A/N: Okay, I am sooooo sorry for the wait, truly I am. Writers block is killing me as far as this story is concerned. Maybe it's the lack of new Bones episodes to grease the wheels, I don't know. Anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for it!
And since it's been so long:
Previously in The Ex at the University:
Bones went to Vermont to speak at a university, ran into an ex-boyfriend who continued to pursue her despite her protests, called Angela for advice, and got our favorite knight in FBI issued body armor as a solution. Booth showed up, moved into her hotel room, posed as her boyfriend, and took her out on the town a bit. Enter creepy stalker. A bunch of creepy, threatening photos showed up at the hotel, ex-boy kept pursuing, there was some "practicing" between Booth and Bones, and more photos showed up. There was a book signing, ex-boy said he had something important to tell Bones, Booth's SUV went 'boom', and he got a bad knock on the head. Booth survived (of course), called in the FBI, found out Bones's car was sabotaged, and discovered a dead body (ex-boy). Agents Perotta and Callaway showed up…
Oh yeah, and the damn line disappeared.
He wasn't aware of making the decision to do it, but in the next breath, his mouth was on hers, soft and warm and coaxing. He knew a moment of heart thumping anticipation, and then her lips parted and she began to respond. A satisfied, nearly feral groan issued from the back of his throat and he deepened the kiss.
He was barely aware of the hard, carpeted floor beneath his knees or the soft sheets crumpled by his elbows. Her fingers threaded through his hair and suddenly all that existed were him and Temperance and the rush of passion swirling between them.
Her little moan of pleasure urged him closer and he found himself half on the bed, on top of her, with her hands grappling for purchase on his back. They found their way beneath his shirt and they both shuddered at the first skin on skin contact.
"Booth," he heard her whisper as his lips traveled lower to traverse the length of her pale throat.
"Mmm, no, Seeley," he told her and sucked on the spot where her neck met her smooth shoulder.
"Seeley," she gasped. "But…but what about the line?"
He growled low in his throat. "Screw the damn line. I made it up because I was…"
The sound of a knock on the door reached him, faint through the heat they'd created.
"You were what?"
"Temperance, I was…"
Another knock, louder this time. Booth groaned.
"Perhaps we should answer that," Bones whispered.
He lifted his head from her shoulder and peered down into her stormy eyes.
"Temperance…" His gaze searched hers. Was she as confused as he was? More so? Had he completely ruined their perfect partnership?
"I'm fine, Booth," she told him just as his cell phone joined the cacophony. "You answer that, and I'll get cleaned up."
"Temperance, this isn't finished," he said, motioning between them. "We will talk about this later."
She nodded, giving him that indulgent smile of hers, and he knew that she thought he was bluffing. Well, she had a thing or two to learn then, because he would continue this interlude just as soon as they were alone again.
His phone buzzed again; there was another knock on the door. He placed a kiss on her forehead and pushed to a standing position.
"Booth," he said tersely once he'd gotten the phone to his ear.
He watched Temperance climb out of bed and head for the attached bathroom.
"Why, hello, Agent Booth, very nice of you to answer your phone," Payton Perotta's voice said from the other end.
He ignored her attempt at flirtation, exited the bedroom, and headed for the door.
"What do you want?"
"Well, I just wanted to let you know that…"
He pulled the door open and stared out at the two agents standing there.
"…we're here. But then, you already know that." She gifted him with a large grin and then pushed him aside and entered the room.
"What kept you?" she asked as she took in the sitting room and the closed bedroom door.
Again, he ignored her implications. "Is the CSI team here?"
Her eyes slid back to him and seemed to assess as she took a seat on the sofa.
"They'll meet us at the crime scene. I told them to go ahead and get started. Figured the locals probably messed it up enough as it is. Besides, you were the first one there, so I assumed you'd made notes on what you found."
He nodded and turned back to the second agent standing silent and stoic against the wall. But then, that was Mitch Callaway for you, never opening his mouth unless he had something important to say. So completely opposite his partner, Booth wondered how they worked together. But then he thought of the partnership he shared with Bones and how completely opposite they were in every respect, and he decided perhaps that was one of the things that made good partners. As Sweets had once told them, they complemented each other. Maybe that's the way it was with Perotta and Callaway, too.
"How's it going, Callaway?" Booth asked, sticking his hand out to the other man.
"Not too bad, Booth," Callaway answered, taking his hand for a brief shake.
"Where's Dr. Brennan?" Perotta asked from the sofa, a teasing lilt to her voice.
"Right here," he heard Bones say, and swung around to find her in the doorway to the bedroom looking cool and refreshed and completely in control. And way too kissable, his subconscious mind told him. He shoved that thought away.
"Bones, you know Agent Perotta," he said.
His partner nodded and gave a small forced smile in Perotta's general direction. "Agent Perotta."
"Dr. Brennan," Perotta said with a small tip of her head.
"And this is Agent Callaway," Booth said to Bones. "Callaway, Dr. Temperance Brennan."
The two stepped forward to shake hands, and Booth watched as the corners of Callaway's lips tipped up in a cool smile.
"A pleasure, Dr. Brennan," he said quietly.
"Yes," Bones said, withdrawing her hand, "of course, Agent Callaway."
"Please, call me Mitch."
Booth tamped down on the beast threatening to burst forth and rip Callaway to shreds.
"No, thank you, Agent Callaway. I prefer to keep the workplace professional."
She dismissed him with a tight smile and a nod and moved forward until she was standing next to Booth. The monster went back to sleep and he resisted the urge to grin like an idiot. Now was not the time to stake a claim, he told himself. That would definitely have to wait until this stalker/murderer business was through.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked Bones.
She looked up at him and he was caught once more in the blue-grey maelstrom of her eyes. He clamped down on the part of his mind that told him to toss her over his shoulder and carry her back into the bedroom.
"Ready when you are," she replied brightly.
"And I've been ready for half an hour," Agent Perotta put in from across the room.
Booth was unusually quiet as they made their way back to Logan Hart's house. She tried to engage him in conversation twice, but both times she was greeted with a few one word answers, and then silence. She got the feeling that he was trying to refocus himself on the task at hand.
She had to admit that the brief interlude between them earlier had left her just as shaken as it seemed to have left him. She had only just begun to recognize her feelings for Seeley Booth as something more than friendly caring, and then he'd gone and erased his infamous "line" by kissing her so passionately. She felt totally out of her depth in this new ocean she found herself swimming in, without even a blow-up inner-tube to keep her afloat. What was she to do now that the lines and boundaries that had almost always existed between them had been wiped away? How was she supposed to react? She didn't know, and that scared her more than anything.
They pulled to the curb in front of the house, Callaway and Perotta sliding to a stop behind them.
"If you don't want to go back in there, Bones…"
"I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'm prepared now. It was just a bit of a shock the last time."
He placed a hand on her knee and smiled gently over at her. "C'mon, then."
Perotta and Callaway were already at the door, talking with what had to be the head crime scene investigator. Perotta was serious and professional once more. Gone was the silly flirt who had sat in her and Booth's hotel room not twenty minutes ago.
"Any useable fingerprints?" she asked as they approached.
"Plenty. Of course, we'll have to rule out all of the cops and the coroner who were here earlier before we can give you anything definitive."
Perotta nodded as if she'd been expecting that. "Damn small town departments," she muttered under her breath.
An hour later, they were no closer to solving anything than they had been that morning. They left the CSI people to clean up and drove back through town to the diner she and Booth had found a couple of days ago.
"I still can't believe they have no pie," Booth muttered in her ear as he escorted her through the front door.
She smiled at him over her shoulder and was rewarded with a Seeley Booth charm smile.
His hand slid from the small of her back to her hip and he squeezed gently before pulling away.
"You'll have the brownie a la mode and love it, just like you did last time," she told him as she slid into the booth, her back against the wall, just as she knew Booth would want.
He followed her in and leaned in close to whisper, "maybe you can give me some pie later."
Her eyes widened and a gasp escaped from between her lips.
"Booth…"
"Apple," he said quietly. "With whipped cream."
She stared into his dark, laughing eyes until a throat was cleared across the table and Perotta said, "You guys ready to order or what?"
He'd been able to focus on work long enough to search the crime scene earlier, but the tension now was nearly a palpable thing, pulling him in, making it impossible for him to move even an inch from her. He was aware of Perotta and Callaway watching them from across the table, but he honestly couldn't bring himself to care.
"Salad?" He asked Bones quietly. "And vegetable soup?"
Her lips curved up and she nodded. "Yes."
"We're ready," he told Perotta, finally sliding his gaze from his partner's.
"Great," she replied a little too enthusiastically, but Booth couldn't be bothered to try to figure out what her game was; he was too focused on the way Bones's blue eyes seemed to be shooting daggers across the table at the female FBI agent.
"So now we wait for the crime scene results," Booth stated just as their meals were set down before them.
"We have the bullet from Hart, so we'll at least have the caliber. Who knows, maybe the techs will get a match in the system," Perotta remarked around a mouthful of grilled chicken. The other woman had been grinning at Booth, and trying to catch his eye all night. Vaguely, Temperance wondered if they were playing footsies under the table. The thought made her grit her teeth.
"What about the photos?" She found herself asking. "Did we get anything from them?"
Booth shook his head. "Nothing useful."
She pondered that as she took a French fry from Booth's plate and munched on it.
"We should send them to Angela," she finally stated.
"Who's Angela?" Callaway asked.
It was Agent Perotta who answered. "One of Dr. Brennan's squints. She deals with pictures and videos and stuff."
"Ange's not your average squint," Booth said, just as Temperance's temper exploded.
"Angela Montenegro is the best forensic artist on the east coast, perhaps the country. She not only analyzes audio/visual clues, she creates three dimensional representations of crime scenes, depicts scenarios on a self-designed, highly advanced computer program, and honors the dead by giving them back their faces. She commits far more to her job than you ever could, Agent Perotta."
Silence descended as they all stared at her, apparently struck dumb by her speech.
"Bones," Booth began cautiously. "Perotta wasn't discounting Angela or her job. She probably just didn't know how to explain."
Agent Perotta's blue eyes narrowed. "While Agent Booth is correct in his assumption, that gives you absolutely no right to suggest that I don't commit everything I have to my job."
The two women watched each other for several tense moments before Perotta calmly picked up her napkin, wiped her mouth and hands, and placed the crumpled square on her plate.
"We'll contact you as soon as we know anything more, Booth. And I'll be sure that Miss Montenegro receives the photos by tomorrow."
"The originals," Temperance made herself say calmly. "Copies will tell her nothing."
Perotta nodded as she stood and stepped aside so that Callaway could get up. "The originals," she agreed. And then she turned and walked out of the restaurant.
"Guess it's my turn to pay," Callaway said, reaching for his wallet.
Booth shook his head and waved the other man off. "Forget it. Dinner's on me tonight."
With a brief nod, Callaway thanked them and followed his partner out the door.
Booth was silent until the door closed behind the FBI agent, and then slowly, he turned to the woman seated beside him.
"What," he asked in a measured tone, "was that?"
She shrugged negligently, but he was surprised to note a hint of doubt in her eyes. "Her attitude irritates me," she said briskly, stabbing a cucumber with a bit more force than entirely necessary.
Booth shook his head and continued to watch her. "Her attitude?"
Bones nodded. "She is conceited and sarcastic and completely unprofessional."
He had to admit, those characteristics generally did describe Payton Perotta. But none of them warranted the performance Bones had given a few moments ago.
"I mean, the way she speaks to you and looks at you," she snorted. "It is hardly appropriate for the work place."
Understanding dawned and he nodded slowly, a smile spreading across his face. "Ahhh."
She glanced up quickly from the remainder of her salad. "Ahhh? What does that mean?"
"It means I understand now," he said with a self-satisfied smile and a small shake of his head. She was so damn cute when she was confused.
"But, what…"
"Let's go, then." He threw enough money down on the table to cover all of the meals, stood up, and stepped back to allow her out of the booth.
"Booth, I…"
He exerted a bit of pressure to the small of her back and urged her towards the door. "We'll talk about it back at the hotel," he said next to her ear.
"But, Booth, I…"
He ignored her half-hearted protest as he buckled her into the passenger's seat of the rental, got in himself, and headed them in the direction of the hotel. Halfway there, she apparently gave up trying to make him explain, and sat back to watch the street go by in silence.
It wasn't until they were in their room with the door shut and locked behind them that either spoke again.
"You're jealous," Booth said with what he suspected must be an idiotic grin. He couldn't help it; this was just too good on so many levels.
She gasped and her hands flew to her hips in that all-too-familiar indignant pose. "I am not."
"See," he said, pointing his finger at her, "you didn't even ask what you were supposed to be jealous of."
She rolled her eyes. "Alright, what exactly am I jealous of?"
"Perotta," he said, watching in satisfaction as her cheeks flushed a pale pink. "And the attention she pays me."
"What? That's absurd. Why would I be…"
He took a few steps closer to her, pinning her in his gaze, and lowered his voice. "Admit it."
"I can't admit something that isn't true."
He stalked forward, and all the while she edged back away from him. "Admit it," he growled. He was feeling more and more like a hunter stalking his prey, and it was turning him on like crazy. It was a feral, animalistic thing, and admittedly heady.
"No, I…"
Her back hit the wall and a savage smile tugged at his lips. His hands landed on either side of her head and he leaned in to whisper against her hair. "Admit it, Temperance."
"Booth," she gasped and arched against him.
It wasn't an admission, but it was enough. With a low groan, he tilted his head and captured her lips in a searing, almost desperate kiss.
"Seeley," she whispered when he pulled back for air and he felt satisfaction at hearing his name on her lips.
"Temperance," he replied, gliding his hands down to her hips and pulling them tightly against his own.
"The line," she gasped.
"Like I said earlier, Bones. Screw the damn line. I only invented it because I was scared."
"S-scared?"
He nodded against her throat. "I was protecting myself. Cam had just nearly died. And already you meant more to me than you should have. I thought that if I could distance us somehow, maybe I could stop my feelings from progressing farther. I was trying to protect us both."
She laughed quietly. "I don't think it worked."
He glanced up and found her smiling that eye-crinkling smile of hers, and couldn't help but grin in return. "No. It didn't."
He kissed her again, deeply, for long moments. And she responded, clinging to him as if he were her life vest in this stormy sea of life. And, God, she felt so good against him.
"We have to stop," he said, pulling back abruptly. The heat and the passion were threatening to overwhelm his control. He knew that if he didn't call a halt now, they wouldn't stop at all. And while that thought pleased him immensely, now was not the time or the place.
"Why?" she asked, trying to draw him back to her.
He captured her hands and held them still between his own.
"Because we're both confused and stressed and a bit overwhelmed right now. I want to give us time to think about this, to discuss it."
"What's to discuss?" she asked seriously. "It's merely a biological…"
He put a hand over her mouth before she could continue. "Stop," he said harshly, shaking his head. "Between you and me, Temperance, it could never be just a fulfillment of biological urges. There is so much more to this, to us, than that, and you know it."
Her eyes were wide and questioning, and he wanted to be able to explain it all to her liking, but he knew he couldn't do that. She'd have to figure this one out on her own or else they'd never have anything real between them.
"I won't accept any less than all of you, Bones," he told her gently. "And if you can't do that--" He paused and searched her gaze with his own, all the while wondering if she could see the pain it caused him to contemplate her not being able to meet his demands. "Then we can't do this," he finished, motioning between them.
With that, he turned and headed for the bathroom, and probably a cold shower, leaving her to her scattered thoughts.
A/N: A huge shout-out to everyone who's reviewed so far! Thanks so much for reading, and don't forget to let me know what you thought!