(After 'The Change in the Game')

I don't own Bones.

Oooooooooooooooo

Not sure he was doing the right thing, Sweets stood outside of Booth's office and once more debated with himself about what he was going to say. He considered himself to be Booth's friend and in a way Dr. Brennan's friend too. After Mr. Nigel-Murray had been murdered and Brennan had returned from the young man's funeral, he had noticed that the relationship between Booth and Brennan had changed. They never seemed to argue anymore and rarely touched each other. He feared that Dr. Brennan blamed Booth for her intern's death and their partnership might be in danger. He hadn't mentioned it to the Deputy Director. He felt he could help the partners and Bishop would never need to know about it.

As far as he was concerned, one of the major issues the partners had was poor communication. They didn't communicate well with each other and it created issues that could be avoided if they were more open with each other. Booth had a tendency to hide his feelings and his need to protect everyone around him made the man secretive. Dr. Brennan on the other hand floundered in social settings and didn't understand the nuances of body language and some innuendo. She had a tendency to misunderstand what her partner was up to sometimes and it created a barrier between them. Brennan wasn't versed in subtle communication and was blunt when she spoke to most people. That bluntness made her appear cold and uncaring, but Sweets knew that was far from the truth. She had taken the death of her intern badly at least for a while and Sweets feared that she might be contemplating severing her partnership with Booth.

He couldn't believe it had taken him this long to recognize that there was a problem between his friends, but he'd finally recognized that there was a problem and he was determined to be of help.

Since standing outside of Booth's office wasn't accomplishing anything, Sweets braced his shoulders back and entered the room. "Booth . . . do you have time to talk to me?"

Surprised to see Sweets in his office, Booth wondered why the man appeared to be nervous. "I've got a meeting in thirty minutes, so make it quick."

"Uh huh." The younger man closed the door behind him and walked over to where Booth was sitting.

Wary, Booth placed his pen down and placed his hands on the arm rests of his chair. "What do you want? Why close the door?" He was certain he was about to be lectured about something and he didn't appreciate it.

Slowly sitting down, Sweets knew he was going to have to be careful. Booth was a volatile individual who had a tendency to get angry if he felt personally threatened. "I'm here as a friend."

"As a friend." Booth went instantly on the defensive. The younger man's tone of voice told him that Sweets was about to interfere with his life. "Listen friend . . . What do you want?" Glaring at him, he dared the man to cross the line he was about to cross.

A little afraid, Sweets thought it might be better for him if he left, but he wanted to help his friend and he couldn't do it if he ignored the issue and hid in his office. "I'd like to help you . . . if you'll let me, with your issue with Dr. Brennan. I noticed that your partnership is a little strained lately and I . . ."

"That's it!" Booth stood up and leaned on his desk. "There is nothing wrong with my partnership and I'm tired of people sticking their noses in my business . . . Bones lost her intern . . . the man was murdered in her Lab and she took it hard. She's fine now. She accepts what happened and in no way does she blame me for what happened. Brodsky killed the boy, not me . . . Now get the hell out of my office."

Shocked, Sweets stood up. "Booth . . . the way she acts around you has changed and let's face it, you're behaving differently around her too. You two are under enormous pressure . . ."

Moving around his desk, Booth walked over to the door, opened it and glared at his young friend. "Get the hell out of my office . . . and mind your own damn business."

Short of creating a scene and embarrassing the man in front of his agents, Sweets knew he hadn't handled this visit as well as he should have. "If you need to talk to anyone, my door is always open . . . I am your friend." As he left the room, the younger man could feel Booth's eyes boring into him and he knew the agent was very angry with him. "I'm going now." Once he was in the bullpen area, he heard Booth close his office door and lock it. Staring at Charlie Burns, Sweets smiled. "A little misunderstanding."

Amused, Charlie chuckled. "Yeah, I've had those little misunderstandings too."

Ooooooooooooo

Tired of the interference in his personal life, Booth stood in the doorway of the office of the Deputy Director and knocked on the doorframe.

Expecting Booth, Bishop turned his gaze from his computer monitor to his head of Major Crimes. "Yeah, come in." Booth had requested this meeting the day before and Bishop was curious. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, Sir." Booth chose to remain standing. "Dr. Temperance Brennan and I are now in a personal relationship. We'd like to continue our working partnership and I don't see why that can't happen. There is a 'no fraternization' rule about FBI personnel dating, but Dr. Brennan works for the Jeffersonian. I just want you to know about the relationship change since gossip seems to be a hobby around here. I don't want you to think we're hiding anything."

The Deputy Director could see that the man was trying to remain calm and he wondered who had wound up his agent before the man had arrived. "Alright." He stared at Booth and wondered what was driving the man to tell him about the relationship change. He'd known sooner or later that Booth and his partner were going to start dating, it had been so obvious, but he had thought it would probably be a don't ask don't tell situation. "The only thing I ask of you and Dr. Brennan is that you remain professional when you're working together. No overly friendly behavior. The FBI has an image to uphold."

"Of course, Sir." Booth hadn't planned on making out over dead bodies anyway. "We're always professional. I have a rule and I'm serious about it. No laughing or horsing around at crime scenes. The victim deserves respect and . . . well, you never know when a nosy reporter will be around to record what's going on."

"Yes indeed." Bishop glanced at his watch. "Okay, you've given me your news. You might want to tell Human Resources . . . I have a meeting in twenty minutes."

Before Booth left the room, Bishop stopped him. "What if I'd decided that the no fraternization rule applied to your partnership?"

Turning to face the Deputy Director, Booth decided that an honest answer was warranted. "Dr. Brennan would have found a dig and joined it until her contract was up. It's in her contract that she can go on digs when she wants to . . . When it was time to renew her contract, she was going to include a clause that stated she has final say as to the FBI Agent she works with . . . I think she plans to add that clause anyway."

Curious, Bishop stared at the agent. "And what if I don't want to sign a contract like that?"

"Bones . . . Dr. Brennan has a contract with the CIA, Homeland Security and the Pentagon. She teaches and she identifies remains for the Jeffersonian. Her plate is already full and I'm pretty sure she will drop the FBI from her services if she doesn't get what she wants . . . She doesn't need us, but we really do need her and her squints."

"Ah, I see." And Bishop did see. "Dr. Brennan isn't someone to screw with."

Booth chuckled. "Most of us learned that lesson a long time ago." Bishop waved him out of the office and Booth left. Once he was in the hallway he made a call.

Brennan.

"Yeah, Bones. Want to meet me for lunch at the diner? Noon? I have some news . . . good news." Booth noticed someone he didn't know staring at him and he turned his back towards the man.

I will meet you there at noon.

Ending the call, Booth placed his phone in his jacket pocket and walked back down to his office. He had reports to finish and he didn't plan to work late.

Ooooooooooo

Opening the packet of sugar, Booth poured it in his cup of coffee and stirred the liquid. "I told Bishop about us. He's fine with what we're doing. We're still partners . . . He doesn't want us to make out at crime scenes though."

"Make out at crime scenes?" Brennan found that statement to be outrageous. "I am not prone to behave in such a manner when I am working. I know there are rules about proper decorum and I always behave professionally . . ."

Amused, Booth placed his hand over her hand and smiled. "Bones . . . I think he was just kidding. He knows who you are and he knows you're serious when it comes to your job . . . he was just joking." He better have been joking. If someone says I've been unprofessional at crime scenes I will find out who's saying that and I'll squash them like a bug.

"Do you wish to make a formal announcement about the change in our personal relationship?" Brennan wasn't sure about the rules when it came to social conventions and she tended to ignore the more nonsensical rules. Since her partner was the head of his department, she wanted to make sure any announcement they made was dignified.

"Nah." Booth sipped some of his coffee. "Let's see how long it takes them to figure it out. Too many people think our business is their business and I'm tired of it. If they'd behave then I wouldn't mind telling them, but the hassles they've been giving me lately makes me want to punish them a little. I still can't figure out how us being relaxed and polite to each other means we're mad at each other. Sweets and Cam think you blame me for Vincent's death. What horse shit."

Annoyed, Brennan sipped some of her tea and placed the glass back down on the table. "What have I done to intimate that I blame you for Mr. Nigel-Murray's death? I don't understand how that could have happened. Brodsky was responsible for my intern's death. He was trying to kill you and he mistakenly shot my intern instead. In no way do I blame you for what happened. It's ridiculous . . ."

"Bones . . . We work with nosy people. Our friends are nosy people. Gossip is an Olympic sport at the Lab and at the Hoover . . . Let's just be us. I want to see how long it takes everyone to realize that we're together and they're full of shit."

"Alright, if you wish to do it that way." Brennan chuckled. "It might be amusing." She wasn't a big fan of jokes, but in this case, she was just as annoyed as her partner and she wanted to see just how alert their friends and co-workers were. "Angela knows and as far as I know she hasn't told anyone."

Since he didn't have control over Angela's actions, Booth decided not to worry about it. "She's on maternity leave so unless she blabs to Hodgins in the next six weeks our relationship will not be influenced by her."

"Of course, as soon as they realize that we're a monogamous couple then we should verify it." Brennan didn't want this joke to be eternal. Booth had said often enough in the past that a good joke has an expiration date.

"Yeah . . . we do have to tell Pops though." Booth knew his grandfather well. "He'll be mad at me if I don't tell him and he finds out from someone else."

Brennan nodded her head. "Yes, I agree."

Oooooooooooooooo

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