Okay, so this story is based on a prompt I received. JasperDolphinsDaffoldis asked for a story detailing Booth and Brennan's first date, set in season 3 or 4, so that means no Hannah and no Booth asking Brennan to take a chance.

I was not planning on starting this story now or soon, even, but inspiration can strike anytime and anywhere and I'm powerless to ignore it.

Two things about this story before we get to the first chapter:

-This will be a short story. Maybe 5-7 chapters.

-It is cannon up until Season 4's "The Man in the Outhouse", but the story itself is AU

Enjoy!

Booth sat in his office, slumped over in his chair, his head resting on his folded arms. They were in between cases right now, so he had things he needed to be doing, but none of it sounded appealing. There were other things on his mind, namely his partner in a silky-black-figure-hugging-love-cut dress, her soul-piercing ice blue eyes, her laugh when he had told her stupid jokes (some courtesy of his son), and her smile when he had completely butchered the French at the restaurant they went to the night before. He was going to take her out for Chinese and she wanted Thai, but they ended up at a French restaurant instead.

What weighed the heaviest on his mind and heart, though, was the sadness that lurked just below the surface. It hadn't stayed masked the entire evening, however. He had seen it when there was a short lull in conversation every time the waiter stopped by their table, when he was coming back from the restroom, and whenever she looked over the menu. He desperately wanted to take her pain away; he just didn't know how. He might not agree with the choices she had made recently in her personal life, but that didn't mean he wanted to see her get hurt. Those two guys were clowns, as far as he was concerned. She was an amazing woman, and if they couldn't see that, then they didn't deserve her. He loved her and—loved her? You don't love her. She's your partner, that's all.

He sighed and tilted his head, glancing at his computer screen. He pushed himself up straight and stared at the advertisement that had suddenly appeared. He was oblivious to the visitor at his door as he stared at the ad for an online flower delivery service. He was still trying to figure out what he could do to make her feel better when it finally hit him. That's it. You have to show her just how special she is, how much you love her. There you go again. You don't love her. You care about her, that's it. You have to show her how much you lov—care about her. "That's what I have to do," he said out loud.

"What do you have to do, Agent Booth?"

Booth jerked and turned towards the door. "Ever hear of knocking, Dr. Sweets."

Sweets swallowed, slightly intimidated by the agent.

"What do you want? I'm kinda busy here." Booth motioned to the stack of paperwork he hadn't even touched yet.

"How was your date with Dr. Brennan last night?" Sweets asked, stepping into Booth's office and taking a seat in the corner chair.

"It wasn't a date, Sweets. It was just two partners having dinner together."

"I heard you went to that new French place that just opened. Pricy. That sounds like a fancy place to have dinner with a colleague. Would you take me to a restaurant of that high-caliber?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Booth laughed. "If you are, I've gotta say no; you're not my type."

Sweets smiled smugly. "You're using humor to avoid answering the question."

Booth's face lost all sign of amusement. "I didn't ask to be psycho-analyzed, so knock it off."

"So whether it was a date or not—."

"It wasn't."

"How did the evening go?"

"That is none of your business."

"It's totally my business. I'm your psychologist. My job is to assess your partnership with Dr. Brennan. This date—."

"Not a date," Booth emphasized once again.

Sweets nodded. "This dinner between colleagues could affect your partnership. That makes it my business, Agent Booth."

Booth stood up and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair. He walked around his desk and padded across his office. He clapped Sweets on the back and slipped through the doorway, turning to face the kid shrink. "Nice chatting with you, Sweets, but I've got more important things to do." With that, he headed down the hallway and over to the elevator.

Want more?