A/N:

HEY GUYS!

I'm really sorry these chapter are kinda taking a long time to get to you. I work most days so it's hard to try and fit writing into that schedule too but I promise I'm trying my hardest.

I also want to say thank you all so much for your reviews I appreciate them so much, and they really do motivate me to keep this going.

So enjoy chapter 4, and please leave me some feedback!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones! I don't even really own like 80% of this concept sooo...

As the early morning sunlight illuminated Brennan's room banishing any sign of darkness. She pulled her sheets over her face trying to gain a few more moments to sleep. Her night had been restless after ignoring the invitation from her writing companion. Brennan's mind couldn't shut off the small voice inside of her head, questioning her decisions from the night before. Deciding to give up on her attempt at claiming a few more minutes of sleep the scientist rose from her bed so she could go to the one place she was always able to clear her head no matter how much she had going on.

The Jeffersonian was like a second home to Temperance Brennan. (Well more accurately it was her first home to which her apartment became the runner up) she always found no matter what mood she was in or how she was feeling being surrounded by the latest scientific equipment. By her colleagues and peer whose company wasn't always entirely welcome still somehow contributed to the serenity, her workplace made her feel. Yet, most importantly, the one crucial component in the tranquillity the Jeffersonian emanates is the bones. Every single set of remains waiting to be given an identity to have their lives delivered back to them, to have their stories heard and told by one of the only people who can honestly tell them. Nothing made Temperance feel more content in her life than being the vessel for which these people could not speak to inform the world of who they were. So today at a time where the only thing the anthropologist wanted was some peace. She made her way to 'Limbo' a nickname she wasn't all too fond of but found rather appropriate at the same time. The bone storage room had always had an eerie quality to it, being surrounded by an inordinate number of unidentified remains in a low lit, numbingly cold place; but Brennan had never felt the 'creepiness' of the space, she had only found the therapeutic nature of the atmosphere of the room. Which is why where the scientist was found, intensely studying a single set of remains by her best friend, the artist was marginally surprised to see the anthropologists furrowed brow and tense demeanour.

Angela had noticed her best friend enter the lab at her usually ungodly hour of arrival as she had intended to catch the other woman for a much-needed girl talk. The artist knew her friend disliked having such a jovial conversation. Still, Angela had always managed to persuade her that if she allowed Brennan to discuss the ins and out of whatever tribe the anthropologist was studying at that point in time with her, then she should be allowed to pull Temperance into an unintelligible conversation every once in a while. Still, once Angela had followed her colleague down to 'Limbo' and had seen the pensive look on her face, all hopes of their lighthearted girly talk were abolished.

"Hey, Sweetie. Is everything okay? You're looking way to intensely at those bones. The only thing that should be getting that kind of attention is a very attractive man." As the last two words left Angela's mouth, she saw Brennan shoulders tense immediately. Typically, her friend was good at hiding her emotions at work. Still, Angela had also gotten increasingly better at noticing the doctor's subtle signs of discomfort or awkwardness. Noticing that Brennan wasn't planning on answering her questions, the artist decided to try a different tactic. "I can see that something is bothering you. Remember how you sometimes feel better after you've told me what's wrong and we have a long conversation to help solve the issue. I think this might be one of those times." Watching Brennan slowly discard the bones she was studying and spin on her heels to face Angela the worry that the woman had already seen on her friends face had become something more. Something which she couldn't quite identify.

Taking in a long deep breath, Temperance prepared herself to explain her current situation to her long time friend. " Last night the man I have been messaging suggested that we meet. The idea of seeing him face to face, to consider him a real person. Obviously, I am aware of the fact that he is a real person whether I meet him or not, but I still find myself quite anxious to take that next step with him." Brennan took a much-needed break from her ramble to collect her breath as she felt as though she was rapidly running out of oxygen. "We have gotten to know some more personal details of each other's lives. However, I'm still not entirely sure I can trust him. Booth says that my judgment of people is no existent. Which is why when my writing companion asked me to meet up, I neglected to respond to him."

The anthropologist could see her friend mulling over her statement, trying to find the best way to respond. This was something Brennan noticed happened quite often when she and Angela were having a conversation about her feelings, as she knew she wasn't the best at identifying her emotions and correctly finding the right outcome that corresponds with said emotion. Just as. Brennan was going to try and explain her situation to Angela more clearly the other woman began to talk. "Do you feel like you trust him? I mean it doesn't have to be one hundred per cent trust but do you feel like maybe you wouldn't feel scared to meet him or uncomfortable if you were to agree to his proposition because honestly Bren I think if you trust him and feel safe and secure that what you know about his is true, you should go for it." The confusion in Brennan's brain translated obviously onto her face the artist continued. "You are a powerful and incredibly intelligent woman who is well trained in more than one form of martial arts. All I'm trying to say is that even though the likely hood of this man has lied to you about his life and being someone who wanted to harm you are low if something bad were to happen you're the one person who would be able to handle it. And if you hadn't forgotten you also have a very dreamy FBI hunk who would die to protect you, you could call at any time". Temperance knew Angela was right. There was no reason for her not to trust this man; she didn't feel as though he has or ever would deceive her, and if she was wrong. Her assumptions led her to a dangerous situation; she was perfectly capable of getting herself out of it. In a dire circumstance, she could call Booth.

Before Brennan could inform Angela of her final decision to meet up with the man, she'd met online the unmistakable sound of her partner's unique ringtone on her phone broke the silence between the two women. The anthropologist's mood noticeably lifted as she answered the call from her 'Dreamy FBI hunk' as she confirmed the location for a set of remains that could potentially become a case for the duo. Hanging up the phone, Brennan looked over at her friend who was standing smiling over at her for a reason the scientist couldn't comprehend. "I have to go and meet Booth. We might have a case, also I've decided to take your advice. I shall inform TheIceMan that I am willing to accept his proposal." With that Brennan made her way out of 'Limbo' and headed to the scene of a potential new crime to meet her partner and discuss her upcoming date. Well, not a date-date. She thought, and to discuss his role in the proceedings.

As the partners pulled up to the crime scene, Booth could sense something was off about the woman sat next to him. It wasn't unusual for them to have silent car journeys together, the quietness had never been awkward between them; it was always comfortable, but today felt different. He felt as though she was avoiding talking to him rather than just not having anything to discuss. It wasn't as if he was exactly great company either all day he had been wondering why the woman he met online had ignored his message. Maybe it was too soon to have asked her; he shouldn't have pushed her so soon, he'd scared her off. She was never going to speak to him again. He'd really fucked this up.

The pair made their way over to the body found by the edge of a ravine seeing Cam already knelt by the body Brennan took her position next to the corpse to being her preliminary examination of the deceased. "The narrow, high nasal aperture and pronounced nasal bridge suggests the victim was Caucasian, and the broader sciatic notch indicates female, probably in her mid-twenties to early thirties." When she was about to continue, the scientist could see her partner staring at her seemingly looking like he wasn't paying attention to any of her findings. "Booth, hello. Are you paying attention to anything I'm saying? We're trying to potentially solve a murder. What is currently more important than that?" The look in the agent's eyes told Brennan that he hadn't realised his focus being deterred from her oral examination. She'd remembered he'd been pretty distracted on the car journey there too. Not that she wasn't also a little bit out of sort today, but at least she was able to keep professional when necessary.

"Yeah sorry, Bones. Just had a long night, I'm kinda wiped, but I'm listening. I promise. Sarcastic notch, female. See". The look Brennan gave him told Booth that maybe he hadn't been completely listening. Trying to lighten the mood he gave her his best apologetic smile, which seemed to do the trick as she turned back to her boss to continue to discuss their latest case. "I can't seem to determine the cause of death yet Doctor Saroyan, have you been able to find anything?" The other doctor began to relay the information she had gathered to her colleague. Still, the anthropologist couldn't help but turn her attention back to the FBI agent adjacent to her.

Although she was famously bad at being able to read others emotions and body language, she almost felt as if she and Booth had their own emotional language that only the two of them spoke. She could see the disheartened look in his eyes; she wondered what could have caused it. Maybe something had happened back at work? But nothing work-related ever granted that feeling before. Perhaps it was Parker; he always got this sad look behind his eyes whenever his plans with his son were cancelled. Still, this look didn't look quite as anxious, pondering what other reasons could be causing the man in front of her to be feeling crestfallen, the scientist now noticed he was also looking at her with the same inquisitive look.

"Maybe once we get back to the Jeffersonian we'll be able to get a better understanding of CoD." Both sets of eyes flew back to the noticeably agitated coroner. "maybe it would be best if you both focused on this case instead of making eyes with each other." They both watched the other woman stand from her kneeling position and order the techs around her to being the process of taking the remains back to the lab. " Booth and I weren't making eyes with each other. It's physically impossible to build an eye unless of course, Seeley were to impregnate me. Which then I supposed could be considered us making eyes. Although it would just be me, who would technically be making them." Brennan could almost sense the awkwardness radiating off of her two friends.

"Bones that's just not even close to what Cam meant. Making eyes means looking lovingly at each other, which by the way is almost as completely ridiculous as Bones' suggestion for the term. Look we're all clearly a little bit distracted so why don't we wrap this up and get back to the Jeffersonian where everyone can refocus. Okay?" Without leaving any room for more conversation, the agent began guiding his partner back to his SUV, placing his hand on his long-ago claimed spot on the small of her back. The familiar gesture almost putting them both at ease as they entered the vehicle.

As the truck began to pull out of the crime scene, Brennan decided that their departing drive could not parallel their arrival. "Earlier Angela made me realise that when I am stuck in my own head about an issue, I find it best to discuss said issue with another party. I was wondering if the same would be true for you? Do you wish to discuss your troubles? With me, I mean not just generally." The apprehensiveness was visibly radiating off the anthropologist. She knew she wasn't very good at saying the right thing at the right time, but she wanted to help her partner the way her best friend had helped her earlier. " Honestly Bones, I don't really feel like discussing it. I'd rather just be distracted. Got any ideas on that" He turned to her the stress that had been emanating from him slowly turning into a smile as he looked into her cerulean eyes.

" As a matter of fact, I do have a topic I wish to discuss with you. If that would be a welcomed distraction? It's about the man I am talking with online." The light that had only just briefly entered Booth's eyes again was lost the instant she'd mentioned her online companion; he simply gave his partner a silent not as his permission to continue. " I was considering meeting up with him in the near future. We have learnt quite a bit about each other, and I feel comfortable in my knowledge that he seems like a good man." For reasons unknown to even him the final words of the scientist's sentence hit him right in the sore spot, he had growing since his apparent rejection from last night. The woman he was talking to didn't even have the decency to reject him. Still, somehow his commitment-phobic partner was now completely okay with meeting a stranger from the internet because he's a 'good man'. Booth was a good man too, and he'd earned that moniker from her a long time before this new guy entered her life. Biting back his developing anger, the agent began to try and completely process what she was telling him. "So you want to meet this man. In the real world, that's dangerous Bones, and you know your track history with men, they usually turn out be asses or killers." He knew the second the last sentence left his mouth he'd let too much of his irritation flow freely from his mouth.

How could he be so horrible to her? He'd asked her for a distraction from whatever was going on inside his head, and now he was lashing out at her when she tried to do so. Clearly, the was something more fundamentally wrong with her partner than he as willing to admit to her. " Need I remind you that by your terms you must also fall into one of those two categories and you're making it quite clear which one. I wasn't asking for your opinion on the matter. I was just simply informing you of an event happening in my life to distract you from whatever is making you act like a jerk." Brennan couldn't gauge the look in the older man's eyes, so she continued with the speech.

"Furthermore, if by any chance he wasn't a good guy. Not that I doubt him in any way. You and I both know that I am more than capable of looking after myself." She could practically feel the steam coming out of her ears once she'd finished her verbal battering of the man sat next to her, who at this point was looking like a deer in headlights. "Bones, I'm sorry that's not what I meant. Well, it was, but that's not how I meant to say it. I just want you to be careful when you're meeting this guy. Okay? I don't want to see you get hurt, that's all. And I know how capable you are of handling yourself, but for my own peace of mind could we maybe have a code in place in case things get too out of control? At least just to make me feel better, and get me off your back." He let out a small chuckle, which instantly received one of Brennan's adorable crooked smiles that he loved so much.

Brennan knew she could never stay mad at Booth for long; he had a way of calming her rage even when he was the source of it merely by looking into her eyes with his rich chocolate browns. " If it will truly make you feel better to have a 'code' for when I meet him then fine we shall develop one. Even though I am quite satisfied, we won't need one. If something is fundamentally wrong with this man, I shall send you a series of numbers. How about 447? It's the date me and Max saved you from the ice pick killer April 4th 2007, but this time you'll be saving me." She looked over at Booth and was met with a look she was sure she'd seen on him before but couldn't quite place when. His eyes were darker than usual but simultaneously soft and warm the contrast was so compelling she couldn't pull her eyes away from his not registering the fact that he'd pulled over the car and his eyes were now also fixed onto hers. She watched as he slowly leaned towards her, his eyes never breaking contact with hers. Brennan watched as he gently placed his hand on her upper thigh as she let out a breath she wants aware she as holding. " I can't believe you remembered the date of that. That seems like such a long time ago now, be that as it may, 447 is the perfect code for when I need to come and save you." Booth slowly inched his hand up his partners thigh just a fraction more. "Sorry, if you need me."

Just as Brennan was about to utter the words she knew she would almost definitely regret. The sound of sirens passing their car brought her attention back to reality. Finally tearing her gaze from Booth's she noticed that they were parked in the Jeffersonian private parking garage. She began gathering her belongings to make her way into the lab still feeling his eyes on her once all her items were collected the anthropologists looked back up at the FBI agent who hadn't moved an inch since she began the retrieval of her stuff. "Thank you from dropping me her, and also thank you for looking out for me too. I know you're only trying to protect me, and although I don't necessarily need it, I am very appreciative of you offering your protection to me. I'll call if there any news regrading the case. Goodbye Booth." With that she close the passengers side door and made her way into her sanctuary once again, this time with a more complex issue on her mind. Seeley Booth.

Once the Jeffersonian team managed to determine the cause of death to be several gunshot wounds to Jane Doe's torso. Brennan found there wasn't much more she could do until the set of remains had been cleaned and seeing as it was almost 10 PM the anthropologist decided to call it a night and head home for the evening to be well-rested when conducting her bone analysis in the morning.

The drive home was rather uneventful, barring the conflicting thoughts occurring in her mind. She'd been reasonably excited to accept the offer from the man with whom she was talking online. Still, something about the way Booth had reacted to her news. Then when she had told him there just in case code, gave her pause. Maybe Booth is right. My track record with men has exactly been exemplary, and I should know more about him before we meet. I don't even know his name. That doesn't matter though I've met plenty of people in the real world who's names I was not aware of, and Booth will be there to protect me. Not that I need the protection, of course, he'll be there as an unnecessary safety net. A strong, kind, handsome safety net. No. She was not going there.

Her thoughts refocused themselves as she pulled into her designated parking spot outside of her apartment building. Gathering all of her belongings from her car Brennan, made her way to her apartment, stopping to greet the door watchman as she entered the building. Temperance wasn't usually one for small talk; she found it somewhat unintelligible. She was, however, also raised to be humble and kind to those who's job involves caring for her needs. Her mother had always told her that ' it doesn't hurt to make someones day just a little bit brighter with a simple hello and a smile' Although the anthropologist didn't live by this rule she found that there were certain times with particular people that the saying held true. The man who stood guard at the front of her building was one of the very few people who got to see this softer side of Doctor Temperance Brennan.

After entering her home and placing her bag and coat on their usual hooks by the front door, Brennan instantaneously walked over and put herself in front of her computer. The tab for her conversation with TheIceMan was left open from her previous night's discussion as she found herself becoming nervous about accepting his offer. Still, she began to type.

Blueeyedbabe: Hello. I would like to apologies for my delay in answering your question…

Delete.

No, that won't work. She had ignored his message. He would have been able to see her leaving his message on read. Try again.

Blueeyedbabe: Hello. I am sure you are aware that I haven't responded to your recent proposal for use meeting each other. I needed some time to think about the proposition. Although I should have probably made that clearer to you, I find it hard to express what I'm feeling most of the time. However, if you are still interested, I would be more than satisfied if we were to meet in person.

Better, she thought. Just be open and honest; if he has now decided against the meeting, it was no real loss to her. Although she would miss his company in the evening when she was finding it hard to relax and sleep, especially on a night when Booth hadn't popped over out of the blue with some form of takeaway in hand, or when she had some downtime in her office, and her partner was busy at work and couldn't come over and take her away for their impromptu lunch breaks. While lost in her daydream Brennan noticed the telltale ping of his notification.

TheIceMan: Hey, don't worry about it. I know I probably came on too strong, but I am happy that you accept my offer. I was thinking there's this bar I sometimes go to called the Founding Fathers we could meet there from some drinks in a couple of days if you want?

The Founding Fathers. This man she has never met before goes to a bar she often frequents. Maybe Angela was right; this man could be someone I know. If it was that would definitely make Booth feel better about the whole situation, and she would have finally chosen a man with whom she had already met and therefore couldn't be as bad as her previous suitors.

Blueeyedbabe: I also quite often go to Founding Fathers. I am available on Friday after work. I can meet you at the bar at around 9 PM. Would you like me to bring something as a way for you to recognise that I'm the person you are meeting with?

TheIceMan: That great, Friday around nine works for me. How about you bring a single white rose, something I'm sure no one else as the bar will have with them. That way I'll be able to stop you in the crowd. I can't wait for our date so I can finally put a beautiful face to the unknown name. I have to go now early start tomorrow, have a good evening Blueeyedbabe.

His final message made her heart skip a beat (metaphorically of course) he'd called it a date. He'd asked her on a date. This man who knew so little about her was interested in taking her on a date, but maybe that's why he was impressed. He wasn't privy to the information of Temperance Brennan, the woman who had so often been described as cold, or stand-offish. He wasn't aware of her social awkwardness and how she wasn't up to date with most pop culture references and sayings. Maybe she shouldn't have agreed to their date. She was almost certainly not what he would want.

She couldn't think like that. Temperance had never been an insecure woman before, and she definitely was not going to start now. He may have used the word date as she had earlier that day just as a way to describe the two of them gathering at a single point together. There was no need to over analyse his message and get herself worked up over nothing. Her mind anchored once again she too realised it would be best if she headed to her room to get some sleep, to prepare herself if not for the investigation she was now a part of. Then almost certainly for the onslaught of questions, she was sure to receive from her best friend.