Involved-Part One

She grabbed his forearm and pulled him out of the interrogation room into the hall.

"Booth, what's going on??" She released his arm and took a step towards him. Booth sighed heavily and placed his hands firmly on his hips.

"I can't do it." Bones looked into his eyes but the meaning of his statement alluded her. Booth could always read her much better than she could him. He took a quick glance at her face and immediately saw the question he was afraid to answer: Do what?

" Listen, Bones, I have to be involved. If I'm going to be the father," He paused and looked from her eyes to his feet and then back to her eyes once more. "I have to *be* the father."

She didn't seem to register anything he said.

"You were seeing something in there. What were you seeing?" Frustrated, Booth sighed again and hesitated, "Well, Stewie, you know, the baby from the Family Guy."

"You saw Stewie? In there--in the interrogation room" Booth ran his fingers through his hair and the partners dropped to the bench directly behind them.

"So what do you say about the kid?" Booth asked nervously.

"Fine, I won't have a baby." Again, Bones' quick response inferred that she was not listening to Booth and was clearly thinking very intently on one thing.

"What? That's it?"

"You know, it doesn't matter now. We're going to the hospital!" Bones eyes oozed concern and worry as she attempted to cover it with her apathetic body language.

"It's no big deal, okay?" Booth said. He looked away and started to stand up when Bones grabbed his arm firmly and pulled him back down.

"It is! Booth! You thought you saw Luc Robitaille and then the ghost of a dead friend, and now a cartoon baby. TRUST ME! Something is wrong. Trust me!"

Their eyes locked and the intensity of Bones concern made it impossible for Booth to continue gazing into her eyes without losing all control of his emotions. Trust me. He had asked that of her so many times, he had lost count. How could he possibly refuse her request? He already trusted her. He loved her with every fiber of his being but couldn't tell her. As much time as he spent with her, he could never read how she gauged his constant hints at love. He tried desperately, but he was careful. If he lost her friendship and her support he would never forgive himself. Bones always said that he knew her better than she knew him. The truth was that Booth knew every ounce of that statement was false. She knew him better than anyone else in his entire life. She read him like a book, whether she knew it or not. The way she could look at him and cause him to feel comforted in a millisecond was stark proof. He had to tell her.

"Bones, I need to talk to you."

"Booth, you need to go to the hospital!"

"I know, Temperance, I know. You're right. But I need to talk to you first." Temperance. When he called her that, red flags sprung up from every orifice of her mind. He was being completely serious. Though she had no idea what he was going to say, she was somehow overwhelmed by fear.

"That's ridiculous, Booth. We are already conversing."

"I'll let you take me to the hospital if you listen to me for a second." She emphasized the closing of her mouth and she scooted closer to him.

"Bones, I need you in my life. Always. I don't know what I would do without you." Booth held his breath and could feel his heart pounding in his throat.

"I know Booth. That's why I have tried so hard to do everything to make sure we never have to have different partners. I don't know what I'd do without you either, Booth. You are one of my dearest friends. But I don't understand why you had to tell me something I already knew." Booth's head sunk in despair. Most times, when she didn't understand the context of a statement, it was funny. It was adorable. But right now, it was tearing Booth apart. Seeing his distress, she tried to hopelessly remedy something she didn't understand.

"But I'm glad you reaffirmed that, Booth. It was very kind of you. It's nice to hear that one is cared for and needed. Now we need to go to the hospital. Now." They got up and left for the elevator.

"Wait, Bones." This time Booth grabbed her arm and stopped her motion towards the elevator.

"Captain Jamesson, please resume the interrogation of the suspect and report back to Director Cullen." He turned back to her and mustered a half smile. They walked to the elevator and shared another intense look of concern as the elevator closed them to the world for a few moments.