Disclaimer: They are not mine, legal blah, blah, blah.

Okay, this is a longer chapter and I am still writing but I wanted to get this out there, according to the stats there are quite a few number of people out there reading it, please review so I know what you think…it is SO motivating to get reviews. Thanks.

Chapter 5

Temperance was clearing the breakfast dishes as Booth filled the sink and began to wash, after wiping the counters she stood next to him and began to dry. She liked doing dishes, the warmth was soothing and it was a task she remembered her mother doing, she had always been singing or humming, the houses had changed but the kitchens were always small, simple and void of luxuries. Looking back Temperance was never sure if her mother's musical musings were to distract her from the situation or if she genuinely enjoyed what she was doing. In her own mind she liked to believe her mother was happy.

Temperance paused, she had dried her last dish and Booth was working on one of the pans. She was watching him turn it back and forth under the steaming water when he began to hum. At first she thought she was having some kind of auditory hallucination tied to her memory but as she focused it became obvious to her, he was definitely humming. She was overcome with a sudden sense of loss and not wanting to face him she set down the towel and moved behind him, sliding her arms around his waist she hugged him, placing her cheek against his back. She could feel the vibration through him and then his hand, gently squeezing hers, still hot and wet from the water.

Booth felt her move behind him and instinct told him not to move, the hug was not sexual. She had been quiet for the last few minutes and he could feel her mood shift. When she set down the towel he thought at first that she was leaving the kitchen. He was surprised by her arms coming around him, when she pressed her face to his back he continued to hum, trying to let her take from him whatever it was she needed. He stood there, squeezing her hand to let her know he was aware something was wrong. Then he finished washing the pans and set them on the towel to dry. He turned off the water and stopped humming to let her know he was finished and then turned slowly around.

"Hey, are you okay?" He hugged her to him and she snuggled against him for a moment feeling a sense of contentment now.

"I'm fine. What are we going to pack for lunch?" Whatever was bothering her had passed.

"Well assuming you like all the food in your house I think you can go get ready and I'll whip up something. It won't be elaborate but it will be edible." There was that grin that she could not resist. She nodded in response and went to get herself ready. Once in her room she moved without rushing, giving Booth time to get things ready. She washed up and pulled on a pair of khaki shorts and a black tank top with simple black sandals. She paused only a moment over which bathing suit to take, choosing the skimpier of the two. She threw in a couple of towels, her sneakers, some socks in case they went hiking and a sweatshirt and jeans for later. Moving to the bathroom she tossed in some first aid supplies, her toothbrush, hand wipes and sunscreen. Just as she was about to leave she had an idea and went to her closet, after struggling to get a box off the top shelf she slid several other items into the bag, smiling as she did so. She was a little nervous, spending the day with him without a current case to occupy them and on a personal level. She decided she should start to think of questions to ask him. It was funny, all the nights she had wondered about different parts of his life and now she had to concentrate to come up with questions for him. She wondered what was wrong with her brain. She came quietly down the hall, setting her bag down gently and just watching him move about her kitchen. He was bent over the counter deep in concentration, rapidly filling containers.

"Where's that cooler Bones?" He spoke without turning around and she jumped at the sound of his voice.

"How do you always know when I'm here?"

"Well I'm trained to listen, to sense a persons presence and there is a certain amount of gut instinct involved." He was chuckling because he knew how she felt about him following his gut, it was the counter opposite to any scientific method and it drove her crazy.

"Not this whole idea that your gut tells you things again." She was walking toward him and she turned him around, he was laughing. She smiled softly and then gently pulled his t-shirt from the waist of his pants.

"Bones, what are you doing?" He had stopped laughing and actually stopped moving, he couldn't take his eyes off those amazing hands as they reached for him.

She ran her fingertips gently over the smooth muscles of his abdomen, tracing the soft trail of hair that disappeared at the worn edge of his jeans. He sucked in his breath and the definition in his muscles leapt before her eyes. She leaned down and pressed her ear gently against his bare torso, turning slightly so that the edge of her lips just grazed his skin and her breath moved hotly across his flesh. His penis began to rise, only inches away and he couldn't take a deep breath.

"Booth, I'm just listening to this gut of yours to see what is has to say, apparently it's very knowledgeable." She was enjoying this, not just getting even by making him uncomfortable but there was that sense of control again. She was once again surprised by her own body's reaction, her breasts were tightening and her belly grew soft and warm. She smiled against him.

He felt her lips against him and knew she was smiling. He took her shoulders and brought her to a standing position.

"Temperance Brennan that was really playing dirty. I can't decide whether I am more shocked or impressed but you should be careful, that's a dangerous game." He was smiling but his eyes were dark.

"You started this teasing game; I just took you for your word and wanted to hear this gut talk." She looked at him innocently, struggling to hold back a grin. She felt his hands begin to slide down her arms and she ducked down and back, out of his reach. "Don't we have to get the cooler packed and get going? We still have to run by your place." Her heart pounding, she jogged to the closet and began pulling out the cooler. Booth shook his head and went back to sealing containers; he would have to find a way to settle that score later.

He insisted on packing the cooler so she packed the dry goods into a bag and they were ready to go.

On the ride to Booth's apartment they relaxed a bit, playing with the radio station and discussing their likes and dislikes in music. He was amazed at how much overlap they had in their taste. He had done this before, distracted her with conversation about music while they were in the car. There had been plenty of trips during which her close proximity had been overwhelming for him so he would shift to conversation about a case or what was on the radio to keep his mind off of her. It was working now, at least as long as he kept his eyes on the road and not her legs in those shorts.

When they arrived at the apartment, Booth came around the car but Brennan was already stepping out, so he shut the door and took her hand. It seemed so natural to him, to be holding her hand in his and yet he was aware of her cool fingers laced between his, the same fingers he had been secretly watching all these months. He released his grip to open the door and mentally tried to focus on the task at hand. He went and changed into a different t-shirt, filled a small duffle with his swimming and hiking accessories, then remembering his luggage went out to the truck to retrieve it. He would check messages and mail later, right now he had a date to attend to.

Temperance was in the living room, slowly looking around, taking in his style, trying to glean information from her surroundings as though she had never been there before. She sat in the overstuffed chair, his scent enveloped her, she pictured him with his legs stretched out in front of him in the relaxed pose he always took when he was weary. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting her mind wander, seeing herself climb onto his lap in this chair, running her hands up the front of him and into his hair, pulling him toward her, rocking her hips against his erection as he nipped her breast through her shirt…

"You're not sleeping because no one smiles that way in their sleep, the question is, what are you thinking about Bones?" She started at the sound of his voice, her eyes snapping open and her cheeks flushing deeply. He was standing right in front of the chair, his legs stratling hers, so close that from her angle he looked impossibly tall. She didn't answer him; she just looked, wondering at how the simple act of giving herself permission to think about him had become so overwhelming. He crouched down in front of her, reaching out and cupping the side of her face. "At least tell me that whatever thoughts you were having that put that look on your face were about us."

She smiled at him then, "definitely about us." She turned her head slightly and kissed his palm, then lifted her hand and pressed his against her mouth, gently sucking the tender skin in the center, running her tongue across it and letting go.

"Temperance," her name slid from his lips on a breath. He was stunned by the powerfully erotic feeling attached to that gesture. He felt like she set his whole body on fire, he could feel his face flush with the intensity of his arousal and he was unsure he could stand up. He realized at that moment that all the fantasies he had ever had about her would fall short of the reality. She was all impulse, sexy without knowing it, sensual without planning it, willing to just follow her own desire. She was staring at him, waiting for him to move or speak but he was looking at her with a strange expression as though he had never really seen her before.

"Hey there, I thought you said we had to get going," her voice was low. He seemed to snap out of it then, rising back up and stepping away from her all at once.

He picked up his bag and grinned in her direction, "well, are you coming?"

"Not yet" she whispered too softly for him to hear as she headed to the door.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The weather was beautiful; they drove, not to a park but to what appeared to Temperance as a private property. It was confirmed as they passed through a gate requiring a security code. The sign on the gate said that trespassers would be shot as intruders, those that survived will be prosecuted. Underneath the word survived someone had noted in marker that no one ever had.

"Booth, where are we?" She was looking around, taking it all in, really quite surprised at how quickly they had arrived at such a rural place.

"It's government owned. The FBI used it for training years ago but they relocated to a much larger piece of land for privacy when the city began to encroach. It makes people nervous to hear weapons being fired and some of the big guns we use can be heard for several miles. Now we use the small lake for swimming and canoeing and we picnic and camp here, some come to de-stress after a particularly bad case but only a certain number of us have the code. I called and no one else was scheduled to come out today although it doesn't matter, the picnic and lake areas are plenty big. We have all brought things out here and worked on it so now it's like our own private resort but we try not to call too much attention to it because we don't want the government to decide they can use it for something else. It's a well kept FBI secret I'm trusting you with so you are going to have to swear an oath of secrecy." He was smiling at her and she listened intently, wondering who exactly the "we" in his statements referred to and whether she would ever meet them. She looked around, the place was beautiful, they drove to a small building in a clearing and the lake and picnic area came into view. He took out his key and unlocked the building, there was a lounge, a kitchen area and bathrooms and showers. It was sparse but functional and clean, not bad for a bunch of FBI guys on the sly.

They chose a picnic table and began to set thing up, after getting organized; they decided to check out the lake, it was still a little early to eat. Temperance headed into the lodge to change, feeling a flutter of nerves at having her suit on in front of Booth. She wondered about it as she changed, after all there were several times today she was more than willing to be completely naked in front of him, the bathing suit should be no big deal. Part of her knew it was because he would be looking at her as a woman and not just his partner and that even though it had taken her a year to shift gears and be willing to try this with him it still felt so new, but so right. She started laughing out loud then, at herself, nervous like a teenaged girl about whether or not her boyfriend would think she was attractive in her bathing suit. This man was making her crazy. She grabbed the towels and suntan lotion and headed down to the picnic area.

Booth was waiting, he had gotten some foam boards, floaties, and a beach ball out of the storage shed and changed into his suit. He was standing at the edge of the water, checking the temperature when he looked up and saw her coming toward him. He walked into the water, dipped under and turned back around, he was chest deep and she was nearing the edge. The cool water didn't help as he had hoped it would. He could barely look at her and yet he couldn't tear his eyes from her. She was beautiful and sexy as hell. She was wearing a navy blue bikini, simple, classic and very flattering to her already stunning figure. He knew she worked out, kept up with her defense classes, sometimes went running or did yoga but she wasn't just tone, she was amazing. He watched the muscles in her legs move as she walked, watched the tightening across her stomach and the weight of her breasts as she bent to spread out the towel, when she turned around to straighten the corner of the towel he dove under the water and began swimming. The image of her strong back, the line of her spine trailing down to the dimples showing above the curve of her ass was burning in his brain. He swam until his lungs were screaming before coming up for air. He had gone some distance; he drew a deep breath and began slowly swimming back toward her.

"Come on Bones, just dive in, it's not cold." To his surprise she walked out a few more steps and lunged out in a long dive, quickly swimming to him.

"It feels remarkable," she smoothed back her hair, easily treading water near him.

"You look remarkable." He was staring at her with the look she was quickly learning was pure lust, the look of a wolf, predatory and hungry. That look made her entire body blush. She remembered her turmoil while changing and started laughing as she said thank you. His eyebrow raised in question at her.

She shook her head, "race you to the floating dock." The words had barely left her lips and she was gone, cutting through the water with ease it became immediately obvious to him that she was definitely a swimmer. She beat him with ease.

"You cheated; you took a huge head start." He was breathing hard from the exertion of trying to catch her. She was laughing at him, noting that this was part of their competitive natures they could enjoy.

"I did not cheat. Let's get on the dock and I'll let you catch your breath. We'll dive from the dock at the same time. The last one to the beach ball owes the other one a massage." She was already climbing onto the dock, smiling to herself because she couldn't believe she said a massage was the prize but all she had in her head was how good his hands would feel on her and it just popped out of her mouth.

He glanced over at her, the navy bikini was wet now, her skin rising with goose bumps, her nipples tight against the fabric in the breeze.

He looked up and she was staring at him, eyebrow raised, smiling wickedly.

"If you're ready now Booth, I wouldn't want you to lose and then say you weren't ready. I'm even going to let you count off the dive, on three, okay?" She had the toes of one foot curled over the edge, knees slightly bent, ready to launch. The competitor in him raised his head, he was honestly a little worried about the possibility that she may beat him. He focused on the water, leveled his breathing and began to count.

"One, two," he paused, "THREE!" The dock moved back from the force of them lunging into the water. From the corner of his eye he saw her body stretch out over the water, an arc of flesh that spiked into the surface and disappeared. He hit the water, stroking hard, he could hear her not far away and he pushed himself, glancing up to spot the ball in the distance. He put his head down, kicking, thinking he should be just about there, his knee struck sand as did his arm. He lifted his head and there she was, sitting on her towel, holding the beach ball with a spectacular smile on her face.

"You lose Booth." She watched him, sitting in the water, beached not far from shore with a startled look on his face. She got up and strolled back into the water, taking his hand when she reached him, "come on, let's go back out to the dock."

"How did you get ahead of me?" He took her hand, following her back into the lake.

"Superior skill, strength and stamina, besides, swimming is something I have always done, I have a lifetime of intermittent practice. Michigan, land of ten thousand lakes, the beach was cheap and anonymous so I can see now why we went so often when I was a child, and swimming was something I could always do alone." She spoke calmly as though they discussed her childhood everyday. They swam easily back out to the dock and climbed on, dangling her legs over the side, Temperance laid back to catch some sun and warm up for a few minutes.

"I'll give you skill, but there is no way you are stronger than I am, a little more aerodynamic in the water maybe but not stronger and I have serious doubts about better stamina too." His protest had more irritation than conviction. He had settled down beside her, shadowing her position a small pout lingering on his mouth. He didn't like losing.

"We can go again but I'm warning you, it's nothing personal but I'll beat you again. There are many things at which you could beat me Booth but this isn't one of them, with six months of good training, maybe, but not today. I'm strong for my size and you have bulk muscle, which is heavy and takes a lot to move through the water, you have to spend more energy to go the same distance as I do." She wasn't gloating, just stating it as though it was an unavoidable fact.

They lay there for a few moments, he reached over and took her hand, she looked over but he had his eyes closed against the sun. She watched his chest rise, drops of water sparkling in the lines of his abdomen. She wanted to touch him but kept her hand to her side, knowing that wet and near naked was too much temptation. She thought he was beautiful, sculpted, muscular, his chest narrowing to a rock stomach. She loved the dip just above his hip bones where the well worked muscled curved inward and she knew her hand would fit. She mentally paused, there it was again, the word love in reference to him. How could she really love a man she didn't know that much about? She knew some of his deepest secrets and yet didn't know what his favorite sandwich was. Where does love begin? She tried to remember her own childhood but so much of it was missing. She had images in her head, snapshots in time, sometimes there were scenes that played like movie shorts but she struggled with other memories.

She refocused her gaze on his body, the strong physical reaction in her own felt both remarkable and terrifying. She tried to find a point of reference and once again went back to her childhood. She was on a rollercoaster with Russ, it was so tall that when she looked up she couldn't see the top. She didn't want to say she was afraid so she had gotten on it but once the cars started the slow climb up the largest hill her heart was trying to pound its way out of her chest. The fear was electrifying and by the time they went over the top and she felt the train lurch and let go into its fall, she was screaming just like everyone else. It was fun, both remarkable and terrifying to her, just like right now.

"Are you just going to stare at me?" He opened one eye and looked over at her.

"Does it make you uncomfortable?"

"Yes, but in a good way." He was grinning now.

"Come on, let's get back in the water and I'll race you underwater. It'll give your ego a chance to recover."

"Very funny, my ego is fine, but I'll take you up on the race." They jumped back into the water and began competing. Who could swim further underwater, who could hold their breath longer, who was better at keeping the beach ball in the air, who could balance on the foam board longer and who could dive further. They competed hard but laughed harder, respecting each others strengths and exploiting each others weaknesses. They walked out of the lake in search of food over an hour later, both of them more than ready for lunch.

Booth grabbed charcoal from the storage shed and fired up the grill. He opened the cooler and began getting things ready, once Temperance had finished the table, she poured them both some Gatorade and sat down.

"Is there anything I can help you with Booth?"

He took a drink and shook his head no, "I have it all under control and I know you're starving so here, you can start with this." He set a container of sliced vegetables and dip in front of her, grabbing a carrot and popping it into his mouth as he did so. He pulled out an apron and put it on and she started laughing. "Hey I'm doing the grilling and I am not into getting burned, it's strictly a safety measure."

"It's great with your bathing suit." She was still chuckling when she went up to use the restroom.

He was humming when she returned, busily placing things on the grill, it smelled wonderful. He turned, grabbing a handful of mixture from a container and quickly and efficiently making a patty and dropping it onto the grill. He heard his name and when he turned there was a click.

"Where the hell did you get a camera." He was only feigning anger.

"It's my emergency disposal for crime scenes, I always have one in my bag but I never thought it would come in this handy." She was munching on the vegetables as he deftly cranked out a few more patties and threw them on the grill. "Aren't you starving?"

"Yeah, but I'm a little busy here, once everything is on the grill I'll catch up."

She watched him, obviously loving this, absorbed in the rhythm and timing of cooking. She picked up the container in front of her and went and stood beside him. She dipped a carrot on the dip and brought it to his lips. Glancing down he opened his mouth, she fed it to him carefully. His lips were just brushing her fingers. She dipped a cherry tomato next, he paused and flipped the seasoned salmon patties and turned the potatoes. As she brought it to his lips, the dip was running on her finger, threatening to drip. He opened his mouth and took the tomato and her fingers, gently sucking the dip off and running his tongue over the tips before releasing them. He was grateful for the apron now, feeling the familiar ache of need rising between his legs. He had entertained so many fantasies involving her hands that he couldn't believe he was standing here grilling with her fingers in his mouth. She brought him another one and he sucked firmly on the finger she had in his mouth and she drew it slightly in and out before removing it. She swallowed hard and continued to feed him, even when they both knew he could now do it himself. He turned to her then, setting down his spatula and gently pulling her against him. He kissed her and she tilted her head, opening her mouth, wanting him.

Her fingers tingled when he took the first tomato and a flood of warmth began pooling in her belly. She felt the arousal become moisture and knew she was wet, just like that. She couldn't stop watching his mouth, each time his lips wrapped around her fingers she felt a tug deep in her center. When he put down the spatula and turned she had never wanted so badly to kiss anyone. She sank against him, focused on the taste of him, meeting his tongue and melting into him. She could feel his penis pressing against her and knew they should stop. He slowly pulled away and without a word he tucked her slightly behind him and opened the grill. He flipped the patties onto a plate and cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.

"Lunch is ready, get it while it's hot." He laughed at his own reference and set the plate on the table, wondering if every time he touched her it would burn with this much intensity. She sat down as he brought over the foil packets, opening the steaming potatoes, onions and garlic to let them cool. After opening the corn he poured a sauce over the patties and sat down.

"Booth I didn't have all of this at my house. Where did it come from and what kind of sauce is on the Salmon?" She was fixing her plate and chatting away, trying to ignore the messages still echoing from her body, focusing instead on her hunger.

"I threw a few things in when we stopped at my place and the sauce is a cucumber lime sauce which cools the spicy seasoning of the salmon patties. The potatoes are an old boy scout recipe." He paused, waiting for her to try the Salmon, recalling from this morning what her approval would mean. He was not disappointed; she placed the bite in her mouth and moaned softly.

"Booth this is exquisite, I can't believe this is what you fix as a picnic lunch. It's so good." She paused to take another bite, he was watching her. "Don't just stare at me, eat your lunch and don't think I didn't catch that you were in the boy scouts." She tried the potatoes and was equally impressed. He had always liked the fact she ate with enthusiasm, would try any dish and was always honest about whether she liked the food or not. Sid had even taken to bringing out new dishes for her to try to get her opinion because he knew she would tell him the truth. Why hadn't he ever cooked for her before today?

"Booth do you think we are doing the right thing, dating?" Her voice was a whisper.

He froze, a sudden fear gripped him. "Does it feel right to you?"

She thought about she felt about him, removing the sexual aspect and trying to be objective. She felt safe with him, she enjoyed his company even when they were fighting, she respected that he stood his ground and didn't just give in to her, she admired how his brain worked when he was piecing a case together and she believed he was genuinely honest and caring. She knew if she was having a rough day she was glad to see him and he seemed to be able to interpret her language to other people when they didn't understand her. He was watching her carefully, his face still, trying not to give anything away. She knew that look though, he was scared, the more frightened Booth became, the stiller he sat. Only grief and fear immobilized his otherwise energetic stance.

"Yes, it feels right, I'm not running Booth, I'm just asking." She reached across and took his hand while she spoke. "I know it doesn't feel like anything I've ever felt before and since none of my past relationships have worked out I think that's a good sign."

She released his hand and continued eating. He spoke between bites.

"I thought at first I was just attracted to you, I could feel that chemistry between us but as time went on I found it was so much more than that. There was no one else I could talk to the way we do, actually discussing the topic. There was no one else I could call at any time with an emergency big or small. You were as dedicated as I was to every case no matter how messy they became you didn't back down. It didn't take long for me to realize that no matter what I was doing and who it was with, I would have preferred being with you."

"Could it all really be this simple?" She was asking seriously.

"Bones, it will never be simple, but anything worth having rarely is and I believe that you are definitely worth it. Do you want to stop?" He held her gaze, needing to see her expression as she spoke.

"No, no I'm just asking what you think. You know, what's your phrase? I'm just making sure we're on the same page and every now and then I still get a twinge of guilt that this may compromise our professional relationship." She smiled at him reassuringly, "really Booth, I'm fine. Let's finish eating and then I have something we can do."

"You brought along an activity?" He raised his brow in surprise.

"Don't look so shocked Booth."

"What is it?" He was grinning again and it was infectious.

"Finish your lunch and find out."