A.N. My biggest wish is that you love this chapter (and let me know) because I had so much fun writing it that I spent the week on it (-including 2 days with a 100F fever), thinking about what you would think of it…

Chapter 12
What Lies Ahead

They were laughing about something when they entered the Jeffersonian. Angela and Hodgins, who were not supposed to be playing cards while on the job, went to hide the deck, but the partners didn't pay attention to them and headed straight to Brennan's office.

"Well, that's quite an attitude change," Hodgins pointed out to Angela.

"I guess Sweets is better than we give him credit for."

The glass door shut behind Booth as Brennan walked to her desk. There was Sweets' birthday gift right where she had left it on Friday and another gift bag next to it. She hadn't seen it before. She frowned and grabbed it.

"What's this?" she asked him, like he would know.

And as a matter of fact, he did. He shrugged a little and quipped, "Just a little something."

"From you?"

He nodded, but quickly got nervous.

"You don't have to open it now. Sweets looked like he really wanted you to open his."

"I'd rather see what you got me," she said with a smile. She carefully removed the paper from the bag. Inside, there was some kind of black fabric. She took it and unfolded it.

Booth almost cringed. I should have gotten her something else. But he heard her laugh and watched her look at it.

It was a simple black T-Shirt with a cartoon skull printed on it. She read what was written above it.

"Don't mess with me: I'm the bone lady."

"I know, it's stupid," he said. "I can get you something else."

"No!" she vehemently objected, squishing the shirt to her chest. "I love it!" Her smile couldn't have been bigger. "Thanks, Booth."

"That way, next time we get stuck in a motel, you'll have your own shirt to wear."

She looked down at it again before putting it back in the bag and realized she hadn't read his card. She picked it up, ready to laugh, as always, at the funny message in it.

He saw her open the envelope.

"You can read it later…"

But she wanted to read it now. Her smile softened and then she grew serious as she read his handwriting.

'Thanks for being such a big part of my life. Happy Birthday, Bones. Your partner, Booth."

It tugged something inside of her, and she tried not to lose her composure as she slid the card back into the envelope. Booth was still watching her.

"Your card isn't funny this year," she simply said.

"I'm evolving."

She finally looked up and hesitantly walked to stand right before him. She tasted his gaze a second before she spoke softly.

"So, you really do still want to work with me."

"Of course!" he reassured her. He let his fingers brush a string of hair off her beautiful face and added, "Don't you ever doubt that." He let his hand rest on her shoulder and leaned a little closer, just enough to make her heart race, but not enough to give him a heart attack. "You drive me crazy, but you make me a better person."

"Well, I don't know about that. You're already pretty amazing."

A smile crept on the corner of his lips. "Right back at you." He slid his hand down her arm. They broke eye contact, but didn't move. The skin of his hand against the back of hers. She stopped thinking and her fingers imperceptibly moved. She touched his hand so softly that he wasn't even sure it was happening. And he couldn't look at her to confirm because he was having difficulty breathing.

"Philly PD arrested our guy!" Cam shouted, excited, entering the office.

Brennan blushed, ashamed of her own hand, and folded her arms together.

"What?" Booth turned to Cam.

"Turner. Arrested for speeding. They ran a background check on him and saw we were looking for him. They're bringing him in now. They'll be here this afternoon!"

"That's amazing," Brennan said.

"Yeah, miracles do happen." He looked at her, still in shock. "We can finally interrogate him!" He held his fist up, waiting for Brennan to bump it with hers, as he had taught her. And she did, after only two seconds of frowning and staring at it.

"And we're going to kiss ass!" she added.

"Kick ass, Bones."

"Oh. I thought that sounded inappropriate."

***

Booth left the suspect and met Sweets and Brennan in the adjacent room, on the other side of the two-way mirror.

"I've been on him for two hours. He's never gonna confess," Booth sighed, frustrated.

"He is very clever," Sweets stated. After Booth gave him a you're-not-helping look, he explained his professional assessment in simple terms. "He was extremely careful not to leave anything behind that could link him to the crime scene, but we can clearly see he is nervous about something."

"I don't see it," Brennan said, taking a better look at Turner. That man was creeping her out.

"Of course he's nervous! He's in for questioning!"

"No, it's more than that. He's concerned that he forgot a detail. See how perfectly dressed he is? Perfect hair, perfect tie? Yet, he keeps checking himself out in the mirror. He…"

"Maybe he just likes himself," Booth mumbled.

"Would you trust me, for once?" Sweets let out. "I've seen those types of personalities before. The more confident they look, the less secure they are. He is, in fact, a terrified individual who lives for control. He can't even bear the thought of having messed something up. Probably because of a…"

Booth sighed again. "If you say something about him having abusive parents, I swear…" And buried his face in his hands for a second. He could not let this psychopath walk away with this. He knew in his heart that was their guy. They needed that freaking confession! He felt sick. He tried to breathe in the strength he needed to face him for another round. He hated his job right now.

Sitting on the table, Brennan turned around and looked at the dirt bag again. Weeks of going crazy over the lack of evidence, nights and nights of dreaming about those little girls, about their families, the days of self doubt, seeing Booth like this… Enough was enough. She jumped up on her feet.

"Excuse me," she let out before going out the door.

"Where is she…" Booth almost laughed. He had never seen Brennan storm out during an interrogation before. She loved those. What had gotten into her? Was she sick?

"Oh no…" Sweets' face went white. Booth followed his gaze and his heart stopped. No way.

"She can't… She can't do that!" Booth panicked.

"Oh, God," Sweets freaked out loud.

They saw Brennan sit down in front of the suspect and clasp her hands together.

She was not an agent. If this case, which was doomed anyway, went down the drain with her at the reins, he would lose his job. They would never work together again. She would never be able to work with the FBI for as long as she lived or even in her next life. Booth held onto the table. He could not collapse.

Brennan had never been that nervous before. But she wouldn't show it. She would fake it until she made it. She let the bastard speak first.

"I didn't know a speeding ticket could get me in so much trouble," he said with a smirk.

She smiled back.

"Cut the crap, will you?" she bluntly said.

"Oooh. Feisty."

"What agent Booth didn't tell you, is that he doesn't want you to say anything. The law obligates him to question you, but he is more than happy with your uncooperative attitude."

"What is she doing?" Sweets whispered even though they could not hear them behind the glass.

Booth just stared and listened, petrified, as she continued.

"See, he believes in the death penalty. He loves it, actually. I don't. I think it's barbaric."

She had gotten his attention and she continued before she lost it.

"And we don't need anything from you. We have all the evidence we need."

"You have nothing," the suspect said.

She ignored him.

"You declined your right to an attorney because you thought it would make you look stronger, but you're an idiot. Any lawyer would tell you that the only thing keeping you from the death penalty, in your situation, is a confession."

Turner laughed and her hands started shaking. She hid them under the table as he spoke with a sly smile.

"There's no capital punishment in West Virginia," he chuckled.

She tilted her head.

"That's where a lawyer comes in handy. You don't know the law very well, do you? There's this little thing called a Uniform Criminal Extradition Act. Very simple. You will be returned to the state where the crime was committed from the state you are currently in. And I'm sure you remember Delaware. Lovely state. Lots of trees, crappy motels, capital punishment for first-degree murders with at least one aggravating circumstance…"

She saw it. The moment where Turner shifted on his chair. And she thought she heard a faint uncertainty in his voice as he said, "Where's your evidence, baby?"

She held on to her fake smile as her heart started thumping. She had no evidence. She didn't look at the magic mirror for help because she knew that would make her look weak. She was stuck.

There was a knock on the door, just one, before it opened. Booth entered.

"Booth," she tried to object. She couldn't lose this case. She couldn't go away before pinning that murderer to the wall.

He said nothing and handed her a videotape. Stunned, she took it and watched him leave without a word.

Booth came back to the observation room, massaging his neck. He prayed to God she would get it.

Brennan looked down at the tape. It was labelled "Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge." She recognized Booth's hurried handwriting. She could bring out the fake confidence card again.

She slowly set the tape onto the table and slid it towards Turner. Her brained worked in overdrive.

"During hunting season, the National park closes half its auto-tour route for 14 days. And they turn on the surveillance cameras. I could put it in for you if you would like to see your performance. But I don't really feel like watching it again."

She had no idea what she was saying. Before gagging on lies, she decided to go with what she knew. What the bones of those four little girls had told her.

"From what I saw, you had no problem killing the first one. She didn't make a sound. She just went like this." She snapped her fingers. "Yeah. A little too fast perhaps for your taste since you went with a different approach with the second and third ones. And you made the fourth one watch. She was the smallest, so you wanted to keep her for dessert, right?"

She took the tape back. "You bonded her hands and feet together and tied her to that tree. And she struggled. She struggled so hard you heard her shoulders pop out of their socket. But she saw the whole thing. As did we. Not a very long movie. They all died within an hour."

Brennan couldn't even look him in the eye any longer. She felt like she was gonna throw up. She got up, about to give up.

"Who the hell puts cameras in trees?" he mumbled, holding his forehead.

She slowly turned back to him, to make sure she had heard correctly.

"Everything else was perfect," she heard him whisper.

Her heart was racing. Agape, she looked at the mirror and back at Turner. Had he just…

"Can I see the tape?"

She held it tightly.

"As soon as you sign a confession to get yourself out of death row, I'll see to it that you can watch the tape."

"Where do I sign?"

"Someone will bring you the documents in a minute." And she closed the door behind her.

It took a while for her to start breathing again. Her back against the cool wall, she tried to snap out of it.

"Oh, my God!" Sweets first said, as he came out the room. Booth followed.

"Bones, where did that come from?"

"I'm sorry…" she just whispered.

"Sorry for what? You nailed him!" Sweets argued.

She just looked up at Booth.

"I know I should have talked to you first, I just… I don't know."

"That was…"

Stupid? Idiotic? Senseless? she thought.

"… brilliant!" he said.

He hugged her so tightly she couldn't breathe and before she realized she could hug him back, he had let go.

"You're not mad?" she asked, dazzled.

"Mad? If I could give you my badge, I would," he said.

"What do you say we call the others and go out to dinner to celebrate?" Sweets proposed.

She just shook her head. It was spinning.

"I think I just… I just feel like going home," she said.

"You can't go home, you look like you're about to slip into shock," the psychologist pointed out.

"Come on, Bones. Aren't you happy?"

"I'm… I have no idea what just happened."

"Let's get some dinner and I'll tell you what happened. We can even watch the interview on tape."

He grabbed her by the shoulders and walked her out the FBI building. He felt like singing. But he didn't. Sweets did, though.

***

The music was so loud, she couldn't even hear it. She could only feel the throbbing of the base from the speakers in her whole body. She loved it.

"I hate this place!" Booth whined as loud as he could to cover the noise.

He couldn't believe Angela and Cam had dragged them there. Hodgins had other plans and Sweets had promised Daisy a quiet evening and didn't want to disappoint her. That's what he had said, anyway. But Booth knew he was probably just boosting his ego, taking all the credits for closing the case to get all the sweet love making he could from his girlfriend.

Angela and Cam were both dancing their butts off while he and Brennan had the mission to find them seats. As if they would ever find seats in this hell hole.

"What?!" Brennan yelled at him.

He had to shout into her ear for her to understand. "I said, I hate this place!"

"You've been here before?" she asked.

"No!" he shook his head. And I won't ever come back.

"Then how do you know you hate it?"

"Do you need to eat dog poop to know it's not something you'd like?"

"To be 100% sure, yes!"

Booth's face twisted in disgust. "Aw! Bones!"

"I'm not saying I would eat dog feces, I'm just saying, objecti…"

"Objectively speaking, I know. Let's find a quieter spot. I'm sick of yelling!"

"What?!"

He just grabbed her arm and led them far away from the speakers, away from the dance floor, away from everything… next to the bathrooms. Great.

A few minutes later, they had found a table with 4 chairs and Brennan had gotten them drinks. A beautiful woman always got her drinks first. She handed him his glass before sitting down by his side. She probably had no idea what her dress was doing to him, otherwise she wouldn't have bent like this to set her purse under the table. That cleavage was illegal in most states. Or it should have been. He took a big sip, and before he knew it, his throat was on fire.

"Gah! What is that?!"

"The bartender called it a 'Killer Special'. I thought it was appropriate," she smiled.

"I'd say."

"Do you like it?" she said, taking a sip without even wincing.

"Mmm," he nodded.

She squinted at him.

"You're not supposed to lie, remember?" She checked her watch. "Still have 2 hours to go."

"It's… tasty," he rectified, with a shiver.

She laughed, and he took another sip not to tell her she was adorable.

"Do you think they will ever sit down?" Booth asked her, pointing to Cam and Ange who were busting their best moves.

"We should join them," she said, pulling on his hand. "Come on!"

"What? No! It's… It's not safe to leave drinks unattended."

"Then bring it with you! Come on!" She pulled his hand again, insisting.

"You go." I'll watch.

Her eyes pierced through him. She didn't need Angela to teach her to do anything with those big baby blues.

"I'm not drunk enough," he finally said, in all honesty.

She gave up and sat back down. She held his gaze and pushed his drink closer to him.

"Then drink up, Booth."

He laughed out loud.

"Did you just flirt with me?"

She frowned, in all innocence.

"No!"

She took a long sip, as he parroted her exact words from earlier. "You're not supposed to lie, remember?"

She rolled her eyes, set her glass back on the table. She put a hand above his knee and leaned forward.

"If I had flirted, you would know."

And left him there. She was going to dance.

***

"So…" Booth started after she had taken a few more sips of that disgusting blue mixture. He had switched to beer. More man-like, less expensive and less intoxicating.

"So?" She looked up, waiting for him to continue.

"Why exactly didn't you tell me Cal broke up with you?"

There.

She closed her eyes. He was never going to let that go, was he? She carefully chose her words, put them aside in her mind, and tried something else first.

"You don't want to know, Booth."

"But I do. That's why I keep asking. And you have to tell…"

"The truth, I know. I wasn't going to lie."

She began by the simplest, less incriminating excuse.

"I didn't want your pity."

"My pity? Bones, I don't…"

"Yup. That's the look I was trying to avoid," she said, a finger to his face. "Every time I end up alone, I feel worse after I tell you."

He looked horrified by her answer. She put a hand on his for a quick second and tried to explain it better.

"It's not really your fault. You just… You always say the most beautiful things to me. You get all sweet and puppy eyed and…"

"Puppy eyed?!"

"… and you try to comfort me by telling me I'm extraordinary and that I will find someone one day… And maybe you do believe it's true, but I just couldn't hear it, this time."

He stayed quiet for a while.

"That's it?" he then asked.

Crap.

"That's part of it," she confessed.

So there was more?

"Do you need another drink before you can tell me the whole deal?"

She sighed, half amused, half fed up.

"Sure."

It would give her some time to figure out if she really wanted to go there. Hers was not a simple truth to tell.

When he came back with another 'Killer Special', she was talking with Angela, who had finally decided to sit down. On his chair.

"Booth, come on and shake your thing with me!" Cam shouted through the crowd, not too far away.

He gave Brennan her beverage and followed his ex to the dance floor.

Brennan couldn't believe it.

"What is it?" Angela asked, seeing how strange her friend looked.

"Nothing."

"Bren…"

"It's just…" She motioned her hand towards the dancing crowd. "I asked him to dance earlier and he refused, that's all."

But, of course, sweetie. With you in that dress, he was probably feeling very stiff. Good thing she hadn't drank too much yet. She still had her censors on.

"Honey," she said. "You doubting your woman power skills again?"

"What? No!" She laughed off.

"Yeah… Let me tell you something. With the girls out like that, you ask him to do anything and he will do it."

"What girls?" And she really did look around for them.

Angela raised an eyebrow and looked down at her cleavage.

"Oh!" She suddenly felt slightly embarrassed. "It's too much? I didn't think… Do I look like a…"

"You look gorgeous, sweetie. And he noticed," she winked, taking a sip from Brennan's glass.

"Who?"

"Argh! What is that?!"

Brennan laughed and took her drink back.

"That's mine."

"Yeah, and you can have it to yourself! Ewww!" She gulped down part of Booth's beer to rinse out the nasty burning sensation. "And speaking of what you can have to yourself…"

"What?" Brennan questioned.

Angela raised her chin up, telling her friend to look behind her. But she did, and there was Booth, who was coming back, blocking her view. She tried to look past him.

"I can't see anything," she told Angela.

"Yeah, I know, honey. I know." She got up, raising Booth's almost empty bottle. "I owe you one," she said to him. "I'll be back."

He took back his seat and his leg brushed against hers. He expected her to move, quickly but subtly, her leg to break contact, as she always did. She didn't. Trying not to concentrate on their lower bodies, he continued their previous conversation.

"You ready to tell me the other reason yet?"

And she crossed her legs the other way.

"It's embarrassing and quite stupid. I'm afraid the suspense you put into it made it a bigger deal that it should be."

"You're the one acting all mysterious. I'm just a truth seeker."

You're a trouble seeker, mister.

"Fine. But you're not allowed to say anything."

He nodded as she locked eyes with him. She took a deep breath, which brought her chest up. He tried to stay down, down there.

"I kept it from you because while you thought I had a boyfriend, you…" She wondered for a moment if she would be able to tell him. She sighed out of frustration. "I liked the attention you were giving me."

Her heart stopped and she prayed he wouldn't talk, as promised. It was out now. There was no reason for her not to explain further.

"There were times when you… you looked jealous and I selfishly… childishly liked it. There."

Jealous? I was not jealous! he wanted to yell. But she wasn't the only one who had an honesty assignment.

"Thank you," he said softly.

She frowned.

"For telling me." He knew that must have been extremely difficult for her. So he decided to give her a little something. "And I was jealous."

Her eyes shimmered in surprise and expectations, her lips parted.

But he took it back. "I've always wanted a rich boyfriend who buys me flat screens," he said. She hit him on the arm as he burst out in laughter.

"Ow! I'm sorry!"

"You better be," she said, trying not to laugh, too.

"Hey! What's with the violence here?" Cam arrived, all smiles.

"Booth's an idiot."

"Bones is mean to me."

"Where do we sit?" Angela asked, standing behind Cam, as she looked around for extra chairs.

The anthropologist looked, too. Someone had stolen them.

"There were two, right there," Booth said, puzzled.

"Well, here's an easy fix," Angela proposed. "You two get up, it's our turn to relax."

"But…"

Too late. Angela and Camille were pushing them towards the dance floor.

"Go! Have fun! Don't come back for a while, we need a drink."

"Or two."

Stranded together in the middle of the crowd, they looked like two awkward teenagers. Booth rubbed his neck.

"Can I be honest?"

"You have to," she pointed out.

"Right. I hate dancing to this kind of music."

"But you did with Cam," she said, unaware of how hurt she sounded.

"And I looked like a fool. Please don't force me to look like a fool," he begged her.

She smiled and started moving to the beat. Her short dress looked even shorter than it really was.

"You just have to move like you feel."

He couldn't move like he felt. If he did, they would need a bed. Or at least some privacy. He tried anyway, just to make her happy.

But she laughed at him and he stopped, with a groan of shame.

"Just… Don't think, Booth. You're good at that, usually."

"Geez, thanks," he mumbled.

"No!" She realized what it had sounded like. "I just mean you go with your gut most of the time. It's the same thing here. Just let go."

She took his hands and lifted them up above, moving her hips, but keeping a rather safe distance between them. Booth felt like a puppet, not graceful at all. He was wincing, judging himself.

"Come on!" she laughed.

He shook his head firmly, bringing their hands down. He slowly let go of her fingers and gently pulled on her waist.

"That's how I dance," he let out. He brought her a little closer. Not enough for their bodies to grind against one another, but enough to brush, then and again. Electrifyingly exciting. She kept moving even when her heart skipped a beat, strangely fascinated with his shirt. She heard herself giggle as she looked up at his face.

Booth's stomach fluttered as her timid laugh reached his heart. She was really getting into it. He had to do something before she noticed how into it his whole body was, so he took her hand and made her spin. She ended up flat against his solid chest. They both lost their breath somewhere along the line.

"See? You can dance to anything," she said, just to break the silence that seemed louder than the music.

"I can't believe you don't need me anymore," he said. He seemed quite serious, even though he was smiling.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can interrogate and get a confession without me. You're all grown up."

She shook her head. "No, I'm not..."

In one sweet move, he pushed back the lock of hair that fell on her face and pulled her chin up.

"I was really proud today, Bones. And to be honest, when I saw you go in, I thought we were doomed."

She smiled. "I'll never do it again. I don't know how you manage not to throw up on those horrible human beings." She looked at her own hand as she put it over his heart. She thought she felt it beat as fast as hers. But it was probably only the reverberation of the speakers. "I was proud of you too, you know?"

He smirked. "What for?"

"For not barging in and cutting me short."

He forgot to respond. He wasn't even sure he had to. They just kept staring at the short distance separating their lips. They weren't even dancing anymore, merely swaying to their own tune.

Until some drunken idiot bumped into them and made them realize how close they had gotten. Booth was the first to out some more distance between them.

"Wanna go sit down?"

"Sure," she heard herself say. She followed him to their table. Cam and Angela had disappeared. But their chairs were still there.

She sat down first and played with the straw that had fell from her empty glass, wondering if he would dance with her again if she asked.

"Here you go, dear friends!" Angela yelped and startled them. She set a tray with 4 colorful shots on the table and added, "It's from the bartender, but I can't drink anymore since you appointed me designated driver." She turned around and disappeared again.

"What's that?" Brennan asked, picking one of the tiny plastic cups up. It almost looked like...

"Jell-O shots," Booth answered, taking one, too.

"Who drinks Jell-O?"

"Us, apparently." He held it up until she said cheers and they both swallowed it.

Brennan made a face and shuddered.

"You have no problem drinking the blue fire stuff, but you can't handle a little Jell-O?" Booth laughed.

"It's... the texture."

He kept his eyes on her face. She had seen that look many times over the years. Slow, intense, like he was trying to memorize every detail of her. She had always wanted to know. Tonight, she knew she would get a straight answer.

"What's that look mean?" she asked.

"What look?"

He wasn't doing it anymore.

"The one you give me sometimes."

"Could you be less specific?"

"It's a look you save just for me," she shyly admitted.

His lips parted like he was about to say something, but he just swept his eyes across her features.

"There! That one... What does it mean?"

"I'm just trying to figure you out."

She tilted her head. "You're probably the one who knows me the best."

"And yet, I had no idea you hated Jell-O," he said, handing her a second one.

"It really isn't that bad," she said after a long quiver. "Ok! Next question."

"Since when are we playing 20 questions? And isn't it my turn?"

"No. I have a good one."

"Fine."

He smashed the little cups one by one, waiting for her to shoot.

"When's the last time you had sex?"

His eyes shut while she bit her lips not to laugh again.

"Bones..."

"What?" He really was uncomfortable. She gave up a little. "You really don't want to answer, do you?"

He shook his head.

"Ok... Then... When's the last time you saw a woman naked?" she smiled, knowing he would get the exact same reaction.

He did, but only for a second. Then he smirked.

"Less than a couple of weeks ago."

Her smile froze and her heart, too. Then she thought...

"Where? On TV?"

"No."

She never thought he would answer. She didn't know she really didn't want an answer.

"At the lab..." he dragged out.

She sat up straighter.

"Was she dead?" she guessed.

"Very much alive."

She sank a little into the chair and started playing with her mother's ring, but dared him with her eyes.

"Was it Cam?"

"Why would Cam be naked in the lab?"

"I don't know!" she laughed. "Who would ever get naked in the lab?"

He grinned and raised an eyebrow.

She frowned, thinking she was misreading him.

"Me?"

His gaze dropped to her breasts for a second before he looked to the floor. Oh yes.

He nodded.

"Wh.. H.. huh?"

"You were changing. I..."

"Well, you could have said something!" She didn't know if this was supposed to be funny or embarrassing or arousing. She felt all three.

"You're one to talk! You saw me naked, first!"

She gasped. "I didn't spy on you! You're the one who got up and showed it... showed you... yourself to me!"

"Now, we're even."

"I'm sorry I asked."

"I bet."

They were both really trying to hide their flushed faces. But since they were on the subject...

"Are we still telling each other the truth?"

"I'd like to think we always do."

"Ok. I'm about to tell you something," he almost whispered.

"What?" she asked, folding her arms on the sticky table, and leaning forward.

"Something I really shouldn't be telling you."

You really should shut up now, buddy.

"What?"

"And I'm only telling you because... I probably won't remember any of it in the morning."

She brought her face even closer to him. He was leaning her way too, now. She could feel her heart in her throat.

"What?"

He would not back out now. He took a deep breath and spat it out.

"When we first met, I thought for sure we would sleep together someday."

Her insides twisted and turned and tickled. Staring at his lips, stunned by his confession, she wished they had. She wished they had slept together already so she would stop incessantly wondering how it would be. She probably wouldn't feel that strong of an attraction for him if they had consummated the tension years ago. Though she didn't remember the tension being that... tense. She blinked, realizing he had just admitted he had once been physically attracted to her. This was then. This is now. Or...

"And now that you know me, you..." Her voice got lost and she mindlessly took one of the empty Jell-O cups between her fingers.

"I still think we will. Someday."

A heat wave swept her face. She opened and closed her mouth again, her blue eyes getting bluer.

"What did you say?" she faintly mouthed.

Had he shocked her? Was she mad?

"What did you hear?"

She felt stuck. Lost. So turned on.

"Do you..." she started.

What was she supposed to do now? Invite him over? Go for it? Press the ignore button? What did he want her to do?

"Do you...?" he asked.

She was trying to figure out how to say yes without just saying yes because yes was just so... But she was hearing Cam's voice behind her and Booth had sat up straighter. He was still staring at her, though.

Angela put her hand on Brennan's shoulder.

"I'm ready to leave when you are, sweetie."

"Huh?" It took some time for her to tear her eyes from him, but she managed to glimpse at her friend.

"I said... Whoa! Are you ok?" Angela touched her forehead with the back of her hand. "You look feverish."

Brennan's flushed even more and pushed Angie's hand away.

"I'm fine." She cleared her throat, wondering if she should go with her gut and run the hell out of there or go with Booth's eyes on her and stay.

She sighed in silence. But then, like in slow motion, Booth handed her her purse, which was under the table.

Oh.

She took it and their hands met on it. She tried to stop looking at him and got up.

Still overwhelmed, she followed Angela to the exit.

"Hang on," she told her. She went back to the table. Booth was playing with her straw. He seemed lost in his thoughts, which, she didn't know, were as confused and fast-paced as hers.

He saw her approach and sat up straight.

She could have lied -it was past midnight, after all- but she stammered the truth, instead. "I think. Too. That. We. Yes." She breathed out. "See you tomorrow."

And she ran out.

She should have stuck with a simple 'yes'.

---------------------

TBC

So? Too much? Not enough? What?