urge to slap him, which made no sense to her at all. He was always flirty with Angela, but something about the way he was doing it now while simultaneously brushing her off filled her with something she'd never, ever felt before in her life and she had to admit to herself that she knew what it was. She was jealous and the idea of it made her furious.

As if to add icing to the cake, he held his arm out to her best friend. "Shall we?"

Throwing an imploring look over to Bones she took his arm and they walked out of the room and toward the lab exit.

Cam looked over at Brennan, her suspicions beginning to kick up again at the strangeness of the behavior she was witnessing all around her today.

Bones spun on her heel to return to her desk, her words coming out cold and angry. "I have work to do. Tell me when Hodgins finishes with the chemical analysis on the flesh and tell him that sooner rather than later would be preferable."

Cam found herself raising her eyebrows for the umpteenth time today at Dr. Brennan's biting tone, but chose to remove herself from the doorway as opposed to confront her. Everyone was entitled to an off day, so she would give her gifted employee some space. If it kept up tomorrow though, she told herself as she went to find Hodgins, she and the Doctor would be having some girl talk.

XXXXXXXXXX

Booth could not only see Angela's stare out of the corner of his eye from her position in the passenger seat of his SUV, but he could feel it burning the side of his face. After a moment, he couldn't take it anymore; he was beginning to feel like a bug under a microscope.

"Yes, Angela?"

"Next time you want to go all machismo and make someone jealous, I'd just like to clarify that I don't appreciate being used as the pawn in that game."

Booth's expression was all innocence and surprise. "Make someone jealous? I've taken you with me before when I needed someone a bit more versed in the ways of human nature, I'm not trying to make anyone anything."

Angela was less than fooled. "So, this doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you and Brennan had sex last night and now she's running scared in the other direction?"

She didn't miss the tightening of his jaw at her words before he replied. "Not a thing, everything is perfectly fine on that account and I'd thank you to stay out of it."

She rolled her eyes. When were these people going to learn that they absolutely sucked at fooling anyone? They were the two most utterly transparent people on the planet and it was infuriating that this was obvious to everyone but them.

"I would stay out of it, except Brennan is my best friend and you are the man that she's in love with."

Booth's hands tightened into a death grip on the steering wheel. "Best friend or no, that is my personal business and Bones is not in love with me. Far from it."

A wave of sympathy washed over her as she looked at his rigid posture. There wasn't a bit of him that didn't look incredibly tense. Even his hair looked tense.

"Booth, you of all people know that sometimes when we're the ones in the middle of something its hard to see a situation clearly. That's why you have to trust me when I tell you that she is completely in love with you and she's scared to death." She paused for a moment, watching him carefully before she continued. "She loves you just as deeply as you love her."

He jerked his eyes to hers, a quick denial on the tip of his tongue but it wouldn't form words, wouldn't leave his mouth. He turned to face the road, the silence stretching out between them.

She could tell that he was afraid too and she felt slightly responsible for it. She was the one who had pushed the issue with Brennan last night. Obviously, the two of them were adults and they made the decision to sleep together on their own, but she'd been the catalyst and she needed to ease her conscience by helping them come to grips with it now, in the aftermath, before they screwed it all up.

The first thing she had to do was get him to admit to her what she already knew.

"I'm not wrong, am I? You do love her, right?"

A muscle in his jaw worked as he watched the traffic with intense irritation. She knew this conversation was going to be hard for him, for someone who kept so much inside of himself, but she knew she needed to help him rip off the band-aid.

She shrugged a shoulder at his silence. "I must have misread the situation. I'm sorry, I'll butt out."

The silence stretched between them for a few more moments as she looked patiently out of the window at the passing cars.

"More than anything." His voice was so soft that she almost missed what he'd said.

Satisfaction eased through her at being able to crack the surface and she continued to press him gently. "Then don't turn away from her."

He shook his head. "I'm not the one that did the turning away. If I'd been smart, I would have turned away last night. I didn't do that and now I'm the one being turned away from, not the other way around."

It was Angela's turn to shake her head. "You know her Booth. Everyone she has ever loved has left her, has let her down. As far as I know, she's never been in an intimate relationship with a man where actual, legitimate love was a factor. What she feels for you is real and intense and powerful and she's running scared. I know she's trying to push you away, but don't push back. Be patient with her."

They pulled into the parking lot of the high school and Booth let his head fall back against the headrest of his seat, closing his eyes for a moment. "Angela, I don't know what to do. This is foreign territory for me."

He lifted his head and looked over at her. "I've never-" feeling suddenly embarrassed he dropped his eyes. "I've never felt like this before. About anyone. Not even Rebecca."

Angela smiled kindly at him and laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Of course you haven't. She knew it too, and that's why you aren't married to her. And that's why it's so important that you fight for this Booth. This is the real deal, you don't just walk away from the real deal."

He looked up at her and the wisdom of her words sank in. She was right. Smiling gratefully up at her he patted the hand that still rested on his shoulder. "Thanks Angela."

She gave his shoulder a final squeeze and then removed her hand. "Hey, I have a gift."

With a chuckle he turned the ignition off and began to climb out of the car.

"Let's go back to high school."