Disclaimer - Bones and all its lovely characters belong to someone else.

A/N - Thanks for the lovely reviews of this story so far. I decided to try to find something totally silly for them to be arguing about and to have a silent resolution. Apologies if the formatting turns out a bit odd on this, but I've just bought a new computer with a different web browser and not all the options are appearing... Feedback very gratefully received.

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Interlude - Water

Considering that Booth was usually trying to find some way to refer to her ineptitude in dealing with people at least once a day, Temperance thought that she was being very considerate.

She was, after all, just trying to help him.

After four cases since getting back from Guatemala, she'd realised that his increasingly tetchy mood in the afternoons was usually down to the simple fact that he didn't keep himself hydrated.

She'd tried explaining that his ability to concentrate, his patience and even his reasoning skills were being impaired by his insistence on drinking nothing but espresso for most of the day.

He looked at her as if she'd taken leave of her senses and had grumpily stomped off to get another coffee and berate some poor local cop.

Temperance had watched him standing a few metres way with his hands on his hips and waving his coffee cup to emphasise his points, and wondered how it was possible for someone who was pretty intelligent to be so illogical.

She'd mentioned it again in the long car journey back into DC and Booth's frown had darkened as she talked about the physiological processes involved.

After five minutes of explanation, she had heard his temper snap with an almost audible crack. He turned to her and issued one of his sharp, 'Bones - the case!' commands; a phrase - and a tone - that she was learning to detest.

So she'd given up.

Temporarily.

She didn't see why she needed to put up with her partner operating less effectively than he could do for no sensible reason, but she'd also realised that Booth was not going to respond to logic or her reasonable explanations, so she'd need to try something different to get his attention.

So when Booth pulled up at the Jeffersonian in his black SUV at 11:00am on a very hot day, she was sitting waiting for him on the steps, sipping from a bottle of water.

Booth had gotten out and walked over to greet her, pulling off his sunglasses to smile and look her in the eyes.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that she rather liked this innate, almost old-fashioned courtesy, although if she wouldn't have admitted it if someone had asked.

She also wouldn't have admitted that she liked his warm smile or that she noticed the way his eyes lit up as they encountered hers.

So she'd just smiled and capped the bottle while saying, "Morning Booth."

"Bones." He'd acknowledged with a further quirk of his lips and then he'd held out his hand to help her up.

She'd taken his offered hand, not thinking about the comfortable feeling that settled over her as he clasped her hand in his or the way that the contact lingered for just a fraction of a second longer than it really needed to.

Before she knew it, he'd reached down and picked up her case in one hand, while the other settled on her back, steering her towards the car.

They'd walked over at an easy pace, making idle conversation about the unseasonably warm weather. She clambered into the SUV and stashed her bottle in the door and she settled her smaller backpack at her feet, pulling out a second chilled bottle, which she'd handed solemnly to Booth as he'd turned towards her while doing up his seatbelt.

The sunglasses were back in place, but she didn't miss the raised eyebrow. She'd smiled winningly at him, not saying anything.

Booth had hesitated for a long moment, holding her gaze, before his hand closed around the icy bottle with a half sigh.

He'd taken the bottle, shaking his head ruefully before concentrating on pulling out into the traffic.

Temperance had allowed herself a tiny smile of victory as she looked out her side window, before turning back to face front in time to hear a quiet voice say "Thanks Bones."

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