"Have you ever forgotten a thing in your life?" Booth asked when they were headed back to his place. Most first dates ended awkwardly at the front door. How lucky was he that they were staying in the same apartment? He wouldn't have to ask her in for drinks. She'd already be there.
"Yes," Brennan answered. "I've forgotten lots of things."
"Name one," he challenged her.
She took a breath. "I can name three." Holding up her fingers, she counted them off. "I forgot how to live. I forgot how to feel. And I forgot how not to be afraid."
Booth swallowed, shocked at the bluntness of the answer. He turned to look at her, but she had turned her face to the window. He was finally forced to look back at the road. What was it about the two of them and conversations that either took place in a moving vehicle, or in the dark? "Are you remembering how to do those things now?"
She laughed gently. "I'm not sure. But I'm trying."
Turning to reach out a hand, she brushed her knuckles across his cheek. Thankful they hadn't yet reached the highway, Booth pulled over to the shoulder of the road. He grabbed her hand and laid a gentle kiss on those knuckles.
Her hand was shaking when she pulled it away. "Do you think it's safe to be out here in the dark like this?"
"Your always safe with me," he reassured her.
"Mmmmm," she hummed. "I think we should go back to your place, just to be sure."
"Do you think you'll be safer there?" he asked, putting the SUV into gear.
"From the world, definitely," Brennan said. Her voice was confident. "From you, well," she said with a shrug, "time will tell."