Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. It's not worth the effort.
Summary: Bones and Booth endanger their partnership by exploring their feelings.
A Partnership in Ruins...
"No?" Booth's voice was incredulous as he stared at Dr. Temperance Brennan in disbelief. "What do you mean, no?"
She frowned slightly at him, unsure of what other way her response could have been taken. "I mean no, Booth." She simply answered.
He snarled and began pacing the room. "No? That's it? Just no? No explanation, no reason? Just no?" His voice got louder and louder, revealing how upset he truly was.
Brennan narrowed her eyes. "I don't see why I have to offer you a justification, Booth. I gave you my answer."
"Bones! I just asked you to marry me! To spend your life with me. You can't just say no and expect me to just accept it!" He ranted at her.
"Booth, you know my opinion of marriage. What could have possibly made you think it would have shifted because we've begun a romantic relationship?" Brennan stared at him like she did the remains on her table. She was sure there was an answer, but she had yet to discover it.
"Your opinion about marriage?" He let out a derisive laugh and stomped away from her, throwing his hands in the air, frustrated. "Maybe I thought that you loved me as much as I love you. Maybe I thought that you would want to spend your life with me, like I do. Maybe I thought you wanted to be with me, to share my life. Maybe, just maybe, I thought you loved me enough to not rationalize every freakin' thing in your life and just live." He turned to face her, the hurt obvious in his chocolate eyes. "I guess I just expected too much, huh?" He shook his head, doubting himself.
Brennan winced in sympathy for her lover. "Booth, I do care for you, you know that. I've let you into parts of my life that I've never let anyone see, let alone be involved in. But a relationship isn't going to change my mind about marriage." She looked at him, pensively. "Or children." She hastily added. Might as well have both fights at once, she rationalized. No point in having two huge fights when both can be done at once.
"You don't want to be with me?" The kicked puppy tone entered the agent's voice as he watched her. "You don't want to have my babies?"
"No, Booth. I have never wanted children. And I want to be with you, but on different terms than you want. Right now, you're clearly displaying alpha male tendencies with the desire to dominate and procreate with what you perceive to be your female. I don't want that. I prefer my independence, my own space. And you need your own space as well, especially with your part-time custody of Parker." She reasoned.
He slammed his fist into the wall. "Bones." He sighed heavily, defeated and ignored the remark about his alpha male tendencies again. "I don't know if I can do this anymore. I need a family. A wife, children. Someone to come home to everyday."
"And that's not me." She realized, not rising from the couch. "I'd never be the one someone comes home to, Booth. My work will always be my first priority."
He snorted, "of course it is, Bones. That's all you care about." He shot at her.
"You knew that when we began this." She quietly reminded him, showing remarkable insight for the woman who was usually aloof to social situations.
He looked at her, and saw the truth in her eyes. He nodded to himself, accepting the finality of the situation. "I'll put in for a transfer in the morning." He said and headed for the door.
"You promised this wouldn't interfere with our work relationship." She desperately called out after him.
He kept his hand on the doorknob and refused to turn around and let her see the tears in his eyes. "I lied." With that, he pulled the door open and took off, leaving a distressed forensic anthropologist on the couch of her apartment.