Spoilers: 4x12 Double Trouble in the Panhandle

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or its characters. It'd be nice to borrow Booth for a bit though…


He found her attractive almost from the moment they'd met. A force to be reckoned with, yes, but beautiful nonetheless. Standing here in these ridiculous outfits caused the thought to flit through his mind for the nineteenth or twentieth - oh, who was he kidding? More like, hundredth or thousandth - time during their partnership.

"I coulda killed you!" His mustache itched and he fought to keep himself from reaching up to rip it off.

"Therein lies the excitement!" Her eyes - eye; he couldn't see one under the eye patch - sparkled.

He couldn't pinpoint the moment it had happened. He knew it was longer ago than he cared to admit. He supposed, if he thought about it, it had been an accumulation of moments that finally came together and presented him with the truth: he loved her. Yes, no particular moment stood out to him, but this one…well, he hadn't thought it possible, but he was pretty sure he'd just fallen even harder. The way she had said it without a moment's hesitation, her excitement and complete, underlying trust evident. It made his blood quicken, his heart pound.

He raised an eyebrow, the 'really?' going unspoken. She nodded, smiling back at him, and he felt his own mouth quirk up in response. "Come on, Bones," His voice dropped as he reached out and slung his arm across her shoulders, needing to feel her in that moment. "let's go solve a murder."