What Goes Around

12. What Lies Ahead

They were laughing about something when they entered the Jeffersonian. Angela and Hodgins, who were not supposed to be playing cards while on the job, went to hide the deck, but the partners didn't pay attention to them and headed straight to Brennan's office.

"Well, that's quite an attitude change," Hodgins pointed out to Angela.

"I guess Sweets is better than we give him credit for."

The glass door shut behind Booth as Brennan walked to her desk. There was Sweets' birthday gift right where she had left it on Friday and another gift bag next to it. She hadn't seen it before. She frowned and grabbed it.

"What's this?" she asked him, like he would know.

And as a matter of fact, he did. He shrugged a little and quipped, "Just a little something."

"From you?"

He nodded, but quickly got nervous.

"You don't have to open it now. Sweets looked like he really wanted you to open his."

"I'd rather see what you got me," she said with a smile. She carefully removed the paper from the bag. Inside, there was some kind of black fabric. She took it and unfolded it.

Booth almost cringed. I should have gotten her something else. But he heard her laugh and watched her look at it.

It was a simple black T-Shirt with a cartoon skull printed on it. She read what was written above it.

"Don't mess with me: I'm the bone lady."

"I know, it's stupid," he said. "I can get you something else."

"No!" she vehemently objected, squishing the shirt to her chest. "I love it!" Her smile couldn't have been bigger. "Thanks, Booth."

"That way, next time we get stuck in a motel, you'll have your own shirt to wear."

She looked down at it again before putting it back in the bag and realized she hadn't read his card. She picked it up, ready to laugh, as always, at the funny message in it.

He saw her open the envelope.

"You can read it later..."

But she wanted to read it now. Her smile softened and then she grew serious as she read his handwriting.

'Thanks for being such a big part of my life. Happy Birthday, Bones. Your partner, Booth."

It tugged something inside of her, and she tried not to lose her composure as she slid the card back into the envelope. Booth was still watching her.

"Your card isn't funny this year," she simply said.

"I'm evolving."

She finally looked up and hesitantly walked to stand right before him. She tasted his gaze a second before she spoke softly.

"So, you really do still want to work with me."

"Of course!" he reassured her. He let his fingers brush a string of hair off her beautiful face and added, "Don't you ever doubt that." He let his hand rest on her shoulder and leaned a little closer, just enough to make her heart race, but not enough to give him a heart attack. "You drive me crazy, but you make me a better person."

"Well, I don't know about that. You're already pretty amazing."

A smile crept on the corner of his lips. "Right back at you." He slid his hand down her arm. They broke eye contact, but didn't move. The skin of his hand against the back of hers. She stopped thinking and her fingers imperceptibly moved. She touched his hand so softly that he wasn't even sure it was happening. And he couldn't look at her to confirm because he was having difficulty breathing.