(The Boneless Bride in the River)

A/N: Jazzyproz was my 1000th reviewer for my story "Strangers in an Airport". I promised her a story to show my gratitude. She gave me an excellent prompt.

I don't own Bones.

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"Are you alright Bones?" After they had watched Sully sail away on the 'Temperance', Booth and Brennan had driven to the Royal Diner for breakfast. Booth had done his best to cajole his partner into a better frame of mind, but he knew that his partner was still hurting because of Sully's departure. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Using her fork, Brennan flipped a piece of fruit from one side of her bowl to the other side. "I just realized that I was right . . . I didn't want to be, but I was right after all."

Confused, Booth placed his fork down and stared at his partner. "What were you right about?"

"Love isn't real or if it is it doesn't last for long." She had thought that Sully would prove her wrong, but he had actually confirmed what she had always feared. "My parents loved me for a while and then abandoned me. My brother didn't want to be bothered taking care of me and he handed me over to Foster Care and Sully . . . I thought Sully loved me, but when I chose to stay and do my job, a job I trained for many years . . . he decided that his boat was more important than me and he left . . . It's not a good idea to fall in love with someone. They'll just betray you."

Shocked at her conclusion, Booth moved his plate over near the window and leaned forward on the table. "Hey that's not true, Bones. That's not true . . . Your parents ran away to protect you. They were afraid to take you with them because they had killers after them. They loved you, Bones . . . Max came back to protect you. He risked his life and his freedom to protect you from Kirby. He did that out of love and Russ . . . Russ was just nineteen years old when your parents ran away. It would have been tough for a nineteen-year-old to take care of a fifteen-year-old." He hated that Russ had been such a dirt bag and abandoned his sister when she needed him, but Booth needed Brennan to have her family back in her life. She was too isolated as far as he was concerned and he worried that she didn't think anyone loved her.

"You would have done it." Brennan was confident she knew her partner. She knew he was a responsible adult and an honorable man. "If you had had to take care of Jared at that age you would have done it. I know you . . . Russ just didn't want to deal with me. He said I wouldn't talk to him and everyone told him I belonged in foster care . . . Would you have placed Jared in foster care?" She had never met Jared, but she knew that he existed and she was confident that Booth would never betray his brother.

Realistically, Booth knew that she had a right to be angry with Russ. Even though she was trying to get closer to him at the moment she still had her doubts about him. "No, I wouldn't have . . . Russ is weak, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you. What he did was wrong. He should have found a way to take care of you, but what he did he did out of love. He wanted to protect you and he was afraid he wasn't up to the job." He could have tried to raise you, the asshole.

She snorted. The idea of Russ wanting to take care of her was ludicrous. "Yes, he protected me by giving me to an uncaring state agency. No, I'm right. Love isn't real. The chemical reaction that makes us think we are in love doesn't last. Love is just elevated levels of neurotransmitter dopamine. It stimulates desire and reward. It has the same effect on the brain as taking cocaine."

He hated when she talked like that. "Bones, that isn't true. Love isn't chemicals. It's a desire to be with the one you love even if you won't benefit from it. Sully liked you, but I don't think he loved you. If he had, he would have stayed. He wouldn't have bought that boat and just sailed away. He would have stayed because putting you first would have been the right thing to do. He had a good job here at the FBI, but he's restless. Nothing ever seems to capture his interest for very long . . . Hell he's been a carpenter, an EMT and an FBI Agent. He's talked about opening sandwich shops and being tour guide in the Caribbean. He's Peter Pan."

"I don't know what that means." She wanted to believe Booth was right, but experience told her that he was wrong.

"Peter Pan is a storybook character." He was used to her not understanding pop culture references. Most of the time he just explained and moved on. "He was a boy that never wanted to grow up. But you know what happens when you don't grow up?"

She was curious as to what he was going to say. "What?"

"You die." Booth thought it was obvious and was surprised that Brennan hadn't guessed the correct answer." If you don't grow older you die. Peter Pan lived in Neverland with a bunch of Lost boys. The land wasn't real and the boys who lived there with Peter didn't want to grow up either. Everyone that lives in Neverland is dead. They don't want to grow up and be adults and since that can't happen in the real world then their lives aren't real. They're just the ghosts of what they might have been . . . Sully is a nice guy, don't get me wrong I like him, but he's never going to settle down with anyone. He can't see when he has it good, because he's too busy looking for something better . . . He had you, Bones. He couldn't have done better if he had wanted to and he couldn't see that. He wanted something else and you didn't. You're the adult in this situation. Sully wasn't and he never will be."

She wanted to believe him, but it was hard to let go of an idea when that idea was so powerful. When she was fifteen, she lost her family and with it the thought that love was real. Sully had been the first man she had allowed to break down her walls. Up until her affair with Sully, she had considered all relationships to be temporary. She never expected any relationship she entered to last, but when she had started to date Sully she had thought perhaps he might be someone she could have a monogamous relationship. She trusted him because he seemed to mean the things he said to her. She had trusted him to protect her emotionally, but he had turned out to be like every man she had ever had a relationship with. They wanted her friendship and they wanted sex and nothing more. When she didn't want to give up her career, he chose to leave her behind. That wasn't love, at least not the love that was written about in books and in poetry or that Booth talked about. "I trusted him."

There it was. Booth heard that sad statement and he wanted to beat the shit out of Sully. Brennan was a strong independent woman, but she protected her heart from things like the stunt that her ex-boyfriend had pulled. It made him angry that Sully could treat his partner this way. It wasn't right. It would never be right. "I'm sorry that Sully turned out to be a disappointment, Bones, but he was just the wrong guy. If he had been the right guy he would have stayed. He would have worked it out with you."

She didn't know what to believe. She just knew that she felt crushed.

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A few days had passed since Sully had left searching for his perfect dream and their relationship was tense. Booth has started to wonder why Brennan had stayed at the Jeffersonian and so had Brennan.

Booth loved Brennan and he wanted her to be happy. She was the best friend he had ever had, but he worried that she had given up on a chance at love because of him. He knew she didn't love him, but he knew that she valued his friendship. He was someone she could trust and Brennan was all about trust. If he was the reason she had stayed, then he might be the fault of her never finding that one guy that would make her happy.

Sully had only asked her for one year of her life. She could have gone with him and lived a more adventurous life with someone that cared about her. He hated most men Brennan dated. They were just after one thing as far as he was concerned and they didn't seem to care about Brennan at all. Even though he thought Sully was a fool running after dreams, he might have been good for Brennan in the long run. She needed whimsy in her life. Her life was filled with science and logic and there never seemed to be any room for unfettered laughter and spontaneity. She didn't believe in love, but maybe Sully could have changed her mind if she had just given him a chance.

Of course, he often wished that she would give him a chance, but Booth knew that was a useless dream. She didn't consider him anything but a friend and it would always be that way. He had fallen in love with her on the day they had met, but he knew that he wasn't in her league. He was just a cop and she was a brilliant scientist, the top in her field. There was no hope that she would ever fall in love with him and he knew that. Damn it, he did know that.

Unknown to Booth, Brennan was having a crisis of her own. At first, she had assumed she had stayed because she wasn't willing to give up her career, not even if it was for just one year. She was the best forensic anthropologist in the world and in one year she could destroy that career. Perhaps some brilliant anthropologist would step forward and take her place negating her hard work. Sully's dream of being an island tour guide seemed pleasant enough, but she didn't want a pleasant life. She wanted to be the top in her field. She wanted the accolades due her for that hard work. She wanted to be in the forefront of new discoveries and she couldn't do that on a boat catering to tourists. She didn't have that kind of mentality and she never would.

As the days spun by another thought started to creep in to her mind. What if she had stayed because of Booth. What if she wasn't willing to give up his friendship for one year or forever? What did that mean? Did that mean that she loved him? That couldn't be since love wasn't real, but what if what she felt for Booth was strong enough that it didn't have to be named? Had she given up on Sully because of her job or because of Booth? That slight niggling thought started to grow and to build and soon it was all she thought about. Why had she really stayed? Sully was a great guy. Even Booth thought he was a great guy and she trusted Booth because of his people skills. She had none to speak of and suspected she never would. Why had she stayed? It worried her that she might know the answer to this question. It worried her that she might care for Booth as more than a friend. She wished she had someone to talk to her, but she felt that what she was feeling could be misinterpreted very easily by Angela. Her friend was emotional and logic wasn't her forte. If she dared to talk to Angela, she knew that her friend might become obsessed with the conversation and try to push her towards Booth. She needed someone who could think about all the ramifications and not just think with his or her heart.

She needed to talk to Booth.

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They were celebrating the conclusion of another case and having drinks at the Founding Fathers. The crowd was a normal Wednesday night crowd and therefore not as noisy as it could be on a Friday or Saturday night.

Tired of the constant doubt that lived with her about Sully, Brennan waited until there was a pause in their conversation, sipped some of her wine, placed the glass down and stared at her partner. "Why did you tell me to leave with Sully?"

Not sure where this was going, Booth cleared his throat. "Angela thinks my life is narrow and that you, working with me makes your life narrow too. She thinks Sully's life is wide." At the time, he had objected to having his life being called narrow, but after he had thought about it he had realized that his life was narrow, but it was the life he wanted. He had a job he loved and he was able to see his son because of that narrow life. When he was younger and in the Army, he had lived a wider life, but it had been a dangerous life and a lonely one.

Brennan found the whole thing to be insulting. "Angela is wrong, Booth. You don't live a narrow life. You are a brilliant investigator for the FBI. You have a son who loves you very much because you are around enough so that you can be his father. Angela probably thinks my father has a wide life too, but that lifestyle meant that I wasn't in it. Perhaps she thinks Russ' life is wide too, but I wasn't allowed to be part of his life either . . . You have a grandfather that loves you . . . friends . . . you fix up old cars and collect antiques. Angela was wrong to say that to you. Sully is never in one place long enough to create a family or to make many friends. He only has himself. He's alone. Why is his life considered wide and yours is considered narrow? That doesn't make sense. Also, me being with Sully would actually narrow my ties with family and friends. Don't you see that? Angela means well, but in this case, she doesn't know what she's talking about."

Her little rant made him feel better. He knew that she doubted herself and he knew she thought she lacked empathy, but then she would say something like this and she made him feel better. The sad thing was, she didn't understand that she had that kind of power over him. Maybe it was good that she didn't. "Thanks Bones. That was nice . . . Maybe you stayed because you didn't want to give up what you have. You are an important person in the forensic world. You worked hard to get there and just sailing away might be considered irresponsible . . . maybe you didn't like Sully enough to give up on everything else. It could be that simple."

"Perhaps." Brennan picked up her glass and sipped some of the Merlot. The glass back on the table, she leaned forward. "Sometimes I think I stayed because of you."

Her words confirmed what he had feared all along. He didn't want to be the cause of Brennan having a loveless life. "Me? I'm just your partner . . . your friend too, but I'm nothing special. Why do you think you stayed because of me?" He was worried. He was very worried. What if she wasn't willing to take risks because of his friendship? He didn't want to have that kind of influence over her. He didn't think she took enough personal risks in her life and he hated to think it was because of him.

She studied him for a few seconds and wondered if she was making a mistake. Maybe his friendship wasn't as strong as hers was. She had thought they were the best of friends, but maybe not. "You say you're not special, but that's nonsense really. You've been a great friend to me, Booth. You've helped me when I needed it. You were responsible for getting Russ back into my life. If you hadn't pushed me to talk to him, I would still be avoiding his phone calls on my birthday . . . When I need someone to talk to you're the one I turn to because you really listen to what I have to say. You don't try to change me. You accept me for who I am. That is no small thing Booth, believe me . . . I consider Angela like a sister, a surrogate sister since I don't actually have a sister, but she doesn't understand me as well as you do. She wants me to change who I am and I've tried to change for her, but I can't. I am who I am . . . We're partners. I investigate crimes with you and we do that as equals."

Brennan paused and sipped more of her wine, debating how much she wanted to say. "Being considered an equal in the professional world is rather rare for a woman. My profession is dominated by males and I have had to excel and exceed their expectations to be considered an equal. You have treated me as an equal from the beginning of our partnership. Yes, we are not in the same profession, but we are partners and you have never treated me less than I am . . . That is no small thing Booth."

Her words made him feel proud. Booth had recognized her strong independence early in their partnership and after just a few cases he knew that she could take care of herself. That fact actually made him want to protect her more. If that made him odd, then so be it. She was a risk taker and she needed him to modulate her. He kept her from being too brave too independent. "We make a great team, Bones. We have the best solve rate on the east coast. Hell, in a year or two we might be number one in the country. We're that good together."

"Yes, we are." Brennan was proud that she was not only considered the best forensic anthropologist in the country, but she was also part of one of the best investigative teams in the country. She now considered what she had to say probably a risk, but Sully leaving her had forced her to think about her life and what was important to her. She didn't want to be a coward and just ignore what needed to be said. "I think I stayed because I value your friendship more than Sully's friendship . . . He told me that he loved me, but he had an odd way of showing it I think. Leaving me like my family did . . . I liked him a lot, but as I've said I don't believe in love, not in the way you would define love. I cared for Sully and I thought it might be possible to allow him into my life on a more personal basis, but I was mistaken. He wanted me to give up everything I think is important and when I refused to do that, he left anyway. I knew he would. He had already bought the boat before he asked me to go with him. If he had really cared about me, he would have talked to me about what I wanted before he made the purchase . . . This was all about what Sully wanted not what I wanted."

"I'm sorry Bones." For someone that didn't trust her feelings, she seemed to have worked out just what the problem had been between her and Sully. She had known they would have never worked out. "I would have talked to you before I bought the boat. If I wanted to make a change in my life and it would affect you, I would definitely talk to you first because we're partners and because we're friends and that's what friends do."

His words gave her comfort and confidence. His kindness and consideration was why she could trust him more than anyone she knew. Booth didn't just think of himself. "I don't love you, Booth." She hesitated when she saw the look of sadness replace his smile. "I can't love anyone, but I do like you and I admire you . . . have you ever considered having a relationship with me?"

"What?" He was startled. Was she asking him what he thought she was asking him? "I mean, what do you mean a relationship?" He wanted to be cool, but how do you remain cool when the woman you love is asking you something this important? "Like a personal relationship?"

Worried that she was making a huge mistake, Brennan nodded her head. "A sexual relationship." There it was out in the open. Now she would see how he responded. The tennis ball was in his court.

"Not a casual relationship, Bones." He wanted her so badly, but he could never have a casual relationship with her. He valued her friendship too much. He wouldn't risk losing her over a fling. "I've thought about having a permanent relationship with you, but you don't believe in love."

"I believe in like, Booth." Brennan wasn't sure the conversation was going well. "I believe in trust, I believe in friendship and I believe in computability. I think we would have a successful monogamous relationship just based on those factors alone." Was that good enough? She was about to find out.

He was unprepared. He hadn't expected this to ever happen and he wasn't prepared. "I . . . I . . . sorry, I'm just . . ." He reached out and placed his hand over her hand. "I would like a relationship with you, Bones, but are you sure this is what you want? Sully just left you behind a week ago . . . Are you really sure this is what you need right now? I can wait if you need to think it over. I mean, of course I want to be with you, but I don't want you to regret your decision later. This is too important."

And this was why she thought so much of Booth. He was concerned that she was making her decision on a whim because of Sully. "I don't need time to think about it, Booth. I've been thinking about it since Sully sailed away. I stayed because of you. I wasn't sure before, but I am now. I would have missed you if I had left you behind. The pain of leaving you behind would not have been worth going away with Sully. I've grown used to your smiles, your caring, your trust, your friendship, your impatience when things are taking too long or when someone isn't speaking what you consider appropriate English, your pouting . . ."

"My pouting? I don't pout." Booth thought she was taking things too far. "When have I ever pouted about anything?"

Amused at the way her partner was pouting at that moment, Brennan chuckled. "Every time you ask me if you can read my newest book and I say no. You really have to wait until they're published."

"Well, I am your partner." He didn't see why he couldn't read her books before they were published and he didn't pout damn it.

Brennan turned her hand over and clinched Booth's hand. "I would miss our arguments, our drinks at the Founding Fathers, lunch at the Royal Diner and all the other things we do together. I would miss you, Booth. That is why I stayed and that is why I think we can have a relationship together. We are already in a relationship, just not a sexual one."

She was being honest and he knew that she was right. "If you had left I would have missed your smile, your friendship, your ability to help me control my tempter. We both know I have a temper and it's a miracle I don't shoot people, but you help me calm down and that's no little thing. I love your sense of humor and I love we can talk about anything. You're my best friend, Bones."

"Not your best friend." She interrupted him. She doubted she was his best friend. Booth had a lot of friends.

"My best friend, Bones." She really didn't understand how hard it was for him to make deep friendships. That required trust and he wasn't willing to trust just anyone. "You have been for a while now . . . you have no idea how crazy I got when you and Hodgins were kidnapped by the Gravedigger. I was threatening to kill people while we were searching for you and I meant it too. I wasn't going to let anyone get in my way."

A tear formed and escaped her lashes. "I was never so happy to see anyone than when you pulled me from the gravel . . . your hand pulling me to the light . . . it seems like a cliched metaphor, but when I was free from the gravel . . . I knew then that I would always trust you, always. You didn't give up looking for me . . . you would never give up looking for me."

"Never Bones. I never would. I love you." They were in a public place surrounded by people, but Booth didn't care. He stood up, moved around the table and as she turned on her chair to face him, he took her hands and pulled her up. "I would be honored to be in a relationship with you Temperance Brennan." He kissed her and to his delight, she kissed back.

Sully had screwed up. He was off searching for his perfect dream while Booth had found his standing before him.

The clapping and catcalls that followed their kiss, made them pause. Booth looked around, turned back to face his girlfriend and smiled. "Fuck them." His lips met hers and they kissed once more.

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Let me know what you think of my story.

A/N: there will be a second chapter. I just need to write it.