Here's the date...hope you like it ;)
Booth and Brennan were tucked in a booth near the back of the restaurant, perusing the menu, even though they had been there many times before. She paused to take a sip of her wine and then glanced back at her menu. "Are you going to get a cheeseburger?" she finally asked, breaking the tension-filled silence.
"Eh, not sure, I'm leaning more towards steak." He paused. "What about you? Salad?"
"I eat more than just salads, Booth, but yes, actually, I'm thinking about the grilled vegetable salad."
"Whoa, really stepping out the box, huh, Bones?" He laughed, setting the menu aside and taking a swig of beer.
"And you are? Mr. 'I'm leaning more towards steak'?"
He smiled, but he was slightly surprised that she hadn't told him she didn't know what that meant. He decided, as much as he thought her cluelessness was charming and cute, he liked when she knew what he was saying more. "Well, I'm getting a side of veggies instead of mashed potatoes. That's new."
"You should be having a side of vegetables with your dinner daily, Booth." She paused. "You could get vegetables and mashed potatoes. You get two sides with your meal," she pointed out, closing her menu and placing it on top of his. "What are we doing after dinner? You alluded to some kind of activity."
"It's a secret. Let's just get through dinner first, 'kay?"
She nodded. "Can I get a hint?"
"We've done it before."
"That isn't much of a hint, Booth. We've done lots of things."
"Take it or leave it, Bones, because that's the only hint you get."
She grunted. "Will I enjoy this activity?"
"I hope so; I think you will; a lot of people enjoy it. Hey! No more hints."
She hid her smile behind her wine glass as she took another sip. "Is it sex?"
He choked on his beer, almost spitting it out. He coughed and swallowed a gulp of water. Clearing his throat, he shook his head, "No," he croaked, his voice still hoarse from his beer going down the wrong pipe.
She shrugged. "You said we've both done it before and a lot of people enjoy it."
"So you automatically jumped to sex? What kind of man do you think I am, Bones?"
"An attractive, healthy, and virile man."
He smirked, puffing out his chest a little. "All of that is true and I'm flattered, really, Bones, but I have morals too, you know. I don't just jump into bed with a woman on the first date."
"Well, if we count Tuesday night, this would technically be our second date," she stated matter-of-factly, with a half shrug of her shoulders.
At that moment, their waitress, Katie, decided to approach their table. Thank God, Booth thought, letting out a relieved sigh. He wouldn't have lasted much longer with all that sex talk. "Are you two ready to order?"
Booth looked at Brennan and at her nod, he nodded too. "Yeah and when you get a chance, we'd like more bread."
Brennan shook her head. "We're good on bread." Turning to Booth, she said, "You shouldn't fill up on bread. You won't eat your dinner."
"Thanks, Mom," he muttered and looked at Katie. "Bring the bread, please," he mouthed.
Katie smiled, winking at him. "What can I get you, sir?"
"I'll have the original steak, medium-rare, with a side of grilled veggies and mashed potatoes."
Katie nodded, taking down his order before addressing Brennan. "And for you?"
"The grilled vegetable salad and for my two sides, I'll have a baked potato and onion strings, please."
Katie finished recording the order and then scooped up the menus. "Can I get you anything else?"
"No, we're fine, right, Booth?"
Booth nodded. "Right."
Katie slipped the notepad in the pocket of her apron and hugged the menus under her arm. "How long have you two been married?"
Brennan shook her head. "We're not married. Marriage is an antiquated ritual that—."
Booth kicked Brennan gently under the table and ignored the glare he received from her, looking at Katie. "We're not married."
"Oh, my mistake."
"This is our first date, not that it is any of your business," Brennan added.
"I didn't mean—I'll just go put your orders in." Katie smiled and quickly disappeared towards the kitchen.
"That hurt, Booth."
His face fell. "Sorry, I tried to be gentle. You just don't go around telling people that marriage is an antiquated ritual, Bones."
"Well, it is."
"Just keep those kinds of thoughts to yourself, okay?"
"My opinion is no less valid than yours, Booth."
He sighed. "That's not what I'm saying."
"I will not censor my beliefs just because they don't coincide with yours or what you deem as traditional or 'normal'. If you think that just because we're on a date, you can now control what I say or do, you're mistaken."
He reached across the table and took her hand in his. "Look, I'm sorry. If you want to tell the waitress what you think of marriage when she comes back to check on us, be my guest, I won't try and stop you."
She glanced at their joined hands and felt an odd warmth seep up her arm and travel throughout her body. Instead of pulling free, she linked their fingers together. "I accept your apology."
He smiled. "You do know I like that you have your own beliefs and opinions, right? I wouldn't want you to be anyone else, but you, Bones. Life would be pretty damn boring if we all thought the same way."
She nodded. "I agree."
"But there's also a time and place for saying stuff like that and in response to an innocent misunderstanding about our relationship during dinner in public is not that time or place." He took his hand back and finished the rest of his beer. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
"Your statement is rather hyperbolic, but I understand what you're saying. I, too, am very hungry. I skipped lunch."
He shook his head. "Of course you did. You gotta eat, Bones."
"I was," she casted her eyes downward, suddenly fascinated with a crack in the table top, "preoccupied."
"With what?"
Toying with her napkin, she looked up and met his gaze. "This."
"Can I ask you a question?"
She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.
"Not including this one," he added with a smirk.
She nodded. "Yes."
"What made you say yes?"
"Why wouldn't I let you ask me a question?"
He laughed. "No, Bones, I mean, why did you decide to go on a date with me?"
"Oh." She sighed. "Angela said she doesn't regret her relationship with Hodgins, despite their recent breakup. She said it was all worth it, that she wouldn't change anything, though she did say she wouldn't have accepted Hodgins' offer to go on a date if she had known in advanced that they were going to breakup. At first, I thought that was rather contradictory, but the more I thought about it, it makes a little more sense to me. If you knew in advanced that a relationship wasn't going to last, why even bother going on that first date? It would be a waste."
He nodded.
"I'm still having trouble understanding how it's worth it, though, regardless if you had prior knowledge or not."
He smiled. "Because they tried, they gave love a chance, they took that leap of faith. It wasn't all good times, but they went through it all together. Yeah, it's probably a little awkward now and there're some hurt feelings flying around, especially because I know they still love each other, but eventually they'll get back to normal and move on. And who knows, maybe they'll find their way back to each other and be even stronger because of this experience." He paused. "The point is, you don't know what's going to happen, you just have to jump in with both feet and see what happens. You never know, that first date could turn into thirty, forty, or fifty years."
She swallowed.
Rein it in, Buddy. You don't want to scare her off. "So what made you say yes?" he asked, realizing she hadn't actually answered the question.
"Angela told me to look at our partnership and friendship objectively and use that data to decide whether or not we should take that next step together. I realized that the things most people look for in a mate or in a relationship—attraction, understanding, friendship, laughter, honesty, communication, and comfort, to name some—are all things that describe what we have together now. The only thing we seem to lack at the moment is the sexual component. Angela also said to stop letting my fear keep me from being happy. It wasn't intentional, but I have come to the conclusion that her assumption is correct."
He blinked. "So you're saying this isn't going to be a onetime thing?"
"It is still too early to answer that question, Booth. We haven't even gotten our dinner yet." She paused, finishing her wine. "Ask me again at the end of the evening." She smiled.
He smiled back. "I'm scared too. This is, I don't know why, but this just feels different—you and me. I've been on a lot of dates, been in a handful of relationships, but I've never felt like this before."
"Does it feel right?"
"Yeah."
At his confused expression, she explained, "Angela told me to do what felt right."
"Is that why you said yes? This felt right to you?"
She laughed. "No, of course not, don't be ridiculous."
"Yeah, what was I thinking?"
Shrugging, she reached for the bread basket and broke off a piece, not even realizing Katie had come by and replenished their supply of rolls while they were talking. She smeared some butter on the warm, soft center of the roll and took a bite.
"Careful, Bones, you might spoil your dinner." He laughed, grabbing the half of roll she didn't take.
"I've only had one roll, Booth. I can afford to eat a half of another one. You, on the other hand, have already consumed three, not including the half you are currently saturating in butter, which, by the way, is also inadvisable."
"Okay, but you're not taking into account our different sizes. One and a half slices for you, is like a crumb for me."
"That is hardly accurate."
"Just saying you're not taking into account all the variables." He smirked, taking a big bite of his roll and already reaching for another one. "If this food doesn't get here soon, I'm going to end up eating the whole basket."
"That's not healthy and we just ordered." She paused, giving him a half, lopsided smile. "You should have gotten a salad. It takes less time to prepare and arrange that than it does to prepare and grill a steak." She suddenly got quiet and avoided his eyes.
He noticed and jumped on it. "What's wrong? Don't like their choice of music?" he joked, trying to ease the tension.
"The music selection is quite eclectic like mine and it's very enjoyable. I like this song, though I don't know who sings it or what the title of it is."
"Bones."
She sighed. "Why me? Why now?"
"Are you asking why I asked you out on a date?"
She nodded.
"You really want to know?"
Setting her roll now, she nodded. "Yes, I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know." She paused. "Besides, it's only fair that you answer that question, since I told you why I accepted your offer."
"Okay, here goes nothing. I guess it's been a long time coming. I've been there while you relived your time in foster care and your parents' and brother's abandonment. I've seen you date a lot of guys, guys that have no idea how lucky they are to be with you. I've seen you get hurt because they betray you or abandon you or lie to you."
She swallowed, but stayed silent.
"It all just came to a head on Tuesday. I know we butted heads about your questionable choice to date those two guys at once, but in the end, you decided to try your hand at monogamy and I was proud of you, but you ended up getting hurt again. At dinner that night, you just seemed so sad. My intended goal was to show you how much you mean to me, to show you that someone cares, that I care, but the more I tried to convince myself that those were the only reasons, the more I realized it went beyond that, went beyond just someone doing something nice for their friend and partner."
She blinked. "Thank you."
He grinned. "You're welcome." He paused. "What's your favorite dessert?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Just making conversation. You know mine, but I don't really know yours."
"Mint chocolate chip ice cream or snickerdoodles, but I enjoy fruit salad, as well."
He rolled his eyes. "Fruit isn't dessert, Bones."
"I disagree, and how can you say that when your favorite dessert is pie?"
"Plain fruit, you know, in a bowl with nothing else, isn't dessert. Fruit cooked in a warm, crunchy, flaky crust with whipped cream on top is delicious and most definitely a dessert."
She shook her head. "What was the most recent movie you watched?"
"That's an easy one, Wall-E."
She furrowed her brows. "I don't know what that is. What's it about?"
"Eh, you wouldn't like it."
"Why not?"
"It's a kid's movie."
"Did you watch it with Parker?"
He smiled. "Yes and he loved it."
"Perhaps we can watch it together some time. Parker's an intelligent little boy. If he found it stimulating, perhaps I will too."
"If you want to, yeah, sure, but I'm telling you it's not really your kind of movie."
"Why?"
"Because it's animated and it's about robots."
"While that doesn't sound like something I would enjoy, I won't know until I see the movie. Since you seem to be reluctant to share the synopsis of the film, I will just have to Google it later tonight." She smiled. She heard her phone ring in her purse, but she didn't want to answer it.
"Go ahead. It could be work." Please, God, please let no one have found a dead body. Not now.
His silent prayers were answered when she glanced at the phone and saw Angela's name flash. She pressed ignore and slipped her phone back in her purse.
"Who was it?"
"Angela. She said she'd call and lie about an emergency, so that if our date was going horribly wrong, I would have an excuse to leave." She smiled. "I don't need an excuse, at least not right now."
He smiled at her. This is going better than I thought it would. "Have you ever done anything to impress a guy?" He knew he shouldn't be asking her that kind of question, but he was curious.
She nodded. "Yes."
"What?"
"I was a freshman in high school; it was before my parents left. I—."
"You what?"
"I started smoking, thinking he'd notice me and think I was 'cool'."
"You're joking." He laughed. "You?"
"Why is that so hard to believe?"
"C'mon, Bones."
"What? I was a normal teenager like everyone else. I went through a rebellious stage just like you did, I'm sure."
"Yeah, I get that, but I figured our definitions of teenage rebellion would be completely different."
"I'm not proud of my decision. It was a stupid thing to do." She swallowed, finding herself lost in a memory, tears starting to well up in her eyes.
He took her hand again and nudged her with his foot. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"My mother and I fought because of that. She felt I was changing myself too much for a boy." She pulled her hand from his. "That was the last time I saw her, that's the last time we spoke."
"Oh, Bones."
She shook her head and swiped at her cheeks. "I'm fine." She paused. "Have you ever done anything to impress a woman?"
He sighed, cursing himself for asking her that question. Now she was upset and trying to hide it. "Yeah, lots of things. What do you think I'm doing in the interrogation room? Or when I kick in doors?"
"You've tried to impress me?"
He hated the fact that that was so surprising, but he was glad that she was smiling again. "Yeah. I mean, it's also my job, but if it impresses you in the process, it's a win-win."
"I'm not sure how I feel about that." Shrugging, she took a sip of her water. "Are you sure you can't tell me what we're doing after dinner?"
He laughed. "Someone's impatient."
"I'm a very patient person. You have to be when you're a scientist. Test results take time and Dermestid beetles only devour decomposing flesh so fast."
He held up his hand. "No decomposing body talk at dinner, Bones."
"Sorry." She paused. "I'm not impatient, I'm merely curious as to what we're doing after this."
"I already gave you two hints, well technically three, so you're just going to have to wait."
"Please?"
"Jesus, Bones."
"Fine." She looked up and saw a server approaching their table with a plate of food.
He followed her eyes and sighed in relief. "Finally." He groaned when the server went right past their table. "That's just not fair. They were seated after us."
"Our food will be here soon, Booth, there's no need to be angry," she said calmly, though she, too, was frustrated that their food wasn't here yet. It was another ten minutes before the server carrying a plate of food stopped at their table and set their plates in front of them.
"More wine?" The server asked.
She nodded. "Yes, please." She smiled. "Thank you. You can leave the bottle."
The server nodded and set the bottle down in the middle of the two candles. "Enjoy your meal," he said and then headed back to the kitchen.
She took a sip of wine and savored the taste before picking up her silverware and cutting up her salad. She looked up and saw Booth already eating his steak. "I assume your steak is cooked correctly?"
He nodded, licking access A1 sauce off his bottom lip. "How's your salad?"
"I don't know yet. Let me taste it first and then I'll tell you." She smirked, and spearing some greens, and grilled asparagus, peppers, and zucchini with her fork, she took a bite.
"Well? I bet it's not as good as my steak," he said between bites.
She swallowed. "This is very good; I'll have to order this again."
"You want some of my steak? I can share."
She shook her head. "No, thanks. Would you like some of my salad?"
"I think I'll pass."
"It's delicious, are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure, but I'll take some of these," he said, taking some of her onion strings off her plate and popping them in his mouth.
"Booth!"
"Hey, you always take my fries. I was nice and gave you a warning, that's more than I can say for you. You just steal my fries when you think I'm not looking."
She looked guilty for a split second and then went back to enjoying her salad.
He shook his head and took another bite of his steak. Maybe it was just because he was so hungry, but this had to be one of the best steaks he had ever eaten, maybe even the best.
Conversation continued throughout dinner and over coffee. Booth and Brennan opted not to have dessert there and to maybe stop at the diner later. Another debate, similar to the one on Tuesday, ensued when the check arrived. Booth won this time much to Brennan's chagrin. She insisted he didn't have to pay for her just because he asked her out on a date, to which he said she could pay the next time they went out.
They were currently outside. He helped her into her coat, again pulling out her trapped hair, and then the two of them headed for the SUV, his hand placed firmly on the small of her back. He decided not to chance opening the car door for her and walked around the back, hopping into the driver's seat.
Once buckled in, Brennan turned to Booth. "Can you tell me now?"
"Nope," he replied, popping the 'p'. He turned the key and pulled out of the parking space. "Does that mean you want to continue with the night? Because I can take you home if you want."
"No!" She swallowed. "I mean, no, I would like to see what you had in mind for the rest of our date."
He smiled. "Good." He drove through the city, watching Brennan out of the corner of his eye.
She was looking out the window, leaning against the door. She let a yawn escape and let her head rest on the glass.
"Tired?"
"I didn't sleep well last night."
"You sure you don't want me to take you home? My activity works just as well there."
"Are you sure it's not sex?"
He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sure." Not waiting for her answer, he turned the SUV around and headed for her apartment.
Her eyes drifted shut and soon she was in a state somewhere between sleep and consciousness.
He smiled at her and then focused on the road ahead. He would actually prefer it just be the two of them anyway.
Booth pulled into the parking garage at Brennan's apartment. He parked in her guest spot and killed the engine, pocketing the key. He nudged his now sleeping partner a couple times before she finally woke up.
Brennan pushed herself away from the window and rubbed her eyes, momentarily confused as to where she was. She yawned and stared at Booth.
He smiled. "Hey, sleepyhead, c'mon."
She nodded, still somewhat dazed, and unbuckled her seatbelt. She hopped out of the car and followed Booth into her building and up to her floor, his arm around her waist. She leaned into his side as they walked down the hall to her apartment, only pulling away when they stopped in front of her door. She fiddled with her keys and unlocked the door, opening it and walking into her apartment. "Do you want something to drink?"
"I'm fine. Thanks, though."
She nodded, setting her things down and hanging up her and Booth's coats. She turned and found Booth at the stereo, fingering through her extensive music collection. She saw him pluck a case out and pop the CD in. She didn't recognize the music, but she quickly realized it was an instrumental track. She raised an eyebrow. "Are we going to dance, Booth?"
He crossed the room and stopped in front of her. He held out his hand and smiled at her. "Want to dance with me, Bones?"
She placed her hand in his and he pulled her into him. She gasped, letting out a surprised laugh at the maneuver. She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She discovered she enjoyed being this close to him.
He hooked his arms around her waist and they began to sway to the music. He closed his eyes and swallowed when she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed against his neck.
As the first track came to a close, she stepped out of his embrace a little and tilted her head back, looking up into his warm, brown eyes. "Booth?"
"Yeah, Bones?"
"Do you have any problems kissing a woman on the first date?"
His breath caught in his throat and he swallowed. "If it feels right, no."
"Good." She rose up on her toes and pulled his head down to meet her halfway. After a brief pause, she closed the gap between them completely, capturing his lips with hers. The kiss was innocent at first, but soon intensified. She felt his tongue brush against her bottom lip at the same time his hold on her tightened and she was pulled flush against him. Her lips parted automatically and her own tongue darted out in response.
He moaned and reluctantly broke the kiss. With his forehead resting against hers, he panted, his right hand subconsciously massaging her left hip.
She stepped back and looked up at him, their height difference exaggerated due to the fact that she was no longer wearing heels. She smiled and stepped right back into his embrace, her head on his shoulder again and her arms around his neck.
He wanted to kiss her again, but it seemed like she had other plans, so he repositioned his arms around her and they began to sway to the music once again.
Well that's the end. Epilogue to follow.