He leaned against the back of the wooden chair, his arms folded across his chest stubbornly. He stared, his eyes narrowed so much they looked closed, his anger turning him red.

"Agent Booth... really, this is childish."

"Well, Wyatt, maybe you shouldn't ask childish questions and you won't get childish responses, hmm?" He gritted, still glaring at his therapist. "I'm not going to answer that."

"You most certainly are. You forget, young man, I have your career, literally, in the palm of my hand." Wyatt smiled, holding his palm out as a demonstration. Of course, it was empty--a reminder of what his career was going to become if Booth didn't comply.

Booth's nostrils flared. He couldn't remember feeling this angry before. "I am not in love with my partner. Bones... Brennan is just my partner. My friend."

"Your best friend?"

"By default," Booth whispered, shaking his head and leaning forward once more. "She's more like... my only friend. Besides the squints, but I try not to count them."

"And why's that?"

"It's depressing." He sighed, shaking his head, "No... that's not it. I like the squints, I do. I respect them--they're brilliant, even if for the most part they lack social graces that come naturally to most. I don't count them because I don't think they'd count me."

"Sounds..."

"Stupid?" Booth finished for him, nodding. "Yes, I know. But I know that Bones is my friend. I don't question that. I have no reason to."

"But you have reason to doubt that her friends like you? Why does it matter what these 'squints' think of you?"

"It doesn't. It shouldn't..."

Wyatt smiled and nodded knowingly, "But it really does, correct? You're afraid if they don't accept you, she will eventually reject you herself, hmm? And because of this, you refuse to admit how you truly feel about her."

"I refuse to say I am in love with her because it's not the truth! I want a wife, and kids... she thinks marriage is archaic and she doesn't want to have children."

"That has nothing to do with what you feel for her, Agent Booth. That is your rationalization as to why you shouldn't love her. Have you ever stopped to just... imagine why you should be together?" He paused, observing him closely. It was obvious he wasn't going to voice his response, so he continued, "Perhaps because you know her better than anyone else. You would give your life, risk your life, for her without question. She is the person you would call if you had a miserable day, or the person you would entrust your son's care to temporarily if you were called away suddenly. I have a question for you--what is the first thing you think when you see her face?"

Thank God. Finally. I love the way she smiles when she sees me and she's having a good day. I love the way her hair falls around her face. I even love when she's mad at me, and her eyes narrow and she looks like she might just kill me. I love when she says 'I don't know what that means'. I love when Angela tells her she's been spending too much time with me when she's quick on her toes and sarcastic. I love when she messes up common sayings, and the slight blush that creeps into her cheeks as she gives me that sheepish smile and apologizes... or when I let the mistake slip and she grins with pride that she's right. Oh, dear God... I really do love her. "I think it's good to see her..."

Wyatt's smile told him that he was caught before he said a word, "It took you a while to reply. What were you thinking? And, remember, it's important to be honest and open..."

He sighed, his head in his hands, knowing he'd been defeated. "Fine. You're right."

"Per usual, of course." The smug smile on his face was burned into Booth's brain. "Now, do you think that the reason you don't act on this, or even acknowledge it, is because you're afraid?"

His head shot up, a look of indignation playing with his features. "I'm not afraid! Why would I be afraid?"

"It's simple, really. You said before, you don't miss. You always hit what you aim for. But, with Dr. Brennan, no matter how steady your aim, you could miss. Correct?"

"Moving targets are always harder than stationary ones..." Booth muttered, tossing his therapist a half smile and hoping he wouldn't mention how he didn't have an issue with a moving ice cream truck...

Wyatt just shook his head, "You know what I mean, Agent Booth. If you try to go after her, there is a chance that she will refuse you. And although you try to exude confidence and bravery, really, your ego is quite fragile. A rejection from someone you love as much as you obviously love your partner could shatter your entire world. So I understand your trepidation, I do. However..." Wyatt leaned across the table, lowering his voice conspiratorilly, "I think it's foolish to wait. The longer the wait, the greater the chance of her giving up the wait."

"Bones is not someone who will sit around and wait for someone to come around. She'd..."

"Push them where she wanted them?" Booth nodded, "So, where has she pushed you?"

He sighed, "I don't know. She's hard to read sometimes."

"You don't usually have trouble reading her, though, correct? So what is it about the situation that makes it hard for you to read her?"

"She's very... guarded with her emotions. After everything that she's been through, it's more than understandable. She's gotten much better at being open and honest with me... but when it comes to love? No, Bones doesn't just leap into that blindly. It's big for anyone, but for her, it's almost... tragic. After her parents left, and her brother... she can't really deal with loving people, because to her it means they'll abandon her. So she'd rather pretend she doesn't care as much as she does as a kind of defense mechanism than to attempt to be close to them and risk getting herself hurt again. I think she loves me too, though. There's something there, it's not just a one-way thing like I'd imagined before."

"So what are you going to do?"

Booth tossed him a smile and grabbed his jacket, "I'll tell you what happens next week!" He called as he jogged to his car. Wyatt grinned as his patient drove away, knowing exactly what was going to happen.


AN: I should be studying for my midterms... but I will be done with all of them by Weds, so expect chapter 3 (maybe four??) by then if not sooner! R &R and I'll love you forever!