AN: My first Bones fic. Set post episode 100, and definitely AU beyond that point. Comments/Constructive Criticism always welcomed!

No copyright infringement intended, I own nothing, I write only for pleasure and to bend other peoples' characters to my will. :)

The Lab
5:30 PM

"Come on, Brennan. You've done nothing but work and sleep for the last month-and I'm not convinced about the second one. You're here when I leave. You're here when I get to work in the morning. Come out with me tonight. We'll have a girl's night. It'll be great. We'll have a few drinks, maybe dance a little...what do you say?"

Temperance Brennan sighed. She knew her best friend was right, but she'd been less in the mood to be social than usual the last few weeks.

"Fine, Angela. We'll go out. Can I at least go home and shower first?" Angela Montenegro grinned.

"Of course. But I'm coming to your place to make sure you leave it again."

The Founding Fathers
7:00 PM

Brennan was seriously regretting agreeing to come out with Angela earlier that evening. She loved her, of course, but her best friend's constant determination to pull her out of the funk she was in was driving her batty. Work was the way to distract her mind. The satisfaction of a case solved, a person given their identity back. That was the way to contentment.

She was full of shit and she knew it.

"Sweetie, you are still way too distracted. That means...shots!" Angela cried out enthusiastically, signalling to the bartender for two tequila shots.

"If this doesn't relax you, then I give up. Nothing will."

"Angela, you know I'm excellent at holding my alcohol. My tolerance exceeds even Booth's." She stopped suddenly after saying the name she'd been struggling to avoid in all but work situations.

"You may be good, but I'm better," Angela said, taking careful note of Brennan's catch of voice. "I swear, you are going to relax tonight."

Brennan's House
9:00 PM

Downing the last of a glass of water, Dr. Temperance Brennan set the glass down on the table before dropping her face into her hands. "I swear, Angela, if I am hung over tomorrow, it'll be you on my remains table. But I will not need to identify you. Because I'll kill you myself."

Angela laughed. She'd successfully gotten Brennan drunk, and although it had been half an hour since they'd had anything but water, her best friend was nowhere near sober. She picked up the glass and moved to return it to the kitchen sink. As she returned, she heard a soft sniffle from the couch, where Brennan's face was still in her hands.

"Sweetie?" Angela asked carefully, sitting down beside her friend. "What's the matter?"

"Ang, what am I going to do? I've ruined everything," Temperance said, lifting her head and turning to Angela, who was stunned to see the traces of tears running down her face.

"Ruined what?" Angela said. She wasn't nearly as drunk as Brennan, but she wasn't completely clear-headed either.

"Booth. Booth told me he wanted me, Angela and I'm a coward and I told him no. I pushed him away and I told him no and now he is going to move on and I will have missed my chance. And the worst part is I know I am only saying this because I'm drunk and as soon as I am sober I will become a coward again and I will never tell him this." Her voice choked with tears as she buried her face into her hands once again. Angela wrapped her arms around her best friend's waist and hugged her.

"Oh, sweetie." Angela said. "I didn't know. When?"

"A month ago? Maybe? I don't know. I don't remember. It was when we were setting Sweets straight about his book. "

That explained her more-workaholic-than-usual behaviour.

"You have to tell him."

"I told you Ang, I can't. By the time I see him tomorrow, I'll be sober and a complete coward again. I've lost him. And for some reason that terrifies me. It's completely illogical. My existence has never been justified by another person before. But the days I don't work on a case with him, I feel lost, like I'm missing something." She flopped backwards against the back of the couch with a deep breath and a sigh, and stared at the ceiling. Angela glanced around the room for a minute.

"I've got to use the bathroom, sweetie. You stay here. I'll be right back."

"Yeah, sure. Take your time." Eyes not leaving the ceiling, Brennan failed to notice Angela's entry into her bedroom, rather than the bathroom, and didn't notice the nearly ten minutes pass that her friend was gone. Angela came back and sat beside her, offering her another glass of water. They sat in silence for a few short minutes before a soft knock was heard on the door.

"I'll get it. I don't know how well you can walk anyway," Angela said, a lightly teasing tone to her voice despite knowing Temperance could walk just fine.

With her back to the door, Brennan vaguely recognized two voices talking very softly, but couldn't be bothered to pay enough attention to figure out who the visitor was. She heard the soft movement of a jacket-although it seemed more like two, there was a lot of swishing going on, that was one thing her still-drunk brain recognized-and the door clicked shut.

"Who was it, Angela?" she asked as she heard footsteps returning to her. The couch shifted far more than it should have when Angela sat down. Brennan's head turned like a shot.

"Booth!" she exclaimed, scooting quickly to the far end of the couch, as far from her partner as she could get without actually standing up.

"Bones," he said, looking at her. "Bones what's wrong? You're crying." He reached out to her, as if to wipe her tears away, then dropped his hand suddenly, remembering her former rejection.

"I've lost it," she said softly, before she could stop herself.

"Lost what, Bones?" he asked. He'd only ever seen her look so vulnerable once, when she was exclaiming that she wasn't going to be any good for him.

"Lost my chance. Lost...lost...y..." she trailed off, tears springing from behind her eyes again as she tried to fight what she was saying. Booth moved towards her on the couch and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to his chest as she cried.

"I love you." she whispered before she could stop herself, her face buried so far into his shirt, drenching it as tears streamed down her face that she was certain he couldn't hear her anyway.

He could.

And suddenly, the entire last month faded away. Brennan felt herself rising as Booth pushed lightly against her shoulders. Brown eyes pored into green as she attempted to force herself to control her emotions.

"I'm sorry, I..." she stammered.

"Bones?" Booth said softly, not taking his eyes from hers.

"Yeah, Booth?"

"Shut up."

And with that, their lips met. Bones' hands slid up his arms and behind his neck, one continuing up to entwine itself in his short hair as she pulled him closer to her. As they reluctantly pulled apart a few moments later, Booth smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" she asked him, smiling back at him.

"Well, a few things," he said, "but in particular, I'm thinking about how I really have to thank Angela tomorrow for getting you drunk tonight."

"I might even forgive her if I'm hung over." Bones said, smirking as she leaned in to kiss him again.