This is an idea I had while watching the previews for next week's episode.
Chapter One
Brennen walked Booth into his apartment and sat him down on his couch. After making sure that he was comfortable where he was, "Now what can I get you?"
"I'm not an invalid Bones. I can take care of myself."
"Booth, you were held captive for three days by a psycho. Going through who knows what kind of torture. You deserve to be helped out a little and rest. Besides, you know that I won't let you get away with pretending to be helpless. Once you're back to yourself then I'll let you get yourself something to drink. Not until then."
"Bones--"
"Booth," she argued and came back with two beers—handing him one.
"You don't have to stay," he said as he accepted the beer.
"You'd stay for me."
Because he couldn't argue with that, he took a swig. Then an argument came to him and Booth realized that he could reverse their roles. "You were taken hostage."
"Yes," she agreed. "But he didn't hurt me. I wasn't injured."
"You shouldn't have traded places with me in the first place."
"I didn't have a choice. I couldn't prove it was Senator Klicke's aide who had you. And he wanted me. I knew you would find me. Which you did."
"Bones--"
"Booth, if I wouldn't have been willing to switch places with you then you would be dead."
"You don't know that."
"Well, I wasn't going to take that chance."
"Bones--"
"I had already lost you once. I wasn't going to lose you again."
"When did you lose me before?" Booth's headache was getting worse from trying to keep up with her.
"Here." She handed him some aspirin.
"When did you lose me before?" He asked again when it became obvious that she wasn't going to answer him willingly. "Bones."
She looked at him and then looked away trying to gather her thoughts. "When you died," she finally rushed out. "When I thought you were dead for two weeks. I couldn't go through that again Booth."
Booth felt a lump form in his throat. He had never really considered what she had gone through when he had faked his death. He started to say something but it seemed that now that she had opened up about these things, it didn't look like she was going to stop.
"I thought you were dead. I closed down Booth. For those two weeks I didn't do anything. I went back to how I was before. Before I met you, before I met Angela. I was so numb inside. I couldn't feel anything. Knowing that you had died because of me. I didn't know what to do. I would go home and I would cry. I put everything away—out of sight that reminded me of you. I couldn't bear to look at it. I was just moving in circles, just letting time pass. That was the worst two weeks of my life.
"Worse than when my parents and Russ left me because then I was a teenager and I really didn't depend upon them the way I depend on you. You always challenge me and make me want more out of life. Things that are illogical but you make me want them just the same. And with you gone, I had no one else. It was like a part of me had died. And I didn't want to go on living any more. I even thought of killing myself a couple of times just so I could be with you once more.
"Which is ridiculous because I don't believe in a heaven. I don't believe in an after life. But I prayed Booth. I actually got down on my knees and I prayed. I prayed for you. I prayed that you had found peace and that you were happy with God. Then when he took you and it was three days Booth. Time was running out. I couldn't NOT trade places with you. It was what I needed to do. I couldn't go through losing you again. I couldn't."
Tears were streaming down her face and before Booth could say anything, Brennen got up and left the room.