Brennan stood behind Booth and slid her arms under his. She placed cool slim hands on either side of his neck and with a brisk twist and an audible crack, adjusted his spinal alignment. Booth gave a groan of mixed pain and relief. "You're an angel." He said in a reverent tone, rolling his shoulders.

"This is the third time this week you've asked me to adjust your lumbar. You need to see a professional." Brennan scolded.

"It's only temporary. I don't need to see anyone but you." Booth argued.

"What's temporary?" Brennan asked.

"I told you on Monday, Bones. The guy upstairs had his water heater explode. My bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen are ruined, completely gutted. I'm sleeping on the sofa until the contractors finish Tuesday. Just three more days." Booth said, pulling his jacket on.

"You said you had some water damage, you didn't say you'd be sleeping on that old sofa for over a week." Brennan said. Her eyebrows drew together in concern.

"Well, the guy below me is in the same fix. He's staying with his mom." Booth shrugged. "Lucky the building insurance is paying to replace everything."

"Why aren't you staying with someone?" Brennan asked, still frowning.

Booth looked uncomfortable. "Who?" He asked.

"Well…" Brennan paused, considering. "What about Jared's place?"

"He sublet it when he left town."

"Why didn't you ask me? I have a guest room."

"I can't just, you know, invite myself over." Booth's face flushed slightly.

"Well, you can stay with me until your place is fixed. It's only three nights." Brennan offered.

"Really? You want a guest over the weekend?" Booth asked.

"You're not a guest. I don't have to entertain you or anything." Brennan said earnestly. "Really, Booth, be reasonable. We can look over those three limbo files I have been asking you about, too!"

Booth chuckled. "Alright, Bones. I'll take you up on that. The sofa is pretty awful."

"Good." Brennan smiled.

"And I will take a look at those files as a thank you." He added.

Brennan's smile widened and she went to dig in her purse. "Here's the spare key. Just make yourself at home."

Booth cleared his throat, focusing on the key briefly before taking it and slipping it in his pocket. "Thanks. I'll see you tonight, then?"

"Yes." Brennan returned to her desk, sat, and was already engrossed in a pile of X-ray images.

"I'll bring Thai for dinner."

"'Kay."

Booth paused at the door tapping his palm on the doorframe, saw that she was done with the matter and in her own world, and took himself back to his office.

Angela immediately appeared in the doorway out of nowhere like a genie. She held a skull with tissue depth markers on a stainless steel tray. "What was that?" She asked with intense interest.

Brennan scowled at the interruption. "What was what?" She asked.

"Did you just give Booth your apartment key?" Angela said, almost bouncing with inquisitiveness.

"His apartment was flooded and he doesn't have anywhere to stay till it's fixed." Brennan replied. "Did you need something?"

"Will you okay the tissue markers on this for me?" Angela placed the tray in front of Brennan.

Brennan focused her eyes on the skull, turning it and scrutinizing it thoroughly. "It looks fine." She said, replacing it and handing the tray back to Angela.

Angela headed back toward the door, but turned and stated. "You will tell me absolutely everything that happens you know."

Brennan fair skin warmed. "Nothing's going to happen, Ange. I just offered him my guest room for a couple of days."

Angela raised one eyebrow skeptically, smirked, and sashayed out the door.

When Brennan reached her front door at ten that night, she was exhausted, cranky, and had forgotten about giving her key to Booth. Opening her door, she was greeted by the spicy scent of Thai food and the sound of a sporting event on low volume. For a moment she was bewildered, but quickly remembered everything. Booth came padding out of her kitchen in jeans, and sweatshirt, and socks and grinned.

"Hey, Bones. I beat you here by fifteen minutes. I'm just getting ready to eat. I got you your tofu and some braised green beans in spicy garlic sauce." He cocked his head to the side. "You look beat." He took her briefcase and set it by the coat rack, then with businesslike briskness extracted her from her jacket and scarf and hung them up.

"Term papers, publisher's deadline, and Daisy Wick." She listed, allowing him to fuss over her and lead her into the kitchen. "It smells amazing in here. Thank you for dinner."

"Hey, thanks for putting me up." Booth returned. He loaded up plates with food and chopsticks and headed for the living room. "Bring beer." He said over his shoulder.

Brennan found a six pack of Stella in her fridge. Booth had apparently stocked it since that morning when she had left her apartment it had only held a half carton of soy milk, some yogurt, and a deli tub of cut cantaloupe. She pulled two bottles out, popped the tops, and made her way into the living room. Booth was watching basketball on a television that was set on a stack of large books in the center of her coffee table.

"You brought your television?" Brennan chuckled.

"Because you don't have one." Booth pointed out with the air of one delivering a coup de grace. "Want to watch 'The Maltese Falcon' with me? It's on AMC."

"You don't want to watch your game?" Brennan asked.

"It's just last night's highlights." Booth shrugged, flipping the channels until Humphrey Bogart's face filled the screen. "Bogey!" Booth said happily, then drooped his lower lip and said "Here's lookin' at you, kid." In a terrible Bogart impression.

Brennan snorted and rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Let me go change." She said. She hurried to her bedroom and traded her work clothes for a sports bra and yoga pants with an oversized V-neck t-shirt. She scrubbed her face, pulled her hair into a high ponytail, and came back to the living room. She sank onto the sofa beside Booth with a deep sigh. She took a long swallow of her lager and dug into her Thai food, enjoying the luxury of having someone take care of her.

The partners ate in companionable silence as they had so many times before, enjoying the movie and a second beer each. They cleared up dinner during a commercial break and after the movie ended Booth opened a third beer for himself. He waved it at Brennan and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Sure." She replied, taking the beer and returning to the sofa. He brought his own drink in and plopped down next to her, thigh to thigh. Both put their bottles on the coffee table and rested their heads on the back of the sofa, turning to face each other. Brennan smiled, a little over-warmed by the beer and an exhausting day. "What do you need to do tomorrow?"

Booth smiled in return. "I have Parker's Little League game at nine thirty then I'm buying a new bed." He replied. "After that, I'm all yours."

Brennan blinked.

"Uh, I mean for the limbo files. I'm all yours." Booth said hastily, feeling his face heat.

"Oh, right. Yes. Thank you." Brennan said, clearing her throat and then leaning forward to take a swallow of beer. She glanced at the clock. "Well, um, it's late, so I'm going to bed. Do you need anything?" She stood up abruptly. He stood too, unconsciously blocking her way.

"Oh, okay. No, uh, well…towels?" Booth stammered.

"Yes, under the sink." Brennan stood there awkwardly. "Well, goodnight."

"Yeah, goodnight."

"Just, excuse me…" Brennan said, pointing around Booth and he jumped.

"Oh! S'cuse me." He said, stepping sideways and allowing her past. She brushed against him, stumbled, and he caught her with both arms. For a moment, they simply stared at each other, breaths coming fast. Booth's arms wrapped around her waist, her hands settled on the hard plane of his chest. They stayed frozen, both melting slightly into the other. Booth's dark eyes flicked to her mouth and he bent toward her unconsciously. Brennan inhaled sharply in anticipation. The sound was like a thunder in the silence that had descended, causing both to jump slightly and breaking the spell. They awkwardly dropped their arms and Brennan moved toward her bedroom. Booth cleared his throat once, twice, but his voice was still rough when he began. "Bones..."

Brennan felt panic rise and cut him off. "Goodnight." She said in a husky voice and fled to her bedroom. Once inside, she shut the door and leaned back against it, letting out a broken breath and pressing her shaking hands to her mouth and stomach. "Coward." She whispered to herself fiercely.