It was late…actually, it was early, but everybody else had left the lab hours ago and only she remained. She felt unsettled and couldn't pinpoint an exact reason for that emotion, so she stayed in the place that relaxed her most, completing the documentation from their latest case in meticulous detail, reconstructing through words how their talents had again merged, science and crime-fighting spun finely together to solve a mystery. It never quite managed to shock her, how effective they were…after all, she was the most talented forensic anthropologist in the nation, and Booth was quite gifted in his own right, so their partnership was bound to be a productive one in some ways. But it always pleased her.

Especially now that they were…what they were. Friends? Lovers? Playmates?

Something. Something that had been veering out of her comfort zone for quite awhile.

It didn't surprise her, him showing up at this ungodly hour, but she gave him a bemused smile anyway as the sounds of his entrance echoed through the large room.

"I knew I'd find you here."

She moved one completed documented to the right side of her desk, leaving dozens more uncompleted in front of her. "I'm working. What's your excuse?"

"Knew you were working without me." Scanning the room, he grabbed an extra chair and dragged it the opposite side of her desk.

"Booth, you are not obligated to help me when I choose to work odd hours."

"Shh." He pulled a folder from the stack and flipped it open in front of him. "We work the case together, we deal with the aftermath together."

She quirked her eyebrow at him in semi-disapproval, but didn't protest anymore, simply handing him a pen and looking back down at the form in front of her.

They worked in silence for awhile, the sound of scribbling and rustling papers now the only sound in the muted light of the office. It felt soothing and completely normal, and she felt herself lulled by the familiarity. That was too good to last, though, and she knew what was coming.

"You haven't been over in a few days," he said conversationally, his eyes still downturned on his work while he spoke.

She hesitated, then shrugged. "I've been busy."

"You've always been busy." He finally hazarded a glance at her. "Is everything okay?"

Making another attempt to keep the mood light, she gave him a brief smile. "Miss me that much?"

"Yes." There was no mirth in his voice; he was telling a simple truth.

Exhaling slowly, she looked at him. He looked good. Truth be told, she missed their extracurricular time too; her staying away was not for lack of wanting him. Dozens of the last several months' scenarios made a lazy turn through her mind, and a warning pulse between her legs reminded her of just how good playtime could be. She cocked her head and stood, leaning over with her hands on the desk to maximize his visual stimulation with her cleavage. "You know what I've missed?"

Sure enough, he looked hypnotized by her breasts, and she beamed at the power. Dropping her pen, she circled the desk slowly, purposely swaying her hips.

"This is the first time we've been alone in the lab…nobody else will come this late." She came to rest behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders and squeezing. "Have you ever thought about having your own secretary, Booth? Someone attentive to all your instruction and needs?" Leaning down, she whispered in his ear. "I can take dictation quite well." Delight coursed through her when she felt his tiny shiver at her words.

Yes, this she was good at.

"Bones…" He covered one of her kneading hands with his.

"'Miss Brennan' will serve our purposes for tonight," she coaxed, blowing cool air against his throat then breathing deeply of his cologne. There were times when just catching the scent of him made her panties dampen. Sidling him, she looked down into his eyes seductively. "What do you need, Mr. Booth? Coffee? A backrub?" She eased into his lap, bringing her lips within inches of his. "I'm at your service." She leaned in, expecting the familiar, sweet slide of his mouth against her.

"Bones." That name again…the one he called his partner, except right now she wanted to slide into something different, something where their roles were neatly defined and no matter how crazy or intense or silly or strange they got, they could slip right out of them at the end of the day, urges satisfied and everything else left untouched. His fingers brushed her face, and he looked into her eyes intently. "Not this time."

Frustration swirled inside her; she could feel him underneath her, hard and wanting. "Why not? I thought you missed me…"

"I miss you every second we're apart."

"But?" She leaned in again, eyes drifting shut, hoping this time he'd accept her kiss without question.

But no such luck. "But…I miss you, Bones. I want you. Not somebody you're pretending to be. Not a power game."

Her eyes opened again, perplexed. "But that's how we do it. That's how we keep our sexual relationship separate from our work relationship." She didn't want to have this conversation. Not one bit.

He gathered her hair in his hands and pulled back, still looking at her with brutal honesty. "It's not working." Gently and briefly, he kissed her, although this time she responded only reticently. "You're Temperance Brennan, world-renowned forensic anthropologist. I'm Seeley Booth, F.B.I. agent and former Army Ranger. And don't think for a second that, in whatever other roles we play, I forget exactly who I'm making love to."

She felt her stomach flip at his words, even as a surge of anxiety rushed through her. "Booth, I just don't think it's a good idea to…"

"Please don't tell me you forget." As he kissed her again, her reluctance slowly dissolved; his gentle persistence and intoxicating taste dulled her defenses, and she found herself meeting the strokes of his tongue almost in spite of herself. The feel and the flavor was undeniably Booth; she knew it, she had known it, and that was the short and simple of it. Underneath every game they played, in between all lines they drew…the feelings she had were for Booth, and what they meant for their partnership and their relationship and the future scared the breath from her.

They separated, breaths heavy, her fingers gripping at his shoulders as if he might slip from her grasp. "Of course I don't forget," she whispered shakily. "I just…don't want things to change. Everything's been so good."

He held her just as tightly, forehead resting against hers. "Screw what's going to happen," he said, softly but forcefully. "Right now I want…need…my partner."

She felt helpless; all this time she'd refused to acknowledge the possibility of a real relationship with him…he was asking for her, the real her, and as silly as it sounded, she wasn't entirely sure how to give it to him.

As he tended to do, he came to her rescue; naturally, easily he understood exactly what she needed in the moment and responded to it. "Do something for me tonight." His lips whispered gentle kisses against her throat. "Tell me the about the role of Temperance Brennan. And I'll tell you a little something about the role of Seeley Booth."

Her eyes fluttered back, the meaning behind his words coming to her slowly. "Huh…?"

In a second, she was lifted, gasping in surprise as he easily stood and moved her to the edge of her desk. Papers fluttered to the floor as he held her there with the strength of his body between her legs. He found the most sensitive spots on her neck easily, and he murmured against them. "Seeley Booth wanted his partner the first time he saw her. Even when she irritated the hell out of him, there was something about the way she looked at him that made it impossible to turn away. She was the most brilliantly original thing he had ever seen, and the more he knew her, the more he wanted to know."

She couldn't help herself. She wanted to know more, too. "What else?" she gasped as his hand slipped up her top and found bare skin.

"It got to be too much for Booth. Sometimes he could distracted by the work they did, but more often than not he was walking around with a crush and a hard-on, trying to stop thinking about being with her, what it would be like to touch her. And when she made her offer…said 'let's play'…he was so ready for whatever he could get that he jumped at the opportunity." He found her breasts, held captive in her simple cotton bra, and squeezed them with infinite gentleness. "Seeing her like that…it took his breath away, and he could barely stay in character."

She remembered that first time; he had been so nervous, staring at her with wide-eyed rapture as she danced for him, leaving nothing to the imagination as she played stripper to his bachelor-party persona. Truth be told, she'd had her own difficulties finding her way into the role; she'd played this way before, with several different men, but the way he looked at her…

She'd gotten over it. She had to. Fun. Not serious.

Now she had the sneaking suspicion that she had been just kidding herself.

Despite whatever games they played, she was never more honest than when she was writhing against him, begging him for release.

Except maybe the hours afterward, when they curled up together and he whispered "Goodnight, Bones," as they drifted off to sleep.

She owed him the truth.

"Dr. Brennan…she lived for her work." His fingers, rolling at her nipples, momentarily stilled, as if he was surprised she was returning his favor. She kept going anyway. "When her partner came along and forced her to see the world outside, she fought it hard, but…she needed it. Craved it. And she didn't want to admit it so she…"

"Made it into a game," he murmured, working his pelvis against her in a slow grind, making her head fall back at the perfect angle for him to bury his face into her neck.

"Only…" she gasped, ankles crossing behind his back as she tried to force him against her harder. Closer.

"…it's serious now," he finished, and with that he seemed to let go of his previous restraint. He was sucking at her throat voraciously while his hands fumbled between them, trying to unbutton both their pants at once. Kissing her seemed to slow down the process, but he was apparently unwilling to stop.

She reached down to help him, their fingers tangling together, somehow eventually successful in their scrambling and making it possible to pull off her slacks. She felt desperate for him, unsure of what might happen if she had to wait too long to feel him against her, inside of her. A shudder passed through her body as she pressed her hand against the front of his open pants, feeling hot hardness and knowing that it was for her. Only her.

"Oh Jesus, Bones," he groaned. "I need you so much…"

Her quiet cry was muffled by his mouth again. One of his hands tangled in her hair while the other cupped her naked bottom, squeezing, and her body was practically vibrating with sensation and emotion…Booth was kissing her. Booth was touching her. And acknowledging it…really knowing it…overwhelmed her. "Please," she half-sobbed. "Don't wait."

She wasn't sure how he freed his erection so quickly, or how he was suddenly inside her before she realized she was being entered. But he did, and he was, and the intensity of what she felt made her head drop to his shoulder and her eyes squeeze back tears.

Their games…they had already been her best sex ever.

But this…

Squeezing him to her heart-to-heart, the sensations of his thrusts seemed to reverberate up and down her body, pushing her higher. Her fingers clawed at his back, almost fearing whirling away or breaking apart. "It's you I wanted, Booth. Each time," she whimpered, hips rolling of their own accord. A tear escaped her, fell wetly to his shoulder. "No matter who I was."

He grasped her face, pulled it back to meet his darkened eyes. He didn't stop moving with her for an instant.

"Bones," he choked out. "Who you are…is everything."

His words moved her; they weren't manufactured or scripted. They came from a person who knew her, more than anyone else…and still loved what he saw. She pressed her lips to his again, desperately, wanting to be connected at every juncture.

Her climax came swiftly then, rolling through her body and culminating in a final cry that left no doubt that she knew, under no uncertain terms, who was making her feel this way. As his own name rushed from her lips, he sighed in ecstasy and relief.

Game over.

--

Her office couch wasn't really big enough for them.

But they made it work.

She giggled as he gently blew the tiny hairs at the nape of her neck. They'd have to leave soon; morning would come, and the lab wouldn't be so empty anymore. It was okay for their co-workers to know about them. But this wasn't exactly the ideal introduction.

"Soooo…" she drew out, tracing the back of his calf with her toe.

"Soooo?" he questioned, continuing to tease her, making her squirm with his affectionate tickling.

"So…I like this….being ourselves. But it makes me sad to think we might never play again. I enjoyed our little…productions," she admitted. Memories of Booth's gentleness as a doctor, his delicious control as master of the house, his naïveté as her cabana boy, his utter helplessness as delightfully tormented prisoner of war…each of those encounters had ended on a giddy high. She loved playing with him.

He chuckled against her shoulder. "Are you kidding me? I have a whole list we haven't even started on yet. You haven't gotten to play nurse yet. And I'm dying to play cops and robbers." He whispered conspiratorially in her ear. "Guess which one you'd be."

A giggle left her. "But I thought we were supposed to be...all serious now."

"Moderation, baby. We can play without having it be the main event all the time." She could feel him grinning, even from behind her. "Besides, we're going to be doing this a lot. And variety is the spice of life."

"You think so, huh?" she teased.

"You taught me that."

Her body fit tightly into his, and his hand protectively cupped her breast…that's how they slept together, from the very first time…the kind of predictability and comfort that she never would have believed could seamlessly blend with variety and spontaneity. She could be anything with him.

Including herself.

That missing piece to her own personal riddle snapped neatly into place as she closed her eyes, an unconscious smile taking residence across her lips. She had worried that being in a real relationship…the kind he wanted…would feel like so much work.

And, in some ways, it was work. Love always was.

But. All work and no play…

…would never happen.

--

A/N: OMG I FINISHED A FIC.

Now, don't get me wrong. This does NOT mean I shall never write hot kinky crazy role-playing again.

But if I do, it will be at the lurvely Kink in the Bones community at LJ (link in my profile).

Thanks to shipperatheartrealistbynature for her support with this one. She is saintly with me. When she's not being dirty.:)

Please, leave me copious praise for finishing something, and maybe someday I'll think about doing it again.:-D

Loves.