Chapter Seven.

The alerts, favorites, and reviews are always greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: Bones originally belongs to Kathy Reichs, but is currently under the great care of Fox, Hart, Deschanel, and Boreanaz.

Time for a talk between our favorite pair.

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She watched him through the window in the interrogation room. He hadn't looked surprised when she announced that she didn't want to sit in with him.

Working together again, it was nice, but still not exactly the same. It was hard to ignore feelings once they we're vocalized instead of a subtle undercurrent between them. Or, according to Angela, not so subtle.

Brennan watched Booth work. She smiled. He was following his gut again, and he was right. Although she didn't agree with that method, she couldn't deny that it worked for Booth.

The suspect was taken off in handcuffs by another agent. Booth walked through the door, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Well, we got him. Turns out the lover strangled Sylvia because she wouldn't drop her husband."

Brennan shook her head. "Her fidelity got her killed."

Booth nodded solemnly. "Coffee?" His eyes were filled with hope.

"Of course." Brennan agreed, slipping her arm through his. It was a common enough gesture between them, but something she hadn't done since their night outside the Hoover building. She couldn't help but notice the grin that spread across her partner's lips, but she didn't care to analyze it.

They walked away from the building, linked together.

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Brennan sipped her coffee and Booth ate another forkful of pie.

Neither of them spoke, the lack of banter was unnerving. Brennan was deep in thought, and Booth was enjoying his pie.

Rationality, logic, that was what Booth had to break through to get to Bones, to reach her heart. He thought he had tried, but really, he had just jumped. He couldn't rush her into things, couldn't push. But who was he kidding. He couldn't move on either.

She was logical, rational, scientific, and he was not. But there was something about Seeley Booth. Although, it wasn't enough to stave off the feelings of abandonment. Everyone Brennan loved in the past had left her. It was logical for her to be afraid. But this wasn't working together; it was tiptoeing around one another. Waiting for the other to make a move. Even if Booth couldn't break down her walls completely, it was true that he had pushed himself into her heart. Brennan never realized she had allowed it, but she had. The problem was, she couldn't lose him. And relationships, let alone one with a co-worker, failed the majority of the time. And she couldn't take that leap with him. As much as a part of her surely wanted to, it was more important to Brennan that she keep a piece of Seeley Booth in her life, rather than have all of him and feel the loss of him entirely. She knew her odds, and played it safe.

Their eyes met, breaking the awkwardness of their silence. Whenever their eyes met it was as if the whole rest of the world was shut out for a moment and it was just them-- Booth and Brennan.

Booth took a forkful of pie offered it to his partner. "Pie?" There was a perceptible change in his gaze.

"You know I don't like pie, Booth." But, against her rational mind, Brennan found herself leaning forward and accepting the bite of pie from Booth.

He grinned at her as he watched her grimace in disgust.

"As I've said before, it's too sweet."

"Then why'd you taste it?" Booth retorted.

"Because I was tired of you asking me to. It didn't make sense to prolong the inevitable any longer." Brennan rationalized.

"Right Bones." Booth's grin widened as Brennan defensively made her case about pie tasting.

The banter was back, and he knew tomorrow that work would be work just as it always had been for the past five years.

Some things would never change, like the chemistry between partners. Some things inevitably would. But that didn't mean there wouldn't be another chance.

The center will hold.

*****

A/N: loyal reviewers and readers, thanks so much for taking this post 100th episode journey with me. There are a ton of post 100th fics out there and I am so glad you chose mine as one of the lucky to be read.

I am frankly, very happy with how these feelings of mine ended up coming out. I'm hoping this good catharsis will last until the season finale.

Check out my next story if you feel the urge: The Love in the Scientist. It's got a bit more chemistry in it, if you know what i mean.