Brennan whirled around, then looked between Booth and Jared in shock. "You planned this?"

Her eyes pinned on Booth's and he swallowed, taking another step into the living room. "Bones…"

"You pulled the Booth switch on me?"

She didn't even look at Jared, just Booth.

"Were you even sick, this morning?" Her whole body flushed and she shook her head, "I don't…I can't…"

"Temperance"

"SHUT UP!" Booth and Brennan both turned to Jared in unison.

"Well this never would have happened if you'd just told him I kissed you" Jared taunted Brennan.

"Don't talk to her like that" Booth growled, finally.

Jared laughed humorlessly, "At least I have the guts TO talk to her. I'm not the one who pussyfoots around her all the time."

"Just Shut up!" Booth snapped, but they were both cut off by the sound of the front door slamming.

Booth clenched his jaw and his fists, "Your delivery sucked. And that is NOT what we planned"

Jared shrugged, "So I improvised. Big deal. It all needed to be said."

Booth looked between the doorway and his brother.

"So you're not even going to go after her?" Jared motioned toward the door, "Dude, and why'd you have to interrupt when you did. She was about to say that she LOVED you, Seel!"

Booth's face was masked in pain, "I don't know about that."

"Oh my God, dude. You are ridiculous. You are so full of crap, you know that?"

"Shut up!" Booth shoved him and Jared shoved back, "Just because I don't want her telling YOU that she loves me, that doesn't make me ridiculous." He shoved again, and Jared pinned him against the back of the fridge.

"No, but the fact that you are still standing here, when she is out there, that makes you an idiot."

Jared released him and reached for the bouquet of daffodils, "She brought you soup."

Booth bit the inside of his cheek and accepted the daffodils, then grabbed his keys and booked it for the door, not stopping till he was outside. Her car was still there, which surprised him. But she wasn't inside of it, which alarmed him greatly. He frantically searched the area, but saw no sign of her. Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw a quick flash of red down the street, and he chased after it, clutching the flowers in his hand.

"Bones" he called, and saw her back stiffen as she reached the edge of the park. "Bones, wait up. Wait a minute" he grasped her elbow as she tried to step away.

Brennan didn't move as Booth moved to stand in front of her. Her eyes rested on the wrapped bouquet in his hands, "What's going on, Booth?"

He tossed the flowers to the bench, then pulled her over toward it. He sat down so hopefully she'd meet his eyes, and she did.

"Bones, listen…" He shifted slightly and looked down to where his hand cupped her elbow. When he tugged on it, she came willingly, and he pulled her into his lap. "Bones, I am so sorry."

Brennan didn't say anything, didn't trust herself to say anything, and instead, she moved from his lap to sit beside him.

"Bones, you see…." Booth's knee fidgeted up and down, and Brennan caught the glimpse of black socks between the hem of his pants and his shoes.

"Are you wearing black socks?" She bent over to examine for herself.

"Uh, yeah" Booth swallowed, then looked up at her when she stood in front of him, her hands on her hips.

"What is this, Booth. What is this about?"

He opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "Were you really sick this morning?"

When he didn't answer, she raised her eyebrows, "Were you?"

"Yes, Bones. I really was. I really couldn't come to breakfast. And so I asked Jared to tell you, and then he came back and said you were coming for dinner, and he had an idea."

"The Booth Switch" her voice cracked in pain, and Booth felt the crack mirror in his heart.

He rested his arm against the back of the bench, "Bones…". Booth's face twitched in an emotion she'd yet been able to identify, and he spoke in the direction of the trees.

"Bones, a few weeks ago, Jared came to my apartment, in some trouble. So I said he could stay there, on one condition." Booth sighed, "That he clean up, and he let me help him."

He stood then and walked away from her, his shoulders tensed, "And I know you don't approve of that. And you think he should be left on his own, but…he's my brother. And I'm all he's got. So…when he agreed to that condition, I said he could stay, as long as Parker never saw him like that."

Booth had no idea if she was still standing behind him, but he listened for a moment and thought he heard the rustle of her cotton dress against her skin in the night breeze.

"And then" he cleared his throat, "He said he'd stay and let me help him, on one condition." Booth turned his head then and met her careful gaze. "That I let him finally help me make a…that I let him help me tell you how I…"

--b&b—

Booth watched as Brennan looked away from him and made her way to the bench, picking up the now rumpled bouquet. She bit her bottom lip as she plucked gently at some of the petals. He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me…he loves me not…he watched as the petals floated to the ground. He loves me…he loves me…

"I love you" he whispered, and her cheek tightened.

He turned toward her but stayed apart from her physically.

"I love you, Temperance Brennan." His voice was low, but sure, "And I'm sorry I didn't say that to you in the first place. And for what it's worth, that's what Jared was supposed to say, that was what we'd agreed on."

Her cheek twitched again and her fingers paused for a moment before plucking again.

"But Bones…that's no excuse. And I'm sorry."

For a few moments neither said anything the only sounds coming from the side streets near the practically empty park. A couple of daffodil petals drifted over to land at his feet, and Brennan paused, then looked at him.

"Why are you wearing black socks?"

Booth looked to the side, then moved to sit on the bench, hanging his head between his shoulders. He gave a small chuckle, then looked up toward her. "Because I guess I lost sight of myself for a bit."

Her eyes searched his and she stepped closer to him. "Can I say something?"

"Of course, Bones"

Brennan shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she considered her words, "I like your socks." She blinked a couple of times, "I do. I like them. And I like having a beer with you after a case. And I like that if I want a glass of wine, you still have a beer. And I like sitting on your couch and…near you" she stumbled on her words a bit as she met his gaze, "I mean, I like being near you…"

Frowning, she approached the park bench, "May I?"

Booth smiled to himself and nodded, "Sure…"

She sat down beside him and then turned toward him, "Booth, your brother kissed me at the banquet."

Her fingers twisted with one another, "And I should have told you that. He's right. I should have been honest about it. But I thought it might disappoint you."

"Bones" he interrupted her then, "Nothing you do disappoints me. Okay?" he tucked one index knuckle under her chin and met her gaze, "Nothing".

Brennan smiled slightly, then pulled a couple of daffodils out of the wrapping and held them up between them. "Did you buy these?"

"Yeah" Booth smiled sheepishly and pulled one from her fingers, bringing it up to his nose to smell. "Jared said to go with roses, but…I knew…" his eyes crinkled a bit in a smile, but it passed when she frowned.

"Bones?"

She turned to him and then moved closer to him, "I think we both lost sight of what was right, Booth. I never should have gone to that banquet with him. Because I know you too. I know that was wrong of me, even as a friend…and, you're a good friend to me, Booth."

Booth felt the air in his lungs press down into his gut.

Friend.

Of course, he'd told her the same thing a few days ago when he'd kissed her. And the memory of that caused him to look at her and see that her eyes were almost totally closed, her lips moving closer to his.

"You're my best friend, Booth" she whispered as she leaned in the final inch to brush her lips against his.

Booth's hand came up to cup the back of her head to hold her in place as he kissed her in return, the sweet smell of her perfume mingling with the crisp night air and flowers between them.

"Bones…" he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, "Do you think…I mean…is it possible that maybe…" his teeth scraped against his bottom lip, "that maybe you might love me a little?"

Brennan pulled in a deep breath between them, "Yes" she breathed out, "Yes, I think that's possible. I think it's probable, actually."

A slight smile crossed her lips, and her shoulders relaxed, "I love you." She nodded, "Yes, I am comfortable telling you that now."

Booth saw now what his brother was talking about. Her eyes reflected intensity and fierceness, directed at him, FOR him, and so he leaned in and kissed her again, "I'm glad." He smiled against her lips and pulled her closer, "I love you, Bones."

"Yes, you said that" she murmured against his lips.

He chuckled, "Well, I'm going to keep saying it, for a long, long time."

He pulled back then, "On one condition, of course…"

Brennan's eyebrows rose, "Is that so?"

"Yes" he turned her so that her back was resting against his chest, and wrapped his arms around her front, "On the condition that you keep saying it to me for a long, long time."

Brennan chuckled and wrapped her hands in his, "I think that is a likely outcome."

Booth smiled against her neck, and they sat there for awhile, together.

--b&b--

Jared stood at the window and held the curtain back as he watched Seeley and Temperance talk to one another.

She was leaning against him, and every once in awhile, he would press a kiss against her head. Then she would smile, and after awhile, Seeley reached down and pulled up a few of the daffodils that had fallen to the ground.

Jared could see that her smile was genuine, and he chuckled to himself, even as a stab of jealousy shafted through his stomach. Not for her, necessarily, but just for…happiness. And answers. And meaning and all of that.

He let the curtain fall back in place and turned toward what was supposed to have been a romantic dinner between Dr. Brennan and his brother. The bottle of wine on the table called to his mind, his tastebuds and his gut, and he walked over to it and popped the cork, searching around for something harder to chase it down with.

And just as he was about to pour a nice whiskey chaser, his eyes caught on the brown paper sack Temperance had brought with her.

Jared set down the alcohol and walked over to it and opened it.

Inside were several quarts of soup, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. He'd known there was soup inside, but just seeing it took his breath away.

And then he felt something he hadn't felt for a long time.

He tossed the alcohol down the sink and watched it go down, a part of him wanting to dive under the sink to crack open the pipes and get it back, but, no. Not this time.

This time, he was going to hold on to a new feeling. Hope. Hope that maybe someday, someone. Someone who knew him would care about him. The real him.

With a sigh, he turned and pressed his hands to his forehead. Damn it!

This was not going to be easy…and he blamed his brother with a slight chuckle.

A smile crossed his face and he reached for a spoon and a bowl, "Well, I'm at least going to eat some of his soup. He owes me."

--the end