She couldn't take it anymore. The way he was to her—snapping at her, never looking her in the eye—the conversation in the car was her last straw. She couldn't be around him anymore. He had lied to her once when he'd told her that love was real and that it could last forever. She couldn't trust him anymore. She just couldn't. It seemed that whenever she was around him, she opened herself up; and when she opened up, she invariably got hurt.
It was three in the morning and once again, she was still awake and at the Jeffersonian working. Everything in the lab—everything in this god-forsaken town—reminded her of him. It reminded her of what she could have had, of what she had been stupid enough to believe in. it reminded her of the lie; his lie.
Walking over to her phone, she picked it up to call Cam, but decided against waking her. The Jeffersonian would find another forensic anthropologist; they wouldn't be as good as her, but they would probably be a whole person. Right now, she wasn't.
Grabbing a notebook, she wrote,
Dr. Saroyan,
I am sorry to leave in such a hurry. I know that it will be hard for you to replace me. I cannot live like this anymore. I just can't. My life here is over and I need to try to move on too. I will work over satellite until you can find a replacement. If there are any complications on this matter, call me and let me know. I am enclosing a letter for Angela—please make sure she receives it. Also, tell her that she's still my sister.
Thank you—you and everyone at the Jeffersonian—for being the family that I never had. I will never forget any of you. If you ever need anything, I am always willing to be of service.
Sincerely,
Dr. Temperance Brennan
She knew it was cowardly, but she also knew that if she told Cam in person, she would talk her out of it. It was hard enough to leave already; she didn't want another hurdle.
She grabbed the photos off her desk and put them in a box, then sat down to write the letter to Angela.
Angela,
You are the best friend I have ever had. I can honestly say that you are the only person who has never left me. You are the only family that I have. I'm not leaving you. I hope that we are still friends. I just can't do it anymore Ange. He is happy with her, I know that. But I'm not! Doesn't that count for anything?
I'm sorry. I shouldn't be ranting at you. I also wanted you to know that you were right. You were always right. I love him. I love him so much, but he loves her. He told me that. I know that. It will be easier for him with me gone. He told me that too.
I love you Angela. I trust you with all of my (metaphorical) heart.
One more thing—I'm enclosing a letter for Booth. I didn't want Cam to know, but like I said, I trust you completely. Please make sure he gets it.
Thank you for everything.
Your best friend
Brennan
Angela could make her stay. It was cowardly of her to write the letter, but Angela could make her stay and staying was unbearable. Now, she had the hardest letter of all left.
Booth,
You were my partner for six years. We had good times together. Those good times are over now. You love her; you deserve her. I wish you all the…I wish you…I can't even write it, but you know. I wish you well. Good things—that white fence you always talk about and a wife and marriage and the average of 2.5 children and a dog and the winding driveway and all of that. It's what you wanted and what I could never be.
Don't call me and don't try to find me. Don't ask Angela or Cam, don't worry about me. I may actually be ok…someday.
Goodbye forever,
Bones
She got up and picked up the box and the letters. She walked them out to her car and placed them in the back seat. She would drop them by Cam's apartment before leaving the city forever.
She walked back into the Jeffersonian to the lab that had been her home for the last several years. She sat for a moment and let herself remember all the good times; she pushed away all the awful memories. Then she rose and walked out into the parking lot. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see the car. The car didn't see her until it was too late.
She looked up at the sound of screeching breaks; a second before the car hit her and her last thought was,
I never thought I'd be leaving this way, but anything to get rid of the pain.
And then darkness overtook her.
