Hey guys! Sorry I have been so absent lately, but I've got a HUGE workload at school. This is a series I've been thinking about for a while, and I just got around to finishing the first chapter. I want to write alternate endings to Bones chapters and show how they could have gotten together or discover their feelings. This is an alternate ending to Season 6, Episode 2: The couple in the cave. Let me know what you guys think, leave a review!

Love Always,

AlphaGirl447

Temperance Brennan laughed slightly as Booth and Hannah left the bar. But her joyful expression slowly faded as a hint of pain shone behind her eyes. She lifted the glass of whiskey and took a painful swallow. Generally she went for milder alcohol like wine or beer. But that night, she just wanted to disappear. The pain of losing Booth was too fresh, the jealousy barely concealed. Her emotions were too much for her to bear.

As she downed the last few mouthfuls of whiskey, her thoughts kept returning to Booth. Seven months gave her the perspective that she needed, the time to reveal her closely guarded feelings. And she had returned, ready to bear herself to him. Only to find that he had moved on. Only a few weeks in and the pain was getting no duller. In fact, with every sighting of Hannah, there was a little twinge in her chest.

So Brennan drank. And she continued drinking. She swallowed glass after glass of hard whiskey, losing her rational thought, the conversation from earlier still playing in her head.

"So you're saying that love is foolish and illogical?"

"No, It's- It's thinking of someone before yourself. It's giving your life, if necessary, to that person. It's uh- It's love."

"And if a person falls out of love and meets someone else, those selfless acts would suddenly appear to be dangerously irresponsible. Wouldn't they?"

"No. It was still love."

So Booth. The doctor thought to herself. We have risked our lives for each other countless times. Does that mean we've been in love longer than you realized? Did we just continue to miss our chance?"

Brennan's head swam with self-hatred and self-pity.

She ordered another drink.

"Booth." The agent picked up his phone after much deliberation. They had just closed a case and he really didn't want another.

"Booth. It's Jack, from The Founding Fathers?"

Booth narrowed his eyes. "Hey Jack… What's going on?"

"Well your partner, Bones? She's here. Passed out on the bar."

Booth sat up quickly. "What?!"

"My shift just started. I only just got here. She was already down. I don't know how much she had to drink."

"Okay I'll be right there." Booth grabbed his coat and shot an apologetic smile to Hannah.

"Bones is passed out at the bar…"

Hannah's eyes widened. "Oh my god yes Seeley go get her. Take her home, help her out. I'll see you tomorrow."

The agent leaned over and kissed her slowly before pulling away. "I'm so sorry."

The blonde laughed. "Go! Help your partner."

Booth nodded and left the apartment.

Booth walked into an almost empty bar. Jack stood behind the counter, cleaning glasses. When he saw Booth, he angled his head in the direction of a brunette in a striped shirt with her head buried in her arms. Booth nodded his thanks and walked carefully over.

Placing a gentle hand on her back, he spoke softly. "Bones?"

She stirred slightly, turning her head to reveal one eye. Booth stepped back, overwhelmed by the pure emotion he saw in her pale blue iris. Her face was red and blotchy, a defeated spirit lurking right behind her mask.

"Go away Booth."

Her words were slurred and came out with great difficulty. Turning her head back away, she buried her face in her arms once again. Booth sighed and sat down on the stool next to her.

"Come on Bones. It's 2 am. You don't usually drink yourself under the table like this."

But the scientist didn't respond. Booth sat in silence for a little while, trying to figure out what to say. When he finally turned back, he couldn't wake her up. The agent sighed and jogged outside to hail a cab.

Scooping her up in his arms princess style, he carried her gingerly to the cab and rode home with her head in his lap.

The cab stopped in front of Brennan's apartment building and Booth tossed the driver a wad of bills. The agent exited the car and turned to collect his partner. As he carefully swept her off the seat, the jostling woke her.

"Booth?" She mumbled his name quietly, her eyes not yet open.

"I'm going to take you upstairs Bones." The agent carefully brushed Brennan's hair from her face. She curled deeper into his arms and a small smile spread across her lips.

"Ok Booth." He stiffened as his partner nestled her face into his chest.

As they moved towards her apartment, she inhaled deeply, savoring his unique scent. In her alcohol filled state she didn't remember Booth was with Hannah. Booth held her carefully but awkwardly as he set her on the bed. She curled on her side, completely passed out. He spread the blanket on top of her and walked to the bedroom door. Pausing slightly, he turned to glance at her one more time. Her auburn hair was disheveled and spread haphazardly around her face. Her normally pristine shirt was wrinkled and uneven.

Booth sighed, left the door slightly ajar, and sat on the couch in her living room.

Bones you don't usually drink like this. What's gotten into you?

Shaking his head, Booth sent off a quick text to Hannah letting her know he'd be spending the remainder of the night on Brennan's couch. She replied quickly, affirming that she'd see him in the morning. So Booth kicked off his shoes and curled his exhausted body onto the expensive couch. His last thought before he drifted into a dreamless sleep, was of Brennan's tortured face at the bar.

Brennan scrunched up her face as she buried her head under the blankets. The sunlight that streamed through her blinds only aggravated her already pounding headache. Groaning, she threw off the covers and sat up, swinging her legs over the side and rubbing her eyes tiredly. Bracing her palms on the bed, she fought to recall the events of the night before.

I haven't gotten this drunk in years. How did I get home? Was Booth there?

That simple question triggered a flood of memories.

The whiskey. Drinking. Hannah. Booth leaving. More whiskey. Crying on the bar.

Brennan closed her eyes and groaned softly. She'd forgotten about Hannah. No wonder she couldn't remember much of anything after Booth left. Running her hands down her face, Brennan took a deep breath and nervously picked her phone off her bedside table.

Expecting a text from Booth asking if she got home, Brennan anxiously clicked the screen to life. But to her surprise, and disappointment, there was no such text. A lump formed in her throat, and she silently cursed the alcohol still lingering in her system. She desperately wanted to talk to him. She wanted him to text her. She needed to know that he still cared. Swallowing past the growing lump and fighting against the burning in her eyes, she quickly composed a text.

"Did you have fun with Hannah?"

Her thumb hovered over the send button, but she pulled it back.

If he didn't text me then obviously he enjoyed himself. If it had gone badly I would have been told.

Feeling suddenly nauseous, Brennan deleted the text, tossed her phone back onto the table, and covered her face with her hands. Her teeth ground into her bottom lip as she tried desperately to blink away the gathering tears.

You want him to be happy. You want him to be happy. You want him to be happy.

She repeated the phrase over and over in her head as tears dripped down her face. Lowering her hands in defeat, Brennan slowly closed her eyes took ragged breaths.

"Why couldn't you be happy with me Booth?" The mumbled question slipped past her lips as she leaned her elbows heavily on her knees.

"Why couldn't I have said yes?"

The next question was whispered almost inaudibly as she silently berated herself for her weakness. She opened her eyes and coughed, embarrassed by her outburst of irrational emotion. Streaking her hand across her eyes, she cleared her throat subconsciously and stood up. Turning towards her bedroom door, she yelped loudly and took an involuntary step back.

"Booth! What the HELL?!"

The agent stood in the doorway, dumbfounded. His eyes were open wide, and he couldn't seem to find his voice. Brennan glanced down at herself and realized she was still in the previous day's clothes. An uncomfortable heat rose in her stomach, and the normally cool doctor flushed red with embarrassment. She twisted her hand for a moment before anxiously darting into her bathroom. Once the door was closed, she slumped against it and gritted her teeth.

He saw me crying.

In the main bedroom, Booth turned his head to stare at the closed bathroom door.

She wants to say yes.

That thought shook him from his trance, and he sat on her bed. He knew better than to push her. She would talk to him when she was ready.

Brennan gripped the sides of the sink and stared into the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were blotchy and tear streaked. After taking a few breaths to calm any remaining tears or convulsions, she splashed her face with cold water and self consciously messed with her hair. She was stalling and she knew it.

"How long were you standing there?"

Booth heard her clear voice ring from the bathroom. After clearing his throat, he responded softly.

"I heard you wake up and groan. I brought you water and aspirin."

Brennan closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He had seen everything. Taking one last look in the mirror, she opened the bathroom door and leaned against the frame with her arms crossed.

"I didn't know you were here."

Both chuckled. "Yeah I figured. I brought you home last night and it was too late to go home. I hope you don't mind; I slept on the couch."

Brennan bit her lip. "No that's fine."

"Listen Booth I-"

"Bones I-"

They both spoke at once, and Booth quickly indicated for her to finish.

"Booth...um…I-I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here."

The agent wrung his hands. "What happened Bones?"

When Brennan didn't respond, Booth stood up and moved right in front of her.

"Did you mean that Bones? Do you wish you had said yes?"

Brennan's breathing hitched and she contemplated the pros and cons of telling him the truth. But ultimately, Booth was with Hannah. And when he asked them to take a chance, he had moved on quickly. He didn't ask her again. He didn't give her any time. From the evidence, she knew that when booth felt something for someone, he didn't get over it quickly. The only rational conclusion, then, to his behaviour in front of the Hoover and the months following it, was that he never really felt anything for her in the first place. So Brennan had to protect him. He couldn't feel guilty for her own shortcoming and inability to move on from him.

"No. I did not. You should get home to Hannah. I'm sure she missed you last night."

Booth saw straight through her lies. He watched her blue eyes harden and her muscles clench. She was closing herself off from him. This time, she was trying to protect him, not herself. He knew he would never get through to her at that moment. So he left.

Brennan watched him leave without another word, and once he was gone she slid down against the wall and breathed deeply. She wouldn't let herself cry again, but she sure as hell could sit, do nothing, and stare into space.

Booth drove back to his apartment and sat outside for a few moments. Once he walked in, he found Hannah sitting on the bed, fully dressed. She made eye contact with him and smiled sadly.

"You love her."

Booth stood silently and nodded once.

Hannah chuckled. "She just told you that she loves you."

Again, Booth nodded. Hannah only smiled. Standing, she softly kissed him and stroked his cheek. "I do love you Seeley. But I can see that you love her more."

She opened the door and paused, looking back at him. "I hope you two are happy."

And just like that she was gone. Booth glanced around at his apartment. Nothing seemed different. In fact, there was more evidence of Brennan in the apartment than there had been of Hannah.

Brennan opened her door to find Booth on the other side. He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. She molded herself to him for a moment, but quickly pulled away. Booth just smiled.

"I'll wait for you Bones. I'll wait until you're ready. Decades if that's what you need."

She answered him with a kiss.

These will be a collection of one-shots and I've got the idea for a second chapter. Let me know if you guys like this idea of alternate endings! If I continue, the first few chapter will be in season six. I aim to have the second chapter done this weekend(which probably means I'll get it done in 2020) Thanks for reading!

Love Always,

AlphaGirl447