Thank you for loving Angela. You were a good friend, Tempe.
She stared at the words for what felt like an eternity before the thought stuck her. If she didn't somehow stop it, these words, in some form, would soon find their way to Jack. "No!" She gasped to herself, dropping the pile of envelopes onto her office floor and running to his. She found the mail on his desk and searched through the envelopes quickly.
"Too Late..." She spun to see him standing in the doorway, his eyes damp. He was holding the torn enelope in one hand and the slip of paper in the other.
"Jack..."
He shook his head, entering the office and sitting on his couch. "It was going to come eventually. I knew that... I just... didn't want it to." He whispered, looking at her as a tear escaped. He brushed it away quickly, "It makes it real..."
She wanted to tell him it had been real all along, from the phone call to that very moment. She wanted to say that nothing could undo it, or change it. Most of all, she wanted to tell him that a piece of paper could hardly confirm hat had already been very real from the beginning. Instead, however, she kept it all to herself, and offered him a small smile. "We all miss her..."
"Oh, I know. I didn't mean to imply that I'm hurting any more that you, or everyone else. It's just... before this, I could pretend she was on a vacation, somewhere warm and sunny and happy..." His head dropped between his shaking shoulders, and she felt a twinge of guilt. "But now... all I can picture is how she looked then..."
She closed her eyes, trying to avoid the memories invading her.
FLASHBACK:
"Dr. Brennan?" She raised an eyebrow, the voice on the other end of the phone familiar but odd... altered, somehow.
"Yes..."
"It's Hodgins." His voice cracked and her heart began to race. "There's been an accident, Bren..."
"Are you okay?"
She heard him choke on a sob as he whispered, "Yes... can you please come down here?"
"Jack, what is wrong?" And it clicked in that instant, all of it suddenly making sense. "Jack, is it Angela? Is she okay?" He began to cry, and her heart sank, "I'll be right there, okay? I'm on my way..." She hung up and ran straight into Booth.
"Hey, Bones! Where are you..."
"Come on, you have to take me to the emergency room..."
He grasped her shoulders firmly, concern flooding his eyes as he inspected her carefully. "Why... you don't look hurt..."
"I'm not, Booth. It's Angela. She and Jack..." her voice hitched, and she struggled to maintain composure. "There's been an accident."
"Let's go..." He released her, and she walked quickly out of the Jeffersonian. He sped off after her, keeping her quickened pace effortlessly. Once they were in the car, he reached over and flipped on the flashing police lights, and she almost smiled.
"You're only supposed to use that when in pursuit..." She whispered, her eyes filling.
He glanced at her and reached for her hand, grasping it firmly. "Bones... they're your family. We'll get there quicker this way..."
She nodded, staring at their hands, trying to distract herself from the thoughts that were plaguing her. She fought to ignore the peculiar way her heart skipped when he touched her, however--that was too much to think about, and she wasn't in the right frame of mind to consider such things.
"Are you okay, Bones?" He whispered, watching her carefully as she stared at their joined hands. He glanced up, frowning as he saw her shake her head, a tear rolling down her cheek. "We'll be there in just a minute, okay? Hold on..."
She returned her gaze to their hands as she felt his thumb graze the back of her hand. She knew he was trying to comfort her, but it really only made her more distraught... certainly he didn't know that behind his touch left a trail of fire in its wake... She couldn't explain it, but so many emotions were swirling inside of her then that she didn't even want to try. She looked up to see the hospital before them, and as he began to stop, she undid the seatbelt and jumped from the slowly-moving vehicle. "BONES!" he called after her, watching as she ran full speed towards the hospital, without regards to cars or people in her path. He threw the car into park and leapt out after her.
She ran through the automatic doors, her lungs pleading for oxygen. She saw him from the corner of her eye, and her heart sank. He'd said he was fine, but one look at him spoke worlds of difference. He had a gash across his forehead with a few stitches in it, a large bruise over his right eye, and a scrape covering his entire left cheek. His left arm was in a sling, and he limped towards her, his face pale and tear stained. She threw her arms around him and they both began to cry.
"Bones?!" Booth shouted as he ran through the entrance. He saw her, squeezing him tightly as he buried his face in her shoulder and he instantly feared the worst. He approached them cautiously, placing a comforting hand on Jack's shoulder. "Is she..."
"I don't know anything yet. She was critical at the scene... and she's been in surgery for a little over an hour now..."
"What happened, Jack?" Brennan whispered, not wanting to hurt him, but needing answers.
He sighed and limped to a trio of free chairs in the waiting room. "We were on our way to her apartment. She wanted to get a few canvases and a change of clothes before she stayed over again tonight. We were merging off the highway, and..." His voice caught, and he coughed to clear his throat of the emotions, "and this asshole comes from nowhere and sideswipes me. I tried to turn back to the highway, but the combination sent us out of control... and the car flipped. Angela's seatbelt somehow came undone mid-flip... and she got..." he stopped, shaking his head. "She's going to make it, right? I mean... she's gotta be okay!"
Brennan force a smile, unsure of how these events would play out. "Yeah. She'll be better than new in no time..."
The doctor that had approached them unnoticed cleared his throat. "Dr. Hodgins?"
"Yes..." He stood, his hand trembling, "How is she?"
"I'm very sorry, Dr. Hodgins, but the injuries she sustained were too severe, and she lost too much blood. We did everything we could, but we failed to resusitate her. I'm so sorry..."
Jack just shook his head, and Brennan again threw her arms around him, pulling him close as she sobbed. Booth stood just off to the side, his hands shoved in his pockets as he watched them.
END FLASHBACK
"Thank you for trying to make sure I didn't get hurt..." he whispered, a half smile appearing before it faded, his lips trembling. She couldn't speak, only nodded in return. Her mind was too full of the memories to process any thought.
FLASHBACK:
The service was over, and Booth was the third car in the funeral procession, behind her parents and Jack and Zack. "How are you holding up, Bones?" he whispered, his hand once again finding hers. He was shocked when she grasped it willingly, intertwining her fingers with his, holding it tightly.
"It's hard..." her voice startled him. It was soft and distant, and it didn't sound like her. "It's hard to know she'll never beg me to go dancing with her. To know she'll never tease me about you..." She glanced at him, tears rolling freely down her cheeks. "I miss her so much, Booth..."
He could only nod, his throat closed tightly around his heart. Not now, Seeley... he reprimanded himself, you absolutely cannot tell her this now! "I know, Bones... I know..."
END FLASHBACK
Brennan walked quickly back to her office, closing the door and locking it behind her. She drew the shades, hit the lights, and sank to the floor, finally allowing herself to break down. She jumped as she heard a movement in the darkness, "Who's there?"
The sound of sadness in her voice stopped his heart. "It's just me, Bones..." He approached her cautiously. "I was going to see if you wanted to get some lunch..."
She stood slowly, looking up at him, her eyes now fully adjusted to the dimness of her office. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. Shocked, he stood completely still, before finally wrapping his arms around her waist and returning the kiss. After a minute, he reluctantly pulled back, "What's going on, Bones?"
She sighed, dropping her arms, both of them instantly feeling the loss of connection. "I don't think I can do this anymore, Booth..."
"Do what?"
She stared at him, "This. I know how you feel--there are some people you can't just sleep with. And that getting involved with your partner is a liability..." Her lips trembled as she spoke, and he almost didn't want her to continue. He thought he knew just what she was going to say. "But I can't keep pretending we're only partners. I can't keep pretending that I don't care about you because I do! You have to know that, because this whole thing... Angela's death taught me that I can't take my life for granted anymore, because it could end tomorrow. And I can't let it end without you knowing how I feel... do what you will with the information..." \
He saw a tear roll down her cheek and he knew she was afraid. She was vulnerable, and now she thought he was going to leave her. He placed his hand on her neck and pulled her to him, whispering into her hair, "I love you too, Bones..."
AN: I know I promised a sequel to "When the world comes crashing down" but it will have to wait. I wrote this yesterday morning, in anticipation for the new episode (which was amazing!!), and now I might have to do one about that whole thing too before I can start the sequel.
Also--I think this is a one-shot... do you think I should try to continue??