Only if I Chapter 5, a bones fanfic

Ch5

Sorry this update took awhile. In addition to a tough week at work, my recent relationship completely imploded and my dog was diagnosed with Lupus. Not sure what it says that I am more upset about the dog than the man …. And thanks for all your reviews, I just saw a bunch when I logged into post (I guess the bots aren't botting) and they made me smile!

There was a bit of a problem with the previous chapter; the end went missing for a while. So if you didn't get to sex and Booth asking Bones out on a date, you might want to go back.

Also there is some violence in the next couple chapters. Nothing gratuitous or graphic, but thought I should mention it in light of recent events and preemptions.

The sun was already shining brightly through the windows when Brennan woke up. She couldn't believe it; she never slept that late. Slowly, she stretched her arms out over her head and remembered that there should be someone else beside her. But Booth's side of the bed was empty. She forced down a slightly panicked feeling. This was Booth's house and he wasn't going to leave her. Just then, the bathroom door opened and a freshly showered Booth peaked out.

"Morning," Booth said. He opened the door wider and toweled off his hair.

Brennan couldn't help but smile at the sight of him naked and slightly wet. She relaxed back against the pillows, feeling foolish for her moment of doubt.

"I though you woke up at five every morning," he teased.

"Your bed is surprisingly comfortable," she announced. Booth flopped down on the bed next to her, stretching out his legs before he pulled her up next to him and kissed her.

"Am I going to find out that Temperance Brennan really is lazy?"

Choosing to ignore him, she asked eagerly, "So what are we working on this morning?"

"Ok, never mind the lazy part." He laughed. "I already got an email from a overeager prosecutor asking when she can expect the files from the Morgan case. Maybe we should finish those up this morning. Once Stephens gets here we are gonna be busy."

"I really need to do a thorough examination of the remains," Brennan continued hesitantly, "but you are probably right. I would like to finish while the details are still fresh in my mind."

"Plus, you know, it wouldn't kill you to not go into the lab today," Booth said with a yawn. "I've got all my paperwork here so, with a little luck, I won't have to go near the good old Hoover building today."

"My notes are at home, will you give me a ride?" Brennan got out of bed and saw her clothes folded neatly on the dresser. It was a simple gesture, but she found it touching.

"You want to go now?" he asked dubiously. Booth had settled comfortably back into bed and wished that she would relax and join him, but she seemed determined to get some work done. At some point, she was going to have to learn how to properly balance work and life. It was a lesson that Booth occasionally needed to relearn as well. As much as he complained about Brennan's workaholic tendencies, his were not far behind. Getting wrapped up cases and investigations was easy; the rest of the world dropped away and seemed far less important. But that couldn't happen all of the time. They would have to be careful that spending so much time together didn't lead to even more work.

"Yes," Brennan pulled her pants up and looked at Booth expectantly. He didn't move from the bed, but put his arms behind his head and leaned back.

"My keys are on the table. You go home and get what you need and I will cook some breakfast. I am starving." Booth patted his stomach.

"You want me to take the SUV?" Brennan wasn't sure she had heard him right.

"Yes," Booth said giving her an encouraging smile. She slipped her shoes on and bounced to his side, bending down to kiss him.

"I'll be back," she promised.

"Bones!" Booth called after her.

She appeared in the doorway. "What?"

"Don't play with the siren," he admonished

The Suburban seemed even bigger than usual as she climbed into the drivers seat. She had driven it before, but only a couple of times, and it felt strange to be driving without Booth. She still couldn't quite believe that she had let her go alone, but she figured that it was a benefit of the change in their relationship. This was Booth's world, but she supposed now more than ever, she shared it. Jumbled images from the last few days passed through her mind; so much had happened in such a short time. Heat swept across her as she remembered how it felt to be close to Booth.

Rolling down the window, she took a deep breath. The spring air still hadn't lost the coolness from the previous night. Maybe it hadn't been necessary to run for work the moment she woke up, but she had to prove that they could handle this without it affecting their work. The look on Booth's face the moment she mentioned work this morning made it obvious how he felt, but he had agreed anyway, knowing how important it was to her.

Truthfully, Brennan was surprised how well things had been going so far. Being with Booth didn't feel wrong or uncomfortable as she had feared; instead it was both comfortable and exciting. She was having trouble labeling her exact feelings. The bartended had spoken to her about love, tried to define it for her, but she still wasn't sure. It was easy picturing the two of them together right now, but when she tried to imagine a future for them … well she wasn't sure. Though, to be fair, any future Brennan pictured focused only on her professional pursuits.

Brennan did know, however, that she was actually looking forward to the day. Aside from Booth's unfounded jealousy regarding Dr. Marr, it was going smoothly. It had changed things between them, but so far the changes were for the better. She felt closer to him, physically of course, but also emotionally. She took great comfort in the small moments. Waking up with him, a stolen kiss, silent camaraderie as they sat on the couch intertwined. And now a date. Not pie and coffee at the diner, but a real 'put on a nice dress and do your hair' date.

Parking in front of her apartment, Brennan refocused on why she was here. But as she walked around the corner and caught sight of the black SUV she couldn't help but smile.

"Aw, sorry dad." Parked said. The remnants of his hot dog were now covering both his pant leg and the floor. At a long single to the outfield that scored a run for the Nationals, Parker excitedly jumped out of his seat and cheered, sending the half eaten hot dog flying.

"It's okay bub," Booth tried to hide a sigh; his son was always a mess. It was amazing how sticky Parker could make everything and everyone around him, especially, it seemed, his dad. Leaning over, Booth wiped at the mustard and ketchup, hoping Rebecca wouldn't notice the stain until after he left.

"So are we winning now dad?" Parker was kicking his legs back and forth, making it difficult for Booth to clean the stain. Finally he gave up.

Booth looked at the field, "Not yet Parker. See the score board," he pointed, "R stands for runs. So the Nationals have three, but the Braves have five."

Parker squinted at the scoreboard, his lips moving silently as he tried to figure it out. After a moment he looked proudly at Booth and held up two fingers. "They can do it dad, they only need two runs."

"Well they only have one out, so they have a chance," Booth said. Parker bounced excitedly on the edge of his seat. Maybe he shouldn't have bought him the cotton candy. And the licorice ropes. Booth's thoughts drifted from the close game before them to the upcoming date. He had made reservations at a place where there was little chance they would run into anyone they knew. Things had to go really well tonight. He thought that Brennan was apprehensive about the date.

"Are you nervous dad?" Parker asked pointing. Booth saw that he was tapping his fingers against his knee. Twice in the last several days this particular tell had given him away. It was a good thing he wasn't gambling anymore as his Bones had apparently corrupted his usually controlled exterior. "Is it cause of a girl?" Parked continued when Booth didn't answer right away. "Cause sometimes mommy gets nervous when she goes out dating with boys," Parker said wisely. Booth wasn't sure he liked his young son being so familiar with Rebecca's dating habits.

"Um, yeah," he stalled twisting his hands together. Booth figured he might as well begin introducing Parker to the idea that he was seeing someone.

"Is she pretty?" Parker turned his big eyes to his father.

"Yeah kid," Booth reached out and ruffled his hair, "she's really pretty."

Booth wondered why he was reluctant to tell Parker that the woman he was dating was Bones. His was in love with her, and he knew that she loved him, even though they hadn't said as much. But what he didn't know was if she would actually let herself be in love. The last few days had been great, but Booth worried than the only change she saw in their relationship was the addition of sex. And that was part was great, but Booth wanted a real relationship with her. There was still so much they didn't know about each other. All the little things he wanted to learn more about; like how she knew Chinese, her diving, whatever happened in el Salvador, her childhood and time in foster care. There were things he was ready to share with someone and he knew he could talk to her. But he couldn't shake the feeling that any minute she would end things. That's why things had to be perfect tonight. He wanted her to relax, have a good time, and realize that people go one dates because it is enjoyable, not for any scientific reason.

The crowd cheered and Booth's attention turned back towards the field. The bases were loaded with white jerseys, and the crowed around them stood up and began to cheer. Booth lifted Parker up and helped him stand on the seat so he could see. The agent who had given Booth the tickets had season tickets so their seats were close along the first base line. Booth and Parker cheered loudly along with the rest of the crowd, hoping to inspire the late inning rally. Austin Kearns came up to the plate, dug in with his back foot, and hit a line drive foul ball to the right side. Parker's glove sat forgotten under his chair, but the ball flew towards his so quickly he wouldn't have had a chance to catch it.

Booth reached out and caught the ball with his right hand before it could hit his son. The stadium erupted in cheers at Booth's remarkable catch. He handed the ball to Parker who jumped around exuberantly with his arms high above his head. The crowd cheered even louder when the catch and celebration were replayed on the giant screen. Parker's eyes shone with excitement and his toothy grin was on full display. Booth picked him up and held him above his head for one last triumphant celebration.

"This is the best day ever day," Parker declared happily as he sat back into his seat, holding onto the foul ball tightly in both hands. So far, Booth couldn't argue.

Brennan wandered slowly through the couture section of Saks. The entire floor contained racks and racks of dresses. Usually, she had Angela to help her pick out any important outfits in her life, but she still hadn't told her friend. She would have to soon; they both would. Booth wouldn't allow their relationship to be a secret forever. Feeling lost as she perused the aisles, she occasionally stopped to finger the luxurious fabrics. Prada. Dolce & Gabanna. Faragammo. It was like a foreign language to her. Some of the dresses were beautiful and some she couldn't imagine anyone wearing. The memory of the unsuccessful 'school teacher' dress in Vegas was in the back of her mind. She frowned as she considered a short blue Versace.

"Hello, my name is Gemma. May I help you?" a short brown-haired woman asked. Her British accent and warm smile helped to set Brennan at ease.

"I'm looking for a dress." Brennan realized she had stated the obvious. "For an important date tonight," she clarified, feeing a bit awkward telling the woman her business.

"I see. With your … boyfriend?" she guessed with a quick glance at Brennan's left hand. "Ms-"

"Temperance Brennan and yes, my boyfriend." She felt her face flush. She wasn't used to referring to Booth as her boyfriend yet. Somehow, the title just seem accurate.

"Alright luv. Then the real question is, how hot do you want to look tonight?" The salesgirl asked over her shoulder and she took off down the aisle casting a critical eye at the dresses as she went.

Brennan choked at her question. "Um … I'm not sure what the options are." She hurried to catch up to the salesgirl.

Gemma pulled a dress off a rank and held it up in Brennan's direction before turning her well-trained eye to her customer. "You, dear Temperance, have plenty of options." Brennan shrugged in response. "How about this, I'll say some words. Describe some looks and you let me know if anything grabs you."

Brennan nodded, focused on Gemma as if she were about to take an exam.

"Sexy. Unforgettable. Beautiful. Classic. Stunning." When Brennan didn't react to the usual set of adjectives Gemma continued. "Eighteen? Horny? Naughty? Available? Off Limits?" she guessed. Brennan shook her head swiftly indicating the last set of adjectives wasn't correct.

"Right. Well, any favorite designers?" Gemma asked hopefully.

"No, sorry." Brennan shifted. Maybe she shouldn't have bothered with a new dress, the thought. She still had the one Booth picked out for her in Vegas and he seemed to like it.

"Don't worry dear," Gemma patted her arm reassuringly. "Come to the fitting area and relax with a nice cold drink while I bring you some dresses to try."

"But I didn't tell you what I wanted," Brennan objected, confused.

"It's ok. It's my job to know, even if you don't." Gemma showed Brennan the refreshments and headed out determined. She wasn't one of the brightest young sales associates for nothing. Besides, she reflected, the tall auburn-haired woman would look great in just about anything.

It was the sixth dress that Brennan tried on and immediately announced she was purchasing. Gemma was relived, some women shopped for hours dithering back and forth over which dress made their calves look slimmer, or collarbone more defined, or more likely to attract a certain type of man. But not Temperance, she found what she liked and didn't second guess the decision. She didn't seem concerned with the prices, despite her painful lack of couture knowledge, and Gemma was eager to make a big sale.

"So, now off to shoes and lingerie," Gemma suggested cheerfully, hanging the dress carefully by the register.

"Lingerie?" Brennan repeated awkwardly. "I don't need lingerie."

"Well, you definitely don't need to wear panties, but I am not convinced about the bit up top." Gemma stopped walking and studied Brennan seriously. "Are your breasts very firm?" Gemma asked thoughtfully.

"Um … that's not what I meant." Brennan mumbled embarrassed. "Lingerie will be fine." She followed dutifully behind, trusting that Emma was a professional and knew what she was doing.

Several thousand dollars and an hour later, Brennan walked out of the store with an outfit that she hoped would leave Booth speechless.

Parker was still talking a mile a minute about the game as they walked up to Rebecca's door. Booth was treated to the millionth rendition as Parker breathlessly filled his mother in on the game.

"Wow," Rebecca caught Booth's eye. "Do you want to come in and so you two can tell me all about it?" she offered.

"No mom," Parker shook his head. "Dad has to go."

"You're in a hurry Seeley?" Rebecca asked, eyebrows raised.

Parker tugged on his mother's arm and whispered into her ear. He ran to his dad and threw his arms around Booth's legs and said, "Thanks dad," Then he ran into the house, still clutching his foul ball.

"So you have a date?" Rebecca asked interested. "Who is it now? Let me guess, she's tall and blonde and looks great on your arm?"

"It's not like that Rebecca." He looked her in the eyes so she could see he was telling the truth and would hopefully drop the matter. This wasn't the time for this conversation.

After several long moments she nodded and said, "So you're finally seeing Temperance, or Bones I guess I should say." Rebecca shook her head. "Even Parker calls her that."

Rebecca's observation stunned him. "How do you know that?"

"We used to know each other pretty well Seeley." Rebecca stopped and looked wistfully into the distance. "Does Parker know?" she asked.

Shuffling on the porch Booth said, "Not yet, it's still kinda new and … you know-" he trailed off.

"Know what?" She asked, not about to let him off the hook.

"We are still figuring things out. But," Booth hesitated; it felt strange to be discussing his current relationship with his ex-girlfriend. However, Rebecca nodded encouragingly. "She's gonna freak out and bolt. I know it. It's just a matter of time." Booth exhaled loudly and felt relief at having finally voice his fear, but he couldn't look at Rebecca's face.

"Seeley," she said tenderly and he looked up. "She's had a hard time and so have you. If she runs, you catch her and hold her tight. She would do the same for you, trust me."

Booth felt a surge of affection for Rebecca as he considered her words. "Thanks," he said and he gave her a quick hug before leaving.

On the way back from shopping Brennan found herself heading toward the Jeffersonian. That usually happened when she was driving and not really paying attention, her car just knew the way. Parked near the entrance to the lab, Brennan remembered Booth's teasing about not being able to spend a day away. It wasn't true; she was often away from the lab for days at a time. Well, when they were in the field anyway. Glancing at the clock, she knew she didn't have too much time to waste. Only two hours before Booth would be picking her up. Brennan decided she could spare the time; the notes she wanted to review before they interrogated Stephens were sitting on her desk.

Notes in hand, she turned to leave the lab, but Dr. Ramsay's skeleton caught her eye. She felt drawn to them. Swiping her card she climbed the steps to the platform. Just a few minutes wouldn't hurt, she convinced herself, and bent over to study the bones. Her eyes quickly found the bit mark on the left radius and she studied it intently, wanting to look at it under magnification. Before she could turn on the scope, a security guard strolled by making his rounds.

"Hello Dr. Brennan," he sounded surprised. "Didn't think anyone was still here."

Brennan looked up from the bone, also startled by his presence. "I'm just leaving," She looked at her watch and saw she had already been here for half an hour. As she drove home, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something on the bones.

Booth arrived right on time and he was indeed speechless when she opened the door. He knew that she would look good, she always did, but now she looked amazing. "Wow," Booth said dumbly. Brennan was wearing a sleek, shimmering bluish gray dress that showed off all of her curves before stopping just past her knees. Her hair was down and wavy and her eyes were gleaming. Booth also couldn't help but notice that the dress displayed her cleavage quite nicely. He had seen her dressed up before, but this time it was different; it was for him. "You look beautiful," he said softly. Brennan blushed and shyly slid her hands down the side of her dress.

"You look pretty hot yourself," she said, running her hands along his broad shoulders before tugging on his tie and pulling him close for a kiss. When she turned to pick up her jacket, Booth saw the back of the dress was cut low revealing a tantalizing amount of white flesh. He groaned quietly and began to hope that dinner would go quickly.

Settling in for the ride to the restaurant, they managed to not discuss work. La Montagne Rouge was a French restaurant that Brennan had never heard of, but that was probably because it was almost an hour out of the city. Booth had remembered the place when they had gone to the animal sanctuary. He hadn't been there in years, but the woman who accepted his reservation assured him it was still first-class. There was also a good place for dancing not too far away.

"So why didn't things work out with Dr. Marr?" Booth couldn't help but ask.

Brennan sighed. "For our fifth date he had sex with a naturalist in the back of a Land Rover."

"And you caught him?" Booth was sorry he had pressed the issue.

"Yes. He did invite me to join in though so…" She trailed off purposefully.

Booth looked over at her with raised eyebrows and she punched his arm. His phone rang before he say anything else. As she listened halfheartedly to his conversation, her mind floated back to the bones on the table. Tomorrow she would be able to examine them properly, but something wasn't right. She couldn't quite figure out what, but somewhere in the back of her mind-

"So we can meet with Stephens first thing in the morning. He wasn't too happy about coming all the way across country. So, I told the guards to have him ready at six, but we'll go around nine," Booth said as they stopped at a red light.

"Hmm," she said distractedly.

"Bones," he said snapping his fingers to get her attention. "Did you hear me? Murder suspect. Nine am? Anything?"

She looked over at him. "I did. Sorry. It's just that, I'm not sure Stephens will have the answers."

Booth waited for her to continue. He had worked with her long enough to know when she was close to something. When she didn't speak he prompted, "What are you thinking?"

"I don't think the bite marks were from a dog," Brennan said, hoping Booth wouldn't realize she had gone back to the lab. "I can't be sure without proper analysis, but I think it is from a much larger animal."

"Like a bear?" Booth suggested. "Or a tiger."

"Why would you say tiger?" Brennan asked.

"I don't know," Booth said a little embarrassed. "You know, lions, tigers and bears. Oh my." Brennan's blank look indicated she wasn't following the reference. "I don't know, It's a big animal." He continued slightly defensive. "We're talking about some poisonous African snake fang, is a tiger really that crazy?" Booth got about halfway through the last sentence before it hit him. He pulled his eyes off the road and looked at his partner to see if the same thought had occurred to her. Her mouth was hanging open slightly and he could tell her mind was flying through the case facts.

"Why would his wife lie about Ramsay being attacked by a dog?" Booth said, thinking as he spoke. "Maybe it was like a tiger or something. You know, Ramsay makes decent money, but it all goes right back into the clinic and there is never enough to help everyone that needs it. So he gets into the illegal exotic business. Uses his organization as a cover. And make some money to pay for all those stray animals and shiny machines."

"The plants," Brennan realized. "Maybe they weren't from a garden. They could have been food. If he was keeping exotic animals, who knows what they were eating." Booth flexed his fingers on the steering wheel and looked back at his partner. They were both excited. "He could have been killed on his own land," Brennan surmised.

"The guys who illegally import animals are also the type who are likely to off someone with a bullet to the back of the head." Booth slowed as he approached the stoplight that was also the turn off towards the Ark Animal Sanctuary.

"We should get a soil sample," Brennan ventured.

Booth looked down the road. "We are supposed to be on a date you know."

"I know, but we are right here. And otherwise we are going to have to come back in the morning." Brennan pointed out.

The last thing Booth wanted was for a reason for them to get out of bed any earlier tomorrow then they absolutely had to, so he turned.

There were two cars in the lot when they pulled up. The headlights bounced first off a red Ford pickup and then a black Dodge. "The red one is the maintenance guy's." Booth said. He parked and turned off the lights. Brennan moved for the door, but Booth caught her arm. "Hold on." As his eyes slowly adjusted to the dark he thought he could see another car around the house, but he wasn't sure. Maybe Mrs. Ramsay's family had come to stay with her.

"Let's be quick about this," Booth hissed. "We have reservations."

"I will be. It's just two little samples," she assured him.

As he got out of the truck in the dark, he automatically reached down to adjust his gun, which he then realized he wasn't wearing. He had hoped that a date with Bones wouldn't require being armed.

"I need my kit. Will you open the back?" Brennan requested, appearing at his side. He opened the back and while she rummaged through her bag, Booth's eyes fell on the gun locker. He found himself entering the combination and opening the lock; he wasn't about to go marching off unarmed into a dark field that could potentially be a crime scene.

"You'll think we'll need that?" She questioned as his picked up his weapon and checked the clip.

"Better to have it and not need it." He reasoned. After a moment offered her the .38 revolver she sometimes used.

"I don't really have a place for that," she said gesturing to her dress. Booth shrugged and slipped it into his pocket.

Holding several small containers, Brennan set off for the field behind the clinic. Her shoes made it difficult to walk and after several yards, she pulled them off and proceeded to carry them. Booth chuckled to himself; somehow he wasn't surprised that a date with Bones had taken this route. Suddenly, he thought he saw a flicker of light out of the corner of his eye. He turned in that direction and peered into the darkness, carefully to leave his flashlight pointing towards the ground, but saw nothing else.

Brennan touched his arm to get his attention. "Booth, you take a sample there," she said pointing across the field, "and I'll get one by the barn. That way we can get out of here quickly and get back to our date."

He shook his head. "I don't think so Bones."

"Why?" she demanded putting her hands on her hips. "I'm just trying to be quick like you requested."

Booth took a moment, wishing that for once she would just listen to him without demanding a well thought out rationalization. He didn't have a real reason; he just didn't think it was a good idea. Little hairs stood up on the back of his neck and he looked back towards where he thought he had seen the light.

"Cause we are sticking together, Bones, end of story," he said in a lowered voice.

"End of story?" she repeated incredulously. "Booth, I am perfectly capable of standing four hundred feet away from you and taking a soil sample. If this is some sort of couples thing-"

A shot pierced the night. Booth reacted instinctively, pulling Brennan to the ground, his arm heavy across her back holding her down. The bullet flew over their heads landing in the dirt behind them. His gun was in his hand in an instant, but before he could fire, two more blasts erupted from behind them. Bones was lying tensely beside him and when he turned to look, her eyes were wide with fear. There was more than one shooter, little coverage in the middle of a field and they were supposed to be a nice restaurant right now.

"Shit." Booth cursed keeping his head low.

Please review and let me know what you thought. And thanks to all who take the time to review!

I'll try to get this updated soon, but I'm going away this weekend for my birthday (I've got the make the most of the last two years of my 20's!!) I promise the next chapter will be worth the wait.