(After 'The Doctor in the Photo')

A/N: A new story for the new year. ( I started writing this story on January 1st.)

I really don't own Bones.

Ooooooooooooooo

Hi Booth . . . whatcha doing?

He'd been asleep, not for very long, but he had definitely been in bed asleep. "Bones, it's two in the morning . . . Are you alright? You sound . . . strange."

Do you think so? I'm alright . . . I have a favor to ask from you and you can say no if you want to. Derek said he'll take me home if you can't do it. I wouldn't . . .

"Whoa, whoa, who the hell is Derek? Where are you?" Booth realized that the reason Brennan sounded so odd was because she was drunk. He had only seen her sloshed once before and found this situation upsetting. Brennan could hold her liquor and he was afraid she was being taken advantage of. "Bones, tell me where you are. Don't let that Derek fellow take you home. I'm coming, but you have to tell me where you are."

Sorry Derek, my good friend Booth is going to take me home . . . No, I just told you your services are not required . . . just because I don't want to go home with you doesn't mean I'm a bitch . . .

"Bones, are you someplace safe?" Booth was now out of bed and grabbing up his clothes from the floor. "Bones I'm on the way, tell me where you are."

I'm at the Founding Father's Booth . . . Sam just escorted Derek from the bar, he told Derek that his business was no longer welcome . . . I can call a cab if it's too late.

He placed the phone on the bed and put it on speaker while he pulled on his boxers and jeans. "No cab. I'm almost out the door. Just have Sam give you a cup of coffee and I'll be there before you know it." He pulled his shirt on, sat down on the bed and pulled his shoes on. He didn't have time to look for his socks. "I'm out the door, Bones. Stay there." The call ended, he rushed over to the chair near the closet and grabbed his jacket.

Hannah had woke to Booth speaking loudly while he dressed and shook her head. "Seeley, it's late. Call her back and tell to get Sam to order her a cab."

Pulling his jacket on, he moved over to the dresser, grabbed his wallet, keys, badge and gun then walked over to the bed and grabbed his phone. "It's Bones, I can't do that. She needs me."

She held her hand out and smiled. "I need you too. Come back to bed. Sam can get Temperance a cab. It's New Year and you promised that we'd make love all night."

"She's your friend, Hannah. She's my friend." Booth moved towards the door, paused and looked back. "That's not how you treat friends. Some douche was trying to take Bones home and she's drunk . . . I have to go get her and take her home. I don't have a choice."

Hannah sat up and stared at Booth, concerned that she didn't know what was going on. "First you chase her all over town in the rain a week ago because she was acting odd . . . you came home soaking wet, very upset and you wouldn't tell me what was going on and now this. Seeley, just what is going on?"

"I don't know." Brennan had had a crises the week before and Booth had tried to help her through it. He had broken his partner's heart when she had confessed that she had made a mistake outside the Hoover, but truthfully his heart had been broken too. Her confession had come too late because he was in a relationship with someone else. How two people who cared so much for each other could keep hurting each other was beyond him, but no matter what was going on, they were friends and he would help Brennan whenever he could. "It's been a rough year for her . . . for me . . . I have to go Hannah. Bones needs me."

She knew Booth was Brennan's friend and partner, but lately their relationship seemed to be more like an emotional train wreck that she was watching from a hill. Her boyfriend and his partner were dear friends and she knew that they loved each other, it was obvious, but she wasn't sure what that meant. She didn't really know what any of it meant. "Bring her back here. I'll have some coffee ready and maybe some broth."

"Thanks Hannah." Booth raced down the hallway and slammed the front door shut once he was in the hallway. Racing down to his truck, he hoped that his partner was alright. It worried him that she was drunk. It worried him a lot.

Ooooooooooooooooooo

When Sam noticed Booth enter the bar, he pointed at Brennan who was sitting on a stool in front of him and gave the agent a thumbs up. Booth and Brennan were steady customers and he always did his best to protect his customers if they drank a little too much. When Derek had kept buying drinks for Brennan, but had drunk so little himself little alarm bells starting ringing in his head. Once he noticed that Brennan was trying to resist going home with the man and the jerk wasn't taking no for an answer, Sam had kicked the man out of the bar and told him not to come back. "Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan has had a nice cup of coffee while she was waiting for you."

"Thanks, Sam." Booth was grateful that the bartender was such a great guy. "Bones, hey, you okay?"

Brennan placed her cup down and smiled at her friend. "I am, thank you for asking . . . you are very considerate."

"I try to be." He knew that sometimes he wasn't considerate at all, but he knew he was human and he could be a pill when things were going wrong for him. "Would you like another cup of coffee before we leave?"

She thought about it and nodded her head. "I think I would." Brennan turned and handed the empty cup to Sam. "Another coffee, barkeep."

Amused, Sam winked at Booth and turned to pour another cup of coffee. While he was at it, he poured one for Booth and placed the cups in front of his clients. "Drink up, there's time. I won't be closing for another half hour."

Grateful for the hot drink, Booth took the proffered sugar packet and sweetened his coffee. Brennan cautiously drank her coffee black and unsweetened. "I'm not sure why I have drunk to excess tonight . . . I suppose it's because of the frivolity of the moment . . . New Year Eve is really for lovers you know . . . social media, advertising . . . it makes this time of year rather sad for those who aren't in a personal relationship . . . as a rule I ignore it, but for some reason . . . for some reason it made me sad that I couldn't enjoy the festivities like it's meant to be enjoyed . . . Angela is pregnant and married, so she could not be my . . . um, wing man . . . I believe that is correct. Wing man?"

"Yeah, you got that one right." The more his partner spoke, the more it seemed to break Booth's heart. He hated that Brennan was alone or felt alone. "You know you aren't alone Bones. I'm right here and when you're ready I'll take you home. "

She appreciated that he had come for her, but she still felt alone somehow. "You have Hannah. Angela has Hodgins in her life . . . I don't usually care if I'm seeing anyone or not . . . I'm not sure what is so different about this year . . . perhaps it's because I now know I didn't have to be alone, but I made a mistake and that mistake is not correctable . . . I am happy that you found Hannah, Booth . . . at least we both aren't alone."

Her voice was filled with sadness and regret and that made him want to hold her and kiss her pain away, but how could he do that? He was seeing someone else, he was living with Hannah and he was faithful. He was always faithful. "Bones . . ."

She didn't let him complete his sentence, whatever it was going to be. She didn't want him to feel guilty for being happy. "You are my friend, Booth. That is the most important thing to me. I've never had a friend like you . . . truthfully, I've had very few friends in my life . . . I am not . . . lovable."

"What?" Booth was outraged that Brennan thought that of herself. "Are you kidding me? Of course you're lovable. Angela and Hodgins both love you like a sister and you know it. Cam likes you a lot and those interns of yours practically worship the ground you walk on . . . and I love you . . . as a friend. You are my best friend and I'll always have your back you know that."

"I do know that. That is why I called you to come tonight." Brennan sipped more of her coffee, but she wasn't so sure it was really helping her. She still felt fuzzy headed. That had been the real reason she had called Booth. Normally she was confident in every decision she made, but once she had realized that she had drunk too much liquor she felt that her reasoning ability was impaired and she knew she could count on Booth to help her to make the right decisions. He was her friend and he would protect her. It was odd, but she never felt like that she needed protection, but in this case, logically, she was too impaired to take care of herself and she really did need protection. "I was foolish to drink so much . . . I don't usually do foolish things like that, at least not when I am alone in a public place."

He let her talk while he sipped his coffee. She was a very independent person and he didn't want to say or do anything to make her feel anymore foolish than she already did. He was there to protect her and that meant more than physically. He wanted to protect her sense of self. Like Brennan he had a lot of pride and he knew what it was like to slip into a situation that made him vulnerable. It was his duty as her friend to make sure she kept her pride even if she was sloshed to the gills.

"You are being quiet, Booth." Normally, her friend was full of advice, so it seemed odd that he wasn't giving her any. "Has the feline taken your tongue?"

"No . . . I was just enjoying my cup of coffee." Booth smiled at his partner. "Would you like to go back to my apartment? You could stay in Parker's bedroom, that way you won't be alone tonight."

It sounded like a wonderful offer, but Hannah was also in Booth's apartment. "Perhaps not. I'm sure that Hannah would not appreciate me being there."

"Nonsense, she was the one who thought it might be a good idea for you to come home with me." Booth saw the surprise on Brennan's face and knew that the situation was confusing her. Hell it was confusing him. "She said she'd have some coffee and broth waiting for you when we get there."

Brennan considered Hannah to be a friend. It seemed odd to be friends with the woman who had the love of Booth, but her whole life was odd, wasn't it? It certainly wasn't normal. "I think it would be better if you took me home to my apartment. I will more than likely be sick in the morning and I would rather not regurgitate in front of Hannah or you."

"Okay, not a problem." Booth pulled his wallet from his jacket pocket and removed enough money to pay for the coffees and a nice tip for Sam for being a great bartender. He placed the money on the bar and waved Sam away when he tried to give some change back. Standing, he placed his arm around Brennan's waist and helped her from the tall barstool. "Okay, Bones, let's go." Once he was sure she wasn't going to fall, he buttoned her jacket for her and grabbed her purse. "Okay, I'm going to take you home. Nice and steady. You ready?"

"Of course, Booth." Brennan waved at Sam. "You're an excellent Barkeep, Sam."

Sam nodded his head and grabbed the empty coffee cups from the bar. He was relieved that Booth had come to Brennan's rescue. If the agent hadn't come, he would have taken Brennan home. "Night." Some people needed protection and he always felt that people like Brennan needed it the most. Confident, very independent, but vulnerable too. That vulnerability worried Sam. It worried him a lot.

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.