It had been the hardest thing to do. Harder than anything else she had ever had to decide upon. She had never understood the phrase 'to tear one's heart out', as doing such a thing would kill you within moments and the pain would more come from ripping your chest open than actually pulling your heart out…
But now she understood, as she remembered Booth heartbroken face.
She couldn't do it. It wasn't in her to give her heart up like that. It just wasn't. She could offer companionship, she could offer a shoulder to cry on or an ear to bend (more turns of phrases she didn't truly understand, but she was too tired to scold herself for using them).
But love? To give herself up to the control of another being? To allow herself to truly be swayed by another? No…no, that wasn't possible.
She could handle friends. Friends could disagree. Friends could strike their own path when they felt like it. Friends was easy.
Anything else…no.
Oh, there was no denying that she had dreamed about Booth, and that even now her traitorous body wanted him molded against hers. But her brain understood that Booth could not handle that, his archaic need to fit to society's rules and laws would never allow him to simply enjoy the pleasures one could find in another.
And thus, she had broken his heart.
And found that the phrase wasn't as foolish as she had once believed. For she had seen it in his eyes, the moment she had clutched that organ and squeezed.
It haunted it.
But as Temperance Brennan laid down, to allow the refreshing power of sleep come over her, she knew what she had done was right. Better to do it now, then to string him along. Booth simply couldn't understand…Temperance Brennan could never give him what he wanted.
Ever.
Temperance heard several things at once as she slowly pulled herself from the grip of Morpheus. Somewhere water was running…a shower perhaps. Birds were chirping, which was strange, considering she knew she had shut her window the night before. What was also strange was the dull roar of a jet engine (or more likely a lawn mower) that seemed determined to rip herself from her thoughtless slumber. She fought such intrusions will all her power, wanting to remain in bed and not face the day. For, in this half-sleep-filled state, she realized the dawning horror that she would have to face Booth's sad eyes today, and that was enough to make her a coward.
As she was coming to the conclusion that perhaps it would be best to call in sick (and hat gave her a dark smile, thinking of how Cam would freak out at that action), another sound filled the air: A high pitched whine, with a slight echo.
Hand fumbling around, Temperance found the object that was producing the horrid noise, only to blink, rubbing the gunk from her eyes, as she realized what she was holding.
A baby monitor.
"Huh?"
"Mama!" Temperance was at once attacked, a little body leaping onto the bed and tackling her. Reacting on instinct, she went to throw the attacker off, only to find her body didn't operate right, and all she managed to do was send the attacker plopping to the bed with an 'oompf!'.
"Again mama, again!" A little girl squealed, tugging at her hand. Temperance stared numbly at the little child with chestnut hair and her own nose stare back at her. The child bounced up and down in her 'Princess Peach' pjs, trying to wiggle her way into her arms.
The baby monitor let out another squeal.
"Uh oh, Max is hungry!"
"Max?" Temperance managed to choke out.
The little girl giggled, obviously believing this to be a game. "Come on mama, let's feed Max!" With strength Temperance didn't know a child of 4 could possess, the little girl managed to yank Temperance from bed, her bare feet padding down an unfamiliar hallway, past rooms she had never seen before, into a nursery she knew for sure her apartment didn't have.
The little girl grinned and she jumped onto a chair, staring down at the crib where Max, a 5 month old baby with wispy hair was screaming his lungs out. Seeing that Temperance was standing stock-still, the little girl (Temperance had to learn her name), tapped her foot.
"Well?" She asked, her hands on her hips and giving Temperance her best impression of Angela.
"Uh…" Temperance mind raced, seeking an answer. "Ok…we are going to play a game. We are going to pretend we've never met…that I am a friend of you're…" The next word nearly caused her to choke, "…mother. And I've dealt with babies. So…it will be up to you to help, ok?"
The little girl nodded, delighted at the idea of a game and being able to feed her brother. "Ok." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Christine Brennan-Booth, and this is…mama, where are you going?"
Temperance bolted the moment the word 'Booth' came from the girl's mouth, terror driving her back to the safety of her bed. Maybe, just maybe, if she hide under the covers and closed her eyes and kept repeating 'This isn't real, this isn't real', the child with her mother's name and Booth's eyes would go back to whatever sleep-addled part of her brain she had been drug from and she could get back to a world that made sense.
Needing to steady her nerves, Temperance made for the bathroom, only to find it was a large closet, suits hanging next to her normal blouses and slacks. Hands trembling, she made her way towards the other door, the sound of a radio and running water issuing behind it.
Ripping the door practically off its hinges, Temperance rushed inside, looking around for a sink to splash water on her face. But instead her line of sight was drawn to the nude form half hidden by the shower curtain.
"Bones?" Booth asked, pulled the curtain back, giving her a saucy smile. "Well well well…someone up for some warm and wet fun?"
"Mama, this game isn't fun anymore, Max is sad and needs his baba!"
Booth stepped out of the shower, letting Temperance see EVERYTHING
"Bones?"
Temperance looked him up and down, the dumbest face she'd have made crossing her face as she raised her hand and saw the wedding ring she wore.
"This is Kevin Allen, and welcome to America's Top 40 Countdown!" The radio blared.
BANG!
Temperance fainted.
Temperance Brennan slowly opened her eyes, startled to find things were…wrong.
She wasn't in her bedroom.
None of the things that surrounded her were hers.
She strained her ears, hoping to hear the usual sounds that created the day. But there were none there…none at all.
Getting up, she stared at the tank top and thin cotton pants she was wearing, nothing like what she had gone to bed wearing. She stumbled towards her bathroom, only to find it a closet, filled with just her blouses and skirts. Dimly, she realized the bathroom was to her right, and heading in, stared at single toothbrush that greeted her.
Splashing water on her face, she inspected herself carefully. Her hair was longer, like how she had worn it 5 years ago. There were bags under her eyes, making her look older than she knew she was. And she was…thinner. Not that she was fat or anything, but the curves she was so use to were gone. Curves that had been an added gift when…
When…
Temperance eyes went wide.
There was another sound missing.
"No."
Rushing out of the bathroom, she skidded down the hall, horrified to find that where doors should have been, there were none, the walls bare where pictures once hung. She came to a dead stop, where, she knew logically, two doors should be, right across from each other.
Wall was all that greeted her.
Temperance began to claw at the drywall, screaming in horror as she denied what she was seeing.
"Sweetie?"
Temperance's tearstained face turned to where she had heard the voice. "An…Angela?" She managed to choke out.
Angela came around the corner, grinning with two cups off coffee. Said cups fell to the ground as she stared at her friend, fingers bleeding from the gashes she had made in the drywall.
"Brennan!" She cried out, rushing over and cupping her hands. "What is it…what's wrong?"
"My babies…where are my babies?" Temperance whimpered, staring at the walls.
"Sweetie, what babies?"
Temperance stared at her for a moment, before the scream bubbled up from her throat. "MY BABIES! CHRISTINE AND MAX!" She slammed her fists into the wall, as if trying to rip down the drywall and reveal the two rooms she knew were there. "Where are they!"
Angela's eyes went wide, her own hands trembling. "Ok…listen to me…take a breath…" Temperance continued to shake. Never had Angela seen Temperance this wound up. Her mind gripped only one idea, that a night terror must have gripped her friend and she was still fighting off the affects. Hodgins suffered from them once and a while, remembering his time buried alive. "Sweetie…who am I?"
"Angela Montenegro."
"And what year is it?"
"2010." Temperance said, her voice slowly growing calmer.
"And what is your name?" Angela said, pleased she was bringing her friend out of the delirium.
"Dr. Temperance Brennan-Booth." She looked around where she sat, not noticing the terror-stricken face of her friend. "Ang…why are we in my old apartment?"
Author's Note: didn't see that coming did you? Yes, our Temperance has swapped places with a much different Brennan…and things are about to get interesting for both.
The title, of course, comes from the Talking Heads Song "Once In a Lifetime", and the idea for this story is inspired by two things: the first being the Nic Cage film "The Family Man", and the second a Lois and Clark fic called "Swap Meet", where Lois and Clark swap with Terri Hatcher and Dean Cain.
And yes, I am still working with Sarah on "The Scientist in the Manga". This is just a treat, as I finished 3 chapters of my novel, so I am a tad ahead.