Booth tossed and turned in bed that night, trying to figure out what was going on with Bones and Paul. He had to admit to himself that he'd been extremely jealous when he saw them together, and that had clouded his judgment. Now he wasn't sure what was going on.

Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part, but Bones never came out and said that Paul was her boyfriend. Everybody assumed that, but that wasn't how she introduced him. Maybe they were just friends...or maybe not. Hannah seemed pretty convinced that Bones was in love with Paul, and it seemed so at dinner, but his gut was telling him to look deeper into what had really happened.

Booth knew that if Bones had that sort of relationship with Paul, she'd say so. She had almost always told him about her boyfriends... often she'd tell him more than he really wanted to know. So maybe Paul was just a convenient excuse for Bones to leave town. If that was true, maybe, just maybe, she could be convinced to stay in DC.

Hannah shifted in her sleep, turning towards Booth. "God, what's wrong with me? I'm in a serious relationship with Hannah, and now I'm trying to keep Bones from leaving town." Hannah had shown a twinge of jealousy when she mentioned how good Bones looked at dinner and he had quickly agreed without thinking about how Hannah would feel. Now she was annoyed with him. He turned the problem over and over in his mind until he drifted off to sleep.

Booth had been talking about their latest case when he heard a noise behind him.

"Bones...what are you doing?" She'd followed him into his office, locking the door and closing the blinds.

"I'm feeling affectionate." Kissing him, she started to loosen his tie and unbutton his shirt…."I love you, Booth….make love to me…."

"Whatever you want, Bones." He pulled her close, carressing her gently. "God, I love you…"

Booth sat up suddenly in his bed, his heart racing, panting and sweating profusely. He'd had that dream again...the one where he and Bones were making love in his office like wild animals. He felt guilty as he looked over at Hannah. She mumbled something and turned toward him. "Are you alright, Seeley? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah, Hannah, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare. Go back to sleep."

Booth lay in bed, looking at the ceiling, trying to gather his thoughts. As usual, the dream seemed so real...so very real...and he almost wanted to have that dream again…..

oooooooooo

Angela stood in the doorway of Brennan's office. "Sweetie, you've been holding out on me, haven't you?"

"I don't know what you mean, Angela." Brennan looked up from her computer, obviously confused.

"Cam says you're going to South Africa to work with some hot professor guy…."

"Oh. Yes, Paul is a very attractive man, and he's extremely intelligent." Brennan turned back to her computer.

"Nope. You don't get out of it that easily. Spill. Details...lots of tiny details…I want to know all about it." Angela came in and sat down across from Brennan. "Do you love him or are you running away from the situation here?"

"Angela, I really have quite a bit of work to do, even though Clark is working with Booth. I want to finish identifying some of remains in Limbo before I take my new position." Brennan began to study the file on her desk, trying to end the conversation.

"Fine. Answer my questions and I'll leave you alone. Let's hear it."

Brennan was exasperated but she knew she wouldn't get Angela to leave unless she gave her some information.

"Well, I met Paul in Vienna at the convention, and we've had a great friendship from the start. He's the head of anthropology at the University of Johannesburg."

"And…." Angela waited.

"And...what?"

"You know...more details? Like why exactly you're moving halfway around the world to be with him?

Brennan nodded and grinned slightly. "Well, I like Johannesburg. The climate is pleasant and the people are friendly…"

"And…." Angela wasn't taking NO for an answer.

"I want to be teaching in the classroom more, and I want to go on expeditions throughout Africa."

Angela chuckled. "So you like Johannesburg and want to teach more but you haven't answered my second question. Do you love Paul?"

"Love is merely a release of chemicals into the brain, Angela. That has nothing to do with my decision. I'm going to live in Johannesburg for a year, and if I like it, I may stay longer, or I may come home, or I might even work at a different university. Paul isn't pressing me for a serious commitment. There are no strings attached. It's just a good opportunity to live somewhere new."

"So does that mean no?"

"It means love isn't a factor in this equation. I like Paul very much, but I haven't formed an intense emotional attachment to him. He would like to add a more intimate sexual component to our relationship, but I'm not convinced that's a good idea right now. Paul is good company, and I enjoy spending time with him. He makes me laugh a lot."

"I see." Angela hesitated before asking her next question. "What does Booth think of all this?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask him. I don't need his approval." Brennan began studying the file again. "When Paul and I had dinner with Booth and Hannah last night, Booth may have been bothered by all of the sexual innuendo Paul injected into the conversation, but he didn't seem to have too many objections to my plans to move.

"Really? That's hard to believe."

"Why?"

Angela rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe Brennan didn't know why. "Because he's in love with you, that's why."

"You're mistaken, Angela. Booth is committed to Hannah, and I'm fairly certain they'll marry soon."

"So you're running away again, right, Sweetie?"

"No, Angela. You're the person who said I could change my life if I wanted to do so. I want to make this move for myself. It's a wonderful professional opportunity, and I'm very excited about it."

Angela nodded, remembering the conversation and how it had triggered this whole mess. "Well, Brennan, if this is what you want to do, then go for it. Maybe Hodgins and I can come to visit you after you get settled. I'll let you get back to work."

"I want to make sure we have dinner together before I leave, Angela."

"Of course. I'll talk to you later." Angela walked slowly to her office, thinking about their conversation. She couldn't imagine Booth allowing Brennan to leave without putting up a fight….

Brennan watched Angela walk away, and thought about dinner the night before. She knew Booth wasn't fine with her moving to South Africa, but he'd lost the privilege of having an opinion about her life. Brennan was determined. She'd do what she wanted, and Booth's opinion be damned.

ooooooooooo

Booth had tried to avoid Sweets and his incessant questions about Hannah and Bones, but he needed a file from him immediately, and there wasn't anyone else available to run the errand. He stood in the doorway of Sweets' office and said, "Hey, I'm in a hurry. Have you got that case file for me? I'm trying to wrap things up before the weekend."

"Hey, Booth. I'm almost done with it. Come on in. So I heard that you and Hannah met Dr. Brennan's new boyfriend. What did you think of him?"

"He's okay, I guess. I'm in a hurry, Sweets." Booth was fidgety, wanting to avoid this kind of question.

"South Africa. Dr. Brennan's never been shy about traveling to different parts of the world for science, right? I really admire that about her."

Even though his mind was swirling with emotion, Booth was determined to remain stoic as he listened to Sweets natter on about Bones' decision. He tried to focus on what Sweets was saying.

Sweets continued. "I'm really happy that Dr. Brennan was able to come to this decision. It seems that she's finally going to be able to move on with her life after her disappointment. That's an emotionally healthy thing to do."

Booth realized he was supposed to respond. "Disappointment?"

"Yes, and it should be a relief for you, Booth, knowing that you won't have to worry about what she's feeling when you work together. You've moved on, and she's moved on, so it's completely over between you two, right?"

"What are you talking about, Sweets?"

"You told me that Dr. Brennan confessed her feelings for you, but you told her you had moved on to a relationship with Hannah. When Dr. Brennan leaves, you won't have to worry about feeling awkward around her anymore. You can put all your emotional energy into your relationship with Hannah."

Booth scowled. "Hannah gets all of my emotional energy now. I love Hannah, and we have a great relationship. Can I please have the file, Sweets?"

Sweets leaned back in his chair, speaking carefully. "You have a great relationship with Hannah now because you still have a surrogate relationship with Dr. Brennan. Even though you don't want to admit it, Dr. Brennan still meets some of your emotional needs. Things might change when Dr. Brennan leaves."

"That's it. I'm outta here." Booth started for the door, then turned and shook his finger at Sweets. "Don't ever talk about me and Bones like this again. I don't have those feelings for her any more. Bones can stay or leave. I don't give a damn either way."

"Don't you want this?" Sweets handed Booth the file. "Booth...If you let Dr. Brennan go to South Africa, you'll probably never see her again. Can you live with that?"

Booth stormed out of Sweets' office. As he stood waiting for the elevator, he wondered….could he live with that?