"Good morning Seeley," Hannah said as she rolled over. I smiled over at her.

"Morning," I said sleepily with a yawn. "It sure is nice to sleep in."

She smiled coyly at me, "That's what Saturdays are for."

I tried to smile back. She seemed like she'd be content to spend the whole day in bed, but I really wasn't.

"Hey," I suggested suddenly, "how about we go for a walk? We could stop and get coffee at this great cart I know and then go to the Reflecting Pool." Anything to get out of this apartment.

I didn't know why, but it had been feeling less and less like home to me and more and more like a holding cell, and all day yesterday, I'd resisted the urge to just get out and go to the Reflecting Pool. Maybe if I just took Hannah there, it would cease to be our place—my place with Bones. It could just be a place—a beautiful place that I could share with my beautiful girlfriend.

Hannah sighed.

"That's what you really want to do with your day off?" she asked with a slight huff in her voice. It bothered me that she so obviously didn't want the same, but I pushed that aside. She was the one I'd chosen. I couldn't help but think that Bones would love to go with me, but I pushed that thought aside too. That thought, along with any thought about Bones, was off limits. I couldn't allow myself that pleasure anymore.

"Yeah Hannah," I replied as I got up, "that's what I really want to do."

"Okay," she acquiesced. "Then how about tonight we go out somewhere nice? Then come home and…" she trailed off suggestively.

Compromise, I reminded myself. It's all about compromise.

"Sure," I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

We both got dressed and went out. I smiled as I took in the fresh air. It was only 7 a.m., but I was enjoying it nonetheless. We stopped and got coffee at the coffee cart, the one I tried not to think of as our coffee cart, and continued walking to the reflecting pool. There, on what I refused to think of as our bench, a woman was curled up, sound asleep. As Hannah and I walked past her, I recognized her. It was Bones.

"Bones," I gasped in astonishment and ran over to her. Her eyes fluttered open and filled with so much joy that I had to smile through my confusion. Somehow, whatever she was feeling, I felt too.

"You came," she breathed as she sat up. Her beautiful blue eyes lit up, and she stared up at me like I'd just made her complete. I'd never seen her look this happy in the seven years I've known her.

I didn't understand. Had she been expecting me? Why would she? I searched my mind trying to remember if I had asked her to get together early in the morning. Nothing. In fact, I didn't even talk to her last week, come to think of it. Guilt managed to sneak around my Bones-induced happiness.

"Seeley," Hannah said coming up behind me, "What's… oh! Temperance! Hello!" She took in Bones's appearance, which was all rumpled as though she'd spent the night on the bench. "What are you doing here?"

It seemed, for a moment, that Bones didn't hear her question. Her eyes were still locked with mine. The pure joy from a moment ago was now replaced with a terrible pain that caused my heart to ache. I didn't know where it came from, but that didn't stop me from wanting to take out whatever was causing it. Again, the emotion that crossed her face filled my heart, and pure pain was added to my already guilty conscience.

After what seemed like an eternity, she answered. "I d-don't know anymore." There were tears in her voice, and she was stuttering. Her beautiful blue eyes turned liquid from unshed tears. It was so unlike her to stutter and cry. "I should be going. I have a lot of work to catch up on from being gone yesterday. People like me shouldn't take personal days." Then she turned to leave.

She took a personal day yesterday? Did she really spend the night here? But I couldn't think that. There was no way that the intelligent, logical Temperance Brennan would sleep outside.

I reached out and grabbed her arm. Underneath the thin material of her shirt, I could feel her bones. She was far too thin. Something wasn't right. "Wait, Bones," I said. "What were you doing here?" I asked. "How long have you been here?"

She looked up at me with such vulnerability and disappointment that I wanted to either scoop her into my arms or hang my head in shame, though I didn't understand either urge. The only thing that stopped me from acting on either of these, however, was Hannah's hand on my shoulder. Looking into my partner's eyes, I knew that she would answer me honestly—I knew that right now she couldn't help it. I also knew that it was wrong of me to take advantage of that—but I did anyways.

"I've been here since dawn yesterday. I was supposed to meet… a friend here yesterday," she said, and she sounded so ashamed. Looking down and breaking eye contact, she seemed to try to steal her voice and give it the hard, emotionless edge that she was normally so good at. She failed miserably. "I wanted to prove that I'd found the strength to believe and to risk. I guess it didn't matter to him." She paused. "This friend and I, we both went to separate ends of the globe, but we said that we'd meet here a year from the day we left. But I guess I wasn't important enough because," her voice broke, "he never showed."

I froze, or the world stopped moving, or something.

Separate ends of the globe? Oh damn, she was talking about me. Yesterday was the day I promised her that I'd… damn it! How could I have been such an idiot? She'd come out at dawn and waited—all day and night and into the next morning—for me, and I didn't show. I'd—I'd been with Hannah. The thought made me sick. I gripped the back of our bench to stay upright.

"Well," she said still not looking at me, "I should be going." A tear finally fell down her face, but she wiped it away fiercely. She took a deep breath, and suddenly her walls were back in place and her eyes turned back from deep pools of emotion to solid ice. "I have a lot of work to do. Enjoy your day Hannah," then she looked up at me, "Seeley." I shuddered at her use of my real name and knew that something was broken; a bitter and hallow feeling was left in the air. And then that was it. She walked away, and I couldn't move. When she was out of sight, Hannah sighed.

"That was so sad. Whoever stood Temperance up is an idiot," she said angrily. "I've never seen her cry before, have you? I can't believe someone would hurt her so bad that she would be crying, especially when all he had to do was meet her at a stupid fountain. I mean, she waited all night for the jerk. Who could do such a thing, especially to a beautiful woman like Temperance? Who could be such a—"

"Such a what, Hannah?" I spat out. Suddenly I was so angry with her, with myself, with life, that I couldn't take it anymore. I already knew that I was a jerk, but I'd been a jerk for the woman who was now calling me a jerk. I really didn't need to hear that. "Do you know who was supposed to meet her yesterday? Do you? It was me." I paused and shock covered Hannah's face, but I didn't care—I kept right on yelling. "I promised that I'd meet her here, a year from when we left, and I didn't. I… I didn't." I paused to get a grip over my emotions. When I spoke again, my voice was cold and detached—the same tone my partner had been aiming for earlier. "She came out here and most likely spent all day on that bench believing that I would come because I said I would. She always trusted that I would keep my promises. After everything I've done to her, she still trusted that I would be there. I…" my voice broke and I couldn't continue. Hannah seemed shocked, as well she should be.

"You," she began then stopped. She sighed. "Well, that makes sense, I guess. You are the only one who could hurt her that bad."

"Thank you, Hannah," I said sarcastically. "You're so supportive." Really, would she never understand?

Bones would understand, I thought feebly. Not that I deserve that, but Bones would understand.

"Listen Seeley," Hannah said sounding impatient, "I think I've been more than understanding. What other woman would put up with a boyfriend who clearly has another beautiful woman in love with him? And one that he sees more that her?" She sighed. "I think I've been more than understanding, but this is the end of it. I can't take it anymore."

I was so confused. First of all, Bones was not in love with me, even if she did regret saying no to me. Second of all, what the…?

"What?" was all I was able to say.

"I think it's time that you be the understanding one," she said. I just continued to look at her, confused. I had no idea where she was going with this. Seeming to sense my confusion, she sighed. "Look, I can't take it anymore. I can see the way she looks at you, and it makes me sick. I think you need to stop working with her."

Again, "What!" Working without Bones? That's not even comprehensible.

"I have been more than understanding," she said calmly. "Besides, the average partners don't stay together more than three or four years—I google'ed it. You and Temperance have been together more than seven. Don't you think it's time to move on?"

"Look, I told you when I met you that there were two things in my life that were nonnegotiable—" I began.

"Yeah," she said. "Your son and your family. I'm not asking you to give up either. This has nothing to do with your son, and I am your family." She said this like it was the simplest thing in the world.

She will never understand, I realized. And I knew that I had to stop pretending that she did—that she ever would. No one could understand what was important to me. No one but Bones.

"No," I said, "you're not my family. She is." Shock crossed Hannah's face. "I thought I'd made that clear."

"Excuse me?" Hannah said holding up her hand. "What the hell do you mean?"

I sighed. How could I explain this to someone on the outside?

"Look Hannah," I began. "Bones has had… a rough life. Her family abandoned her when she was little, and she has isolated herself ever since. When I met her, she was so cold, so distant. Eventually, she began to open up and bond with the team at the Jeffersonian and… with me. She formed her own little family around us. It's all she has."

"That's not true, Seeley," Hannah snapped. "Temperance has everything. She has her job, her money, her books. She has everything. What does she need you for?"

And that was a good question. Even if I knew the answer, it still made me think. Sure, I'm Bones's family, but is there something else under that?

"Look Hannah," I said, "she's a part of my life—a major part. And I'm not going to let that change." But then I thought about it. I mean, really thought about it. And I realized that I had let that change since I'd met Hannah. I mean, I didn't speak to Bones last week at all. I didn't stop by, and I can't even remember the last time I took her out to lunch. Come to actually think about it, I think it was when I told her about Hannah. Some family I'd been. She started to protest again, but I cut her off. "Look, I'm not saying that she needs me in her life because she doesn't. The truth is that I need her."

"So you'd be willing to risk what we have?" she asked me incredulous. "For her?"

I thought for a moment. What did Hannah and I have? Then I heard Bones's voice.

"I wanted to prove that I'd found the strength to believe and to risk. I guess it didn't matter to him."

Somehow, Bones had found the strength to risk. I didn't know what, or even how, but I knew that if I was ever going to get back into her life, I'd have to risk something in return. Suddenly, I realized what I'd been missing the whole time. Hannah could never replace my Bones. So I sat down on the bench and answered her.

"Yes."

Anger clouded her eyes, and she sat up straighter.

"Then there's really nothing left to say, is there?" she whispered.

"I'm sorry," I said. And I really was. She smiled slightly.

"I know you are," she said, "but I won't be second place. That's not fair to either of us." She reached up and took off Bones's sunglasses. "Give these back to her for me, please? And tell her that I'm sorry." I understood that she wasn't really talking about the sunglasses.

"I will."

Then Hannah walked away and out of my life for good. I knew I should go back to the apartment with her and help her gather her things, but something held me back. We had a clean break—we needed a clean break. And then, there was Bones. Thinking of her made me get up and walk briskly toward the street. Quickly I hailed a cab and gave the driver Bones's address.

She had to have gone home to change before she heads to the Jeffersonian, right?

When I reached her building, I raced up the steps and asked the doorman for entrance.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said politely, "but I can't let you in if you don't live here."

The man looked familiar. I searched my brain for his name. I couldn't help but remember that there had been a time when I'd known everyone in this building, and they had just opened the door when they saw me coming.

"Charlie," I said, finally remembering. "It's me. Seeley Booth. I'm here to see Bon—I mean Temperance Brennan."

"Seeley Booth?" Charlie looked confused. "Oh my, it is you! You'll have to forgive me; it has just been so long since I've seen you."

"Yeah," I said, "and I'm really sorry about that, but right now, I really need to go see Bones."

Charlie furrowed his brow in confusion again. "Well," he said, "I'd love to help you, but Temperance hasn't lived here since she left a year ago. I guess she's not back from wherever it is that she went. Maybe you could try back in a few days." He smiled at me like he hoped that he'd helped. I didn't know what to say, so I thanked him and said I would try back in a few days.

As I walked away, I couldn't help but wonder where she was. I figured I'd just head to the Jeffersonian.