Breaking Point

Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or its characters. I do, however, have just earned the right to call myself an 'attorney'. I know it has nothing to do with this, but I just found out that I passed the bar and I'm basically just telling everyone I know and don't know about it.

Chapter 3

A few seconds later Booth pulled away from the parking space and left the restaurant parking lot. And both Angela and Brennan were once again left to see him leave. When Brennan recovered enough from the shock of seeing the man who had swore he would never leave her, drive away from her, she turned to Angela to see her closing her phone after presumably talking to Hodgins and asking him to come pick them up.

"Why?" was the only thing that Brennan could think to say.

Angela looked up at her after she put her phone away and asked, "Why what?"

"Why did you leave him drive away?" Brennan couldn't help the accusatory tone in her voice.

"Why?" Angela repeated again. "Because he needed to go," was the simple answer.

"He needed to go?" Brennan repeated disbelievingly. "I needed to talk to him!! And you had to know that. Why couldn't you try to stop him?"

"And how could I have done that?" Angela asked, tilting her head to the side and watching Brennan attentively.

"How? By telling him you couldn't call Hodgins and he needed to take us home."

Angela just shook her head and answered reasonably, "That wouldn't have worked. He would have just had me call a taxi."

"Angela," Brennan said again as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "I needed to talk to him and you could have helped me."

"Maybe," Angela conceded. "But he needed to leave more than you needed to talk to him."

"He. . ." Brennan just sputtered, not sure what she could say to that statement. Actually she wasn't sure what world she was in right now, in the space of thirty minutes everything seemed to have gone up side down and now she felt almost like Alice must have felt when she stumble into the other world in that ridiculous movie Booth had made her watch a few months ago. "Angela, you're supposed to be my friend." She finally said, and though she wasn't sure whether it was a rational argument at the moment it was all she could come up with.

"I am but like I told you earlier, he's my friend too." She answered as she tried to steer Brennan back to the restaurant.

But Brennan was having none of it; quite unlike any other time, she wanted to talk about this, because she didn't really understand what had happened and she wanted, no she needed to understand it. If her relationship with Booth was finally over, like it seemed to be, then she needed to know why and how.

"Angela," she said and it was the softness of the voice and the almost lost quality to it that had Angela turning to face her.

She sighed and with a warmer voice than she had used previously said, "Brennan,"

At the softer tone, Brennan jumped in and asked, "Angela what the hell happened? Why did Booth overreact like that?"

Angela just looked at her like Brennan had grown two heads and the softening of her face stopped. "Not even you can be that clueless, Brennan."

Brennan opened her mouth to respond to the insult, but Angela just kept talking.

She shook her head and started to talk, "You've been pulling away from him and pushing him away from you for months now, and you have to ask me what's wrong? You flirt with another guy in front of him when you're barely talking to him and you think he overreacted? God, Brennan, sometimes you leave me speechless."

She shook her head once more and turned to walk away, a few steps later she turned back and continued, "You want to know what happened? I'll tell you what happened. You finally proved yourself right." She knew she was just repeating what she had said inside, but she had no other words to explain this mess. "You're so scared of being left behind once again, that you're hell bent on leaving first. And if you can't, well, then you just have to prove that he will by making it impossible for him to stay."

"That's not true," Brennan protested, violently shaking her head in denial. "I don't do that. I haven't done that. I don't want him to leave."

"Really?" Angela asked in a disbelieving tone. "because you have sure made a perfect imitation of someone who wanted to get rid of her boyfriend these last few months. You don't longer talk on phone if the conversation does not relate to work; you refuse to go out into the field or to dinner or lunch. Worse, even when you're there, you're no longer there."

"I don't know what that means," Brennan said.

"You know," Angela said with another shake of her head. "You not knowing pop culture references, used to be endearing, but right now, it's just annoying." Angela said exasperated.

"Well, excuse me if I'm not. . ." Brennan started to respond as she bristled at the insult and pulled back.

"Oh, stop it." Angela said as she put her hands on her hips and shaking her head yet again, looked at the floor and tried to calm herself. "Don't get all insulted, ok? I didn't mean it. It's just that I'm so angry and frustrated with you, I don't know what I'm saying anymore. I just watched you throw away the best thing that could happen to anyone and you don't even seem to realize it. I've tried and tried to talk to you, to get you to tell me what is going on, but you just wouldn't. And I just spent the last ten minutes consoling the guy whose heart you just broke, so I'm not feeling particularly patient."

They stood there for a few minutes, Brennan watching Angela calm down and Angela wondering what she was supposed to do now.

Finally, Angela looked back at Brennan and said, "You are my friend, Bren, and I love you. But sometimes you are the most difficult person I have ever met. For all that you know, sometimes it seems that are the most oblivious person I know.

Look, I know you had a rough childhood," though Brennan stiffened and seemed to pulled back even more, Angela continued. She had to say this, it was high time someone said it to her, because if no one did, then Brennan was never going to be more than what she was right now; and Angela didn't want her friend to end up alone and bitter.

"You've gone through things no one should have to go through, especially a child. And yet, you overcame them all and became an amazing person and an incredible friend. But, honey, you've never really got over the past. And maybe you shouldn't, I don't know. Maybe something that traumatic can't be gotten over, but you can't let it rule your life, either.

You are an amazing person and the best forensic anthropologist. You fought for it and you achieved it. You've always fought for what you wanted – when it comes to your career. But in your personal life, you're so scared of being hurt that you've shut down your emotions for most of your life. And I understand that, I do. After what you went through, it is the logical reaction. But you can't go through life closed off from your emotions because then you are not really living."

Brennan had become very still when Angela began talking about her past and Angela could see that Brennan wanted to be anywhere else but there, but something was keeping her there. And at the mention of her being closed off, she protested, "I'm not closed off. I haven't been since I met you. I mean you're my best friend and I have . . . had Booth. And the guys at the lab and Cam. I think I've opened my life and emotions quite a lot in the last few years."

"Yes, you have. But not totally, and you still hide behind your past. For someone so brave and adventurous in every other area of life, you are more likely to avoid emotions and to run from relationships whenever they get to be too intense than to fight for them. That's what you've been doing with Booth since you met him. Why did it take almost three years to get together? Because you knew he wouldn't be content with just parts of you, he would want all of you. And that scare the crap out of you, so you ran."

"But we got together. We became a couple and I was happy." Brennan protested.

"I know. And that's why I can't understand why you've been acting like you have this past few months. Bren, you have to let the past go; you have to leave it in the past. And you have to start living in the present. You can't let the past and your fears rule your life; you can't keep blaming what you went through every time you're tempted to run away because the emotions you're feeling are so powerful they scare you. We all have a past, maybe not as traumatic as yours, but we all have our own demons to deal with. There just comes a point in all our lives when we have to say enough; when we have to stop using the past as an excuse or crutch and own up to the fact that the present and future are our responsibility. That the lives we have are the lives we've made. So we better be damn sure that they are the lives we want, because at the end of the day, we can't blame anyone else but ourselves if we're not happy with them."

She paused and noted that Brennan's face had gone rigid. She sighed and said softly, "I'm not saying this to hurt you, Bren. I'm saying it because I love you and I want you to be happy and I think Booth is your best chance at happiness. I know that if you let him go because of whatever fears and hung ups you have from the past, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

After Angela finished saying her piece, they fell silent. Angela didn't think there was anything else she could say to make Brennan see reason and Brennan had too many thoughts going around her head for her to be able to say anything.

A few minutes later, as Angela saw Hodgins' car coming down, she added, "One more thing. Booth really is one of the best men I know and whatever else he may think, he deserves happiness. If you don't think that you'll be able to finally let go of the past completely and really commit yourself to him, heart and soul, then maybe it would be best if you guys ended. This give and take, roller coaster ride you've been on for the past four years, is not fair to either of you. And I know, whatever he said right now, that if you went and talk to him after he's calm down, he'd take you back because he loves you – he really loves more than anything else, except Parker. So, if you can't really give him what he needs, what he deserves, then let him go, Bren. That may be the kindest thing you could for him – and the best thing for you."

She paused as she saw Hodgin come into the parking lot and couldn't resist adding, "I really hope you can let the past go and finally give yourself to Booth, sweetie." She said as she gave Brennan a one arm hug. She then looked into Brennan's eyes and said in the most sincere and almost pleading voice she had, "Honey, please give yourself the chance to really love him, without reserves or trepidation. I promise it'd be so worth it. And I know that neither of you will really ever be happy unless you do. It's all in your hands now, hon. Whatever you decide, it's all up to you."