Hello, everyone! I managed to get another chapter out in less time than the last took - although, since the last chapter took three months, it would be hard to NOT manage to do it more quickly. I really hope everyone is still enjoying this story. For those of you who have stuck with me through all my writer's block and crazy real life schedule, thank you so much for your patience. Also, a heartfelt thanks to everyone who reviews. I answer everybody, even if it takes a little while, because I truly do appreciate your comments. For those who post anonymously, your remarks are just as valued. Thanks again, and have fun!

THE BET

Booth flashed his lab ID at the outside entrance and made his way into the building, cutting through the steady stream of workers headed out for lunchtime. Making his way through the vascular network of corridors, he caught sight of a familiar janitorial figure rolling a large garbage can toward him and raised a hand in greeting. "Hey, Mike."

"Booth. Did you watch the Eagles? Don't know what the hell Kolb was doing in that last game...he needs a good swift kick in the dupa."

An amused grin twisted his lips. "From your mouth, Mike. From your mouth..."

"I'm gonna be at the next game with a pocketful of batteries, I swear..."

"Hey, come on, now. No chucking stuff onto the field. We don't need another Bounty Bowl. You be good, Mike, you hear?" Smiling absently, he continued down the hall, his mood sobering rapidly as he neared the lab. His eagerness to get a break in the case ran apace with his desire to make headway on another, much more personal matter.

He and Bones had finished out their trip in strict professional mode, conducting their scheduled interviews and collecting any remaining evidence with their typical efficient teamwork. For more than one reason, he had avoided any mention of her searing revelation from the night before. And Bones had been quietly skittish with him the entire day, melting away from any prospect of physical contact and steering clear of all possible private moments. It was almost like her entire body was bruised. He wanted to touch her, but he knew he'd only hurt her. To spare both of them, he'd spent the entire drive home trading thoughts and opinions with her on the case and, once they were closer to D.C., contacting the office with information and instructions.

His offer to help her with her bags and kits had been instantly and politely refused, as he'd expected, and once she was safely ensconced in her car he'd had no choice but to let her go. He knew what would be next. She'd lock herself away in her apartment and lick her wounds, as she'd done so many times since he'd met her. But how did you lick your wounds when everything was a wound? In the past, he would have gone to her, knowing instinctively that something was wrong and nudging her until she began to feel better. But that wasn't an option now and he'd had to go home alone, tormented by the knowledge that he couldn't help her this time. And that wasn't his only torment. Fighting off the guilt that was swelling in him like nausea, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

Entering the large room he immediately scanned the entire area, his sharp eyes honing in on the first of his two objectives. Briskly he made his way to the small research station bordering the platform and cornered the scientist scribbling furiously in a coffee-stained notebook. "Hodgins. You analyze that dirt for me yet?" Anxious to get a jump on the newest lead, Booth planted his hands on his hips and looked expectantly at the smaller man's back.

Hodgins broke off from his writings. "Dude – how many times do I have to tell you that the word dirt is completely inadequate here? Just think of it as a four-letter word and leave it out of this venue." Fully aware that he was baiting the bear, he wisely kept the grin off his face as he swung around to face him. Booth had only just arrived and was clearly already jonesing for more information, more data, more leads.

Brow furrowing ominously, Booth leaned in, a challenging light firing in his eyes. "Okay, ace, can you tell what four-letter word I'm thinking of now? Just stop being a diva and give me the results, alright?"

Hodgins finally smiled and relented. He really couldn't fault Booth for wanting to catch the bad guys. "The soil is highly alkaline, so the body dissolved fairly quickly. That could've been a problem, as the area floods frequently. But it's a clay soil, so what it dissolved, it kept. Very poor drainage. The makeup and consistency match the residue found on the suspect's shoes. DNA isn't in yet - I'll let you know."

"There's a match. Yes. Now that is what I wanted to hear." He tapped Hodgins on the shoulder with the edge of the case file, flashing him a brilliant grin as he stepped quickly away toward the offices. "Thanks."

"Anytime. Oh, hey Booth," he called after him. "Angela wants to get together for dinner. We were thinking Georgetown again, right around the corner from Blues Alley. It's a place called Filomena – the best Italian around. They have a killer mixed fruit cheesecake."

"Cheesecake?" Always interested in dessert, Booth paused. Better not to agree to anything until he knew where he stood with Bones. "I don't know...I have to check with Bones. I'll let ya know."

"Cool." He paused for a moment and then continued, pale blue eyes twinkling with mischief. "Hey - if we go, afterward I'll show you the Exorcist stairs, man. Bet you've never seen them."

"Yeah, and I'm never gonna see them, either. I'm not going to hell. Let's just leave that stop off the tour, okay?" Hurling a perfunctory scowl over his shoulder, he stalked off, ignoring the laughter behind him. Check with Bones. He snorted inwardly, and not without some anxiety. He definitely needed to talk with her, and about something more important than pasta and cheesecake. But his forward progress was halted yet again when Angela stepped in his path. "Oh, hey, Angela. Good to see you again."

"Yeah, you too, Booth." Quick as a flash her slender hand arrowed out, her fingers seizing his ear and twisting firmly.

"Ow! What the hell –"

"I want to talk to you." Holding on tightly, she turned and pulled him vigorously to her office, ignoring the spate of complaints and curses drifting behind her.

When she finally released him he glared at her, rubbing his throbbing lobe. "Christ! I've been here for four minutes and you're assaulting me. What is your problem?"

"Funny, that's what I wanted to know about you." Crossing her arms, she directed a look at him that did not bode well. "I've been waiting for you guys to get back from Warm Springs so I could ask you that very question. Didn't you get my message?"

"Yeah, but you know we only got back late last night. Why, is something wrong?" Alarmed, he craned his neck, gazing through the window in search of his partner. Only the direst of situations would have caused her to go at him like that. "Did Bones tell you something? She is here, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she's here, but she hasn't said anything. She's just walking around like the living dead."

Thinking of his own stressful, sleepless night, he sighed inwardly and quietly flexed his dominant hand. "We're just tired, that's all. Lack of sleep." More like lack of anything except pacing and brooding, memorizing his floorboards and punching the wall once. Or twice.

"No. You're not getting it. Do you remember what I said when you asked me to butt out?" She punctuated her question with a sharp slap on his bicep. "I told you I would give the two of you some space to work this out for yourselves."

Another slap, this time to his stomach, had him backing up one startled step, hands lifted in supplication. "Angela –"

"But I also told you that you better not mess it up. So imagine my surprise when Brennan tells me that you two lunkheads wagered a bet."

Shit, was all he could think. He'd stepped in it good and proper. He'd really been hoping that she wouldn't find out about that. "Well, you know, it was spur of the moment...it just kinda happened –"

If anything, his admission only added fuel to her fire. "Oh, can it, Booth. I don't want to hear it. You and Bren have made a royal mess out of this situation. I suppose I should have expected it - well, I kind of expected it from her, because for all her logic she can be incredibly irrational when it comes to the heart. But you?" A disdainful expression graced her lovely face. "I expected much better from you." Incensed, she planted her finger squarely on his tie, jabbing at him until he stepped back yet again. "I'm telling you, Booth, you had better fix this or I will hurt you."

From what he'd found out about her, he was now only too well aware that she was fully capable of doling out pain where it was merited. He wouldn't have blamed her if she decked him right now, truthfully. "It was stupid, I know." He paused a moment, studying her intently. He simply had to tell her. Tormented since Bones had revealed her past to him, he was desperate for some kind of outlet for all his rage and worry. "Angela. Bones...she told me." As rapidly as her aggravation had flared up it was extinguished before his eyes, the quick transition somehow leaving her looking younger and more vulnerable than he thought he'd ever seen her.

"She...told you." Clearly unwilling to betray her friend's most painful secrets, Angela plastered what she hoped was a blank look on her face. She had to make sure.

"Yes. She told me everything. Even about Rafiq." He saw the emotions flash across her face. It was clear from her reaction to the name that not only did she know everything, she hadn't expected Bones to tell him while they were away.

One quick, hard shudder ran through her. "Oh, Booth." Immediately swamped with concern for both of them, she grabbed at his arm. "I'm so sorry. But I'm glad she told you. You needed to know everything." Her eyes widened suddenly, her fingers tightening convulsively on his wrist. "Oh God – did she end things between you?"

"No." Thank God for that. He'd been terrified, more terrified than he cared to remember, that she would be gone when he got here this morning, off on some excursion or trip or whatever-the-hell excuse she could find. Only by sheer force of will had he managed to keep from calling and checking on her. Or worse, finding some lame excuse to show up early and seek her out. The fear had congealed icily in his gut all morning, only easing now that Angela had confirmed her presence at the lab. "No, she didn't do that." Not yet, anyway. He could only hope it stayed that way.

"She isn't happy. She's been sending out signals I could read from a mile away." She took a moment to look more closely at him. His suffering was rawly evident, and she knew without a doubt that he cared. Perhaps it was time to get involved a bit. "So...this bet...please, Booth, explain this to me. Why did you do it?"

He sighed; a long, guilty burst of air. "I just wanted a chance to show her what a real relationship was like." Encouraged by her sympathetic silence, he continued. "Look, I don't give a shit about the bet, and I told her so this weekend. As far as I'm concerned, it could be over right now."

"Did she agree?"

"She didn't really say." As he took in her raised eyebrows and pursed lips, he nodded and sighed. "Look - I screwed up. This goddamn thing is out of control. But I'm going to fix it. We're going to fix it." Swamped by a sudden wave of weariness, he sank down onto the couch behind him. He'd gone this far. He might as well keep going. "I have to talk to you. You're her friend, and you're always honest about stuff like this, so…" Uncomfortable sharing his inner thoughts with anyone other than Bones, he fought to say the words. Hazarding a glance at her, he was relieved to see that she was listening intently, no sign of anything but caring on her face. "I have a problem." Quiet for a long moment, he finally began speaking again. "Something is bothering me."

Immediately swamped with sympathy for him, she dropped down next to him. He was clearly having a hard time with this. "Tell me."

He struggled to express himself. "Angela, I'm just not sure we're after the same thing, Bones and I. Does she want me physically? Yeah, she does – she's made that pretty obvious. Is it more than that? I'm not so sure. And that makes it harder. It can't ever be just sex, Angela. I couldn't handle that. There has to be something, some type of real connection. But I won't be able to manage if things go badly and she's out of my life, either, so I feel like I'm left with one alternative." His somber, thoughtful eyes met hers. "If sex is all we can be, then maybe we're better off the way we were."

She leaned closer. "I understand how hard this can be. It always is when feelings are involved. But you don't have all the information. You're not taking into account all of the variables. For instance," she continued, when he looked at her questioningly, "you have the input of her best friend...and I definitely have some input. I'm not going to betray any confidences. I would never do that to her, and I think I've proven that. But I can give you some insight into her motives and behaviors. I will tell you that I think it's definitely more than 'just sex' for her, regardless of what she may say to you or me. Bren's no shrinking violet, Booth. You've seen that for yourself. She'd take the chance, if it was truly just about sex, because it wouldn't really hurt if you said no. She would've made a move by now, line or no line."

He flicked one quick, inscrutable look at her.

"Yes, I know about the line; and no, she didn't tell me. I have my ways...but that doesn't matter now. She's hesitating. She's unsure of how to proceed, for the very reason that it isn't just the physical. I don't think she realizes it, though. Either that or she isn't ready to admit it. That may be why you've been getting mixed signals from her. Don't give up on her, Booth." Pleased to see his characteristic determination returning, she tapped his knee with her knuckles and stood. "Hey, I kept saying there was definitely sexual tension between the two of you, and I was right about that, wasn't I?"

Feeling marginally better for having shared his worries, he chuckled and stood as well. "Yeah. You were." He stopped her when she began to turn from him. "Thanks, Angela."

"Anytime, Booth." She turned toward the door, but hesitated and twisted to him again. "She's afraid to get hurt emotionally, Booth - but you know that. You've seen it. In my opinion, you're left with only one alternative, but it might not be the one you think." Leaning closer, her voice dropped until it was almost inaudible. "You're just going to have to take that chance." His hand tightened around her wrist before she could step back. "What?"

"I need to talk to you about Rafiq."

"Why? What about him?" Suspicion bloomed on her face at his serious manner. "Wait. You're arresting me. Are you arresting me? You can't, Booth. It was self-defense. Well, maybe not self-defense, but it was friend defense. I had to do something. Besides, I know my rights. The statute of limitations –" Whatever fact she'd been about to argue regarding the law was suddenly lost against his shoulder as he yanked her to him.

"Thank you. You protected her. You stood for her." He held her tightly, pressing her to his heart. "You fought for her when she wouldn't fight for herself. You're her family."

How stupid she was. Eyes welling, jaw clenching, she returned his embrace with all the strength she had. She should have known he would understand. Of all people, he would understand what family meant. "Yes. She's family. No one hurts my family and gets away with it."

After a minute he allowed her to step back, smiling while she wiped her eyes. "A veiner, huh?" The faint thrum of bloodlust beating in his veins flickered briefly in his eyes before he carefully hid it. "She said it got stuck."

"Oh, yeah, down to the bone." Pausing for effect, she nonchalantly brushed at an imaginary speck of dust on her sleeve. "Probably hurt even more coming out."

"Nice shot."

"No, it wasn't." She straightened, pinning him with a savage look. "That wasn't what I was aiming for."

*****

"Here...see this, Zach...notice the damage to the femoral head." Brennan slid the bone portion under the microscope and stepped aside. "Tell me what you see."

Methodically aligning and adjusting the focus, Zach peered intently at the image. "It appears to be kerf marks from an unknown weapon or tool, possibly a hatchet or machete. I'll take a casting of the marks and try to ascertain if they are a match for the marks on the Strickland bone samples."

"Good, Zach. Let me know the minute you have the results." Spotting Booth heading in her direction, she grabbed her clipboard and intercepted him before he could pressure Zach for details. "Initial examination indicates a similarity in the marks on the femoral head. Zach is running tests now to determine if they are identical."

"That's great, Bones. I just got off the phone with Judge Oberdorfer – the soil and residue match isn't enough by itself for the warrant, so we're gonna need everything we can get. How long'll it take for this test?"

"There are several steps involved. It's going to take quite some time for Zach to finish it."

"Oh." His forward momentum brought to a screeching halt, he stopped to recollect his thoughts. "Well, can't you make him go quicker? We need to get a jump on this, Bones. Just tell him to work faster, okay?" When she only looked impassively at him he threw his hands to his sides. "What?"

"You know this can't be rushed, Booth. In order to ensure that our results are accurate, we have to take our time and use great care when testing. You already know that."

"Well yeah, but I always figured you guys just said that to piss me off. Shit. There's not a damn thing we can do until we get that warrant." Glancing at her, he quickly made up his mind. He had something to confess, and the sooner he did it the better. "Come on, let's go grab some lunch." Ready for – truthfully almost hoping for - an argument or refusal from her, he was taken aback when she nodded without hesitation and spun on her heel.

"I need my coat."

*****

Booth listlessly stirred his coffee and stared at the servers bustling by, heavily laden with trays and plates and drinks. Stirred his coffee again. Fidgeted. For the first time since – well, for the first time ever, he wished they hadn't come to the diner. The normally reassuring din just seemed way too loud. He wanted to go somewhere quiet. If it was quiet, he could think. He could listen. He could say what he had to say, come clean without interruption.

"Booth..."

Startled out of his musings, he quickly met her eyes and just as quickly looked away. God, this was a mistake. He shouldn't have decided to do this in the middle of their workday.

"Booth?"

He looked at her again. Angela was right. She did look tired. Tired but indescribably beautiful, caught in the brilliant sunlight streaming through the plate glass. He watched a dust mote settle on the sweep of her cheek and fought the urge to caress it away with his thumb. He was stalling. There was no point in denying it. There was also no telling how she would react to what he had to say, but that didn't negate the need to say it. "Yeah, Bones."

Menu extended, she was staring curiously at him. "Are you going to order something?"

"What? Oh, yeah, lemme see." Gingerly thumbing through the sticky plastic pages, he chose at random, firing off a quick order to the hovering waitress. "Just get me the, uh, Jungle Burger with fries and a bowl of the Minestrone." Maybe he could just pass off his mood as preoccupation with the case.

"Are you all right?"

He knew that tone. She was worried about him. That she was concerned for him at this moment made his heart twist painfully. All he'd wanted to do was treat her the way she'd deserved. But really, in the end he'd done just what all those other bastards had done. "I'm fine. Listen...I need to tell you something."

"Booth...what?"

"I have a confession to make. I...wasn't entirely truthful to you the other day." He continued when she merely watched him quietly, her eyes troubled and unsure. "Last Sunday, when I brought you home. I told you I had to go in to the office."

"I remember. You said you had to work on the case." When he didn't immediately confirm, she frowned at him. A beat, and she saw it. In his eyes, in his slightly sagging shoulders. A burning heat filled her chest, and she fought the urge to wince at the sensation. "You didn't have to work on the case."

"No." There it was again – that cautious, wary expression. It had been present on her face during the entire drive back from Warm Springs, mixed with exhaustion and sorrow.

"I don't understand. Why did you say that if it wasn't true? What's going on?"

"Nothing. I promise, nothing is going on. I just..." Just get it over with, idiot. "It was obvious that you wanted to be alone that morning. I could tell that you expected me to put up a fight. So I kinda just said I had to go to the office."

"I'm confused. You didn't actually go to the office?"

"No, I went. I did some paperwork, got the Strickland file in better order. Look...the point, Bones, is that I manipulated you. And after what you said in Warm Springs, I realized how wrong that was. I treated you just like you were treated in the past. You deserve so much better than that. So...I guess I just wanted you to know that it happened. And that I'm sorry." Miserable with guilt, he dejectedly resumed stirring his half-empty coffee cup and waited for the explosion. Or worse, for the sound of her chair pushing backward as she left him.

Conflicting emotions bouncing within her, she looked probingly at him, carefully digesting the information she'd just been given. He was avoiding her stare, and it was obvious even to her the extent of his mental distress. While part of her wanted to back away from the table and run, another, fairer part somewhere deep inside her wanted to soothe away his pain. She forced herself to assess the information she'd been given, and after a long, thoughtful moment, spoke quietly. "I don't believe that you are like them, Booth. While I'm unhappy that you felt the need to lie to me, it would seem that your motives were...somewhat altruistic. Even though it was still wrong."

He dropped his head, staring glumly at the scarred Formica. "I don't want to treat you like they did."

Her logical mind began working furiously. "I don't believe that is the case. Tell me why you did it."

"I told you – I could see you needed some space."

"And you gave it to me. Did you want to let me go home by myself?"

"No, I didn't." Might as well admit it all, he thought morosely. "Truth is, I didn't want you to leave my place at all."

"So what you did...in actuality it didn't benefit you."

"Well...I...I kinda wanted to keep you off-guard. I didn't want to be predictable." When her hand covered his, her slender fingers wrapping around his wrist, he looked up in surprise.

"Booth." Satisfied he was paying attention, she spoke as methodically and convincingly as she could. "If you are in any way predictable, it's in that you are always kind, and that you always lead with your heart. Although that approach is not always recommended, it sets you apart from anyone I've ever met. So while your methods might have been regrettable, I believe your intentions, in the end, were honorable." She paused a moment, on her face a curious mix of reluctance and resolve. "And perhaps my strong resistance to your romantic overtures was somewhat causal in this situation."

"You know, Bones...I never wanted to play games with you...I just need a special connection with you, you know? It's important to me."

"We do have a special connection, Booth. We're partners and we're sleeping together." Her instinctive move to retreat was abruptly halted when he flipped his hand over and twined his fingers with hers. She tugged, but he held firm.

"Don't do that again, Bones. You know that's not the connection I'm talking about here." God, how to make his point without creating an even bigger clusterfuck? The problem, he realized suddenly, wasn't that she didn't understand. It was that she didn't want to understand. Didn't want to know. But hiding wasn't going to help anything. Neither was manipulation. They needed to be honest with each other. "What we have, what I want, is new, but it builds on the connection we already have."

Again she pulled her hand away; again he held on to her. Frustration suddenly filled her, and her desperate eyes met his. "Why do you push so hard? Why don't you ever give up? I haven't made this easy for you. I'm not easy. I'm difficult. I don't trust anyone and I'm not sure that I ever will."

"You want to know why I keep trying?" He drew her hand closer and tightened his grip. "I'm not gonna let you push me away, Bones, and I'm not gonna give up on you, because I know you're worth it. Every bit of this, every minute I have with you? It's all worth it."

"You don't know that."

Her reply was so soft and uncharacteristically meek that he wasn't sure he'd heard her right at first. But when he looked at her, really looked, he knew he wasn't mistaken. "Bones..."

"You don't know that, Booth. You can't possibly know that. I can't promise you what you want. I can't even promise you I'll still be here tomorrow. I never give anything of myself. I can't. How can all this struggle possibly be worth it for you?"

She was wrong. She offered up who she was all the time. At least she did when she was with him. Some surprising bits, some expected, but each bit another piece to the Temperance Brennan puzzle. Even this weekend, as painful as it had been to hear...she'd trusted him enough to tell him about it, to share her pain. She fascinated him. Who she was called to him. And because of that he simply had no choice in the matter. He had to find out everything about her. He had to know her. Angela was right. There really was no other option for him but to continue, no matter what happened. Even if he only continued as her friend. "I'm telling you that it's worth it for me. You're family, Bones. Family, real family, sticks. No matter what. Do you believe that? Do you believe me?"

She wanted to, she realized suddenly. She wanted to believe in what he was saying, wanted it furiously. But the fear was still riding high in her, and she instinctively shied away from the prospect of more pain. "My family didn't stick, Booth. They didn't stay. No one ever stayed. I couldn't hold them. I had them for fifteen years and it still wasn't enough to hold them. How can I believe it?"

"Temperance. Look at me." He jiggled their joined hands until her eyes lifted to his. "This is hard for you. I know it hurts. But I'm telling you now – I will never leave you. I promise you that I will be here for you, no matter what. I couldn't be anywhere else. You don't have to agree, or pretend that you believe me, or even humor me. But...gather your evidence, okay? See, every day, that I'm here, that I haven't left. That I've got your back. That I'm your friend. You don't have to promise me anything. I just want you to think about what I've said, and see me." Throat working convulsively, pale eyes darker than dark, she stared at him. He waited quietly, knowing she had to be the one to make the next move. He didn't know how else to tell her how he felt without scaring her even more. He could only hope what he'd said was enough.

"Booth, I..." She couldn't help but see the resolve in every line of his face and body. He was giving her so much, fighting so hard. "...I'll try."

The wave of relief that swamped him was almost overwhelming. He'd been so afraid that he'd ruined his chances with her. Giving in to his earlier urge, he leaned forward and traced his knuckles along her cheek, and was rewarded when she leaned slightly into his hand. "Thank you."