Hodgins and Angela entered the Nitty Gritty, fingers intertwined and smiles gracing their faces. The comfort of the summers heat, the breeze from the ac inside, together there was nothing that wasn't good. It was easy to spot the others, sitting at their regular table in the back. As they grew close they felt the familiar relaxed environment set in. Sliding into the booth and ordering their drinks, everything seemed perfect.

The conversation wandered from idle gossip to sports stats, but with Kat and Henry mostly guiding, it wasn't a surprise when they choose to stay on one topic for an extended period.

"And then he told me that he thinks he loves me. Can you believe that?" Kat said expecting everyone to gush over her heartwarming news.

Henry and Angela held each other's glance before looking down at their drinks. Brennan didn't seem to pick up on this, "Wait I though you too just started dating like a month ago."

"Yeah, well you know when you're with the right person. Someday you'll get it, we just fit so well together it is impossible for us to not be in love."

Brennan was confused and about to repute Kat's statement when Henry grabbed her leg, getting her attention. "Brenner, you wanna get more drinks with me?" With no time to lose he dragged her away as Kat continued to explain her love life to Hodgins, Angela and the others. But at the bar Henry found his opportunity to get the gossip out of Temperance he was dying to know.

"So did you meet the new guy yet?" his curiosity and excitement were hardly masked.

"Do you mean Booth? Yeah, he is staying at my neighbors house this summer."

"Oh, so what do you know about him?"

Temperance finally caught what he was saying, "I'm pretty positive he's straight, I caught him checking out girls at Hodgins. Plus he has the All American Boy thing happening."

"Damn, so neighbors huh?" quickly transforming his disappointment to a matchmaking opportunity. "Any late night shared glances out the windows?"

As usual Brennan didn't understand what he was implying. "My window faces my backyard and so does his, how could we possibly share glances?" completely unaware of the information she just let slip.

"Oh my God, how do you know which way his room faces? I can't believe you were getting action this summer and not sharing the details, tell me everything. He looks like he would be fantastic." The excitement was controlling him he had to grab her hand to settle himself.

Just then, below Henry and Temperance's radar the door opened allowing Booth to enter. He quickly caught sight of Angela and Isaac sitting on the outer edges of a booth in the corner.

"Seeley, glad you came man." Hodgins said as he sat down.

"Yeah me too," he looked around the table noticing many faces he only slightly recognized but none of them were hers. After introductions around the table, Booth found himself at easy with this group; they all seemed kind and just like his friends back home. But even with the comfort in his surroundings he still searched for her in the crowd hoping she wouldn't be out dancing with some random townie. Angela had noticed his search and whispered in his ear, "She's at the bar." Sighing he looked over to what he assumed was the bar and sure enough she was there, with Henry looking rather cozy. She seemed to be whispering something into his ear, and he was holding he hand. Booth could feel his stomache knotting and his jaw tightening; there was something wrong with this. Why did he care so much about this girl and the guys she was with? He watched as seemed to continue whispering and eventually they were served. But when they began to move towards the table Booths eyes immediately went from her to his hands on the table.

Henry was full of so much joy, for the first time ever Temperance met a guy that wasn't a dirty bag just waiting for her to put out. This was her knight in shining amour, coming to show her what a guy could be. They were halfway to the table when he saw the guy of honor.

"Newbie, You made it!" a smile grew on his face as Booth looked up at him and then over to Brennan.

"Yep, figured should get to know the team."

"Have you met everyone?"

"Yep." Henry could tell he was agitated.

"Hodgins and I were just about to play pool, wanna join in?"

"Nah, I'm no good." Angela saw him look back down, he obviously found Henry either annoying or he was just pissed. Taking the opportunity to settle the situation, "Kat you want to go dance?" "Sure"

Angela turned to Brennan, "How about you girl?"

Feeling obligated Brennan nodded and pulled Kat up, but Kat unexpectedly let go of her hand and Temperance stumbled backwards. With fast reflexes Booth stepped forward and broke her fall, with his chest catching her waist in his hands. After taking a moment to regain herself she jumped away from him and sped away after Angela onto the dance floor. Kat smiled wickedly and then followed right behind.

Booth never felt so uncomfortable, while the others at the table idle chatted he found himself switching his glances towards the pool tables and the dance floor. He could see Henry and Jack were doing the same. Booth was confused because he was sure that Temperance had said she was single at the party, but now she was with this Henry guy. If there was anything he could do to get away from this town he would but now he was stuck…

He couldn't see her, she made it so, but she could see him. Henry had interrogated her at the bar now Angela was giving her funny looks as they danced. There was no reason for all of this. She didn't even know this guy everyone was so obsessed with, plus he was way older then her. There was nothing that made her want to stay here right now if she was going to get the fifth degree from everyone and she wasn't in the mood for this guy to try and get in her head.

Salsa, the music was booming, she knew the steps but there was no passion in it. She saw Isaac dragging Maddie out of the booth to come dance. Kat had moved over to the pool tables where she was whispering something to Henry, and Angela instead of focusing on the steps was now eyeing Jack. Great she was about to be ditched. She saw the nod pass between her best friend and her boy toy and that was enough for her. Brennan said a quick goodbye to Angela and went for the door. But when she stood in the parking lot surrounded by cars that didn't belong to her she knew she had no ride home. Everyone else was having a good day so she felt it was best to sit under the stars and wait for someone to be done for the night.

There was no one else at the table, they were all dancing or drinking somewhere else. This was a stupid idea, why did he come here. He threw down two bucks on the table, took one last sip of his water and headed out the door with keys in hand. He rubbed his left eye and pushed the door with his right. He just wanted to go home and sleep. Yet when he stepped in to the night air he realized he wasn't tired at all. The fresh air offered him a new sense of life and that's when he saw Temperance Brennan laying out on a bench with her arm covering her eyes. She was the description of beauty. Unable to resist temptation, he walked over to her and stared down over her. "Am I going to have to care you home and put you to bed again?"

His voice didn't surprise her; she wasn't surprised he was the one to find her. "Could I get a ride home?"

"Of coarse, I'm over there." He pointed to his car and helped her to her feet. So they walked in silence and then drove in silence. She was fighting to keep her eyes open and he was fighting to keep his eyes on the road and away from her. As she slid into light slumber her hand slid into his, resting in-between their seats and a sigh slipped from her lips. The next thing she knew he was lifting her into his arms again and even though she knew Temperance Brennan wasn't one to be carried to bed by some random guy, the comfort of his chest, arms, and smell offered too much for to object. So he carried her to her door and turns the knob, knowing it was before 11:30 so Russ wouldn't have locked the door yet. He carried her up the stairs and then tried his best to put her safely to her feet so she could walk into her own room, but just like Liam does, she wrapped her arms around his neck tighter and refused to let go.

If he wouldn't have been listening as hard as he was, he could have missed it, but she whispered second on the left. He knew this meant she wanted to be put to bed in her room but he felt as if that would be a breach of this girl's privacy.

" You sure you don't want to walk it?"

"HMMMUM." He took that as a no.

He wrestled to turn the handle but with some effort he got the door open and found himself into a room the spitting image of her. It was no-nonsense and neat, but the posters and art expressed a unique appreciation for music, literature and film. On her far wall was a signed Death Cab for Cutie poster and a 4 feet by 5 collage of photos, on the nearest wall was a Woody Allen poster right beside a movie poster for Pineapple Express and Raging Bull. Next to her bed was a copy of Grey's Anatomy and Lupe Fiasco c.d. It was easy to see this girl had an interesting taste but he could also tell she had lied about being disinterested in arts.

He let her down on the bed gently and tried his best to not wake her. After successfully detaching her, Booth tried his best to silently exit her room without causing a disturbance to her sleeping. Once out of her room he slipped down the stairs and while doing his best to be silent he missed noticing Russ standing at the bottom of the staircase. Why were all of these things happening to him? Why couldn't this girl be like everyone else and not need him to rescue her from his car, not carry her as she slumbered safe in his arms? Why was all of this so complicated and so wrong? So there he was forced to face Russ, and explain why he was sneaking out of Russ' little sisters room.

"She asleep?" asked Russ softly.

"Yeah, I drove her home from a staff party. She drifted off in the car, I figured it would be easier to just take her in then try and wake her up." He explained.

"Well aren't you just the little superhero. There is a game on tomorrow, the guys are coming over to watch, you wanna join?"

"Yeah, that sounds great thanks." He was about to leave when something came to him, "Hey what do you know about a guy named, Henry or maybe he goes by Roy?"

Russ laughed full heartedly, "He's still telling that one isn't he, that's Henry, he's been Tempe's friend since forever. Just came out last year, but we all knew long before then."

A wave of relief crashed over Booth, " Oh, okay." He thought for a minute and then it clicked; "Well now I get the joke. Okay, well thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow. Have a nice night." Russ said his passing and then Booth slipped out the door and over to his residence, looking up at Temperance's window the entire time.

By the time it was 8 Booth had been utterly frustrated. His body protested any movement he made and his head pounded at any small noise. Russ invited him and told him all the other guys were already downstairs. He could here the complaints and laughter of his fellow men bellow, and decided before he ventured down there, he should get some water or a pain killer. With a little relief from the pain within, Booth entered the basement to a large blaring television, a myriad of young men and a silent but ever sweet girl, sitting in the back by the bar. The couch and chairs were all occupied and there was close to no room on the floor where, chips, cans and empty bowls were scattered, his only option was to prop himself against the wall (which his legs would kill him for later) or sit safely beside Temperance in the back on what was either a very large chair or a small loveseat. Maneuvering his way through the 15 to 20 some guys he got to that spot he had been eyeing.

Looking up to meet his eyes, Temperance accepted his questioning stare. Having slight memories of the night before, once again in his arms, her body shivered as his leg and arm brushed hers as he took a seat. The room temperature seemed to have raised several degrees since he had entered. Her head told her these feelings were chemical reactions but her heart knew the pounding its was doing, and the flutter in her stomache was the same as the feelings she had in the pool, and in his arms. He was doing something to her and she couldn't explain, and it scared her out of her mind. There was a frightening comfort with him sitting there, right next to her.

As the game progressed, the different rivalries in the room seemed to grow. There suddenly seemed to become two sides to everything. In his best attempts to ignore the harsh sounds being shouted over the blaring television, Booth began to survey the room and get a better read on all of Russ' friends. From what he could see, the guy named Brendan had very aggressive tendencies when it came to discussing any sort of pitching technique, the tall skinny kid next to Russ really, really like his beer, and Eric the shaggy blondy sitting at the closest bar stool, he kept taking non-discrete glances towards Temperance. As he watched the others it slowly became evident that Eric wasn't the only one who seemed envious of his seat next to Tempe. It wasn't as if the other guys were mean-muggin' him, it was just a slight look every so often and he felt a small feel of distain towards him. He knew Brennan didn't know, Russ defiantly didn't know, but there were more then a few of his fellow men in the room, which knew just how beautiful Temperance is.

Russ' friends were loud and obnoxious, and the game they were watching was boring at most. There was nothing left to enjoy in this environment. After much embarrassment the night before Temperance couldn't help but feel cautious. Two times in a row she fell asleep on him, he had to carry her in his arms, that's how pathetic she is. It quickly went from 8 to 10 and as some of the guys left, spaces around the room opened up, there began the awkward moments of questioning, was she supposed to move, was he supposed to move. It felt weird them sitting so closely on a sofa while there were vacant chairs in the room, yet they sat. The game quickly came to a close, and while some in the room were focused on the results, neither Booth nor Brennan seemed to care.

Temperance was the first to get up. Rising, purposely brushing her arm against his, passing by him all while avoiding eye contact. Booth sat there for a while once she had left the room. Finally after much protest, he did get up and join the rest of his fellow men, cleaning up the room. He took care of the empty cans and then with Russ' help, carried the bowls up to the kitchen. Russ then took a seat at the breakfast bar, and nodded for Booth to join him.

"How's it going?"

"Fine, I should get back soon though, because I'm working at the camp now." Booth said. "You?"

"You know, relaxin" Russ turned towards the window, looking out at the side lawn. "So, does that mean you are going on the camping trip this weekend?"

Booth hadn't thought about that, he had heard Temperance talking about it at morning check-in the day before, but he wasn't clear on weather that trip would include him or if he was to new to receive such a responsible position. "I don't know, I didn't think to ask."

"Man, when I worked there like, four summers ago, that camping trip, whew man." Russ looked out nostalgically.

Sincerely at a loss, Booth questioned Russ' meaning. "There is no way to explain it," said Russ. "But man was that one memorable trip, I was a sophomore that year and I'll tell you I became a new man, I got ten new best friends that weekend, and only five of them were younger then eleven. Get what I'm saying, nothing like being in the woods with little kids who have endless bounds of energy to grow closer together with your fellows."

"Sounds like fun. But, like I said I'm not even sure I'm going to this trip." Booth quibbled back.

"I've got to ask though, if you do go, watch her will ya?" This sparked Booth's attention. "Cause I've been on this trip and buddy I know what the girls have done previous years and I don't want Angie and Kat convincing her to go against her instincts, you know what I mean? I love her to death, she's like a sister but Ange can get a little over excited, a tad obsessive, and extremely reckless. The girl drags Tempe around like she is a rag doll, then ditches her to get with a random guy. I get that she grew up with no one, and she can party all she wants, I mean if I were two years younger and she was you know, less of my sis' bestie, I would be on it. But any ways, I know you seem to be like her other brother now, so thanks man. It's good to know that she has someone out there other than me, and Jack. So thanks."

Booth felt both taken aback with the kindness and care in Russ' voice. But there was also concern that he was misleading Russ, leading him down the road telling him that all of his feelings towards Temperance were friendly. Wait, did he just say he felt more for Brennan then friendship, he's known this girl for less than a month.

Temperance was sitting on the front porch; Eric was sitting a few feet away telling her all about his sailing trip he took with his brothers, a couple weeks earlier. It was a nice story, his family seemed like good people but she really wasn't in the mood to hear a story about sun, water, and surf. Her next four days were going to be nice trails, beautiful breezes, and late night swims. Eric was the classic Ohio summer boy, the kind of guy you would think to see in Newport or the Hamptons. He had the classic American boy looks, with the J. Crew style, his family was affluent but not ostentations, he swam varsity, ran varsity, and dated quietly. This is the kind of guy who meets a nice girl in high school, goes to college, business school, then once he's made a start up with a promising future, he settles down, and tries for a family. The American dream guy what every father dreams of. Yet, with all this appeal, with the charm, and sincerity in his story about his passion for the water, she still didn't feel compelled to listen. Normally when someone spoke, she gave them at least sixty percent of her attention, but now she found herself, with a beautiful guy who was the pure definition of perfect, and she couldn't seem to say focused long enough to catch more then a sporadic sentence.

After chatting with Russ for a few more minutes, then talking shop with another guy or two, Booth finally felt a rush of exhaustion crash over him. He stepped out into the hot sweet summer air, and relished in the comforting feeling. Carefully he tried to sneak past Temperance and Eric on the stairs, but he failed miserably. As if he were a trained dog, Eric stood as Booth came near, and offered his hand for greeting. Taking this to concern, Booth accepted his hand respectfully, and made a polite but terse hello. Apparently not understanding his bland expression and sharp manners, Eric began a rather enigmatic single-sided conversation. Brennan seeing Booth's distress, and worn-out exterior, she cut off him mid sentence, informed him they both had to work the next and gracious thanked them for their company this evening and headed inside. Leaving Booth with the poor clueless guy outside.

Wanting nothing more then to sleep, Booth quickly navigated himself through a simple discussion and as the topic dwindled so did both men. Eric, bidding his goodbyes, headed to his car, while Booth took the short steps to his own comforts. He made it inside and upstairs without a disruptive noise, which he was quite proud of, but in his room was a special surprise. It would appear, Sampson, the crazy kid, had made himself very comfortable in Booth's Bed and had no intentions of moving. It took every chivalrous bone in his body not to shake the kid awake and send him right on his way, but instead, being the bigger person, Booth took up a night post on the sofa opposite his television. He slid into sleep quickly, entering a dream state, which offered only more confusion and twisted realities.

Temperance on the other hand, had trouble sleeping that night. It wasn't as if she was to excited to sleep or just not tired. She just found herself at a loss for everything. Her room seemed foreign, and the smells that once comforted her, now drover he mad. Out of pure desperation for a little calm and peace, Brennan got up and walked to her parent room. While they were just away for along vacation, she missed them deeply. Her father, was a very caring man, whom may sometimes a little over bearing, but always kind hearted, and her mother, a curious woman who could stop traffic with on suggestive glance. She laid down in her parent's bedroom and enveloped herself in the caring protection of her parent's spirit. And that's where she woke the next morning, in bed after a long, dreamless sleep, of happiness.

Hey, Thanks for reading. My greatest apologizes for these huge gaps in material, and just never updating or writing.