A/N- That 100th milestone episode was the greatest thing on television...and it broke my heart so badly. So, between the hours of 9 and 12 last night (I was crying too much and my stomach hurt too badly for me to try to sleep), I wrote this. I DO intend on making it a chapter-fic. So! Read it, and enjoy.
WARNING: You might cry. I did, but...that's because I hate seeing Emily so upset.
In all her years, she had never cried this badly. It was almost as if he had died, that's how horrible she felt. It had been three months since the man who had stolen her heart had tried to start a relationship with her, but it felt like just a moment ago. Why had she shot him down? "To protect him from my cold heart" was what she kept telling herself, but she knew it was a lie.
She wanted him. Oh, how she wanted him. She had been madly in love with her partner-in-crime ever since he had walked in on her lecture all those years ago. But...she was afraid of those feelings. She was afraid of loving him. She knew she couldn't open her heart the way he could.
The fact of the matter was, she just didn't deserve him. He needed to feel true love, the kind that she couldn't give him, despite her heart longing to do so. Yes, they completed each other. Yes, they were in love. But she was terrified of breaking his heart, so she had to tell him "no".
Unfortunately, he had gotten hurt anyway. She could see it in his eyes, and that pained her more than he could've possibly imagined. But what really drove that dagger deep into her heart was when he had told her he had to move on. She didn't want him to! Every part of her being was screaming at him, trying to tell him to just give her some time! She just needed to learn how to love the way he deserved, the way she wanted to love him! But no, she had lost him. Forever. All because she was afraid of doing something stupid.
It was almost four in the morning. Temperance had spent most of the night crying again, and since she had to be at the Jeffersonian by eight, there was no point in trying to sleep now. Another night lost...
It wasn't until around eleven that morning that she finally saw him. He was even more beautiful than her tired, overworked brain had remembered. Those gorgeous brown eyes that glowed so brightly when he smiled made her go weak at the knees. Once again, she had to fight back tears when he spoke to her.
"Hey, Bones!" He smiled, just as she had been expecting. "Man, you look beat. Have you been sleeping?"
"No." There was no point in arguing with him; he'd know if she was lying anyway. "I've had too much to deal with."
"Like what?" The worry in his voice brought tears to her eyes.
She turned away and said, as calmly as she could: "Some things have been bothering me, that's all..." A few tears rolled down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away. "Was there something you needed?"
"Do I always need a reason to want to talk to you?" His smile shone through the tone he used, causing her to smile too. His happiness was contagious: one thing she had always loved about him...
"No, I suppose not." She turned back to him, her eyes still shining with tears. "Do you want to go out for lunch? I haven't eaten anything yet."
He looked into her eyes and could tell she was crying. This clearly upset him. "Hey, hey...what's wrong, Bones?"
She shook her head, wrapping her arms around her stomach. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
Oh yeah, because Booth was going to let this go. Right.
He stood closer to her. So close, in fact, that one might think he was going to kiss her. He gently brushed her hair behind her ear. "I think you know me better than that, Bones."
She nodded. Indeed, she did. "I know," Tempe said softly. She hugged him, not at all surprised when she felt his arms wrap around her tightly. She wanted to feel the way she did in that moment for the rest of her life, but she knew it was only temporary. Her head rested gently on his shoulder.
"Bones, I-"
"Seeley!" a woman said happily from the doorway. She was about to walk in, but she saw them together and paused. "Am I...interrupting something?"
"Trixie! Oh no, you're fine." He let Brennan go, leaving her with an empty feeling again. "I didn't realize you were-"
"I had some break time so I figured I'd come and surprise you." She smiled again, then her eyes widened. "Get out. Is that Dr. Brennan?"
He smiled proudly. "Yep, the one and only! Trixie, this is my partner, Dr. Temperance Brennan. Bones, this is Trixie Jackson. She's my..." He paused, looking away.
"I'm his girlfriend," Trixie finished for him as she held her hand out. "Wow, it's such an honor to meet you! I've heard so much about you, Dr. Brennan."
Tempe felt like her heart would drop through the floor, even though she knew that was impossible. "Oh...well I've heard nothing about you."
Trixie laughed. "I figured as much. Seeley doesn't seem like the type to go on and on about his, well I mean he talks about you a lot but...Oh, sorry." She smiled. "I tend to ramble when I'm nervous. I guess I should just leave you two to do your thing, huh?"
"Okay," Booth said, semi-grateful she was leaving. "I'll see you-"
"No, it's alright," Bones said suddenly. She crossed her arms. "How long have you two been dating?"
"Almost a month." Trixie smiled. "I can't believe it's really been a month already, either! By far, the best one of my life." She gazed lovingly at Booth, who in turn looked away from her. He seemed to find something on the wall very interesting.
Tempe wanted to grab Booth's gun and shoot this girl with it. Who the hell was SHE to take her man away? "I...believe it. Booth is very good at pleasing a woman, and I don't necessarily mean sexually."
Booth grinned and looked at her. "Thanks, Bones!"
"Well, I don't want to keep you two from your jobs." Trixie smiled at them. "I'll see you later." She kissed him a bit deeply.
Brennan's fists clenched. If it was a war this girl wanted, it was a war she was going to get. In the back of her mind, she knew Booth still loved her more. Three months was not enough time to get over the years they had spent beating the bush, or whatever the saying was. She felt like she wanted to scream. Or rip that girl's throat out. Or cry. She wasn't quite sure, but she could feel some kind of emotion brewing inside her. Once Trixie had left, she could feel some of that brew leaking out of her.
"When were you going to tell me when you had someone? When you two were going to announce your engagement or something?"
Booth blinked. "It isn't a serious relationship, Bones-"
"Don't call me that." She crossed her arms, suddenly getting incredibly irritated.
"Why are you-"
"Look, I have things to do," she said quickly before she did something she'd regret. She grabbed her jacket and went for the door.
"Temperance-"
"Just drop it, Booth!" Now she was angry. "I don't want to listen to you right now. I have to go." She was gone before he could protest.
It was going to be another sleepless night for Temperance. But this time...the pain was worse. He really had moved on...How was she going to accept that?
A/N- It should go without saying, but please don't forget to review! Your comments are what keeps me writing! :D
