*I don't own Bones or any of its characters...I just love them :)*

Rated M for later chapters

CHAPTER 1:

As Temperance Brennan groggily opened her eyes, her first thoughts were of the stack of case files on her desk at the Jeffersonian from the past year waiting for her review and the boxes of bones that she brought back with her from the Muluku Island project that needed to be studied and identified. Ever since she had gotten back a month prior, Brennan had been overwhelmed by the work she needed to catch up on and inundated with phone calls from her editor wanting to set a deadline for her next book and e-mails from academics all with questions about her latest expedition. Yes, Temperance Brennan was busy, much too busy to return to field work with the FBI at the moment. Yes, much too busy.

Besides, it wasn't like the FBI, or more specifically, it wasn't like Special Agent Seeley Booth, was knocking down her door requesting her assistance anyways. In fact, she hadn't heard much of anything from Booth since their return. She tried to rationalize their lack of communication by telling herself that he would of course be busy spending time with Parker, trying to make up for the time they had lost together, (even though, if Booth had asked her, she would have told him that it was physically impossible to make up for any time that had been lost). Of course returning to work and getting re-certified would be overwhelming and stressful and take up much of his free time also. She tried to convince herself that these were the main reasons why she and Booth had not yet re-connected since their return but she was too intelligent to believe her own argument.

There was something, or rather someone, else that was taking up his time also. Hannah had returned to DC with Booth and was evidently his new girlfriend. No matter how much she didn't want to admit it, Brennan knew that most of his time when he wasn't at work or with Parker, the same time that, a year ago, he would have spent with her, he now spent with Hannah.

As much as she wished it didn't bother her, she knew that it in fact did. The fact that the man she had considered her best friend a year ago, hadn't so much as picked his phone up to see how she was doing since her return, did indeed bother her...a lot. Before leaving for Maluku, they hadn't gone more than a day without at least speaking with each other on the phone and now they rarely spoke outside of a professional capacity, which considering they had yet to have a case, meant that they had only spoken briefly on the phone about his re-certification date for field work.

She sighed, irritated with herself knowing that he had not been the only one that hadn't picked up their phone. Why didn't she just phone him? Why was it so hard to do something that she would have done without thinking a year ago? She stared up at her ceiling distraught. How had they gotten to this point in their relationship? She sighed again and closed her eyes trying unsuccessfully to block out the memory. She knew exactly how they had gotten to this point...

It hadn't been the homecoming she desired.

When she had left DC she hadn't felt the immediate relief that she had been expecting. Everything had been so confusing and overwhelming before she had left. She had irrationally spent her days and nights thinking of her partner in less than a partner way and was constantly being distracted by her concern for his safety during cases. She thought that what she needed to clear her head was both time and space...away from the cause of her foray into the world of irrationality.

However when she arrived in Maluku, her thoughts were not consumed by bones and archaeological discoveries, as they normally were when she was on one of her trips. Surprisingly, at least to Brennan, she found her mind instead, wandering to one Seeley Booth, her partner, her friend, her best friend who was across the world in a desert war zone risking his life because he believed it was his responsibility to defend the country and its people that meant so much to him.

She couldn't stop her 'irrational' thoughts about her partner. In fact they had become even more all-consuming now that she was so far away from him. She couldn't stop wondering if he was safe. She wondered if those he was working with appreciated his abilities and if they even realized how lucky they were to be spending time with him and learning from him. More often then she would have liked to admit, she thought of his laugh, his smile, the 'guy hugs' they shared, the late night drinks or Thai food.

And no matter how much she tried, she couldn't deny that she also repeatedly thought about the way his lips had felt against hers that night after meeting with Sweets. They had been soft, but at the same time demanding and almost desperate, as if his life depended on that kiss…and she had pushed him away. As much as she would have liked to deny it, she also thought about feeling those lips against hers once more.

While away, she began to believe that she had made several mistakes in the months leading up to their separation, not the least of which was how she had handled Booth's relationship proposition. She always felt so lost and inadequate when faced with having to deal with and talk about feelings especially her own. Although Booth had helped her a great deal in the last 6 years to breakdown some of the walls that prevented her from not only talking about but also showing how she was feeling, the conversation between the pair that night outside of the Hoover Building was proof enough for her that she still had a long way to go.

That night she had panicked the moment she had seen that look in his eye. It was a look that she had been seeing with more frequency leading up to that night and as he told her that he was 'the gambler' she suddenly knew what meaning the look was conveying. Then the fear took over and she turned away from the one thing she never thought she would ever find: a man that loved her, a man that she trusted completely, a man offering her the thing he held most dear, his heart...and she had refused it and him...and she had fled...half way across the world.

She had told him that she couldn't change and that she didn't have his kind of open heart but what the year apart had taught her was that there was a difference between change and evolution. She remembered Booth once telling her that he was no longer the same person he was in high school because he had evolved. She had even joked with him that she was helping him evolve, a theory that he had never even tried to contradict. The more she thought about that conversation, the more she could not refute the theory herself. And if she had been helping in his evolution process, had he not helped her in her own? She even had to admit that the person she was now was not the same person who had met Booth over 6 years ago. She had changed, not because Booth or anyone else had demanded it, but because new experiences made evolution inevitable. She had started seeing the universe differently mostly because of her exposure to Booth and his way of looking at things. They had both had this impact on each other. So perhaps, change was not necessary at all. Perhaps, Booth was not asking her to change who or what she was but rather believed that she was enough, exactly how she was.

After processing what had actually happened outside the Hoover that night and making important self-discoveries, the time away went by slowly. The perspective she had desired when she left, came but it revealed to her something completely different than what she had expected. She missed Booth with everything in her. She needed to talk to him about everything including her reaction to his relationship proposition. It was not a conversation she wanted to have over the phone and so she avoided phoning him and avoided his phone calls to her because she didn't trust herself to hear his voice and not reveal everything she was thinking to him within the first few minutes of conversing. At least his attempted phone calls to her meant that he was still alive. That was all she needed...for now.

She longed to talk to Booth about his time away to find out if he had been thinking about her the same way she had been thinking about him. She wanted to revisit the infamous conversation and finally verbalize what she had come to realize. She was nervous about broaching the subject with Booth but as she sat in the plane on her way back to DC she realized that her excitement outweighed her nervousness.

At the coffee cart, her heart had stopped (even though she knew it was not actually possible) when she saw him walking towards. They had both come from the airport. He was still in his fatigues and looked tired but the smile that she had missed was perfectly in place and he seemed to be all in one piece and that's more than she could have asked for. She couldn't hold back any longer. She ran to him and he enveloped her in his strong arms. No words were spoken as they both clung to each other minute after minute. As they pulled slightly apart, Brennan let her hands rest on his shoulders while Booth let his hands slip to her hips. They stared at one another smiling. The warmth and amusement she saw in his eyes only reinforced for her how she was feeling.

"Hey Bones." He almost whispered. In an attempt to hide the tears that were threatening she pulled him in for another hug and whispered back "Hi". She was in his arms and although she knew there was so much to say after being apart for a year she knew that this was where she wanted to be, in his arms as his partner in every sense of the word. She was still nervous about telling him what she wanted from him but the fear of the feelings she had for this man and the feelings he had said he had for her a year ago were gone. He had told her that he had known from the beginning that they were meant to be together and although she still did not believe in fate she was prepared to admit that a future shared with Seeley Booth as a romantic partner and not just a professional one, seemed quite appealing to her and no longer terrifying especially after having experienced the alternative over the past year. She trusted him and he told her that love could last and was worth fighting for. Standing in his arms she no longer had any doubts that she, Temperance Brennan didn't just believe in love, she was in love with her partner. Of course there was so much that needed to be said between the two of them but for the first time she believed that they could make it work. That together they could work through each of their fears.

He pulled away from her and as she was opening her mouth to tell him how much she had missed him he turned revealing a tall beautiful curly haired blonde standing just off to the side. He let go of Brennan and grabbed the blonde's hand pulling her next to him.

"Bones, I want you to meet Hannah Burley." As he said this he wrapped his arm around Hannah's waist.

Brennan stared wide eyed, first at Booth, then Hannah, then back to Booth.

"I finally get to meet Seeley's famous 'Bones'! I'm so glad to finally put a face to the name." Hannah extended her hand and Brennan took it still shocked.

"I'm sorry, what's your name?" Brennan finally spoke while taking her hand to shake it.

"Hannah Burley"

"Booth never told me about you."

Booth looked between the two women a bit sheepishly. "Well, our communication over the past year was a little limited there Bones. I never got the chance...Listen, why don't we all go and grab a bite to eat...we'll get caught up! Hannah and I can tell you all about our time in Afghanistan and you can fill us in on your ground breaking discoveries over the last year."

"Did you two serve together?" Brennan knew she wasn't good at reading people and so she was hoping that she wasn't right about the current relationship status between these two. She had to be wrong because a year ago Booth had practically declared his love to her and told her that he would love her for 30, 40, 50 years into the future.

"She's a reporter that was entrenched in my unit for the last 8 months. She kept me sane over there. The only real thing I had." Booth leaned in and kissed Hannah gently on the lips.

Brennan was now sure she knew how Booth had felt the night outside of the Hoover Building the night of their talk, because she felt like her world had just crashed down around her. The hope and excitement that she had felt when she had seen him was replaced with an utterly gut-wrenching sadness and disappointment. Her confidence and anticipation had vanished. She wanted to burst into tears. She needed time and space to process this new development and rationalize it. She couldn't look away from the sight of Booth gently stroking Hannah's cheek and staring into her eyes. She quickly steeled her expression before either of them noticed how upset she was.

Looking back towards her, Booth said with a smile, "So how 'bout it Bones? Do you want to head over to the diner and grab some pie? Man, I have been dreaming about pie every night since I left! Wait till you try it Hannah. It's incredible."

He had missed pie. That's what he had missed most. She had missed him and had dreamed about him and he had missed and dreamed about pie. No, she most certainly did not want to go to the diner. Booth and Hannah were both looking at her expectantly and she noticed that Booth's hand disappeared behind Hannah, resting on what she could only assume was her lower back. No, she DEFINTELY did not want to go to the diner.

"I'm tired. I've had a long day and I told Angela I would meet up with her as soon as I was done with our scheduled meeting." Brennan responded tightly and hoped she could hold her tears back until she was out of their sight.

"Oh, come on Bones I'm sure Angela wouldn't mind if you met up a little later. Come on it's been a whole year." Booth softly punched her shoulder and gave her his best charm smile. Normally this whole routine would have worked. But not today. Not after she had been seconds away from declaring something so intimate to him. She suddenly found herself annoyed with the entire situation.

"No Booth. You're not the only person I've been away from for a year." But he was the only one that she had thought of every second of every day and he was the only one she had longed to see upon her return, but he didn't have to know that. She could not be around him and she definitely could not be around Hannah right now. Booth looked hurt and Hannah looked confused by this unspoken dialogue between the two of them. Brennan needed to get away, now, to process everything and get herself re-compartmentalized.

Booth looked down at his feet still clad in his army issued boots then looked up to Brennan with a defeated look in his eye. "Alright Bones. Give me a call tomorrow. Maybe we can meet up then"

"I'm sure I'll be streamed at the Jeffersonian for the next little while."

"Swamped, Bones. I think you mean you'll be swamped at work" he corrected her gently with a sad smile gracing his lips.

Brennan stiffened further and continued, "yes, well, I'll call you when things settle down." Brennan extended her hand to Hannah "Hannah, it was a pleasure to meet you." She hoped that he wouldn't notice the sadness and hurt in her eyes when she turned to him and simply said, "Bye Booth. I'm glad you've returned unharmed." And with that, Brennan turned around and headed towards her car.

"Yeah, you too...Wait, Bones!" he called after her.

She turned quickly around but kept walking backwards away from him. "Enjoy your pie, Booth. I hope it's just as you remember it..." she said sadly and then turned back around leaving the new couple standing by the coffee cart.

"Me too." Booth mumbled without enthusiasm.

She got back into her car pulled out of the parking lot and drove home for the first time in a year.

The sense of familiarity that washed over her as she walked in to her apartment wasn't even comforting enough to make her feel better. She needed a shower. As she dropped her luggage off by the edge of the couch she noticed a beautiful bouquet of lilies mixed with daisies sitting on her kitchen table...She almost didn't have the heart to open the card.

"Welcome home Bones! Booth"

"Welcome home indeed." She muttered as she silently cursed Angela for undoubtedly helping Booth smuggle flowers into her apartment. Normally, she would have appreciated Booth's thoughtful gesture, however, after having just had both such an over and underwhelming reunion with him, the flowers and the gesture seemed to add pepper to the wound...or was it salt?...whichever it was it made her heart sting even more.

She walked to the master bathroom. She peeled off her clothes and got under the hot steam. What had happened?! She had believed that her reunion with Booth would have played out very differently. She had not counted on Hannah. He had come back involved with another woman. She hadn't counted on that. What did it all mean? She had been sure that the conversation they had had outside of the Hoover indicated that he had been in love with her, could she be wrong? She had to have been. Booth believed that true love was everlasting, so if what he had felt for her had been true love he would not have been kissing another woman only a year later. How could she have completely misread the meaning behind his words? The meaning she had extrapolated from their conversation had fuelled her thoughts and actions for the last year and a half. How could she have misread him that badly?

She replayed the conversation. What had he actually said? He had said he wanted to take a gamble, a chance on them. She repeated what he had said out loud and then it hit her. Brennan closed her eyes and before she even knew what was happening the tears started to fall and sob after sob escaped her chest. How had she not realized it before? If he had been sure, if he had known for sure that he was in love with her he wouldn't have had to 'gamble' on anything. The fun in gambling, as Booth had once explained it to her, was that you never knew how it would turn out and so gamblers enjoyed the rush of endorphins that came with the uncertainty. She had simply assumed that he loved her but he had never actually said the words. If he had been sure he would have said 'I love you and I want to be with you.' not 'I'm the gambler. I want to give this a shot.' She was a scientist, she should have known better than to assume anything without considering the facts. She felt like a fool.

After several minutes of crying which, rationally she knew was not helping the situation, she shook her head and wiped at the tears that were now mingling with the spray from the shower head as she steeled her expression. She was back. Yes indeed, Temperance Brennan was back and it was time to recognize her faulty reasoning and to rebuild some walls making sure that Seeley Booth stayed on the other side of them this time.

According to the bedside clock it was 7:04 am and Brennan was in desperate need of her morning cup of coffee. She pushed herself out of bed and pushed the memories of that night out of her mind. Most of the time she felt like her emotional walls were firmly back in place and that she had re-compartmentalized her feelings for Booth, but on quiet mornings like these she questioned how sound the structure of those walls actually was. She sighed, something she had been doing a lot of lately, and told herself that things were different now between her and Booth. She merely had to readjust. She had once read that it takes three days to get used to new realities...well it had been over a month since she had returned to this new reality in which she was no longer the most important woman in her partner's life and she knew that whoever had written the three day theory had never personally tested it.