Author's note: Thanks to all who've read the first chapter and added alerts. :) I'm sure some of you have a good idea about the identity of the mystery voice. ;)

Chapter 2

The voice was becoming more insistent, and Booth felt a hand on his shoulder. "Seeley? Wake up. What kind of weird dream were you having?" Hannah Burley's voice was now clear to his befuddled senses.

He was in his bed, in his apartment, and the woman beside him waking him from the most wonderful dream he had ever had was not his wife. She was his girlfriend, the one he had met in Afghanistan while trying to move past the woman who still haunted his mind and dreams.

Hannah was talking to him again. 'Listen, Booth,' he told himself. 'Hopefully I didn't say anything to upset her.'

"Why on earth were you saying 'Mom' like that? Were you channeling Parker or something? Getting in touch with your inner child?" she kidded him, though she was secretly very curious as to why her boyfriend would say the word "Mom" with such love and reverence, especially in a dream.

Booth looked at her expression, only seeing curiosity and not concern or jealousy, which is what she would have been feeling if Hannah knew what Booth was really dreaming about.

"Yeah, something like that. First I was watching Parker play, then I was the kid playing, then I was with my mom again. It's been a long time she I had anyone to call 'Mom.'" He tried to keep his voice as even as possible, but he still have strong emotions associated with his own mother whom he had lost so young, leading to some of the most painful years of his life.

Hannah gave him an encouraging look, trying to let him know that he could talk to her about it if he wished it. She knew that some bad things had happened in his childhood, and that his mom had died when he was still a kid, but Seeley didn't like to talk about that time. Hannah knew he'd tell her when he was ready.

"That's OK, Seeley, we all think about and miss our parents once in a while. And you're now a parent yourself, who doesn't get to see his child enough…" She let her voice trail off, knowing this was a sensitive subject.

She must have said the right thing, because Booth smiled at her and said, "Thanks, babe. It really helps to know you understand."

Hannah gave him a quick kiss, then got out of bed. "Time to get up, baby. Got lots to do today." She gave him a seductive grin. "Want to join me in the shower?"

Since Booth was still processing the ideas and emotions stirred up by his eerily realistic dream involving him and Brennan, he simply grinned back and said, "Not today, Han. I'm going to lounge in bed a little longer and just imagine what we can do when we have more time later."

Since this was not an uncommon reaction to her occasional morning invitations, she shrugged and went to start her day.

After she had disappeared into the bathroom, Booth allowed himself to drop his happy-go-lucky front and ran a hand over his face, groaning inwardly. What was he going to do? Clearly, if he was having that kind of dream about Brennan, something was not going right. He had only one person he could trust to always tell him the truth and give him real advice. He grabbed his phone and dialed her number.

"Booth? Why are you calling me so early? What's wrong?" Dr. Camille Saroyan was instantly concerned about her old friend. He would not be calling her at this hour about a case.

Booth sighed. Cam knew him too well sometimes. But he knew she could help him.

"Could you meet me in my office sometime before lunch? Whenever it seems convenient to get away from the lab." He tried to keep the growing feeling of panic from showing in his voice.

Cam sighed too. There was something seriously wrong if Booth didn't want anyone at the lab—whom Cam and Booth both knew meant Dr. Brennan—to know that they were meeting. This talk was going to be very personal, and Cam would bet her designer wardrobe that it would involve the two important women in his life: his partner and his girlfriend.

It's about time Booth got some help-he hasn't been doing very well with his love life, has he? ;)