Disclaimer – Nothing related to the TV show Bones belongs to me. If it did, Hannah would have never been born.

A/N – I've never written a fic based on a promo before, but after I read the spoilers for the episode, I knew I had to write something angsty to get my feelings out. I hope this is somewhat cathartic for my readers, but be forewarned, if you're looking for a Bones pick-me-up, this is not the place the find it.

Give It Time

"I made a mistake. I missed my chance." Temperance voiced the feelings she never believed she would be able to. She sounded broken, defeated. She stared at Booth through tear-clouded eyes and nearly prayed to the God she didn't believe in that somehow, she was wrong. That she hadn't missed her chance. Then, when he looked back at her, with the same empty expression he had seemed to be wearing for weeks, she knew she wasn't.

Booth said to her, in a near monotone, "Yeah, you did." Though she felt it coming, hearing him say the words all but stopped her breath.

She choked out: "Stop the car."

"What?"

"Stop the car!" She shouted. He pulled over. She got out and mumbled to him, her head down, "You can find someone else to work with." Temperance started to walk away, the power of her brisk steps undermined by the shaking of her shoulders as sobs wracked her body. Booth rolled down the window and drove slowly next to her.

"Bones. Bones! What do you mean find someone else? Get back in the car."

"Don't call me that!" She snapped as she spun to face him. The force of the raw pain in her eyes pushed him back. For a moment neither spoke. Then fury joined the agony. Temperance gritted her teeth and said through them: "You could have said anything, Booth. Anything. I didn't expect you to be happy, because I know you've moved on. But you didn't have to be cruel. You've changed Booth. I don't know if it's because of Hannah, but now you act like you never want to be around me. Like you never loved me at all. I can't work with you anymore. Not like this." She turned away and took a couple of steps before she heard Booth pull up next to her again.

"Temperance. Hey! Damnit Temperance, would you listen to me?" She turned slowly.

"No, Booth. What you just said – what you just screamed – that's exactly why I won't."

"I don't understand."

"You've been angry at me before, Booth. I'm sure you've even sworn at me a couple of times. But never like that. Never with so much hate. I'm sorry, Seeley. I'm sorry for both of us. Because we'll never know just how much we lost." She turned and walked away. That time, Booth didn't follow her.

…...

"Sweetie, I know you're in there. Come on, open up!" Angela pleaded through Temperance's door. After Temperance hadn't shown up to work that morning, Angela knew something was wrong. When Temperance finally opened the door, Angela saw her best friend in the worst state she'd ever seen. "Oh, God, Bren, what happened?" In response, Temperance started crying. Angela embraced her. "It's okay. Whatever happened, it's going to be okay."

"No, it's not." Temperance answered, her voice choked with tears. Angela pulled back from the hug, but kept her hands on Temperance's arms.

"What do you mean? Please tell me what's going on."

"I told him." Temperance hung her head.

"Told who what?" Angela asked.

"Booth. I told him I – " She couldn't bring herself to tell Angela what came next. She didn't have to.

"Oh. Oh, no, what did he say?" Temperance stepped away from Angela and moved towards the couch, where it appeared she had been stationed since the previous night.

Facing away from Angela, Temperance told her, "When I said that I'd missed my chance, he…he said… "Yeah, you did.""

"What?" Temperance collapsed onto the couch. Angela was there in an instant. "No. No, he didn't. Not Booth." Temperance nodded at her lap.

"He isn't Booth anymore. Not the Booth that…not the Booth that loved me." Angela couldn't think of any response that would soothe her ailing friend.

She settled on, "I know he still loves you. He just isn't…showing it right now." Temperance shook her head.

"He doesn't, Ange. He found Hannah and it was like…like he never cared about me at all."

"He's being an idiot, but I promise he cares about you. This will all work out."

"I told him I couldn't work with him anymore."

"What?"

"I just can't. This Booth is not the partner I would…" Temperance's voice trailed off as she let out another sob.

"You would what?" Angela prompted.

"I would die for." Temperance whispered. The room grew silent. Then Angela jumped up.

"No! This isn't how it's supposed to happen!" Temperance looked up at her in shock. "You're supposed to tell him how you feel and he's supposed to grab you and kiss you until you both can't breathe!" Temperance's eyes widened. Angela took a breath and sat back down. "You could both be so happy. I just want that for you both so much."

"He is happy. He's happy with Hannah."

"Not as happy as he could be with you." Temperance shook her head again.

"I don't know. We'll never know. That is what I cannot stand. We'll never know."

"You will. Don't give up. Keep working with him. Just give it time. Give him time to realize his mistake."

"Do you really think he made one?"

"Uh, yeah, don't know how I could have made myself any clearer about that one." For the first time in weeks, Temperance genuinely laughed. "Just wait, you'll see that I'm right. I always am."

"That's not – " Temperance began to argue. Angela tilted her head and lowered her eyebrows in an expression that Temperance knew to mean she was being too literal. She amended her response: "I hope you are, Ange. More than I've hoped for anything in a very long time."

A/N – As all authors, I welcome reviews, and in this case, angry rants about the current state of the show. Just give it time, everyone.