Paparazzi -- BB, rated T Author: Rosie

[g]Hey guys! So I was sitting down to write a chapter for another story when this idea just came out of no where! I'm really excited about this story, and I hope you will all enjoy it!

Quick summary: Temperance Brennan becomes an overnight celebrity when she’s linked to a film superstar. How will it affect her life? Hilarity, BB romance, and awkward situations will ensue.

Sound like fun? Let's begin!! [/g]

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CHAPTER ONE

Temperance Brennan sat down in a huff on the creaky barstool. She’d been in New York City for just one week, and she was very much looking forward to going home the next day. The hustle and bustle of the city had been charming at first, but the quiet confines of her lab back at the Jeffersonian seemed like a far-off dream at this point.

She’d been working 10 hours a day at the Museum of Natural History in Manhattan identifying and helping to catalogue remains for their new ancient Egypt exhibit which was set to open in just one month. The work was extremely enjoyable and the specimens were truly fascinating, but part of her was missing the excitement and intrigue of being Seeley Booth’s partner.

Brennan had agreed to call Booth every now and then, just to check in. He didn’t want a repeat of what happened to her on her last ‘vacation’ in New Orleans, and he also liked to hear the sound of her voice on the other side of that phone. She’d rolled her eyes and complained at the time, but now she was really looking forward to getting back to her hotel room and giving him a call. After her drink, that is.

This particular bar had been suggested to her by a colleague, who had claimed that it was the best place to “look for stars”. Though Brennan hadn’t been expecting a planetarium, she was surprised to see that this bar had absolutely no star-gazing prospects whatsoever. Little did she know that those weren’t exactly the ‘stars’ to which her colleague had been referring.

Brennan gave the bartender her order, and then opened up her bag to retrieve a bulky file folder. Sipping her drink slowly, she looked over some of the contents and thoughtfully bit down on her lip.

“That definitely doesn’t look like light-reading.” A male voice spoke from behind her.

Brennan tore her gaze away from the file and looked up to see a tall, handsome man in a blue shirt sit down on the stool next to her.

Oh great... Brennan thought. Just what I need....

“That’s because it’s not.” She replied blankly, before taking another sip of her drink and looking back down at the file, completely ignoring the smirk on the unidentified man’s face.

“I’ll have what she’s having.” He said, pointing at Brennan. The bartender nodded and gave the man his drink before turning to serve another customer.

“Cole Myers.” The man said proudly.

“Good for you.” Brennan said, looking up at him strangely. This man had said his name as if it were some kind of accomplishment. She instantly saw the confusion cloud his eyes at her unimpressed answer.

“Really?” The man said, almost disbelievingly.

“Really what?” Brennan asked, beginning to get impatient with the man. She looked up again into his startlingly blue eyes and couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity with the man. He was strikingly good looking, and she could feel the eyes of many jealous women burning into her back.

“You don’t know who I am.” He said curiously, as if expecting her to jump up and hug him as if he were a long lost brother.

“How would I possibly know you? You just walked in and sat down beside me.”

The man’s face instantly broke out into a large smile as he studied the beautiful woman in front of him. “Alright, well I told you my name. Can you tell me yours?” he asked, extending his hand.

“Temperance Brennan” she said after a moment. “Most people call me Tempe” she added quickly.

“That’s a beautiful name, Tempe.” Cole said before taking a steady sip of his drink.

Brennan thanked him quietly before turning back to the file. Though she was no longer annoyed with this stranger, she did have a lot of reading to do before she could turn in for the night. Her flight was scheduled to leave tomorrow morning and she needed to email several of the museum employees she had been working with before that time.

They were both silent for a few minutes before Cole put his drink down and turned his body to face Brennan’s more fully. “Look, if I’m bothering you then I’ll leave, but you seem like the kind of person who could use a night of doing something other than work.”

This certainly got Brennan’s attention. She turned to study the man curiously as he continued.

“I’m not some creep who walks into bars to pick up women, I’m just here to escape the day-to-day just like you. I find you refreshing.”

“Refreshing?” Brennan asked dubiously.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Cole asked.

“No, I’m here for work. I’m from DC.” She said, shutting her folder and motioning to the bartender to bring her another drink. “What about you?”

“I live in New York, but I travel a lot for work.”

Brennan nodded her head. “What do you do?” she asked.

At this question the man averted his gaze slightly as he tried to find the right words. “I’m in the entertainment business” he said vaguely. “What about you?”

“Forensic anthropologist” Brennan said quickly before sipping on her drink and avoiding the impressed and intimidated stare that always followed after she announced her profession.

“Wow, that sounds intense.” Cole said, raising his eyebrows.

“It can be” she nodded. “It’s very rewarding” she said, and the honesty in her words was extremely obvious.

“I love my job too, but sometimes it can be very consuming. It’s rare that I can just sit in a bar and talk to a perfect stranger.” Cole said as he mixed his drink with his straw. He glanced over to see Brennan nodding her head in agreement.

Brennan opened her mouth to continue that particular line of conversation, but changed her mind when she saw a group of girls giggling at the table across from the bar. “Why are those people staring at you?” Brennan asked, motioning over to the table.

“Who knows.” Cole said, knowing perfectly well what those girls were giggling about. “Listen, do you want to get out of here?” he asked, smiling in a way that reminded Brennan of Booth.

“Excuse me?” Brennan asked, dubious of this stranger’s intent.
“Nothing sketchy or anything, it’s just that I know this really great pizza place over on 47th that’s open all night, plus I think we both could use some air.”

Brennan tilted her head, rather puzzled, and eyed the man in front of her. Any other night Brennan would have immediately dismissed the man, but there was some kind of friendly mutual understanding that she felt in his presence. Well, Angela had told her to have a fun time and try to meet people...

“Okay.” Brennan said spontaneously, surprising herself at her own answer.

Cole beamed, “Great, let’s get our coats.”

Brennan zipped up her knee-length brown coat and walked toward the front door when she felt Cole’s hand gently touch her on the shoulder.

“How about we go through the back door...” He suggested, motioning to the back.

“Why?” Brennan asked curiously.

“Um... I think I saw a girl throwing up out there.” He said believably. Brennan nodded her head and followed Cole out the back door, casting one last curious look at the giggling group of girls who watched her every move. She shrugged and slipped her hands into her coat as they headed out into the cool and frosty night.

**************************************************************

“This is truly delicious.” Brennan exclaimed, chewing one of the last bites of her cheese pizza.

“Whenever I’m in town I always have to pop in here.” Cole said between bites. They were walking along 6th Avenue munching on pizza and taking in the sights.

“I could tell – everyone in there seemed to know you by name!” She said, taking another bite.

Cole nodded his head and smiled as he saw a woman crossing the street with her five Chihuahuas and an equal number of shopping bags. Moonlight and street lamps were the only things that lit the New York City streets, and the crowds of tourists and shoppers had long since retired to bed. A number of couples walked arm in arm, but for the most part there were not many people around.

“Wanna sit?” Cole asked, motioning to a bench.

“Sure.” Brennan nodded, scrunching up her napkin and tossing it into a nearby garbage can. She sat down beside Cole and tucked her bag safely beside her.

“So when do you go home?” Cole asked casually, licking a tiny bit of tomato sauce off of his finger.

“Tomorrow morning.” She replied. “I’ve been here for a week, so I’m kind of looking forward to it.”

“I’m sure your boyfriend will be happy to have you home.” Cole said, looking at her curiously for her reaction.

Brennan pursed her lips. “I don’t really have a boyfriend.”

“Don’t really?” he asked, smirking at her vagueness.

“Not exactly.” Brennan said, unsure of how to classify her relationship with Booth. Obviously they had soared through the friend-zone long ago, but it was impossible to classify him as her boyfriend. However, it was easy to say that he wouldn’t be thrilled that she was strolling around New York City at night with a perfect stranger.

“Gotcha” Cole said, winking at her. She mirrored his smile and then looked back over at the street which was overcrowded with sunshine-yellow taxis. Feeling a sudden gust of wind, Brennan involuntarily shivered.

“You must be freezing” Cole said, draping his arm around Brennan’s shoulders. At this contact, Brennan immediately stiffened. Sensing her discomfort, Cole awkwardly retracted his arm.

“I should really head back to my hotel now, it’s getting late.” Brennan offered, standing up from the bench and glancing down at her watch.

“Of course. Here, let me hail you a cab.” Cole said, standing up and raising his hand at the oncoming traffic. In a matter of seconds, a cab pulled up on the side of the road.

“I’m really glad I met you.” Cole said, touching Brennan on the shoulder.

Brennan smiled genuinely at him and nodded, “You too. This was a very nice break.”

She opened up the door and stepped inside the cab. Just before the taxi drove away, Brennan unrolled her window to the sound of Cole’s hand tapping against it.

“I almost forgot, take this. If you’re back in the city sometime, give me call.” He smiled, passing her a crumpled paper with his number on it.

“Thanks” she said, before the taxi drove off into the night.

Though fairly certain she would never run into Cole Myers again, she was thankful for the time she’d been able to spend away from work, even if it had just been for a few casual hours.

She leaned her head back in the smelly cab and studied the note carefully before tucking it into her coat pocket. She’d had a pleasant night, but it was certainly time to go back to DC.

*****************************************************************

“Bones!” shouted a familiar voice from across the Arrivals’ gate. Brennan twirled around to see Booth grinning and waving at her from a few feet away. He walked over to her and kissed her on the cheek.

“How was your trip?” he asked, reaching for her bags.

“Fascinating. The museum had some truly intriguing sets of remains, and I got a lot of reading done.”

“But you missed me” he said, winking at her as he tugged the bag out of her stubborn hand.

“I missed you.” She concluded, laughing as he managed to grab her bag.

“Let’s get you out of here” he said, motioning to the exit that would lead them back to his SUV. Brennan followed as Booth led the way to his car, but couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching her.

“So tell me all about it.” Booth said as they finally drove out of the parking structure. He slipped on his favourite pair of sunglasses and glanced over at Brennan who had relaxed into the passenger’s seat.

Brennan opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when she heard the familiar chirping of her cell phone in her purse. She glanced over at Booth before answering her phone.

“Brennan.” She stated normally, knowing from the caller ID that it was Angela on the other end.

“You’re home!” Angela exclaimed. “Bren, are you with Booth?” she asked quickly.

“Yes, he’s driving.” Brennan replied, rather confused by her best friend’s line of thought.

“Get him to take you to the lab right now.” She said emphatically, her voice portraying no hint of her intent or emotion.

“What’s going on, Ange?”

“I can’t explain on the phone. You have to promise not to be upset –“

“Upset about what?” Brennan asked, glancing over at Booth who was looking at her curiously.

“Just get here soon, okay?” Angela asked, knowing that the curiosity would nearly drive Brennan there on her own.

Brennan clicked her phone shut and turned to Booth. “Can you take me to the lab?” she asked.

“Aww come on Bones, I thought we were going out for brunch. There’s no way you’re working today, you just got back –“

“I know, but Angela says it’s important. It won’t take that long.” Brennan said, sitting up straighter in her seat.

“Fine.” Booth sighed as he switched lanes and headed in the direction of the Jeffersonian. He knew when not to get in the way of his partner.

****************************************************************

“Zach, where is everybody?” Brennan asked confusedly as she swiped her key and entered the lab. Booth followed her and glanced around at the squints’ empty work stations.

“I would check the break room. Angela has been in there for most of the morning.” Zach said flatly and respectfully, clearly enthralled in his work.

Brennan glanced behind her at Booth, who simply shrugged and headed back down over the steps towards the break room. Just as they got closer they could her Angela’s voice saying something excitedly.

Brennan turned the knob of the room and was shocked to see the number of people who were crowded around the modest television set. “What are you all doing in here?” she demanded, trying to see what the commotion was about.

“You’re here!” Angela exclaimed, smiling and walking up to her best friend and greeting her warmly. Brennan returned the smile but pulled back out of the hug and studied her friend curiously. Booth walked closer to see what everyone had been watching on television while Brennan opened her mouth to question her friend’s odd behaviour.

“What did you want to...” Brennan’s statement was cut off when she heard the voice of the TV announcer echo through the otherwise silent room:

“Sources claim that movie legend Cole Myers and his new mystery woman were seen just last night strolling along 6th Avenue. Since then, her identity has been confirmed as Temperance Brennan, an internationally renowned author from DC. The couple were seen cuddling on a park bench...”

Oh, boy! Booth is going to go nuts. Like he doesn't have a hard enough time protecting her, and then add to that the way he feels about her and now he has to see her plastered all over the media with another man. This could get really good. Please continue.

bwgwscienceteacher

That was so cute! I can't wait to see Booth and Bones' reactions to the news! Oh PPPPPPPPPPPPS!!!!!!

glugg glugg whoohooo

Thanks Glug and BGWG for reviewing that first chapter!

Woohooo here's the second one! This story is really fun to write, and I've always been morbidly fascinated with the obsession society has with the media and tabloids. Let's see how Brennan will react...

(Oh, and Booth of COURSE!)

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CHAPTER TWO

“Bones? What the hell is this?” Booth called from over by the television. His eyes widened as a picture flashed over the screen of this ‘Cole Myers’ guy with his arm around Brennan as they sat on a park bench. He tightened his grip on his poker chip when he saw the uncomfortable look on Brennan’s face in that photo.

For possibly the first time in her professional career, Brennan had absolutely no words. Her eyes widened as the TV announcer continued his lies about Brennan: setting her up like she was some prize that had been won. Sensing she was upset, Angela laid her hand on her friend’s arm. Under normal circumstances, Angela would have been thrilled for Brennan and would have congratulated her on such a night, but there was something very wrong here.

“Bren, did you really not know?” she asked quietly, raising a hand to silence Booth who was starting to mutter to himself angrily from across the room.

“He didn’t tell me he was an actor! Much less a celebrity –“ She started, her voice raising.

“Cole Myers is pretty much as famous as it gets.” Hodgins offered, trying to hide the smile that was erupting over his lips. It was so typical for Brennan to be completely unaware that such an A-list celebrity would be hitting on her.

Brennan let out a sound that could have been classified as a growl of frustration before turning on her heel and running for her office. She tuned out the sound of Angela calling after her, and instead ripped out a piece of paper that had been sitting in her coat pocket since the night before.

She slammed the door of her office and grabbed her phone, punching the numbers in swiftly. Please pick up, please pick up.... she repeated to herself. She deserved answers, and she was going to get them.

“Cole Myers’ phone.” A woman’s voice said brightly.

“I need to speak to Cole right now.” Brennan said, trying to keep her voice even and not portray the annoyance that was quickly sweeping her system.

The woman all but snickered on the phone. “Excuse me, may I ask who is calling?” she replied.

“This is Temperance Brennan. I am an acquaintance of Cole’s.”

There was silence on the other line for a few brief seconds. “I’m sorry, but Cole is unavailable at the moment. If you want to leave a brief message –“

Brennan slammed the phone down just as Booth opened the door to her office.

“Booth.” She said, her voice wavering.

“You never said anything...” Booth began, not walking any closer to her desk.

“There was nothing to say.” She said exasperatedly, standing up and walking towards him. “I was at a bar last night and he and I got to talking. We went to get pizza, and that was all. I hardly know him.” She protested, and was so relieved to see the understanding in Booth’s eyes. Booth knew that she’d never lie to him, and from previous experiences with Brennan’s social and cultural naivety, the whole situation was entirely plausible.

Booth let out a deep breath and couldn’t help but smirk at the horrified expression that had been plastered on her face for the past five minutes.

“You sure can pick ‘em, Bones...” he said, shaking his head.

“That’s not funny!” She retorted, punching him gently on the arm.

“Give me that phone number, I’ll call this guy and get him straightened out.” Booth said as he noticed the crumpled paper in his partner’s hand.

“No, just leave it. I’ll take care of this. Right now I just want you to take me home, I need to drop my luggage off.”

Booth studied her for a minute and then nodded his head. “You’re right, but this isn’t finished. I’m going to get that guy on the phone and give him a piece of my mind.” Brennan looked at him quizzically, so he quickly added “Not literally, Bones.”

They walked out of her office and she motioned for Booth to wait for her for just a few minutes. Walking purposefully into the break room, she swiftly picked up the remote control and turned off the dishonest box of photons that was spreading lies about her to her colleagues.

“None of it’s true. Now get back to work.” Brennan said firmly, crossing her arms and watching as people that she didn’t even know smirked at her.

Angela nodded her head. “You heard her! Get out of here. Now.”

“Ange, I don’t know what to say...” Brennan started, her voice holding a mixture of anger, confusion, and frustration.

“It should all blow over in a couple of days, sweetie. Just let Booth take you home and we’ll figure it out later.”

Brennan nodded, but before she could leave the room Angela added “Cole Myers though? Nice one, Bren...” she congratulated, waggling her eyebrows.

*****************************************************************

“What are you thinking?” Booth asked as he walked Brennan out of the lab.

“I need to talk to him.” She said blankly, avoiding Booth’s questioning gaze.

“Let me do that. If he thinks he can hurt you by putting your name out there...” Booth started, placing his hand on Brennan’s back as he opened the door for her which would lead to the outside of the Jeffersonian.

“It’s not Cole that did this, Booth. It’s the paparazzi....” Brennan said, the word barely leaving her lips as she and Booth were assaulted with a multitude of blinding flashes of light. Booth instinctively grabbed Brennan by the shoulders and protectively shielded her with his body. He swore under his breath as she gasped in shock.

“Tempe! Is it true that you’ve been dating Cole for months?”

“Is he a good kisser?”

“Come on, Tempe, give us a smile!”

“Who is this guy, Tempe? Does Cole know?”

At this last question, Booth all but snapped. “Everyone BACK OFF!” he shouted as his FBI instincts took over. He gently placed a hand over Brennan’s mouth to keep her from shouting as well.

“They’re not worth it...” he whispered fiercely to her. She blinked several times in shock, and then nodded her head as Booth tightened his grip on her.

The large crowd of photographers were relentless in pestering Brennan and Booth, and followed them back to his car. Booth opened the door for Brennan and ushered her inside before they could snap any more shots. “Lock it.” He shouted to her, before walking around the car to get into the driver’s seat.

“Are you jealous of Cole?”

“Come on, hun. What’s your name?”

Booth knew the law. He knew that he had no right to assault these photographers, but he had to physically force himself not to place a hand on his gun at that very moment. How dare they speak about his partner like that? How dare they harass her that way?

Booth was about to lash out in frustration when he saw the pleading look on Brennan’s face from inside the car. Shooting one last glare at the relentless photographers, Booth got into the SUV and sped off with his shocked and enraged partner.

Little did they know that Brennan’s fame was only just beginning.

Oh it is so great! I can't wait till you post more.

"How dare they harrass her like that."

I love his overprotectivness! I hate the thought of papparzzi. I could never be a celebrity.

glug glug whooo hooo

Red I love this!

and i agree with glugg! I hate the paparazzi! They go way overboard!

good job, cant wait for the installment!

he's a wee puppet man

This is good, really really good! I'm hoping that this will bring B&B closer together. My question is did Cole know what was going on, or have anything to do with her picture and name being made public? PPS

bgwgscienceteacher

this is fantastic, wonderfully plausible, fantastically unique and has some serious fluff potential. me need more ROSIE.

jerseybones

[g]A/N: Guys, I'm on a roll! That's like 3 updates in 24 hours! Whoooa.. haha it must be exam time for Rosie
Thank you SO much to you guys for reading and reviewing this!! I hope you enjoy this chapter even HALF as much as I enjoyed writing it. There'll be some more character-related stuff about Cole in chapter 4, but for now I present you with chapter 3... [/g]

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CHAPTER THREE

Did that just happen? Really? Brennan thought to herself. She glanced over at Booth who was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. Every few seconds he would glance up at the rear view mirror to make sure they weren’t being followed. They hadn’t spoken yet, but their non-verbal understanding was very evident: this had to stop.

“Can they do that?” She asked quietly, her voice as tight as Booth’s grip on the steering wheel.

“Legally they can – it’s their job. But if they do so much as lay a finger on you...” Booth began, but his voice trailed off as if he was unable to even finish that sentence.

“Do you think they know where I live?” Brennan asked as the SUV pulled up to her building. She scanned the parking lot looking for photographers, but was relieved to see that nothing looked out of the ordinary yet.

“It’s only a matter of time.” Booth breathed. “Let’s go, I’m coming with you.” He said as he parked the SUV and walked around to open up the trunk. She tried to help him with her luggage, but Booth shook his head and motioned for her to go unlock the door to her building. Under normal circumstances she would have protested his bossy behaviour, but in this situation all she wanted was to be locked in her apartment and figure this situation out once and for all.

They struggled their way up the stairs and Brennan unlocked her apartment door. Booth ushered her inside and then quickly dead bolted the door. “I don’t think they’ll bother you up here, but keep this locked just in case.” Booth said, making his way further into the apartment.

“I should call Angela.” Brennan suggested as she made her way into the kitchen to offer Booth something to eat.

“That’s a good idea. Look, are you going to be okay here for an hour or so? I don’t want to leave you alone, but I’m going to go talk to Caroline and see how she would deal with something like this.”

“Booth, this could affect my work. It could ruin everything.” Brennan said quietly, her annoyance slowly melting away into frustration.

“I know, but I’m not going to let that happen.” Booth said, placing his hand underneath her chin so that she would look right into his eyes. “Promise me you won’t leave this apartment. Promise me, Temperance.” He said clearly, praying that she would submit to this one request.

“I don’t like sacrificing my daily routines just out of fear.” She stated rather indignantly.

“I know, but just do this for me. We’ll get this figured out soon. In the meantime, you should call Angela. Or, better yet, call that asshole who started all of this...”

“Booth, he’s not an asshole.”

“I’ll bring lunch on my way back. Just hang tight, okay?” He said, unlocking the door.

“Okay.” She nodded, sighing as she locked the door behind him. She leaned her back against the door and observed the empty apartment. This was certainly not the homecoming she had been hoping for – it was as if she’d brought the hectic nature of New York straight back into her own life. And it had all started with a drink...


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Caroline whistled as Booth knocked and entered her office. She sat back into her oversized leather chair and studied him thoughtfully. The amused smirk that lit her features clued Booth into the fact that she, like many of his other colleagues, was very much aware of Brennan’s situation.

“Cherie, you’re gonna need one hell of a belt buckle.”

Booth rolled his eyes and took a seat across from her desk. “Caroline, we have to talk.”

“I know exactly what you’re wondering, Booth, and I even I can’t get your girl out of this one. You really gotta start keeping a tighter leash on that one.” She said shaking her head.

“Nothing happened between them, it’s just the media creating this crazy story. They all but attacked us coming out of the Jeffersonian, and now she’s locked up in her apartment wondering when the photographers are going to show up.” Booth said exasperatedly.

“Well it sounds like you’ve got that under control. I say you lock her up in there and throw away the key until this whole thing dies down.”

“Just because one rich asshole decides to put her at risk like that...”

“The rich asshole I’m guessing is Cole Myers? Mmm Mmm...”

“Caroline!”

The lawyer rolled her eyes and sat up straighter in her chair. “Look, Booth. Those photographers can do whatever they want as long as they’re on public property and as long as she doesn’t get hurt. The second they step inside her building you can kick their asses straight back to LA, but until then you all are just going to have to live with it. Just tell her not to do anything stupid this time.”

Booth sighed out of frustration. He’d already known that there wasn’t much they could do, but the second he had any excuse to pounce on one of those paparazzo he was going to do it.

“Call me if there’s anything – I could have some fun with this case...”

“I’d better get back. I don’t want her to be alone.” Booth muttered, standing up.

“And Booth?” Caroline called, as he turned around to face her one last time. “Don’t worry about Myers. Those paparazzi can smell jealousy from a mile away.” She warned before smirking at Booth and continuing on with her work. Caroline loved her job, but a part of her was very much looking forward to going home and catching up on her entertainment news...


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“Would you please tell him that it’s important?” Brennan demanded angrily into the phone. She decided to call Cole’s number again in the hopes that his receptionist would not be the one to pick up. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

“He’s out of town, but leave a message and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Fine.” Brennan said in a huff. “Tell him to call me as soon as he can. I need to speak with him immediately.” And with that, Brennan placed the phone back in the receiver and flopped down onto the couch next to Booth.

“They’re outside, aren’t they.” Brennan said flatly. She and Booth had finished their lunch hours ago, and since then they’d each been on the phone trying to do some damage control.

Booth stood up and walked towards the window, where he saw a crowd of photographers camped out by the door. They were chatting amongst themselves as if this were any other day at work – it was any other day at work for them. They were used to stalking people like Brennan who wanted nothing to do with being a celebrity. All they wanted was their pay check, and all Brennan wanted was to be left alone.

“Yes.” Booth said quietly.

“You should go, I’m sure you have lots of work to do.” Brennan said rather bitterly. “So do I, except I can’t get back to the lab to do any of it.”

“Cam wants you to take the rest of the week off.”

“I know what Cam wants, Booth, but I’m not about to let this affect my job. I’ll stay home tonight and work on my manuscrïpt, but I swear to you that I’m going to work tomorrow.”

“Fine, but I’m driving you.” Booth said, crossing his arms.

“Fine.” Brennan conceded, remembering how hard it had been to get out of the lab even with Booth’s help.

“Is Angela staying with you tonight?” Booth asked.

“She wanted to, but I convinced her not to come. I don’t want her to have to deal with the press.”

“I just don’t know if you should be alone...”

“Booth! They’re photographers, not serial killers. I don’t need anyone to protect me; I just want this to be over.”

Brennan walked Booth to the door and he turned just as he was about to leave. “Call me if there’s anything, okay? It doesn’t matter what time it is.” He said gently.

“Thanks Booth.” She said genuinely. Acting on impulse, she stood on her toes and kissed him gently on the cheek for the second time that day. They had been doing things like this more and more frequently over the past few weeks, but neither of them knew exactly what it meant. Whatever it was, it gave them a little thrill each time.

“Goodnight.” He said as she closed and locked the door behind him. Brennan walked to her window and looked out at the photographers who were still waiting for their priceless shot. A few minutes later, she watched as Booth emerged and the flashes starting going off like crazy. Though Booth had not been the one linked to Cole Myers, the protective behaviour he had demonstrated earlier that day was very promising to the tabloid reporters.

She sighed as Booth raised an arm over his face that he could see through the flashes, and he walked at a steady pace toward his car. Watching Booth speed off into the night, Brennan couldn’t help but feel trapped by her circumstances. She hated feeling vulnerable, and this situation had definitely done that to her.


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The night seemed to drag on and on for Brennan, and she was getting very little done on her book. She’d tried countless times to sit down and type, but all she could think about were the possible repercussions of her actions. Would Cullen still let her go out into the field? How long would this last? Did Cole even care that this could ruin her career? There was no way she could retain her solid reputation if she was seen as some celebrity trophy girlfriend.

Booth had called several times that evening, and Brennan suspected that he was feeling just as restless as she was. The only difference was that Booth actually owned a TV, so he was able to see exactly what kind of story the media was weaving. Brennan had been close to just inviting him to come and stay with her, knowing that would put his mind at ease, but she didn’t want to seem helpless.

She climbed into bed extremely early but tossed and turned for most of the night. She usually set her alarm clock for 6:15AM, but at 5:00AM she was more than ready to start her day. She tiptoed into the living room to peek out the window and was thrilled to see that there were no more photographers outside her door. Not a single one.

Taking that as a sign of potential independence, Brennan climbed into a pair of navy blue sweatpants and pulled a grey FBI t-shirt on over her head. She tied her wavy auburn hair up into a messy pony-tail and tucked her keys and money into her pocket. Not wanting to waste her precious hour of freedom, Brennan left her apartment and headed out to get some breakfast.

Brennan wasn’t exactly sure it was cabin-fever, but the relief of stepping outside into the fresh morning air was extremely pleasuring. The sun had just barely arisen and she walked purposefully toward the coffee shop that was just a fifteen minute walk away from her building.

The shop was well-used at this early hour in the morning by shift-workers and work-a-holics like her, who were always looking for coffee at the most inopportune times. Thinking about her lemon poppy-seed muffin, Brennan made her way down the street.

She was only a block away from the store when she heard a familiar clicking noise coming from behind her. Oh no... Oh no...

Brennan didn’t need to turn around to know exactly who and what was behind her. She increased her pace only to hear a man calling from behind her.

“Oh, come on Tempe... we just want to talk to you about Cole...”

At that moment Brennan wanted to whirl around and throw the man’s camera to the ground, but she could almost hear Booth’s voice in her head , “They’re not worth it...”

She realized that that was exactly what these people wanted. They wanted her to yell and them and show her true desperation. They wanted her to make a scene so that they could sell their lying rags. And with that thought, Brennan broke out into a run.

“I’ve got her! She’s running toward the Busy Bistro... one block...” Brennan heard the man yell, and seconds later a van with three additional photographers pulled up in front of the bistro.

Brennan swore under her breath as she made a beeline toward the door, getting inside the shop just as the photographers hopped out of their vehicle. Brennan leaned against the door and opened her eyes to see 3 customers and the owner staring at her as if she were insane. That is, until they began to recognize her.

“Umm... lemon muffin, please.” she said, trying not to sound out of breath.

The elderly man nodded, but before serving Brennan he made his way from behind the desk to the door and locked it shut. “Paying customers only!” he yelled out at the paparazzi.

The man passed her a paper bag with her muffin, and a large insulated cup with her coffee inside. She thanked the man and then stared ominously at the door, wondering what she would do next. Her brain was telling her to phone Booth and ask for help, but she didn’t want to face his wrath.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry but you can’t stay here. They’re scaring my customers away.” He said apologetically.

“Of course.” Brennan nodded. Taking a deep breath she held her coffee tightly and stepped out to face the rhythmic flashes of the cameras that were waiting for her.

She raised her arms and hands protectively over her head and tried to walk in a straight line. She focused on counting her steps rather than listening to the peppering questions that they were yelling at her.

7, 8, 9 ...

Brennan cursed as some of the coffee spilled out over the rim and burnt her hand. She should have never left her apartment. She should have waited for Booth and none of this would have happened.

22, 23, 24 ...

All of a sudden the sound of honking came from across the road. Brennan lifted her head slightly to peer out, searching in vain for Booth’s SUV. Instead, a black taxi was driving alongside the swarm of photographers which had nearly enveloped Brennan.

“Get in!” yelled the voice.

Brennan didn’t have time to analyze the situation, she just pushed her way towards the cab just as the window rolled down. Seeing the familiar face, she swung open the door and jumped inside, hearing the deafening cheer of the paparazzi behind her.

Brennan fell back into the seat and began to catch her breath. She turned her head to see Cole Myers smiling at her apologetically, “Looks like I came just in time.”

The question still remains as to rather Myers involved her deliberatly or not. But I can definitely guess what Booth's reaction is going to be. PPS

bgwgscienceteacher

Poor Bren. Interesting idea. Paparazzi are the worst kind of leaches.

saraluvsbones

I love this story, registered on here just to tell you. Please post more soon, thank you.
gamma13

I love this story, especially it´s different layout. Send you reviews already on FF, but why not here again. Keen on reading more, what can I say...

nane

Rosie, this is coming along really well, but promise me please that you're going to let someone kick Cole's ass for doing this to her. Oh I am feeling B&B's frustration and I need some violence (not against B&B but from them) to balance this. Please?

jerseybones

this is awesome so far.... eager to read more!!!

cheesebk

this is awesome so far.... eager to read more!!!

cheesebk

I love it! I want more!!!!

glug glug whoohooo

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
I AM SOOO BEYOND HAPPY TO SEE ANOTHER STORY FROM YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG I LOVE THIS!!!.... LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!!
OH our poor Booth… and OMG Caroline’s line about the belt buckle had me ROFL!!!....
and YEP you were on a roll!!.. it’s a shame that I wasn’t here to review each chappie!

But I got caught up this morning!!
SO

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!

I CAN’T WAIT TILL THE NEXT CHAPPIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

turi ray of sunshine

[g]It's me again! I wrote a really tough exam this afternoon, so I promised that my reward for surviving would be to write another chapter in this story! Haha I hope you like it as much as I loved writing it! Oh, and this chapter is a bit... dramatic... but don't worry! There will be some serious fluff / funny situations in the next chapter! I'm excited already!

Thank you SO MUCH for your reviews! I'm so thrilled you guys are reading this!

ps -- WELCOME to the ABY, gamma13!! I'm so happy that you've registered! [/g]

***************************************************************
CHAPTER FOUR


“What are you doing here?” Brennan demanded as a look of shock flooded her face.

“Please don’t be mad -- I was on my way to your apartment when I saw the mob and I figured it had to be you...”

“How do you know where I live? You were just going to come waltzing in for a visit at 5:30 in the morning?” Brennan demanded, her eyes wide as she studied the apologetic man beside her.

“My assistant found your address pretty quickly. My flight from New York got in earlier this morning, so I just thought I’d see if you were awake yet. Looks like I was right...” He added with a boyish grin. However, his charm didn’t work on Brennan.

“Why didn’t you return my calls? What the hell is going on? You never told me you were an actor!” Brennan continued, her pitch increasing. Under normal circumstances she knew she could be much more patient than this, but after that close call with the press she was running very low on mercy.

“Temperance, I’m so sorry. I knew there were photographers that night, but I didn’t think it would blow up to be something like this –“

“Sir, we’re here.” The driver said. The ride from the cafe to Brennan’s apartment had seemed much quicker than normal.

“Do you think I could come up for a bit? I really want to explain some things to you.” Cole asked genuinely. He stopped when he saw Brennan’s face suddenly pale. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Cole followed Brennan’s gaze out the window and watched as a black SUV pulled up in the parking lot and a tall man walked got out of the vehicle carrying two coffees. A few photographers followed him to the door and quickly merged with the mob that had been following their taxi.

“Booth...” Brennan whispered under her breath as she leapt out of the taxi and ran towards him, ignoring Cole as he shouted out after her.

“Bones! What are you doing?” Booth called as she ran towards him. He’d tried calling her twice and was shocked to see her out of the apartment. Her hair was in complete disarray and she had coffee spilt down the front of her shirt. Her face was rather pale, and Booth could feel a hint of anger bubbling up inside of him.

“I went to get breakfast, and then...” Brennan started, but she had to raise her voice so that he could hear her over the loud photographers.

“Let’s get you inside!” Booth called, taking her by the hand and starting to move through the crowd of paparazzi. Just then, Brennan turned as she heard a familiar voice calling her name over the crowd.

The expression ‘shit hitting the fan’ did not nearly describe the events that followed as Cole got out of the taxi and immersed himself into the mob. The paparazzi whooped and the number of flashes increased almost to the point where it was getting hard to see anything.

“Temperance! Wait!” Cole called, pushing himself through the press.

Booth recognized the voice instantly. After all, until this whole predicament, Cole Myers had been featured in some of Booth’s all time favourite movies. Though some of the characters he had played had been manipulating or malevolent, Booth had never wanted to punch someone so badly in his entire life until this very moment. Turning around, he accidently dropped the tray that had been holding their coffees. At this point, a nice and relaxing morning with his partner was certainly out of the question.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Booth roared. His mind was telling him that this was definitely not the right place to carry out this discussion, but the surprise of seeing Myers show his pretty face at Brennan’s apartment made Booth want to tear him down.

Though this was certainly not the right place for humour, Brennan was rather entertained by the look of horror on Cole’s face as Booth approached him. Brennan had only ever seen Booth this protective once before, and that was when he thought that Parker had been abducted by Epps.

“I just wanted to talk to...”

“She doesn’t want to talk to you, asshole! Who the hell do you think you are?” Booth yelled, but stopped when he felt Brennan grip his muscular forearm with her two hands.

“Booth!” she called, trying to coerce him back towards the door to her building. The paparazzi was, quite literally, witnessing one of the best stories to sell in months. Though they normally were hounding the celebrities with questions, they had seemed to have backed off and wanted to see where this was going.

Though Booth continued to glare at Cole, he complied with Brennan as they walked back towards the door of the building. She unlocked the door with shaking hands and grabbed Booth by the lapels of his jacket, pulling him inside.

Then, acting on impulse, Brennan did something rather unexpected. “Cole, get in here!” she called after the man who had nearly been swallowed up by the reporters.

“What?!” Booth yelled at her exasperatedly.

“Booth, where else is he going to go?”

“Why should we care?”

Brennan couldn’t help but agree with Booth, but at the same time she knew just how relentless these people were. If he hadn’t shown up in that cab and allowed her to escape that mob, she’d surely still be on the street being harassed unabatedly.

The second Cole got through the door Brennan slammed it shut. “Thanks, Tempe...” he said breathlessly, trying desperately not to make eye contact with Booth. That didn’t exactly work.

“Don’t talk to her.” Booth said testily.

Brennan smacked Booth’s arm. “Can we at least make it up the stairs?” she muttered. Booth nodded as they made their way to Brennan’s door, Booth taking special care to place himself between his partner and Cole.

When both men were finally in her apartment, Brennan locked the door firmly and sighed in relief. Brennan had never been a spontaneous person, so she had thought her next actions through rather thoroughly. She was tired, coffee stained, and completely fed up.

Cole thought that Booth was the only person he had to worry about, so when he turned to see Brennan storming towards him he nearly lost his footing.

“Look what you’ve done to me!” She yelled. “I can’t even walk alone outside thanks to you! How dare you think you can take away my privacy like that. You never warned me –” she continued, her voice rising until she felt Booth’s hand on her shoulder.

“No.” She protested, moving herself away from her partner’s touch. “Now, why are you here?”

Cole sighed, “I’m here to apologize. I never meant for this to happen, but you’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t want to get used to it! I want it to go away.” She said firmly, crossing her arms.

Cole snorted, “Yeah, so do I.”

Until that point, Booth had tried his hardest to keep his mouth shut. He knew that Brennan needed to talk this out on her own, but he was really reaching his limit with this guy.

“You flew all the way to DC to tell me you’re sorry?” She said skeptically.

Cole winced and looked down to the floor as if trying to figure out how to say this properly. “Well... no. I’m actually filming a movie starting this afternoon...”

“Oh, well isn’t that convenient.” She said bitterly. “You set me up.” She said accusingly, feeling Booth’s warm hand on her shoulder once again.

“Look, this wasn’t a publicity stunt. I really just wanted to get to know you better –“ Cole began to explain, stepping closer to Brennan until Booth finally decided he could step in.

“Look, buddy, I think you’re done enough damage.” He said tightly as he gently let his arm fall to Brennan’s waist, indicating his possession. “Bones, you should go change.” He said, glancing down at her stained shirt and sweatpants.

Brennan nodded slightly and eyed Cole warily. She walked toward her bedroom and closed the door quietly, thinking for just a moment that perhaps leaving Cole alone with Booth wasn’t such a great idea.

Once Brennan had retreated to her room, Cole peered out the window to observe the mayhem that was going on outside. It was obvious that word had gotten out that Cole Myers was in DC, and that nearly every tabloid photographer in the city had come in hopes of catching a shot or two.

“Look, man, I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. My name’s Cole.” He said to Booth, extending his hand with a slight but hopeful smile.

Booth glanced down at his hand and looked up at Cole dubiously. “Look, man, I have some advice for you.” He said, keeping his voice low so Brennan wouldn’t hear. “Get the hell out of this apartment and don’t come back.”

Cole shook his head. “Even if I did make a public statement, it’s not like they’re going to believe me! It could just make things worse for her. And besides, I’m here to see Tempe, not you.” Cole said, crossing his arms.

“Clearly you didn’t hear me the first time.”

Just then Brennan emerged from her room. She was wearing jeans and a cream coloured blouse, but her eyes still held a sense of fatigue and annoyance that only renewed Booth’s anger at the man in front of him.

The apartment was silent as Booth continued to stare Cole down, waiting for any excuse to make this argument physical. Finally Cole submitted as he turned around and headed to the door. “Call me.” He said to Brennan, who stared at him emotionlessly.

Brennan all but sighed when she heard the apartment door click shut behind Cole. She glanced over at Booth who was now standing at the window, looking down at the growing crowd. Brennan wordlessly joined him at the window and they stood in amicable silence.

A few moments later they watched as a cheer broke out from the crowd that signalled Cole leaving the apartment building. He pushed his way through the crowd as professionally as he could, turning back just for a moment to glance up at Brennan’s window.

This was going to be a very long day.

Should have copied my review from FF, lazy me. Oh rosie that was great, hope your exam too. Don´t we love protective Booth? But I really hope you don´t need a tough exam for every chappie? CAn´t wait to read more of alpha male Booth and his damsel in distress.

nane

I loved this chapter...still don't trust the SOB
I so love protective Booth...damn sexy...
Cant wait for more...

fab

So, the acting idiot had to make it worse than it already was. I'm glad he recognized Booth was serious and left. The idiot actor.

Maybe I didn't say it enough times... Myers is an idiot.

Okay. I think that was enough.
saraluvbonz

who could not be a friend of booth in protective mode? I love this.... hopefully there will be more soon

cheesebk

more soon!

dbangelfan

I can't wait to read what happens next! Also, thank you for the welcome.

gsmma13