My first fanfic!I'm pretty proud!

I don't own Bones, but I have a poster of Booth and a good imagination.

It was eerily quiet in the lab. That was the first thing that Booth noticed. Normally there was noise of busy work and open discussion, but today it was silent. His hand hovered over his gun in fear of danger as he crept toward his partners' office. He looked through the glass to see her typing away on reports and easily reading her students' papers. His body relaxed as he took one stride closer to her. Two feet away from her door and he heard other footsteps behind him, the click clack of heels distinctive. "So close," he thought. When he looked at Angela, standing closer to the platform than him her arms crossed and eyes bright with anger, he knew it would be a while before he'd get to see his Bones. She cocked her head toward her office and took off, not even turning back to see if he had followed.

Once inside the walls of her office Angela turned to look at him. He looked calmer than he had before they had all gone their separate ways. He had made his choices. Now that he had Hannah. Now that he had someone else he spent less time with his Squint Squad, but that was to be expected. He split his time nicely though and Hannah fit in well with his squints. He tried to think of any other reason she would be so angry.

Maybe that fight with Bones, but it was just a romantic debate, no more different than any other day. Sure she had seemed more willing to give than other times, the bright blue of her eyes when she admitted that it could be possible for her to love because it seemed all humans where susceptible. The way her chest heaved as she turned her face away from his.

Angela's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"What are you doing, Booth?"

He stared down trying to look confused, but he knew what she was talking about. "Doing what?"

"You know, Booth. You know!" She lip turned up in a primal snarl and she started to pace. "You both leave and you come back with someone else, and it's killing her Booth. She doesn't even realize it and it's killing her. I want you to be happy Booth, but why with her?" She spun and glared at him. "She told me. What you said to her, what you asked her for. And, yes, I know she made a mistake, and I know she has to live with it, but I don't understand!"

Her pacing returned, faster and more frantic, spinning quickly on her toes at each turn. Booth wanted more than anything to make her understand. To make her see what he did.

"Angela…." But she kept talking as if he never spoke.

"Five years, Booth. Five years and you give it up for one mistake? You can't give her up, Booth. She loves you. You love her!"

Booth snapped. "Don't you think I know that? I love her so much my chest aches when she's not around. I have nightmares when she's not there and I can't breath. I messed up that night as much as she did. I didn't say the right things and she didn't understand. I didn't correct her when I knew the right answer. I don't want her to change, Angela. I just want her."

From outside the door Temperance Brennen gasped. She knew she should stop the conversation. She knew she should let them know she was there but she wanted to know. So she stayed silent.

Angela's voice was softer now. "Then why Hannah, Booth?"

"I didn't really mean for it too. I told Bones I had to move on, but I didn't want to. When I was in Afghanistan I realized I couldn't. But I had these nightmares of her being one of the people the boys I trained shot. The one they killed, and I being the one who taught them how." He sighed. "And Hannah was there. She came into my tent one night and stayed. We talked about Bones, and her husband. We took comfort in one another. She says I helped her move on. Then she promised to stay until the nightmares went away."

He looked down at his feet, watching Angela's shadow move across the floor.

"Her husband?"

"He died a few years back. Brain tumor. I think she liked the idea that some had lived through it. So she stayed."

Angela nodded slightly.

"And the nightmares?"

Booth shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"She's not with me. So they won't go away. But Hannah helps as much as she can. She sits with me and just holds my hand. She understands, as well as anyone could at least."

Angela sunk to the couch next to him.

"But you have to try again, Booth. You can't give up on her."

"No, Angela. I made the wrong move and now I have to wait. I have to wait for her to come to me. I'll wait till she's ready."

"You could be waiting forever."

"Than I'll wait forever."

Brennen wiped the tears she hadn't realized had fallen and walked back to her office. Not seconds after Booth trotted in, his smile brighter than normal. It had felt good for him to tell someone. Now all he had to do was tell Bones.

"Come on, Bones. Lunch time. Let's go, chop chop!"

She smiled and let him help her into her jacket feeling his fingers trough the light fabric.

"I am quiet hungry. Fries sound very satisfying right now."

Booth chuckled as his hand found its way to her back. Bones felt the heat from his hand spread to her abdomen.

"Oh? Are you going to order your own fries this time?"

"No, of course not."

They grinned to each other and stayed silent. The car ride to the Dinner was a comfortable silence, both consumed in their own thoughts. They sat in their normal seats and ordered their normal meals and smiled at their normal waitress, but anyone with eyes could see they had big things on their minds and on their hearts. One of them would bust with all the emotion bottled up in them.

Bones busted first.

"Booth….I don't like her."

Booth met her eyes steadily. "Like who, Bones?

"Hannah. I like her as a person, I just don't like her with you." A pause. "I didn't say this right. I'm…I'm no good at this."

"You're jealous," Booth said in Bones-blunt style. She didn't flinch away from it.

"Yes."

He sighed and leaned closer to her. She mirrored his movement instinctively. He looked at her and her slight blush and wetness from unshed tears in her eyelashes.

"You heard my talk with Angela."

She nodded once, just barley moving her head. "Yes."

"The next move is up to you, bones. What do you want from me?"

"I want you to leave her, and be content with what I can give you now."

"Done." He smiled a sly smile.

"But what can you give me, Bones? I am content with just this." He gestured between them. "Dinner and knowing you have some feelings. Even if you're afraid of them."

"I am. Afraid of them, I mean. I can't explain what they are, Booth, I don't know how."

He smiled and took her hand squeezing it slightly.

"Then I'll wait till you can,"

She nodded they finished their meal in a peaceful air.

Booth wasn't nervous. Hannah wouldn't be upset. His Bones didn't want them together so they wouldn't be. She would understand that.

"Hannah, can we talk?"

Hannah smiled as she noticed the smile in his eyes that hadn't been there that morning. She had known that it wouldn't have taken that long for his partner to understand. She had seen the way they looked at each other.

"No more nightmares then?"

He smiled a little grimly. "I don't know if they'll go away quickly, but they are going away. She said she wanted me to leave you."

She sucked the air between her cheeks. "That's harsh. I take it she didn't like me then?"

"She liked you well enough. She just didn't like you with me."

She smiled and giggled slightly. "And her wish is your command."

"Hannah, I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't. I'm glad you have her, Seeley. Most of my bags are still packed, but would you help me with the rest?"

She bounced off to the room to pack up the things that had snuck their way out of her suitcase. They worked in harmony to pack her up. She skipped to the bathroom to get her makeup and other toiletries. Booth leaned against the door frame and watched her in the mirror.

"Where are you gonna stay?"

"I'm gonna be at the little bed and breakfast across from the National Mall." She smiled and patted his cheek. "Don't worry about me. I've had this planned for a while."

Booth kissed her cheek and picked up her suitcase. "I'll drive you over."

Angela answered the door to a frantic knocking to see her best friend. "Bren, what's wrong?" She put her arm around her and pulled her into the warmth of the house. She carefully walked her to the couch, wrapping her in her robe.

"I heard your talk with Booth. I told him to leave Hannah, and he did. Because he's in love with me. He said that he would wait until I could explain my feelings."

"Sweetie, I can't tell you your own feelings. You have to realize that on your own."

Brennen looked at her feet and nodded as if answering a question asked.

"Socratis believed that the truth came from within and that if we would understand if we talked about it. I don't believe in it, but I have to try something. Please, Angela? I'd normally go to Booth with these kind of feelings, but I can't this time."

"Okay, Bren. What kind of feelings are we talking about?"

"Romantic notions." She took a breath and her speech speed up to the point that Angela had to pay very close attention to make sure she didn't miss something. "And not just sexual thoughts. Those are biological releases. I can explain those. What I can't explain is why I think of him making the coffee, talking me into buying a TV that has no practical use and then watching movies with me but instead of watching the movie he's watching me, and he doesn't realize that I know."

Brennen took a desperate look at Angela, willing her to tell her what was going on.

"It's more than sex, it's more than friendship, but I don't know what it is. I can't explain what this is. My chest actually hurts and my stomach feels like it's been moved."

Angela took a breath and shook her head.

"Are you afraid?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Brennen shook her head.

"He'll leave me. I'll hurt him and he'll leave me. And I'll deserve it."

Angela took her hand and held it tightly.

"You will hurt him, just like he'll hurt you. It's part of loving each other." OOPS!

Brennen took in strides. "But then why do it? Why be together if it'll hurt us?"

"Because not being together hurts more. He could leave tomorrow. If Parker leaves what's holding him here?"

Her eyes when wide and she shot up in a panic looking at the door. "I have to…."

"No, Sweetie. Let me say one more this before you go running to make sure he's not leaving you. You love me right? As a friend?"

Her eyes softened. "Of course I do Angela."

"And I haven't left. Booth broke up with someone just because you said to. He said he'd wait. And he will wait, and I know you trust him enough to know that. He's not leaving you. You hurt him worse than anyone ever could, Sweetie. He didn't leave you though. Don't let him down."

Angela could see the light spill into her best friends' eyes. "You said part of loving each other. You think I'm in love with Booth."

Angela bowed her head slightly, but stayed silent. She watched as her eyes became even brighter.

"And you think that because I do. I'm in love with Booth."

She ran out of the house and to her car, racing her heart to Booth.

Booth starred at the muted TV, completely absorbed in his thoughts. She's almost there. She knows she just needs to know she knows. He shook his head. We're almost there.

A pounding on his door brought him out of his thoughts and he knew instinctively that it was her. His Bones.

He opened the door wide and she threw herself to the other side of the door and slammed it shut. She took a look around and smiled.

"She's gone."

He chucked at her content smile.

"Just like you said. It's what you wanted."

"I'm in love with you."

Booth just stared her. Bones chest heaved in contrast to her calm admittance. He could feel the strange mixture of love, fear, and calmness coming from her. He put his hand on her hip experimentally. He wondered how far she would let him go before she ran. She seemed to understand what he was doing and pulled herself to him. She kissed him and let that tell him everything she couldn't put into words. He pulled away first putting his hand on her neck so she could move far away from him. She smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him to his bedroom.

"Bones…..not now. Not so soon. That has to wait. Till I know for sure your not going to run."

She smiled sadly. "I know, Booth. I just…." Her eyes fell downward. "I don't want you to have anymore nightmares." She looked back up to see if she said something right. The look in his eyes said she did.

"Thank you, Temperance."

And together, as equals, each leading the other, they walked to the bedroom.