The coffee had long since gone cold in her hands as she sat with her legs curled up under her. It was still early morning not long since the fog had lifted off the lake. He had called her almost a month ago out of the blue asking to see her. It had been going on twenty years since they had last worked together, and had only seen one another once or twice since then. She had moved away not passing up the job of her dreams and when she returned he had moved on and moved away. She knew little of his life since they parted ways except that he never ended up marrying and that his only son had died in the army several years ago, they had not spoken of it as she had read about in the newspaper. She thought of contacting him after reading bout his son but couldn't find the right words to say. She had also never married, just dated an endless number of men all which made her happy but each never made the cut once she had compared them to a man she once knew long ago.

Two hours later she had returned to the back porch and was sitting watching as the occupants of the surrounding lake houses rose. The older ones walked past with a wave and the younger families ventured out to the beach with children who had been up since six. She felt his presence and looked over her right shoulder to where he was standing just short of the stairs. She took a sharp intake of breath upon seeing him, he looked the same as he always had, same haircut although it had greyed on his temples. His face was tan and weathered; lines that had never been there had formed deep around his eyes, forehead and mouth. Her eyes connected with his and she realised that his eyes where seemingly the only thing that never changed. Booth slowly took the few stairs up to the porch and smiled at her. She couldn't help but smile back, his was contagious and brought back memories of their times together.

"Bones" He walked around the front of her chair. Temperance stood and let out a small laugh when he pulled her in for a hug.

"Booth, its… it's been to long. You look great."

He laughed at this and sat down in the chair next to her, taking her all in. She like him had grown much older but her eyes struck him as being the same.

Temperance had been surprised when he rung but hadn't questioned, taking pleasure in the idea of seeing him again. They spent all morning on the porch watching the young families play around the lake. They talked for hours about the past years and reminisced about their partnership. The two ventured into town for lunch with Temperance behind the wheel which brought up stories that they laughed about for hours. As the day wore on they retreated inside her lake house and he talked of his son and his tragic death while she listened with a hand on his knee. She suggested dinner and they cooked together like they had been doing it for years. There wasn't a quiet moment as they talked about everything under the sun over a bottle of wine. When the evening wore on he rose and began to say goodbye to her like it would be the last time. She insisted, almost pleaded with him he stay in the guest room and leave in the morning. He agreed with a smile and they sat on couch well into the night talking until she brought up the last night they spent together before she left. She asked if he ever thought about it.

Booth ran a hand through his greying hair and held the delicate wine glass in his large worn hands. She watched fixated as he twirled in around in his hands. "It was all I could think about for years." He avoided his eye contact as he continued. "When ever I was with another woman all I could think about was you. I guess it's why I'm still single, no women ever matched up to the vision of you I had in my head."

She was surprised by his answer, she wasn't sure what she was expecting but it wasn't that. She knew how he had felt for years but felt the need to retreat from this dangerous ground they were treading. "We never would have worked."

"Yeah" Booth agreed with her shrugging his shoulders. "But did you ever wonder?" he asked her finally lifting his eyes to look at her.

"I still do sometimes." She smiled sadly at him as she finally admitted to herself the only man she ever loved was sitting next to her.

She told him she hadn't had as much fun as she had had with him today in years. He agreed with her and watched her as she sat hands firmly planted in her lap and remembered the partner she was once was. They talked more about the past, coming to an abrupt stop when she asked if he was happy, he raised his eye brows and repeated the question back at her.

Temperance looked out to the dark lake and contemplated his answer. "Yes, most days writing, reading or having a dinner with friends is enough. Sometimes I guest lecture at various organisations and universities. But sometimes when it's just me I remember how I felt when we were partners and I realise that that's the only time I was truly happy."

Booth watched her as she was wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled at him. "I'm sorry; I'm tired I should probably go to bed. I'll show where your room is."

"Ok." He simply said and got up of the couch and rinsed their glasses under the faucet as she checked the spare room and put fresh towels on his bed.

He turned the lights out and checked the doors. She came out and stood with him at the porch doors gazing out at the lake. He put his hand around her shoulders and she rested her head against him. They stood like that for a few minutes until she turned and looked at him head on his hand dropping to his side. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

"Bones" he let out a sigh "you were on the other side of the world, we barely communicated."

"Yes but I loved you." Temperance just said it, no holding back what she had kept in inside her whole life.

His hands slowly worked their way to her shoulders and slid down to rest on her waist. "You never told me. You were gone for years Bones no one was even sure you would return. I moved on with my life I couldn't wait for someone that might never come home." Tears slipped from her eyes, tears that she yearned to cry long ago but refused to. She let out a strangled gasp and he stepped back and began to walk towards the hall.

He stopped and turned to her as she was bathed in the moonlight slanting through the window, "for what it's worth I loved you too, back then."

She moved towards him wiped furiously at the tears on her cheeks. She stopped just short of him and he pulled her into him where she cried into his chest for the life that they never lived.

He stroked her hair but it was too late for soothing words. His hands now rested on her lower back pulling her closer and drawing circles. He didn't know what he was doing when he leaned down and pressed his lips to the skin on her lower neck. He continued to kiss her up her neck and across her jaw. He hovered just short of her lips. She lifted her arms up around his neck and he wiped the fallen tears from off her cheeks. They stared at each other in the moonlight before she hesitantly pressed her lips to his. They slowly kissed making up for years since gone. That night they made love together like the night they had before she left, slowly and tenderly. He worshiped her like she was still young as she was the woman that owned his dreams.

Like the morning previous she rose early and sat on the porch with a cup of coffee in her hands. He joined her not long after and they sat together holding hands until he revealed his initial reason for coming.

She sat stunned as he revealed that he had had cancer several years previous but beat it and all the while he spent in hospitals he told himself he would find her if he got out. But when he did he was scared and he put it off and put it off until it was too late and the cancer had returned. She dropped his hand when he shook his head as she rambled telling him he could fight it, she knew a great doctor and it wasn't too late they could still be together. She felt angry tears welling, angry at him for coming here. She stood up and asked him calmly to leave. He told her to think rationally and told her to sit down. Tears began to stream down her checks much to her disgrace and she raised her voice insisting that he leave now before she called the police. He stood and tried to calm her until she lost it and he fist swung out but he caught her wrists firmly and she battled him as he brought her to him and she relinquished him control as he held her close.

They spent the morning together again and went to bed together again. Afterwards he silently got dressed and left through the back door. He paused at the kitchen table and sat down to compose his parting words.

Dear Bones,

Don't hate me for leaving, I have to leave. I know what it's going to be like and I can't bare the thought of you seeing me. When you asked if I was happy at first all I could think was no, my mind drifted to the day I found out my son had died and the night you left and I knew we would never be the same again. But I realised I'm happy because I knew you. Our time together was limited but every moment I spent with you was enough to make me happy for a lifetime. I will always love you, now and forever.

Booth

I don't know where this came from it just poured out onto the page.

I would love to know what you thought. Mistakes happen and I just wrote this and posted it without giving it a second thought let alone a thorough proof read.

I've been trying to update my other story 'I'll Be Right Back' but everything I write is wrong but I'm truly trying very hard to update it. But thank you for all the encouragement I have received from it.

Anyway thank you for reading hope you liked it, please review and let me know.

BB-Jate-MiSA