Disclaimer: Bones belongs to those people at Fox. If it was my show, you-know-who would never have been a part of it!

Thanks for the reviews to the first chapter! I love hearing what you all think about it, and especially with a first chapter, where you think the story is going to go. All I'll say right now is relax! I'm a B & B shipper through and through. (Keep that thought in mind as you read this next chapter)

Chapter 2

Brennan sat on the cold granite steps of the Lincoln Memorial, waiting for a response from her partner and friend. She had stopped talking a full minute before, and the silence was deafening. Before arriving back in the states, as she'd sorted out her thoughts, she'd been so sure of her feelings… so sure of them and this being the right thing to do. But now, with her declaration spoken, Booth had not said a word. The longer they sat in silence, the more she began to doubt herself.

Finally Booth cleared his throat. The action brought Brennan's eyes up to meet his, and she was unsure of what she saw in them. He stared at her for a few moments before clearing his throat again to speak. "Bones"… he stopped and started, trying to get his thoughts organized…"geez, I wish you would have called me or something, before we got back here…"

"Booth, I couldn't call you… I…" as Brennan tried to organize her own thoughts she found herself getting flustered. "I lost my cell phone over there – it was stolen not long after we got there. The only other phone was the satellite phone and that was meant only for emergencies."

"So you didn't keep in contact with anyone else? Good to know it wasn't just me." Booth didn't know what to think or what to say, so he had grabbed onto that one piece of information that had been nagging at him while they'd been gone. She had looked so confused and maybe even a little sad when they'd said goodbye at the airport – he had wondered about her and was desperate for some contact with her. He refused to call her though, because he knew she needed some time to sort things out.

"Booth… I was over there to work so I didn't plan to be talking on the phone with people. And besides, the longer I went without outside contact, the more I found I was able to focus on what I needed to think about. I found my thoughts kept returning to that night and my rejection of your offer." As she stopped to take a breath, Brennan looked away for a second and then returned to his face. She had missed seeing him, just being with him. Looking back into his eyes, she smiled a shy, sad smile. Booth saw it and couldn't help but smile as well - because even though he'd met someone, he had still missed his Bones.

Booth knew he had to say what was on his mind. He didn't know what was going to happen with it all, but he couldn't keep it from her. "Bones, while I was over in the desert, I… I met someone." The way Brennan's head shot up, Booth was sure she would give herself whiplash. He saw a very brief, but very real pained look on her face before she was able to mask her emotions once again. He hated doing this to her, but he couldn't live a lie. "I met this woman, a journalist… a war correspondent."

"What's her name?"

"Hannah. Hannah Burley."

"How… how'd you meet?"

"Well, I arrested her for being in a restricted area."

"You arrested me once" she said with a small quirky smile.

"I remember."

"Where's Hannah now?"

"She's in Iraq."

"Is she coming back to the states? Or, are you going back once we help Cam with this case?"

"No, I'm not going back. I realized while I gone that I needed to be here for Parker. I'm not going back. And I don't know what she's planning to do. We kinda left things up in the air, 'cause I left in such a rush."

Brennan had to ask the next question, even though she knew that the answer might hurt her. "Well, is it serious, Booth?"

"I don't know, Bones. I mean, we enjoyed each other's company over there – and I'm not just talking about sex, Bones… so don't go getting all 'biological urges' on me here" he said with a chuckle. Brennan watched him laugh, but she couldn't join in. Her mind was still reeling from what he had just told her.

Brennan didn't know whether to be happy or sad with this news. She had told herself that Booth might move on. He had said that he had to, that night outside the Hoover; it just never occurred to her that Booth might start a relationship over in the desert. She had been so focused on her work during the daytime, and thinking about them at night, that the thought had never seriously crossed her mind that Booth might actually meet and date someone while they were apart.

The thought of what it all meant made her nauseous. As her stomach rolled, she stood. She felt like she needed to move, to get some air, and so she began to pace. Booth watched her, knowing that he had just shocked her; but hell, she'd given him quite a shock with her declaration about wanting to give them a chance! Both of them needed time to catch their breaths from the news they had thrown on each other tonight. Booth broke the stalemate that was developing between them. "Bones, maybe we should go check in with everyone, and then get some sleep. I know I'm dog-tired, and you must be too. A good night's sleep in our own beds, a shower and a shave… and we can talk about all this tomorrow. What'cha say, partner?"

The term partner caught Brennan's ear. It was the first hopeful thought she'd had since Booth had told her about the reporter. "Yes, that sounds like a good thing to do" she said. And as she voiced the words, Brennan turned to walk towards the Jeffersonian Institute.

"Whoa… hey Bones, where're you going?"

"To the Lab."

"Cam's not there anymore."

"Why?"

"You really didn't keep in touch with anyone… this way, Bones. To the FBI building" and with that they walked quietly the short distance to their destination.

a/n: Reviews help me know if my thoughts are coming through in the chapters. I like knowing what the readers think, so, leave a review!