Dr. Temperance Brennan sat at her computer in her office, trying to go through the pages upon pages of emails and actual letters that had piled up while she'd been away from the university for her research expedition. She sighed in frustration as she rubbed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Even though it was common knowledge among the academic community that she would be in the Maluku Islands for an extended period of time, there were still several people who had insisted on sending her catalogs, letters, manuscripts, articles, and various other types of correspondence while she was gone. Unfortunately, she couldn't do a mass delete on her email in case she needed some information she found in one of them, so she was plowing through them as quickly as she could when she heard the man at the door clear his throat.

"Oh, hello, Sergeant Walker. Please come in and sit down." Brennan pointed to the chair across from her own. She frowned slightly as she wondered about the reason for this visit from one of Booth's Army friends. "I'm surprised to see you here. I haven't seen Booth for several months, and it's been several weeks since I heard from him. I was expecting him to contact me when he returned to the States, but he hasn't done so yet."

Sergeant Walker grimaced as he inhaled sharply. "I know…" The man twisted uncomfortably in his chair. "That's the reason I'm here to see you, Dr. Brennan. I'm afraid I have some bad news about Booth…"

Brennan's stomach dropped as her heart rate accelerated. "Bad news about Booth? But that's not possible. He's training other soldiers in Afghanistan, so he's not on the front lines...he's not supposed to be a hero…he's supposed to be safe...he's supposed to be on his way home. You must be mistaken..." She stared at her desk as she shook her head. "It's just not possible…"

"His unit was overrun by insurgents a few days before he was supposed to leave Afghanistan to come home. They used explosives, and there were several casualties. Sergeant Major Booth was unaccounted for afterwards….there were very few identifiable remains recovered." Walker swallowed hard as he continued. "Technically, Booth has been listed as missing in action, but it would be more realistic to list him as missing and presumed dead. I guess it a was horrible incident..." Sergeant Walker stopped for a minute and exhaled slowly. This part of his job was terrible, and he figured Dr. Brennan didn't really need to know all the gory details. "Listen...I wanted to let you know what happened to Booth even though you aren't listed as next of kin for him. I know you were good friends with him, and I thought you had a right to know about it. Booth was a good friend of mine also, and he left something for me to give to you in case, you know...in case something happened to him and he couldn't give it to you himself." Walker ran his hand across his eyes as he handed Brennan an envelope. "It may not help you right now, but I know he cared a lot about you…I thought you'd want to know."

"Thank you.", Brennan whispered as she took the envelope from him. "Thanks for coming to tell me in person. I know this is uncomfortable for you." She felt a tear roll down her cheek as she stared at the envelope. "But I have to ask, Sergeant Walker...are you sure?"

"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan...I'm sure…" Sergeant Walker gave her a grim look as he rose to leave. "Please let me know if you need anything else…."

"Yes, I will…." She stared at the envelope with her nickname on it as Walker silently left her office. To Bones was printed out across the front in Booth's neat block letters. Surely this must be a mistake. Booth was not supposed to be in danger. He was supposed to be in a relatively safe position. She ran her fingers across the flap. Maybe if she didn't open it, this bad dream would go away...but she knew it was real...terribly, horribly real. With trembling hands she loosened the flap and unfolded the letter.

My Dearest Bones,

If you're reading this letter, I'm not going to be able to come back to you again. You'll probably get some details later. Please remember I was doing something that I was proud of...I wanted to help others and to do the right thing for my country.

So here's some things I want you to know. You need to eat better, and you need to get some rest from time to time. Don't work all night long, and don't forget to lock your apartment door, even when you're home. You never know what crazy folks are out there trying to get into your place. And be really careful when you go on those digs and trips. You've got people relying on you back home.

I also want you to know that no matter what happened between us in the past, you are always going to be my standard. Compared to you, every other woman I ever dated was just a consolation prize. There was never another woman in my life that I loved as much as I love you.

I'm sorry things didn't work out between us. I hope you find someone or something that makes you truly happy. That's all I ever wanted for you.

Love always,

Booth

Brennan wept bitterly as she realized her world had come crashing down around her…

oooooooooo

Brennan was reading the newest case file on her computer late on a Friday afternoon. It had been a year since she'd left the university to begin working as a forensic scientist at the Jeffersonian. Even though she missed teaching she enjoyed working on cases for the FBI, and the intense nature of the work allowed her to stop dwelling on the loss of Booth.

Her mind still wandered back to Booth from time to time. She still dreamed about him on a regular basis. Occasionally something would happen to remind her of something funny that he used to do, or she'd think she might've heard his voice in a restaurant. Once in awhile she'd think she might've seen him walking down the street, and she'd smile as she thought of him, only to have the reality of his loss wash over her again. The wound from his death wasn't as raw as it had been twelve months ago, but it still hurt her deeply, and she eventually realized that even though she might adjust to the hurt, she'd never really be completely over it.

Her reverie was interrupted by a familiar voice. "C'mon, Sweetie! It's time to go. We'll never get a table at the Venusburg if we don't leave now." Brennan's new best friend Angela came hurrying into her office. "Save it and shut down, Brennan. We need to go. Mandy's going to hold us a table, but she's kind of flighty and easily distracted by hot guys, and there's always lots of hot guys at that club. Get this, Brennan….her smokin' hot cousin is probably gonna show up and bring some of his hot friends. God, Mandy's cousin is so freaking gorgeous…."

Brennan rolled her eyes and laughed as she got ready to leave for the evening. "Okay, okay, Angela. I'm shutting down my computer. I don't want to keep you from meeting warm men."

"HOT GUYS! It's my job as your best friend to get you out of the office and into the fun part of life, complete with drinks, dancing, and sexy men. You know...glug, glug woohoo!" Angela wrinkled her nose as she saw what Brennan was wearing. "Really, Bren? You need to lose the grandma sweater and baggy pants. Tank tops and skinny jeans will attract much more attention from the guys there tonight. Let's make a detour to my office before we hit the club. We need to get you dressed more appropriately, and let's fix your make up a bit…"

oooooooooo

"This is fun, isn't it?" Angela yelled at Brennan as they made their way across the dance floor at the club. "Hey, there's Mandy!" Angela waved to a woman sitting at a small table. "C'mon, let's go get a drink and see about finding some dance partners."

Brennan sighed as she followed Angela over to the table. She hadn't been too interested in coming to such a crowded club, but Angela had insisted that it would be fun. So far, instead of fun, it had been hot and noisy, but the night was still young, and she hoped things would improve. She had become somewhat reclusive since Booth had died, and she realized it was probably time to begin to interact socially again.

"Hi, Angela! And this must be your friend Temperance! I've heard so much about you!'', Mandy bubbled as she flicked her long brown hair over her shoulder. "This place is really rockin' tonight, isn't it?" She smiled as the DJ put on a song with a strong rhythmic beat. "We need to find us some guys and dance!"

"Where's your hottie cousin, Mandy? I bet Bren would like to check out his bones, right, Bren?"

Brennan pretended not to hear Angela's comments as she sipped her beer and nodded with the beat. Nightclubs offered an interesting anthropological study of mating rituals, and she was having a good time observing the various couples around the room when she heard a voice behind her.

"Wanna dance?" A tall blonde man smiled and held out his hand.

Brennan looked over her shoulder before figuring out he was speaking to her. "Oh, sure...just a minute." She got Angela's attention and nodded toward the man. "I'm going to go dance."

Angela's eyes lit up as she checked out the guy. "Good for you, Sweetie." She leaned over to whisper in Brennan's ear. "I told you there were lots of hot guys here."

Brennan smiled as she stepped away from the table and onto the dance floor with her prospective partner. She soon discovered that he was physically attractive but incapable of carrying on what she considered to be an intelligent conversation. After a few dances Brennan and her partner walked back over to the table where Mandy and Angela were sitting. Mandy seemed to be having an interesting conversation with a man standing with his back to the dance floor rubbing the back of his neck as he gestured with his other hand. Angela was laughing as she watched the man with an appreciative eye. She obviously found him quite attractive, and based on what she saw of the man from the rear, Brennan agreed with her assessment. This man must be Mandy's cousin based on Angela's description of him. There was something vaguely familiar about him…

Brennan came up behind the man and reached past him to pick up her beer. "Excuse me…."

The man turned to face her, and then grinned from ear to ear. "Bones? Is it really you? God, am I ever glad to see you. C'mere." He reached out to give her a hug.

Brennan stood perfectly still for a few seconds analyzing the situation before deciding her best course of action. "Booth….you son of a bitch…", she yelled as she threw a solid right hook into his jaw that sent him sprawling on the floor. Then, grabbing her purse and jacket, she stormed out of the nightclub.

Booth sat up slowly and rubbed his jaw. "I guess that means she's not glad to see me…."

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