Brennan sank into her chair and moved the mouse on her computer. It had been a long day, but it was finally over and most everyone had gone home. Brennan honestly hated days like this where nothing was productive or conclusive in her examination of some remains, but she knew that there were bound to be days like this. The case she and Booth were working on was at a stand-still, so there was nothing more she could do that she hadn't already done three times over with the remains.

It was the dead middle of the summer in Washington DC, meaning it was humid and miserable. So Brennan had shed her lab coat to sit in her office in her tank top while she started writing on her next novel. Her last one was successful, as usual, so she decided to get a jump start on the next one so her publisher wouldn't be hounding at her later when she was extremely busy with her work in the lab. She had been writing the latest sex scene between Kathy and a guy she met on a case down in Florida. It was a steamy hookup, even though Angela had helped her fill in some of the details for it. Despite her pregnancy, Angela remained determined to help out with the novels because of her vast sexual knowledge and ability to put that into words. Brennan was grateful for the help though since she seemed incapable of putting passion into a sex scene the way most readers wanted to read it.

As she worked, she thought of the past couple of months. Booth had come home with a girlfriend from Afghanistan, Angela and Hodgins were expecting their first baby within the next couple of weeks, and she had pretty much remained the same. Booth and Hannah's relationship floundered not too long after their return after an argument because Hannah had been shot. And things returned to normal after his mourning period, during which she was supportive in her own way, stating that relationships weren't meant to work out since humans weren't monogamous in the first place. Something about that, or the way she said that time healed everything probably stuck because Booth was back to himself a few weeks later. They were just Booth and Brennan again, which felt right to her. She had missed her partner while he was dating someone. They hadn't been themselves while he was seeing someone else and that was not okay with her. If she was honest, it broke her heart everyday to see him with someone else, but that was not something she had ever told anyone…even Angela. He had opened Pandora's Box before leaving for Afghanistan and she hadn't been able to shut the lid since. But that was not something she really wanted to talk about in the first place.

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was after eight pm, meaning she had been at the lab just about twelve hours. She sighed and stared at the computer screen, wondering where she could go from her current spot in the story. The sex scene had been finished, but the after part was what she was having difficulty with. Unlike most people, Brennan wasn't one to really focus on what happened after. She was focused usually on the act itself. The harder she thought about it, the more irritated she began to get with not being able to think of something different to write. A knock at the door caused her to spin around, breaking her train of thought. Booth was standing there with a bag of what smelled like Thai food and a couple of beers.

"Hey Bones," he greeted, stepping in. "Angela said you were still up at your office working on your next book, so I thought you might want something to eat."

"Oh, thank you Booth," she said, pushing her chair back from the desk and swiveling around to face him. He was wearing a black t-shirt and jeans, which was rare since she was used to seeing him in three-piece suits. But this was nice since they weren't technically at work.

"No problem," he said, stepping over and putting the bag of food on her desk in the open space. "Everybody's gotta eat right?"

"Yes, that is true. Food is the sustenance that gives energy, although I'm certain that eating this late is not good," she said, smiling impishly. "I do appreciate it though. Sometimes I get wrapped up in my work and forget what time it is."

"I know. We've worked together over six years, so I think I know my partner pretty well," he said, chuckling a little as he pulled up a spare chair from nearby.

She smiled, knowing that she knew him just as well as he knew her. Little details about him that no one else really knew, like his love of striped socks or the fact that he wore his cocky belt buckle just to piss off his superiors and strut his individuality as a leader in a very uniform society. She knew that he was worried about being a good father to Parker and that he believed in the ability to love one single person his entire life, even though he'd had his fair share of relationships. Booth liked pie when she didn't and he always used his gut instinct when working on a case or thinking about something where she used her intellect and rationality. Together they were probably the most odd combination for partners, but whatever they had worked.

"I guess I'll head out and let you get back to working on whatever you were working on before I got here," he said, half-way turning around to leave her office.
Impulsively, she reached out and touched his arm. "You don't have to go," she said as he turned to look at her again. "You can stay and eat dinner with me...like we used to. I don't mind the company."
"You sure Bones?" he asked, looked her in the eyes. "Because I don't want to bother your creativeness if you're on a roll."
"I'm positive this won't interfere with my writing," she said, smirking a little at him. "And I am happy to share my food since I probably won't be able to finish all of it."
Booth laughed. "Alright, I'll stay."
Brennan smiled and sat down at her desk as Booth pulled over another chair to sit down in front of her. Opening the bag, she pulled out the Thai food he had brought her, smiling that he remembered which restaurant was the one they always went to. Splitting the food almost evenly, she and Booth started eating and talking about the latest case they were working on. Booth hadn't really gotten anywhere in the interviews for a suspect, so they were hoping that the next round of interviews would be more successful. Brennan didn't understand how Booth did it, but he seemed to be able to pick out who was guilty or who knew information they needed based on their body language. It was an oddity that she could not explain away with any practical knowledge, but it worked and she wasn't going to question whatever worked for them. She, however, strictly stuck to the facts. It was what she was comfortable with and what she knew best.

When they had spent over an hour talking, Booth decided it was best that he went on home and offered to walk Brennan to her car. After the Grave-Digger incident, Booth had taken no chances with Brennan's safety, which she both appreciated and somewhat annoyed. She was a strong, capable woman trained in self-defense, but at the same time could understand Booth's desire to protect her. After reluctantly agreeing, she grabbed her coat and began to walk out the door at the same time he did, both of them getting wedged in the door like always. When she turned sideways, she found herself directly facing Booth in a close proximity they had not had since before Booth had gone to Afghanistan and she had gone to Maluku. She could feel his breath on her and see his chocolate brown eyes. He still smelled the same as he always did, which was something Brennan had grown accustomed to over the years and even found comforting. Without hesitation, she leaned forward and kissed him, pulling on his black shirt to bring him closer to her. Instead of fighting it like she once had before, she gave into his body and melted against him. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. Breaking the kiss, she looked into his eyes, which were uncertain and confused.

"Bones...what just happened?" he asked, not backing away from her like she feared he would.

"I'm not...I am not sure," she replied unconfidently, emotions swirling within her. Heat rose to her face, making it blush a bright crimson color. "Lately I...I find myself wondering what would have happened if I had not pushed you away that night. The night you told me you were the gambler and wanted to give this a chance."

"But you said that you were the scientist and couldn't change," he countered, looking directly into her eyes.

"I find that...even though science is a sure thing...it is always changing. And one must adapt to those changes or be forever stuck in the past. Even I can change, or so I've learned over the past year," she said, letting go of the death grip she held on his shirt.

"What are you saying?" Booth asked directly.

"I want you to prove to me that two people can exist as one," she said, looking him straight in the eyes. Ice blue meeting warm chocolate. "Make love to me."