Bones was very nervous as she set her table for her and Booth. It was almost seven and things were pretty much ready. She tried to soothe the knots in her stomach, but the butterflies just kept multiplying. She felt silly, since she was only making soup and grilled cheese, but Booth wasn't a fancy guy. She smoothed her black dress that was bare in the back and tight around her form in the front. The tbale was set with bowls and plates, and some candles to set the mood. She didn't know what to expect, but she was almost ready for anything.

There was a knock on the door and she jumped slightly before turning off the stove. This was it. She could so do this, it was just Booth. However, she'd been telling herself that all day and the butterflies just kept getting bigger. Her heels clicked sharply on the wood floor of her apartment as she hurried to let him in. When she opened the door, Booth presented her with a rose.

"Hi Bones," he said softly and she was relieved to see that he was just as nervous as she was. He was tense, almost ready for a fight; unsure of himself; which was weird for him. He was always so confident, he had no reason to be nervous. Any woman would be lucky to have him.

"Hi," she said, smiling taking the rose from him. "Dinner's almost ready." She blushed as his eyes roamed over body. She knew she was attractive, but it was just the way his eyes took her in, it gave her chills. It was like he was trying to undress her with his eyes, and he was doing a damn good job of it. Did he always look at her like that? Never had she taken the time to actually observe the way he looked at her, not until now.

"You look very nice," he said, his lips curving slightly in a smile that made her weak in the knees. He always made her feel special, just by looking at her. No one, not even Scully had done that.

"Thank you." Her cheeks rapidly turned a light shade of pink. They were both acting like school children. Which she thought was totally ridiculous, since they had known each other for a long time now. They had gotten close, had dinner together often at the diner, but in the back of her mind, she knew this was different. This was more. They weren't friends anymore. Both of them were having trouble adjusting to their new relationship, but she was going to make it work.

"Can I help you with dinner?" he asked, going over to the stove. "Smells good."

"It should be done," she said, putting the rose a vase with some sugar water. "I know it's not a gourmet meal, but…" All of a sudden she felt guilty that she couldn't do more for him with dinner, it being their first romantic dinner together. But he wanted to help, he seemed happy with what she had made. She couldn't figure out why she was having such trouble keeping control of her thoughts. She was always so logical and in control, and all that was being shot to hell. Could she really do this?

"It's great Bones," he said, looking at her. "You sit down and I'll bring the soup to the table."

She couldn't just…not help. "How about I grab the sandwiches," she suggested, moving around him to grab her spatula, not waiting for an answer. She lifted the five sandwiches off the pan and onto a plate before following him to her table, with a ladle in hand. With every minute that passed, things got a little easier between them, and she started to relax. Booth seemed to cool, calm, and collected, but he always was. She had no idea what he was thinking.

"You didn't have to make dinner" he said, setting the large pot on the holder in the middle of the table. "But I appreciate it. Been a long time since I had a home cooked meal."

He was so concerned about her feelings, wanting her to be comfortable. "I wanted to," she said, softly as she put the plate down. "I wanted to do something with you." And it made her feel better that she could do this with him, something not many other people had done with him. Other women. She wasn't stupid. She knew Booth had many sexual partners, and who could blame him, he was attractive, very attractive, and any woman would be stupid not to want to be with him. She just couldn't figure out why it took her so long to figure it out for herself.

Booth smiled. "It's very nice, Bones," he said. "I like spending time with you. Now, let's eat."

"Sounds good," she said, sitting in the chair across from him. "I'm glad you came." In truth, she wasn't sure what to expect. She didn't think he'd say no, but she still couldn't help but wonder. It was in her nature, to look at everything from all the angles, to analyze all outcomes of a situation.

"Were you worried?" He asked, serving them both some soup as he eyed her carefully.

Bones nodded. "A little," she said. "I wasn't sure what you were feeling over the past few days." After he decided to give her space, and then followed through with it, she went nuts. She never realized how much she depended on his company. How much she enjoyed seeing him every day, spending time with him, even when he was annoying her, or when she was pushing every one of his buttons. It was part of who she was now. Having all that with him.

"I wanted you to have some time, Bones," he said. "I didn't want to rush you or scare you. I want you to trust me. I know I hurt you, but I wouldn't do that again." He was doing everything he could, to try to convince her that he would never do again, what he did before. And… in the back of her mind, she understood why he did it. Her heart just had some trouble accepting it.

"I know," she said, reaching out to grab his strong hand. "I do trust you, Booth. I just couldn't deal with what happened. You died, almost right in front of me. You took a bullet for me… and I just… couldn't live with myself. You're my best friend, probably more then that." She paused and sighed. "I'm just awful at this kind of thing." Tears were starting to sting the back of her eyes. She did not want to cry. It was supposed to be a good night.

Booth gripped her hand tightly in his own. "I'm here for you Bones," he said, softly. "And I'm not going anywhere." He wasn't like anyone else in her life. She could rely on him. He would always be there for her. Through every case that they solved together, through every heart ache, he would be here. Especially now, with everything that happened with Zach, she needed him. She could never imagine one of her own team being a serial killer. And certainly not Zach. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts of things that troubled her. She didn't want to think about that now.

After that, they finished their meal with pleasant, light, conversation. Booth helped her clean the table and do the dishes. As he dried off the last dish and put it away, she leaned against the counter. "Now what?" She asked, eyeing him carefully. The butterflies deep in her stomach started fluttering around again as some graphic thoughts raced through her mind. He could just hoist her up on the counter and have his wicked way with her, and she almost wished he would. But he wasn't that kind. Or was he?

Booth dried his hands off and hung the towel on the stove. "Well," he said, his hands reaching out to grab hers. "I guess that's up to you." He lifted her hands to kiss her knuckles softly.

"Why me?" She asked. "I don't know how to do this Booth." What did he want from her? A bedroom detour? She really needed his guidance on this one. She didn't know what to do, not with him. Most of her dates consisted of dinner, out at a restaurant, then back to one of their places for sex. That's all she knew to do.

He raised an eyebrow in her direction. "You've had relationships before." He made her feel very inexperienced, like she wasn't good enough to be with him because she didn't know how.

"Not like this," she murmured, shaking her head as she stared at the floor. "This is new to me Booth. I don't know what you want me to do." She sounded pitiful, not the strong confident woman she knew she was.

He kissed her forehead as he squeezed her hands. "How about you pick a movie and we'll just relax." He probably thought she was so silly. But a movie? That was it?

She raised startled eyes to his. "A movie?" She asked. She thought for a moment and nodded. "Sure. But you pick. I'll change into something more comfortable." This she could do. They could sit together on the couch and watch a movie together. It was perfect. Easy, simple, no expectations. She smiled at him before heading toward her bedroom to change out of her dress.

Her slender arms reached up her back to unzip her dress and she let it fall to the floor as she headed to the dresser. She pulled out some smooth black pants and paused as she took in her simple black underwear. Just in case. She pulled out some red lace panties from the top drawer and swapped them for the black ones. To go with it, was a sexy bra, that barely covered her breasts, but pushed them up nicely. Now she put on the black pants, before pulling out a simple black t shirt. It was going to be an interesting night.

She brushed her hair and sprayed a light perfume before heading back to the living room. Her confidence was returning, and she knew that the night could turn out very good no matter what. "What did you pick?" She asked, joining him on the couch. She slid into his arms with more ease then she thought and relaxed inot the curve of his arms.

"Just watch and find out," he chuckled. "It's not healthy to want to know everything, Bones."

Temperence was about to make a logical comment but decided against it as she stretched her legs out along the couch. Her eyes fluttered shut briefly as Booth's fingers moved through her hair gently. Her senses were on high alert, and he was already sending her for a whirlwind. They hadn't even done anything, but the tenderness he used, she just wasn't used to.

After twenty minutes into the movie, Bones was having a hard time concentrating, she didn't even know who the main character was. Her fingers had started stroking his knee, and he didn't seem to mind. So, slowly, inch by inch, her fingers caressed up his leg, where they now rested on his inner thigh. He twitched under her, trying to get comfortable, his hands stroking over her back. Her head moved to the side so she could trail smooth kisses along his neck as her hands kept up their motions.

"Bones," he practically whimpered.

"Hm?" She asked, licking his ear lobe. She was impressed with herself. She had a very good effect on him. She personally didn't think she was that good, but his growing erection that she could see in his jeans, which had to be getting very uncomfortable, told her that she was going a very very good job. He so wanted her, and by the way he was acting, it this had been a long time coming.

It took him a moment to collect his thoughts. "Not that I'm not enjoying it, but what are you doing?" His hands were firm, but gentle on her back, trying to bring her closer to him, which was almost the opposite of what he was trying to tell her. He was trying to be a gentleman, and as much as she appreciated it, she was on a roll. She was ready.

"Seducing you," she said obviously. "How am I doing?" She already knew the answer to that question. He was taking a page out of her book, he was thinking too much. And she was taking one from his, just feeling. Just heart. With a burst of impulse, she moved to straddle his lap and ran her hands through his hair. "I thought about you all day."

"Is that right?" His hands kneaded her thighs gently.

She paused in her seduction to be serious. "Yeah. I really missed you." It felt almost necessary to get these things off her chest before they went any further. Her heart fluttered when he pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist, and she smiled. He was trying to be what she needed. He knew how hard this was for her. He knew when she was having trouble and always tried to make it easier for her. But, very unlike her, she was losing control of her thoughts. "With everything we've been through, with you dying, or sorta dying. And with Zach." She swallowed audibly. "It's hard for me to deal with thises things all at once. It's not natural for me. It freaks me out."

"I never wanted to hurt you," he said. "I know I keep saying that. But I mean it."

"I know," she said, stroking his cheek and giving him a small smile. "I get it and I'm glad you're here now with me. Especially with Zach. I just want so badly to make this work."

"I want that too," he said. "That's all I ever wanted. I just didn't want to push you."

"And I love that about you," she insisted. "You've always been there for me. Even when you didn't agree with my choices, you still stuck by me." He knew everything about her, the best and the worst. He knew about her father, her past, her disappointing relationships. But yet, here was. Giving her everything every woman dreamed of in a man.

"And I always will," Booth said, kissing her nose. "I'm always going to be here, Bones. You should know that by now."

"I believe you," she said, with a nod. "I trust you. And that makes things so much easier." Her knees tightened around him a little, her hands clasping behind his neck. "I wanted to tell you for so long Booth. I just… you drew that stupid line and I always follow the rules. But now… fuck that line." She smirked. "We've long crossed it anyway, don't you think?"

"I hope so," he said, his hands sliding up her back to tangle in her hair. He kissed her passionately, trying to push away all her doubts. Yeah that line was gone now. Blurred into oblivion.