Next one's up. There's not a lot of Booth in this but I think the other's reaction and friendship is important too. Thanks for the really positive reviews! Made my day so much better after a bad start to college. Things are going a bit better now :) which is probably why this is harder to write; angst seems more suited to bad moods.
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy it.
Chapter Three
"Someone should go after him." Cam muttered.
"No way," Hodgins replied. "What that man needs right now is to be alone."
Max grimaced "I think that's the problem."
Hodgins winced. They had all reconvened back in the funeral home, so Jared could get cleaned up. Angela hadn't stopped crying, so Hodgins had refused to go to the hospital until she was no longer in hysterics. Cam had checked that the break wasn't too severe, and given him some painkillers and a temporary sling. Jared's jaw had already swollen and turned purple, but at least he hadn't lost his front teeth. Two ribs were broken though. A testament to Booths right hook. As soon as Cam had declared that his jaw wasn't physically broken, Jared had taken off, much to everyone's approval.
"No, Dr Saroyan is right." Sweets murmured. "Agent Booth is in an extremely bad place right now. As much as he needs to deal with these issues without interference, he needs to be kept alive too." The others exchanged worried glances before Sweets continued, his voice grieved. "I don't know what he's going to do."
Angela managed to speak between each ragged breath, and said, "But, he left his gun right?"
Hodgins quietly replied. "He doesn't need a gun to do it."
"Oh God." Angela sobbed into Hodgins shoulder and he rubbed her back with his good arm.
"Booth is a strong person, he's been through more than most people can imagine. You don't seriously think he would…" Cam trailed off.
Sweets winced. "I… don't know. And that, more than anything is what worries me. Dr Brennans sudden death hit him harder than I think even any of us could have ever imagined. His behavior recently has been so…" Sweets was lost for words, and on the verge of tears. "He's not the same person we know right now." He finished feebly.
"Do any of you know where he might have gone?" Max asked gently.
They all shook their head. "There's a few places he might go, but I don't think he's in a rational state of mind at the moment. He could be anywhere."
Max frowned. "Well, let's start with these places and narrow it down from there. Any suggestions?"
They all thought about it for a moment.
"The Diner?"
"Sids?"
"His apartment?"
"Her apartment?"
"The Lab?"
"Founding Fathers?"
"Church?"
"Whoa!" Max interrupted. "I think that's enough for a good starting place. Hodgins, you get to the hospital. We'll split the list and see if we can't find the poor man."
They all nodded their approval and wiped away their tears.
They had a friend to save.
*
Booth parked the car and got out. The rain had not stopped and had managed to drive away any potential visitors. The steps were deserted.
Slamming the car door with vicious force, Booth slowly began to ascend the steps that looked out over the Washington Monument.
He'd come here because it was the only place that had been purely theirs. None of the squints had been here with them. He wasn't sure they had even known about it. Here, he could almost feel her. He stood in the middle of the steps and turned to face the monument. The rain beat down on him and he closed his eyes, spreading his palms outwards.
Like this, he could almost imagine that she was still there. She was stood next to him, on these steps. They'd been drinking together, laughing at a bad joke that she wouldn't understand. She'd stand close enough that he could smell her shampoo.
He let his fingers drift through the wind, and he could almost feel the touch of her skin along his fingertips. Behind closed eyes, a flash of azure blue set him alight.
The rain fell past his ears and whispered a quiet laugh to him, her laugh. It filled his ears, his head, his throat, until he was drowning in her.
Every sense of her cascaded though him; she dominated his every thought and feeling and she overflowed from his soul until she surrounded him, encircling him in a world where she was not only alive, but what kept him living.
He breathed deeply and for one brief, perfect moment, he forgot that she was dead.
*
Sorry it's so short. Hope you liked it anyway. Cheers for reading.
