A/N: I admittedly can't write Brennan to save my life, but this story really just wrote itself.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I want a man that stands beside me,
Not in front of or behind me,
Give me two arms that want to hold me,
Not own me, then I'll give all the love in my heart,
Stand beside me, Be true, don't tell lies to me,
I'm not looking for a fantasy,
I want a man who stands beside me
-JoDee Messina
Loneliness isn't a feeling Doctor Temperance Brennan is fond of; she isn't fond of feelings in general but loneliness bugs her more than most. It's the most illogical logical feeling there is. From an anthropological standpoint she understands the need for companionship, that people survive because of it. However, she doesn't like the feeling that creates the lump in her throat when she finds herself alone on another Valentines day.
Angela had been yammering in her ear all day about the folklore behind Valentines day and while it makes for a nice holiday, gives the greeting card companies a surplus of orders, and makes people happy – it doesn't change Temperance Brennan's unwavering belief that love doesn't exist. Love is too illogical, it's not concrete, it's constantly changing, not factual. Valentines Day is Temperance Brennan's least favorite holiday; all her boyfriends had tried to make it a big deal only to be shut down by her immense desire to talk about decomposing bodies instead of listening to their prose about roses.
She believes in companionship; being with people has proven to lengthen life expectancy, cure depression, and fix a myriad of other problems. To a woman who doesn't put stock in romance, monogamy, and everlasting relationships, she does believe that some people are inextricably intertwined. She doesn't believe in love because when Doctor Temperance Brennan thinks of love, she thinks of people who stay and never leave. Everyone Temperance Brennan has felt strong feelings of affection for has left her without a second thought.
In romance, abandonment began with Michael Stires. Michael was chaos – unstable and forbidden chaos right from the very beginning, but she had found herself thriving in his companionship. He had treated her with kid gloves, though, and that made her skin crawl. He had gained her trust only to trample on every ounce of faith she had ever put in him. She had told him of her past while they laid in bed and she traced the lines on his hands and he had sworn that it wouldn't change anything. He lied. It changed everything and when push came to shove, he slung it back in her face without blinking.
She had met Peter St. James as a favor to Angela. Their fling had morphed into an awkward and forced relationship in which they traded keys but were never at home at the same time. He used her, her status, who she was to his advantage. He never challenged her and it drove Brennan nuts that he lacked any kind of real ambition. They broke up and she fled to South America to get over him.
As she began her work with the FBI there was a whirlwind of one-night stands and a plethora of mentally unstable men vying for her attention. Her body gives an involuntary shudder at the thought of how many killers she's actually been on dates with.
Tim Sullivan, Sully, had been good for her. He had taught her how to laugh again after Michael's unfortunate reappearance and all the drama surrounding her family. She could just be with Sully and he would just take her as she was. At least he did. Until Sully had expected her to drop everything and set off on a boat with him for God knows how long. The day he stopped accepting her for what she was and wanted her to conform to what he needed and who she couldn't be.
"Hey, Bones!" Booth walked into her office. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she glanced up from her file and smiled at him as he sat down, crossing his legs so the striped socks peaked out from under his pant leg.
"Hey, Booth." Brennan smiled and propped her head on the palm of her hand, "Those socks are especially bright."
Booth chuckled, "Well my belt buckle broke last night, so I had to compensate."
"Ah." Her grin grew to her eyes, "Do you have plans for Valentines day?"
"I'm picking up Parker in a few hours while Rebecca and her boyfriend go on a date." Booth supplied as he stood and grabbed her coat from the hook, "C'mon. Lets go to Sid's. He won't have any sickening Valentines day stuff up."
"Deal." Brennan scribbled one final sentence on the file and then stood, allowing Booth to help her into her coat. His hand found it's place on the small of her back and they walked in companionable silence through the Jeffersonian and out to the awaiting SUV.
That was the difference between Special Agent Seeley Booth and every other man who had ever made an appearance in Temperance Brennan's life, he walked beside her. He walked beside her; his steps matched hers, he took smaller strides so their paces matched, and he would run to keep up with her when she was trying to get away. He never acted like she was a piece of property (no matter what the FBI considered her to be). He never treated her like a China doll that would break. He protected her without making her feel protected. Above all else, he never left her no matter how many chances she gave him to walk out and never look back. They were equals in his eyes; he'd lay his life down for her and she'd do the same for him. He was beside her, not in front of or behind her.