Release

Several weeks had passed since the last time he had seen her; several weeks since her tearful confession; several weeks since he had cold-heartedly refused her, left her alone: soaked to the skin, cold, pale ... broken. He remembers feeling somewhat vindicated as he watched her morosely step out of the car without a glance back in his direction. That night he had celebrated with his girlfriend and in the morning he had woken with the feeling that the world had shifted a little more in his favour. He remembers getting to work with little hassle, happy that there was no case and therefore no reason to see her or hear her scientific ramblings and cold rationalizations of the night before. He had forced himself not to question how the case file from the Eames case had found its way on his desk mere hours after its resolution; he only signed his name appropriately and closed the file, putting the case and everything that came with it behind him. Several weeks had passed unnoticed: no cases, no contact, no bodies, no Bones. He had even taken a few days off, enjoying the string of good luck that had seemed to befall him - as if the universe understood his need to be away from her and the lab for the time being.

He wishes now he had paid more attention; he wishes now he had not taken things for granted, that he had returned all those phone calls and e-mails from the Jeffersonian and Sweets and that his pride had not prevented him from doing so. He wishes, though impossible, to go back and do things differently - be the man she had showed him he could be. Instead he held the proof in his hands that he had indeed abandoned that man - the man who promised never to abandon her only to be the man that did.

xxxxxxx

She awoke after a restless sleep, cold and damp from having slept in her rain soaked cloths, to the shrill of her cell phone. She sighed heavily, having no real intention of heading into work this particular morning. But, as it was, she would never shirk a responsibility - it just wasn't in her nature.

"Brennan."

"Brennan, I need you to come down to the lab right away!"

Cam's voice and words sparked a sudden fear in the anthropologist.

"Is Angela ok, Cam? The baby?"

"Yes, she's fine..." Cam heard a sigh of relief on the other end of the line and immediately felt guilty for having spoken so vaguely, "sorry to worry you like that."

"Ok, good, its alright ... though your tone suggests a great urgency."

"Yes, the Board of Directors has requested a meeting with both you and me in attendance..."

"When?"

"Within the hour..." she responded hesitantly, waiting for an argument.

"I'll be right there."

She hung up the phone determined to help Cam assuage the Board of Directors and any of their concerns regarding the lab; felt that she owed that to her since everything that happened while in the Malukus, as Cam had pointed out, had been her fault. She rose from the bed, peeling the stiff cloths from her body determined to let the hot water from her shower thaw the cold that had seemed to envelope her body and her metaphorical soul. Somehow she knew that last night would not be the end of her heart break.

xxxxxxx

"We're sorry Dr. Brennan, but the funds are just not there. We understand and appreciate that you are the best in your field but we cannot afford your salary any longer. You are the highest paid employee at the Jeffersonian, and since your time in Indonesia, funding for the lab has dropped considerably..."

Brennan sat stoically as she listened to Dr. Roberts explain the reasons behind her dismissal, but really, she was dumbfounded, and felt an even colder vise squeezing around her heart. Her instincts were telling her to flee, to run but in respect for Cam, she fought against those instincts and remained sitting and listening to them drone on. She had never been fired before - had never been asked to leave a project because she was too good at her job. The rationale was surreal.

"...Dr. Clark Edison has agreed to take over your position at half your pay and the usual rotation of interns will help pick up the slack-"

"I'm sorry," Cam interrupted, "let me get this straight ... you're firing the best anthropologist in the world in order to cut costs?"

Cam could no longer sit idly by while they compromised the integrity of her lab, her team and her friend and colleague.

"You have totally blindsided me and Dr. Brennan, you're compromising the very-"

Brennan felt her heart swell at Cam's defense but she couldn't let her jeopardize her job as well. She understood quickly that there was no use in fighting their decision. It seemed she was replaceable: Booth had replaced her in his heart with Hannah and the Jeffersonian had replaced her in her work with Dr. Edison. It was fitting, simply fitting that the things that had come to define her over the years were now being taken from her. She placed a hand on Cam's arm in an attempt to calm her tirade. When Cam looked down at her hand and regarded her with a look of apology she offered Cam a small, sad smile, silently telling her to let it go, that there was nothing to be done.

"When do the changes take effect?"

"In two weeks time, Dr. Brennan. We thought that would be sufficient time for you to find a new project or place for employment where you believe your talents would be of most use."

Brennan nodded, an unspoken question hanging in the air.

"We have already contacted Deputy Director Cullen at the FBI and he has assured us that there will be no cases during this time."

Brennan glanced at Cam who seemed to be struck suddenly by a case of shocked silence. She returned her gaze to the board and Dr. Roberts.

"Good, thank you. Is that all?"

"Yes-"

Brennan stood abruptly and headed for the door; Cam followed still silent.

"Dr. Brennan?"

Brennan paused and turned, waiting for Dr. Roberts to continue.

"Its been an honour working with you."

She nodded her thanks and followed Cam out, feeling inexplicably like the weight of the world was on her shoulders threatening to crush her.

xxxxxxx

"Angela, please ... think about this! Its not fair to Cam if both you and Hodgins resign. She'll lose her job as well..."

She had convinced Cam to keep the news of her dismissal from the rest of the lab until she felt she was emotionally and physically ready for the fallout. Days had passed and with them came an understanding that that readiness would never occur. She was falling apart. She didn't sleep and the thought of eating only made her nauseous. She was exhausted - too exhausted to deal with everyone's emotions and her own. She didn't think she had enough strength left.

"Why didn't you tell me, Bren?"

"You know me Angela, I needed time to process everything, until I felt ready enough to face it."

"Are you ready now?"

"Absolutely not," she admitted, "but I couldn't put it off any longer..." Brennan watched as Angela took up her pacing.

"I'm sorry, Angela, but I didn't want to upset you or the baby..."

Angela stopped her pacing long enough to get a good look at her friend. She seemed so drained and defeated, so unlike the woman she has come to know.

"I appreciate that, Bren, but I would have been upset regardless... How can you expect me to stay on without you?"

"Because Cam is just as much a part of our family as I am. And just because I am no longer here does not mean that we can abandon her. She needs us now more than ever," she insisted.

Angela was amazed at her absolute selflessness, amazed that her friend couldn't see the extent of her open heart, regardless of what Booth had led her to believe.

"And what about you, Bren? Where will you go? What will you do? If we let you leave here alone, we'd be abandoning you!"

"Truthfully, Angela ... I'm not sure where I will go and what I will do. I must have read through two dozen offers, some in some very remote parts of the world that I've always wanted to visit, but they don't really interest me at the moment. I was thinking of taking a sabbatical, concentrate on my writing ... recover from everything... And I want to be here during your pregnancy and the birth of your child. I find I very much want to share those things with you..."

Touched by her words, Angela collapsed on the couch and took Brennan in a strong embrace, and for a moment she felt some of that cold she had been feeling lately dissipate.

"A sabbatical sounds just like the thing you need," she reassured her.

"What about Booth? Does he know you are no longer partners? Not that he deserves to know-"

"Angela, its ok ... don't be mad at him. He's only trying to be happy, we shouldn't begrudge him that, ok? As to notifying him, I have left him several messages over the last couple of days and so has Cam. He hasn't returned any of them and I have given up trying to get in touch with him. I have asked Dr. Roberts to inform him formally and he has assured me that he will take care of it."

Angela nodded a silent understanding though inside her anger and disgust at the agent was threatening to bubble over. If she thought he was a bastard when he returned from Afghanistan, now he was a downright asshole. She hoped he suffered some kind of collapse when he found out.

"Is your dad going to keep teaching the science program or did he already resign?"

"No, I convinced him to stay on as well. He is such a good teacher and it would be a shame to leave the students hanging like that ... especially Parker."

"You're too good, Bren, you know that?"

"It would seem Angela that though I am good I am not good enough."

"Bren-"

Brennan stood abruptly putting a stop to the conversation.

"I should start packing ... Lunch?"

Angela offered a small smile of acceptance and watched silently as Brennan walked back to the office that would not be a comfort to her any longer.