AN: How am I doing? I have to admit that this is fun. I have the episodes playing in the background as I write and I feel really close to these characters. Less than 3 weeks until the Season 4 premiere!! Please review—I need the feedback and inspiration 

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Chapter 8 – Tough Guys are too Sentimental

When he opened his eyes the next morning, he found himself hugging a familiar set of legs: one arm was around her waist and the other laying across her knees. She appeared to be asleep leaning over his back. Metaphorically speaking, they had been in awkward positions before, but this was a whole new level of strange and wonderful at the same time. All he knew was that he felt good—content. She stayed with him all night. He would have done the same for her and he was extremely grateful. Although this was not the time, he had a renewed sense of hope towards the possibilities of exploring this relationship—of crossing the line.

He carefully shifted removing his arms and sitting up on the couch while gently bracing her. Now he was holding her in his lap and it felt even better. Within moments, she stirred opening her eyes and looking up at him, "Good morning, Booth."

"Good morning, Bones. Thank you for coming over last night. I don't think that I would have been able to get to sleep without you here."

"I was happy to be here for you. You are always there for me."

That was all that they needed to say.

She stood up grabbing her bag and heading for his bathroom as he went in the kitchen to start some coffee. He felt better. It was eight o'clock in the morning meaning that he actually had a decent night's sleep. He was ready for fresh starts: a new day with Bones and a new day on the case.

As he fixed a mug of coffee for each of them, Bones emerged from the bathroom looking like a new person. She had changed her clothes and applied the minimal make-up that she wore from day to day. She looked fantastic. "Well, Good morning again. I see that you were prepared for an all-nighter, huh."

"I brought some clothes that I had at the lab. I was worried about you and figured that I would camp out on your couch. I will admit that I never expected to be pinned there by you. You know, you snore and drool in your sleep?" She was smiling and her eyes were twinkling and he knew that this was her way of putting him at ease.

"Drool, huh?" He said taking his coffee and scooting past her into his room both amused and a little embarrassed, "I made coffee, help yourself to anything you want."

Twenty minutes later, he emerged freshly shaven and clad in a clean suit. She made some toast and he was again thankful. It occurred to him how smoothly they functioned together and felt a warm sense of calm run through his body.

"Where do we start today?" She asked.

"Well, the wife is still presumably out of town. Perhaps we should check out their old neighborhood to see if there is anyone that remembers them and the disappearance. We should also visit his place of work. The file says that he managed security in the Capitol building."

"Since we are here in the city, why don't we start at the Capitol?"

"Right. Let's get this show on the road." He said grabbing his phone and his keys.

"Show?" she said furrowing her brow. "Never mind Bones, let's go to the Capitol." He ushered her out the door smiling.

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"That was a waste of time of energy," She said exasperated as they sat down at their favorite table in the diner.

"Yes, but we got to spend some quality time together." He responded with a smirk on his face.

"Booth, we are together all of the time. I don't see anything to indicate that this morning was of a higher quality than any other." She didn't return his smile, but somehow he sensed there was a smile there anyway.

"Ah Bones, you really know how to charm a guy." She rolled her eyes at him as they ordered lunch and coffee from the waitress.

Something darkened inside him as he contemplated the morning's interviews. "It is almost as if these people never existed. Nobody remembers them. Nobody mourns their loss. How is that possible?"

"I have said it before, but you tough guys are really sentimental. You and I both know that it is not that simple. We have very little information. It is not a good idea to jump to conclusions or speculate about emotional connections that will not help us solve this case. It has been eight years since these people disappeared. A lot can happen in eight years. Look at all that has happened to us in just over three."

Booth's cell phone chimed as their food arrived. She watched him intently as he spoke to Mrs. Elizabeth Marks. "Great," he said slipping the phone into his inside pocket, "she will be home all afternoon. We can head over there after we finish eating. Maybe you should check in with the Squints."

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They were headed back to Georgetown. Bones called the lab, but only received verification of earlier findings. There was nothing new to add to the investigation. As she flipped her phone shut, it rang. "Brennan … Hi Neil … Yea, I had a nice time as well. … No, Booth and I just finished lunch and I don't think that I will be available for dinner tonight. … Sure, you can call me tomorrow, but it is difficult for me to get away when I am working on a case. … Ok, bye." She closed the phone and looked down in her lap.

He felt his grip tighten on the steering wheel. He completely forgot that she had a date this past weekend and could only assume that this was the man in question. "Neil, huh? Is that the guy you had dinner with?"

"What … oh … yeah." He thought he saw something in her body language. She was purposely avoiding eye contact and she looked, well, she looked guilty.

"Are you going to see him again?" He wasn't sure why he asked her that question. In a way, it was none of his business, but he had to know. He was jealous. He hated jealousy because it made him feel weak. He had been jealous before, but somehow it felt like a new emotion to him in this situation: This was not a man simply eyeing or flirting with a woman he was dating; this was not one of Rebecca's boyfriends spending too much time with his son; this was someone encroaching on his territory in a way that never mattered before now. This was his Bones, his partner, his destiny. Maybe she was right after all, tough guys are way too sentimental.

"Probably not." He let out an audible sigh of relief and wondered if she caught the gist of his feelings on the subject. He had dodged another bullet although this one had definitely grazed his heart.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. There are more important things to consider right now." She turned toward the window and his head was swimming trying to figure out her meaning. Did she mean that they needed to focus on the case? Or, was she considering his confession of the previous day?

Focus, Booth, Focus.