This was just some random idea that popped in my head. It was bugging me so I had to write it. It's just a quick B&B one-shot. And it might not be totally awesome because I put it together in just a couple of hours, but I hope you like it anyway. Please, please, please review. It is very helpful to me.

Have a happy holidays everyone! -twenty1down

Temperance Brennan's head snapped up when she heard a knock on her office door. Panic shot through her body as she watched her partner, Seeley Booth, walk through the door. She saw the smile on his face and a feeling of regret accompanied her panic. Her head traveled back down to her desk, attempting to avoid eye contact.

"You shouldn't be here Booth." Her tone was harsh. The smile instantly disappeared from his face. She didn't want to hurt him, but it was what she had to do in order to protect him.

"Why Bones? Why have you been avoiding me? I'm still your partner, talk to me." He tried to reason with her.

"Just leave, please." She finally looked up at him. He struggled to hold in a gasp as he saw the emotion in her eyes. Hurt, pain, exhaustion, and fear. He saw fear. Why was his Bones scared?

He walked over to stand in front of her desk. "Bones, talk to me. What's going on with you?"

"Nothing. Booth, just trust me, ok? It would be best if you left."

"Bones-" Her phone rang, but he continued talking, hoping she would ignore it and listen to him. No luck.

"Brennan." Her eyes widened and partway through her conversation she shot a look at Booth telling him to be quiet.

"No. I'm not…I wasn't…No, I swear…please, just…" she suddenly grabbed her cell phone and checked the time. She mouthed some profanity before turning her attention back to the person on the other side of the phone. "I'm sorry…I was…on my way." She grabbed her things before rushing out the door, leaving Booth confused and worried behind her. He left the files he brought on her desk, before he went to his SUV and started home. His phone buzzed and he looked down at the caller ID. Brennan. He pulled over, thinking it was a call. When he opened his phone it was a text.

Booth, I'm sorry, but we can't work together anymore. Give all the case information to Agent Spencer. -B

His heart fell to his stomach. Why wouldn't she want to work with him anymore? All she wanted was for there partnership to stay intact. There was something wrong. He pulled a U-turn immediately and headed towards her apartment. He walked up and was about to knock when he heard someone yelling behind the door. He got worried when he heard it was a man's voice and not Brennan's. Booth tried to remember why she would have a man in her apartment. Ryder. Ryder was a new guy at the Jeffersonian and Brennan had been seeing him for a few weeks. The sound of glass breaking pulled him from his thoughts. His hand subconsciously reached for his gun, still holstered on his hip. He knocked, but there was no answer. It was suddenly silent inside. He waited a moment before Brennan answered the door.

"Bones, what's wrong? Why don't you want to work with me anymore?"

"Oh, no. Booth, you weren't supposed to come. Leave now. You have to leave." She shot a glance over her shoulder

"I'm not leaving. What's wrong?"

"Agent Booth." He heard Ryder's voice call out from the living room.

Booth looked at Brennan. She had clearly been crying, and he could see how scared he was. They walked to the living room and Brennan slowly went to stand behind Ryder.

"What did you do Ryder?" Booth asked.

Ryder stood up, pushing Brennan aside. She fell to the floor, but didn't make a move to get up. Booth tensed and he took a step towards.

"I didn't do anything, Agent Booth. I just figured you were spending too much time with my girlfriend, and I wanted to fix that."

"I'm sorry Booth. I tried to keep you away from him. You weren't supposed to come here."

"Shut up." Ryder said to her.

"Do not tell her to shut up!" Booth screamed at Ryder.

"Agent Booth, I want you to stay away from Temperance. If you don't, I will kill you…or her. So I suggest you leave now." He smiled at the agent, pissing him off even more. Booth's hand still had not left his weapon, but he wouldn't, couldn't, pull it until he or Brennan was threatened.

"I am not leaving and if you hurt her anymore, I will kill you."

The smile still hadn't left Ryder's face. "I don't think so Agent Booth. Tempe, come here." Brennan didn't move. "Temperance!" She jumped up and went over to Ryder.

Booth was shocked. "Bones, you don't have to listen to him. I'm here now." She looked at him. Her eyes pleaded with him. Whether they were telling him to leave or to fix this, he couldn't tell, but he had to do something. And there was no way he was going to leave Brennan.

"But she does Agent Booth. You see if she doesn't listen to me, I will kill you, and she knows that." He looked at her and moved a strand of hair from her face. Booth flinched.

"Tempe is going to stay here, with the man she loves, and you are going to leave."

"I-" Brennan started, but she stopped figuring Ryder would say something. He turned to her, a smile, different from before, on his lips.

"What is it Tempe?" he asked her.

She mumbled something that neither of the men heard. Ryder asked her to repeat herself, his voice almost sounding caring. "I don't love you."

Ryder stared at her, clearly shocked. Booth almost laughed at how he could think Brennan could love him. When Booth looked at him again, he saw actual hurt on his face.

"What? I…" He turned to Booth. "It's him you love isn't it?" Before Brennan could answer, Ryder had jumped on Booth, catching him off guard.

"Booth!" Brennan shouted.

Booth pushed the man off of him and grabbed his gun. The barrel was trained on Ryder who had managed to get back over to Brennan. He now had his hand wrapped around her neck and a gun to her head.

"Your shot is not that good Agent Booth."

"I wouldn't count on that. Now. You have three seconds to let her go."

Tears started to fall from his eyes. "I can't. No, I can't. I love her. It's either me or no one."

"Three…Two." He paused to give Ryder a chance to let her go. His eye was carefully watching Ryder and his grip on the gun. "One" At the end of his last word, Booth saw Ryder's finger move from parallel with the barrel to the trigger. Booth fired. Ryder fell to the ground and Brennan ran to Booth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her close. Her tears soaked his shoulder.

"Shhh. It's ok. I'm here Bones, I'm here." He backed up until he hit the wall and slid down until he was sitting. Brennan tightened her grip around his neck. He reached for his phone to call for back-up.

"This is Special Agent Booth. I need back-up and an ambulance at Dr. Brennan's apartment."

When he put his phone away, he put his arm back around Brennan and pulled her even closer. His hand rubbed circles in her back, trying to comfort her, but she kept crying.

"I'm sorry Booth." She said.

"Bones, there's nothing for you to be sorry for. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I did. I…I was talking in my sleep and…I said I loved you, and R…he got upset and said I couldn't work with you anymore. I tried to avoid you, but you showed at my office and he heard your voice and he got even angrier. I got back to my place and he was there and he told me if I ever saw you again, he was going to kill you. I tried to tell him you were just my partner, but he wouldn't believe me, so he told me to send the text. He knew from what I had said about you that you would show up. Then he took my gun and waited for you. He was…he was going to kill you. It's my fault. It shouldn't have happened. I shouldn't have said I loved you. I'm sorry."

"Bones, it's not your fault. He was a sick man." Booth had not missed what she had said, but now was not the time for that.

Brennan looked at him, her eyes questioning. "Booth, I…I just said-"

"I know Bones, I know."