A/N: I stress the point that I haven't seen this episode, where Brennan confesses her regret about Booth, but because of a dear friend of mine, I was subjected to the pain of having to watch Brennan cry… and I am guessing like MANY FF readers, I am not alone. =) I was listening to She & Him (for those who are unfamiliar Emily's sister Zooey) and the song... Change is Hard. It inspired this piece.

This is MY take on her emotions, in the car.

The pain cut her like a knife, the harshness of his tone cutting her deep, penetrating the skin and sinking through to the organ called her heart. It broke. The ache wasn't only emotional, it was physical. She could actually feel the organ snapping like a twig within the walls of her chest. The emotional wall she had spent many years building to shut people out, suddenly crumbled, as the tears behind her lids seemed to make their way down her cheeks, running wild and unchecked down her face.

She broke down, like a child, not able to control herself or the strong pools of emotion that gripped her like wildfire, devouring her in its presence.

Hannah is not some consolation prize… I love her

His words ram over and over in her mind, tormenting her, haunting her, and she was unable to bury them, unable to rid them from her. The words were as true as the sun would rise, and Brennan knew for certain that it wasn't about regret, it wasn't about Booth knowing her feelings and taking them into account, as she thought he might. Her turn was over, her chance had passed, and Booth had no intention of ever putting his heart on the line for her again.

Anything that could have been a positive change in their relationship, suddenly evaporated like beads of condensation, disappearing never to be seen again.

As long as he had Hannah, Brennan was no longer the centre piece in her life, as she had been once upon a time.

As she sat across from him in the SUV, tears streaming endlessly down her face, her expression devastated to say the least, his eyes remained on the road, glancing at her once or twice merely out of obligation, she could see that her relationship with him was tainted. No amount of words would repair the damage done by both parties. Her confession had led to his truth, and his truth had caused a heart ache that would never heal.

Brennan recognized the familiar signs. She had felt this kind of pain before, only not in the same measurements, but knowing that change was ahead, and that nothing was ever going to be the same again. No amount of tears or pleading would change that, and suddenly Brennan stopped crying, her tears dried up as the seconds passed, and she felt a weight crush her like a ten tone truck.

Words were meaningless, and ineffective, and knowing that the silence prevailed as Booth drove the two of them in silence.

Brennan didn't know what would happen once she stepped out of the car, she was unsure of the future, immediate or otherwise, the only thing she was sure of was the pain echoing through her heart, a hole of emptiness widening inside her chest. Deep within herself, she understood what was happening, and she accepted it, as she had accepted her life before.

Time didn't heal all wounds, but sometimes there was an opening for a relief that falsely made one believe the void had been filled, but as she had come to realize, it was only ever temporary.

It's agonizing, I know… but I felt this was needed for my own peace of mind. This is certainly NOT what I believe will happen in the show… because my friend and I have already discussed the possibility of killing HART if he leaves it this way (by the way, feel free to join, the more the merrier)… but Brennan honestly believed that it was over.

Reviews would be appreciated from the bottom of my heart. =)