Spoilers: I'm too tired to do this…

Disclaimer: Whatever. I believe this is officially my longest chapter ever and I believe I am officially very tired.

Author's Note: I hope the transitions at the end aren't too bad…I mean, it works for me, but it might be really, really bad. So yeah. You'll know what I'm talking about when you get there, don't worry. Here is chapter eight for your viewing pleasure.


Thump! Breath. Booth's eyes opened groggily. Thump! Thump! Breath. He rolled over and adjusted his pillow. Thump! Heavier breath. His mind began to clear. Thump! Thump! Thump! Brennan was not in her bed. Breathing. Thump! He sat up. Thump!

"Bones?" Even so early, his voice was wrought with worry. "Bones!" Thump!

He pulled himself out of bed and ran out the door, instincts kicking in. Thump! He ran straight into a sweating Brennan. She gasped in surprise, and he held her at an arm's length. She blinked a few times.

"Bones."

"Yes, Booth. Well observed," she bit sarcastically, slowly. He heaved a breath and closed his eyes with relief.

"I was worried about you," he stated carefully. He opened his eyes to be met with one cynically raised eyebrow.

"Why? What on Earth could happen to me in this house?" she queried, rolling her eyes. He looked thoughtful, then confused. He looked her up and down, his hands still on her shoulders. She was in shorts and a tee shirt, hair pulled back, sweating.

"What were you doing?" he asked, his tone suddenly bemused.

"Well, since I can't leave, I decided to run the stairs instead," she stated carefully. She wasn't sure exactly what Booth was thinking. Which, in itself wasn't abnormal, but he seemed a little on edge this morning. He seemed to understand, but was not impressed with her ingenuity.

"What time is it, Bones?" His voice had a different edge to it again. He sounded annoyed. Brennan shrugged.

"About seven."

"Seven. It's seven o'clock in the morning and you decided to run up and down a wooden staircase for fun?!" he scoffed slowly, clearly baffled as to how her logic worked. She only nodded, adding a curt agreement, completely unfazed by his skepticism.

"You work out, though, Booth," she said, pointing to his bare chest. "I can tell. Your muscles are well defined."

Booth cleared his throat and smiled against his will, embarrassed and flattered all at the same time. His hands dropped from her shoulders. He hadn't remembered the shirtless thing when he'd woken up. That and the way she was squinting at him now. Squints! He scoffed inwardly. They never let well enough alone! He shut himself up again, annoyed at the return of his inner cynic.

He smiled and winced inwardly at the thought that this little cynic was probably the one thing that stopped him from jumping Brennan right there.

Instead, however, he just shook his head, heaving a breath. "Come on. Have a shower and I'll make us breakfast." Before she could protest, he replaced his hands on her now-crossed arms and pushed her towards the stairs. She went grudgingly but willingly, afraid of what lengths he'd go to if she didn't cooperate.

She wouldn't put it past him to physically carry her into the shower himself.

Her arms tightened around her chest at this thought.


"Morning!" Booth beamed to the other two agents currently leaning against the kitchen bench. They both smiled.

"Someone's happy…" Alex mused teasingly, quirking an eyebrow. Laura laughed. Apparently Booth had just missed joke. He dragged out two mugs and a loaf of bread simultaneously.

"Well, Bones wasn't being beaten to death, so it's a good day," he said with a solemn nod, confusing the other two agents. I have my inside jokes, too! his inner child sang, poking out its tongue.

"You guys want French toast?" he offered when neither spoke. They both lit up at the mention of food.

"Sure, if you're making," Laura nodded. Alex was a little more enthusiastic.

"Hell yeah! It's been too long since I've had a real breakfast!"

Booth almost laughed at his enthusiasm for such a strange thing. But, when it came to food, he wasn't really one to speak. And working for the FBI didn't really allow one much down-time for things as menial as breakfast. Not if one wanted to sleep, anyway.

As Booth cooked, Alex poured two more coffees, handing one to a newly returned Brennan and the other he set on the bench next to Booth. Booth didn't notice until Brennan spoke from directly behind him.

"What do you say, Booth?" she teased in her most motherly tone. His head snapped up from the pan and his eyes met hers. He couldn't help but notice how much bluer they were when her hair was wet.

Alex leaned over to Laura. "What's the bet he burns the food?" Laura winked mouthing '10'. Alex nodded.

Clearing his throat, Booth smiled at Alex, flicking his eyes only briefly to the man. They returned to Brennan almost instantly. She was smiling and shaking her head at him. Her eyes were still so blue.

"Booth," she said quietly, nodding towards the stove, breaking eye contact. His eyes followed hers, and he remembered the food which was currently very close to charcoal. He grumbled something, and Brennan rolled her eyes, shoving him out of the way with a palm to his chest.

"Men!" she scoffed half-heartedly. Laura laughed, only to be met with a stare from Booth.

"Hey, Bones! I was doing that!" he whined as if she'd taken his crayon. She glared at him. "Fine."

Brennan grinned and went back to cooking. Booth couldn't resist one last jab, if only to make her look at him again.

"It's a woman's job anyway."

Brennan whirled. "What?" Booth only grinned and Alex hid behind his mug playfully, unbeknownst to the other agent and his doctor. "You, of all people, Booth. Do I really have to go through this again?!"

"Through what, Bones?" Booth asked innocently. He could see her jaw clench and relished in the reactions. He had to make her react to him in some way. So what if his way was sadistic?

"You know what? I'm not even going to bother! It's totally wasted on you and your stupidity. Your ego blocks anything important from entering, anyway." She moved swiftly into the lounge room. Booth followed. Alex leaned over and turned off the stove. They'd be a while.

"You know, Bones, that's physically impossible." He could never resist pushing just too much. Brennan was struggling to remain civil. Or non-violent.

"Shut up, Booth." He opened his mouth and she held up a finger. "Shut up."

"I was only teas-"

"Shut. Up." Her eyes were boring into his. "I will hurt you, Booth." She was only half threatening. Violence really was very close to erupting. Unfortunately, Booth took it as a challenge.

"Oh yeah? How do you know you can?" He saw a flicker of something other than anger in her eyes and smiled inwardly. Get her off the anger. Anything's better than that, his logical mind agreed. Even pain? his sarcastic voice countered.

"Because I'm a better fighter than you, Booth," she answered simply, much more calm than before. They stood nearly toe-to-toe in the middle of the lounge room. His eyebrows twitched in amusement and challenge, as his lips curled into a grin.

"So prove it."

Her eyes widened. He was actually asking her to fight him. "What? No, Booth," she said, sounding more bored than annoyed, as if he'd been asking her the same question for an hour.

"Why not? Afraid?" he pushed.

"No!" she snapped. Smiling suddenly, she leaned in and whispered, "But you should be."

And suddenly, he was on his stomach on the floor, his right arm pinned behind him in Brennan's much smaller hand. He coughed, winded. Alex and Laura were torn between hysterical laughter, shock and fright. That woman was not to be messed with.

Booth waited calmly for her to relax, and for his breath to come back, before shoving upwards with his good arm, using the one Brennan was holding to flip her onto her back and pin her down; the arm she was still clutching was now solidly across her chest.

Unfortunately for Booth, he hadn't thought this whole 'fight' thing through. He was now half-laying on the floor, straddling his partner, her knuckles white on his arm and she stared at him with the most complex expression he was sure he'd ever seen.

Either that or his brain was malfunctioning.

Neither moved. Neither wanted to move.

Alex and Laura stared, again feeling somewhat guilty about seeing such a moment, but not enough to look away. The way the partners were staring at each other was easily enough to put the cover of a romance novel to shame. A somewhat smutty romance novel.

Still, neither moved, their breathing seeming to have stopped completely. Then Brennan's hands loosened, only to go pale again when Booth shifted his weight on top of her. Brennan's eyes closed as he did, only to snap open again when his lips found her death-grip. She finally let out a breath as his mouth grazed over her knuckles.

She yanked her hand away.

Booth's eyes met hers, and suddenly, again, he was on the floor. Brennan stood above him for a few seconds before moving carefully to the front door. It took Booth those few seconds to realize what the hell he'd been doing. Oh, crap!

He jumped up to follow her just as she was yanking the door open. He grabbed her arm.

"Wait! Bones! You can't go outside!" he panicked. There was a fair chance that if she left now, she wouldn't be coming back. And he wasn't just thinking of the house. She pulled her arm away from him.

"Why not?!" she asked icily. She was on the verge of yelling, he could tell, and he wanted to do something, anything, to avoid that.

"Bones, please…we…we can't leave," he implored. He could see Brennan getting angrier the more he spoke, so he left it at that.

"Booth, this whole assignment it ridiculous! I've thought that from the beginning, but no one's listened to me," she said through gritted teeth.

"Come inside and I will, Bones. Please."

"Why? Why shouldn't I just leave now? It'll save us all a lot of trouble." Her voice had become quieter, but the anger was still cutting. Booth's voice, on the other hand, only became more assured.

"Bones, if you leave, they'll break us up. We won't be able to work together anymore." She stared at him coldly for a few seconds before she answered.

"Maybe they should."

It took all of Booth's will not to flinch. The comment bit him deeper than he would ever have admitted. He changed tack.

"Temperance, you are a scientist. Do not think with your emotions."

"Don't call me Temperance!"

In any other situation, the line change would have him rolling on the floor. Now, however, it was just painful. Still, he didn't want her to be angry with him. He didn't want her to leave.

"Brennan, we need to talk. Come inside." It was deliberately half-way between a plea and a command. "Okay. I'm going inside. Come in when you want to." Again, he chose his tone carefully. Patronizing, and she'd probably kill him; cocky, and she'd probably do much worse.

Booth made his way into the lounge room and flung himself onto the couch, burying his face in his hands. He suddenly remembered Alex and Laura and looked up imploringly. They both made for the stairs immediately. He replaced his head in his hands. What the hell are you playing at, Seeley! Jesus Christ, what are you doing?! He screamed at himself. Brennan's voice broke through his mental ass-kicking.

"You're right," she began bitterly. This was the last thing he expected to hear. He slowly lifted his head to see a very torn looking Brennan. She frowned at him, but remained standing. It was obviously hard for her to say anything, let alone that. "I am a scientist. I don't think with my emotions. I can't. I won't. It's a sign of weakness," she finished detachedly, as much to herself as to Booth. He opened his mouth to disagree.

"Don't say anything."

He shut his mouth. Brennan remained standing, but was silent for a few lingering minutes. Booth studied the room, trying to diffuse at least some of the awkwardness. Finally, she spoke.

"As a scientist, if I want to keep doing what I'm doing, keep helping the FBI, saving people's lives, making a difference, I have no other option than to be your partner," she said flatly; matter-of-factly. "And I can't work with you if there's this going on." Booth's eyes met hers.

"This."

"This, Booth. You can't keep doing that. Doing this." Her usually articulate mind had somehow managed to dissipate, leaving her to speak about emotions in the most detached way she could, which, for whatever reason, involved as few words as possible. Booth watched her face intently from his perch on the couch; he could see the disorder running through her mind. She shook her head slowly as she spoke.

"I know," Booth finally agreed. Brennan's frown deepened in irritation at not understanding.

"Then why do you do it? You know it can't happen, Booth. You know it won't. We work together, Booth. There's the line. Your line. There's our bosses. There's me."

Booth's frown now matched hers. "Why you?" he asked quietly.

"I don't do this. I never have. Chances are I never will." She paused for a few seconds. "I'm not attracted to you, Booth," she stated simply. He flinched slightly, linking his fingers across his knees. Great, Seeley, just twiddle your thumbs!

He swallowed thickly and closed his eyes. "I don't believe you."

When his eyes met hers, her expression had become one of bewilderment. She exhaled sharply. Oops.

"Who are you to say that?"

Booth, however, wouldn't be put off that easily. "Bones, we need to talk about this." She shook her head.

"There's nothing to talk about, Booth," she stated, her jaw tight.

"Don't lie to yourself, Bones. You always say not to jump to conclusions; look at the evidence. Please, sit down and do that with me. Look at the evidence," he repeated, hoping her own words would help him out. It seemed to work. She sat in one of the chairs, and mimicked his position; hands linked, elbows on knees, leaning forward. He took it as a good sign that she was being receptive.

"You kissed me," she said simply, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah. I did."

"You shouldn't have."

"Why not?"

"Because it was inappropriate."

"You kissed me at the hospital." He decided against bringing up Caroline.

"That was different. It was under very different circumstances, Booth; you can't deny that." She shook her head. He copied her.

"No, I can't." He paused, but spoke again before she could. "But does that mean that I can't have my own circumstances?" He looked at her with half a hopeful smile. She sighed.

"There weren't any 'circumstances', there, Booth. Last night, just now…" She shook her head again.

Booth closed his eyes. He was amazed by the fact that they were having a relatively civil conversation. Subdued, even. Both sounded calm; spoke quietly. He recalled their 'The Line' conversation; seemed they became blunt and removed when discussing their feelings. Or lack thereof.

Ironic that if the topic were anything else, they'd be having a screaming match.

Here's the bullet, Seeley. Now bite it, his newly acquired snide friend snapped.

"Yes, there were."

She leaned back a little, though her eyes never strayed from his. She didn't have to ask.

"I wanted to, Bones. I can't say anything else; I wanted to-"

"Booth, if everyone just went around doing what they wanted-"

"I'm not finished. I wanted to kiss you. My self-control is painfully lacking, Bones. You should know; you saw me shoot a clown." He grinned and she couldn't help but smile at the reference.

"Shooting a clown is very different from kissing you partner, Booth."

Booth almost sighed with relief. Their conversation had suddenly become almost relaxed; it was suddenly easier. The tension in the room had halved from one joke.

"I don't know, Bones. I think both are about as reckless; about as stupid as each other."

Brennan leaned back into her chair and closed her eyes. "Sounds like us."

"Reckless, maybe." He nodded and her eyes opened curiously. "But I think we all know who the stupid one is." She laughed quietly at his self-deprecation until he poked his finger in her direction.

"Hey!" she scoffed haughtily. "I'm not the one who shot a clown."

"Yeah, you're right." She smiled in victory. "You're the one who hasn't seen Star Wars."

"That does not make me stupid."

"Yeah, it does."

"How? How does something so insignificant make me stupid?"

"Because you're missing the best movies of all time! Well, the original three, anyway. The new ones? Eh, they kinda suck."

"Oh, grow up! They're just a money-making way of fuelling male fantasies!"

"You did not just say that. And what's not to love? They got violence, romance, implied incest..."

"Booth?"

"Yes, Bones?" He smiled sweetly at her.

"Shut up."


Acceptable?