Hello, everyone. This is not the Violet story so stay tuned for that one. This one may be a tiny bit angsty but don't worry. You know my heart is pure fluff. :)

Disclaimer: I think you realise I don't own anything. If I did, things would be A LOT different.

I don't have time to proof read right now. Forgive me?

Love is like a friendship caught on fire. In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering. As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable.

- Bruce Lee

"Dr Brennan, where are you?" Hodgins screamed, choking against the smoke that filled the dimly lit room. Flames licked at his boots as he squinted around for his friend and co-worker, frantically scanning for her amidst the blaze. "Brennan, shout if you can hear me."

Holding his hand over his mouth he stumbled in from the doorway, growing desperate as no reply was echoed. Tears streamed down his cheeks in frustration, realising that he was going to have to leave without her if he wanted to stay alive.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed, "I'm so sorry." Shielding his face with his arm, he braced himself on the door frame before scrambling out over the rubble that had fallen in his path. He knew he would never forgive himself for not finding her, but the thought of never seeing Angela again spurred his legs into action and he ran from the warehouse just as the fire services arrived. Booth was ahead of them, sprinting into the ruins with no sense of protocol or procedure. He had to save her.

Booth paced outside of her room impatiently, waiting for Angela and the others to arrive. As soon as he heard the artist's strangled sob, he turned around, rushing over to her.

Angela collapsed against him, hugging him to keep herself upright. "How is she?" She looked up at him, staring intently into his eyes to ensure that he told her the truth.

"She's stable, Ange. They won't let me in to see her because I'm not family. Damn it," he cursed, thumping the wall and causing a faint crack to appear in the plastered surface.

Angela grabbed his hand, pulling it towards her. "That won't solve anything, Booth. Try to stay calm. Brennan is going to need someone to take care of her when she wakes up, she's relying on you." Booth's face fell at Angela's words, running a hand through his coarse, brown hair.

"I'll do the best I can, Ange, but I'm going to try to step back. That should be Nick's job. She seems to be happy with him; I can't push him away this time," he whispered brokenly.

Angela dropped his hand and instead rested one of hers against his muscular shoulder. "She loves you, Booth. I know she does. I think even she knows she does. But this is Brennan we are talking about, sweetie, she's terrified. It's much easier for her to date some low life than to admit to herself that she needs someone. Don't let her push you away," Angela pleaded.

"Even if that were true, Ange, we need to ring Nick. Do you have his number?"

"No, but the Jeffersonian does. I'll have them send it over to me," she replied.

She bit her lip after she returned from making a phone call, her eyes filled with tears. "I'm not sure how Bren is going to cope when she sees herself. The doctor said that it's going to take a while to heal."

Booth peered into the small window that looked into her room, gazing at the sleeping anthropologist tenderly. He didn't respond to Angela, instead choosing to trace patterns on the glass with his fingertips.

"I mean, she's still Brennan, right? We love her just the same as we always have. This isn't going to change anything. As long as we make her see that then everything should be fine. I just worry that her opinion of herself…" Angela began, cut off by the appearance of Nick in the waiting room.

Booth turned around, observing the man before him. He was average height with a head of curly, black hair, his face unshaven giving him the look of a painter. He was, in fact, an archaeologist that had worked with Brennan on one of her recent digs, and the two seemed to get along well.

This did not stop Booth from disliking him; Brennan's partner was certain that Nick was just another scumbag who valued Brennan's appearance over her personality and intelligence. Still, Brennan seemed to have brightened up recently and he sure as hell wasn't going to ruin her opportunity to be happy. She deserved that with someone, even if she decided that Booth was not good enough to be that person.

"What the hell happened?" Nick demanded, peeling off his bomber jacket and throwing it over his arm.

"Brennan and Hodgins went to gather evidence relating to some particulates that they found on the remains of Chloe Locke. They also wanted to analyse the magnesium content of some of the plants in her apartment but they were unaware that the assailant was inside the property and he set fire to it, locking the doors to prevent their escape," Angela explained. "Bren hit her head on something and Hodgins was unable to locate her because flames were everywhere. Booth managed to get to her and pull her out but she had already sustained some mild damage to her lungs from the carbon monoxide and her face was..." Angela stopped, unable to continue as a wave of tears overcame her.

Booth encased her in his arms, holding her steady. "Her face was burned on one side," Booth finished for her, waiting for Nick's reaction.

"Burned? How badly are we talking?" Nick frowned, not as sympathetically as Booth had been expecting.

Booth inhaled deeply before answering. "She has second degree burns on the left side of her face. They are fairly severe, the doctor said it could take anything between ten days and a month to heal, though he can't guarantee that there won't be any scarring after that time. See for yourself." Booth gestured to the window with his head, motioning for Nick to look through.

Nick flinched as he saw Brennan, recoiling slightly as movement in her sleep caused her left side to come more clearly into view. Booth pressed on, biting the inside of his cheek. "The damaged area is vulnerable to infection so you'll have to change her dressing at least twice a day to keep it clean…" Nick interjected, causing Booth's eyes to widen and Angela to frown.

"Woah, me? No, no, no. Look, man, this was never something I intended to be in for the long haul. It was just a bit of fun to pass the time. I don't mean to sound like a jerk here, but I certainly didn't intend to get roped into being someone's care giver. No way," Nick stated, holding his hands up in front of him in defence.

Booth's hands clenched into fists at his side and Angela could practically hear his jaw grinding. She pressed a hand against his chest to stop him from hitting Nick, shaking her head at him slightly. She spun around, marching up to Nick and poking her finger at him.

"Get the hell out of here, you hear me? Go. Before one of us does something you'll live to regret," she spat, folding her arms across her chest and trying to suppress the hatred that threatened to brim over. Nick hastily exited the room leaving Angela and Booth utterly astounded by his response.

"You should have let me hit him," Booth hissed, his hands and forehead resting against the cold glass of Brennan's window. "How dare he?"

Angela stood behind him, her lower lip wobbling like a small child's. "He wasn't worth the effort," she whispered, moving next to him so she could see her best friend breathing steadily with the help of a tube.

A few moments later Brennan's doctor hurried over to them, clipboard in hand, offering them a false smile. "All the paperwork has been cleared and Miss Brennan's condition seems to be stabilised. You are free to go in and see her now," he confirmed.

Both grinned with relief. "It's 'Dr.' Brennan," Booth corrected with a smirk, the news leaving him feeling less helpless.

"Duly noted." The doctor scrawled something down onto his clipboard before strolling out of the door to attend to another matter.

"Well," Angela murmured, "the only thing we need to decide now is who has to tell her." Booth nodded weakly, contemplating her statement.

"You should," he said firmly.

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The story will be cute and fluffy. I promise.

LOVE VEBBIE.