Title: The Games We Play
Characters/Pairings: all/canon couples
Genre: Romance/ Humor/tiny bit of Drama/Angst?
Warnings: spoilers for ALL AIRED episodes
Episode: 4x26 The End in the Beginning
Rating: T
Chapters: 3/10
Status: WIP

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones nor the characters. Just playing with them

Summary: Seeing Booth's lost look after he wakes up confused from his coma, Brennan impulsively sustain one delusion from his dream. And no, it's not about them owning a nightclub. But what will Booth do, when his memory returns? AU post season 4.

Dedication: To every person who has reviewed my story Someone To Live For. THANK YOU ALL!

AN: Sorry for the delay, I've een sick the past two week, and I couldn't even take a sick leave at work before my vacation time… The most hectic and awful week in recent months… Someone To Live For is being updated at the moment. And it's a double one too, so read and review!

Now, onto the chapter!

Xxx

Part Three

In Which He Remembers

xxx

The next couple of days were a blur of familiar faces that were right yet not exactly right. Booth got visitors after visitors, people he recognized but who were something else than what he expected them to be. It was both amusing and well, freaking in a way.

For example he was really surprised to see the genuine concern in Cam's eyes. Were they really that close? She was just his brother's partner. But yet, clearly, she was not. Turns out they had not only an affair once, but twice. It was mindboggling. And she was Bren's boss. At the Lab. Not the nightclub, but the Medico-Legal Lab of the Jeffersonian Institute, a real one. Mindboggling. But before he could get even more confused with the timeline, the pretty woman was called to the said Lab about some experiment that went wrong and left with an apologetic smile.

The next one to visit him was Sweets. His bartender, who actually was his psychologist. How come he became a patient of a twelve-years-old? But Bren was even more disdainful about the whole affair then he, and in the end he found it all more amusing than confusing. He and his wife had a lot of fun teasing the kid after all. But despite giving the poor guy a hard time, he could tell Bren really cared for him. Like a Mother Duck. He grimaced. Where did that thought come from? But he knew she did care for the kid and he had to admit it he did a little bit too.

The most surprising was the visit from Jack Hodgins. He had a vague idea of an angry, brooding, conspiracy-loving writer. But turns out Hodgins was a kinda easygoing, happy (he had a vague idea that mad should be added there too) scientist. The bug and slime guy! He called him out of the blue making the shorter man bark a surprised laugh at this and Booth could see the sincere affection in the man's eyes. Bren proudly explained what Dr. Hodgins did, and Booth could tell there was a genuine friendship between the two. He was glad. He liked that Bren had friends in her working place.

Angela …was Angela. The same affectionate woman he remembered. Turns out she was an Artist after all and liked to call him Agent Studly. He blushed faintly at this and sputtered a little, but one look at Bren told him it must have been a common occurrence, for she did not even flinch at the nickname.

While all their friends visited him, Booth worried about his wife. He could tell that through all the visits she was tense and jumpy. She smiled, but he saw that the smile often did not reach her eyes. Something worried her, he could tell. He might have a reality confusion, but he knew his wife. She was the same woman in his dream and in his real life.

"Bren?" he called her, after the 'squinterns' as he recalled calling them has left. It was a loud squad of young cheery and genuine people that he remembered working at their night club but that turned out to be students of his brilliant wife.

"Yes, Booth?" she asked him, sitting next to his bed.

He intertwined his fingers with hers automatically. She was sitting far away from him to do so during the visits and he found himself missing the physical contact.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her worried.

Her eyes flickered, but then returned to his. "Yes, why wouldn't it be?"

He cocked his head, squeezing her hand with his. "You seem tense."

"I'm not." She shot back.

He gave her a look. "Bren…"

"I'm alright, Booth." She told him empathically.

He just shook his head. "You are a bad liar you know?" he looked at her with a small smile.

"So you tell me." She smiled back.

He grew serious. "So don't lie. Now, what's wrong?" he asked her again, looking at her face more closely.

"I... they… ah, I can't-" she stammered and he knew this was something very unusual.

"Bren!" he straightened, leaning closer. "What's. Wrong."

"They don't know we're married!" she blurted, eyes wide before she looked down.

He blinked.

Then blinked again.

"What? Why?" he asked confused.

She looked around his room. "Ah, yes… we… we work together. Yes! We work together" she looked back at him. "And there is a fraternization clause at the FBI. Agents cannot be involved with each other or with the consultants." She explained.

Booth frowned, trying to understand what she just told him. "So we have …this hidden marriage?"

Bren nodded at him. "Well, yes."

"And how we do it? Don't we live together?" he asked, truly perplexed now.

Her eyes widened. "We do! We just, well we just alternate between our places. We spend some time at my place and then at yours to keep the pretences." She told him, and looked down once more, her shoulders tense.

He was deep in thought.

Finally he nodded. "Yes… I do seem to have memories of us spending time together at two different places. Movie watching, Thai meals, your mac and cheese." He got a dreamy look on his face at the last one.

Bren laughed a shaky, relieved laugh. "You love my mac and cheese."

He smiled hearing her laugh. "I know I do."

She glanced at her surprised. "How come? Do you remember something else?"

"No. It's just a feeling I have." He shrugged. "And you have to make me some when I get out of here, the food here sucks." He complained good-naturedly.

Bren straightened. "It's well balanced." She told him.

He scoffed. "It's boring."

"It's good for your health." She reprimanded him.

"I only enjoy the pudding." He pouted at her.

She rolled her eyes. "You always enjoy pudding."

He frowned. "Do we always bicker like that?"

She blinked. "We do discuss our different views on different topics. We seem to enjoy it."

He thought hard. "Yes, I guess we do." He smiled, feeling wicked suddenly. "But you know what is even more enjoyable?"

She looked warily at him. "What?"

"Kissing you." He noticed her eyes widening briefly again, but dismissed it, because the next second she was smirking sexily.

"It's hard to argue with that point." She told him in a husky voice.

And he pulled her to him, his lips meeting hers.

xxx

Booth woke up slowly from his nap. His eyes were still closed, as he listened to the sounds around him. He could hear Bones talking softly to someone. Then he heard a reply. Angela. She was talking with Angela about their latest case and about the Lab and how they all been doing for the past day since the Artist's last visit.

He smiled softly, Bones really couldn't stay away from work for long, even if she tried. She just needed to be informed about every little detail no matter what. But that was his Bon-

His eyes opened up widely, as he froze in shock. Bones. He's been calling her Bones. He remembered. She's Bones, his partner and his best friend. He remembered the past, the real past, everything has returned to him. She's Bones and not the dreamed up Bren.

Bren. His wife.

His ears started ringing.

Bones pretended to be his wife! His breathing accelerated. She told him they were married!

He frowned. But why?

And most importantly, what should he do about it now?

He recalled the dream and how liberating and wonderful it was to be free in showing his affection to the woman he loved. Then he recalled the morning after he woke up and the following couple of days. She was pretending but at the same time taking care of him. And kissing him. On her own. And she flushed prettily whenever he paid her a compliment; and she allowed him to smile and joke and simply stare adoringly at her. She was so patient. And natural in her role as his wife. And he fell in love with her all over again.

How could he let it go?

And now it was over. Because he remembered. He felt a pang of devastating loss.

How could he let it go?

He didn't- couldn't really- but-

He wasn't sure what he should do.

If he tells her, everything will return to the way it has been before his operation. His heart squeezed with disappointment at the inevitable loss. He didn't want things to be as they had been before. He liked Bones as his wife. Even if a pretended one.

He… but he could keep up with the pretend. He doesn't have to tell her he remembered, right? At least for a while. He can still be confused and have her doting on him. And smile at him, and kiss him. He really got addicted to her kisses now.

The reason ad well, his upbringing, dictated he comes out clean. That he should tell her the truth the moment she notices he's awake. He should-

Bones laughed at something Angela has said and he felt a pang of longing in his chest. Bones has been laughing like that with him for the past few days. How could he let it go?

The thing is – he couldn't.

And besides, he was a rebel.

He was going to pretend as well. For a while. Because having Bones as his wife was a dream come true, and if he could have her as his wife even if only for a little while, he's willing to risk it.

Risk it all for them.

xxx

End of Part Three

Xxx

AN 2:ah, So we have seen Brennan acting on her GUT instinct and we've seen Booth trying to rationalize. And well, as you can see, the game is on! :P I'll see ya on two weeks with Part Four In Which They Try To Make It Work

Once again thank you for all the encouraging words.

Reviews make my day! *hint hint* :)