A/N: We told some of you we'd wait until Monday to post, but heck, we just get so darned excited. This is the last chapter of this edition--thanks so much for your interest and support of us and our story, you make this all so much fun! Don't forget, this is a series, so keep watching for the next festive chapter of our dynamic duo's journey...

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On Thursday evening (November 1st; at least she'd be safe from coercion into other festivities until Thanksgiving time), Brennan sat in her office, trying to make progress on the paperwork from her and Booth's last case. Trying being the operative word. Her mind kept drifting…and then she'd pull it back with an almost audible 'snap,' but still she couldn't seem to maintain attention on the document in front of her for more than a few seconds. Shit, shit, shit. It wasn't helping that, after being very clear with Angela that she did not want to review the events of the previous night during the work day, her friend became completely obvious in her avoidance of the topic, purposely making the situation awkward whenever they saw each other. Not that Angela didn't have good reason to be curious. Brennan remembered what happened once she had made her way back downstairs to the party, pausing at the bottom of the stairs to gracelessly shove her shoes back on and wobble towards the door.

"Don't you even think about escaping!" She heard Ange's voice float over the music to her ears when she almost reached the exit. Sighing, she turned to guiltily face her friend. "Temperance Brennan! You put your mask back on right now. Remember what we talked about? Mystery? Letting loose?" Angela looked around. "Did you find your cowboy?"

"Ange…it doesn't matter. I just need to go. It's getting a little too hot in here…" She looked longingly towards the door, silently begging her friend to let her leave unquestioned.

Angela's head cocked to one side. "Are you okay? Here, why don't we go sit for awhile…Zack finally showed up, you can see his costume and we can talk and…"

"I've got to go now!" she said forcefully, and her friend stumbled back a little bit in surprise and confusion. Brennan immediately felt ashamed, but she didn't know what else to say. "I…I'll just see you in the morning, Ange," she said, turning on her heels and pulling open the door, leaving her befuddled friend behind.

As she escaped into the night, Angela's voice echoed faintly behind her: "Weren't you wearing tights?"

When she reached home, the first thing she did was strip down, get into the shower, and wash her hair a total of five times before the last of the black dye swirled down the drain. When she got out, she stared at herself in the mirror for awhile—no mask or heels or makeup, just Temperance Brennan, laid bare with her light hair. Not mysterious, not exotic. Just a normal person who did a crazy thing. And in the morning, before she had left for work, she went to work putting away the remnants of her costume, which she had thrown in a pile on the floor in her bedroom as soon as she had got home. Some of this stuff she could never imagine wearing again: she very nearly had to laugh at how obscenely small that skirt was. She tossed it in her wash basket, along with the top and the jacket that she had worn. As the jacket unfolded as it sailed through the air, the object that she had hidden in there tumbled out and fell to the floor. She stared at it for a minute before picking it up, as if worried it might bite her if she touched it. That damn white Resistol cowboy hat. Why had she taken it? "Admit it, Tempe. You just slept with him so you could get the hat." "Very funny. Ha Ha." A million memories poured through her at that second—his eyes meeting hers for the first time that night in the hallway from under the brim of that hat, his solid body poised against the railing while he scanned the crowd below (for her! He had to be looking for her, right?), the feel of his hands grasping at her hips while he slammed into her with an intensity she had never experienced before…she tossed the hat onto her made bed like it was red hot and quickly left for her lab. "Stop thinking about him."

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Fuck it. He wasn't getting anything done. He hadn't gotten anything done all damn day. He wasn't sure why, but he hadn't even gone over to the lab to see Bones. She was probably busy anyway. Stone-age warriors or something. For about the six hundred and thirty millionth time that day, his mind drifted back to the events of the previous evening.

He'd sat alone in that bedroom after mystery woman had fled, in completely unfamiliar surroundings, but somehow now he knew he'd never be able to burn the image out of his brain. The first time they'd had sex. It had been anonymous, fast sex in some random bedroom in some random house. Not how he'd pictured it going down. And again, Seeley, do you always have expectations of complete strangers? Something about her had just been so… familiar. He just couldn't put his finger on it, and that really rankled his FBI agent side. He'd dressed slowly and quietly, finally flipping on the lights when he was finished to find his hat gone. She'd taken his hat. And if he was honest with himself, a tiny piece of his heart.

When he'd finally found the composure to leave the room, the first person he'd run into was Jack, coming out of the upstairs bathroom.

"What's up, Dude? Where'd Dr. --- uh, did you find the girl you were looking for?"

"Uh, yeah," he'd replied distractedly. "Listen, man, I really need to get out of here. I promised Parker I'd help him organize his candy tonight and it's almost his bedtime. I gotta go."

"Are you sure? You okay to drive?"

"Yeah, I didn't drink much, I'm good. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure. Tomorrow. Later, man." Jack had looked at him curiously.

"See ya."

He'd driven to Rebecca's to find Parker nearly asleep on the couch, still in his costume as Dash from "The Incredibles." He scooped the little boy up and took him to his room and tucked him into bed, promising to help him organize his candy that weekend when he was at Seeley's. Still distracted, he'd barely acknowledged his ex-girlfriend when she asked if everything was okay as he left. He'd assured her he was fine, knowing it was far from true.

He'd gotten home and quickly stripped, climbing into the shower to wash any remnants of the mysterious evening and the amazing woman down the drain. He scrubbed and scrubbed for several minutes (not understanding why he couldn't get the scent of her off his body) until he figured it out. The scent, like the room, was ingrained in the recesses of his mind. He got out of the shower and dried off, wrapping the towel around his waist. He entered the bedroom and kicked at the pile of clothes on the floor. Wash them. Wash them and then back to the back of the closet they go, Seeley. And this time? DON'T take them out again.

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It had been amazing sex, she acknowledged. Really stellar, hot, fabulous sex. And even she was mystified why the thought of it sent her into a near-panic, but all she knew was that right now she had never been so anxious to get back to her normal life of labs and science and bones. So because of that, she was doing her very best to push the thought of her sexy cowboy from her mind.

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He'd finally decided to run over to the lab, since he wasn't going to get anything done. Checking his watch, he noticed it was long past the time he should be going home, but he just wanted to run by the Jeffersonian real quick. He made his way through the lab, his shoes clicking softly against the cement floor. Seeley stopped in the doorway of her office, drinking his partner in with his eyes. She was seated in front of her computer, working diligently on something. The recessed lights above her glowed softly off the natural red streaks in her hair as she chewed her bottom lip in deep concentration. The familiar feel of the previous night came back to him and he shook it off as best he could before he spoke.

"You know, staring at the computer like that is really bad for your eyes."

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She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the male voice in her office. She had the sudden, crazy thought that her fantasy man at the party had somehow tracked her down and was here to blow her cover…"See this woman you all respect so much? She is really a sex-crazed maniac. And I have the hickies to prove it…"

But of course, that thought was crazy. She saw her partner in the doorway of her office, and looking slowly up towards him, willed herself not to look directly into his eyes. He couldn't really read all her dirty little secrets by looking at her—and even if he could, what should she care?…but logic hadn't exactly been her strong point in the past 15 hours, had it? Her voice sounded guilty, even to her. "Hey, Booth."

"Trick or treat, Bones," he said wryly, entering and dropping down onto her couch. He looked tired. Very tired.

"Halloween is over," she reminded him.

"Not for me," he murmured, and she barely heard him.

"Come again?"

He looked at her as if surprised the words had actually come out of his mouth. "Nothing." He rubbed his eyes. "Have you finished that paperwork?"

"No. You want to help?" she asked hopefully. He couldn't possibly be as distracted as she was right now. He would accomplish this much faster than she could.

He sighed. "I'm gonna starve soon if I don't eat, Bones. And you're gonna turn into a skeleton if you don't get out of here."

Her head was starting to throb a bit, whether it was from staring at the computer or from trying desperately to forget about the events of last night. Maybe having some company would help distract her. "You want to go back to my place and get take-out while we work? At least it would be a change of scenery…" As soon as the words left her mouth, her brain spoke up vehemently. 'Being with him is not going to distract you from last night, Tempe.' What the hell? Usually she was pretty pleased with the way her mind worked, but right now the internal commentary was becoming downright annoying. And it made no sense. Booth was her friend. Time with friends was always relaxing.

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The words "back to my place" reverberated off the walls of his brain for a long time. He had the distinct feeling that yes, indeed, he would like to go back to her place, but not for food. And there was that damn feeling again. What in the hell was it? Suddenly, all he wanted was to explain to her what he felt, what "back to my place" was meaning to him and ask her if she had had any strange experiences the night before. Something stopped him; however, and he just accepted her offer. "Yeah, I guess that would be okay."

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The suggestion seemed to throw him a little bit. "Um…I…" He looked around the office almost as if he was trying to find an escape. Then, finally: "Yeah, I guess that would be okay."

Very strange. "You okay?"

"Fine. Come on. Shut down. Pack up." Standing, he paced a little nervously by the door.

Well, apparently she wasn't the only person who was a little off today. She shut down her computer and gathered up her things, casting curious glances at him every so often. When she had everything together, she flipped off the lights in the office and walked past him into the open lab. And as she brushed by him, she breathed in the cologne that stood in stark contrast to the antiseptic smell of this building. Whirling around, she stared at him, and found him staring back. 'There is no such thing as déjà vu there is no such thing as déjà vu there is no such thing as déjà vu…'

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He waited as patiently as he could while she shut down her computer and got her stuff together, tapping his fingers lightly against the couch. He stood and moved to the door as she flipped the lights off and walked past him into the lab. As soon as her scent wafted past him, the familiar feeling liquefied his senses. She turned and stared at him, as he stared back, wondering if the thought running through his head was visible on his face: 'Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit…'

He told himself it was nothing. The feelings settling in his stomach were nothing – the panic, dread, (and was that arousal?) were in his head. Just like the smell. Stuck in his head so he only thought Bones smelled like her.

After a gulp, he found his voice. "Something wrong, Bones?"

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Her throat felt dry. "Nothing," she croaked, shaking her head hard. What the hell was the matter with her? Forcing her legs to move again, she headed again towards the door. As they left together, she pointedly waved at Angela, her stood outside her own office with her arms crossed, watching their departure with interest. Her friend simply raised her eyebrows in acknowledgement of her wave. Apparently unhappy with her leaving and keeping what happened the night before a mystery.

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Ever since she'd walked past him in the doorway of her office, Seeley had felt… off. Your damn ROCKER, apparently, Booth. You know what this is, dumbass. He quieted the voice again and went back to work in Bones' apartment. He was reading over her shoulder at what she had written and couldn't help but smile to himself. "Why do you have to use such big words?"

"Uh, because they're scientifically accurate?

"Well, yeah, but you do know that I'm not the only one who doesn't understand all that scientific jargon crap, right? Jurors, cops, judges, none of them get it either."

"Fine. Any suggestions? Should I replace patella with kneecap? Maybe change femur to leg bone?"

Seeley sighed heavily. "No. Never mind."

"Are you sure you're okay, Booth?"

"I'm fine. Little tired. Long night last night. Let's just get this finished."

They went back to work in silent companionship, the occasional 'clink' of his beer bottle against the glass coffee table the only sound in the room. He would sneak occasional glances at her, wondering if the fleeting thought he'd had before was true. Every so often, she'd look up and catch him and he'd look away, embarrassed. He really wanted to ask her about what she'd done the night before, but then he'd have to find out if 'the familiar feeling' (as he'd taken to calling it) was all in his head or not. And he wasn't really sure he was ready for that.

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They worked for a good portion of the rest of the evening, between bites of take-out and occasional bickering about how to write a scientifically accurate case summary that laymen would understand. Although she typically felt quite at ease with Booth, she felt more tense than usual tonight, unable to make the smallest of small talk. She knew it would be polite to ask him what he did with his Halloween night. But she didn't want to know. Probably because he would then ask her about hers. And what would she say then? From the small looks he kept darting her way, it would appear that her odd mood tonight was apparent.

It was obvious that he was getting more tired by the second, as he was constantly yawning and rubbing his face. Poor guy. He must have had a rough night, too. "Why don't you go, Booth, it's getting late. We're almost done here, I can finish up."

"Bones…"

"You aren't going to be in any shape to drive home," she pointed out.

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Reluctantly, he realized that she was right. His brain and body were both overtaxed at this point. "Point taken. I'm gonna go splash some water on my face first, 'kay?

She nodded her agreement, and he rose from the couch, headed to the first door on his left. Entering the bathroom, he turned the cold water on and let it pool up a little in the sink. Cupping his hands beneath the stream, he splashed the icy liquid on his cheeks, shaking his head to get rid of the slightly fuzzy feeling. When he decided he head was as cleared as it was going to get (which wasn't saying much), he shut the tap off and moved to grab the hand towel hanging on the chrome rack next to the door.

He patted his face dry and as he was going to hang the towel back up, something sitting on the bed in Brennan's bedroom caught his eye, through the cracked-open door. Maybe if it had been brim up (like it was supposed to be) he never would have noticed. But sitting on her burgundy down comforter (with all of its luck spilling out) was his white Resistol cowboy hat. Oh. Shit.

I'm sorry, you're surprised by this? You seriously mean to tell me you didn't know it was her this entire time? I'm calling bullshit, Seel. Completely and totally the biggest pile of crap you have ever tried to tell me. He stood frozen in place for a moment, then strode quickly across the threshold to her bedroom, her sanctuary, to get his hat back. The moment he was in the bedroom, the familiar feeling struck him in the head and heart with the force of an entire fleet of Mack trucks. Like I was saying. You knew it was her. He grabbed the hat off the bed and quickly fled back to the bathroom, but this time his good buddy familiar feeling came with him. And no matter how he tried, he couldn't shake it.

He flipped the bathroom light off quickly and walked out, trying to calm his racing heart on the way back to the living room. He couldn't do it by the time he got there, so he stood for a few minutes, watching her on the couch, hands over her eyes like she was trying to block something out. He opened his mouth to speak no fewer than eight times with nothing coming out before she finally looked up at him.

"What?"

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As he went to the restroom, she collapsed back onto the couch, closing her eyes and covering them with her hands. This thing with the sexy stranger was driving her crazy, really bothering her. Maybe, once they both were more well-rested, she should talk to Booth about it. Ange was a great friend, but would try to minimize this situation and talk her out of her guilt. A small part of her subconscious laughed hysterically at the mere suggestion that she talk to Booth about her sexy cowboy. "Shut up," she told her subconscious indignantly. Lying there, trying to drive all the confusing thoughts from her mind, she suddenly got that unsettling prickly feeling of having someone stare at you. What the hell? There was no one here but Booth…

Struggling to a sitting position, she looked over her shoulder to the hallway that he had last disappeared into. Sure enough, there he stood. Staring at her with saucer-shaped eyes. He looked awake now.

"What?" she said, now feeling a little annoyed. She had had enough weirdness for one evening. He didn't move, and she was about ready to snap at him when her eyes fell down to his hands and saw what he was carrying. A white cowboy hat. And he was holding it like…like it belonged to him.

"Where…?" he asked, trailing off.

"What…? she started, having no idea how to finish her question.

"Why do you…?" He was having no more luck than she was with the words thing.

They were silent for a second, their jaws both hanging a little slack. Thoughts rushed through her at lightening speed. Finally, she whispered. "You?"

He didn't say anything, but after a moment, nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Oh, god. I…I didn't know." But as soon as those words left her lips, her logic burst forth in a torrent through her psyche. And it was pissed about having been kept in check for so long. "Bullshit, Tempe. Bullshit. How many times have you watched him? Seen his shape and stature? Observed his mannerisms? How many hundred cups of coffee have you looked into his eyes over? How many times have you breathed in his scent while he leaned over you, watching you work? How well do you know this man? And you are trying to say that you didn't know who it was that you were fucking? Oh, that's a good one Tempe. That's why you bolted when you heard his voice. You already knew…but that just confirmed it. And that's why you've been so damned nervous around him…"

"No," she said out loud forcefully. That was ridiculous. It was dark. They were in costume. She couldn't have known. Her logic laughed at her. "What's ridiculous is that you needed a costume party as an excuse to fuck your partner. Very clever." She sank back into the couch, her face pink with a thousand different emotions of which she couldn't identify one. He walked over to her slowly and sat down beside her, gripping the hat white-knuckled in his fists.

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She didn't? She really didn't know? God. You two. Lying to yourselves like this. You know she's lying, Seeley. To herself, at least, if not you. I'd bet your left nut on it.

"It's…I…don't worry about it. It was just one crazy night, Bones." He couldn't stand to see the 'fight or flight' etched on her face. He reached out for her hand and she pulled it back like it had shocked her. "We were drinking, and out of our element, and…and…we got caught up in the mystery, I guess. But that doesn't change anything…we're still Booth and Bones, right?"

As he was saying the words, he was remembering how very un-Booth and un-Bones they had been the night before. How she'd clawed at him like even if she climbed inside him it wouldn't be close enough. How she'd thrusted her hips back into him like she wanted him to take her and fuck her and make her scream. How she'd gripped his cock inside her so tightly he thought his head would explode. How soft her hands had felt against his jaw. How tightly she'd fisted her hands in his shirt, and then in his hair. How wet she'd felt under his fingers. How her body had opened to him, almost as if it were begging him to fill it up. And her kiss... And with all of that, and the fact that her body was completely foreign to him, how right it had all felt.

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While the words were coming out of his mouth she was remembering being bent over that bed in a strange room, those hands pulling at her panties and catching at her hips and circling her body to rub her in just the right way to make her explode…

"You're right," she burst out. "This is…really awkward. But…yeah. We just have to forget it."

His face was unreadable. She couldn't seem to stop babbling.

"Besides…it was just sex. It didn't have anything to do with…us, really. It was just the mystery."

"The mystery," he agreed. Liar alert! Liar alert! Her eyes stayed locked on his for a long, uncomfortable minute. Those warm, brown eyes. The ones that she knew so well. The ones that she couldn't miss. "We going to be okay?"

She paused. They had to be okay. She needed them to be okay. She nodded. "Yes," she said firmly. "I mean…let's just think of it as what it was. Two strangers. One night. One memory."

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What did you expect, Seeley? Her to say 'no, not one night! I love you! I can't live without you! Let's get married and have half a dozen babies!' Wrong-o, bud. This is Dr. Temperance Brennan we're talking about. You're going to have to go with the ol' 'fake-it-till-you-make-it' theory on your feelings for this girl.

He smiled at her as best he could, the familiar feeling he'd been having tightening into something else in his chest. He knew he liked his partner, so much… but was there more to it than that?

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His smile looked a little sad. "Sure is a small world, isn't it, Bones?" Sighing, he looked down at the hat in his hands.

"You can have it back," she stated almost too quickly, seeing his glance at the hat. He very nearly laughed at that.

"I should go."

"You should," she agreed.

"Friends?"

"Friends."

"Guy hug?"

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He could tell she was hesitating for just a second. But then she took a deep breath and stepped closer, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. This was different from the night before, but still good. They would go back to being co-workers. Partners. Buddies. But there would always be a little part of them that would know they were far from anonymous strangers. Far, far from anonymous strangers.

He smiled again, inhaling her scent, committing it to his memory as Bones instead of her. He stroked his hands up her back, giving her a gentle squeeze before he spoke. "Just so you know…" he hesitated, not knowing if he should stay the course with what he was thinking or try to bullshit his way out of what he'd been about to say. He went with the former. "We don't ever have to talk about what happened again… but I'm not going to forget it."

He squeezed her to him one more time, then pulled back and gave her his most winsome grin. As he walked out of the apartment, he knew he wanted to make sure she never forgot either. He let the door click softly behind him, knowing full well he'd left his hat sitting on her couch.

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She hesitated. Then she took a deep breath, and stepped into his arms. And that body was just as strong and large and him as she remembered. Despite herself, she sighed and relaxed into him. God, she loved that smell…

"Just so you know…" She was surprised when she heard his voice in her ear. "We don't ever have to talk about what happened again…but I'm not going to forget it." And with one final squeeze, he pulled back, smiled, and headed for the door. Leaving that damn hat still lying on her couch. So she wouldn't be able to forget, either.

When the door clicked shut behind him, she stared at it for a long while. The mystery was over. The puzzle was solved. But somehow…she felt more mystified than ever.

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A/N: What will become of our star-crossed lovers? The answer is just a holiday away:-)

We love you!