(After The Change in the Game)

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I don't own Bones.

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Booth entered the Lab and made his way to Brennan's office. Spying her sitting at her desk, her attention captured by an article she was reading in a magazine, Booth leaned against the doorway and stared at her for a few moments. He still couldn't believe that they were together now and he had to remind himself that his bad luck had finally taken a turn for the better. Brennan was everything he had ever wanted. She was brilliant, beautiful and she loved him. He loved her so much that he felt blessed and so happy he almost had no words to describe how he felt. "Bones."

His voice was soft, but she had heard him anyway. Looking up, Brennan smiled at the sight of her lover standing in her doorway and felt her heart flutter a little bit. She knew that she was happier than she had ever been and the man standing in the doorway was the cause of her happiness. "Booth, what are you doing here? Do we have a case?"

"No, I just came by to let you know that Cam says everyone in the pool has given in and they've agreed to give half their winnings to Fisher House Foundation." Booth straightened up and moved into the room. "Some of them bitched about it and it took some arm twisting by the others, but they finally gave in. Of course I'm really popular right now, but I don't give a shit."

"You did the right thing." Brennan closed the magazine and stood up. "Are we supposed to make a formal announcement?"

Booth held out his hand and took her hand in his when she was close enough. "Charlie is on the platform with Cam. We're just going to give them the date we became a couple and Charlie will award the winner. He's holding back half the pot and he's going to write a check to Fisher House today. We got what we wanted. You can bet they'll never use us in their pools again. We're real people, not toys to be played with."

She loved the way that Booth protected their privacy and how he had turned the situation into something satisfying. He was a good man and Brennan liked to remind him of that fact since she felt he didn't believe that of himself. "You're such a good man, Booth. That charity could use the money and it is a wonderful program."

"Yeah, thanks. I support them when I can." Booth leaned over and kissed her. "Well, let's get this over with." As they moved out of the office, the couple continued to hold hands. They had found that they liked the contact and were holding hands more often now that they were in a personal relationship.

Once they were in sight of the platform, the couple noticed that there were several people standing on the platform and several standing below near the staircase. Brennan suddenly felt nervous and wasn't sure why. She knew who these people were. Some of them were friends and all were co-workers, so her nervousness made no sense to her.

Booth had felt her hand tighten around his and he knew that Brennan was feeling anxious. She was socially awkward and he knew that she dreaded new social situations where the rules were unclear to her. He had told her often enough that she was fine, but he knew that didn't change anything. He was there to support her and that was what mattered.

As they walked up the stairs, Angela smiled at the couple and felt relief that her best friend was finally in a relationship with someone that loved her and appreciated her. She had always felt the partners were made for each other, but it had taken years for them to see that themselves. Now that Brennan was pregnant she knew that the couple were committed to each other and she had faith that they would remain a couple. God help anyone that tried to get between them because that person would not come out of it in very good shape.

As they turned to face the small crowd, Booth released Brennan's hand and raised his hands palm out towards their friends. "Okay, you people listen up. Bones and me are in a relationship and we have been since the day after the English squintern died . . . Vincent made us see that life is short and anything can happen without warning . . . Here's a warning to you and you better take it seriously. Never ever use Bones and me in another pool again. This is the last time we will allow anyone to use us as a toy. I hope you get that." Booth placed his hand over his gun on his hip and glared around making sure to make eye contact with everyone. Satisfied that everyone was taking him seriously, Booth lowered his hand and captured Brennan's hand in his.

Not sure if she was supposed to say anything, Brennan glanced at Booth then faced her friends. "Booth and I are in a monogamous relationship and I am pregnant with his child. That is all the personal information you will be getting from us. Our lives are private and we will not tolerate any interference in our relationship." Certain that she had conveyed her warning correctly and precisely, Brennan smiled. "Congratulations to the winner whoever it is and thank you for your generosity by giving part of your winnings to a charity that can use the funds."

Their little ceremony over, Booth and Brennan left the platform and retired to Brennan's office where they closed the blinds, locked the office door and used the privacy to do a little kissing to celebrate. Of course the kissing turned into something a little more intimate, but that was no one's business but theirs.

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Once the couple was out of sight, Hodgins poked Charlie in the side. "Okay, who won?"

Flipping open his notebook, Charlie smiled and shook his head. "We have five winners, so half of the pot will be split five ways."

"Five winners?" Angela stared at Charlie with a shocked expression. "Five?"

"Yep." Charlie hadn't won, but at this point he was just grateful to get rid of the pool. It had been fun, but as soon as Booth had found about it, it had turned into a burden. "A lot of observant people around here I must say . . . Dr. Hodgins, Ms. Montenegro, Dr. Edison, Agent Morris Harris and Agent Jenny Shaw . . . congratulations folks. I'll get the money together today and deliver your winnings tomorrow."

Curious, Cam had to ask. "How much will the winners get?"

Now came the moment of truth. "Each winner will be collecting $1,500. The pool had reached $15,000 and half of that is $7,500. Divide that by 5 and you get $1,500."

Impressed, Clark whistled. "Holy cow. I've never won a pot like that in my life. Not bad for a dollar investment."

Amazed everyone turned to stare at Clark. Almost speechless, Hodgins shook his head. "One dollar? You have to be kidding me."

"No, I just made the one bet." Clark smugly stared at his co-workers. "A blind man could see they were together after Vincent died. All I needed to make was one bet."

Amused, Charlie clapped Clark's shoulder. "You were the only one to make a one dollar bet. Everyone else placed bets of $20 or more. Good job Dr. Edison, good job."

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That's the end of this story. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope you found it amusing.