"How did I not notice this?" Brennan was pacing back and forth in her office and Russ was doing he best trying to get her to calm the slightest bit down, but he was failing with every word.

"You couldn't have noticed, Tempe. And you know dad's good at hiding things from us. He's done it before." Russ tried.

"I saw her remains, Russ. I should have noticed she had given birth to another child. I should've noticed."

"Tempe, stop beating yourself up."

"Did you know about this? Have you been keeping secrets from me, too?"

"No, now will you calm down and relax."

She stopped to face Russ, her fear clearly showing. "I can't relax, Russ! Things have just been changing too much lately."

"This isn't just about a long lost family member, is it?" When she didn't respond immediately, he knew it was true. This had to do with something that happened with someone else really close to her. He remembered Max telling him something about Booth leaving the country and coming back with a girlfriend. Great! This had to do with Booth, too. "Is it Booth?"

"I guess you could say I'm keeping him at arms length."

"Tempe, I know you probably don't want to hear this from me, but you only get one chance for every moment you have a decision to make. Sometimes you just have to take a risk with what you feel, rather than what's right. Normally, it's the other way around, but do you know what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Good."

Maxine sat on the couch in Angela's office and she looked around at all of the art, taking in all of the details of the place. "You're an artist." She said. "I'd say you're a big fan of art, but I can see there's a similarity to each piece, either you only like one artist or you did these yourself. They're really beautiful."

"Well, thank you." Angela smiled. "So, do you mind telling me about yourself, Maxine?"

"Why would I mind?" She asked.

"Well, Brennan was never really the type to open up about things. I would tell you some of the stories, but I think it'd be best if she got to tell you them herself." Angela sat across from her on the other end of the couch.

"It seems like that boyfriend of hers knows her pretty well."

Angela laughed. "Sadly, Booth and Brennan are not together."

Maxine looked shocked which made Angela smile wide. "Are you serious?"

"Sweetie, I'm serious as a heart attack."

"I could've sworn, the way those two act, that they are head over heals for each other. The sexual tension is practically oozing off of them." Maxine laughed with Angela.

"Believe me, I've tried knocking some since into Brennan to tap that, but she's too rational to make any decision with that pumping organ in her chest."

Maxine laughed. "Her heart." She paused for a moment and she realized she never answered Angela's first question. "Well, you already know my name is Maxine. I've been in the foster system my whole life until I ran away last week. I've been doing fine, but running into a cop was not on my list of things to happen before I turn eighteen."

"Don't worry, Brennan has a little soft spot for foster kids, and Booth knows if he just threw you back into the system without knowing you were going someplace safe, she'd kill him."

That made Maxine seem to relax more. "If Dr. Brennan and I are related, do you think she'd let me stay with her until I turn eighteen."

Angel frowned thinking about it for a second. "You know, I really don't know what she would say about that."

Booth walked into Brennan's office and it was silent by the time he got there. He thought something was wrong, but he saw that look of Brennan's face and he rarely saw it. It was when she was stressed about making a decision she was confused about. Not her simple confused because she usually looked up facts to get her choice with those, but the one she'd usually run to him for advise about, except for those very few she didn't want to talk about, but do on her own. He knew it was about Maxine, and he had a feeling what was going through her mind, but just watching her made his heart break. He wanted to go over there and comfort her in any way he can, but things got awkward ever since he told her about his feelings, and even worse when he came back from Afghanistan with a girlfriend. He still loved her, but he needed someone that wouldn't be afraid to be with him, even if that meant he didn't truly love them as much as he loved his partner.

He slowly stepped towards her desk and he noticed she was well aware of his presence just chose not to say anything. Even if he already knew, he had to ask. "Bones, you okay?"

She looked up at him for a moment and she gave him a little nod. "Yeah."

The lack of words and her expression on her face told him she was not in the mood to talk about it, and he also noticed that science part of her was put to rest more than he's ever saw her do in the time he's known her. Her sudden words shocked him.

"Booth, what are you gonna do?" She looked at him hopefully, yet confused, with those bright blue eyes he'd do anything for.

He knew what she was talking about though, so he answered quick. "As a cop, I have to do something about a runaway." She just gave him a simple nod that she understood, but he wasn't finished. "But as a friend, I'd like to ask you first, what you want to do."

She looked at him, looking for an answer in his eyes. She didn't speak for a long moment, just looked at him while she though out that tough decision in her head and the only answer that actually made since to her. "Booth, I'm not good at this."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not good at making a decision when the rational one is so simple, but something inside me is trying to tell me something completely different." That's when it clicked to Booth, why that expression on her face was so rare.

"Bones, that's your heart trying to tell you to do something irrational because it feels right rather than listening to the facts." Booth had stepped closer to her. "I know you don't like making decisions that way, but sometimes it's the best way, for you, and the others around you."

"Booth, I know she's supposed to go back into the system, but I feel like that isn't the best thing for her."

"You believe the best thing for her is to be around her family, even if she just met them."

Brennan didn't say anything, but her face told him he got that one right and she wanted Maxine to be a part of life.

"It's up to you, Bones, if you want Maxine to live with you." Booth said. "If you want her to go back into the system, I can make sure she goes someplace she'll be happy in."

"What do you think I should do?" Brennan asked.

"I think a lot of things, Bones, but I've learned that suggesting things to you is a risky path, and I think you should make this decision any way you have to."

Brennan was starting to feel a little bit helpless, but it made since that this decision was hers to make. She knew she wasn't going to get any imput from anyone else with the risk of her either listening and regretting it or not and coming out with the same outcome. This one was full on her and she had to make a decision before the end of the day or Maxine wasn't guaranteed a safe place to be. Thinking about it a moment longer, Brennan knew she couldn't fight it, she made her decision, and she was ready to tell everyone.