We're back with a shorter chapter, but one that should be good :). We'll be back soon with more!

Chapter 5

As promised, Brennan had received the remains at the Jeffersonian. It had taken her only half a day of work to get the identification part done. It wasn't a difficult ID to make; she'd used the dental work and some smaller indicators. She was carrying her file in her bag as she walked to the Hoover. It was a nice day and she enjoyed walking. She and Booth had agreed to meet for lunch anyway, and she may as well bring him the file before they'd leave. She walked into the building and identified herself, then was allowed to continue to Booth's office.

"Look, there she is, our very own ice queen," Agent Jameson whispered to Agent Silverman, who snorted.

"Hey sweetheart, what are you doing here? This is the hotness department, we don't do cold cases," Silverman snickered. "If you're here to ask Booth for a job, I'd stop right now. You need to actually have empathy to do the work we do," Silverman boldly spoke to her as Brennan walked between the desks.

Brennan didn't know how to deal with the remarks, so she just ignored them and walked on. After a second insult, she stopped and snapped, "I solved your case, Agent Silverman. You're welcome."

"See? No empathy. No social skills. I wonder what Booth wants with you." He leaned forward and gave her a once over. "You must be real good in bed, sweetheart. I can't imagine why else he would put up with you."

Booth looked up and frowned when he saw his partner stopping next to Ralph Silverman's desk. Agent Silverman was an arrogant, self-righteous bastard. When he and Brennan talked to each other, Booth moved quietly and quickly to the door. He opened it just a bit and listened as Agent Silverman's words drifted in. "... No social skills. I wonder what Booth wants with you. You must be real good in bed, sweetheart. I can't imagine why else he would put up with you." Booth could feel his anger growing and opened the door forcefully. "No social skills, huh Silverman? That's better than lacking even basic manners. And you guys," he addressed the other men in the room. "Grow up. We are FBI Agents, not teenagers in high school. If I ever hear anybody talking like that again - whether it's about my partner or anybody else - they will answer to me. Understood?" Booth opened the door a bit further and motioned for Brennan to enter.

Brennan wondered how childish little men like Silverman were able to get important positions like these. They just didn't come across as very intelligent. She walked into Booth's office, glad they could have some privacy.

Booth closed the door behind her and fought his instinct to hug her. It would seem patronising with everybody looking at them and he knew she was strong. So instead of giving into his instincts, he clapped in his hands as he sat down on his desk. "So! What have you got for me? An ID? Maybe even a COD?"

"So far, just an ID. Jason Doug, 52 years old. Cause of death will take a bit more time." Brennan placed the file on his desk, feeling a bit uncomfortable in Booth's workplace. There were hardly any women to be seen; they'd probably fled to more private offices, or at least somewhere away from these men.

Booth took the file in his hands and as he kept his gaze fixed on the paper, he spoke up softly, tenderly, "You okay, Bones? Don't worry about them. Especially not Silverman," he turned a page, "That guy is a jackass."

"I know, I've been forced to work with him," Brennan replied dryly. "Do you still have time for lunch?"

He looked up at her and smiled widely. "Definitely." He closed the file. "Besides, it's a lot easier for both of us if you just tell me these things verbally. Ready to go?"

"Definitely," Brennan said as she blew out her breath. Booth got his jacket and Brennan opened the door. They quickly walked through the bullpen and into the elevator.

"So, how was your day so far?" Booth asked her as they walked towards his car.

"Fine," she replied. "Yours?" She felt bad that Booth had heard what his colleagues said to her. She didn't want to create any difficulties for him at work. He had other things to focus on. They'd both agreed he'd try to get promoted so his work would get less dangerous.

"Good, until I noticed Silverman and his sexual harassment skills. You know that they react like that because they don't know how to deal with a woman smarter than them, right?"

"If it's true, that's really pathetic." They got into the car and buckled up. "For the record, I like working with you much better," she smiled at him. "Aren't you intimidated by my intelligence?" she teased.

"Dreadfully so, but I trust that you will use all that knowledge and that big brain of yours to make me look good," he teased back.

"You don't need me for that, Booth. You make yourself look very, very good. Trust me. And if you don't, ask your children." She gave his hand a squeeze and loved him for being man enough to not feel threatened by women.

"I simply enjoy spending time with you. Whether it's you reading a magazine and me reading the paper or those early Saturday mornings in bed, or this, going to the diner for lunch to talk business. I love it all."

Brennan looked at him with love filling her heart. "Me, too," she said softly. "We have a great family, and a really good life."

"We do. So, do you mind telling me what's in that report? I'd much rather listen to your voice than stare at those pages."

"I'll talk to you over some food. I'm hungry," she started making demands. "And I want to go on a date with you. This week."

Now, she had his attention "And what did my girl have in mind?" he asked her curiously.

"Something romantic," Brennan smiled. "Something private. Maybe... a weekend away, though that could wait until after you solve this case. We like our jobs, but I wish we could spend more time together."

"Deal. We'll start planning a weekend away, but I don't want to wait for a date with you until this case is solved. It's Wednesday today, how about Friday night, huh? I have some time to plan something special for my girl then." He glanced at her, treating her to his full-blown charm smile. "Whatcha think? Is it a date?"

He parked the car and she turned to him, leaning in for a kiss. "Yes. I love you, Booth."

"Great! Now, come on, let's get something to eat. I'm starving. And Bones," he reached for her hand and leaned in to kiss her, "A salad is not lunch."

"What? I like salads," she defended herself as they got out of the car. "You're right, though; I am hungry, so I'll have more than a salad today." She looped her arm through his and together they walked over to the diner and entered.

They walked over to their regular table and Booth sat down. "How were our kids this morning?" He had left early, so he hadn't seen them yet. They could talk about work after lunch, he decided.

"Tired, as usual," Brennan chuckled. "It was a good morning, the kids were fine. Elena was already talking about practice and I know Thomas was looking forward to his sister being at practice, too, so he can practise his music."

Booth laughed. "Sometimes I really don't understand how those two manage to get along the way they do." The waitress came by and they ordered their lunch. "You know, I think it's mostly Elena. She can definitely be stubborn and moody, but she's very protective of her little brother."

"Well, she's wished for him ever since she celebrated her first birthday with you present, so now that she has a sibling, she's not going to let anything happen to him," Brennan reasoned. "Just one thing, though," she became serious, "You have to relax a little when it comes to your daughter and the subject of boys. She still has to be able to feel comfortable coming to you if she wants to ask or talk about something. And you don't want to give her the idea that all men are evil, I mean, that's kind of what happened between my dad and me, and it made me feel uncomfortable around guys. Elena needs to want to crawl onto your lap and cry if a boy disappoints her."

Their conversation turned real serious, real quick, "I'm just teasing. Do you really think she's taking it that hard?" Because he didn't mean to make her uncomfortable around men. Especially not around him.

"With teenage girls, you can never be sure. Trust me, I've been one," Brennan smiled at him and squeezed his hand across the table. "You're a great dad, Booth, just be careful with this particular subject."

Booth turned his hand, so he could entangle their fingers and as he held her gaze, he promised her that he would. "Thanks for telling me. I really didn't realise how big the impact of my words were."

"Maybe they aren't, but they could be. Besides, I don't think you have to worry about that yet. I'm sure we can trust Elena."

"I've been a teenage boy and so I can tell you that, yes, we can trust our daughter, but it's the teenage boys that I don't trust." He squeezed her hand. "I'll stop teasing her about it," Booth promised. Their lunch was delivered and they released each other's hand.

They ate in a companionable silence, catching each other's eyes every now and then, and smiling at each other. Even after fifteen years, including the four years they hadn't seen each other, they were still very much in love.

When they finished their lunch, Booth went to sit next to her on the bench and looked at her. "Okay," he pointed to the file in her bag, "walk me through it."

Brennan grabbed her bag and did as he asked her. Half an hour later, she had brought him up to speed.

So, Brennan has her usual reputation of being an ice-queen (though we know, and Booth knows, that that's all wrong). Next chapter, Brennan has a little bit of trouble dealing with everything. Let's see how their family deals with that. We'd love to hear from you!