Booth was standing in Brennan's doorway, waiting for her to finish some paperwork, when Zack came up to him.
"Booth?" He said quietly. Booth immediately noticed the same timid tone that Zack's voice bore the night before. Turning around, Booth smiled gently.
"Yeah?"
"I was talking to Hodgins earlier. He… he said you told him that I wasn't going to Iraq. He said, you were making sure I stayed." There was a slight question to his tone, mingled with a hint of fear.
"Uh, yeah. I sorta said that…" Booth sighed softly. "I'm sorry. Y'know, if you didn't want me saying that. If I crossed a line…"
"No," Zack said quickly, a small smile on his lips. "It's ok. I just… you didn't tell me, I didn't know you cared so much." Booth smiled softly.
"Well, I do," He said quietly. "I guess I never really showed it, but I do." Zack's eyes lit up, seemingly against his will, and his smile widened slightly. Booth jumped slightly at the sound of a voice behind him.
"Ready to go?" Booth turned to see Brennan and smiled.
"Yeah," He said, before turning back to Zack. "If you need me, you know where I am." Zack smiled shyly and nodded, unsure of what the sudden fluttering in his stomach could mean. Brennan smiled between Booth and Zack before walking between them towards the door. Booth shot one more look in Zack's direction, a look that seemed filled with electricity that neither man understood, before following Brennan out.
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Taking a sip of the drink in front of her, Brennan leaned on her elbows and looked at Booth.
"So," She said, her voice more relaxed that it had been in a while. "How's your life?" Booth shrugged lightly, taking a drink from his own glass.
"Same as usual," He sighed. "Parker's growing up so fast though, I can barely keep up with him. Doesn't make anything easier, only seeing him on weekends." Booth sighed again, this time it was heavier. More laboured. Brennan tilted her head to the side slightly, giving Booth a concerned look.
"You miss him a lot?" She asked gently.
"Sometimes," He whispered. "But it's ok. I still have contact with him through the week." Brennan sighed softly, placing her hand on his. Booth looked down at their hands and smiled lightly.
"How about you?" He asked, looking up into Brennan's eyes. "How's life treating you?" Brennan shrugged lightly, shaking her head.
"Nothing new," She said with a smile. As a comfortable silence fell between them, Booth and Brennan found themselves staring wordlessly into each other's eyes. Slowly, so slowly that neither of them consciously noticed it happening, they closed the gap between them. Their heads getting closer, until their lips met in a soft, tentative kiss.
After a few seconds of this kissing, it gradually became more heated. Brennan ran her hand through Booth's hair, as his hands gently ran up her arm. Only the sound of Brennan softly moaning into the kiss seemed to bring Booth back to reality. Reluctantly, he pulled away.
"Bones," He sighed ruefully. Brennan sighed, nodding even before Booth spoke his next words. "We really shouldn't."
"I know," Brennan whispered, dropping her hand from his head. Booth looked up to see Brennan smiling at him. A genuine, glimmering smile. Booth smiled back.
"You should smile like that more often, Temperance," Booth whispered gently, sweeping Brennan's hair out of her face. Dropping her eyes, Brennan smiled and shook her head.
"I should be getting home," She whispered. Booth nodded slowly, standing up.
"Me too," He said, leaning in to kiss Brennan on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bones." Brennan smiled softly as she watched Booth leave, with more of a spring in his step than he'd entered with.