Disclaimer: As always, this story was written for entertainment purposes only and no copyright infringement was intended.

A/N: This is one of my many "dusters", half-finished fics collecting dust on my laptop while my muse twiddles her thumbs. Now that it's finished, I can hopefully move on to some M-rated fic. Thank you Liz (lizook) for being a world-class beta!

…

Eventually

Booth knocked on the door of his partner's apartment and waited impatiently for her to answer. He really had no reason to be there on a Saturday night, other than wanting to see her, but he was fairly sure she wouldn't mind. She never seemed to mind when he showed up uninvited, regardless of the hour or the lame excuse he gave. He only hoped she enjoyed his company half as much as he loved hers.

There was a shuffling sound on the other side of the door just before the deadbolt clicked open. Booth's pulse quickened in anticipation and he fidgeted, barely able to contain his eagerness. He felt like Parker on Christmas morning.

The door swung open abruptly. "Hey stud," was the sultry greeting.

"Angela."

The artist didn't miss the flash of disappointment that flitted across his face before he plastered on his charm smile. "How's it going?" she asked, stepping aside to let him in.

"Good," he replied awkwardly, eyes quickly scanning the room. "I was in the neighborhood…"

Angela smirked, eyeing the paper bag in his hand. "And you just happened to have Brennan's favorite low-fat chocolate chip muffins from that place across town…?"

Booth ignored her teasing. "Where's Bones?" What he really wanted to ask was, Why the hell are you here? and When are you leaving? He liked Angela… He just wasn't expecting to share Bones for the evening.

"She's taking a shower. She had a rough day…"

That got his attention. "What happened?" he asked, concerned.

Angela glanced toward Brennan's bedroom before resuming her place on the sofa. She didn't want to gossip about her best friend, but she figured Booth should know enough to tread lightly. "You know that doctor she's gone out with a few times? Brian?"

Booth fought hard to keep the disdain from showing on his face. "Yeah," he replied curtly, plopping down in the chair opposite her.

Angela handed him an unopened beer and took a gulp of her own before continuing. "Well, he dumped her today."

Despite his elation at the news, Booth was sympathetic. "Why?"

The artist frowned. "Oh, you know. He played the 'it's not you, it's me' card."

Booth grimaced. "And what was the real reason?"

"It's always the same thing, Booth. She won't let any of them get to know her."

The comment sounded an awful lot like criticism, which triggered Booth's protective streak. "Well if any of them actually tried to get to know her for longer than five minutes, maybe she'd open up." Even though he didn't want her getting closer to another man, it irked him that so many simply dismissed her as being cold and unemotional. It couldn't be further from the truth and she deserved better than that.

"Well it's not like she makes it easy," Angela replied with a wry grin.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Angela smiled sadly at the man across from her. Poor Booth. He obviously hated the thought of Brennan being with other men, but he was equally furious with the implication that she wasn't worth their time and effort. "You, of all people, should know how hard it is to get close to her. Whether she does it consciously or not, her… quirks… tend to drive people away."

Booth sighed. "Yeah well, one of these days, someone out there is gonna love her for those 'quirks'."

"Someone out there, huh?" The artist leveled a meaningful gaze at him and decided to go for the direct approach. "Look, Booth. The truth is that Brian ended things with Brennan because of you."

Booth was surprised. He was often guilty of crashing Bones's dates and trying to scare away potential rivals, but he'd been so busy lately that he didn't even get a chance to run a simple background check on the guy. "I never even met this one!" he protested.

Chuckling, Angela elaborated. "You didn't have to. He was well aware of your presence." At his baffled expression, she went on, "You staked your claim a long time ago."

"We're just partners," he insisted, glowering.

Angela rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You are so hot for her."

Before he could respond, the door to the master bedroom swung open and a very weary forensic anthropologist ambled out. Upon entering the room, her eyes immediately locked on her partner. She didn't appear to be particularly surprised to see him; just pleased. "Booth," she greeted with a smile.

Angela marveled at the way her friend's mood brightened the instant she saw him. She'd been trying to cheer Brennan up all night, to no avail. But Booth's mere proximity was enough to cause a major transformation: Brennan had gone from mopey to positively glowing, much to Angela's astonishment.

Booth, on the other hand, had a very different reaction to his partner's arrival: he choked. He was in the middle of taking a swig when she'd greeted him, so when he caught sight of her, it was all he could do to keep from spewing beer all over himself and the furniture.

Still damp from her shower, Bones was dressed casually in yoga pants and a tight tank top, her skin luminous. She looked sexy as hell without even trying and she smelled heavenly. Clearing his throat, Booth tore his attention away from her.

Angela could barely contain her giggles. "You've got a little drool there, G-man," she quipped, indicating his chin.

Booth shot her a stern glare, wishing he could wipe the knowing smirk from her face. Having recovered from his embarrassing choking fit, he flashed his partner a dazzling smile.

"Hi Bones," he said, speaking in a soft voice that he unconsciously reserved for her. Brennan returned an equally radiant grin and took a seat next to Angela.

The artist watched her favorite non-couple make small talk and eyes at each other for a few minutes. Oh yeah, they're so hot for each other. As much as she hated giving up her front-row seats to the Booth and Brennan show, she knew some alone time with the hunky FBI agent was just what her pal needed. She turned to Brennan.

"Hey, sweetie… I just remembered I left something back at the lab. Mind if I sneak out of here?"

Brennan nodded. "Sure Ange." She started to stand up to see her friend to the door, but Angela stopped her.

"It's okay… I'll let myself out. You two sit. Relax. Talk." She shot them both a warning look before letting herself out.

Finally alone, Booth was suddenly nervous in light of what Angela had told him. He moved over to sit on the sofa next to his partner and gave her an affectionate pat on the leg.

"Wanna talk about it?" he prompted gently.

"Angela told you." It wasn't a question. Brennan was used to her two best friends prying into her love life. Without waiting for a response, she launched into what was bothering her. "Are all men insecure in their masculinity?"

The question caught Booth completely off-guard. "Wh-What? Why are you asking that?"

She heaved a sigh. "I just don't understand why every man I've dated recently is threatened by my work. What's wrong with an intelligent, confident woman being at the top of her field?"

Booth smiled reassuringly and slung an arm across her shoulders, reveling in the way she leaned into him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Nothing. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. But what makes you think what's-his-name was threatened by your work?"

"Brian," she supplied, not realizing he was being condescending.

"Right. Brian," he repeated through clenched teeth.

"He said that, while he enjoyed spending time with me, it was obvious that my true passion is being with my partner in the field. He said he doesn't want to stand in the way of that." She sighed again. "I don't understand how he thought being in a relationship would interfere with my fieldwork…"

"I don't think he was referring to our cases, Bones."

She furrowed her brow, puzzling things over. Booth watched the realization dawn on her face. "You mean he was bothered by our partnership?"

Booth nodded sympathetically. "We're close, Bones, and not everyone can accept that. It scares men away…" He felt guilty for not feeling guilty about it.

Brennan shook her head defiantly. "That's ridiculous! I'm not going to apologize for our friendship, Booth. I just need to find a man that isn't threatened by it. And if I don't…," she trailed off with a shrug.

Booth was touched. He, of course, always put their partnership above any potential romantic relationships. But knowing she felt the same… "Hey," he murmured softly, forcing her to meet his gaze. "You are going to find a man that isn't threatened by our friendship." He took a deep breath, gathering the courage to continue. "In fact… I know a guy like that. Someone who'd do anything for you."

Brennan's blue eyes widened in surprise. "Who?" she asked breathlessly, already knowing the answer.

"You're lookin' at him." At her shocked expression, he rushed on. "But, you know, I'm just some poor schlub you work with…"

"No, you're not," she whispered insistently.

It was his turn to be surprised. "I'm not?" She shook her head, biting her lip nervously. "Are you saying I'm more than just someone you work with?"

They studied each other wordlessly for several moments. Booth's heart thundered as he awaited her answer. Before he realized what was happening, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. The shock of her kissing him rendered him momentarily paralyzed, but it didn't take long for him to respond. Gently cupping her face, he poured every ounce of emotion he felt into kissing her. Longing, fear, anticipation, desire… Love.

Their kiss, slow and lingering at first, quickly escalated as they explored each other's mouths. She gently coaxed his lips open –he didn't need much encouragement—and her teeth scraped lightly on his bottom lip. With a shudder and a strangled groan, he allowed his fingers to tangle in her hair and his tongue to play with hers.

When the need for oxygen became an absolute necessity, they tore their lips from one another. Both were reeling from their reactions to the kiss. They stared at each other in wide-eyed wonder until, slowly, she began to smile.

Booth huffed out a relieved breath, his grin nearly splitting his face in two. "I'll take that as a yes."

Brennan nodded shyly and, to her surprise, was quickly enveloped in a big bear hug. "Booth!" she exclaimed, squirming as he crushed her against his chest.

Loosening his grip, Booth planted a big, sloppy kiss on his partner's cheek. "I've wanted to do that for years."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she went in for another heart-stopping kiss. "Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm," he mumbled against her lips. "There are a lot of things I've wanted to do for years."

"Will you show me?"

Chuckling, Booth relaxed back into the couch, pulling her with him and tucking her into his side. "Everything happens eventually, Bones. And eventually's finally here."