Set during "The Bone That Blew".

VI.

Six weeks later.

They met by incident, at the coffee machine on the second level, the whole lab beneath them. Despite the distinct aura of annoyance surrounding him, the older man hadn't lost his vigor. As always when he stood face to face with Max Keenan, Booth tensed a little bit, but he tried his best not to show it.

"How's it going there, Max?"

"That's the last day with my kids this afternoon. I'm toast."

"Cam fired you, huh?"

"No, no. Tempe fired me. And don't tell me she hasn't got the authority because, believe me... I feel fired."

"Sorry, Max."

And he meant it. Despite the fact that Max Keenan was a murderer – not convicted, but nonetheless – despite the fact that he had put his teenage daughter through hell... as unbelievable as it was, the man had always had honorable intentions and he loved Brennan. Booth had somehow hoped that his partner – his more-than-a-partner – could find some kind of closure with her father around.

Taking his coffee, Booth turned to leave, but Max' voice stopped him.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"You... are you, uh... Are you sleeping with my daughter?"

Booth wasn't able to suppress the big, fat grin, but, truth be told, he didn't really try too hard in the first place.

"Yes."

Max nodded and regarded him silently for a while.

"That's good. Good for you. And her. You're a good man, I want that for her."

The grin turned just a little bit cocky.

"Thanks, man."

Max gave him an almost benevolent smile.

"Just to be clear... you hurt her, I'll kill you, okay?"

"You kill me, she'll hate you forever. Ha!"

One moment of silent eye contact followed, as the two men who loved her measured each other. Then Max turned around with his bottle of coke and Booth strolled away in search of his partner. From his place on the second level he could see that she wasn't on the forensic platform, so he tried her office.

And there she was, typing something on her computer, so beautiful and focused, the curtain of dark hair falling into her face. In the past six weeks, Booth had found out that, to him, a place was perfect when it contained her, so right now her office was the best place in the whole wide world – despite all those bones and her creepy iguana. He had also found out that Brennan wasn't as immune to distractions from work as she'd have liked to be.

"Hi there."

"Booth. Do we have a lead?"

"Nope, I'm killing time while Angela is running another reconstruction and I thought I could say hello to my girlfriend."

"I still hate that term."

"I still hope you get used to it."

Shutting the door and closing the blinds happened before she really noticed it, and then he plopped onto her couch with an extra-loud sigh. Of course, he just could have walked over to her, she even might have allowed him to kiss her, but Booth had also learned that his distractions usually worked best when he started a tad more subtle.

Loosening the knot of his tie, he just watched her, marveling at her beauty while taking a sip of coffee every once in a while. Six weeks ago, she had kept her promise, hadn't asked him to leave. The morning after he had loved her, he had woken up to her big blue eyes studying him, and he had almost felt shy under her intense gaze. Almost...

"I'm not your girlfriend."

Something fierce tightening his chest.

"What?"

"By definition, I'm not a girl anymore. The term 'girlfriend' is just so... wrong."

His heart daring to beat anew.

"So... you hate the term and not what it implies? You know... waking up next to me, two toothbrushes, commitment..."

"I... I like waking up next to you. In fact, I've woken up quite some time ago and watching you has been very pleasing. More than... pleasing..."

"Bones?"

A grin under tousled hair, so bright.

"Yes?"

A hand cupping her nape, pulling her close.

"Good morning."

Lips finding each other in the light of a new day, her naked body melting into his embrace... It had been the best morning in the history of mornings. It had been a beginning.

Sometimes when he awoke and she was still curled up next to him, or in the evening, when he came home and she was already in his apartment... sometimes, he still couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe that a woman so beautiful and brilliant could love him; couldn't even believe how deep his own feelings for her ran.

With her... everything was just better.

"You are watching me."

Her voice tore him out of his reverie, and his lips curved up.

"Hell, yes, I am, you're by far the most beautiful thing in here."

"The iguana knows that you don't like him."

"Well, it's mutual. I didn't even know that those things have teeth..." He shuddered at the memory of befriending her pet.

"Are you aiming to distract me again?"

"No, not at all. I'm just having coffee. See?"

And he took another sip, licking his lips afterwards. Her gaze zoomed in on his mouth. To be honest, she had always found it quite intriguing, the way his tongue darted out every once in a while, moistening his lips... but now that she knew what those lips could do, the term "distraction" didn't really do justice anymore.

"You're doing it on purpose."

"What?"

He even managed to look innocent.

"Rearranging my priorities. Stealing my focus."

Letting go of a chuckle, Booth lifted the coffee cup to his lips anew, taking one more sip, all the while holding her gaze. With a groan of frustration, Brennan abandoned her laptop, sashaying towards him.

"Do you mind?" he asked, giving her his trademark charming smile.

"Do you care?"

He shrugged.

"I don't wanna disturb you," he tried, but didn't sound too sincere.

Then she was standing in front of him and he took her hand, tugging gently. One moment later, she was in his lap, the silky-looking hair he had just admired running through his fingers, her soft body melting into his embrace.

Brushing the dark curls aside, he kissed her ear.

"Sorry for interrupting you," he murmured, his warm breath caressing her cheek.

"Somehow I don't believe you."

Tilting her head, she gave him better access to her neck, and he nuzzled the smooth skin with his lips.

"By the way, your dad just threatened to kill me."

She stilled for a moment before snuggling up to him even further.

"He must have a reason, then."

"Jeez, thanks for your faith, woman. I told him you wouldn't forgive him."

"That's probably correct. I'm very fond of you."

To emphasize said fondness, she whispered little kisses along his jawline, and he sighed contently, his fingers playing with hers.

"You wanna watch a movie tonight?"

"Sure. You want to work on my pop culture education?"

"Nah, I thought about indulging your squintiness. What about 'The Mummy'?"

"You're willing to watch 'The Mummy' with me?"

"Absolutely."

"I'll tell Dad not to kill you."

Laughter rumbled deep in his belly, vibrating through her body as well, and he cupped her nape to close the distance to her mouth. She came willingly, parting her soft lips for him, and soon he was lost in the now familiar sensation of kissing her. Six weeks into this, kissing Brennan had lost nothing, nothing of its charm, and it didn't take long for him to breathe heavily. She had shifted on his lap, hugging him properly, and with her in his arms, his world was, once again, perfect.

"Dr. Brennan, we have..."

The door flung open, but Cam's voice trailed off immediately, as she took in the entangled couple on the couch.

Brennan regained her composure fairly quickly, while her partner buried his head in the crook of her neck.

"You have what?"

"A lead. I just wanted to suggest calling Booth, but since he's already here... Hi Seeley."

He groaned.

"Camille."

"So..."

"So?"

The women regarded each other silently, both of them remembering a night in the snow, a moment of honesty. Cam was the first to grin.

"I'm glad to see that, every once in a while, you actually seem to listen to me, Dr. Brennan."

A soft smile for Booth, then Brennan got up from his lap, smoothing her lab coat.

"Only when it's important. But I have to admit that, sometimes, you have very wise things to say."

Cam knew that she should probably add something about inappropriate workplace behavior, but she decided not to waste her breath on those two. Pushing the file into Brennan's hand, she turned round on her heel to search Hodgins.

After all, she had a hell of a secret to share.

-BONES-

Second chances... sometimes you get them and it is in your hands to use them. Some people call it "fate", others "life".

And in the evening... when one pathologist was still teasing an entomologist about not having seen the signs, in another part of the town a man and a woman snuggled up on her couch, ready to watch 'The Mummy'.

Because... second chances... sometimes they become your life.

Melted had the snow. And everything else.

The End.

Thank you for following this story and for your kind words. For those of you not living in the snow... building snowmen isn't really that much fun... It makes your fingers numb and the snow crumbles most of the time. Still, winter is a beautiful thing. That said, I'm glad it's over ;) What now? We'll see...