A/N: Thanks to Sarali1983 for her review.

Booth continued to observe Brennan over the next couple of days. Her work hours continued to stretch and she pulled back from her team subtly. He became more and more concerned about her.

On Thursday evening, he walked into Brennan's office about 9 o'clock with takeout for them both. Brennan was hungry so she didn't protest when he suggested she take a break from her work to eat.

Since his concern for her was foremost in his mind, he opened the conversation with, "Are you okay, Bones? You've been working long hours the past few days."

She looked at him and debated with herself for a moment before saying, "You remember what I said a few days ago? Well, this is one of the bad ones. I have to do something to keep my mind occupied and I can't sleep unless I'm exhausted."

'This is not good,' thought Booth.

Brennan continued, "If I don't, I feel like I'm going to implode, like I can't handle life, like I can't cope. So I do what it takes to ride it out."

Booth nodded. "I'd like to do what I can to help," he said.

Sadly, Brennan replied, "I don't think there's anything you can do, but thanks. Frankly it's never been this bad before."

Booth stood, scooped up their trash and dumped it in the trashcan. He offered her a hand up, and said, "Come on. Let's go home for the evening. We'll watch a movie or something. If you continue to staying late like this Angela's going to notice."

She looked surprised, but placed her hand in his. He helped her up and waited patiently as she gathered her jacket and purse. 'It would be nice to do something different. I've told him how I feel, but I don't think he really gets it. I'm still hiding most of the pain. If I could only figure out why… or how to better express what I'm feeling.' she thought with despair.

Since Brennan still hadn't replaced her TV, they ended up at Booth's apartment. They had stopped and picked up a couple of movies on the way there, but Brennan found a documentary on the history channel she wanted to watch.

Although Booth didn't find it particularly interesting, he didn't argue with her choice. After a few minutes, he said, "Can I get you a drink?"

Brennan glanced at him with a slightly irritated expression, and said, "Water, please. And don't interrupt the show. I might miss something good."

He returned with their drinks and found Brennan completely absorbed in the show. Every once in a while she would verbally disagree with the speaker and correct their facts.

Booth only watched it with half his attention. The other half was trained on his partner, trying to assess how she was doing. 'She looks pretty exhausted.' When her glass was empty, he quietly went to the kitchen to refill it.

When he returned and sat down next to her, she scooted closer to him. He was momentarily surprised, but she was focused on the TV and seemed unaware of her actions. 'She really needs some sleep. I may get some flack for this later, but…' He grabbed a pillow, placed it on his lap, and gently pulled her into a reclining position.

Brennan looked up at him, shrugged, and turned back to the TV. Not long afterward, she was asleep. He sat for a while, just watching her. 'She even looks sad in her asleep. I feel so helpless.'

Eventually he got up, careful not to disturb her. He retrieved a blanket from the linen closet and tucked it around her. He went to the other room to leave a voicemail for his boss letting him know he might be late in the morning. Then he brushed his teeth and climbed into bed, his heart heavy.