So, it took me longer than a month to post. But I did better than last time! No three months this time. Well, folks, this story is definitely near the end. I think two more chapters - plus or minus a chapter. I know that sounds sneaky, but it's really not. I accepted a long time ago that this story made me it's bitch. It will be however long it wants to be. Thanks again for hanging in there, and I hope you like this chapter!

THE BET

For the fourth time in as many minutes, Booth checked his phone. Nothing. "Damn it..." In disgust, he threw the phone onto the coffee table, where it bounced and skittered off the far side and under the couch. "Shit!" Deliberately he turned his back on the uncooperative device and strode into the kitchen. A lengthy perusal of the refrigerator's contents revealed entirely too much of Bones' health food and not nearly enough junk food to satisfy him. "I am not eating tofu." He grumpily closed the door and rummaged in the cupboard, crowing in momentary triumph when he unearthed two Slim Jims. Man, he really needed to get off his lazy ass and shop. He didn't even have any Twinkies in the house. That was just wrong. The ratio of his junk food to Bones' health food was way too one-sided right now. How did that happen when he was the one living here? Meandering back into the living room, he gnawed hungrily on the treat and flopped down in the scarred leather armchair.

Bones still hadn't called. He was trying to wait for her. He wanted to have lunch with her, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could last. His last phone call with her had been brief and all business. She'd been called to Rock Creek Park headquarters on Institute business and hadn't been able to tell him how long she'd be there. When he'd asked her about lunch, she had sounded reluctant but had agreed to meet him at the diner for a meal.

She was such a mystery. In all the years he'd known her, he'd learned so much about her. But in some ways she'd become even harder to understand. Especially since they'd gotten involved. He enjoyed every minute they spent together, more than he'd ever thought he could. He now truly understood her motives and reasoning when it came to her personal life. But sometimes it seemed like the more he figured out, the less he knew. Since around the time they'd closed the Lederson case - that was pretty much when he'd noticed the change in her. She was more open to him now than at any other time. But there was something she wasn't telling him. It was frustratingly easy to see. If only he could tell what it was that she was withholding just as easily. It definitely had to do with him. She was studying him so often he was beginning to feel like a lab specimen.

Not that he minded. The preoccupied lines in his face relaxed and he smiled; an easy, happy smile. He was only human, after all. He'd spent years quietly watching her. Tracking her every move when he was with her and subconsciously doing the same when they were apart. Even when she wasn't actually in his sights, she was always in the back of his mind. He had always somehow felt that if he looked at her for long enough, then he'd know. He'd know all the facts about her that he'd always wondered about. What made her laugh; what made her cry. What caused her eyes to snap with anger or cool with professional disdain. And for the most part he'd found out those things. But there was more. He fought off the sense that time was running out and made himself relax.

Maybe she was wondering about him. The thought made him smile even wider. He was okay with that.

The ringing of his celphone interrupted his musings, and he vaulted out of the chair. Even as he dove to the floor to look for his phone he was rolling his eyes at his foolishness. He hadn't been this crazy to get a phone call from a girl since he was in high school. "Lame..." he grunted as he swept his arm under the couch, digging deep. His fingers just brushed the corner of it, pushing it further away. With a muttered curse he shoved his arm further underneath. "I am so lame." At last his fingers brushed the hard plastic, and he managed to grab it just as the ringing stopped. Quickly he scanned the display. Of course it was her. He dialed her, feeling like all kinds of a fool. "Hey, Bones."

"Booth. Where were you?"

"I dropped the phone." Smiling, he rolled over to his back and studied the chipped ceiling. If he squinted and tilted his head the chipped spots looked like Bones. Sort of. "What's going on? You done yet?"

"No, not yet. I'm still here."

"Really, Bones? Are you gonna be much longer? I'm starving." Groaning, he dropped his hand over his eyes. This wasn't good. It was never good. When she got hooked up in work stuff like this, she was likely to spend hours meticulously dotting every i and crossing every t. He began to mentally calculate how annoyed she'd be if he showed up with lunch on-site.

There was a short period of silence. "Actually, I require your assistance at this location. Would you be willing to meet me here?"

He frowned. She seemed hesitant, unsure. And why the hell would she need him for Institute stuff? "Everything okay?" Immediately plagued by images of Bones in trouble, he got quickly to his feet. Where were his keys? He looked frantically through the room. They were here somewhere...

"Yes, everything is fine, Booth. I simply have a situation that requires your unique talents. Can you meet me here?"

Calmed by her reassurance, he slowed from a headlong rush to a more respectable pace. "Yeah, Bones, of course I can come. Where are you, exactly?"

"Come to the parking area where Broad Branch Road meets Beach Drive. Are you familiar with that area?"

"Yeah, I run through there all the time. Just give me a few minutes."

"Very well. I'll be waiting for you."

"I'm on my way." He terminated the call and caught up his jacket. He had no idea what was this was about. Maybe they'd found something funky out there. It was a park, after all – criminals loved to toss their murder weapons in the parks around the city. He fought off the urge to sigh. It was stupid to be disappointed that they were going to miss lunch. They ate together all the time. And he'd be with her, even if they didn't get to hang out at the diner. But he wanted her without their job interfering every twelve hours. It had never been a problem before. Time with Bones was time with Bones. It had all been good. It still was. He dragged his hand through his hair as he jogged down the stairs. Shit, he didn't even know what exactly he really wanted anymore.

Except Bones. He always wanted Bones. That never changed. He was probably just in a crabby mood from hunger. His good humor began to return as he fired up the Tahoe. She had an hour, and then he was dragging her away from the park so they could enjoy the rest of their Sunday like normal people. For some reason, since they'd started seeing each other their weekends had been interrupted regularly. He was trying not to resent it, but it was hard. Maybe it was only because what they had was new and fresh. He was probably just being overeager. Maybe over time...nope. Who was he kidding? He was never going to stop being overeager when it came to Bones. It hadn't faded in the years that he'd known her. He might as well just get used to it. Despite his hunger he felt his curiosity rising. Maybe this case would be interesting. Hell, when were their cases not interesting? He tapped the siren in order to blow through the intersection and veered left onto Park Road. They always got the oddball cases. He thought back to their second file and how he'd chased after her until she named her terms for their partnership. Chuckling, he punched the gas. "Yeah, we are so much better than Scully and Mulder."

Several traffic-filled minutes later he entered the park. Coasting into the parking area he spotted her slender form almost immediately, standing at the edge of the lot near her car. Eyes squinting into the sun from behind sunglasses; hands on hips. Toe tapping. Impatient. He grinned and swung into the spot closest to her. Some things never changed. "All right, Bones. Whadda ya got for me?"

Rather than immediately fill him in on the details, she gestured for him to follow her. "It's down the trail, southwest of our current location by approximately 1000 yards."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously at her tone and body language. Something was definitely off. She seemed normal enough, but she didn't have the professional air about her that she always assumed at a crime scene. He chuckled under his breath and shook his head. Maybe it was because this wasn't actually a crime scene. She'd had told him nothing was wrong. As they walked along the path, he peered ahead, his interest piqued. Didn't one of those fitness trails run through this area? Maybe she just wanted to go for a run. But as quickly as the thought arose he dismissed it. Neither of them was dressed for a run. Jeans were hardly comfortable, and while he did have his running shoes in the truck, she was wearing hiking boots.

Finally they reached a small shaded area set off a short distance from the path. Someone had just left or was about to return – the one picnic table that was there was loaded with plates and food. Food that smelled way too good. Damn. He ignored his rumbling stomach the best he could and wandered about the perimeter, scanning the bordering underbrush. As far as he could see, nothing was out of place. "Okay, so what am I looking for? Did someone find something?" Turning in a circle, he did a broad visual sweep of the area. "Where are the people?"

"What people?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

"You know, the people who were here. Where did they go?"

"I don't know what you mean. There are no other people, Booth."

He turned to face her across the clearing, completely bewildered. "Then why are we here?"

"It occurred to me that every time we're together you've been making all of the arrangements. As I firmly believe in gender equality, I thought it was time I rectified that situation. "

"Arrangements?" Try as he might, he just couldn't figure out what hell she was talking about.

A small smile grew on her face at his confused expression. "Yes. You've planned all of our prior engagements, so I decided to perform that function today. I thought perhaps we could have lunch here, in the park." She indicated the picnic table. "I prepared several different items, as we don't prefer the same food."

"You did this? All of this is for us?"

"Yes." She tried to check the urge to fidget. "Your appetite is a quite overwhelming, but I believe I brought a sufficient amount of food for both of us." When he looked at her without responding, she faltered slightly. "That is...if you're still hungry. You did say you were hungry..."

"Hungry. Yeah. Yeah, I'm hungry," he responded blankly, eyes fixed on the spread before him.

"Is this a problem?" She tipped her head, realization and disappointment seeping into her voice. "It is a problem. Your alpha-male nature is threatened." Resigned, she stiffened her spine. "I rejected what you perceive as your traditional role as the hunter-gatherer. We could just go to the diner, if you'd prefer that."

"What? I – what?" Alerted by the tone in her voice, he looked up and noticed her discomfiture. She had clearly misunderstood his stunned silence and was shifting awkwardly. "No! No, Bones. I was just surprised. You caught me off-guard, is all." As the shock faded, pleasure rushed in, and he found himself completely charmed. If someone had asked him what he and Bones would be doing today, this wouldn't even have been on the list. She wasn't demonstrative, but when she decided to do something she did it in a big way. Shifting gears smoothly, he sauntered toward her and looped his arms around her waist. A delighted smile played over his face as he pulled her close. "I can't believe you did this. It's a lot of work."

She let out another quiet breath. She had so little experience at this type of interaction. Oftentimes, when she thought she was doing something correctly it wound up being completely wrong. But perhaps this would be all right. He seemed quite happy. "It wasn't, actually. I'm quite highly organized. I don't often get a chance to cook, but I find that I enjoy it. It also allows for greater control over the ingredients."

Smoothing his fingertips up her cheek, he gently tweaked her sunglasses off her face. She was watching him intently, her eyes serious and full of reserve. It came to him in a flash. She'd never done this for anyone else. He was the first. With difficulty he remained casual. "Well, I think it's a lot of work. And I appreciate it."

"If you don't want to eat here, we could bring all of it to your apartment –"

"Absolutely not. This is perfect. It's a beautiful day, so we should enjoy it." Wanting to put her at ease, he dropped a quick, careless kiss on her lips and pulled her to the table. "Look at all of this!" No longer able to contain his enthusiasm or his hunger, he quickly sat at the bench and started digging through the dishes. "I tell you what, Bones, it's a good thing you made this much food for me. What are you going to eat?"

Frowning in confusion, she settled onto the opposite bench. "No, the food is for both of us, Booth." She caught the glint in his eye and canted her head to the side, pursing her mouth. "Are you serious?"

He grinned wolfishly and motioned for her to pass the napkins. "Nah. I eat a lot of food, but there's no way I could eat..." He trailed off, his eyes glazing over as they passed over a dish heaped with chicken wings. "Hold on. Are those buffalo wings from Ledo?"

"Yes. I remembered that you told me you thought they were very good, and I wanted to duplicate them. But the employees refused to give me the recipe for the sauce, so I was forced to purchase an order from them."

"Yeah, well, that's kinda the whole point." He grabbed the tray, licking his lips in anticipation. "This is gonna be so good. Hand me one of those sodas, will you?"

Plucking two small tubs out of a small brown paper bag, she slid them toward him. "I purchased extra sauce for the wings. I wasn't sure how much you would want."

His eyes glowed with anticipation and glee as he swiftly pried the lids up and off. "Well it's a good thing you did, 'cause I'm going to want a lot."

For some time neither spoke as they prepared their meals. "Is everything acceptable?"

"I can't believe you did all of this, Bones." He noted with an inward chuckle that he had easily double the amount of food on his plate as she did on hers. "Everything is really good." He wondered what she'd think if he just flopped backward off the bench and lay in the dirt. The wings were that good. "You really need to try these. The sauce is out of this world."

"You know I don't eat wings, Booth."

"Yeah, but..." he countered, dipping a piece of celery in the spicy orange liquid, "...just because you don't eat wings doesn't mean you can't taste the sauce." Before she could respond he brought the vegetable to her lips, pleased when she automatically took a bite. He popped the rest in his mouth and raised an eyebrow at her. "Well?"

Still chewing, she raised her eyebrows, her wide, watering eyes speaking volumes.

"Uh-huh...it's good, isn't it?" He beamed, his eyes twinkling. "I knew you'd like it. It's got a nice kick."

"It's very hot." She sipped at her drink in a vain attempt to ease the burn on her tongue. "But the flavor is good. Try the mint lemonade. It's very refreshing. And the mushroom tortellini salad is surprisingly good."

He eyed her as he spooned the pasta onto his plate. She still seemed a little ill at ease, although she'd relaxed a lot since he'd first arrived. Obviously this was not a regular occurrence for her. While she was easily, casually generous on an everyday basis, he had no doubt that that was not the case when it came to her relationships. Preparing this whole spread, going to the trouble to do this for someone would have put her in a vulnerable position. A position she hadn't willingly been in for a long time. He switched to the deviled eggs and chewed thoughtfully. To be honest, it did seem unusual for her to be doing this. She was not really a fan of spontaneity. Maybe he was having a little bit of an effect on her. She'd certainly had a good effect on him, in a lot of different ways. If he was able to help her realize that relaxing sometimes and having no plan was the best plan, then great. Casting about for something to say to relax her, he remembered the phone call he'd gotten earlier that day. "I heard from Reggie this morning."

"Reggie?" Pausing mid sip, Brennan tipped her head, a small smile appearing. "What did he want?"

"Nothing, really. We just talked for a while. He wants us to come down again."

"He called because he wants us to run the obstacle course again? That seems rather odd."

"No, although we should do that while we're down there. He wants us to come to dinner."

A small line appeared between her brows. "I don't understand."

"It's a social thing, Bones. He told Wendy about our last visit, and she's been bugging him to invite us ever since."

"Wendy. His wife...oh." She took another piece of celery, dipped it in the hot sauce. The cultural significance of the invitation was not lost on her. "I suppose that would be alright." She took a small bite of her watercress sandwich. "As a matter of fact, Angela has been asking me if we will have dinner with her and Jack again."

"Sure. Just let me know when."

"Oh." Slightly taken aback by his prompt acceptance, she hesitated. "All right."

He peered curiously at her. "What's the matter?"

"I guess I just didn't think you'd want to have dinner with them again."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well...the last time we had dinner with them, you argued with Jack most of the evening."

"Bones, that's not how it is."

She continued, certainty coloring her tone. "You bait him all the time. I see you. You were doing it again yesterday in the lab."

"How did you know?"

"He had that odd look on his face again. The look he only gets when you're teasing him."

A quick grin flashed across his face. "Oh yeah. The X-Files look."

"The what?"

"You know – 'The truth is out there'." When she only fixed him with a blank stare, he relented. "Hey, if I'm gonna go out with squints, I should at least get to have a little fun. Oh, by the way – guys don't toy with or tease other guys. They mess with them, or screw with them, or fuck with them. They don't tease them."

She deftly unscrewed the lid to the lemonade. "I don't understand. Why is an appropriate word like 'tease' not acceptable, but numerous phrases describing sexual intercourse are all right?"

He dropped his head into his hands. "Way to go, Bones. Ruin another chunk of my vocabulary." Glancing up, he caught the impish glint in her eye. "Wait a minute..."

Unable to hide her amusement, she flashed a saucy smile at him and picked up her drink. "I believe you called it messing with you?"

"Bones!" He stared at her with surprise. "You know, you pick up on stuff way too quickly." His lips curved slyly. "I'm gonna have to watch out for you."

With another smile she handed him a fresh can of soda.

He eagerly began wolfing down his meal, amazed that the healthy food she'd made easily rivaled his favorite standards. Although the day was balmy, the mosquitoes and other picnic-crashers were miraculously absent. For a while he lost himself to his appetite, only realizing as he was halfway through his third plate that she hadn't yet finished her first.

"Bones."

She slowly raised her head, and something curled in her eyes that he almost thought was guilt. "Yes?"

"You're not eating."

"Yes I am." She swept her hand over her plate, indicating its contents.

"No, you have food but you're not eating it. You okay?"

"I'm fine, Booth."

He gave her a long, measured look and returned to his meal without pressing the issue.

She slowly began eating, but stopped abruptly. With a keen sense of irritation she realized she was falling into the same predictable pattern of behavior. She had to be honest with Booth. He deserved that much from her. Sighing, she put down her fork. "Actually, you are correct. I wanted to say something to you."

Something was wrong...she was clearly troubled. He pushed his plate away and cocked his head. "Okay."

"I would like to apologize."

Her straightforward declaration threw him. He hadn't been expecting that. Bones was not the type of person who apologized often. "Apologize?"

"Yes. And thank you, as well."

"Thank me...Bones, what's going on? What are you talking about?" For once, she'd truly managed to stump him. Why was she apologizing?

"I wanted to thank you for what happened in Warm Springs. For what you said, and what you did." Distress welled up at the very thought of that night, and her throat worked spasmodically as she fought to control her voice.

His heart ached for her all over again when he saw how upset she was getting. He hadn't been able to help her then, and he probably wouldn't be able to now. "You know, we just talked. I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did."

Her sudden vehemence shocked him into silence. Her face was set, her eyes burning with barely-contained emotion. He wanted to go to her, hold her until the haunted look left her face. But she needed to say this. It was obviously important to her. He shut his mouth and waited.

"You did." She deliberately relaxed her fingers before continuing. "I never told anyone about my past. Other than Angela, no one ever found out about those things. And the only reason she knows is because she was there for part of it." She fidgeted uneasily on the hard bench. "I never thought I would tell anyone. But I told you."

"It's okay, Bones."

"I know. It is okay. It's okay that I told you." She took a deep breath and cleared her throat before speaking again. "I was afraid to tell you. But I knew it would be all right. I knew I could tell you and you wouldn't...I knew I could tell you. That you would support me."

He leaned forward. "Of course I would. I'll always support you, no matter what. You were right to think that."

"Yes. And that is why I have to apologize to you."

"Bones, you don't have anything to apologize for. You haven't done anything wrong."

"I haven't done anything at all. That's what I did wrong." He didn't understand her. It was hardly a surprise, since she was being ambiguous at best. She swallowed and tried again. "Our partnership has been unequal. Numerous times in the past you've supported me and helped me with difficult personal situations. As I am sure you are aware, I have no discernable talent when it comes to emotional complications."

"That's not true, Bones. You're just out of practice."

"Please."

It wasn't much. It was one simple word. But it stopped him cold. If she really needed to get this off her chest, then fine. He'd listen. "I'm sorry. Go ahead."

Heedless of the beautiful day around them, she locked her hands tightly in her lap and took another deep breath. "You've helped me many times. You've reassured me when I doubted myself and my responses. But I haven't done the same. I've had some time to think about this. I realize that I haven't supported you, and I'm sorry."

"Bones..."

"Please don't say it. Don't tell me it's not true. I know it's true. You said that's what partners do – they support each other in everything, both personal and professional. Professionally, I've helped you the best I could. But I haven't helped you personally. I want to rectify that." She looked at him with earnest eyes. "I want you to be able to depend on me the way I'm able to depend on you."

"I do, Bones. I do depend on you. I depend on you for everything." He shrugged in reaction to her disbelieving stare. "It's true. When I have to talk to someone, it's you. It's always been you." It had been her since nearly the first day they'd met. He cautiously kept that bit of information to himself. "And I don't know about anyone else, but you give me good advice when I need it. You've always been there for me. So don't beat yourself up too much, okay?" She wasn't quite convinced; that much was clear. Absurdly touched that she would feel so strongly the need to apologize, he slid his plate away and stood.

Still wrestling with what he'd said, she watched him round the picnic table. She'd only wanted to tell him she was wrong, but he didn't appear to want her to do so. It was confusing.

Straddling the bench, he faced her and braced his palms in front of him. He angled forward so he was close, close enough that he could see the faint ring of lighter blue around her pupils. "Okay?"

His proximity was overwhelming her. So many times when she was upset, he held her. A part of her wanted that now, but she had to try again to make him understand. "I just want to put things right between us."

"Well, you don't need to do that, because they're already right. Listen…we argue all the time. Don't you think I would have told you if something was bothering me?"

"I…I suppose you might have."

"I would have. You know I would have. You and I have never pulled punches with each other. C'mere." Curling his hand around her waist, he pulled at her until she was facing sideways as well, her back pressing firmly against his chest. "I appreciate that you cared enough to say something. And if you need me to accept your apology, then I do. But it's not a problem. I don't want you to worry about it anymore."

Lulled by the warmth of his body against hers, she felt a calmness sneaking through her. "Booth..."

"Shhh." He leaned back slightly, sliding his arms around her waist and locking his fingers together. She went with him easily, her head tipping back onto his shoulder and her legs stretching out on the bench. Her soft hair brushed gently against his cheek, and he felt her exhale as her tension finally faded; a long, quiet release of air that loosened her back and relaxed her shoulders. He sat with her for several minutes, relishing the softness of her body leaning against him, the feel of her small hands on his. She seemed content for once to simply be. He stopped thinking altogether, instead enjoying the warm breeze pushing past them, the aroma of the food and the surrounding woods.

Joggers flitted down the path, their bright colors and happy laughs trickling through the distance to them. Birds darted from tree to bush and bush to tree, their colorful songs echoing. Sun and shadows trekked relentlessly across the clearing, first highlighting and then darkening the bench where they still sat, back to front, arm to arm. He'd lost track of just how long they'd been sitting when he felt her move. Quietly she turned her head to him and just as quietly he dropped his mouth to hers, taking in licks of heat from the hot sauce and from her. Her lips trembled under his, and he almost convulsively tightened his grip. Slow and sure, his hand slid under the hem of her shirt, finding and caressing the soft skin underneath. Her answering hum made his blood simmer in an entirely satisfying way. "Bones..." he murmured, letting his mouth drift to her jaw.

Her only answer was a soft trembling gasp as she strained against him.

"Bones...what do you say we bring this back to my place?" She didn't answer, but twisted further toward him, her own hand drifting under his shirt. He almost moaned at the feel of her thumb tracing circles on his stomach. "Bones..." She shivered once more and pulled away slightly. Her eyes were hazy with desire. But there was something more... "What is it?"

"Booth."

Her voice was shaking, the husky tone making him want to drag her to the ground then and there. She was nearly shuddering against him, driving him mad with her responsiveness. He couldn't resist tasting her again. Finally he backed off, resting his forehead against hers for a moment while he fought to calm down. "Yeah, Bones?"

"Do you think...could we sit here for a little longer?"

"You want to stay here?" More surprised by her request than he'd been by her impromptu lunch, he looked wonderingly at her. Normally, she'd be the one dragging him off to the bedroom. "Are you sure?"

"Yes...if that's all right with you. We can go back a little later. Of course...we can go now if you want, but..." Giving in to her nerves, she faced away from him and leaned back again, pressing gratefully into his solidness. When she spoke again, she was almost whispering. "This is nice."

He blinked. A warm rush ran through him and he wrapped his arms around her again. "We can stay as long as you want. The apartment's not going anywhere. And you're right." He rubbed his temple against hers, emotion roughening his voice. "This is very nice."

All together now - sighhhhhhh... :)