A/N: So here it is, the final chapter. Thank you so much for all the great feedback. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you read and reviewed.

Eavesdropping

Chapter 6

Another fund raising event for the Jeffersonian. Ugh. Angela had come to accept her compulsory attendance as one of the few things she didn't like about her job. There was the usual endless dry speeches laced with corny jokes given by assorted big cheese types with more hot air than personality. But the food was surprisingly good and as Hodgins' date, she got to sit with him, though the rest of the squints were scattered around the room so they could schmooze with their benefactors.

She looked across the room to where Brennan sat between a prominent businessman and some high powered lobbyist. She suppressed a laugh as she noticed that her friend had that look that said she had just finished arguing with the lobbyist and was a bit irritated at the outcome. Interestingly enough, they had seated Booth at the same table. He had gotten an invite due to his status as FBI liaison. Angela took a moment to admire how well he filled out his tux. She might be in a committed relationship with Hodgins, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate a fine looking man like Booth. She slid a sideways look at her date. He was no slouch in the fineness department either. Catching her eye, he smiled and her heart skipped a beat. Oh, yeah, he was hotness personified.

There was a smattering of polite clapping, then another speaker took the podium. Angela looked back over and noticed Brennan was missing. Her gaze roamed the crowded ballroom and she spotted Booth's back disappearing through the double doors at the back of the room. Interesting.

Angela looked over at Brennan's table several times over the next ten minutes, but neither of the partners had returned and she was beginning to get suspicious. Finally she couldn't suppress her curiosity another minute. Murmuring an excuse, she pushed back from the table and made her way out of the ballroom. Standing in the softly lit hallway, she looked up and down, but nobody was in sight. Moving toward the ladies' room, she noticed the door of the cloakroom where everyone had deposited their coats and wraps was closed. She didn't think anything of it until a muffled giggle from behind the door brought her up short. They wouldn't--! Then she heard a muted thud as something heavy—a body maybe?—hit the door followed by a deep male groan and Angela crept closer to listen.

"Shhh!" somebody hissed. "Do you want to get caught?" Brennan's voice. Clapping a hand over her mouth, Angela tried to stay calm.

"Would that be so bad?" Booth said low. "At least then we wouldn't have to sneak—" he said, but the rest got cut off—by Brennan's mouth maybe?

Angela had heard enough. Nearly giddy with glee, she went on to the bathroom and took care of business, taking her time. She was hoping to catch one of the clandestine lovers leaving the cloakroom.

As luck would have it, she caught them both. She came along just as Booth came out, pulling Brennan along behind him. He froze when he saw Angela, dropping Brennan's hand like it had burned him. Brennan collided with his back with a small squeak.

"Angela!" Booth said, smiling uncertainly, his eyes darting around as he looked for any other witnesses. He couldn't have looked more guilty if she had caught them in the act.

"Hi, Booth," Angela replied, looking him up and down with a sly grin. "Enjoying the banquet?"

"Uh, yeah…we were just looking for the bathroom…" he began lamely. Brennan seemed to be having a hard time meeting Angela's eyes.

"Just down that way," Angela directed, pointing down the hall. Nodding his thanks, he turned to go, but her next words stopped him. "You might want to check yourself in the mirror," she said with a chuckle. "That shade of lipstick doesn't really go with your complexion." His hand automatically came up to wipe his mouth and Angela laughed. "Oh, and Bren? You missed a button." Leaving them to stare after her in shock, Angela went on to the ballroom and returned to her seat.

The grin she wore must have been a tad too big, because Hodgins smiled at her and raised his eyebrows. Leaning toward her, he whispered, "What's going on?"

She made an effort to cheer down a bit. "I'll tell you later," she promised, lips twitching. And she would, because this wasn't the kind of news she could keep to herself without exploding. Telling Hodgins would be enough of a release so that she could contain herself. For awhile, anyway.

She contained herself until Monday morning. She even managed to wait until Booth showed up and went into Brennan's office. That was the limit of her patience.

She went in and closed the door behind her. Brennan gave her an absent look, then returned to the file she was perusing. Booth glanced over from his usual seat in the chair in front of the desk. His reaction to her presence was interesting. Straightening in the chair, he smoothed his tie and glanced at his watch, perhaps trying to think of a good reason to escape?

"Okay, how long has this been going on?" Angela asked bluntly. They both gave her a startled look.

Then the partners exchanged a glance.

"This?" Booth asked with studied puzzlement.

"You two…being involved," Angela explained patiently.

Another glance was exchanged. Brennan folded her hands on the blotter in front of her. "What makes you think we're involved?"

"Oh, come on! I practically caught you in the act at the banquet," Angela said, folding her arms and giving them a 'you're not fooling me' look.

They exchanged another glance and Booth gave a slight nod. "We should have known we couldn't fool you, Angela," Brennan said with a sigh of resignation.

Angela's grin was huge. "We're trying to keep it quiet," Booth hastened to say.

"Oh, c'mon you guys! We're all way ahead of you. Everybody who has ever seen you together knew you two would get together eventually."

Brennan frowned. "Do you expect us to announce it to the world?"

Angela snorted. "Why not? It's not like you're going to shock anyone. The overall reaction is going to be 'What the hell took you so long?'"

Booth looked doubtful. "You really think so?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Trust me. Nobody's gonna freak." She watched them exchange another look and decided it was time to make herself scarce. She turned to go. "Well, I gotta get back to work. I'm glad you two finally went for it." With a smile and a wave she was gone. An awkward silence fell.

"Do you think she's right?" Brennan asked softly.

"I don't know, I suppose she could be. Thing is, I don't know how much longer we could keep it quiet anyway. And I'm tired of trying. Sneaking around isn't nearly as much fun as I thought it would be," he said wryly.

Brennan pursed her lips. "Things could get complicated."

A smile cocked up a corner of his lips. "They already are." She gave him a dubious look. "Look, would it make a difference if I promised to keep things professional while we are on the job?"

Brennan nodded slowly. "We have to. I just can't be like Angela and Hodgins, teasing and flirting…that just isn't me—"

Booth leaned forward, his look suddenly serious. "Really? What do you think we've been doing for the last couple years?" Her reply was a deep frown and he could tell she wasn't following. "All the bickering, the meaningful looks…they were all a form of flirting."

Brennan shook her head. "Not for me, they weren't." His skeptical look forced her to explain. "I'm not good at reading subtext with people, Booth. If there was some kind of hidden meaning in our debates, it escaped my notice."

He needed to get closer to her. He got up and came around the desk, leaning his hips against the edge next to her. She straightened in the chair. His voice dropped to an intimate level. "Don't worry about it. I've had so much practice pretending…" he broke off as she narrowed her eyes at him. He leaned closer to whisper. "I'm not gonna lie and tell you I haven't thought about throwing you down across this desk and having you right here." She sucked in a breath at the mental image his words conjured. Her hands gripped the armrests of the chair as though she was controlling the urge to reach for him. His lips twitched and he went on. "But I know how important it is to you to maintain a certain amount of professionalism, and I respect that. I also know that once the powers that be get wind of this, how they react will hinge on our behavior. And since I want to continue working cases with you, it would behoove me to do my best to show them that we can be involved without letting it affect our professional relationship." He reached out to touch her cheek. "As long as I know that at the end of the day, I get to have you in my arms, I can handle it. What I couldn't handle is losing you," he finished, his voice rough with emotion. The tenderness in his eyes caught at her heart.

Brennan swallowed hard. "Me too," she admitted huskily.

His point made, he got up and went back around the desk to resume his seat. He had already touched her more than he should considering where they were. "So…what kind of weapon did you say…" he began, every bit of emotion gone from his voice.

Brennan took a deep, steadying breath. I can do this if he can, she told herself firmly. For their partnership, she had to put her heart in a box. Like Booth, she would hold onto the promise of being in his arms at the end of the day. It would have to be enough.

THE END