(A/N): Okay, I know I should've updated Heaven Can Wait by now, but my brain wouldn't rest until I wrote this and it took a while in between sorting things out for my next year of uni and working a bunch of different shifts for money I really need. Yeah, anyway, this is a sequel to What Am I To You? This chapter is not especially happy, but the next one will be, as that will be the ending chapter, if you understand what I mean. This is Booth's point of view, as I got a few requests to do a chapter from his point of view. I'm not sure if I managed it, as I find Booth's view trickier at times than Brennan's, but yeah, hope I did it justice. I don't own Bones, never will.

Oh yeah, and to those wonderful Guest reviews, one of which informed me that I suck, and the other of which told me that my stories 'are all so bad', I have only one thing to say. Thank you. Take that however you want.

Enjoy and the next/last chapter will be happy, with fluff thrown in somewhere too, even if it kills me to write it.

Everything To Me

Chapter 1: There's Hope

Seeley Booth watched intently as his partner flitted about the platform, completely in her element as she bent over a set of remains. There wasn't even a hint of the distressed woman who had had to be pretty much dragged into his apartment the night before, nor a glimpse of the vulnerable girl who'd asked him to dance with her. Somewhere deep down, he knew there wouldn't be, that she wouldn't show that kind of weakness in front of anyone else, which made him feel both sad and privileged at the same time. Sad that Max was leaving her, again, but privileged to know that she felt comfortable enough to come to him, even though she'd fled straight after their impromptu dance session. He'd been in shock for a couple of minutes before gathering enough of his wits about him to rush to the door, attempting to follow his flighty partner, but to no avail. She'd already disappeared down the stairs.

His heart clenched as he watched her movements, so graceful and unconsciously elegant. He loved her so much it hurt. True, he was with Lauren, who was great fun, but his traitorous heart wouldn't allow him to forget the rush of emotion he felt every time he saw his partner. He knew she didn't feel the same, or he would've made a move long before he'd put that stupid line in place between them. Though he also wondered sometimes why she didn't go with Sully, despite them liking each other enough that things were progressing well. Until he'd left, that was. He'd met Lauren shortly after he'd arrested Brennan's dad, and they'd hit it off straight away. He'd fallen into the relationship and didn't know how to get himself out.

He sighed, sparing his partner one more glance before leaving the lab. He'd only gone there to make sure she was alright after the night before. He would've killed Max for hurting her, but it would only hurt her more, so he made himself refrain from doing the old conman harm, for her sake. He slipped away, secure in the knowledge that she hadn't seen him, absorbed as she was in the new case they had.

…

He'd hit decline on his cell phone, feeling a trickling sensation of guilt as his partner's call was sent to voicemail for the third time in a row. He'd vowed to call her back, but at the time he'd just really wanted a few, undisturbed moments with his girlfriend before they had to get up and face the world. Unfortunately, he'd clean out forgotten, but Lauren had found his phone that night and seen the three missed calls almost immediately, her jealous streak emerging as she practically pushed the phone into his face.

"Why's your partner calling you three times really early? I thought you told me you two were just partners!" She all but screamed at him. Booth glared at her, snatching his phone back from her outstretched hand.

"You need to trust me." He bit back, pocketing the device. "Bones and I, we are just partners. Nothing more, nothing less. I thought you understood that."

"Then why's she been calling you?!"

"I don't know, since I didn't answer!" Booth yelled back, his temper finally snapping under the distrustful gaze of the girl who supposedly trusted him. He grabbed his coat. "Don't wait up." He called over his shoulder, slamming the door behind him and driving himself to the Lincoln memorial, with no clear memory of how he actually got there. Sitting down on the freezing cold steps, he rang the number of the only person he needed at that moment in time. "Bones. It's Booth. Listen, I'm at Lincoln memorial. I… I need you."

…

He and Lauren made up after that night, but it was never the same. Standing outside the diner with her, he smiled as she leant forward, rubbing her nose over his in an Eskimo kiss. "This really is it, isn't it?" She asked sadly, though she was obviously resigned to the inevitable.

"Yeah, it is."

"I wish you all the luck in the world, Seeley Booth." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "For the record; I don't think I'll ever be able to love you as much as she does."

"Who?"

"Temperance, of course." Lauren shot him a knowing smile, pulling him in for a hug. "Like I said, I wish you luck. I hope you'll be very happy together."

"I hope you find someone you'll love you as much as you love them." Booth returned as they embraced lightly. Over her shoulder, he caught sight of Brennan walking towards the corner of the street. She glanced back just before she moved around the corner, and the look in her bright blue eyes broke his heart into a million tiny pieces.

To Be Continued…