A/N: Here's another update!! Bring on the kissing practice!! Enjoy!!

Chapter 4: make it believable

The next day, the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal Lab was a normal place of work. Until 4 in the afternoon of course, when it was rehearsal time.

Booth caught Angela in her office as she was heading out front.

"Angela? Could I talk to you for a minute?"

Angela looked surprised by this, but sat back down at her desk.



"Sure Booth." She knew he wanted to talk about Brennan.

"Well, I got this thing with Bones tonight, and I don't know…I mean; I'm not sure…"

"Slow down bucko; what thing?" Angela's interest was piqued. Brennan hadn't mentioned this to her all day.

"She invited me over to practice the play at her place tonight."

Angela was confused. "That makes perfect sense; you two are the leads, after all. You have more lines than anyone else."

"No, she wants to rehearse the kissing scene."

Angela's eyes widened and she cheered silently for her friend.

"The kissing scene or the sex scene?"



"What?!" Booth's face turned, in Angela's opinion, a rather pretty shade of crimson.

"You really haven't read this play, have you? When the Prince banishes Romeo for killing Tybalt, he talks to Friar Laurence, and then ends up spending the night with Juliet. Now, it never actually says anything about sex in the play, but, come on, what else do you think they'd be doing all night if they were that hot for each other?" Angela rolled her eyes at Shakespeare's apparent prudishness.

"Well, I don't think the benefactors wanna watch Romeo & Juliet do it; so I'm pretty sure Bones just meant the kissing scene." He back pedaled a bit then. "Wait, I get to kill Tybalt?"

"Yep." Angela grinned at that. She was sure Booth would get a kick out of 'killing' Sully.

"I should also tell you there's a few kissing scenes. The first one at the party, another one before Romeo goes into banishment and another one after you're dead."

"After I'm dead?"

"Study your lines Booth!"

"I am, but it may as well be in ancient Greek. I'm working on memorizing the words, but I have no idea what I'm actually saying."

"Welcome to the wonderful world of Shakespeare," Angela said. "Now, you were talking about going to Bren's tonight for a make out session disguised as play practice…" Her eyes twinkled as she saw Booth fidget a bit. She was making him so uncomfortable and she was loving it.

Before Booth could reply, Goodman could be heard from the front of the lab.

"Let's go people!"

Angela looked at Booth to continue despite Goodman's summons, but Booth shrugged apologetically and left her office to join the others. Angela sighed, picked up her script, and followed him to the front area.

"All right actors, today we're going to rehearse the scene with Romeo, Benvolio, Mercutio, and Tybalt. Dr. Hodgins, where do you think you're going?"



Hodgins, who was trying to sneak away down the hall, turned, and regarded the group.

"I just had this experiment I needed to check up on." It was obvious that he was lying. Angela could tell from the way his eyes were shifting around. Goodman could tell as well.

"Get over here, Dr. Hodgins. Nothing is so important that it can't wait until after rehearsal."

"No, it is! Very important."

"Nice try, Dr. Hodgins, but I'm well aware that if I let you go, you won't be returning, so…get in place, please."

They had another short stand-off and Hodgins ended up stomping over looking like a small child forced to attend his sister's tea party.

Rehearsal went along smoothly; Goodman was satisfied with everyone's progress in learning their lines, except Booth.



"Agent Booth, you really must learn your lines. Opening night, you will not be allowed to read from your script."

Booth tapped his script against his thigh in frustration.

"I'll work on it. I just need time."

"Well, you have about a week and a half."

"Not a problem."

Goodman sighed, and moved on to a scene between Juliet and her Nurse.

At the end of rehearsal, Brennan caught Sully as he was getting ready to leave.

"Sully? I think we need to talk."



Sully nodded solemnly and followed Brennan into her office. As they began to talk, a small crowd consisting of Angela, Booth, Hodgins, and Zach gathered to watch the scene play out.

"What are they talking about?" Booth wondered aloud.

"She's breaking up with him," Angela said matter-of-factly.

"How do you know?" Hodgins asked.

"Because she's standing as far away from him as she can possibly get; look at the gestures she's making. Plus, Sully looks crestfallen. I almost feel sorry for him."

"Almost?" Booth asked.

"Yes, almost," Angela replied, her eyes focused on Brennan's office.

"Why's she breaking up with him? I thought everything was going great."



"Isn't it obvious, Booth? He's overdoing it, trying too hard. She feels like she's being smothered. I'm surprised she put up with it this long."

Brennan closed the door of her office and motioned for Sully to take a seat on the couch. He didn't. She moved over by her desk, not wanting to stand too close.

"Sully, this just isn't working for me anymore."

"What isn't?"

"Our relationship. I need space. You're very…overbearing, and it isn't what I want or need right now."

"Wait, are you breaking up with me?" Sully looked hurt.

"Yes, I'm sorry, but that's the way it's going to have to be."

"Anything I can do or say to get you to reconsider?"

Brennan shook her head.

"So this is it?"

"This is it."

Sully nodded his head, and headed out of the office, head down.

The group in front of the office had dispersed the second he'd turned the door, each one trying to appear busy. Booth just sat on the steps, waiting for Brennan. Sully breezed past him on his way to the door, and Booth called after him.

"Tough break, buddy." Sully stopped and looked at him sadly.

Booth sympathized with him for about a second. It wasn't that he didn't like Sully, he was just glad it was over between him and Bones.



He waved cheerily. "See ya at rehearsals tomorrow!"

After Sully had left, Brennan came out of her office. She headed down the steps.

"See you in a couple hours Booth."

"Yep, at 8. I'll be there….on time…to practice." He waved at her as she went out the door, then just sat there for awhile, thinking. Then he got up to go get dinner for them both, ignoring Angela's comment as he left.

"Have fun tonight!"

At 8 on the dot, there was a knock at Brennan's door. She paused before answering, wondering if she shouldn't have invited him over. Of course, it was better to rehearse the kissing scenes here first, rather than in view of their fellow actors. She opened the door, and Booth came in with sacks of take-out.



"We're eating first. That smells too good to wait," she said, emptying the contents of the sacks onto the coffee table.

They ate and talked about how rehearsals were going. It was a nice, easygoing time, and both were comfortable despite what they knew was coming next.

When they were both finished, they grabbed their scripts and stood in the middle of Brennan's living room.

"Ok, there are a few kissing scenes in here, but I think we can just rehearse the first one and once we're comfortable with that one, the rest will fall into place. What do you think?"

"Whatever you say, Bones."

"Good. You start. Act 1, scene 5."

"All right, let's see…If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle fine is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss...what did I just say?


"Don't worry about what you said, just learn the lines. That was just fine. For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss." She held up her palm to him. He didn't do anything.

"Booth!"

"What?"

"You're supposed to hold your palm against mine when I say that."

"Oh, sorry." He placed his hand against hers, his script clenched tightly in his other hand.

" Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."



"Wait a second, Bones, hang on. When do we actually kiss? Cause I can't tell. It's just a bunch of talk about pilgrims and palmers and saints, and whatever else."

"I'll let you know. It's your line."

Booth rolled his eyes, but continued. "O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do-
they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair….or whatever."

Brennan snorted back a laugh. "Don't say things like that at the end. It's irrelevant to the play and counterproductive to rehearsal."

"Your line."

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake. Now, we kiss."

Neither one moved forward.

"Come on, Booth. You've been waiting for this ever since you met me. Come and get it!"

He shot her a curious look at that.

"I was, of course, referring to our characters. Romeo, you, has fallen for me, Juliet, and is dying for a kiss. He wouldn't just stand there."

"It's just weird Bones, ya know?"

"It's for the play Booth."

He took a deep breath, stepped towards her, and gently placed his lips over hers. It was over quickly, but all the same, left both feeling things that they knew they shouldn't be feeling.

There was a small pause, then Brennan said, "All right, that was good. It was believable. I don't think that Romeo would stick his tongue down Juliet's throat for a first kiss, so…good. It felt real."

Another pause; then Brennan broke the silence by clearing her throat. "Your line."

"What? Oh, right. Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged."

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took."

"Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again. Is he asking for another kiss?"

"Yes, good job!"

"That interpretation was easy; the rest of this junk, not so much."

"Kiss me again, Booth. Deeper this time."

He moved forward again, capturing her lips and this time running the tip of his tongue over them until they opened, inviting him in. The kiss grew in passion and urgency, their tongues battling for dominance, their arms wrapping around each other. Booth's hand snaked up Brennan's shirt, 

cupping her breast, while her hands caressed his back, working their way up to his hair. Finally, Brennan broke away, breathing heavily.

"Maybe a little too much that time; what do you think?"

"I think maybe you're right. Don't wanna make the benefactors feel like voyeurs." Booth avoided her gaze, running a hand through his hair, slightly tousled from her wandering hands.

"Exactly. Besides, we're at a party. I doubt Juliet would allow Romeo to grope her in full view of their friends and family, and her parents."

"Sorry Bones."

"Don't be. We just need to tone it down from here on out. Make it believable, but not overly believable." She picked up her script, which she had discarded on the floor.

"You kiss by the book. And then, Angela comes in."



"You know, maybe we should do some of the other kissing scenes."

Alarms went off in Brennan's head. "No, I think we're ok on those for now. We'll see how we do at rehearsals. It's getting late."

Booth checked his watch. "You're right. I should go. I'll see you tomorrow Bones."

"Good night, Booth. Practice your lines." She handed him his script. "And thank you for bringing dinner over."

"Anytime Bones." There was another silence. He didn't really want to go, and she didn't really want him to go either.

Brennan cleared her throat and moved to the door, opening it for him. He stepped to the doorway and turned to her.

"Thanks for the practice."



"Yea, we both needed it. I don't have nearly the time I'd like to look over all these lines."

"We'll be ok." Booth looked into her eyes then, and found her gazing back.

"We will. We just need to make it all come together." She was still talking, but wasn't really concentrating on what she was saying.

They were both stalling and each one knew it.

Then Booth moved to her and kissed her again. She moaned in the back of her throat, giving him the opportunity to deepen the kiss. She backed up, allowing him to come back inside. He kicked the door shut with his foot, and with their lips still locked, they began moving down the hall towards her bedroom.

A/N: How was it? Did ya like it? It got kinda long, but I'm not intending on this being a very long fic, so I had a lot to get through this chap. Please R&R and thank you!!