"Booth, do you have a case?" Brennan asked when she saw him step into the lab. He nodded and handed her a file without any of the usual banter. She nodded and they headed out to the usual black van. Temperance wanted to say something, but figured not to intrude on his privacy.
They arrived at the scene of the crime which was at a dead end of a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Trees had been cleared away to reveal blood stains and a gnarled body. Brennan stepped out of the truck and made her way to the body wearing her usual jumpsuit/work clothes and a stern expression. Booth had followed behind her a ways and she waited for him to catch up before beginning her assessment.
"Age between 35 and 40, female, height of about 5'7", and time for death is about a week ago despite the animals," she informed Booth as he came to stand next to her.
"Cause of death?"
Bones examined the body more thoroughly, "Seems to be a gunshot to the temporal bone, but I'll need to do an examination," she turned to the FBI team around, "I'll need the body and parts of the tree sent back to the Jeffersonian!" The team set to work and Brennan went back to the truck with Booth and they set out back to the lab in silence.
Usually he would at least have the radio on as they drove, well more like he drove, but he seemed content in the stony silence. Brennan tried to bring up the case, but she was met with shrugs and more silence.
They arrived at the lab twenty minutes later and Brennan went to her office without a word to Booth.
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The bones were delivered within a few hours and the team set to work. Angela started a facial reconstruction, Hodgins went to find particulates, and Brennan's grad student assessed the body. Everything was working smoothly and efficiently, just as it should be with no interruptions. Of course, Brennan couldn't put her finger on it, but something was missing.
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Booth came in a few days later to get the weapon and identification of the victim. Brennan noticed her wasn't including her on this case and was majorly ignoring her. For this reason, though she wasn't too proud of it, she spoke very little him except need to know. "Camellia Rhodes, 37, she was dying of brain cancer. Murder weapons was a 45, and the the cause of death was a shot to the head through the temporal bone here," she indicated to the side of the head, "and the exit of the bullet was through the parietal bone," she indicated where and then left to her office.
Booth sighed and followed her, just a little bit behind. He knew that she was frustrated with him, but he just wasn't ready to face things yet.
"What do you want, Booth?" Brennan shot the question at him venom and continued to push on the keyboard so hard he was afraid it was going to break.
"I'm sorry, Bones, it's nothing personal," he tried, knowing that he was just making up excuses. He didn't want to tell her and he also just wanted her to leave him alone for a while so he could deal with it alone.
She glared at him and then went back to breaking the keyboard. "You make it personal, Booth. You take me on all these cases, and we talk and get along, and then you just hole me. I understand a lot of things, Booth, but I don't understand you."
Booth sighed, "It's 'it's ditch me', Bones. I'm sorry," he knew he needed to say what was coming next or she'd never get off him about this, "but I just don't need the baggage and sometimes you're a hindrance, Bones." Her gaze turned to him sharply and he watched her take a long deep breath.
"If that's how you feel, I'd like you to leave. Your lab access pass will be revoked within 24 hours." Brennan said no more and returned to her computer.
Booth nodded to her and left with his head hung, his eyes stinging. He only made it halfway out when Hodgins stopped him.
"You okay, man?" He asked in concern at seeing his friend almost in tears.
Booth nodded, "Yeah, just having a rough day. Send Angela to Brennan if you could," he added as an afterthought and then made his way out of the Jeffersonian and into his car for the long, awful drive.
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Angela and Sweets spend the next two weeks trying to convince Brennan that there was something else to be learned behind Booth's actions. True to her nature, Brennan didn't understand why he would mean one thing and say another. There was also the fact that she had no evidence to assume he meant something different. In the end though, and only to satisfy their curiosity and to stop their incessant pestering, Brennan decided to pay a visit to Booth's office.
She arrived after work on a Friday and took the slow elevator up to his floor and searched for his office. When she found it, she noticed that it looked undisturbed. Someone came in a moment later with a curious look on her face. "Are you looking for Agent Booth?"
Brennan nodded, "Yes, is he here?"
The woman shook her head, "I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan, but Agent Booth took a medical leave two weeks ago. I would've thought he told you."
Brennan stalked off, "Yes, I should've thought so too."
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"Booth!" Brennan shouted as she banged on his door. "I know you're in here!"
Brennan heard the door click and Parker opened the previously looked door. "Don't be too loud, Dr. Brennan, Daddy isn't feeling well again," he informed and let her inside.
"Parker?" Bones heard a weak voice call from what she assumed to be the bedroom. "Who's there?"
"It's Dr. Brennan, Daddy!"
"Booth?" Bones called into the hallway.
She heard a sigh and then a ruffling of bed sheets. The door of the bedroom opened to reveal a very pale and sweaty Booth. She could see an incision on his upper chest that was partly healed and noticed her was weak and shaky. "Hey, Bones," he said quietly without looking at her.
Without anymore introduction, she reached up and felt his forehead. Booth leaned into her touch slightly. "Your temperature is around 103, what's going on? You've been out of work for two week now."
Booth sighed again, "Bones, please, don't make me do this," she could see his eyes pleading with hers, but she was having none of it. He nodded and turned to Parker, "How about you go play outside for a while, bud?" Parker nodded excitedly and left the apartment.
"What's going on?" She repeated as he led her to a couch in the living room.
"I'm sorry about the things I said to you, I didn't mean them."
Bones shook her head, "That doesn't answer my question."
Booth nodded, "I know it doesn't." He took a deep breath, "Bones, I have brain cancer."
"What?"
"I had it when I was 17 and I went into remission after two years. I've been feeling weird things and seeing things sometimes, so I went into the doctor. A PET scan confirmed that the cancer had come back. I've started chemotherapy."
Temperance's eyes were wide, "Why did you tell me?"
He shook his head, "You don't need to be involved in all of this, I can take care of myself."
She surveyed the area, "Yes, the piling dishes, overflowing garbage, and many piles of clothes strewn across the floor shows me you're complete in control."
"You don't need to worry about me, just go back to the lab."
Temperance shook her head, "No."
Booth was confused, "Why no? I'm sure you have more important work to do."
She shook her head again, "I'm actually done for the weekend." She stood and walked straight to the bedroom and saw the sheets covered in sweat that she guessed was a side-effect. Very efficiently, Temperance cleared the bed and was just about to put new sheets on when Booth finally made it back to his room. "What are you doing?"
"Your sheets were covered in sweat and looked like they hadn't been washed in a while." She finished making the bed and left with the dirty sheets and put them in the laundry room.
"Bones, you don't have to do this," Booth said as he groaned, "I'm very capable."
"Lay down," she instructed as if he hadn't said anything. He followed her instructions and she covered him up. "I'm going to tidy up, you stay in bed." Temperance gave him a stern look. Bending down, she kissed her partner's burning forehead, making him blush in his pale face, and then made her way to the kitchen.