II.

'This is stupid.᾽ Ever since Seeley Booth had opened his eyes that morning, those words were like a mantra in his head. It was Friday, and at eight o'clock this evening he had a date with a woman called Katie. Finding an adequate partner had been surprisingly easy. Some eye contact at the Diner, a little flirting, and five minutes later a napkin with a telephone number had been in his hand. Katie seemed to be a nice person, and – according to his agreement with Bones – he felt a certain attraction, but nevertheless, Booth couldn't shake off the sour feeling that he was about to do something incredibly stupid.

He and Brennan had an appointment with Sweets at 11 am, and she had agreed to meet him there, so he hadn't had a chance to tell her about his date yet. He wondered how her own progress with this little experiment had been so far. The idea of her going out with one more man way out of her league made him somewhat nauseous, but Booth refused to give it a further thought, as he grabbed his car keys and left his office.

Temperance Brennan looked at the missed call on her cell phone display. The number was unfamiliar, but she knew whom it belonged to. His name was Jeremiah, and she had met him in her yoga class. In fact, she had already met him several months ago, but although he seemed to be intellectually and physically appealing, he had failed to pique her deeper interest. Objectively, he seemed to be the perfect candidate for her experiment, but somehow Brennan found that she was not overly enthusiastic about calling him back and confirming the date for tonight. She wondered if it was too late to dismiss the whole theory, and she wasn't able to figure out why she felt the wish to do so in the first place.

Logically speaking, it was the perfect method to determine the reason for the awkwardness between her and her partner, but somehow her stomach clenched at the mere idea of it. With a quick glance at her watch she put the cell back into her pocket, preparing herself to leave the office and face the psychologist she held responsible for the whole mess.

- BONES-

"Dr. Brennan, Agent Booth," Lance Sweets nodded at the two partners sitting on the couch in front of him, as always leaning into each others personal space just a tad too much, "anything you want to share today?"

Brennan cast a glance at her partner. They hadn't discussed what to tell Sweets, and she tried to read Booth's mind in search of a hint. After his brief nod of approval, she collected her words.

"Maybe. We found our last session a little bit disturbing," she finally said.

"Care to elaborate, Dr. Brennan?" Sweets tried to hide his curiosity.

"Your idea about us being in a surrogate relationship has caused some tension between Booth and me."

Booth cleared his throat.

"We found it difficult to determine why, though."

Sweets felt a whiff of excitement.

"There can be several reasons for that, Agent Booth. To be sure, I recommend performing a little role play I have-" he found himself interrupted by Dr. Brennan.

"That won't be necessary because we've already decided to conduct our own experiment."

Sweets felt dumbstruck for a moment.

"Ahem, you have?"

Booth and Brennan gave each other a conspirative smile.

"Yup."

"And, may I ask what kind of experiment?"

"For starters, Bones and I will go out with other people we feel attracted to. I have a date with a lovely teacher tonight."

Booth leaned back with a smug grin, but Brennan's head flung around in astonishment.

"You do?"

Sweets sensed her disapproval, and even Booth seemed to become insecure for a moment, as the smugness left his face and his eyes focused on her.

"Yeah, Bones, because that's what we have decided, haven't we?"

Brennan tried to fight the sting of jealousy she had felt at her partner's announcement.

"Of course. In fact, I will go out myself tonight."

Now it was Booth's turn to look at her with a slightly hurt expression.

"You will?"

She nodded with faked enthusiasm.

'This idea is totally doomed,᾽ Sweets thought, but he found it wise to keep his opinion to himself for a change.

"You said 'for starters᾽, Agent Booth. What else does this, ahem, experiment include?"

The agent's eyes flickered to his partner who suddenly sat very still and straight.

"Let's not talk about that before we've had a chance to test our theory. Maybe our dates will be so successful that no further actions will be necessary."

Brennan exhaled in relief that Booth hadn't revealed more. She didn't want to know what the psychologist would have made of the second step, Booth and her on a date...

"That said, Dr. Sweets, Agent Booth and I are very thankful that you opened our eyes in terms of the unpleasant situation. We are able to leave our surrogate relationship behind now, and we owe you for that."

Sweets looked at her carefully, but couldn't make out whether she was sincere or not.

"Eh, sure, no problem..."

With a final nod, the two partners gathered their belongings and left the speechless psychologist behind as they deserted his office.

'Should I really be proud of that?᾽ Sweets wondered.

- BONES-

With his hand on her back, Booth accompanied Brennan to the elevator and pressed the button.

"So, a date?"

She looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face, and her skin tingled where his palm rested.

"You have one as well. And, besides, wasn't that the point of it?" she challenged him.

"Yes, of course," he paused for a moment, but decided to be honest with her. "Nevertheless, the idea feels weird."

Surprise flickered through her eyes, and then her lips curved into a soft smile.

"I feel the same way, Booth. Do you... want to cancel it?"

He regarded her for a moment and shrugged his shoulders then.

"Do you?"

The ball was back in her court, and Brennan had no idea how to play it. She didn't even know the game.

"Then we will never know, Booth..."

"You're right, we have to do it. May I," he hesitated, "may I call you later? To make sure that you're okay?"

Her eyes fell to her feet, but she nodded.

"That would be nice."

The elevator doors chose that moment to open with a clang, and Booth took a deep breath, reluctant to let her go. His thumb brushed over her back in a last caress, and Brennan reached for his other hand, squeezing it briefly.

"Enjoy your date, Booth," she managed to say.

"You too, Bones," he responded halfheartedly.

She stepped into the elevator cabin, but her eyes didn't leave his until the closing doors interrupted the contact. Then she was gone.

- BONES-

Melodic jazz tunes filled her apartment, as Dr. Temperance Brennan prepared herself for an evening out. After the session with Sweets, she had turned the half-lie into a fact and had confirmed her date with Jeremiah Stenson, 37, broker, interested in classical music and yoga. He would take her to the philharmonic hall first, and after that they'd go to a restaurant. She still lacked confidence about the upcoming evening.

With a sigh she left her bathroom and approached the closet, clad in nothing more than black underwear and silky stockings. Brennan felt no strong desire to dress up, but true to her arrangement with Booth, she tried to give Jeremiah a fair chance. Her hand ran over the exquisite fabrics of her garments until cold satin touched her long fingers. 'That'll do it,᾽ she decided and pulled out the simple dark dress. Elegant, but modest. She completed her outfit with a sparkling bracelet, matching earrings and black heels. After checking herself in the mirror, she smiled with satisfaction. 'Booth would approve of it.᾽ Brennan mentally cursed, but before she could chastise herself for thinking of Booth, the doorbell rang. Her eyes closed for a moment, then she squared her shoulders and plastered a smile on her face. Game on.

Booth steered the black SUV through the illuminated streets of Washington D.C., trying to keep his attention on the blonde woman sitting next to him, talking her head off. Her feminine scent filled the car, as Booth took another breath. It wasn't as if she smelled bad – maybe a tad too perfumed – but it was... different. His body didn't react at all, and he found his mind wandering to his partner. Brennan never wore too much perfume, she just smelled... right. 'Focus, man, this is not Bones,᾽ he reminded himself and flashed the woman, 'Katie,᾽ his mind added helpfully, a bright smile. Maybe just a whit too bright, but she didn't seem to notice it. Soon Booth spotted the neon sign of the cinema and looked for a free parking spot. 'Movies and dinner, that shouldn't be so hard,᾽ he motivated himself.

Sitting in the third row of the philharmonic hall, Brennan tried to stifle a yawn. She had never been particularly fond of this piece of Stravinsky, but she found her company even more tiring than the music. The man next to her was wearing a black suit, and she had to admit that it hugged his body quite nicely, but his habit to look into her cleavage more than into her eyes annoyed her. The conversation on their way to the concert had been sluggish, and after a few halfhearted attempts to find a common topic, she had resigned. For the purpose of getting into a comfortable position, Brennan moved around in her chair, and her eyes widened in shock when her companion's flabby hand rested on her thigh. She removed it with a not so gentle slap and crossed her legs, cursing Sweets and this experiment one more time.

Booth transported a handful of popcorn into his mouth and chewed methodically, while the action on the movie screen got more and more ridiculous. 'I cannot believe that this woman dragged me into a stupid chick flick.᾽ He closed his eyes in desperation as said woman started to sob loudly. On autopilot he handed his handkerchief over to her, and she took it as an invitation to curl into his side, soaking his shirt with her tears. Always a gentleman, Booth padded her arm absentmindedly, trying his best not to be too encouraging. He sighed with relief as the closing credits started to roll. In the dim light of the cinema hall he could make out Katie's smeared eyes and a black stain on his favorite shirt. She smiled apologetically, and Booth faked a nonchalant grin.

A steak house. Brennan couldn't believe that this man had the courage to take her to a steak house after she had told him about her vegetarianism. Casting a quick glance at the menu, she settled for a plain salad and listened to Jeremiah's discussion with the waiter on whether "medium" was really "medium". Positive that she couldn't stand that any longer, she excused herself to the ladies'. In the sanctuary of the room she checked her cell phone, but Booth hadn't called yet. 'Maybe his date is wonderful, and he is enjoying it.᾽ Her throat tightened at the idea, and she swallowed hard, wondering if Booth would kiss on a first date. Or more than that... Using her palms to smooth out her hair, Brennan steeled herself for the rest of the night. Dinner, a glass of wine and then home. Alone.

"Seriously? You don't want to eat anything?" Booth regarded the woman on the other side of the table in utter disbelief, but she just shook her head, mumbling something about a strict diet. He watched her ordering a glass of water and felt lost for words. "You know, we needn't have come here if you had told me." Their drinks arrived, and Booth sipped at his soda with false enthusiasm; he would have felt bad if he had ordered a stronger beverage than her. Without attracting attention, he tried to catch a glimpse of the hands on his watch, wondering if Bones was already at home. The idea that she might gush about this evening later troubled him, but the sheer possibility that she might not answer his call bothered him even more...

An hour later Temperance Brennan found herself in Jeremiah's car on her way home. She was running out of patience with this man and dismissed his proposition of having "coffee" politely. Hindering his hands from wandering to inappropriate places had turned into a full-time job, and she yearned for a shower to wash the memory of his touches away. Her musings were interrupted when he parked the vehicle in front of her building, a greasy smile on his face. Brennan raised her hand to stop the approach of his damp lips.

"Thank you for the evening, but I'm very tired now."

"Oh come on, don't be like that. I know you want it as well."

"I'm afraid you might have been mislead here, but no. All I want is to go upstairs. Alone."

Jeremiah pouted.

"Just a little kiss, that's the least you could do after I have paid for everything."

"I don't know what made you assume that my affection could be purchasable, but I'm really not interested in a kiss."

Despite her rejection his hands came around her waist, pulling her close, and something inside of her snapped. A moment later the man was writhing in pain, his hands covering his groin, and Brennan was on her way out of the car, determined to forget the events of the night now and forever.

At the same time Booth stopped his SUV in another part of the city and turned to the woman next to him with a noncommittal smile.

"Thank you for the, ahem, nice evening, Katie."

"Oh no, thank you, Seeley, I had so much fun."

Her way to say his name unnerved him, but he kept on smiling. She leaned closer into his space, her fingers caressing his biceps in a gesture that – he assumed – should be seductive.

"You have very strong arms, Seeley. Can I offer you coffee?" she asked with a flirtatious look.

"Eh, maybe another time, caffeine at this late hour is not good for me. Thanks, though."

"Okay, but it's your loss."

Booth exhaled in relief as she finally left his car. In an attempt to banish her lingering scent, he rolled down the windows as he started to drive home, damning Brennan's stupid experiment one last time.

- BONES-

Hot water pearled down her body, and the vanilla scented soap made another appearance, as Temperance Brennan enjoyed her shower. Part one of the experiment had been a bummer, but if she was honest with herself, she'd had to admit that her reluctance to go out with Jeremiah in the first place had already predicted the failure of the date. She rinsed the remaining lather out of her hair and stopped the water, already reaching for her terrycloth towel.

Her gracious body clad in soft flannel PJ's, she padded into her bedroom a few minutes later, taking her cell phone with her. No call from Booth yet; she wondered if he was still out, and picturing him with another woman, laughing, dancing, having fun, caused irritating disturbances inside of her.

With a long sigh she slipped under her cool sheets and while she was still debating whether to wait for his call or not, her phone rang.

"Brennan."

"Hi, Bones."

Her eyelids shut in relief.

"Hi, Booth."

She heard a rustle on his side of the line.

"What are you doing, Booth?"

"Going to bed with a Scotch to erase the last hours from my memory," came his dry reply.

"So... you didn't enjoy yourself?"

"Let's put it this way: Remember the case when our victim was nothing more than goulash?"

She shivered, thinking of the gross remains.

"I enjoyed that one more than the last few hours. How about you?"

"I surely had worse dates in my life so far, but I fail to remember any right now. On the bright side, I'm positive he will be pain-free in a few days."

Even though it was impossible, she heard Booth raising his eyebrows.

"Pain? What have you done to him?"

"I had to find a method to stop his unwanted approaches. It was self-defense."

She heard a clatter at the other side of the line.

"What was that?"

"My glass. On the floor. Did he molest you? The bastard, I'm gonna-"

"No need to get all federal on his ass, Booth, I took care of it myself."

"Listen, Bones, I'm sorry."

"Why? It's not your fault."

"But still, if it hadn't been for this crazy experiment..."

"This 'crazy experiment᾽, as you call it, was my idea, if I remember correctly. Besides, are you implying that I never would have gone on a date again?"

"No, of course not. But I don't like thinking of that jerk touching you."

"Well, I'm certain he didn't enjoy it too much, after all."

Booth smiled. That was his Bones.

"What are you doing right now? You already in bed?" he asked in a low voice.

Brennan lolled, perfectly at peace, now that she was talking to her partner.

"Mm-hmm."

Booth couldn't help but picturing her in soft blankets, her face bare of make-up, ready for the night, and he felt a sudden soreness in his chest.

"What are you wearing?"

She cracked an eye open.

"Seriously? You're asking me that?"

Taken by surprise that she understood the undertone of his question, Booth quickly back-pedaled.

"Never mind, just kidding. So, the first part of our experiment failed, then?"

"I'd say that is a safe conclusion."

"Did we do it right, Bones? Did we give them a fair chance?"

She processed his question for a moment, quite sure that Jeremiah Stenson had never had a snowball's chance in hell.

"As fair as the circumstances allowed it, I would say."

Booth took a deep breath.

"So we have to continue with this? Go over to the second part?"

She shivered at his words, glad that he couldn't see it.

"It would be the logical step."

"Fine," she heard him clearing his throat, "Temperance Brennan, would you do me the honor of going on a date with me, then?"

The seductiveness in his voice made her nerve-endings tingle in anticipation, and she experienced a strange shyness – almost as if he had asked her for real. 'Wait,᾽ her mind interrupted, 'he has asked you for real.᾽

"It would be a pleasure, Booth," she whispered, and even though he had already known her answer, his heart became weightless.

"It's settled, then. What do you say about one week from today?"

"Next Friday sounds good to me. What are we going to do?"

"Indulge me, and let me surprise you, Bones. I'll come up with something you'll like."

"I have no doubts about that, Booth," she replied without hesitation, and a big smile brightened her face.

He chuckled quietly, and peaceful silence settled over them as they listened to each others breathings.

"This is nice, Booth," she finally stated, and he heard her yawning.

"Yes, it is, Bones. You tired?"

"Hmm, spending the evening with the human equivalent of an octopus can be quite exhausting."

"Hey, Bones, you cracked a joke!"

"I believe I did."

"It would be even more amusing if the mental image of his hands on you didn't give me the creeps, though."

She groaned.

"Not again, Booth, it's not your obligation to protect me."

"I know, don't be upset. It's just... you're my partner. I care for you, and your wellbeing is important to me."

"You can take care of my wellbeing next Friday, but until then keep your alpha male tendencies at bay, please."

"Okay, okay."

He heard her yawn anew, and his voice softened.

"You should sleep now, Bones."

"I think you're right. Goodnight, Booth."

"Nighty night, Bones."

He waited for her to hang up, but before she did so, she spoke one last time.

"I'm looking forward to our date, Booth."

And gone was her voice, leaving him alone with the dial tone and a very warm feeling inside.