(The Foot in the Foreclosure)

I don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooooo

They had been a couple for 4 weeks and so far none of their friends knew that they were in a relationship. It wasn't planned. Booth hated for anyone to interfere in his personal life and Brennan felt the same way. They were enjoying exploring their new relationship and they didn't feel it was necessary to announce the change in their lives to anyone else. They knew their friends and co-workers would figure it out sooner or later, so they didn't think an announcement was necessary.

Booth had let his supervisor know about his relationship change and Assistant Deputy Director Hacker had just warned Booth to make sure that he and Brennan kept it professional when they were working together. Since they were always professional, Booth didn't see a problem.

"You know Bones, fun is fun, but you should probably tell Cam about our relationship change and let Human Resources at the Jeffersonian know. That way if you get sick or there's an emergency they know to contact me. I've already let HR know about us at the Hoover and I've made you my beneficiary if anything happens to me. You're at the top of my contact list if I get hurt or something, so that's taken care of too."

"Yes, I see your point." Brennan knew that Booth was right. She needed to add him to her life insurance policy and she needed to contact her solicitor to make sure her partner was added to her will. "I will contact HR on Monday."

They were enjoying a leisurely breakfast. "I think once you tell Cam, the cat will be out of the bag . . . I guess Angela will stick her nose in our business as soon as she finds out about us." Booth liked Angela, but he considered her nosy and a little too interested in Brennan's private life. "We can handle it. Just don't tell her my personal business and we'll be good."

Angela had been telling Brennan for years that she should jump Booth's bones and tell her about it once the deed was accomplished, so she knew that Booth was correct. She would continue to make sure that she didn't divulge too much information about Booth since her partner was a very private individual. "No, I won't."

"I'm surprised she hasn't figured it out yet." Booth sipped some of his coffee. "I guess she's been too busy with her own personal dramas . . . I guess once everyone finds out and puts their two cents in, it should be business back to normal. Nothing at work is going to change just because we're together."

"I hope that is true, but I won't count on it." Brennan was more realistic. "My co-workers and friends are very inquisitive."

Booth considered that an understatement. "No kidding."

As a rule, Brennan didn't see that as a problem since she was surrounded by scientists every day, but she did realize that their inquisitiveness could hinder her personal relationship with Booth. "While inquisitiveness is appropriate when we're working, I do realize that it can be annoying when aimed at me or you."

Leaning closer to her, Booth kissed her. "We'll deal with them when we have to . . . I can always threaten to shoot them if they don't leave us alone."

"I hate to say this, but they consider that an empty threat." Brennan smiled. "You've made that threat too many times and didn't follow through."

"Damn."

oooooooooooooo

His grandfather had showed up at his apartment unannounced and Booth had welcomed the old man with a hug. "Hey come in . . . Is everything okay? Why didn't you call me and let me know you're coming? I could have come and got you and saved you the cost of a taxi."

Glad to see his boy, Hank hugged him then patted Booth on the face. "Hey, nothing is wrong. I just wanted to come and see you. Maybe stay a few days if that's okay."

"Are you kidding me? You can stay as long as you want to." Grabbing his grandfather's bag, he carried it down the hallway while Hank entered the apartment and closed the door behind him.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be home or at work, so I took a chance and tried here first."

After he placed his grandfather's bag in Parker's bedroom, Booth reentered the living room. "Well, normally I wouldn't be here, but . . . um, well um . . ."

Brennan left the kitchen and stood near the doorway. "Booth and I came home for lunch." They had come home to have a little sex and a little lunch and they needed to go back to work soon.

"Pops, this is my partner and . . . and my girlfriend, Temperance Brennan." Booth moved over to where Brennan was standing, took her hand and encouraged her to move closer to Hank. "We've been together for over a month . . . Bones, this is Hank Booth, my grandfather."

Surprised, Hank smiled, moved closer to the couple and took Brennan's hand in his hand. "Welcome to the family Temperance. Seeley talks about you all of the time and I'm glad we've finally met." The old man shook his head. "You're more lovely than Seeley said you were."

"Thank you." Brennan knew she was beautiful, but she didn't know her partner had told his grandfather that she was. "Booth talks about you a lot. I am glad we've finally met . . . We have some vegetable soup in the kitchen if you're hungry. We were eating when you arrived."

"I could eat." Hank followed the couple into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "So, you two are a couple. The FBI didn't break up your partnership? That's good. I know they got rules."

After he placed a full bowl of soup and a spoon in front of his grandfather as well as a glass of tea, Booth sat down. "Well . . . I told my Boss and he didn't seem to care. The non-fraternization rule doesn't apply since Bones works for the Jeffersonian. Bones and I haven't told anyone else though . . . we've been busy with cases and stuff and . . . well, we'll get around to it soon. I guess we've just wanted to delay our nosy friends from interfering with our relationship and believe me, they will interfere. They're busy bodies and they never mind their own business."

Hank tasted his soup. "Delicious. I like a good vegetable soup once in a while."

"This is meatless Wednesday . . . Booth and I eat vegetarian dishes on Wednesday." It had been a struggle to get Booth to agree to forgo meat on Wednesday, but Brennan was determined to improve her lovers' diet. She thought he ate too much processed food and she wanted to increase his intake of fruit and vegetables.

"Really?" Hank was impressed. He knew that his grandson ate meat and he found it amusing that he would skip eating meat for his partner. "I eat less meat myself nowadays. I have reflux issues so no heavy spices and I need less fat in my diet."

Concerned, Booth placed his spoon down on the table. "I thought you were taking medicine for that. Isn't it better?"

"Sure it is, but it makes sense to cut down on spicy food." Hank continued to eat.

Glancing at her watch, Brennan placed her spoon down and looked at Booth. "We're going to be late if we don't go back to work soon."

Before he could respond, Booth and Brennan's phone rang. Holding up his phone, Booth answered the call. "Yeah . . . where? . . . Does Cam know? . . . Got it . . . No, I got it. I'll go get Dr. Brennan and we'll be there as soon as possible . . . Yeah, I know where she is." He ended the call and watched Brennan end her call. "We got a case." Leaving the table, he grabbed his bowl and Brennan's bowl, emptied what was left in the bowls in the trash and placed the bowls in the dishwasher with the spoons that Brennan handed him. After he poured the leftover soup from the pan into a container, he placed the pan in the dishwasher and faced his grandfather. "Pops, make yourself to home . . . my house is your house. We'll be back when we can. If we're late, we have some lasagna in the freezer along with some pasta primavera. Also, there's some leftover chicken in the fridge and we have some other stuff too. Help yourself."

After his grandson and his partner were gone, Hank finished his soup and tea and decided to take a nap. He thought his grandson was a workaholic, but it wasn't his place to tell him that.

Ooooooooooooo

He was watching television when his grandson and his partner came back home. Standing, Hank welcomed them back home. "Hey, there. I ate a sandwich for dinner, but if you want me to, I can reheat your soup for you."

Holding up three bags, Booth moved past his grandfather and into the kitchen. "No, we're good. We stopped off and bought some Chinese food. I bought ribs for you as well as some spring rolls. Just because it's meatless Wednesday doesn't mean you have to eat just vegetables. I know you like ribs."

Brennan silently moved over to the bedroom, entered it and closed the door behind her.

Concerned, Hank walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Is something wrong with Temperance?"

The bags on the counter, Booth grabbed some plates to put on the table. "Well, kind of . . . Hodgins did one of his crazy experiments and Bones wanted to help him and it kind of went wrong . . . she said she's going to have to throw her blouse and slacks away. Maybe her underwear too . . . Don't ask." Grabbing some glasses from the cabinet he placed them on the table with a pitcher of tea. "She didn't get hurt, but I may have to fumigate my truck . . . I left the windows open, so we'll see if that fixes it." Booth pulled his shirt collar near his nose and sniffed. "Okay, I need to change my clothes too. Help yourself, Pops. Bones has to take a bath and I need to wash up too. We won't be too long."

Once his grandson was out of the room, Hank waved his hand in front of his nose and coughed. "I don't know what that experiment was about, but it smells worse than a backed up up toilet."

Ooooooooooooo

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