Replaceable
"What the…?" Booth said jumping off the couch he had been resting on, in his partner's office. He went out to the main lab floor and shouted up at her. "Bones! What have you done?" Brennan whipped her head around to look at him
"What Booth?"
"You killed me!" he said loudly and the whole lab looked over at him.
"Sorry?" she gave him a puzzled look and he realised what he had said.
"I mean, you killed Andy Lister!" he held up a book.
"Oh I see you found my early edition of my 'Here today Bone tomorrow'" she smiled
"Yeah. By the way once again, yuck on the title."
"Thanks."
"But you killed him!"
"Yeah so?"
"Wait you killed Lister!" Angela butted in.
"You can read it after Booth Ange." Brennan waved her hand. "What's your problem Booth?"
"You just killed him! He was a main character and you just…" Booth didn't know what to say.
"He's not a main character! Kathy is the main character. Lister is just a sub-character."
"But he was her friend, her colleague, her… her…partner, in more ways then one."
"Booth he's replaceable I mean he's just…" he interrupted her.
"Just what? An F.B.I. agent?"
"I was going to say he's just a guy." She said staring at him.
"How can you think she can just replace him?"
"Booth she can find a new colleague and someone else to… satisfy her biological urges!"
"Bones I don't see how you can say that! So she's just going to move on? Forget about him? Bones how can she…" this time she interrupted him.
"Booth just go and read the end of it. And you'll see. I have work to do!" she turned her back to him again.
He sighed and went back to the office. Slumping down on the couch he began to think. Is that what she thinks of me? That I can just be replaced? He re-opened the book and started again on the line that he had last read.
"Everything began to go slowly. I saw the bullet slice into his chest before
I heard it. Then as he fell I saw the colour drain from his face.
Lister was on the ground and I went cold.
the agents took Morrissey down and two others went over to Andy. I stood motionless, unable to move from the spot. He was gone, I could feel it."
Booth stopped, afraid to turn the page. But he did and he started the next and last chapter.
"Chapter 35
The next few seconds saw me flooded with realisation. All the emotions I held that
had been so confused for years now, righted them selves and I knew. I was in
love with him. He was mine. I loved my special Agent, but all the walls I had built
up, because of the betrayals in my past had prevented me from seeing it. And now it was too late. I regained the ability to move my legs and as I turned to leave something else
dawned on me. Andy had always tried to get me to trust my instincts more but
I never had. So why was I starting now. Spinning around I saw it, his hand moved.
I rushed over and grabbed it. Clinging to him I found the courage to tell him what had just dawned on me.
"Andrew Lister I love you. I know that now. Don't you ever leave me."
He didn't."
Booth blinked and re-read those few lines twice more. He couldn't believe that the Bones he knew had written it.
Footsteps came up behind him, and stopped at the office door. Looking up he saw his partner at the door, with a big smile on her face.
"So what do you think of the ending?" she asked.
"I… I think… It's something I would never have expected you to write."
"Booth don't you get it?" she tilted her head.
"Angela helped didn't she?" he stood up, and walked towards her.
"Just a little." Her smile faded slightly.
"Bones the one thing that confused me was…" he paused. "…well I don't remember our trip to Vegas being as… well steamy as you've written." He put on his charm smile.
"Authors licence." She shrugged. "Did you read the dedication?"
"There wasn't any?"
"I asked them to put it on the back page."
"Oh really." Booth reopened the book. And turned to the last page. The single line on the pure white page confirmed all his suspicions and made all his hopes a reality. Throwing the book on the table he grabbed her and kissed her.
Twenty minutes later Angela walked into the office and found it empty. Looking at the table she picked up the book and read the words that had made Booth whisk his partner from that very office.
"To my Tiger."