A/N: I'm back with another chapter. I hope I haven't kept too many people waiting, well, actually that isn't true. I'm glad I've had so much positive feedback. Thanks so much everyone. It's amazing! Thanks to Lori and Alex for being great inspiration and letting me know what fits and what doesn't. I'm thankful to you guys, more than you know.
Disclaimer: Once again, I have no claims over Bones or the characters. Though, if Hart Hanson is reading this and needs an assistant I'd be more than happy to fill that position!
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She saw his face the moment her daughter was in her arms. Brennan didn't know how she'd missed him before. His face held a look of shock, his shoulders broad under the everyday t-shirt he wore. She pressed her eyes closed and wrapped her daughter closer to her. He was still looking….watching.. and Brennan stood frozen.
"I'm so sorry we're late Dr. Brennan," the voice of her nanny, Ellie, interrupted the silent stare off with her former partner. "We were at the zoo…"
"It was so much fun Mommy!" her daughter interrupted animatedly. "I saw elephants and zebras and monkeys!"
"Monkeys huh?" Brennan asked, tearing her eyes away from Seeley Booth's and focusing on the chocolate brown eyes in her daughter's face. "I'm glad you had fun. And it's no problem Ellie, thanks for taking her."
"We had a good time," Ellie answered with a shrug. "Josie-pie here is the most well behaved kid I've ever worked with."
"She adores you," Brennan told the nanny, "I'm glad we found you."
"Thanks Dr. B," Ellie said and Brennan watched her cheeks flush. Ellie Kempt was a part-time grad student working her way through school. Brennan had been more than willing to give the young girl a chance. "Well, I've got to take off if there isn't anything else you need today. I've got a class tonight."
"We're all set," Brennan assured her. "See you tomorrow?"
"Yup," Ellie said and gave Josie a hug, "bye Loretta!"
"Nothing for you today El?" the waitress asked coming around the counter. "I can get it to go."
"No thanks," Ellie assured her, "I'm all set."
"Okay," Loretta answered with a wave and they both watched the nanny head back out and across the street. "Here's a chocolate milk for my favorite little girl."
"Thanks Ms. Loretta," Josie said with a huge grin and Brennan took a deep breath with the dimples in her cheeks appeared. "Can we go back to the zoo soon Mommy?"
"Sure sweetheart," Brennan assured her with a gentle smile. "We'll see if Aunt Angela will come too."
"And bring Conner and Carson?"
"We can ask her," Brennan told her. "Maybe Uncle Jack will come too."
"Uncle Jack is funny," Josie said and crinkled her small four year old nose. Josie looked around the diner and brought her head closer to her mother's before saying in a loud whisper, "Mommy that man is looking at you funny…"
Brennan looked up just as Booth turned away and she could see the tips of his ears turning red. She bit back a chuckle and looked back towards her daughter.
"It's okay," she told her daughter quietly. "Mommy knows him."
"You do?"
"Uh-huh," Brennan nodded. "He's an old friend of Mommy and your aunts and uncles."
"Oh," Josie said with an understanding nod. "Is he the man from the pictures I found? The ones you told me you'd es'plain to me later? When I'm old?"
"Yup," Brennan answered honestly. She remembered the day only a month or so ago when Josie had came into Brennan's room with the shoebox filled with pictures of the team, ones that included Booth. She'd tried to conceal them in the closet, but her ever brilliant daughter had discovered them and started asking questions. Brennan had promised to explain when she was older.
"Sweetie, sweetie, open up." Angela's voice called through the closed and locked door of her bedroom. "It's just me, sweetie, please."
"I can't Angela," Brennan answered, her voice shaking with the sobs that were overtaking her body. "I can't."
"If you don't open the door, I'm going to break in."
"There's a key in the canister on top of the fridge. It has a yellow top." Brennan heard Angela walk away and the rustle of the keys before the door unlocked and Angela's presence joined her on the unmade bed.
"Tell me what happened."
She was afraid she might have to explain before she wanted to.
"Should you go and say hello?" Josie asked her, pulling Brennan from the thoughts she'd tried to let go. She turned towards Booth and studied his back. "Mommy?"
"Come on Josie," Brennan stated simply. "It's time to go home."
"But Mommy…"
"Josephine," Brennan scolded, "let's go."
"Okay," Josie answered her big brown eyes wide as saucers. Her brown curls, in their standard ponytail, bounced behind her as she pulled on her backpack and took the final sip of her chocolate milk. "I'm sorry Mommy."
"It's okay sweetheart," Brennan apologized leaning down to her daughter's level. "I didn't mean to yell at you."
Brennan stood up and grasped her daughter's hand tightly and began to walk out of the diner. At the last moment, before she could stop herself, she turned around and met the eyes she had felt on her back.
"Hello Booth."
Without giving him the chance to respond she left the diner and walked into the brisk autumn air.
---
"Mommy, that man is looking at you funny."
The girl's voice shook him from his gaze and he turned around on his stool and felt his cheeks and neck turning red. He hated that he'd been caught openly staring at her. At both of them.
She had a daughter. A daughter. He would guess she looked to be about four or five, but unless Brennan had been pregnant when he'd left, four would be the oldest the girl could be. Logically, that is.
They were whispering now and he couldn't hear them without being overly obvious and it he was frustrated with that. He wanted to know how she was explaining him to the little girl. But the thing was, he wanted to be a part of the conversation.
Her voice, louder now, brought his attention to them.
"Come on Josie," Brennan stated simply. "It's time to go home."
"But Mommy…"
"Josephine," Brennan scolded, "Let's go."
His breath caught. Josephine. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible. At least that is what he repeated to himself over and over again.
Could she be? Booth didn't want to think that Brennan would be capable of hiding that from him. Not for five years.
Could she?
"Hello Booth."
Her voice, speaking his name made his head pop up with shock but they were out the doors before he could catch his breath or voice.
They were gone.
Part of him wanted to believe that it was a dream. Seeing her.
"Cam," Booth called into the lab, "Where are you?"
"Booth?" her voice answered from her office. "What's wrong?"
"I'm leaving," he said simply. His voice was cold and Cam turned her head in confusion. "Today."
"Okay," she answered, "are you taking Dr. Brennan with you?"
"No."
"Booth?"
"I'm not coming back either Cam. I've taken an emergency post in San Diego and I'm not planning on coming back after the assignment."
"What happened Booth?"
"Goodbye Cam."
It had been a rash decision. He'd known that, even then. But it didn't matter. He was running away. Seeley Joseph Booth, trained sniper and FBI Special Agent was running away…from a woman.
He'd been a coward.
"You know Dr. Brennan?" Loretta asked him and her voice startled him. "Sorry sugar. Didn't mean to frighten you. So, you know Dr. Brennan?"
"Uh," Booth stammered, "Yeah. We used to work together."
"Ah," the older woman said with a nod. "Isn't her little girl a doll? She's just as smart as her momma, that's for sure."
The words stuck on in his throat as he weighed the option to ask the question that was burning in his head.
"What about the girl's father?"
"I'm not sure, honestly," Loretta told him. "She never talks about him. None of them do."
"None of them?"
"Her team," Loretta said absentmindedly. "You know the pretty artist and her husband, curly hair. I don't know them as well."
"Angela and Jack?"
"That could be it," Loretta said with a shrug. "They all work together. But, as far as I know Josie doesn't know her dad. Brennan gets very defensive when anyone tries to bring him up."
"Oh."
"You need anything sugar?"
He shook his head and threw a couple bills down on the counter before standing to leave.
He had questions he had to get the answer too.
---
"Okay," Angela said quickly when she entered Brennan's apartment later that evening. "What was so urgent that I had to drop everything and rush over here? And with chocolate and vodka?"
Brennan had put Josie to bed almost an hour ago and ever since had been staring at the last picture she had of Booth and herself. Before the night that changed everything and before he had run away.
Before she knew she was pregnant.
"Bren?"
"He's back," Brennan whispered, "In D.C. I saw him today. At the diner. I had Josie with me."
"Oh. My. God. Did he recognize her?"
"I don't know," Brennan answered honestly. "He didn't say if he did or not, but he knew she was my daughter."
"What did he say?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? What do you mean nothing?"
"I didn't see him when I first came in," Brennan explained. "I…I didn't see him till Josie and Ellie were there. And I wasn't going to try to talk to him in front of her. I said hello as we walked out…"
"Brennan!"
"What? How was I supposed to say anything to him with Josie standing right there? It was hardly the time or place!"
"What's he doing back here?"
"I have no idea."
"Are you going to try and find out?"
"I don't know."
"He deserves to know, Brennan."
"I know that," she said with a choked sob. "I just don't know…"
"Think about it, okay?" Angela insisted and after a moment Brennan reluctantly agreed. She reached for the paper bag and took a huge bit of the chocolate cake she'd become obsessed with during her pregnancy. It was now her comfort food of choice.
"You know," Brennan said after a moment, "I didn't tell you to bring the vodka. That was something you thought up all on your own."
Angela chuckled a little with a roll of her eyes. "Nope, I'm pretty sure your words were 'I need you to come over now, and bring the reinforcements.' That means chocolate and vodka."
"Thanks Angela," Brennan whispered, "for everything."
"Tell me what happened," Angela said as she sat cross-legged on Brennan's bed. "Brennan?"
"I…" Brennan started before a sob shook her body. "He's gone Angela and I don't think he's coming back."
"Who's gone sweetie?"
"Booth."
"Booth's gone?"
"We slept together," Brennan said with another sob. "And he told me he loved me."
"Brennan," Angela interrupted, "that's fantastic! He's loved you for ages…"
"I told him that I couldn't Angela," Brennan said and Angela stopped cold.
"You did what?"
"I told him that I couldn't be in a romantic relationship with him."
"Why?"
"Because I can't."
"Why?"
"You're asking why a lot." Brennan stated and Angela shrugged.
"In this case sweetie, the question is warranted. Can you look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't honestly love him?"
"I don't believe in love Angela."
"But Brennan…"
"I don't Angela," she said again, with a pointed clarity, "and I can't see that changing."
"I'm always going to be here for you sweetie.," Angela assured her. "Don't ever forget that."
"I won't," Brennan said with a small smile and took another bite of the chocolate cake. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Angela."
"It has to be your choice Bren," she told her. "But I know what I would do…"
"That's what I thought."
---
It all looked the same. It smelled the same. He was pretty sure nothing had changed in the time that he'd been gone and he wasn't sure if that was a relief or not.
He had to show his I.D. to the night guard and explain why he was there. That was different. Not having access to the lab like he used to. Now he was lead around like a everyday visitor.
He was really hoping he wasn't making a huge mistake.
He stood at the bookshelf in her office and studied the pictures that lined the wall. Michelle, with graduation robe and cap on, smiling for the camera holding a diploma in her hand and another of Michelle outside of a large brick building, what he was assuming was a dorm building. But there were others, several of her with the same guy, the newest boyfriend he assumed.
The one that his eye the most was of Cam, Angela, and Brennan all smiling for the camera with a young Josie perched on Cam's knees.
"Seeley," he heard her say from behind him.
"Camille," he answered and wrapped his arms around her quickly.
"Don't call me Camille."
"Then don't call me Seeley," he responded back without missing a beat. "It's good to see you."
"You too Booth," she answered and then shifted nervously. "What are you doing in D.C.?"
"Work stuff," he answered honestly, choosing though to keep the meat of it out of this conversation. "Thought I'd stop by and see you."
"See me?"
"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Can't I visit an old friend?"
"Well sure," she told him. "But this 'old friend' hasn't seen you in almost three years and hasn't actually talked to you in over a year. What's really going on Booth?"
"I'm not sure," he said and the anger was starting to boil inside of him. "But I'd sure as hell like to know."
"Okay," she agreed and put her hands up in a show of surrender. "You're upset and I'd like to know why."
"When did Brennan have a kid?"
"Oh God."
"I saw her today, with a little girl, at the diner and…" His voice trailed off before he continued. "I was shocked."
"Did you talk to her?"
"No."
"You can't just leave Booth," Cam argued with him after showing up at his apartment unannounced. "We need you here. Dr. Brennan needs you here."
"I am leaving. And she'll be fine, on her own. That is how she likes to be anyways."
"Booth…"
"I'm packing," he stated simply. "I've accepted the position and I'm leaving. No one can stop me."
"Have you talked to her?"
"No."
Cam nodded slowly, "You probably should."
"Cam?"
"I'm not going to get in the middle of anything," she said quickly, "if there is anything to get in the middle of. It was good seeing you Booth."
"You're kicking me out?"
"It's not me you need to talk to."
"I guess you're right," Booth admitted after a silent moment. "Thanks Cam."
"See you around Booth."
When Booth reached his rental car again he laid his head against the steering wheel and took a deep breath. He knew that if he wanted the answers to the questions he had he was going to have to go to the source.
He knew what he had to do now. It was just a matter of convincing himself it was the right thing.
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A/N: What is the right thing? I guess you'll have to wait and find out! Please, please, please take a moment to review. It really makes me smile. And keeps me writing. So, the more reviews the quicker the chapters will come. (Yes, it's bribery and I'm ok with that.)
