I was sitting in my office, signing off on Limbo reports. It was after 6, and most everyone had gone home, except for Jack, who from where I sat, seemed to be finishing up at his station. I was looking forward to getting out of the office, for once. It'd been a long week, and I was worn out.
"Tempe," I head.
Standing in the doorway, tanned and smiling out from under his floppy hair, was Sully. It had been two years, I realized. The first month was hard, but since then, so much had happened. I realized with a start that it had been a long time since I missed him.
"Sully," I said. "How are you?"
"I'm back," he said, moving in from the door and straight toward me. Before he could grab me and god forbid, kiss me, I stood and put my hand out, holding him at arm's length. He took one small step back, surprised.
"I can see that. For how long?"
"That depends, I guess."
"On me?"
"Still as to the point as ever, Tempe. Yes, on you. I thought about you the whole time I was away."
"Really? They don't have email, or phones, or a postal system in the Carribean?" I looked past him, toward the platform, and beyond it, the way out toward home. Jack was still at his station.
"Tempe, I wanted to give you your space."
"You mean you wanted to sail around for two years more than you wanted to stay when I told you I wasn't ready to leave."
"Come on, Tempe. You look beautiful, you know, even more than the last time I saw you."
"Sully, don't. I've thought a lot about, well, me, and what I want, since you left, and for that, I'm grateful to you."
"What?"
"Your leaving made me think hard about why I couldn't leave then—if I ever could—what was keeping me here."
"Booth finally said something, right? I knew it when I saw him come out to the marina as I was leaving."
"Actually, no. We're still just partners, and as far as I can tell, I'm just his best friend. And he's mine."
"So what's keeping you here?"
"Work, and friends, and.. . . Booth. I love my work, Sully. I give people back their loved ones, give them the peace that eluded me for so long. And my friends are here, now my family is here, and . . . Booth's here. Angela makes me have fun. Jack—well, you don't get buried alive with someone and not become close. Zack, well…"
"I heard, I'm sorry."
"Zack needs me in his own way. I visit him every week, he shares his thoughts on cases. It'll never be right, but I won't give up on him."
"And Booth?"
"He's my best friend. He's my protector, my reminder that you can care, can be hurt, and can still be strong. I don't know who I'd be if he wasn't in my life." I inhaled. "And, well, I love him."
He looked like I'd hit him in the back of the head with a board. "But Tempe, what if you stay 'just partners?' Booth's stiff with pride about his professionalism. And you're a passionate woman, Tempe. You don't want to wake up alone for the rest of your life, waiting for someone who's too proud, or too blind, to take the next step."
"It's not pride. I don't expect you to understand. It's love, even if it's just the best friend type. I worry about him getting killed every day, and I'm sure he worries about me. If the only way we can protect each other from all the things we see every day is to be just partners, just friends, well, I'd rather wake up alone for the rest of my life than lose Booth, than argue about whether we can watch out for each other the way we need to. If that's what we need to do to protect us, our friends, the people we're working for, then it is what it is. Sex is nice, but the love, even platonic, of someone I can trust to help with the things that are important to me? I'll take the whatever it is, right now, every day."
"You have thought it through. You think you won't be lonely at night?"
"Of course I will. But I'd be lonelier without my best friend, even if I have to pretend that's all he is."
"I guess there's not much else to say."
"Sully, I'm sorry. I . . . look . . . I care about you. You're a good man."
"But not your man."
"No, I'm sorry."
"Well, I guess that's my answer."
"Yes." How to end this? I wanted out of here. I wanted him gone. He'd blanched when I mentioned Booth as one of my reasons to stay, and his face fell further as I explained how I'd rather love, unrequited, than settle for something other than my partner's continued presence in my life. He looked like I'd kicked him, even though he'd been the one to leave, even though he'd been the one to never contact me all this time. I was more than a little annoyed at him, but keeping in mind Booth's way of being kind to people who don't really get what's in front of them, I kept it inside.
"Are you sure?"
"As sure as there are 206 bones in the human body." I smiled at him. "Sully, I know you'll do well at whatever you'll do—and I wish you nothing but happiness."
"But not with you." As soon as he said it, he looked embarrassed.
"No. Again, I'm sorry."
"Can I have a goodbye hug?"
"Sure." I stepped in, have him a hug, one like I'd give to Russ. He stepped back, a half-grimace, half-smile on his face, and turned, walking out. "Bye, Tempe," he said, over his shoulder.
"Bye, Sully." I watched him walk out toward the entrance, then sighed. I was so tired—that conversation didn't make me feel any perkier. I ran my fingers through my hair, re-settled my lab coat, and looked back at the stack of files still sitting on my desk—and sighed again, turning back to the doorway.
"Booth, are you going to stand out there all night?"
He came into the doorway, rubbing his neck, looking embarrassed.
"Um . . ."
"I saw Jack look over at someone, right as I was letting Sully have it for his TV silence the last two years."
"Radio silence, Bones, radio."
"Whatever. You know what I meant."
"How did you know it was me?"
"Who else would it be? It's 6:30 on a Friday. And besides—we've been working together for more than three years. Do you honestly think I don't know where you are? Can't tell when you're near? Give me some credit."
He stepped inside the doorway, tipping his head to the side, wearing that serious expression he has when he's about to crack a case wide open. "Oh, I do, believe me."
He stepped right into my space—as always. And as always, I stayed put. I realized then, that I'd never backed down from him, even as I'd run from so many other things. I might not have taken the next step forward, but I hoped he knew I'd never back down, not ever. Looking down at me, serious expression still in place, eyes dark in the shadow of my desk lamp, her started to say something, but stopped before he got a word out. I inhaled, started to say, "Booth . . ."
"Bones . . . " he said, simultaneously.
"You first."
"Bones . . . Temperance." He drew in a breath, exhaled. I could feel his warm coffee breath on my face. We were nearly nose to nose. "Did you mean it?"
"I never lie." I cocked my head to the side, so I could get a better look at him. He's too tall to look right in the eye.
"I know. But sometimes you keep your mouth shut too long." He placed his hand on my cheek, his large palm covering half my face.
"You put the line there," I said, swallowing. This is it, I thought. I didn't honestly know what would happen. But the truth was out there, and I wasn't mad that he'd eavesdropped.
"I know. Probably the stupidest thing I've ever done."
"Besides not giving me a gun? I'd say. You told me, on the day Sully left, in fact, that . . ."
"Everything happens, eventually."
"Does it?"
"Yes," he said, sliding his hand behind my neck, putting his other hand on my lower back, where it belonged.
"Yes, it does."
"Good," I said, putting one hand on his shoulder, the other around his waist, stepping an inch forward as he did the same. I put my finger on his lips. "Just a moment," I said, never breaking eye contact.
"Jack! You can go home to report to Angela now. But I'd like some privacy for the next part."
"Yeah, baby! I mean yes, Dr. B. Um, goodnight!" I could see him turn and walk out over Booth's shoulder.
"Now where we?" I leant in.
"Eventually," he said, his lips brushing mine. The word was a kiss, of itself. The best, the rest, was yet to come.