A/N: A huge thank you to everyone reading and reviewing! I don’t know what’s up with my muse lately. Inspiration seems to come in spurts. Anyway, here’s your update! Enjoy!

Chapter 9: progress and bathtime

Monday

The next morning Booth woke up, alone in the bed. A glance at the clock on the nightstand told him he’d slept in. He rubbed the fatigue from his eyes, and got up. Daisy was gone as well as Brennan. She must have taken her outside and fed her. He moved into the bathroom to shower, and upon coming out, headed into the kitchen.

Brennan was seated at the table with a mug of coffee and the morning paper, diligently doing the crossword. He peered over her shoulder, noting with a tinge of envy that more than half of the blocks were filled in. He could never get that far, and, in fact, had stopped trying months ago.

“Morning Bones,” he said, adding an element of cheerfulness to his voice.

“Mmm,” she mumbled, still deep in concentration over a clue, her teeth unconsciously clamping down on the pen cap as she thought.

He poured himself a mug of coffee, sat across from her, and shuffled through the paper until he found the sports and comics sections. She took a moment to eye his selections with disapproval.

“You know, you should really be reading about global events, things that may impact your own life.”

“Game scores do impact my life,” he retorted, scanning the sports pages.

“Only if you bet money on the outcome, which you shouldn’t be doing.”

“I’m not,” he defended himself. “It’s just important to know how these games turn out.”

She shrugged her indifference and turned back to her puzzle. She couldn’t understand the appeal of sports.

He looked at her over the page. “Did you take Daisy out?”

“Yes, and yes, she did go. It’s amazing. We haven’t even engaged in any proper house training.”

“She’s just smart. Takes after her mommy.”

He got the reaction he’d hoped for when a smile appeared, beginning at the corners of her mouth and spreading, becoming infectious as he felt himself smile back at her. Their eyes made contact for a moment, and each struggled to make use of the time and read the other, but contact was broken before full understanding was achieved.

“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Booth asked.

“Well, I thought we could give Daisy a bath, since Dr. Sweets sent over that shampoo, and beyond that, it’s up to you.”

Booth thought. He wasn’t sure what else they could do, particularly with Daisy. Most places weren’t exactly dog friendly, and he was pretty sure that since Sweets had come over to dog sit before, he didn’t want them leaving Daisy alone for a long amount of time.

“I’ll have to do some more thinking. Whose day is it to work tomorrow? Yours or mine?”

“It’s yours. I work Wednesday. Then the vet appointment is on Thursday, and Friday we meet with Dr. Sweets again and take Daisy back.”

Silence fell as both thought about bringing Daisy back. It didn’t seem as appealing as it had on their first day with her. Brennan was the first to snap out of it. She finished up her crossword, and stood, taking her mug to the sink. Booth leaned forward and looked at the newspaper page. Every box was filled in. He grumbled, but was bolstered as he also noticed a couple of cross-outs and rewrites. She wasn’t the crossword queen after all.

She noticed him looking at the marks. “I had some issues with the clues referring to modern slang words,” she explained.

“Oh.” That took some of the wind out of his sails.

She took the bottle of puppy shampoo from the counter and perused the instructions. “Should we do it in the sink or in the tub?”

“Do it?” he thought. “Huh?” Caught off guard by her choice of phrasing, he voiced the question while at the same time knowing full well what she meant.

“Daisy’s bath. Tub or sink?”

“The sink I think.” He grinned at his little rhyme, and picked up the puppy from where she was sitting on the floor next to the table. “You ready for a bath Daisy Jo?” he asked her, taking off her collar and dress and setting both on the counter

She cocked her head at him, as if not understanding the question, but didn’t get a repeat. He carried her over to the sink and placed her in it, and she immediately tried to get out, claws scrabbling on the surface.

Brennan, meanwhile, had fetched a towel and was focused on getting the right temperature for the water. “What do you think?” She pushed the faucet in his direction. He stuck his wrist under the water.

“A little warmer.”

She complied with the suggestion, then turned the faucet so it was in the sink Daisy occupied. She picked up the sprayer and wet the puppy while Booth kept her in the sink with the gentle pressure of his hand on her back. She immediately began shivering, and doubled her efforts to climb out of the sink.

Once she was wet, Booth held out his other hand for the shampoo. “Give me some shampoo Bones.”

She did so, and he worked it into a lather, soaping up Daisy while she pleaded at him with her big brown eyes. “I know Daisy. Just a little longer. Hang in there,” he told her sympathetically. He rinsed her off while Brennan stood by with the towel.

When he was finished, he turned to her. “Bones, hold her and give me the towel.” She handed it off to him, one hand keeping the puppy in the sink as she struggled to jump out onto the counter. 

He took the towel and spread it out across him, then took Daisy and settled the squirming wet puppy against his chest, wrapping the towel around her.

“There, see, that wasn’t so bad,” he soothed her. “I need another towel. This one’s soaked.” Brennan went into the bathroom and grabbed another towel and they traded off, Brennan wrapping Daisy up this time and running the towel up and down her little body to dry her off.

She stole a glance at Booth who was holding the sopping towel in one hand. There was a huge water stain on his shirt from where the towel had soaked through, and Brennan was certain she’d have a matching one once she removed Daisy and the towel.

“I never thought such a small puppy could hold that much water,” Booth commented, hanging the towel across the back of a chair. Brennan finished rubbing down Daisy and placed the puppy on the floor where she immediately took off in the direction of the bedroom, going through the open door and hiding under the bed.

“Poor girl,” he said, following Daisy’s path to the bedroom as Brennan hung up her towel on another chair. She grabbed the camera, turned it on, and went to the bedroom.

Once inside, she saw her partner on his stomach, peering underneath the bed.

“Come on Daisy. It’s ok now. The bath’s all over. Come on out. Daddy’s here.”

She ignored his coaxing and remained hidden. He didn’t even look over at her as she stood in the doorway recording.

“You’re recording me aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

He nodded his head, which was halfway under the bed, resulting in a thunk as his skull collided with the bed frame. Rubbing his head, he sat up and leaned against the bed.

“She’s not coming out.”

“Here, as long as you’re down there, why don’t you record her?” She handed the camera down to him and he got in his previous position and recorded the puppy under the bed.

“She’s scared, like she thinks we’ll give her another bath if she comes out.”

An idea clicked in Brennan’s head. “I bet I can make her come out.” She disappeared and came back with the bag of treats. She gave it two shakes and a puppy shaped blur came rushing out. Satisfied with her victory, Brennan opened the bag and gave Daisy a treat.

“Nice work Bones.” He had gone back to sitting up against the bed, the camera pointed at Daisy inhaling her treat.

“Thank you.”

“I have an idea of what we can do next.”

“Which is?” she asked curiously.

“I thought maybe we could take Daisy shopping. You know, to that pet store.”

“Oh, that one that allows dogs?”

“That’s the one. Maybe we could get her a new dress or something.” He sounded hopeful.

“Perhaps. Although you know my opinion on dogs and clothing.”

“I know, but she looks so cute in that dress. Maybe something purple?”

She raised an eyebrow at the suggestion, but couldn’t comment further as her cell phone chirped from its place in her pants pocket. She pulled it out and checked the ID. Angela. She left the bedroom and went into the living room, sitting on the couch, and flipping the phone open.

“Hey Ange. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to have a friendly chat with my best friend is all.” A silence followed. Brennan heard a small huff on the other end. It was the noise Angela made when she wasn’t readily volunteering information. “What’s it like living with Booth?”

The question confused Brennan for a moment. How did Angela even know about the arrangement? Dr. Sweets. Then she answered, “It’s like living alone, except I’m not alone.”

This apparently wasn’t what Angela wanted to hear. “Ok, another question. How was Saturday night?”

Brennan played dumb. “Saturday night?”

“Yea, you know, your big date?” She smiled with glee as she observed that Brennan didn’t deny that it had been a date before answering.

“It was enjoyable. We went to dinner and went out of town and looked at the stars. It was very relaxing.”

“And?”

“And what? That’s all we did.”

She could almost feel Angela’s disappointment radiating through the phone. “Oh. So, no sex then?”

“Ange! No!”

“Not even a kiss?” Angela couldn’t believe nothing had happened and Brennan wasn’t about to lie to her.

“We kissed.” No harm in divulging that.

“Finally! I mean, it’s been, what, three years? It’s about time! Have you since then?”

“What, kissed?”

“Uh huh.”

Brennan thought back to yesterday in the park. “Yes.”

“Good, keep that up, and you’ll be in bed together before you know it.”

Brennan kept her mouth shut about them sleeping in the same bed. Angela would blow it out of proportion, and she didn’t want to deal with a crazed friend at the moment. She was borderline as it was.

“Look, I’ll let you go. Call me if something happens.” She said good-bye and hung up before Brennan could reply. She flipped her phone closed and wandered back to the bedroom, where Booth stood holding Daisy.

“Are we still going to the store?” she asked.

“Yep, we’re ready to go when you are. Just gotta get her collar and dress back on. She’s mostly dry already.”

She surprised him by stepping closer and wrapping her arms around his neck, careful not to crush the puppy between them. She leaned in and kissed him softly, ignoring the tug within her that told her to deepen it. She withdrew slowly, watching his eyes.

“What was that for? Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

She tilted her head to the side. “I just felt like it. Plus, we hadn’t kissed since yesterday, and I thought it was time.” She didn’t mention the ache inside her that had steadily been growing in intensity ever since his lips left hers after their kiss in the park; communicating to her brain that she needed to kiss him again.

“You felt like it?” There was a slight glint of devilishness in his eyes.

“Yes.”

“I get that. And I feel like doing this.” Without another word, he placed Daisy gently on the ground, and in the next second she found herself pressed between his body and the wall, his mouth crushed against hers and his hands on either side of her head.

After a moment of initial shock at the quickness of it all, coupled with his boldness, which, she had to admit, was a turn on, she melted into the kiss, opening her mouth eagerly when she felt his tongue pressing her lips apart. Her hands roamed through his hair and down to his shoulders, and she used her tongue to begin a thorough exploration of his mouth, probing further than she had during their date on Saturday.

She felt his hands on her shoulders as they left the wall, slowly sliding down her sides where they rested at her waist. He withdrew his mouth from hers for a brief moment to see if there was a reaction to the placement of his hands. Hearing nothing from her about their location, he brought his mouth to hers once more and his hands continued their downward descent, coming to rest again, this time at her hips. It felt wonderful, feeling his hands on her, and she waited in fevered anticipation of his next move, the heat lingering on her skin wherever his hands had been, felt through the material of her clothing.

Instead, he broke away from her as Daisy’s high pitched yip reached his ears, eliciting a quiet moan from Brennan at the loss. “What’s the matter little girl?” he asked, sitting next to her on the bed and taking her up in his arms again. She gave his face a lick. “Do you need to go outside again?” He looked over at Brennan, still pressed against the wall. “Maybe we should go.”

She swallowed, savoring the taste of him in her mouth and shook her head to clear it. “I agree; it’s afternoon already.”

They hit the road, and after arriving at the pet store, led Daisy in on her leash. She pulled at it, wanting to go in all directions at once, but they managed to lead her to the racks of clothing.

“There’s an awful lot here,” Brennan commented, wondering how many crazy people were out there who, like Booth, put clothes on their pets.

“We gotta find something pretty. And it has to be purple. I think she’ll look pretty in purple.”

Brennan sighed, and pulled out the first piece of clothing she could lay her hands on. It was a hooded sweatshirt, red in color. “How about this?”

Booth looked at her like she was from another planet. “That’s for a boy. And it’s red.”

“Fine.” She replaced the shirt and let him to do the picking.

In the end, he picked out a purple checked dress for Daisy after browsing through the different clothing options. Brennan nodded when he held it up in front of Daisy, a sign of her approval. It was all she could do to remove her gaze from his mouth to even look at the dress.

At the checkout, he purchased a coin for the tag machine, and they went over to it. He popped the token in and selected a heart shaped tag, having her name engraved on it, along with his address in case she got lost. After the tag was deposited at the bottom of the machine, he attached it to her collar, and picked her up, holding her at arm’s length as Brennan grasped the leash.

“What do you think Bones?”

“She looks nice. Let’s put the new dress on her as well.” She removed it from the sack in her hand, and Booth got her into it, handing her the pink one which she put in the plastic bag. As they left, she snagged his hand, and held onto it all the way to the car, not really caring who saw or what they might think.

Once back at the apartment, they ate a late lunch/early dinner and sat in front of the TV, watching the news and stealing little kisses every now and then. Brennan was slightly disappointed that none of them reached the fever pitch that the one from earlier had. She wondered if it had been a fluke. She hoped not. That thought led her to wonder also if things would have escalated if not for the interruption from Daisy.

Evening gave way to night, and Booth was channel surfing while Brennan relaxed against him, her head on his shoulder. When he stopped on ESPN, she drew the line, and grabbed the remote from him, turned the TV off, and tossed the remote behind the couch where it clattered on the floor. Daisy’s ears pricked up at the sound and she jumped off Booth’s lap to go investigate.

“Bones! What did you do that for?”

“I dislike sports,” she explained evenly, and quelled any further protest by covering his mouth with hers. She opened her mouth, and when he didn’t do the same, she nipped at his lower lip. When they parted in surprise she took the opportunity and continued the exploration of his mouth she had begun earlier.

She felt him start to pull away. Oh, no, you don’t. She responded by moving forward, until he was backed into the corner of the couch and she was leaning over him, nearly stretched out on top of him. Finally, she succumbed to her own need for more air other than the fleeting breaths they’d allowed themselves between kisses, and withdrew her mouth from his.

“Wow, Bones,” was all he could bring himself to say.

“I apologize. That might have gotten a bit out of hand.”

“Don’t apologize. I liked it.” He put his hands on her shoulders and gently drew her back from him so he could get up. Once he did, he went into the kitchen to feed Daisy. As soon as she suspected what he was up to, Daisy raced after him, her claws clicking on the kitchen tile.

“When was the last time she went out?” he called from the kitchen.

“What?” Brennan asked quietly, still feeling a little dazed. “Oh, when we returned from the store.”

“It’s getting late. She should probably go out again, don’t you think?”

“Yes, she should. Can you take her on your own?”

“Sure.” He waited until Daisy had finished eaten, then he clipped her leash on and the two of them disappeared through the door.

Brennan leaned into the back of the couch, finding some solace in the moment alone and taking the time to get her body to calm down from their kiss. Whenever they kissed, she couldn’t stop her body’s natural response to him. It wasn’t that the reaction was unwanted; not at all, it was just that she didn’t like the idea of relinquishing control. At least she had the knowledge that his body reacted to her as well; that it wasn’t just her. She’d felt as much when she’d practically been sprawled out over him. She blew out a breath of air. How was she going to share a bed with him tonight?

She’d just have to keep to her own side, as she had the previous night, and hope for the best. A respectable distance would have to be maintained tonight, or things would really spiral out of control.

He arrived back with Daisy then, grinning from ear to ear. “I think it’s official. She’s house trained! We did it!”

“We didn’t actually do anything,” she pointed out.

He ignored her comment, and let out a yawn. “I call the bathroom first.” And he headed down the hallway at a brisk pace, as though she’d suddenly bolt off the couch and race him there. A smirk appeared on her face. Not a bad idea.

After beating him to the bathroom, Brennan brushed her teeth and ducked back out to retrieve some nightclothes. After changing, she crashed on her side of the bed, turned on the lamp sitting on the nightstand, and began reading a book, stroking the puppy next to her with one hand between page turns.

When Booth came out of the bathroom, he took in the sight of the two of them before shutting the light off, climbing in bed on his own side, and turning his head to face her, his hand stretching out to remove the book from her grasp.

“Hey!” she protested. She hadn’t marked her place.

“Is this ok Bones?”

“Is what ok?”

“I mean, after today…”

“We agreed that we were going to take the next step, and we just grew today. It’s perfectly acceptable, as are the sleeping arrangements. I have no problem with any of it.”

She noticed that he’d been considerate enough to keep a finger in the book at the page she’d been reading, and he opened it back up and placed it back in her hand.

He scratched Daisy behind the ears, then leaned over Daisy to kiss her softly and quickly.

“Good night Bones.”

“Good night.”

He rolled over away from her and went to sleep. Brennan read a few more pages before shutting the lamp off and going to sleep herself, her dreams filled with the events of that day, what might have been, and also what was hopefully yet to come.

A/N: Ok, that got a bit long, but I couldn’t find a good stopping point, and I kind of like the one chap, one day format. I hope you liked it, and thanks for reading!