She sat there in her living room staring at a shot glass. A very empty shot glass stared back at her. She wasn't much of a drinker. Sometimes she would have wine with dinner, or a couple shots with Booth after a tough case. It usually took her mind off of her problems–at least temporarily–but tonight the pain was still there. It just kept building... and building. After three shots she sat there feeling everything. She tried her best to feel numb, but tonight she didn't. The three little shots hadn't taken her mind off of anything. One or two shots usually did the trick, but not this night, the three shots hadn't even taken the edge away.
She returned the shot glass to the kitchen. She threw the empty bottle of alcohol in the trash. The bottle of liquor had been in the back of her refrigerator for as long as she could remember. She would drink a shot here and there, but lately the intervals between them had grown increasingly smaller. Just a few weeks ago the bottle had been more than half full. She was starting not to care anymore. She found her keys, and made her way to the door. She wandered out not bothering to lock the door behind her. She decided not to get in the car afterall. Her boots clicked on the pavement. She stared ahead blankly as small rain droplets fell on her. She hoped that the walk would clear her head, but all it did was trap her in her own misery. It imprisoned her in her own mind. She crossed the street and found her solution. He was a tall, lanky kid. Any other time she would have avoided him at all costs due to his shady appearance but on this night she knew that he was the only one who could help her.
The first couple of days her co-workers hadn't noticed. After a couple of weeks they noticed that something was different about her, but they chalked it up to the loss of Zack. Soon summer was nearly over and they all began to become very concerned about her.
"Bren sweetie are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she answers robotically as she stares through Angela.
"Are you sure?"
"Uh huh," she answers.
"Bren..." she moves her hand in front of Temperance's face.
Temperance shakes her head and closes her eyes. When she reopens them she focuses on Angela.
"What do you want?" she questions irritably.
"I'm just concerned about you,"
"I'm fine," she answers pointedly.
"Are you sure? Because you don't look fine,"
"That isn't really your call,"
"Bren you look like a zombie. Is something going on?"
"It's not any of your business," she answers.
"Fine," Angela huffs and walks out of her office. She bumps into Cam on her way out.
"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," Angela warns.
"Why not?"
"She's in a nasty mood,"
"Again?"
"Yeah. I'm really worried about her. I think that something's wrong,"
"I don't know if something is wrong, but something is definitely off,"
"So you've noticed too?"
"Uh huh. She is rude, and unfocused. She's having trouble doing her job, which I'm pretty confident in saying, any other time she could do her job in her sleep,"
"I know. Maybe Booth knows what's wrong with her,"
"I'll talk to him,"
"Where is he?"
"He went to lunch,"
"And she didn't go with him?"
"She said she wasn't hungry,"
"Are you sure?"
"I was standing next to her when she told him that,"
"That's odd,"
"I know,"
"Do you think this thing with Zack has her this upset?"
"I don't know..."
"You're thinking something what is it?"
"Nothing,"
"Cam please tell me,"
"I'll tell you when I have some evidence,"
"How will you get it?"
"I just need a little bit of time,"
"Ok," Angela agrees.
The next day Booth waits anxiously on Bones to arrive. After over an hour of waiting for her in her office he storms out. He tries to call her on her cell phone but gets no answer. Scared that something may have happened to her he drives over to her apartment. He beats on her apartment door.
"Bones. Open up!" he screams.
A man walks by. He stops to talk to Seeley.
"Are you looking for Dr. Brennan?"
"Yeah do you know if she's home?"
"I saw her come in late last night,"
"Who are you?"
"I'm the super,"
"Great do you have a key to her apartment?"
"I can't just open the door for anyone,"
"I'm with the F.B.I. and if you don't open the door I'll bust it down,"
"Fine," the older gentleman agrees.
He carefully unlocks the door and allows Seeley into the apartment. He continues down the hall as Seeley enters the apartment. Seeley calls out, "Bones." He gets no response. He carefully walks towards her room. He pushes open the door which is already ajar. He finds her laying in her bed on top of the covers in the clothes she had been wearing the day before. "Bones," he shakes her violently. Finally she rolls over and opens her eyes. He finds blood crusted on her face.
"What happened?" he questions.
"What the hell are you doing in my apartment?" she asks.
"I've been waiting on you. Bones it's after noon. What happened to you? There is blood everywhere,"
She rubs her eyes, and then looks at her pillow.
"I must have had a nosebleed,"
"Go get cleaned up. Take a quick shower, and wash your face. You need to hurry up. You're already on thin ice with Cam," he tells her.
She reluctantly gets up and pulls clothes out of the closet. She pulls undergarments out of her drawer and heads for the bathroom. The warm shower wakes her up. She's in and out of the bathroom in ten minutes. She pulls her wet hair into a bun.
"Come on. Let's go we have a case," he tells her.
"Don't be so pushy,"
"You're really trying my patience here. What the hell is wrong with you? You've been acting crazy lately,"
"I'm just going through some stuff," she admits.
"Yeah well, get through it because you have work to do," he says uncompassionately.
The following day when Temperance arrives at work she finds Sweets waiting on her.
"Why are you in my office?" she questions defensively.
"I see that you're on time this morning,"
"Can you please leave me alone? I don't feel like dealing with you today," she says very bluntly.
"Dr. Brennan I'd just like to ask you some questions,"
"Why?"
"Your friends are concerned about you. Agent Booth asked me to talk to you,"
"About what? I don't have anything to say,"
"Have you been having a lot of nosebleeds lately?"
"I don't know why?"
"I'm just curious,"
"I'm not sure that it's any of your business," she admits.
Meanwhile in the lab Angela, Cam, Jack, and Seeley wait for Sweets to come and tell him his expert opinion.
"What is up with her lately?" Angela asks.
"I don't know," Cam answers.
"Booth?"
"How would I know. She doesn't talk to me,"
"You're her partner haven't you notices anything different about her lately?"
"She doesn't seem to have as much of an appetite, and she's always either really tired, or hyper,"
Cam just stares at Jack.
"What are you two doing? Don't do that. Don't send each other messages or whatever it is you're doing," Seeley tells them.
"Yeah what are those looks about?" Angela questions suspiciously.
"We were just looking at each other because we really need coffee. Right Hodgins?"
"Yeah," he agrees.
"Right," Seeley scoffs.
"Like we're going to buy that," Angela adds.
"Why wouldn't you?"
"It would be like us buying that everything is ok with Bones," Seeley answers Cam.
"Are you going to fire her over whatever it is that's going on?" Angela asks Cam.
"Not if she can correct it. But I'm also not going to cover for her," she admits.
"No one's asking you to Camille," Seeley tells her.
"It better stay that way," she shoots back.
"We wouldn't ask you to put your neck out for her...,"
"You would, and I would do it most other times, but if what I think is going on is I won't do it. I'll do everything in my power to save her job,"
"And if you can't?"
"Then I can't,"
"Anthropologists don't just grow on trees," Hodgins reminds her.
"I know, finding a replacement will be hell but I'll do it if I have to,"
"What do you think is going on with her?" Angela wonders aloud.
"I'll tell you after I talk with Sweets,"
"Ok," they agree.