A/N: Despite the story topic I am a major B/B shipper. I am just in a mood and the song was stuck in my head. The song I am speaking of is "Already Gone" by Kelly Clarkson. It might be good background music to the story but totally up to you.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable.

It had all started with a kiss. Well actually it had started with a body he didn't think she could solve, her punching a senator, him having to fire her, and then that kiss. And what a great kiss it was. But that was all it was because he had been a jackass and they didn't speak for months although he couldn't get her out of his head for months. When the body in the pond showed up he knew she would be perfect for the job- there was just the one minor problem of her not speaking to him AT ALL. So he devised the plan to have her stopped in airport security which at the moment made him fear for his life but looking back it was pretty funny.

They fell into an easy rhythm. Neither of them minded the little things that would normally annoy the hell out of them. They knew things about each other- the kind of things most people wouldn't. He wasn't sure when he fell in love with her but he was sure of it when he broke out of the hospital to go find her. Having her arms around him made all the pain disappear.

Temperance Brennan was not a person who believed in love at first sight. In fact she wasn't even sure if she believed in love at all- it was just a chemical reaction in the brain. But there was something about Seely Booth that had her questioning everything she had been taught and believed. Their first encounter made her furious. He had undermined her, fired her, and then brought her back when he realized she had all the evidence. And while she was pissed at his antics in the airport so many months later she couldn't deny release of endorphins that happened when she saw him.

Their partnership was unique. She always believed she never needed to depend on any man- that she could take care of herself but she liked knowing Booth would always be there for her. Their first kiss for her was tainted by that whole case fiasco. She liked to think of their first kiss as the dare from Caroline. Not only did it feel right it caught him by surprise which was something she very rarely did.

The meeting with Sweets about his book is what brought their world crashing to a halt. Sweets hadn't said anything they didn't already know but it made it real. For Booth, the meeting made him want to shout to the world his love for her while Brennan was just left confused and conflicted. When he kissed her she wanted to melt into him. Wanted to forget everything her head said and just jump. But she couldn't and she uttered those fateful words, "I can't."

The next few weeks went by but the two of them weren't the same. She couldn't avoid seeing the hurt in his eyes and he was just unsure how to act around her anymore. When the offer to go to Afghanistan came around for him and for her to go off to the islands they both knew they would take it- even if they didn't want to say it. They promised to meet at the reflecting pool one year later but they both knew time wouldn't stand still.

At the airport she was surprised to see him. Her head and her heart were conflicted and that just didn't happen to her. She ran over and gave him the longest embrace possible. As she looked at his face she saw the sadness in his eyes.

She turned to walk away and he gently pulled her back. "I love you Temperance. I have for a long time."

With a peck on his cheek she quietly whispered in his ear. "Take care of yourself Booth. There are people here who need you."

End Note: I was thinking of adding a 2nd part to the story of after they get back since I didn't cover all of the song but it is up to you guys letting me know you want one.