The Truth of the Truth
by: jewel of athos
Note: Alright, so here is round two of my "Parts in the Sum of the Whole" fic tag-things. We'll see if the muse provides any more after this (if it does, it will most likely be on the same line once again; "I can't change" lol :p). This one is supposed to be pretty canon; something that happens after the events of the ep when she gets home (unlike my last one, which was changing up the ending :p). Only thing I can't quite explain is how Angela knew what was going on. But...hey, it's Angela.
Thanks goes out to the lovely fyd818 here on FFN, and Spencer05, my Psychfic roomie, for the general beta and the "is Bones in character?" beta ;). You two rock!! :D
~*~*~*~*~*~
Temperance arrived home late that night, her meeting with Booth and Sweets having gone longer than expected, and the subsequent argument and making up with her partner only adding to that time. All wrapped up together, it left her feeling totally drained.
She needed a drink.
Opening the door to her apartment, she found the light already on and Angela sitting on her couch, a wineglass in one hand and a pencil in the other, sketchbook opened in her lap. She looked up and snapped it shut as her friend came in.
"You're back, finally. I was beginning to hope that you were spending the night with him."
"With Sweets?" Temperance raised a skeptical eyebrow, and shrugged out of her coat before sitting down in a chair facing her friend. Angela rolled her eyes.
"No, silly. With Booth."
"Don't be ridiculous." Her friend had also been thoughtful enough to have the foresight to bring the bottle and an extra glass into the living room. Ignoring Angela's rolling eyes, she leaned forward to pour herself a glass.
"So how did it go?"
"Sweets was disappointed," she said. "Apparently, the fact that he thought that we first met on the Cleo Eller case was a critical fact in his conclusion, and since he was wrong about that, the book doesn't work anymore." Angela shook her head fondly.
"Sweetie, you know that that's not what I mean, right? How did it go with Booth?"
"Have you been waiting in my apartment all day to find out what happened during that meeting?"
"Yup, sure have. So spill; I want details. How did it go?"
"How did what go?" Temperance asked. "We went to speak to Sweets about his book, and we stayed longer than I'd anticipated because we told him about our first case together."
"Yes, and? How was it reliving all of those fun, hot moments with Booth? I remember that first case, Brennan."
"Angela!"
"Sweetie, I can see it in your eyes, something happened between you two. So, do you want to tell me now, or should I go and squeeze it out of him?" Temperance sighed.
"We just talked," she said finally. "Sweets was still convinced that we're in love---which we're not---and he told Booth that because he was a gambler, he had to "make the first move"..." Angela's eyes widened.
"And did he?"
"Well...yes..."
"Then that's great! What are you still doing around here, honey? Get yourself over to your new boyfriend's place and figure out something special to commemorate the occasion---"
"Angela, he's not my boyfriend!" She watched her friend's face fall.
"Wait, what are you talking about?"
"He's not my boyfriend. He asked...and I said no." She shook her head. "End of discussion." Angela stared at her for a moment, open-mouthed.
"You said no?" the artist demanded. "Are you kidding me?"
"Angela, I wouldn't say something like that just to be humorous..."
"No, no; this is not funny at all." She sighed. "What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that it was logical," Temperance said. "It doesn't work; the two of us...well, we're not compatible. We tried all those years ago, and we failed. To try again is just inviting the same outcome---"
"Brennan, you know that's not true; I've watched you ever since you've known the guy. You're in love."
"Why does everybody keep saying that? We are not in love! I mean, I can admit that I find his symmetry and his personality somewhat attractive on a purely instinctual level. I have feelings for him, definitely; but they're all just the natural reaction that any woman would have to a---"
"Then why don't you give it a shot?" Temperance could feel the tension that she had been trying to repress building up inside of her, something that she was unused to and didn't quite like. "I mean, he offered, right?" Something about her friend's questions made her snap. She shot to her feet.
"I can't change for him!" she burst out. Angela blinked.
"And that's the only reason you said no?"
"Well...yes." Temperance shrugged, suddenly feeling much less confident than she had before she'd given the answer. "I can't change to make him happy." To her confusion, Angela started to laugh,
"Angela, it's not funny! It was a very difficult conversation."
"Sweetie, he doesn't want you to change." Temperance frowned, and sat down on the couch instead of the chair.
"What?"
"Oh my gosh, girl. Look, Booth loves you, okay? Sweets was right about that part, at least. Booth loves everything about you, just the way that you are. If you try to change, then you wouldn't be the woman that he loved anymore."
"I-I don't understand..."
"Saying that you're dating would only be putting a name to what your relationship has already become over the past five or six years. And while I'm sure that he wouldn't mind a little more deliberate romance and intimacy, he's not asking you to do anything more uncomfortable than put a name to what you've already got."
"No, Booth didn't say any of that to me. He wants me to change---"
"Well of course he wouldn't say it to you, Sweetie! He's a guy, they have trouble explaining themselves. Plus, he loves you too much to ask you to do anything that he thinks would make you unhappy. And now he thinks that you won't be happy with him, because you think you need to change, and he's going to make himself live with that, even if it's killing him." Temperance shook her head, a puzzled frown marring her features.
"I didn't get any of that while I was talking to him," she said slowly. Angela put a sisterly arm around her shoulder.
"It's never easy to see the magic the second time around."
"But Angela, there's no such thing as magic..." Angela laughed.
"It's an expression! It just means that these things take time." She squeezed her shoulders a little tighter. "Listen, Sweetie, I've got to run. But think about what I said, okay? We'll figure it out. I'll see you tomorrow." Temperance nodded, offering a brief hug to her friend in return.
"Goodnight," she said, watching Angela walk away. The artist was halfway to the door when Temperance stopped her. "Hey, Ang?" Angela turned around.
"Yeah, Sweetie?"
"Thank you."
...fin.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Note: So what do you think? I'm fairly pleased with the scene, but in spite of Spence's reassurances, I'm still not sure that I've got Brennan down exactly right...thoughts? O:) Thanks for reading!! :D