Okay, I swear I didn't purposely intend to be mean and leave you all hanging, but I really felt that I couldn't do justice to the BB dialogue if I rushed it, so I had to stop when I did. Hopefully this chapter will make up for that. Sorry it's so short, though. And thanks to kiki, for helping me with the fluffersmut, and to kasper for her advice.

Thanks for the reviews…and the cookies!

"So."

"So."

They were in Booth's living room, sitting side by side on the sofa. She had waved away his offer of a drink, and now he was waiting for her to start the conversation.

"So…what did you want to talk to me about, Bones?"

"Us."

"Us? Um…well, uh…what about us?" Despite the fact that he had decided they needed to talk about their relationship, her bluntness left him struggling for words. He really wasn't sure he was ready for this conversation.

Brennan sighed. "Well, I think that we can both agree that things have seemed a bit…different between us lately."

"Different?"

"Booth, are you just going to keep repeating everything I say?" she asked, exasperated. "Or can we actually talk about this like normal adults?"

Booth stood and held his hands out in front of him. "Hold on a minute, Bones! Obviously, you've got something you want to talk about, and you've had time to prepare." He dropped his arms. "I'm just not exactly sure what you're trying to say."

"I'm trying to say that I'm…well, that I've become…attached to you."

"Attached?" Booth looked at her incredulously. "You've become 'attached' to me?"

"Yes, Booth. Attached. As in, fond of you. Actually, the dictionary describes it as being committed emotionally to someone; to have affection for another person." She crossed her arms in front of her. "Attached."

"Come on, Bones!" He shook his head. "Don't be so literal for once."

She stood and faced him. "Look, ever since the kiss, I've been trying to rationalize these feelings. And actually, it does make sense. We work very closely with each other, and it's only normal that we would form some sort of bond."

"Bones, look…"

"Why do you insist on making this so hard for me?" Brennan shook her head.

"I'm not trying to be difficult, Temperance. I'm just trying to understand."

"Maybe this was a mistake." She brushed past him on her way to the door, but he grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him.

"Temperance..."

"I just thought that…I mean, what you said last week, about us…" Her voice trailed off as his grip on her arm relaxed and his fingers slowly traveled up her arm, causing a shiver to run down her spine. "I just thought you felt…something." She looked away. "I guess I was wrong."

"You're not wrong." The words were whispered, but they rang in her ears as loud as if he'd shouted them. "At least, not about how I feel." He stepped closer to her, and she could feel her pulse start to race at his nearness. "But don't try to rationalize it, Temperance. Love isn't rational, and it isn't logical. And it rarely makes sense. It just is."

Brennan was desperately trying to make sense of his words; to see if she'd heard him correctly. "Did you just say…" Her words were lost as his mouth found hers.

This wasn't anything like their mistletoe kiss. This was soft and wonderfully sweet...but it ignited a fiery passion inside of her she wasn't even aware she had been hiding. With her eyes closed, her other senses seemed to move into overdrive, heightening every touch and caress. She felt his fingersgraze her cheek before he tangled them in her hair, anchoring her to him; she explored his lips as he softly traced hers until her groan of surrender filled the silence and she opened her mouth to him. Her knees felt weak and her head felt light at the sensual stroke of his tongue against hers.

It seemed like a lifetime, yet at the same time it felt all too soon when he pulled back. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to let go of the feeling, until she heard him whisper her name. "Temperance."

Slowly, she opened her eyes and met his. What she saw in them took her breath away.

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered. His hand gently cupped her cheek, and he went on. "And smart, and independent, and strong…" He smiled. "And I meant everything I said to you that day. It's what I imagine when I see myself in five years, or ten, or twenty. You are my future. And I want to be yours."

Brennan looked at him, mesmerized. "I…I don't even know what to say…"

"The great Dr. Temperance Brennan is speechless?" Amazingly, he laughed. "That's got to be a first."

She shook her head, desperately trying to gather her thoughts. "Obviously I'm not speechless, Booth. I'm a very articulate person, and I…"

"Bones?" He waited until her voice trailed off, then leaned down and kissed her again.

Brennan forget everything as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. Finally, breathless, they pulled apart reluctantly.

Once her breath returned, she opened her eyes and looked at him. "So, what now? Logically…"

He brought a finger to her lips. "I thought we went over this, Bones. No logic."

"But…"

He just shook his head, then took her hand and led her back to the sofa. Sitting, he pulled her down with him. "Let's just take this slow, okay?"

Sighing, she admitted defeat. "Fine. As long as you know, this doesn't mean I've changed my mind about marriage, or children."

"I know. You're a lot of things, Bones, but conventional isn't one of them." He pulled her closer. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Picking up the TV remote, he kicked off his shoes and propped his feet on the coffee table. "Now, I know it's not a 103 inch plasma screen, and it's not football, but my Flyers are playing."

She snuggled closer, laying her head on his chest. "What is that? Baseball?"

Booth shook his head and sighed. "It's hockey, Bones." It was true that life with Bones would be anything but normal, but he found that he didn't mind at all. He turned on the TV, tightened his arms around her, and settled in to watch.

Well, there you go. I hope you're satisfied… And yes, I just HAD to get my hockey in there! lol