A/N: So I got this idea to rewrite a bunch of canon scenes from multiple perspectives about a year ago but this has just been sitting in my notes. It's time to set it free! This first one is set during Mastodon and it starts with Booth's side of the story and then switches to Brennan's. Be forewarned: it's not strictly canon, I took some liberties. Let me know what you think and if you like it, review, PM, or tweet me (RositaLG) with a scene that you would like to see written from both sides. It doesn't have to be B&B or even just two people. That would be interesting, actually. *ponders multiple perspectives of one scene*. Anyway, let me know. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

OOOOO

Booth was exhausted. He had been flying for over twenty four hours and at this point, he wanted nothing more than to collapse onto the nearest flat surface and sleep for a week. However, he had promised to be here and he was a man of his word. He came around the corner and spotted the bench almost immediately.

He had known why he was coming but he had forgotten just what an effect his partner had on him. A full year of being apart from her had made him forget why he had left in the first place. At the sight of her smiling face, he stopped moving, stopped breathing. How could he have ever forgotten this? She looked beautiful under the night sky and he had a sudden flashback to standing outside that bar in the rain, and again, outside of the Hoover building only a year ago. Bones in the moonlight. He should have known better than to meet her like this. He should have transitioned himself back into her presence at a slower pace.

She stood up, that ever-present curious and analytical look in her eyes but a smile on her face. He realized that he had been frozen in place for a few seconds so he did the only thing that he had the strength to do at the moment: he opened his arms and let her close the distance between them.

The way that she fit so perfectly in his arms did not go unnoticed by him. He couldn't help but inhale that perfectly wonderful scent that he had simultaneously grown to love and hate. She would always be his undoing; no amount of running in the world could save him from this unknown pull that always found its way into his heart when she was around. He couldn't control his hands as they found their way to their favorite spot on her body, pressing her closer to him for a fraction of a second before letting her go.

She had cut her hair. He didn't know why but for some reason, it bothered him. It was a blaring reminder that she had had an entirely different life while they were apart that he knew nothing about. The Bones in his memory wasn't the Bones that was standing here. Would that make this whole reunion easier? Would it soothe the pain that he was fully expecting to appear the first time she mentioned another man? He reached out and swiped at her new bangs playfully, hoping that she wouldn't notice.

"Hi." It was a start.

"Hi." She said, sounding glad to see him. There was something hiding behind her eyes that said she was holding back. He ignored it, knowing exactly why. She was trying to preserve him from the pain that she knew that she caused him. She was a great partner, even towards the end, wanting only the best for him. She knew that she couldn't give him what he needed, and so once again, she had pulled away, just as she had in that cab all those years ago. He hated himself for being the reason that she had to shut down after he had spent so long getting her to open up.

"How are you?" She asked politely. If it were anyone else, Booth knew that he would not be standing here right now.

"Tired." He said instead. "But glad to be home." He added, hoping that she wouldn't be offended by his answer. "You?"

"The same." She smiled. "But it's very good to see you." He felt his heart grow just a little bit lighter at her words.

"You too." He smiled back as he stared at her, his exhaustion mixing with that stupidly happy feeling that only she could bring out in him.

"Can we sit down?" She asked as she pointed over towards the steps.

"Yeah, good idea." He said, thankful for the rest. "I've, uh, I've got some news." He told her as he sat down next to her. He took a deep breath, preparing for task of telling her this partnership altering news. "I met someone while I was in Afghanistan." He watched her eyes widen in surprise.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah. Her name is Hannah. She's a war correspondent." He said as he pulled out his phone. He smiled proudly as he looked at the image, missing her already.

"How did you two meet?" She asked and he could hear the restrained curiosity in her voice.

"I arrested her for being in a restricted area."

"You arrested me once." She reminded him and he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. As if he could forget.

"Yeah, I remember." He grinned.

"Where is she now?" Brennan asked.

"In Iraq."

"Is it serious?" Booth paused, only for a second. Her question, and the meaning behind it, filtered through his brain. He had to answer honestly, that's what she would want, but something about it felt wrong when he replied:

"As serious as a heart attack."

"Heart attacks are very serious." She said.

"Yes they are. Very serious." He agreed, hoping that by being blatant, he had laid down a clear message. When they had left, he had told her he needed to move on. Things had been messy and complicated but now that was over. He had someone else in his life now but their partnership would be better off because of it. He was sure of it.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brennan watched as Booth walked around the corner, his duffel bag still hanging over his shoulder. Her heart fluttered in her chest at merely the sight of him again. She had missed him desperately while she had been away and frankly, returning to him was the only thing that had gotten her through the dig in one piece. She smiled as he stopped dead in his tracks, finally spotting her on the bench. She stood up, wondering why he was just standing there staring at her. He didn't say a word; he simply dropped the duffel and held out his arms. She grinned and didn't fight the urge to run into his arms and hold him close to her.

She held onto him for just a fraction too long. His body had certainly changed while he was away. It was his shoulders that tore her self-discipline in two. She had always had a weakness for them, but with his new physique, those perfectly shaped scapulas were making her come undone at a rapid pace. He felt strong, solid and safe under her fingertips. It was all so utterly…Booth. She couldn't help but smile as he ran his hand over the small of her back, a familiar action that caused her to realize what she was doing. This was Booth.

She pulled away, knowing that she must be the reason he had remained silent. She never knew how to act around him but he was always so charming and gallant anyway, a blaring reminder of their inequality, of all of her social ineptness. Here she was, clinging to him after she had promised him closure. She couldn't stand here now and love him. She had let him go, and now she must deal with the consequences of her actions. It was simple physics: cause and effect. He reached out to fix her hair and she felt completely self-conscious.

"Hi." He said with his kind but obviously tired smile. He was acting again, playing the gentleman because that was what he had always done for her. She felt ashamed at herself for being so selfish. It was time to stop using him. She couldn't ask him to do it anymore.

"Hi." She sounded confident, self-assured. She wouldn't have believed that it was actually her speaking, but she had done it. She had even managed to smile a little, although, he would most definitely be able to tell that it was not sincere. Maybe he was too tired to notice. Maybe being away for a year had dulled his fine eye for interpersonal details.

No. He had definitely noticed. The flicker of pain in his eyes was hidden, but there.

"How are you?" She asked.

"Tired." He replied, honestly. "But glad to be home. You?"

"The same." She smiled. "But it's very good to see you."

"You too." He smiled back at her. She saw the exhaustion in his eyes and she motioned towards the steps.

"Can we sit down?" She asked.

"Yeah, good idea." He said. "I've, uh, I've got some news." Brennan looked at him curiously and awaited what might come next. "I met someone while I was in Afghanistan." She didn't fight the look of surprise that crossed her features.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Her name is Hannah. She's a war correspondent." He said as he pulled out his phone. Brennan examined the beautiful blonde woman and fought the urge to sigh. She could have picked her out of a line up. Booth was a man who definitely had a type.

"How did you two meet?" She asked, trying to be supportive while still getting all of the good information.

"I arrested her for being in a restricted area."

"You arrested me once." She reminded him with a smile.

"Yeah, I remember." He grinned.

"Where is she now?" She asked, secretly hoping that he didn't say DC.

"In Iraq." She exhaled in relief.

"Is it serious?"

"As serious as a heart attack." He said and Brennan felt her throat tighten against her will.

"Heart attacks are very serious." She said, realizing that this might actually be the person she had been expecting for the past five years. The one who finally took him (and his attention) away from her.

"Yes they are. Very serious." Brennan stared at him. He looked happy, confident, sure. It was in that moment, she knew. He had moved on.