A.N.: Well, here goes nothing. Ready slowly. It's the last one. Review carefully. It's the last one. Oh, and if you hate smut, you'll need to skip a few M rated paragraphs in there. Just saying. (Don't be shy to review. I won't judge that you like BB smut. I LOVE writing it. So. I'm the perv.)

Chapter 16
- Part 2 -
The Conclusion

She had spent all morning trying not to think about the upcoming evening. It was no use. Every time she was in a room with Cam, she tried to better her skills of reading body language, but that didn't work either. She couldn't tell if Booth had told her about them. Cam had a knack for staying professional around her. Maybe she knew. Maybe not.

If Brennan were the type of person to count her blessings, she would have thanked God that Angela really wasn't speaking to her. She wanted to tell her everything, though, at the same time, she wanted to focus on the case. But for the first time in her life, she didn't feel like working. At all.

She was anxious to see him. She wondered if it would be awkward. If everyone would notice something was different. If things would be different. How different.

Hodgins knocked on the glass wall of her office.

"Angela wanted me to tell you that the 3D rendering of the attack is complete. Booth's on his way."

"Thanks," she managed to say, as her heart dropped to her stomach. As soon as Hodgins left, she got up and let out a breath. Calm down.

They were all around the Angelator, waiting for Booth to arrive. She kept checking behind her to see if he was there yet. No one seemed to notice.

"There he is!" Cam announced.

Brennan instantly looked at him. He locked eyes with her and she tried not to smile too broadly. She quickly looked away, putting her pretend focus on the table where the images Angela had created would appear in a matter of seconds.

Booth had never been so nervous or happy to see her. The look they had just exchanged, that private, knowing look went straight to his gut. He let out a "Let's see what you got, Angela," and stayed close to Brennan. Very close.

As the Angelator's first images came up, she felt the back of his hand brush against hers. She discreetly moved her fingers to touch it.

Angela's explanation of the sequence of events punctuated by Cam's and Hodgins' questions didn't even reach her ears. Nor his.

Booth was caressing her hand now. Under everyone's nose. And no one knew anything. This moment was pure perfection.

She let her fingers slowly trace lines in his palm. He could feel shivers down his spine.

Lost in the moment.

"Dr. Brennan?"

The second time Cam called out her name, she finally heard it. She instantly broke hand contact and played with her necklace instead. She looked at Angela, who was frowning at first, and caught the exact moment when she understood.

"Oh. My. God," the artist jerkily let out, just above a whisper.

Cam smiled, thrilled, but not wanting to show it, she crossed her arms over her chest and looked to the floor.

"Are you serious?!" Hodgins almost squealed.

"I don't even know what's going on," Dr. Edison said.

"Of course you don't," Hodgins stated.

Angela pulled Brennan away. She led her outside the room and pulled her arm all the way to her own office, where she let go and closed the door. She turned to Brennan.

"I have a feeling I can talk to you. Am I mistaken?"

"No," Brennan admitted, shyly smiling along her friend's overexcitement.

"Did you sleep with him?" she shrieked before putting a hand in front of her mouth.

"No. He wants to take me out, first."

"That's fair enough. I can't believe this. He finally came forward?"

Brennan shifted on her feet.

"No. I did."

"Way to go, sweetie! What did he say?"

Brennan was afraid to admit the truth. Maybe her best friend would see it as a bad sign. And she didn't want to ruin this. But she decided to say it anyway.

"Nothing, really."

But Angela didn't seem to care.

"I can't believe this is really happening! When's the big date?"

"Tonight." Brennan grew even more nervous.

Can I come? Angela wished. She squealed again.

"This is unbelievable! I'm so happy for you!"

Brennan stiffened a bit, squeezed in Angela's power hug.

"I'm not so sure about this. It's already affecting my work. I can't concentrate at all!"

Angela laughed giddily.

"Well, give it some time!" she said. "Your brain is used to being first, and now that your heart's in charge, it'll have to learn to come in second."

This was absolute nonsense, but Brennan didn't mind. She had other concerns to voice.

"I don't know. Usually before a date, I'm excited and looking forward to it. This is Booth," she said with emphasis. "And I feel like I could throw up any second. Do you think it means something?" she asked, her big baby blue eyes begging for answers.

"Yes. And that's your brain's fault again. It means that this is really important to you. A lot more than any other dates. And it is. This could be the first moment of the rest of your life!"

Angela had meant that as a good thing. Brennan sighed.

"You're not really helping."

"You're gonna be fine. Just be yourself."

That was the problem. She wasn't great on dates. She wasn't even likeable at times.

Angela was still on a cloud. She said, "I can't believe that at this time tomorrow, I'll finally know how Booth is in bed..."

Brennan's heart started pounding. Yet again. This was precisely why she was so nervous.

***

"Hey, stud!" Angela almost shouted before Booth could exit the building. He stopped and turned to her as she got nearer. "Or should I say 'Hey, moron!'"

Booth sighed, adjusting his tie.

"What did I do now?"

Angela looked around to make sure they were alone.

"She poured her heart out to you and you said nothing?"

Booth never figured Bones to be the type to kiss and tell. Or to not kiss and tell.

"Not that this concerns you, but I have my reasons."

"And I am ready to hear them out," she stated, eyebrows raised, arms crossed.

Booth hesitated. But if Brennan could talk about it, so could he. Maybe he'd feel less nervous.

"I didn't want her to freak out. To change her mind. I want... to show her, first."

"Yeah... Normally, I would be all for it. It's great... in theory. But this is Dr. Temperance Brennan. You need to spell it out or she won't be sure. So put your romantic knight in shining armour self aside for a minute and just be very, very clear. I shouldn't have to tell you that, Mr Big Man."

A lecture from Angela was not what he needed.

"Angela, I love you dearly," he said, grabbing her shoulders. "But please, stay out of this."

Angela smiled.

"See? It's so easy to say!" She hugged him tightly. "I love you, too."

She pulled away and smacked him on the arm.

"Now, don't you dare break her heart. I can be mean. Very mean."

She walked away and spun around just in time to say, "Have a great evening!"

***

The restaurant was classy. The ambiance was quiet and intimate; even the clicks of her heals on the floor sounded really loud. They reached the table and Booth pulled her chair for her. She blushed, sat down, and waited for him to sit across from her. The candlelight was reflecting on the reserved sign. The hostess took it off the table before asking them if they wanted something to drink. Brennan watched Booth as he ordered a bottle of wine.

As soon as the woman walked away, Brennan said, "You didn't have to do all this."

"Oh no, don't worry. I don't have to do anything. They have cooks and stuff."

She chuckled as he grinned, really proud of his joke.

"I wasn't going to buy you fries from the diner on our first date," he said.

"I would have been fine with it."

Booth's heart stopped. Maybe this was too much?

"If you're not comfortable, we can go somewhere else," he suggested.

"No!" She looked around. Couples everywhere. Soft music. "This is nice," she said. Just a little weird.

The waiter arrived and poured them some wine.

"To us," Booth said, raising his glass.

The bright tinkle of their glass coming together sounded really loud, too. She took a sip, smiled and looked at the bottle on the table. Useless information came rushing through her brain, and she tried really hard not to say anything. She knew it was annoying to most people. Nobody cared that findings suggested the early Mayans valued cacao as the source of a fermented drink. Or that alcohol came 500 years before chocolate.

"Are you ok?" Booth asked.

"Yes, of course." She looked him in the eye. "I'm just... trying to find something to say. Usually on first dates, I don't know the man so well. So there's a lot I can ask."

"You don't have to say anything," he said.

"That would make for a very long evening," she laughed.

"So I take it Angela's talking to you again?"

"Yes. I'm not sure it's a good thing," she smiled. "We're gonna have to find her a boyfriend, too, otherwise, she's never gonna leave us alone."

She winced at her choice of words.

"I didn't mean... Well..."

Booth laughed again.

"You can relax!" he said.

She really was a bundle of nerves. She felt like laughing for no reason.

"Are you relaxed?" she asked.

"God, no!"

They stared at each other, still smiling. At least they were not alone.

The waiter came back, ready to take their order. They hadn't even looked at the menu yet. And when he came back 20 minutes later, they still weren't ready to order.

***

"Where's Parker tonight?" she asked him, taking the last bite of crème brûlée she could handle.

"I drove him back to Rebecca's before I picked you up." He looked at her and added, on a tone of confidence, "He was really excited."

"To see his mother?"

"No!" he laughed. "That we were... going out. Together. Tonight."

Brennan felt her heart swell. He had told his son? About them? That could only mean it was as serious as it could be, right? Booth never mixed his son into his romantic life.

"You told him?"

I had to. He kept asking why I was dressed like James Bond and nervous like a girl.

"Yes. You think I shouldn't have?"

"No, it's... He's ok with it?"

"More than ok."

In fact, the words he had used were, 'I bet her apartment is way cooler than yours. When you move in with her, can you bring your big TV?'. But Booth didn't need to add to the pressure they both felt. He had never put his heart and soul into a first date. This was scary stuff.

They kept on talking. About the case, about the news, about everything but them. They avoided the subject for so long that when the waiter came back for the 50th time, they realized they were the only ones left.

"The kitchen is now closed," he said with a detached voice. "If you would like, you are welcome to sit at the bar," he finished, pointing to the counter where two or three people were leaned on to drink in fancy glasses.

Booth asked her if she wanted to, hoping they could go somewhere less stuffy.

"I have a very decent bottle of scotch at my place," she said, unaware at first that her words were hinting to something more.

She understood that this sentence she had used many, many times over the years with him had lost all regular meaning. From now on, inviting him to her place would suggest something else. There was no going back. And she didn't want to go back.

She locked eyes with him, fully aware now of what she was consciously implying. And her heart raced as he nodded. She followed him outside to his car. The cool wind should have calmed her down, but she was starting to feel... terrified.

She wasn't sure she could sleep with him. She wanted to. She needed to. She just didn't want to disappoint him. She was great in bed, objectively speaking. She wasn't afraid of pleasure. She wasn't a prude. But she had no experience with angels, heavens and cosmic connections. One plus one had never equalled one for her. What if she couldn't do it? What if they couldn't connect because of her? What if she was emotionally unable to?

Her silence was making him so nervous he wondered how he had managed to park in front of her place.

They went up. They went in.

He was tense. Everywhere. And he hadn't even touched her yet. He watched her go for the bottle of scotch and two small glasses in the liquor cabinet. She was amazingly beautiful.

"Thanks for tonight," he said.

"You're leaving?" she asked, in a little high pitched voice, leaving the alcohol behind to stand in front of him.

"No! I was just... saying thank you."

"Thank you." The butterflies were there again. She tried to find a spot on his body she didn't felt the urge to touch. Couldn't. She locked eyes with him. It didn't look like he was ever going to say anything, so she asked, "It wasn't a pity date, was it? You didn't take me out just because you thought you had to?"

Booth had completely forgotten she didn't know yet. Angela would have killed him by now. He dug through his pockets and found it.

Booth handed her a piece of paper.

"What's this? The dinner bill?" she laughed.

"It's my list."

Her head spun up.

"You're mocking me?" This was supposed to be funny?

"No! Bones..." He took the list from her hands and threw it on the nearest table. He put his hands on her waist and pulled her close. "I love you," he whispered his heart out. "I've loved you for a very long time."

She lost her breath in the moment. What she felt wasn't surprise. It was more... relief.

"Why didn't you say something before? You made me do all the work. I thought you were a gentleman."

Hands on his chest, she played with the buttons of his shirt. She let him look into her eyes as he replied.

"You..." No. This would be a lie. "I wasn't ready," he realized. Yes, he was a coward. But it didn't matter now. She was there. In his arms. And he wasn't sleeping.

"Do you think we're ready now?" she asked in a tiny, uncharacteristic voice.

His eyes dropped to her small nose, then to her lips. His chest tightened. He leaned in ever so slowly.

She caught his lips with hers before he had a chance to kiss her first. Slowly, gently, hungrily. Their breath was already heavy and loud. Her knees went completely weak when the warmth of his tongue softly caressed her bottom lip. She opened her mouth slightly and allowed her tongue to meet his. They both pulled the other closer. Booth hands went up, cradling her face. She stroked his back as a moan escaped her throat. He heard her pleasure and lost it a little, pushing his groin onto her. Without breaking the kiss, she pressed on his lower back, and lower, to feel his hardness on her. She swayed her hips a little and cried out a whisper.

Hands were everywhere. She pulled his shirt out of his pants and slid her hands under it, feeling the skin of his back. She glided her fingers all the way to the front and sneaked them between his belt and his stomach.

She heard him muffle something about God and he buried his face in her neck. His fingers found the zipper on the back of her dress and he pulled it down. She managed to slip off her shoes as she unbuttoned his shirt. She pushed it off of him and asked for his lips again with hers. Half naked, Booth kept kissing her, as he walked and drove her blindly somewhere he could lean her against. Her back hit the wall beside her bedroom entrance and she spun them around. Her eyes, glazed with unbearable desire, found his. She took both his hands off her waist and locked her fingers through his as she pulled him, walking backwards, to her bedroom. She stood in front of him, but took a step back. She let go of his hands. She wanted him to watch her. She let her dress fall to the floor. Heart pounding, she let his eyes discover her delicate underwear as the lights from the street graced her skin. Slowly, he approached her, in awe. He let his fingers graze her throat and slithered them downwards. He flattened his palm between her breasts as she involuntarily drew her head back. The roundness of her chest followed her deep breath and rose upwards.

He whispered a loaded sigh just beneath her collarbone, hands on the bare skin of her waist. Holding in a whimper, Brennan lifted his chin with her finger. She cupped his face between her hands and caressed his lips with her thumbs. Their eyes met. She kissed him once, but pulled away slowly before he could kiss her back. She kissed a spot beneath his ear and savoured his intense breathing on her as his hands kept exploring her back. She went back to his mouth, waiting for his lips to graze hers before teasing them a little more. He sensually darted out the tip of his tongue and she pulled back, smiling, just enough to make him squirm. Her tongue finally greeted his, outside their mouths for a second. She felt a pull inside her gut. She wanted him closer.

Never letting go of his delicious mouth, she undid his belt buckle and pulled down the zipper of his jeans, a little slower than she could have, just to make him even harder. Her groin flat against his, she slid her hands down the back of his pants and pulled him closer.

He managed to push his pants completely off. The intensity grew even more as the only thing separating them now was the fabric of their underwear. Booth unclasped her bra and slowly pulled the straps down her shoulders, leaving a trail of kisses on her skin as he went. He taunted her nipples with his thumb a little, feeling their hardness behind the lace. A soft pinch to make her moan out loud. Her eyes closed, she desperately waited until he exposed her breasts, letting the lace fall to the floor. She couldn't help but grind against him when he took them in his palms. His mouth was about to take over his fingers when he felt her small hand around him. He buried his face in her neck to try and control himself. With both hands on her hips, he spun them around and pushed her down on the bed.

***

A shiver of coolness went through her, as their heart rate calmed down a bit. Still trying to catch his breath, he pulled her close. She snuggled against him, her head in the crook of his neck, a hand over his moist chest.

"Just so you know...." she murmured in his ear, "I would not appreciate you seeing other people."

He chuckled.

"I'm the puritan one. You're the one with the history of double dating."

"I'm quite pleased at the moment," she said with a smile he could hear.

He laughed and kissed the top of her head while his fingers traced circles on her bare arm. She shivered again and tried to look around.

"Where are all the covers?" she asked, really wondering.

"I don't know," he replied, trying to locate them. He finally did. They were in a pile next to the bed. "Huh. Hold on." He went to grab them, but she pulled him to her.

"Never mind," she ordered him.

He held her as close as he possibly could.

"I love you," he confessed again, as his heart swell.

She opened her eyes and looked directly into his. She took it in; her stomach fluttered with fury.

"I believe you," she whispered, feeling more naked than she ever was. "But I said it first," she reminded him with a smirk.

"Actually, you didn't say it. I said it for you. Say it."

She blushed.

"Say it," he whispered again.

She tightened her lips together and her eyes sparkled with laughter.

"Say it."

She sighed, content. Happy. Light. She breathed in, shaky. Excited. Full.

"I love you, Booth."

She let him taste her words and smiled at the light in his eyes.

Suddenly, she broke away and stretched to grab something on the bedside table.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a laugh.

She came back to him with a cell phone in her hands.

"I'm calling Sweets," she explained, like it was obvious.

"What?"

"He needs to know, remember? To adjust."

She pretended to type in a number as Booth tried to take the phone from her. Finally, after a tickle or two, he won. Now on top of her, phone in hand, he laughed out loud.

"You're funny!" he said.

"When are you gonna stop sounding so surprised when you say that?"

"You surprise me every day, Bones."

She kissed him. As soon as he responded, she tried to take the phone back, but he had seen it coming.

"Uh huh!"

He threw the device on the pile of bed sheets on the floor.

"Tonight, it's just you and me. Tomorrow, we can tell the whole world."

We. Them. Against the world. Nothing had changed. Except everything.

------------------------------ THE END-----------------------------

Well, there you go. It's done :( I hope you liked my ending... *sigh*. I can't believe it's over. Let me tell you I absolutely loved writing it for you, guys. That was some incredible support you showed me. I'm proud of you for all those reviews. You rock. Thanks!