Hey! I loved when Pops confided in Brennan, and I particularly liked that she agreed to retain the information until the right time. Either she was lying, or she believes she will be in Booth's life whenever that time is right, which I found encouraging. (since I assumed she wasn't lying to appease Pops! haha, that's not really her style, though, is it?)

Set right after The Foot in the Foreclosure.

"Hey, thanks for coming with me, Bones" Booth spared her a glance as he started up the SUV.

She met his eyes in slight surprise. "Of course, Booth. Why wouldn't I have come?"

When she turned back to look out the window as he began driving through the city, Booth contemplated her words. Huh, why wouldn't she?

Why wouldn't she?

He would have done the same for her, that much was true. He'd done a lot more for her in the past. But it was more than that, he suspected. This wasn't a partner thing. This was a family thing.

But when he thought back to the entire week, he realized she'd infiltrated into just about every part of his time with Pops. A smile crossed his lips as he spared another glance at her, remembering the way she'd enthusiastically agreed to grilled cheese and dominoes, and just…everything. His smile faded quickly as it came when he saw her discretely wipe a single tear from her cheek. Booth felt his chest tighten, and his mind whirled as he tried to figure out what was wrong. Knowing with her it was best to just ask, he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "What's wrong, Bones?"

--b&b--

Brennan's throat tightened for a moment, and she blinked, looking over to Booth quickly, shaking her head. "Oh, no…it's nothing."

She forced a smile and met his eyes, just long enough to prove to him that she was telling the truth. Even though she was lying. But he didn't need to know that. He didn't need to know that she had been caught off guard by the rush of tears for a couple of days. Ever since her lunch with Hank, she'd fought off images of Booth as a young child, of Hank intervening on his behalf, of her partner then living the rest of his childhood and who knew how much longer without his father. Tears of sadness for him, and thankfulness that his Pops had gotten him out of the situation. And, if she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that she felt a few tears for Hank too, for his guilt over it all. The Booth men carried guilt, she'd learned.

But Booth was still looking at her, even as he pulled up to a red light. He smiled slightly and nudged her arm with his fist, "Hey, Bones…what's up? You can tell me anything; you know that, right?"

Brennan felt her stomach clench, even as she forced back a humorless laugh. It was so like Booth as well to assume she'd be upset about something personal, but not anything on his behalf. Then again, he didn't know about her private conversation…

Feeling confused, but anxious to change the subject, she just smiled and looked out the window again, hoping to ease his concern. "It's nothing, Booth. Have you finished the paperwork from the case?"

"Almost" Booth nodded and jerked his thumb toward the backseat. "Got the files back there. Was going to finish it this afternoon. Do you want to help?"

Brennan chuckled at his cheeky grin and shook her head. "Sure. Why not?"

Booth clicked his tongue against his teeth and looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "I'll even go easy on you at dominoes after."

"I don't think so" Brennan challenged, her chin lifting a bit. "I believe I have been well trained to kick your ass."

Booth laughed, and pulled out his phone, ordering some Thai takeout, since his oven was currently out of commission. "You'd like to think that, Bones," he grinned when he closed his phone and lifted up in his seat for a moment to slide his phone into his back pocket.

"I don't have to think it, Booth. I know it. Or should I say…Shrimp."

"Oh…" Booth scoffed and turned to her with a disbelieving smile. "It is so on, Bones."

She smiled, and didn't comment, but just looked out the window again.

Booth kept his gaze on her for a moment longer, and then smiled to himself as he drove through the city.

--b&b—

Once they reached his apartment, Booth led the way up, noticing that his partner paused in the doorway to his kitchen. Her fingertips caressed the charred wall, a contemplative look on her face.

"Hungry, Bones?" he changed the subject and held up the white cartons, giving them each a little jiggle. She smiled and nodded, walking over to his couch and sitting down, reaching for the rice and the paperwork.

They settled into a normal routine with a little less bickering than normal, and once the paperwork was completed, Brennan smoothed her hands down her sides and stood. "I guess I should be going."

Booth tilted his head to the side and leaned back against his couch. "No dominoes, hmmm?"

"Oh, I forgot" Brennan admitted, "But now that I think about it…" Her voice trailed off, and Booth saw the same look on her face as before. "I really should go, Booth."

He shrugged a shoulder and stood, walking with her to the front door. He opened it and then rested his palm against the doorjamb as she walked under his arm through the door. Just as she was almost of the threshold, she turned, her face very close to his.

Her eyes searched his for a moment, and Booth realized that whatever was upsetting her, whatever had caused that single tear to streak down her cheek was about him. For him, in some way.

His breath caught in his throat as her hand reached out and touched the side of his face. What was happening? In slow motion, he felt the pads of her fingertips in angel light movements against the top layers of his skin. In her eyes he could see that she was upset about something, and all of a sudden he knew. Pops.

Well, he didn't know for sure, but he'd bet his gun, holster and badge that it was something. Something that was causing her to feel…to feel what?

Because in the next instant, she was turning away from him, and he couldn't see her face again.

Immediately, he grabbed her hand again, turning her back to face him. He didn't know what to say, all he knew was that he wasn't quite ready for this new connection to be over. He knew it in his mind…and in his heart.

Brain. Heart.

Lifting her hand, he pressed it against his chest, hoping she could feel his heartbeat. He took his own hand and pressed it just under her left shoulder, feeling the steady beat of her heart against his fingertips. Their eyes met and held as a new connection arced between them, one of friendship and understanding and partnership and…and family.

He released her hand and pulled his back at the same time. She smiled softly and turned to walk away. Booth watched her go and then closed his door, leaning against it for a moment. He walked over toward his stove and ran his own hand against the burned wall there.

Ever since he'd awoken from his coma, he'd been told he was in love with his partner. In love with her. Based on his brain.

But it was time to stop leading with his brain. Time to put the heart in overdrive.

--b&b--

Present day…

"Hey, alright, another case solved" Sweets smiled encouragingly from across the table in his office. "That's gotta feel good, right?"

Brennan spared a glance toward her partner and could see the way his knuckles were almost white from gripping the stress ball from the coffee table. Before Booth could open his mouth, she cleared her throat.

"Feeling good is subjective, Dr. Sweets, but…" Brennan trailed off for a moment when Booth looked at her, but she just kept her gaze focused ahead of her. "But, I can honestly say that it does not feel good, what we had to just do. It's satisfying to see a case through to completion, but…it does not feel good to tell someone that her own son murdered her alcoholic husband."

Sweets swallowed and then leaned forward so his elbows rested against his knees. "I see. And…Agent Booth, do you have anything to add?'

Booth pressed his tongue to the inside of his mouth and then gave a humorless chuckle. "Nah, nope, I'm good with what Bones here said."

"Right." Sweets nodded. "Yes, I see…" He leaned back in his chair and nodded again, pressing his fingertips together beneath his chin. "If I may…" When he didn't receive an answer either way, Sweets took it as a sign to continue, "If I may, I feel that the two of you are separating yourselves from this case on a personal level because of the intricately woven element of family involved."

Brennan could almost feel Booth's temperature rising, and she placed a quick hand on his arm. "That's not true, Sweets. You're projecting what you want to believe onto us." Again, she felt Booth's quick glance in her direction, but she didn't look his way. The truth was that she thought Sweets might just be right, but she hadn't wanted to upset Booth, and so she'd just kept her mouth shut.

If Sweets was disappointed in her answer, he didn't show it. In fact, a tiny smile curved up one side of his mouth, and he glanced back and forth between the two partners. "And, Agent Booth, you agree with that assessment?"

For a moment, it seemed as if Booth might actually answer him, but instead, he just patted the arm of the couch once and then stood. "I'd say it's about time to leave, wouldn't you, Bones?"

Brennan looked from him to Sweets, and then back to Booth. "Um…yes." She stood up and schooled her features as much as possible. "I would agree with that statement."

Booth forced a smile and held a hand out between Brennan and the doorway. She nodded slightly and led the way, not speaking a word until they were out of Sweets' office and in the FBI elevator.

When she looked at Booth from the corner of her eye, she could see that his jaw was still set, so stiffly that the muscle there was working frantically. Her chest constricted in the way it did when she was always unsure on how to proceed with him. Feeling as if the truth were best, she stepped a fraction closer to him, thankful for their solitude in the elevator. "Don't put any credence into what Sweets says, Booth" she tried to encourage. "He's just…showing off. In my opinion."

Booth didn't so much as spare her a glance, but instead, just reached around her to tap once more on the button for the ground floor level, as if doing so would make the elevator move faster. "Yep" was all he said.

Brennan took the hint and pulled in a deep breath, settling her hands in front of her and staring at their silent reflections for the rest of the elevator ride.

--b&b—

If the elevator ride was tense, it was nothing compared to the mood in the SUV as Booth drove through the dark city streets. Every once in awhile, a streetlight would bathe its light into the windshield, and Brennan would get a glimpse of Booth's face. The skin near his eyes was pulled tight with tension, and there were deep frown lines around his mouth. Brennan licked her lips as she felt words rising up her throat. Even if Booth grew angry with her, it was better than him being so silent, right?

"Booth…"

"Not now, Bones." He grounded out, cutting her off before she could even start.

"But…"

"Not. Now."

His tone recommended no argument, and the way he shifted in his seat, clenching the steering wheel with tight reins was witness enough to the fact that Brennan had miscalculated.

So she sat back in her seat, pressing her fingers to the window, noticing for the first time that it had started raining. She thought she heard Booth sigh, but when she looked over at him, nothing about him had changed. Figuring she had just imagined it, she turned back to look out the window, enjoying the way the store windows displayed sales or new merchandise.

They stopped at a red light, the silence in the SUV energetic and uncomfortable. As the light turned green, Booth stepped gently on the gas, and then… "You know, I thought about it."

Brennan blinked, and pressed her hand to the window for just a moment more, trying to appear casual. "Thought about what?" she asked without looking his way.

She could just make out his reflection in the window, and she could see him swallow first before shifting in his seat once more. "It, you know, my dad, and…"

Killing him.

Brennan knew what he meant, knew exactly what he meant. She felt a small shiver of pleasure that she'd figured it out before, and an equally small measure of pride that she'd managed to keep quiet about it until Booth had been ready to talk. "Oh?"

--b&b—

Booth heard the practiced hesitation in her voice, and it almost made him smile. She thought she was fooling him? Well, not likely. He knew her. He damn well knew her well enough to know what she was thinking, and he was damn proud of her for keeping her mouth shut about it. If he hadn't been barely hanging on, he might have even smiled at her defense and well…lying in Sweets' office. But she wasn't fooling him. He'd seen the way her eyes lingered on him throughout the entire case, monitoring, watching to make sure he didn't take things too personally. But what she didn't know was that he'd stopped making things personal himself a long time ago. It was a lot easier that way.

But what he also knew was that if anyone could make him talk, it was her. And maybe it was her silence, her quiet acceptance, that finally pushed him over the edge. And he was so thankful that he didn't actually have to say anything for her to know exactly what he was talking about.

"Myself, I could get over that. I did get over that. And Jared…well…" Booth pulled in a shuddered breath. "But mom? That was always the hardest, and…"

He managed to spare a glance toward his partner and then for a moment, was entranced by her face. Her pale skin and wide eyes seemed more luminous than ever, and she was so breathtakingly beautiful that once again, he felt the contrast in his sinful heart.

"I'm not proud of it, Bones, and I never really thought about it, like…really, really made a plan or anything, but…"

Her lips parted, and she nodded. "I understand."

Booth blinked twice, but didn't look away, wondering if she really did understand. As well as he knew her, there was so much about her that he didn't know.

"But…" he shook his head and looked back toward the road. "You know the worst thing of it all, Bones?"

When she didn't answer, he spared her a glance and noticed that she was studying him. A self deprecating smile crossed his lips, and he pounded the steering wheel with the flat of one palm. "You know what really pisses me off? It's the fact that Pops had to give up his life to help me and Jared. It's just so unfair. I mean, Dad, he worked us up good, and then what, he just leaves. It's not fair, Bones. It's not fair to anyone, but it's really not fair to Pops. I mean, he had a good life. No way did he want us around like that, you know? But he did. I'm grateful, but…I know deep down, Pops regrets it."

"That's not true, Booth." Brennan whispered harshly.

Booth's eyebrow lifted as he looked at her for a moment. "Listen, Bones, I appreciate your interest in helping me with this, and all of that, but there's no reason for you to butt in about 'the truth', because frankly, you don't know what you're talking about. I don't mean to be rude, but…I'm pretty sure I know what I'm talking about so…no offense, but just butt out."

He loosened his tie from around his neck and tossed it into the backseat of the SUV. "Just…Pops never wanted to talk about it, and that can only mean one thing. He…regrets taking me in."

Booth pulled into Brennan's driveway and sat quietly for a moment. When she made no move to leave the SUV, he turned toward her. In her eyes, he could see some sort of war going on, and his curiosity rose. Her eyes were almost frantic as she looked at him, and he wondered what she could possibly be thinking. Feeling bad that he'd even brought it up in the first place, he cupped the back of his neck and sighed, "Look, Bones…"

"That's not true." She whispered it again, this time with even more conviction, and her tone gave Booth pause. Very slowly, he brought his hand down from the back of his neck and let his wrist rest against the steering wheel.

"What are you talking about, Bones?"

--b&b—

His tone was low, but his words were serious, and Brennan felt as if she'd made a huge mistake. She blinked rapidly, and tried to reach for the door handle. But she couldn't look away from Booth's gaze, and she feared her own eyes were declaring everything she was trying to hide, everything she should have kept quiet about. This wasn't 'some day, when the time is right'; this was the wrong night, the wrong time, and…she'd done it all wrong.

"Bones…" his eyes were dark, and his tone a little more intense. "What are you…what do you know?"

She inhaled such a sharp breath that he knew she did know something. Brennan closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them, reaching and opening the door to the SUV without saying another word. She already said too much.

Booth's hands clenched into fists, and he wanted to insist that she stay the hell where she was and fucking tell him. Now.

But he just watched as she got out of the SUV. She didn't wait for him to follow her, but instead merely walked inside. It was a few minutes before Booth unbuckled his seatbelt and followed her inside, even then still unsure that he wanted to hear what she had to say.

--b&b—

Brennan heard her front door close, and the click was so deliberate that she knew Booth was still feeling tense. Trying to stay as calm as possible, she opened her fridge door, leaned in to grab two beers and stood back up. As soon as she was straight, a hand reached around her and slammed the fridge door closed. Brennan turned around and held up the two beers in her hand. Booth's eyes were fierce with a dark glimmer of danger, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he took a beer from her hand and took a step back, placing his hand against the counter. "Don't play games with me, Bones. Just spill it."

Brennan's brow furrowed. "The beer? Booth, I…"

"Damn it, Bones!" He hissed and cupped a hand to the back of his neck. He sought out her gaze, his own practically begging her to just understand. To know what he needed without having to say it.

Brennan's chest constricted again, and she felt as if she'd failed him. Failed him and failed Hank. But it was too late now, and all she could do was come clean about all of it. She'd never expected to share this news with him ever, really. Not that she'd lied to Hank, but when it came down to it, she'd figured it wouldn't come up again. But…

"Bones…" he repeated, clenching his hand around the neck of his beer bottle.

Brennan kept her eyes on that as she opened her mouth. "When your grandfather was visiting you, he told me…" She paused and clenched her jaw before swallowing hard. "He told me something…about him and about your father."

She spared Booth a glance, and could see that his eyes were guarded. His white dress shirt was still crisp at the collar, and the contrast to his straight jawline with just a hint of stubble made him look very sharp and almost dark and scary. His unleashed power was rarely intimidating to her, but Brennan knew that in this moment, Booth could react unpredictably.

"He said…he said that he saw your father…" Even the words coming out of her mouth caused Brennan pain, and she wondered if she would survive speaking them. The full force of Booth's past, coinciding with the man she knew…it took her breath away for a moment. "Booth, he said he saw him hitting you, and…" Brennan's hands clenched open and shut as she tried to speak the words she'd promised to hold onto until the right day. "And he told your father to leave. He said…Hank said that he told him to leave and never come back, and…that's why. I'm sorry, Booth, I'm so sorry. Hank made me promise to tell you when the time was right, and I know it's not the right time, but I wanted you to know the truth. He wanted you to know the truth."

Booth made no move to respond, and instead stood as still as stone, the only movements found in the slight twitch of his jawline and the barely perceptible slide of his index finger against the condensation around the label on the beer.

Brennan opened her mouth to say something else, even as she reached out a hand to place on Booth's arm. But he stepped away and turned, walking for the door. Brennan moved past him and pressed her back against her door, preventing him from leaving. She'd never done anything like that before, and even now, she didn't even know what to say, but…

She just knew she couldn't let him leave. Not like this. It wasn't about her anymore; it was all about him.

"Booth…"

"Bones…" he rasped, "just let me go. Please."

"I…" her eyes widened at the pain in his voice, and she pressed her palms back against her door. "I can't. I don't know why, I don't know…Booth…"

His jaw worked back and forth, and she could almost feel heat rising off of him. His suit jacket was tight against his shoulders, his shirt tight against his abdominals; every part of his body was coiled and ready to spring. But his eyes were almost impassive, and Brennan blinked when she looked into his gaze, wondering if she'd misunderstood.

But then he closed his eyes for a moment and pulled in a deep breath. "I don't want you to see me like this, Bones."

His whispered admission cut her to the core, and Brennan's face flushed with the intimacy of the moment. "Don't you trust me?" she whispered in response.

His eyes flew open in shock, and if possible, he grew even more tense. "Yes. Yes, Bones. I trust you. I trust you. I just…sometimes I can…react, and…"

His reassurance only added to his vulnerability, and Brennan knew she needed to act, and quickly. "Stay here. Tonight."

The words caused a spark in her belly, and she felt her entire body flush as they reverberated between them. His eyes had mirrored her reaction, and it was clear that their instinctual reactions had resulted from the mutual desire for sexual intercourse. But…

"Stay…in the guest room." Brennan nodded. "You don't even have to see me. You can get drunk; I have your favorite beer."

When he didn't push past her to the door, she took that as a good sign. "You can watch TV, or do whatever you want to. Just…I want you to stay here tonight."

The silence crashed around them, and they both stood there, considering her offer. After several moments, Booth just nodded and then turned from her, making his way down her hallway. Brennan heard rather than saw the guest bedroom close.

--b&b--

See you in an hour with "Yellow", a longish one shot that involves some comfort and romance. Max has died (boo to me, i know!), and the team convinces Brennan she should go away for awhile to relax. She agrees and also receives a visitor. I'll give you one guess, haha.