Disclaimer: See ch. 1

Spoilers: Through season 4 (the most current episode)

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I just finished my Janet Evanovich fics, so now this is my top priority. I'll try to update at least once a week. I think this is the first fic I've written where I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with it, so suggestions are definitely welcome!

"What do you mean, there's no pie?" Booth asked the waitress incredulously. He looked so serious and concerned that Temperance nearly broke out in a laugh.

"We don't sell pie, sir. But we've got a nice brownie a la mode," she replied with a smile. "Or there's our strawberry shortcake." She winked conspiratorially. "Or Miles makes a scrumptious sticky bun."

"Ah…ah…sticky bun?" Booth asked, his eyes wide, his mouth opening and closing like that of a fish.

"Scrumptious," the waitress confirmed with a nod and a wink.

Temperance rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. "I'll have a brownie a la mode." She glanced across the table at Booth; he seemed to be in shock. "One for him, as well."

The waitress made a note in her pad, smiled at Booth, and left.

"Booth?" Temperance asked.

"No pie," he said, his eyes finally turning to focus on her. "What the hell kind of diner doesn't sell pie?"

"Apparently, this one," she replied with a chuckle. He really was rather entertaining.

"But, no pie, Bones," he said, as if that one statement were the answer to all the world's difficult questions.

"Yes, Booth, I heard."

"No pie."

"Listen, Booth, I'll buy you a pie at the grocery store. You'll be fine."

His eyes flashed up and he almost looked angry. Temperance held back another laugh.

"Grocery store? Grocery store, Bones? It's not the same. Grocery store pie isn't fresh and flaky and…" He cut off with a groan.

"I'm sure the brownies will be good, Booth. You don't always have to eat pie." She took a slow sip of her water and watched as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"You're right. I can deal without pie. I'm in a new place, I'll try new things." His eyes opened and he smiled at her. "Brownies it is, Bones."

"Good," she said, catching sight of their waitress coming across the room, "because here they come."

Booth smiled and picked up his fork. The waitress set down their desserts and left them to it. Booth breathed deep, let out a long breath, then took a bite. He chewed slowly and swallowed.

"Pretty good," he said, "but it's no pie."

Temperance groaned.

"I've got to get back to the university for a conference," Bones told him after lunch. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"Bones," he said, placing a hand at the small of her back as they walked back to her car. "I'm a big boy. I've been entertaining myself for a long time now. You go talk about remains and stuff. I'll be fine."

She watched him for a moment as if she didn't quite believe him, then nodded. "Fine. The hotel is two blocks that way," she said, pointing down the street. "I can drop you off…"

"Naw, I'll walk, thanks."

"Tell the hotel clerk you're a friend of mine, he'll give you a discount," she told him as they reached her car.

He smiled down at her. "The perks of having a famous partner."

She rolled her eyes and stepped into the car. "I'll call you when I'm done."

"Sure," he replied, shutting her door gently and waiting while she rolled down the window. "We'll do dinner."

She nodded, put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb.

The walk back to the hotel only took about ten minutes. Booth passed a hair salon, a couple of retail shops, a Chinese food restaurant, a book shop, and three or four office buildings. The hotel loomed up ahead of him, tall and imposing. Two cars were parked in its U-shaped drive, loading or unloading. Booth had parked his SUV around back in the garage. He made a quick detour to retrieve his bag as well as his gun and badge. He hated to admit it, but he felt a bit naked without them. He tucked his gun into the waistband of his jeans, covering it with his shirt. The badge he slid into his back pocket.

He entered the lobby and headed for the desk. The young man behind it looked up as he approached and smiled.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"Hey, yeah, I'm a friend of Temperance Brennan's, she said you could help me find a room?"

The man's face broke into a grin. "You know Dr. Brennan? Oh, she's wonderful, isn't she? She's so smart and charming and beautiful."

Charming? Booth had never thought of Bones as charming, but then again…

The man behind the desk tapped away on his keyboard for a few moments, then his smile faded.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it appears that all of our rooms are occupied." He glanced up shyly, waiting for Booth's reaction.

"Occupied?" The man nodded. Well, it would have been easier if he could have a room in the same hotel as Bones, more opportunities to figure out what was up with her. Oh well, not much he could do about it. "Could you give me directions to the next closest hotel?"

"Um, well, there's only one more in town. Let me call and see if they have any openings."

They didn't. Nor did the either of the hotel in the next town, or the three in the towns beyond.

"I'm sorry, sir. There's some kind of Anthropology convention in town. Everyone's here to see Dr. Brennan and hear her speak."

Booth stared at the guy. "You telling me that six hotels worth of people are here to see Bones?"

"I'm sorry, sir? Bones?"

Booth shook his head. "Never mind."

"There's also a comic convention in the next town over, and we're big on tourists during the summer," the man continued.

Booth nodded, his mind not really on their conversation. No hotels, where was he going to stay. Then it hit him and a smile broke out across his face.

"You know what," he told the guy. "Why don't you just give me an extra key to Dr. Brennan's room. She said it would be fine if I stayed with her, I just didn't want to inconvenience her." He smiled self-deprecatingly.

The man looked torn. "Well, I mean, if Dr. Brennan were here…but I'm not really supposed to…"

"I'll make this a little easier on you, buddy," Booth said, reaching into his back jeans pocket for his badge. "I'm her partner." He laid his badge down on the counter and winked at the guy. "FBI business, you know."

The poor guy looked up at Booth in awe and nodded. "Of course."

"Great," Booth said, grabbing up his badge and sliding it back into his pocket. "The key, then?"

The man hardly blinked. He reached into a drawer in the counter and pulled out a key card. After checking the numbers against something on his screen, he handed the card to Booth.

"Thanks," Booth said, waving the card at him. "Really appreciate it."

The man nodded, scooping his chin up off the floor with some difficulty.

Booth turned and headed for the elevator with a chuckle. Time for round two of his favorite game, 'Rattle Temperance Brennan'.

Bones was starving again when she stepped out of the conference room and into the empty hallway at the university.

"How about dinner?"

She spun on her heel and stared incredulously into the face of Logan Hart.

"Are you attempting to make a joke?"

"That's what I love about you, Tempe, the complete inability to use sarcasm."

Oh she knew all about sarcasm now that she'd been working with Booth for awhile. She just didn't want to encourage Logan now that she had a solution to her problem. She hadn't exactly outright lied, but she might have insinuated to Logan that Booth was the boyfriend she'd been talking about.

"I already have plans, Logan."

"With your boyfriend?"

She nodded, not liking the smug grin still present on his face.

"What if I told you I'm not so sure that guy was your boyfriend?"

She opened her mouth in indignation and a snort escaped.

"I'd tell you that you were sadly mistaken and to kindly step aside so that I might leave."

He took a step towards her instead, his green eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Prove it."

She'd been attempting to push past him, but at that her eyes snapped back to his and she stared.

"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Prove it to me that he's your boyfriend."

God, she wanted to smack that smile right off his pretty face….Maybe she would…

"Tempe?"

"How exactly do you expect me to prove to you that he's my boyfriend?"

He stepped forward until she could feel his breath on her temple. He ran a hand down her shoulder to her hand. She quickly pulled her hand away and stepped back out of his reach.

"Introduce us," he said.

"Wha…I…you…"

"It's not that hard. Logan, this is my boyfriend, insert name here. Boyfriend, this is Logan, my old college lover."

"We weren't…"

"We were."

She glared up at him, two seconds away from punching him in the nose.

"It doesn't matter now. That was a long time ago."

"Not so long ago," he replied softly.

"Move out of my way, Logan, or I might not be able to restrain myself."

That smooth, lady-killer smile crept back into place. "From what? Making sweet love to me right here in the anthropology wing?"

She leaned forward and said in a low, dangerous voice, "From breaking your nose."

He stared back at her for a moment before bursting out with laughter. "That's hilarious, Tempe. That really is very cute…"

She reached forward, grabbed his arm and twisted, using his own body's momentum to throw him behind her.

"Hilarious," she quipped over her shoulder as she walked away.

Damnit, not now, just please, not now. Temperance turned the key in the ignition one more time and was rewarded with a low, sick gurgling sound before it died completely once again.

"Damnit," she growled, slamming her hand down on the steering wheel.

There was a light tap at her window, and her head snapped up. Staring past her own reflection, she was able to make out Logan's grinning face.

"Damnit," she said one more time, before cracking the door open.

"What do you want, Logan?"

He shrugged carelessly as if she hadn't just tossed him across a hall like a sack

of grain.

"Thought you might want a ride back to your hotel."

She shook her head, completely baffled by his sheer determination.

"I'll be fine Logan, thanks. I was just about to call my…boyfriend."

She flipped her phone open and nearly groaned when she saw that there was no service.

"Damnit," she let out once more.

"What's the matter, Tempe? Your boyfriend too busy for you?"

She grumbled under her breath, wondering what it would take to make him just give up and go away. Clearly physical harm hadn't worked. Maybe she could damage his ego. Booth was always saying that men were mostly ego. But first, she needed a phone that worked so she could call Booth to pick her up. Damn rental car.

"My phone doesn't have service. Could I use yours?"

He looked thoughtful. He tapped the side of his nose twice before he regarded her with a grin.

"You know what, I don't think I have it on me. Guess I'll just have to drive you back to the hotel after all."

She had to close her eyes briefly and count to ten so that she wouldn't resort to violence again. Then she grabbed her purse from the seat next to her, stood up, and shut and locked her car.

"Fine, but then you're leaving, because I have to get ready for my date."

He nodded smugly. "Sure, Tempe, whatever you say."

A/N: Sorry it's a short chapter, but I wanted to get something out. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed so far! Don't forget to let me know what you thought, or give any suggestions for where to go from here!