Knowing that trying to resist Angela's strategy of going into just about every other store would be futile and just end worse for her than Angela, Brennan reluctantly let her friend drag her into store after store, with little complaint. Angela wasn't completely oblivious to the fact that shopping for party clothes was not Brennan's favorite idea of spending an evening, and told her that she'd let her go into the book store after they found what they were looking for. Brennan's hostility towards the shops, from then on, lightened up, that is until Angela pulled her into Victoria's Secret, shoving thongs in her face.

After the Victoria's Secret incident, there were no more problems. Brennan found, to her surprise, that she was actually rather enjoying herself. Never before had she taken a "girls day out," and up until this time had thought the whole concept to be a waste of time, time that could be spent doing something useful. But seeing as it was the day before New Years Eve and still the vacation season, the Jeffersonian was next to empty and the mall was not packed full to exploding point. She and Angela were having fun going around to the various shops.

"I swear you're almost acting normal," Angel said, following Brennan into a jewelry store while sipping on a mango smoothie. "We haven't even gone to the book store yet and you have three bags. You have no idea how proud I am of you."

"I haven't done this in a long time," Brennan hoisted her bags further up her arm to keep them from slipping off her wrist.

Angela grinned. "Well it's for a good cause. New Years Eve has always been one of my favorite holidays."

"Why?" asked Brennan, picking up a pair of silver loop earrings, frowning, then carefully placing them back before continuing to search the rack.

Angela gave a small shrug. "It's always just so much fun. Lots of dancing and hanging out with friends," Angela looked curiously at her friend who had picked up and put back about seven different pairs of earrings now. "Are you looking for something in particular?"

"I got a necklace for Christmas and I'm trying to find a pair of earrings that I like enough to wear with it," Brennan answered quickly all in one breath, bending down behind another rack, but that didn't stop Angela from seeing the slight pink tint that rose in her cheeks.

"Oh?" Angela's eye brows rose, "from whom?"

Brennan muttered something from behind the racks. Angela, now very curious at why her usually embarrassment-free friend was suddenly flustered, went to where she stood and gave her a mischievous and rather knowing smile. "Sweetie, who gave you this necklace that you failed to mention to me until this very moment?"

Brennan stood up straight, still slightly flushed. "Booth," she said and jumped when Angela squealed. "What? What's the big deal? He's my friend."

"Hun," Angela felt like she was explaining something complicated to a five-year-old. "He got you a necklace and you were obviously flustered about telling me. You have to let me see it!" Brennan sighed and reached to the chain around her neck to pull out the rest of it hidden under her shirt. "Oh my god and you're wearing it right now!?!?!"

"I like it," Brennan said slightly pathetically as she showed Angela the necklace. It was a delicate silver chain and on the end were three small silver dolphins in a circle formation which was how it stayed on the chain. The tail fin of each dolphin was attached to where the dolphin behind its blowhole would be. And on each of the dolphin's dorsal fin was a tiny round blue gem.

"Aw, Bren!" Angela exclaimed. "It's so sweet!"

"Yes, it's a very nice gift," Brennan agreed as she tucked the dolphins safely away again.

"'A very nice gift?'" Angela repeated. "That's putting it lightly. Brennan, that man knows you better than anyone and you let him, which for you is huge. That necklace just proves it. You are going to wear that tomorrow night, right?"

"I was planning to, yes," Brennan smiled at Angela, "if you can help me find earrings to go with it."

"I'm on it," Angela said and the two of them raided the rest of the earring racks in the store.

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Brennan's cell phone rang just as she was searching for her keys to let herself into her apartment. Frustrated from holding all the bags while searching through her purse, she dropped them all on the ground before flipping open her cell phone. "Brennan."

"Hi, Bones."

"You have impeccable timing," Brennan held the phone between her ear and shoulder finally pulling her keys out of her purse and opening her door. "I just got back from the mall with Angela." She picked up the rest of her bags, closing the door behind her with her foot. "So what's up?" she dropped the bags on the couch and then went into her kitten to grab a water bottle from the fridge.

"I told you I'd call to make sure you were still living," Booth said. "Have fun?"

"Actually I did," Brennan took a sip from the bottle. "I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Well, except for the part when Angela was trying to make me buy lacey thongs from Victoria's Secret, that wasn't fun." Booth laughed. "What's so funny?"

"I'm just trying to imagine you in a slutty thong!" Booth didn't realize exactly how the words had come out until there was no taking them back. There was a moment of silence where he would have liked nothing more than to slam his head repeatedly against a metal table; unfortunately there wasn't one handy at the particular moment. There were a few more second of silence. "Well that came out wrong…"

"Agreed."

"I didn't mean that… I'm not trying to…. I wouldn't try to imagine you in a slutty thong…" oh he just wouldn't shut the hell up; a little voice in the back of his mind was saying would you like a shovel to go along with that hole? "Not that I'd try to image you in a not slutty one… I wouldn't try to imagine it… why would you be wearing a slutty thong?... I mean you might… but that's none of my business… you know what I'm going to go kill myself if you don't mind."

To his surprise, Brennan was suddenly laughing. "It's okay, Booth. I know what you meant," she couldn't help but laugh; she could just see the completely horrified look on his face at what had come out of his mouth and mentally scolding himself. "I know you don't try to imagine me in slutty lingerie."

Yeah well now I'm having trouble trying not to, he though then mentally slapped himself. Bad Catholic! "Sorry," he mumbled. "That was stupid."

"Yeah," she agreed grinning. "But quite funny."

"Thanks a lot," he rolled his eyes, recovering a little bit, "laughing at me when I make an idiot of myself."

"Anytime."

"I don't doubt it."

Brennan yawned. "I'm going to go to bed. Shopping for four hours is exhausting. I'll see you tomorrow evening."

"Yeah, I'll see you. Bye."

"Bye."

Booth hung up his phone and stared blankly ahead of him. After a few seconds with a loud "thud" he brought his head down against the wooden table, groaning. Smooth, Booth, really smooth.

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Hope you enjoyed that as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'll update soon I hope. There might be a few more chapters. Sorry it's late, but I kinda had the idea late for getting it up in time for New Years, but I hope you all don't mind. Please review!